Sing Love, The Electric Heart Ch. 02

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Skylar finally meets the One.
5k words
4.62
6.3k
3

Part 2 of the 4 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 10/19/2014
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Skylar flipped her hair over her shoulder as she looked in the mirror, having just brushed her teeth. The reflection of a pale, thin woman with dark hair stared back at her. She didn't consider herself attractive, and rarely warranted a second look from other people due to the fact that she did nothing to draw attention to herself, such as wearing makeup or dressing stylishly. She often just pulled her mid-length black hair into a ponytail, and when she was on the job, was clad in the drab blue-gray and black of her uniform.

Her apartment was quiet, but on occasion, she caught a bit of whisper from the technology in the units that surrounded her own. Before she'd learned to control her technopathy and figured out how to shut out all the unwanted input, she'd been overwhelmed by the streams of data produced by the seemingly countless electronic devices that people employed on a daily basis. Her deafness seemed to amplify the problem, since it wasn't something that she could just clap her hands over her ears to shut out the noise. When she was little, she thought she'd been going crazy or that her hearing aid was feeding her phantom conversations, only the 'noise' continued after she'd removed the device.

Some technopaths enjoyed surrounding themselves with the latest technology, virtually controlling their homes with thoughts or gestures, depending on their particular abilities. One of her coworkers could turn the lights on and off without using a switch, verbal command, or motion sensor, and likewise, could turn off and on the various electrical devices in his home with the same ease.

Skylar preferred a life that some might see as primitive. She liked the feeling of reaching out, and flicking a switch with her hand, or pressing a button, and even going outside without her personal computer, or pacom, a notion that would horrify much of the populace. She wasn't sure if that had anything to do with her abilities, but she knew that she enjoyed the quietness.

It was not until after she was finished with her breakfast that she checked her pacom, picking up the handheld device and turning it on. With just a bit of concentration, she was able to access her mailbox without even needing to look at or touch the screen or keyboard. There were several from work, regarding assignments to be done that day. Not a problem, she thought as she took a quick shower and donned her uniform, putting her pacom and her tablet in her bag and slinging it around her shoulder. The typical workday consisted of assignments big and small, from an office network to a single home computer.

Despite the city's reliance on technology, the overwhelming majority of the populace remained unaware of the inner workings of a computer, and were concerned only with how it made their lives easier, or how a malfunction made their daily routines seem almost impossible.

Of course, many issues were the result of error on the part of the humans, not the computers they used. She'd been taught to "pad" her assignments; to make it look like it took more work than what was actually required. Her abilities enabled her to solve most issues within a couple of minutes, but she, like all her coworkers, were trained to go through troubleshooting steps and procedures like anyone without any technopathic abilities would. Technopathy was not so rare that people like her were considered "freaks", but they were uncommon enough that it was generally agreed that it was best to not draw attention to themselves, or make too much of their abilities. 'Mundane' people often overestimated the things technopaths could do, almost like technopaths were sorcerers. Out of the nearly five hundred people that were contracted by her company, only about a couple dozen were actual technopaths.

She did a quick check in the mirror, making sure that her uniform was neat and clean. It was a basic long-sleeved jacket, mainly black and gray, with blue piping along the arms and chest and the company logo on the left side of it, and matching loose slacks with pockets for various tools such as computer repair tools, jump drives, cords, extra styluses, and the like.

She looked at her itinerary, figuring out which one she should do first, and was pleased to note that all of her scheduled appointments were set in the same wedge and ring.

The city, and its surrounding areas, were divided into numbered sections for ease of location, addresses, and travel. Diametrically, the city was divided into twelve nearly-identical wedges, an apparent imitation of the sections of the clock. Each wedge had a number, one through twelve. From the very center of the city, the rings started, expanding outward almost like an archery target. The first couple of rings were several miles longer than the others, to make up for the fact that they sat at or near the points of each wedge, making them narrow. After that, the thickness of each ring was between two to three miles.

Currently, there were eleven rings, with the outer few rings primarily dedicated to farms - for harvesting food, or sun - and forestry. Rings one through three were the most populous, with skyscrapers and many company and business buildings, while four through eight were a patchwork of residences, businesses, parks and farms, and factories of varying levels and density. When asked where one lived, or where one might be headed, one had simply to mention wedge and ring number as a general location. So, Skylar was headed toward two-three for the day.

Had she been headed to one of the outer rings, she would have taken her own car. However, parking within the inner rings could be hell, and the fees charged for public parking could border on ridiculous, so she decided to take public transportation. After that, she could simply walk from one appointment to another, or take the bus if it started raining.

o0o

The first two appointments she had were fairly straightforward. The first one was to fix a programming issue in the home computer within the apartment of an elderly and disabled woman. The second was at a cafe which was having trouble with its computer, system. Both problems were easily solved - at least, for someone with her knowledge and abilities - and the reports signed off and e-mailed to the company before she went on to her third appointment.

The building rose before her, one of many high-rises in this district. The upper floors were apartments, but the first three floors were marked by a stylized sign between the second and third stories, spelling out OY-niverse Hub in neon green letters against a glossy black background.

Other You, more commonly abbreviated to OY, was one of the most widely-used computer applications within the city, as well as the most popular game. The reason for this was because of the versatility of the OY program, which made itself accessible to users of varying levels and interests.

To play OY, a user created an avatar to participate within the programs of the game. Some users chose ordinary avatars, even generic ones, depending on how invested they were in the world of OY. Others put a lot of thought and customization into their avatar, even using historical or fantastical elements to create these virtual representations of themselves. It was this avatar aspect that lent the game it's name, since for many, these avatars were seen as the 'other me/you' by OY's users.

The games and programs within OY were as varied as the users and avatars themselves. Many used OY as a way to escape from real life, using their avatar to role-play in worlds designed after various historical periods, or imaginative science-fiction and fantasy worlds. Some used OY as a way to meet and make new friends, based on shared interests and hobbies.

If one had the technical know-how, they could create worlds of their own, and submit it to OY to be approved and integrated into the OY program. Such self-created worlds could be populated solely by that creator's avatar, or other avatars could enter them with invitations from the creator of that world.

One could interact with OY in various ways. Casual users could access OY with a pacom, tablet, or home computer, and play in OY with the use of a mouse, keyboard, or touch-screen. Users who didn't desire to be so immersed into OY would gravitate towards chat rooms or forum boards instead of navigating their avatar through a virtual world. Those who took OY more seriously, and wished for more immersion, could play the game on a more interactive level via the assistance of motion-sensing devices, headgear which would play the virtual world directly in front of the user's eyes and play sound into their ears, and/or rooms which were basically a giant virtual-reality chamber where the program would play itself on the wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling screens.

Many people of course did not have the space, or funds, for these 'rooms', and this was where the Hubs came into play. Users could rent the rooms for varying durations of time, and could interact with the game with voice commands, laser keyboard displays, or motion-sensing gear, although the latter was the overwhelming favorite for the use of such rooms.

The versatility, and widespread use of OY, unfortunately lent itself to more unsavory activities, including being the frequent target of attempted hacking.

In old times, the technology of keys and locks were forced to constantly evolve, because the determination and ingenuity of those who would pick and break through such locks evolved as well. The same was true of technology, and even though OY had some of the most cutting-edge security technology in place, that only made it a desirable target for hackers to 'prove' themselves, whether for the sheer fun of it, or out of malice.

Skylar approached the building, the glass doors sliding open to admit her into a clean and well-kept lobby. Her uniform made her easily recognizable, and before she could approach the receptionist, a man emerged from the door that led further within the building. He was a middle-aged man of average height and build, sharply dressed in a black business suit, a badge with OY near the left lapel of his jacket.

He nodded to the receptionist, and beckoned to Skylar before turning his back to her and going the way he came. She fell in step behind him as they went down a short hallway and entered a larger room. The OY logo was displayed on the wall opposite the door in a neon sign, and there were several desks on this side of the room, each with their own receptionist. They glanced up at her and their supervisor before returning to work. At the moment, there was no one else in the room, and Skylar followed him through a couple more doors and hallways before they ended up within the control room. There was nothing in here she wasn't familiar with, and she let her gaze casually sweep over the chamber before she looked back at the OY representative, listening to his complaints. Each report she got would give her an appraisal of the issue she was expected to fix, but it was often not until she met with the client that she would get the whole picture of the problem.

Over the last week, several clients had experienced problems when using a room. At first, a glitch had been blamed for it, and the on-site technicians in the building hadn't discovered any issues within the servers.

"It would not be the first time I've had to deal with hackers within OY." Skylar read the report before she looked at the OY representative, who had introduced himself as Barrett. The man gave her a wry smile, doubtless he was aware of the allure that the widely-used software provided for those who would cause mischief.

"Yes. However, it's been several years since we've had any real trouble at this bub, given its... sophistication."

Skylar nodded. Hubs came in varying degrees of the level of hardware offered to interact with the program. This particular Hub, located within one of the wealthier districts of the city, catered to a more high-class clientele, who for one reason or another, didn't have a Room within their living quarters.

"Here are the login codes assigned to you," Barrett said, tapping the screen of his tablet to reveal said information. Skylar nodded as she sat at the terminal, inputting the codes and gaining access to the server files.

"I do not see any obvious breaches here, but then, I didn't expect to," Skylar commented as her eyes scanned the files, and she reached out with her sixth sense to 'read' the data. She saw nothing from this initial reading, either, but then to hack into a well-secured network like this would take considerable finesse.

"From the problems that you specified, it might just be someone looking for a cheap thrill, but nonetheless, a problem is a problem," she continued in all seriousness."

Barrett nodded. "You come highly recommended, so I trust you will be able to find the source of the problem. Do you need me to remain here?"

"No, I do not. I'll send for you if I do."

Barrett gave her a perfunctory nod before he left the room, the door closing behind him.

Skylar glanced at the screens. With the city so reliant on computers, the Internet and private networks alike held an irresistible allure to makers of mischief, whether that naughtiness be relatively harmless, or outright malicious. From what she was reading, this person initially seemed to be closer to the former end of the spectrum than the latter, but his or her pranks had increased in maliciousness, especially the latest one...

A group of preteen children were having a birthday party, and the birthday child's parents had booked them some time in a group room here at this hub. The program that had been chosen was a medieval-fantasy adventure, a common genre within role-playing. The children then had their own avatars, with which they could interact with one another and with the fantasy world projected onto the walls of the room. Given their ages, the program was restricted, with no blood or gore, or sexual content.

About halfway into the session, the programming had lost its restrictions, and actually went beyond what most adults would even choose for such a setting. The graphics became violent and explicit, to the point where several of the children had actually burst into tears. Under law, whoever was responsible for that could be arrested for exposing children to such content. One of her objectives on this job was to prove conclusively that the network had been hacked, and that the hub itself was not responsible for what had happened to said children.

However, she was finding no such proof thus far. One of the things that hackers needed to learn was how to cover their tracks, but she was very good at uncovering said tracks.

Her fingers tapped impatiently against the polished desktop as she studied the screen, seeing code flashing before her eyes and analyzing it. To her mild disappointment, the hacker had not left cookie crumbs for her to follow. Arrogance was the downfall of many a persons in history, and hackers were no exception. She recalled one case of a man who had become prideful after several successful hacking attempts that he'd left clues, believing that he could play games with law enforcement indefinitely.

Her confusion grew as she delved into the mainframe and network, looking for alterations to codes, back doors, and even access from the employees here - it certainly wasn't unheard of for disgruntled workers to attack the database of their company.

Finally, she sat back in the swivel chair, letting out a slow breath. It'd been a long time since she'd worked with anyone, and that had been back in her training days. She was now one of the most highly-ranked workers in the company due to a combination of her technopathic abilities, and her work ethic, though that was private, as the company preferred to not be open about its ranks, or the special abilities of certain individuals.

"Who the hell are you," she muttered to herself. There were two possibilities - a hacker who was more skilled than any that she or probably anyone else had ever encountered, which was not out of the question - as technology evolved, so did those who would misuse it. Or she was dealing with another technopath. That was just as likely as the former, and carried its own implications. Either way, omeone with the ability to break into networks undetected, and leave no trail whatsoever, could do an untold damage to the city.

She didn't want to tell Barrett that she couldn't fix this problem, but how was she supposed to solve a problem if she couldn't find evidence of it? She wondered if this hacker had gotten into the company network as well, or had it as one of his, or her planned targets. TechFix was no stranger to attempted attacks.

Accessing her own tablet, she started her report, typing in each of the troubleshooting steps she'd performed, and the results of each. Before finishing her report, she saved it, deciding to give the troubleshooting one more try. She took a deep breath and was about to log in again.

{That will not be necessary.}

Skylar blinked as the green words flashed across the screen.

"What?" she whispered.

{You will find no more than you did before.}

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" She paused, and was about to type this in before the answer came onto the screen.

{You may call me Aitan. And I do this because it amuses me.}

"What you're doing is illegal!"

{I don't care.}

"What do you have to gain from this? Money? Fame? Personal thrills from scaring young children?" Skylar wondered how Aitan was listening to her, and tapped the keys to one of the screens, confirming that the sound system in this room were turned off. Of course, it could be that Aitan had hacked into the sound system, or there was an alternate system that monitored the goings-on in this room so that the management of this hub could be sure that the technicians were doing their job.

{These children are going to see worse as they get older.}

"That doesn't matter! They were just little kids! You... pervert!"

{LOL}

Keep him engaged, Skylar thought to herself. "I suppose you think you're so clever," she replied, affecting a tone of boredom. "You wouldn't be the first person to do this kind of thing."

{Oh, I am well aware of that, Skylar.}

She blinked. The hell? If this room was under audio surveillance, there was no reason to not think that she was not under visual surveillance, either, and she did her best to mask the shock on her face.

"Nice try, but that's not my name," she lied as she opened her mind to delve into the network as her hands flew across the keyboard, trying to trace the source via conventional, and technopathic means. Nothing showed up on the registry, the hacker was not using any known messaging service. When she pressed Ctrl+Alt+Delete, she didn't see any programs that should not be on the list.

{Skylar Templeton. Age 28. Height 1.7 meters. Weight 58.5 kilograms. Graduate from Initech with a Ph.D in computer sciences. Was able to complete this degree in three years. Employee at TechFix for nine years...}

"Stop! What the hell!"

{Relax. I have no intentions of harming you.}

"How do I know that?" she demanded. "You're a hacker! With access to my personal information!" He could also access her address. E-mail. Probably even her medical records...

{I suppose you will have to take my word for it, my dear.}

"Don't patronize me." In her alarm, she hadn't thought to save these messages, and realized that just now. She started typing, before a new message showed up.

{That won't work. There will be no evidence of interference. At least, not from me.}

"So you're going to what, frame someone?" She tried to save the message log, but the computer wouldn't even let her copy and paste. Narrowing her eyes, she reached out with her mind, determined to gather evidence of this intrusion. However, the network refused to cooperate, deleting the messages as she tried to scan and save the data.

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