I pushed past Hard Drive, Acrylic and Fetus in tow, and quickly made my way into the short corridor that led to the Council Room. The thick, rectangular metal door was a drab grey-green; I burst it open, emerging in the midst of the current meeting.

I made to speak, but C:\ had preëmpted me with an outstretched hand. The other Council members were all there, arranged in a broad arc facing C:\—Virus, Shortcut, Daemon, Readout, Beghilos, Taskman, Scroll, and Locke.

Virus was making some sort of fuss over the iced weapon proceeds in her usual impassioned style. I fidgeted, feeling rather embarrassed. I stole a glance at Acrylic, who was silently enduring the debate, his jaw indicating what was either mild annoyance, eagerness, or some combination of the two; Fetus was being her usual unemotional self.

C:\ called the vote; it ended up 7-1. Shortcut, as per usual, was the lone holdout.

“And now, Elsha,” C:\ addressed, “it’s nice to see you’re back…but who are your friends, and what’s your business here?”