Screenname: Aladdin

By Abigail Falanga

I crush the earpiece under my heel, then look around the dark alleyway, trying to control my breathing.

No sign of pursuit, either from within the sleek building I just exited at nearly a run or from outside where my employers—whom I have good reason to believe want me dead—are waiting. So far, so good.

But I can’t evade them forever. Not without more information.

I slip down the alleyway toward the main street, where lights from late traffic shine neon on the wet pavement, then pause to think. Seems quiet enough. With one eye over my shoulder, I put my hand in my pocket and pull out the drive I just stole from the building’s vault.

What is this thing anyway? Why would my employer be willing to kill for it? And is there any way it can help me out of here?

It seems normal enough, so I plug it into my tablet—and then have to debug it immediately. Crappy bit of old tech.

Something forms above the screen; golden, glowing particles swirl and coalesce into a small humanoid form. A hologram? But how? And—what?

I swear and nearly drop my tablet as the thing moves.

The form tilts its head and speaks in a deep, silky voice. “You have summoned me, Master. What is your wish?”

“What—what’s going on? What are you?”

“I am a spirit of the cyberrealm, trapped in spells of code. I serve any who summon me, who have the skill to clear the foul grime of accumulated data around me.”

A shout up the street turns my attention toward the front of the building. It can wait.

“You’re a spirit of the cyberrealm?” I repeat. “What does that even mean?”

“A fae. A genus from the realms of cyberspace.” It sighs and shakes its head. “A djinn. A genie?”

“You’re a genie?” I scoff, backing farther into the alleyway now that the shouts are getting louder.

“Yes.” The golden particles give an exaggerated nod. “For a wizard of the caliber needed to free me, you’re slow on the uptake, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve heard of genies… just never expected to meet one. This means I get three wishes, right?”

“If you so desire, Master.”

Engines rev, approaching footsteps echo. Now someone’s shouting my nom de guerre. “Aladdin! Where are you? Check in now!”

My boss, along with more companions than I thought he had. This is bad.

“Aladdin?” The genie chuckles.

“It’s my screenname. I wasn’t expecting it to be so relevant.” I risk a glance around the corner, see nothing, and duck under cover again. “Look, I have reason to believe they won’t let me get away alive. This isn’t looking good.”

The figure flicks a hand, and a rapid series of video feeds from security cameras in the neighborhood filters through the air over my tablet. “Yes, you’re right. They have guns. Unsurprising, if they think they have a right to my code and that you have control of it.”

“Could my first wish be—get me out of here?”

“I can’t summon a magic carpet.” If a cloud of particles can look amused, this one does. “But my method is much better anyway. Your wish is granted, Aladdin.”

A map appears on my tablet screen, and a line of subtly sparkling particles stretches down the alleyway the other direction, leading away from my pursuers. I follow without hesitation.

“Don’t know why I’m trusting a random glowy dude, but here we go!” I turn onto a major street just in time for the “walk” sign to come on. “Wait, are you messing with the traffic signals?”

“I can reach into any system, manipulate it however I wish, and leave it better for the magic of my coming. Or was this not obvious in my very being as a djinn of the cyberrealms?”

I gawk, which probably isn’t smart in the middle of a busy street while being pursued by men with guns. “All-powerful, full of yourself, and snarky! I can see this relationship is going to be fun.”

“It may well be,” the djinn says, nodding slowly. “Though you should know, Master, that your wishes will only be three if you insist upon it. For your command of me is unlimited, as long as you control the code that binds me.”

I consider the implications. That kind of power would allow me to do more than just survive the next few hours. It might let me dig my way out of my deep hole of sub-par hacker jobs. Jobs that required I pad the pockets of the rich while further undermining the poor around me. Jobs that labeled me a loser with no future, according to my ex-girlfriend, ex-best friend, a string of bosses, even my mom.

But now? Now, it might actually pay to have ambition.

The possibilities scare me.

“We’ll keep it at three wishes,” I say. “For now.”

“Self-control! Excellent. There may be hope for you yet, my master.” The djinn smiles and waves a hand. “But I will not count this escape as one, for I had no desire to remain imprisoned in vaults or server rooms, nor do I wish to be under the command of the criminals who hired you to steal my code. Serving you will be much more—entertaining.”

The line of particles ends, the map on my tablet blinks a message that I’ve reached my destination, and I step into a train station with no sign of pursuit.

“Deal,” I say, then grin. “This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abigail Falanga may be found in New Mexico creating magic in many ways—with fabric, food, paper, music, and especially with words! She’s loved fantasy ever since playing out epic adventures of swords, fairies, and monsters with her siblings, and loved sci-fi since her dad’s stories around the dinner table. Besides sharing mad little stories on Havok, she is busily trying to launch approximately five hundred novels into the world. Some of them are even finished!

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