DESTRY

Getting into Purgatory had been easier than I expected. Synchro was a powerful faction, and Ash had more than enough money to grease a few palms and get me admitted as a visitor to their facility. I had made mental notes of each entrance, every gate and camera I passed; my sharp eyes catching the security terminal at the edge of their Visitor’s Center which I had no doubt would come in useful.

My nerves had been on edge waiting in a room which felt like a tomb—bare concrete walls seeming to close in over my head. It should have been a relief when the door had opened, the guards escorting the man whose file I had carefully studied before entering the facility. But it was the first time I felt truly anxious, as I remembered my success depended on him agreeing to Ash’s offer. Seeing him stare at me harshly, I grew concerned as my words of introduction hung in silence.

It wasn’t as if I could force the man to agree; he was taller than me, thick with muscle, and I had seen the list of high quality cybernetics and mods fused into his body. The hair that wasn’t shaved was long and vibrant purple, a shocking contrast to the gray of his prison uniform and the concrete room.

“Synchro?” he scoffed at the name. He’d no doubt heard the rumors; the faction was infamous and dangerous—a death sentence if ever there was one. He shook his head, jaw clenched as he narrowed his golden eyes. “Can’t imagine what the leader of Synchro would want me for. A lowly, factionless criminal…” Still, he looked curious. “Why me? What’s the deal?”

I felt some of the tension ease from my shoulders, relieved that he seemed willing to at least listen. “The faction needs someone with your particular…skill set,” I said, my gaze raking over his muscular arms, the wiring running under his skin. “You’ll be briefed on the full details once I’ve escorted you to Synchro headquarters. All you need to know now is that we’re willing to help you leave Purgatory…so long as you’re willing to work for the faction.”

His eyes flashed with distrust, shifting in his seat. I watched as he tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck menacingly as he grunted. “So, I sell my soul to your leader and you get me out of prison?” He grinned, though there was nothing but anger behind his molten irises. “You have any idea how long I’ve been in here?”

My fingers twitched against the cold metal table, I gritted my teeth as I stared back at him. Though I knew he could likely kill me faster than the guards could get into the room, it didn’t frighten me—because the same fate would await me in Synchro if I returned empty-handed. “You were arrested five years ago on charges of possession—a felony, as it was injectable Devil’s Hue,” I answered cooly, trying to sound calm and confident. “Your cybermods earned you a spot in Purgatory. I know how often you get in fights, how regularly you’re placed in isolation…how rarely you see anything outside those walls.” I swallowed, leaning back as I stated, “Anybody else would leap at the chance to leave this place. A faction’s leash has to be better than rotting away in this place.”

A callous chuckle left his throat, his lip curling into a snarl as his eyes looked over me for a moment. “Well, look at that, baby boy’s done his homework.” The words made me flinch despite my best effort, anger tightening my jaw as he continued to speak. “You must be such a well-trained pet of Synchro’s, what with your fancy gloves and cheap cyber-tricks for the camera. You think you impress me? You think you know what it’s like being in Purgatory for five years?” His face was dark and dangerous, his expression savage as he snapped, “You know nothing of hell.” I was suddenly grateful he was still handcuffed. Though I thought he would deny my offer out of pride or spite, I watched as he swallowed, eyes fixed on mine. He was unafraid as he asked, “You really think you can break me out of the most highly guarded prison in Neo Aurora?”

I huffed, eyes narrowed as I looked at him. “You think my leader would risk the faction if he didn’t believe that?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I felt a faint buzz at the back of my mind; a warning that I was testing the limits of how long I could keep the prison’s cameras on loop before the system was tripped. “You’ll have to do some of the work yourself, but I can open the way for you, and make sure you’re able to defend yourself on the way out.”

He seemed reluctant as he glanced towards the door, perhaps feeling the pressure of time weigh on him, too. His eyes locked onto mine again, deadly serious as he murmured, “See my pretty necklace? I can’t use my mods to break out, if that’s what you’re suggesting. So you better have another plan, baby boy.”

“Of course I do,” I said, my tone scathing. My gaze dropped to the collar around his neck for a moment. “I can break you out…as long as you’re willing to cooperate.”

Though I knew he had no idea what I was capable of, being underestimated so severely was making it hard to control my temper. The buzz in my head was beginning to become grating as I stood up, walking around the table—tense and half expecting him to change his mind and attack me. I felt small standing in front of him, my pulse racing as I leaned forward. “Don’t move,” I muttered as I brushed my fingers under the cuff of my jacket to collect the small device hidden by the hem.

He leaned back away from me for a moment, snapping aggressively, “What are you doing?” His eyes were wild, and I couldn’t help but realize he must have only known a hard hand being in Purgatory.

“Scared the baby boy is going to hurt you?” I scoffed, smirking at the anger that crossed his face. “It’s your only way out of here—so sit still.” Reaching out, I edged my fingers under Luko’s collar, placing the device between the metal and his skin. I waited a moment for the flicker across my vision that meant it was connected before I quickly withdrew. “I’ll be able to deactivate your collar—at least for a couple minutes.”

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” he stated, narrowing his eyes as he looked at my hands before meeting my gazer. His expression was tense but unreadable, stoic with resolve.

I stiffened, feeling a snarl pull at my lips as I looked back at him. “Oh? That’s fine,” I stepped back, seeing surprise flash through his golden gaze before my expression darkened. “When I leave, the guards will take you to isolation. You may think your life has been hell—but if you turn down our offer, we will make sure you never crawl your way out of that cell.” My jaw tight, I believed every one of those words—because Ash would never let this man live if he refused.

Luko let out a heavy sigh, swearing under his breath as he glared at me and settled into his chair. “Fine. Let’s say I take your deal. The prison is still a fortress. Even with a few minutes of using my mods, you’ll never get me past the main gate. There’s too many guards, too many failsafes…”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I said sharply. Retrieving another hidden device, I stepped forward cautiously; Luko watched me warily, but didn’t struggle this time, only flinching as I pushed the earpiece in. “We’ll be able to communicate with this. I’ll be there to guide you, and I’ll make sure there’s nothing in your way. The only thing you need to be concerned with is making your way out of the building; I’ll take care of everything else.”

He looked uncomfortable, rubbing his ear against his shoulder as muttered about the irritation under his breath. “Always wondered when I’d start to hear voices. Never thought it’d be the voice of a faction pet.” He seemed slightly more relaxed as he looked at me, perhaps realizing he had no more cards left up his sleeve. “So, what now?”

Any answer I might have given was lost to a violent buzzing in my head, and I winced as I glanced up at the cameras. “We’re out of time,” I hissed, rubbing at my forehead as I moved back to my chair, making sure there would be no strange gap in movement for the cameras. “The guards will take you; keep your mouth shut, and I’ll contact you when I’m ready.” Sliding my fingers across the metal table, a neon keyboard opened across my vision as I readied myself to release control of the video system.

“Wait a minute,” Luko said in a hush as he leaned forward, making me pause as he glanced anxiously toward the door. “How long am I supposed to wait exactly?”

“I don’t know, a couple hours—it’s a complicated system. But I’m sure you can be patient,” I said, smirking as I looked up. “It’s not like you have anywhere else to be.”

I stood up as the lights on the cameras flickered on. I ignored Luko’s intense stare as I paced across the small room, slamming my fist against the solid metal door as a signal for the guards to return. As they escorted me out of the room, I glanced back just long enough to see one of the guards dragging Luko out of his chair—his golden gaze focused on me as I walked away.

The guards led me out of their Visitor Center, my pulse racing as I spotted the security terminal again. Pretending to lose my footing, I stumbled and caught myself against the computer system; a small device slipped on the edge of the machine before one of the guards pulled me upright. I muttered an apology, tense as they stared at the terminal with their inhuman masks for a moment before pushing me forward again.

Leaving through the massive, reinforced front gates, I had never been so eager to step out onto the streets of Neo Aurora. Sucking in clean air as I hurried away from the towering walls of the maximum security prison, I wanted nothing more than to return to Synchro and forget about the horrors of Purgatory. I headed toward one of the buildings crumbling at the edge of the streets surrounding the prison instead. Climbing up several floors, I ensured I had a clear vantage point of the front gate before I sat myself down to work.

My flippant words to Luko became a frustrating reality as I painstakingly worked my way into Purgatory’s security system using the linked device I had left inside. Several large screens filled my vision, shedding artificial light over the room as the sun set; holograms of neon keyboards floating before my fingers as the wiring in my gloves glowed the same brilliant green. There was a dull ache in my head by the time I finally breached the complicated security measures, confident enough to connect to the earpiece I had given Luko.

A faint buzz of feedback made me wince before the connection stabilized. “Can you hear me?” I asked softly, knowing how loud my voice would be with the device so deep in his ear.

There was a pause before Luko’s low voice said with a trace of a metallic tone, “Missing me already?” There was a faint smirk behind the words, and perhaps the whisper of relief.

Closing my eyes, I huffed out an aggravated breath. “I’m beginning to wish I could leave you in isolation,” I groaned before I raised my hands to the keyboards. “You’ll only have a few minutes once I take control of the systems and short out your collar. If you make a mistake, or you take too long, I won’t be able to help you.” I paused, trying to soften my tone as I asked, “Are you ready?”

“You’ve given me little choice,” he muttered, his voice sounding slightly muffled as he grumbled through his teeth. “Alright baby, give us a signal.”

“Don’t call me baby,” I hissed, glaring toward the prison as my fingers hit the keys to begin the shutdown of prison systems. With a faint buzz in the back of my head, I watched as lights began to shut off, until the eastern section containing Luko’s cellblock was swallowed in darkness. There was only a brief delay before the emergency sirens began to wail, nearly drowning my voice as I ordered: “Go.”