The meeting place was… unusual, to say the least.
An old, derelict arcade on the outskirts of town, lit only by flickering neon signs and the hum of forgotten game machines.
Elias, Sophia, and Callum parked two blocks away, approaching on foot.
"Are you sure this isn't a setup?" Sophia whispered.
Callum grinned. "Relax. Glitch might look like he sleeps in dumpsters, but he's the real deal."
They pushed open the cracked doors. The musty smell of stale popcorn and dust hit them like a wall.
Then, out of nowhere—
"BOO!"
A skinny figure jumped out from behind a claw machine, making Sophia yelp and Elias instinctively square up.
The figure doubled over laughing.
"Chill! Chill! It's me!" he said between snorts.
Callum chuckled. "Told you he was a psycho."
Henry 'Glitch' Ortega, 30, thin as a stick, light brown skin, messy dark curls, vape pen dangling from his mouth, baggy cargo pants, an oversized hoodie with the words 'I Void Warranties' printed on it.
He had wild eyes, constantly darting, like he was high on caffeine and bad decisions.
"Man, you must be Elias," Glitch said, jabbing a finger at him. "Heard a lot. Mostly that you're about as sociable as a toaster."
Sophia snickered.
"Pleasure," Elias said dryly.
"Don't worry, bro," Glitch said, slapping Elias's back. "Introverts rule the world... silently."
---
In a corner of the arcade, surrounded by dusty DDR machines and busted Pac-Man consoles, Glitch set up a battered laptop and a portable satellite rig.
"Alright, here's the deal," he said, typing furiously, vape pen clouds puffing around him. "Kane's network? Solid. Expensive. Military-grade firewalls."
Sophia looked concerned. "Can you break it?"
Glitch grinned like a madman.
"Sweetheart, I once hacked a drone and had it deliver pizzas across state lines."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"That... sounds both illegal and awesome," Callum said.
"It was delicious," Glitch nodded seriously.
---
As the others worked, Elias stepped away, checking his watch.
A new message blinked:
> Passive Reward Active:
Enhanced Reflexes + Emotional Resilience.
> Special Bonus: Minor Charm Unlock (Effect: Subtle Influence on Others.)
Elias frowned.
Would this make him manipulative?
Or simply more... understood?
He glanced at Sophia, laughing with Callum over some old arcade machine.
Maybe connecting with people wasn't about changing himself.
Maybe it was about letting the walls come down... even just a little.
---
Suddenly, the arcade lights flickered.
The front door burst open.
Three men, armed, masked, and dangerous, stormed in.
"DOWN!" Sophia shouted, shoving Elias behind a pinball machine.
Glitch squealed and threw a joystick at one of the intruders.
"YOU WANNA PLAY? LET'S PLAY!"
Gunfire erupted.
Elias's new reflexes kicked in. He dodged without thinking, grabbing Sophia's hand and pulling her toward the back exit.
Callum tackled one of the thugs with surprising strength, aided by his newfound survival instincts.
Glitch, meanwhile, was screaming bloody murder and wildly swinging a broken chair.
---
They crashed through the back door, sprinting into the night.
Shots rang out behind them, but they didn't stop running until they reached the car.
Breathing hard, Elias slammed the door shut.
"Note to self," Callum panted, "never trust abandoned arcades again."
Sophia leaned back, laughing breathlessly.
"At least now we know," she gasped, "your hacker friend is worth the drama."
Glitch, somehow already in the backseat, grinned.
"Y'all are fun. When do we blow stuff up?"
Elias groaned but smiled.
Maybe — just maybe — they had a fighting chance after all.
---