SWNOVELXO Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Ace slumped against the cold, wet wall of the ATM booth. Rain soaked his clothes. His wrist hurt where the hooded man had grabbed him. He looked down at his other hand. He still held seventy-six cents in wet coins. Ninety-seven dollars gone. Deke was coming tonight for the "rest" he owed. Ace had no idea what that meant, but it felt dangerous.
He pushed himself off the wall. The walk back to the Nite Owl Motel felt longer this time. His bad hip ached with every step. The blue timer in his vision glowed: 10:15… 10:14… Wealth Consolidation. He'd failed again.
He reached Room 7. He unlocked the door, went inside, and locked it tight behind him. The familiar sour smell hit him. He leaned back against the door, breathing hard. He was soaked, scared, and completely broke. Again.
What now? The thought screamed in his head. He couldn't pay Deke. He had nothing left to sell. The System had failed him. Or had he failed the System?
As if hearing his thought, the blue box flashed brightly in front of his eyes, making him flinch.
[URGENT TASK: DATA HARVEST]
[Objective: Access & Extract Core Data Packet from 'Veridian Telecom' Local Server Node.]
[Location: 0.2 Miles East - (Map Attached)]
[Time Limit: 90 Minutes]
[Reward: $500.00 USD (System Funds)]
[Reward: Skill: "Neural-Interface" (Beta)]
[Failure Penalty: Asset Seizure (Random Limb)]
Ace stared. Hack a server? He didn't know the first thing about hacking! He barely knew how to use his phone. And "Asset Seizure (Random Limb)"? His stomach dropped. Would the System take his arm? His leg?
A small map appeared below the words, showing a blinking red dot not far from the motel. A place called "Veridian Telecom". Probably some phone company building.
"Neural-Interface" (Beta). The words pulsed slightly. What did that even mean? Connecting his brain to the System? The idea was scary but also… powerful. Maybe it could help him understand the System better? Maybe it could get him real power?
He had ninety minutes. Deke was coming at midnight. He needed that five hundred dollars. Badly. He needed any advantage.
He looked at his cheap, slightly warped phone. Battery: 15%. It was his only tool. He pulled it out.
"How?" he whispered to the empty, sour-smelling room. "I don't know how to hack!"
The System didn't answer with words. Instead, the screen of his phone changed. The normal apps vanished. New lines of strange green text and symbols scrolled down the cracked screen. At the top, it said: SYSTEM OVERRIDE: AUXILIARY ACCESS PROTOCOL ACTIVE.
A list appeared:
1. Proceed to Target Location (0.2mi E)
2. Locate Service Access Point (Rear Alley)
3. Physically Connect User Device to Designated Port (Port #7)
4. Execute Data Harvest Sequence (Auto-Run)
5. Await Extraction Confirmation
Ace blinked. Step-by-step instructions? The System wasn't asking him to be a hacker. It was telling him to be a delivery boy. Connect the phone. That's it.
Hope flickered, weak but real. He could do that. Maybe.
He checked the time on the dying phone. 10:45 PM. He had to move fast. Deke would come at midnight.
He shoved the seventy-six cents into his pocket. He grabbed the cheap charger too – maybe he'd need it. He unplugged it from the wall. He unlocked the motel room door and slipped back out into the rainy night.
The map glowed in his vision, showing a path east. He followed it, walking quickly despite his aching hip. The rain was lighter now, just a cold mist. He passed dark shops and empty parking lots. His eyes scanned every shadow, terrified he'd see Deke or his hooded friend.
After a few blocks, he saw a low, modern building with a glowing blue sign: VERIDIAN TELECOM - LOCAL NETWORK NODE. It looked closed and dark. A tall fence surrounded it, topped with coils of sharp wire.
The map in his vision zoomed in, showing him walking around the side of the building. He followed it, his heart pounding. He found a narrow alley behind the building. Trash cans lined the wall. The map flashed an arrow pointing to a metal box bolted to the wall near the ground. It was about the size of a big lunchbox, with vents and a small lock.
TARGET: SERVICE ACCESS PANEL, the System labeled it. A smaller label appeared: PORT #7.
Ace knelt on the wet pavement. He pulled out his phone. Battery: 13%. The screen still showed the green text instructions. He looked at the metal box. He needed to connect his phone to Port #7. But how? The box was closed. Locked.
"Stupid box," Ace muttered. He pulled on the small metal door. It didn't budge. Locked tight. Panic started to rise. He needed to get inside. Fast.
He looked around the alley. Trash cans. Dumpster. Wet cardboard. Nothing useful. His eyes landed on a loose brick near the dumpster. He limped over and picked it up. It was heavy and cold.
He walked back to the metal box. He looked around. No one was there. Just rain and darkness. He raised the brick.
Smash!
He hit the small lock on the metal box. The sound was loud in the quiet alley. He hit it again. Clang! The lock bent. He hit it a third time. Crack! The lock broke. The small metal door swung open.
Inside the box were rows of blinking green and red lights. Wires. Circuit boards. And several round ports labeled with numbers. Port #7 was near the bottom.
Ace pulled the charging cable from his pocket – the one he'd bought for the phone. One end plugged into his phone. The other end… was a standard USB plug. Port #7 looked different. Smaller. Round. It wouldn't fit.
"Come on!" Ace hissed, frustrated. He looked at the instructions on his phone. They still said: 3. Physically Connect User Device to Designated Port (Port #7). But the plug didn't fit!
He looked desperately at the ports inside the box. Port #1 looked like a normal USB port. Maybe…? He tried plugging his cable into Port #1. It fit perfectly. He looked at his phone screen.
[ERROR: INCORRECT PORT]
[Designated Port: #7 Required]
He yanked the cable out. Port #7 was smaller. He needed a different cable. He didn't have one. He only had the charger he bought. His phone battery was now 12%. Time was running out.
He felt the seventy-six cents in his pocket. Useless. The cheap charger. Useless. He looked at the open panel. The wires. The blinking lights. He had to connect to Port #7. He had no cable.
Think, Ace. Cleverness. The System's word echoed.
He looked at the end of his charging cable. The USB plug. He looked at Port #7. Small. Round. Maybe… could he force it? He tried jamming the USB plug into the smaller port. It wouldn't go. Too big.
He looked closer inside the box. Near Port #7 was a small bundle of spare cables clipped to the side. Maybe left by a worker? His heart leaped. He reached in, his fingers brushing against wires and metal. He pulled out a short, thin cable. One end had a small, round plug. The other end had a normal USB plug. Just like the port!
He plugged the small round end into Port #7. It clicked. He plugged the USB end into his phone. The screen flickered.
[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED TO PORT #7]
[Initiating Data Harvest Sequence…]
Green text scrolled fast down his phone screen. Numbers. Symbols. Lines of code he didn't understand. A progress bar appeared: 1%... 5%... 10%...
Ace crouched in the cold, wet alley, holding his phone. Rain dripped down his neck. He watched the progress bar crawl upwards. 25%... 30%... His phone battery dropped: 10%... 9%... 8%...
Come on, come on! He willed it faster. He kept glancing towards the alley entrance, terrified someone – Deke, a security guard, the police – would show up. Every second felt like an hour.
70%... 75%... 80%... Battery: 6%...
85%... 90%... 95%... Battery: 4%... The screen dimmed.
99%... 100%!
[DATA HARVEST COMPLETE!]
[Core Packet Secured!]
[TASK SUCCESSFUL!]
[Rewards Credited:]
[+ $500.00 USD (System Funds)]
[Skill: "Neural-Interface" (Beta) - UNLOCKED!]
Ace gasped with relief. He yanked the cable out of his phone and the port. He slammed the bent metal door of the box shut as best he could. He stood up, his legs stiff and cold. He had five hundred dollars! System money, but still! And the new skill… "Neural-Interface". What did that mean?
Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over him. It wasn't sight or sound. It was like… knowing. The blue System interface usually floated in his vision. Now, he felt it inside his head. Like a quiet hum behind his eyes. He could "feel" the options: [SYSTEM FUNDS: $500.00], [SKILLS: BASIC HAGGLING LV.1, NEURAL-INTERFACE (BETA)]. He didn't need to see it; he just knew it was there.
It was weird. A little scary. But also… amazing. Like the System was part of him now.
He looked at his phone. Battery: 3%. He shoved it and the cables into his pocket. He had to get back. Fast. Deke was coming at midnight.
He hurried out of the alley, the new sense of the System humming softly in his mind. He jogged as best he could towards the Nite Owl, ignoring the pain in his hip. He had money now. Maybe he could pay Deke off? Five hundred dollars was way more than a hundred.
He reached the motel parking lot. The clock in his mind – part of the Neural-Interface – told him it was 11:58 PM. Two minutes until midnight. He rushed towards Room 7.
He fumbled with the key, his hands cold and clumsy. He got the door open and stumbled inside. He slammed it shut and threw the deadbolt. The chain rattled as he fastened it. He leaned against the door, breathing hard.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Three heavy knocks shook the motel room door. Right at midnight.
Ace froze. His breath caught in his throat. The Neural-Interface hummed, cool and clear in his fear. He could feel the $500 in the System. He could feel the new skill waiting.
But outside the door stood Deke. And Ace knew Deke didn't just want money anymore. He wanted revenge for the failed stock tip and the missing three dollars. The seventy-six cents in Ace's pocket felt useless again.
The knocking came again, harder this time. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
"Open up, kid," a low, dangerous voice growled from the hallway. It was Deke. "Time to settle our account."
Ace stood in the dark, sour-smelling room. He had money he couldn't touch. He had a strange new power in his head. And he had a very angry, dangerous man outside his door. The blue timer in his mind pulsed silently: Wealth Consolidation: PENDING.
He had survived the alley. He had survived the hack. Now he had to survive Deke.