Sam began to think when the guy gave him the cryptic description. 'Accelerated my world'? What was that supposed to mean? He wanted to look it up, but decided to safe it for later. He went towards the cafeteria to get his delayed lunch.

Angelo soon found a few stores that he would be able to look up after school today but for now he needed to get some lunch all that fighting and running around scrambling to find out where the hacker was is tiring. One thing was for sure Angelo wouldn't be detective when he grows up if it only gets harder then this. Angelo soon went to the roof like he always did to take his lunch in seclusion.

Meanwhile nearby lily a girl with a hoodie with her face covered was hanging back to watch lily hoping she wouldn't find the tablet she put their. She wasn't going to let these fools ruin her plans to meet the creator of the Accel world. She made sure to leave and get out of sight it was apparent she would need to find a way to make bots specific to those 3 nuisances...

Lily glanced about her after a moment, making sure she was alone, before she began to search through the lockers. Some were apparent right away that there was no tablet there, such as the girly prissy ones that held clothes, make up and such in it, others it was a little bit more difficult to tell, and Lily had to search. She was conscious of the time, fearful she was going to get caught, yet she managed to search thoroughly, eventually finding the tablet.

She let out a soft breath, and quickly typed in the message. She hesitated in putting it back, before taking it out again and quickly doing something else. Whoever the tablet belonged to would find that their back ground had been changed to the message, repeating over and over and over again.

Once it was back in its locker, Lily high failed it out of there, and to her next class, as if she hadn't just spent fifteen minutes snooping.

Kris slid into his seat just as the bell rang for final periods. He straightened his necktie in the classroom window and stifled a smirk, obviously pleased with the recent events that had just transpired. After school, while Angelo staked out the hacker and Lily reported back on her findings, Kris would be planning the ultimate downfall of the hacker's program; he would be requiring Ochre Technic's services yet again, and thinking on that he hadn't paid his monthly dues to him yet. He briefly pondered the dilemma for a few seconds before casually rolling his shoulders back and settling down again.

Hey, did I really just notice that kid? Kris thought as he glanced at the brunette male from earlier, sitting just a few desks away from him. Of course as a junior taking advanced classes he would be placed with the seniors, but he didn't really bother to learn people's names outside of his grade level and clubs. Ironically enough, as the teacher announced a group project would be starting today, Kris pouted slightly and turned his face again to the window; he hadn't necessarily been ready to get chummy with 2 people this month, much less 3.

Later once that girl snooping through the lockers was done she went to grab her tablet and move it to a new location it was obvious that she was snooping around and when she turned on the tablet she growled a little and bit her thumb nail as a nervous habit seeing the message that they were coming for her. It was obvious that they were getting closer to finding her and unfortunately she staked to much into this place to move all her equipment and if she did it would be noticeable. She would have to get smarter or risk getting caught, she wasn't going to let some idiots who got lucky take away her chance to meet the creator easily. She then grabbed the tablet and left to try and get some more tablets, she was hoping she could put a few extra tablets to make them dummies for the idiots to find.

Angelo was finishing his lunch just as the bell for the final class periods rang out to them. Soon classes would end and he would need to find that old tech shop he was looking at earlier...

By some stroke of luck and irony of Nightmare busy with actual school projects, Kris ended up partners with another random student (that he hoped wouldn't be lazy and leech off his work). The rest of the school day passed uneventfully, until the final bell rang. Kris wasn't supposed to tutor today, but he waited outside the center anyways, knowing Lily would assume otherwise to meet him.

Lily spent the rest of the day sure she would be called in somewhere, called out for what she had done, but it never happened. As the bell rang for end of school, she let out a relieved sigh, and rose, heading out with her things.

It didn't take her long to walk to the tutor centr, seeing Kris there. "I found the thing" she said, "had fun with it, completely took over the whole thing with the message we wanted" she smiled, "and then spent the rest of the day worrying I'd be caught out"

Once classes finally ended Angelo then turned on his phone and sent the text to both of them 'going to check out the tech shops to see which one our hacker goes into, keep me posted'. Was all Angelo wrote before he sent the message and left the school grounds making sure his neural linker was off before he went off of school grounds and went to the tech shops checking with the clerk if anyone had bought the same type before...

Kris grinned and replied to Lily, "I would ask you to repeat the favor for every other tablet to be found, but this should suffice for now. Let me give you the other locations though as I remember them roughly."

He pulled out his phone and noticed Angelo's text before sending one to Lily, with a list of places within school. "Track them on your own free time, and see if you can catch the hacker. Obviously look out for a girl if she's been in the girl's locker room, and if you're not feeling guilty enough, snapping a few pictures of a suspect wouldn't hurt. I'll be off now, see you."

Just exiting the school and leaving its network boundary, Kris pulled up his alternate email and began enacting his plan to Ochre Technic:

Aurrorian here.

Major exploit and lead on hacker. Sending download link with program sample. Extract and convert for Neuro Linker use. 50/50

I believe that is enough payment for your services.

Before sending the email, Kris extracted the tablet out of his bag, and after trial and error succeeded in uploading a zipped file of the entire bot code to an online cloud storage before wiping the original. He pasted the link and hit Send; literally 30 seconds later a reply came to surprise Kris.

Whoa. You still owe me for the targets, but I'll take this deal anytime. I'll let you know when the final product's available. This wannabe's done pissing us off anyways.

As quickly as Kris read the email, a network packet analyzer app was already being downloaded onto the tablet, and Kris was considering how to code his backdoor to install on a mobile device. Wheels were spinning, all on his walk back home.

Lily nodded. She would see what she could do, but first she had to head home. So saying farewell, she trotted off home, and to a happy Moe, who as soon as she owned the door darted out, barking happily. Before the puppy could get much further then that, Lily scooped him up, heading inside long enough to dump her school things and grab Amir's leash.

No reason why she couldn't walk the dog and hunt up the tablets at the same timeX was there? She quickly sent off a message to the other two, telling them she was beginning to search for more tablets, and started down the street

As Angelo got closer to a store he saw a girl with black cloths buy a few tablets all of the same model from that shop and Angelo couldn't help but think that she was their target but before Angelo could turn his neural linker back on the girl spotted him and quickly jotted down something in the air like she was typing at incredible speeds and before Angelo could get the words out a yellow joker appeared in front of him she obviously sent him a virus to stop him from using the burst link. Angelo growled then decided to get physical as she started to run down the street 'found girl! chasing her down Makenzie street on 5th sent me a virus to keep me from using the burst link need help cornering her' Once he made that quick text he sent it to both of them as he chased her down while she carried a new set of tablets in her other hand...

Kris retrieved his buzzing phone from his pocket, just at the doorstep to his apartment. A brief scan of Angelo's message later, he shrugged. "You deal with that, Lily knowing her would probably run faster," he cheerfully muttered to himself, "Though I'll be interested if they cross onto Eighth and Kaiser."

He briefly glanced about the panoramic view from his apartment porch; downtown was a bit farther than from where Angelo was giving chase. Usually Kris left for school as the morning fog rolled in, and on tutor days he returned as the sun was setting, but on the rare Wednesday cloudless day the sunlight felt great on his face. Especially when today was the prelude to a victory tomorrow, assuming all goes according to plan.

As he unlocked the front door and took a step in, he again remembered his dilemna. He stopped, one foot in the door and nervously tapping the doorknob. "It is really hard to think about this quantity of benefits now, when I know and can sell out two Burst Linkers right next door. And who knows where Ochre Technic lives, by all means he could be an AI himself and I'd be the incompetent one."

That petulant second voice returned in his head, it urged him to further his ambition. "Yes, 'advancement' and 'unyielding to anything' sound great, until I meet the faces of those who lost their memory of part of their life, because of me. Would I not feel guilty when I see them talk normally and act normally, and I can't help hide behind an unassuming face, their dirty little secrets? Is this really what I signed up for in a 'game'?"

Kris's other foot shakily made it inside, and he shut the door, letting the cool shadow of the interior envelop his thoughts. Finally taking a deep breath, he slid down to his haunch before pulling up his Neuro Linker and began to code his backdoor. He sat there for how long, an hour? or an eternity before finishing touches and downloaded it to the tablet. Pulling out the phone once more, he stared at its back, and whispered, "How lame is gray as a color? I should've asked to get something vibrant, perhaps orange..."

He typed in the message that would pull the trigger on everything, and left his finger hovering over the send button, waiting for Angelo or Lily to reply first. Or Ochre Technic. He shrugged again.

"Let death knell."

Lily gave a grown as the message came through, mentally bringing the streets into her mind. "Come on, Moe, looks like we are running it today"

She began to run, Giving moe some more lead, pounding down the street. She took a corner, Moe running fast beside her. Lily ran smoothly, easily, maintaining her breath.

It didn't occur to her that she had forgotten to reply she was on her way. She just ran, keeping an easy speed to keep running. It was Moe that saw her first, coming towards them, and he barked loudly. Lily continued to run

The girl groaned as she heard the barking of the dog she really didn't like dogs and she quickly jotted down another virus while running and sent it to lily so she couldn't activate the burst link either. Although it was a good virus it would only last for a few precious moments and then they could force her into a fight. She was a hacker not a fighter and she needed to loose the two she reached into her pocket making sure she had the special something she was saving just for such an occasion that she might get caught. The girl moved fast and got to an alley way and quickly threw a little ball that hit the other side of the alleyway projecting an image of her running in a different direction all together. It was only a visual hologram and thanks to her virus it would seem more real to them. She quickly jumped into a trash bin closing the top to cover herself and hide hoping the smell of rotting food would mask her own scent so the dog wouldn't notice her...

Lily gave a curse, but saved her breath from anything else as she began to run again, faster. She was about to follow the hologram, before Moe charged, taking off in a different direction. Trusting the puppy, she followed after Moe, whose barks seemed louder as they echoed across the walls of the alley.

As Moe stopped, she looked about, searching for any sign of the girl, frowning. There wasn't many places to hide, unless she had hidden in the trash. Moe sniffed about, and Likybdecided that meant she wAs close.

"Face it, you're cornered"

She shook her head not believing her. she thought that the lily was only saying that she would surrender for all she knew the dog might be wrong. At least she hoped that was the case. She didn't like dogs and she would be dammed if she didn't hide in this garbage tin for nothing! She hoped the girl would leave and think that the dog just smelled some meat instead of her

As moe kept on barking, Lily resigned herself to looking through trash. She stepped towards the garbage, Moe continuing to bark, leaping about, sometimes crouching as if he was going to pounce.

"I'm going Moe, calm down!"

She grimaced and began to move through the trash, trying to avoid most of t.

"Get out here now, or it will be worse for you!"

Lily sighed and shoved her way in, reaching and grabbing for anything that could be human, promising heralf shed burn the clothes and show ever for a long time

She quietly got out of the garbage and she jumped on top of a can to avoid the dog. Before lily grabbed her she started making signs in the air in front of her. Their was a slice scar on her throat, she literally couldn't talk she was a mute. Angelo sighed loudly when he realized he was tricked by the hologram he will never live this down and he stated to jog back to where she gave him the slip by that alley...

"I can't sign. Moe won't hurt you. He's tiny" For now, at least. Lily watched the girl, with narrowed eyes, suspicious. She shifted, so she was blocking the way out, "Come down, now." She was surprised at the order in her voice, but she stared at the girl, waiting for her. "Why are you hacking us?" She took a pen, and some balled up paper out a pocket that she didn't know she had, holding it out to the girl.

As Angelo and LIly confronted the hacker, the hologram ball continued to roll down the alleyway, still flickering its image. Until a foot deftly tapped it to a halt; it belonging to a shadowy figure who stared down the opposite end at the three figures. He swiftly raised his hand, and with a flurry of fingers input multiple commands to his Neuro Linker, once bending down to examine the hologram ball. A white grin spread over his lips, satisfied with the completion of his plan. With a firm kick, the hologram ball was sent bouncing back down the alleyway towards the other three Burst Linkers. He casually strolled out and to the nearby bus stop, catching his ride impeccably on time.

The hologram ball hit Angelo's heel as he turned the other way, and stopped as another image was projeted. A metallic figure emerged, and no doubt was seeded in the three persons present that was a Duel Avatar. Of a slim, tall humanoid build, its torso armor appeared to be a literal cloak or overcoat, extending past its waist and worn loosely, tied by a sapphire brooch. Its eyes also shined in azure, underneath a dapper top hat, that it promptly took off. Color shading ran from its brighter orange limbs, darker towards the center and head, and completed by its deep tan armor and charcoal headwear. The Duel Avatar proffered a gracious bow, and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, excuse me for the interruption. My Duel Avatar is Ochre Technic, and yes I do know that my present company is shared in the presence of Burst Linkers. Please do not bother questioning my methods of obtaining your real life info; I have my agents and my ways. As for my motives, they are manyfold, such that I will reveal you one: as I have at my disposal your identities, that maybe compromising if released into certain circles of hungry Burst Linkers. I'd like to point this out especially to the young hacker, who's been the cause of much grief and thirst for revenge. However, I am not beyond reasoning behind my blank verse, thus my proposal to save you from your predicament: joining my Legion. For your comprehension and incredulity, I am not the member of one of seven major Legions, but a minor Legion I have recently founded and lead. I've been talent searching ever since, as you may already be familiar with one of my contacts, I am personally well established within Brain Burst community. My offer asofar extends only within the hour of this message, and refusal by answer or stall will have consequences. Minor details can be discussed within the game you're about to join.

By the way, this has been a prerecorded message. Be prepared to join me in the accelerated world, in 10, 9..."

//

I have extended an invitation to your friends and the hacker. Expect to be invited as well within the minute. - Ochre Technic

Kris gritted his teeth at the mention of "friends", he was definitely in too deep. But hopefully the hacker would still join with her bots, so he can exact his own plan. He was getting tired of outside interference...