No Way Back by Anna Mac

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Queen’s Back

Jane wanted a cheap hotel for two reasons: the first was to save money, and the second was to conceal her location from others. She didn’t want to stay in a hotel that required ID registration because if she did, it wouldn’t make a difference if she wore a mask and hat because her photo and other personal information would already be out in the open. She didn’t want to take that risk.

The driver, a seasoned cabbie, was very familiar with the surrounding area. As he considered how to get to the hotel, a look of bewilderment quickly spread across his face.

“Excuse me, miss, did you just come down from the top of the mountain? Isn’t that the Fowler family’s villa? You look a bit familiar like I’ve seen you somewhere before…” The driver said, trying to piece it together.

As he spoke, the radio returned to its discussion of the Fowler family and the identity of the true heiress, Jane.

“I’m not the Fowler family’s heiress. I have no ties to them,” Jane stated coolly.

The driver scratched his head, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, miss, but today there’s just too much gossip about the Fowler family…”

“It’s fine,” Jane said, waving her hand.

Soon, Jane arrived at a nearby hotel, paid the fare, and checked into a room.

Jane tossed her bags to the side and pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. “The vast sky is my love, the flowers are blooming on the mountainside” started playing as the ringtone,

Someone’s excited voice came through: “Queen! Yes, I did just get your call. Oh my God! You said you were leaving the Darknet, and I didn’t think you’d be back.”

Jane took the phone away because she seemed to know that the person on the other end of the line would be so excited and loud.

Then, after some consideration, she said, “Andy, I’m sorry, but I really need some cash, and I’m looking for a job.”

Andy exclaimed on the other end of the phone, “Are you coming back? Oh my God! The Darknet will shake from the news of that! Queen, with your status and reputation, finding work shouldn’t be hard for you. Wait for me!”

After saying that, Andy hung up the phone.

Jane pulled her laptop out of her bag and entered her username and password into an unknown website. An old bronze door with a blood–red skull emblazoned on it appeared on the screen, and a hoarse, alien voice said, “Welcome back, Queen.”

“I’m back…” Jane murmured to herself. She didn’t think she’d have the chance to open this website again. The Darknet, as its name implied, was an underground website connecting the entire world. It was a place where people often posted illegal tasks such as black market auctions, assassinations, and hacking.

On the Darknet, there were tasks that most people would never think of, and people could find everything they wanted there.

To get into the Darknet and become a sponsor, one had to be qualified and have enough money and power. They couldn’t get in if they didn’t have either of these things.

To get their login and password, they had to pass a skills test by the Darknet’s administrators. Therefore, the people who could enter the Darknet to take on tasks were all extraordinary in some way.

Jane was one of them. She was known simply as “Queen,” and she was a legendary hacker who once ruled the Darknet.

There was a lot of commotion when Jane finally logged on this time. When she went back online, everyone

bombarded her with messages asking how everything was going and why she was back.

Jane opened her personal profile and changed her signature from “AFK forever” to “Back on board.” Because of this one sentence, the Darknet was thrown into chaos as if a major earthquake had occurred.

Queen was back! Many people rejoiced and jumped for joy at this news because, to them, Queen was a goddess.

Queen was the first person to find a way through Meridonia’s impossible–to–break firewall and hack into it. This caused the firewall’s program data to be rewritten.

Overnight, she became known as “Queen,” with the implication that she was the best hacker in the world and that nothing had escaped her prying eyes.

So, when this big shot suddenly quit the Darknet and closed her account a month ago, it caused quite a stir. Everyone was trying to figure out what could have happened.

However, that didn’t matter to them now because Queen was back!

Queen was back! Many people rejoiced and jumped for joy at this news because Queen was a goddess to them.

Soon, Jane’s phone rang again, and Andy said, “Queen, there’s a mission here. They need you to hack the firewall of a terrorist organization. 750 thousand dollars, pay when done.”

“Got it,” Jane quickly replied.

In her capacity as a hacker, Jane needed to adhere to specific standards. Before anything else, it wouldn’t pose a threat to the country’s security. And second, it couldn’t violate human ethics. Thirdly, she would never take a stance against the innocent.

So even though Jane was famous on the Darknet, there were many jobs she couldn’t take.

After all, the sponsors who could post jobs on the Darknet were often involved in some sort of shady business. That was why the work that Andy had just introduced was exactly the kind of mission that Jane had been looking for.

Jane’s thin, pale fingers flitted across the keyboard like butterflies. Like falling snowflakes, code and programming appeared on the screen, disorienting to the layperson but second nature to Jane.

While talking and joking with Andy, she quickly broke through the terrorist group’s defenses.

“Andy, I’ve got it here,” Jane said.

“Great, transferring 750 thousand dollars now. Same account as usual?” Andy asked.

Jane hesitated for a moment. “Andy, this is 150 thousand dollars of commission for you,”

“No, you can keep it. Consider it a gift for your return. When you left the Darknet, you gave away everything you had made. Now that you’re back, I’m guessing you’re in a bit of a pickle somewhere. I hope I can help you for a little while,” Andy said.

“Thank you,” Jane said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

It was exhilarating to feel like she finally belonged again. She felt as if her “Queen” power was flooding back inside of her.

She really loved the feeling of being reborn.

Now she swore she wouldn’t be as blind as she was, suppressing her true nature for the sake of her so–called family.

Andy was silent for a while and then spoke slowly and deliberately. “Queen, didn’t you find your family? You left the Darknet for their safety for them and donated all your money.”

Jane replied firmly, “Andy, I don’t have a family anymore. From now on, I’m just me, I don’t belong to anyone. I’ll only live for myself.”

In the Darknet, Andy was the only person Jane trusted, so he knew her story.

Andy’s heart went out to her after hearing this, as he imagined how trying her time with her family must have been.

No one knew that the famous “Queen” was actually a 19–year–old college student who had never known her parents. After going through so much hardship, she finally found her family, but things turned out this way. Andy was aware of Jane’s longing for her family, but the more she longed, the more pain she felt. Her heart continued to bleed as a result of all this. He had sympathy for Jane, who must have felt torn in two.

He reassured her, “It’s okay, Queen, you still have me. If you ever need anything, just come to me. Even if the whole world is against you, I’ll stand by your side without hesitation. I believe in you!”

Gratitude filled Jane’s heart, and she thanked Andy, “You are my best friend forever.”

Andy continued, “And one more thing, Queen–someone with the same blood type as yours reached out to me days ago.”