M.A.I.D.S. [season 2]

Episode 7: Ctrl-C

M.A.I.D.S. [season 2] Episode 7 - Ctrl-C

The room was dark. Not the pitch-black of true night, but the dimness interrupted by standby lights on various pieces of equipment. The room was quiet, too, with just a nearly imperceptible electronic hum permeating the entire chamber. It was the hum of progress, the sound that began nearly two centuries ago when humanity became addicted to their smartphones, PCs, e-readers, air conditioners, video game consoles, kitchen appliances, and so on. The sound was still there if one cared to listen for it, but after so much time the species was conditioned to ignore it.

The only living creature in the room was a man sitting on a mat on the floor. His legs were criss-crossed, his back straight, and his arms hung at his sides. He wore only a simple pair of briefs, having removed even his top-of-the-line computer gauntlet. His pale skin glistened with sweat, despite the room being 23 degrees Celsius.

The computer gauntlet was set on the floor in front of the man, just off the edge of his mat. Beside it was a loaded handgun, a bottle of beer, and a strange metal box. A low-res screen on the box suddenly winked to life, and the crude item began emitting rude noises.

The man's calm expression was cracked by a smile. He opened his eyes and reached down to gently lift the noisy item and analyze the data on its screen. After a few moments of scrutiny he donned his computer gauntlet and began manually transferring the data the box was giving him.

In the year 2175 the ability to manually transfer data from one device to another was obsolete. Secure wireless connections had been developed, built upon the wi-fi and Bluetooth technologies of the 21st century. Transferring any data from any device was so simple and intuitive that even a child could do it, even if the technologies in question were so dissimilar as an apartment's heating unit and a VR gaming headset. Information moved easily, so easily that most people had long since forgotten how it moved...or how to move it.

Ben Wilner was different.

Wilner liked being able to move data from one device to another. Over the years it had become a necessary skill, as he frequently employed technology leftover from before World War III. Just as his erstwhile-friend Adam had a love for ancient films and writings, Ben loved ancient communication technologies. They were less intuitive, more difficult to use, and often required outdated power supplies. They were slower, less secure, but--because they were so obsolete--often far more difficult to detect.

Wilner looked at the screen on his old device again with triumph in his eyes.

"Oh, sweet Pandora, you never noticed the modification I made to your armor, did you?" he sneered to the screen. "All I had to do was affix a tiny nanoreceiver to a piece of your armor, and I would be able to get a signal. And since my technology is, oh nearly a century old, your technology didn't even think to look for it. Now I know where you are, and soon I'll destroy you."

Wilner finished transferring the data to his PCG and triple-encrypted the file. Then he powered off his obsolete tracking device and set it on the ground. A Synthia stood up from its seat in the corner and collected the device, taking it to be cleaned and stored. The Synthia stood without the room and announced that his dinner was ready.

"Has my guest arrived?" Wilner asked the Synthia. It checked its PCG.

"Yes," the Synthia replied. "In addition, you have received a communiqué from FIST. It is suggested you read it before taking your meal."