The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1) by Brian Terenna (motivational books for women TXT) 📕

Asher, Yumi, Astrid, Americus, Alexander, and I head to the other side.

Even though I’m sweating, a chill passes through me as I see turrets rotate on rooftops and armored guards patrolling. I wish I didn’t have to face this danger, but I’m glad I’m here for Nav.

Once we get within range, I signal to Americus. He holds up his hand for everyone to stop behind the cover of a building. We’re a hundred feet from the guards now, and they’re completely unaware of our presence.

“Chim, access the turret grid system,” I say.

The code appears before me, and I laugh. It’s the same firewall as the prison that I escaped from.

Americus puts a finger to his lips.

Oops. I begin the hack. My hand flows with motion, my amethyst bracelet twinkling in the sun. As long as I don’t have to turn the guns to our side, it should be easy.

It’s not long before I break into the auxiliary systems. Rather than shutting the guns down completely, I go the easier route of disabling the firing mechanisms.

“It’s done, Americus,” I whisper. “Nav, let’s hack—”

“What’s that?” asks one of the guards. “It’s cloaked, but something is here.”

I freeze, my eyes widening. Did he see us?

“From its heat signature, it looks like some kind of small robot,” says another guard.

“Is that a…it couldn’t be. Yeah, it’s a Foster Buddy,” says a third.

I twist around and switch my glasses to infrared. Sunny is running over to us.

What the hell? He must have hidden in the back of one of the SUVs.

“It doesn’t matter. The warden said to shoot any robots or people on sight,” says another guard.

Oh no.

Alexander leans out with his silenced sniper rifle, and with two pulls of the trigger, both guards drop.

The pop wasn’t too loud. Maybe no one will notice…

The other guards dive behind cover. “There’s more of them,” says one.

“Damn,” says Americus. “What’s he doing here?”

He’s trying to protect me. Why can’t he just listen for once?

The guards aim their rifles at Sunny.

My eyes widen in horror. I don’t know what to do. If I run out, I’ll be killed. If I don’t, Sunny will die.

Yumi squeezes Astrid’s hand, then darts toward Sunny.

“No, Yumi,” shouts Astrid.

Gunshots sound, but the bullets miss her. She scoops Sunny up, whirls around, and sprints back, still quick, but slower since she’s holding him.

Another shot misses. She’s fifteen feet from us and running hard.

“Get her,” yells a guard.

Bang, bang. Another two shots somehow miss.

She’s ten feet away now. Alexander steps out from behind the building, and just like the day he first saved me, he fires smoothly and quickly.

Men who only have inches of their bodies exposed drop one after another. Some pull back behind cover, while others keep shooting.

Nav leans out with her huge cannon-pistol and fires at a guard about to shoot Yumi. The guard’s head explodes, spraying blood on those near him. Yumi pounds forward, five strides away now.

My heart slams into my ribcage, desperate for her to make it. I want to help, but fear paralyzes me.

More guards burst out of the prison and open fire.

Astrid bolts from behind cover to guard Yumi. She raises her AK710 and lets out a stream of bullets.

Yumi is two steps from safety. She’s going to make it.

Several guards open fire on Astrid. She jerks back and collapses on the ground. She clutches her neck as blood spurts between her fingers.

Asher stares at her, looking horrified.

Yumi twists and drops Sunny. He clatters to the ground and rolls to my feet. She rips a med-kit out of our supply pack and sprints back out to Astrid. Bullets continue to fly around her.

“Yumi, no,” shouts Americus. “Let me.” He starts after her just as Yumi kneels at Astrid’s side.

Yumi twists to glare at Sunny. “She’s dead. This is your fault!”

I stare at her, blinking and dazed. The look of pain and fury in her eyes is enough to melt his metal body.

“I didn’t think I’d be detected,” says Sunny. “My new infrared shielding failed.”

Yumi ignores him as she jumps up and rips out her sidearm to fire rounds into the guards while screaming. Alexander, Asher, and Nav lean out and fire to cover them. Just as Americus reaches Yumi’s side, another gunshot rings out.

What must be an armor-piercing round strikes Yumi’s chest and rips out the back. Americus gasps, but he keeps his head and carries her back behind the building. He rips open her shirt to give her medical attention.

She groans as blood pools underneath her. She twists toward me, her gaze like razor wire. “This is on you,” she says, then falls limp.

Americus is shouting next to me.

I can’t even register what he’s saying. It’s happening again. Everything is unraveling.

Someone grabs my arm, and I twist to look.

Nav. “StarFeather, take over the turrets!”

I jerk myself back to the present, and as if I’m back in Silent City, everything slows and snaps into focus. It’s up to me. “Chim, access the turrets.”

“Naveha, open the prison door and Gerald’s cell,” commands Americus. “No, make it every cell. It will sow confusion. Everyone else, stay back. Extraction team, bring the SUVs over, now!”

I manipulate the code floating before me like a woman possessed. Taking over the turrets is much more complicated, and I have no idea if I can do it before the drones come and kill us. If I’m going to be the greatest hacker, it needs to start now.

The hum of Trexstar Defense Drones buzz in the distance, and guards shout as they approach.

Anxiety twists my stomach. While I alter the code, a carousel of my past failures spins in my mind. Maybe I’m not good enough.

I glance over at