Seesaw

by MintLynx

8: Truth?

A battle of coding ensued, ones and zeroes clashing soldiers of great armies in a battlefield. It was akin to a sword fight, both sides trying to cripple the other's system while protecting their own. Anomaly found herself actually not bypassing or taking down this security pony easily, she wondered why this pony couldn't stop the terror attack by them self if they were so good. Presumably, it was due to them being outnumbered, she did still have the advantage. The fight was like that of a like a bionic swordfighter taking on a senior veteran sword fighter.

Anomaly could work faster, and the evident skill and experience of the CyberGuard she faced were the only thing preventing them from getting demolished. The CG them self struggled somewhat and was pushed straight to the limit against this invader, literally the only thing that could hold up against her. The digital dance ensued for what was only a few minutes yet felt like hours to both sides, and the CG would be forced to use a hacking trick known as the Phantom Clone. This trick involved making artificial copies of your system on the InterNet, copies which could be made to do a variety of things. Hera was taken aback by this trick, having not dabbled in the hacker spaces she had not seen such a trick before. There was a whole world of tricks and techniques within the hacker world, and such tricks would be the CG's only advantage against The invader's lack of knowledge against them.

Anomaly took some time to think as seemingly multiple identical computers seemed to be at her at once, she would, however, use her superior hacking speed to get a better digital look at the opponent she faced. Soon enough she discovered that two of the three were but digital mirrors of the main one. That in mind the mare would then take direct her actions toward the main computers, she wasn't intent on destroying the CG's computer as her intent here was not so malicious. Her ultimate goal was to cause a simple crash, something that could be fixed with a mere reboot. Anomaly soon discovered, however, that those phantoms were not just there for visual diversion as they started to shot viruses into her system.

Forced back from her efforts she put the effort into flushing them out, it was not difficult but was distracting enough on her offense that it gave the CG some chance to try to crack in and track her location. Such efforts would be pushed back however as Anomaly was back at it again, quickly putting up defensive programs to protect from any automated viral attacks. She then realized her systems would likely be recognized as EqueSoft type defensive programs given those were what she worked with. Not that potentially framing EQUE-TECH for this intrusion would be too much of a problem to her, whatever 'upgrades' they were going to offer her weren't just going to make her friendly again after all.

Soon enough the CG, like an assassin whipping out throwing daggers, revealed another trick up their sleeve. This one being a program known among the hacking spaces as a 'sniper rocket' designed to damage and pierce into a system to cause it harm. Anomaly noticed as both the CG and their phantoms shot one of these programs at her, doing some damage to her defensive programs and even partially bypassing them partially. That was two tricks she had never seen before and was wondering what kind of CG she was to be using these kinds of unfamiliar programs. Anomaly then went into a sort of monitoring mode, watching the actions of this CG and trying to scope out their tactic, quickly she discovered other programs being used. The aptly named 'shotgun' designed for a simultaneous attack on multiple places on a system being one of them. She would soon enough, however, look into the ghosts that the CG generated and look into how they were made. It wouldn't take long before she learned enough to copy this program for her own use.

"Let's see how you take on your own tricks."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Owl and many of the other ponies of I&I would be questioning the captured hackers, who told like crazed psychics of the 'inevitable fall of government' and how the 'oppressive' system 'could not stand forever'. Owl found such talks of oppression to be absurd as living in Battania alone showed him that ponies weren't exactly restricted from living, working, and enjoying their lives. These hackers also warned of the 'corporate enslavement' of pony kind which made Owl suggest these ponies have drug tests put on them soon enough as they might not have been sober enough to question. Questioning further brought about even more crazy conspiratorial stories and accusations, which proved an annoyance for all of them.

One pony claimed that there was a plot to implement a mind control system on ponies through brain augmentations, something that proved the last straw for them. Frankly done with interrogating these ponies the I&I team mostly found that the kind of ideology these ponies had was indeed a revolutionary anarchist type of extremism with a dash of Digital Hoof's 'Truth and Exposure' style cause of Data theft. It was also apparent that more attacks in Everfree were intended as the 'alpha' for what was going to be a campaign of terror to spread throughout Equestria. The hackers were conveniently confident in describing their plans in broad detail but were adamant about not giving any majorly helpful details. Still the I&I team dug deeper and persisted, offering the usual plea deals.

Walking out from the room where the interrogations occurred Owl sighed and was joined by Vision. Data would also be outside looking over things online to see if she could find any suspicious activity. Like a wandering watchdog Data looked around the networks with all the RLG given privilege she had to snoop. Computer smart I&I personnel were a part of the surveillance system and thus given access alongside CyberGuard to snoop the networks of the InterNet to their own discretion.

"Bucking lunatics, most info we got is that they are lunatics who we'll be surprised if drug tests go negative." said Vision looking to Data.

"Crazy anarchists, at least they have some form of mental problems," Owl followed with his tone exasperate, frustrated, and tired. He was hoping interrogation wouldn't last beyond sunrise as a mere hour with the hackers was psychological Tartarus for him.

"Maybe their parents were druggies," commented Data, her eyes not leaving the screen as she talked. "Sucking up rotted smoke, even if their moms didn't do it while knocked up no doubt they weren't parented well by either moms or dads." she snickered a bit at her little insult, wishing she could shoot it at the hackers being interrogated.

"Well can't expect good parents from the underground, lawless place where ponies learn to live like animals. Kill or be killed eat or be eaten, either part of a gang or a slimy opportunist." Vision remarked, being one who did not like the underground nor the Cyberculture it largely bred.

Data would decide to take a look at systems at the home base, the Canterlot RLG facility, just to make sure no crazy anarcho-hackers were trying to tear things up there. Suddenly she discovered a lot of the normally running CG computers were down, an alarming number, and a few more were crashing as well. Not a harmful crash to result in the dreaded 'blue screen' but something of note. "Guys I think there's a cyber battle going on at home base." Data would sneak her way into the digital situation like a sniper walking into a battlefield. She saw that none other than Cypher Code was digitally duking it out with a single invader who was alarmingly deep into the mainframe.

Cypher Code was always the best of the CyberGuard, recruited in her younger years after serving time for various cyber crimes. Cypher was a very talented hacker, and though she was very distrusted at works she proved an effective fire to fight the fire. Data decided she would try and sneakily assist the veteran CyberGuard, analyzing and seeing as both Cypher and the invader were using Phantom Clones. Other CGs were trying to assist only to get quickly taken off by this hacker, unnaturally quick. Data pondered on what her next move would be very carefully, suspecting this hacker was likely among the ones responsible for the attack on the mall.

Owl and Night watched in apprehension as Date prepared herself a sort of trap program, one designed to hit the invader's computer hard. Trap programs were a more unorthodox security measure popular among the kinds of amateur hackers hired to protect smaller businesses online, typically not called hackers given the derogatory nature of the term hacker in civilized society. A trap program worked differently from the typical defensive wall program as it instead sprung on the invader with a sudden virus. The one that Data was developing was going to be a big one that hit the invader's system with twenty viruses and would need to be set quickly to be effective in its element of surprise.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anomaly found the phantom close trick to be useful, though repeated viral hits eventually took the phantoms down they were still useful on the defense as they reduced the chance of getting hit. She would continue her fight against the CG, starting to win against them and force them back to repair their systems. Soon enough, however, another CG would seem to appear, suspecting another easy takedown she would act quickly only to spring up a program that suddenly infested her with viruses. Like a pony stepping on a landmine, Anomaly was blind sighted by the sudden attack, unlike one, however she wasn't immediately done in. She was however forced to divert from the offense and work to get them out of her system, giving her attackers a chance to try and jack in and track her location. Having her location tracked would not be a good outcome, and the risk of the situation started to make her doubt that she should continue on.

And then she would suddenly receive assistance as none other than the hacker Tazen_high would pop into the system and pelt her attackers with a program known as the machine gun turret. Rapidly shooting viruses at the ones targeted, the Machine gun was an effective but system exhausting automated program used particularly in hack fights. Both her attackers would be forced back and forced to put up defensive walls, giving anomaly the few seconds she needed to fix up the viruses. Given the opportunity Anomaly would digitally head straight for the mainframe's database, grabbing everything she could before coming under attack again. Working in conjunction with Tazen Anomaly would push back the attacking CGs then get back to cracking into the data of the mainframe.

______________________________________________________________________________

Data said in her head "Buck buck buck buck come on! If it wasn't for that sudden hacker we would have had that trespasser!" she tried to hide her worry and frustration in hopes that she would hide the severity of the situation from Owl and Vision. Given neither had but common computer know-how they could tell little of what went on on Data's computer screen. Soon enough she ordered her friends. "Quit looking over my shoulder! Let me do my work dangit!" her friends would move away as she continued her work, trying hard to help Cypher.

Behind her own computer rig would be Cypher, the former renegade hacker turned royal digital police. Whoever this hacker was, whether one of the terrorists who overwhelmed her in the mall incident or not, they were something else. If it was a terrorist at least there was just one, though given the heavy use of manual hacks and minimal use of automated programs it didn't seem likely. Ultimately Cypher surmised this was a Digital Hoof data raid, and what could be the biggest one yet if she failed. With the impending level 13 threat the RLG did not need a major data breach like this. This lone hacker came farther than any ever had in the Guard's entire history, few even managed to take on the surface layer of defense let alone come this close. Eventually, Cypher decided there was only one thing left he could do, as time was of the essence and it would only be a matter of time before the hacker managed to get everything. Like on an invisible but loudly ticking mental timer to a bomb, Cypher was under pressure and desperation as she attempted a last ditch effort to try and stop the biggest data breach in the Royal Guard's digital history.

Data looked as Cypher seemed to stop her attacks, wondering as she spyed what Cypher was up to. "What is Cyper doing?? Is she crazy as a wild druggie or desperate as a mare in her forties without a foal??"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anomaly would look as attacks on her seemed to cease, and instead, she got what seemed to be a message. No attempt at a trap or anything she could find on what was sent, just simply a message.

"Please stop and read what I have to say, you don't know what box you're going to crack open by bringing that out to the public! It can have some severe repercussions and it won't just be you that faces them."

She looked to the puzzle with some intrigue, it appeared as if the CG was so desperate to the point where she was evidently going to attempt to talk her out of her little data breach. Keeping an eye out for any surprise attack attempts she simply sent a response message saying "What do you mean?"

After a couple minutes, the CG would send back the message. "You won't like what you find in there, but know that it's a catalog of what we are hoping to try to make better. There's a reason why we're not letting everything out to the public, a good one at that. If this is released publically it can threaten to cause immense panic and distrust. Yes, there are lies to the populace brought but it's for their protection because they simply do not have the strength to face it. For decades we both the guard along with the princesses and harmony council have been trying to preserve and maintain civilized society even as an uncivilized threat looms over. That threat has grown, and it's something the elements of harmony can't merely friendship zap away. We have been trying to protect civilized society from the looming threat that lies within the underground, that IS the underground. But the only way to do that fully is to cut off its influence on society and to do that needs the veil which keeps them ignorant but safe. Let's them live without having to face that looming uncivil threat, as long as we can maintain the veil it will keep citizens, families, children safe. Few of us even the Guard know the secrets kept for our safety, that's how dangerous the truth is. Please whoever you are, consider what I say before you do what I am sure I know you will do."

Reading over the message made Anomaly think, this message seemed to given her an interesting perspective on the situation with royal government and guard. Were they really hiding the truth for the sake of protecting society? Was the system a flawed but well-intentioned system? She pondered this in her head these questions, once again at a crossroad of choice. Which would she help, the establishment claimed to be well intentioned or those against it. Would she help stand with a safe lie or a risky truth? Anomaly would take a look into the files acquired, seeking to finally satiate her curiosity as to what exactly was kept so secure and secret deep within the Royal Guard mainframe. What she found deep in those secret files, many too recent and numerous to be quickly deleted would draw her mind ever so deeper in thought on the crossroad laid before her.

____________________________________________________________________

Data watched as the invaders went to pull out of the system. She wasn't going to let them get away with it and thus snuck in, careful and precise in her programming she snuck into the hacker self-marked as 'Tazen_high' to try to track their system. Luckily Cypher would notice this and assist until they both tracked the hacker's location. Acting quickly they both worked to pinpoint where this hacker was, if they weren't going to find or stop the superhacker they would at least attempt to track and find their partner hacker.

Tracking the location Data would keep a mental note, while she and Cypher looked as deep into this Tazen's computer. Soon enough, however, the hacker would catch them and frantically try to remove them, thus yet another struggle of codes would ensue. Defensive walls erected, various offensive programs flung at eachother, it was akin to a battle between two fortresses. Data and Cypher didn't fight long and ultimately pulled back from the computer as they had the location of this hacker. After they pulled out Data was sent a request for a telepathic call, accepting she would speak with Cypher.

"I assume you saw my message to the super hacker?" Said Cypher.

"That I did, hope it'll make them reconsider trying to....leak all that. I didn't see a trace of it in the other hacker's computer."

"Which means the super hacker might still have it, and may potentially have kept my message in mind."

"Is there really issues so strong they need to be kept secret?" asked Data, having just gotten such a revelation herself.

"Yes, it is but it's not without hope. There's a good reason few even in the force know about such issues, and I would ask that you keep it secret." Cypher replied. "Efforts are underway at the top to try to improve things, I can assure you that."

Data found herself questioning a bit, given the idea of there being such shocking revelation that it could turn society upside down. The fear of what could happen however made her inclined to agree to keep quiet about it. "Alright, I'll keep quiet about it."

___________________________________________________________

Anomaly received angered messages from Tazen, asking whether or not she was going to give them the data or not. She herself was unsure, as in her mind she stared at the crossroad before her in another episode of wondering and questioning. The mare didn't know what to say to the hacker, as she knew not if she would even remain on this hacker's side. Ultimately she decided to tell Tazen of the CG's message to see what she would make of it. Transmitting the copied message from the CG Anomaly would tell Tazen in text "I don't know if just releasing this data will do well for society.." she awaited a response from the hacker. No reply would come, and it made Anomaly worry some if this hacker was going to turn hostile. However, she would eventually gain a response.

"Well, not like hiding it will do much good. She ADMITTED there are problems, and don't let her claims of them wanting to fix things sway you. Even if some ponies among the royal government and guard want change, 'some' is clearly not enough, they've been like this for decades and it has only gotten WORSE! Even they have good intentions, they're still lying and maintaining public ignorance. The public ignorance can't go on forever, especially with the corruption going on."

"BUT! Is it really best to drop a bombshell like this on society? Do you really want to risk panic, the potential damage and loss of life can occur especially in a time where a terrorist threat is looming? I hope you're not sympathizing with the freedom fighter's intentions..."

"Of course bucking not, those maniacs are not only immoral felons but a disgrace to hacktivists everywhere. The princesses and their little harmony council are certainly going to use them as a scapegoat against ponies like us, further fuel their anti-hacker propaganda. That said though it seems like we might want to use this new Data sparingly."

"I might recommend you not give this freely to your fellow hackers, instead just keep it to yourself and piecemeal it."

"I'll consider doing that. Now please give it over. I gotta move, the CGs have tracked my location and I'm going to need to head out soon."

Anomaly thought over her choice quickly and carefully, the enhanced thinking afforded to her by her brain augmentations. Her ultimate choice was to give a fraction of the data to Tazen, predicting what she'd give would be more than enough to satisfy the hacker and convince them she wasn't keeping around sixty percent of the data hidden within her own files. She was still not fully trustful of this hacker, and for all, she knew he or she could be lying to her to get the info. Thus she decided to compromise, only with the other party unaware of the compromise. Long as she wasn't asked if that was everything she technically didn't lie, and luckily for that sentiment, Tazen quickly went offline after getting some of the files. Tucking the remaining files deep within the storage of her brain augmentations the mare simply lay back and thought about what she would do now. Ultimately and quickly she decided to simply continue to go along with her current situation, helping the Royal Guard deal with the terrorist threat and worrying about what to do afterward at a later time.

______________________________________________________________

Data would look to Owl and say to him. "Good news, we found a hacker responsible for trying to crack into the mainframe. Tracked the address and everything."

Owl would ask "What's the address? Somewhere in Everfree among another party district?" he asked with a snicker. "These hackers always seem to be operating in those types of areas."

Vision remarked. "Well, it's the places where the rebellious cyberculture types hang, so not too much of a surprise there. When underground bunkers are commonplace you can hide anywhere in a city, no longer a need to hang in the slums to be discreet."

Data looked and shook her head. "Battania, apartment facility 2027, room 303."

"So a bat hacked the place, wouldn't it be something if it was somepony related to if not part of the force." Vision snickered and looked over to Owl. His expression turned from one of slight humor at the thought to one of concern as he saw Owl lock up and freeze like a prison on emergency lockdown. "Owl......? What is it, buddy?"

"......Haze.....that's where..." like a grasshopper escaping a hungry bird Owl flew quickly down the hall, Vision would fly after him before stopping him at the door outside. Owl's expression was one of horror, shock and apprehension smashed together like autocarriages in a three-way collision. He struggled to pull away and fly through the door, not replying as night asked what was going on. Night then remembered and realized who Haze was, Night Haze, his ex-wife. Shaking Owl Night would attempt to calm him and reason with him, eventually the stallion caught his breath as he said. "Night Haze....?? She.....works for a private cyber security company there's no..."

"That's where she lives huh? Well, this is interesting.....but you shouldn't run off to there, though. Let's call the chief and tell him to send a team there to search the apartment." Vision replied. Owl's worry in his eyes would not fade, but the more violent emotions had calmed. He was less worried about his Ex possibly being an InterNet outlaw. Owl was more concerned for his daughter ending up rolled into such illegal underground activities, influenced by their ways if not worse.

Some time passed as the hackers were taken to holding cells, dawn was starting to beset the skyline of Everfree. A Sector 4 team would be assembled and dispatched to the apartment to search it. Owl got to watch via security camera footage, on edge and hoping things wouldn't turn badly. The team was armed with stun rifles, nonlethal weapons functioning as bigger and longer range stun guns. Lethal force preparation was deemed impractical, they wanted this hacker captured and alive for questioning. As the apartment was stormed into and searched, Owl's worry would skyrocket to the moon as it was discovered neither Haze nor Bug Byte could be found.

Calling BEDS would find that Bug was not there either, his ex and daughter were missing, and there was evidence that Haze may have been involved with an attempted data breach. The bat stallion did not anticipate sleeping today, as worry brought him on the verge of storming off and searching for his daughter. The chief however directed that he remain at the hotel so they could focus on the issue at hoof, promising Owl that search would be arranged for Night and Bug. The promise was of a limited relief, and he found it impossible not to think about his daughter. He considered asking this hacker they rescued, Anomaly, to try to help in that search.

Owl, however, would not have to wait for too long as he would suddenly receive a message on his wrist computer from an 'unknown sender'.

"I know you're worried, but I have my reasons. I'll give you a waypoint where you can try to find me and let me explain. DON'T bring your friend or anypony, not even from online or you won't find me there. I also have something to show you, a truth which might I warn will shatter many things you thought true."

Seeing this message, he could only assume it was from Night Haze. Anger started to rage like a fire ignited on biofuel leaking from a damaged autocarriage's fuel tank. Haze would have a lot to answer for as if it wasn't bad enough that he nearly witnessed a fiery massacre, now this. Owl pondered what he would do, apparently, she was forcing him to go alone so she could not be apprehended. In the end, he told his friends of the message and soon the chief as well. They decided to allow Owl to head to this waypoint alone as it was in Everfree City and gave him a Stun gun so he could apprehend his ex himself.

His fur was ruffled, fanged teeth bared as he flew along above the streets as the sun's light shined in between the buildings of the skyline. Any tiredness he had was overcome by determination to come and chew out Haze for all of this. Breaking the law and putting their daughter in danger by taking her along as she fled. Owl was prepared to pin her to a wall and squeeze every detail of her 'reasons' out from her, and if Bug was there he wasn't going to leave without taking her. He would fly along into the streets, a more quiet block consisting entirely of apartment buildings, one of which being one of few flying pony-centric apartment complexes found in Everfree.

It was called the 'No Stairs Apartment' advertising the lack of stairs and greater freedom of flight for pegasi. The waypoint would lead him to the top, to an apartment which was unoccupied. Curiously one of the windows slid open as if activated from the inside, giving him access which he eagerly exploited as he entered and yelled "HAZE! WHERE THE BUCK ARE YOU!?" in a demanding tone. He searched the apartment, kicking open the bedroom door to find a cheap mini computer sitting on a nightstand. A call activated and on the screen would be none other than Haze, a face that Owl once admired. He now looked on that face with anger that could be seen by her, even in the room lit merely by the computer's screen.

"Owl....please listen to me. There's a lot to talk about and I feel like now is the time to do it."

Owl's anger laden face looked ominous in the little light that shone upon it, speaking in suppressed anger as he said to her. "Did you hack into the Royal Guard mainframe?"

Haze didn't want to Rat out the pony who helped give her the data, so she neglected to mention Anomaly as she said to him. "I have, and I have reasons. Remember how we started to drift apart, how I mentioned you being way too trusting and unquestioning of your superiors?" Owl's memory of that bitter time leading to the end of their marriage. Haze fell for him in high school at BEDS after he stuck up for someone harassed by school bullies and confronted the school gang. Despite being beaten up Owl came back for them, finding his cutie mark in stealth after snooping around one of their houses. He discovered that the school gang was running narcotic E-cigar oils and doing cyber crimes as well. Taking pictures with his wrist computer he snuck out and brought the evidence to police, who brought the evidence to police and got the students arrested. The school, being a kind of place which often treated students as numbers, proved ineffective at dealing with them.

Haze admired that, and ultimately found and hit it off with Owl. Owl's little spying resulted in him being given enrollment after high school into the Lunar Guard Training Academy for operation in Investigation and Interrogation. Things went well for him and Haze, getting married and having Bug Byte. In time Owl's devotion and loyalty to the force bothered Haze who herself was herself more skeptical and cynical of the government, this would ultimately prove to slowly tear them apart and result in a number of heated arguments. In the end, things ended with divorce, but also the compromise to let their daughter see them both.

"The buck does that have to do with anything? Has your little questioning of the government turned you into a bucking cybercriminal? One of those luna cursed 'hacktivists'?" Owl said, his tone emitting anger and some annoyance at the though. "I swear to Luna if you're taking my daughter among criminals I will make you regret it."

"We're not just criminals, we don't run drugs and we don't just maliciously attack ponies data. Ponies who claim to be part of us that do that are just trolls and the like. Our little filly's safe I swear on my life, but if you let me explain you might understand what I am doing.."

"Well then.....SPIT IT BUCKING OUT!" Owl spat back at her angered that she didn't even come here in person to talk to him and instead led him to a cheap computer.

Haze would properly explain her motives for joining Digital Hoof, mentioning her distrust of authority and desire to bring exposure to slimy and corrupt ponies in power. She mentioned being part of them since late in their marriage and admitted to exploiting his place in the RLG to hack into his wrist computer to spy and snoop on what he did. The mare told him all of this, and then mentioned this 'truth' she was going to reveal. Sympathetically, aware of how this would hit him, she warned that he was not going to like what he saw. Owl was frankly annoyed and wanted to see just what she had that would 'shatter' a lot of what he believed.

Haze would show many a file, and the more Owl saw the more in horrified denial he became. Countless refusals to indict local police of documented unwarranted force and brutality, Corporate bribery in Royal lawmaking, allowance of unlawful corporate censorship, and even cases of unauthorized 'interrogation' by Sector 4 personnel being swept under the rug. Neither local police nor Guards were without things which these documents seemed to indict them of. Haze told him that these were the biggest among other files which were in the process of being deleted, but came recently enough that she was lucky enough to acquire them. Owl started to shake, tremble and tear up at what he saw, his mind denying things and branding them faked despite the familiar format of the documents.

His ex would see his expression and would feel pain in her heart. Mentally she beat herself up for not trying harder to open his eyes, now she watched as he began to break down. Even if she divorced him, she didn't hate him nor want to see him like this. The bat mare, however, felt hope in her heart that this eye opening would prove fruitful enough that he might turn to her side. Owl, however, would look in anger demanding she tell him where she and their daughter and yelling in a tone to be described as mad by both definitions. Haze sighed, saying her goodbyes and mentioning her hope he would turn to her side before closing the call. An angered Owl would pick it up, demanding she saw something to no avail.

The cheap computer would be repeatedly smashed and chucked around the room, Owl unleashing his anger on the machine. Panting Owl would fall back on a wall next to the broken machine, hyperventilating and soon enough passing out from exhaustion as sunlight flowed into the apartment through the window and into the bedroom.

Author's Note:

A good playlist of hacking befitting music.

Comments

[Rahzzy]

that was..only 20% of the data.... makes me wonder if that's just 20%...what's the other 80%? because that little big was already crazy