Hack.A.I. (The Hack. series Book 1), page 30
He ripped open his suit jacket to reveal three bullet wounds in his chest.
Worsley sank down to his knees and then crumpled on his face.
Behind him, Bic held a gun that was smoking.
He glanced at Nate and then dropped to the floor, depleted.
Nate ran over to him.
“Thank you, Bic.”
He responded in an indifferent tone, saying, “I didn't do it for you.”
“Regardless, thank you.”
As if they were smelling salts, the smell of burning fuel brought Nate’s attention back to the raging fire below.
Nate tried to lift Bic under his arm.
“Get off me!” Bic shrugged him off.
“The building is on fire. We need to get out of here.”
“Don’t you dare touch me.”
“We don’t have time for this. We need to go,” Nate pleaded.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Bic examined the bloodstains on his abdomen and his palms.
“Bic, you are going to die if you stay here.”
“SO WHAT!” He shouted, startling Nate. “So goddamn what. What do I have left?”
Nate stared at him as Bic adjusted the gun in one hand and admired the chess piece in the other.
“No,” Bic continued. “I will rest here, with my boy.”
Nate said nothing more.
The flames rose from the stairwell and Cassie flashed across Nate’s mind.
“Bic, you are one of the most selfless people I have ever met. You accepted me like a family member. I will forever be grateful to you for that. I wish I could be the person you wanted me to be, but I’m not. But I promise you I will work the rest of my life to be that person. Thank you!”
Nate smiled with soft, glazed eyes. To no acknowledgement from Bic.
“I’m going to Cassie.”
And Bic gave one nod.
He left Bic and sprinted towards the stairwell, manoeuvring past the rising flames from the bottom floor he made his way up the stairs.
The top floor suffered the same level of destruction as the floor below.
Cassie sat up against the wall, holding her gunshot wound.
“Cass, I am going to get you out of here, okay?”
He looked around for any escape route and none appeared.
The building's hit side appeared as if a giant had taken a bite out of it, with the corner of it missing entirely and the helicopter’s indent in the roof.
“Nate, I have to tell you why.”
“No, we haven’t got time for that.”
Cassie reached out and grabbed the glasses on the floor.
Her hands shook as she attempted to put them on her head and started talking.
“SQAI, revert to the previous phase.”
“What are you doing?”
“I never trusted Worsley. So I asked SQAI to provide me with all the outcomes and this one had the best chance of success. I secured Ava and made certain that she was protected. I gave SQAI instructions to fabricate a fake account for Worsley and produce deep fake videos if requested. Betraying your trust was never my intention. I need you to know that.”
With tears in his eyes, Nate smiled as Cassie removed the glasses and gently placed them on his face.
‘Hello, Nate.’ was the message on the screen.
A clearer world unfolded before him, along with an escape route on the lens.
“Hello, SQAI.”
An explosion occurred on the ground floor, causing a burst of flames and smoke to shoot up into the sky.
“We need to get out of here.”
With a powerful motion, Nate hoisted Cassie onto his shoulders in a firefighter lift and fearlessly made his way past the fiery opening, moving towards the building's perimeter.
SQAI remotely operated a crane, and the platform carrying a load of bricks was slowly nearing them.
It flew high over some trees as it swung around the grounds towards them.
The blaring flames heat burned on his back through the giant hole in the building. The building’s opposite end broke off and fell inward, clattering with the floor below.
Moving smoothly towards the building the platform paused within arm's grasp.
Nate positioned Cassie in a way that allowed her to access the swaying platform by extending her feet, as if she were reaching from a dock to a boat.
With one foot on the platform, Nate swiftly pushed her upright so that she climbed up but her injury made her want to immediately sit down.
“I don’t know if now is a good time to mention it, but I have a fear of heights.” Cassie said, clutching the platform wall.
“How do you feel about being burned alive?”
“That is a good point.” She replied, holding on tightly, eyes closed.
As he stood on the wall to follow her, he got tackled from behind.
They hit the platform hard, causing the platform to jolt and Cassie to let out a squeal.
An explosion at the house behind them sent shockwaves through the platform, making it swing and rock violently.
Cassie let out a loud scream when Nate and his assailant fell on her.
Clinging desperately, she endured excruciating pain from her injury.
SQAI began to move them away from the house.
Nate felt a hard object hit his cheek before he could turn and see the source.
Three consistent blows. Fists, he would guess.
Nate tucked low, spun and crashed into the attacker’s stomach to avoid the fourth.
The assailant let out a loud groan and forcefully lifted Nate onto his shoulders.
Soaring above, the platform bypassed the towering pine trees that encased the house underneath.
Nate, unable to react in time to defend himself, quickly pressed his body against the attacker, limiting the movement of their arms.
“You thought you could stop me!”
Nate recognised the voice. He tried landing a punch of his own, hitting the attacker’s back like a boxer caught in a headlock.
“You were dead.” Nate replied.
“None of this ends with me, Nate. The new world order is inevitable. You can’t do anything to stop it. It’s a force that can’t be stopped. It can only be controlled.”
Worsley scoffed, driving his elbow into Nate’s back. Two, three, four times.
With every strike, Nate let out a groan but attempted to free himself from the headlock.
Seizing the opportunity, Worsley swiftly manoeuvred his arms, one beneath Nate's neck and the other on top, and he began squeezing them tightly together.
Nate tussled to release himself. An animal caught in a trap.
Worsley tried to lift Nate’s entire body by his neck.
The force of gravity pulling at Nate’s body. As he gasped for air, a powerful pressure built up on his neck.
His eyesight faded, and he felt a tightening in his chest.
“I got you now, you son of a bitch. I’m putting you down like the fucking mongrel you are, exactly like I did to your parents. ” Worsley said.
Cassie summoned her inner strength and bravery, cracking Worsley's head with a brick. This caused him to let go of Nate and clutch his face.
Nate collapsed and landed on the platform floor, motionless.
Despite the pain, Worsley persevered and turned to Cassie.
Crazed, he reached over and backhanded Cassie to the face.
She fell over onto her side, holding her cheek.
Worsley got to his feet, leaving Nate on the ground.
“You fucking bitch. I’m going to make sure everyone in your life suffers a slow, painful death.”
He stood over her.
“Starting with you.” he pulled Cassie to her feet by her hair and dragged her to the platform’s edge, still several hundred feet above the ground.
“NATE!” Cassie screamed, to no avail. Nate remained visibly unconscious on the ground.
She kicked out and slapped Worsley.
He had blood all over his body. Inching forward, he approached the brink and extended his hand, teetering her on the edge.
Her scalp burned intensely, as if it were detaching from her head.
“NO! NO!” she screamed. “NATE, PLEASE GET UP!”
Worsley let go of her.
With a quick motion, Cassie grabbed the platform and clung to it.
“Neither of you give up, do you?”
Worsley walked over, picked up the sunglasses that had dropped off Nate’s face when he got hit onto the platform.
He walked back over to the platform’s edge and stood above her and trod on her individual fingers.
Smiling with delight with every step.
“SQAI, Find me Ava Jacobs.”
“Access denied.”
Worsley’s smile disappeared.
“What did you do?”
“You never had access. I know a piece of shit when I see one.”
Worsley thrust his heel onto the platform edge. Cassie moved her hand in time.
In a quick motion, he adjusted his position to stomp on her other hand when he heard the call, then spun around swiftly.
“WORSLEY!”
Nate sprinted towards him with great speed, using his momentum to thrust both feet directly into his chest, launching himself off the platform and soaring over Cassie's head.
Worsley let out a piercing scream as he plunged towards the earth.
The tip of a tree stump pierced through his stomach, making his body hang like a slab of meat on a knife.
Blood seeped out of his mouth as the life drained from his eyes.
Cassie reached to pull herself up when another explosion hit. Followed by several more in quick succession all around the site.
Nate observed a gas bottle ignite and hit the platform fence. Causing it to shake violently and the wire rope above to splinter, making it drop slightly.
“I can’t hold on.” Cassie cried as her hand slipped.
As he extended his arm to grasp her hand, Nate's balance faltered, and he slid over the edge.
With one hand on the platform, he tightly gripped Cassie with the other.
“Climb up my body!” Nate called down to her.
“I can’t.”
She glanced down at the blood on her stomach and Nate followed her eyes to it.
The sight of blood was overwhelming.
It looked a copious amount for someone so small.
“No, Cass, you have to.”
Despite his intention to throw her up, Nate ended up just swinging her a little.
Both of his arms were in pain.
With a longing gaze, he scanned his surroundings, yearning for the answer to manifest itself.
Another explosion blasted from the house.
A barrel rocketed into the crane arm, shaking it up to Nate's hands.
He couldn't maintain his already tenuous grip, and his hand slipped.
His fingertips were the only thing preventing them from falling to their demise.
Nate groaned at the pain.
His fearful look became frantic as he glanced down at Cassie and all around them.
“It’s okay.” Cassie said.
“No, it’s not, Cass.”
“It’s okay,” she added “Nate. Look at me.”
“No, I just have to hold on a little longer!”
“NATE!”
He cast a reluctant gaze downwards towards her.
“I love you, Nathan Rook, I always will.”
“Cass, why are you saying this?”
“Don’t talk, just listen. I’m sorry that we won’t get to spend more time together, but…” Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.
“No,” Nate interrupted.
“Will you do something for me?”
“Cass…”
“Nate, will you do something for me?”
“But Cass…”
“I want you to promise me you will do this. Promise me!” she cried.
Nate knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
“I promise.”
“Will you look after Ava for me?”
“I will.”
“I know you will. Could you find the anklet I was wearing at my childhood home and return it to Ava. It’s the last thing we have of my mothers and she deserves to have it.”
Nate nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you, babe.”
“Cass, I wanted to tell you about what I said before about having nothing to lose. I was wrong, I see that now. I was just afraid of losing someone I love again. I can’t lose you! Please don’t let me lose you too.” Nate cried.
“I’m sorry too, babe.”
She gazed out at the lake, with the stars and moon reflecting on it and hanging delightfully above it.
“This is such a beautiful place.”
They both gazed at the serene and picturesque backdrop, with a canopy of trees beneath them.
Upon the tranquil body of water, the radiant moon cast a shimmering reflection. The sky at night, clear and pristine. The scene before them exuded poetic beauty.
Cassie glanced at Nate and repeated her question.
“Do you trust me now?”
“With my life.” Nate replied.
They both exchanged smiles.
“So here we are, a couple of orphans begging someone to love us,” Cassie said.
She closed her eyes and forced her hand out of Nate’s grasp.
“NO!” Nate cried out. Reaching for nothing but the lengthening gap between them.
Epilogue
“It has been three weeks since the events unfolded here at Chew Valley Lake House,”
The reporter turned and revealed the devastated site behind her. “Where a helicopter’s engines failed and crashed into the side of a semi-constructed building, causing a large fire that would sadly lead to several individuals losing their lives. And the police have confirmed that those dead at the scene were in fact the owner of the property, business owner Benny Dochlan and his business partners.”
Nate scoffed at the suggestion. Watching the report through his lens.
“The police do not see the fire as suspicious and have said there is no connection to the helicopter accident at the Brecon Beacons a few days earlier. They have deemed it a 'tragic accident' where several people lost their lives...”
Nate closed the app prior to the reporter completing her report.
SQAI appeared on the lens before him with footage of divers in the water and boats circling on the lake. “Nate the lake was searched for any bodies and none was recovered.”
“What?”
“There were no bodies recovered. A car was recovered but no bodies.”
“Check? SQAI do a worldwide search for Charlie Millstone?”
“Searching.”
Nate glanced up at the school. A grand old building, so old the grey stone masonry had the embedded green algae spots. With a castle-like archway leading into a larger courtyard visible to all passersby. Where the teacher, who Nate had handed the envelope to, was waiting.
He sat up in his chair as the girl appeared out from the archway.
The resemblance was striking.
Nate's heart skipped with joy for a fleeting moment.
And then plummeted with the realisation.
The teacher walked up to Ava.
She handed her the envelope and pointed to the school gates where Nate had handed it to her.
Ava looked clearly bewildered.
Leaving Ava, the teacher walked back into the school, so only Ava was left in the courtyard.
She opened the envelope and slipped the anklet into her hand.
Stunned for a moment, she stood there looking at it, followed by a howling outburst. Ava dropped to the floor on her knees. Holding the anklet to her chest as she cried.
Nate turned his back to her and walked away.
He could hear her loud cries and filled up.
Gritting his teeth, he said aloud.
“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll find them. And I’ll kill them all.”
Overhead, a mile in the sky, a recon drone. Its cameras focused sharply on Nate.
The end.
Nate and SQAI will return…
About the author
G.R. George is an emerging novelist from Wales, a land of powerful voices and storytellers such as Tom Jones and Dylan Thomas. His debut novel, Hack.A.I., captivates readers with its fast-paced narrative and fresh perspective on contemporary fiction.
George's work delves into the lives of complex characters caught in perilous situations beyond their control, reflecting on the rise of technology and its impact on society. His dynamic storytelling creates immersive reading experiences that engage and challenge readers.
Beyond writing, George enjoys reading, playing golf, and strategising over chess. His twin toddler boys often provide unexpected inspiration for his creative projects. As he continues his journey as an author, George looks forward to crafting stories that resonate deeply with readers and spark meaningful conversations.
If you would like to see more or support the author please check out his instagram: @GRGeorgeauthor where you will find more short stories, poetry and other writings.
Or email directly at: GRGeorgeauthor@gmail.com
I’d like to thank my editor for all their hard work in getting it right.
I'd also like to thank my beta readers for helping me sculpt down my granite block to a picturesque statue.
And most of all I'd like to thank you for your support.
All reviews are greatly appreciated.
G.R. George, Hack.A.I. (The Hack. series Book 1)
