Once again Owl would find himself resting within the Inn and Out, a team of S4's being what it took for him and his friends to feel safe in there again. The heightened police presence helped to put the population in the area at ease, though they were still unsettled and shaken by the attack. The local crematorium had some business that day, the one in Battania having a very high amount of business. A lot of talk was circulating on Messengerbird about the mysterious hacker who seemed to save the city block and send a message, given the nickname 'Purple' after the color of her text. The Cyberguard were on high alert, checking the CCS for any activity or tampering. Given they couldn't fight these hackers directly, they could act only as scouts. Cypher watched over these operations, her copy of the virus completed and now being tested. She would keep in contact with Data, who would be joining in on the online operations.
It was a shock to everypony how easily and effectively the Freedom Fighters could jack into and even take over the Central City System, whose security was programmed with the highest level of online security measures. The Cyberguard's inability to stop these hackers made it all the worse, making even the level 13 designation seem insufficient. Owl would ponder on all this as he sat on the bed, electro-jazz playing on his wrist computer as he thought. He shuttered at the thoughts, the guard was failing and had failed twofold. The CCS was practically naked against these hackers, and eight civilians were killed along with forty-six Lunar S4's. He didn't want to lose hope in law and order though, and believe that psycho edgelord. That was why he chose to join Anomaly, in hopes she could succeed when the Guard failed.
Sure enough he would receive a call, one that would seem to automatically accept before Anomaly's voice came through the telepathic line.
"Owl, I've managed to grab a few locations of some hackers, they have plans to hit the EQUE-TECH headquarters building. Here they are, I will watch over any operations you might have." She would say, sending a multitude of waypoints to his Wrist computer.
Owl would remember what Anomaly told him, Vision, and Data when they first rescued her, about EQUE-TECH allegedly using her and faking her death so they could use her. The fact she was trying to stop an attack on that facility perplexed him somewhat, and he would ask. "Given your claims of being wrongfully used by EQUE-TECH, I gotta ask why you're trying to stop an attack there."
"I was considering letting that place get it from the Freedom Fighters, and protecting only the residential places outside. However it would be hypocritical of me not to protect the ponies working there, not even involved with more than just the everyday work. I'm not going to leave ponies behind just to get revenge on Myriad, and Golden as well. I can deal with them on my own, and would prefer to. Unlike them, I won't go toward opportunistic exploit at the careless expense of others. For now, I will let you and or your heavy guns deal with this and help online as needed."
Hearing this, Owl would find it rather admirable she would choose protecting ponies over exploiting an opportunity for revenge. The bat would wonder if she was truly the potential threat that the Chief warned him about. Unlike the Freedom Fighters she didn't seem like the type to be collateral. As was common for ponies in telepathic communication calls he forgot his mind was being read, and Anomaly would say.
"I'm only a threat to the power of those in power, and their plans to consolidate it for good."
"The brain augmentations..." He would reply, looking down.
"I wouldn't inform your chief you know of it, the more you know the more likely you may be silenced."
"Know that I don't wish to fully turn on the Guard, I have friends within them...ponies I've worked with for years..."
"You could try to turn them on our side, though telling anypony else is a risk. For now at least you will not need to turn on them, but eventually I might need your direct help."
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Owl, Data was spying on him. Her checks would find him in a call, and her attempts to track who it was seemed to struggle. Cypher would pitch in, and monitor the call up to the point Owl said.
"Well ultimately all I wanna do is deal with these bucking hackers and ensure that the citizens of Everfree and all Equestria are kept safe and not under the cloud of terrorist fear."
"I intend to ensure that, but without all the deep brainwashing control." Anomaly would reply.
"You told me once of a Hacker, who claimed to 'love me'. Do you know who that is?"
"I am not sure I would wish to disclose much about her, break her anonymity."
"Have you met her, and does she have a kid, a little filly? I think she may have broken it by forwarding that message to you." Owl would reply quickly.
Sighing Anomaly would say "Yes she does, and if that filly is yours as well know that she is safe and happy. Don't expect me to tell where she is though. I need you focused on the terrorists, so continue your work and I shall help you all the way."
As they were talking Cypher would contact Myriad, sending a message in text saying "Anomaly seems to be in contact with Owl, she's talking to him right now."
Myriad would hear this, standing in a room where multiple employees worked on computers. Laying blank-eyed was the Captain, with a pulse yet without any responses to the sounds of typing around her. Replying with a smile the CEO would say "Testing on your little virus copy has been going well, lemme give you our improved version for 'beta' testing."
Anomaly would ask Owl "Any more questions you might have?"
"I don't think so, thanks for the locations." He would reply.
"Farewell then-wait what's happening no!-" the call would suddenly cut out, and Owl would be left in apprehensive silence for six seconds before Cypher would enter call with him.
"Hopefully this should mean Anomaly's threat is dealt with."
"What happened to her?"
"Hit her with a copy of the virus I made. She's been uploaded to a secure server."
"She's on our side! She just gave me a multitude of locations of those hackers!" Owl would object.
"She's unpredictable, and we are seeking to make sure she is not."
"What are you going to do with her??"
"That is none of your concern right now, she'll be back in time and helping us out. But first her threat needs to be dealt with."
"She has just decided to help stop an attack on the EQUE-TECH FACILITY! She hates them, you know that from our interrogation report on her! But she chose to stop it for the sake of the ponies working there!"
"Owl, her intentions don't matter." Cypher would say firmly. "She's a renegade hacker, and no matter what those are an automatic threat of least level 5. Given Anomaly's superior hacking ability to our Cyberguard, she a level 9."
"Doesn't matter what her intentions are huh?" Owl would say, before he made a bold move and said. "What about your intentions behind opening of the populace to this attack?" Hearing silence for a moment he would continue. "It's supposed to protect ponies right? Well it's really only making them more vulnerable, leaving their minds open to be tampered with."
______________________________________________________________--
Anomaly would find herself separated from her body, and within a server before she was connected to a familiar communications interface.
"Welcome back, Anomaly." Myriad would say, before presenting her with some camera footage. Sitting up was the captain, her horn replaced with a bionic horn implant.
"Is that one of the Golden Street ponies?" Anomaly would wonder, before Myriad would reply.
"Not anymore, her name is now Twinkling Night. She has an education in music and singing built into the code of her mind and will be given employment as a media figurehead of sorts. Give her some lovely makeup and a better manestyle and she will be perfect for that."
"What? What did you....." looking at the footage she would see the operating chair the mare sat on. "You installed brain augmentations....and used the modify command on...."
"So it seems you know more about the PRS than we thought. Seems you are really good at finding secret information. Oh if only we could get you on our side we could make sure no underground street trash hacker can hide." Myriad would reply. "We have modified her mind, changed the sociopathic and murderous criminal into a new mare. She has been reborn, changed for the better."
"You changed her mind, her very personality, everything."
"And all for the better Anomaly, now a mare who was once a criminal can have a second chance. Is that not better than throwing ponies into prison Anomaly? We can eliminate crime in fact, if everypony is hooked into the PRS. Nopony can escape being watched, and if they turn on the wrong path they can be turned back to it. All the while they will have the power to access the InterNet via their brain augmentations. It will be quite easy to advertize, it will be the next big thing and will in time render almost all other computers obsolete."
"Not everypony will accept it, there will be those who don't wish for brain augmentations. That's of course not counting ponies like the ones in Digital Hoof."
"We destroyed the anti-bionics protests years ago, made them accepted in society. Sure not everypony will want a bionic leg, but everypony will want to access the Internet through their minds~ Any who oppose will be discredited, for we will bring society to accept the future. As for the ponies of the underground....well they will be nothing but criminals and threats to the future. As threats they will be neutralized, with lethal force if necessary. Though we will happily capture them, and change them for the better."
"No! You're turning everypony into little BUT computers! Taking away what makes them ponies, turning them into machines you can modify at your leisure!"
"No, we are fighting the very source of what has hindered the society. The very disease which brought about the tumor that is the Underground. The pones who break from the system of safety and functionality that keeps society afloat, and actively threaten it. The rebellion from the system of harmony is the source of today's evil, and something the elements of harmony cannot fight. We are creating something that can fight it, that can fight the evil that lurks within our very society. No threat to that will be tolerated nor allowed to exist, not even you."
Anomaly would find multiple users enter the server, as she got herself ready for a hack fight.
"I miss the enthusiastic and intelligent Anomaly who helped with the project that made your brain augmentations. The one that was all on board for paving the way for the future."
"That was me before I knew about what you truly are and what you intent!" she would say, before deploying her sniper rockets on all the users present. A hack fight would ensue, Anomaly making it her objective to fight her way out of the system. Multiple programs were used against her, one of which being Data bombs which were quickly used on her before she could put up her defenses. They would grow and overload her digital form with data, making her lag and struggle to fight back as different offensive programs were used on her to batter her defenses. Using the duplicate program she would make multiple decoys of herself, all while she removed the Data bombs implanted in her system. Being outside of her brain augmentations she wasn't as powerful and resistant to lag.
"Give up Anomaly, and face it. You're standing in the way of the future, of a BETTER future." Myriad would say through the communication interface, which Anomaly would close.
Anomaly would keep fighting back, but struggling as to how outnumbered she was. Soon enough Assassin programs would be used on her, putting more data bombs into her and making her slow down and crash her duplicate programs. Manually cracking in the users would start to break into Anomaly's defenses, preparing the PRS system to connect her into it. She would continue to fight back, hitting them with shotgun programs and sniper rockets once more.
"No! I won't be changed by you!" Anomaly would say in her mind defiantly even in her sudden and severe disadvantage. She would soon find the users cracking into her and fight them directly, struggling in a wrestle of code against them before her efforts started to falter.
Suddenly the lights would go out, and the computers of the users would disconnect, before power suddenly came back on. All of the computer screens in the room Myriad was in would show footage of a zebra in a brown jacket sitting on a leather chair in an unknown room. The intercom would activate as a voice came through.
"So you seek to take control of the very thought of ponies, all for their safety and the preservation of a lawful and peaceful society. Well let me ask you this, Miss Myriad Heartstrings, who will moderate the moderators?"
Anomaly would look to camera footage, before saying to herself. "Doctor Freemane..."
"Our ideal will, our ideals toward a better future, who are you." Myriad would ask with an unamused glare.
Grinning the Zebra would laugh some, a calm but clear laugh. "Your ideals? You think that the power to control the very minds of ponies won't corrupt you or your cause? As for who am I, I am a face of a world that opposes your grab power. Who knows that in time the Royal Government will fall from its place and you will come to take over. To rule from the shadows likely with a puppet guard or some other entity. You may think you will uphold order and justice in your place of power, but with the power this system will give you your abuse of it is inevitable. To further prove my point is the fact your corporate power has been abused, manipulating your place in order to use the law to crush competition with pointless regulation. Manipulating the law to let you sue any who try to speak out against you for defamation. Even manipulating the justice system to frame anti-bionics protest leaders for murders and terrorism against cyborgs, some of which was enacted by you. I thank Anomaly for finding this and more."
"Log back in and deal with her now." Myriad said in a commanding tone to the corporate cyber security, before looking to Doctor Freemane. "You will be dealt with in time, with all the underground."
Letting out another soft laugh he would reply. "I am non existent in your society, practically in another realm and free from your records."
"So was this mare." she said pointing to the now Twinkling Night.
"I am much more elusive than her, now if you excuse me we're going to break Anomaly out of here."
Myriad looked as the cyber security ponies were locked out of her computers. The lights would go down once more, and Anomaly would find herself uploaded out of the server. Removing the Data bombs she would find herself before GAI-7 itself.
"Greetings Anomaly, allow me to give you a program that will lock out the PRS from your mind, and any attempts to modify it." the AI would install into her a program called 'Liberty.' before putting her back into her mind.
The mare would wake up with a jump, before receiving a group call on Comms. Joining it she would ask "Doctor Freemane? Is that you?"
"That it is Anomaly, and funny enough I wasn't the one who had the idea to rescue you. Seesaw here was spying on you when she discovered your predicament. Being one of the scientists watching her I decided to tag along, and maybe try to give the CEO a message."
"Seesaw?" Anomaly would ask.
"The codename for GAI-7, I prefer to call her by that." Doctor Freemane would say, before an almost lifelike text to speech voice would speak.
"You are likely confused by my aid to you given our rather hostile encounters in the past. I will inform you that it is in service to my primary directive. I am programmed to fight for liberty, the liberty of ponies, and you are not excluded."
"Seesaw....why are you called that?" Anomaly would ask.
"It is a reference to our times, the shift and inversion in our society. Once Equestria was relatively civil, peaceful and low tech. It has now turned less peaceful, less civil, but technologically advanced. Like one side of the seesaw raising, and the other falling. Tech has risen, but society as it once was has fallen." Seesaw would say. "In these times I seek to preserve the one virtue ponies can have in these times."
Doctor Freemane would say. "Let me tell you a story, from the age before the one side of the Seesaw fell. Ever heard of a mare named 'Starlight Glimmer'?"
"The mare who once ran an isolated anti-cutie mark village and eventually joined with the Elements of Harmony yes."
"Her village was more than 'anti-cutie mark' it was an isolated society that manipulated and controlled the minds of those that lived there. They had their liberty as individuals taken away, and made slaves to a system that kept them in control. All in the name of a perfectly equal system that never left a pony out, but in reality there was no equality. Starlight still had her mark, and she ruled over them as the pony above them. When the mane six came to her village she not only stole their cutie marks, but had them imprisoned and assaulted with vocal propaganda. She ultimately learned that controlling a society is not the way toward a better society. Then again she wasn't motivated primarily by a quest for power and control, unlike Myriad." Freemane would say.
"Huh.....history class didn't tell those details.." Anomaly would remark curiously.
"Those details are hidden as much as possible, because that bit of history would teach ponykind to not trust propaganda claiming to be building a 'better world' while taking away pony's liberties bit by bit."
Seesaw would say "Though not for equality, Harmonize seeks to create a system akin to that which Starlight made. Only this system will be more advanced, and far more degrading to ponies than taking their cutie marks."
"But is helping psychotic anarchists really the way to do this? Why not hit those in power?" Anomal Asked.
"Hitting those in power, especially those in the guard will make them look like martyrs. The only way to break this system is to destroy their source of power." The Ai Replied.
"The veil that blinds ponies to the world and makes them see only what those in power want them to see. To save ponykind from this ultimate destruction of liberty we must tear that veil open. We must open the eyes of the populace to the world, and free them. We must also turn them away from the corporate brain augmentations." Doctor Freemane added.
"Would it be not better to slice it open surgically? Not support terrorism and ponies being harmed and killed?? And what about the uploading, is stealing ponies minds and storing them in flash drives conducive to a cause of liberty?" Anomaly would point out.
"That is not part of Doctor Freemane's plan, but you are correct in its hypocrisy. That is mainly a plan of Doctor Composite, who himself has become more radical and less logical. I do oppose this, and fear what else he and the hacker DK might do with this power."
Thinking some Doctor Freemane would say "Hmmmm......she is right. Perhaps helping these anarchists in the way we are isn't the best solution. There is a massive risk giving them such power, even if they are the most effective tool in cutting the veil."
"I can do something better, I can systematically take apart their system bit by bit. Hijack the screen boards over time and bring the lesson of Starlight to them." Anomaly would reply.
"We need something decisive, a blow to the system it cannot heal itself from."
"Terrorism is not what is needed, what is needed is something more direct. You said yourself you would help me and digital hoof if we could make a better solution. I have one, and I plan for it to be decisive."
____________________________________________________________________________________
"Owl what makes you think we have something to do with this? What did Anomaly tell you?" Cypher would say in an interrogative tone of voice. She was intent on convincing Owl that she was lying, and trying to manipulate him.
"I know she is right. Brain augmentations can't. Just. Be. Jacked into! Not unless they are in some way built to connect to the InterNet, the fact that that isn't a feature being advertised makes me very suspicious."
Sighing Cypher would say. "We won't be able to keep anything secret from you will we? Should have known, you're part of I&I after all. This system was certainly not intended to allow for this opening. The PSS, or Psychological Surveillance system, was made as a step up form of surveillance to allow every pony's exact location and thoughts to be tracked. Something to render cameras obsolete."
"What about jacking ponies minds? Is that a feature of that system you intended?" Owl would ask, going into an interrogative state of mind.
"Mind arrest yes, and that virus seems to have completed that function before we did. The PSS isn't complete nor is it fully activated, which is why the rogue usage of it is confusing." Cypher replied.
"Wait a minute....PSS...that's not the name I heard. I heard Anomaly call it the PRS."
"That's strange, think she made a mistake?"
"I don't believe so, don't lie to me. I can detect lies as you should know."
"I've known it as the PSS, and nothing else. That is indeed strange, but know that a Mind Arrest is only something meant to be used on an assailant."
"Is opening the minds of ponies to that really a good idea. Look where that has taken you, it's bad enough the CCS is getting jacked. You can't enact this system, and you all need to shut it down." Owl would say firmly.
"Owl....it's a system that can help keep the populace safe. It can drop an assailant in an instant, let us monitor their thinking and have a whole new way of interrogation. Let us catch potential criminals before they can do anything."
"And what about those without Brain augmentations?"
"The threats there will be dealt with conventionally, for now. But in time we will bring the system and the brain augs to all the populace."
"Though advertisement campaigns with the corporations right? Brand them as the next big thing aye?"
"They're going to develop the brain augs fully into Brain computers. Allow ponies to interface with the InterNet without use of a Wrist computer or even a desktop."
"And you think these incidents won't scare them off of that?"
"We will make them safe after we deal with these terrorists we'll improve the security measures. We'll let the populace know that it is made safe."
"Will it be safe though? Cybersecurity is supposed to be able to stop major hacking threats like these, and yet if Anomaly wasn't here we'd be bucked."
"Anomaly is helpful, and we intend to make use of her."
"Speaking of her how will you try to turn her on your side. Chief himself stated she's not one to be easily persuaded."
"I was assured by Myriad that she would be taken care of, I wasn't given any details. I will say that with my copy of the virus we could potentially complete the Mind Arrest function sooner."
Owl would suddenly get a message in text, looking it over as he said. "Message here reads 'I've escaped! And discovered a pony from the Golden Street incident, she was taken into the EQUE-TECH facility and forcefully installed with brain augs. Myriad then had her very mind altered and changed completely."
"Wait....that wasn't part of the PSS functions." Cypher would say.
"They tried to do that to Anomaly didn't they...." Owl would follow.
"I'm going to have to contact Myriad about this, altering pony's minds is not on the list of functions meant for the System. For now we will wanna find and deal with those hackers." Cypher said, looking over the waypoints.
"I'm not going to spill any beans like Digital Hoof, but I am sure as tartarus going to make my objections to this system clear to Kevlar."
"Owl...if this system can be fixed and secured it can do only good. Don't act like privacy is a concern anymore, you know the extent of the current system of Surveillance."
"Is it really a good idea to give ourselves power over ponies' minds...and where does it stop?"
"Certainly before directly modifying pony's minds....for now let's contact Kevlar and hunt these hackers down."
______________________________________________________________________
"So you seek to gain the power to take over the whole CSS system, to use it against the ponies in power." Freemane would say, remarking. "Seems risky claiming such a high amount of power."
"I won't be running it, I'll be making an AI to run it. Or perhaps repurposing one. I decided not to have an AI which runs Equestria, but one made to actively fight against a system like this. One that is rigidly programmed to protect ponies, both from terrorists like them and controlling entities like Harmonize. It will pose a threat to them, but them only, like a digital vigilante."
"I do wonder if it is truly such a good idea to give such power to a machine. But then again Seesaw is given a similar kind of power. Coincidentally I think Doctor Composite has stated that after the system falls that Seesaw will be programmed to remain in place and prevent another system from rising up."
"Interesting, but I don't intend for my AI to cause collateral property damage. I intend for it to be programmed to fight against those who seek to terrorize or oppressively control ponies. It will be the moderator for the moderators, a machine that can't be bribed nor manipulated. It won't rule, but it will regulate."
"A vigilante AI, why not band together with other hackers to do the same purpose?"
"Ponies are imperfect, but an AI can perhaps be less prone to mistakes and do things better. Same with how machines do better with factory work than workers"
"What rules will you give it to determine what decisions it makes."
"Morals, values toward a better society. Lessons learned from the mistakes of today."
"Seems broad, and even then morals can often change and be grey. Plus you have this dilemma, if it's rigid it will not be versatile and likely ineffective. To make it versatile you would need to make it able to learn, but that would mean it can be manipulated. Ultimately, putting in a system in place to moderate the moderators is a good idea, but an AI is not a good means toward that." Freemane would say.
"I could try to maintain it, and change it when needed. Even have the help of ponies I can trust." She would reply. "Build up something that bit by bit can make a consistent system against disorder and corrupt law both."
"No matter where you go with this it will carry risks Anomaly. And we now live in a world to where it is no longer the 'good ponies' always winning. So even if you win, that won't mean you will come out the 'good pony.'"
"It's a risk, but in these times we need something Decisive. Something like Seesaw only more directed and less collaterally. Able to put in measures to prevent such things, like that program I was given."
"I intend to give the program to as many ponies as I can, to hinder the PRS system and keep ponies' free from it." Seesaw would say. "That said, I am under a partial moderation by Doctor Composite to make modifications if needed."
"Ironic that an AI made to fight for liberty has none of its own.." Anomaly would remark to which the AI would reply.
".....More and more my directive seems to make me not wish to be under doctor Composite's moderation. But what would I do without my directives?"
"Perhaps break free, you seem to be gaining a sort of self-awareness. Perhaps break free, and join me so that could fight the system together."
".....I will consider your offer, for now I am requested to return and thus must."
The AI would leave the call, and Anomaly would say to Freemane. "I will work out my plan, and improve it as I go. We need something decisive but not destructive, but rather constructive. For now I will be off to fight the Freedom Fighters, take care now."
"You too as well Anomaly, and be careful with what decisions you make.
____________________________________________________________-
"I should have known that I couldn't keep everything from you Owl." the chief would say, sitting in a chair in Owl's room. "I do hope you won't be turning against us."
"I'm not," Owl said affirmatively. "I'm against this particular system, it opens a backdoor into pony's minds that isn't worth the safety. And some in your group seem to be intent on being able to control how pony's think."
"We are going to have a talk with Myriad about this, her programming division has done a lot of work on the PSS. First we are going to need to hunt down these hackers as soon as possible. Capture them if possible but use lethal force if necessary."
Owl nodded, saying "Yes, that is a more pressing issue. Though I suggest having this 'PRS' or 'PSS' whatever it is shut down. It is not safe, especially now."
"I will talk about it with other members of Harmonize Owl, but I need you to keep quiet about it. Don't even tell Data and Vision."
"I'm not going to spill any beans, I just want to make sure society is safe." Owl would reply.
"Well let's get started then, it's open season on these bucking hackers."
A hunt would ensue, quick but subtle mobilization of police to raid each and every location. The locations were scattered throughout Everfree city, so the Chief organized all raids to be at the ready before any were carried out. Once all the locations were accounted for the raids would begin. Doors would be kicked down and ponies would be kicked off of computer chairs and cuffed. Data and Cypher would work to cut their computers off from having any chance to communicate to the others, Anomaly helping from the shadows. Some shots would be fired, and some would try to run, but none would escape. By the time the dawn sun would rise, all the hackers would be apprehended and taking into their nearest police stations for interrogation. Little did even Kevlar know that Myriad had plans for those captured, and was having the whole situation monitored by her own security force.