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Jazz grabbed the top of her head with both hands and let out a long “Grrrr” at the screens.

She checked her firewall protections and saw they were secure.

She’d built them herself, strong enough to withstand photon torpedoes.

This guy… person… whoever was messaging her hadn’t tried to batter his way into her computer.

He did lead the search codes away from her hiding spot.

Was he legit? She felt like the person behind the screen was male, but she didn’t have anything to go on other than instinct.

What did her instinct tell her now?

She blew upward into her bangs and removed one hand from her head. Her palm came down over the mouse, and before she could talk herself out of it, she clicked the link.

A smaller window opened up, showing lines of code that were all kinds of fucked up.

A worm. This guy was showing her the inner workings of a worm.

Computer worms were different from viruses. They were made to replicate themselves automatically, jamming up networks and jumping from place to place without anyone’s help but its own. This one was a doozy.

Message: Hook your virus to this program. I’ll make a way to insert both into the network.

Anonymous: How do you know this will work? Who are you?

Message: I’ll explain everything once we take this beast down.

The worm is a special program that is designed only to hit and damage certain networks.

When it’s finished, it will destroy most of itself but keep the original line in a safe place.

If the network ever triggers again, it will come out and start over.

Uber-cautious was the keyword of the day, but something about this person made her think he was legit. Gut feelings had helped her in the past, and she’d learned to trust her instincts when it came to certain decisions. But could she do that now? With so much at stake?

Anonymous: What happens if it gets away to other networks?

Message: It won’t. I made it to only recognize this network. Please, we have to do this now before it’s too late.

Jazz’s fingers hovered over the keys, itching to make something happen. Anything. The worm’s language looked complicated as it writhed on the screen. She wished Copperpot was around to advise her, but according to Stud and Table, he wasn’t in good shape.

In the corner of one screen, she spotted the searchers turning and coming back. This time they would find her and trace her.

She said a prayer to whoever might be listening in the universe.

Anonymous: Okay.

Message: Follow my lead.

She stared at the screen. Her vision blurred at the numbers darting ceaselessly across the monitors.

She recognized she was crying aloud but had no idea what emotion made her do it.

Frustration, fear, helplessness, hope, relief someone else was aiding her, or some combination of all the above.

She was almost in a state of euphoria when she saw it.

An opening.

Wide and inviting.

A gate.

Message: Do it now!

She didn’t need him to instruct her, as she was already typing, her fingers hitting the keys heavier with her efforts.

Before she could second-guess herself, she hit Send.

Her hands stilled their frantic movements and hovered over the keyboard.

She watched as the worm burrowed further into the program, her virus riding on its back.

Line by line scrambled and fell away, disappearing somewhere into cyberspace.

“We did it.” Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she sobbed openly now, with no one around to stop her from letting it out.

She felt all squishy, floaty, and a little out of control as she viewed the permanent destruction of this evil network.

The structure was massive, but the worm and virus were unstoppable.

It burned through the scammer codes, decimating it into nothing.

It was slow but thorough, and Jazz was actually impressed with its ingenuity and finesse.

A message popped up.

Message: It’s done. Check this link when you can.

Jazz sniffed and grabbed the closest cloth object she could reach.

It turned out to be one of Isaac’s burp towels, but at least it was a clean one.

She wiped her face on the dancing elephant in a pink tutu and made a mental note to throw it in the laundry basket. Her hands came back to the keyboard.

Anonymous: Who are you?

The dots stayed still for several minutes, and she was about to give up when they started bouncing.

Message: I’m called Nassar. Kindly check the link. It will expire in ten minutes, so do that now.

So, it was a man, and he gave her his name. It might be fake, but Jazz didn’t think so. The links looked legit, and so far this guy had been a straight shooter. She clicked the link, and it brought her to a bank account.

“Holy shit!” The expletive left her mouth open. There were so many zeroes, she would have to count them to find out how much money was there.

Message: I saw you give back once to those who lost. Here’s a part of what’s owed. I know you’ll do the right thing for the right people.

Jazz’s tears started again.

Anonymous: Yes, I will do that. Since you told me who are, I feel as though I should do the same.

Message: NO! Do not tell me your name or handle. I can’t keep you safe if I know who you are.

Jazz brought the burp towel to her face again with one hand while she typed.

Anonymous: Thank you.

There was really nothing more to say. She sat back in the chair and flipped the elephant towel over her shoulder.

The worm kept moving farther and farther to the margins as the virus rode out its mission of destruction.

When it was over, the worm turned in on itself and disappeared. The code for her virus went with it.

It was truly over.

Well, not yet.

She leaned forward and tapped into the money-stuffed account.

Yes, she knew what to do.

* * *

Nassar let out a long-held breath as the last of the criminal network vanished.

He rapidly typed to erase the last few messages.

The agent in charge had left the room to pee and grab a cup of the swill they called coffee, leaving Nassar just enough time to send a link to Anonymous.

The officer had spent hours watching every keystroke Nassar made during this operation, but the past five minutes was just enough to get the message out about the money.

The constant surveillance was nothing more than what he expected.

The time he’d spent when they first detained and interrogated him was worth this moment.

His plea for asylum was ignored until they decided to take a chance on him.

He’d spent days repeating over and over again how he wanted to help and had the means to do so.

The drive he’d smuggled from the call center so many months ago turned out to be his ticket to freedom; otherwise, he would still be stuck in the specialized prison, praying and hoping for a miracle.

It came in the form of this anonymous user he stumbled onto while the agents watched him hack through the dark web. He didn’t know anything about this person, but something about their mannerisms made him think it was a woman on the other side of the keyboard.

He sensed a trust in her and hoped it wasn’t misguided.

The agents were interested in finding her and recruiting her to their cause. That would paint a big target on her back, bigger than the one she already carried. He hoped his actions would erase it and she could live a long, full life.

The agent entered the room and placed a cup of the noxious brew next to Nassar’s elbow. “You did well today. I don’t know how much of a pardon you’ll get, but I can say that the higher-ups will thank you for your work. Might even offer you a job.”

Nassar breathed a long sigh. “If I have to go to prison, I’ll do that. But I will not do any more of this kind of work. I just want to live a quiet life with my wife and my children.”

The agent took a swig of the brown liquid and grimaced. “Guh. Nasty.” He put the cup down and pulled at his tie. “Uncle Sam might have other plans. It would be in your best interest to listen to him.”

Nassar shook his head. “I will hear the words, but my mind is made up. I can’t be a part of this world anymore. I’ve hurt too many people and should make atonement.”

The other man grunted as he sat heavily in the chair next to Nassar. The plain room was soundproof and hack-proof, so anything said or done would be off the grid. “Atonement, eh? Maybe you should think about that. Wouldn’t working for us be a way to make things right?”

Nassar paused. “I hadn’t thought about it that way. Perhaps I should consider everything before deciding.”

The cybercrimes agent gestured to the keyboard. “What about your buddy there? Think they’d want a job?”

Nassar shook his head. “I don’t know who that person is, where they live, or anything about them. They’re so hidden I cannot find them.”

“That good, eh? We really should recruit that kind of talent.”

“That would be impossible, sir. There’s no way of finding them.”

“You sure?”

Nassar inclined his head. “I am very good at what I do. This person is much better.”

The agent sighed and shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

Nassar’s back relaxed. “There’s nothing left to do with this network. It will never come back.”

“Others will take their place.”

“Yes, they will.”

“That’s what you’ll be doing if you decide to work for us. Taking them down.”

Nassar smiled. “I will rethink my position.”