Rain pounded against the window of Kenzie's small Queens apartment, casting neon streaks from the bodega sign outside across her cluttered desk. Wires, circuit boards, and half-finished jammer sprawled out around her open laptop. Rows of code scrolled, reflecting her panicked mind. The police scanner application on her phone crackled: ".units respond, possible enhanced incident near Roosevelt."
A telltale, unpleasant buzz crawled under Kenzie's skin – the signal tremor before her ability short-circuited. Not now. She squeezed her fists, but not soon enough. ZZZT.Her display exploded in wacky blue static, devouring her work. A fresh notification flashed: [WARNING: LOCAL NETWORK BREACH DETECTED]
Ice filled her veins. They found me.
Memories flashed – cold white walls, panicked cries from her parents over an intercom silenced by an explosion, acrid smoke from burning plastic, and men in black body armor with helmets having bright red-lit lenses. The insignia on their shoulders: a stylized, pointed Phoenix rising out of a triangle. T.A.H.I.T.I. The password mentioned in trembling corners of the dark web. The "cleanup crew" for heroes and villains' messes.
No time. Kenzie slammed the laptop closed, pushed it into her frayed backpack with protein bars, a burner cell, and her father's old, dented Stark Industries USB drive – her sole remnant. She flung open the door as heavy boots stomped in the hallway.
"Asset retrieval. Apartment 4B. Non-lethal force authorized."
Move! She dived for the fire escape window, the icy rain at once wetting her hoodie. The metal rungs were slippery under her sneakers. Below, a black SUV sat patiently like some sort of predator. On its roof, a ball-like drone popped open, its one, fixed-on red eye swiveling upward.
SCANNING.The mechanical voice repeated itself in Kenzie's head.
Panic flooded her, sending the electric current racing beneath her skin. She concentrated all of her fear on the drone. CRASH. NOW.
Blue sparkled from her fingers, hidden but real. The drone bucked and shuddered in mid-air, the red eye flashing like a dying lightbulb. It whined hard, then dropped, crashing onto the roof of the SUV with a screech of plastic and metal. Sirens screamed from the car.
Glitch confirmed! Level 3 Unstable! Containment protocol Zeta!" a voice yelled down from below.
Kenzie didn't hesitate. She scrambled down the fire escape, landing hard on the wet alleyway pavement. Adrenaline deafened her ears, louder than the rain or the yells behind her. She ran, the backpack thudding against her back. Chasing a corner, she dived into the claustrophobic blackness of a boarded-up doorway, searching for the burner phone. Its shattered screen emitted a soft glow. With shaking hands, she disabled security on a pre-paid Wi-Fi node she had hacked several weeks ago and accessed "The Rabbit Hole"– an encrypted message board hidden far down where rumors of the likes of her occasionally appeared.
Her heart pounded against her ribcage. A single message glowed at the top of a spectral sub-forum named Legacy Not Wanted:
> USER: Oracle [Verified Anon]
> SUBJECT: Rendezvous - East River Graveyard
> BODY:They're near if you're reading this. You're not alone. Show up at Pier 17, left-over shipping container 'Nyx'. Midnight tonight. Trust no other. Erase this trail. //ORACL
Midnight. Pier 17. The crumbling dockyards alongside the East River – a great spot to get lost, or to be trapped. Kenzie gazed at the message, water running from her hood to the screen. Trust a nameless "Oracle"? Or wait for T.A.H.I.T.I.'s net to spring?
A yell reverberated down the alley, closer still. Red rays from helmet lights cut through the rain.
Destroy trail. Kenzie erased the message, ended the connection, and stashed the phone in her pocket. She drew one trembling breath, the chilly air searing her lungs. Then, fading back into the darkness of the alley, she began to run east, toward the river, toward a frightening leap of faith by the name of "Oracle."