Bad Beat - Chapter 37 - Sharks (Patreon)

It took Gabriel five more precious minutes to go around the giant room the Electric Jackals had carved out of the floor for the servers, and collect them. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough space in his deck to individually absorb the over fifty ceiling-high server racks, so he had to start fusing them.

His hands still shaking, he began running around the room, absorbing them and then fusing them immediately. The first fusion resulted in a 1 x High-Quality Server Rack (Functional). Then it went to Advanced, Cutting-Edge, Prototype, then, for some reason, Hyper, and finally, after the room was emptied and the only noise he could hear was his own breathing and the confused air conditioning sensors trying to figure out what had happened to the servers, the final card had an orange border with a name that sounded very promising: 1 x Quantum Server Rack (Functional).

For a brief moment, Gabriel considered trying to absorb the air conditioning unit, but then he shook his head and called out to Mia.

“Overwatch, I’m done here.”

“Copy, Shadow,” came the answer immediately. “The idiot is kinda out of it.”

“Huh?”

“Whatever you were doing, he didn’t enjoy it,” she said with a slightly happy tone in her voice. “He found your headache medicine…”

“Tell him I’m sorry.”

“Are you?”

“Not at all. But you can still tell him,” Gabriel grinned as he turned toward the door.

ia chuckled, and he heard her tell Nate what he had just said. The only response was a groan from a distance that may or may not have been a curse word.

“Can I leave the room?” he finally asked, his hand resting on the door handle.

“Give me a second to unlock it,” Mia said as she began typing. A moment later, there was a quiet click, and the lock disengaged. “You sure you want to try the second floor?”

Gabriel could hear the worry in her voice.

The door was gently opened.

“You worry too much. I promised, so I’m going to do it.”

“I know, I know… I just worry. This is already dangerous.”

Gabriel opened the door and, at the same time, activated the stealth function of the Shifting Shadow Stalker Set, and the minute countdown started just as he became invisible.

Entering the room, the sudden absence of cold hit him with a force, causing him to stop for a moment as his body adjusted to the higher-than-average room temperature. Apparently, the Jackals made sure that the servers had the best possible air conditioning, while the people who worked on the floor only had the windows.

The lone guard left behind was still watching the baseball match, so he quietly moved toward the spiral staircase next to the elevator. With quiet but hurried steps, he began to ascend. The stairs themselves were made of metal, giving them an industrial feel that clashed with the residential building they were currently in.

“How many on the second floor?” he whispered.

“Only a few, but they’re staying in their offices,” came not from Mia but Nate. His voice was a bit hoarse and tired, but Gabriel still could hear the cheekiness. “So step softly and don’t make a racket.”

“Good to know,” he answered dryly, while his head cleared the edge of the floor and he looked around.

The countdown was at thirty seconds, so he didn’t stay still long.

The tenth floor was a bit different.

There was no customer service-like area. There were stations with computers, but they were much higher-end setups with comfortable chairs and all the luxuries one would expect. At the same place as the floor below, he could see a door leading to a server room, once again protected by several electronic security devices and at least half a dozen cameras he could instantly spot aimed at it.

In the middle of the large space was a communal area, with a bunch of sofas and tables – some piled high with old takeout containers, while others had actual board games on them.

On the other end, there was also a small relaxation area with gigantic TV sets, and a resting space for the gang members, filled with off-white tiles and raised white beds surrounded by medical equipment. There was even a coat hanger filled with white lab coats.

The biggest difference, however, was the series of doors opposite him, like a line of mini apartments.

The offices.

Twenty seconds.

Speeding up, he walked over to the server room.

Without even asking, the lock clicked open, and he snuck inside just as his stealth wore off and he became visible again.

Letting out a breath of relief, he watched as the countdown switched over to the five-minute cooldown.

Looking around, he couldn’t help but frown.

“Why is it so cold? When did making server rooms freezing become a thing?” he asked, frustrated. To his half-remembered memories, enhanced by the pill he had taken, server rooms were usually slightly below room temperature, not the near-freezing temperature he was experiencing.

“You can blame LOX for that,” Mia explained exasperatedly. “They came out with a chipset that is excellent for mass-produced servers, but it also requires near-zero temperatures for maximum efficiency.”

“That couldn’t have been popular…” he muttered as he began to connect his phone to the port highlighted on his mask screen.

“That’s why it ended up with the gangs… Most commercial data centers wanted nothing to do with it,” Mia said dryly.

“Ahh…”

The screen on the phone flashed, and the same incredibly fast-scrolling window appeared as code began to stream by so quickly it blurred together.

He began pacing up and down, trying to keep himself warm as the air conditioning unit blasted cold air into the room, the sound of so many devices filling the space.

“H-how long?” he asked out loud.

[This unit has improved its infiltration code.]

[Approximate time until completion… 3 minutes… 23 seconds…]

“Good j-job.”

While waiting, he pulled out a few more cards and began absorbing the cold.

DING

The phone sent out a notification, and a new message appeared on his mask screen just as he pocketed the newest Cold card.

Hopefully, they would be useful for something.

[This unit regretfully reports that while data acquisition was successful, access to data is currently not possible.]

[Encryption unknown.]

[Estimated time until encryption broken… 3 days… 16 hours… 45 minutes… 21 seconds…]

“Fuck!” Mia cursed. “Is there any way we could find a key for it?”

“It’s probably in one of the offices,” he said while walking over to the first server rack and absorbing it into his card. “Check to see if you can access one of their computers while I finish up here…”

“I’ll try…” Mia muttered.

Five minutes later, with only ten minutes left over from his self-appointed deadline, he held another Quantum Server Rack (Functional) card in his hand. However, he didn’t fuse the two together.

For now, he kept them separately.

Maybe he would need two. Maybe not. But for now, he had enough empty cards, so they stayed separate.

“I’m finished here, guys…” he said finally, rubbing his arms to try to get some warmth in them. “Can I leave or do we need something else?”

Gabriel stood there, waiting for a response. Worry began to seep into him, supplanting the cold.

“Guys?” he asked worriedly. “Are you there?”

He was about to turn to Sparky when the drone that had been accompanying him began to perform some erratic maneuvers, buzzing around the room in an eccentric pattern.

To Gabriel, it felt like either Sparky or Mia was expressing panic in this way.

He could feel his worry shoot through the roof.

“Somebody talk to me, please!”

Finally, the earphones in his ears crackled to life.

“Motherfucker… Gab– Shadow, you need to get out of there, fast!” Mia practically yelled into her microphone.

“Why? What happened?” he asked, panic creeping into his voice, too. “You’re freaking me out!”

Meanwhile, he rushed over to the door and opened it.

Sadly, the countdown for the stealth function still hadn’t finished, so he was forced to emerge from the cold room, visible and very confused.

At the same time, several doors opened as the gang members left behind emerged from their offices. His luck was that they were instantly heading to the communal area, where a gang member was already turning on one of the big screens.

Mia was murmuring something to Nate, but he couldn’t make it out, so he checked the messages left by Sparky.

[This unit knew it.]

[Parental unit has disproportional bad luck.]

[Parental unit should evacuate posthaste.]

“What the hell is happening?” he whispered as he sneaked behind a column, trying to get closer to the half dozen Electric Jackals, hoping he could overhear something useful.

[Emergency broadcast on public access news.]

[Somebody threatened to bomb the Thousand Flowers Hotel.]

Gabriel blinked.

“What?”

It was at that time that one of the large screens finally switched on, and the newsreader’s face appeared.

It was the local news station.

“…for those just joining us, authorities are currently responding to an active bomb threat at the Thousand Flowers Hotel, where the superhero Bombshell had been participating in a community outreach event earlier today.

Evacuations are underway, though officials report progress has been slower than expected due to the large number of children and young people with disabilities attending the event.

Emergency services remain on site, and authorities are urging residents to avoid the area while the situation develops.”

The woman on the screen spoke into the camera with a serious face as the gang members watched while talking with each other.

“What the hell are you doing, Shadow?” Mia whisper-shouted into his ear. “Get out of there! The gang is coming back!”

[Confirmed.]

[Gang-affiliated vehicles spotted.]

[ETA – 3:42]

“Fuck…” Gabriel whispered.

And just as he was about to turn around and head down while the gang members were distracted with the news, the universe proved once again that it was happiest when it could make his life hard.

The newsreader was handed a rumpled piece of paper from offscreen, and her eyes quickly scanned it before her mouth set into a thin line, anger wafting off her.

Her voice was still professional, but there was an undercurrent of rage and anger.

Gabriel could understand that. Threatening disabled children was reprehensible.

“This just in – authorities say they have identified the individual believed to be responsible for the threats.”

The screen changed, with one half being taken over by a picture as Gabriel leaned forward with curiosity.

“Viewers should be aware that the image currently being shown was provided to media outlets only moments ago and has not yet been independently verified by this station.”

Then he froze.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

It was him.

Well, him in his previous costume before that Shadow Stalker Hoodie got partially destroyed. The picture was distorted thanks to the hoodie’s effect, but somebody had seemingly gone very far to clean it up.

“What the hell…” he whispered in disbelief.

The newsreader continued without an ounce of care, taking vindictive delight in announcing the information handed to her.

“The individual shown has been identified as the local supervillain known as Enchanter, who has previously been active in the San Bernardino area. Sources within law enforcement say authorities have been monitoring his activities for some time and were already developing plans to apprehend him.

Analysts consulted by our station believe increased law enforcement attention may have contributed to today’s escalation, though officials have not confirmed a motive at this time.

At present, little is publicly known about Enchanter’s abilities. Authorities are advising the public not to approach him under any circumstances, warning that he should be considered extremely dangerous.

If you believe you have seen him, contact authorities immediately using the emergency reporting line currently displayed on screen.”

A number appeared on the screen, and the newsreader continued to speak, but Gabriel couldn’t hear anything.

He was just staring at his visage – apparently taken from a camera while he was approaching the 3D printer shop – and wondering what the hell had happened.

Did someone figure out his identity?

Or were they just blaming him in the absence of a clear target for the bomb threat?

The problem was that he didn’t know what to do.

Should he flee?

Leave the building and the city?

Or just leave the gang hideout, vanish the costume into his Deck of Infinity, and pretend he saw and knew nothing?

Suddenly, a noise broke through his panicked brain.

“Shadow! Shadow!” Mia shouted. “What the hell are you waiting for? Leave! Now!”

“Right. I need to leave,” he said to himself.

He was about to turn around when he spotted something. On one of the sofas, there was a carelessly tossed gun.

A simple handgun…

He glanced at the crowd, then back at the weapon.

Then he saw the countdown end on his screen and instantly activated it.

Springing forward, he grabbed the gun and instantly absorbed it into a card, then turned around and began jogging toward the metal staircase.

Gabriel would have preferred running, but that would have been too loud.

Fifty seconds left…

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, he saw that the lone guard left on this floor was also standing in front of the TV but talking on his phone, staring straight at where Gabriel appeared.

Thankfully, he was invisible.

Without pausing, he headed for the lone door leading to the building stairwell.

The TV continued to drone on in the background.

“…officials now confirm that the evacuation of the Thousand Flowers Hotel has been completed with assistance from Helix Group Security personnel.

Bombshell has reportedly joined search efforts in the surrounding area, and authorities say locating suspect Enchanter remains their highest priority.

Security experts speaking to local media suggest that…”

Thirty seconds left…

Jogging over to the door, he pulled it slightly open, thankful for the divider covering it, and slipped out of the ninth floor.

The stairwell was silent.

Twenty seconds left…

He began jumping down, not caring how much noise he was making until he reached the seventh-floor landing and wrenched the door open.

Five seconds left…

The corridor was empty, though he could hear yelling and shouting from behind several doors.

Apparently, his supposed bomb threat was big news.

The door to his apartment opened, and he lunged forward, sliding in, with his drone buddy following him.

The invisibility vanished from him just in time for the door to close.

He lay on the ground, breathing heavily and sprawled out, Mia looking down at him with a concerned look.

“What the fuck, Gabriel?”**

**

A/N: I spent too much time seeing how newsreaders talk. Also who could have forseen this? Who?