FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Oh brave new worlds that have such people in it. What distant vistas shall we cross, what strange horizons shall we see, when the universe within my soul is made manifest in front of me.”

~~The Hackers Guide to Cyberside

Chapter Thirty Four : Waiting Room.

“Real time is oh seven hundred.” Said Zane. “Cyber time is siesta time, I hope you don't have anywhere to be cause this train is going nowhere fast.” Making himself comfortable in a seat that had shifted itself to suit his individual physique, Zane couldn't help but find it a little ironic that a world that had been built as an escape from the ordinary would end up being so closely modeled on reality.

Designed to be some programmer's twisted version of a metaphysical search engine, the train they were riding on was constantly jumping from server to server, laying a false trail so labyrinthine and complex, that only the most dedicated of hackers would try to follow it to its inevitable end.

Meant to simulate actual motion everything that existed beyond the window was an ever changing landscape made up of different worlds. Sometimes it was something as simple as a summer's day. Other times, it looked like something that had decided to claw its way out of a living nightmare. One thing remained constant about it though. If you watched it long enough, it gave you a wicked headache.

And yet, regardless of the fact they weren't really moving, people were still getting on and off as if they were.

“Its almost disconcerting,” Said Kato as he watched it all happen. “To exist in a world where the lines between humans and chimeras are so easily blurred. Or worse, the ones between fantasy and reality.”

Zane just nodded knowingly and said. “Just when you thought you could take individual expression for granted something like this comes along and puts it all into perspective.”

Leaning back in his seat, Zane decided to see what the others were up to.

Phoenix was busy accessing enough information for several users. Most of which was nothing more then surface level stuff, recently released music vids, the latest holo-novel by some famous author, even a dirty picture or two. It was all things you went looking for when you had nothing better to do. But judging by the look of absolute concentration on Kato's face, he wasn't someone interested in simply passing the time.

His interest piqued, Zane thread a thin line of code into the datastream. Injecting a small sliver of his awareness into the files that Kato was currently accessing, he formed it into a wedge that allowed him to peer inside Kato's mind. But even with the bio-ware inside his brain operating at peak capacity, Zane was hard pressed to keep up with the steady stream of information that was making its way into Kato's head.

Dimensional field theory, recent advances in cybernetic enhancements, pharmaceutical breakthroughs related to genetic engineering? From memory alone Zane could name the author of each and every report that Kato was currently reading. After all, he had worked alongside most of them. Yet the only question he couldn't answer was why? Why with the wealth of information available to him was he only interested in reading reports written by former Company employees?

Sending Phoenix a private message, along with a list of all the files Kato was currently accessing, Zane asked her. Tell me what you think.

It didn't take long for Phoenix to message him back.

Ugh, he's just as bad as you are. Scratch that, he's worse. Don't bother me unless he does something interesting.

Silly girl. Thought Zane. Everything Kato does is interesting. Watching as Phoenix went back to bobbing her head in time to the music, He was just about to sever the link when he saw a familiar title flash before his eyes. Hello, and what's this? Hidden amongst all of the techno-babble and pseudoscience, was a file that simply didn't belong.

Welcome to Wonderland. Even the name brought back a wealth of memories. Now what could possibly have prompted him to go looking for that little nugget of information?

Disguised as a simple children's story, when in reality it was actually a kind of hacker's hand book, Welcome to Wonderland was in essence an open source guide that sought to explain the inner workings of everything that went on behind the scenes in Cyberside.

From how to customize multiple avatars, to creating your very own pocket universe free from the tyranny of the outside world, Welcome to Wonderland could teach you almost everything you ever wanted to know. Provided you could understand even half of what it was talking about.

“Zane,” Said Kato as he closed the Welcome to Wonderland file. “I've been trying not to think about what happened back there. But I still can't get it out of my mind. Everything about it just seemed so real.” Kato shook his head as he tried to rid himself of the memory. Because despite his best efforts to distract himself, even now the temptation of that other world seemed to be drawing him back into its welcoming embrace. “And to make matters worse the more I tried to fight against believing in it, the more real I wanted it to become.”

Seeing as few had the will to walk away from paradise, let alone the strength to say no to everything they had ever wanted. For that reason alone Zane felt Kato deserved an answer. “People, they tend to forget that this world is made entirely out of data, and so to interface with it, they begin to think of themselves as programs. But the system responds to human desires. Even the ones we aren't entirely aware of. And therein lies the danger. Because when someone starts to see themselves as something other then they are, even if it is only for a moment, the system then takes that uncertainty and turns it into a reality. Eventually, people simply lose sight of the reason why they came here, and once they do, they begin to disappear completely. The ones who are lost, we call them ghosts.”

“I just . . . I don't understand. Why would any one allow something like that to continue happening? And assuming they even know about it, then why would they allow something so dangerous to be accessed by the public?”

“Because it only happens to hackers.” Watching as Kato's face began to fall, Zane sought to reassure him. “Oh to be sure there are system safeguards set into place. Programs meant to protect people from becoming ghosts. But unfortunately they'll only work for those who are willing to play by societies rules.”

“It makes sense. They'd need a way of maintaining control in a world like this. And what better way to do it then to exact a price no one should ever have to pay.” Sighing softly, he looked at Phoenix and thought. How many friends has she lost? How many people has she watched simply disappear?

As if sensing Kato's unspoken thought, Zane said. “Wondering why anyone like us would ever risk coming here?”

“Other then the obvious benefits. Not really.” Before returning to his reading he surprised Zane by saying. “Zane, is there any way to save them. Those who have been lost I mean?”

“If you could find them. If you could convince them that this world isn't real, that it was nothing more then an elaborately constructed fantasy, and if they still had a body that they could go back to, then even then there's no way of guaranteeing that they would ever want to leave.”

Kato seemed to consider his answer before saying. “Oh, I see.”

We store memories no differently then we store electronic information. Only the medium is changed. Having read Welcome to Wonderland himself, Zane thought. Opening a link between users and using it to pry into their thoughts is generally considered bad form but, under the circumstances . . . Even Zane felt a twinge of conscience as he began to listen in on Kato's thoughts.

Open the door to a new world, and pass through it with your own strength. The image of a man appeared in his mind. Morishita Sensei, isn't that what you sought to teach me? So why can't I understand what it means? The image became fragmented, and was lost amidst a wealth of emotions. Hope, anger, sorrow, and fear, but underneath it all was a loneliness so intense that it seemed as if his was a soul crying out in the endless night, hoping just to be seen.

“Zane.”

Forgeting to shut down the connection before answering, Zane said. “Yes?”

“Is there any way for me to make a hard copy of what is I'm reading. I'd like to go back over some of it at a later time.”

“The visor your wearing has an internal memory cache if that's what your interested in. But you'd have to access the net and open a link to your bank account in order to pay for each individual download.”

“Hmm,” Kato wasn't sure he wanted to risk doing anything that could be traced back to him at a later date so he said. “I think I'll stick with flash memorizing things for now, but thanks anyway.” The look of concentration He'd had earlier returned.

“What a shame.” Certain that he would find no answers there, Zane returned to spying on the other passengers. “Nobody likes to just sit and talk anymore.”

Boarding the train, a blonde woman with something to prove and a bad attitude brushed past Kato without so much as an apology.

Before he could think to complain a private message scrolled across his field of vision.

Watch yourself, she's a cop.

There are cops here? Kato messaged back. How is that possible? I thought you couldn't police the net.

You can't, not in a literal sense anyway. But since the real world is affected by what goes on in Cyberside, you can use it to catch the people who would use it to commit crimes in both. Zane tipped his hat in the direction of a hacker who had also stepped onto the train. Just watch.

Seeing that a cop was waiting for him, He turned around and tried to run. Only to stop in his tracks as a pillar of light appeared around him.

“And don't even think about trying to portal out of here.” Said the cop as the hacker beat his fists against the pillar that held him captive. “Seeing as we've already taken your body into protective custody, you won't be going anywhere.”

Doing her best to disappear into her seat, Phoenix risked a brief look around.

Everyone was making a concerted effort to mind their own business. To pay attention to someone else, anything else. Everyone that was, except for Kato.

“Excuse me.” Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he stood behind her with a feral look in his eye.

Along with a handful of identification codes, Kato was treated to a badge being shoved in his face. “Lieutenant Tara Strong of the SynCity police department cyber crimes division. This is official police business. Now step aside before I have you arrested for attempting to obstruct an officer.”

“I'm sorry its just, I'm a little curious. What kind of crime does a man have to commit to be arrested without due process?”

“That's none of your business now is it?”

Kato flashed her a wicked smile filled with teeth. “I'm making it my business.”

Acting as if she hadn't even seen them she said. “He's a known hacker. That's more then reason enough.”

“No,” Said Kato as he cut her in half. “It isn't.”

“You . . . bastard.” Flashing him a look of pure hatred as her avatar broke apart into bits of code Lieutenant Tara Strong said. “I'll remember you.”

“Oh please do. Because the next time we meet.” Kato sheathed his sword. “I'll be looking forward to cutting you for real.”

Watching as the pillar of light began to dissolve the hacker said. “Why did you save me?”

“No reason.” Said Kato. “I just refuse to stand by and watch as those with power use it to abuse others, that's all.”

Without bothering to look back or even utter a word of thanks, the hacker opened a portal to another server and left the train.

“That,” Said Phoenix. “Was monumentally stupid. Why in hell did you just stick out your neck for no good reason?”

“I needed to test my sword on something.” Kato frowned. Something about it all had left a bad taste in his mouth. “That and I can usually tell when people are lying.” It was almost as if something essential had been overlooked. “Say what you will, do what you will, but even if a person puts on an act, it tends to fall apart when they're confronted by something stronger then they are.”

Ignoring Kato outright, Phoenix focused all of her attention on Zane. “Was all of that just a set up, or was any of that actually really real?”

“What's the matter Phoenix.” In order to better taste the air Kato curled his lips, leaving his expression little more than a grimace. “Something you want to hide?”

Recognizing the tell tale signs of a cat relying on its Jacobson's organ, Zane knew how Kato had seen through the hacker's bluff.

The kid's a living lie detector! To think that chimera's could actually train themselves to decipher the subtle chemical signals inherent in pheromones. Deciding then that he would have to be more careful with what he said around Kato, Zane thought to himself. I wonder, did Markov make them too much like us, and not human enough?

Clapping his hands together, Zane dispelled the memory. “Alright. Listen up. Now that you've seen first hand what its like to be baptized, I'm going to give you a crash course in how to survive Cyberside.

“First, where we're going there are rules. Security functions that will ensure things like the physical reality that we're connected to impose certain limits. Up is up, down is down, things like that. Of course, there are other things that you'll have to watch out for as well. Things that won't always have your best interests at heart.”

Picking up where Zane left off it was Phoenix who said. “Viruses, programs created by malicious users, hackers looking to hijack your body and take it for a joy ride. If you don't get the idea by now your screwed.”

“Next,” Said Zane. “Are the people we like to call the Gamebreakers. They're people like our overzealous friend back there who enjoy operating according to their own unique set of principles.” The look on Zane's face was anything but friendly. “Not all hackers like to play nice, and not all of them are as opposed as we are to the idea of doing whatever we've deemed necessary to eliminate the, shall we say, competition.”

“Basically,” Said Phoenix. “They're the kind of sociopathic fucks who like to treat this world like its their own personal playground. Feeding people false information, trapping them inside a time loop so that they'll waste away in the real world, then tapping into their heads so they can rewrite their entire life story. Oh, and did I forget to mention that those are just some of the nice things they like to do?”

“Third, how long you survive in this world, depends on how fast you can learn its rules.”

“And if you should just happen to die, well, think of it like getting a game-over. Only in this place, there are no continues.” Looking out the window Phoenix said. “Looks like this is our stop. You ready?”

Stepping off the train and into a pitch black void, Kato said. “I think the real question is, are you?”

Scowling at him as she followed after, Phoenix said. “We're inside a security sphere. Its a basic level of encryption. Just solve the puzzle, and the door opens. Its easy.”

“Wait,” Holding up his hand, Kato said. “I'm going to have to learn this sooner or later so let me try it first.”

Having already finished reading Welcome to Wonderland, he was able to understand why emblematic designs had been chosen to replace logarithmic algorithms. Because when all it took was time to break a thousand digit lock, designing a program that would actually be able to actively interpret disingenuous information and intuitively bridge the gap in logic it created, was something altogether different from coming up with one that could somehow resolve Zeno's Paradox.

Visualizing the solution to the sliding block puzzle in his mind, Kato started to lay it out on the inside of the sphere and said. “The mind interprets the flow of information, creating things that it can recognize and interpret. But in reality all of this.” Kato waved his hand, as if with that one single gesture he could somehow encompass the sheer impossibility of their surroundings. “Is nothing more then a constant influx of electromagnetic frequencies being broadcast endlessly between computer servers somewhere in the real world.

“While our bodies exist out there, and our minds tell us we are here. The truth is actually something very different.” Sliding the last piece of the puzzle into place Kato said. “Where we really are, is the world in between.”

As the darkness around them dissolved, revealing a world of light, Zane looked at Kato and said. “Welcome to the other side of the looking glass. Alice.”