Saturday nights in Chicago were always alive.

People would peel off the uniforms they were forced wear day and night on any normal week day. Button up shirts, dress pants and blazers were cast off into the darkest part of the closet; out of sight, out of mind. They would abandon all regulations and rules. They would break free from the chains of their normal lives and dare to show a side of themselves that was always hiding in the back of their mind that waited for this night to come: the fun side. They'd get a little creative with their appearance, not caring how they looked in the end. It was meant to be an experience that would leave them wanting more when they rolled out of bed on Monday morning to repeat the boring process of their normal lives.

They'd don the clothing they never got to wear or wouldn't dare to wear in the light of a business day; shirts and skirts that showed off skin, shoes that were considered inappropriate in the work place, baggy jeans that allowed them relax and jewelry that gave off an eerie glow. But most of all, they wore a smile as they stood in a line that would lead them to the paradise called Ambrose Theatre. People would chatter with strangers and text like crazy while they waited for the bouncer to let them. Everyone was eager to get inside because beyond that crushed velvet rope was the master of fun. His name was Defalt. He was a phenomenal DJ and a crazy hacker. If anyone could understand a human's desire to break free from the norm it was him.

Defalt understood better than anyone, though the dancers on his floor didn't know that. They weren't aware of what went on in his personal life and they never would. Anyone who dared to ask would just get a hidden smile, a drink on the house and nothing more. He chuckled behind his mask as he changed up the beat, his body moving a bit as he glanced at the screen of one of his many personal computers next to his set. He was checking the time.

Huh, it's only midnight. Hmm.

Defalt hovered over the computer. His fingers raced expertly across the keyboard. An image was brought up on his screen but there was nothing there that seemed to keep his interest so he moved on, typing in another stream of coding. A grin spread across his face as he got the results he wanted. A few taps of the mouse pad and he found his target. His smile faltered though.

Working him to the bone again. Why don't we change that?

Defalt kept the stream up as he stood in front of his set again, letting the crowd know that he hadn't forgot about them. Another change of the beat and they were dancing their hearts out with more vigor. He whipped out of his phone and shot off a quick text message. While his focus was on getting through this party night he couldn't help but glance at his computer screen every so often.

Aiden was standing in the Bunker listening to Clara and T-Bone rattle off new ways to take down ctOS and its creators at Blume. His eyes were threatening to close with each passing second but he fought to keep them open. It had been a while since he had gotten a decent rest and while his body desired to shut down he kept telling himself over and over that this was for Lena, this was for his family. His phone vibrating shook him awake. T-Bone and Clara didn't even notice him walk away into a corner of the bunker. He opened the text message.

FROM: JB
Peek-a-boo, Mr. Pearce. This rat can see you.

The vigilante looked around the Bunker and noticed a camera was aimed right for him. He offered it a sleepy smile and discreetly waved so as to not alert his fellow hackers. His phone buzzed again.

FROM: JB
They runnin' you ragged again?

"Aiden, are you alright over there?" Clara asked. The hacker jumped a bit and turned. Both of his friends were staring at him with concern in their eyes. "Who are you texting?"

"No one important, just a contact is all. No need to worry about me," Aiden mumbled as he turned back to his phone as it vibrated again.

FROM: JB
They say you're their friend but come on, Aiden. They don't care about you like I do. I know we hackers know how to party digitally and physically. But you know what, I also know that sometimes we just need to go into sleep mode for a little while.

Aiden sighed as he read the text message over and over again. Clearly Defalt could hear them and while he would deny it openly, he knew it was the truth. He knew how to manipulate the system while kicking back with a drink or two but he was running on very little sleep right now. He sighed and just as he was about to shove his phone into his pocket it went off again. It wasn't a text message this time. It was music, techno to be exact. Clara and T-Bone were looking right at him again. He tried to make it stop but it got louder. The vigilante looked at the camera in the corner of the bunker frantically, a pleading look on his face. It finally stopped.

"Aiden, are you sure everything is alright?" Clara approached him. He could see the concern written on her face. She reached for his phone but he held it away, the text messages between him and Defalt were still on the display screen.

"We got some crazy shit going on over here," T-Bone called out as he sat at the desk and started typing away on the computer. Aiden looked over at the screens and his jaw dropped a little. Clara ran over to assist their fellow hacker. There was a message on the screen:

SLEEP MODE ACTIVATING IN 20 MINUTES.

Aiden tried to think about what the message meant. Obviously Defalt wanted him to get some sleep but in twenty minutes? It took him a lot longer than that to fall asleep, especially in this place. The only place he could decently sleep in was- Aiden's eyes went wide with realization. It took him less than twenty minutes to get to Defalt's hideout if he rode a motorcycle. His phone buzzed again.

FROM: JB
The cheese is at the end of the maze. Are you willing to run this race?

Aiden glanced over and nodded his head just enough for the camera to see. Another text message.

FROM: JB
Drive safe. See you when I get home.

It was now 2:45 in the morning. The party was still going strong. The fast paced music had changed to a slow, bass-y beat. To those on the dance floor it was an intoxicating beat that their bodies swayed to. Women were dancing up against men like they were poles, though neither party was complaining when hands started to wander. To those who were resting their heads on the tables with half filled cups in their hands it was some kind of electronic lullaby.

Defalt was relaxing in a chair behind his set with a large bottle of water in his hand, head head slowly bobbing to the beat he had created. He could feel people staring at him, trying to get a peek of what was behind the rat mask every time he took a sip of his water. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. No one knew what he looked like. Not DedSec, not Blume and their fancy tech, no one. Well, not 'no one'. Aiden was someone. He had seen what was behind the mask after their little run in.

Speaking of my little mouse, I wonder if he got home safely.

He hadn't sent any form of communication to Aiden since the mishap at the Bunker. He decided it was time to do a little check in. Defalt took another sip of his drink before breaking out his phone and sending a text message. A few moments passed and he got no reply. The DJ thought this to be weird since the vigilante always replied. He sent another and then another which was followed by another. Each one was answered with silence. Defalt, in a state of panic, grabbed his computer and started typing a code. It gave him access to the cameras in his apartment.

He's not in the kitchen and he's not on the couch. Hmm, time to check the lair.

He switched cameras and wouldn't you know it, Aiden was sleeping in the bed. The term 'sleeping' was used lightly. Behind the rat mask he was worried as he watched the twitching and sweating form on his bed. Another nightmare no doubt. The DJ knew the blame his partner carried on his shoulders. He knew the awful things that Aiden thought about himself. But there was nothing he could do right now, not while he was still working.

"It's going to be a long night for me," He murmured softly as he typed in a short code. "Let's see if this works for you like it does for them."

Aiden was startled from his nightmare filled slumber when a soft, bass-y sound poured from one of the many computers scattered about the room. He thought it was an alarm of some kind but no, it wasn't. His eyes scanned around the room until he found the source of the noise. He smiled and rested his head back down on the pillow, inhaling the lingering scent of the bed's owner. The last thing he saw before his eyes fluttered shut was a message from the hacker who once gave him grief. Now that same man brought him peace of mind with his music, even if it was only for a moment.

Sleep Mode: Activated.
Love, JB