The Obsidian Key

That seemed like a lighthouse on the dark and deserted station. I stood before the terminal, still catching my breath, and with my heart pounding from that chase through Neo-Aurum's twisting streets. A flurry of questions raced through my mind. What was Nexus, truly? And why had it chosen me?

As if in answer, the screen flickered, and a command prompt appeared:

"Input Authorization Code."

Panic ran wild. I had no code, no means of transmitting myself to whatever waited on the other side of this virtual portal. My fingers hovered hesitantly over the keys as I heard the sound of footsteps walking down the station sounding muffled. Someone was coming.

Adrenaline kicked in. I spun. They walked closer, the three shadows emerging from their hides, cloaks wrapping over their faces. A kind of unhurried grace marked everything about them - scary and comforting, a contradiction that somehow harmonized. The tallest of them came forward, lowering his hood to reveal a triangular face framed by a cascade of black hair. Dark and piercing and calculating were the eyes fixed on mine.

"I see the whispers of Echo brought you here," he said low and steady. "You must be Vinay".

I had nodded nervously, saying I was sure that was projectile complaining of a sudden headache. I glanced at the other two figures. The first was a barrel-chested man with a fierce face and burning green eyes -Ashutosh. The second was a skinny, bespectacled kid who looked more accustomed to sitting in front of a terminal than going into battle. He gave me a halfhearted smile-Neel.

The leader, Shivansh, extended one hand toward the terminal. "You already have the Obsidian Key," he said. "Now that makes you one of us, sir."

The words hit me like a wave. One of them? I didn't even realize they were. "I don't get it," I said, stuttering. "What is this place? What is Nexus?

Shivansh glanced at Ashutosh and turned to me. "Nexus is the last hope for the city," he said. "A network of those who see beyond the shine, who will not allow Titan to dictate to us what is real.".

Pushing his glasses up with a finger, Neel cleared his throat and updated. The Obsidian Key is more than a program. It is a device to gain an entry to the inner goings of Titan, find one's way through all the cracks in its veneer. "I think that it's also a kind of symbol of rebellion, of awakening.

Ashutosh crossed his arms and glared. "It's not a game, Vinay. Once inside, there is no turning back. Titan won't stop until everyone you love is dead."

I pulled back, its words striking home. "Why me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm just a translator. I don't have the skills; I don't have the learning for this.

Shivansh's eyes softened, but his tone didn't. "You find something infinitely more precious perspective. You see what others don't. That's why Echo chose you.""

Just as I was going to respond, the terminal screen stuttered, and the message became:

"Proceed?"

Shivansh looked at me, full of expectation. "This is your decision, Vinay. No one will push you. But once you begin, there's no turning back.".

Now the station was silent, except for a great distance away, the whine of machinery abandoned for centuries. My brain spun. I wanted to go around and walk out into the night, away from this dull, boring, semi-safe life. But that other half — that other half stirred by the echoes in Echo's whisper — could not turn back into the truth.

I stood up and typed "Yes.".

It heard the terminal roar awake and rows of data swarmed its screen. Shivansh glanced his way approvingly, Ashutosh under his breath muttered something about throwing it all away for a rookie. Neel, for his part, crept closer to the terminal, curiosity lighting up his eyes.

And it went on scrolling. A holographic projection flared above the terminal. It was a map of Neo-Aurum, but unlike any I was familiar with. Beneath the crust of the city, the little dots flared up — hidden corridors, long-abandoned tunnels, networks of data nodes. At its heart rested the Spire, Titan's impregnable bastion.

He pointed at a cluster of nodes spanning the base of the Spire. "That's where we're going to put the primary fault, he said. "If we can get to it, we might be able to separate Titan from the shimmer.

Ashutosh frowns. "And he says, die in the process." You can see the Spire and how well it is guarded.

"We can't even, Shivansh interrupted him. "Hold Titan tight on this city day after day." "We have to make a move right now, otherwise Nexus will soon be a thing of the past."

The gravity of their assignment weighed upon them. I had only just started to understand the enormity of Nexus when I was flung slap in the middle of its battle. "What exactly do you need me to do?" And how, I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

Shrikanth smiled weakly. "When the time comes, you will understand. For now, we need to go. There will be no questions the Obsidian Key will activate.

Well, like they hoped, a sound stiff and whirly came next. Like ghost lights, surveillance drones crept into the station, their searchlight cleaving the darkness. A profanity slipped out of Shivansh's mouth. "Here they come."

Chaos broke loose. From his cloak, Ashutosh pulled a slender weapon, shooting unerring lances of flame to the dodgy control units. Neel was typing furiously at the terminal to encrypt our location, cloaking it from Titan. Shivansh gripped my arm, hard but not unpleasant.

We have to get out of here," he said, pulling me toward a hidden passageway at the back of the station. Old conduits still ran along the walls of the passage — their surface corroded, crumbling rather than rusty. This is the way down, slides in the closing air, number-tabled footsteps in the black.

The sound of the drones faded more behind us, but Ashutosh's sporadic firing made me aware that the danger was not yet over. Neel overtook us, his face red but triumphant. "I wiped the terminal," he said. "They won't find anything."

Shivansh nodded, but he did not change his step. “Good. But this is only the beginning. Titan knows we’re active now. They’re going to come after us with everything they have.”

It took us to some sort of underground hideout, a place that seemed simultaneously ancient and postmodern. The walls were lined with screens showing real-time live feeds of the city up above. There were tools and weapons and devices I couldn't possibly comprehend strewn across tables. There was a charge in the air, thrilling and awful.

Shivansh looked at me seriously. "This is your new reality, Vinay. Titans' agents will be hot on your tail, and the city itself will feel more hostile than ever. And this: you are not alone. Nexus stands with you."

Ashutosh put a firm hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to the resistance," he said, unwilling but truthful.

Neel reached in and pulled out a small device the size of a coin. "This allows you to connect to our network," he added. "But be careful. Titan's systems are comprehensive and constantly monitoring.".

It was a strange sort of determination that came over me as I accepted the device. It was still fear, but there was something else in the mix as well — that first flicker of resolve. I didn’t really know where the path was taking me, but I knew this: I couldn’t turn back. Horning was losing its shine, and what was hidden was revealing itself.

It returned then, ghosting through me as I sat in the quiet of the hideout that night, distant but unmistakable, Echo's voice.

"The first door has been unlocked with the Obsidian Key, Vinay. But many more lie ahead. Be ready."

Into darkness it had led us, down.