We ran through corridors and various offices, and Rahul introduced me to each worker one by one. We walked for about 15 minutes, after which he introduced me to other turbo-soldiers.
"Pleasure to meet you, Maria. My name is Michael Tenant, and my call sign is October 28," said a tall and handsome guy with a Yin-Yang tattoo on his right forearm. He had dark, long hair and a beard.
Next to him stood a cute and shy guy in glasses. Blushing slightly, he also extended his hand and introduced himself. "Ah-ha-ha..." he giggled nervously, "I'm Jacob Winters. Call sign: October. Nice to meet you."
"And nice to meet you too. By the way, what do these numbers mean?"
"They represent employee numbers, Maria," Michael replied. "As you can see, I'm the 28th. Jacob was the first. All other police with the October call sign died."
Michael sighed, and his face revealed his sorrow for all those who had perished.
"I'm sorry," I tilted my head down a bit, "but what happened to those people?"
"Haven't they told you yet, Maria?" Michael raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "They were killed by errors."
"Errors? Those things created by Halpha?"
"Yes," Michael assumed a serious pose and crossed his arms. "Errors are viruses terrorizing servers, causing harm to their users. Last week, Jacob and I neutralized 50 of them."
I pondered. I had heard about these viruses and the terrorist groups producing them. Halpha. That's what they call themselves. Despite the numerous turbo-terrorists today, Halpho is the most infamous and powerful. No one knows exactly who they are or where they come from, and turbo-police has yet to catch any Halpho members. It seemed like not too long ago; we went through the third world war, and now another global problem arose. The challenge was further complicated by the fact that Halpho committed crimes not only on American servers but throughout Technolife.
I was born in Croatia and spent most of my life there. Until last year, when I turned 24. The reason I moved to the USA was that Halpha killed my husband on one of the servers, and I promised myself to avenge those bastards. When I arrived in America, I encountered many surprises. Most Americans I interacted with constantly asked if I was from Russia. Even when I said I was from Croatia, they still didn't understand, and I had to explain that Croatia is a small country next to Italy. I always wondered if they knew any countries other than America, China, and Russia.
I didn't find a job right away. My acquaintance Billy, upon learning about my interest in combating turbo-terrorism, advised me to go to the Washington police, where he worked as an accountant. He told Mr. Nicholson about me and convinced him to take me on a probationary period. And here I am.
"You are quite productive, my dear." I smiled. Michael did too. Jacob blushed noticeably and lowered his gaze to the floor. He was a funny guy, but handsome. Shaggy dark hair, blue eyes, and a reasonably fit figure.
Suddenly, an alarm started. Rahul rushed into the room, all sweaty.
"It started!" he exclaimed.
"Which number?" Michael clenched his fists.
"Server number 5449. Room 16. Attack on the concert of the Korean idol Kwak Min Joon. There are casualties. We need you immediately." He pointed with his index finger at Michael and Jacob. Then he shifted his gaze to me. "You too."
I was in shock.
"Me?" My voice was noticeably trembling. "But I've never..."
Rahul cut me off. "It doesn't matter. You'll learn."
He said it as if it were as easy as cutting a birthday cake. But what can you do? Duty is duty.
"Oh, damn it," I said. "Well, alright, you have to start somewhere."
Michael smiled and looked at me with a reassuring gaze.
"That's the spirit! That's what I like! Keep it up, Maria!"
He gave a thumbs up.
There was no time. Rahul grabbed my hand, and we ran to my office. On the table lay a mask for entering Technolife. But it was an expensive mask; it was evident that ordinary people couldn't afford such a thing.
"Put it on," Rahul said with a serious look.
I nodded and obediently put on the mask. Before my eyes appeared the familiar command console.
"Do you remember the number?" Rahul asked.
"Yes. System. Server number 5449, room 16. Begin synchronization."
The console started an algorithm, during which a series of commands were executed, accompanied by an unpleasant sound. After 12 seconds, I was connected. I stood in a huge concert hall. Everything around was on fire, and users ran in panic, shouting. Some were being killed. However, I couldn't see exactly what it was. All I saw were enormous black masses of unnatural shape.
"The operation has begun," I heard Rahul's voice.
I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready at all. But at that moment, a gigantic axe with a blue base appeared in my hands. Something inside me was trembling, and my heart was beating at a frantic pace. But I didn't hesitate. The battle had already begun.