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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Knight

The virus is spreading through my systems with brutal efficiency. Each line of corrupted code holds Victor’s distinct signature. I’d recognize his work anywhere. It’s elegant and clean, every single aspect designed to adapt and evolve. The same techniques he taught me are now being turned against my own security. And I have no idea how or why .

“Fucking hell!” I slam my hand against the desk as another defense parameter fails. Beside me, Glitch jumps at the sound, but she doesn’t say a word. She’s been quiet for the past forty-five minutes. I’m sure she’s overwhelmed by the chaos of alarms and scrolling errors covering my monitors that only I can read. The constant cascade of red warning messages bathes the room in an ominous glow.

I initiate another containment protocol, completely aware while I’m writing it that it won’t be enough. The virus is learning from each attempt I make to stop it. It’s using my own patterns to predict my next move. Each corrupted system becomes a new vector of attack, as it turns my security measures against me.

“Come on, you bastard.” My fingers fly across multiple keyboards, while I try to isolate infected systems. “Show me what you're really doing.”

The attack pattern shifts, moves to targeting my auxiliary networks. Smart . Take out the backup systems first, which will limit my options for recovery. It’s what I’d do, which means Victor must have been studying my work. Learning how I’ve changed over the years, and finding ways to counter every fucking defense I’ve built.

A power surge makes the lights flicker. Beside me, Glitch makes a small sound, but stays quiet.

Good, I really don’t have the time or the required caffeine intake to deal with hysteria right now.

The virus is spreading faster than I can throw containment measures at it, adapting to each new firewall like it was designed to specifically target my systems, my coding.

Which … of course it fucking was.

A new pattern emerges in the code. My fingers drum against the desk. It’s familiar. Something that shouldn’t be possible.

“Son of a bitch!” It all becomes clear as another system goes dark.

The virus isn’t just attacking my network. It’s rebuilding it. Changing core protocols, and rewriting security parameters.

Victor isn’t trying to destroy my systems. He’s trying to take them over.

“You. Absolute. Fucking . Psychopath.” The words escape through gritted teeth while I reroute power from compromised systems. Each move I make feels like I’m trying to hold back a flood with a paper cup … with a fucking hole in it.

My security feeds start failing, one by one. External cameras go dark first, followed by internal sensors. He’s cutting off awareness of my immediate environment, limiting my ability to monitor potential physical threats. The building’s automated defenses could be compromised next, which will leave us vulnerable to not only whatever he’s got planned, but also anything targeting me from the outside.

That’s not as paranoid as it sounds. In my line of work, you make enemies, and they’re always looking for a way in.

When the virus reaches my communication systems, I consider cutting power to the whole building. But that would trap us. The elevator would stop running, all the doors and windows would lock down, and we’d be left without food or any way of getting out. That needs to be a last resort. Instead, I initiate a partial shutdown, sacrificing non-essential systems to protect the core infrastructure.

“Not this time, you arrogant fucking prick.”

I dive deeper into the infected patterns, trying to predict where it will strike next. The code is too targeted to be random destruction. Each new breach reveals more of Victor’s influence, more evidence to show that he’s been planning this for a long time.

My monitors flicker as another system falls. This virus isn’t just sophisticated, it’s a masterpiece of malicious code. Every component serves multiple functions, each breach opens new avenues of attack. It’s like trying to fight a shadow that keeps changing shape.

The building’s environmental controls become erratic. Temperature fluctuations ripple through the ventilation system, as the virus gains access to more subsystems. It’s going to reach the elevator controls soon. And from there, every piece of technology I’ve used to maintain control of my environment.

An alert catches my attention.

“Fucking fuck .” Someone is trying to access my offshore accounts. But those accounts are secured behind more than just standard protections and have no links to my home system. Let him fucking try. Some lessons will cut deeper than others.

“God fucking damn it!” I launch a more aggressive countermeasure. It’s going to risk damaging my systems, but I can’t see any alternative. The virus adapts immediately. It’s learning, evolving, becoming more efficient with each passing second.

A small sound draws my attention. Glitch has her arms wrapped around her knees, pulled up tight against her chest. Her eyes are fixed on the screens, watching as my world burns down line by corrupted line. She delivered one of the most sophisticated weapons I’ve ever encountered right into the heart of my systems, and she doesn’t understand fucking any of it.

New text scrolls across the display, forming a message in Victor’s private language.

Time to remember your lessons, Black Knight. Can you save them both? It might have to be your systems or the girl. The clock is ticking.

The message fades, replaced by a timer counting down from sixty minutes.

“You theatrical son of a fucking bitch.”

More systems fail. I throw more countermeasures together. The virus isn’t just using my methods, it’s improving on them. Taking everything Victor taught me and everything I’ve created myself, then pushing them beyond what should be possible.

My primary storage array goes offline. Decades of accumulated data now inaccessible. Backup systems fail to respond, already compromised. He’s systematically stripping away every defense, every safeguard, every piece of technology I rely on.

The timer continues its countdown while I fight to contain the spread. Fifty minutes to save my systems … I ignore the second part of his message. I need to figure out how deep this goes.

But his message loops in my mind, a challenge wrapped in binary code. He’s not just testing my technical skills. He’s forcing me to deal with a human element I’ve always avoided.

My screens fill with more errors as another line of defense dies. The virus is inside my core systems now, spreading through protocols I designed myself. Each breach feels personal, like Victor is reaching through time to remind me that every failure to learn a lesson comes with a price.

The building security system is cycling through override protocols. External doors unlock and relock in random patterns. The elevator initiates an emergency shutdown. He’s isolating us, cutting off escape routes, turning my fortress into a prison.

Glitch shifts in her chair. She doesn’t try to run. Doesn’t speak. Just watches in silence. She doesn’t understand the code running across the screen, but she can hear the doors locking and unlocking, and she can feel the temperature rising.

Another system fails. I’m running out of ways to contain this through standard methods. It’s time to try something he won’t expect. Something even Victor didn’t teach me.

“You want to play games with me, old man?” I initiate a new containment protocol. “Fine. Let’s play.”

My fingers move across the keyboards, preparing to launch a counter strike that will either save my systems or destroy them completely.

Game on. Let’s see who is teaching whom.

Sometimes you have to be willing to burn everything down to win.