If hackers tend to have a spectral look to them, black skintight dive suits and dark circles around their eyes, then it could be said that deckheads are much more grounded in the physical. I probably wouldn't stand out in a lineup of other decks, with my punk DIY appearance, but most don't embrace old tech like I do. Take cars, for example. While I’ve always appreciated their design and craftsmanship, the reason I opted for older models is mostly their non-autonomous driving options. After some modding, they allowed me to go off the grid if needed. The need for this archaic tech had arisen.

I made it about an hour out of the city without incident. So at first, I thought it was a malfunction when my car went into autonomous mode without my input. Then the secluded forest road I had been driving down disappeared as the windows went black and a red, stylized goat's head, a symbol used by the hacker Aydin Kaner, popped up on the windshield HUD.

The media liked to paint the picture of Aydin being a Satanist because of his use of the goat's head as a calling card. Based on the institutions he usually targeted, I always felt his motives were much more financially motivated than occult. What could his motives be for taking control of my car?

“You are a hard man to find when you don't want to be,” a man’s voice spoke to me from the car speakers.

“Who is this?” I heard the shock in my voice as I asked a question to which I knew the answer.

“Call me Aydin. I also know who you are, Verro, and the man you work for. Or have you and Arrigo parted ways?”

“Yeah. I recently found myself unemployed.” The abruptness of this conversation, combined with the notoriety of the man hacking my car, had me thrown off balance.

“I figured as much considering the high price he put on your head. How much did you make off hacking his wallet?”

“I had nothing to do with the attack.”

I attempted to put the car back into manual driving mode to no avail.

“Yet you are on the run?”

The door and windows wouldn't budge even if I wanted to bail. It was probably in my best interest to keep him talking as I was trapped anyway. “I already knew he wasn't happy with my work. Then a group of hackers I had never heard of publicly declared the attack. I’m one of the only people to have access to his wallet, so I checked its balance, and it was cleaned out. So when Arrigo called me in for a meeting, I ran for it.”

“You figured he was going to kill you at this meeting? That seems drastic, even for Arrigo, but maybe not.”

“I panicked. Then I got a ping as the transmission for the hit went out after I left the city. If he hadn't made up his mind before, I guess running was an admission of guilt in his eyes. Anyway, I've been thinking about leaving the organization for a while now. Arrigo was right in thinking I hadn't been giving my full efforts recently.” Keeping him talking was one thing, but continuing to spill my guts didn’t feel wise. “Where are you taking me?”

“I’m bringing you to me so we can talk face to face. Something I don't get the chance to do very often these days.”

“You could be bringing me back to the city, in an attempt to get back in good with Arrigo.” The windows suddenly transitioned back to being translucent. It was still driving down a forest road, but the trees had become even denser.

“There, I hope that calms your nerves a bit.”

It did. The late afternoon sun coming through the window, and seeing the Appalachian forest rushing past, made me feel less like a rat in a trap. “You're not concerned I might contact Arrigo and give him your location somehow? Based on the stories I've heard, he probably wants your head more than mine.”

“That is probably true, but no, I am not concerned you will give up my location. Like you said, it's probably too late for you to reconcile with our mutual friend, so giving up my location would only result in our mutual destruction. Also, I have complete control of all comms in and out from your car and cell.”

“Still. Why take the risk?”

“I’m trying to figure that out myself. I see a lot of value in your skills. For now, I hope we can just get to know each other a little better. Do you have anything you wish to ask me?”

“Is it true you used to have my job and found yourself in a similar situation before being forced to go into hiding?” This was a story every hacker and deckhead knew, but even after getting the job with Arrigo, I was too afraid to ask him.

“Hmm, forced into hiding.” He paused, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I guess that would be the narrative. Also, I created Arrigo’s empire single-handedly; you work on a team that maintains it. Not exactly the same job.”

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just meant that the only evidence of your existence since then has been your incredible cloaking and backdoor attacks. So if anyone could give me advice on how to survive this situation, it would be you.”

“No, not at all. I'm just happy my past exploits are considered worth talking about by young upstarts like yourself.”

“Are you kidding me? You're a legend. Hell, you are still the pinnacle, the way you took down MonarComs last year.” Under different circumstances, I would’ve been stoked to be having this conversation.

“That means something, coming from you. Don't think I haven't heard about some of your exploits, but let's stop blowing each other and get back to the subject at hand. Why not just disappear to one of the colony worlds?”

“I'm not cut out for manual labor. Even if I was, without any connections, I would be lucky to get a job working in the mines on Mars.”

“Isn't that better than getting killed?”

“Maybe, but I'm not about to give up and become colony scum. I'll figure something out on Earth or die trying.” I was able to make that sound more confident than I felt.

“I like that answer, fuck Mars.”

“Have you ever been to any of the colony worlds?”

“No, I like the atmosphere and oxygen too much. You said you've been thinking about leaving Arrigo’s employment even before this all went down. Why?”

“I guess the job wasn't what I expected, a lot more cybersecurity than running attacks of my own. Not to mention it’s like pulling teeth to get any of my peripheral or hardware projects approved. Arrigo is rich beyond belief and seems content with slowly growing what he has in legal investments.” Wherever I was being taken had to be secluded, considering I hadn't seen another car since the windows went back to normal.

“You were expecting it to be like the stories you heard of how things ran when I was still working with him?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Instead, I just make sure other punks don't run shit on Arrigo. And I thought the firewalls I had up were bulletproof, but I guess not.”

“You think your talents are currently being underutilized then?”

“One hundred percent. I get that I was hired for cybersecurity, but my passion is in hardware. I would be way more useful in a role using those skills.”

“I see. More deckhead than hacker. No offense.”

“None taken, it’s a term of respect in my book.”

“So. If I asked you to work with me, what would you say?”

“I’d tell you to stop playing with me.”

“I don't have time to play games. What the hell is that tapping noise I keep hearing?”

“Sorry, it’s a nervous habit.”

“Stop. It’s very annoying.”

I sat up straighter in my seat. Even if it did feel like I had a natural rapport with Aydin, my situation was still dire.

Aydin continued. “Even if you are telling the truth and had nothing to do with this attack on Arrigo’s wallet, would you be able to clean him out of what’s left in it?”

“Couldn't you do that yourself if you wanted?”

“Not what I asked.”

“Sure, it would be easy enough.”

“And would you do it if I asked you to?”

“If it means getting your help and a job, it would be worth the risk. Hell, he’s out to kill me already anyway.”

“Interesting. We'll talk more once we are face to face. Relax for now, you've almost arrived.” With that, the call ended.

There was no way I could relax. My mind swirled. What would happen next? Was Mars such a shitty place? When was the last time I saw another car? Was that the same house I passed earlier? Shouldn't it be getting dark by now?

The car rolled to a stop as the windows faded back to black.

Aydin spoke through the speakers. “You have arrived. Get out when you are ready to continue our conversation.” I heard the door unlock.

“Was the window screen set on a video loop?” I made a note to go with real windows from now on. No more of this video display bullshit, even if it is safer.

“Get out and see for yourself.” His voice was nonchalant.

I opened the door. It had become dark outside. I swung my legs and stepped out. I was outside of the city and could see its lights in the distance. I looked around and didn't see anyone.

A voice, followed by its body, emerged from the darkness. The voice was the same one I had been talking to through the car's speakers. The man from which it came was not what I had expected. He looked old, or maybe just worn out. His hair was long and gray. Comfortable-looking baggy clothes hung from a frail body. Even in the darkness, I could make out just how tired he looked. He looked much different than his strong, confident voice sounded. “I was wondering if you would notice the loop. What gave it away?”

“It was almost perfect, but the lack of cars made me suspicious. Then I noticed the repeating landscape.” I realized I was still matching his calm demeanor, and it annoyed me. “What the fuck’s going on?”

“It is a shame things had to work out this way.”

“Why have you taken me back to the city, Aydin?” It was unnerving to be so close to the city I thought I had fled.

“I wanted you to become my direct successor, but it’s too late now.” He sounded more tired than he had on the call earlier, and sad. “I should have stepped out of the shadows earlier; maybe then all of this could have been avoided.”

A cold wave of panic passed through my body. I was about to run when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Spinning out of its grasp, I turned to face who had snuck up behind me. I recognized him as one of Arrigo’s men. 6’9”, bald, wearing a dark suit, and built like a heavyweight boxer, he was an intimidating presence when he was on your side. Seeing him here, I felt my body go cold and knew it could mean only one thing.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Even though it had to be true, it made no sense. “Did he forgive you after you captured me?”

“No, it’s not like that at all.” A sad smile crossed Aydin’s face. “He actually forgave me a long time ago. I was in a similar situation as you, but instead of running, I went and talked to him. We worked things out. It had all been a big misunderstanding. We’ve been working together without much friction ever since.”

“I’ve heard him say that you are the number one enemy to his organization. That the crimes you committed against him are unforgivable.”

“Yeah, that is the story we painted. It allowed us to create a narrative that brought confusion on the law and our competition alike. Any trouble I caused didn’t bring heat down on Arrigo, and vice versa. Only he and I know about all of this in order to keep the game going smoothly.”

“What about him?” I gestured toward the grunt. I knew from a number of awkward attempts at conversation I had made in the past that he was not exactly the guy you would want to keep a secret this important.

“Well, you see, Luther here has given access to his Neural Spike, which allows anything to be wiped from his memory that we wouldn’t want to get out.”

“Why go to all this trouble if you planned to kill me in the end?”

“I saw promise in your skills and wanted to give you a chance. So I formulated a test. One with your life on the line.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It started when Arrigo began to sense that you had become complacent in your work. He asked me to attempt a break into his wallet.”

“It was you who broke in? I knew it had to be someone top-notch. That encryption was some of my best work.”

“Indeed, it was great work. I couldn’t have created a better system myself, but I can break into anything. I told him to call you in to meet with the both of us, but then you ran.”

“So he decided to have me killed because of that?”

“Arrigo was indeed furious over your disloyalty. He wanted to find you and wipe your memory, a brutal fate in itself. But no, the hit was my idea. The first part of a test to see how you would react.”

“That’s a hell of a test!”

“You did well with it, though. Your choice of car helped you pass the first part of the test. Remember, all of this could have been avoided if you hadn’t run in the first place, but let me quickly run through the rest of your test. I did like your answer to the idea of leaving for a colony world. It showed me that you take your freedom seriously. Also, your enthusiasm for the work I offered was contagious. Yet, it took you a while to notice the adaptive video loop, which doesn’t show great attention to detail.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“No, I am absolutely serious.” With this, Aydin’s face contorted into a toothy grin. “It really all comes down to the last question, though, and you failed. You agreed to give up Arrigo’s secrets. Wrong answer. That showed a distinct lack of loyalty.”

“Now what happens?”

“Big guy here kills you.”

“What they say is true, you really are a demon.”

“It’s just biz, kid. I can’t work with someone I don’t trust. Also, I can’t let you go spreading the details of my business arrangement with Arrigo.”

Luther advanced on me with a speed that didn’t make sense for a man that must weigh 250 lbs. Before I could react, he grabbed me by the neck and lifted me into the air. My kicks to his body didn’t faze him. My vision began to go black as I clawed at his hands, trying desperately to breathe.

“Just shoot him and get it over with.” Aydin sounded as if he had better things to be doing.

Suddenly, I was released from Luther’s death grip on my windpipe. I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

“I really hate when you tell me what to do, Aydin.” Luther's bass tones broke through the ringing in my ears.

“You’re making a mistake, Arrigo. Don’t do this.”

Arrigo? I pushed myself onto all fours. Luther had turned his attention to Aydin as he pulled out his Beretta from its shoulder holster.

Aydin began to back away. “This is crazy. How do you expect to keep The Family running without me?” I thought I could see tears in his eyes, yet he had that crazy grin back on his face.

Luther’s speed was somehow harder to believe seeing him move from afar. He closed the distance between himself and Aydin in a blink and grabbed him by the shirt. All of the fight seemed to have left the smaller man's body.

“I told you not to go off script.” He put the gun to Aydin’s head as he spoke, then pulled the trigger, blowing the hacker's clown mask apart, spraying blood into the darkness.

I watched his body fall and mostly disappear into shadow. It twitched on the ground as the brain sent out its final fractured signals.

I slowly got to my feet and stood to face Luther. He holstered his gun and returned my gaze. I again considered running but knew it was futile.

“That was almost you.” Luther casually gestured toward Aydin’s lifeless body. “If you hadn’t convinced me to install that shortwave receiver in my peripheral deck, it would have been.”

It dawned on me that this was Arrigo speaking to me, not his body or voice, but he must have full access control over Luther’s Neural Spike. “So you got the Morse code I tapped out to you.” The words that came out of my mouth sounded like he still had Luther's massive hands around my throat.

“I did. That really was the turning point. It was then that I realized who I could trust.”

“So you’re not going to kill me?”

“No, I will only be killing one man tonight. I figure choking you like that should be punishment enough for running the way you did.” He stretched Luther’s gorilla arms up and behind his head. “This body sure is great for the job, though.”

“What was all this that went down tonight?”

“Like Aydin told you, it was a test. What he didn’t realize was that he was also taking it. You passed. He obviously failed. I have a big job coming up, the biggest in years, and I needed to figure out who is going to lead the operation.”

“What now?”

“Now, as your first of many new responsibilities as my second-in-command, I’m going to need you to clean up this mess.” He turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

I began to drag the body by its ankles toward my car. For the first time, I thought maybe Mars wouldn’t be such a bad place to live after all.