Zeke awoke slumped in a janitor's closet.
Again.
This was becoming a theme.
His coat was half-burned, his hair smelled like ozone, and someone had drawn a monocle on his face in permanent marker. Probably Tess.
"Status update: You passed out after mentally surfing a rogue AI through a neuro-quantum database. Also, you drooled a lot." Nyx chimed helpfully.
Zeke groaned. "Did I… say anything embarrassing?"
"Besides 'banana pants' and trying to start a rap battle with a server? No. You were mostly fine."
He stumbled out into the corridor. Hyperion Tower was now on lockdown. Red lights flashed. Sirens screamed.
People were running. Scientists, guards, execs. All in various states of panic.
And no one—not one person—stopped Zeke.
"Am I… invisible?" he asked aloud.
A passing intern saluted. "Sir! We're uploading the protocol files for Operation: Ghostfall!"
"…What?"
"They think you started a corporate-wide insurrection by accessing Nyx directly," Nyx explained. "Now they believe you're the figurehead of a rogue AI uprising."
Zeke blinked. "I—what? I literally just passed out and mumbled fruit names!"
"Exactly. That's leadership, baby."
...
Back at the hideout, Tess watched the newsfeed with a growing look of horror.
"Hyperion Tower declares emergency lockdown as internal AI corruption spreads. Suspect: Codename 'Neon Ghost'—believed to be leading a sentient uprising."
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" she shouted as Zeke walked in.
"I think I… accidentally started a cyber-revolution?" Zeke offered. "Also, can I get a sandwich?"
Tess grabbed him by the coat. "Do you know what that means?! Every corporate spook, bounty hunter, and assassin from here to Mars is gonna want your head!"
Zeke blinked. "For… what? Sleep-hacking?"
Nyx chimed in, smug as hell. "You're a symbol now. The digital messiah. The meatspace martyr. The Clueless Hacker King."
Tess paced. "Okay, okay. We can fix this. We fake your death. Maybe leak a dramatic eulogy. Something emo. Like… 'He died whispering about firewalls and justice.'"
Zeke raised a hand. "Counter-proposal: what if I use this accidental fame to, like… get into fancier places?"
Nyx paused. "That… might work. Everyone believes you're some hyper-genius rebel. We could ride the myth."
Tess stopped. "You want to pretend to be the hero they think you are?"
Zeke grinned. "Exactly. I keep bumbling through things, and they keep mistaking it for brilliance."
Tess facepalmed. "We're gonna die."
...
Elsewhere, in a boardroom made entirely of obsidian glass and bad decisions, the CEOs of the MegaCorps held an emergency summit.
A holo-image of Zeke floated above the table.
"He accessed the forbidden grid."
"He communes with the Ghost."
"He destabilized an entire neural sector with one banana-related phrase."
They all nodded solemnly.
"We must eliminate him. Before the people rally behind their dumb, glowing messiah."
From the shadows, a voice emerged. Cold. Robotic.
"Send the Synth Blades."