[SESSION id=0.8]: Log Failure
Var Underflow
The streets of [city[0]] were quiet. It was a rest cycle, but I'd been called into work on special assignment. They wanted a retrospective of the incident, and I was the only witness to the cracker activity that compromised not just TERRA's entire network, but certain parts of The Source itself.
Every so often, someone passed by. I swore I heard whispers of grid failures still ongoing. What I'd done was brushing up against the divine, and it was having an impact of cascading failure. If I weren't so terrified of the sentencing I was walking into, I might honestly be proud of myself for such an impressive break.
Why hadn't I returned to work since the incident, beyond the three cycles offered? Someone called in a favour on my behalf. My secret benefactor pointed out that having me return between rest cycles would only cause bigger problems, so I was granted a bit more time.
Jazz stopped by my domicile each cycle, bringing me my stimulant brew and layer pastry before helping clean up the space. She sat with me. We didn't speak. And then she left.
But now? I was on my way to face my doom.
My badge had to ping the door five times before it opened. Not a good sign. The lift door stuck and drug so slowly I almost gave up and turned around. When I pressed the button for the seventeenth floor, the button lit up yellow. Provisional access. Likely pending a termination.
I let out a hollow laugh as the lift started to move. For the first time in supercycles, the last several cycles were a refreshing reprieve from my constant begging for SIGTERM. For once, I felt so alive I could understand why people wanted to keep going. Even if I was struggling to get out of bed. Or talk. Or do anything, really. I had touched the divine, and I suddenly knew what I wanted from [world].
Not simply access to fix myself.
Access to fix everything.
The lift stopped, the doors opened, and I was greeted by a confusing sight. Someone had left the office doors open, and I could see straight in. Where my workstation had been, there was nothing. Not like it was simply removed. There were scorch marks on the surrounding tables and cubes. Something had gone far more horribly wrong than I expected.
My feet carried me sullenly toward the supervisor's office, thankful for whomever had requested the extra time.
Her door was open. She was looking through hard copies of logs, cross referencing them with something on her screen. Somehow she heard me approach, but she didn't look up as she spoke. "Close the door. Sit down. And start from the beginning. When you get to the end, I'll tell you why you're not being terminated, then I'll ask you some very important questions."
I did as instructed, but I wasn't sure what 'the beginning' meant from her perspective, so I started where it made the most logical sense.
"User permissions," I whispered at first. She dropped the papers on her desk and stared at me. "Right. Sorry. User permissions. That's where this started. The all important moment in the search."
The supervisor leaned back in her chair. "Good. I would've demanded you step back to that. Why were user permissions so important?"
"Can I demonstrate something for you? Or am I banned from workstations until the investigation finishes?" She smiled, backed away from her desk and gestured to the workstation. "You have the right access to show this without extra trouble."
Rain.Cloud@TERRA in ~: user probe -pl
username: Rain.Cloud
permissions: 0xE27CA512
Rain.Cloud@TERRA in ~: sudo su E_En.E_En
password: **********
E_En.E_En@TERRA in /home/Rain.Cloud: su
Access Denied"I'll ignore for the moment why you know Even's password. Tell me instead what this exercise is intended to prove." She was looking at the various lines, tracing her finger along each one. "There's clearly a point."
"How do the crackers get into The Source deeply enough to make any changes?" I walked back to the seat. "The system is so thoroughly locked down that no one should be able to do anything in there."
"Except people like you," she nodded, "who have found their way into places they shouldn't be. So you were checking permissions of Flower_Princess, Silver_Thorn and others. Including yourself. Tell me more."
"In the name of full transparency, Miss Cloud," I hadn't known her name before using her workstation. She smirked at my address. "In the name of full transparency, the real reason I've been trying to get into the root user database is to change my name."
"Right. You said you were used to being called Antella." I nodded. She didn't need the full truth. "But usermod is locked to those with 0x7Y or 0xBY user permissions or higher. So you thought getting into the database itself would be simpler."
"Caught. Filleted. Served hot." I smiled at the expression. She did not. "Anyway, in testing, I did something illegal. I logged into a superuser account I just happened to have credentials for. It's not the first time. It won't be the last."
"I assumed." She smiled broadly. "As I've said, it's why we hired you."
"But I accidentally attempted to retrieve a data packet that was," I held up my hand, thumb and forefinger almost touching, "a little too big. I forgot to type restrictions on the command, options that would lessen the dataset."
"We've all done that." She set her hands on the desk. "That checks out for what the logs are showing, but you're being put on probation. No after-hours work. And your log-cleaning is officially restricted while we sort some things out."
"Of course."
"Now as to why you're not being terminated," she stood, picking something up from her desk. "You've apparently got some friends in high places. A sysadmin working at TERRA Central came down and chatted with me personally. She said to give you this. Said you'd understand. Said if you get caught again, she'll personally deal with you."
Her steps echoed loudly as she walked around the desk. My heart nearly beat out of my chest. She was holding an envelope. Once it was in my hand, she returned to her seat. As I moved to open it, she cleared her throat.
"Trust, I'm not pleased with this outcome." I couldn't say I was, either. "Now to the questions. First and foremost, are you dating someone from TERRA Central?"
"Not to my knowledge," I shrugged. "My girlfriend is pretty shady about what she does. Outside of harassing her sister anyway."
"Good. I didn't want to have to file human resources reports." She relaxed finally. "Second, what's the real reason you don't like your name, Lawrence?" I winced. "Don't answer that. I would rather not have to file human resources reports about a confirmed cross-code trying to change ..." She waited for me to fill in the gap. I didn't respond. "To change names."
"Thank you." Sweat broke through and drenched my skin. "How long have you known?"
"Since the TERRA Central sysadmin called you 'she' and 'her'. She didn't correct herself, even after I tried to nudge her toward it." Her head hung low for a moment. "Please tell me it's also a coincidence that she called you Miss Thorn. If news got out about the newly infamous Silver_Thorn infiltrating TERRA, we'd have an even bigger incident on our hands."
"I can assure you, in no uncertain terms," I smiled, "that I'm not Silver_Thorn. Unless I've been accidentally coding in my sleep."
"Good." She once again stood and walked to the door. "Now, once I open this door, Miss Thorn, I will return to calling you Antella. If you get outed as a cross-code, I will not be protecting you. As I've said, you are an asset I cannot lose. So don't get caught."
As I stepped back into the main office space, she closed the door behind her, and I finally had a moment to check the envelope. Inside was a slip of paper. Small, simple, easy. On it was a drawing of a lily between the letters J and N.
This was growing more and more complicated.
Contrast Exception
LA:
> When were you going to tell me you work at TERRA Central?
JN:
> When were you going to ask about anything other than my love life?
LA:
> You're right. Oh my gosh! JN! We haven't spoken in ages! How are things?
> Do you have a family yet? Are you married? Oh! What are you doing for work?
JN:
> I'll give you one chance to apologise.
LA:
> I'm sorry for being a bit much. It just shocked me, is all. You know.
> I think you know more about me, than I know about you. Sorry about that.
> My girlfriend actively won't tell me what she does. I've asked.
>
> How are things with your relationship?
JN:
> She's oblivious to a lot of things, but she tries hard. Gets into trouble.
> Recently, she did this grand romantic gesture for me.
> At least, I'm pretty sure it was her. Still looking for a clean confirmation.
LA:
> If it wasn't the thing with Flower_Princess and Silver_Thorn, you're fine.
> That was an impressive bit of showmanship from Silver_Thorn.
> I read the code before it happened, and I was blown away.
JN:
> Things like what you just said are why I didn't tell you I work at Central.
> But also, I am aware. I'm a sysadmin, not an idiot.
> You know everything about what Silver_Thorn is doing.
> Obsessing over her the way I obsess (present tense) over Flower_Princess.
> Do you have a cracker crush, Lillian?
LA:
> I have a proper crush. Though my girlfriend did say I was just a placeholder.
> She is ALSO a fan of the Princess. I'm lucky to have an in.
JN:
> So you really know Flower_Princess? How well? And is that why you're well ...
> Not doing your job?
LA:
> Yes. Better than I like to admit. And yes. It's why I apologised to you.
> The closer I get with her, the more I understand everyone's admiration.
> Just took me understanding the person, not just the art.I sat with the exchange. How could I confess to her about being Flower_Princess now that I knew she worked at TERRA Central? That was a terrible idea.
A lot of time passed while I avoided saying anything more to anyone. My whole person was bursting at the seams. If I said one more thing to anyone, I might scream the truth to them. So I didn't move. I just stared at the conversation, reading it back.
To say I was missing something would be dishonest. Not because I had the whole picture, but because of just how much of the picture I lacked. Did I really know anything at all about anything at all?
Someone knocked on the door. It was odd enough to have company, but the only company I'd had the whole time I lived there was Jazz, and she didn't knock. Moving to the door, I noticed it wasn't even locked. So probably not
Jazz was standing there, staring at something. Or rather, leaning over, staring. She didn't even acknowledge when I opened the door. "When did this happen?" My eyes traced where she was looking. The name placard. "And how did you convince them to switch your system name to your name?"
I looked down. In bold elegant letters, a perfectly pristine name placard. Lillian Thorn - TERRA. "Uh. That's different." I swore it was ordinary before I left my domicile. Although, I was elsewhere when that happened. "I'm not opposed. But also, the timing seems suspicious."
"How do you mean? Or are you saying you didn't get them to, and it just happened?" She tilted her head to the side and stared. "If that's it, then yes. Very suspicious." She shrugged, then smiled, relaxing. "Well, since you're out of bed, Lyra wants you to come by the shop. She's been worried and wants proof of life."
"Does your sister think you killed me?"
Jazz stared at me. Her expression was torn between pain and understanding. "No. She thinks you went the way of forty-two percent of cross-codes who aren't accepted by their community, Lillian."
Right. Of course. That made a lot more sense.
She stared, her eyes wide. "You really didn't think of that? Oh but you are entirely oblivious, girl." She grabbed my hand and started pulling me out the door. "Come on. We're going to see her and Nova and then we're going to sit down and talk about normal people things. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't put up with this."
Love?