Chapter 25

Katy

I'm online, and everyone is here.

It’s in my hacker community that I really feel as though I'm part of something—that I’m not as removed from society as I thought I was.

Everyone's applauding each other about the recent job we did.

None of them know that the charity we donated the money to is one that I'm personally involved with.

Thinking about the program reminds me of Marcus and how good he was with the people who needed help. He wasn’t in his typical environment, but I could tell that he had become absorbed in helping the people.

Being around people like that, who have nothing but each other, reminds me of what life is really about and I think Marcus felt that, too.

He seems to genuinely care about the people whose lives we are helping.

But then, I remember that Marcus is part of an organization that does outreach. Maybe he doesn't get into the trenches often like I do. Maybe that's the reason he felt so uncomfortable at first.

I don't know what level Marcus is at in the organization he represents—and this reminds me that I don't know him very well. I need to keep him at a safe distance.

I'm online and we're doing the usual back-and-forth banter when things start to turn strange.

Dragon168 talks about bombing a local bank.

He types, "They won't know what hit them, literally. We're gonna show these assholes what it really means to take someone down."

Mia_intrigue writes, "Our real work is about to begin. The bomb is in place and ready to go off."

"I'm so excited! The day has finally come to bomb these bastards. This is gonna feel so good," Enigma16n4 chimes in.

My chest tightens as I read the words. What am I reading? Is this a sick joke? What are they talking about?

"Haha," I type, although dread is already forming in the pit of my stomach. "You guys are really funny. I'm glad we don't actually do the bombing. I’m fine with just taking out corporate power by stealing from them."

Spider5d3r says, "Rogue144, we're being serious. We have a bomb in place and we're going to get this thing done."

I start to panic. This can't be real. They wouldn't do that, would they?

These people—this online community that I thought I was a part of—might actually belong to a violent criminal organization? How could I have missed this?

My hands are shaking, but I force myself to continue the conversation. I type, "You guys, that's not part of we're fighting for. That can seriously hurt other people. Or kill them."

Spider5d3r writes, "Exactly! That's kind of the point. So, you're finally on board Rogue144. We didn't know whether you'd want to join in."

"I don't!" I type, furious now, despite the fear racing across my chest. "I don't want to be any part of this. This is not part of the mission we pledged to from the beginning. No one agreed to hurting anybody."

That’s when they start cursing me and calling me a traitor. I suddenly wonder what kind of people I've been surrounding myself with. Can they really have a bomb in place?

I need to find out more information. Just as I’m about to retract my defense, they kick me out of the chat room.

Panic seizes my body. I never wanted something like this to happen. I would never want someone to get hurt.

I try to log back into the system but they’ve denied me access.

I take a deep breath and remind myself that I'm dealing with other hackers—people just like me. I know I can't beat them at their own game.

Thoughts race through my head as I consider the situation. Somehow, I've fallen in with a group of shady people without realizing it. Who can I call for help?

And then I think of Marcus and the organization he's with. They seem like a pretty big operation with lots of connections. Maybe they can help?

I hesitate to even call him because I've denied his request to work for his group so many times.

But I can't think of any other option. I make the call.

I play with a strand of my hair while I tell him that I need him over here right now. He doesn’t ask a lot of questions and says he'll be right over.

The waiting is torture. I think about whether or not to call the police. I try to hack into the chatroom over and over again to no avail.

I don't know what kind of bomb they have, where it's at, or when they plan on setting it off.

I'm nearly hysterical when Marcus arrives. He holds my shaking body and I decide it's time to divulge the truth...about everything.

He tries to calm me down and repeatedly asks me what's the matter.

I sink down to my bed. I need to be honest with him. I know this could turn him away from me forever, but it could also help save lives.

I have to do it.

"Marcus, I think there's something you need to know about me,” I begin. “I'm not an activist. I'm a hacker. I'm a real-life computer genius and I spend my time stealing from banks and giving the money to the poor. I would've told you earlier but I didn't know if I could trust you.”

I lower my eyes, afraid to see the disgust in his eyes. “I thought maybe you'd reject me if he knew the truth."

When he doesn’t say anything, I raise my head to see him looking into my eyes, a look of compassion on his face.

His silence makes it easier for me to go on. "Remember I said I was part of this online community? Well, they’re fellow hackers. We've been working together for several months to steal money from large corporations. I thought I could trust them. They were quickly becoming like family to me. But today, I learned the truth and it's not good."

"What is it?” Marcus finally says. “Tell me what's going on, Katy."

I can't even meet his eyes as I say the words. "They...they have a bomb. I just learned about it tonight. They have a bomb and they're going to use it and I don't know when and I don't know where. I didn't know who else to ask for help. I just thought that, since you're with an organization that's pretty big, maybe you had some ideas how to handle this. I'm really worried."

He considers what I said for a moment, the gravity of the situation setting in. There's a bomb out there somewhere and we have no idea when it will go off.

"We can help you, Katy. I promise. We'll take care of everything," he says.

His words are like music to my ears and I hug him. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck because I'm so thankful and grateful to him for helping me.

I honestly don't know what else I would've done. Marcus is a godsend and once again, I realize that he's everything and more that I could want in my life.