The apartment was quiet, save for the faint hum of the fridge and the distant chatter of a late-night drama playing on the neighbor's wall-sized holo-screen.
I sat cross-legged on my mattress, the faint glow of my Codebreaker HUD illuminating the room. Brixley was already asleep, her light snores a soft reminder of why I was pushing myself. Only Damian was not here.
But tonight, I had something to focus on— my rewards.
The HUD flickered, and two bold notifications hovered before me.
[Guardian Tower Mission Rewards Available]
[Bonus Mission Rewards Available]
"Alright," I muttered, stretching my fingers like I was about to crack a safe. "Let's see what we're working with."
I started with the Guardian Tower reward.
My heart raced, though I played it cool.
This was an APEX rank skill. I couldn't let myself imagine what it could be.
The last thing I needed was to hype myself up, only to be disappointed by something mundane.
With a flick of my wrist, I opened it.
The interface expanded.
[REWARD ACQUIRED: CYBER MANIPULATION — EX RANK]
My eyebrows rose.
"Okay."
The description unfolded beneath it.
[Cyber Manipulation]
Control and manipulate digital, networked, and AI-controlled systems through direct system interaction.
I read it again.
Then a grin spread across my face.
"Well, that's not subtle."
The sub-skills appeared.
[Basic Hack — Unlocked]
Cooldown: 20 minutes.
Effect: Hack low-security systems, including basic doors, cameras, terminals, and networked devices.
I nodded.
Useful.
Nothing revolutionary.
[Advanced Hack — Unlocked]
Cooldown: 90 minutes.
Effect: Penetrate and manipulate complex systems, including encrypted databases, AI-controlled devices, and advanced security networks.
My grin widened.
"Now we're talking."
Next.
[System Overload — Unlocked]
Cooldown: 120 minutes.
Effect: Temporarily overload and disable hostile technological systems.
I leaned forward.
That could be useful in a fight.
A machine didn't need to be destroyed if you could convince its nervous system to take a vacation.
Then came the fourth.
[Mastermind Hack — Unlocked]
Cooldown: 24 hours.
Effect: Override and assume direct control of a targeted system.
I stopped.
"Excuse me?"
I stared at the description.
Then at the cooldown.
Twenty-four hours.
Long enough that I couldn't casually throw it around, but short enough to make it genuinely dangerous.
Direct control.
Not interference.
Not disruption.
Control.
My mind immediately began running possibilities.
Security systems.
Drones.
Automated weapons.
Vehicles.
Doors.
Communication networks.
Industrial machinery.
GAIA-connected infrastructure.
I caught myself smiling.
"That's going to get me arrested."
A final entry waited beneath it.
[Apex Hack — Locked]
Cooldown: 72 hours.
Effect: Gain control over large-scale systems, including city networks and military infrastructure.
Unlock Condition: ???????
My grin faltered as I skimmed the locked skill.
Apex Hack... locked?
I tapped the entries furiously, hoping for an explanation, a clue, anything.
[Conditions to Unlock: ???]
My shoulders slumped. "You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, my frustration bubbling to the surface. Locked skills weren't unusual, but conditions unknown? That was a cruel twist.
I sat back, chewing over the implications. Codebreaker hadn't let me down so far, so there had to be a trigger for unlocking these. Still, not knowing what it was left me flustered.
But I couldn't stay annoyed for long. The unlocked Apex sub-skills, Basic Hack, Advanced Hack and System Overload, were already powerful in their own right. And now I had also unlocked Mastermind Hack.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
"Alright, Codebreaker," I said softly. "I trust you. We'll figure this out eventually. For now, this is more than enough."
With this, I could do more than just survive. I could manipulate the world around me. The potential was limitless. But before I got lost in the possibilities, I moved to the next reward—the bonus mission.
[Obtain 1 x Tower Crystal]
Description: Tower crystal, key to unlock level 100 to conquer the tower. A total of 11 keys needed to unlock level 100. Obtained after completing the tower guardian mission. Available at every 5 tower levels.
[Obtain Tower Pass - SS Rank]
Description: Limited Access to enter undetected from GAIA to Towers level 50-70. Number of access: 10.
+10 Luck
+10,000 GED
The Tower Pass was equally tantalizing. Ten undetected entries to the upper floors of the towers? This was an absolute gift, the kind of freedom most awakeners could only dream of. Add in the luck boost and cash, and the haul was nothing short of incredible.
"Tower Crystal…" I murmured, tapping the entry. The description sent a jolt of realization through me.
To unlock the mythical 100th floor of a tower, you needed 11 of these. I now had one, which meant tonight's chaos at the Guardian Tower wasn't just some random occurrence. GAIA had been desperate to find this, and now it was mine.
I leaned back, the pieces clicking into place. The Tower Crystal wasn't just some shiny collectible—it was the key to level 100, the endgame.
I stared at the Tower Crystal.
GAIA wanted it.
The aliens wanted it.
And both sides were fighting over Towers scattered across worlds.
My fingers tightened around the crystal.
Then who did the Towers belong to?
The question sat there, uglier than any answer I could invent.
"One crystal down, ten to go," I murmured, shutting the HUD. "Looks like tonight's jackpot wasn't just luck."
"Not bad at all," I said, leaning back with a satisfied smirk.
The locked sub-skills still gnawed at me, but I pushed the thought aside. Codebreaker worked in mysterious ways, and if the conditions were hidden, I'd just have to trust it.
For now, I had tools to work with, and that was enough.
************
The hospital smelled like disinfectant and the faint whir of cleaning drones. Brixley sat on the edge of Damian's bed, her knuckles white as she gripped his hand. She was putting on a brave face, but the faint tremble in her shoulders betrayed her.
Damian, propped up against a pile of pillows, gave her a lopsided grin. "Relax, Brix. I'm not going anywhere."
She sniffled, glaring at him. "I'm not scared."
I stayed quiet, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. Watching them like this reminded me of everything I was trying to protect.
Damian had been caught in something bigger than he realized, and it was up to me to make sure this family stayed intact.
The door creaked open, pulling me from my thoughts. Three GE officers walked in, their polished uniforms and stern expressions sucking the warmth from the room.
The leader, a man with sharp eyes and an air of authority, scanned the room before his gaze settled on me.
"Who's Noah Adler?"
Damian stiffened. "What do you want with him?"
I stepped forward before my brother could say anything more. "It's fine," I said quickly. "I'll handle it."
Damian's head shot up, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Why are they looking for you?"
"It's fine," I said quickly, pushing off the wall. "Stay with Brixley."
I followed the officers into the hallway, keeping my face neutral. My mind, however, was racing. I activated Codebreaker with my thought.
[Codebreaker Initiating...]
The leader, who introduced himself as Harlo, wasted no time strapping a truth-scanning bracelet onto my wrist.
[Initiating Lie Detector]
[Lie Detector Active]
Harlo's expression was cold and calculating. "Your brother made a call during the incident. It was traced to you. Care to explain what he told you?"
The bracelet hummed ominously, its grip tightening as if waiting to catch me in a lie. But I wasn't about to play by their rules.
I triggered Advanced Hack with a thought.
[INITIATING ADVANCED HACK.]
The bracelet's internal architecture appeared.
Encrypted biometric protocols.
Truth-assessment algorithms.
Stress detection.
Microexpression analysis.
Predictive inference.
I slipped through the outer layer.
[ACCESS GRANTED.]
Then I reached deeper.
[MANIPULATION SUCCESSFUL.]
A new line appeared.
[TARGET PARAMETERS MODIFIED.]
[VERBAL RESPONSE: ACCEPTED AS TRUTH]
[PHYSIOLOGICAL DECEPTION INDICATORS: SUPPRESSED]
I nearly smiled.
GAIA had built a lie detector.
I had turned it into a very expensive affirmation bracelet.
Harlo watched me.
"Yes, he called me," I said smoothly. "But all I heard was static. I thought it was interference from the tower. The call cut off after a few seconds."
Harlo's eyes narrowed. "Static? That's it?"
I shrugged. "If there was anything else, I'd tell you. I just want to help find whoever did this to my brother."
Harlo studied me for a long moment before finally unclasping the bracelet. "GAIA will handle this. Your brother's medical fees will be covered."
"Thank you!" I said, letting relief and gratitude drip from my tone. "GAIA's efficiency is incredible."
Inside, I was simmering with anger. GAIA was playing a game I didn't fully understand, but I wasn't going to sit idly by.
When the officers finally left, the weight of my own composure hit me like a punch. My back thudded against the wall, knees threatening to give. My heart hammered, loud enough I was sure the empty hallway could hear it. For one raw, unguarded moment, panic surged through me—cold, sharp, and merciless.
Then I forced it down. Breathed. Straightened. Damian and Brixley didn't need to see the cracks. Not now. Not ever.
I pushed myself off the wall and walked back into the room. My family came first. Always.
Whatever GAIA and the GE were hiding, I'd find it—and when I did, I'd make them regret ever crossing paths with me.