System Break

Jake and Rui were working on the pod. Jake was jacked in with his cyberdeck and Rui was cutting holes in the side so I could actually fit. I barely fit normally but the exoskeleton increased my bulk, and it wasn't the sort that was taken off easily due to the fact it was attached to my bones and spine in a dozen places.

"Are you ready Hoss?"

"Yeah. Will it work?"

"Sure, if you see that pool thing you mentioned you should have a new portal. I spliced your credentials into the connection procedures of this pod. It's like taking a banana cutting it and adding a little bit of another banana in the centre before sticking it all back together."

"I can't imagine sticking a banana back together is easy."

Jake shook his head. "No it is not, very messy business. But it should work."

"Should?"

"Don't worry, I'm an expert."

Rui giggled and the sound didn't fill me with confidence. But Huan industries did hire him for a reason when they had an army of their own techs.

"Who are you really?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Everyone wants to know who I am really. What does it matter? It's just a name that would mean nothing to you. I'm a nobody like you Ben."

"Sure."

He peered at me. "I tell you what. If you're able to take over the gatekeeper connect or at least kick the corporations out of the Qi Worlds – if you can break the system – I will tell you who I really am."

Rui stopped what she was doing, turned her head and stared at Jake open mouthed. 

"Get back to work girly," he said, and she promptly began cutting again. There was one person in the world he seemed to trust it was the little asian girl. But then again what did I know – he might kill her when she was no longer useful, or he could disable her robotic arms at the drop of a hat. All I knew is that she worked for him here in Wichita and they had a relationship.

Rui raised her chin and looked at me. "Get in big boy," she said with a flick of her head. When my leg was a little too far over the edge she kicked it and then pushed with her foot. Her grunts of effort were adorable, and I laughed.

"Cut some more," Jake said.

She snarled and kicked me harder. The leg snapped into place and she grinned triumphantly. "Har," she said and then inspected the rest of me was within the bounds of the pod so the lid would close.

"Can you connect the cybernetic link yourself?" Jake asked and then fiddled with his cyberdeck. "Let me detach before you try."

I reached up with my hand - while basic things like walking and crushing someone's windpipe were easy – intricate movements were harder and something I'd need more practise before I could accomplish them easily. 

"Okay, let me help this time," Jake said. "Will you come out much?"

"Probably not."

"Good. You can die, just don't break your cover." 

"Won't Huan Industries know one of their customers is dead and yet is somehow in the system?"

Jake smiled. "Let me take care of this world. Your job is in the new one."

I met his gaze and wondered what was going to happen if I was successful. I would have the gatekeepers connect but our deal was I would owe him a favour and it could be anything. He could simply ask me to hand over the connect or break the system entirely. 

Players would no longer have a UI, and no more bodies or portals would be created by the gatekeepers. Actually, I'm a selfish bastard. If I was able to stay then that suited me just fine.

Rui smiled and jumped up and down like a little girl. "This is exiting."

I smiled back. "Sure."

"Do we have a name for this op?" she asked Jake.

Jake chuckled. "No, what do you think Ben?"

I thought about the game, the stats, the control from the QWP and now Huan Industries. Huan Xie called it a system, not unlike an operating system.

"System Break."

They both nodded and grinned. "Very good. System Break it is. Go in there and fuck it all up." 

His maniacal laughter rang and echoed throughout the warehouse. Whoever Peiter/Jake was - he was an insane son of a bitch. The first and hopefully the last evil genius I'd ever cross paths with.

When the laughter finally died down I said, "First I have to find out how the Chancellor meets with the Gatekeepers." We had to wait for the new body to be available and from what Jake said it should be soon. 

He nodded. "You will do it. I have faith."

"How do you know? You don't know anything about the inside."

"I know that they all want you because you're special. You can do things no one else can and I do know from personal experience that it is your heart's desire just to be there and left alone with your forest people. You are like an explorer to the New World in the sixteenth century. You've gone native. This coupled with your capability and past; Ben I told you before - I've done my research. This is how I know."

I was inside juniors UI and the body was still not ready. "Are you sure the Chancellor will make him a new body?"

Jake shrugged. "I monitored the player's communications, and they seem to think so. Indirectly I have word from the Chancellor, but I do not have access to his comms."

"It's not showing as ready yet. Fuck all this for nothing."

"Be patient." He smiled confidently. 

Rui scrunched her lips up to her nose. "Junior thought so too."

"Yeah, but he's an idiot." I closed my eyes and breathed and tried not to stress. It would come. I had to wait. Everything I learned about the Dao was lost in a moment of weakness and doubt. I laughed ironically at myself despite all my study - I was still weak.

I spoke a few short proverbs to myself. "I am nobody. I am part of the flow and the flow is part of me." I breathed and waited. "I wait and I flow."

When I opened my eyes they were both watching me with interest. Rui smiled and Jake turned away. The UI flashed.

"It's ready!" I shouted.

"Yeehaw," Jake yelled and for the first time his character seemed forced.

Rui shook her head in disapproval but grinned at me. "Have a good game," she said.

"It is not a game," I said and closed the lid. I started the login process and within moments I was dumped into my pool.

With arms outstretched I spun and inspected the circumference. It was the same pool and Jake was right. There was an extra portal. It was Juniors pod's portal and it was where I just came through when I entered the pool.

I wondered how it knew if I swam down through the light to send me to his body.

There was more to this pool room than I knew. And it wasn't something my qi sight could solve for me.

Was this my domain? My limited experience with domains was Mother's inside the sacred willow. 

I stowed the puzzle in the back of my mind because I had more immediate concerns. I dived down towards the light; I was back baby.