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“...Alright,” Circé said. “I guess that means we’re even. But I’m still going to punch that damn Warlock once I get a hold of the bastard.”
“Anything you want,” chuckled Eden.
“Kitty, I heard that...” whined Loir in her ears. “Well, at least with our witchy friend out, I’m back in control! Woohoo!”
Yet, Circé walked up to one of the consoles, and began typing on the keyboards again, at a familiar speed only Back Hackers could have. Eden raised her eyebrows, surprised.
“You can do Back Hacking too?” she muttered, surprised.
Circé smirked.
“Trust me, it’s better never to let men know how good we are at multitasking... Warlock may be one of the best, but I wasn’t born yesterday either. ...Here we go.”
The doors suddenly opened again, to Eden’s relief. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but she sure was getting tired of that room.
“What now?” Circé sighed. “Since I’ve betrayed the Core, there will be a bounty on my head soon. Yours are already sky-high, but with me knowing what I know, those guys downstairs will try to come for me too...”
“We came here for the Snake’s weapons in the first place,” said Eden. “Let’s get them and push the Core back.”
“I like the idea, but do you realize how many of those bastards are downstairs and trying to get to me and you? You’re a decent fighter, but we’re talking about dozens of guys armed with the latest technology.”
“We have control of this place,” retorted Eden. “It was conceived exactly for this: to be turned into a fortress against enemies. If we can keep controlling it like we have been, while the Zodiacs downstairs get to the armory, we can win this. There’s no way the Core sent that many people; this is outer Chicago. Even if they don’t care about the casualties on our side, they do care about their own people being killed. They aren’t stupid enough to start a war outside their territory.”
“...You sure know how the Core works,” scoffed Circé.
“You have no idea.”
Eden had been raised there and had observed them long enough to know. The Core usually took care of the most annoying targets first. She, Circé, and the Zodiacs ought to be at the top currently, and she was not willing to die today. She lifted her leg, and suddenly slammed the keyboard Circé had used just a second ago. The goth grimaced.
“Seriously?”
“I’m destroying external control in case they make it to this room. Loir can control the network since he’s already in.”
“Hm... Good point.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Circé nodded and the two women, now allies, ran out of the room, looking for the closest escape route. Eden had a vague memory about how she had gotten here, but they both ought to be extremely careful not to run into the Core’s people already headed their way. Loir was their best shot, as he was controlling all the rooms and floors, and guiding them through this maze.
“Next door on the left... Then keep going... Oh, ignore this one, unless you have time to argue with a bunch of angry Yakuza... Yes, keep going! Second door on the right, and then the stairs! No Men in Black on the horizon, ladies! Oh my, should you call me Charlie? Loir’s angels! How does that sound?”
As usual, Eden ignored his continuous chatting, filtering out the information she actually needed. Circé was also cautious, sometimes stopping Eden when she thought she had heard a noise, or entering a room only after she had double-checked it was empty.
“So you and L–Warlock were partners?” whispered Eden as they were waiting for the go-ahead next to a corridor.
Circé rolled her eyes.
“Not by choice... We were among the best your father had selected to form the Edge. I just happened to be the only one able to handle a guy that crazy. Although to be fair, I can’t blame him... He was already damaged before he got to us.”
“...What do you mean?”
“The Prussian Empire,” muttered Circé. “An extremist group was secretly trying to raise a militia of super hackers... They kidnapped children and taught them everything known about hacking through an extreme program. It was actually one of the first attacks my mentor had launched, to free some of those teens. Most had died in the process, but Warlock was one of the survivors... He still can’t walk, can he?”
Eden slowly shook her head.
“They did that too. Back Hackers only need their hands... After we were captured by the Core, Warlock alone managed to escape. But I heard he was captured again, by some Russian loyalists on the outside.”
Eden suddenly remembered her partner’s fright when the Dog had been mentioned. Could it be he wasn’t scared of the Zodiac herself, but of her people in general...? It made sense. If anyone was still loyal to the Prussian Empire in this area, they ought to be on the Dog’s territory. No wonder Loir had tried to hide far from them.
