Ethernauts

“It’s raining again, and the streetlight blinks a forlorn SOS in the night. I wrap my coat closer and press on, hoping to find some answers.

Franklin Bridge is a new build, part of the reconstruction back around the turn of the century. It spans one of the main canals through Opal City, an artery to this urban heart.

The road is busy, but the ramps down to the docks provide anonymity to those seeking it. They’re mostly quiet after dark, a good place for a private conversation. At least, I hope it’s going to be a conversation.

She’s waiting for me, alone this time. Leaning against a lamppost, smoking a designer cigarette, worried eyes watching the darkness beyond. For the moment at least we are alone, but she’s clearly worried about something.

I wonder about the best course of action to take but in the end the decision is made for me. Her eyes find me in the shadows and she calls my name in relief. She’s different, something has changed, and not for the better. She’s frightened and that makes me nervous in turn.

I walk towards her but she rushes to me and throws herself against my chest. Unthinkingly my arms move to embrace her but I catch myself and instead grab her shoulders, moving us apart so I can see her face. I look into those blue eyes, designer just like everything else. I look for a clue, something to tell me what is going on.

“Hey now, what’s all this?” I ask, “You’re not the one running against the clock here.”

She turns her face from me, unable to meet my gaze. It’s nice to see she feels guilty, but somehow I’m not comforted. She’s no longer in control and I’m starting to feel like the next domino in the line.

“What? What is it? What’s changed?”

She finally looks back at me.

“Everything.” She says. “They’ve changed everything.”

“Lucy, you’re not making any sense. Who’s ‘They’?”

“Datastream and Virtual Illusions. They’ve had a breakthrough. It was supposed to be a partnership, a new datajack and the software to support it. But the original research came from the military: one of their crackpot super-soldier projects.”

“The Military?” I ask, my stomach sinking.

“There’s always been a limit on Skill Chips that they’ve never beaten. Muscle memory and technical ability need experience to reach their full potential, something Skill Chips could never provide. The scientists were trying to capture experience as data, ready to be downloaded into a willing mind. They ran in to problems though, the sheer volume of data was more than their technology could handle. After a few failed test subjects they shelved the project and sold off the patent. Virtual Illusions picked it up. They wanted to improve the Net experience, make it more real. They brought in Datastream to help with the cyberware and between them they finally figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“How to write directly to people’s brains. They can take a belief or a memory or even a desire, and make it yours. Make it so you even remember having it. They’ve had successful tests and now they intend to role it out as the ultimate marketing campaign. They will literally be able to control their consumers, wiping out any competition.”

I mind reels with the implications. Taking the conspiracy to its ultimate conclusion brings visions of a totalitarian state. Lucy is worried about a capitalist disaster but it’s only a matter of time before capitalism ceases to exist.

“It’s a combination. The new subroutines and the datajack design. Anyone exposed to both those variables is susceptible.”

“What about the agents? Where do they fit in to all this?”

“Test subjects. The Virtual Illusions R&D department found them when they bought the patent. They call them the Mindless. Nothing remains of the soldiers they once were. Only the skills and memories they’re given.”

“How do we stop them?”

She makes as if to answer but suddenly stops. Something in her eye worries me.

“Lucy?”

She finally looks back at me.

“I’m sorry.” She says.

I hear the gunshot but it’s way too late. Lucy crumples to the ground in front of me…”