914D00m E-Book

Nalle Windahl

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Serie: M3rqrie
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 141

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Is it true, that the enemy of my enemy is my friend? ...and what do you say, when someone you care about tells you unexpected things , does that change anything? With every card on the table, and new companions, is it possible to beat the N3v3r!and? And what is Darksky and the D00msD@y protocol? This is the third book in the M3rqrie-series. Dare you continue to read it?

Leseprobe

This book is meant as entertainment only. Based on pure imagination.

Contents

Summary of the ending of the previous book

Part I: Becoming Bella

Difficult conversation

Back to normal

The kidnapping

The phone

New life (again)

The arrival

Part II: 914D00m

The welcoming party

Introductions

Guiding towards the truth

The terrible truth

!Topp 1000 hackers.

The 914D00m history

Choose your point of view carefully

The 914D00m rejoined

Getting ready for another flight

Caravan away

The five elements

Connecting

Introduction

Natural development

The boat trip

Catching up

Uneventful

To Japan

Decent hotel

In person

In person II

Information is the game

Commandcenter

The architecture

Part III: D00msD@y protocol

The D00msD@y protocol

Darksky

AI awareness

Vague details

The corporate spies

AI limitations

End of session one

Back at the hotel, first check

Hinting Bella

Smalltalk

First small steps

Time flies

Opening up access

Running the simulations

Building an interface

The last parts before returning to London

Arriving in London

Part IV: The enemy of my enemy is not my friend

Unexpected visit

The key

The tenth man

The contract

The plan, first part

Part V: Disabling Darksky

The plan, second part

The final code

Testing the new code

Ulterior motives

Goodbye

The real plan

Part VI: A new dawn

Not my fight

The way forward

Summary of the ending of the previous book

This book continues where the second book ended. And just to refresh your mind, incase you didn’t just put down the second book to continue reading:

M3rqrie and Bella had just boarded an airplane bound for New York, or at least that’s what they thought. When seated in their first class seats, a steward came with an envelope for M3qrie, marked with ‘M3rqrie’ with big black letters, which would be impossible, since they booked their tickets with the new identities of Sam Mercury and Bella Réal. As M3rqrie opened the envelope, there was a phone. And as M3rqrie held it, a message came through.

“See you soon, M3rqrie!” it said.

Then, an announcement in the plane speakers puzzled the two traveling companions:

“Please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to take off. The duration of the flight is expected to be about ten hours, and we are scheduled to land in Reykjavik at 21.21 local time.”

When you continue reading in this book, you will follow what happens next.

Part I

Becoming Bella

Difficult conversation

Bella looked at me, looked down at the phone, and then buried her face in her hands. With a deep sigh, she started to talk.

“Babe. This is a conversation we should have had a long time ago. But I kind of hoped that we would have it in peace and quiet in our new home.”

“What do you mean, I don’t understand?”

I could tell from the tone in her voice that this was not a conversation that she looked forward to having.

“Remember when we met? At my work?”

“Oh, I’ll always remember.”

“Well, it wasn’t an accident that I worked there. And it was not only due to my interest in historic events. And I might have a guess who the phone is from.”

“Uhm, this is an unexpected turn, but keep talking. I’m listening.”

I put my hand on hers, to show her I was paying attention and that I was there for her in this conversation.

“I do not know where to start. But, now, since we married, and since I met you, I’m Bella. And I will always be your Bella. But before I was Bella, I was really a nobody, without a history. Without a place to belong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when we talked after our wedding, when we talked about going to South America, I mentioned that one of the things we could do was work on an orphanage?”

“Yes, I remember, and the other two things were stray dogs or a cantina.”

“Yes, but there is a reason for mentioning an orphanage. I am an orphan. I have never had any parents or family.”

“Oh, babe…” I took both of her hands. I could tell that this was hard for her to talk about.

“The closest thing I’ve ever had is a girl from the orphanage where I grew up, Valery. We shared a room for many years, but we lost contact when we were separated. A few years ago she contacted me, since she knew I was interested in history. She said she could help me in getting a job as a guide. And that I could study history at a university, part time. But, and she stressed this part out in particular, I needed to inform her and the ones she worked with if I ever saw any strange people asking questions about Guy Fawks, the room or something connected to it.”

I just looked at her with big eyes.

“I didn’t know about the N3v3r!and, but I was put there as an informant. Then you showed up. You were my mission.”

I didn’t know what to say. But she continued.

“Before our first date and before I guided you, I sent Valery a message that you had shown up, and that you had asked questions regarding that room and Guy Fawks.”

I still said nothing.

“As I guided you in the basement, I kind of regretted that I had sent her that message, and then, after our date I decided not to tell Valery anything else, other than that you had asked questions, and nothing more. I did not want to reveal you to her, I knew that there was some kind of reason I was put there to keep an eye out. But I did not know why. My gut feeling said that I needed to keep you out of it, that it would not be anything good.”

“Did you tell her?”

“Well, yes, a few days later she paid me a visit, and by then you were gone. I figured that you would just be a sweet memory. I was kind of hurt that you’d left, because I wanted more, but the orphan part of me kind of expects to be abandoned, so I never expected to see you again, however much I’d wanted to. I told her about the private guided tour, and that I’d shown you the room. But the parts about us, I kept to myself. My precious memory, only mine, not something I wanted to share with her or anybody else. She asked me to keep an eye out to see if you would return. But that she did not need to say. I knew you were only on temporary visit, but in every crowd, in every street, I’d hoped I would see you again. And every now and then, I would see someone who looked like you, and my heart would skip a beat, only to be disappointed again.”

I got tears in my eyes as she shared her experience. Could not imagine what it must have been like, growing up without a family. Sure, I did not get along with mine, especially not in my teens, but not having anyone at all? Hard to imagine. Must have been so lonely.

Back to normal

Bella continued, and I did not interrupt her.

“Then I felt like I just had to go back to my life and continue. But you had already made a dent in my universe. And it could not be undone. I was in love, I knew it. But time passed and I tried just to move on. Valery asked me to check in with her on a regular basis, even if I had not seen anything new. She asked me to expect more to show up at work. But I felt stuck. My old life had faded. The color you brought created a huge contrast to the ordinary. It felt gray. Like a life in black and white.”

I smiled at her, I remember having the same feeling when I returned from the second trip to London. I let her continue.

“Then you contacted me again! I was thrilled. And you told me that you could possibly move to London! It was like winning the lottery! And then you actually moved here! My life became so much more colorful, and I felt like I belonged somewhere, with someone. I have never had that feeling before. I managed to keep your return from Valery a while, but then she figured it out. I am no good liar, and just before you told me you needed to leave, because of them, she had given me specific instructions to track you, but I did not want to do it anymore. So I stopped contacting her, and stopped returning her calls and texts. Of course I was devastated when you said you needed to leave, and I did not fully understand it, nor did I want to accept it. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and all of a sudden you needed to leave. But you never said it was goodbye, so I both hoped and expected that I would hear from you again. And then I got that note from you, telling me to meet you and that you had a question to ask me. It was not a hard choice to go see you, but I was so nervous. I had no idea what to expect. But I had a lot of hopes, and I was really afraid that it would be goodbye, that you would leave for good. I was so scared.”

She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I held her, and kissed her gently on her head.

“Then you actually asked me to marry you, and to leave everything behind. It was like a dream come true. Leave the life I no longer wished to live. Spend my life with you. Somewhere else. Even if I did not know what it meant, I was completely ready to let it all go and just be with you. But it was horrible to see you leave on that boat. A million thoughts rushed through my head. And I was torn between dark thoughts and hope and happiness. Took me a long while to go back to the car and head home. And as I got home, she was in my apartment. Valery. She’d come all the way from Iceland since I had stopped returning her calls.”

“Iceland?”

“Yeah, she lives in Iceland. Which is kind of why I tell you this now before we arrive there, because I figure that she has something to do with this.”

“I also know that there is a N3v3r!and-site in Iceland. Do you think she works with them?”

“No, I don’t think so, but I cannot be sure. When she asked me to keep track of you and others that were interested in that room, I got the feeling that she wants to keep track of it all.”

I tried to digest it all, but Bella had more to say.

The kidnapping

“Anyway, I waited for you to contact me, and when I got a message at work that you were back in London and wanted to see me for a quick date, I did not suspect anything and I walked right into their trap. Valery had warned me that I might be a target, but at the time I did not see how or why. As they took me, I understood that it was to get to you.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“I’m not! It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but it gave me time to think and I realized some things. Like now I was officially missing, being held captive against my will, and there would only be three people in the whole wide world that would care. My boss at work, but not for me, only because it messes up the scheduling of the staff. Valery because she lost her asset. And you. And of the three of you I could only imagine that you would be the one to actually come and look for me, and that you would actually miss me for me. It is kind of like the old me died in there, and I was reborn. Whoever I was before was not relevant, and I became a new me, about to marry you, the love of my life, and start over somewhere new. Then to underline the change, I got a new identity and a new name. Now I’m Bella. The old me is gone. She stopped existing completely when I was held captive. Now it’s only me, here with you, and I’m scared that all this will be something that comes between us. I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner. I was afraid.”

“Babe, I’m also scared. And I am so sorry for everything you’ve been through. This does not change anything. But I’m glad you shared. Do you have any idea who Valery works with? Why she’d like to bring me in, or you for that matter?”

“I have no idea. Like I said before, we lost contact and when she presented the offer to me, I wasn’t really curious as to how or why she offered it. I only saw my own perspective and the personal gain for me.”

“Of course, it's completely natural, and to be honest, that’s how hackers operate. A way of manipulation. But I am sure there is an agenda. I am sure that there are connections between the things we know and see and things we don’t.”

“So you don’t hate me now?”

“No, babe, not now, not ever. Not in a million years. You swept me like a storm. You were also a mission, but you’ve become my life.”

We held each other for a while, then Bella broke loose and looked at me.

“Do you think Valery is part of something?”

“I do, oh, I could say I do to you a million times more without ever growing tired of it, but yes… But I have no idea what it could possibly be. If not the N3v3r!and, then I do not know what. Obviously well connected, I mean, both tracking us here, and then this device.” I held up the phone.

“This piece of tech looks like it is a few generations more advanced than any of the commercial products out on the market at the moment. Add to that that it has facial recognition already programmed for my face. It scares me. This is not just anybody. This is definitely someone established. A player in the game. Question is who, and to what end. I feel a little uncomfortable because I do not know what we’re walking into.”

The phone

I spent a while looking through the phone and the OS. It was custom, not something that was already out there, and from what I could tell it was Unix-based, but heavily customized. I imagined that there was a big chunk of custom code under the hood. It just wasn’t available for me, and everything I tried led me into dead ends. Obviously someone who knew the ways a hacker would try to penetrate the device. Again, something that supported my theory that it was a solid player in the overall game.

By now we were mid air, and I was surprised that I still had connection to the network. Not the plane wifi, but the actual cell phone-network. I mean, many operators have trouble keeping good cover on the ground, and I had not heard about anybody that made any efforts to operate in the air. Could it be a satellite hybrid? It was, however I looked at it, an impressive piece of tech, and it was not consumer oriented.

Just for fun I tried to install things on it. And I was surprised. It behaved like a computer rather than a phone, which is something I easily could relate to and perhaps even foresee. But the most impressive thing was the bandwidth. Again, if it had been an ordinary phone, with 5G connection, the bandwidth would be impressive, except here in mid air there are no 5G network, still the phone downloaded things in no time at all, which it only could do with access to a lot of bandwidth.

Bella looked at me and said: