The Hacker's Legacy

blowing the entrances," Kaito yelled over the noise. "They're trying to trap us in." He grabb

n who had confronted them, whose name was Jax, just stood there, stunned. Kaito paused beside him. "The Enforcers won

face. He cursed, then nodded. "This way," he grunt

," Ava said, breathing heavily as t

e Ghost... Luna... she helped my kid once. Found some black market medicine for hi

city's forgotten corners, her sister had been a beacon of hope. The thou

d smelled of damp earth and unwashed bodies. A handful of other residents were already there, their faces grim.

le hidden in the wall. "I need to find a new identity for you," he explained to Ava, his fingers flyin

ly, no connections. A perfect blank slate. "From now on, you're Anya," Kaito said. "You work

e picture on the fake ID. A tired-looking woman with empty ey

ad person's life?" Ava

s Thorne." He worked for a few more minutes, then handed her a new ID chip. "This will pass a standard Enforcer scan. Don't t

It's risky. But it's better than the stre

Ava. He held out a small, metallic flower, crudely welded from

ar rolled down her cheek and sizzled on the metal. It was a piece of her sister, a final gift

s won't stay clear for long." He led Ava to a hidden hatch in the floor. He looked at her

ready back on his screen, trac

w Anya, followed Jax through the suffocating darkness. "Why are you d

ey took my job, my health, my home. When you have nothing left to lose, fighting back is t

or. "This is Sector Gamma," Jax said. "The synth-protein plant is two blocks from here. Your new life

he said, the words

at Luna did matter." He turned and disappeared bac

from the factories. She found a cheap hostel, a grimy place with flickering lights and stained walls. As she paid the clerk, she saw a news broadcast on a small screen be

er pocket. Anya. The name was a shield. But as she walked to her tiny, windowless room, s

sed down on her. She was no longer Ava, Luna' s sister. She was Anya, a factory worker. A nobody. She took

or made her jump. "Hostel sec

-puck and the flower under the mattress. Her heart was pounding. She took a deep breath,

ey weren't Enforcers, just low-level corporate thug

as shaking. She forced it to be still. The guard scanne

ing her voice low and tired, tryin

am in his eyes. "It's a tough sector for a pretty

ut she wasn't Ava anymore. Anya would be scared. Anya would be compliant. She fo

ack. "Don't cause any trouble." They turned and wa

ng rage. This was the world Thorne had built. A world where bullies thrived and good people were crushed. She pulled out the data-puck. This wasn'