HACK-R – Episode 02

HACK-R
HACK-R Association of Cyber KRackers

* System Settings *

Version 1.02
k0ded by: Heihachi Y
©1998 HANGA Shousetsu
This source code is copyrighted to Heihachi Y.
Rating: LSV
k0ded in: Script-3.2 Format™
Linux is ©Linus Torvalds (All Hail the Creator!)
All Linux programs mentioned belong to their respective creators.
HANGA Shousetsu proudly supports the GNU/Linux community!
Website URL: http://mugenhan.com/
E-Mail Address: [email protected]

* Macros *

( ) - indicates an action
[ ] - denotes a thought
< > - expresses a sound effect
{ } - designates a whisper
<< >> - signifies a demonic/inhuman/alien voice
" " - represents displayed/dubbed/quoted text or filenames

* II. "First Bootup: Memory Test" *

Mamoru was floating around in the clouds, trying to get a hold of any of the hazy cushions, but failing each time. It didn't matter, though, because he was unconcerned about it at the moment. What he really wanted to do was find his way to heaven. If there was one. He looked up and saw nothing but a bright light. It seemed to beckon to him invitingly. Slowly, he drifted upwards, the light becoming unbearably blinding, yet soothing. He knew that his place was in the light. Then, it engulfed him, and he had to blink his eyes in amazement. He looked around and saw nothing but green binary digits streaking upwards around him. No matter where he looked, it was all he saw. He tried to run away, but everywhere he went, he saw nothing but green binary digits, flying in a meticulous pattern in many different directions and dimensions. He tried to scream for help, but the voice that came out was distorted and digitally altered. Suddenly, he grimaced in pain as he saw something move inside his hands. His skin broke open, revealing nothing but circuitry and small electronic gadgetry whirring around inside. His twisted voice howled out in agony as all the skin was ripped away from him to reveal his inhuman, computerized body, lights flashing and motors running, sustaining his life for him. He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He shut his artificial eyes tightly to block out his vision. Silence ensued around him, and he reopened his eyes to see a fluorescent light fixture shining in his face.

Mamoru: (With a croaked voice.) What the...?

He was relieved to hear his own voice again, but couldn't make out where he was.

Takayuki: (Walking up to Mamoru in a hospital bed.) Hey, bud. You doing okay now?
Mamoru: Takayuki? (Looks around at his hospital room.) What am I doing here?
Takayuki: We found you in your room this morning, roasted medium-rare, so we brought you here.
Mamoru: (Looks around his body.) Roasted?
Takayuki: Electrocuted.
Mamoru: (Sighs.) Damn... all I remember was compiling this new program I downloaded last night, and blackness after that...
Takayuki: A new program?
Mamoru: Yeah... I hope I didn't lose any info from the electrocution.
Takayuki: Bud, we were hoping that you were still alive!
Mamoru: (Laughs.) Well, I am now, so it's back to worrying about fickle things.
Mitsune: (Rushing into the room with tears in her eyes.) Mamoru! (Hugs him.) Oh, Mamoru! I thought that you were... that you were...
Mamoru: (Grins.) Don't sweat it, Mitsune. I'm a tough cookie.
Mitsune: (Sniffles.) Just don't scare us like that again, you hear?
Hitomi: (Walking in.) How are you feeling, Mamoru?
Mamoru: (Slowly eases Mitsune off him.) I dunno. Lemme check. (Stretches out and stands up.) Like a million bucks.
Hitomi: I guess pushing you off a building wouldn't get rid of you either, eh?
Mamoru: (Laughs.) Nope!
Mitsune: (Wipes her tears away.) Are you... really okay?
Mamoru: A hundred and one percent! Why?
Mitsune: Well... there's some... bad news...
Takayuki: Mitsune, ease up, okay? He might not be ready for it.
Mamoru: (In concern.) What is it?
Takayuki: (Hesitates.) The police paid you a visit while you were sleeping.
Mamoru: (Smirks.) Am I THAT popular?
Takayuki: No, I'm afraid it's much more serious than that. It's a cracker-related crime.
Mamoru: Nani?! Related to me?
Takayuki: Umm... no.
Mamoru: (Sighs.) Oh.
Takayuki: Related to you, me, and two other guys from school.
Mamoru: (With widened eyes.) Oh.
Takayuki: They wanted to wait until you were awake so that they could question all of us at once. Then... they're gonna toss us in the slammer.
Mamoru: Who are the other two?
Takayuki: Ranzo Heike and Junichi Watanabe.
Mamoru: Elite hackers like us.
Mitsune: They're elite?
Mamoru: Why else would they be key suspects? (Paces around the room.) Where are the cops?
Hitomi: Downstairs, getting coffee.
Mamoru: What about Ranzo and Junichi?
Takayuki: Outside, cuffed to their chairs with Mitsune's sister. (Smirks.) They all don't seem to like us very much.
Mamoru: (Nods.) I know. It's my fault. (Mutters.) Me and my ego. (Looks around the room.) We gotta get outta here.
Mitsune: I knew you'd say something like that. (Takes off her backpack.) That's why I brought your spare clothes with me.
Mamoru: Thanks, Mitsune. (Quickly gets dressed while the girls turn around momentarily.) Alright, we gotta pretend that I'm still out like a light. You guys try to get those three in here while those cops are still gone.
Takayuki: (Grins.) Leave it to me. I made a key that picks handcuff locks a couple weeks ago.
Mamoru: (Nods.) Let's do it. (Gets back into the bed.) Mitsune, pretend to cry. Hitomi...
Hitomi: Yeah?
Mamoru: Grab those bedsheets from the other bed and start tying a rope in the bathroom.
Hitomi: Okay. (Grabs the bedsheets and goes into the bathroom.)
Mamoru: Okay, Takayuki. You're up.
Takayuki: Let's do it.

***
Ranzo: When do you think he's gonna wake up?
Junichi: I dunno. Any baka who would get electrocuted from a power surge can't be all that elite.
Ranzo: (Snickers.) Yeah... (Suddenly sighs.) But, Mitsune's in there.
Hikaru: So? You should take your chance!
Ranzo: I dunno...
Hikaru: She likes you, Ranzo! I should know!
Junichi: Go for it, bud! Ask her out!
Ranzo: (Nods his head.) I would really like to do that... but I'm handcuffed to the chair, you guys!
Junichi: (Sighs.) Oh, yeah. Me too.
Hikaru: (Giggles.) How about me? I'll go in there and represent Ranzo!
Ranzo: (Quickly.) NO!!!
Hikaru: Okay, okay! Fine.
Takayuki: (Stepping out.) Damn... he still isn't waking up. (Mitsune's exaggerated wails are heard from inside the room before the door closes.)
Junichi: (Sneers.) Your friend, Mamoru, ain't so great now. Is he?
Takayuki: What do you mean?
Junichi: You know what I mean. Bragging on and on about how great he is and shit. You guys probably don't even know what a mouse is.
Takayuki: (Calmly.) A peripheral that controls a visual pointer to move around a user interface.
Junichi: (In shock.) Umm...
Hikaru: (Grins.) Not elite, huh?
Takayuki: Come on, guys. We gotta work together here, or else the cops will bust us all.
Ranzo: He's right.
Junichi: Fine. But, I don't have to like it.
Takayuki: (Pulls out a key.) Unlock yourselves and follow me into Mamoru's room. Quickly.

Immediately, they uncuffed themselves and sneaked into the room, hoping that their guards wouldn't return soon. As soon as they stepped in, Mitsune bolted the door and grinned at them. Especially at Ranzo. He blushed.

Takayuki: Mamoru, we got them. No cops in sight yet.
Mamoru: (Getting up and opening the window.) Good. We don't have much time.
Hitomi: (Stepping out of the bathroom.) I've got about fifteen feet of rope.
Mamoru: That'll do.

He quickly tied one end of the rope to the bedpost and dragged the bed to the window. Then, he tossed the rest of the rope over.

Ranzo: You mean... you were faking it?
Mamoru: Yes and no, but I'll explain later. Let's just go!
Junichi: No need to tell me twice.

They all climbed out of the window and scaled down the fifteen feet before jumping off the rest of the way. Since there was only five more feet to leap to, it wasn't much of a problem. As soon as all of them were safely on the ground, they moved into the forest to stay out of view.

Mamoru: Ranzo, you and Junichi have laptops, right?
Ranzo: Yeah, naturally.
Mamoru: Then, let's go get our stuff. Takayuki, stick with them, and I'll get your stuff for you. Just make sure we all rendez-vous at our usual arcade within ten minutes.
Takayuki: Right.
Ranzo: Hey... can we trust you guys?
Mamoru: (Grins.) We're elite, Ranzo. You decide.
Junichi: I wouldn't trust them, Ranzo! They'll probably turn us all in the first chance they get!
Mitsune: Then, why did we go to all that trouble to help you escape, stupid?
Ranzo: She has a point.
Junichi: (Grins.) You're only saying that because you...
Ranzo: (Hysterically.) SHUT UP!!! (Clears his throat.) Let's go. (Mitsune giggles.)
Mamoru: Remember. (Taps his watch.) Ten minutes.

***
When Mamoru arrived at his house, he was glad to find that nobody had gotten there yet. He rushed upstairs with Hitomi and Mitsune, pulling out his laptop from under his bed. He suddenly got a nagging feeling.

Mamoru: Damn. I need those files.

He quickly hooked his laptop up to his main computer on the network, copying the E-Reality files he downloaded the other night. Then, he went to every computer and formatted each hard drive.

Mamoru: Mitsune, I need you to grab me that box of magnets I have in my closet.
Mitsune: Got it. (Moves to the closet.)
Mamoru: Hitomi, help me remove each of these hard drives from the other computers. (Pauses.) Can you do that?
Hitomi: (Grins.) I may be no elite hacker, but I'm good with my hardware!
Mamoru: Then, let's do it.
Mitsune: (Holds out a large box with magnets inside.) Mamoru! I got it!
Mamoru: Good. Put it on the desk and gather every floppy disk you can find.
Hitomi: (From the second computer.) Mamoru, I removed this hard drive. (Holds it up.) Not a scratch.
Mamoru: It doesn't matter, Hitomi. Bang it up a few times and toss it into the box of magnets.
Hitomi: (In shock.) But... it'll destroy the hard drive!
Mamoru: Bingo.
Hitomi: (In realization.) I see.
Mitsune: Got some disks!
Mamoru: Those go into the box as well. (Packs a router with a 10/100 switch and two extra laptops into his backpack, along with his primary laptop.) We'll only need this extra hardware. (Gathers some extra phone cord and a box of network cable.) Well... I think we're done here now.
Mitsune: Why did we just destroy all your hard drives and floppies?
Mamoru: I'm just being careful and paranoid. (Grins.) You know, in case we're being framed and the incriminating data was on them.

***
Ranzo and Junichi reached for their laptops on Ranzo's desk, which was where they last left them. They usually brought their laptops everywhere, so they were quite used to lugging them around. Before they could pack them up, however, Takayuki stopped them.

Takayuki: We got a serious problem here. Do you have any important information on your hard drives?
Junichi: We're already one step ahead of you. However, these are the only computers we own, so we're gonna just take a look to see if anything's been added.
Ranzo: Yeah.
Takayuki: Then, let's get going.
Junichi: Hikaru, do you have your laptop with you?
Hikaru: Always. Why?
Ranzo: Because, we probably don't have time to make a detour. That is... you are following us, right?
Hikaru: (Grins.) You know I am. This could make for some great writing inspiration.
Takayuki: Writing? You write?
Hikaru: Hai!
Ranzo: She writes the best sci-fi novels around here! That's why... umm... her handle... (Hesitates.)
Hikaru: (Nods.) It's okay. (Turns to Takayuki.) It's Psi-Fi5.
Takayuki: (Widens his eyes.) You... trust me that much? (Hikaru nods.) Okay. I'm known as MechTech-X.
Ranzo: (In shock.) No way! You wouldn't happen to frequent on the #phreaker channel in IRC, do you?
Takayuki: As a matter of fact, I do. Why?
Ranzo: I'm PhreakuR8!
Takayuki: (In shock.) NO WAY!
Ranzo: Then... that means... we've got electronics expertise on our team...
Takayuki: As well as unlimited internet access...

They grinned at each other and shook hands for the first time.

Takayuki: It's an honor.
Ranzo: Likewise.
Takayuki: But, then... that would make Junichi here...
Junichi: The one and only, Zero Vyruss.
Takayuki: (Grins.) Your Common Cold virus really caused a turmoil at the school... it even took Mamoru a whole hour to clean it up! (Extends his hand.) Why weren't we friends a long time ago?
Junichi: Look... I ain't your friend. (Glares at him.) Even though we're net pals, I don't give a shit. I never trusted you before, and I still don't now. (Leaves the room.)
Ranzo: (Claps Takayuki's shoulder.) Don't worry about him. He gets angry when others break his virus code in such a short time. But, he'll get over it.
Takayuki: He never seemed to like us from the beginning. Why is that?
Hikaru: Because you kept bragging about your best friend, Mamoru. Aren't hackers supposed to be discreet about it?
Takayuki: (Shakes his head.) Mamoru's like that. He loves the attention. It gives him confidence, you know? Besides, I never lied about one thing. Mamoru really is an elite hacker. You should see him in action.
Hikaru: Then, why did he get fried last night?
Takayuki: I honestly don't know. That boy also hides a lot from me. There's no doubt that Mitsune knows all about it.
Ranzo: (Worriedly.) Mitsune... she and Mamoru aren't... going out... are they?
Takayuki: (Sighs.) No, and it worries me sometimes. He never seems to be interested in any girl. (Ranzo sighs.) Even though Mitsune hits on him big time. (Ranzo falls over.) Umm... what's with him?
Hikaru: Err... nothing...
Takayuki: Hmm.
Ranzo: (Getting back up.) Well, we should get going now, eh? Junichi probably let all that steam out by now.
Takayuki: Hopefully. (Pauses.) I really hope I didn't offend him. If I had known before who you two were... we would be long-time friends by now.
Ranzo: (Smiles.) Well... there's no harm in starting now.
Takayuki: (Grinning.) You're right.

***
The arcade was bustling with activity, mostly with kids that were skipping school. Despite this fact, however, the proprietor let them in anyway, and Mamoru was no exception. Stepping in with his friends, Mamoru led the way deep into the arcade until they reached the office, where the proprietor was waiting.

Mamoru: Shinji.
Shinji (Proprietor): Mamoru, what's going on? I heard on the news that you and some other elites broke out of police custody at the hospital. There's a city-wide search going on.
Mamoru: That's why we gotta hide out here for now.
Shinji: I changed the password again. It's the old one multiplied by four and subtracted from half that value.
Mamoru: Gotcha. (Turns to the side.) By the way, the girl beside Mitsune here is Hitomi. She's helping us out.
Shinji: Hajimemashite. Shinji desu.
Hitomi: Hajimemashite. (Turns to Mamoru.) You know the owner of this place?
Mamoru: All elite hackers do. Come on, let's get going. Takayuki will find us.

At that precise moment, Takayuki, Ranzo, Junichi, and Hikaru stepped into the arcade and headed over to Shinji's office.

Shinji: Takayuki, looks like you're just in time. Ranzo, Junichi, Hikaru, it's nice to see you guys teaming up with Mamoru here.
Ranzo: (Grins.) He'd better be as good as Takayuki's been telling me.
Mamoru: (Grins.) I am.
Junichi: Oh, yeah? Then, prove it to us.
Mamoru: (Nods.) Junichi Watanabe. You made some killer viruses during the past few years, during which I even utilized a couple to crash the school system. Of course, I fixed it, and timed myself to test the reliability of them. Your viruses were extremely stable, which is something I admire in coding. Ranzo Heike, you've phreaked out our local ISP, acquiring free internet accounts without getting caught. Hikaru Kazano, you're one hell of a sci-fi novelist. Why don't you get your stuff published?
Junichi: H-how'd you know?!
Mamoru: (Grins.) I have my ways.
Takayuki: Do you guys believe me now?
Ranzo: Wait. Who are you, Mamoru?
Mamoru: (Steps forward.) RayTracer Pixxel. It's an honor, Zero Vyruss, PhreakuR8, and Psi-Fi5. (Their jaws drop.) Well, let's go. (Heads over to the office closet.)
Ranzo: Where are you going?
Mamoru: Getting us to safety. There's a city-wide police sweep happening right now. (Punches a code into a keypad inside the closet. A door opens up inside.) Let's go.

Without question, everybody followed Mamoru into the room and headed down a flight of stairs. Shinji shut the door behind them, leaving them embathed in red light as they made their way down the spiraling staircase. Finally, they reached the bottom, where the light returned to normal. Ranzo, Junichi, Hitomi, and Hikaru gaped at the sight. The large, hidden room contained several desks, chairs, couches, and beds. There were all types of charts on the walls, and desktop computers adorned the desks. The place was littered with several pop cans and empty fast food containers.

Ranzo: I... I never knew about this place!
Mamoru: Yeah, Shinji and I built it a year ago. It's been my sanctuary ever since.
Junichi: Okay, I'm impressed now. First off, I wanna see you in action.
Mamoru: Shouldn't be a problem. Let's unload.

They unloaded their backpacks and pulled out their laptops, finding spots on the desk where computers weren't occupying space.

Mamoru: Did you guys destroy your hard drives at home?
Ranzo: These laptops are our only computers, so we didn't have to.
Mamoru: I see.
Ranzo: (Cracks his knuckles.) Okay, let's load up Doors and go at it...
Mamoru: Doors? I don't use that.
Ranzo: Oh, really? An elite hacker like you can't use Doors?
Mamoru: I never said that I couldn't. I just said that I don't. (Turns on his computer.) I use Linux.
Ranzo: Linux? I used that before. That system is a joke!
Mamoru: A joke?
Ranzo: Yeah, nothing works in that damn thing! Whereas with Doors, it's a lot easier to get things going.
Mamoru: Oh, really? Then, check this out.

He logged into his Linux system and rapidly typed several commands to log on to the Internet as he started X in another console.

Ranzo: Dammit, you type fast!
Mamoru: It's a trick, actually. Linux has an auto complete feature, so I can just type the first couple letters of a filename and press tab to finish it.
Ranzo: Hey, you're using some weird Doors version!
Hitomi: Actually, it's X. You're just looking at the FVWM95 shell.
Mamoru: (Raises an eyebrow.) You remembered.
Hitomi: I catch on fast.
Mamoru: Hmm.

They checked Mamoru out as he cruised through an "xterm" console, showing Ranzo and Junichi the world of Linux. They were impressed, even for Doors users.

Mamoru: Well?
Ranzo: I like it. But, Doors can do the same thing too, you know.

He booted into Doors and logged in, a new shell loading up and several different programs starting up to give Doors a new look and feel.

Ranzo: What do you think? I designed it myself.
Mamoru: Impressive. However, it probably takes up a lot of juice to maintain it.
Ranzo: That's why I've got a very fast HANomni 6000.
Mamoru: That's funny. I'm only running a HANomni 5000. That tells you something, eh?
Ranzo: Well, I don't need complications in my OS. You had to type a long command line just to connect to the Internet. I, on the other hand, just have to load up a dialer.
Mamoru: I could just write up a script, but I prefer to keep my system under lock and key. However, Doors is too simplistic, and doesn't give you the freedom available in an OS.
Ranzo: (Defensively.) I think I get all the freedom I need.
Mamoru: (Forcefully.) Well, you could be getting more.
Junichi: Hey, guys. Ease up, huh? We're supposed to be getting along now.
Takayuki: Yeah, you've proved your points, guys.
Ranzo: Hmmph. I still think that Doors kills Linux.
Mamoru: Only brainless dimwits think that.

A zap of red energy sparkled between their eyes.

Takayuki: (Backing away nervously.) Heh heh...
Junichi: You know, Takayuki. After seeing those two quibble over such a little thing, I realized that I was being a jerk to you.
Takayuki: Yeah, well. Let's let bygones be bygones, okay?
Junichi: Great idea. (They shake hands.)
Mamoru: (In the background.) Linux rocks!
Ranzo: (In the background.) Doors conquers!

Everybody else acquired tear drops on their heads.

***
Hikaru: How long has it been, sis?
Mitsune: (Checks her watch.) A couple hours.

They glanced over at a tired Mamoru and Ranzo.

Mamoru: (Tiredly.) Linux beats the tar out of Doors...
Ranzo: (Tiredly.) Doors slams the face out of Linux...
Mitsune: Won't they ever stop?

On the other side of the room, Junichi and Takayuki played a network game together on their laptops, while Hikaru was busy typing up her latest novel.

Junichi: Say, do you think the cops have stopped searching yet?
Takayuki: Probably not.

Without warning, a crackle of the intercom hanging on the wall took everybody's attention away from their current activities.

Shinji: (From the intercom.) Guys, I think you'd better check out the TV.
Mamoru: Got it. (Turns on a desktop monitor and turns on the cable box beside it.)
Anchorman: (On the monitor.) The top story of Tokyo involves a group of young hackers that have been terrorizing the Internet. This group, known as HACK-R... (The word appears below him.) ... flooded several sites with their viruses and proclaimed to the digital world that they would soon take down governmental institutions just two hours ago. However young they are, the federal government has warranted out an arrest for these juvenile delinquents. The members of this heinous group are Mamoru Ishida, Ranzo Heike, Junichi Watanabe, and Takayuki Hotei. There is rumored to be a fifth member, but the verification and identification of that member is unknown at this time. They were all held for questioning in the Takezaki hospital when Mamoru, their leader, suffered electrocution the previous night. However, they all escaped, along with several other unknown accomplices. They were last seen at the Takezaki arcades before they mysteriously disappeared. The proprietor, Shinji Hayashikawa, said that he saw the hoodlums just two hours ago, exactly at the time before they committed their most serious crime. An anonymous tip led them to suspect the four teenagers early this morning, after they wreaked havoc on a popular web server last night.
Mamoru: We're being framed.
Takayuki: Shut that damn thing off. I don't wanna hear anymore.
Junichi: So, now what?
Mamoru: We gotta find out everything about this HACK-R group. They're the ones that are behind it all.
Ranzo: Maybe we should all just stay here until the whole thing blows over.
Shinji: (From the intercom.) Mamoru... <FZZT> ... they... <FZZT> ... <CLICK>
Mamoru: Shinji... (Pauses for a moment and strokes his chin.) Everybody pack everything up. We're leaving.
Ranzo: Hey, maybe the intercom was broken.
Mamoru: No chance of that happening. Come on, pack up!

They quickly shut off their laptops and packed them away, just as they heard some loud banging from the top of the staircase.

Mamoru: They found us.
Hitomi: What'll we do?
Mamoru: (Grits his teeth.) Get out of here.

The banging got louder and louder, and Mamoru dragged his bed aside to reveal a hidden trap door. He pulled it open and beckoned everybody to get inside.

Mamoru: This leads into the sewer system. We're gonna take it all the way to the suburbs.
Ranzo: Looks like we've got a whole adventure ahead of us.
Mamoru: Yeah.

Everybody dropped into the trap-door just as Mamoru prepared to close it behind them.

Mitsune: Mamoru, wait! Aren't you coming along with us?
Mamoru: I have to make sure they don't find us. I'm just sealing the exit and taking the other way out. I'll find you guys later!
Mitsune: (Hurriedly.) Where?!
Mamoru: Online! (Slams the door shut.)

After dragging the bed back over the secret exit, he headed over to the other side of the room, just as the door got blown open. Mamoru fell backwards and landed on his backside, just as several police officers trooped in with weapons on-hand. They aimed directly at Mamoru, causing him to clench his fists in apprehension.

Officer: Freeze! You're under arrest, Mamoru Ishida!
Mamoru: Dammit...

* logout *

Once again, another boring episode. Stuff happens, but this can’t compare with what happens next. Not to spoil the story or anything. ^_~