Miami, 1985
Eli Reyes had always thought of himself as an expert in the fine art of being underappreciated. By day, he was a computer science student barely scraping by in a world that valued connections over coding prowess. By night, he was the go-to guy for fixing broken-down arcade machines at Ruby's Retro Wonderland—a job that paid just enough to keep his fridge stocked with instant noodles and his car from total collapse.
He crouched under the blinking, uncooperative Pac-Man cabinet, frowning as he traced the spaghetti mess of wires. His hands were stained with grease, and his shirt bore the marks of a thousand failed machines. It wasn't glamorous work, but someone had to keep these vintage games alive for the kids and nostalgic old-timers who couldn't get enough of pixelated ghosts and chomping dots.
"Eli, you still kicking under there?" Ruby's voice cut through the noise of the arcade like a laser beam, filled with her usual mix of cheer and sarcasm.
Eli grunted in response, pulling a screwdriver from his pocket. "Barely. If I had a dollar for every time I had to fix this piece of junk, I'd... well, I'd probably still be here, but I could afford a better lunch."
Ruby chuckled, leaning against the nearby Donkey Kong machine. "Yeah, well, don't go anywhere. These machines are about the only thing keeping this place from becoming a laundromat."
"I think the laundromat idea might be less of a headache," Eli muttered, finally reconnecting the right wire. The machine whirred to life, and Pac-Man's pixelated grin filled the screen. Eli allowed himself a brief moment of triumph. It was these little victories that made the job bearable—barely.
Ruby gave him a mock salute. "Nice work, as always. You've got the magic touch."
"If only I could work the same magic on my life," Eli quipped, standing up and wiping his hands on his jeans. "But until someone starts paying me to fix my own problems, I'll stick to machines."
As if on cue, Eli's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from his sister, Maria.
"Mom's not feeling too well. Can you come over after work?"
The smile faded from Eli's face. Maria was the rock of the family, the one who held everything together. If she was worried, it meant things were bad. Eli's shoulders sagged under the weight of responsibility that he was trying so hard to ignore.
"Everything okay?" Ruby asked, noticing the change in his expression.
"Yeah," Eli lied, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Just some family stuff. I need to head out early today."
Ruby waved him off. "Go, take care of what you need to. The machines will still be here when you get back."
"Thanks, Ruby," Eli said, forcing a smile. "I'll be back to close up."
---
Eli's drive through the streets of Miami was a reminder of how much he'd fallen behind. The city was alive with neon lights and the hustle of people who had somewhere better to be. His car, a beat-up Chevy that sounded like it was coughing up its last lung, crawled along, making Eli feel like he was watching life pass him by.
By the time he reached his mother's modest house, Eli was already exhausted. The familiar sight of the peeling paint and overgrown lawn did little to lift his spirits. This house was home, sure, but it was also a constant reminder of everything that weighed him down—his mother's failing health, the never-ending bills, and his own sense of helplessness.
Maria met him at the door, her face etched with the kind of worry that Eli hated to see. "She's resting now, but it was a rough day," she said softly.
"Thanks for letting me know," Eli replied, hugging her briefly before heading to their mother's room.
His mother lay in bed, looking smaller and more fragile than the last time he'd seen her. But when she spotted Eli, her face lit up with a weak smile. "Eli, mijo, you're here."
"Of course, Mom," Eli said, sitting down beside her and taking her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but better now that you're here," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the oxygen machine. "You're so busy... you didn't have to come."
"Don't worry about that, Mom. You're the most important thing," Eli said, fighting to keep his voice steady.
They talked for a while, the conversation light but laced with unspoken concerns. Eli did his best to bring some normalcy into the room, but his heart was heavy. No matter how hard he tried, it felt like he was always two steps behind, just trying to keep up with life's demands.
---
After spending some time with his mother, Eli found Maria in the kitchen, brewing coffee. She offered him a tired smile as she poured a cup for him.
"You're doing everything you can, Eli," she said, as if sensing the guilt gnawing at him.
"I just wish it was enough," Eli admitted, taking a sip of the coffee. It was strong and bitter, just like he felt.
"It is enough," Maria reassured him. "We'll get through this, one way or another."
---
Eli returned to the arcade later that night, the streets now quieter but still buzzing with the distant hum of nightlife. The arcade was empty, the machines standing like silent sentinels in the dim light. Eli's mind was too preoccupied to focus on the coursework he'd brought with him, so he decided to tinker with the Pac-Man machine again, just to keep his hands busy.
As he fiddled with the wires, something unusual caught his eye. Hidden deep inside the cabinet, almost out of sight, was a small, sleek microchip. It looked out of place—too advanced to belong in a machine this old.
"What's this doing here?" Eli muttered, carefully extracting the chip. He turned it over in his hands, marvelling at the strange markings etched into its surface. It didn't look like anything he'd seen before, and that was saying something. Eli prided himself on knowing his tech.
His curiosity piqued, Eli decided to see what the chip was capable of. He hooked it up to his ancient laptop using a makeshift adapter, watching as the screen flickered and came to life. Lines of code began to scroll across the display, moving too fast for Eli to follow. The sheer complexity of the data was mind-blowing, far beyond anything Eli had encountered.
And then, without warning, the screen went black.
Eli stared at the laptop, half expecting it to burst into flames. Instead, a jolt of energy shot through him, like someone had plugged his brain directly into a high-voltage socket. The sensation was overwhelming, a rush of information that seemed to bypass his senses and go straight to his mind.
Eli gasped, staggering back as the room spun around him. He clutched the edge of the desk, trying to steady himself as the flood of data poured into his consciousness. And just as quickly as it had started, the sensation stopped. Eli blinked, his vision clearing, only to see a single line of text glowing on the laptop screen.
>> KINGPIN PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
- Description: Advanced AI system integration successful.
- Current Level: Basic
- New Abilities Unlocked: Data Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Digital Manipulation
- Time: 12:15 AM
Eli stared at the screen, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't fully understand what had just happened, but he knew one thing for sure—this wasn't just any microchip. He had stumbled onto something powerful, something that could change everything.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" Eli whispered, his mind racing with possibilities—and dangers.
The screen remained still, the words *Kingpin Protocol* burning into his brain like a brand. Whatever this was, it wasn't a simple tool. It was something much bigger, something that could either be the answer to all his problems—or the start of a whole new set.
Eli Reyes had no idea just how deep this rabbit hole would go. But one thing was certain: his life was about to get a lot more complicated.