Shadows were screaming.

Shadows were hitting me.

It was like a bizarre recreation of my worst moments in one. Inescapable. Somehow, every harsh word was burned into my brain and yet forgotten at the exact same time. It lasted forever and only a heartbeat at the same time.

Terror. Shadows. Fleeing.

Terror. Pain. Voices.

Flinching. Crying. Terror.

Hopelessness. Shadows. Depression.

Anger. Freedom. Fleeing.

Terror. Pain. Rage.

Murder. Guilt. Regret.

Terror. Hopelessness. Crying.

S h a d o w s.

𒄆

Valamir Uldrich sat upon a throne of steel. Many could mock - call him medieval. Many could also be slaughtered. He was ready. The CIA, or whatever the Americans would throw at him, would be quickly shot down. He was in control of everything, all computers, all armies. There were spies and agents everywhere. Nowhere was safe.

Standing up, he made his way across a hall. Armed soldiers stood, four on each side. A small, slender woman walked up to him. She has short, brown hair.

“Sir,” she said, quickly in a panicked voice. “We believe it is the American’s idea to launch an attack!”

Valamir smirked. So they want to play with fire. He would show them to get burned.

And then have some coffee - as it was of course the key to success.

𒄆

I awoke, emotions fluttering through my stomach. As like every day, the alarm went off. There was emptiness, just like the day before.

But today, I had gotten something more than dreamless sleep.

I knew that, but the fleeting memory of it taunted me. It jabbed at my chest, burned up my lungs and addled my brain. It was all I could do not to scream.

Tears began to fall down my cheeks. I turned and planted my face into the pillow.

“FUUUUUUCK!” I yelled into the fabric. Thank god it was muffled.

Sitting up, I collapsed onto the floor like a waterfall spilling into a lake. My human-lake body lay there for about thirty seconds. With a grumble, I stood once more, pulling on my clothes and stepping out into the main room.

Seph and Mel stood, seemingly the only ones left. “Where’s everyone else?” I groaned.

Seph looked at Mel, together sharing some sort of communication that only they could understand. “They’re already down at the lesson.” Seph responded after a moment.

I sighed. “I’m ready.”

Mel frowned, but we walked to the lesson.

𒄆

Valamir was in a room full of chattering idiots - talking about america this, and america that. What a load of bullshit. Everyone here knew that no one was longer a threat. With all of the weapons below ground and technology above, not to mention the thousands of soldiers, no one stood a chance.

It was foolish to stand against him, and he was counting on that.

Leave it to the puny leaders to not risk losing their country.

A serving woman approached. “Your Espresso, sir.”

Without looking, Valamir grabbed it, and slowly sipped.

He was ready.

𒄆

“And you are all dismissed,” Les finished. The words cut into the monotony of my search. He had taken over most lessons, as he was unsurprisingly the most likable out of all of us. While he did that, we focused our attention on either searching or doing developer-side work on the lessons.

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I sighed. “Nothing, like every other fucking day we spend in here.”

“Language!” Seph hissed, eyeing the cadets. While it wasn’t the worst thing to swear here, it certainly wasn’t professional or good for your overall image.

“Plus,” Vivian said with a sigh. “You haven’t even been here for a few days. So piss off.”

I briefly imagined throwing her against the wall with a fashionable dropkick. I just bit my lip and looked back at my laptop.

The last student wandered out, just as Les came over to check on us. “How is everyone holding up?” he asked cheerily.

“Fine.” Seph said softly.

“Horrible.” I said over him.

Mel just shrugged. Naomi and Vivian ignored the question.

“So…” Les began. “Probably a bad time to bring this up, but we are scheduled to hack Russia in fifteen minutes.”

“What-” Seph yelled.

“-the fuck?” I finished.

Les wrung his hands. “Sorry - I was just preoccupied with the lesson and Cade feeling-”

“-fine.” I interrupted.

Everyone stared, non believing.

I brought my fingers to my temples. “I’m. FINE.”

Les shrugged. “Whatever you say - I was just busy.”

There was a pause.

“So…” Mel trailed off. “Should we go?”

Seph did somewhat of a dismissive motion, like a small sideways shrug paired with a strange face. “I guess so.”

𒄆

“The planes,” Valamir whispered gruffly. He gazed out a large window. Twenty large planes flew by, beginning the landing process as they neared the central airport. “Do they contain the packages?”

“Yes, sir.” Someone confirmed behind him, timidly.

He just nodded, staring out the window.

“S-sir.” Someone else stuttered. “Our systems have been, well-um, breached.”

Valamir smirked slightly. “Bring it on, CIA.”

He took another slow sip, as everyone behind him panicked.

𒄆

As soon as they reached the operation room, Whiteford rushed up to the group. “You’re all here? Good.” She said quickly, without waiting for an answer. “Come, and do this fast. We don’t have much time.”

We were hurriedly escorted into the room of operations, and sat down in a row of computers. “Les, you take the lead.” Whiteford said softly, before marching away and barking orders to all of the others in the room.

“Ready?” Les asked. We all nodded. “Good. Cade and Seph, try to find a gap in their defenses. Mel and Naomi, prepare some cyber weapons. And Vivian…” he trailed off. “Where the hell is Vivian?”

“Just do it without her!” I said quickly.

My computer pinged with an email from Les. “There’s some of their leaked accounts!”

Me and Seph split up - each of us looking at three accounts. I quickly opened up my favorite internet search batch file, programmed by yours truly. I ran it, and found the accounts popping up everywhere on leaked government records.

I smirked as I saw a few developer-driven programs. One of those has a loophole.

After a quick search, I found it. Two of the accounts listed had a backdoor installed in one of their softwares.

Seph mashed the keys wildly. “This person has auto-update developer-driven software!”

He pressed the enter key, then leaned back, facing me. “Pretty damn successful.”

I smiled. “Les!” I called. “We got them.”

Naomi looked up. “We’ve got some code to run that’ll steal their data, and could lockdown their computer for a ransom if we want.”

“Send it all to me.” Les muttered. We obliged. “Valamir, you don’t know what’s coming for you,” he said, smirking as his fingers frantically pressed the keys.

𒄆

“Call them.”

“Sir?”

“Did I stutter?” Valamir snarled at the cowering worker.

“N-no, but-”

“N-n-n-no,” he mocked. “Shut the fuck up and get me on the video call with them.”

“F-fine.” The worker said. He scuttled off to his desk, directing everyone else.

It was time to finally meet those little shits that were trying to stand up to him.

𒄆

Every screen flashed with the ugly, wrinkled face of Valamir… whatever his last name was. “What the fuck?” I whispered.

Every computer in the room instantly went black, but the projector, where Valamir stood.

I stared in shock. He had somehow hacked our system, shut down most computers, and then forced us into a video call with him.

“Hello, puny Americans,” he sneered. “How’s it going? You thinking of just fuckin’ off and leaving me the hell alone?”

Whiteford stood. “Never,” she snarled defiantly.

“Little ants can try and fight, but they will drown in the power of their enemies.”

I stood up. “Good thing we’re not ants, fuck-face.”

Valamir’s gaze found me. His gaze narrowed. “You can’t do anything, Cayden.”

I froze. How-how did he know that? I hadn’t been called that name in years.

“That’s right. We know everything about you,” A wide smile spread across his face. “Fucking faggot.”

And then I was on the ground, hearing those two shitty words screamed at me over and over again. There was pain everywhere. How could someone hate me this much for who I loved? How could someone who I thought loved me so dearly do this?

Smack.

‘How dare you?’

‘You bring shame to our family.’

‘You. Don’t. Love. Him.’

‘He hates you.’

‘Fucking fa-’

“Cade, Cade, CADE!” Seph was shaking me. Tears were pouring from my eyes. Why? Why?

“Don’t let him get to you like this, kid.” Whiteford comforted me. I was shot back in the present. The thought of someone as gruff as her doing that much for me was just impossible to ignore.

I shook my head and repressed the shadows. Swallowing, I rasped “t-thanks.”

I stood shakily, glaring at the smirking face watching all of this. “You.” My face stiffened. “Valamir… asshole, or whatever you call yourself. I will find you. I will be the one to end your fucking life. And I will cherish every second of it.”

Valamir blinked, then regained himself. “You just try…”

The video was cut off.

“Cade…” Seph trailed off. He stared at me, and reached for my hand.

I pulled away, turning. “It’s nothing. Just - I just need to - I -”

I ran.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

I collapsed into bed, with Valamir’s sick fucking face hovering over me. I shoved my face into the pillow, covered myself in the blankets.

Knocks happened on my door.

I ignored them.

Why would anyone care about me?

I am just a sick, broken boy who is used as a pawn by people better than me.

A machine.

That’s all I’ll ever be.