Mistrunner 3 - Chapter 8 - Making a Move

Initially, I didn’t want to go back to her. Back then, it was a toxic, unequal relationship where I fully believed that what she wanted was more important than what I needed. But the moment I saw Mira again, I knew I couldn’t resist diving back in. Not because I needed her. I did, but I could stomach staying away. Rather, I went back because I saw how lost she was without me. It might be distasteful to admit, but there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing someone else would fall apart without you.

Patrick Ward

“This is the coolest bike I have ever seen,” breathed Avery, running her hand along the Cutter’s sleek fuselage. We’d pulled to a stop a little more than a mile away from the enemy stronghold, giving her a chance to examine my hoverbike. And she was more than a little impressed. “I need one of my own. Where did you get it?”

“It was a birthday present from my uncle,” I said. Then, I decided to reveal a little information so I wouldn’t have to answer more questions about the bike. “I didn’t get it until after he died, so I have no idea where he acquired it.”

A notification flashed across my HUD, telling me that Patrick was trying to contact me via the Secure Connection I’d established. I accepted it, opening the line of communication, and he said, “You sure that was a great idea? They know about the Cutter now.”

I resisted the urge to shrug – it would’ve been weird, considering that Avery couldn’t hear the conversation between Patrick and me – and mentally replied, “It’s not a big deal. They would’ve found out at some point. Besides, it makes the job easier.”

Indeed, the biggest reason I’d chosen to use the Cutter was because I didn’t want to run the risk of leaving one of the trucks out in the open. The hoverbike functioned as a cybernetic, and as such, it had its own dedicated storage space tied to a bracelet around my wrist. Once I dismissed it, there would be nothing for the Dingyts to discover.

“Fine. Whatever. Anyway, the reason I contacted you is to let you know that there’s a storm coming. A big one, too. You might be able to use that for cover or something,” he said.

“Maybe. I’ll have to see,” I said, looking back the way we’d come. With Observation flared, I could just make out some dark clouds on the horizon. And if there was one thing I’d discovered about desert life in the past few years, it was that, while it didn’t often rain, when it did, it came in a downpour. Soon enough, we would be drenched.

“What are you doing?” asked Avery.

“Huh?”

“You were just staring off into space for a couple of seconds,” she said. “Is it some kind of ability or something?”

“Something like that,” I acknowledged. “There’s a storm coming. I’m thinking of hunkering down for an hour or so and letting it mask our approach.”

Avery crossed her arms. “Do you think that’s necessary?” she asked, a pout on her face. God, she was young. “I mean, you acted so high and mighty back there, right? Surely you can get in without a little rain to cover your tracks.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. But I’ll never turn down an advantage, even if it’s unnecessary,” I stated. “Perhaps you should adopt that same attitude. Or not. Dying young isn’t so bad, I hear. Maybe somebody will tell stories about you or something.”

“I’m not going to die,” she argued.

“Not if you follow my lead, you won’t,” I said. “Now, sit down for a few minutes. Rest. Relax. Twiddle your thumbs. I don’t care. Just stop talking.”

With that, I dismissed the Cutter, and Avery stumbled slightly because she’d been leaning against it. At least she had sufficient attributes to catch herself before she tumbled to the ground, so that was something.

In any case, I settled down on the leeward side of a craggy slope, then cast my mind inward. I kept Observation flared, which was a slight drain on my Mist, but my attributes were high enough that it wasn’t terribly impactful. Besides, it would have been stupid not to keep an ear on things while I worked on my latest Ghosts.

None of them were the breakthroughs I’d hoped to create, but they were still lightyears ahead of my first attempts. In terms of potency and efficiency, there was no comparison. Still, I wasn’t happy, so I set about tinkering with them. I knew I wouldn’t make much progress in the time we had, but –

“What are you doing?” asked Avery. I had my eyes closed, but with Observationworking at full tilt, I knew she was kneeling beside me. For a moment, I considered lying, but the reality of it was that I’d taken her measure, and I didn’t think she would pose much danger to me, regardless of how much information she had. As for the rest of her team? I suspected that Askar already knew most of what I could do. Even if he didn’t know the specifics, his research into my history would’ve told him enough that he could fill in the blanks well enough.

“Creating Ghosts,” I stated. “They’re like hostile programs meant to do very specific things when I deploy them.”

“Wait, what? You’re a Mistrunner like Paulo?” she asked, obviously surprised.

“Paulo is no {Mistrunner},” I stated, opening my eyes and giving her a steely glare. “He’s an amateur masquerading as a professional. He knows some tricks, but he’s not a real {Mistrunner}. I am.”

“So, you…like…you hack into systems and stuff?” she asked. “But you have combat skills, too. I’m sure of it.”

“That’s the difference between a real {Mistrunner}and an amateur like Paulo. I’m sure he can be effective at whatever it is he’s asked to do, but I can assure you, I can do whatever he can do, and I guarantee that I can do it better.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” she said. “There has to be some sort of…I don’t know…balance or something.”

“Does there?”

“Of course! Otherwise, everyone would…I mean…some people would just be so far ahead of everyone else that they could do whatever they wanted,” she said, obviously distressed.

“You’re not wrong. About being able to do whatever I want,” I said. “Most of the time, at least. There are plenty of people out there that could probably take me out, and that’s not even considering the aliens. But…well…”

I let the statement linger. After a few seconds, Avery said, “I don’t believe you.”

I shrugged. “I don’t need you to.”

“So, prove it. Show me you’re so much better than me,” she said, her hands on her hips.

I sighed, knowing that she wasn’t likely to drop it anytime soon. So, I pushed myself to my feet, and like lightning, clamped my hand around her slender neck. Then, I lifted her off the ground with one hand. I could barely even feel her weight. Of course, she clawed at my hand – stupid, really, when she had a pair of pistols at her hips, but a panicked mind doesn’t always pick the best course of action. Either way, neither tactic would do her any good. Her fingers could no more hurt me than a grain of dust could knock me over.

After a couple of seconds, I released her. She fell to the ground, gasping for air. I hadn’t held her for long, but the adrenaline probably exacerbated her situation. I asked, “Happy?”

“W-what…what did you…how?” she breathed. “Was that a skill?”

I shrugged. “Not really,” I said. “I mean, some of my modifiers might’ve applied. That part’s a bit fuzzy, if I’m honest. But no abilities. Just pure Constitution.”

“How?”

“Tell me – how high is yours?” I asked.

“Thirty-two,” she said, puffing up with pride. Another bout of silliness, considering that she’d just been so thoroughly manhandled.

“Well, mine is quite a bit higher than that.”

“But how?” she asked.

“Training.”

“No – that’s not enough. You should’ve hit your potential a long time ago, and…” Her face went white. “W-what level are you?”

“Thirty-eight.” I saw no real reason to conceal it. Not anymore. Sure, she’d probably tell Askar, Isaac, and the others when we returned, but I hoped that would just make them hesitate before turning on me. If I was lucky, I could show enough of my power to dissuade them from betrayal altogether. After all, I had nothing against them, really. It was just a job.

“But that means…h-how many people have you killed?” she asked.

“Directly? Thousands,” I said. “Indirectly? A lot more.”

“How many, though?”

“I don’t know. And the number’s even higher if you count Wildlings. Or aliens, come to that. My point is that if you want to get stronger, you’ve got to put in the work,” I said. “And judging by your face right now, you don’t really have it in you. My advice? Hunt animals and the like. It’s a lot slower than people, but you’ll make some progress.”

Given her Constitution, she was probably somewhere around level seven. Not bad, given her age, but she was still three levels from gaining a class. Likely, she hadn’t even maximized her skills. No – she had a long way to go before she could threaten anyone important.

“If it makes you feel any better, I was right where you are not that long ago,” I stated. “Seven…maybe eight years ago, I was looking up at my uncle the same way you’re looking up at me.”

“What happened to him?” she asked.

“He died,” I stated simply, and in a tone that said I wasn’t going to offer any more information on the matter. “We all die sooner or later, Avery. Nobody’s invincible. No one is immortal.”

“But –”

Just as Avery began to speak, the deluge hit, drowning out her voice with the sound of rain. It came like a great sheet, and in mere moments, visibility was cut to almost nothing. Even with Observation, I could only see a dozen feet or so, which made me feel strangely claustrophobic. Normally, even in the dead of night, I could see for hundreds of yards, so having my sight so thoroughly obstructed was a bit disconcerting.

I reached out and gripped Avery, pulling her close. With my mouth only a few inches from her ear, I said, “Tell me what we’re after. I don’t think you can keep up.”

“I…I can’t do that…”

“Sure you can. It’s easy. It can be our little secret,” I said.

“But –”

“Or you could have an accident out here,” I interrupted. “With these conditions? Who knows what would happen, huh? Besides, don’t you trust me?”

“Uh…no…”

“Good girl,” I said. “Still, tell me what we need in there. I’ll head in, steal it, and then we can head back to camp. Everyone will think you did it.”

She clearly didn’t know what to do. I’d already demonstrated how easily I could kill her, so she knew that my not-so-subtle threat wasn’t idle. Which meant that she had to weigh the personal danger against following her orders. I knew which one would win out, so I wasn’t surprised when she said, “It’s an information packet.  It should be in one of their security terminals. I’m supposed to use this.” Avery held up a small box with a jack on one side, then continued, “It’ll give Paulo access and –”

“Not necessary. What’s on the information packet?” I asked.

“An itinerary,” she answered quickly and with a slightly quivering voice. I could barely hear her over the rain. “A schedule for when they’re transporting the goods from the main compound to the city. Also, it’ll contain a manifest that will detail what’s in which vehicle in the convoy. Without it, we might destroy the wrong trucks.”

“I see,” I said. “Well, that simplifies things. Anything else I need to know?”

“There are robots in there,” she said. “Big combat bots that are as big as an exo-suit. If you trip an alarm, they’ll wake up and kill you.”

“I’m pretty hard to kill,” I said. Of course, I’d come across plenty of combat robots that could rip through me with ease, but I had plenty of advantages if it came to that.

“These are top-notch, according to Askar,” she explained, wringing her hands. “Like, if we wake them up, the mission’s over. Askar said they’re more advanced than anything else on Earth.”

Well, that was interesting. But given what I knew about the Dingyts, it tracked. They were a technologically advanced race that leaned on their creations for combat effectiveness. So, it only made sense that they would possess top-grade robots. Still, it didn’t worry me.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Uh…no?” she said.

“Good enough. Wait here. If I’m not back in two hours, you should probably vacate the area,” I said.

“You don’t want me to rescue you?”

I gave a soft chuckle. “If I get caught, I doubt you can rescue me,” I said. More, I didn’t think she would risk it. “But if it comes down to it, Patrick’s going to bring the Leviathan over and start blowing stuff up. So…you’d better get out. That’s all the warning I’ll give you.”

Then, without any more conversation, I slipped away, disappearing into the rain as I activated Stealth. With that, as well as the darkness of night, covering me, I knew just how undetectable I could be. However, I did cast out my senses – using Observationand the unique perception granted by {Mistrunner} that allowed me to sense nearby systems, I searched for anything that might give me away.

And it didn’t take me long to find a web of sensors. They were at the edge of Misthackrange, but given the feeling I got from them, I didn’t dare progress any further. If I was right – and I usually was – they were cameras that used thermoception to detect enemies. And while I thought that my Infiltration Suit would mask the bulk of my heat signature, I didn’t want to chance it. So, using Misthack, I dove into their systems, toppling their defenses one-by-one until I could upload a Ghost.

Upload Ghost. Options:

· Time Bomb (MK. X)

· Cascade

· Destroy

· Confusion (MK. IV)

· Blind (MK. III)

I chose the second option, which would send a rolling pulse of Mist through the web of cameras, temporarily disabling everything connected to the system. It would only last for about five minutes, but that was plenty of time for me to do what I needed to do. Once I was inside, I could find a security terminal and deactivate things more permanently.

Once I’d uploaded the Cascade, I waited for a few seconds before sprinting ahead. I reached the wall in only a few seconds, and I jabbed my consciousness into the Mist shield, deactivating it via brute force. It was quick and dirty, and it wouldn’t last long, but it allowed me to leap onto the wall and vault into the compound before it shimmered back to full strength.

And just like that, I was inside.

Unfortunately, I found myself face-to-face with a hulking monstrosity of metal and Mist.

My heart jumped into my throat, and I very nearly leaped into combat. However, my brain soon caught up to the situation, and I realized that the combat bot was completely inert. It had yet to activate. Which meant that, so long as I didn’t do anything stupid – like start slicing it with my sword, which was precisely what I’d intended to do – I would be fine. With a force of will, I mastered my breathing and slowed my heart rate enough that I could take stock of my situation.

The layout of the compound wasn’t complicated. Just an outer wall, a few outbuildings, and a main structure bearing a huge antenna. Doubtless, it was meant as some sort of satellite command post. I didn’t really care, so long as I got the information I needed.

I knelt, looking around for threats. I knew from our reconnaissance that there were only a handful of gnomes stationed in the facility, and I felt certain that they would remain inside during a storm. So, aside from the combat bot in front of me – and the four others positioned throughout the compound – I was completely alone.

Which put my hackles up.

It had been too easy. These Dingyts were supposed to be equipped with top-tier equipment, which meant that the defenses I had seen so far were almost assuredly just the tip of the iceberg. There was more I wasn’t seeing.

So, wrapped in Stealth and Camouflage, I flared Observation.

It only took a few seconds before I had to suppress a gasp. Clearly, the defenses were much more advanced than even I had expected. For one, cameras were everywhere. For another, there was a flock of concealed drones floating in the air above the main building. And finally, there were multiple patrols of stealthy gnomes, one of which was almost on top of me.

There were three of them, all armed with rifles that looked at least as big as they were. I couldn’t see much more detail than that; their stealth abilities were predictably high-quality. But I didn’t need to see anything else to know I didn’t want to get into a fight against an enemy with unknown firepower.

Besides, I wasn’t there to start a war.

I just needed a little information.

So, I quickly reactivated Misthack, targeting the combat bot in front of me. Once I’d torn through its defenses, which were weaker than I had expected, I uploaded one of my favorite Ghosts.

I’d initially created Rage to help infiltrate the Elysium back in Nova City, but in the years since, I’d found that it was quite versatile. Most of that was due to the fact that it left no traces behind. To any investigator, it would appear that the victim just went crazy. Or in the case of a combat robot, that there was a glitch in its system. Either way, the effect was simple: it just increased the target’s aggressive tendencies by a significant degree. For a person, that meant they’d probably start a fight with anyone who looked at them funny. But for a bot? Well, it would start to see everyone as an enemy.

I grinned as the Ghost finished uploading. Then, I backed away, leaping to the top of the wall so I’d have a good, safe view of what would come next.