Later Daze & Stranger Wayz

Now Playing: Fiction/Sci-Fi
Topic: The Rest of the '90's


Ch. 2, Cont.

So, as I said, I’m Nobody. Always have been, always will be. Never learned my Pop’s name, and I doubt I will any time soon, unless he decides to register with IDENAGEN – the new interplanetary bureau of Dredging, Emphasizing Neural And Genetic Enhancement Naturalism. For that matter, it would require that I reg, too – and I be buff o’ dat. At this point, reging is optional for humes 30 & older, though many choose to do it. Under 30, it’s mandatory, as are all genhanced animals, like the BBC’s cows or Kelly’s Famous Typing Chimps (Yes, they can even do all the works of Shakespeare).

Not that many people type any more, but it’s the gimmick that counts, neh?

No, I don’t think I’ll register until I’m forced. See, back when I was getting that huge settlement, I found that I had an affinity for compsystems. Not that I’m an expert on any of that hardware software wetware gasware bullshit, but I discovered that I had an affinity for B & E – an old concept in a new e-world. There are few sys’ that I can’t bypass, crack the code wide and become indicted for (if I’m ever caught).

I was fazing around a friend’s sys when I found out about my ability. On a whim, I jumped to the Swiss border sans e-passport (oh-so-easy to slip by customs if you know how), stumbled into a bank and essentially found the vaults wide open. All electronic. Superhyped, I told my friend … who’s long dead anyway. See, the Swiss thought it was him, but Sean had little to do with it, except tell his Da that I could break in, leaving no trace. Now, Sean’s Da was a good man, in turmoil because his homeland, Ulster, looked as if it might be in for a rough time – VERY rough. Being the Ambassador to the UWS, and hearing this info, he had certain … thoughts. He was a patriot, and I don’t blame him. Still, I don’t look at it as an easy time – he called his PM, who agreed to start the world’s first electronic war (even today, no one knows there was a war), then Sean’s Da called me.

He seduced me with thoughts of intrigue, adventure, and excitement. He plied me with gifts and trips. He wooed me with fatherly attention, of which I’d never had a drop. And, two years later, I did it. No, I didn’t take the money or payments – hell, I could break any sys I wanted, why would moolah help? See, I done thunk that the guy actually liked me, I thuk he was startin’ to see me as his surrogate kid.

Wrong.

I was 19, and I broke The Bank. Switzerland fell before my electronic fingertips as I flew through the wires in a symphony that only I could hear. VR took me to the limits quick; in a matter of seconds, it was over. In a matter of days, Sean’s family moved from the United Western States back to Ulster, telling me never to contact them again. A year later, the Uls were a prosperous people & Sean’s family was dead. Their cuckoo clock went Nuke, takin out half a square km.

Now, by default, I’m an e-pirate. So you can see why I don’t want to register (though I am regged in a number of places … hey, Grad school helped).





Woah. Kinda strange little thing here... I don't remember much about writing it, but it has shades of current popular culture in it (A guy named Nobody - Niel Gaiman just published the Graveyard Book & his hero has the same moniker; the ability to talk to machines/electronics like in "Heroes", the TV show & "Ex Machina", the comic etc). I think I did this back in '98, and I can't find the first chapter. I have not a single clue where this had come from or where it was going, but I may have been trying to hard to make up words. earthwulf