Chapter 8: A Code to Crack

The soft glow of Rusty’s eyes illuminated the dim workshop as Berry paced back and forth. His mind raced, turning over the events of the past day. The signature Lyla had discovered in Shadow’s corrupted code was their first real lead—but it was also a dangerous thread to pull.

“Rusty,” Berry said, breaking the silence, “how long will the trace take?”

Rusty’s tail twitched, his voice calm. “Trace completion estimated at 4 hours, 22 minutes, and 17 seconds. Current progress: 18%.”

Berry groaned. “That long? We might as well be waiting for ancient satellites to reboot.”

“Technological processes require patience,” Rusty replied. “Additionally, outdated satellite reboots average—”

“Rusty,” Berry interrupted, a small smile tugging at his lips, “that was a joke.”

“Humor noted,” Rusty said, his tail wagging faintly. “Response unnecessary.”

Berry shook his head, amused despite the tension in his chest. He glanced at the cluttered workbench, where Shadow’s processor still hummed faintly. Its glowing interface seemed to pulse, almost as if it were alive. Berry didn’t like it.

“You think this signature will actually lead us to someone?” Berry asked.

Rusty’s glowing eyes met his. “Probability remains uncertain. However, all available evidence suggests the signature was deliberately embedded.”

Berry sighed, leaning against the wall. “What kind of person does that? Who goes out of their way to mess with KN-9s?”

Rusty hesitated, his voice dropping slightly in pitch. “Motivations may include experimentation, personal amusement, or—”

“Malice,” Berry finished for him. The word hung heavy in the air.

The next morning at Crescent High, Berry met Lyla in the tech lab. The room was quieter than usual, most students absorbed in their holographic displays or fiddling with their projects. Lyla waved him over, her face lit with excitement.

“Berry! I’ve been working on something,” she said, gesturing to a small holo-tablet.

Berry approached, curious. “What is it?”

“I managed to isolate the signature from Shadow’s code,” Lyla explained, pulling up a holographic projection of the sequence. The strings of characters hovered in midair, glowing faintly. “It’s not just a random identifier—it’s tied to an external server.”

Berry frowned. “An external server? You mean whoever did this is still actively monitoring it?”

Lyla nodded. “Exactly. And if we can access the server, we might be able to figure out who’s behind it.”

Berry glanced at Rusty, who was quietly observing. “Is that even possible?”

“Accessing unauthorized servers carries risks,” Rusty said, his tone cautious. “Detection probability: 42.3%. Consequences: unknown.”

Lyla hesitated. “It’s not exactly legal, but if we’re careful, we can avoid leaving a trace.”

Berry’s stomach churned at the thought. Hacking into a server sounded like the kind of thing that got people in serious trouble. But the alternative—doing nothing—felt worse.

“Alright,” Berry said finally. “What do we need to do?”

Lyla grinned. “I knew you’d say that. Follow me.”

The school’s tech lab wasn’t exactly state-of-the-art, but Lyla made it work. She set up a secure connection on one of the lab’s older terminals, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she bypassed layers of encryption.

Berry watched nervously, Rusty standing at his side. “You’re sure no one’s going to find out we’re doing this?”

Lyla flashed him a reassuring smile. “Relax. This terminal is completely isolated from the school’s network. As long as we don’t do anything reckless, we’re fine.”

Rusty chimed in, his tone calm. “Risk assessment: low. Proceeding is recommended.”

Berry exhaled, trying to steady his nerves. “Okay. What’s next?”

Lyla hit a final keystroke, and the holographic display shifted. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, and a faint hum filled the air.

“We’re in,” Lyla said. “This is the server tied to the signature.”

Berry leaned closer, his heart pounding. “What’s on it?”

Lyla frowned, scanning the data. “It’s… fragmented. Whoever set this up didn’t want it to be easy to trace. But there’s something here—logs, maybe?”

Rusty’s glowing eyes brightened. “Logs may contain valuable information. Parsing is recommended.”

Lyla nodded, initiating a scan. “This might take a few minutes.”

Berry sat back, his mind racing. Whoever had tampered with Shadow—and possibly other KN-9s—had gone to great lengths to cover their tracks. But why? What were they trying to achieve?

“Berry,” Lyla said suddenly, her voice tense. “Look at this.”

He leaned forward again, his eyes narrowing as the holographic display filled with lines of text. It wasn’t just logs—it was a list.

“What is that?” Berry asked.

“Targeted KN-9 units,” Lyla replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Shadow’s on here. So are at least a dozen others.”

Berry’s blood ran cold. “You mean there are more KN-9s being tampered with?”

Lyla nodded. “And whoever’s doing it has a plan.”

Rusty’s voice cut through the tension. “Further investigation is imperative. Suggestion: inform relevant authorities.”

Berry hesitated. The thought of going to the school admin—or worse, the police—was terrifying. But the alternative was letting this escalate unchecked.

“Let’s see what else we can find first,” Berry said, his voice steady despite the fear twisting in his chest.

Lyla glanced at him, her expression uncertain, but she nodded. “Alright. Let’s dig deeper.”

Hours later, Berry sat in his room, staring out the window as the city lights blinked in the distance. Rusty sat beside him, silent but watchful. The weight of what they’d discovered pressed heavy on Berry’s shoulders.

“Rusty,” Berry said quietly, “do you think we’re making a mistake?”

Rusty’s glowing eyes met his. “Pursuit of truth is rarely a mistake. However, caution is advised.”

Berry smiled faintly. “That’s your way of saying you don’t know, isn’t it?”

Rusty’s tail wagged softly. “Correct.”

Berry laughed, the sound breaking through the tension in his chest. Despite everything, he felt a strange sense of resolve. They were in uncharted territory, but they weren’t alone. Lyla, Tim, and Rusty were with him—and together, they might just figure this out.