Quenched In Blood: A Valhalla Steel Novel by Sean Crow

Author:Sean Crow [Crow, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Tiam stood before the massive wall that made up Tenocore’s Firewall, seeing little more than kill holes and the broken bodies of countless Malware and spambots. In the Real, this part of the Net would have been filled with dead and broken binary, untraceable to those on devices, but in the Net, he saw the countless dead. The disheveled bits of deceased Malware riddled the ground, lithe forms half covered in shadow, spilled out messily on the ground around him. This field of death was where he decided to tread, and the smallest mistake could result in the utter annihilation of his consciousness.

He had been in dangerous situations before, he told himself. This was just one more job. In hopes of quelling the fear growing in his heart, Tiam focused on his breathing and the code around him. Now was not the time for doubt.

According to his mental HUD, this was where his Spambots had been destroyed. Tiam’s eyes played along the seamless wall towering over him. Without knowing where he needed to go, moving would just increase his risk of being discovered. Thankfully, fatigue wasn’t an issue in the Net, not if you knew how to ignore what your brain was telling you. It had taken him years to figure out that little trick, but it was vital to his success as a Net Runner, or a Huginn, as Valhalla Steel preferred to call him.

Focus, he told himself, mental distractions only added extra risk.

There had to be a way in, but the seamless wall before him gave little hope for that. Only murder holes where vicious binary destroying turrets were placed seemed like they might provide an opening, but exploring those locations was beyond dangerous and could easily result in his death. So, he continued to wait.

In the back of his mind, he knew he could not remain here forever. He might even have to unplug and return. It depended on how much time was altered this far away from the Streamline. That said, the shift in the perception of time could also be a boon. Until he got another indication from Elliot regarding the hours passed in the Real, he wouldn’t know what he was working with. As it stood, he remained Blended with the code around him for what felt like hours.

Movement caught his eye and he slowly shifted in place to see what arrived. His breath caught in his throat as he spotted another Malware. It stayed close to the tree line, avoiding the clearing where Tiam stood, but he could see it was hunting. This one walked on its arms, which made up all six limbs of its body. Rapid steps brought it alongside a tree where it used its uppermost arms to hold itself upright, in some vague attempt to appear humanoid. Empty black eyes scanned the area, like a shark in the water having caught the scent of blood. Tiam could see the line that went down the center of its face and knew it could open and consume its prey in an instant.

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