Kill the Truth

Chapter 6: Abyss

Time was not measured by the sun in Block Sigma. By the sound of the prison's mechanical systems.

Damian sat still on the edge of the steel bunk his eyes used to the dark. He listened to the sounds around him. Every forty-five minutes, the heavy doors at the end of the tier made a hissing sound followed by the sound of a guard walking by. Every two hours the plumbing system made a noise that echoed through the walls.

All the time he could feel the low vibration of the quantum mainframe.

It had been fourteen hours since he got to the prison. The pain from the adrenaline was gone. His ribs still hurt and the medical adhesive on his chest itched. The bio-ceramic drive was working,. His body did not like it and was fighting it.

He was waiting for midnight. Elara told him that the automated system would sync with the database at exactly twelve hundred hours. When that happened there would be a delay in the security feeds giving him a chance to escape.

First, he had to get out of his cell.

Damian closed his eyes. Thought about the lock on the steel door. It was a lock that could not be picked from the inside. He could not force it open. He did not have a terminal to control the electronic grid.

He needed someone to open the door from the outside.

At eleven-thirty the sounds in Block Sigma changed.

The hydraulic door at the end of the tier opened,. It was fifteen minutes early.. There was only one set of footsteps, which was not right. The guards wore boots that made a squeaking sound but these footsteps were quiet and careful.

Damian got off the bunk. Stood against the wall beside the door holding his breath.

The footsteps stopped outside his cell.

A keycard was used to unlock the door. It swung open letting in a rectangle of pale yellow light.

A man stepped into the cell wearing a blue uniform but he looked like he was ready to attack. He had a gun in his hand. A rope in the other.

It was clear what was happening. The Architect did not trust the government to keep Damian in prison so he sent someone to kill him.

The man looked at the bunk and that was his mistake. He thought Damian would be asleep.

Damian jumped out of the shadows. Grabbed the gun twisting it away from his body.

The man was surprised. He fought back trying to hit Damian with his elbow.

Damian. Wrapped his arm around the man's waist hitting him against the wall. The gun went off. The bullet hit the ceiling.

Damian then hit the man's leg making him fall. He took the gun. Hit the man on the head knocking him out.

The fight was over in then four seconds.

Damian stood up breathing hard his ribs hurting. He did not have time to rest. He took the man's utility belt, keycard, flashlight and knife. He put the man on the bunk. Covered him with a blanket making it look like he was sleeping.

He checked the man's watch. It was eleven-fifty-two.

He had eight minutes before the security feeds would be blind.

Damian went out into the corridor closing the door behind him. He moved quietly using the shadows.

He reached the end of the corridor, where there was a maintenance grate on the floor.

He knelt. Used the knife to unscrew the bolts his fingers bleeding.

He checked the watch. It was eleven-fifty-eight.

He used the knife to lever the grate open. It made a loud noise.

But there were no alarms so he got into the ventilation shaft replacing the grate behind him.

He climbed down the air getting colder and smelling like ozone.

He reached a junction. Saw the pale blue glow of the sub-basement through the vent.

He checked the watch. It was midnight.

The digital sync had. The cameras were blind.

Damian kicked the vent cover out and dropped to the floor.

He was, in a room filled with rows of black glass server racks bathed in blue light.

In the center of the room was the terminal, a standalone console.

Damian ran to the terminal he had less than two minutes.

He reached the console. The screen was dark locked behind a biometric firewall.

He did not need to log in he just needed to inject the virus into the hardware.

He found the port and used the flashlight to see.

He took the knife. Cut open the medical adhesive on his chest making himself bleed.

He pushed his fingers into the wound. Found the bio-ceramic drive.

He pulled it out. The pain was very bad but he kept his eyes open.

He wiped the blood off the drive. Put it into the diagnostic port.

For three seconds nothing happened.

Then the terminal screen turned red and code started scrolling down at speed.

Elaras virus was inside the system.

The server racks had these lights that started flickering really fast and they turned this ugly amber color. The mainframe was making this humming noise but then it shifted into this high-pitched whine that hurt your ears. The financial algorithm, which was like a computer program that controlled the global markets was being taken apart line by line.

Damian stood up holding his chest because it was bleeding. He watched as his father's legacy was being destroyed. He had done it. He had stopped the algorithm.

Suddenly the red code on the computer screen just froze.

The numbers on the screen. All you could see was this one white audio waveform.

The speakers in the vault started making this crackling noise.

Then a voice said, "Hello, Damian."

The voice was really calm. Sounded like someone who was in charge. It did not sound angry just really disappointed.

Damian froze. He stared at the waveform on the screen. It was The Architect.

The voice said, "You actually made it inside. I have to admit I am impressed. Your father was also very good at getting into places he was not supposed to be."

Damian asked, "Who are you?"

The voice laughed,. It was not a funny laugh. The voice said, "I am the man who had to clean up your father's mess twenty years ago. I am the man who is going to clean up your mess tonight."

Damian said, "The virus is already in the system. You cannot stop it. The financial records are being deleted. You will not have any money to control people with."

The Architect asked, "Do you think this computer is the reason I have power? Oh Damian you are so naive. The algorithm was a tool. It made money. Money is just a way to get what you want. The real power is having secrets about people."

The servers around Damian started shutting down one by one. The lights were going out. The vault was getting darker.

The Architect said, "Let the money go. It does not matter. When the markets collapse people will be scared. They will want someone to take control."

Damian looked at the screen. He finally understood what The Architect was planning. The Architect was not just stopping the attack he was using it to start the part of his plan.

The Architect said, "We will be in charge. We will not have to hide. You did not destroy my plan you just made it easier for me to start again."

The vault doors started opening.

The voice said, "You did a job, Damian.. You and your father both thought that telling the truth would protect you. The truth is a weapon and I have it."

The screen went black.

The vault doors. Six men, in black armor were standing there. They had guns. Were pointing them at Damian.

He was. He was hurt. He did not put up his hands. Get down on his knees.

He took a flashlight from the guard's belt. Held it in his hand. He also had a knife in his hand.

The men were going to shoot him. Damian closed his eyes and turned on the flashlight. It was not a normal light it was a strobe light that was very bright.

The light was so strong that it hurt the men's eyes. They started shooting wildly.

Damian opened his eyes. Ran at the men.