Am I seeing things?

I blink, shake my head. Unable to believe what I am reading…

It is useless.

When I reopen my eyes the same strange message is still floating in front of me.

Now, i am angry!

That was all I needed to make this awful day even better: a cyberstalker

What a joy to be the victim by some kind of sick and cruel joke.

Did someone choose to play with my mind?

Today of all days?

The odd text doesn’t seems to care about my feelings. It is still there floating in the virtual screen and waiting for an answer. The strange message, directed to me is taking all space in my messenger. Spreading to cover the entire virtual screen. Whoever sent it does not want the message to be missed.

Better take some precautions before answering.

Humm, the sender's list says: “unknown server”.

Of one thing I am now sure:

Someone is hacking my device.

It can’t be Belle. She will take at least another hour to arrive home. And no matter how genius she is. No one can hack my lens using her own? Can she?

I never heard of anyone hacking an SL using another one before.

I jump in my toes. Now I am hearing a loud beep.  The screen blinks and another text replaces the first message:

“Listen to this, Dart. I know this is weird but everything will make sense in time. YOU are the only hope of this Squid. And I am afraid to say this. Your life is also in jeopardy.”

I tremble before answering:

“Is this some joke? Am I the victim of some sick prank or a holo tv game? How did you get this number? How can you turn my lens online?”

“Please trust me ok. Unfortunately, this is very real. I worked with your father. I owe him a lot. Listen! I had no choice but to contact you like this. This didn't go as we planned. Your father gave me strict instructions to follow. I promised him I would take care of you and your mother in case of anything happening with him. Dart, I need you to fetch equipment that I put in the storage for you. Help me save this Squid. Before it is too late for you and for everyone onboard. After that, we can talk about me and your past”

“Why you keep calling me Dart. That was his name. This is sick. You know that? Why me? What do you want with me? Why don’t YOU take action, since you are so concerned about the Squid?”

“Because no one but you can be the Dart, you just don’t know yet. I‘ve been close to you. Watched you grow from the distance. Saw your actions and how you diverged from the path that you should be taking. Since that day I am waiting to see if you would follow a different path. Listen to this: It needs to be you because you are the only one that can do what he could do. I saw it. I don't go into action. I am supposed to be the one behind the screen. But you Dart, you will be the action man, or, in this case, action girl. I trust you as he did. He knew what you would become. Now please, go to the second floor. Use your EVO card in the storage box D- 2566. I am sure you will understand what you need to do as soon as you get a look at the things I left there for you to get.”

I am without a doubt stalked. But if this so-called dartboard is telling the truth, my dad knew this person and worked with them. Why such secrecy?

“This is weird,” I answer, breathing heavy, while my heart is doing acrobatics in my chest.

But, I must admit my flow of adrenaline is high, the way I like it to be.

I give it a go.

It seems that this Dartboard can access the mailing tubes to deliver a package. To send equipment to me so fast is not an easy feat. That kind of intervention means that they must have access to the entire sub mail grid. Whoever this Dartboard is it is someone of formidable hacking skills. One that can have access to the entire ship’s delivery network by the looks of things. And, on top of that, If what they are talking about the Squid is true, I am in a real dangerous situation.

I know it is wrong but the sensation of imminent danger is exciting to me.

There is no going back. I am already inside the Squid. Climbing the stairs, halfway to the second floor.

I begin to hear the muffled sound of engines getting alive.

The tentacles are moving. This Squid will be inside the tunneler in a few minutes.

The Squid tunneler is a huge cylindric underwater train with some tentacles. When the tentacles move opening and closing they pull the water. That propels the vehicle. A suspended huge tube goes from  junction to junction linking the patches.

The old Caravels used to cross the oceans in the past.

Our ship carries her own ocean inside. In fact, the ocean is the water reservoir of the ship. We could say that the patches are the islands of this vast internal occean.  An occean older than the caravel itself. Water taken from the  Pacific Ocean before the lauching. It is a vast and salty water reservoir filled with a lot of water plants and animals. All those species came  from  mother Earth. It is like an underwater Noah's ark.  With more than only a couple of every kind of creature. They got caugh when the ship was filled and are of utmost importance for our survival.

The sound becomes constant and louder. 

Everything is indicating that we are about to leave from the central junction.

Even if I wanted to get out of the vehicle now, it is impossible. Our Squid will be... We will be underwater, in no time.

I can’t ignore the fact that if I can help save these people like this Dartboard is saying, I must do it.

If the vehicle is at its full capacity we must have about 400 lives on board.

Can I do something about it?

Who am I to even consider this?

This Dartboard being seems convinced that I am ready to stop whatever menace the Squid is facing. I wish I had the same confidence.

Someone able to menace a Squid like this must be powerful. Could it be a terrorist group? Is the Squid targeted by the Mutineers?

The Mutineers that Belle mentioned before is a hideous radical group of terrorists. While they call themselves revolutionaries, they are a violent bunch of criminals. They didn't kill anyone yet, but their propaganda shows a total disregard for human life.

The Mutineers are an example of what can emerge out of hate. The distrust between the citizens of the different Vellas gave birth to this group. They started to act a few years after the accident that took my father’s life. Their attacks have been causing a lot of trouble for Columbus.

But nothing of this magnitude.

If it is them, it makes sense: today marks the 10th anniversary of that tragic event. It would be the perfect day to send a message and fortify their ideas of isolation.

My society was always sick. Since the very beginning.

The Domme is both loved and hated.

People always blamed the Domme guild for our exile.

To worsen things, the rumors about the accident that took place 10 years ago made those bad feelings increase.

Al that was revealed to the public was that something went wrong during that joint mission. Some fatal malfunction in the laboratory equipment. Because of the guild’s participation in the events that led to the accident, that hate grew a lot more. That was the spark that obscure and xenophobic groups needed. They could get out of the dark and make public their intent. Lousy politicians. Exploiting a moment of grief and weakness to fortify their hidden agenda. Complete independence between Vellas.

“Each Vella for themselves,”, that is their motto.

How I hate those opportunistic groups. Their lame discourses aiming to profit from the pain and anger of innocent families.

As always happens during human history: the ones in pain wanted some kind of payback for their sorrow. Their ideas became a moving force to empower radical groups. And one of them is still being active and is a hidden fearsome force. Labeling themselves as “Mutineers” they became vile criminals. An Illegal group of activists hunted by the Vella police. Feared for their acts of moderate violence and terrorism.

So far...

The "Public enemy number 1" of the Vellas.

For me, that doesn't mean much. I see them as a display of how ignorance associated with anger can lead to terrible events. And how it can make what was already bad, worse than before.

My screen flashes again:

“This is not a prank! I’ll contact you again as soon as you get close to the gear. We need to act before the Squid reaches patch C. I am counting on you, Dart. Just remember no one can suspect you being in contact with me. When everyone complains about losing the connection of their smart lens, you need to do the same. Be convincing. No one can find out that you still have an active link. Believe in yourself, your dad did, he expected you to follow his footsteps. Dartboard Out.”

“Wait” I type fast “before you go, how can you be so sure? What am I up against?”

“There is a bomb inside your Squid. Programmed to explode with the largest of casualties during the journey.”

"Which means when it reaches the next junction! Rigged to explode when it gets closer to the awaiting passengers!!"

"See, you and I got to the same conclusion. You are a natural, Dart. I am counting on you to find and defuse the bomb."

Then the screen blinks and turns off.

______________________

Introductions are done, our rebell is begining to see that her life might have a bigger purpose. Stay tuned to our next breathtaking episode. Like, comment, subscribe. I love to hear from you all.