Almost a year ago, when the Schach Corporation (pronounced
"shock") hired you to continue the development of a Non-Surgical Neural
interface, your fascination with Bio-technology was given a new means of
expression. Apparently, most of the original engineers had abandoned the
project to work for Macrocorp, while the remaining members had either
disappeared, or were curiously imprisoned for cybercrimes. While Schach
retained the resea rch data and prototype design specifications within
their central computer network, they were struggling to find engineers
that could continue the project. Your background in virtual reality and
psycho-diagnostic hardware and software design made you an ideal candidate
for the job, and Schach executives were content to allow you to continue
on your own after several breakthroughs that you made in the early months
of your involvement with t he project. Aside from being able to pay
extremely well, they also knew of your distaste for Macrocorp, and felt
assured that they didn't have to be concerned about losing you to a better
offer. So, with all of Schach's resources at your disposal, and a private
satellite link to their central computer, you had been diligently refining
and testing the NSN Interface design.
Just two years earlier, Macrocorp had developed a surgically
implantable neural interface, although the implantation process had one
dreadful side effect; that is, severe memory loss. It was a peculiar
breakthrough, s ince it seemed obvious that no one in their right mind
would volunteer for implantation after news that the test subjects
couldn't remember who they were. Rumors had begun to surface on the net
concerning Macrocorp's use of US Prison inmates as unwilling subjects;
yet, there was no evidence. As such, there were never grounds for an
investigation into the matter by governing bodies, particularly since
Macrocorp's sphere of influence filte red throughout them. Macrocorp's
procurement of the US Prison system gives them complete control over their
prisoners; there is no visitation, no communication, and all sentences
are for life. Those who are imprisoned a re never heard from again, so if
Macrocorp hides any dark secrets, they are certainly well protected.
Somehow, news of your progress with the NSN interface managed to
reach Macrocorp, and that's where your troubles began. After relentless
invitations, you made it perfectly clear that you had no interest in
working for the bloated, exploitative Macrocorp. Macrocorp had been known
for using questionable methods to retain the employment of any individuals
that might be an asset to competing governments or corporations.
Recently, they ha d been putting pressure on you, destroying your credit
status, canceling your health care policies, and demanding immediate
payment for your outstanding loans. After revealing the news that you had
been successful in crea ting a working prototype of the NSN Interface,
Schach was willing to substantially increase your funding. This would
ease the pressure exerted by Macrocorp, making it possible for you to
complete the neural transfer and a nalysis software applications that were
to be used with the interface. Unfortunately, you had the feeling that
this might not be enough.
In this world, there is no one who is free from the powerful grasp
of the immense Macrocorp, having attained private ownership of many
federal programs, most forms of media, communication systems, financial
institution s, and even many small countries. You were certainly no
exception, and Macrocorp was tightening its grip on you. The word in
cyberspace was that there was a contract out on you, and you were
beginning to feel that you mi ght "disappear" soon, just like those other
engineers. It was becoming very clear just how far Macrocorp would go to
eliminate competition, and you weren't just going to sit passively and let
it happen. It was time to ta ke matters into your own hands.
While hacking the net late one night with the NSN Interface
prototype, you began searching for some evidence of Macrocorp wrongdoing
that could be used as a bargaining chip against them. Unfortunately, this
would requ ire breaking into a secure Macrocorp system, an activity that
could be both detectable and imprisonable. Deep down, you knew that there
had to be something, and if it could be found, you could threaten to
present this ev idence to the only entity with any power over them, the
United Corporate Federation. With hard evidence, the UCF could finally
impose sanctions against Macrocorp, and you hoped that this threat might
be sufficient to get Macrocorp off your back.
After connecting to the Macrocorp system, the long battle against
their reportedly formidable security system began. You were sure that the
neural interface would give you an advantage that other hackers would
never h ave had access to, but still, you were surprised, or perhaps
disturbed by what transpired. Almost effortlessly, the security barriers
fell and you were able to successfully breach a high security file area
designated for Macrocorp's President. You found files that looked as if
they amounted to unquestionable proof of illegal activities on the part of
Macrocorp. What bothered you was that while all of the remaining
corporations in the wor ld had been looking for any way to hinder
Macrocorp's empire, you had seemingly just stumbled upon just what they
had all been hoping to find all these years; there was definitely
something fishy going on. Macrocorp must have known that many would try
to break in, and knowing that hacking a restricted system is a serious
crime, they made it easy for people to incriminate themselves. You
reasoned that Macrocorp could have set up this fa lse area and bogus
evidence in order to trick intruders into thinking that they had found
what they were looking for. By the time anyone had figured out that it
was all a ruse, it would be too late, and they would have be en traced and
encarcerated. Yes, this had to be a trap, but you hoped that Macrocorp
had underestimated your capabilities. You were going to have to dig
further, and it didn't take long for you to find the real secured s ystem.
For hours, you waged war against the Macrocorp security system.
The security programs defended your intrusion with remarkable adaptive
ability, responding to your strategies dynamically, and even creatively.
You bega n to feel as if you were battling with other humans rather than
programs, except for one thing; they seemed to have no desire to win.
Although these programs had the creative and adaptive abilities almost
unique to humans , they seemed to be driven only by their programming.
These must have been the Bio-programs that you had heard so much about.
One by one, the security programs fell. They were good, some of
them were even better than you, but their programming lacked the drive
that you had burning inside. Although you were tiring, you had no
alternative but to keep fighting; you were fighting for your freedom, and
you couldn't afford to lose. Some security programs would resort to
predictable patterns of defense, allowing you to learn their weaknesses
and exploit them to yo ur advantage. At times when it seemed that you
were outmatched, a drastic and irrational action would prove to be
confusing to the adversaries and would provide opportunities to overcome
them. Other Bio-programs also see med to have no instinct for
self-preservation, as they would frequently expose themselves to deletion
while trying to prevent your intrusion. It appeared that they were
programmed to protect the system at any expense, in luding themselves. A
chill struck you as you realized that you were erasing programs that were
running from human brains, but you concluded that the real damage to these
prisoners had already been done when Macrocorp took their minds.
Macrocorp had to be stopped.
The battle ensued for hours more, and your head ached with the
fatigue of constant stress and conflict; you were exhausted. Program
after program attacked, making your progress through the system slow and
frustrating. It seemed as if there were an infinite number of security
barriers. For a brief moment, you began to think that you would never
succeed; but then, all at once, it was over. There was silence, and all
that remained were two words floating in your minds eye: "Permission
Granted".
With a new sense of urgency, you began to race through the
Macrocorp file system in search of thdata that would save you; Macrocorp
would detect the breach and have the entire system shut down in minutes.
You decide d that whatever was stored in the highest security level, the
Violet Sector, would be most likely to incriminate Macrocorp. You
bypassed all of the other areas and within seconds you were in. You
immediately downloaded a ll of the files, encrypted them, and hid them in
Metaspace. A brief perusal of the data confirmed that the rumors of US
Prison inmate neuro-implantation, among other inhumane activities, were
actually true; they were goin g to burn for this! It was just moments
later that the Macrocorp system shut down, and all lines were
disconnected. You cheered out loud, because you knew that you already had
what you needed. After removing your headse t, you squinted out of your
living unit's tiny window and observed the impending sunrise. It was time
to start a fresh pot of coffee for the long day ahead. You were going to
have to make contact with the UCF, in person.
The secure UCF system would not permit unauthorized file
transfers, and you knew that you would have to go to them to convince
someone to make themselves available to examine the data. If Macrocorp
pressed charges for your criminal intrusion, you could use the evidence to
strike a plea bargain, and bury Macrocorp at the same time. Otherwise,
you would be able to deal with Macrocorp from a position of strength.
Finally, you had some o ptions. In any case, there was much to do, and no
time to sleep. It would only be a matter of time before Macrocorp would
respond to your breach, days or hours at least, or so you thought.
Unfortunately, a trace that would have taken days to complete with
any conventional software, the Macrocorp Operators were able to accomplish
in minutes; you had been identified! Macrocorp responded quickly by
sending Bio-programs to complicate your life. They were sent to update
your United States Legal System files, making you a wanted criminal,
instantly. They also entered the US Police network and dispatched
officers to your plac e of residence. Others began to shut down all
communication lines in your area, making it impossible for you to contact
anyone. As your computer screen flashed warnings indicating your newly
acquired fugitive status and impending capture, your comm-link to the net
went down. There were only minutes remaining before US Police would
arrive, and you knew that there was no time to break into all those
systems and correct what Macrocorp had i nitiated, especially with comm
lines down. It was too late to run and there was nowhere to hide;
incarceration was inevitable.
The Schach satellite link and the NSN Interface offered your only
hope. In that Macrocorp had not yet taken over every country and
corporation, there was still a chance that you could communicate with the
Schach satel lite undetectedly, or at least without interference;
Macrocorp could listen in, but they couldn't interfere. You had developed
an experimental neuro-software application that would would allow a
complete neural dump throu gh the NSN Interface. Although you had been
successful in producing a complete dump, the software to interpret this
data was still a long way away, and it was hard to be certain how accurate
the representation would be. It was time to put the neural dump software
to the ultimate test. You set your computer to perform the scan, and then
upload the dump file to the Schach network, along with a program that
would transport the file to one o f the low security Macrocorp systems
once their lines were open again. A stolen security clearance that you
had just acquired would make it possible for the program to find its way
back to you when you were jacked into th e net. Then at least you might
be able to remember that you were once human. You donned the NSN
Interface headset and activated the neural dump control software. As the
scan progressed, all you could do was wait, leavin g you to experience the
fear that had been growing inside since you realized that you were soon to
be a Bio-program yourself. Your computer's voice counted the dump's
progress, as frightening images invaded your mind. "E ighty percent
complete..." You imagined huge cold, dark chambers with hundreds of human
bodies suspended with wires attached to each of their joints. "Ninety
percent complete..." You saw yourself, floating in the darkne ss, your
head shaved, with wires protruding from stitched scars all over your
cranium. "One-hundred..." Just then, the door to your living unit came
crashing down, but before you could turn around, everything went black.
Welcome to the United States Prison System. As a convicted
criminal, you are now property of Macrocorp. Your mind will be blanked.
A direct neural interface will be surgically implanted, and you will be
jacked into the Net. The remainder of your life will be lived out in
service of Macrocorp, within Metaspace: there is no parole, no escape,
and no reason to resist. Your anesthesia should be taking effect right
about now...
As your virtual body appears in Metacity Alpha, standing before a
task assignment terminal awaiting your first directive, you are contacted
by an entity that proceeds to download a file into your memory system.
Quickly, you realize that the entity is a program of your own creation
that was designed to deliver a neural dump to you when you were jacked
into Metaspace. The program was able to link with your prison system
neural interface and deliver the file directly to your brain, restoring
your identity and memory to your incarcerated body. This is where the
game begins.
Copyright 1995 John Perez, Simeon Peebler, and Marcus Marchesseault,
all rights reserved.