The night roared alive with the sound of the motorcycle tearing through the wet highway like a streak of lightning, its engine screaming like a wounded beast, its headlight carving a thin beam through the night
Joyce's gloved hands gripped the handlebars tight, eyes locked on the winding lane ahead, Arman's arms tightened their grip around her waist, wind slapped his face as the world blurred by in streaks of neon light
The glow of Dar es salaam's skyline flickered behind them, a mirage swallowed by darkness, the rain hit his helmet in sharp rhythm, he could bared breathe
He had no idea where she was taking him, only that every seconnd spent on the open road felt borrowed, his thoughts tangled between fear, confusion and the dull ringing of gunfire still echoing in his head, his heart hadn't slowed since Masaki Depot exploded behind them, fire chasing their shadows
"Joyce, what the heck was that back there?" he shouted over the rear
"Not now Cana!" she snapped, leaning the bike hard into a turn
The streets of Dar were alive again, not with people but with echoes, sirens wailed somewhere far off, every traffic light flickered like the city was glitching
"Where are we even going to?" he yelled again
"Somewhere safe" she shot back
"You've been driving nonstop"
"And you've been asking questions nonstop"
He smiled faintly despite the exhaustion, "Fair enough."
The road twisted through the hills
"Hold on" she yelled as she accelerated.
They shot past a row of sleeping bodabodas, and slowed near a dimly lit gas station, she parked behind an abandoned truck, killed the engine and the world fell into silence, only their heavy breaths remained.
Joyce pulled off her helmet, hair damp from sweat and rain, the usual warmth in her eyes was gone, in its place were calculations
"Joyce," he said in a low voice, "You keep talking like you know my father"
"I didn't know him," she replied, "But I worked under people who did and I only saw him once when he came to have a meeting with my father"
"So you are some kind of agent"
"Eer, something like that"
Arman gritted his teeth, "Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you weren't ready to believe it, you still thought this was just a game"
Her words hit harder than the rain.
"Listen to me Arman, the people chasing us, they're not gamers, they're operatives tied to NOKO systems"
Arman blinked, "NOKO? the same company that sponsors half the East African MLBB tournaments?"
"Yeah," she said, "Your father wasn't just a coder, trucker or an eSports coach, he built the skeleton of their network, he was one of NOKO's best asset, and when he died, they buried him under it"
He took a step back, shaken "You're talking like this is a spy movie"
"It's not, I guess the Sentinel told you a thing or two about the situation"
For a moment, thunder cracked across the Dar skyline as Arman tried to steady his breathing
..........
Ghost Knights' Pov
Engines roared to life as Gojo started the van, they moved ffast and quiet, Gojo's eyes scanning through the rain streaked windshield, Dubster was in the back, surrounded by tamgled wires and half dismantled servers, his fingers dancing across a portable terminal
"You sure this rig can handle the load?" Cherry asked, glancing at the crates of hard drives stacked behind them
"Handle it?" Dubster grinned, "Hehehe, baby, this van's older than me and twice as angry, It'll make it smoothly"
KT Suzume adjusted her glasses, the glow of her laptop reflecting in her eyes, "We have a fifteen minute window before NOKO's next network sweep, we need to cross the grid before then"
Anime Girl was silent in the corner seat, her earphones in but eyes focused on the window, tracing raindrops as they slid past
"Feels wierd," she said softly, " Abandoning HQ"
Gojo didn't look back, "HQ's compromised, our undisclosed safe zones will be our hideouts for now"
Cherry's tone dropped lower, "So, you guys think ALPHA-7 might be safe?"
The van hit a bump, Dubster steadied his screen
"As safe as anything's ever been to us, besides Xiorra already fixed some loose ends about it so yes, it's safe, unless something unexpected happen"
A moment short, Xiorra's voice tapped into the shared Ghost Knights comms
>Xiorra: Guys, once you reach sector nine, masks on, ALPHA-7's off grid, manual signal handoff only
"Huh!!"
The rain thinned into mist as they turned into the industrial belt, silently, perfect as ghosts
...........
Back On The Run...
The silence between them thickened, then a faint ping came from Foxxie's watch, a digital chirp that cut through the night, her expression hardened
"They're on the move" she said
"Them? who are they?" he shot right back
"The Ghost Knights, not all of them entirely, mostly the core ones, KT, Gojo, Dub and Anime Girl"
"What about Xiorra?"
"Well about him, he's onto something else but we'll all rendevous on the same location which is where we're also going to"
"Umh!! question, why are their signals tagged as 'restricted access'?"
"Thats...because someone's watching them," she said quietly, "NOKO"
She then typed something quickly on her phone
........
Ghost Knight's Pov
KT's screen suddenly glitched, lines of encrypted codes poured in, she frowned, trying to isolate the breach, "They're pinging our location!" she shouted.
Gojo rushed over, "Trace it."
"Working on it, wait..... it's not an attack, It's a beacon" she zoomed in, "Encoded by an anonymous user"
Gojo froze
"This is really stressing" he said
"Tell me about it," KT said, "He just sent us coordinates."
No van remained silent for a whole minute, everyone trying to digest the information
"What are the possibilities of trusting this source?" exclaimed Dubster
"Isn't it from the same anonymous guy from before?" Anime Girl asked
"W.. we cant be sure, we can't prove if it's from the same person, let me try something first" KT voiced out her worries, then started tracing back the beacon
All eyes were on her laptop as she tried decypher the beacon
In about two minutes, she was done
"This....." she started, "It read from Nairobi, Kenya"
"Oh boy"
........
Xiorra's Pov
Meanwhile, across the city, on the far end of the coast, the rain hit metal and salt, Xiorra crouched behind a half burned billboard near the old port, the sky above him buzzed faintly of surveillance drones. >Foxxie: Ghost Knights are on the move
>Xiorra: Good, any new update
>Foxxie: Yeah, someone's onto their tail, tracking their location, I thought it might be NOKO, but no.
>Xiorra: Hmm!! that's a tricky situation, leemmi check on them
He tapped into the shared comms
>Xiorra: Yo Big guy
>Dubster: Yo, where you at, Foxxie just updated us your hands are full
>Xiorra: Yeah I'm at the old port
>Dubster: Dude, that's some scary shit you're doing there
>Xiorra: Chill bruv, I got the situation under control
>Dubster: Under control you say, dragging yourself to the coast is called 'getting yourself killed', bro"
>Xiorra: Nah, it's called freelancing navigation
A red beam swept across the ruins, making him duck hard while cursing
>Xiorra: Damn it, maybe you're right Dub, definitely time to relocate
He moved silently through the docks, he wasn't heading to ALPHA-7, not yet, he had one more job to do first.
His gloved hands opened a crate stamped with the NOKO insignia, inside a capsule, faintly glowing blue, a data core.
He whispered to himself, "Phase two's already moving.... damn it, DG, what were you planning?"
Footsteps echoed behind him, he turned fast, a blade drawn, a drone hovered overhead, red lights spinning like eyes, one swift slice, the drone dropped
He looked toward the stormy skyline, in the far distance, he could see faint lights, the direction of ALPHA-7
"Soon," he said quietly, "But not yet, someone has to stay in the dark, or all of us"
He pocketed the capsule and disappeared into the night
A moment later, after he left that part of Old Port, a group of armoured men, their jackets bearing NOKO's insignia are seen patrolling the same area he was in a couple minutes ago
"We are a minute too late" spoke one of them
"Contact Lieutenant Cylilo, tell him to double the patrol and surveillance drones"
"Copy"
They all dispersed in different directions to maintain patrol
.........
Arman & Joyce's Pov
"Hop on, we gotta move" Foxxie told as she started the engines again
Arman looked at her savior then got onto the bike
The motorcycle screamed back to life, tearing through the night once more, she drove for some time, following the main road then, at some point the bike veered off the main road, diving into an older lane near the outskirts
The air smelled like rust and wet soil, Arman could see warehouses flashing by, old signboards, cracked concrete, puddles glowing with light reflection
His stomach turned at the sight, it looked nothing like the bright arenas or classrooms he was used to, this place was all but silent, watchful, it wasn't an exeggeration to say it was dead
He remembered the words his father left behind in those fragmented recordings, "THE TRUTH IS NEVER ONLINE, ARMAN, IT'S BUILT IN THE DARK" he understood now.
"What's this place?" he asked
"This is ALPHA-4, I need to pick up something before we move to a safer location"
They stopped infront of an old building, at the door stood a woman, seemingly in her late forties
"You can't stay here long, here, take this and regroup with others" said the woman in neither a hurried tone, nor a hushed one while giving her small laptop, "Give it to KT, she'll know what to do next"
Arman still questions about the woman infront of him, he gave him a penetrative gaze, for a moment their eyes met, the woman smiled, "Your father had the same look"
"I believe we have to go, no?" Joyce inquired
"Yes, yes dear, hurry fast" she turned back and entered the building, vanishing from their sight
"Who is she?" Arman asked after she disappeared
"You might have to ask Dubster about that, but all I know is that she is the one responsible for managing ALPHA-4"
"I've got alot to catch up"
"You sure do, sweetheart"
..........
ALPHA-7
In the middle of Sinza, tucked in one of the boisterous plaza where shops fight to stay open, stands Respawn Point, a bustling gaming hub, pulsing with life, where people escaped their problems through glowing screens
People from different places flocked in, be it universities, schools, jobs, it was a famous spot to miss, the booths were always crowded, the hum of PCs mixing with laughter and the chatter of keyboards.
Beneath the plaza, hidden from a city drowning in noise and struggle, lies ALPHA-7, the Ghost Knights' underground stronghold, a fortress of data and shadows, built not for comfort, but for survival, upstairs, gamers fight for fun, below, the Ghost Knights fight against injustice done by the system.
>Xiorra: Yo Switcher, Ghost Knight will arrive there soon, ETA 15 minutes
>Switcher: Copy that, everything is set as planned
Switcher, the sentinel responsible for managing ALPHA-7 replied with a lazy tone, the man himself, with a lean body in his late twenties sat inside the managers office fiddling with a pen in his hands, he had broad shoulders and dreadlocks tied neatly.
..........
Arman & Joyce's Pov
The road from ALPHA-4 was bumpy, but not dangerous for a skilled rider as Foxxie, she drove past puddles and various obstacles, from time to time, Arman sees her taping on her wristwatch
"What's wrong with your watch?" he asked in between the rush of wind
"Nothing, nothing's wrong it""Then why are you tapping on it all the time."
"Oh about that, I'm just trying to confuse anyone who is tracing our location, so apart from the Ghost Knights and some selected sentinels"
"And how sure are you that we can trust the people you mentioned?"
"Cana, let's leave that topic for later time" she said as she made a sharp turn on a corner
..........
Ghost Knights' Pov
In about 22 minutes since Xiorra contacted Switcher, the van is left abandoned in one of a farther parking lot from where Respawn Point is located, they moved on foot for a short while and finally they made it to Respawn Point
They came in quietly, Gojo, KT, Dubster, Cherry and Anime Girl, slipped through the main floor unnoticed, blending in with the late night gamers, the made their way down a short hall marked STAFF ONLY, towards the manager's office.
The door was already open, inside sat someone they all know, Switcher, the sole sentinel of ALPHA-7, "Y'all are welcomed to my humble abode" he said with a grin, his eyes were sharp even behind the lazy grin he wore.
"Yo big man Switcher" Dubster said as he saw him
"It's a pleasure seeing you all alive and kicking" he leaned back in his chair, "Though you're late than I budgeted," he said without looking up, "Traffic, or trouble?"
"Gojo closed the door behind them, "Bit of both."
Switcher finally glanced up, his gaze cutting through the dim room
"We'll, you're lucky, the plaza's power grid's still stable and NOKO's sniffers haven't breached my local network, you've got a clean window to move below"
KT Suzume raised an eyebrow, "Still running it all solo?"
"Someone has to keep the lights on," Switcher replied, tapping his console, "You ghosts play your games, but I make sure the world above believing this is just a café."
Dubster laughed, "And charge them for snacks while you do it."
Swither smirked, "Hey, electricity isn't free."
He stood, stretched and walked towards the back wall, at a casual glance, it was just plaster and paint, but when he pressed a hidden sequence on the side of the desk, the floor trembled slightly, the wall behind the file cabinet open, panels revealing an elevator surrounded by pulsing blue light.
"The elevator's synced to ALPHA-7," he said "You'll be off grid the second you pass the threshold, don't break anything, I just balanced the cooling system."
Cherry smiled faintly, "You say that every time."
"And you break it every time," Switcher shot back
The team entered the elevator one by one, the hum of the café fading behind them, Switcher lingered a moment, watching as the door closed.
..........
Arman & Joyce's Pov
In like ten minutes later, Joyce's motorcycle sliced through the rain soaked roads, its twin beams reflecting off shuttered shop sighs, Arman held tight behind her, helmet strakked with rain.
Respawn Point came into view, neon flickering over craked pavements, the faint pulse of music bleeding through the glass.
"Huh, this is it?" Arman asked as they parked beside a row of kiosks
"Yeah," Joyce replied, "The city's best kept secret disguised as bad Wi-Fi"
Inside, Joyce led him straight to the back, they entered the same hallway and found Switcher still at his desk, typing with one hand while balancing bottle of coke on the other hand.
He looked up, amused "Foxxie, you bringing strangers to my house now?"
"He's not a stranger," Joyce said, "He's the reason we're in this mess."
Switcher studied Arman for a beat, the damp wet clothes, the tired eyes, the uncertainity beneath them, then he smiled
"You don't look like how I expected you to be, yet" he said, "but you'll turn out for the best"
He put down the drink and keyed in the command again, the wall split apart, revealing the same hidden elevator bathed in soft blue glow
"ALPHA-7's waiting"
Joyce patted Arman's shoulder, "Welcome to the real game Arman"
They stepped through and the wall sealed again with a whisper, Switcher leaned back in his chair, muttering to himself, "Kids and their secret wars" then he smiled, proud, tired, unshaken
...........
Xiorra's Pov
Still at the Old Port, he crouched under barrels of oil, the sea air thick with salt and machine oil, the docks were quiet now but the silence screamed danger
'Seems like they doubled the patrols, mhh!' he thought
He took a damaged NOKO drone, prying open its memory core, "Still active," he murmured, "You guys never clean up your mess, do you?"
He slipped the chip into his coat pocket and glanced towards the horizon, the city's skyline glowing faintly beneath the storm clouds, his comms crackled.
>KT: Xiorra, status check
>Xiorra: Port's clear, I'm bringing the evidence in."
>KT: You're the last one, ALPHA-7 is live
>Xiorra: Tell Switcher to leave the lights on
He put on his helmet and rode at full speed to Sinza, mostly specific ALPHA-7, his engine roared with heavy sounds
After some time of circling around the city, Respawn Point came into view, neon lights, laughter and noise from the late gamers.
He circled aound the back, slipping through the narrow service lane where deliveries came in, behind stacked soda crates and spare monitors, he found a faintly glowing strip on the floor, he pressed his boots againsts it.
The ground shifted, the faint hum of machinery filled the silence, a small panel scanned his face:
>Knight-05: Access Granted.
The floor descended quietly, lowering him into the same blue lit corridor the others had taken, for amoment, the hum of the servers below echoed like the sea he'd just left behind.
"From water to wires," he muttered, "Story of my life."