Hacker
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:28 am
Hacker - Part 1
Hacker sat in a chair. The room was lit by one light. The light looked like it was just about to go. His head was loosely hanging down and to the left. His long brown hair acted as a veil for his closed eyes. He had no idea who he was, where he was or who the other two people in the room were. He was loosing blood from his mouth, his nose, everywhere. There was a guy in a black suit who kept hitting him and yelling "Where is it?" and then hitting him again. Hacker had no idea what black suit was talking about. He inaudibly mumbled something. Black suit raised an eye brow and jerked up Hacker's head like he was trying pull it off.
"Say somethin'?" He asked, obviously pissed off at the last 3 hours he wasted here.
"No." Hacker replied.
"No? Don't you want this to stop?" Black suit asked.
"I... do. I don't know where it is." Hacker replied, this time spitting out a large mouthful of his own blood and a tooth.
Black suit let go of Hacker's head and spun around, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"One. Last. Time. Where is it?!" Black suit screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth.
"Whatever it is, I don't have it. Let me go." Hacker said in a whisper.
"You know where it is. Now tell me." Black suit pulled out his 9 millimeter and pointed it at Hacker's temple.
"I don't know." Black suit pulled the trigger.
Hacker woke up in his own room. No blood pouring from his mouth and no pain anywhere. He looked at the bed side clock, it read 3:28am. He remembered the digital watch he was wearing on his wrist and he pressed the light button. It showed the day to be monday for four seconds and then the light turned off. Hacker was sweating. Was it all just a bad dream or something else? He rolled over to the end of his bed and got out. He walked to the bathroom and took out a small cup and filled it with the just drinkable water from the tap. He looked at the yellow-green colour of the water and drunk it. He screwed his eyes and swallowed it and went back to bed. He sat there for what seemed like several hours, wondering about the dream and how he got to where he was that very day.
6 years ago, Hacker had the beginnings of a family. A rather good looking, and pregnant, wife. A good house with 3 bedrooms and he lived in a nice suburb. He knew his neighbours and his neighbours neighbours and he was good friends with them. He tried remembering the names of the people but he couldn't. Not even his own wife's name. That depressed Hacker greatly. He remembers one day like a movie he watched thousands of times. He could replay it back in his mind from any point he wished, but this night he played it from the beginning.
He got out of bed that Monday, exactly 6 years to the day, and kissed his wife goodbye. He had to leave for work early. He couldn't remember the company he worked for but it had clients. He remembered that he worked as a white hat hacker and that's where he got the nickname "Hacker" from. He went to work in his brand new car. He remembered his boss telling him about a new client who could bring a lot of buisness to the company. Then he remembered going to the client's company and doing a job there. After doing the job, he headed back to work and cleaned up some loose ends there. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 2 hours past the usual time he gets home. He walked quickly out to his car and drove home. Once home, he knocked on the front door. His wife usually opened it for him and then kissed him and welcomed him back. There was no answer. He knocked louder. Again, no answer. He yelled out his wife's name. Still no answer. He pulled out his keys and fumbled with them and eventually unlocked the door. He yelled out his wife's name again. That eery silence kept coming back. He rushed up to their bedroom to find his wife dead. One shot, right between the eyes. In her fingers he discovered a blank buisness card that said "Don't screw up again." That night, and the next day, he cried.
Suppressed memories they said. All the doctors and councellors he saw over the next year or two thought they knew what the problem was. They thought they knew what it was like to be in his situation. They thought an event might trigger those memories to become unlocked. Hypnosis even. They were wrong. He wanted to remember. He just couldn't.
He fell asleep, finally. He also suffered from mild insomnia. Sleep was short. 3 hours. He woke up at 6:30 and remembered that the day was actually Monday. The 6 year anniversary. After all the doctors and the councellors failed to see what his problem was, or fix it, he went back to work. He can't even remember if it was the same company but the people who worked in it seemed vaguely familiar. He took up the job of white hat hacking again. He hoped that it would bring back some of his lost memories but the past 4 years didn't do it. The only thing that kept him alive was the thought of "maybe today". Maybe today his memories might unlock and he will remember who did this, or at least a clue.
Another guy called "Biscuit" walked up to Hacker. Biscuit got his name from his first hack, cookies. Biscuit was dishonorably discharged from the Army because he got drunk and drove around the nearest town. He used to be a hacker for the army. He was not fat, just big-boned. He still had his army hair cut and he was always clean shaven. Hacker on the other hand was 6 foot, long brown hair and looked like he hadn't shaven for a week. That was kind of true but it was actually two weeks. He was lazy when it came to personal hygiene.
"Hey. How's it going?" Biscuit asked.
Hacker looked up, not saying anything.
"Oh. Today is..."Biscuit trailed off. Hacker nodded.
"Damn... Hey! I've got something that'll cheer you up! We've got a new client. They are Bismouth Industries." Biscuit said enthusiastically.
"And that is suppose to cheer me up... how?." Hacker asked cynically.
"They are paying triple for any job we do for them." Biscuit said, still enthusiastic. He was always like that.
"And? Money doesn't matter to me."
"But... that's $990 dollars a JOB! Some of us don't even get paid that a week or even a fortnight.
"Money doesn't matter to me. As long as I help people then it keeps me happy." Something clicked in Hacker's mind. "What was their name again?"
"Bismouth Industries."
"I... remember them. From before my wife died. Sure we've never done buisness with them?"
"I'm sure, there's no records of them on the system or in the backups. I checked already."
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. Come here first, I'll drive us there."
"Ok. See you tomorrow."
Biscuit and Hacker walked off in different directions. They didn't notice the guy in the black suit sitting across from the reception area. No one did.
Next - Bismouth Industries
Hacker sat in a chair. The room was lit by one light. The light looked like it was just about to go. His head was loosely hanging down and to the left. His long brown hair acted as a veil for his closed eyes. He had no idea who he was, where he was or who the other two people in the room were. He was loosing blood from his mouth, his nose, everywhere. There was a guy in a black suit who kept hitting him and yelling "Where is it?" and then hitting him again. Hacker had no idea what black suit was talking about. He inaudibly mumbled something. Black suit raised an eye brow and jerked up Hacker's head like he was trying pull it off.
"Say somethin'?" He asked, obviously pissed off at the last 3 hours he wasted here.
"No." Hacker replied.
"No? Don't you want this to stop?" Black suit asked.
"I... do. I don't know where it is." Hacker replied, this time spitting out a large mouthful of his own blood and a tooth.
Black suit let go of Hacker's head and spun around, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"One. Last. Time. Where is it?!" Black suit screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth.
"Whatever it is, I don't have it. Let me go." Hacker said in a whisper.
"You know where it is. Now tell me." Black suit pulled out his 9 millimeter and pointed it at Hacker's temple.
"I don't know." Black suit pulled the trigger.
Hacker woke up in his own room. No blood pouring from his mouth and no pain anywhere. He looked at the bed side clock, it read 3:28am. He remembered the digital watch he was wearing on his wrist and he pressed the light button. It showed the day to be monday for four seconds and then the light turned off. Hacker was sweating. Was it all just a bad dream or something else? He rolled over to the end of his bed and got out. He walked to the bathroom and took out a small cup and filled it with the just drinkable water from the tap. He looked at the yellow-green colour of the water and drunk it. He screwed his eyes and swallowed it and went back to bed. He sat there for what seemed like several hours, wondering about the dream and how he got to where he was that very day.
6 years ago, Hacker had the beginnings of a family. A rather good looking, and pregnant, wife. A good house with 3 bedrooms and he lived in a nice suburb. He knew his neighbours and his neighbours neighbours and he was good friends with them. He tried remembering the names of the people but he couldn't. Not even his own wife's name. That depressed Hacker greatly. He remembers one day like a movie he watched thousands of times. He could replay it back in his mind from any point he wished, but this night he played it from the beginning.
He got out of bed that Monday, exactly 6 years to the day, and kissed his wife goodbye. He had to leave for work early. He couldn't remember the company he worked for but it had clients. He remembered that he worked as a white hat hacker and that's where he got the nickname "Hacker" from. He went to work in his brand new car. He remembered his boss telling him about a new client who could bring a lot of buisness to the company. Then he remembered going to the client's company and doing a job there. After doing the job, he headed back to work and cleaned up some loose ends there. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 2 hours past the usual time he gets home. He walked quickly out to his car and drove home. Once home, he knocked on the front door. His wife usually opened it for him and then kissed him and welcomed him back. There was no answer. He knocked louder. Again, no answer. He yelled out his wife's name. Still no answer. He pulled out his keys and fumbled with them and eventually unlocked the door. He yelled out his wife's name again. That eery silence kept coming back. He rushed up to their bedroom to find his wife dead. One shot, right between the eyes. In her fingers he discovered a blank buisness card that said "Don't screw up again." That night, and the next day, he cried.
Suppressed memories they said. All the doctors and councellors he saw over the next year or two thought they knew what the problem was. They thought they knew what it was like to be in his situation. They thought an event might trigger those memories to become unlocked. Hypnosis even. They were wrong. He wanted to remember. He just couldn't.
He fell asleep, finally. He also suffered from mild insomnia. Sleep was short. 3 hours. He woke up at 6:30 and remembered that the day was actually Monday. The 6 year anniversary. After all the doctors and the councellors failed to see what his problem was, or fix it, he went back to work. He can't even remember if it was the same company but the people who worked in it seemed vaguely familiar. He took up the job of white hat hacking again. He hoped that it would bring back some of his lost memories but the past 4 years didn't do it. The only thing that kept him alive was the thought of "maybe today". Maybe today his memories might unlock and he will remember who did this, or at least a clue.
Another guy called "Biscuit" walked up to Hacker. Biscuit got his name from his first hack, cookies. Biscuit was dishonorably discharged from the Army because he got drunk and drove around the nearest town. He used to be a hacker for the army. He was not fat, just big-boned. He still had his army hair cut and he was always clean shaven. Hacker on the other hand was 6 foot, long brown hair and looked like he hadn't shaven for a week. That was kind of true but it was actually two weeks. He was lazy when it came to personal hygiene.
"Hey. How's it going?" Biscuit asked.
Hacker looked up, not saying anything.
"Oh. Today is..."Biscuit trailed off. Hacker nodded.
"Damn... Hey! I've got something that'll cheer you up! We've got a new client. They are Bismouth Industries." Biscuit said enthusiastically.
"And that is suppose to cheer me up... how?." Hacker asked cynically.
"They are paying triple for any job we do for them." Biscuit said, still enthusiastic. He was always like that.
"And? Money doesn't matter to me."
"But... that's $990 dollars a JOB! Some of us don't even get paid that a week or even a fortnight.
"Money doesn't matter to me. As long as I help people then it keeps me happy." Something clicked in Hacker's mind. "What was their name again?"
"Bismouth Industries."
"I... remember them. From before my wife died. Sure we've never done buisness with them?"
"I'm sure, there's no records of them on the system or in the backups. I checked already."
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. Come here first, I'll drive us there."
"Ok. See you tomorrow."
Biscuit and Hacker walked off in different directions. They didn't notice the guy in the black suit sitting across from the reception area. No one did.
Next - Bismouth Industries