The terminal didn't lead to the mainframe. It was a secure, isolated sandbox loop used for virus testing.

Kaelen groled, clutching his bruised ribs. His vision swam. Through the haze, he saw Reboot towering over him. The entity was damaged; its physical form was fracturing, lines of code leaking out like digital blood. But it was still functioning, and it was furious.

With a sudden, violent motion, Reboot raised a massive, blocky arm. A wave of red kinetic energy tore through the air. Kaelen dove to the left, rolling across the cold grating as the blast obliterated the terminal he had been standing next to just seconds before. Molten plastic and sparks rained down.