Topic: The Geekery Chronicles: Chapter One (Read 9979 times)

Wunderkind · « **on:** April 05, 2008, 01:14:13 PM »

The Geekery Chronicles: Chapter One

Darkness was setting in fast on the once brightened streets. The members of the elite morombie fighting team had dispersed to enjoy at least one day off from fighting the undead idiots of the world. But there was to be no peace or rest for the champions of intellect.

I found it as I returned to the headquarters to check on the locks, never quite certain that things were safe, perhaps as a side effect of a sordid youth. Its shapeless, faceless form shadowed the alley and it spoke with the same distorted tone as did all the morombies. I reached quickly for some way to defend myself, but alas! I had left my weapon in the car! All I could do now was hope that I wasn't alone.

Perhaps Dark Shade was still lurking in the shadows as he usually did. Or 12AX7, who rarely left the headquarters, seeing human life as dull and uninteresting, was still inside and would hear the exchange. Maybe, Detta would return early.

All I could was stand there, and hope...

- In other words, love that your first post was hocking a website in the entertainment forum... perhaps next time we'll find out who you are and actually care -

jeee · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2008, 02:35:01 PM »

Quote from: Wunderkind on April 05, 2008, 01:14:13 PM

The Geekery Chronicles: Chapter One

Darkness was setting in fast on the once brightened streets. The members of the elite morombie fighting team had dispersed to enjoy at least one day off from fighting the undead idiots of the world. But there was to be no peace or rest for the champions of intellect.

I found it as I returned to the headquarters to check on the locks, never quite certain that things were safe, perhaps as a side effect of a sordid youth. Its shapeless, faceless form shadowed the alley and it spoke with the same distorted tone as did all the morombies. I reached quickly for some way to defend myself, but alas! I had left my weapon in the car! All I could do now was hope that I wasn't alone.

Perhaps Dark Shade was still lurking in the shadows as he usually did. Or 12AX7, who rarely left the headquarters, seeing human life as dull and uninteresting, was still inside and would hear the exchange. Maybe, Detta would return early.

All I could was stand there, and hope...

When the morombie approached me everything turned ice cold, I could smell his stinking breath and saw his distorted face under his hood (yes, stolen from Stupid Sexy Flanders) but then I saw the head of our squad approaching the morombie from behind. I will be alive !

He patted the morombie on the back and mumbled some kind words into the morombie's ear. I was in shock !

Turns out that te morombie can have some potential if fed the right way

My writing skills are way below yours wunderkind but that was an excellent piece +1 and another in an hour

pkrumins · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2008, 03:03:08 PM »

Quote from: Dark Shade on April 05, 2008, 02:20:14 PM

That was brilliant! +1

Heh. I am not sure I understood what it was about...

jeee · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2008, 03:34:42 PM »

"Or 12AX7, who rarely left the headquarters, seeing human life as dull and uninteresting"

Don't you have to eat around this time ?

Wunderkind · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2008, 10:57:07 PM »

If this is going to become a serious thread of its own now is the time to make any specific requests regarding superpowers/appearances. Otherwise I have to go off assumtions based on back reading.

jimmi · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2008, 11:32:33 PM »

Am I in this at all? :0

Wunderkind · « **Reply #6 on:** April 06, 2008, 12:25:34 AM »

Are you here? Do you intend to continue posting? If yes to both questions then yes to yours.

jimmi · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2008, 12:43:33 AM »

Well, whether I'm here or not is quite the philosophical question and I can't be arsed to answer it at the moment. However I do intend to post regularly and I'm calling dibs on the ability to shape shift into anything while making a moaning noise.

12AX7 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2008, 12:45:01 AM »

Quote from: jeee on April 05, 2008, 03:34:42 PM

"Or 12AX7, who rarely left the headquarters, seeing human life as dull and uninteresting"

Don't you have to eat around this time ?

I feed at night mainly. Sometimes I have it delivered.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2008, 01:19:48 AM »

Quote from: jeee on April 05, 2008, 02:35:01 PM

When the morombie approached me everything turned ice cold, I could smell his stinking breath and saw his distorted face under his hood (yes, stolen from Stupid Sexy Flanders) but then I saw the head of our squad approaching the morombie from behind. I will be alive !

He patted the morombie on the back and mumbled some kind words into the morombie's ear. I was in shock !

Turns out that te morombie can have some potential if fed the right way

I wandered back into the headquarters several hours later, having left the bizarre events of earlier that day to the wiser members of the group. It was so hard to believe that someone so near to being completely turned could be so quickly rescued. I had left, slunk away really, still clinging to prospect that I might get one day without running into a fight.

The dark main room was illuminated by the various screens in front of which 12AX7 sat, I didn't bother to find out what he was doing. Usually he was so many things at once it made my head spin, I'd leave that up to his... kind. jimmi was sitting and staring... creepily so, an average young lurker, but I couldn't talk much, I was guilty of the same thing. Occasionally he would change shape... again.

"Awful late at night for someone so young." I mention dryly as I pass. The leopard he's become gives me a dirty look and disappears for the moment. He'll be back soon. I remind myself that age is not a factor in this war. Immaturity is not the same thing as stupidity. But it's so easy for me to think otherwise. They resemble each other so closely, so often.

Looking for some way to ease a restless mind, I pass 12AX7 and walk back into the library. Settling down into the chair I listened to the soft beeping and clicking from the main room and whatever it was 12AX7 was doing. jimmi came back. I shuffled the pages of a log. It had turned out to be a quiet day after all...

12AX7 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 06, 2008, 01:27:25 AM »

+1
Thats pretty good.

*~~fixes some popcr0n~~ washes a small fish in the creek and waits for next chapter*

jimmi · « **Reply #11 on:** April 06, 2008, 01:32:15 AM »

This could be a best-seller.

jeee · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2008, 02:22:48 PM »

Chapter 2: A different perspective

I walked into HQ around 3 am. I normally don't come here around this
time but my schedule shifted due to increasing insomnia. Was it the
lack of sleep that made this place looks different? I saw some noobs
crawling around the main room. I couldn't care less for them, 90 %
percent of them never makes it past the first week.

That thought was justified when I passed the morgue, that room contains
a list of everyone who signed up over the past years. It already
contains over a thousand names. A quick glance at the list only showed
up two names that I recognized. Cat and Nowledge, once active but
nowhere to be found today.

When I went into the main room I saw 12AX7 sitting behind his desk.
Finally, a familiar face. I sat next to him and slammed a can of beer
next to his keyboard. That made him wake up from his digital coma.

"Thanks Jeee"

"Of course man, what are you doing? "

"Ah you know, the usual"

"Porn ?"

"hahaha, yes of course" and he gave me the big smile. He always looks a
bit chubby around this time of year. But spring is here and some
outdoor activity always brings the man back in shape in no time.

We watched the latest South Park and drank a couple of beers.

"So, what's up with the new kid ?" I asked him.

"You mean the wonderkid ?, it's a female allright"

"age ?"

"22"

"too young for us" I said. I saw the glimmer in his eye and I knew he
did not agree with me.

"So what happened with the Morombie?". "Not much" 12 replied, the old
man took care of....."

He stopped in the middle of his sentence; I looked at him and that 's when everything turned black.

Dark Shade · « **Reply #13 on:** April 06, 2008, 08:11:44 PM »

Ooh! Ooh! Definitely count me in on this one! Write whatever you want!

I'll have to think of something witty and type it up sometime! This is great!

Wunderkind · « **Reply #14 on:** April 06, 2008, 08:49:50 PM »

The chair in which I had been so carefully balanced on its rear legs suddenly wheeled onto one and I lost my balance, crashing to the floor, bringing the table with me. The loud "Bang!" echoed in the library along with the final clatterings of books, cups, and pens as it all came tumbling down.

"Stupid..." I hissed under my breath as I quickly stood up. Who falls asleep while balacing in a tipped back chair anyway? Regaining my footing I pulled my coat back on and grabbed my right boot. I reset the table and picked up the books and found my left boot hiding under the collasped chair. Once everything was back where I had it I looked around. Nope, no one had seen it.

Straightening my shoulders and brushing back my hair I walked back toward the main room. That was when my face fell.

"Aw shit, why me?" I muttered under my breath.

"Why you, what?" Dark Shade's growling voice asked from the front door. The heavy metal door scraped against the cement floor as he shut it and locked it behind himself. The leather of his coat creaked with that ever-new sound as he came to stand behind me.

There was no sign left of 12AX7 save for a few brown feathers and tuft of gray fur. All the monitors had gone to static, even the speakers were dead. A piece of jeee's orange shirt-sleeve was torn on the corner of the desk.

"That is bad." Dark Shade uttered in his typical monotone. "Good luck with that." I turned as he started to walk towards another room.

"Wait!" I stammered for a moment. "You're not going to help!"

"Yes," Dark Shade answered dryly. "I'm gonna call Chris. This isn't the morombies. They couldn't have taken two of our finest members without a fight like that. And worse, whatever they are, they're in the building..."

jeee · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2008, 04:10:11 PM »

When I woke up my head felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. I was no longer in HQ. I looked around and saw 12AX7 lying in the corner, his head was bleeding but he was alive for sure. I tapped him on the shoulder. "What happened?" he mumbled. "I have no clue, but one thing is for sure, we are no longer in HQ". I helped him on his feet and we inspected the room where we were in. It had the same carpet as HQ, also the same wallpaper. It even smelled like HQ. I looked at 12, he had the same thought as me. Both being experts in the digital world, we knew what just happened to our place. "Do you think Chris knows already?" 12 knotted his head. "Yeah, he is always on top of things, but the problem is for us to get out". We talked things over and came to two scenarios.

"It's either a DDOS or we are on the wrong side of a broken router". 12 was right, a blast like that could only be caused by one of those. We heard the constant humming of the machines on the other side of the wall. "It does not sound like they are busier than normal" I said. 12 agreed, so we had to get out as soon as possible before the router was turned off and we would fade away in some dying buffer. We noticed that one wall felt less stable than the others. Some chairs were warped in with us and we used them to create a hole. Behind the wall it was darker then I had ever experienced.
"Ok, on senses it is then" I said. We walked straight into the darkness hoping to find a way out. We turned the corner, "is it getting hotter in here or is it just me?" 12 was sweating and I also noticed the increase in temperature. “continue?" , "Yes, but with a pace"

We ran around another corner and our way was blocked by bursting flames coming from all sides, we just hit the firewall...

jimmi · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2008, 04:27:18 PM »

Haha, that one was fucking great.

ivan · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2008, 06:25:35 PM »

Demosthenes shot BizB a look. "What did he say?"

"He said, 'Ha ha, that one was fucking great.'"

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Got ourselves a winner here. Real eloquent sonofabitch."

BizB smirked. "How about I give him The Treatment?"

Demosthenes shrugged. "Sure, why not? Might be good for a laugh."

BizB pushed his chair away from the master console and yawned. "I'll get it."

"Hang on a minute..." Demosthenes, scrolling his mousewheel aggressively, peered intently at one of several flickering monitors. "Something's wrong... There!" He jabbed a manicured forefinger at the screen. "Lacerda's flatlining!"

"Crap!" exclaimed BizB as both sprang to action. As one, they burst through the heavy doors that hermetically sealed off the dormitory from the outside world and ran down the wide central aisle. On either side were rows of gurneys holding aloft suppine forms sprouting tubes and wires like bizarre lumpy ferns. The denizens of Teh Gheekery quietly lay and twitched and snorted, their brains jacked into the forums, their flesh nourished by efficient solutions, their waste sucked out and whisked away through a byzantine network of real pipes towards an unseen, unkowable ocean.

"Over there!" Demosthenes snapped. He and BizB thudded to a stop at Lacerda's bed and gazed speechless for a moment at their friend's grey, lifeless visage. Abruptly, BizB dropped to the floor, then sprang up triumphantly holding a needle-tipped tube. "His feed line came out!" he growled through his teeth, and vigorously reinserted the life-giving duct into Lacerda's forearm. "How the hell did that happen?"

Demosthenes watched the color return to Lacerda's cheeks, and, satisfied that his friend had turned the corner, exhaled for the first time in long minutes. "I don't know. But this kind of crap is starting to happen far too often. Fucking Vista."

BizB smirked, and turned back toward the control room. He was about to regale Demosthenes with another duck story when a muffled whimper drew their attention to a gurney near the exit. It was jimmi.

The controllers both grinned impishly. "The Treatment?" asked BizB with mock formality. "Oh, verily," replied Demosthenes in kind.

BizB grabbed a vessel from a nearby shelf and fussed for a moment at the wash station. He then carefully carried the vessel to jimmi's side and balanced it on the edge of the gurney. Demosthenes gingerly lifted the n00b's limp wrist and submerged jimmi's fingers in the warm water.

Wunderkind · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2008, 07:05:56 PM »

I tried my best to look nonchalant, randomly tapping the 'esc' key, because I had already determined that it did nothing. I couldn't find anything. It was as if they had never even existed.

"Stop hitting the escape key, now." Dark Shade commanded slowly. "And step slowly away from the keyboard. Then, stop jumping through time like that you're giving me a freakin' headache." I stopped, turned slowly, and stared at Dark Shade. "What? I'm Artifical Intelligence, you think I didn't notice you jumping all over the lines like a fucking bunny rabbit from the moment you got here? Did you at least get anything informative out of it. I can't get a hold of anybody."

"No," I answered. "But BizB and Demosthenes are doing something of questionable intent to jimmi." Dark Shade paused for a minute. His eyes went a little dead, then he suddenly came back to life with a snort of laughter. "From what I can see they were sitting right here," I pointed to the desk. "And then, they were just... gone."

"Where there any anamolies of note in the hardware?" Dark Shade asked quickly. My face went blank.

"Like... what?"

"Like... a 'bandwidth exceeded' screen or a blue screen of death... anything."

"Yes." I paused for effect. "They were on... and then... they were off." Dark Shade gave me an ugly look. "What? You're Artifical Intel. and I'm completely computer illiterate. 'Anamolies of note' is going to have to be further defined and don't be surprised when you get a kindergarten answer."

"Of course, why would you need a computer when you can do it the old fashion way. Time travel." Dark Shade continued to mumble something incoherent about 'newbies' and 'freaks' as he pushed me out of the way and fiddled with the monitors. He unplugged several things and plugged himself into a port. One of the screens filled with binary code and I could only watch, befuddled. "Ha!" He suddenly exclaimed. "They're in the system."

"You said that like it was good thing." I mumbled.

"It is." Dark Shade grabbed a hold of my arm. "And even better news is, we have you to get us out."

"Wait, what..." But before I could ask the whole question the room got really, really bright and suddenly I was standing in white wasteland...

jeee · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2008, 06:19:43 AM »

Interlude:
Damn, it was really fucking hot in there. We quickly turned and ran the other way. At the point that I thought that this corridor was endless, we suddenly saw a door. "What does the sign say?" I asked 12. "Комната Ивана" he replied. "I have no clue what that means". Hmm, could this be the place ? It was a known fact that Ivan, one of our long time members would often dissappear for weeks. He was not in a gurney like the others when that occurred. He just disappeared.....

MISTER MASSACRE · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2008, 09:36:07 AM »

Oh yeah, that reminds me...gotta upgrade the veins in my arm to be Vista compatible.

12AX7 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2008, 10:37:19 AM »

I heard it uses your ass to interface with you. Ok, well, it wasn't put like that exactly. I think the term used was "screwed".

Joe Sixpack · « **Reply #22 on:** April 09, 2008, 04:02:31 PM »

I had just returned from a Top Secret mission into the Darkest Himalayan Jungles. My mouth was dry and ashy, and my ass wasn't sporting the shine my colleagues had become accustomed to. But none of that matters when GSP are still intact. Where's FlamingInferno when you need her?

Never mind that. The mission isn't complete until the payload is delivered.
I tried returning to headquarters, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I know this is the right address, you son of a bitch!" I screamed into the starry blackness. During my time in the Wastes I had taken to issuing insults and challenges directly to God, or Nature... The Creator. What have you. I had become more and more brazen, but all communication remained one way. I say one way communication isn't communication at all.

I cracked open my chest and began to rummage. SpurtReynolds' hair goo... Nowledge's hash pipe... my own noob-poking stick... a thong with "JesterPoet" embroidered across the crotch... Each item brought with it a memory, at times threatening to overload the main resistor bank in my Emotion Module. They would all become useful in their own time, but this wasn't it.
I eventually fished out an old sock in which I had packed one of my backup Memory Circuits.

"A backup safehouse was never on the list of things I thought I'd need to remember," I thought to myself.

I inserted the backup unit and it came in flash. Installing a backup Memory Unit is an odd sensation. You are constantly realizing long-held truths, and then wondering why you ever had to go looking for the backup in the first place.

"The Geekery it is," I said, and began the long, lonely hike to the only other place I knew to go.

Three days later I stumbled in after dusk, reeking of grease, cheap beer, cheaper cigars, and the dusty road. The digs were definitely nicer, but there were a lot of new faces compared to the old days, and I was hard-pressed to recognize anyone. As everyone knows, Joe Sixpack is nothing if not a polite, well-mannered, dare I say charming individual, and I began introducing myself as custom requires. I knew a certain number of people would wonder where I'd been, so instead of waiting for the grilling to start, I concocted my story and shared it straightaway.

This can be risky in my line of work. When you voluntarily share too many details up front, people get suspicious. So I kept it general and left out the minutiae. I tried to keep the gist of my story close to the truth. The fewer lies you tell, the harder it will be to get caught in one down the road. That's one of the first things you learn when you are recruited and trained for CG's Special Operatons Squad. I think the rubes bought it.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #23 on:** April 09, 2008, 04:53:44 PM »

Unfortunately they bought it with rubles and with the continuing devaluation of the dollar, they probably should have held off on their purchase.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #24 on:** April 10, 2008, 10:28:07 AM »

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Author Topic: The Geekery Chronicles: Chapter One (Read 9979 times)

12AX7

12AX7

12AX7