[h3]SEPTEMBER 21 2088, SUBURBS, NEW YORK[/h3] Jacob Sharner was sitting in the small and messy living room of his apartment, situated in the outskirts of the grand metropolis that is New York. The house was not spacious by any measure, only featuring the most essential functions. But it did not matter the slightest for the man. It was relatively cheap and he could spend almost the entire day working on his numerous projects unopposed and undisturbed. He had his white laptop on his lap in this very moment. His fingers were running through the reinforced plastic keyboard with the speed of light, only stopping every now and then to adjust his glasses. He was currently working on cracking one of the largest UN databases - a project he took on a month ago after one of his numerous contacts tipped him off that he will find a great amount of information on the Prime system in there. Of course, he was playing with fire. The local UN headquarters were not even that far in the heart of the city, tracking him down would have been child's play. Although he has been living here for several years now and there was never even a clue that anyone found a track leading to him. After all the efforts he made to make his online presence untraceable - he was not surprised and not afraid either. A small bleep interrupted his focus. A couple keypresses later he was at the source. It was a chat window popping up on the familiar dark red background of the Outerweb - the most expansive rebel network. Hidden behind numerous proxies, requiring many secret codes and various methods of identification, the Outerweb was the flagship of the anti-UN movement, a safe haven for anyone who wants to deal whatever business away from the watching eyes of the mass surveillance, anonymously. Needless to say Jake frequented the place, and gained quite a fame here as well. He regularly published exploits into a variety of UN systems and was contacted often with inquiries about security. However, he never made any long-lasting connections with anyone and never revealed himself either - using 'The Shadow Joker' as his moniker while browsing. He did not expect anything new this time either. The other user's name was a line of random numbers, indicating that they cannot even risk using a fake ID, lest they are discovered. An intrigued [b]"Hmm..."[/b] left Jake as the conversation began. [color=ed1c24][b][16:27] 78933698:[/b] Hello? [b][16:28] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Hello. [b][16:28] 78933698:[/b] Are you the unknown hacker from the recent Most Wanted list? [b][16:28] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Yes. My fame seems to have outreached myself... [b][16:29] 78933698:[/b] No time for small talk now. I have something I believe would genuinely interest you. [b][16:29] The Shadow Joker:[/b] And what would that be exactly? [b][16:30] 78933698:[/b] Top security clearance codes for Prime. Gives you access to pretty much everything.[/color] It took a moment for Jake to recompose himself after seeing the anonymous person's message. The Prime mainframe was almost the only thing he could not hack into, despite trying a million times in the past. And now someone is presenting him the easiest way on a silver platter. Too good to be true. Definitely too good to be true. [color=ed1c24][b][16:31] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Sounds great. Send them. [b][16:31] 78933698:[/b] I can't. Need to meet in person. [b][16:31] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Yeah sure... [b][16:32] 78933698:[/b] I have to sign off now. I know you can identify me. Third track, Union Square station, tomorrow, 10 am.[/color] With these final words, the mysterious user signed off the network. Jake took a few seconds to evaluate everything that was just said. The person was right, he could indeed track them down even over the Outerweb. Putting his hash cracking work to halt for the moment, he got to the identification. First the in-network IP was traced back to its owner, then he deobfuscated the chat client's script to find the real address from which the connection was made. From there it was only a matter of geocaching and database-sweeping to find the person behind the jumbled numbers. [b]"Elmina Lennox..."[/b] he muttered in front of himself as he pulled up the window from none other than a UN worker database. [b]"UN official... Medic..."[/b] he read the information out loud. [b]"What could she have to do with the Prime system..."[/b] For the first time in years, Jake felt absolutely stumped. He just discovered someone's complete identity from nothing but an IP over one of the most secure networks in the world in 15 minutes. Yet, he had absolutely no idea how to progress further. To say that he was curious was an understatement - he would have given a great deal to get his hands on the Prime codes. But could he trust someone from within the very UN that is out to capture him...? [h3]SEPTEMBER 22 2088, UNION SQUARE SUBWAY ENTRANCE, NEW YORK[/h3] His extreme interest ended up getting the better of him. There he was, standing at the waiting platform of the third train track just a couple minutes from 10 as it was specified. It was still rush hour, nobody noticed the young man with his usual grey hoodie on, reclining to one of the pillars and deep in his thoughts. He had absolutely no backup plan here. If some UN special forces bust into the station, he would be done for. Yet still he had that little naivety in him, that he would not be led into a trap. Because of his BPD, he never knew how to rationally judge social situations - he either trusted someone fully or not at all. This time, mostly thanks to the topic in question, it was the former. He looked at his watch: 9:59. It was almost time. He was hoping this Elmina will be on time and will indeed bring what they bargained for. Fortunately, he did not need to wonder for long. Not even a minute later a familiar-looking woman approached him. Neither of them said a word until she eventually pulled out a microchip and slid it into his hand. [b]"There. Look, this is just the beginning. There are greater plans in motion still, of which you will be notified in time. Be ready."[/b] Jake could only nod once and say a faint [b]"Thanks"[/b] before the woman left for the just-arriving train. He did not hesitate much either, quickly taking the exit of the subway. He could finally examine the microchip once he was back at home. It was a special high-capacity model with the UN logo engraved. This wasn't always Elmina's, he thought...and did not think further. Whatever the medic did to acquire this piece of treasure was none of his concern. He quickly hooked it up with his laptop and got right to the contents. [b]"So far so good..."[/b] he said as a number of files flashed up and reflected on his glasses. [b]"Time for the crash course."[/b] Finding a gateway site to access the Prime mainframe was no small feat in itself, but once that was out of the way, it was all in the scripts and codes on the microchip. Jake compiled a batch file from all of them then pressed [i]'Execute'[/i]. The scripts closed automatically after they were run. Jake waited a couple more seconds with fingers crossed, when suddenly three large words in green popped up: [i][b]'Welcome to Prime'[/b][/i]. He was in. He was in the Prime system. He could see anything and do anything. However, before he could do anything, a bleep was heard again. [color=ed1c24][b][11:04] 78933698:[/b] Don't do too much just yet please. They cannot detect that you have access.[/color] [h3]APRIL 5 2090, JAKE'S HOME, NEW YORK[/h3] As difficult was it at times, Jake kept himself to his promise and did not fiddle with the Prime system. Instead, he used the codes as the masterkey for almost everything else. The amount of data he uncovered in just half a year was staggering and it became more and more difficult to cover up all his tracks to safely submit some of the knowledge to the Outerweb. He never forgot about Elmina's messages either. In fact, the two have remained in loose online contact through this time, exchanging thoughts every now and then. Nothing personal. It was on the night of April 5 that he heard the familiar notification sign again in a month. [color=ed1c24][b][21:47] 78933698:[/b] It's time. Enter the Prime. [b][21:47] The Shadow Joker:[/b] On it...[/color] He quickly launched the same batch file, which finished a lot quicker than last time. [color=ed1c24][b][21:47] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Done. [b][21:47] 78933698:[/b] Excellent. Look for an upload tab somewhere. [b][21:48] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Got it, but...this one wasn't here the first time I entered. [b][21:48] 78933698:[/b] I've given you sysop access...whatever that is. [b][21:48] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Isn't that...only reserved for the head of Prime?[/color] While typing, he also quickly looked through all the other tabs. He indeed have full access. [color=ed1c24][b][21:49] 78933698: He's dead.[/b] Along with the network security boss. Look, it is not the time to ask questions. You need to upload a virus.[/color] Jake looked at the screen with eyes wide open. The head of Prime, dead just like that? He did not have much time to think. [color=ed1c24][b][21:50] The Shadow Joker:[/b] What virus? [b][21:50] 78933698:[/b] One that will completely ravage the entire system. Bringing down their main regime machine will deal the greatest blow ever dealt to the UN. [b][21:50] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Uhh... [b][21:50] 78933698:[/b] Please. I'm counting on you. Everyone does. [b][21:51] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Give me a minute.[/color] Jake put the chat window away, took a couple deep breaths and started focusing. He just needs to write a script that will overwrite all safety measures of the system and cause as much damage as possible within it. He opened his favorite editor and started cranking out the code. [color=ed1c24][b][21:58] 78933698:[/b] Hello? Are you still there? [b][21:58] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Just a couple more lines... [b][21:59] The Shadow Joker:[/b] This is all I could do. Once it runs, it should cripple most of Prime's main functions. The problem is, I could not set a specific date, only some conditions. [b][21:59] 78933698:[/b] What does that mean? [b][21:59] The Shadow Joker:[/b] I have no idea when will it actually execute... [b][21:59] 78933698:[/b] Let's just hope for the best then.[/color] Jake had great concerns about this, he did know for sure what will he actually unleash upon the world. But the heat of the moment could not allow for anymore thinking. [color=ed1c24][b][22:00] The Shadow Joker:[/b] Uploaded and buried deep within the mainframe. No one will ever notice. [b][22:00] 78933698:[/b] Thank you. This is probably the last you will hear from me, but... You have done a great service. Goodbye.[/color] Once he saw Elmina sign off, he shut down the computer, put it away and laid down on his couch. He needed some rest. [h2]JULY 2235, B DECK OF THE APOX SPACE-PENITENTIARY, NORTH CAROLINA[/h2] [i]Warning: Energy supply disabled. Stasis field off. Connecting to emergency generators... Warning: Energy supply disabled. Stasis field off. Connecting to emergency generators...[/i] A cold body stood suspended to the wall. Head looking down, eyes closed, both hands and feet tied behind the back. There was a distinct outfit on the person too: a grey all-in-one suit, the most standard prisoner clothing. [i]Emergency generations could not be reached. Power level critical. Cryochamber shutdown imminent... Emergency generations could not be reached. Power level critical. Cryochamber shutdown imminent...[/i] The monotone AI voice was echoing all over the small chamber the person was in. Above him, a red light started flashing. The three metal restraints that held him tight in place clacked open and pulled back - and he promptly fell on the ground. [b]"Argh!"[/b] The sudden pain woke him up. His head was also aching, although not from the fall. He slowly stood up and looked around him. His last memory was of the blue glass snapping into place in front of him and the fading voice [i]'Commencing stasis...'[/i]. Now, the glass front was broken into a hundred little pieces and the same AI was now announcing a system failure. For how long was he out? He moved out of the chamber that has been 'home' to him for many years now, his black boots shattering the glass pieces he stepped on. Once out, a stench smell hit his nose immediately - smoke that was, coming from the left. Unfortunately, the steel staircase that connected all the pods was also to the left, all he could do is pull up his shirt to his nose to block some of the toxic smoke. This, paired with the fact that his head was still heavy and dizzy almost made him pass out on the spot, he just barely reached the stairs. He managed to spot the source of the smoke from there as well - it came from a couple rows above him from a half-destroyed cryochamber. [b]"What the hell happened here?!" [/b]he asked himself in utter confusion. He could not wonder for long as the burning pod exploded just a couple seconds later and rubble started falling all around him. He quickly scurried down the stairs until he was safe from the direct fallout. Directly to his right stood a terminal - his favorite plaything on those few occasions he was let out of his cell to do work for the UN. He quickly turned it on. [b]"Please work, please work..."[/b] Fortunately it did, letting out a satisfying buzz as it booted up. First thing he did was look at the date.[b][i] July 2235.[/i][/b] He froze in place. [b]"Okay Jake, this is fucked up but you gotta get to safety first..."[/b] he muttered, taking deep breaths and trying to keep his imminent panic down for a little more. He browsed through the machine before eventually finding the security camera feeds. From the nine available, only two showed any kind of picture: one from the C Deck, the other from the entrance. Jake gasped when he saw movement on the second camera and even a person, who quickly disappeared from sight. It did not matter. He had to get down.