One day, while Isaac was working on restoring a water filtration system in a small village, a visitor arrived. A woman, cloaked in a dark hood, approached him cautiously. Isaac immediately sensed something was different about her—she wasn't like the other survivors. She moved with purpose, and her eyes carried a sharp intelligence.
"You're Isaac Hargrave," she said, her voice steady.
Isaac froze. He hadn't heard that name spoken aloud since his exile. His heart pounded in his chest as he met her gaze, unsure whether to deny it or run. But it was clear from her expression that she already knew the truth.
"I don't know what you want," Isaac finally replied, trying to keep his voice calm, "but I'm not that man anymore."
The woman studied him for a moment, then lowered her hood, revealing her face. Isaac recognized her immediately—she had been a member of CipherNet, the hacker collective he had betrayed before the final battle with the AI. Her name was Nyla, one of the most skilled hackers he had ever encountered.
"I'm not here to seek revenge," Nyla said, sensing his unease. "But I need your help. The world is still broken, Isaac, and you're the only one who can fix it."
Isaac hesitated. He had sworn off the digital world after the AI's collapse, but something in Nyla's voice drew him in. She wasn't just asking for his help—she was offering him a chance at redemption.