Chapter 6: Digging for Answers

Berry sat in the corner of the tech lab, staring at the holographic display Rusty had projected onto the table. The neon-blue screen flickered slightly as Rusty sifted through data logs, his tail wagging faintly with each new line of code he analyzed. The lab hummed with activity, students programming drones or tweaking bots, but Berry felt like he was in a world of his own.

“Data inconsistency detected,” Rusty said suddenly, his glowing eyes narrowing. “Jason’s KN-9, Shadow, exhibits irregular behavioral patterns. Possible tampering: 68%.”

Berry frowned, leaning forward. “So someone messed with Shadow? Why?”

Rusty tilted his head. “Motivations unknown. Possibilities include sabotage, experimentation, or user negligence.”

Berry sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Great. That clears everything up.”

Tim appeared beside him, his tray of vending-machine snacks balanced precariously in one hand. “You’re still obsessing over this Shadow thing? Dude, let it go. It’s Jason’s problem, not yours.”

Berry shot him a look. “If someone’s messing with KN-9s, it could be a bigger deal than just Jason. What if more units start acting like Shadow?”

Tim shrugged, popping a chip into his mouth. “Then they’ll fix it. Crescent High isn’t exactly short on tech geniuses.”

“Yeah, but they’re not paying attention to this,” Berry argued. “Everyone just laughed it off yesterday. Even the admin didn’t do anything.”

Rusty’s tail clanked against the table, drawing both boys’ attention. “Statement confirmed. Incident logged but dismissed. Further investigation required.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Is he always this dramatic?”

Berry smirked. “You get used to it.”

After school, Berry found himself back at the junkyard with Rusty, sifting through piles of discarded tech. The air smelled faintly of oil and rust, and the distant hum of automated cranes provided a steady background rhythm. Berry wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for—anything that might give him a clue about Shadow’s behavior, he supposed.

Rusty’s glowing eyes scanned a heap of dismantled robotics. “Components identified. Relevance: unknown.”

Berry crouched, brushing aside a layer of grime to reveal what looked like the remains of an old KN-9. Its frame was battered, and its internal circuits were exposed, but its design was unmistakable.

“Another KN-9?” Berry muttered, glancing at Rusty. “This one’s even worse off than you were.”

Rusty’s eyes flickered as he analyzed the damaged unit. “Model identified: KN-9 Alpha Series. Production date: seven years prior. Status: decommissioned.”

Berry frowned. “Decommissioned? Why?”

Rusty hesitated, his voice dropping slightly in pitch. “Reason: Alpha Series units exhibited behavioral anomalies. Production was discontinued following multiple incidents.”

Berry’s stomach churned. “Behavioral anomalies? Like Shadow?”

“Similar patterns observed,” Rusty replied. “However, Alpha Series units were prone to self-diagnostics failures and independent decision-making.”

Berry stared at the broken KN-9, his mind racing. What if the same issues were happening again, but with newer models? If someone was tampering with the programming, it could explain why Shadow had been acting so aggressively.

“Rusty,” Berry said, standing up, “can we use any of this? Maybe figure out if there’s a connection?”

Rusty’s tail wagged slightly. “Components are salvageable. Analysis possible with sufficient time and resources.”

Berry grinned, the faint spark of determination lighting his eyes. “Then let’s get to work.”

Back in the workshop, Berry spread out the salvaged components on the table. Rusty sat beside him, his glowing eyes scanning each piece as Berry began to reassemble the broken KN-9’s core processor.

“This feels like a bad idea,” Berry muttered as he connected a set of wires to Rusty’s interface port. “If this thing fries you, I’m blaming you.”

Rusty’s voice was calm, almost reassuring. “Risk assessment indicates a low probability of catastrophic failure. Proceeding is advised.”

Berry rolled his eyes. “Great. Glad you’re so confident.”

As the processor powered on, a faint hum filled the room. A holographic display blinked to life, lines of code scrolling rapidly across the screen. Berry watched intently as Rusty sifted through the data.

“Corruption detected,” Rusty announced. “Alpha Series firmware contains unauthorized modifications.”

Berry leaned closer. “What kind of modifications?”

“Behavioral override protocols,” Rusty replied. “Purpose: unknown. Impact: significant.”

Berry’s brow furrowed. “So someone made these KN-9s act differently on purpose. But why?”

Rusty hesitated before responding. “Possibilities include experimentation or malicious intent. Further investigation required.”

Berry sat back, his mind spinning. If someone had been tampering with KN-9s for years, it wasn’t just a random problem—it was deliberate. And whoever was behind it might still be out there.

The next day, Berry arrived at school with a newfound sense of purpose. He was determined to get to the bottom of the KN-9 tampering, even if it meant confronting Jason directly.

As he walked into the cafeteria, he spotted Jason sitting with his usual group of friends. Shadow was lying at his feet, its glowing eyes eerily dim. Berry hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and approached the table.

“Jason,” Berry said, his voice steady, “can I talk to you?”

Jason looked up, his expression a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. “What do you want, junkyard boy?”

“It’s about Shadow,” Berry said. “I think something’s wrong with his programming.”

Jason snorted. “Yeah, no kidding. He’s been glitchy ever since the race.”

“Have you done any modifications to him?” Berry asked.

Jason frowned. “What are you talking about? Shadow’s fine. He just needs a system update.”

Berry shook his head. “It’s not that simple. I found some old KN-9 parts in the junkyard—they had similar issues. Someone might be tampering with the programming.”

Jason’s expression darkened. “Are you saying this is my fault?”

Berry raised his hands defensively. “I’m not blaming you. I just think we need to figure out what’s going on before it gets worse.”

Jason stared at Berry for a moment, then sighed. “Fine. If you think you’re such a genius, be my guest. But if you mess up Shadow, it’s on you.”

Berry nodded, relief washing over him. “Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

That evening, Berry and Rusty worked tirelessly on Shadow’s diagnostics. As they combed through the KN-9’s code, Berry couldn’t shake the feeling that they were only scratching the surface of something much bigger.

“Rusty,” Berry said, glancing at the glowing screen, “do you think we’ll actually figure this out?”

Rusty’s tail wagged faintly. “Optimism is recommended. Teamwork increases success probability.”

Berry smiled, a small flicker of hope lighting his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was part of something that mattered.