{"data":{"id":16417,"title":"The Meltdown","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/16417-The-Meltdown","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16417","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16417","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"None","images":[{"id":16216,"name":"TheMeltdown_Final.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/arvnysrdgm3u8r\/source\/TheMeltdown_Final.jpg","alt":"","size":4016354,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2020-02-12T20:29:24+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/16216","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/16216\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: The Meltdown was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on February 14, 2018.\n\u201cTo Marid! Welcome to the team,\u201d declared Tami, raising her glass high. The rest of the crowded table followed suit, \u201cMarid!\u201d\n\nMarid froze for a moment, uncomfortable as the full attention of all his new coworkers homed in on him. Thankfully, the social lubricant he had been plying all night was working its magic and he was able to force out a smile. \u201cTo me!\u201d\n\nWith a loud cheer, everyone drank to the toast. Tami, taking her role as team leader seriously, drained her cocktail completely. With a flourish, she slammed the empty glass on the table and proudly stuck out her glowing, neon tongue \u2014 a side effect from the bar\u2019s drink special, the Wallbanger. The more you drank, the brighter your tongue. Tami had light practically shooting out of her ears by this point.\n\nLooking down at his own dwindling drink, Marid wondered the status of his tongue. They were already four rounds deep and he was well on his way from pleasantly tipsy to full-on pissed. It was hard to believe the bacchanalian revel that surrounded him was the same group who had been hotly debating how to tackle a system\u2019s hierarchy issue at that morning\u2019s stand-up meeting. He had only been in New Babbage less than 48 hours, but it seemed that the warnings he had heard about the place were one hundred percent well deserved. This city liked to party.\n\nOn face value alone, he probably should have taken one of the other job offers he\u2019d received. Saga Datasystems had offered him way more money and a ridiculous starting package loaded with perks. The use of the company\u2019s 300i had almost swayed him. And while Fiskers wasn\u2019t going to pay him as much as Saga, if he had taken their offer he would\u2018ve been basically running his own team. They were kicking off a major new project and had been looking for someone with his specific background to spearhead storage infrastructure.\n\nBut then there was what microTech had offered \u2014 the chance to work on the single largest information tangle ever created. With an adoption rate of close to 56% of the Human population, more data sailed through the mobiGlas networks in a single day than all transfers of the previous century combined. Basically, his dream job. And so here he was, a brand new microTech data engineer getting drunk for the third time in his life.\n\nThe woman sitting next to Marid slapped his shoulder and asked what he wanted to drink next. That afternoon, she had walked him through the custom developer\u2019s GUI that he\u2019d be using to code and shown off the Rory Nova figurine collection that crowded her desk. He couldn\u2019t remember her name. Connie? Katherine? His head was swimming and he suddenly felt too warm. He needed some air. \u201cYou know what, next round\u2019s on me,\u201d said Marid, standing up from the table. There were protests, but he silenced them with, \u201cHey, you said I was part of the team, right?\u201d With that sorted, they quickly shouted their orders at him which he tried his best to memorize.\n\nBefore heading to the bar, he walked away from the crowds towards the window that looked out at the frozen wasteland of microTech, the planet. Touching his hand against the cool surface, he felt better almost immediately. Outside, bright lights shone from the city into the snowstorm, creating a dazzling effect against the black night sky. It was a unique experience to have a dense, sweating mass of Humanity on one side of him and the pure isolation of the tundra on the other. It reminded him of working on a project; his mind completely focused on the numbers and code, but part of him still aware of the chaos swirling around him. Apparently, I get poetical when I get drunk, he thought, and laughed. He took a deep breath and staggered back into the crowd.\n\nThe bartender greeted Marid with a thousand-credit smile, \u201cYou\u2019re new to Wally\u2019s Bar, aren\u2019t you? I\u2019d remember a face as lovely as yours.\u201d Marid flushed, caught off guard by the compliment. Before he could respond, the bartender continued, \u201cI\u2019m buying you a drink to celebrate. What should I make you? I see you tried the Wallbanger already,\u201d he said pointing to Marid\u2019s mouth. \u201cActually, you know what? I\u2019ve been working on a real special drink.\u201d He leaned across the bar. \u201cIf you\u2019re interested, I can hook you up \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cEasy, Eddie. This one isn\u2019t for you,\u201d directed a voice close by. Marid looked over to see a shock of bright purple hair paired with equally purple eyes as a newcomer took the spot next to him at the bar. The bartender\u2019s demeanor instantly changed. He straightened up and shrugged, \u201cOf course. No worries. I was just messing around.\u201d He walked quickly away to help another customer.\n\nIt took a second for Marid\u2019s slowed thoughts to catch up. \u201cWait! I need to get drinks for my friends.\u201d But the bartender was already out of earshot.\n\n\u201cLooks to me like they\u2019re taken care of.\u201d The stranger pointed over Marid\u2019s shoulder where his coworkers eagerly poured each other shots from a bottle of Soles.\n\n\u201cHuh, guess someone else must\u2019ve ordered.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, part of the magic of Wally\u2019s. Alcohol just sort of happens. I\u2019m Mac, by the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cMarid.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me guess, if you\u2019re hanging with that crowd, you must work for microTech.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, today was my first day, actually.\u201d\n\nA big smile spread across the stranger\u2019s face. \u201cWhat! Congrats! That\u2019s so exciting.\u201d\n\nMarid found himself smiling back. He had been so nervous about impressing his coworkers and making a good first impression that it hadn\u2019t really sunk in until Mac had pointed it out, it was really exciting.\n\n\u201cMarid, I would love to get you a drink to celebrate your new job. Of course, if you say yes there\u2019s no obligation to stay and chat with me.\u201d Mac smiled again. \u201cThough, I\u2019d be pretty happy if you did.\u201d\n\nMarid glanced back at his coworkers. Tami was standing at the head of the table with a sim-helmet on, doing what looked like a front stroke as the rest of the group cheered. Just the thought of wading back into the party was exhausting. Really, he should just go to his flat and get some rest before work tomorrow. Another customer pushed to the bar next to him, causing Marid to slide closer to Mac. A warmth spread through him from where their arms touched. Or he could stay and have one more drink.\n\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019d love a drink.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was hoping you\u2019d say that.\u201d Quicker than he thought possible, two drinks appeared in front of them. Mac raised a glass. \u201cTo your new job.\u201d\n\nMarid never knew he could hate anything as much as he hated the sound of birds chirpings at that very moment. He slowly peeled his eyes open, squinting in the sunlight. As the room came into focus, a whole flock of birds flitted above his bed, singing happily. \u201cAlarm, snooze.\u201d\n\n\u201cUnable to comply. Snooze limit reached,\u201d the hab controls responded cheerfully.\n\nCrap. Marid rolled out of his bed, and stumbled to the alarm off button. As soon as he pressed it, the bird projection mercifully switched off and the lighting dropped to a normal level. Even with the noise gone, his head still ached. In fact, his whole body was aching. Plus, his mouth tasted like a cotton ball soaked in sewer water. Right, this is why I don\u2019t drink. He glanced at the clock and grimaced. So much for making a good impression on his second day at work.\n\nAfter a long internal debate about whether to get back into bed or not, followed by a quick shower, Marid dug out his sunglasses from an unpacked moving crate and headed to the cafe a few blocks from his hab.\n\nIt seemed he wasn\u2019t the only one having a rough morning. The place was packed with bleary eyed people. While he waited in the long line to get an extra large stim-laced coffee, he popped open his mobi. He couldn\u2019t remember coming home last night and was curious to see what his stats were.\n\nFor the last couple years, he had gotten in the habit of tracking a bunch of different personal metrics. Some of them the mobi OS tracked by default, like distance traveled and heart rate, but others he had coded himself: pupil dilation, ambient noise levels, how many times he checked his mobi, etc. He scrolled through the night, seeing the numbers fluctuate as his body reacted to various stimuli. That\u2019s odd. According to the data, for an hour last night he had done the exact same thing he had done the previous hour. No discernable change whatsoever.\n\nThat shouldn\u2019t be possible.\n\nEven standing still produced quantifiable changes in the data. Something must have gone wrong. He accessed the dev controls and started looking for what could have caused the error. After ensuring that the sensors were all functioning normally, he started to acknowledge the worst of all possibilities.\n\n\u201cSir? Your order?\u201d\n\nMarid realized that he had been blocking the front of the line. \u201cSorry.\u201d He stepped out of the way without getting a coffee. The fog from earlier that morning had been cleared by the sinking realization that he had been hacked.\n\nIt was cleverly done. No denying that. Even a casual user might notice if there was time missing or erased, but by looping the data from the previous hour the loss blended in almost perfectly. If it wasn\u2019t for Marid\u2019s obsession with data he might not have noticed himself. He dove deeper into his system and opened up an image of the mobi\u2019s memory substrate. Luckily, his guess had been right. Whatever malicious program had been used, it worked by actively overwriting data, not by changing the underlying data itself. He was able to see what memory units had been accessed during the missing hour. Marid knew instantly what the hacker had been after.\n\nHis employee key code.\n\nIt was a unique identifier that gave him access to the microTech offices and more specifically to his dev processor. Worried about corporate espionage (and apparently rightly so) microTech had set up its development environments in isolated cells. Employees could only access their own sectors unless given active approval by security. So, if someone wanted to access the data engineering teams files, they would need one of those specific key codes.\n\nNot only that, but key codes were hard encoded into the specific person\u2019s mobi. Yesterday, he had sat in the security office having it physically transferred to his unit through a connector cable. For someone to steal one, they had to physically access the mobi.\n\nThe drinks. The flirting. The casual enquiries into Madrid\u2019s new job. Mac\u2019s interest in him suddenly made a lot more sense.\n\nHis first instinct had been to run back to Wally\u2019s Bar and try to track down Mac, but the logical part of his brain that was still functioning beneath his panic and anger pointed out that the bar wouldn\u2019t be open for another five hours. Hell, Mac probably didn\u2019t even have purple hair and eyes any more. The hacker had most likely chosen the loud coloring as a distraction more than a fashion choice.\n\nNo, the right thing to do would be to go report the breach to microTech security.\n\nHe corrected his route and headed towards the gleaming headquarters building, the sweeping lines of its unique design rising to meet the curved dome overhead in an impressive display of modern architecture. Hard to believe that when he had woken up his biggest worry was being being late for work. Instead, he was about to cop to being responsible for a major security breach. He would go straight to Tami and let her know everything and then they could initiate a quarantine to close down any vulnerabilities. With the amount of access Marid had on his system, it would be a massive operation. Plus, they would most likely have to go public since direct consumer data was involved. Even with the encryption protocols in place, the raw information stored on microTech\u2019s servers contained billions of transactions and comms that could be used for nefarious credit-making purposes. People used their mobiGlas for almost everything. It would be a publicity nightmare.\n\n\u201cHello and welcome to microTech, where we work to make each day better,\u201d the perky holographic microTech representative chirped as he entered.\n\nNot Marid. Not after he tells what happened.\n\nMarid had reached the sprawling high tech showroom just outside the main offices. Here, microTech had their latest and greatest offerings on display; from high end mobiGlas models to massive top-of-the-line full immersion simpods.\n\n\u201cIs there anything I can help you with?\u201d As he walked along, the representative floated alongside, ready to assist if he needed anything. Only cutting-edge sales technology for microTech.\n\nIt was painful to think about leaving all of this behind. Forget about the fact that getting fired a week into his new job would probably tarnish his reputation enough that other companies wouldn\u2019t want to touch him, it hurt more to know that he would never get to start on all the grand projects he had been planning.\n\n\u201cWe have a new line of holo-projectors that you just have to see to believe.\u201d\n\nMarid was about to dismiss the annoyingly chipper representative when a thought occurred to him \u2014 he didn\u2019t have any concrete evidence that microTech had been breached yet. All he would do by saying something now was cause a panic. He quickly convinced himself that the prudent thing to do would be to check the system first and see if there was an actual cause for alarm. No point in calling out \u201cfire\u201d if there weren\u2019t any flames, right?\n\nAfter hours of searching he finally found a discrepancy, but only because he knew there was something to look for. Just like the intrusion on his mobi, this was extremely well done. Mac was turning out to be quite the hacker. There was some satisfaction in knowing that at least he had been conned by someone with considerable skill.\n\nHis system had been infected with a classic lawn mower virus, just trimming a little off the top at a time. All together, the data it skimmed looked like nonsense, but there would be a companion program on the other end that could recompile everything into its original form. This version was particularly well done because rather than running in a straight, more traceable line, it jumped around randomly through the data structure. Impressive. And helpful to Marid.\n\nThis adjustment meant the virus worked at a much slower rate than typical. Plus, it was hiding its data transmissions by burying miniscule packets inside the normal traffic so that no one would notice the slight bandwidth change. This was a virus designed to work for months, if not years, gathering up everything it could. If he cut it off now, barely any data at all would have been collected from microTech\u2019s servers. Marid began to program a fence that he could use to quarantine the virus.\n\nHowever, just before he could implement it, there was a knock on his workpod. Marid looked up to see Tami standing at the entrance, sipping from a thermos that read \u2018Data Engineers Have The Same Amount of Fun, More Efficiently.\u2019 Smiling he said \u201cMorning, Tami,\u201d as his fingers surreptitiously pressed the hotkeys to minimize the files on his screen.\n\n\u201cHey, Marid. Just wanted to say that I saw this morning\u2019s logs.\u201d\n\nMarid\u2019s entire body tensed. He would have blurted out everything right then and there if he hadn\u2019t been momentarily paralyzed by fear.\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t believe you came into the office that early this morning. Especially not after the night we had. Happy to know you can hold your own next time we hit the town.\u201d\n\nMarid breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn\u2019t get fired today, he appreciated the irony that Mac using his key code to access the building early this morning might actually win him a few points with his boss. Though, it was strange knowing the hacker had been sitting in this seat just a few hour earlier. \u201cYou know what they say, work hard, play hard.\u201d\n\nTami nodded. \u201cThat is pretty much the unofficial motto of microTech. If you have a free minute, I was hoping to walk you through the restructuring effort that I was hoping you\u2019d tackle this week.\u201d\n\nHer doing anything at his workstation was about the last thing he wanted right now. He scrambled for an excuse. \u201cAny way we could do that tomorrow? I would love one more day to really settle in before diving full on into a project.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, but I fully expect you to be ready to jump into the deep end tomorrow. Also, I really want to go swimming now. Have you been to the Club Olympus? They have an outdoor deck with hot tubs. The cold mixing with the hot. So great. You have to try it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSounds incredible. For sure, let me know next time you\u2019re going,\u201d said Marid with as much \u2018get out of my workpod\u2019 in his voice as he could politely muster.\n\nWith Tami gone, he quickly reopened the quarantine protocol and rechecked his work one last time before implementing. Everything looked good. As soon as he enabled it, the virus would be completely cut off and then \u2026 And then what?\n\nWould he then tell security what had happened? He would be in more trouble if they found out he waited. Plus, Mac would know that something had happened once the flow of data was interrupted. Who knew what the hacker\u2019s next move would be after that. Marid could send falsified data packets out, but that would only prolong the inevitable. The way he saw it, he had three viable choices.\n\nOne, he could go back to his original plan and tell microTech what was happening.\n\nTwo, he could find where the data was being sent and attempt to eradicate the security breach at the source.\n\nThree, he could just pretend like he never knew and let the lawn mower keep running.\n\nThere was a very strong chance that the first option would result in him being terminated. The second option was considerably more dangerous since there was no telling who or what he might run into, but the chances of him keeping his job were much higher. He would almost certainly keep his job if he went for the third option, at least for a while longer, but now that the Pandora\u2019s box was open, he wasn\u2019t the type of person that could just let the data he was entrusted with continue to be stolen.\n\nClosing the quarantine, Marid opened up a new window to begin tracing where the data packets were being sent.\n\nWhen his transport shuttle had flown across the tundra two days prior, it had not prepared Marid in any way for how cold it would actually be, standing outside New Babbage\u2019s protective dome. Even though his suit was rated for extreme temperatures, as he stepped from the protective interior of the small ice skiff he had rented the biting cold cut straight to his core. The wind made it even worse. If it wasn\u2019t for the tiny pitons along the sole of his boots gripping the packed snow, he would have been blown away.\n\nIt had taken him all afternoon to find the source. Mac had covered the data\u2019s tracks well, bouncing the packets between dozens of spec-hubs. He had almost lost the path when the data was routed through a sim-arcade, but he was able to pick up the trail as the data was piped through a private comm relay transmitting away from the dome. For the last leg of the journey, Marid had to use a narrow-field scanner to physically follow the signal. Making it even more difficult was the fact that the broadcast bursts were few and far between. He would pick up the signal only for a few milliseconds before it would disappear again. In the end, the signal had brought him to this remote stretch of icy nothing.\n\nThe snow whipped around him, clogging his mask and making it difficult to see farther than a meter or two. He had briefly made the mistake of using a flashlight, but the snow reflected the light, blinding him. Sweeping the scanner back and forth, Marid homed in on the signal. Standing out here, he understood why the skiff rental company had issued so many warnings and made him sign several releases before leaving the dome. Part of their caution probably had to do with most of their rentals being to weekend warriors looking to do some extreme iceboarding, but there was no denying that microTech was a very inhospitable environment. From where he stood, the near featureless horizon looked the same on all sides. If the skiff lost power for any reason, he would be hopelessly stuck out here.\n\nSuddenly, the scanner jumped from his grip and his hand throbbed from an unseen impact. Groping about, he realized that there was a white comm dish directly in front of him that had blended almost seamlessly with the tundra. Even now, knowing where it was, it was still hard to make out. He bent and found the base of the dish. There, buried under the snow, a thick bundle of cables led away. He followed it best he could, but scraping the snow away with his gloved hands quickly proved painful as the cold ate through his protective layers.\n\nHe was almost forced to give up when his hands started to go numb, but he thankfully found where the trunkline terminated just as the feeling totally left his fingers. Hidden by a thin layer of fresh snowfall laid a metal hatch. Marid swept the area clean but couldn\u2019t find an access terminal anywhere. Was it some sort of remote wireless lock? He adjusted the scanner to try to detect a local small wave transmission but found nothing. Desperate, he tried pulling on the hatch. It opened easily, sending Marid flying backwards into the snow. Embarrassed even though there was no one to witness his folly, he brushed himself off and proceeded to climb down the ladder.\n\nBelow was a small bunker densely packed with a server array. The heat coming off the racks was intense, but a piping system that ran throughout the bunker used the frigid external temperature as a heatsink for the units. This natural cooling was part of the reason microTech had chosen to purchase this world in the first place. They saved billions in credits every year thanks to the planet\u2019s freezing climate.\n\nMarid headed to the access terminal. Sure enough, he found the compiler program that was the mate to the virus on his system. The data arrived here and was slowly put together. Though there was a massive amount of information in storage here, most of it was still fragmented. The small amount that became viable was transferred off the main server onto a portable drive for collection and analysis. Looking through the records, Marid realized that he was not the first of Mac\u2019s victims. The server was collecting data from most of New Babbage\u2019s biggest tech firms, including at least three separate sources inside microTech itself.\n\nThere were schematics from a company developing an improved EVA stabilizer that used a third of the normal fuel. There was internal documentation from Pi-Plum Software discussing their new proprietary compression algorithm. There were even vids showing early levels from an unannounced Star Marine 3. And that was only what had been compiled so far. Who knew what else was lurking in the fragments? He had stumbled onto a treasure trove of stolen information.\n\nMethodically, he went around the bunker and deactivated the cooling system\u2019s emergency redundancies. With each one he turned off, the temperature in the room rose higher. Alarms began to sound, but when the automatic systems tried to prevent disaster by flooding the room with ice water, it was already too late. Marid\u2019s suit sounded a warning of its own; the temperature was reaching a dangerous level. Taking the portable drive with him, he climbed the ladder and closed the hatch once more, finishing the transformation of the bunker into an oven.\n\nOver the next half hour, Marid watched from the skiff as the ice cracked and hot steam vented from below the surface. By now, any piece of tech that had been inside the server room had been turned to slag. The data from microTech was safe.\n\nOf course, once his sabotage was discovered, Mac was going to be angry and desperate. But Marid was counting on that. With microTech\u2019s key codes changed over every month, the hacker only had a limited time to re-access his system and direct the virus to a new output relay before being completely locked out. All Marid had to do was ensure that his trap was ready before then. A simple trace file. He didn\u2019t expect it to take very long to program at all.\n\nHe started up the skiff and piloted across the ice back towards New Babbage. He was planning on getting a good night\u2019s sleep before his meeting with Tami in the morning. But then again, he thought, glancing at the drive sitting on the seat next to him, maybe just a little light reading before bed.\n\n\nEND.","de_DE":"\"F\u00fcr Marid! Willkommen im Team\", erkl\u00e4rte Tami und hob ihr Glas hoch. Der Rest des \u00fcberf\u00fcllten Tisches folgte dem Beispiel: \"Marid!\"\n\nMarid erstarrte f\u00fcr einen Moment, unbequem, da die volle Aufmerksamkeit aller seiner neuen Mitarbeiter auf ihn gerichtet war. Gl\u00fccklicherweise wirkte das soziale Gleitmittel, das er die ganze Nacht angewendet hatte, magisch und er konnte ein L\u00e4cheln hervorrufen. \"Zu mir!\"\n\nMit einem lauten Jubel tranken alle auf den Toast. Tami, die ihre Rolle als Teamleiterin ernst nahm, leerte ihren Cocktail vollst\u00e4ndig. Mit einem Schwung knallte sie das leere Glas auf den Tisch und streckte stolz ihre leuchtende, neonfarbene Zunge aus - ein Nebeneffekt aus dem Getr\u00e4nke-Spezial der Bar, dem Wallbanger. Je mehr du getrunken hast, desto heller ist deine Zunge. Tami hatte an diesem Punkt praktisch Licht aus ihren Ohren geschossen.\n\nAls Marid auf seinen eigenen schwindenden Drink herabblickte, fragte er sich, welchen Status seine Zunge hatte. Sie waren bereits vier Runden tief und er war auf dem besten Weg von angenehm angeheitert zu vollgepisst. Es war schwer zu glauben, dass das bacchanale Vergn\u00fcgen, das ihn umgab, die gleiche Gruppe war, die auf dem Stand-up-Meeting am Vormittag hei\u00df dar\u00fcber diskutiert hatte, wie man das Hierarchieproblem eines Systems angehen sollte. Er war nur weniger als 48 Stunden in New Babbage gewesen, aber es schien, dass die Warnungen, die er \u00fcber den Ort geh\u00f6rt hatte, zu hundert Prozent verdient waren. Diese Stadt feierte gerne.\n\nAllein auf den Nennwert bezogen, h\u00e4tte er wahrscheinlich eine der anderen Stellenangebote annehmen sollen, die er erhalten hatte. Saga Datasystems hatte ihm viel mehr Geld und ein l\u00e4cherliches Startpaket voller Vorteile angeboten. Der Einsatz des 300i der Firma hatte ihn fast geschw\u00e4ngert. Und w\u00e4hrend Fiskers ihn nicht so viel bezahlen wollte wie Saga, h\u00e4tte er, wenn er ihr Angebot angenommen h\u00e4tte, im Grunde genommen sein eigenes Team gef\u00fchrt. Sie starteten ein gro\u00dfes neues Projekt und suchten jemanden mit seinem spezifischen Hintergrund f\u00fcr die f\u00fchrende Speicherinfrastruktur.\n\nAber dann gab es noch das, was microTech geboten hatte - die M\u00f6glichkeit, an dem gr\u00f6\u00dften jemals geschaffenen Informationsverwirrspiel zu arbeiten. Mit einer Akzeptanzrate von fast 56% der Bev\u00f6lkerung segelten an einem einzigen Tag mehr Daten durch die mobiGlas-Netzwerke als alle \u00dcbertragungen des vergangenen Jahrhunderts zusammen. Im Grunde genommen sein Traumjob. Und so war er hier, ein brandneuer MicroTech-Dateningenieur, der zum dritten Mal in seinem Leben betrunken wurde.\n\nDie Frau, die neben Marid sa\u00df, schlug ihm auf die Schulter und fragte, was er als n\u00e4chstes trinken wolle. An diesem Nachmittag hatte sie ihn durch die GUI des kundenspezifischen Entwicklers gef\u00fchrt, mit der er programmieren w\u00fcrde, und die Rory Nova Figuren-Sammlung gezeigt, die ihren Schreibtisch \u00fcberf\u00fcllte. Er konnte sich nicht an ihren Namen erinnern. Connie? Katherine? Sein Kopf schwamm und er f\u00fchlte sich pl\u00f6tzlich zu warm. Er brauchte etwas Luft. \"Wei\u00dft du was, die n\u00e4chste Runde geht auf mich\", sagte Marid und stand vom Tisch auf. Es gab Proteste, aber er brachte sie zum Schweigen mit: \"Hey, du sagtest, ich sei Teil des Teams, richtig?\" Damit sortiert, schrieen sie ihm schnell ihre Befehle zu, die er sich nach Kr\u00e4ften zu merken versuchte.\n\nBevor er sich auf den Weg zur Bar machte, ging er von der Menge weg in Richtung Fenster, das auf die gefrorene \u00d6dnis der MicroTech, des Planeten, hinausblickte. Als er seine Hand gegen die k\u00fchle Oberfl\u00e4che ber\u00fchrte, f\u00fchlte er sich fast sofort besser. Drau\u00dfen strahlten helle Lichter aus der Stadt in den Schneesturm und erzeugten einen schillernden Effekt gegen den schwarzen Nachthimmel. Es war eine einzigartige Erfahrung, eine dichte, schwitzende Masse der Menschheit auf der einen Seite und die reine Isolation der Tundra auf der anderen Seite zu haben. Es erinnerte ihn an die Arbeit an einem Projekt; sein Verstand konzentrierte sich ganz auf die Zahlen und den Code, aber ein Teil von ihm war sich des Chaos bewusst, das um ihn herum wirbelte. Anscheinend werde ich poetisch, wenn ich betrunken werde, dachte er und lachte. Er atmete tief durch und taumelte zur\u00fcck in die Menge.\n\nDer Barkeeper begr\u00fc\u00dfte Marid mit einem L\u00e4cheln von tausend Credits: \"Du bist neu in Wally's Bar, nicht wahr? Ich w\u00fcrde mich an ein so sch\u00f6nes Gesicht wie deins erinnern.\" Marid err\u00f6tete, \u00fcberrascht von dem Kompliment. Bevor er antworten konnte, fuhr der Barkeeper fort: \"Ich gebe dir einen Drink zum Feiern aus. Was soll ich aus dir machen? Ich sehe, du hast den Wallbanger schon einmal probiert\", sagte er und zeigte auf Marids Mund. \"Eigentlich, wei\u00dft du was? Ich habe an einem ganz besonderen Getr\u00e4nk gearbeitet.\" Er lehnte sich \u00fcber die Bar. \"Wenn du interessiert bist, kann ich dir helfen....\"\n\n\"Ganz ruhig, Eddie. Dieser ist nichts f\u00fcr dich\", richtete eine Stimme in der N\u00e4he. Marid blickte hin\u00fcber, um einen Schock aus hellviolettem Haar gepaart mit ebenso violetten Augen zu sehen, als ein Neuank\u00f6mmling den Platz neben sich an der Bar einnahm. Das Verhalten des Barkeepers \u00e4nderte sich sofort. Er richtete sich auf und zuckte mit den Schultern: \"Nat\u00fcrlich. Keine Sorge, keine Sorge. Ich habe nur herumgealbert.\" Er ging schnell weg, um einem anderen Kunden zu helfen.\n\nEs dauerte eine Sekunde, bis Marids verlangsamte Gedanken auftauchten. \"Warte! Ich brauche Drinks f\u00fcr meine Freunde.\" Aber der Barkeeper war schon au\u00dfer H\u00f6rweite.\n\n\"Sieht f\u00fcr mich so aus, als ob man sich um sie k\u00fcmmert.\" Der Fremde zeigte \u00fcber Marids Schulter, wo sich seine Mitarbeiter eifrig gegenseitig Sch\u00fcsse aus einer Flasche Soles sch\u00fctteten.\n\n\"Huh, ich sch\u00e4tze, jemand anderes muss bestellt haben.\"\n\n\"Ja, ein Teil der Magie von Wally's. Alkohol passiert einfach so. Ich bin \u00fcbrigens Mac.\"\n\n\" Marid.\"\n\n\"Lass mich raten, wenn du mit dieser Menge rumh\u00e4ngst, musst du f\u00fcr die MicroTech arbeiten.\"\n\n\"Ja, heute war mein erster Tag.\"\n\nEin gro\u00dfes L\u00e4cheln breitete sich auf dem Gesicht des Fremden aus. \"Was! Gl\u00fcckwunsch! Das ist so aufregend.\"\n\nMarid l\u00e4chelte zur\u00fcck. Er war so nerv\u00f6s gewesen, seine Mitarbeiter zu beeindrucken und einen guten ersten Eindruck zu hinterlassen, dass es nicht wirklich eingetreten war, bis Mac es darauf hingewiesen hatte, es war wirklich aufregend.\n\n\"Marid, ich w\u00fcrde dir gerne einen Drink holen, um deinen neuen Job zu feiern. Nat\u00fcrlich, wenn du ja sagst, gibt es keine Verpflichtung, zu bleiben und mit mir zu chatten.\" Mac l\u00e4chelte wieder. \"Aber ich w\u00e4re ziemlich gl\u00fccklich, wenn du es tun w\u00fcrdest.\"\n\nMarid blickte zur\u00fcck zu seinen Mitarbeitern. Tami stand mit einem Sim-Helm an der Spitze des Tisches und tat etwas, das wie ein Frontstrich aussah, w\u00e4hrend der Rest der Gruppe jubelte. Allein der Gedanke, in die Gruppe zur\u00fcckzukehren, war anstrengend. Wirklich, er sollte einfach in seine Wohnung gehen und sich vor der Arbeit morgen etwas ausruhen. Ein anderer Kunde dr\u00fcckte auf die Bar neben sich, so dass Marid n\u00e4her an den Mac heranrutschte. Eine W\u00e4rme breitete sich durch ihn aus, von wo aus sich ihre Arme ber\u00fchrten. Oder er k\u00f6nnte bleiben und noch einen Drink nehmen.\n\n\"Ja, ich h\u00e4tte gerne einen Drink.\"\n\n\"Ich hatte gehofft, dass du das sagen w\u00fcrdest.\" Schneller, als er es f\u00fcr m\u00f6glich hielt, erschienen zwei Getr\u00e4nke vor ihnen. Mac hat ein Glas angehoben. \"Auf deinen neuen Job.\"\n\nMarid wusste nie, dass er etwas so sehr hassen k\u00f6nnte, wie er das Ger\u00e4usch von Vogelgezwitscher in diesem Moment hasste. Er sch\u00e4lte langsam seine Augen auf und zwinkerte im Sonnenlicht. Als der Raum in den Fokus r\u00fcckte, flog eine ganze Vogelschar \u00fcber seinem Bett und sang gl\u00fccklich. \"Alarm, Schlummerfunktion.\"\n\n\"Unf\u00e4hig zu entsprechen. Die Schlummergrenze wurde erreicht\", antwortete die Hab-Kontrolle fr\u00f6hlich.\n\nMist. Marid rollte aus seinem Bett und stolperte \u00fcber den Alarm-Aus-Schalter. Sobald er sie dr\u00fcckte, schaltete sich die Vogelprojektion gn\u00e4digerweise aus und die Beleuchtung fiel auf ein normales Niveau. Trotz des Ger\u00e4uschs schmerzte sein Kopf immer noch. Tats\u00e4chlich schmerzte sein ganzer K\u00f6rper. Au\u00dferdem schmeckte sein Mund wie ein mit Kanalwasser getr\u00e4nkter Wattebausch. Richtig, deshalb trinke ich nicht. Er blickte auf die Uhr und grinste. So viel zu einem guten Eindruck an seinem zweiten Arbeitstag.\n\nNach einer langen internen Debatte dar\u00fcber, ob er wieder ins Bett gehen sollte oder nicht, gefolgt von einer kurzen Dusche, grub Marid seine Sonnenbrille aus einer ausgepackten, sich bewegenden Kiste aus und machte sich auf den Weg zum Caf\u00e9, ein paar Blocks von seinem Gewand entfernt.\n\nEs schien, dass er nicht der Einzige war, der einen harten Morgen hatte. Der Ort war voll von verschwommenen Augen. W\u00e4hrend er in der langen Schlange wartete, um einen extra gro\u00dfen stilgeschn\u00fcrten Kaffee zu bekommen, sprang er sein Mobi auf. Er konnte sich nicht erinnern, dass er gestern Abend nach Hause gekommen war und war neugierig, was seine Statistiken waren.\n\nIn den letzten Jahren hatte er sich angew\u00f6hnt, eine Reihe von verschiedenen pers\u00f6nlichen Kennzahlen zu verfolgen. Einige von ihnen das mobi OS, das standardm\u00e4\u00dfig verfolgt wird, wie Entfernung und Herzfrequenz, aber andere hatte er selbst kodiert: Pupillenerweiterung, Umgebungsger\u00e4usche, wie oft er sein mobi \u00fcberpr\u00fcft hat, etc. Er scrollte durch die Nacht und sah die Zahlen schwanken, w\u00e4hrend sein K\u00f6rper auf verschiedene Reize reagierte. Das ist merkw\u00fcrdig. Den Daten zufolge hatte er gestern Abend f\u00fcr eine Stunde genau das Gleiche getan, was er in der vorherigen Stunde getan hatte. Keine erkennbare Ver\u00e4nderung.\n\nDas sollte nicht m\u00f6glich sein.\n\nSchon im Stillstand kam es zu quantifizierbaren Ver\u00e4nderungen in den Daten. Etwas muss schief gelaufen sein. Er griff auf die Dev-Controls zu und begann nach dem zu suchen, was den Fehler verursacht haben k\u00f6nnte. Nachdem er sichergestellt hatte, dass die Sensoren alle normal funktionierten, begann er, die schlimmste aller M\u00f6glichkeiten zu erkennen.\n\n\"Sir? Ihre Bestellung?\"\n\nMarid erkannte, dass er die Front der Linie blockiert hatte. \" Tut mir leid.\" Er ging aus dem Weg, ohne einen Kaffee zu holen. Der Nebel von fr\u00fcher an diesem Morgen war durch die sinkende Erkenntnis, dass er gehackt worden war, beseitigt worden.\n\nEs war geschickt gemacht. Das l\u00e4sst sich nicht leugnen. Selbst ein gelegentlicher Benutzer k\u00f6nnte bemerken, ob Zeit fehlte oder gel\u00f6scht wurde, aber durch das Schleifen der Daten der vorherigen Stunde f\u00fcgte sich der Verlust fast perfekt ein. Ohne Marids Besessenheit von Daten h\u00e4tte er sich vielleicht nicht selbst bemerkt. Er tauchte tiefer in sein System ein und \u00f6ffnete ein Bild des Speichersubstrats der Mobi. Gl\u00fccklicherweise war seine Vermutung richtig gewesen. Welches b\u00f6sartige Programm auch immer verwendet wurde, es funktionierte durch aktives \u00dcberschreiben von Daten, nicht durch \u00c4ndern der zugrunde liegenden Daten selbst. Er konnte sehen, auf welche Speichereinheiten w\u00e4hrend der fehlenden Stunde zugegriffen wurde. Marid wusste sofort, worauf der Hacker aus war.\n\nSein Mitarbeiter-Keycode.\n\nEs war ein eindeutiger Identifikator, der ihm den Zugang zu den microTech-B\u00fcros und insbesondere zu seinem Entwicklungsprozessor erm\u00f6glichte. Aus Sorge um die Wirtschaftsspionage (und das zu Recht) hatte microTech seine Entwicklungsumgebungen in isolierten Zellen aufgebaut. Mitarbeiter konnten nur dann auf ihre eigenen Bereiche zugreifen, wenn sie keine aktive Zustimmung der Sicherheit erhielten. Wenn also jemand auf die Dateien der Datentechnik-Teams zugreifen m\u00f6chte, ben\u00f6tigt er einen dieser spezifischen Schl\u00fcsselcodes.\n\nNicht nur das, sondern auch die Schl\u00fcsselcodes wurden fest in den Mobi der jeweiligen Person kodiert. Gestern hatte er im Sicherheitsb\u00fcro gesessen und es physisch \u00fcber ein Verbindungskabel auf seine Einheit \u00fcbertragen. Damit jemand einen stehlen konnte, musste er physisch auf den Mobi zugreifen.\n\nDie Getr\u00e4nke. Das Flirten. Die beil\u00e4ufigen Ermittlungen \u00fcber den neuen Job in Madrid. Macs Interesse an ihm machte pl\u00f6tzlich viel mehr Sinn.\n\nSein erster Instinkt war, zur\u00fcck zu Wally's Bar zu laufen und zu versuchen, Mac aufzusp\u00fcren, aber der logische Teil seines Gehirns, der immer noch unter seiner Panik und Wut funktionierte, wies darauf hin, dass die Bar f\u00fcr weitere f\u00fcnf Stunden nicht ge\u00f6ffnet sein w\u00fcrde. Zum Teufel, Mac hatte wahrscheinlich nicht einmal mehr lila Haare und Augen. Der Hacker hatte h\u00f6chstwahrscheinlich die laute Farbgebung als Ablenkung mehr als eine Modewahl gew\u00e4hlt.\n\nNein, das Richtige w\u00e4re, den Versto\u00df an die microTech security zu melden.\n\nEr korrigierte seine Route und steuerte auf das schimmernde Hauptgeb\u00e4ude zu, dessen geschwungene Linien sich in seinem einzigartigen Design erheben und die geschwungene Kuppel \u00fcber Kopf in einer beeindruckenden Darstellung der modernen Architektur treffen. Kaum zu glauben, dass, als er aufgewacht war, seine gr\u00f6\u00dfte Sorge darin bestand, zu sp\u00e4t zur Arbeit zu kommen. Stattdessen war er im Begriff, die Verantwortung f\u00fcr eine gr\u00f6\u00dfere Sicherheitsverletzung zu \u00fcbernehmen. Er ging direkt zu Tami und lie\u00df sie alles wissen, und dann konnten sie eine Quarant\u00e4ne einleiten, um alle Schwachstellen zu schlie\u00dfen. Bei dem Umfang an Zugriff, den Marid auf seinem System hatte, w\u00e4re es eine massive Operation. Au\u00dferdem m\u00fcssten sie h\u00f6chstwahrscheinlich an die \u00d6ffentlichkeit gehen, da es sich um direkte Verbraucherdaten handelt. Selbst mit den vorhandenen Verschl\u00fcsselungsprotokollen enthielten die auf den Servern der microTech gespeicherten Rohdaten Milliarden von Transaktionen und Kommunikationen, die f\u00fcr sch\u00e4ndliche Kreditvergabezwecke verwendet werden konnten. Die Menschen verwendeten ihr mobiGlas f\u00fcr fast alles. Es w\u00e4re ein Werbealptraum.\n\n\"Hallo und willkommen bei der microTech, wo wir daran arbeiten, jeden Tag besser zu werden\", zwitscherte der kecke holographische Vertreter der microTech, als er eintrat.\n\nNicht Marid. Nicht, nachdem er gesagt hat, was passiert ist.\n\nMarid hatte den weitl\u00e4ufigen High-Tech-Showroom direkt vor den Hauptb\u00fcros erreicht. Hier pr\u00e4sentierte microTech ihre neuesten und umfangreichsten Angebote, von hochwertigen mobiGlas-Modellen bis hin zu massiven Top-of-the-Line Full Immersion Simpods.\n\n\"Gibt es etwas, bei dem ich dir helfen kann?\" W\u00e4hrend er entlang ging, schwebte der Vertreter neben ihm und war bereit, ihm zu helfen, wenn er etwas brauchte. Nur modernste Vertriebstechnologie f\u00fcr die microTech.\n\nEs war schmerzhaft, dar\u00fcber nachzudenken, das alles hinter sich zu lassen. Vergessen Sie die Tatsache, dass eine Woche nach der Entlassung in seinen neuen Job wahrscheinlich seinen Ruf so sehr besch\u00e4digen w\u00fcrde, dass andere Unternehmen ihn nicht ber\u00fchren w\u00fcrden, es tat mehr weh zu wissen, dass er nie mit all den gro\u00dfen Projekten beginnen w\u00fcrde, die er geplant hatte.\n\n\"Wir haben eine neue Linie von Holoprojektoren, die man nur sehen muss, um zu glauben.\"\n\nMarid war im Begriff, den nervt\u00f6tenden Chipper-Vertreter zu entlassen, als ihm ein Gedanke einfiel - er hatte keine konkreten Beweise daf\u00fcr, dass microTech bereits verletzt worden war. Alles, was er tun w\u00fcrde, indem er jetzt etwas sagte, war, eine Panik zu verursachen. Er \u00fcberzeugte sich schnell, dass es klug w\u00e4re, zuerst das System zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen und zu sehen, ob es eine tats\u00e4chliche Ursache f\u00fcr den Alarm gibt. Es hat keinen Sinn, \"Feuer\" zu nennen, wenn es keine Flammen gibt, oder?\n\nNach stundenlanger Suche fand er schlie\u00dflich eine Diskrepanz, aber nur, weil er wusste, dass es etwas zu suchen gab. Genau wie das Eindringen in seine Mobi, war das sehr gut gemacht. Mac erwies sich als ein ziemlicher Hacker. Es war eine gewisse Genugtuung zu wissen, dass er zumindest von jemandem mit gro\u00dfem Geschick get\u00e4uscht worden war.\n\nSein System war mit einem klassischen Rasenm\u00e4her-Virus infiziert, der immer nur ein wenig von oben nach unten geschnitten wurde. Insgesamt sahen die \u00fcberflogenen Daten wie Unsinn aus, aber am anderen Ende gab es ein Begleitprogramm, das alles in seine urspr\u00fcngliche Form zur\u00fcckversetzen konnte. Diese Version war besonders gut gelungen, denn anstatt in einer geraden, r\u00fcckverfolgbaren Linie zu laufen, sprang sie zuf\u00e4llig durch die Datenstruktur. Beeindruckend. Und hilfreich f\u00fcr Marid.\n\nDiese Anpassung bedeutete, dass das Virus mit einer viel langsameren Rate arbeitete als typisch. Au\u00dferdem verbarg es seine Daten\u00fcbertragungen, indem es winzige Pakete innerhalb des normalen Datenverkehrs vergrub, so dass niemand die leichte Bandbreiten\u00e4nderung bemerkte. Dies war ein Virus, der entwickelt wurde, um monatelang, wenn nicht gar jahrelang zu funktionieren und alles zu sammeln, was er konnte. Wenn er es jetzt unterbricht, w\u00e4ren kaum Daten von den Servern der microTech gesammelt worden. Marid begann, einen Zaun zu programmieren, mit dem er den Virus unter Quarant\u00e4ne stellen konnte.\n\nDoch kurz bevor er es umsetzen konnte, gab es ein Klopfen an seinem Arbeitsplatz. Marid blickte auf, um Tami am Eingang stehen zu sehen, wie sie an einer Thermoskanne nippte, auf der stand: \"Dateningenieure haben die gleiche Menge an Spa\u00df, effizienter. L\u00e4chelnd sagte er \"Morgen, Tami\", als seine Finger heimlich die Hotkeys dr\u00fcckten, um die Dateien auf seinem Bildschirm zu minimieren.\n\n\"Hey, Marid. Ich wollte nur sagen, dass ich die Protokolle von heute Morgen gesehen habe.\"\n\nMarids ganzer K\u00f6rper verspannte sich. Er h\u00e4tte alles auf der Stelle und Stelle ausgel\u00f6scht, wenn er nicht vor\u00fcbergehend durch Angst gel\u00e4hmt gewesen w\u00e4re.\n\n\"Ich kann nicht glauben, dass du heute Morgen so fr\u00fch ins B\u00fcro gekommen bist. Schon gar nicht nach der Nacht, die wir hatten. Sch\u00f6n zu wissen, dass du dich das n\u00e4chste Mal behaupten kannst, wenn wir in der Stadt sind.\"\n\nMarid atmete erleichtert auf. Wenn er heute nicht gefeuert wurde, sch\u00e4tzte er die Ironie, dass Mac mit seinem Schl\u00fcsselcode, um heute Morgen fr\u00fch auf das Geb\u00e4ude zuzugreifen, tats\u00e4chlich ein paar Punkte bei seinem Chef gewinnen k\u00f6nnte. Es war jedoch seltsam zu wissen, dass der Hacker nur wenige Stunden zuvor auf diesem Platz gesessen hatte. \"Du wei\u00dft, was man sagt, arbeitest hart, spielst hart.\"\n\nTami nickte. \"Das ist so ziemlich das inoffizielle Motto von microTech. Wenn Sie eine freie Minute haben, hatte ich gehofft, Sie durch die Umstrukturierungsbem\u00fchungen zu f\u00fchren, von denen ich gehofft hatte, dass Sie sie diese Woche in Angriff nehmen w\u00fcrden.\"\n\nIhr Tun an seinem Arbeitsplatz war das Letzte, was er im Moment wollte. Er krabbelte nach einer Ausrede. \"Gibt es eine M\u00f6glichkeit, wie wir das morgen machen k\u00f6nnen? Ich w\u00fcrde mich noch einen weiteren Tag w\u00fcnschen, um mich wirklich einzuleben, bevor ich voll in ein Projekt eintauche.\"\n\n\"In Ordnung, aber ich erwarte voll und ganz, dass du bereit bist, morgen ins kalte Wasser zu springen. Au\u00dferdem m\u00f6chte ich jetzt wirklich schwimmen gehen. Warst du im Club Olympus? Sie haben ein Au\u00dfendeck mit Whirlpools. Die kalte Mischung mit der hei\u00dfen. So toll. Du musst es versuchen.\"\n\n\"Klingt unglaublich. Sicherlich, lass es mich das n\u00e4chste Mal wissen, wenn du gehst\", sagte Marid mit so viel \"Geh aus meinem Arbeitsfeld\" in seiner Stimme, wie er h\u00f6flich aufbringen konnte.\n\nNachdem Tami weg war, \u00f6ffnete er schnell das Quarant\u00e4neprotokoll wieder und \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte seine Arbeit ein letztes Mal, bevor er sie implementierte. Alles sah gut aus. Sobald er es aktiviert hatte, wurde das Virus komplett abgeschaltet und dann.... Und was dann?\n\nW\u00fcrde er dann dem Sicherheitsdienst sagen, was passiert ist? Er w\u00e4re in gr\u00f6\u00dferen Schwierigkeiten, wenn sie herausfinden w\u00fcrden, dass er gewartet hat. Au\u00dferdem w\u00fcrde Mac wissen, dass etwas passiert ist, wenn der Datenfluss unterbrochen wurde. Wer h\u00e4tte gedacht, was der n\u00e4chste Zug des Hackers danach sein w\u00fcrde. Marid k\u00f6nnte gef\u00e4lschte Datenpakete verschicken, aber das w\u00fcrde das Unvermeidliche nur verl\u00e4ngern. So wie er es sah, hatte er drei M\u00f6glichkeiten.\n\nErstens, er k\u00f6nnte zu seinem urspr\u00fcnglichen Plan zur\u00fcckkehren und microTech sagen, was passiert ist.\n\nZweitens konnte er herausfinden, wohin die Daten gesendet wurden und versuchen, die Sicherheitsverletzung an der Quelle zu beseitigen.\n\nDrittens, er konnte so tun, als w\u00fcsste er es nie und lie\u00df den Rasenm\u00e4her weiterlaufen.\n\nEs bestand eine sehr gro\u00dfe Chance, dass die erste Option zu einer K\u00fcndigung f\u00fchren w\u00fcrde. Die zweite Option war wesentlich gef\u00e4hrlicher, da man nicht sagen konnte, auf wen oder was er treffen w\u00fcrde, aber die Chancen, dass er seinen Job beh\u00e4lt, waren viel h\u00f6her. Er w\u00fcrde seinen Job mit ziemlicher Sicherheit behalten, wenn er sich f\u00fcr die dritte Option entschied, zumindest f\u00fcr eine Weile, aber jetzt, da die B\u00fcchse der Pandora ge\u00f6ffnet war, war er nicht die Art von Person, die einfach zulassen konnte, dass die ihm anvertrauten Daten weiterhin gestohlen wurden.\n\nNach dem Schlie\u00dfen der Quarant\u00e4ne \u00f6ffnete Marid ein neues Fenster, um zu verfolgen, wo die Datenpakete gesendet wurden.\n\nAls sein Transporter-Shuttle zwei Tage zuvor \u00fcber die Tundra geflogen war, hatte er Marid in keiner Weise darauf vorbereitet, wie kalt es tats\u00e4chlich sein w\u00fcrde, wenn er vor der Schutzkuppel von New Babbage stand. Obwohl sein Anzug f\u00fcr extreme Temperaturen ausgelegt war, hatte er, als er aus dem sch\u00fctzenden Inneren des kleinen Eisbootes trat, den bei\u00dfenden kalten Schnitt direkt bis ins Mark gemietet. Der Wind machte es noch schlimmer. Ohne die winzigen Eisen entlang der Sohle seiner Stiefel, die den gepackten Schnee greifen, w\u00e4re er weggeblasen worden.\n\nEs hatte den ganzen Nachmittag gedauert, bis er die Quelle gefunden hatte. Mac hatte die Spuren der Daten gut verdeckt und die Pakete zwischen Dutzenden von Spec-Hubs gesprungen. Er hatte fast den Weg verloren, als die Daten durch eine Sim-Arkade geleitet wurden, aber er konnte die Spur aufnehmen, da die Daten durch ein privates Comm-Relais geleitet wurden, das von der Kuppel weg sendet. F\u00fcr die letzte Etappe der Reise musste Marid einen Engfeldscanner benutzen, um dem Signal physisch zu folgen. Erschwerend kam hinzu, dass die Broadcast-Bursts selten waren. Er w\u00fcrde das Signal nur f\u00fcr ein paar Millisekunden aufnehmen, bevor es wieder verschwinden w\u00fcrde. Am Ende hatte ihn das Signal in diese abgelegene Gegend mit eisigem Nichts gebracht.\n\nDer Schnee peitschte um ihn herum, verstopfte seine Maske und machte es schwierig, weiter als ein oder zwei Meter zu sehen. Er hatte kurz den Fehler gemacht, eine Taschenlampe zu benutzen, aber der Schnee reflektierte das Licht und blendete ihn. Marid fegte den Scanner hin und her und zeigte das Signal an. Als er sich hier hervorhob, verstand er, warum der Bootsverleiher so viele Verwarnungen ausgesprochen hatte und lie\u00df ihn mehrere Freigaben unterschreiben, bevor er die Kuppel verlie\u00df. Ein Teil ihrer Vorsicht hatte wahrscheinlich damit zu tun, dass die meisten ihrer Vermietungen an Wochenendkrieger gingen, die extreme Eist\u00fcrme machen wollten, aber es wurde nicht geleugnet, dass microTech eine sehr unwirtliche Umgebung war. Von dort, wo er stand, sah der fast funktionsarme Horizont von allen Seiten gleich aus. Wenn das Boot aus irgendeinem Grund die Kraft verliert, w\u00fcrde es hoffnungslos hier drau\u00dfen festsitzen.\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich sprang der Scanner aus seinem Griff und seine Hand pocht von einem unsichtbaren Aufprall. Als er herumtobte, erkannte er, dass sich direkt vor ihm eine wei\u00dfe Kommunikationssch\u00fcssel befand, die sich fast nahtlos in die Tundra eingef\u00fcgt hatte. Selbst jetzt, da ich wusste, wo es war, war es immer noch schwer zu erkennen. Er beugte sich und fand die Basis der Schale. Dort, unter dem Schnee vergraben, f\u00fchrte ein dickes B\u00fcndel von Kabeln weg. Er folgte ihm so gut er konnte, aber das Wegkratzen des Schnees mit seinen Handschuhen erwies sich schnell als schmerzhaft, als die K\u00e4lte durch seine Schutzschichten a\u00df.\n\nEr war fast gezwungen, aufzugeben, als seine H\u00e4nde taub wurden, aber er fand gl\u00fccklicherweise dort, wo der R\u00fcssel aufh\u00f6rte, genauso wie das Gef\u00fchl, dass er seine Finger v\u00f6llig verlassen hatte. Verborgen von einer d\u00fcnnen Schicht frischen Schneefalls lag eine Metallluke. Marid fegte den Bereich sauber, konnte aber nirgendwo ein Zutrittsterminal finden. War es eine Art drahtloses Fernschloss? Er stellte den Scanner so ein, dass er versuchte, eine lokale Kleinwellen\u00fcbertragung zu erkennen, fand aber nichts. Verzweifelt versuchte er, die Luke anzuziehen. Es \u00f6ffnete sich leicht und lie\u00df Marid r\u00fcckw\u00e4rts in den Schnee fliegen. Peinlich ber\u00fchrt, obwohl niemand da war, der seine Torheit miterleben konnte, st\u00fcrzte er sich ab und stieg die Leiter hinunter.\n\nDarunter befand sich ein kleiner Bunker, der dicht mit einem Server-Array gef\u00fcllt war. Die W\u00e4rme, die von den Racks kam, war intensiv, aber ein Rohrleitungssystem, das durch den Bunker f\u00fchrte, nutzte die kalte Au\u00dfentemperatur als K\u00fchlk\u00f6rper f\u00fcr die Einheiten. Diese nat\u00fcrliche K\u00fchlung war einer der Gr\u00fcnde, warum microTech sich f\u00fcr den Kauf dieser Welt entschieden hatte. Dank des eisigen Klimas auf dem Planeten sparten sie jedes Jahr Milliarden an Krediten.\n\nMarid ging zum Zutrittsterminal. Tats\u00e4chlich fand er das Compilerprogramm, das der Partner des Virus auf seinem System war. Die Daten kamen hier an und wurden langsam zusammengetragen. Obwohl hier eine riesige Menge an Informationen gespeichert war, war das meiste davon noch fragmentiert. Die kleine Menge, die rentabel wurde, wurde vom Hauptserver auf ein tragbares Laufwerk zur Erfassung und Analyse \u00fcbertragen. Beim Durchsehen der Aufzeichnungen wurde Marid klar, dass er nicht der erste von Macs Opfern war. Der Server sammelte Daten von den meisten der gr\u00f6\u00dften Technologieunternehmen von New Babbage, darunter mindestens drei separate Quellen innerhalb der MicroTech selbst.\n\nEs gab Schaltpl\u00e4ne von einem Unternehmen, das einen verbesserten EVA-Stabilisator entwickelte, der ein Drittel des normalen Kraftstoffs verbrauchte. Es gab eine interne Dokumentation von Pi-Plum Software, in der \u00fcber den neuen propriet\u00e4ren Komprimierungsalgorithmus diskutiert wurde. Es gab sogar Videos, die fr\u00fche Werte von einem unangek\u00fcndigten Star Marine 3 zeigten. Und das war nur das, was bisher zusammengetragen worden war. Wer h\u00e4tte gedacht, was noch in den Fragmenten lauert? Er war auf eine Schatzkammer mit gestohlenen Informationen gesto\u00dfen.\n\nMethodisch ging er um den Bunker herum und deaktivierte die Notfallredundanzen des K\u00fchlsystems. Mit jedem, den er ausschaltete, stieg die Temperatur im Raum an. Die Alarme begannen zu ert\u00f6nen, aber als die automatischen Systeme versuchten, eine Katastrophe zu verhindern, indem sie den Raum mit Eiswasser \u00fcberfluteten, war es schon zu sp\u00e4t. Marids Anzug klang wie eine eigene Warnung; die Temperatur erreichte ein gef\u00e4hrliches Niveau. Er nahm die tragbare Festplatte mit, kletterte auf die Leiter und schloss die Luke erneut und beendete die Umwandlung des Bunkers in einen Ofen.\n\nIn der n\u00e4chsten halben Stunde beobachtete Marid vom Boot aus, wie das Eis rissig wurde und hei\u00dfer Dampf aus der Tiefe austritt. Inzwischen war jedes St\u00fcck Technik, das sich im Serverraum befand, in Schlacke verwandelt worden. Die Daten von microTech waren sicher.\n\nNat\u00fcrlich, sobald seine Sabotage entdeckt wurde, w\u00fcrde Mac w\u00fctend und verzweifelt sein. Aber Marid hatte sich darauf verlassen. Da die Schl\u00fcsselcodes von microTech jeden Monat ge\u00e4ndert wurden, hatte der Hacker nur eine begrenzte Zeit, um auf sein System zuzugreifen und den Virus auf ein neues Ausgangsrelais zu leiten, bevor er vollst\u00e4ndig gesperrt wurde. Alles, was Marid tun musste, war sicherzustellen, dass seine Falle vorher fertig war. Eine einfache Trace-Datei. Er erwartete nicht, dass es sehr lange dauern w\u00fcrde, bis das Programm \u00fcberhaupt fertig war.\n\nEr startete das Boot und steuerte \u00fcber das Eis zur\u00fcck nach New Babbage. Er hatte vor, vor seinem Treffen mit Tami am Morgen eine gute Nachtruhe zu bekommen. Aber andererseits, dachte er und blickte auf die Fahrt, die auf dem Sitz neben ihm sa\u00df, vielleicht nur eine kleine leichte Lesung vor dem Schlafengehen.\n\n\nENDE.","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: The Meltdown was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on February 14, 2018.\n\u201cTo Marid! Welcome to the team,\u201d declared Tami, raising her glass high. The rest of the crowded table followed suit, \u201cMarid!\u201d\n\nMarid froze for a moment, uncomfortable as the full attention of all his new coworkers homed in on him. Thankfully, the social lubricant he had been plying all night was working its magic and he was able to force out a smile. \u201cTo me!\u201d\n\nWith a loud cheer, everyone drank to the toast. Tami, taking her role as team leader seriously, drained her cocktail completely. With a flourish, she slammed the empty glass on the table and proudly stuck out her glowing, neon tongue \u2014 a side effect from the bar\u2019s drink special, the Wallbanger. The more you drank, the brighter your tongue. Tami had light practically shooting out of her ears by this point.\n\nLooking down at his own dwindling drink, Marid wondered the status of his tongue. They were already four rounds deep and he was well on his way from pleasantly tipsy to full-on pissed. It was hard to believe the bacchanalian revel that surrounded him was the same group who had been hotly debating how to tackle a system\u2019s hierarchy issue at that morning\u2019s stand-up meeting. He had only been in New Babbage less than 48 hours, but it seemed that the warnings he had heard about the place were one hundred percent well deserved. This city liked to party.\n\nOn face value alone, he probably should have taken one of the other job offers he\u2019d received. Saga Datasystems had offered him way more money and a ridiculous starting package loaded with perks. The use of the company\u2019s 300i had almost swayed him. And while Fiskers wasn\u2019t going to pay him as much as Saga, if he had taken their offer he would\u2018ve been basically running his own team. They were kicking off a major new project and had been looking for someone with his specific background to spearhead storage infrastructure.\n\nBut then there was what microTech had offered \u2014 the chance to work on the single largest information tangle ever created. With an adoption rate of close to 56% of the Human population, more data sailed through the mobiGlas networks in a single day than all transfers of the previous century combined. Basically, his dream job. And so here he was, a brand new microTech data engineer getting drunk for the third time in his life.\n\nThe woman sitting next to Marid slapped his shoulder and asked what he wanted to drink next. That afternoon, she had walked him through the custom developer\u2019s GUI that he\u2019d be using to code and shown off the Rory Nova figurine collection that crowded her desk. He couldn\u2019t remember her name. Connie? Katherine? His head was swimming and he suddenly felt too warm. He needed some air. \u201cYou know what, next round\u2019s on me,\u201d said Marid, standing up from the table. There were protests, but he silenced them with, \u201cHey, you said I was part of the team, right?\u201d With that sorted, they quickly shouted their orders at him which he tried his best to memorize.\n\nBefore heading to the bar, he walked away from the crowds towards the window that looked out at the frozen wasteland of microTech, the planet. Touching his hand against the cool surface, he felt better almost immediately. Outside, bright lights shone from the city into the snowstorm, creating a dazzling effect against the black night sky. It was a unique experience to have a dense, sweating mass of Humanity on one side of him and the pure isolation of the tundra on the other. It reminded him of working on a project; his mind completely focused on the numbers and code, but part of him still aware of the chaos swirling around him. Apparently, I get poetical when I get drunk, he thought, and laughed. He took a deep breath and staggered back into the crowd.\n\nThe bartender greeted Marid with a thousand-credit smile, \u201cYou\u2019re new to Wally\u2019s Bar, aren\u2019t you? I\u2019d remember a face as lovely as yours.\u201d Marid flushed, caught off guard by the compliment. Before he could respond, the bartender continued, \u201cI\u2019m buying you a drink to celebrate. What should I make you? I see you tried the Wallbanger already,\u201d he said pointing to Marid\u2019s mouth. \u201cActually, you know what? I\u2019ve been working on a real special drink.\u201d He leaned across the bar. \u201cIf you\u2019re interested, I can hook you up \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cEasy, Eddie. This one isn\u2019t for you,\u201d directed a voice close by. Marid looked over to see a shock of bright purple hair paired with equally purple eyes as a newcomer took the spot next to him at the bar. The bartender\u2019s demeanor instantly changed. He straightened up and shrugged, \u201cOf course. No worries. I was just messing around.\u201d He walked quickly away to help another customer.\n\nIt took a second for Marid\u2019s slowed thoughts to catch up. \u201cWait! I need to get drinks for my friends.\u201d But the bartender was already out of earshot.\n\n\u201cLooks to me like they\u2019re taken care of.\u201d The stranger pointed over Marid\u2019s shoulder where his coworkers eagerly poured each other shots from a bottle of Soles.\n\n\u201cHuh, guess someone else must\u2019ve ordered.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, part of the magic of Wally\u2019s. Alcohol just sort of happens. I\u2019m Mac, by the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cMarid.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me guess, if you\u2019re hanging with that crowd, you must work for microTech.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, today was my first day, actually.\u201d\n\nA big smile spread across the stranger\u2019s face. \u201cWhat! Congrats! That\u2019s so exciting.\u201d\n\nMarid found himself smiling back. He had been so nervous about impressing his coworkers and making a good first impression that it hadn\u2019t really sunk in until Mac had pointed it out, it was really exciting.\n\n\u201cMarid, I would love to get you a drink to celebrate your new job. Of course, if you say yes there\u2019s no obligation to stay and chat with me.\u201d Mac smiled again. \u201cThough, I\u2019d be pretty happy if you did.\u201d\n\nMarid glanced back at his coworkers. Tami was standing at the head of the table with a sim-helmet on, doing what looked like a front stroke as the rest of the group cheered. Just the thought of wading back into the party was exhausting. Really, he should just go to his flat and get some rest before work tomorrow. Another customer pushed to the bar next to him, causing Marid to slide closer to Mac. A warmth spread through him from where their arms touched. Or he could stay and have one more drink.\n\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019d love a drink.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was hoping you\u2019d say that.\u201d Quicker than he thought possible, two drinks appeared in front of them. Mac raised a glass. \u201cTo your new job.\u201d\n\nMarid never knew he could hate anything as much as he hated the sound of birds chirpings at that very moment. He slowly peeled his eyes open, squinting in the sunlight. As the room came into focus, a whole flock of birds flitted above his bed, singing happily. \u201cAlarm, snooze.\u201d\n\n\u201cUnable to comply. Snooze limit reached,\u201d the hab controls responded cheerfully.\n\nCrap. Marid rolled out of his bed, and stumbled to the alarm off button. As soon as he pressed it, the bird projection mercifully switched off and the lighting dropped to a normal level. Even with the noise gone, his head still ached. In fact, his whole body was aching. Plus, his mouth tasted like a cotton ball soaked in sewer water. Right, this is why I don\u2019t drink. He glanced at the clock and grimaced. So much for making a good impression on his second day at work.\n\nAfter a long internal debate about whether to get back into bed or not, followed by a quick shower, Marid dug out his sunglasses from an unpacked moving crate and headed to the cafe a few blocks from his hab.\n\nIt seemed he wasn\u2019t the only one having a rough morning. The place was packed with bleary eyed people. While he waited in the long line to get an extra large stim-laced coffee, he popped open his mobi. He couldn\u2019t remember coming home last night and was curious to see what his stats were.\n\nFor the last couple years, he had gotten in the habit of tracking a bunch of different personal metrics. Some of them the mobi OS tracked by default, like distance traveled and heart rate, but others he had coded himself: pupil dilation, ambient noise levels, how many times he checked his mobi, etc. He scrolled through the night, seeing the numbers fluctuate as his body reacted to various stimuli. That\u2019s odd. According to the data, for an hour last night he had done the exact same thing he had done the previous hour. No discernable change whatsoever.\n\nThat shouldn\u2019t be possible.\n\nEven standing still produced quantifiable changes in the data. Something must have gone wrong. He accessed the dev controls and started looking for what could have caused the error. After ensuring that the sensors were all functioning normally, he started to acknowledge the worst of all possibilities.\n\n\u201cSir? Your order?\u201d\n\nMarid realized that he had been blocking the front of the line. \u201cSorry.\u201d He stepped out of the way without getting a coffee. The fog from earlier that morning had been cleared by the sinking realization that he had been hacked.\n\nIt was cleverly done. No denying that. Even a casual user might notice if there was time missing or erased, but by looping the data from the previous hour the loss blended in almost perfectly. If it wasn\u2019t for Marid\u2019s obsession with data he might not have noticed himself. He dove deeper into his system and opened up an image of the mobi\u2019s memory substrate. Luckily, his guess had been right. Whatever malicious program had been used, it worked by actively overwriting data, not by changing the underlying data itself. He was able to see what memory units had been accessed during the missing hour. Marid knew instantly what the hacker had been after.\n\nHis employee key code.\n\nIt was a unique identifier that gave him access to the microTech offices and more specifically to his dev processor. Worried about corporate espionage (and apparently rightly so) microTech had set up its development environments in isolated cells. Employees could only access their own sectors unless given active approval by security. So, if someone wanted to access the data engineering teams files, they would need one of those specific key codes.\n\nNot only that, but key codes were hard encoded into the specific person\u2019s mobi. Yesterday, he had sat in the security office having it physically transferred to his unit through a connector cable. For someone to steal one, they had to physically access the mobi.\n\nThe drinks. The flirting. The casual enquiries into Madrid\u2019s new job. Mac\u2019s interest in him suddenly made a lot more sense.\n\nHis first instinct had been to run back to Wally\u2019s Bar and try to track down Mac, but the logical part of his brain that was still functioning beneath his panic and anger pointed out that the bar wouldn\u2019t be open for another five hours. Hell, Mac probably didn\u2019t even have purple hair and eyes any more. The hacker had most likely chosen the loud coloring as a distraction more than a fashion choice.\n\nNo, the right thing to do would be to go report the breach to microTech security.\n\nHe corrected his route and headed towards the gleaming headquarters building, the sweeping lines of its unique design rising to meet the curved dome overhead in an impressive display of modern architecture. Hard to believe that when he had woken up his biggest worry was being being late for work. Instead, he was about to cop to being responsible for a major security breach. He would go straight to Tami and let her know everything and then they could initiate a quarantine to close down any vulnerabilities. With the amount of access Marid had on his system, it would be a massive operation. Plus, they would most likely have to go public since direct consumer data was involved. Even with the encryption protocols in place, the raw information stored on microTech\u2019s servers contained billions of transactions and comms that could be used for nefarious credit-making purposes. People used their mobiGlas for almost everything. It would be a publicity nightmare.\n\n\u201cHello and welcome to microTech, where we work to make each day better,\u201d the perky holographic microTech representative chirped as he entered.\n\nNot Marid. Not after he tells what happened.\n\nMarid had reached the sprawling high tech showroom just outside the main offices. Here, microTech had their latest and greatest offerings on display; from high end mobiGlas models to massive top-of-the-line full immersion simpods.\n\n\u201cIs there anything I can help you with?\u201d As he walked along, the representative floated alongside, ready to assist if he needed anything. Only cutting-edge sales technology for microTech.\n\nIt was painful to think about leaving all of this behind. Forget about the fact that getting fired a week into his new job would probably tarnish his reputation enough that other companies wouldn\u2019t want to touch him, it hurt more to know that he would never get to start on all the grand projects he had been planning.\n\n\u201cWe have a new line of holo-projectors that you just have to see to believe.\u201d\n\nMarid was about to dismiss the annoyingly chipper representative when a thought occurred to him \u2014 he didn\u2019t have any concrete evidence that microTech had been breached yet. All he would do by saying something now was cause a panic. He quickly convinced himself that the prudent thing to do would be to check the system first and see if there was an actual cause for alarm. No point in calling out \u201cfire\u201d if there weren\u2019t any flames, right?\n\nAfter hours of searching he finally found a discrepancy, but only because he knew there was something to look for. Just like the intrusion on his mobi, this was extremely well done. Mac was turning out to be quite the hacker. There was some satisfaction in knowing that at least he had been conned by someone with considerable skill.\n\nHis system had been infected with a classic lawn mower virus, just trimming a little off the top at a time. All together, the data it skimmed looked like nonsense, but there would be a companion program on the other end that could recompile everything into its original form. This version was particularly well done because rather than running in a straight, more traceable line, it jumped around randomly through the data structure. Impressive. And helpful to Marid.\n\nThis adjustment meant the virus worked at a much slower rate than typical. Plus, it was hiding its data transmissions by burying miniscule packets inside the normal traffic so that no one would notice the slight bandwidth change. This was a virus designed to work for months, if not years, gathering up everything it could. If he cut it off now, barely any data at all would have been collected from microTech\u2019s servers. Marid began to program a fence that he could use to quarantine the virus.\n\nHowever, just before he could implement it, there was a knock on his workpod. Marid looked up to see Tami standing at the entrance, sipping from a thermos that read \u2018Data Engineers Have The Same Amount of Fun, More Efficiently.\u2019 Smiling he said \u201cMorning, Tami,\u201d as his fingers surreptitiously pressed the hotkeys to minimize the files on his screen.\n\n\u201cHey, Marid. Just wanted to say that I saw this morning\u2019s logs.\u201d\n\nMarid\u2019s entire body tensed. He would have blurted out everything right then and there if he hadn\u2019t been momentarily paralyzed by fear.\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t believe you came into the office that early this morning. Especially not after the night we had. Happy to know you can hold your own next time we hit the town.\u201d\n\nMarid breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn\u2019t get fired today, he appreciated the irony that Mac using his key code to access the building early this morning might actually win him a few points with his boss. Though, it was strange knowing the hacker had been sitting in this seat just a few hour earlier. \u201cYou know what they say, work hard, play hard.\u201d\n\nTami nodded. \u201cThat is pretty much the unofficial motto of microTech. If you have a free minute, I was hoping to walk you through the restructuring effort that I was hoping you\u2019d tackle this week.\u201d\n\nHer doing anything at his workstation was about the last thing he wanted right now. He scrambled for an excuse. \u201cAny way we could do that tomorrow? I would love one more day to really settle in before diving full on into a project.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, but I fully expect you to be ready to jump into the deep end tomorrow. Also, I really want to go swimming now. Have you been to the Club Olympus? They have an outdoor deck with hot tubs. The cold mixing with the hot. So great. You have to try it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSounds incredible. For sure, let me know next time you\u2019re going,\u201d said Marid with as much \u2018get out of my workpod\u2019 in his voice as he could politely muster.\n\nWith Tami gone, he quickly reopened the quarantine protocol and rechecked his work one last time before implementing. Everything looked good. As soon as he enabled it, the virus would be completely cut off and then \u2026 And then what?\n\nWould he then tell security what had happened? He would be in more trouble if they found out he waited. Plus, Mac would know that something had happened once the flow of data was interrupted. Who knew what the hacker\u2019s next move would be after that. Marid could send falsified data packets out, but that would only prolong the inevitable. The way he saw it, he had three viable choices.\n\nOne, he could go back to his original plan and tell microTech what was happening.\n\nTwo, he could find where the data was being sent and attempt to eradicate the security breach at the source.\n\nThree, he could just pretend like he never knew and let the lawn mower keep running.\n\nThere was a very strong chance that the first option would result in him being terminated. The second option was considerably more dangerous since there was no telling who or what he might run into, but the chances of him keeping his job were much higher. He would almost certainly keep his job if he went for the third option, at least for a while longer, but now that the Pandora\u2019s box was open, he wasn\u2019t the type of person that could just let the data he was entrusted with continue to be stolen.\n\nClosing the quarantine, Marid opened up a new window to begin tracing where the data packets were being sent.\n\nWhen his transport shuttle had flown across the tundra two days prior, it had not prepared Marid in any way for how cold it would actually be, standing outside New Babbage\u2019s protective dome. Even though his suit was rated for extreme temperatures, as he stepped from the protective interior of the small ice skiff he had rented the biting cold cut straight to his core. The wind made it even worse. If it wasn\u2019t for the tiny pitons along the sole of his boots gripping the packed snow, he would have been blown away.\n\nIt had taken him all afternoon to find the source. Mac had covered the data\u2019s tracks well, bouncing the packets between dozens of spec-hubs. He had almost lost the path when the data was routed through a sim-arcade, but he was able to pick up the trail as the data was piped through a private comm relay transmitting away from the dome. For the last leg of the journey, Marid had to use a narrow-field scanner to physically follow the signal. Making it even more difficult was the fact that the broadcast bursts were few and far between. He would pick up the signal only for a few milliseconds before it would disappear again. In the end, the signal had brought him to this remote stretch of icy nothing.\n\nThe snow whipped around him, clogging his mask and making it difficult to see farther than a meter or two. He had briefly made the mistake of using a flashlight, but the snow reflected the light, blinding him. Sweeping the scanner back and forth, Marid homed in on the signal. Standing out here, he understood why the skiff rental company had issued so many warnings and made him sign several releases before leaving the dome. Part of their caution probably had to do with most of their rentals being to weekend warriors looking to do some extreme iceboarding, but there was no denying that microTech was a very inhospitable environment. From where he stood, the near featureless horizon looked the same on all sides. If the skiff lost power for any reason, he would be hopelessly stuck out here.\n\nSuddenly, the scanner jumped from his grip and his hand throbbed from an unseen impact. Groping about, he realized that there was a white comm dish directly in front of him that had blended almost seamlessly with the tundra. Even now, knowing where it was, it was still hard to make out. He bent and found the base of the dish. There, buried under the snow, a thick bundle of cables led away. He followed it best he could, but scraping the snow away with his gloved hands quickly proved painful as the cold ate through his protective layers.\n\nHe was almost forced to give up when his hands started to go numb, but he thankfully found where the trunkline terminated just as the feeling totally left his fingers. Hidden by a thin layer of fresh snowfall laid a metal hatch. Marid swept the area clean but couldn\u2019t find an access terminal anywhere. Was it some sort of remote wireless lock? He adjusted the scanner to try to detect a local small wave transmission but found nothing. Desperate, he tried pulling on the hatch. It opened easily, sending Marid flying backwards into the snow. Embarrassed even though there was no one to witness his folly, he brushed himself off and proceeded to climb down the ladder.\n\nBelow was a small bunker densely packed with a server array. The heat coming off the racks was intense, but a piping system that ran throughout the bunker used the frigid external temperature as a heatsink for the units. This natural cooling was part of the reason microTech had chosen to purchase this world in the first place. They saved billions in credits every year thanks to the planet\u2019s freezing climate.\n\nMarid headed to the access terminal. Sure enough, he found the compiler program that was the mate to the virus on his system. The data arrived here and was slowly put together. Though there was a massive amount of information in storage here, most of it was still fragmented. The small amount that became viable was transferred off the main server onto a portable drive for collection and analysis. Looking through the records, Marid realized that he was not the first of Mac\u2019s victims. The server was collecting data from most of New Babbage\u2019s biggest tech firms, including at least three separate sources inside microTech itself.\n\nThere were schematics from a company developing an improved EVA stabilizer that used a third of the normal fuel. There was internal documentation from Pi-Plum Software discussing their new proprietary compression algorithm. There were even vids showing early levels from an unannounced Star Marine 3. And that was only what had been compiled so far. Who knew what else was lurking in the fragments? He had stumbled onto a treasure trove of stolen information.\n\nMethodically, he went around the bunker and deactivated the cooling system\u2019s emergency redundancies. With each one he turned off, the temperature in the room rose higher. Alarms began to sound, but when the automatic systems tried to prevent disaster by flooding the room with ice water, it was already too late. Marid\u2019s suit sounded a warning of its own; the temperature was reaching a dangerous level. Taking the portable drive with him, he climbed the ladder and closed the hatch once more, finishing the transformation of the bunker into an oven.\n\nOver the next half hour, Marid watched from the skiff as the ice cracked and hot steam vented from below the surface. By now, any piece of tech that had been inside the server room had been turned to slag. The data from microTech was safe.\n\nOf course, once his sabotage was discovered, Mac was going to be angry and desperate. But Marid was counting on that. With microTech\u2019s key codes changed over every month, the hacker only had a limited time to re-access his system and direct the virus to a new output relay before being completely locked out. All Marid had to do was ensure that his trap was ready before then. A simple trace file. He didn\u2019t expect it to take very long to program at all.\n\nHe started up the skiff and piloted across the ice back towards New Babbage. He was planning on getting a good night\u2019s sleep before his meeting with Tami in the morning. But then again, he thought, glancing at the drive sitting on the seat next to him, maybe just a little light reading before bed.\n\n\nEND."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":35,"created_at":"2020-02-12T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"6 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 23:29:47","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16414,"next_id":16418}}