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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Wilkie
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 11:26:48 +1200
PRIVATE: Easy
>>>>>[ Hello? Still there? I don't know whetehr you want me to hit the UCAS
mil
database, but I guess I'll just go for it, since you don't seem to be
talking to me anymore. Later.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <17:21:48/08-26-57>
Message no. 2
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowtk@********.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 19:39:52 +0100
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[Go for it. I got you your shotgun, by the way. Still in the
original packaging, top-flight gas vent, shock pad, and a Russian BGL-21
under the barrel. It had a laser sight mounted on it, so I left that -
you can get rid of it yourself, or sell it if you like.

The grenade launcher may look a bit battered, but the mechanism's in
great shape. Just let me know when and where to deliver it.]<<<<<
-- Easy <19:40:53/08-27-57>
Message no. 3
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Wilkie
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 16:41:52 +1200 (NZST)
*****PRIVATE: Easy
>>>>>[ Firstly, the data on Wilkenson:

+++++Include file wilkersn.txt

Secondly, do you know anything about an organisation called Serenity
Security in relationship to this? I ran into another decker in the mil
system, maybe just feeding you the matrix footage would be easier....

(BTW, I cut out the hard hack through assorted security subsystems on the
principal that you really don't care what an awesome Ice-cutter I am, you
just want the data that means something.)

+++++Begin footage

The scene is obviously in the matrix, even to those who have never flown
the cyber-skies. The point of view hovers above a semi-realistic landscape
reminiscent of a view of hell from mixed european mythologies. Screams of
agony, moans, and wails rise from the ground, but their sources are not
visible from here.

The POV moves, gliding down into a crevasse, then flying along it at great
speed. The walls flash by, and the POV makes turns unerringly, eventually
coming to a wider area from which many caves sprout along the sides. It
moves towards one of them, above which a stylised runic W is carved into
the wall. It leans inside, and picks up a rock, juggling it thoughtfully in
one hand. It then starts to shape the rock into something else, presumably
a visual translation of downloading a file.

Suddenly the POV whirls about, in time to witness a new figure entering the
area. It is a young woman, dressed in a ragged but sparkling green dress.
She backs off a little, then steps forward again.

"Hey," she says accusingly, "That's no Mil-issue persona!"

"Neither's that," says an admiring voice, coming from the mouth of the icon
to which the POV is attached. The voice is male.

"Don't give me that drek," says the female icon, her mouth twisted in a
look of disgust, then she pauses for a moment or two. "Look, do we have to
get in each other's way? I can take you, but I don't want the extra noise."

"So sure, are you?" asks the POV voice, "But you're right on one thing.
Either way, there'll be too much noise."

"Okay, then we might as well pool our knowledge, so I trigger fewer alarms
while looking for the Seattle Personnel Jackets."

"That's here. I'm at W currently, A is there, Z there. Enjoy."

The POV turns back to it's work, the rock beginning to look like a flower
of some sort. He starts twisting at it, but the other intruder clears her
throat.

"Umm... you're not looking for stuff on Nelson Wilkerson are you?" she
asks, "It's just that.. oh never mind, I'll wait..."

The POV rotates to her again, slowly.

"Just what the frag is going on here," it asks, "Who the hell sent you? Is
Easy checking up on me? I'll..."

"What?" asks the female icon, "Easy? I come from.. another... I can't
really name him... or her..."

The POV approaches the other icon who backs off slightly, then stops,
gathering her confidence.

"I'm warning you," she says, "Don't come any closer..."

Then there is a howl from above, on the edge of the crevasse, from behind
the female icon.

"Here we go again," says the female icon, rolling her eyes in a surprising
display of detail for a matrix icon, and the POV looks up, seeking the
source of the disturbance.

The POV decker takes an involuntary step back as it sees the newcomer. It
is huge, some sort of demonic humanoid spider, and ahead of it is a pack of
slavering dogs. A small imp lifts off from the spider-thing's shoulder, and
flies away, squawking as it does so. Already the dogs are charging down the
sheer slope, and the spider thing scuttles after them.

"Oh, frag," says the POV, "You cover me, I'll complete the
download..."

The female icon detaches a pouch from her belt, and dips her hand into it,
pulling out and flinging a handful of dust towards the demon-IC. Before the
dust can reach it's target, though, all hell breaks loose. The puff of dust
turns into a greenish noxious gas and a second cloud of the same gas spews
from the pouch. The female icon doubles over, starting to cough, but keeps
hold of the pouch. A tendril of the gas rises, enveloping the dogs, and
they howl in agony, winking out in flashes of sickly green light, leaving
behind no sign that they ever existed. The walls of the crevasse start to
shake and meaningless swirls of data spray randomly from the caves near the
edge of the cloud. The spider-IC, also within the gas by now, starts to
recite a string of numbers, with no discernible pattern. In the middle of
the expanding gas cloud, the female icon begins retching.

"Drek!" yells the POV decker, then a winking light indicates that the
download is complete. A steel rose is raised into the POV's sight, and then
tucked away. The POV swings back to the cloud of gas, finding that it has
covered half the distance between him and it's source. He waits briefly,
seemingly irresolute, but a choking cough from the female icon, now
invisible within the cloud, decides him. He pauses to punch up a new
program, which appears as a glowing gold horn, then plunges into the gas,
blowing on the horn.

The gas seems at first to be pushed back, and he dives in, grabbing the arm
of the female icon, and preparing to fly up. Before he can escape, the gas
rolls back, covering him, and the horn turns into a black and white mask,
then shrivels up into nothing. The POV decker bursts free of the cloud
after a second or so, and looks down at the female icon trailing behind
him. She is recovering, but the gas is still spewing from her pouch, so he
knocks it from her hand. It falls, a trail of gas marking its passage.

"Okay," he says, stopping high above the surface, "We should be safe up
here."

"That was a fraggin' big virus," says the female icon between coughs,
"Where the frag did I pick that up?"

"Isn't that my line?" asks the POV icon, "I'll need to see your deck to
find out what kind it was. I think I'm infected, frag it."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, well sorry don't cut no ice. Let's get the hell out of here. Jack
out, I'll meet you in S-land in three minutes, Squatter's the handle."

"Cass."

+++++End footage

I included that to show you the virus, and the fact that she was after the
same stuff as me. This next bit is on s-land. You might be thinking she was
stupid to let me go, or vice versa, but she had to come because I had the
Wilkie data, and I had to be there because she had an uncorrupted viral
code (well, I thought she had one, she didn't, but no doubt you don't care
about that, or, being a chipped-up killer rather than a cerebral
computer-type, know why I did). Each of us needed the other is what I mean
to say.

+++++Begin footage

The scene is a shadowland chatroom, occupied by the same female icon as
before, Cass. The POV, Squatter enters, and the privacy lights go on.

"Tell me about your run," begins Squatter.

"I haven't got a copy of the data yet," replies Cass.

"You'll get it after we talk," replies Squatter, "Who sent you in?"

"I can't give names, but the johnson wants his sister protected. Wilkerson
wants her dead. He's already run one hit attempt on her, and I was supposed
to see if he's going to be trying anything else. Why were you there?"

"Damn fine question. I was after Willicker... damn it, Wilkerson... too,
but more about address and so on than what he's currently up to. I don't
know the johnson, the runner who he talked to, hit-woman, known as Easy,
hired me to get the data. I don't know why, and to tell the truth I don't
much care."

"Maybe it's related," ventures Cass, "Ask her about Serenity Security,
they're involved in protecting the sister. I think that's common, or at
least available, knowledge, so I don't think I'm stepping on any toes
here."

"I wouldn't expect you to, and I certainly don't intend to. Okay, here's
the file, get ready to accept."

A steel rose is tossed through the air from the POV, and the female icon
catches it, and puts it in a pocket that closes directly thereafter.

"Okay," she says, "Now let's talk about the virus."

+++++End footage

You don't want to hear reams of technical garbage, so I won't bore you with
it. Suffice it to say that she had a virus, I caught it, and we're working
on it together. I can post to s-land because it only triggers when you use
certain programs, and maybe only in a certain area, we're not too sure on
that.

Anyway, what now? I can get a temporary deck and go check on Serenity, if
you like. I've got some public stuff already...

+++++Include file SerSecAd.txt

...but if you want me to raid the system of a security corp with an
unfamiliar deck, the price could be high...]<<<<<
-- Squatter <22:41:04/08-27-57>
Message no. 4
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowtk@********.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 20:48:27 +0100
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[Thanks for the data.

Serenity... I have connections there, a good friend. I think he's
keeping me in reserve in case Wilkerson attacks Serenity: they're not
really into applied violence, not as a firm anyway. Neither are they
into wetwork. But since I am, I represent a line of defence for them.

Hence, you're checking him out for me, so if Wilkerson attacks Serenity,
I can take him out or at least drive him to cover very quickly.

I don't need you to hack Serenity for me, so don't worry there. Where do
you want me to deliver your Enfield? It appears you earned it: I'll
throw in twelve grenades and a box of EX slug as a bonus.]<<<<<
-- Easy <20:44:42/08-28-57>

*****PRIVATE: Kor
>>>>>[I revealed a little of our association to the decker called
Squatter.

+++++include message: <20:44:42/08-28-57>

I felt the truth would silence him, while lies might make him curious.
If you haven't recieved it already, here's the data he got me.

+++++include data: wilkerson.txt

He's an entirely manageable target, though naturally presenting some
particular risks. I would need magical support, either from yourself or
someone hired, but that shouldn't be too hard.

The price would be >>encrypted<<: high, but then so's his profile. His
death would not be without repercussion.

As an aside, and at the risk of losing this job, perhaps you might
report him to SIGA? A government agent abusing power and position for
personal ends sounds like their jurisdiction, as far as they have
any.]<<<<<
-- Easy <20:46:17/08-28-57>
--
"There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy."
Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
Message no. 5
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 12:00:12 +1200 (NZST)
*****PRIVATE: Easy
>>>>>[Shotgun... give it to me next time we Plough-breakers meet
physically.
That'll avoid security risks.]<<<<<
-- Squatter <20:44:42/08-28-57>
Message no. 6
From: sjwelch@******.net (Becky Welch)
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 96 14:54 MDT
*****PRIVATE: Squatter
>>>>>[I just had a run-in with the most fraggin' scary thing I ever ran
into
meatside. It kinda looked like a troll, but seemed to be all cyberware. More
cyber than I've ever seen on any livin' thing. Stronger than any troll, too.
Get this...I fired a gun at it, it took the entire round without blinking,
then CRUSHED the gun AND my hand. Had a face like a skull, for chrissakes.

Have you ever run into anything like this? I've heard rumors that the corps
have been messing around with something called cybermancy. Ever heard of it?
Any way to find out? I'm kinda gun shy at the moment, but if you're up to a
run in the 'trix, I'd like the company.]<<<<<
-- Cassandra <14:55:04/09-23-57>


*****PRIVATE: Rosha
>>>>>[Practice tonight? I got LOTS to talk about. You wouldn't BELIEVE what
happened to Cass last night. And I saw Ronin again.]<<<<<
-- Evita <14:58:34/09-23-57>
Message no. 7
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 1996 18:57:28 -0400 (EDT)
*****PRIVATE: Evita
>>>>>[Sure, kid. Practice t'night. Que barb! M'so tired. A job this past
weekend. Nice pay, but a buttkicker. S'up w/ Ronin? Is Cass ok? Haven't
seen her n'awhile. See ya at >>encrypted<<.]<<<<<
-- Jacqueline Morrell <18:58:17/09-23-57>
Task Mistress
Sheila's Sexual Stripping and SadoMasochism Salon
Message no. 8
From: jaimie.nicholson@********.otago.ac.nz (Jaimie Nicholson)
Subject: Re: Wilkie
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 11:17:57 +1200 (NZST)
*****PRIVATE: Cassandra
>>>>>[I don't believe you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ahaa ha ha aha haah ah.

Sorry, high phase of the cycle. Ummm... cool, let's go. I'll meet you in
s-land, >>time and virtual place<<. Where are we going?]<<<<<
-- Squatter <16:17:07/09-23-57>

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Wilkie, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!