The surveillance terminal hummed faintly as Elliot's fingers flew across its clunky keyboard. The screen flickered with lines of data, decrypted bit by bit as NORA worked tirelessly in the background. While Elliot focused, Nina leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the ceiling above.
She thought of the world above them—Neurova, the city that never slowed down, where people raced toward their goals on neon-lit streets, heads down, lives tethered to their implants and the Neural Net. It was a city of skyscrapers that pierced the artificial haze of its sky, where the wealthy lived in floating districts, surrounded by autonomous drones and glittering AI-powered billboards that tailored themselves to individual passersby.
But beneath the glamor was a rotting foundation, a web of corruption where the Syndicate of Nox thrived. The Fringe District, on the outskirts of the city, bore the brunt of this decay. There, the Syndicate ruled with an iron fist, its drugs and black-market tech filling the gaps left by failing governance. And now, that corruption had seeped into Mid-City, spreading like a virus.
Nina sighed, her gaze dropping back to Elliot. "You know, it's kind of ironic," she said, breaking the silence.
Elliot glanced at her, his brow furrowed. "What is?"
"All this tech, all this progress... and people are still just as messed up as ever," she muttered. "You'd think with everything we've built, we'd figure out how to be better by now."
Elliot smirked faintly. "Progress doesn't change people. It just gives them new ways to screw things up."
"Wow," Nina said dryly. "You're really the glass-half-full type, huh?"
"Just realistic," Elliot replied, turning his attention back to the screen. "If you don't expect much from people, you're not as disappointed when they let you down."
Nina fell silent, the weight of his words hanging between them.
"Got it," Elliot said suddenly, his tone sharp. Nina stepped closer, peering over his shoulder at the terminal.
"What did you find?" she asked.
Elliot's eyes scanned the decrypted files, his jaw tightening. "It's worse than I thought."
The files revealed detailed plans for Phase Two of the Syndicate's operation. NoQAnOLs wasn't just a drug—it was part of a larger system of control. The Syndicate had embedded hidden neural commands into the drug's formula, commands that synced with users' implants to override their basic instincts. Once activated, these commands would turn users into compliant, easily manipulated tools.
The infected weren't just violent because of the drug's side effects—they were being programmed to act that way.
"They're turning people into weapons," Elliot muttered. "This whole thing... it's a setup. They want chaos, and they're using NoQAnOLs to spread it."
Nina's eyes widened, her face pale. "Why? What do they gain from this?"
"Control," Elliot said, his voice grim. "The chaos gives them an excuse to move in and 'restore order.' Once they've consolidated their power, they'll have an army of brainwashed addicts to enforce it."
Nina sank into a nearby chair, her hands trembling. "And I was part of that," she whispered.
"You didn't know," Elliot said, glancing at her. "You were a victim, just like everyone else."
"That doesn't make it any better," she muttered, her voice bitter.
Elliot didn't respond. His focus shifted back to the terminal as he continued digging through the files. The deeper he went, the more horrifying the picture became.
A sudden alert flashed across the screen, accompanied by a soft beep. Elliot frowned, his fingers freezing over the keyboard.
"What is it?" Nina asked, sitting up straighter.
"We're not alone," Elliot said, his voice low. "Someone else just accessed the network."
Nina's eyes widened. "The Syndicate?"
Elliot shook his head, his brow furrowing. "No... this is different. The access point isn't theirs. It's coming from somewhere else."
The terminal beeped again, and a message appeared on the screen.
>> USER: R0GUE_NT ACCESSED SECTOR 7-NX GRID. OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS.
Elliot's eyes narrowed. "Rogue_NT," he muttered under his breath.
"Who's that?" Nina asked.
"A hacker," Elliot said, his voice tense. "And not just any hacker. Rogue_NT's been popping up on underground forums for years—no one knows who they are, but they're good. Really good."
"Good enough to be a threat?" Nina asked, her tone cautious.
"Depends," Elliot said, his fingers moving across the keyboard. "Let's find out."
He sent a ping back through the network, signaling his presence to the other user. A few seconds later, a response appeared on the screen.
>> R0GUE_NT: YOU'RE IN OVER YOUR HEAD, KESSLER.
Elliot's eyes widened, his breath catching.
"They know who I am," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Is that... bad?" Nina asked, inching closer.
"Potentially," Elliot muttered.
Another message appeared.
>> R0GUE_NT: MEET ME AT GRID NODE 12-B. I CAN HELP YOU. BUT DON'T BRING THE DRUGGIE.
Nina bristled. "Wow, charming."
Elliot hesitated, his mind racing. He didn't trust Rogue_NT, but the hacker's reputation was solid—they had taken down multiple Syndicate operations in the past, exposing their trafficking networks and black-market labs. If anyone had the resources to help, it was them.
"You're not seriously considering this," Nina said, her voice sharp.
"We don't have a lot of options," Elliot replied, his tone cautious.
"What if it's a trap?"
"Then we'll deal with it," Elliot said, his jaw tightening. "But if they can help us stop the Syndicate, we can't ignore it."
Nina sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."
"They specifically said—"
"I don't care," she interrupted, her voice firm. "I'm not sitting around while you go off to meet some mystery hacker. We're in this together."
Elliot hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. But stay close."
The journey to the designated node was tense, the tunnels feeling even more oppressive than before. Elliot's handheld mapped the route, guiding them through narrow passages and abandoned service corridors.
Grid Node 12-B was located in an old junction station, its walls lined with defunct servers and rusted cables. The air was damp and carried the faint smell of ozone.
As they entered, Elliot's eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of Rogue_NT. The station was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of machinery.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nina asked, her voice low.
Before Elliot could respond, a voice echoed through the room.
"Welcome, Kessler. You brought company. Bold move."
The voice was distorted, synthetic, coming from an unseen source. Nina stiffened, her hand gripping the metal rod she'd been carrying.
"Rogue_NT, I presume?" Elliot said, his tone cautious.
A holographic figure flickered to life in the center of the room, its features obscured by a shifting digital mask. The figure stood tall and imposing, its form surrounded by glitch-like distortions.
"You've been busy," the figure said, its voice cold and calculated. "The Syndicate's been looking for you. You're lucky I found you first."
"And why exactly did you?" Elliot asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Because you've stumbled onto something bigger than you realize," Rogue_NT replied. "And if we don't stop it, this city's going to burn."
As Rogue_NT spoke, Elliot and Nina listened intently. The hacker explained that the Syndicate's plans extended far beyond Neurova. NoQAnOLs was just the beginning—a prototype for a global system of control. The drug's neural commands were a proof of concept, and if successful, the Syndicate would expand its operations to other cities, creating an empire of programmable addicts.
"They're testing the limits of the tech," Rogue_NT said. "Refining the formula, finding the breaking points. Once they perfect it, they'll roll it out on a scale you can't even imagine."
Elliot felt a cold knot forming in his stomach. "And what do you want from us?"
"I want you to finish what you started," Rogue_NT said. "The files you decrypted contain enough evidence to expose the Syndicate's plans, but we need a way to distribute them—securely and publicly."
Elliot frowned. "That's easier said than done. The Syndicate has eyes everywhere."
"That's why you have me," Rogue_NT replied. "I'll handle the distribution. You just need to stay alive long enough to get me the rest of the data."
"Great," Nina muttered. "Another impossible mission."
Rogue_NT's masked face turned toward her. "The only thing impossible is doing nothing. The question is: are you ready to fight?"
Elliot exchanged a glance with Nina, then nodded. "We're in."