- Is this supposed to be some kind of visual effect to make the game more exciting? - Amber asked. She was the one preparing to take me out in the game.
- I have no idea. I guess we just sit and wait to see if the blackout ends on its own? - I replied. Amber nodded and we waited. The blackout was still there and the only sources of light were the dim lamps mounted onto our toy laser blasters that were there to create the illusion of real lasers.
- Maybe this is a sabotage? - Claudius suggested. We heard him despite being on the opposite side of the arena. We decided to get closer to each other as to avoid getting lost in the darkness.
- Ouch! - Sebastian yelped as Claudius accidentally stepped on his foot.
- Sorry - Claudius quickly apologised.
The power still wasn't coming back on. The whole floor, which was teeming with life and activity a few moments ago, now seemed abandoned and devoid of colours. We decided to finish the game early to see what was going on. I felt anxious whilst navigating past the black screens of arcade machines and dim arenas, fearing a surprise attack from the enemy. Luckily, Sebastian was equipped with a flashlight, so we at least had that.
- How would anyone manage to disable the power? HISS would have definitely noticed - Amber noted.
- Who said that it needs to be a planned sabotage? Maybe it's just a normal outage - I tried to calm the others and primarly myself down, but to no avail.
- Because it's a normal thing for the power to just vanish aboard a massive space hotel thats being monitored 24/7 - Amber hissed back. I soon realised what she meant. If all of the Hyperspace's power was wiped out, we would be floating as the gravity-generating ring would stop rotating. However, we could still walk normally, giving us a bit of hope.
- There's likely some backup power to keep the basic things running - Sebastian added. As he said that, the power came back on.
Over the course of a few seconds, floor 10 went from being a perfect setting for a horror movie to an immense area full of fun and excitment. Everyone came back to playing games. Except for one person.
A few feet ahead of us was a girl of our age. She was wearing a black vest that seemed bullet proof, covering up a black shirt. Beneath it was a dark brown utility belt and black trousers protected by knee pads. As the turned to us, I noticed that she had auburn hair tied into a ponytail and grey, slanted eyes. She ran towards us and I instinctively jumped away, considering her a threat.
- It seems like someone knocked the power out. We need to move, follow me! - The girl exclaimed. It was clear that we were supposed to hear the message. Despite concerns over her being untrustworthy, we didn't really have another option, so we followed her.
The girl led us into an elevator identical to the one that took us to the living area. We began ascending quickly. I was curious about the girl's identity, but too shocked to ask. Fortunately, I didn't need to.
- Uhh... who are you? - Sebastian asked the girl.
- Oh, sorry for my sudden appearence. I'm Arika, the special field agent that was supposed to help you. Seems like I arrived at the right moment - Arika smiled as she introduced herself.
- Are you Japanese? - I asked. I heard the name "Arika" before, and I recalled it being Japanese.
- はい - Arika replied. I assumed that meant "Yes". Her nationality wasn't that surprising, as Japan had become allied with the US during the Second Cold War. In early 2028 (when China joined the war), America decided to help establish an anti-China bloc in the Pacific and Japan played a key role in the creation of said bloc. It accepted US support, fearing a Chinese invasion. During this time, several Japanese agents were allowed to train in the USA, some opting to stay there. I guessed that Arika must have been one of them.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFMAG5q9qk
- Sorry, but how old are you? You seem to be far more prepared for this mission than we are - Claudius was curious.
- I'm 15, but I managed to get into special training thanks to my high IT skills, which have been deemed important to cultivate. As you probably know, everyone's help is appreciated, and since I have the knowledge, I'll help - Arika replied - Anyhow, someone did cut off the power from the Hyperspace using what I can only assume is a backdoor made by the developers in the power grid code. Luckily, HISS quickly noticed this and turned on the backup energy reserve.
- Are the Perseids responsible for the hack? - I asked.
- Probably, but we still need to investigate. The bad guys will probably delete any incriminating code as speedily as possible, so we need to move. We're coming to one of the top floors, where I can use a computer to find out what's going on - Arika explained her plan.
A minute later, we made it to floor 16, aka the Hospital. The walls were smooth and white, decorated with neon red stripes. Several metal doors led into different wings of the Hospital. We ran out of the elevator, trying to be quick whilst focusing on the path so that we won't smash into a wall.
- Which wing are we supposed to enter? - Sebastian asked, panting.
- None of them. All we need is an ambulance - Arika responded.
- Did you hurt yourself? - Amber asked empathically.
- Nah, I'm fine. Every vehicle in the Hyperspace has a built-in map of the current floor so that the program can guide it into the right area. We need this map to see where we need to go next - Arika looked around, so did the others. Eventually, I spotted an ambulance. It lacked wheels and used the same maglev technology as the "flying" car from before. The bodywork was white with blue stripes and a red cross on both sides. The bright blue sirens on the ambulance's roof illuminated the corridors of the Hospital. Weirdly enough, it turned out to be completely empty, as the patient was swiftly brought into an unknown wing of the floor. The vehicle was perfect for our operation. However, the doors were locked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDjUA7gPZ3
Arika reached into her utility belt, grabbing a lockpick out of it. Within five seconds, we broke into the ambulance. We all glanced at the map and memorised it. Suddenly, we heard footsteps, so we left the ambulance and closed the door as we did. We snuck into the nearby corridor, but it was blocked off by yellow and black duct tape. Several policemen and other people surrounded the area.
- Excuse me, where can I find an elevator out of here? I'm lost! - Amber prentended to be a little, lost girl. We hid behind the corner.
- There's one near room 122. Now get out of here, we're running an investigation - A tall guy who seemed to be a detective grumped at her. Amber came back to us and we stood still. The detective came back to the policemen.
- Okay, did you find anything? We need to find the AI supervisor or things will get sour - He asked the men in a cold tone that reminded me of Captain Nigel.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzSHvypTqe
- We only know one thing: he was kidnapped.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.