Not Quite Back to the Future

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting its final hues of orange and pink across the cityscape, a sudden and eerie transformation enveloped the district of Pacifica. The lights did not turn on as darkness shrouded the city. It was a cyberattack on an unprecedented scale, something that even Madame Brigitte found unsettling because very few humans were capable of this, and it was more than likely an AI whose ire they had drawn upon themselves.

Placide, his gaze fixed on the screens displaying the encroaching darkness, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. This was no ordinary attack; it was a calculated strike by an adversary capable of challenging the very essence of the Voodoo Boys' power.

Brigitte's voice cut through the silence. "Placide, have we done anything to anger an AI recently?"

Crackling voices occasionally spoke over the net, yet all that could be picked up on was a message of chaos and confusion. The residents of Pacifica, disconnected from the Voodoo Boys' network, were left in the dark, both literally and figuratively. Panic and fear permeated through the occasional blips that had managed to pierce the code blanketing the district, pleas for guidance.

"Voodoo Boys, we need help! What's happening? Where are the lights? Someone, please, answer!"

That was the usual message, although there were also just screams, sometimes pure static, and occasionally one would come through, picking up the sound of what could only be a powerful gun.

Placide looked at Brigitte, unsure of what to do.

Brigitte's eyes flickered with a mix of frustration and anger. The chaos unfolding in Pacifica defied their usual methods of control. Placide’s constant interruptions did not help, and to top it off, the entity on their network was thwarting her every move. It was a miracle she hadn’t been fried by the entity on the net.

"Placide, we must act swiftly. Trace the source of this attack. We need to reset the network to order and calm the fears of our people," Brigitte said, her anger evident.

Placide nodded, a determined expression etched across his face. His fingers danced across the holographic interface as he initiated a deeper dive into the Net, sending probes and packet attacks. Yet, nothing was happening. It wasn't until he sent a ping that he finally got something back.

“Brigitte, it's coming from inside,” Placide says his voice echoing his disbelief. 

"Inside? How is that possible?" Brigitte exclaimed, her voice echoing the enforcers opinion of the situation.

“Maybe you should check inside.” A voice says from behind them

The pair flip around to see a set of glowing red eyes staring directly into their souls. It is the view of death gazing down upon them, the mere mortals they were. 

“Who?” Placide asks only for his question to be cut off from a loud echoy and deafening bark from Helen’s Byura the Comrade’s Hammer making mincemeat of Placide’s upper torso. 

“You took something from me.” Helen states calmly although to Brigitte the sound of Helen’s utterly calm voice with the background of ringing could only set off her paranoia. 

“I was unaware that the cat was your’s however the blue feline had escaped from us but minutes ago.” Brigitte

“The girl. Where is the girl.” Helen states flatly leveling a lexington at Brigitte’s knee pulling the trigger instantly. 

Brigitte falls to the ground her legs giving out on her. Blue synthetic blood pooling on the ground. 

"The girl. Where is the girl?"

Brigitte hesitated for a moment, considering her words carefully. The truth had a price, and she was unsure if honesty would spare her from the impending wrath of the figure of death infront of her.

"I cannot give you what I do not have. The girl is not here," Brigitte replied, her voice strained with pain.

Helen's cold gaze didn't waver. The Lexington remained fixed on Brigitte, a deadly reminder of death hanging over her.

“Where.” Helen states the anger in her voice palpable due to her vocal implant glitching out. 

“She’s with the Animals at the Grand Imperial Mall.” Brigitte shouts in a panic. 

“Thank you.” Helen states holstering her gun and turning around to walk away. 

The pain in her knee was eclipsed by a surge of realization now was her chance, and she reached for her weapon with a desperate urgency. The air in the room crackled with tension as Brigitte aimed to turn the tables in a final act of defiance.

But her moment of defiance was short-lived.

With a sudden, searing pain, Brigitte screamed, a guttural cry that echoed through the once-secure chamber. The Voodoo Boys' leader convulsed as her cyberdeck, the very core of her being in the Net, was intentionally overheated to a blistering 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

One final yelp of pain eched out as the room filled with the smell of cooked ground beef.