No Point Looking Back

Six years, it had taken to pierce HADES. Not for wanting effort though. Among Rhea Corporation’s infinite assets, securing their prison of souls had always been quite the priority. And that had just been the physical breach of the vault. To pierce the veil around it, Eury had had to exhaust every contact she had made on the West coast along the past decade.

It started with just the occasional person getting fried alive in their chair, as they connected to the Net.

A virus, an unsecured connection, whatever else explanation that sounded passably plausible. All talented individuals though. From physicists, to surgeons, to civil architects. Surely, it was only coincidence that it had been around this time that Rhea had begun exponentially expanding.

Finally, Eury could feel the data vault’s cyan glow bounce against her skin, her subdermal computer reassuring her that her soul was still warded. The thermonuclear charge in her gym bag, itching.

But first.

Connected to the console through a collarbone port, a single name was delved for, found under software engineers.

“Ori Harper: Greatest Netsmith of the XXIIth century.” She read. “And wife of one Eury Harper, here to lead you out of this hell.