Redirect “The Running Dead” – A Cyberpunk Short Story

by Chris McGinty of AccordingToWhim.com

I wonder for a moment about the logistics, but I make my way forward. I had critics. They all questioned what I was doing. I’m not sure whether I question it yet. This corporation is corrupt. Every one of the hackers I know is sure of it. Every runner I know is sure of it. There is information on an Agenda in one of these subsidiary data forts, and it will tell the world everything… if one of us can successfully access it.

A runner who called herself Spid3rKn0ck0ff, a funny name among the runners, tried a subsidiary fort two weeks ago. We had to send an envoy to find her IRL. She wasn’t in very good shape. There was some piece of Black Ice – a Zombie – that did some insane amount of Brain Damage to her. Some clever corporate monster called it The Running Dead, and it nearly killed Spid3rKn0ck0ff. She’s safe now. We’re watching over her. I hear she’s not twitching as much.

We all agree that the Corporation must be keeping something big in that fort, and the whispers on the newsgroups are that we don’t have much time. The Agenda has been strongly advanced since she tried to run it. While I hate to say it, Corp programmers are generally not foolish enough to put such heavy duty Ice on a fort with legal, albeit shady, investments or to protect efficiency programs. It’s either something highly sensitive and unethical, or it’s a trap.

I just got another message from a runner questioning my plan. I told him that someone has to try something, and I’m moving forward. The Corp has another fort still operational that held some quick, illegal funds a few months back. We ran that fort and trashed the investment. They rezzed a simple Wall that cost us some bits. They lost more money than we did though, so it’s ok. I’ve programmed a risky method to try to get around The Running Dead. It’s costly and I’ll have to trash it after the run to avoid being traced, but if it works it’ll be worth it.

I’ve developed a digital sentence for the run, a pre-directed phrasing that allows me to plan part of the run in advance. When I’m approaching The Running Dead, it’ll redirect me to the Wall on the currently unused fort that previously held the investments. If it doesn’t work, I’m toast, but I think I’ve got this. If the Agenda wasn’t so far advanced, I would take some time to get better protection against the possible brain damage from The Running Dead. I’m certain that the redirect will cause me to encounter the Wall though. I’m jacking in now. Wish me luck – if you believe in that sort of thing.

I’m approaching the first piece of Ice. It’s unrezzed. I’m hoping it’s nothing bad, because that could throw this whole thing off. They didn’t rez it when Spid3rKn0ck0ff ran the fort though, so they must have realized she could deal with it.

Hmm. They rezzed it. It’s a Code Gate. I don’t have a breaker for that, but it doesn’t end the run. It’ll just cost me two bits every time I encounter a piece of Ice. I’ve got the extra four bits, so I’ll pass it. Haha. They want a picture, probably to help a future trace. They can have an adorable shot of my nostrils. This Ice isn’t designed to stop you. They must be trying to scare off the skittish.

I’m approaching the next Ice. The Corp has a nice option to admit that you have no business being here, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m an authorized user. I’m clicking “Yes.” I’m authorized, you know…

Yes! I’m encountering the Wall. The redirect worked. As long as this last piece of Ice isn’t bad, I’ve got this made. Screw you, Running Dead! I’ll just pay to break the End the Run sub, and get past this. I have a lot of funding ATM, but I had no time to build a proper deck to run with. It could bite me if this next Ice is bad, and if they have the money to rez it. They had those investments before, but I’m guessing they used most of it to rez the The Running Dead. They probably don’t have the funding for something else big. I’m approaching the Ice now. Clicking “Yes.”

They’re actually rezzing it? It’s just another Wall. It’ll be costly for me, but I can do it. Breaking the three subroutines. They really don’t want me in there. This Agenda must be bad. I’m entering the data fort now. Clicking “Yes.”

Ugh. I don’t have much time. I’m going to get hit by a lot of Brain Damage by an Upgrade in the fort. I don’t have enough money to trash it, and I can’t access the Agenda unless I do. Their plans. They are worse than we thought…

Chris McGinty is a fiction writer who spends most of his time calling himself a blogger, mostly because he blogs a lot.