Introduction

The world we live in is either too big or too small, as some would say. We can hide wherever we want. You could say that one of the most wonderful things about this planet—aside from the borders we've built, things foreign to the nature around us—is the existence of international waters: places forgotten by humankind and occupied by others, where they can do whatever they want without facing real consequences... or at least that's what they believe.

And this group of people was no exception. Luca Valen, Aubrey Holmes, and Olen Young worked every single day of the year to make their dream come true—a dream they'd had since childhood. They wanted to bring into the real world those things they had seen, and even though they weren't from their era, it was clear they had left a mark on their minds. The only one who had actually lived through and seen that video in its time was Olen, yet he was the least excited about it. Still, seeing his teammates happy was enough for him.

Their goal wasn't to change the world or to find a cure for any disease. They just wanted to make the world a little more bearable. They wanted a community, a place where people could truly be themselves, where they could choose their own destiny however they pleased. They simply wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves. But as idealists, they also wanted to take the network that Dillinger Corp had created for its destructive purposes out of their hands. That company was staining the very concept they had of that place. Dillinger Corp didn't see it that way, though—they saw them as spoiled kids with too many whims, nothing more than a pebble in their shoe, a fly that thought it could take down an entire corporation.

What neither side knew was that everything would begin to change that very night. For Luca's group, it was just another routine they repeated every month: breaking into Dillinger Corp's servers, a way of reminding them that the pebble wanted to be noticed. Every 26th, they made their move, and that October was no exception. This time, Luca came up with a way to make Julian stop ignoring them—something that would truly annoy him: disconnecting his servers from the network. It was also the perfect opportunity to test the new code. The Phantom Code—a project Luca had been working on since college—a piece of code capable of infiltrating and colonizing a system like a ghost.

But there was a problem. The place was a disaster. Computers where they shouldn't be, plates from days ago, tangled cables mixed in with working ones, and empty energy drink cans everywhere. It was clear that order was none of their strengths. Still, that didn't stop Luca or anyone else there. Luca sat on a couch inside the small fishing boat, fully focused on the trickery and the lines of code racing across the screen. Aubrey, sitting on the deck with an energy drink in hand, monitored whether the connection was stable. Beside her were weapons, ready in case everything went out of control.

After a while, Aubrey spoke excitedly, looking at Luca and Olen—who was busy handling the technical side of the mission, fixing loose cables just in case something went wrong. Almost shouting, she said, "The connection is stable. Finally... we're in the game."

Luca and Aubrey focused on making sure the connection didn't drop. From that moment on, Luca warned them, "We can't let them know who we are. From now on, we use our aliases." After finishing the connection, he added with a hint of nervousness in his voice, trying not to show it, "If we manage to find the code that connects Dillinger Corp's entire network..." He sighed and looked at them. "We'll have to be fast using the Phantom Code."

Aubrey began preparing the weapons while watching the screen. With a voice filled with anxiety, she said, "All I want is for that bastard not to find us. I don't know what I'll do if he does. I just hope I don't fail when I aim at his head. But I know Luca's code will work—he's the best."

Luca just smiled, as if he knew that wouldn't happen, never taking his eyes off the screen. "That's not going to happen. He's doing CEO stuff—probably too busy looking good, or pretending to be something he's not. What I do know is that he's showing his weak side, and we can't waste this opportunity. He's leaving the front door open, and it would be stupid not to walk right in." He glanced at Aubrey's weapons. "I don't think we'll need those. After all, we're just checking out his house, like we do every month."

Olen set aside some cables and said, "But... do we at least know what to do if Julian notices? It wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan. You always have to be prepared, because I'm going to be pissed if this goes wrong, bro. It took me forever to fix these cables—and just to remind you, we're not a maintenance crew."

Luca replied confidently, "That's not going to happen, operator. You'll see. I always have everything under control..."

Aubrey looked at him and said, "You never say that."

The plan was going just as Luca had imagined. But as in life, not everything can go right. They'd had three months of good luck, and that day, life decided the streak would end. It was time to use the Phantom Code, stored on a flash drive—but there was a problem. Chaos was about to teach them a lesson. Luca held out his hand to Olen, expecting him to pass the drive. "The drive, operator."

Olen stared at Luca, scratching his head, trying to remember where he'd put it. All he could see were broken cables, cups, trash, coffee mugs, a pencil he'd been looking for last week—but not the drive Luca needed. During that time, Julian realized what they were trying to do, and thanks to their mess, he found them.

All because hours earlier, Olen had been in the room eating a sandwich while organizing cables and computers, blasting music at full volume. The drive had slipped under the same couch Luca was sitting on. But in moments of panic, no one thinks clearly. When Luca realized Olen had lost the drive, he felt the air leave his lungs as anxiety took over his body. Still, like any leader trying to keep control, he said, "This isn't the time to cry. We made a mistake..."