Post by CYPHER on Jun 3, 2022 10:06:41 GMT -5
(previously: ocwonline13.proboards.com/thread/8698/ent1ty-1-c0rrupt10n)
May, 2022.
Somewhere in Djibouti
The first thing Cypher felt when he came to was the weight of the world pressing down on his skull. He was still woozy from the blows to his head and it took a while for him to get his bearings. Slowly the world came into view as he nursed his sore head. Before him was a computer terminal, a small mechanical keyboard and mouse sitting on a desk. There was little else in the room, except for the chair he was seated on - an uncomfortable steel folding chair.
No way in, or way out, at least from what he could see.
Now having his bearings, he replayed the last moments before he had blacked out in his mind.
The bait.
The switch.
The promise of a reunion shattered in an instant.
His heart sank, knowing that he had been completely fucked over. She wasn’t there, Entity had simply used Anna to lure him in.
And now?
He had a feeling that he was going to be punished.
Suddenly the entire wall to his left flashed to life, the blast of light so bright it forced him to shield his eyes. The wall was actually some kind of LCD screen that had been hidden in plain sight.
Leering at him from a separate room was a man he recognised.
Adam Schwarz, well dressed as ever, was flanked by four other men all in the exact same uniform - buttoned black blazers with red collars.
“Tyler, grand to see you’re finally awake, I trust the trip wasn’t too bumpy?”
Cypher’s blood boiled at the sight of the snide prick. Sure, Entity had won the first round, but he couldn’t let himself be broken, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.
“Fuck you.”
He spat the words with venom.
Schwarz merely chuckled.
“Manners never were your strong suit, were they? I’m sure your ordeal has been somewhat tiring so far, but it’s far from over I’m afraid.”
The terminal screen on his right blinked to life. It immediately drew his attention, and when he turned to look at it he was greeted with a cursor flashing on a black background.
It was familiar to him. Most hacking setups were simple like this, in contrast to how it was often portrayed in film and by the media.
“We’ve got a job for you, and…not to be cliché, but it’s an offer I’m sure you can’t refuse.”
Cypher looked back to Schwarz and his followers on the giant plasma screen. Aaron smiled his cheshire cat grin before he disappeared and was replaced with a grainy feed of a prison cell. Inside, a woman lay on a bunk bed, staring up at the ceiling. The camera zoomed in..capturing her blonde hair, bruised cheeks, and…
No.
This had to be another trick.
There’s no way that was really Anna.
As if to make a point, the camera continued to zoom in until it focused on the same damn birthmark under her chin.
“If you want to see her again, then you’ll hack what we tell you.”
Cypher’s hands began to shake. He couldn’t take this anymore. His sister was dead, she had died a long time ago, he had convinced himself of that.
He opened his mouth to respond when a shrill scream from the video feed caught his attention. Anna, if it really was her, was now banging on the door in distress.
“Is anyone there?”
“I-I don’t know where I am, please, someone just talk to me!”
“Go on Tyler…talk to her.”
A microphone icon appeared just below the feed on the terminal. It pulsed with a red light, beckoning his cursor to click it.
Cypher tried not to with all the willpower he had left.
This was just another trick.
It had to be.
Right?
Anna continued to pound on the door, tears now flowing down her cheeks.
“Help me!’
“Anna?”
Anna gasped, then sat in stunned silence for a second.
“Tyler?”
…
“Hello, Tyler? Was…was that you?”
…
“Hello?!”
Cypher was trying desperately to talk back to her, but now it didn’t seem like anything he was saying was getting through. The microphone symbol had now vanished, and it didn’t matter what he pressed on the keyboard, it wouldn’t come back.
“Want to talk to her again?”
“Then you’ll do what we tell you.”
/~/
Djibouti.
The backdoor.
He had hopped the fence and made his way to the back of the property, without worrying about trying to bypass the intricate alarm system connected to the entrance. He knew there was no hope at brute forcing this, this was serious shit. These guys weren’t hacking any run-of-the-mill residence. This was a three-storey mansion with multiple locked doors on every level.
His task was to infiltrate the establishment and return with the technology stowed away on the top level. He had been given scant info on what the tech was exactly, but it had something to do with Artificial Intelligence.
In order to free himself, to see his sister again, all he had to do was get in and get out with the package in tow.
That was what Entity had promised him.
And in reality it was his only choice.
The infiltration began with an innocuous knock on the front door by a “postman”. The postie came bearing gifts. They didn’t arouse suspicion because on the face of it they seemed harmless. The youngest removed a toy horse from one of them. Horses were her favourite. Soon it was discarded as she was called in for tea. It lay on the mantlepiece until eventually revealing its true nature. The Trojan program which had been concealed within the horse began quietly building a backdoor…
By the time the family realised what was going on, it was too late.
Instead of trying to fight through every door to get to the top, Cypher was able to gain access to the top level via the route that the Trojan had created for him. The backdoor led to its own route, bypassing the locked doors that would normally block his path.
Traversing the stairs, he was in.
No alarms triggered.
Like the innocuous horse from before he had found his way inside the property, and now, before him, lay the prize.
A small black box resting on a table, bearing a triangular logo with the name “GIDEON SOLUTIONS” underneath.
He frowned, that name sounded somewhat familiar. But he didn’t have time to worry about that now.
Cypher swiped the box, turned to leave, and immediately heard the sound of the backdoor downstairs slamming shut.
The room flashed red as multiple alarms blared all around Cypher.
How could he be so stupid?
He prayed his legs wouldn’t fail him as he abandoned all pretense of sneaking around and fled through the main door.
Why did he always fuck everything up?
The stairs raced by as he flew down them, the alarms assaulting him with a wall of noise.
“Please just let me make it.”
Finally making it to the foot of the stairs he raced toward the door.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Cypher looked back to see four figures behind him. Two adults, clutching a child each, stared back at him with wide, goldfish-like eyes. He only glanced at them for a second but the image of their faces was burnt into his mind. They had no mouths or ears, they had two small holes where their noses should have been. Their skin was grey and pasty, no clothing except for a badge which read “sysadmin”.
Nopeing the fuck out of that, he turned back to the door and reached for the handle. He grabbed it, but a rope wrapped around his feet. They were about to pull him back in when he jumped into the air, freeing himself momentarily from the rope, and smashed his shoulder into the door, brute forcing it down.
Cypher collapsed back into his chair, sweat trickling down his nose. He took a moment just to breathe after the most exhilarating hack of his life.
His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest, but the adrenaline and anxiety soon gave way to joy as he double checked the contents of the computer drive to make sure.
The file sat there amongst a bunch of other junk, like a golden needle poking out of a haystack.
"GS.exe".
The only thing that worried him was that he could no longer see Anna on the feed of the prison cell - but the cell door was unlocked.
Cypher stood up, legs shaky for a second, then glared in the direction of the LCD screen which remained blank.
“Come on u fucks, I played ur stupid game, now give her back.”
Still, nothing.
Exhausted physically and mentally, Cypher fell to his knees.
“Please…”
Head bowed, he waited.
…
…
A torrent of artificial light illuminated his face.
He looked up to see Adam grinning ear to ear.
“Well done, Tyler. You’ve won our mercy, and of course…the object of your desire.”
Metal hinges grunted and groaned as what had previously just been a part of a wall swung open.
Pushing back his hood, Cypher met the eyes of his sister. She was dressed much like him, a black hoodie framed her bruised and fearful face. She looked traumatized, but those troubled eyes lit up when she saw him.
Anna Norrie rushed into the arms of her brother, the embrace taking them both to the floor.
Tears came, flowing freely, as the two siblings were finally reunited after 10 years.
“Is this real?”
…
“I hope so.”
/~/
So instead of a title match at the PPV, I get snuffed from the card and thrown into some thrown-together-at-the-last-minute bullshit threeway?
Amick Dogeron…and Bob Grenier??
Who tf comes up with this shit?
I’m bout 2 be in the ring with an overexcited chihuahua that’s probably gonna piss all over itself when the match starts and an aging greyhound which is one misstep away from being taken out back like old yeller.
Bob ur a hall of famer, that much I know, u’ve been around this business for way longer than me, and honestly?
It’s sad 2 see.
It’s sad 2 see a dude clutching to his past accomplishments, like 1 of those actors that once lnaded a lead role and now they’re just in the supporting cast. Screaming form the back like hey, remember me? Remember how good I once was? Remember the “grand wizard”?
Fuck no, I don’t remember Bob, I could care less about ur legacy. Right now? Ur a tag team wrestler, u need other ppl to prop u up and make u feel good about urself in the ring.
I’m not here to just beat u Bob, I’m here to fucking demolish u. Amick I could care less about, I just hope he enjoys watching greatness as I expose Bob Greiner for wat he rly is.
A washed up piece of garbage that no longer has any relevance in the main event scene.
U think I’m capping Bob?
Look at Veronica Strader.
She thought she was invincible until I made her taste defeat for the first time in 15 matches. U are probably gonna go into this match feeling the same way - after all I’ve only been here a few months, wat’s that to a former world champ?
But this ain’t no time for complacency, Sadie Ko underestimated me and she paid the price. I’m on a hot streak hotter than anyone in this place, and ur just another name I can cross off my list on my inevitable path to the world championship.
Amick, it irks me that ur about 2 receive a title shot that should have my name all over it. At Massacre I'm gonna prove that ur nothing but a flash in the pan.
Hope u have enjoyed the spotlight kid.
Time 4 ur curtain call.
May, 2022.
Somewhere in Djibouti
The first thing Cypher felt when he came to was the weight of the world pressing down on his skull. He was still woozy from the blows to his head and it took a while for him to get his bearings. Slowly the world came into view as he nursed his sore head. Before him was a computer terminal, a small mechanical keyboard and mouse sitting on a desk. There was little else in the room, except for the chair he was seated on - an uncomfortable steel folding chair.
No way in, or way out, at least from what he could see.
Now having his bearings, he replayed the last moments before he had blacked out in his mind.
The bait.
The switch.
The promise of a reunion shattered in an instant.
His heart sank, knowing that he had been completely fucked over. She wasn’t there, Entity had simply used Anna to lure him in.
And now?
He had a feeling that he was going to be punished.
Suddenly the entire wall to his left flashed to life, the blast of light so bright it forced him to shield his eyes. The wall was actually some kind of LCD screen that had been hidden in plain sight.
Leering at him from a separate room was a man he recognised.
Adam Schwarz, well dressed as ever, was flanked by four other men all in the exact same uniform - buttoned black blazers with red collars.
“Tyler, grand to see you’re finally awake, I trust the trip wasn’t too bumpy?”
Cypher’s blood boiled at the sight of the snide prick. Sure, Entity had won the first round, but he couldn’t let himself be broken, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.
“Fuck you.”
He spat the words with venom.
Schwarz merely chuckled.
“Manners never were your strong suit, were they? I’m sure your ordeal has been somewhat tiring so far, but it’s far from over I’m afraid.”
The terminal screen on his right blinked to life. It immediately drew his attention, and when he turned to look at it he was greeted with a cursor flashing on a black background.
It was familiar to him. Most hacking setups were simple like this, in contrast to how it was often portrayed in film and by the media.
“We’ve got a job for you, and…not to be cliché, but it’s an offer I’m sure you can’t refuse.”
Cypher looked back to Schwarz and his followers on the giant plasma screen. Aaron smiled his cheshire cat grin before he disappeared and was replaced with a grainy feed of a prison cell. Inside, a woman lay on a bunk bed, staring up at the ceiling. The camera zoomed in..capturing her blonde hair, bruised cheeks, and…
No.
This had to be another trick.
There’s no way that was really Anna.
As if to make a point, the camera continued to zoom in until it focused on the same damn birthmark under her chin.
“If you want to see her again, then you’ll hack what we tell you.”
Cypher’s hands began to shake. He couldn’t take this anymore. His sister was dead, she had died a long time ago, he had convinced himself of that.
He opened his mouth to respond when a shrill scream from the video feed caught his attention. Anna, if it really was her, was now banging on the door in distress.
“Is anyone there?”
“I-I don’t know where I am, please, someone just talk to me!”
“Go on Tyler…talk to her.”
A microphone icon appeared just below the feed on the terminal. It pulsed with a red light, beckoning his cursor to click it.
Cypher tried not to with all the willpower he had left.
This was just another trick.
It had to be.
Right?
Anna continued to pound on the door, tears now flowing down her cheeks.
“Help me!’
“Anna?”
Anna gasped, then sat in stunned silence for a second.
“Tyler?”
…
“Hello, Tyler? Was…was that you?”
…
“Hello?!”
Cypher was trying desperately to talk back to her, but now it didn’t seem like anything he was saying was getting through. The microphone symbol had now vanished, and it didn’t matter what he pressed on the keyboard, it wouldn’t come back.
“Want to talk to her again?”
“Then you’ll do what we tell you.”
/~/
Djibouti.
The backdoor.
He had hopped the fence and made his way to the back of the property, without worrying about trying to bypass the intricate alarm system connected to the entrance. He knew there was no hope at brute forcing this, this was serious shit. These guys weren’t hacking any run-of-the-mill residence. This was a three-storey mansion with multiple locked doors on every level.
His task was to infiltrate the establishment and return with the technology stowed away on the top level. He had been given scant info on what the tech was exactly, but it had something to do with Artificial Intelligence.
In order to free himself, to see his sister again, all he had to do was get in and get out with the package in tow.
That was what Entity had promised him.
And in reality it was his only choice.
The infiltration began with an innocuous knock on the front door by a “postman”. The postie came bearing gifts. They didn’t arouse suspicion because on the face of it they seemed harmless. The youngest removed a toy horse from one of them. Horses were her favourite. Soon it was discarded as she was called in for tea. It lay on the mantlepiece until eventually revealing its true nature. The Trojan program which had been concealed within the horse began quietly building a backdoor…
By the time the family realised what was going on, it was too late.
Instead of trying to fight through every door to get to the top, Cypher was able to gain access to the top level via the route that the Trojan had created for him. The backdoor led to its own route, bypassing the locked doors that would normally block his path.
Traversing the stairs, he was in.
No alarms triggered.
Like the innocuous horse from before he had found his way inside the property, and now, before him, lay the prize.
A small black box resting on a table, bearing a triangular logo with the name “GIDEON SOLUTIONS” underneath.
He frowned, that name sounded somewhat familiar. But he didn’t have time to worry about that now.
Cypher swiped the box, turned to leave, and immediately heard the sound of the backdoor downstairs slamming shut.
The room flashed red as multiple alarms blared all around Cypher.
How could he be so stupid?
He prayed his legs wouldn’t fail him as he abandoned all pretense of sneaking around and fled through the main door.
Why did he always fuck everything up?
The stairs raced by as he flew down them, the alarms assaulting him with a wall of noise.
“Please just let me make it.”
Finally making it to the foot of the stairs he raced toward the door.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Cypher looked back to see four figures behind him. Two adults, clutching a child each, stared back at him with wide, goldfish-like eyes. He only glanced at them for a second but the image of their faces was burnt into his mind. They had no mouths or ears, they had two small holes where their noses should have been. Their skin was grey and pasty, no clothing except for a badge which read “sysadmin”.
Nopeing the fuck out of that, he turned back to the door and reached for the handle. He grabbed it, but a rope wrapped around his feet. They were about to pull him back in when he jumped into the air, freeing himself momentarily from the rope, and smashed his shoulder into the door, brute forcing it down.
Cypher collapsed back into his chair, sweat trickling down his nose. He took a moment just to breathe after the most exhilarating hack of his life.
His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest, but the adrenaline and anxiety soon gave way to joy as he double checked the contents of the computer drive to make sure.
The file sat there amongst a bunch of other junk, like a golden needle poking out of a haystack.
"GS.exe".
The only thing that worried him was that he could no longer see Anna on the feed of the prison cell - but the cell door was unlocked.
Cypher stood up, legs shaky for a second, then glared in the direction of the LCD screen which remained blank.
“Come on u fucks, I played ur stupid game, now give her back.”
Still, nothing.
Exhausted physically and mentally, Cypher fell to his knees.
“Please…”
Head bowed, he waited.
…
…
A torrent of artificial light illuminated his face.
He looked up to see Adam grinning ear to ear.
“Well done, Tyler. You’ve won our mercy, and of course…the object of your desire.”
Metal hinges grunted and groaned as what had previously just been a part of a wall swung open.
Pushing back his hood, Cypher met the eyes of his sister. She was dressed much like him, a black hoodie framed her bruised and fearful face. She looked traumatized, but those troubled eyes lit up when she saw him.
Anna Norrie rushed into the arms of her brother, the embrace taking them both to the floor.
Tears came, flowing freely, as the two siblings were finally reunited after 10 years.
“Is this real?”
…
“I hope so.”
/~/
So instead of a title match at the PPV, I get snuffed from the card and thrown into some thrown-together-at-the-last-minute bullshit threeway?
Amick Dogeron…and Bob Grenier??
Who tf comes up with this shit?
I’m bout 2 be in the ring with an overexcited chihuahua that’s probably gonna piss all over itself when the match starts and an aging greyhound which is one misstep away from being taken out back like old yeller.
Bob ur a hall of famer, that much I know, u’ve been around this business for way longer than me, and honestly?
It’s sad 2 see.
It’s sad 2 see a dude clutching to his past accomplishments, like 1 of those actors that once lnaded a lead role and now they’re just in the supporting cast. Screaming form the back like hey, remember me? Remember how good I once was? Remember the “grand wizard”?
Fuck no, I don’t remember Bob, I could care less about ur legacy. Right now? Ur a tag team wrestler, u need other ppl to prop u up and make u feel good about urself in the ring.
I’m not here to just beat u Bob, I’m here to fucking demolish u. Amick I could care less about, I just hope he enjoys watching greatness as I expose Bob Greiner for wat he rly is.
A washed up piece of garbage that no longer has any relevance in the main event scene.
U think I’m capping Bob?
Look at Veronica Strader.
She thought she was invincible until I made her taste defeat for the first time in 15 matches. U are probably gonna go into this match feeling the same way - after all I’ve only been here a few months, wat’s that to a former world champ?
But this ain’t no time for complacency, Sadie Ko underestimated me and she paid the price. I’m on a hot streak hotter than anyone in this place, and ur just another name I can cross off my list on my inevitable path to the world championship.
Amick, it irks me that ur about 2 receive a title shot that should have my name all over it. At Massacre I'm gonna prove that ur nothing but a flash in the pan.
Hope u have enjoyed the spotlight kid.
Time 4 ur curtain call.