“darkness” is a web series based on the novel grydscaen: dark. It follows the characters and the storyline after grydscaen: dark ends. This web series will run a few weeks and post on the grydscaen blog. copyright (c) 2018 natsuya uesugi.
The dreary night was littered with neon street signs hocking sex and technology. The Red Light District was glowing its raunchy delights into the darkness. A deep fog hung heavy playing tricks on the eyes, leaving mist trails and twinkling radioactive dust in the air.
Faid was on the way back from a date with a his lead john. He pushed on the cheap broken down gate of the love hotel into the street. The gate creeked as it closed grating out into the air. He made 1200 credits tonight sleeping with his lead George Shimazuri who liked to rotate cheap hotels slumming as he slept with Faid in the Echelons away from the pristine metropolitan City.
Empty on this side of Astor street far from The Hole x-rated magazine shop where George picked him up, he made his way back meandering down alleys hands in his pockets. The wind blew dirt and garbage at his feet, radioactive particles in the air sticking to his clothes leaving a greyish dust behind. He brushed off his sleeves and turned into an alley taking a short cut. Walking forward he looked down at his shoes not paying attention in the isolated dank alley. Someone came around the corner in front of him far off at the other end of the alley.
Faid stopped in his tracks looking up. He scanned the figure at the end of the alley. The streetlight behind the stranger flickered then burned brighter for a second creating a halo over the stranger’s head. The light went out suddenly as the stranger raised a knife.
“Die in dead…” Faid heard the shout.
Faid took a step slowly inching backwards hands out, he felt uneasy a warning from his psi that he was in danger, the malevolent intent palpable.
The stranger launched at him. Faid turned. He slammed his hand on the wall changing direction running fast away.
He turned onto Drake street and the stranger teleported on top of him cutting him. Stalking forward he pushed Faid back down the alley. The stranger waved the knife as Faid backed up.
“Die in dead…”
“Who are you? Why are you after me?” Faid appealed.
“Death in red…”
The stranger continued to stalk forward whistling a children’s song. The same one Faid heard in the warehouse. The stranger was wearing black with an anti radiation mask and protective round goggles hiding his face.
“Session terminated…”
“Kaizen?” Faid whispered unsure, combing his recent memory for something that made sense.
The attacker shook his head as if caught off guard then lunged at Faid who grabbed the arm with the knife keeping it at bay. The stranger struggled with Faid and backed him into the wall. Faid slammed the knife against the wall trying to disarm him. The stranger tripped Faid and he fell onto his back. Faid scampered backwards as the killer swiped the knife at him catching his arm. The killer kept coming. Swinging wildly, Faid burst up and came close ripping the stranger’s goggles off and throwing them. He head butted the stranger looking him right in the eyes. Stunned, realization flashed across the attacker’s face. A second later the stranger vanished teleporting away.
Faid ripped his right sleeve getting a better look at the minor wound. Blood dripping down his arm. “It can’t be Kaizen. That doesn’t make sense,” Faid whispered then teleported to the Packat Sprawl.
****
Rom cringed as he got up from his sleeping mat and shuffled down the hallway in the Packrat Sprawl living quarters to the Acolyte Forward Base.
Packrats in the hall whispered under their breath as he passed staring at him. Resentment and fear hung in the corridor.
“He survived die in dead…”
“He is cursed. No Packrat should acknowledge him…”
Shine stared at Rom from the shadows glaring. Another Packrat was with him.
“You should challenge him. He is still hurt. You can take him,” said the Packrat
Shine growled and pulled his ang Packrat knife out of his pocket flicking open the blade. He stalked forward ready to confront.
“Rom, turn around!” ordered Shine.
Rom ignored him.
“Hey?!” called out Shine again.
“Blowing smoke up my arse…” Rom shot back continuing on not acknowledging him and disappeard into the Acolyte Forward Base.
Shine tried to walk in the door but Faid confronted him gritting his teeth and scowling. Faid lowered his eyes and took a step in Shine’s face. He didn’t say anything.
Dark walked up behind Shine as Acolyte came over holding his own ang knife. Acolyte and Faid blocked the entrance to the Forward Base as Rom sat down at the radio desk in the back. Faid gave a wicked smile tempting a fight.
Shine crouched down into Packrat challenge stance. Dark slapped his shoulder and gripped hard. “If you know whats good for you… Back off.”
Shine continued glaring at Faid who pulled his ang knife out of his back pocket. Dark stepped in front of Shine blocking. Shine finally backed off reluctantly.
“Come on, lets go,” warned Dark as he led Shine away down the hall stopping a potential confrontation with Faid, the leader of the Packrats. He would have been dead in an instant.
Acolyte went over to Rom as Faid engaged the psi synch device. “You should get some rest.”
“Haven’t been able to get up till now. Tired of being bedridden. Need to broadcast. I am worried. With AYOR offline there is a gap in intel,” warned Rom.
“Someone will take his place. There are hackers tripping over themselves to get his access and reputation. It won’t be long. A new AYOR will surface,” remarked Acolyte knowing hackers would potentially kill to get that position and the standing that went along with it.
“I thought he was solo?” asked Rom.
“AYOR had his hands in everything,” admitted Acolyte.
Rom turned on the radio mic and set the the dial to 570kHz and turned the dial until the channel cleared up.
“What you broadcasting today?” asked Faid coming over.
“A warning. We need to protect ourselves,” remarked Rom and put on the large blue headphones. He flicked the switch turning the radio on.
“This is Rom from the Packat Sprawl making waves and coming to you live and direct from the Acolyte Forward Base. Got a warning today. AYOR is rumored to have been silenced. Keep your wits about you. If you hear ‘die in dead, death in red’ online disengage and go dark. The hacker killer is back. He came after me once i engaged checking on AYOR. Watch your back.”
Rom brought up the Packrat Underground message board and watched as hundreds of messages came in responding to his broadcast. He was overwhelmed and waved Faid over.
“Hackers are spooked,” remarked Rom seeing the messages scroll by new ones pushing every second.
“What about Kaizen?” came a reply on the message board. The traffic went silent as Acolyte watched the messages roll by. “You got to address that.”
Rom frowned. Talking Kaizen was dangerous and could make you an enemy of the Black Holes, the data pirates that would kill you and sell your organs if you crossed them. Rom hesitated not ready to get into it.
“Let me do it…” replied Faid and rolled a chair over to the radio desk sitting down. He motioned for the mic. Rom responded. “Listen to the Packrat leader. Heed his words.” Rom shoved the mic across the desk.
Faid grabbed the mic and flicked the switch on the base. “This is Faid Callen, Saicho and leader of the Packrats. Listen to me. Die in dead is real. Protect yourself. Kaizen has resurfaced. Do not engage. He has his motives. Do not get involved. Keep your wits about you. Die in dead, death in red, session terminated. Stay off the streets after curfew that is when he targets. The streets are not safe. He knows who we are. Kaizen is everywhere. He was the first Level 9. He is not known as the Immaculate for no reason. Listen to Rom. This is no joke! He is out there now…”
“How do you know that?” asked Rom in the background.
“He came after me,” responded Faid the mic still live.
Suddenly the alarm in the Forward Base went off.
Acolyte came over. “Go offline. Zone Police are on the frequency. They found the channel.”
Rom grabbed the mic back leaning over and cringing, he quickly ended the broadcast with his code. “Hackers Unite. Hack till you’re dead. This is Packrat Underground signing off.” Rom flicked the switch on the radio killing the broadcast.
Acolyte ran a trace back on the signal. The Zone Police avatars were on the channel because they stayed online too long. He sent a command through the gridscan and kicked the Zone Police offline out of the channel. They would not be able to post on that frequency again.
****
The cyber security analyst Jaiden Pierce was at Zone Police headquarters in the jet jockey room sitting in a psi synch device in a session when he was kicked offline. His tech Alistair called out to him as the virtual reality sphere around the chair disengaged. The virtual reality view slowly started to disintegrate, the holo display fading out and going offline, the session terminated.
“You okay?”
“What happened?” asked Jaiden unjacking and getting up out of the chair. He walked over to the terminals at the side of the room.
“Got a hard exit command hit the system. Whomever you were in was onto you. Kicked you out,” remarked Alistair. “Who were you in?”
“I can’t be sure but I think it was the Packrats. I heard Faid Callen, he was talking directly to hackers. We need to check out what he said. Pull up anything on a ‘die in dead’ killer after hackers.”
“Sure, let me check.” Alistair queried the system as Jaiden watched over his shoulder. Massive amounts of data came up.
“Seems a few years ago hackers were being targeted and killed on the streets of the Echelons. It went on for a month then just stopped. Looks like the hacker AYOR is attributed to the killer resurfacing. There is also something about Jester here. Seems AYOR connected Jester with a hacker named Kaizen. Wasn’t Kaizen the first Level 9 hacker on the grid?” said Alistair.
“Yes, Kaizen the Immaculate was the first certified Level 9 hacker. He was a high tech developer for the SenseNet, complicated DNA based and cybernetics technology then he went rogue. One day he just up and quit his Top Secret job. Next thing they found him hacking into the SenseNet and stealing all his previous work. There was rumor he became a clandestine psychic operative for the Psi Faction. It was rumored he committed suicide or the government silenced him. They designated him Level 9 and then he vanished under some mysterious circumstances. He was never found.”
“The data says he has resurfaced since the Jester stock market hack. I can see activity on his avatar. Do you think it is spoofed?” asked Alistair.
“Put it on the board. I want to see what else the search has to say…” Jaiden sat back down in the psi synch device as Alistair kicked off another virtual reality session. Jaiden put his hands out in front of him as the virtual reality projection came up. He took control of it and raced down a long hallway as the virtual world came into view and he started his inquiry into the gridscan.
****
Raven walked down the alley and stopped in front of a burly man in dark Packrat garb who sparked up his aegis to his hand as Raven approached. He held up stern not backing down. Raven had been ordered by Gailen to seek out Faid Callen once his attempt to get into the underground had failed. Gailen figured Faid might bite but didn’t know how much danger Raven would be in if he attempted to engage. Gailen deliberated with Jai and then sent Raven out. They needed to get to the bottom of the query on iodine5 and find out about the threats against ZenZen.
“I’ve come for Faid,” barked Raven.
The man didn’t speak just raised a knife confronting.
Raven held up and sent to the surrounding vicinity. **Raven Allen for Faid Callen. I know you are here. I can feel you.**
A moment later a psychic response came back. **Access. Let him pass.**
The Packrat in the alley cached his knife and opened the door motioning Raven in. He closed the door behind him. **Follow the tunnel till you see the fans then left to the main hall.**
**Thanks…**Raven sent in response and started walking. The walls turned into concrete sewer tunnels on walking a few meters down a ramp. He realized he was underground. He hung a left at the industrial fans grating and walked into an area with many monitors lining the wall. A tall male with flaming red shoulder length hair stood in front of the monitors with his back to Raven.
“Is that you, Faid?”
Faid didn’t turn around. “If it isn’t Raven Allen, the Psi Faction turncoat. Put your life in danger coming here.”
“You haven’t killed me yet…” chuckled Raven putting his hands on his hips behind Faid.
Faid whipped around leveling his Packrat ang blade at Raven’s neck. Raven stayed perfectly still knowing Faid could kill him in an instant. Faid was known to be a fighter, a killer, and the ruthless shrewd leader of the Packrat hackers. His team would do just about anything if the price was high enough and the neurocyne the right grade.
“Spy!” Faid spat under his breath.
“You decided to entertain me. Why is that?”
**Because, I already know what you know.** sent Faid angrily as he rummaged around in Raven’s head doing a mind strip with his psychic power. Raven was powerless to stop Faid from reading his mind.
“I need to know about iodine5,” inquired Raven hesitating.
“Nothing to see. The pills kill. ZenZen is covering it up. The Corporation is pushing to get the drug certified. The regulations are in the way. The trials failed, too many deaths. They are looking to enhance the efficacy numbers by doing a trial on drug addicts in the Echelons. As far as I know the deaths are being hidden. They are planning to post the results soon. We hacked their project. They announce next week. It will be no time until the drug if on the market,” revealed Faid.
“How do you know that? I didn’t find that in my queries.”
“Your resources are limited, government,” sneered Faid.
“What about Kaizen? Why is he helping the Corporation?” Raven questioned taking a step back and bringing his hand to his chin deep in thought.
**Better question, die in dead…** sent Faid and raised his knife lifting Raven’s chin. Raven dropped his hand and held perfectly still. Faid nicked him on the neck gently and a bead of red appeared.
“AYOR is offline,” answered Raven carefully.
“Word on the street is you killed him. He was foolish to post anything government asked for.” Faid lowered the knife and started frisking Raven. When he got to his ankle there was no security cuff. “You on a short leash. They let you out free and clear?”
“Gailen knew you wouldn’t entertain me if i was locked,” smirked Raven.
Faid moved like a blur spinning Raven around and got behind him knife at his neck. He pushed him towards the monitor display. Faid called out as he brought Raven in close to a monitor in the middle at eye height.
“Play…” A video on the middle monitor started to play. It was video footage from the alleyway that caught the encounter with Faid and the killer who was after him with a knife. Faid directed Raven to watch the entire display until it cut off and the screen went to black.
“Why they after you?” asked Raven still in Faid’s grip. Raven struggled as Faid held him locked. He whispered in Raven’s ear.
“That is my question.”
“Did you run a voice recognition?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”
“You tell me, government. You created the die in dead killer. Did Zoon want all us hackers dead? Tell me!” yelled Faid and shoved Raven hard releasing him. Raven stumbled on his feet then regained his footing as Faid confronted him again.
“That is Level 19 black. It is Top Secret. Classified.”
“Why Kaizen? He was the first Level 9 hacker. You weaponized him! Tell me now or you don’t leave here alive.” warned Faid slashing the knife threw the air. The monitors behind Faid changed showing detail of all of Raven’s encounters with AYOR, Jester, Jazz and Hell’s Hearth over the past few days.
Raven’s eyes got wide.
“You been busy sniffing around the underground. We been watching you…” remarked Faid.
“If I tell you what I know I compromise my status as a clandestine operative.”
“You don’t tell me now, you die!” shouted Faid and threatened with the knife.
“Kaizen was given mind control. He was weaponized on a timeline. The iodine5 deaths and die in dead were timed in tandem. Kaizen was given targets through mind control. You, Jazz, Rom, Jester. It started with AYOR. He was too powerful. The Triumvirate wanted AYOR silenced. My missing to find the underground was to pinpoint AYOR’s location. He is reclusive. He hides. It was only through underground channels that I could find him and meet. They must have sent die in dead once I connected.”
“Why the ruse with the iodine5 pills?” asked Faid.
“To distract you and call you out. You have been playing Kaizen for the last few weeks. By activating Kaizen it made you act. We caught you. Walked right into it,” Raven stated and pulled out a gun. “You are my prisoner.”
“That is a laugh. This is the Packrat Sprawl. You are on my turf and surrounded!” shouted Faid with a smirk.
Raven scanned the sides of the room. There were thirty Packrats who had appeared silently creeping up on him. He was surrounded.
“There is one way out of here and that is through me. If I release these Packrats on you they rip you apart,” warned Faid bearing his teeth.
“What do you want?”
“Call Kaizen off!” shouted Faid.
“The Psi Faction does not control him. Kaizen activates on ZenZen’s voice. That is the only way to shut him down. ZenZen is the trigger. The Triumvirate calls the shots.”
“Why does the Triumvirate want hackers killed?”
“I can’t say.”
Faid paced back and forth with his arms crossed thinking. He was silent for a few moments. “You give me intel. Where are ZenZen and the Triumvirate planning from?” He made a hand jesture and the Packrats surrounding Raven moved in and brought their knives up ready to attack.
Raven took a step backwards and felt the point of a knife lodged at his back. A look of fear crossed his face as he put up the gun and raised his hands.
Faid let him stand for a second letting his predicament sink in. Faid lowered his head ever so slightly and the Packrat to Raven’s left leveled a knife at Raven’s jugular.
“Now, government!” shouted Faid.
“ZenZen has been sequestered at the Corporation building at 55 Broad Street in the City. He has security surrounding him. He is there in a secret room in the basement, a Command Centre. He will be there to oversee the launch into production on the market of the iodine5 pills. The Triumvirate is pulling out all the stops to see this drug go through. There have been threats on ZenZen’s life. Kaizen was brought in to ensure no hackers mucked up the launch. You can’t get to him. The security is too tight,” responded Raven, eyes wide as the knife point pushed in further.
Faid flicked his blade. The Packrat with the knife on Raven moved the blade away from his neck.
Raven brought his hand up to his neck and rubbed it having felt the sting.
“Get rid of him!” barked Faid and the closet Packrat grabbed Raven’s arm and dragged him back down the corridor to the door and thrust him through back into the alleyway.
“We find you on the Packrats’ turf again, you die. You have two minutes to vanish or I kill you!” threatened the Packrat circling the knife. He took a step forward his eyes glaring, eyebrows lowered.
Raven took two steps back watching the Packrat carefully.
The two held for a second, then the Packrat lunged forward. Raven turned darting away the Packrat right on his heels. Raven teleported out just as the Packrat would have overtaken him.
****
Raven arrived outside the Ops Room at the Psi Faction. He opened the door and went in sitting down at the table rubbing his neck. Jai turned from the back where he was engaged and came over to the table console and brought the mission profile up on screen.
“What you got? Let me call Gailen,” asked Jai as he notified Gailen that Raven had returned.
“The iodine5 pills are going live soon,” said Raven.
“But the trials were ended,” inquired Jai looking up from the console. He punched in the query and multiple Newsfeed articles displayed showing the drug trials were cancelled.
“That is all a ruse. The Packrats found intel. They are using the illegal tests in the Echelons to make up for the trial deaths. They are hiding the results and pushing to get the drug released. I don’t know when but they are ready to launch soon,” stated Raven.
Gailen came in the room and sat down at the head of the table.
“Why did the Packrats give you this intel?” asked Jai continuing the debrief.
“It is because they are scared of Kaizen. Hackers have started dying again. AYOR was just the start of it. ZenZen is in charge of Kaizen. The Packrats want him shut down.”
“Only ZenZen can give Kaizen orders,” responded Jai.
“That is what scares me,” remarked Gailen. “The Corporation works with SenseNet, the Psi Faction and Zone Police but they have their own agenda. If they want to use Kaizen as a weapon, any psychic hacker or person of interest is a potential target and that means government operatives as well.”
“You think Kaizen would come after other hackers?” asked Raven.
“We will only know in time,” stated Gailen. “Write up a report and have it on my desk in four hours. I need to inform Zoon of this news so she can prepare.” He stood up and walked to the door.
****
Faid called Acolyte and Anj into the Acolyte Forward Base. They were meeting to talk about Kaizen after Faid gave them the intel from Raven. Acolyte was concerned because two of his Acolyte hackers had been murdered in the last ten hours. His people were on missions and he was worried that somehow these missions had been compromised and the killer was purposely targeting his people to get to him.
“That is two of my Acolytes now. I have five out. If he takes them all down the Acolytes will be understaffed. I am short handed as it is. I can’t have my people compromised.”
“What about Runners? Have any of your people been targeted?” asked Faid.
“No Runners have been compromised. It seems the die in dead killer is just after hackers,” said Anj.
Rom was at the back hardline terminal. It started chiming suddenly. He called out to Faid. The group came over.
“What is it?” asked Faid.
“Something you have to see. It came off a dark message board,” said Rom. “It is a warning.”
“Bring it up,” ordered Acolyte.
Rom brought up another window with a video and pressed play. The voice streamed muffled through an anti radiation mask. The person speaking was holding up a knife with blood splattered on his cheek and shirt. The group listened intently.
“Die in dead. Death in red. Session terminated. Hackers beware. My knife yearns for your blood. One by one I will decimate and destroy. AYOR was just the first. My weapon is all around you. There is no escape. Faid Callen, you are next! I come for you!” The person on screen began to whistle the same children’s song Faid had heard before about the monster coming after children in the dark. The whistling was eerie as pixles buzzed and shimmered in the background. Then suddenly bursting into white noise the video cut out.
Faid backed up and started pacing the room with his hand at his chin. Rom closed the window on the terminal and brought up a voice recognition program. He loaded the program and then ran the video again. The voice was muffled but the recognition identified the speaker as Kaizen the Immaculate.
“It is him, Kaizen. The voice recognition confirms it,” stated Rom showing the results as Anj looked on.
“What are you going to do?” asked Acolyte concern in his voice.
Faid did not stop pacing for another few seconds. He threw himself down in the chair at the radio station. “Bring up the frequency. I want to broadcast. Pipe it through the Sprawl so all the Packrats can hear. Use a frequency you know the Zone Police will find.”
Rom scooted his chair over and punched up the settings on the radio putting the dial to 600kHz. “This is one of the emergency channels. The Zone Police will pick it up,” said Rom.
“What are you going to do?” asked Anj.
“I am going to call Kaizen out,” smirked Faid.
****
ZenZen the head of the Corporation was in the basement bunker in the City. There was a technician in the room and two armed security guards. He was on the phone with George Shimazuri from the SenseNet board.
“Good, we can go live to market tomorrow with iodine5. I want a big fanfare. Are the marketing and Newseed TV spots ready?” asked ZenZen.
“Yes, everything is set. We will be live tomorrow at 7AM. With the marketing plan we have sales should skyrocket and peak early tomorrow morning. People will rush for a stronger pill to combat radiation sickness. The City will eat it up,” George said.
“Good, get me the analytics for the afternoon meeting. I want to see how it goes in case we need to tweak the marketing.”
“Sure thing. Talk tomorrow?”
“Thanks again, George,” said ZenZen and hung up.
“You are due to broadcast to Kaizen in a minute,” said the technician calling from the opposite side of the room.
ZenZen walked over as the tech handed him a microphone. The tech turned on the monitor and there was a picture of a chair in front of the camera. A moment later Kaizen sat down in the chair staring forward. He spoke up.
“Checking in. Kaizen the Immaculate.”
“Good Kaizen. Where are you on Faid?” asked ZenZen into the microphone. A smaller image of him came up on screen so he could see himself and Kaizen on the vid call.
“Cornered. Unsuccessful. Second attempt required.”
ZenZen frowned. “What about Rom?”
“Wounded. Just as you ordered.”
“Tannath,” ZenZen called up the mind control command putting Kaizen in a state to accept orders. Kaizen’s eyes glazed over on the screen and then his head lowered and he closed his eyes. ZenZen started counting back from five. “Kaizen the Immaculate. Die in Dead. Death in Red. Session Terminated. Kill Faid Callen. Do not return to me until the job is done. Acknowledge.” ZenZen hesitated for a second. “Kaizen the Immaculate. Wake up!”
A second later Kaizen’s head snapped up and he opened his eyes and looked forward.
“Repeat?”
“Kaizen the Immaculate. Kill Faid Callen,” repeated Kaizen with a vicious smile on his face.
“Go!” shouted ZenZen and Kaizen burst from the chair and grabbed a long black handled knife off the desk behind him and disappeared off screen.
****
Faid was at a cyber café purposefully remaining overtly visible. He had left messages on twenty dark message boards and about ten public ones including the one at the cyber café he was at now. He called out Kaizen the Immaculate by name. Faid leaned back in the chair and smiled. “That should do it…”
He stood up and pulled his credit card out of the slot on the hardline terminal and left the café. He went wandering around Central street making his way towards Astor. The messages he left stated he would be on Astor for the rest of the night looking for a john. Faid was a prostitute, being on the streets after curfew for a host was not out of the ordinary. Announcing where he was would get the Zone Police interested as hosts usually didn’t reveal they were out on the streets just looking to be rounded up after curfew. He sauntered down an alley going towards Astor with his hands in his pockets.
It was 11PM. Late enough for the streets not to be crowded but not too late as for him to be isolated. He turned onto Astor and leaned up against a liquor store window and put his hand on his zipper. There were some female prostitutes on the street pacing back and forth in their high heels. A man came up to him soliciting him and asking if he was free. Faid waved him off and kept at it. He scanned the night until he saw a shadow in the alley across the street. He watched the shadow for a moment and then went walking slowly down Astor towards Drake street.
As he walked he went slow watching the windows across the street. The reflection from the streetlights against the windows showed someone was following him. Faid turned into the alley and walked half way down. He leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes.
The stranger confronted him, a knife at Faid’s throat. Faid opened his eyes slowly arms crossed.
“Hello Kaizen,” said Faid calmly.
“Die in dead…”
“Ordered to kill me by ZenZen?”
“Death in red…” Kaizen pushed the knife closer to Faid’s neck and nicked his skin. Faid did not move just stood letting the killer confront him.
“Session terminated!” Faid yelled and attacked. He grabbed Kaizen’s hand and spun him around slamming him up against the wall. Kaizen slashed with the knife and cut Faid’s shoulder missing his neck. Faid bashed Kaizen across the face and Kaizen went down losing the knife. Faid whisked a few steps away grabbing up the knife and confronting. Kaizen jumped to his feet and stalked Faid down the alley.
Kaizen pulled a gun out of his pocket and kept coming. He fired. Faid batted away the bullet with the knife using his psi to direct the projectile, the blade shattering. Faid threw the knife away. Kaizen continued to stalk forward. Kaizen fired again, this time Faid jerked to the side violently avoiding the gunfire and then vanished appearing farther away as he continued to back down the alley.
Jester appeared behind Kaizen and ran forward seeing Faid threatened. Jester leveled a handheld up to his mouth. “Kaizen. Tannath!” he screamed, his voice not his own as he ran up on them both.
Kaizen froze in his tracks and lowered the gun dropping his head. He stood perfectly still. Faid stopped retreating. Jester came up from behind and disarmed Kaizen taking the gun from him.
Faid walked forward. “What happened?” Faid tapped Kaizen on the shoulder but he didn’t move and didn’t react.
“Kaizen is under mind control set by ZenZen. Only his voice can trigger his actions. Rom gave me the hint. I used audio of ZenZen on the Newsfeed to piece together a voice print that I can use to control him . Rom gave me the heads up and I saw your broadcasts. You basically asked for him to kill you,” inquired Jester.
“Yes, that was the plan. What will you do to him now?”
Jester stood right in front of Kaizen and brought the device up to his lips. He spoke into the handheld. “Kaizen the Immaculate. You will not kill Faid or any other hackers. Hack into the Newsfeed and broadcast data on the deaths of the iodine5 trials. Then your target is ZenZen from the Corporation. Kill ZenZen. Acknowledge? Kaizen the Immaculate. Wake up!”
A second later Kaizen raised his head and looked around him. “Faid what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” smirked Faid.
Jester handed Kaizen back the gun. “This is yours.”
Kaizen looked down on it as if he were confused.
Jester brought the handheld up to his mouth again triggering ZenZen’s voice print and spoke. “I think you were in the middle of doing something? Repeat?”
Kaizen looked over at him and smiled. “Right, I was going to broadcast about iodine5. Yes, that is what I was doing…”
“Well the broadcast won’t wait. You better get going,” remarked Faid with an upturned eyebrow.
Kaizen smiled and walked off down the alleyway leaving Faid and Jester alone.
“That was close,” Faid whispered as Kaizen left the alleyway.
“If it wasn’t for Rom notifying me, Kaizen would still be coming after you,” warned Jester.
To be continued.