From: harper4@hale.yerkes.uchicago.edu (Evan Harper)
Subject: STORY: NEXUS V1.0_|Episode 1
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 05:42:09 GMT


   Here's my first story for a.c.c, I hope you guys like it, and if you
don't, then mail me and tell me why (be constuctive now =).  Come to think
of it, if you do, like it, e-mail me and tell me why as well, I can always
use the advice.
As for copyright stuff, there is none- if you want to incorporate some of
the characters or technology into your own stories, that's cool too
(though not many characters are introduced in this episode, but more
episodes will come soon and often. This one's only 2 pages or so long,
just something to whet your appetites). If you want to publish them in
some magazine or online publication, go for it, just make sure to give me
a quick e-mail message saying where it'll be so I can see for myself.
(also make sure to put my name on the by-line =)


                             _NEXUS V1.0_
                             EPISODE  ONE
                             By E. Harper

   A sphere of white hot code rose up from the plain, separating itself
from the expanse of glowing green gridlines like a drop of water from a
leaky ceiling.

   Graves, hearing one of his alarms go off, threw himself forward and
spun around to bring the virus into his view.  Its graphical
representation was not unlike a huge ball of fiery magma, swirling with
mathematical statements and deleting everything in its path.  He had seen
ones like this before, they were designed to burn through a site,
searching for its preprogrammed target.  What it did with that target was
could is configured at the owners desire, and it was rarely pleasant.
They were called Burners, because if they were configured to flatline say,
a site admin, it would find them, burn all possible escape links out of
the matrix node the target was in, and fill the place with subprograms
that would fry any wetware the prey had in its head, thus deep frying the
old grey matter in its own
juices.

   The sphere threw itself at Graves, who sidestepped and rocketed towards
a link to his linkroom. The glowing passage swirled open and snapped shut
after Graves passed through, but not before the Burner had slid through.
Knowing the virus would follow him wherever he when went, so he entered
his link to his favorite disinfectant providers site.

   As soon as the Burner slammed into the site, the walls around the two
exploded into hundreds of subprograms and swarmed the virus.  As the first
subprograms sliced into the Burner, the virus divided itself into five
equal balls of code.  As the disinfectant programs were tearing through
four of the Burners, the fifth centered itself in the middle of the node
and fired several programs at each of the exits.

   Graves, in turn, ran a script to create two new exits back to his
system. A glowing hole opened up under Graves, and a second dropped over
the remaining virus.  As soon as they entered his site, Graves gave his
ICE the go-ahead and it, in turn, ripped the Burner apart, function by
function.

   When the last of the virus was dismantled, Graves ran a search on the
source for it's configuration data.  The program (It was named Fido and
was represented by a small dog), came up with one page of data, which
Graves had printed to his bedroom printer.  Graves then ran several
programs to search through his entire site and find any remaining viruses,
as well as one that would print out all recent connection logs and one
that would patch any holes the Burner may have left in his system.
Finding no new viruses, Graves jacked out.


    Back in his home in reality, he pulled the interface cord out of the
port behind his ear and walked over to the printer on the other side of
his bedroom.  He picked up the warm sheet of paper and began to read.


 /******************* FireBall V5.82Alpha Prefs ************************/
        /*** General ****/
 TARGET:::::::::::::: Jeff Graves;
 TargetClass::::::::: Human;
 TargetHomeSite:::::: gravestone.toshiba.com;
 SiteICESpecs:::::::: DryICE V2.0;
 SiteClass::::::::::: Commercial;
 MissionFunc::::::::: Terminate(WetwareKill);
 DivisionFactor::::: 2;
 DataEncryption:::::: VGP V13.1Gamma;
 FireBall_Extensions: SnowBall(2.0), WetwareKill(1.0), QuickCrash(0.992);

        /*** Extension Data ***/
/*** SnowBall ***/
 ICEClass:::::::::::: DryIce(White, ehi43988<&>j7cdhks, 2.0, custom;
 SystemSoftware:::::: Makasuto7;
 MachineClass:::::::: 1;
/*** WetwareKill ***/
 WetwareClass:::::::: Motorola/Toshiba(Nexus1.0);
 WetwareDrivers:::::: MultiEyePlus, AdrenalCapacitor;
 PainSetting::::::::: 5000%
/*** QuickCrash ***/
 SystemSoft:::::::::: Makasuto7;
 CrashLevel:::::::::: Irreparable;
 TimeBomb:::::::::::: False;
/*************************************************************************/

   Graves fell back on his bed and tried to let it all sink in.

 "Someone just tried to fuckin' kill me.", he mumbled to himself.

   Jeffery Graves was a SysAdmin for one of Toshiba's huge mainframe computers,
and things were never this exciting.  He was hired two years ago as a programmer
for the Nexus Project, a joint venture between Motorola and Toshiba, the leaders
in brain-interfacing hardware and software.  He had designed the software
programs MultiEyePlus and AdrenalCapacitor, and was one of the first
humans to
have a neural implantation in his skull.  The company thought that as long as he
was the one designing the software, he should have the honor of being one of the
first to have the hardware.  However, as Jeff found out rather quickly, being a
wetware beta-tester is a major bitch.  The programs he wrote were installed into
the implant, and the company has given him unlimited hardware updates as long as
he lives, but the price is living with a constant headache.  He has become
addicted to painkillers, and often drinks heavily.

   He was also one of the first to have two eyes successfully replaced and
driven
by wetware.  An accident with a new design in VR helmets had robbed him of
his vision.

   The helms were antiquated by the neural interface, but still marketable
to the people who either don't have the money or the balls to get the
implants.  A big chunk of that population is the religious types, who
believe that wetware is a violation of nature.  He puts those people into
the group with no balls.

   Pain and sacrifice had always come with his job, but now that he was
taking care of the mainframe, it was supposed to be all over- no danger,
no more rushes from the lab to the hospital, no more death threats from
fundies; just the occasional hacker that got past the ICE and tried to
fool with his files.  Hell, he was even willing to deal with the
occasional virus, networm, and what have you.  But not this KillVirus
bullshit.  Hackers don't mess with them, even to
piss off the big nasty SysAdmin- they'd send a crashbug, or something
that'd get him fired.  But not killed.  Hackers are willing to risk
getting caught trashing files, but a homicide they don't go for.

   The VidFone by his bed interrupted his thoughts with its high pitched
whine as it popped to life.  He rolled over to it and hit the talk
button.  The monitor slid out of the top of the small, plastic oval and a
picture slowly formed on the screen.  It was Armand, the SysAdmin for the
other Toshiba mainframe, Erebus.

   "What that hell's going on, Jeff?  I just saw all links to your system
blink on and off like some sorta fuckin' neon sign.  Did some hacker try
to crash your system or something?"  Armand was a tall, skinny Italian man
with a deep tan.  His words were spoken with a slight Japanese accent from
speaking to his system users so often.

   "I don't know.  Look, I need you to meet me at that place I drink at,
you know, the one you don't like." Graves' knew that if something could
slip past all the ICE on his system, it very well could be watching his
VidFone transmissions as well.

   There was an audible groan from the man on the other VidFone. "Aww,
jesus, that Chatsubo place?  That place gives me the fuckin' creeps, man.
The bigwigs at Tosh' give you a big fat check every month, and you still
go to that shithole.  Let's go somewhere nice, like that new bar on Ya-Lee
street, what's
it called?"

   "I know you don't like the place, but I need to do something there
anyway.  If you want to know what's going on with the comps, then meet me
there." Jeff knew the only thing that would get past Armand's attitude was
his fear for Erebus. "Yeah, I can make it", Armand said after a while,
then the screen faded to black once again.

                           ***********************
                               END EPISODE 1