The red holographic timer hovering above Selena's head ticked down relentlessly.
23:14:00
"The kernel is locked," Avery said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I can't restore her personality. The 'God Hand' encryption is blocking the higher brain functions. She's... she's empty, Freddie."
"But can she move?" Freddie asked, pacing the small bedroom. "We can't drag a statue into Microwire Tower. We need her to walk."
Wozie was digging through his bag of tech junk. He pulled out a bulky, black handheld gaming console—a Steam Deck.
"We can bypass the motor function lockout," Wozie muttered, plugging a USB-C cable from the console into the port behind Selena's ear. "I can hotwire her nervous system. I'll route her movement protocols through the joystick inputs."
Wozie typed a command on the handheld. "Execute Safe Mode."
Selena's body jerked. The grey, lifeless color in her eyes didn't change, but her head snapped up. She stood mechanically, moving like a marionette.
"Motor functions online," Selena said. Her voice was flat, synthesized, and completely devoid of the sass that defined her. "Operating in Safe Mode. Combat drivers... unavailable. Personality... missing."
It broke Freddie's heart to hear it, but he nodded.
"Okay," Freddie said, grabbing his car keys. "She can walk. That's enough. Avery, Wozie—stay here and try to crack the encryption remotely. Robin, you're with me. We're driving to Microwire to confront Elon."
"Let's ride," Robin said, grabbing a tire iron from under Avery's bed. "Just in case."

They bypassed the front lobby of the apartment building, opting for the service exit in the back alley. It was raining—a light, miserable drizzle that made the pavement slick and black.
Freddie's car was parked near the dumpsters.
"Okay," Freddie whispered, guiding the robotic Selena by the arm. "Get in the car. We just need to—"
Tires screeched.
A matte-black van roared down the alley, drifting sideways to block the exit. The side doors flew open before the vehicle even stopped moving.
Four men stepped out. They weren't police, and they weren't security guards. They wore tactical turtlenecks and polarized sunglasses despite the rain. They held batons that crackled with blue electricity.
The Asset Recovery Team.
"Asset 247 identified," the Lead Agent said, his voice bored. "Seize the property."
"Run!" Freddie screamed.
Selena tried to step forward, her programming recognizing a threat, but the Steam Deck dangling from her neck flashed red.
"Error," she droned. "Combat drivers not found."
The Lead Agent stepped in and jabbed her in the stomach with the baton. ZAP.
Selena crumpled instantly, her systems overloaded. She hit the wet pavement hard.
The First Avenger
"NO!" Freddie screamed.
He didn't think. He charged. He threw himself at the Lead Agent, swinging a wild, desperate punch.
The Agent didn't even flinch. He caught Freddie's fist, twisted it, and backhanded him across the face.
Freddie flew backward, crashing violently into a stack of metal trash cans. He landed in a heap of garbage bags and aluminum.
"Stay down, kid," the Agent said, turning back to drag Selena toward the van.
Freddie groaned. His lip was split. His glasses were crooked. His ribs ached. He looked at Selena, lying helpless in the rain.
He grabbed the nearest thing to him—a dented, metal trash can lid.
He stood up. His legs were shaking. He strapped the handle of the lid onto his left arm, holding it like a shield.
"Hey!" Freddie shouted.
The Agents stopped. They turned to look at the skinny college student holding a trash can lid.
Freddie wiped the blood from his mouth. He planted his feet.
"I can do this all day," Freddie panted, trying to look brave.
The Lead Agent laughed. A cold, cruel sound.
"Okay, Captain America," the Agent sneered, raising his electric baton. "Have it your way."
Enter the Bros
THUNK.
A heavy object sailed through the air from the fire escape above. It struck the Lead Agent directly in the back of the head with a wet, metallic crunch.
The Agent stumbled forward, clutching his skull. A cheap beer can clattered to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
"YO!" a voice bellowed from the shadows at the end of the alley. "NOBODY HITS THE ADMINISTRATOR BUT US!"
Freddie squinted through his cracked glasses.
Three figures emerged from the gloom. They were wearing backwards baseball caps and polo shirts. They were carrying a heavy metal keg, a folded-up table, and a sleeve of red solo cups.
Trevor, Chad, and Kyle.
"Is that...?" Robin gasped.
Trevor pointed a finger at the Agents.
"DELTA SIG!" Trevor screamed, his voice cracking with adrenaline. "EXECUTE FORMATION: HAZING WEEK!"
Bro-Fu
It was absolute chaos. The corporate mercenaries were trained for martial arts and gunfights. They were not trained for three drunk frat boys fueled by loyalty and light beer.
"EAT ELECTROLYTES!" Chad screamed.
He pulled a gallon jug of "Jungle Juice"—a neon blue mixture of grain alcohol and energy drinks—and splashed it directly into the face of the second Agent.
"MY EYES!" the Agent screamed, clawing at his face as the sticky, sugary alcohol burned his retinas.
"RAMMING SPEED!" Kyle yelled.
He unfolded the beer pong table, holding it vertically like a riot shield. He charged the third Agent, screaming a war cry, and slammed him into the side of the van with a massive CRUNCH.
The Lead Agent tried to recover, raising his baton toward Freddie again.
"GO LONG!" Trevor shouted.
Trevor and Chad lifted the metal keg together. They swung it back and heaved it. It rolled across the wet asphalt like a bowling ball of death.
It took the Lead Agent out at the knees. He flipped into the open dumpster with a clamor of garbage.
"RETREAT!" the blinded Agent screamed. "THEY'RE INSANE!"
The Agents scrambled. They dropped Selena, jumped back into the black van, and peeled out of the alley, tires spinning on the wet ground.
Even Evil Has Standards
Silence returned to the alley, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing and rain hitting the trash cans.
Freddie lowered his lid. He stared at the three frat boys.
"You..." Freddie stammered. "You guys saved us. Why?"
Trevor dusted off his polo shirt. He walked over and picked up the empty beer can he had thrown.
"Don't get it twisted, nerd," Trevor said, crushing the can against his forehead. "We bully you. That's the ecosystem. It's the circle of life."
"Yeah," Chad added, wiping blue Jungle Juice off his hands. "But those guys? They were corporate suits. They were trying to repo the Waifu. That's un-American."
"Plus," Kyle whispered, looking at his shaking hands. "If they take her... who are we gonna be scared of? I need the fear, Freddie. I need the fear to feel alive."
Trevor pointed a finger at Freddie's chest.
"Go get her back online," Trevor ordered. "And tell her... tell her we said 'sup'."
"DELTA SIG OUT!" Chad yelled.
The three of them picked up their keg and the dented beer pong table and jogged away into the night, high-fiving each other.
Moving On
Freddie stood there for a moment, stunned. Then, he shook his head and ran to Selena.
"Selena? Can you move?"
"Safe mode active," she droned, her grey eyes staring at nothing. "Threat assessment: Neutralized by... unknown faction."
"Yeah," Freddie smiled, wiping blood from his lip. "The Cavalry arrived."
He helped her into the passenger seat of his car. Robin jumped in the back.
"Okay," Freddie said, gripping the steering wheel. His hands were shaking, but his voice was steady. "No more games. We're going to Microwire. And I'm going to make Elon Jobs listen."
The dashboard clock flickered. The holographic timer above Selena's head ticked down.
12:00:00
Freddie slammed on the gas. They sped out of the alley, heading toward the tallest skyscraper in the city.