First Posted: 8 May 1996
I know somewhere we could go
Better than you could ever know
"So, you've had a couple days to look at it. What do ye think?"
"Nice code," says Darcey from the couch, his notebook humming on the table next to him. "Tight."
Helllloooo
Go shove yourself
"Has to be in a frame. Ye can't be carryin' baggage around when yer semi-autonomous. When the frame touches base again, whenever that might be, it can dump its data an' encorporate any upgrades to its primary structure."
I know someone we could be
Out in disguise a tree
"Next generation, huh? Yeah, makes sense. Hmm...or maybe more of the next evolutionary step, depending on how much of the code has been re-written."
Helllloooo
Darcey's a clever one. Don't hire 'em dumb, though...
"Yeah, that's somethin' that's got the domes at MIT and Santa Fe twistin' over; that evolutionary step issue. But right now we're a little less concerned wi' the philosophical implications of what we're makin' and more busy with gettin' it to do what we want." I pause to drink more of the Kenya AA.
Go show yourself goal I know
You and me
"So," i continue, "will it work?"
Darcey figits a wee bit. "Uhm, look John, i'm not really up on all this autonomous frame stuff. Truth is, you're just better at programming than i am. You've got some complicated code hanging all this together. Like i said, tight..."
Ah, poor Darcey...feelin' inadequate. An' at his age...
I am the worst one yet
I am deliciousweat
"Look, i know i code better than you. I've been doin' it a lot longer." Wouldn't you just *love* to know how much longer... "What i want from you is your opinion of the encryption and security protocols. I know ye have made some modifications along those lines."
Hellllloooo
"Oh, well, yeah, ok, that i am good at," smiles Darcey. I know, kiddo, cryptography, electronics, math, an' security... Wouldn't 'ave let ye wire the security system into the office otherwise... Ah, youth...
"Ok, let's cut t' th' chase," i begin. "'Bout two weeks ago someone hitched a ride on one of our frames. Said frame came draggin' ass back home in one sorry shape. We dinnae know who hit th' frame, why, or for how long he was on it."
"Right," agrees Darcey, calling up part of the frame's program on 'is notebook, slaved to me desk comp. Code scrolls by on th' screen. "I made a few additions to your code there so that if it happens again we can get an idea how long the frame was being ridden. Hopefully we can also tell where the frame was when it gets hit, too. That might give us an idea of who it was that hit it."
Go shove youreself show
We care lot about a big situation
When we were young
"Ok, good, nice addition."
"Thanks. The encryption routines you wrote were pretty good, actually. I just tweeked them up here and there." Huh...modest he is. On the other 'and, Darcey helped me write that part of th' frames a few months ago anyway. May not have had to change that much after all... "But, i'm not sure i see where you're going with this part of the frame's program."
"Hmm." I quickly scan th' line's Darcey's pointing out.
"It looks like an intrusion package," mutters Darcey, shakin' 'is head.
"Yup," i announce, "that's what it looks like all right." I drink more coffee as Darcey looks at me, expectantly, wonderin', i suppose, when i'll let the shoe drop an' tell 'im what it really is. Poor boy...
"What ye lookin' at me like that for?" I ask. "Ye got it in one."
Darcey blinks rapidly a few times. "But...that's illegal!"
Sigh... Youth will have its day, providing if survives its infancy.
"It's only illegal if ye get caught, Darcey, me-lad," i explain patiently with a big grin. "Oh, besides, this is only a data retrieval frames. I mean, it's not like i'm actually planning to go breaking into Pentex or somethin' wi' them."
"Oh, well, that's a relief! You had me going there."
"Nope," i continue happily, "for major penetration, i wrote this!" With a flourish i call up another batch of code. "This," i add, chorttling, "this is a real beaut!"
Darcey's eyes bug out as he frantically scrolls through the code on his screen. "You've stripped out the data retrieval specs!" Ah, he noticed.
"Well, not entirely," i add softly, pointing out a section of the program. "It's just not very elegant any more."
"Gurk!"
Oh dear, he's really not takin' this very well at all, at all.
"Ah...try thinkin' o' it as an intellectual excersise. I mean, i'm not actively planning on using this," i add tryin' to calm Darcey down some.
"Ah...so this is just, uhm, ah, a...thought experiment?" asks Darcey, hopefully.
I am mean, i admit it. I can nae help meself. It's just so damn easy...
"I'm certainly not planning on using this...at least until i have a defined target! Then it's rape and pillage time!" I shout with glee.
Oh, the expression on his face! Priceless.
"Wait, wait!" i exclaim, fumbling through me desk drawer for the disposable camera.
FLASH!
"Ah, perfect," i laugh, aiming th' camera for a second pic.
FLASH!
"Yer expression is brilliant! An now ye'll actually get t' see it!"
"This isn't funny!" shouts Darcey, a red flush starting up 'is cheeks.
I drop the camera back in the drawer.
"Yeah, ye be right, Darcey-lad. It ain't funny," i say soberly, all trace o' laughter gone from me voice. "Someone out there tried to crack one of me frames. Next time they might go after our systems directly. It's a big cyber ocean an' wi' this government contract we're startin' t' swim in dangerous waters."
Darcey eyes me warily. Huh. Good.
"I'm sending th' frames back out. I'm hopin' that our mysterious rider tags one an tries to hitch. Th' way i've re-written th' data collecting frames they'll latch onto, or "tar", th' rider. He can try t' bash his way loose, metaphorically speakin', or he can take th' easy way out an read th' message th' frame's going to give him, invitin' him to a little chat, he an' me. Once 'e reads it th' frame lets 'im go. No muss, no fuss. But..." i pause again to scroll through a directory, callin' up a picture file.
A insectoid monster graces th' screens, red an' black. Sharp angles an' heavy armour. Both savage an' elegant. A true survivor, predatory. A killing machine.
Even th' code itself is lean. Angry. Stripped to a few simple functions. Penetrate. Destroy. Infect. Seize. Extract. I'll admit it, i had fun putting this together. An' while i know th' visuals are only for our home systems, there's something...satisfyin' about th' killin' purity o' it all.
"But, should he choose to hit our systems, or t' keep ridin' our frames wi'out talkin' to me, then i'll hit his system. Hard. Ye noticed th' reduced data retrieval specs on this frame. I had to free up space. It has less, an more, autonomy than th' data retrieval frames. If it hits a system it smashes what it can. It has a hierarchical priority system built in, although, with repeated experience it can learn an' develop its own hierarchy. If it is working in tandem with other frames it will coordinate its activities to do th' most damage. It can retrieve data, but it wont do it graceful-like. Any data it grabs is on an opportunistic basis, an it'll more likely than not strip th' data clean from th' home system. After it's made th' maximum flash it tries to make it back out, back t' our systems wi' whatever it's carryin'."
I come 'round th' desk and lean in close t' Darcey.
"An here's a few other things for ye to know, since ye handle our security. I'm settin' these frames up as computer sentries. The existin' "warriors" will still handle our basic security protocols, handshakes, passwords, an' th' like. But their will be some o' these...these "hunter-killers" lurkin' about. They're set to respond if th' warrior or data collection systems trigger a warning. They'll seek out th' problem an' attempt to deal wi' it. They have th' autonomy t' try t' track an intruder back to his own system. If need be, th' hunter-killers will crash our own system, preferentially an' carefully, to prevent an intruder from sackin' our files."
Darcey considers this carefully. Ye can always tell when he's thinkin': th' eyes narrow an' th' lips purse a bit...
"Don't you think you're over-reacting a bit?"
"Darcey, i'll tell you. I surely hope i am. But our little company pulled in a contract that companies ten times our size were bidding on. 'Ave ye stopped to consider why we got it?"
"Well, we made the best bid, obviously, they liked our proposals and," "Yeah, maybe, an' maybe there's politics involved. Admittedly, Provincial politics 'round here isn't that sticky, but there's always the underside o' game. Believe me, there's players that ye don't know about, an' are best not knowin' about."
Oh, indeed, Old Dog, i think, rememberin' a face on the evenin' news. A face i didn't expect t' see again. Though, really, it didn't come to me as no suprise. Why wouldn't he still be here. After all, he did build this city up. No reason t' leave it all behind. Still, if he's around, then so may be others...
"An' it may not just be Provincial an' local politics involved. Ever noticed how little influence some o' th' big mega corps 'ave in an' 'round Vancouver? Ever think somethin's tryin' t' keep them out? Wouldn't a corp like Seral Industries just love th' contract we got? Direct access to northern B.C. New loggin', new biologicals, coastal access, excuses to up security 'gainst radical native factions. Th' possibilities are endless."
"You think a Seral decker hit our frame?" Darcey asks skeptically.
Uhg. What do i think?
"I don't know, kiddo. I be tellin' you true. I'm worried. Could jus' be kids havin' fun. Or it could be a pro. Who's behind it i don't know. But i want t' find out." I run me hand back through me hair wi' a sigh. This is all so exhaustin'. An' i got th' feelin' worse is on its way.
"Just get these new frames up and loaded, Darcey," i add, motioning him out o' th' office.
He doesn't look happy.
I know how he feels.