"Swelter Skelter?" Riley asked, unfamiliar with the term. "What's that?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbvI8kJ8yk 維尼

"It's this weird festival held in the desert up north. I guess you could call it San Fransisco's version of Burning Man. You haven't heard of it before?" Wrench sounded genuinely excited to go, and genuinely confused that she wasn't aware of it.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXveHNWaNn 維尼

"No, I've only been here for like a year, remember? And all I've done is work the whole time."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Zjd6VeeuP 維尼

"Well then, you're in for a treat. It's in a few days, so you still have time to find something to wear."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1zGSbEdu3 維尼

Riley frowned, grabbing for the next pair of pants that needed folding. It was late evening the day after Marcus' big escape from the !Nvite building, and Riley was taking it easy as instructed. Work had been nerve-wracking. Nothing was different, per se, but she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched all day long. It had felt relieving to clock out at the end of the day and go home, where she had a load of chores to accomplish.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡybwTgjRy7q 維尼

In response to his remark on an outfit, Riley shook her head. "Is there a certain dress code or something?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡs176IqkYFn 維尼

"What? No way, you can wear whatever the hell you want."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKRp7RqN3B 維尼

She was having a hard time seeing the significance. "Ok, then I'll just go in a t-shirt and jeans or something."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnvYAi8niZ 維尼

Wrench gave an amused and disappointed laugh. "No, no no…this is a festival! The whole point is to express yourself in a way you don't get to on a daily basis! Come on, Riley. Promise me you'll try."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnjt85fXgp 維尼

The brunette laughed, amused by how much this thing apparently meant to Wrench. "Ok, ok! Jeez, I'll try to find something that 'expresses my inner desires,' or something. Calm down."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡkINLDEJTN2 維尼

"Awesome! If you need ideas, I'm sure Sitara could help. She's all about representing a certain image and all that." He offered, sounding pleased that she agreed. "Either way, I gotta go. Stuff to break and things to destroy."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡcewZnzjolO 維尼

"Have fun." Riley said with a smile, turning off the comm channel. She was thrown back into the quiet of her apartment, the only sound being Pants' loud purring from the couch, and the low volume on the tv, which was showing some documentary about sharks.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfkixEM0iT 維尼

The journalist had to think on everything. A festival? She'd never been to one before. Burning Man was famous for its specific aesthetic, she wondered how similar Swelter Skelter was. The last thing she wanted to do was show up in something too outlandish for the event.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡboYCdI50R4 維尼

Riley honestly didn't have any ideas as to where to start for an outfit. Maybe Wrench was right. Perhaps Sitara could help. Would she be annoyed by her asking, though? Hesitantly, Riley patched into the frequency she knew was for Sitara, and waited for a response.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQIblotspY 維尼

"You rang?" She said expectantly after several moments. The brunette was caught off guard and stuttered a moment.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡpipIyeLxQf 維尼

"H-hey, Sitara. It's Riley."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuPCKT4sHG 維尼

She laughed with mirth. "I know. I had a feeling you'd be calling."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52TqWMZmJl 維尼

"Really?" Maybe Wrench had said something to her.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡem3XaQ4oLA 維尼

"Oh yeah. You need help with something to wear to Swelter Skelter, right?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡCobvy6C8ie 維尼

Ok, he must have said something to the hacker, because otherwise how would she have known all of this. Shrugging, Riley finished up the last of the pants in her laundry basket8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw3vjbgD5Q 維尼

"Well, yeah. I've never gone before, and I don't want to show up being the laughing stock of the party."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnbAfXtbPr 維尼

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Sitara chuckled, amused by her worry. "It's sort of an anything goes environment."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sKIrD1nEu 維尼

"Well, that's a bit relieving."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH9VQH5fDj 維尼

"If you're free after work tomorrow, meet me at Elsewhere Vintage and we can do a bit of shopping."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVzRJoHeqW 維尼

Riley knew the thrift store, and nodded. "Ok, sounds good."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjsb5lD1vF 維尼

"Awesome. I'll see you there." The hacker said in a sing-song tone, before disconnecting the line.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBzNVi94WN 維尼

"What exactly are we looking for?" Riley inquired, following Sitara through the rows and rows of clothing in the thrift store. The racks weren't organized at all by size or color, but just thrown together based on what sort of item of clothing it was. Right now, they were looking through the skirts for anything that jumped out to her.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHHMz5UJiD 維尼

"I don't know, that's all up to you, girl." Sitara said, eyes skimming the racks for something she might like too. "What are you trying to go for?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPQqaqqL45 維尼

"Uh…" Riley didn't know what to say. She was still almost entirely in the dark about this festival. All she knew was that you could wear whatever you wanted, but that honestly wasn't much help. There were too many options.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DQZax8aex 維尼

Sitara rolled her eyes and shook her head, putting down the skirt she'd been examining and turned to face the brunette. "Alright, looks like we need to make some decisions. If you could pick a theme for this outfit, what would you want it to be?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0DVLD8HDd 維尼

"A theme?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vr0qzoLby 維尼

Sitara gestured with her hands. "Yeah, like…superhero, goddess, native, weird…what speaks to you?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2HY95WflQ 維尼

Riley hadn't thought of it like that. So, maybe this was like…cosplay, in a sense. But not in a costume-y kind of way. Hmm. That made things a bit easier. But if she could only choose one…8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TGwW8hgow 維尼

"Well," she started, hoping her idea wouldn't sound stupid, "I've always loved Greek and Roman mythology…" She looked over and saw the hacker nodding slowly, eyes faraway as if imagining it all put together.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3vGn55u4K 維尼

"Ok…goddess it is. I can work with that." She grabbed Riley's hand and dragged her over the dress rack, searching with a newfound determination now that she had an idea to start with. The brunette joined her, a bit more excited for how it would all turn out.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡUENrd7ItvE 維尼

"One last question." Sitara said, a mischievous smile in place. She pulled two different dresses from the rack, a floor length one that reached to the floor, and one that could barely qualify as a dress because of the lack of length and material. "How much skin are you willing to show?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnBBY9WgI5 維尼

The rest of her work week went by pretty quickly, probably because Riley was so excited to go to this festival. Sitara had helped her put together her outfit, and she was really proud of how it turned out. Not too costume-y, but just enough inspiration to know what it was supposed to be.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtgQpvtTjI 維尼

Friday night rolled around and Riley got into her outfit. She examined the gold gladiator shoes that wrapped up her calf and thigh. The short, plain white dress was longer in the back, giving her some comfort that no one would be able to see her underwear, but was still risqué enough to attract interest. it was adorned with dozens of cheap, dangling jewels and tassels. The plastic laurel they'd made on the 3D printer at the hackerspace, painted gold, sat in her hair, which was straightened and flowed down her back.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMswkwCZhj 維尼

All in all, she liked what she saw in the mirror. This Riley was adventure-seeking and a bit more…open with who she was. Maybe this whole festival would help her break her shell a little, especially around the DedSec team.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIM4uVuXhD 維尼

Speak of the devils, her phone vibrated, Marcus letting her know they had arrived to her apartment. Instead of all driving separately, they'd decided to go together. Marcus said it was to help them all bond. She had a feeling it was so no one could leave early. Grabbing her phone and house keys, she was out the door in no time.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu1ZRSaCpN 維尼

"Hey!" Marcus called from the driver's seat, raising a hand when she descended the stairs. "Looking good, Riley!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCANLKcJrl 維尼

"Thanks." She said, smiling proudly. Sitara sat in the passenger seat, nodding in appreciation of her own handiwork. The side door of the van rolled open, revealing Josh. He shimmied over so she could take the seat there, and she shut the door behind her.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbB7IewhrU 維尼

"Hey. Nice outfit." She said to Josh, who was rocking a pretty rad mullet and bandana. He smiled a little in response.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ8dhmCNMJ 維尼

Wrench popped his head out from the very backseat, his hood now sporting a spiky mohawk down the middle. "Whatever you do, don't call him MacGyver." He whispered, an amused expression on his mask. Josh turned around to glare at him, obviously not fond of the nickname Wrench had decided to give him.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡotZPTTwdqm 維尼

"Alright, gang, settle down back there. It's a bit of a drive and I don't want to have to turn around." Marcus joked, throwing the van into drive and sending them off towards the exit to her apartment complex.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1cSklY9qI 維尼

"Whatever you say, Dad." Riley couldn't help but reply. Marcus raised a brow and glanced at her in the rearview mirror.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQbYYe3PPa 維尼

"Don't talk back to me in that tone of voice, young lady."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡycjxxcfx6q 維尼

Wrench laughed and leaned forward again. "Are we there yet?" He asked in an annoying voice. Riley joined in, smirking devilishly.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbyjGbcr7C 維尼

"Anyone want to play I-Spy?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmXluFqEw6 維尼

Josh closed his eyes and sighed, obviously not amused. "Please drive faster."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡli2Qv9u6Bx 維尼

The sun had still be hovering over the horizon when they left San Fransisco, but by the time they made it to the desert, it was blatantly night time with stars shining bright in the sky. Away from all the light pollution, it was quite a sight to see. Riley found herself just watching them as they kept driving.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVXdCdZIA6 維尼

Marcus took an exit off of the main highway, and Riley could see a large encampment with torches and tents off in the distance. They travelled along a dirt road for several minutes to get there, finally parking in a large marked-off lot where over a hundred other cars were. This thing was a lot more popular than Riley expected.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9LNelAwdo 維尼

They slowed to a stop in one of the spots. Riley stood to the side and waited for the others to pile out of the van. After Josh, Wrench squeezed out from the back seat, standing straight once he cleared the door. Her eyes widened, seeing his full outfit for the first time. He was wearing a sort of football-style armor, with wide shoulder plates. The spiked man-thong was not at all what she'd expected. She looked away rapidly, her cheeks probably flaming red by now.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSgb09GEdG 維尼

Thankfully, nobody really noticed, too enthralled by their surroundings to pay her any attention. The entrance to the festival grounds was a large, wooden gate-like structure. Torches were places on the insides to mark the path, and the gang all walked towards it. Beyond that, hundreds of tents and RVs dotted the grounds.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6IyK1qftT 維尼

"Here we go!" Wrench said, looking around in anticipation. He turned to Riley and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you the best parts. Come on!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BFoWCkQL3 維尼

"O-oh, ok?" She allowed herself to be dragged ahead of the others by the hand. She glanced back, seeing a knowing smirk on Marcus' face, while Sitara and Josh were looking elsewhere and paid her no attention.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qTz0ofyiR 維尼

People danced and milled about the place. Riley began to feel a bit better about her outfit. Some people were dressed in furs and spandex, jeweled beads and sparkles all over their bodies. One woman wasn't even wearing anything from the waist up, a few mardi gras beads hanging around her neck but otherwise nothing else.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGxMbkbjZz 維尼

"Check this out!" He said, pointing ahead of them towards a giant, lit-up statue in the center of the grounds.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡN79eXytbAA 維尼

"What is that?" Riley asked, squinting a bit to try seeing it clearer. It appeared to be the head of a big dragon, but it seemed so out of place. Although, now that she thought about it, 'out of place' seemed to be a running theme for this whole festival.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzfxFbEUr8 維尼

"It's the hacking challenge." He explained, turning a happy expression towards her. "Each year it's something different. Like, last year? A giant unicorn. Coolest thing ever."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡakFvfgvfNU 維尼

"Sounds like it." She smiled, walking beside him. She still had a hard time not looking down at his spiked, uh…well, she just had a hard time keeping her eyes in an appropriate place. Plus, the tattoos that looked self-administered were distracting too. The scratchy 'WRENCH' tattoo right in the middle of his chest kept catching her eye. She just hoped that he didn't notice. It already felt like a permanent blush marked her cheeks. No need to make it worse.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgwDN5Wtnc 維尼

Trying not to make it obvious she was only half paying attention, she gestured to the statue again. "Are we participating this year?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIwsw9CH4D 維尼

He gave a shrug. "Eh. Maybe. I'm sure Marcus will try to rally us into joining. That's just what he does."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhei875mQa 維尼

"He just wants the group to stay together. You can't blame him." She added, knowing he probably intended for this festival to get the gang back into the spirit of things.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3zAKCFyR7 維尼

"Oh, I know. I don't blame him for it. I just can't match his unending positivity sometimes." Wrench admitted, sending her a quick wink out of the corner of his eye. Riley laughed.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKHKn8AUdu 維尼

"You're just a big ball of pessimism? Is that it?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡXN8Qua0Yws 維尼

"You know it." Came his sing song reply.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMVATOWSZi 維尼

After she'd gotten a good look at the statue, Wrench lead her through the rows of tents that surrounded it, exploring Swelter Skelter to get her familiar with the place. Some tents had their own personal radios set up, where people danced or talked casually to each other around. It was a very comfortable and carefree environment, one that Riley could appreciate.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0KTWJiwhL 維尼

"Isn't this place great?" Wrench asked with question marks in his eyes, waving a hand around them to indicate all the tents.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJ4mX7nzDh 維尼

"Oh yeah." She assured, giving him a wide smile. "Thanks for showing me around, by the way. I'm sure you'd rather do your own thing."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFIM62QXq3 維尼

His mask became two exclamation points. "I'm still having fun. Besides, we've got all night to enjoy this place. You're fine."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡQapSG3NiX9 維尼

Riley felt a warm sensation in her chest, knowing that Wrench didn't mind tagging along with her to show her the place. And that he was having fun spending time with her. It boosted her confidence and, just a little, gave her hope.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡhl6CDMH4fb 維尼

"Take that disgusting PDA shit somewhere else, you losers." Someone said, gaining both of their attentions. Riley didn't recognize the person, but Wrench apparently did because he sighed and crossed his arms.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzgjHjHyva 維尼

"Lenni." He said with obvious distaste, the exclamation points rapidly flashing into annoyed slashes. This 'Lenni' must have been someone in the hacker community, otherwise why would Wrench care about them? She was dressed in a corset and skirt which brushed the sand. She took a drag of her vape, blowing it rudely towards their faces.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjbpouCN3R 維尼

"What's up…uh…DedSec's mascot, right?" She grinned, shrugging like she didn't give a damn who he was. Riley frowned, completely caught off guard by her rude demeanor and hurtful words. Lenni must have seen her staring, and gestured to the brunette. "And what are you supposed to be, 'Walk-of-Shame' Barbie?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxT8oND9zJ 維尼

Wrench stepped forward with angry slashes. Riley, who normally wasn't too quick to come up with quick replies to things like that, actually had one in mind, and she gave a chuckle. "I have your wardrobe to thank for inspiration. Just a little less slutty is all."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡck8r1no0Jh 維尼

"Nice!" Wrench whispered, throwing her a fist bump.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XrRhDsgcL 維尼

Lenni raised a brow, unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah, cheerleader. You laugh it up. When the time comes, you won't have a reason to laugh about it."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3fEcAppx9 維尼

"Is that a fucking threat?" He hissed, getting a little closer into her personal space. She stepped back and held up her hands.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡh47dAzdhQF 維尼

"Woah, woah! Swelter Skelter's neutral ground, bitch. You can't do a damn thing here. DedSec wouldn't want to lose face by being kicked out of the festival for fighting outside the arena, now would they?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡanYzrKy5fK 維尼

Wrench grumbled and retreated back beside Riley. Sitara would have a field day if something like that happened. DedSec was already in hot water with this whole Dušan thing. Wrench didn't want to make it worse that it already was.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPHeQv0f9j 維尼

"You sure do like to talk shit when there's no risk of retaliation, don't you?" He said, a strange tone in his voice. She wondered what he had in mind. "Just remember that DedSec has gone after you before and won. We'll do it again."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡIE2ObtDYUE 維尼

"Ooh, I'm so scared. DedSec's gonna get me." Lenni mimicked in a childish voice with waving fingers, then deadpanned. "Shaking in my fucking boots."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeezhFIVGe 維尼

The conversation had devolved into a glaring fest, and Riley tugged on Wrench's arm. "Come on. You haven't shown me the rest of the festival yet." She said, hoping it would gear him into leaving.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1xcRB4nVS 維尼

He stared at her a few seconds longer, but she merely grinned back, knowing Wrench was just itching to throw a punch. "Yeah, I haven't. Let's go." He told her, turning and walking towards the arena.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7segy9SCWF 維尼

They both heard Lenni yell after them from behind. "That's right! Turn tail and run, DedSec bitches! Not so tough when you're not behind your computer screens, are you?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sBYRUfbIX 維尼

Wrench clenched his fist at his side, but Riley laid a calming hand over it. "Just let it go. She's obviously trying to rile you up."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3Ym02Ozi3 維尼

"Yeah, well, it's working…" He muttered darkly with angry slashes on his mask. 8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡnk625DVYeo 維尼

"Who was that anyway?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2SURbeyoB 維尼

"Lenni. Leader of Prime_Eight."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡfISfyOoJ71 維尼

She'd heard of the group before, but hadn't really run into them as of yet. But if Lenni herself was any first impression, she didn't want to have anything to do with them. Wrench was obviously still pissed, however his hand did relax in hers after walking a ways, and she finally let go. She could have sworn he reached for it after hers pulled away, but then it swung naturally at his side. Damn. Maybe her brain was imagining things.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tn4B11lg3 維尼

They spent some time walking around the place, with Wrench pointing out the best tents for food, and which ones to avoid. More than one they heard the erotic moans of sexual activity in nearby tents as they passed and they both tried ignoring it as best they could. The thought felt awkward in each other's company.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡJplpuG84dz 維尼

Eventually, they wrapped around to the opposite edge of the festival grounds, and Riley began hearing manly yells and the cheers of a crowd. "What is going on over here?" She ventured to ask. Looking over at Wrench, she noticed the happy expression had returned, and he perked up excitedly.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkCV5wGBS3 維尼

"The best part of Swelter Skelter!" With that, he grabbed her hand and dragged her closer to where all the commotion was. A large, geodesic metal dome with panelling over most of it stood in front of them. A crowd had gathered around the portions that were open.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVzh6xacZ4 維尼

Sounds of pain and triumph came from inside the dome, and the crowd cheered again. Wrench guided them to the other side, where less people were gathered, and brought them up to the edge of the dome.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbhA0diSck 維尼

Inside, two men dressed in makeshift 'armor' slowly circled each other, swords brandished at each other. Both were bruised and intent on catching the other off guard.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JBKPXxM1u 維尼

"This is the best part of Swelter Skelter?" She asked incredulously. As she spoke, one of the men lunged forward and tried swinging at the other, but his opponent sidestepped out of the way and kicked the other guy in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. Riley winced. That looked painful.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77inoXzesm 維尼

"Yeah!" Wrench shouted, clapping his hands together and cheering the violence on. Then, he turned her way. "Hell yeah. It's called The War Room!" He shouted over the cheers of the crowd.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡhStN77EbIS 維尼

"Do you ever participate?" She asked over the noise, seeing he was dressed rather similarly to those in the arena.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmJwQJ9jE5 維尼

"Sometimes!" He gave a wink, before turning back to the fight. One guy was able to pin the other to the ground, and was landing punch after punch into his face.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9lq7y7lVL 維尼

Normally she wasn't one for wrestling shows or anything like that, thinking it wasn't all that entertaining, and mostly just for show. Hell, half of these programs were probably scripted. But seeing a real fight like this so up close, with the crowd around her jumping and screaming and bloodthirsty…it was surreal. She found herself yelling in encouragement for them to whack each other after too long, feeling a strange surge of satisfaction when one guy attacked the other.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56NcnoyIhN 維尼

Finally, one guy had enough, and stayed down after being smacked squarely in the face by one of the swords. He lay still, and the crowd cheered the victor. He held up his hands, yelling his battle cry into the air. The referees helped drag the unconscious fighter out of the ring, and someone else took his place. A scrawny guy who looked half the size of the victor.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPj0yih9Md 維尼

"He is so going down." Riley said, shaking her head certainly.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLhBrQvs7n 維尼

"Yuup. He's got no chance." Wrench predicted.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbzrZvFCkf 維尼

The battle commenced, and the little guy tried skirting around to a side that might favor him more. However, the dome had nothing in it besides them, and the victor waited patiently for him to make his first move. He was cocky, which could be a weakness, but the smaller opponent clearly didn't have all that much strength. Why had he entered to begin with?8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSZjGcBoVF 維尼

The smaller one lunged outwards with the sword, trying to catch the bigger guy off guard. He seemed to somewhat, staggering him backwards a few steps, and he laid on the attack.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeN3U0U50u 維尼

"Come on, motherfucker!" Wrench screamed, pounding on the metal bars eagerly. Riley joined in, eyes glued to the action.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWABqO4XIT 維尼

The bigger guy seemed to recover from his initial shock, and began advancing with his own attack. The little guy had one advantage. He was smaller and much quicker, able to escape his grasp easily. The bigger guy had a hard time landing any sort of substantial hit. And then, the smaller guy tripped, giving the bigger opponent a perfect opening to backhand the sword straight across his face, sending him reeling.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVhu8AZkCJ 維尼

"Woo! Mama said knock you out!" Wrench cheered.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TqS1QRLPK 維尼

"Give 'em hell!" Riley called, pumping her fist in the air.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB40JQUs9l 維尼

Marcus walked up beside them, silently watching the match. "This isn't a fair fight." He stated, eyebrow raised in observation.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpDCngoSWD 維尼

"Oh, it's so not fair. Little guy's gonna get the shit kicked out of him. But that's what makes it fun, right? We like to watch the little guy take his lumps." He gestured to the arena as example, where the little guy was struggling to kick his way out of a chokehold the bigger guy had put him in. The crowd was going wild.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡia3jjD9qLJ 維尼

"Yeah…I mean, so he can get back up on his feet again and overcome…right?" Marcus smiled hopefully, spreading his hands in a silent plea for agreement. Riley tilted her head, squinting a bit. This sounded awfully familiar.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNIroUVuaQ 維尼

Wrench crossed his arms and cocked a hip, his mask switching to an accusatory expression. "You're trying to turn this into a metaphor for DedSec, aren't you?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9whczUSAo 維尼

Marcus chuckled and shrugged, knowing he'd been caught. "You got me there."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KyyAQAg7W 維尼

Wrench sighed and shook his head. "I mean, if you want to keep DedSec going, I'm right there with you. But…" he turned and pointed at the smaller man inside the ring, who was struggling to stand his own against an onslaught of attacks from the bigger man's sword, "if you're putting your metaphor money on that weirdo? No. He's going down and staying down."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6xSwTAY6c 維尼

Riley saw Marcus look into the ring, then nod his head, conceding the point. "Yeah, it's a long shot." He paused and pointed at him. "Hey, are you joining us for the competition?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJ6BlZHFEw 維尼

"Yup, I'm down."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8pjaiWf89 維尼

Riley saw him gesture to her, cocking his head in the same question. She shrugged. "Of course. What would Swelter Skelter be without the hacking challenge, right? Sounds like an important tradition, anyway." She answered, sending a slanting glance Wrench's way. He perked up in a happy expression.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡB67QN9vvZf 維尼

"Sounds good." Marcus said, clapping his hands together, walking backwards away from them. Then he gestured between them both. "I'll meet you in the center before it starts."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡvE4eVwrJRE 維尼

He faded into the crowd, and Wrench turned towards Riley, his happy expression returning. "So, how's it feel to officially be part of DedSec now? We don't ask just anyone to compete with us, you know."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWojh2ssLM 維尼

Riley felt a surge of warmth, and smiled. She could feel her cheeks going red. "It's…really nice. I'm glad that I'm part of a group like you guys." The brunette looked up towards Wrench earnestly, holding his gaze.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX8hEy3c3M 維尼

He gave a nervous laugh, finally looking back towards the arena. "Me too."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZ5P97clbv 維尼

Wrench and Riley watched a few more rounds of the arena fights, before heading off towards the dragon sculpture for the group picture when the announcer initiated the final call for competitors. They found the others already standing the by dragon, and ran up to join.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡPowM5f2Av9 維尼

"Alright people, gather up. We need a group shot." Marcus said, holding up his phone on a selfie stick. DedSec all bunched up together. Riley found herself wedged between Josh and Wrench. The masked hacker had an arm draped over her shoulders, the other flashing a peace sign.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUYPgPraVM 維尼

Marcus posed, holding the stick out to get them all in the picture. "Try to look pretty for the camera, huh?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpKoqYdWZJ 維尼

"Always." Wrench promised, causing her to laugh. Riley sported a wide smile, and held it until the phone clicked. They all separated, relaxing after striking their poses.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdDBd7Fu3R 維尼

Marcus put away the selfie stick and rubbing his hands together. "Ok, looks like the challenge is starting. Josh." He said, pointing to him. "Get on those numbers and feed it answers. Wrench, you've got the Jabberwock. Get it wired up and ready. Riley, I need you to run interference on our rivals. Slow 'em down."8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAUvrqyK8D 維尼

They each nodded, content with the taste they were given. He held out his fist, and they all bumped their own against his. "Sitara and I are gonna hack this thing. Let's get it, DedSec!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq6l89Abuy 維尼

They all cheered, moving off to get into position.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡYa2uOnq7ad 維尼

The challenge honestly wasn't that hard. Riley spent the whole time sending junk code into their rival's lines, causing their systems to reset multiple times. She laughed to herself, hearing them off in the distance cursing and groaning. Obviously they weren't too happy with their lack of progress.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡX22YIwQUwX 維尼

In the meantime, Marcus was using the drone to try getting to nodes from above, giving them an advantage. Wrench worked on the Jabberwock itself, unlocking it's inside mechanics so they would properly function once it was hacked. Sitara helped slow down the reset codes, giving Marcus more time to work. And Josh was running dialogues of code, allowing them access into the system. It was all a well-working system. The team was amazing together.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡjG7Xi5Xsa7 維尼

As soon as Marcus got all the nodes aligned and hacked, the dragon came alive. Steam shot out of the scales along its back, and flame flared out of its mouth for a dozen feet. Riley jumped, not expecting quite a spectacular reaction. The announcer came on again over the sound of cheering.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSvdXLChDn 維尼

"The Jabberwock challenge has been solved! Congratulations, winners!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7KICZNuho 維尼

DedSec formed up again at the mouth of the dragon, watching as it lit up and roared. Wrench was backing up a few paces, his hands wide. "Uh, guys? Back up, guys. It's gonna catch on fire. Back up!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡoD3afviPbx 維尼

This others did as told, but Josh looked confused. "Wait, how do you know?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkQ7zyjRuV 維尼

He pointed at the mouth. "Because it has to catch on fire. It can't not catch on fire!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2bjqzqeVI 維尼

Riley smiled, enjoying his reasoning. Within moments, the mouth was shooting out more flames, directly over their heads. The heat was almost painful, and they shielded their faces from it.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8cnS2a6T6 維尼

"Told you!' He shouted.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Z9bukPuCP 維尼

Marcus slapped Wrench's shoulder several times, smiling wide. "That is dope as fuck!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZV8T5vElLe 維尼

"The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame!" Sitara called, waving her hand in a dramatic flourish.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡUso7GJvLJQ 維尼

"WHO ARE YOU?" The dragon roared, and DedSec all responded.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTsblsvXzF 維尼

"I'm Josh!" "Sitara! Hi!" "Wrench!" "I'm Riley!"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nxKkKGnky 維尼

"That's good, I'm Marcus! Who are you?" He called.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡl61Ca0EMvM 維尼

"I'm Ray." Said a male voice behind them. Surprised, they all turned, seeing a man dressed in what appeared to be a ringmaster outfit. His face was painted with black bleeding eyes, and he wore a top hat with goggles on his head, covering a head of brown dreadlocks.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAIvu7fO90 維尼

He stepped between them, forward towards the dragon. "I should have put more juice in it's-"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQByxmNOmB 維尼

The flames shot out again, making his jump back out of surprise. He waved it off and turned back towards them, holding up a little bag. "Hey, you kids wanna feed your heads?"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1MwLsR284 維尼

The group was silent, watching him begin to walk away. "Two ounces of sacrosanct mindfuck!" He added, waving it a little behind him.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY6vx5X6sA 維尼

Riley met the gazes of the others, and they shrugged, finally heading in his direction.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡUehlOggXoC 維尼

The others eagerly took from the bag of shrooms that Ray offered them, but Riley paused, staring at the bag in uncertainty. Wrench sat beside her, gently tapping her shoulder.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FoDo8HFaf 維尼

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Nobody's gonna make you take some." He offered quietly, knowing that her history with her mom could still be a sore spot. She stared into his mask, knowing that it was true. No one was making her do anything. Riley didn't feel any pressure whatsoever.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLRL0JO81N 維尼

And yet the strangest part was she kind of wanted to try them. She'd hated the effects hard drugs had had on her mom, but Riley was tired. Honestly, just so tired of all the working she'd been doing, all the effort and focus put into taking these companies down…she could use a break.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgYSl41DLz 維尼

Wasn't it healthy to make questionable decisions sometimes? A single person couldn't be sensible their whole lives. Why not do something stupid just for the sake of doing so? She might regret it in the morning. She might regret it for her whole life. But that was life. Why not? Riley finally shrugged, smiling a tiny smile as she took from the bag Ray offered. Wrench watched silently, finally taking from the bag himself.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzeLyfwMSW 維尼

Riley timidly ate the shrooms, unsure of what to expect. Wrench reached up to lift his mask, and she respectfully looked away. The others all sat there waiting for it to take effect. Sitara and Marcus discussed the challenge with Ray, and Josh sat there with his eyes closed, maybe waiting for the shrooms to kick in.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NyQHelr0v 維尼

It took about a half hour, but Riley finally began noticing the effects. Lights were a little brighter, and colors were more vivid and 3-dimensional. As if popping out in her face. "Woah…" She muttered, slowly turning her head and inspecting her surroundings.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEJFcltZEE 維尼

Beside her, Wrench sat and slowly waved his hands in front of his face, as if trying to push whatever he was seeing out of the way. She giggled, scooting over closer to him. "What do you see?" She asked.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnoUd5mZIX 維尼

"Stars." He said quietly, still trying his best to push them out of the way somehow. "Sooo many stars…"8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdUEe4SHF4 維尼

"Wow…I see…" She squinted, watching before her eyes as Wrench morphed and changed into something else. A horse, with a black flowing mane, and white, glowing eyes. But just the head of a horse, nothing else. In fact, the horse was studded with the same spikes Wrench wore, lining its body. Incredible.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx1L5O1NPa 維尼

Riley reached forward to brush her hand through its mane, gently feeling the hair. It was so soft and…8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jBCtf4hPp 維尼

"People, I am going offline now. See you on the other side…" He muttered to the others, laying down on his back with his legs slightly bent in the air. He reached up towards the sky in a strange position. The horse head slowly went away, and he was back to being Wrench again. She realized she was slowly petting his hood.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mxe3QoMHz 維尼

"I see Riley is feeling it, alright." He said in amusement, but she was only half paying attention.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ3rbIzutr 維尼

"Did I forget to mention that these boomers had a little acid bath?" Ray said with a grin, watching the young hackers all have their little trips. Riley frowned, trying to understand. Acid? Was that going to ruin her brain? She needed that.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBAxJF61SW 維尼

Her attention was dragged back to her surroundings, which were now multiplying and shifting in many different colors. As her vision moved, so did everything else with it, in an endlessly kaleidoscoping effect. It was dizzying and amazing. She lacked the energy to care that it was starting to hurt her head, instead totally focused on the many colors and their vibrancy.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcLN8Bwojn 維尼

"I found Waldo." Wrench muttered beside her, pawing up at the sky. Was he trying to reach Waldo? Riley couldn't see him. Where was he?8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzIhrbSHtV 維尼

"Where?" She asked, laying down beside him and searching as well. All she saw was the infinite stars, and the way they twinkled and danced above her. Oh, how they shone and twinkled. Just like the song. Hey, maybe that was what it meant.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1D4sHGgSx 維尼

"There!" He pointed somewhere random in the sky, and Riley followed his finger. One of the stars looked to be a different color than the rest. Slightly more red. He must be there! It was red!8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvYeeuVGAt 維尼

"You found him!" She slurred, giggling at the sound of her own voice. After several minutes, Riley registered the fact that Marcus and Ray stood up and walked off somewhere, leaving only her and Wrench sitting around the fire pit. Her head lolled to the side, and she looked at Wrench again. Only it wasn't Wrench.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6jKbzYpct 維尼

It was her mom. That black hair was unmistakable. Riley's smile faded. What was she doing here? Why was she here? Wasn't she in Brooklyn? Was this Brooklyn? It wasn't San Fransisco. Where was she?8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8vLGEa5py 維尼

Riley's mom slowly looked over at her and frowned. "You always disappointed me, kid." She said in a harsh whisper, which echoed around in Riley's brain. She placed her hands on her ears, not wanting to hear it. The sound still wormed its way into her hears, and she shut her eyes.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJMYueRxRl 維尼

She could feel tears brimming behind her eyes, her face growing hot from both embarrassment and fear. How had her mom found her? This wasn't supposed to happen.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVjdvLPHXa 維尼

Riley felt the sensation of hands on her face, and she reluctantly opened her eyes, thinking it was her mom, but it was Wrench. She took a breath, glad her mother had left. Glad it was only Wrench beside her. He cradled her face with both hands, kneeling over her with his mask close to her face.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHKkMn06fn 維尼

"Stars…" He muttered, gazing into her eyes. Riley wasn't sure what he was talking about, but the way he stared at her so intently…it made her shudder in strange anticipation. The lights in his mask were so bright. The only thing she could see. He lowered his forehead until it touched her own, resting there for a long time.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKHU7EhVOJ 維尼

As she stared, his mask flickered between several different icons, as if he were feeling so many things at once he didn't know which one to display. Riley felt her breath stutter when they became hearts, but they flickered back over to asterisks, and then hashtags. Never staying on one for too long. But the hearts still consistently came up. Over and over, flickering through the different ones.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkDkZkvm9g 維尼

Neither said a word, but Riley couldn't have found something to say even if she wanted to. Her heart was pounding in her chest—was that the shrooms or their closeness?—and she felt on fire. If she looked down at her arm, it would probably be on fire.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvMnZwWN3o 維尼

After several moments of them breathing heavily—Riley couldn't tell if it was from the extreme heat of the fire, or their raging emotions from the shrooms—Wrench rolled over to the side and landed on his back, reaching up towards the sky again. He groaned, letting his head fall back into the sand below.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGIGqJMKwH 維尼

Riley was feeling tired. How long had they been awake? The moon was still out, but now on the opposite side of the sky. When had it gotten there? The colors were still shifting and changing and morphing in her vision, but they were beginning to lessen, little by little. Riley could barely keep her eyes open. And before she knew it, everything went black, and then there was nothing.8964 copyright protection449ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfDY49SdFu 維尼

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