Dark Secrets Returns Zero Cool
Shadows and Lattes
Harold decided to tail Arjun after work, though “discreetly” might’ve been an overstatement. He was about as subtle as a hippo in a tutu. As they exited the building, Harold hung back, keeping a “safe distance,” which in Harold’s book meant far enough to avoid an awkward conversation but close enough to trip over a curb if Arjun stopped too suddenly.
Arjun walked briskly down the street, glancing over his shoulder every few steps like a spy who’d watched too many bad movies. Harold, attempting to blend in, pretended to admire the scenery – a few trees, a suspiciously abandoned bicycle, and what might have been a very lost cat.
Eventually, he ducked into a small café, the kind of place that served overpriced coffee and underwhelming pastries.
Harold waited outside, mentally rehearsing his entrance, then sauntered in like he’d just stumbled across the place by accident.
The café was dimly lit, the kind of ambiance that said, “We’re too cool for overhead lighting.” A few patrons were scattered around, sipping coffee and tapping away on their laptops, probably writing novels they’d never finish. Arjun sat at a corner table, his back to the wall, trying and failing to look inconspicuous.
Harold grabbed a menu and pretended to browse, though the only thing he was really interested in was the live-action drama unfolding a few tables away. Arjun seemed jittery, checking his phone repeatedly as if waiting for a text from the universe itself.
Enter the Femme Fatale
After a few minutes, the door swung open, and in walked a woman with short, dark hair and a leather jacket that screamed “I’m too cool for this room.” Her eyes scanned the café before locking onto Arjun, who immediately looked like a deer caught in headlights. Harold’s heart skipped a beat – or maybe that was just the caffeine kicking in. Either way, he recognized her instantly. Acid Burn.
What the heck?! Arjun, of all people, with Acid Burn?
Harold could barely suppress a snort of disbelief. This was like finding out your pet goldfish was in cahoots with a shark.
He watched as she glided over to Arjun’s table, sitting down without a word. They exchanged a few hushed sentences, their expressions serious. Harold strained to hear but couldn’t make out their conversation over the ambient noise and the barista’s questionable taste in music.
Harold decided it was time to get closer. He moved to an empty table nearby, pretending to be engrossed in his phone while secretly listening in on the conversation. With his luck, he probably looked like an extra in a bad spy movie.
The Not-So-Stealthy Eavesdropper
Finally, their voices became clearer.
“Are you sure he doesn’t suspect anything?” Acid Burn asked, her voice low but urgent, as if this was all part of some grand conspiracy and not just a Tuesday evening in a café.
Arjun shook his head, looking more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “No, he’s too busy with his own problems. But we need to move fast.”
Harold’s mind raced, which was saying something since it usually preferred a slow jog. What were they planning? And why on Earth was Arjun, the world’s least likely secret agent, involved?
Harold decided he’d heard enough. Time to confront them, or at least try to without tripping over his own feet. He stood up and walked over to their table, trying his best to channel some kind of authority, though he was pretty sure he just looked constipated.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, his voice surprisingly steady despite the adrenaline tap-dancing through his veins.
Both of them looked up, startled as if they’d just seen a ghost—or worse, their old high school gym teacher.
Arjun’s face turned a lovely shade of pale, while Acid Burn’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Harold,” Arjun stammered, his voice squeaking like a rusty hinge. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Harold replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down like he’d just crashed a very awkward family reunion. “And why you’re meeting with Acid Burn.”
The Confrontation
So DataCorp has a Dark Secret
The Big Reveal and the Bigger Eye Roll
Acid Burn leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with the kind of casual confidence that only someone named Acid Burn could pull off. “Long time no see, Zero Cool,” she said, a smirk playing on her lips.
Hearing his old alias sent a shiver down Harold’s spine, though he tried to play it cool. “What are you doing here?” he continued, trying to keep his voice low and calm, though it probably came out more like a half-hearted hiss.
“Just catching up with an old friend,” she said, shrugging like this was all perfectly normal, like running into a former hacker ally at a café was just another day at the office.
“Cut the crap,” Harold snapped, surprising even himself with the sudden surge of bravado. “Why are you accessing DataCorp’s files? And why is Arjun involved?”
Arjun looked like he wanted to melt into the floor, or maybe crawl under the table and never come out. “It’s not what you think,” he mumbled, though he wasn’t really convincing anyone. “They have something on me. I didn’t have a choice.”
Acid Burn rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t get stuck. “Always so dramatic, Mark.”
Harold clenched his fists under the table, trying to keep his cool. “What do you want?”
“We need your help,” Acid Burn said, leaning forward like this was a business meeting and not the most surreal moment of Harold’s week. “There’s something big going down at DataCorp. Something dangerous.”
“And you think I’m just going to trust you?” Harold asked incredulously, though he had to admit, this whole situation had a weird kind of logic to it.
“You don’t have much of a choice,” she replied coolly, as if she’d already won this little game of chess. “If we don’t stop this, it could mean disaster for everyone.”
Before Harold could respond, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen: another message from his secure network.
"New threat detected: Immediate action required."
He looked back at Acid Burn and Arjun, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But we’re doing this my way.”
Acid Burn nodded, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes that made Harold’s stomach churn.
“Welcome back, Zero Cool.”
As they left the café together, Harold couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d just stepped back into a world he’d tried so hard to leave behind – a world where nothing was ever simple, everything was slightly absurd, and the stakes were always ridiculously high.