#this is EA's punk ass problem

[cinamun]

MY GAME SHOULDN’T TAKE LONGER TO LOAD JUST BECAUSE I MOVED EVERYTHING TO A BIGGER DRIVE!

[digital-corruption]

Pieces of You Part 6

“I'm sorry, miss, but your phone is toast,” the woman at the phone store handed my brick of a phone back to me the next morning.

“You must be able to do something!” Hannah pushed. “She has important memories on there!”

“She had important memories,” the woman corrected. “It’s all zeroes now.”

“Can't you reinstall the operating system?” I asked.

“Uh, service might be able to, but this isn’t covered by your warranty,” the woman looked at me apologetically. “It will cost you a lot.”

“So I'd be better off getting a new phone,” I sighed. “What about the SIM?”

“I checked that too. It’s blank,” she confirmed. “I’m really sorry. Did you want me to give you a minute?”

“No, go ahead and set up a new contract,” I waved.

She nodded and walked off to start working on it.

“You know we really have to find him now so I can kick his ass,” Hannah commented.

“You’re just going to give up on the phone just like that?” a voice asked. I turned around to see some sort of cyber punk wannabe behind us with bright blue hair.

“It’s been bricked,” I frowned.

“So says the counter salesperson! What does she know?” the guy laughed. “You know, I could take a look at your phone for you in exchange for a coffee.”

“Yeah, like you’re not sus,” Hannah remarked. “Do you normally hang around phone stores waiting for girls with phone problems?”

I eyed the guy for a while and his stupid smile. “Vortex, how did you even know where to find me?”

“Vortex!?” Hannah looked at me shocked.

He seemed a bit surprised that I made him. “I wouldn’t be much of a hacker if I didn’t research my clients.”

“Care to explain how you knew my phone was bricked?” I glared.

He shrugged, “I kept trying to contact you and kept getting error messages. Then I found your phone wasn’t pinging. Going to the store where you picked up your phone first thing in the morning was the logical next step.”

I grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her away from Vortex and out the door hastily. Vortex followed of course, but Hannah’s car was close.

“Oh come on, I’m trying to help you!” he called out after us.

“It was you! You tried to hack my phone last night!” I snapped.

“Yeah well forgive me for being curious about your ‘target'! By the way, that’s some hefty protection you have- had on your phone!” he mused. “Almost like you have a guardian hacker watching out for you! You wouldn’t be two-timing us, would you?”

“Oh my God!” I hissed under my breath.

“Why would you need a second hacker? He wouldn’t be on the run, would he?” he teased.

I stopped at Hannah’s car and turned back to glare at Vortex, “Don’t you fucking dare!”

“My fee has gone up,” he grinned. “Either you pay or I see who else might be interested in buying my information.”

“You have nothing!” I yelled, yet panic started to set in. Did I royally screw up by involving Vortex?

“Don’t I? I know exactly what his bike looks like! I know where he is now!” he smirked.

“Do you?” a voice spoke from behind him.

Vortex turned and I saw a man with a black hoodie standing behind him. “What the!?”

“Why are you surprised? You must have known since you know where I am now,” the man mocked from behind a black face mask. “Vortex, I have more on you than you'll ever have on me. Or MC.”

“And yet you formatted her phone,” Vortex pointed out.

“You caught me off guard, it won’t happen again,” Jake threatened. “MC is under my protection. Always. So you can forget about trying to exploit her.”

Vortex sneered, then walked off past Jake, shoving his shoulder into him as he went. I stood there speechless in front of him.

“Sorry, I was angry when I saw him go after you two,” Jake turned to walk away.

“Don’t you dare!” Hannah yelled and stomped towards him. “You don’t have the right to appear and disappear when it is convenient for you!”

“I don’t make these decisions because they’re convenient!” he snapped at Hannah.

“Really? Because it seems to me you've been avoiding us because it is more convenient!” she argued. “It is easier to run than fight for what you want!”

“You have absolutely no idea, Hannah!” he turned away.

She turned to look at me, “Say something! Don’t just let him walk away!”

“Am I really under your protection?” I asked. It was the only thing I could come up with.

Jake turned back. I could see from the slight squint of his eyes that he smiled, “You are. Please don't get recklessly involved with other hackers though. We're not all ethical. Oh and please smash your old phone when you get a chance.”

“Argh! You two are hopeless!” Hannah rolled her eyes. “‘Jake, don’t go! I love you!’ ‘Oh MC, I love you too, but I must go brood in an abandoned building!’ ‘Don’t go, Jake! Let’s brood together!’”

I blushed at Hannah’s ridiculous re-enactment, “I don’t brood.”

“Neither do I,” Jake added.

“Uh, yes, you both do! Don’t deny it!” she insisted, then giggled. “And yet neither one denied that other part.”

I could feel my cheeks getting redder, and looked away.

“It doesn’t matter, Hannah. I am risking too much by being here,” Jake said regretfully. “I’m sorry, but I won’t endanger either one of you.”

“I can’t sleep at night unless I know you’re safe,” I commented.

“Ok,” Jake nodded. “I’ll find a way to let you know each night.”

“That would be nice,” I smiled.

“You’re happy with that?” Hannah frowned. “Well I’m not! I want my brother! Everyone talks about you like they know you! I feel like I hardly know you at all!”

“You know me better than most,” Jake assured her. “Our conversations in the past were real conversations.”

“Under false pretenses!” she corrected.

“I am sorry that you feel that way, but I cannot stay, Hannah. I really must go,” he shook his head. “I care a lot about you. About both of you.” He started to walked away then stopped and turned back. “I will restore the files I can once you have a new phone.”