“darkness” is a web series based on the novel grydscaen: dark. It follows the characters and the storyline after grydscaen: dark ends. This web series will run a few weeks and post on the grydscaen blog. copyright (c) 2018 natsuya uesugi.
grydscaen: darkness – episode 4
Rom climbed over the barbed wire fence at the back of the alleyway, his fingers cut on the wire pointed tips as he pushed it apart to access a rung he could hold onto. He cringed as a sharp metal point ripped into his thumb. He set his foot as he hauled himself over and dropped to the concrete, heels slapping against the ground. His dirty tan trench coat settled around him. He rolled up his sleeves as he walked revealing an elaborate skinjob tattoo on his right forearm and a black laced leather cuff on his left, black fingerless gloves covering his palms. He ran his hand through his dirty disheveled blonde hair.
He made his way to the dumpster at the back of the parking lot behind the loading dock at the SenseNet corporate building in the Echelons. He was on a mission.
The blue metal dumpster was his target. He grabbed onto the side, the dumpster taking up four parking spaces and pulled himself up. He anchored at the ledge looking into its depths covered in random papers, files, printouts, memos and manuals. He got a tip this dumpster had some juicy treasures including access codes, matching IDs and Active Directory group names, as well as Non Public Information that got tossed instead of shredded.
He dropped into the trash, turning on a flashlight headlamp and pulling it on his forehead. The beam illuminated a circumference about three meters wide. He checked his handheld confirming his search then leaning down, he started his hunt. He was looking for anything he could find on the SenseNet’s dealings with the Corporation’s CEO ZenZen.
****
Raven yawned. It was 6:03AM and he was late for a briefing. He pulled on his blue military uniform shorts and his short sleeve tan uniform collared shirt with the words ‘Psi Faction’ on the back in yellow letters and a red armband with the words ‘cybersecurity’ in white. He tied the black tie that complimented the outfit and then re-pinned the nametag above the left pocket bearing his last name ‘Allen.’ His black socks pulled up his calves with the white logo embroidered on the side, he sat on the bed and put on his black shiny lace up government issued shoes, the Psi Faction uniform.
His hair was still wet from his shower and stuck up in brown loose curls longer in the front cut clean buzzed in the back. He went to the mirror, licked his hand smoothing his disgruntled locks and then swiped his badge on a blue lanyard from the desk. He looked young for a government operative, only twenty two but by the time he paid for getting arrested for infiltrating the SenseNet which forced him to work for the government under house arrest, he would be an old man.
He burst out of his room checking his watch as he ran down the hall at the Psi Faction going to the Ops room. He made it there in two minutes later. His commamding officer Lieutenant Colonel Gailen Allred was scowling as Raven came in and sat down at the large white table in the middle of the room. Jai, the lead guard, was hovered over the console in the table and Takashi, the Night Team hacker, was also there in his black uniform.
“You are late!” barked Gailen.
“Sorry, totally my fault. Overslept,” confessed Raven.
“Fourth latenesses in five days. Twenty demerits. That is ten laps around the lot, Jai observing after this meeting and if you do it again I write you up and put you on monitor,” ordered Gailen.
“Yes, sir,” Raven submitted head down.
“Jai, log it on his profile. Bring up the mission.”
“Sir,” confirmed Jai, logged the activity and brought a dossier onto the heads up. The first slide title read “Blue October.”
“What is Blue October?” asked Raven.
Takashi chimed in with his spiked blonde short hair and deep almond eyes. “It is a Night Team mission.”
“If it is Night Team, why am I in it?” asked Raven.
“Because I need you out…” Gailen’s voice bellowed.
“What, you letting me out? I am under house arrest like you said, there is no out,” Raven hesitated.
“This is different. We are making an exception. You will be tagged. Your every move tracked. You are going to need direct access. I need you in deep with Jazz. May need you in Faid too,” ordered Gailen.
“You try to bolt, the security cuff I put on your ankle will amputate your foot if you are not back in time for me to take it off. You know how this works,” warned Jai.
“What am I after?” asked Raven.
“Give us the breakdown, Takashi.”
“The Night Team clocked a threat against ZenZen, head of the Corporation. He has been working with George Shimazuri, executive board member of the SenseNet. They are bringing a new type of iodine pill to market. The pill combats radiation sickness and is five times stronger than the current offering. The patent ran out and they are trying to recertify a rebranding. Clinical trials are wrapping up. There are rumors the pills kill but ZenZen is pushing to get the product released by end month. The clinical trial data has been classified. They are hiding it from the public.”
“You want the motivation, trial data and ZenZen’s agenda?” inquired Raven fishing.
“Yes, give me a high level attack plan.”
Raven brought his hand up to his chin and stood up going around the table to Jai and the console.
“May I?” Raven requested and Jai backed off leaning against the wall. Raven engaged the computer console. He punched up a strategic map of the Echelons and then zoomed in on the Red Light District. He tapped the screen and building names came up. Raven highlighted three buildings on the monitor, red circle around the targets.
“We start with Jazz at The Soul Deep, then I go dark through Jester’s hacker guild, after that… well…”
“Well what?” Gailen tried to pull it out of Raven not liking the hesitation.
Raven didn’t respond and glanced over at Takashi for confirmation.
“He already told you. He has to go dark. Off the grid,” Takashi chimed in knowing Gailen would not agree.
“No,” bitched Gailen.
“Sir, then there is no mission. It is over before it starts,” responded Raven zooming in again on the bar ‘Hell’s Hearth’ in the Shizuoko ghetto.
“Why off the grid?” asked Jai.
“The SenseNet may manufacture iodine pills but the black market is where the money is made. The SenseNet have a hand in the illegal distribution. More than half the pills come through those channels. George Shimazuri has his hands in the black market up to his eyeballs. I want to get near him I have to go through his personal host, the leader of the Packrat hackers Faid,” answered Raven.
Gailen crossed his arms and started pacing contemplating his decision.
Takashi smirked watching Gailen’s body language anticipating the ask.
They waited another few minutes to silence filling the room. Jai stepped up and brought up the profile detail for Hell’s Hearth, one of the blackhat hacker bars associated with the black market.
“Alright. Locked on Jazz and Jester. Off the grid on Faid and deeper. You got five days to get me what I need then you are back on lockdown,” ordered Gailen.
“Yes, sir,” accepted Raven and put his foot up in the chair.
Jai went to the back cabinet and got a black electronic security cuff. He armed it for five days and locked it around Raven’s left ankle.
“This cuff is live for five days then it will constrict cutting off your circulation. It will amputate your foot if time runs out. Be back by then,” ordered Jai.
“Got it.”
“Get those laps done then get going…” Gailen stated leaving the room.
****
Rom searched the dumpster for five hours. Nothing of relevance came up in his search so far. He moved to the other side of the dumpster.
A moment later he heard low talking. He turned off the headlamp and sat down in the trash. He buried himself under papers keeping silent listening.
“Did you hear something?” came the voice.
“The security system logged noises. Unfortunately there are no cameras back here,” came another, this one lower.
“Check the dumpster.”
“Sure.”
Rom stayed silent as he heard a noise slap the metal dumpster wall. A dim light filtered over him then disappeard a moment later.
“Nothing in the dumpster. Must just have been some feral cat. Lets get back,” said the low voice from above him.
A few seconds later something slapped against the concrete and Rom heard footsteps retreating.
Rom stayed buried for another few minutes then burst up scattering paper. He crawled to the right and opened a clear plastic bag with ‘RX Trial’ written on it which he opened. Inside he found individual blister pill packs and trial data. He sat back reading five memos which revealed 40 deaths from the second 100 person clinical trial. He then found an inventory of ingredients in the new pill which listed a plethora of toxic substances used in the pill’s fillers. He dug deeper and found a memo from George Shimazuri requesting the trial to be cancelled and a response from ZenZen that continued the trial and confirmed a market release date and a work up of potential sales analytics.
Rom took pictures of the documents from his handheld as well as access IDs and usernames for the scientists leading the trial.
Rom left the bag behind and climbed out of the dumpster then scaled the fence again, carefully navigating the barbed wire, this time not getting cut. He carefully placed his feet on the ground outside and ran down the street in the warehouse district for a few meters then teleported to The Soul Deep and went to the trailing jock rig at the back.
“Back already?” asked Faid facing the wall away from the monitors, head leaning back and swiveling the chair behind the jock rig back and forth with his feet. His bright flaming red hair down to his chin. He sat up and grabbed his hair off his face, a few strands hanging in his eyes. He released, letting his hair fall back covering his ears.
Rom walked around the jock rig and came to face Faid. “I got what you want. ZenZen is behind the drug trial deaths. I have evidence.”
“Where?”
“SenseNet dumpster behind the building. They threw clinical trial data in the trash. Ripe for the picking. Was a goldmine.”
“What else?” asked Faid as he turned back towards the monitors on the jock rig. Rom stepped closer leaning in behind his shoulder.
“The drug is named Ensternestat. The working brand. It will be marketed as Iodine5. George Shimazuri has already lined up a set of street dealers to dispense in the Echelons black market. They want to use addicts in the Echelons to check the drug’s efficacy outside the trial group,” stated Rom.
Faid typed ‘Ensternestat’ into the jock rig. It came back with a bunch of glowing marketing propaganda about the new drug but nothing about the trial deaths.
“The deaths were hidden,” replied Rom.
“There are only glowing reviews on the gridscan. It says the drug will be released to market tomorrow,” said Faid reading the screen.
“Want me to work it up?” asked Rom.
“Transfer all the data to the Packrats’ secure file server and sit on it till Jazz gets back.”
“Already done,” replied Rom.
“Then we are good. You are free for the rest of the night. It is only midnight. You got all night to play. I need you back at the Packrat Sprawl at sunrise.”
“Great. I’m out,” said Rom and teleported to Hack the tech and ware nightclub.
He walked up to the bouncer outside and pulled out a fake Echelons’ identification card which said he was 21. He was only 16 which meant he was not allowed in Hack where hackers set up illicit data grabs and illegal hacking activity went down.
“You are clear. Just go in. I know you,” waved the bouncer.
“Thanks.”
Rom walked past shelves of electronics to the back stairs and went up to the prize desk on the second floor. He pulled his handheld out of his pocket and held it up to the charging panel. A minute later the kedek cell recharged to full power. He put the device back in his pocket and went to the bar.
Rom threw himself at the nearest stool and waved a credit card at the bartender who came over.
“What can I get you, Rom?”
“Juice with ice. Two cubes. Touch of Nightshade,” said Rom smiling.
“Right up. 200 credits.”
Rom swiped his handheld at the panel in front of his seat after it logged his order. The panel listed the fee and his profile came up giving him points for his purchase. He tapped his credit card down and the panel ripped off the credits.
The bartender brought over the drink of Juice a psi inducer drug with the nightshade powder an opiate mixed in. Rom grabbed up the straw sipping on the drink. Immediately he felt the narcotic effects overtake him making him light headed. He slurped up the concoction swaying as he got off the stool drunk out of his mind.
He shuffled to the massive dance floor in the middle, electronic music filling the room with a trance like ambient beat. The senso music washed over him releasing endorphins. There were only a few people on the dance floor, hacking activity streaming on the big board lighting up the view on the front wall, high tables lining the periphery.
Rom moved to the middle of the dance floor and brought his hands out to the side. He lifted his head looking up to the ceiling lost in the music overtaking him. The senso lights flashed blue and white enhancing the sound, the DJ timing the electronica and the strobes responding to the beats.
Ecstacy coursing through his veins. He closed his eyes slowly spinning around in a circle totally trapped in the music arms out wide. He lost the fact he had just spent his last credits on the juice and was broke. He forgot he didn’t take the necessary iodine pills he couldn’t afford today to keep him from getting radiation sickness. The fact he would have to sleep on the streets tonight which was dangerous or go dumpster diving if he wanted to eat, that worry disappeared. That he tresspassed on the SenseNet grounds or illegally hacked into the stock market vanished. Everything hard about his life just fell away as he spun around slowly engulfed by the music.
This was heaven. He never wanted it to end.
