I pushed open the door to Alex's shop, the faint chime of the entrance bell drowned out by the weight of my frustration. My boots thudded against the floor, my battle gear still strapped to me, rifle slung at my side, katana sheathed on my hip. The scent of oil, solder, and warm circuitry filled the air.
"What do you mean it's another proxy?" I demanded the moment I saw him, my voice sharp enough to cut steel.
Alex looked up from his workbench, eyebrows lifting. "Whoa, whoa, calm down, Jane. Sit down first before you burn a hole through the floor."
I dropped into the nearest chair, metal creaking under my weight. My fingers twitched with the urge to light a cigarette—old habits die hard—but my artificial lungs had put an end to that particular pleasure long ago.
"Alright," I exhaled sharply, "I'm calming down…"
"Good," Alex said, as if he were speaking to a particularly volatile piece of equipment. He took a slow sip from a tall glass, the liquid inside a strange, electric blue that looked like it belonged in a reactor core more than a cup.
He leaned back, fixing me with a measured gaze. "Sometimes hackers use chained proxies, Jane. Layers upon layers of false identities, each one bouncing the signal somewhere else. It's like chasing a ghost through a maze where every wall moves on its own."
I narrowed my eyes. "And this 'Class-M' military cyborg you mentioned?"
"That's the worrying part," Alex said, his tone dropping lower. "The fact that they've managed to slip a proxy program into that—even without full control yet—means we're not dealing with some basement rookie. Whoever this is… they're playing at a level where a single mistake could burn entire cities."
"So," I asked, my voice low but edged with impatience, "what do we do now?"
Alex set his glass down with a faint clink and leaned forward, elbows resting on the workbench. "First, I'm going to leave an anonymous tip—every scrap of intel we've gathered so far—straight to the police and the military. Let them try to untangle this mess for now. Meanwhile, I'll be reaching out to some of my old tech buddies. They've got better equipment than I do… gear that can dig deeper without tripping alarms."
My brows lifted. "So, you're going to form a team?"
"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "This isn't something either of us should be tackling alone. You, meanwhile, stay put for a while. I'll contact you when I'm ready."
I fixed him with a steady, serious stare, the kind that said I wasn't fond of sitting on the sidelines.
He smirked faintly. "Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just… take it easy for a bit."
I exhaled, a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Fine."
Pushing myself up from the chair, I adjusted the strap of my rifle and headed toward the exit. The faint chime of the door's bell followed me out. Harry padded close behind, silent but ever-watchful, his digital optics scanning the street beyond.
Three days later.
I lounged completely naked on the sofa in my apartment, the glow of my holographic display washing over my synthetic skin as I idly browsed the endless expanse of the Net. The hum of the city outside was faint through the soundproofed windows, a low, constant reminder that Neoz never truly slept.
Then, a sharp ping cut through the quiet—an incoming message. My eyes flicked to the notification.
[From: Alex]
Come to my shop. I have something to show you.
A slow, curious smile tugged at my lips. Without wasting a moment, I rose from the sofa, the cool air brushing against my bare form. In one fluid motion, I slipped into a sleek, figure-hugging mini dress, the fabric clinging to every contour like it was custom-grown for me. My high heels clicked lightly against the floor as I moved, the sharp rhythm echoing in the otherwise still apartment.
I slipped a compact handgun into my handbag—old habits die hard—and snatched my car keys from the counter.
"Come on, Harry," I said over my shoulder.
As always, he followed—silent, loyal, and ready.
Arriving at Alex's workshop, I immediately noticed something different. The place smelled faintly of solder and ozone, and in the corner, several gleaming new machines hummed with life. Thick cables snaked across the floor, connecting to a bulky, intimidating tower bristling with cooling vents and holographic display ports.
Alex was hunched over the console, fingers dancing across the keyboard with the kind of enthusiasm only tech fanatics could muster. His eyes were locked on the cascading streams of code flowing across the main monitor, a grin plastered on his face.
"Alex!" I called out.
He spun around in his chair, his grin widening. "Yo! Sexy Jane! Feast your eyes on my new beast of a computer! This baby right here is almost the equivalent of a military-grade supercomputer—almost. And she's fast. Lightning fast. I've outfitted her with the most advanced AI assistant on the market—codename Einstein. Built her from the ground up with my tech buddies. Custom everything."
I raised an eyebrow. "So… this is what you wanted to show me?"
Alex chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, not exactly. But this beauty helped build what I'm about to show you—a super anti-hacker and cyber-tracker program, AI-enhanced. I call it… the AI Hacker Hunter." His grin turned mischievous. "AHH… ah…" He chuckled at his own joke.
I crossed my arms, tilting my head. "Alright, so what exactly does this program do?"
"To track the hacker, of course. The program traces every proxy, no matter how many chains they hide behind, following the trail with lightning speed and surgical precision. And the best part? It does all of this while remaining completely invisible." Alex's eyes gleamed with pride as he explained.
He leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Which is why I've already done the job for you—thanks to AHH, naturally."
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean, already done?"
"I mean," Alex said, drawing out the words with satisfaction, "I've already tracked the hacker's exact location. And here—" he tapped a few keys, "—I'm sending it to you now."
A second later, a notification popped up in my system. A string of coordinates glowed in my vision, accompanied by Alex's tag. I saved the data immediately.
"Just like that?" I asked, almost suspicious of how easy he made it sound.
"Yeah, just like that," Alex replied with a shrug. "I could even order AHH to breach their system and tear through their defenses, but the moment we do that, they'll know. They'll sever the line, vanish, and resurface somewhere else before you can blink."
I clicked my tongue. "So they're still out of reach, huh?"
"Not exactly. You can reach them, but you're going to need a team." Alex's voice turned serious. "Because this hacker isn't sitting around defenseless. They've got three empty cyborg shells standing guard, plus one fully armed Goliath Armor."
My stomach tightened. "Empty shells? As in… cybernetic bodies without an organic brain inside?"
"Exactly," Alex confirmed, adjusting his glasses. "Fully functional cyber-bodies with only a cyberbrain to operate them. No human mind. And the Goliath Armor's the same—no pilot, no squishy human weak points. Just a walking tank under the hacker's direct control."
I clenched my jaw. Damn. That kind of protection? Who the hell is this hacker, anyway?
"Even if I wanted to move now, my team won't lift a finger unless there's money involved," I said flatly.
Alex grinned knowingly. "Heh, already handled. I anonymously tipped the government with everything we uncovered. Keep an eye on the Bounty Hunter system—you'll see a poster soon."
I immediately linked into the Bounty Hunter system, scrolling through the newest entries. And there it was, at the top of the list, glowing like a neon beacon:
WANTED – DEAD OR ALIVE
Name: Stephan Garner
Age: 25
Crimes: Cyber-terrorism, Multiple Counts of Murder
Bounty Reward: 900,000 Credits
Notice: A minimum of three hunters required per party to apply for hunt.
"Stephan Garner?" I asked, glancing at Alex.
"Yep. That's your hacker," Alex confirmed with a grim nod.
I rose to my feet "Harry, let's go."
Harry answered with a sharp digital beep, tail-light flickering as if wagging.
"Don't forget heavy weapons!" Alex called after me. "That Goliath Armor isn't something you can just scratch with a few bullets!"
I gave him a half-smirk over my shoulder. "Relax. I've got it covered."
As I walked out, I opened a comm-link. "Kathy, Boston—I've got a job for us. Big payout. Meet me."
Both agreed without hesitation. This wasn't just another hunt—this was war. And this time, I'd need to be prepared for everything.