May 25
Halo’s private concert, scheduled for today, was canceled due to “medical concerns.” Truth be told, we all needed the break. Seoul took more out of everyone than we realized. After the whirlwind of activity, impromptu performances, and that marathon of a concert, it was no surprise that Halo was completely spent. She stayed in her suite, resting and recovering, while the rest of us did what we do best—guard, plan, and prepare for what’s next.
Wizkid, though, couldn't sit still. He launched another smear campaign against Astrid Nygård. This time, it was a deep fake, a ridiculous and far-fetched one at that, but somehow it still trended. People will believe anything when the narrative’s juicy enough, and Wiz knows how to tap into the digital hive mind. Astrid might have been acquitted of the first round of accusations, but now she’s back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. It’s cruel, sure, but in the world we live in, kindness doesn’t always get the job done.
May 26
We left Korea on a night flight, bound for Melbourne. After the madness in Seoul, there was something oddly peaceful about flying out in the dead of night, the hum of the engines lulling the team to sleep. I wasn’t so lucky. Too much on my mind.
The big topic? The Lost Continent. It’s all anyone can talk about, and Zara is at the heart of it. The rising landmass between Fiji and New Caledonia—call it Atlantis, Lemuria, Mu, or whatever name the press throws around this week—is a gold mine of opportunity for someone like her. And apparently, for us, too.
Zara has roped Halo into it, naturally. Who else but the world’s biggest star could get past Aztechnology’s ironclad lockdown of the place? The official plan is for Halo to explore the continent in VR and Simsense, turning it into some sort of virtual experience for her fans. But the reality is much more covert. Zara wants us to explore as much of the landmass as we can under the guise of a “celebrity adventure.” She’s using Halo’s fame as cover, plain and simple.
The timing is precise—after the Melbourne concert on June 2, we’re flying to Fiji. From there, it’s a chopper to the Lost Continent for a few days, and then a mad dash to the Nusantara concert on June 8. It’s an ambitious plan, but Zara is nothing if not cunning. I’m still not sure if I trust her, but she’s made it clear that this is happening, with or without us. At least we get a seat at the table.
May 27
We landed in Melbourne before noon, and I managed to catch up on some much-needed sleep. We met Zara later that day. She arrived in Australia a few days before us to get things in place for our upcoming expedition. Seeing her reminded me just how intricate this web has become—Aztechnology, the Lost Continent, Veilguard, Halo, and now us. The stakes are higher than ever, but so is the potential payoff.
Speaking of Veilguard, we’ve finally pieced together the hacking situation. Thanks to some legwork by Black’s associates and Wizkid’s Matrix prowess (with a little help from Eclipse), we now know the hacker responsible: Thorne, a guy Eclipse worked with years ago. Turns out she let him take a fall for her, and he’s been running ever since, hiding out in California. But now, he’s in over his head, working for Veilguard under a fake SIN as “John Snow” (of all things).
Thorne actually reached out to Eclipse, begging for help. The poor bastard wants out and is trying to get to Denver. Wizkid, being Wizkid, has other plans. He’s arranging for Black to snatch Thorne and bring him to Seattle. The thing is, this whole situation runs deeper than just a hacker with a grudge. Thorne was given a top-tier cyberdeck and military-grade software by Jason M. Hardy, the former COO of Veilguard, who recently fled to Tenochtitlán. Hardy had ordered Thorne to spy on Zara Coatl, which opens up a whole other can of worms.
The kicker? Thorne started spying on Halo, Phoenix, and other celebs for fun. Creepy as hell, but in his mind, with his new gear, it was all just a game. He never passed much of it on, except to brag to other hackers about how great he was. The intel on Zara, though—that went straight to Hardy, which means it’s likely Aztechnology knows more than we’d like about what’s going on.
Now, we’ve got to figure out what to do with Thorne. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll give us something useful before Black drags him back to Seattle. Either way, we’ve got a whole new set of problems to deal with—Zara’s game, Halo’s upcoming concerts, and whatever’s lurking on the Lost Continent.
But for now, I’ll focus on the task at hand. Melbourne awaits, and there’s no rest for the wicked.
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