#JackOut

8:12AM PDT, May 1, 2009

[ed, is a cyberpunk serial by David Hill @davidahilljr ]

8:36AM PDT, May 1, 2009

Now:1823636745 Neon guides me. Times change, bars don’t. Even in cyberspace, a dive is a dive. No passwords, no firewalls, no hope.

8:36AM PDT, May 2, 2009

“I know what you need.” Diva pants in relay. “Do you know what I need?” “Yes,” I say. “You need Veles’s data files.”

8:36AM PDT, May 3, 2009

fb\1823329214U I awoke bruised and sore, on a metal slab I didn’t go to sleep on. “Where am I? Where’s my gun?”

8:36AM PDT, May 4, 2009

Diva wanted Veles’s files. Code’s in my blood, he knows it. Thing is, I’d hack Veles for fun. Payment is just a perk.

8:36AM PDT, May 5, 2009

fb\1823332526U Gun found. Window smashed into junk code, I jumped out to find Hiro. A bullet to his face numbed the anger.

8:36AM PDT, May 6, 2009

“You’re in over your head, Jade.” He says smugly. “Shut it, Veles. Your code-fu is shit.” >su delete Veles

8:36AM PDT, May 7, 2009

fb\1823333082U >Jade JackOut Out of Hiro’s filthy mainframe, I come to and realize I’m trapped in the real world, too.

8:36AM PDT, May 8, 2009

cd\terraaetheria\room316 “Job’s done. Pay up.” “Just like old times, eh Jade?” He gropes me. “’Cept I’m getting paid.” I smirk.

8:36AM PDT, May 9, 2009

fb\1823345771U Three hours in the prison, I have no choice. >Jade JackIn: Io, my ex, is the only one I trust to get me out.

8:36AM PDT, May 10, 2009

Diva paid up. Said Io’s signal was jammed, but he’s logged in. No other leads, my only choice was to hack Spire’s security.

9:36AM PDT, May 10, 2009

Spire was the digital heart of Hiro’s corporate empire. It reached up toward heaven, nobody ever explained that heaven was offline.

8:36AM PDT, May 11, 2009

fb\1823429722U I found Io at his regular hangout. Endorphins had me grab him, kiss him, watch him glitch into nothingness.

8:36AM PDT, May 12, 2009

Security was tough, I knew. But a few old scripts, I had the security guards all look the other way while I hit the mainframe hard.

8:36AM PDT, May 13, 2009

fb\1823415914U I asked around everywhere I knew. Nobody knew where Io really was; nobody knew who was imitating him.

8:36AM PDT, May 14, 2009

Spire might have meant death for anyone but a code cowgirl. Maybe too easy? “Stop right there, Jade.” Gun against my back?

8:36AM PDT, May 15, 2009

fb\1823548881U Two days of looking, my body was getting hungry. Only place left to look was \terraaetheria\.

8:36AM PDT, May 16, 2009

“You’re getting soft. A year ago, you’d have seen this coming. I need you to do a hack. And by hack, I mean Diva. He screwed me.”

8:36AM PDT, May 17, 2009

fb\1823630771U cd\terraaetheria\room404 Diva knew more than he was telling. Good lay though, I didn’t mind the deceit.

8:36AM PDT, May 18, 2009

“Fuck you, Hiro.” I left. Who was I kidding? My body was starving on the other side. I didn’t have room to bargain. To Diva it was.

8:36AM PDT, May 19, 2009

cd\terraaetheria\room316 “Sorry baby. It’s just business.” >su delete Diva: Flatlined. He never stood a chance. Poor guy.

9:36AM PDT, May 20, 2009

cd\spire\hirosroom “I gave you what you want, where’s Io?” He smirked. “Working for the me, as you should.” In walked Io.

8:36AM PDT, May 21, 2009

I glanced to Io. Io glanced back. Before I could express betrayal, he put a bullet in Hiro’s head. I love that man. We fled.

8:36AM PDT, May 22, 2009

Outside, I felt Io’s gun against me. “Really?” I said. “Sorry babe. Highest bidder was Veles.” “Veles’s dead.” “Nevermind then.”

8:36AM PDT, May 23, 2009

Hard feelings don’t belong in the mainframe. We needed to get out. >Jade JackOut >Io JackOut Back in the cell. Waiting.

8:36AM PDT, May 24, 2009

1823643706U Io found the cell, we got the hell out of there. Of course, this was Hiro’s cell. We had to finish this. Offline. Final.

8:36AM PDT, May 25, 2009

1823644372U Hiro was in his office. Locked. Bastard was still online. No more stalling. >Jade JackIn mkdir x:spirerubicon

8:36AM PDT, May 26, 2009

No hesitation, he didn’t get a chance to react to my kick. He grunted. “You know you can’t hurt me here. I’m immortal here.”

8:36AM PDT, May 27, 2009

“You’re immortal until you die.” Boot to his throat, blood in his baud, he grins. >Hiro JackOut SYSTEM CANNOT FIND PATH SPECIFIED

8:36AM PDT, May 28, 2009

“I own this database now, Hiro. You’re yesterday’s recycle bin.” Three bullets to the head, last two for good measure.>Jade JackOut

8:36AM PDT, May 29, 2009

1823652775U Spire was mine. I could be queen. I could free all Hiro’s information, I could destroy his legacy, take it for myself.

8:36AM PDT, May 30, 2009

Gun to my back, the gambit wasn’t over. “Io, you don’t want to do this.”“Sorry Jade, but I do. Spire’s too much for you to handle.”

9:36AM PDT, May 31, 2009

One kick, I steal the gun and put Io down the old-fashioned way. “I think you’re right.” >Jade JackIn \deltree spire >Jade JackOut