Read Online Antivirus (The Horde Series Book 1) by Michael Koogler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Koogler
Ads: Link
frighteningly vast reaches of cyberspace.
At first, all was well and he had spent a lot of time relating to Kat and Drew what had happened and what it was like to literally float while lost in an indescribable electronic universe. His explanation had gone a long way in answering the many questions they had. It was what had cast him adrift that troubled him so greatly.
During the demonstration for Systemtech, he had been very pleased with how smoothly the whole thing had gone, including the repair of the damaged thumb drive through channels they had not considered would be part of the show. It was as he was getting ready to make the trip back into the hub and then into his body, that he became aware of a new virus that had been attracted to one of the honeypots. This one was different – malevolent and almost thinking, and he would swear to that for the rest of his life. This newcomer, the Horde, began rewriting and assimilating portions of random code in many different programs and when he got too close, he could actually feel it reaching out for him, almost as if it was trying to absorb him as well.
So he had done the only thing he could think of to escape. He had thrown himself through the gate and literally out into the limitless expanse of cyberspace. Moments later, Kat had shouted the order to take the honeypots offline and he was suddenly stranded, cut off from his way home, and all alone. At first, he had lost all hope and nearly panicked, fearing that he would remain part of this futuristic alien landscape forever. But logic took over and he calmed down and began exploring his new surroundings, understanding how the strange world worked, but never straying too far from the sealed gates that led back into the honeypot.
Eventually, he began to venture out further, searching for data streams that looked familiar and would give him a clue that he was at least near FutureTek’s own network. As he was near the honeypots, it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. It did, however, take him considerable time and effort to make use of it and bypass FutureTek’s firewalls and security systems to craft his short cry for help to Kat. Had she not been there to see it, he didn’t know what would have happened, because it was in those final moments that the Horde found him again.
During his stay in cyberspace, Jon had discovered that it was not just an empty landscape. Instead, it was almost like a living, breathing entity, populated by data streams, worms, and viruses of uncountable proportions. For the most part, he had nothing to fear from anything he ran across. Even the internet worms were unable to harm him and he had dismantled more than a few of them during his time out there.
However, that all changed when the Horde returned in its entirety, a massive entity far greater than the little tendril it had sent into the honeypot. To his horror, it had become aware of him and now was actively pursuing him as prey. So, the game of cat and mouse began. Jon would flee, letting his conscious slip among passing data streams and immersing himself into coded programs on various unprotected hard drives and clouds that he could get to. But the virus would inevitably find him, pursuing him relentlessly, and every time it did, it seemed to be just a little smarter, just a little quicker, and a little more determined to catch him.
Jon had no idea what the outcome would have been if it had caught him, nor did he ever want to find out. Fleeing in stark terror, he had finally managed to get Kat’s attention by manipulating her e-mail program to send his plea for help to her. He considered himself thoroughly blessed that she happened to be right there when he sent it because if she had not been, he didn’t know if the next time he encountered the virus would be his last.
So, he had made it back from impossible odds, reunited with his body, with his wife and friends, and most importantly, with reality. Several good
At first, all was well and he had spent a lot of time relating to Kat and Drew what had happened and what it was like to literally float while lost in an indescribable electronic universe. His explanation had gone a long way in answering the many questions they had. It was what had cast him adrift that troubled him so greatly.
During the demonstration for Systemtech, he had been very pleased with how smoothly the whole thing had gone, including the repair of the damaged thumb drive through channels they had not considered would be part of the show. It was as he was getting ready to make the trip back into the hub and then into his body, that he became aware of a new virus that had been attracted to one of the honeypots. This one was different – malevolent and almost thinking, and he would swear to that for the rest of his life. This newcomer, the Horde, began rewriting and assimilating portions of random code in many different programs and when he got too close, he could actually feel it reaching out for him, almost as if it was trying to absorb him as well.
So he had done the only thing he could think of to escape. He had thrown himself through the gate and literally out into the limitless expanse of cyberspace. Moments later, Kat had shouted the order to take the honeypots offline and he was suddenly stranded, cut off from his way home, and all alone. At first, he had lost all hope and nearly panicked, fearing that he would remain part of this futuristic alien landscape forever. But logic took over and he calmed down and began exploring his new surroundings, understanding how the strange world worked, but never straying too far from the sealed gates that led back into the honeypot.
Eventually, he began to venture out further, searching for data streams that looked familiar and would give him a clue that he was at least near FutureTek’s own network. As he was near the honeypots, it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. It did, however, take him considerable time and effort to make use of it and bypass FutureTek’s firewalls and security systems to craft his short cry for help to Kat. Had she not been there to see it, he didn’t know what would have happened, because it was in those final moments that the Horde found him again.
During his stay in cyberspace, Jon had discovered that it was not just an empty landscape. Instead, it was almost like a living, breathing entity, populated by data streams, worms, and viruses of uncountable proportions. For the most part, he had nothing to fear from anything he ran across. Even the internet worms were unable to harm him and he had dismantled more than a few of them during his time out there.
However, that all changed when the Horde returned in its entirety, a massive entity far greater than the little tendril it had sent into the honeypot. To his horror, it had become aware of him and now was actively pursuing him as prey. So, the game of cat and mouse began. Jon would flee, letting his conscious slip among passing data streams and immersing himself into coded programs on various unprotected hard drives and clouds that he could get to. But the virus would inevitably find him, pursuing him relentlessly, and every time it did, it seemed to be just a little smarter, just a little quicker, and a little more determined to catch him.
Jon had no idea what the outcome would have been if it had caught him, nor did he ever want to find out. Fleeing in stark terror, he had finally managed to get Kat’s attention by manipulating her e-mail program to send his plea for help to her. He considered himself thoroughly blessed that she happened to be right there when he sent it because if she had not been, he didn’t know if the next time he encountered the virus would be his last.
So, he had made it back from impossible odds, reunited with his body, with his wife and friends, and most importantly, with reality. Several good
Similar Books
