Xavier arrived at the academy early the next day, his mind made up. He knew what was about to happen, and he was done hiding. Previously, he had tried to evade his bullies, but it had made no difference. They always found him, no matter where he was, and no one ever stopped them.
This time, Xavier didn't enter the academy. Instead, he stopped at the station near the academy, his eyes scanning the area. When he spotted Oliver's luxurious van approaching, he signaled it, and the van smoothly pulled up in front of him.
Xavier stepped up to the window, his voice steady. "I have the money. What should I do next?"
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise, and he gestured for Xavier to get in. "Hop in. We'll talk inside."
Once the van was in motion, Oliver turned to Xavier, his expression serious. "Do you really have the money?"
Xavier nodded. "Yes, I do."
Oliver studied him for a moment before speaking. "I won't ask how you managed to gather $10,000 overnight, but you better not be lying. I can't afford to lose one of my trusted and useful connections—the hacker."
Xavier met his gaze, his voice firm. "I'm not lying, Oliver. I have the money."
Oliver nodded, then asked, "Are you okay with skipping the first lecture?"
Xavier shrugged. "I don't really care."
Oliver then directed the driver to a nearby cybercafe.
"Please don't tell father about this. I am doing a good thing by helping out a friend," OLiver said to his driver and the bodyguard before it drove away.
As they approached, they were stopped by the guards at the entrance. "The academy hours have started. No students are allowed to hang around nearby," one of the guards said, his voice stern.
Oliver quickly transferred $1,000 to the guard's device. The guard's expression softened, and he stepped aside. "You have 20 minutes," he said, his tone now accommodating.
Xavier was surprised, shocked, and curious. It was his first time witnessing such a transaction, where money solved the problem so effortlessly.
Oliver noticed his reaction and sighed. "This is how everything is handled in the world, Xavier. No matter who it is, if you show them money, they forget their duties, responsibilities, and loyalty."
Xavier turned to Oliver, his voice filled with gratitude. "I'll pay you back the $1,000 soon."
Oliver waved a hand dismissively. "It's not a big deal. The month is about to end soon, so I'll get my pocket money in a couple of days."
Xavier nodded, then asked, "Why did we come to the cybercafe?"
Oliver's expression turned serious. "We're here to make contact with the hacker. We couldn't do this on the academy's grounds because we would have been caught instantly."
Oliver pulled out his sleek, tablet-like device, its surface glowing with holographic interfaces. His fingers danced across the screen as he composed a message. After a few tense minutes, the device chimed with an incoming call. A distorted, robotic voice filled the cafe's cabin interior.
[Verifying identity... Alpha-Tango-7-9-3... Confirming secure channel...] the voice intoned mechanically.
Oliver responded with equal gibberish, "Delta-Zulu-4-1-8... Requesting visual confirmation..."
The robotic distortion suddenly cleared, revealing a surprisingly young female voice. "Oliver? What's this about? You know I don't do charity work. And I am quite busy. I am working on a big—"
Oliver's expression turned serious. "This isn't charity. Meet Xavier. He's being systematically tortured by Lucas and his gang at the academy."
There was a pause before the hacker spoke again. "Activating your camera feed... Let me see this Xavier."
A small holographic window appeared above Oliver's device, showing Xavier's face. After a moment of inspection, the hacker's voice softened slightly. "Hmm. No visible facial injuries. He's actually quite handsome - looks innocent and pure."
Oliver sighed. "That's the problem. They're careful not to leave marks on his face. Xavier, would you be comfortable showing your other injuries?"
Xavier hesitated only briefly before lifting his shirt, revealing the ugly purple and yellow bruises mottling his torso. The hacker's sharp intake of breath was audible.
"These could be from anything," she said after a moment. "There's no way to prove they're from bullying."
Xavier's fists clenched. "They do it in front of everyone! Surely someone would testify-"
Oliver cut him off gently. "Xavier... remember what happened to the last student who testified for you?"
The cabin fell silent. The hacker's voice broke the tension. "There are ways to help, but it'll require significant resources. And it would only be a temporary solution."
"By the time your solution fades, I'll have found a permanent one."
The hacker's voice came through the cybercafe's secure comm channel, crisp and clear despite the encryption. "Alright. Here's what we'll do..."
A slight static hum filled the private booth as she outlined the plan. "To prove the bullying, we need irrefutable evidence. A single recording could be dismissed as edited or AI-generated. We need ten simultaneous angles: up, low, front, back, left, right, and all four diagonals."
Oliver shook his head, the neon glow from his tablet reflecting off his glasses. "That's impossible. Too many recording devices would be noticed immediately."
Xavier's hand shot up, his voice steady despite the trembling in his fingers. "There is one place where it would be normal."
Oliver's eyes widened in realization. "The space training session? With its 360-degree recording array?"
Xavier nodded. "The academy's zero-gravity chamber has cameras positioned at every conceivable angle for training analysis. No one would question additional recording devices there."
The hacker's voice took on a more serious tone. "I can't directly hack the academy's neural network. Their quantum encryption would detect and trace me instantly."
Oliver leaned forward, his fingers dancing across his holographic interface. "What if someone gave you access? A backdoor entry?"
A pause filled the booth, the only sound the faint hum of the cybercafe's quantum processors. "Explain," the hacker finally said.
"The academy's monthly data purge is today," Oliver continued. "They're updating systems and going into maintenance mode. They made an announcement - that's why all lectures today are practicals and training sessions."
The hacker's voice sharpened with interest. "During the update window, their firewalls would be temporarily vulnerable. But I'd only have a 30-second window before their AI security notices the breach."
Oliver grinned. "More than enough time. We just need Xavier to lure the bullies into the zero-gravity chamber during that window."
Xavier's face paled, the harsh fluorescent lighting of the cybercafe making his bruises more visible. "You don't understand - after what they did last time, I won't be able to run far or stay conscious long enough to reach the chamber."
Oliver's expression turned serious, the glow from his tablet casting shadows across his face. "Then we'll make them come to you. When they start, curse at them. Really let them have it. That'll provoke them to chase you."
Xavier shook his head violently, his hands gripping the edge of the table. "I can't curse. I've never cursed in my life."
Oliver grabbed Xavier's shoulders, his voice firm. "This is necessary. One well-placed curse could save you from months more of this torture."
Xavier took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly. "Alright. I'll do it."
The hacker's voice came through again, all business. "Good. I'll be monitoring the academy's network. The moment you enter that chamber, I'll initiate the recording sequence. But remember - we only get one shot at this."