Cytronica

Fifty-four

Zack sat in his chair, gently swinging it back and forth as a means of comforting himself. It had little effect.

"Zack," a voice thundered.

Once again, it caught the boy off guard. He swivelled around and saw Principal Ramirez standing at the window with Miller by his side.

I'm too late.

"Good afternoon, sir," he stammered.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Ramirez demanded, not wasting time on any pleasantries. "We suspended Cytro, yet here you are, and somehow you've reactivated it. You've broken into the school. So let me ask you: what are you doing?"

Zack's lip quivered. "I ... I don't know," he admitted.

"I can see Hunter's with you. And Justin. Whose bright idea was this? And why aren't you logged in with them?"

There were too many questions for the boy to wrap his head around. "I'm sorry, sir," he eventually mumbled.

"I don't want your apologies," Ramirez fought back. "I want you to open this door immediately."

The boy clenched his fists. "I can't. Not yet."

This took Ramirez by surprise. He glanced at Miller, who was equally as furious. "Let me tell you how this is going to go down," the principal's voice boomed. "You've broken into the academy's server room and hacked into our system. You've essentially launched a cyber attack on a private network. Do you realise this is a crime?"

Zack's entire body was shaking. He nodded sheepishly.

"Then why did you do it?"

The student's mind was racing. He couldn't think of any logical excuse to use. He chose to remain silent instead.

The principal watched the young boy, looking into his eyes, seeing his fear. Ramirez knew that Zack wouldn't be the mastermind behind this.

Which meant he might just be able to end the standoff diplomatically.

"It's Hunter, isn't it?" the principal asked, his tone softer. "He instigated this whole thing, didn't he?"

Even more panic began to set in. Zack didn't know what to say. He couldn't betray his friend.

"What about the others?" Ramirez mentioned. "Priya, Diego, Jiaying. I don't see any of them here. Did they have a hand in this?"

Zack tried to think of an appropriate response. His head started shaking against his will. "No," he said, his own words taking him by surprise. "They didn't do anything."

"So was it Hunter? Did he do this? It's alright, you can tell me."

Zack winced. "I ... I ..."

"It's alright," the principal said again, holding a friendly hand up. "Listen to me carefully, okay? I'm going to give you a choice, and I want you to think hard, because what you say and do from this moment onwards could shape your entire future."

Zack sucked in a gulp of air. "Okay."

"As you can see," Ramirez began, gesturing around him, "there's no one here. No police. Just myself and Mr Miller. Now, if you unlock this door and tell me the truth, I might just forget your involvement in what's happening today."

The boy's eyes widened, his body becoming tenser.

"But if you keep it locked," the head of the academy continued, "I'll be calling the police and the school will press charges against you, Zack. Your future will be ruined before it even begins."

Mr Miller shifted his position, not comfortable with the negotiation. In his opinion, Zack should be punished for his crimes.

"I know what I'd be doing if I were you," Ramirez said. "Now, I know you're a good kid, Zack. And you're smart. You have a whole lifetime ahead. Don't throw it away." His expression hardened again. "You have ten seconds to decide."

"What?" Zack gasped.

"Ten."

"Wait, just give me a minute, please."

"Nine," Ramirez called through the window.

Shit, Zack thought. That wasn't anywhere near long enough to make a decision.

He turned and stared at Hunter's peaceful body, his mind elsewhere.

Hunter was his friend, he thought, and had included him in every decision the Legion had made.

Or did he?

"Eight."

Hunter didn't necessarily care for Zack as a friend, it seemed. The taller boy simply chose to work with whoever served his best interest at any given time of the day. Sometimes that was Zack, but often it was Casey, and lately it was especially Justin.

"Seven," the countdown continued.

Zack was torn. The situation was impossible. There was no way to win.

"Six."

The boy continued watching his friend.

Or at least the person he thought was his friend.

The person who used him to get this far.

The person who exploited their friendship to get his way.

Zack felt sick in his stomach. A part of him wondered if Hunter was ever his friend at all. It was something he'd thought about in the back of his mind numerous times, but he refused to accept it.

On the outside, it seemed like the two shared a deep friendship.

But on the inside, there was nothing. Their relationship was hollow, non-existent.

And if the situation were reversed, Zack knew exactly what decision Hunter would make.

He stood up.

He knew exactly what he had to do.