As promise, I will be updating five chapters today and the last five next week. Please R&R guys! Thank you!
Slyder and Jackie hiked up cliffs and hills to get a view of the camps that were populated with civilians. Standing on a rocky slope, they stared down at the enslaved workers walking in lines that chained around fences and other regions. They could also see workers falling from system failures and overheating. It was too hurtful to just stand and watch as Slyder started making his way down.
"Jackie, follow me." He glanced back to make sure she was close to him. He reached down with a foot to grab a narrower ledge. With a slight hesitation, Jackie followed, bracing against the wall to follow behind him. With a swift gesture, he reached out and gripped Jackie's wrist with his left hand and kept going. It lifted her spirits.
Not long after they made it to ground level, Jackie drew the knife she borrowed from Slyder and slashed through the tall grass. Though after a while, it was discovered they were at a dead end: a fence. Slyder clutched the fence as he looked around.
"Did we go the wrong way?" Jackie wondered.
"Doesn't matter. The whole area is fenced up so we'll have to climb over it." As Slyder glanced around. He saw the barbed wired over the top. He placed his real hand on Jackie's shoulder.
"I'll be right back." As he began to climb, cutting the barbed wire. With three swift swings he was on the other side staring at Jackie as he looked around. He would be better off finding a missing link in the fence so he could make an entrance of his own.
"Here." As Jackie on the opposite side where he was as he traced a rusting link in the fence. He told Jackie to stand back as he clenched the weakened link and began to pull back the fence. It began to screech as the metal was being stretched, and finally broken, collapsing the side of the fence. Jackie stepped on it and met beside Slyder. Ahead was an assembled group of prisoners; unaware of their presence.
"They're like zombies..." Jackie said. Slyder scanned the other fenced areas. Then he pointed to a tunnel.
"They're going in there. Look like it's lunch break." He tried for the comical relief as both teens stared at the lines.
"This is serious Sly'. Anyway, we can't go running up there like it's our business. We need a disguise." Jackie scanned around if she could find anything useful. Her eye caught a pile of old cloths and sheets; beige and black that they could use to cloak themselves with. Without hesitation, Jackie grabbed the filthy sheets and handed one to Slyder. Under any circumstance, Jackie wouldn't be anywhere near filthy things.
"Wonder how long they've been there. It smell like months." Slyder breathed through his mouth. He nodded towards the line as he made his way at the end. Jackie groaned.
"Ew, ew, and double ew." As she clung onto Slyder's cloak, pulling down the cloaks over their faces as they descended into the dark tunnel.
/
Matt was focusing on how to wake up Max. He was in hibernation, and the timer on his wrist said two hours and seventeen minutes.
"There's gotta be a way we can wake him up." As he got up and reached inside his jacket for his old yo-yo. "Inez, any ideas?"
Inez didn't think that the bullet wound to Max's head would do any damage to him at all. It was a surprise because she really didn't heed Matt's warning of his Achilles's heel. She probably had one guess; hopefully she was right.
"I think Max has to recharge." She told Matt. He raised a brow.
"Like...Hacker recharge?" He checked.
"I suppose. We should check and see if there's some utilities around he might have." Inez said as they both split up and checked the ship. Matt checked the storage compartment, as Inez checked the front of the ship. She checked under the controls, the hatch that stored throwing grenades and missiles, and around the walls. Nothing.
Pacing around, she took the time to sit down in the pilot seat. Inez didn't notice how unusually hot the seat was, and jumped out her seat yelping a few seconds after sitting. Rubbing the back of her left thigh, she stared at the chair and saw jacks and wires hanging loose from the armrest.
She found the recharging station.
"Matt! I think I got something." As Inez stood back staring at the hot chair. Matt rushed up glancing at Inez. She said nothing as she waited for him to glance at the same place where she was and he nodded.
"Let's move him." As Matt and Inez rushed towards Max and lifted him up by his arms and ankles. Roughly, they sat him in the seat as his head sunk so his chin was sitting on his chest. Inez began to tightly wrap the ropes around his wrists, waist, and ankles. Staring down at his wrist, she saw the energy bar slowly loading and the percent increasing at 11%.
"How much charge do you think he needs?" She wondered.
"Maybe 25?" Matt guessed. "Let's wait."
At this time, Inez sat cross-legged in front of the unconscious android as Matt went to hunt for water or food; miraculously finding water and sandwiches stashed away. They sat and ate in silence, not because it was awkward, but they didn't want to be surprised that Max suddenly jumps out and rips their throats out.
He began to stir at around 21%. Matt stopped chewing his sandwich and swallowed. Inez sat back in a normal chair, folding her hands and resting them on her small knees.
Max awoken, groaning and complaining about circuit issues around his memory bank. Then he saw the two earthlings without lifting his head all the way. His glance harden.
"The nerve. I wish I could end the both of you." Max sneered. Matt did not waste a moment and grabbed the android by his neck as he slightly winced. He slightly squeezed the thin wires and small rectangular structure that appeared to be his voice box as he exceeded a pitched voice high and low.
"We have absolutely no more fuckin' time with your bullshit. I don't care anymore about your little plan. We need to find civilians that can pilot ships, find Doc, and stop Hacker and this other dude name Alvin or whoever. And YOU'RE NOT HELPING RIGHT NOW." As Matt released his grip as the android made a single, harsh cough to clear his throat. He stared daggers at Matt, forgetting about Inez.
"I need to give him the package." Max swore. "I need to because it's the only chance we got in stopping Hacker mainly. And if we stop that, Hacker will panic. And if he panics, Dr. Alvin will jump in. But by then, the program would have cleared out everything."
"What do you mean program?!" Inez clenched the arm of Max. He growled.
"Doc hid away a backup microchip that is twice as powerful as CYRUS. It's an antivirus that is going to reset everything back to normal. It's the confidential package I told you guys not to open. It cannot get exposed to the toxic electrons in Cyberspace's atmosphere. Or it'll be useless." Max admitted with harsh defeat. Matt knelt so he was staring up , straight into his eyes.
"An antivirus, that resets everything? That's it? That's what going to fix everything right?" Matt's brows furrowed. "What about Hacker and the rest?"
"The antivirus is something even I don't know that much in depth about. Which is why I'm more concerned now that my time has dwindled where I don't think I'll be able to get close to his ship so I can plant the antivirus. Which means when Hacker launch the invasion, more people will die. And not just here. Earth too." Max growled. "Thank you for fucking everything up earthlings. You really outdone yourselves. Brilliant."
Matt snapped his arm back as he released a haymaker punch to Matt's face and flexed his tightened wrists. Inez drew his injured arm and examined his fist.
"Gods Matt..." Inez groaned at his temper. His knuckles were immediately swollen and bruised with red and purple. Matt sighed as he retreated. Everything that Max has said was all true definitely, but the time he had to get closer to Hacker. He was more pessimistic on his own behalf, because everything he did was with perfection for the most part.
And now this perfect plan was completely ruined.