Anti-Net
Chapter 1: Burlington, Vermont
"Sir, We're picking up a strange signal on the planet scanners." the Tech announced
"Does it look to be Alongian, Korean, or Chinese?" General Harris asked.
"It doesn't match any previous descriptions sir. Wait there is a similarity to a French program. However only a 5% similarity. Should we begin termination?"
"First try to read the frequency, then try an automatic delete. I don't think we need to send a squad in to terminate. Where is it coming from?"
"Burlington, Vermont. Sir" the Tech answered.
"Strange, must be some computer innovator or something. Look into it but as long as it isn't a matter of national security, don't spend to much trouble on it. I don't expect Alongian's to use French spy ware. To expensive for Alongi to spend." General Harris chuckled "He's a cheapskate when it comes to buying foreign."
It was almost done. The network would be done in just 24 hours. The Anti-net would be his legacy, his true masterpiece, what he would be talked about a thousand years from now; and this was just the beginning. If, that girl he met in Paris, if her computations were correct they would go further. Much further.
It was eight o'clock, time to get to school. Just one more school day of waiting. All the kids complaints about a test or homework would be just a distant nightmare to him. As he left his room he looked at the pictures of himself and his so called family on the walls. Lyo Collins was an average size fifteen year old boy, who always wore jeans, a black fleece jacket, and an unusual T-shirt. In the pictures his little sister and twin baby brothers stood next to him, his parents in the back. They were all smiling happily, except Lyo's was especially fake and cheesy. Lyo didn't hate his family, but he clearly did not like them. Lyo was nothing alike them, he just barely resembled his dad and didn't act like any of them. Lyo was a computer mastermind, loved the psychology of his peers, and planned to change the world one day. They all planned to go to college and live normal lives.
At one time Lyo wondered why he was different, and found his answer. He was adopted. He had found the copies of the paperwork, seen the adoption agency, and learned his parents were both dead. He remembered reading the old newspaper clipping. Cause of death: Unknown. He never told his new family that he knew.
Lyo grabbed his backpack put in a textbook he had out the night before and left for the bus. Lyo looked down the road, he lived in Burlington, Vermont. In a small suburb outside of the main city. After a few minutes the bus pulled up, and Lyo got on, headed towards the back. He sat down next to Thomas and across from Daniel.
Thomas was a tall and had very short hair. His eyes were brown and he was always smiling about something, usually gossip. Daniel was shorter and had a lighter brown hair that was somewhat longer than Thomas's. He was also usually happy about something that he had to share to everyone no matter how much they didn't care.
Lyo may have been different from every other kid in the school, but he still had friends and Thomas and Daniel were his closest friends. Thomas was smart, Daniel wasn't. Daniel loved guns, Thomas had just joined the cross country team. Daniel was from Montana, Thomas was from Santiago, Chile. They seem pretty different but have two things in common, they argue with each other, and most people think there weird. Unlike his family Lyo had much more tolerance for them, after all they were his best friends.
"Hey Lyo, Why didn't you answer last night?" Thomas asked. " We were all going to go down to the park and hang out."
"Sorry, I had to work on a school project for AP Computer Tech. You know that this project is huge." Lyo was lying of course. He had finished the project days ago and had been working on the Anti-Net
"Well you missed a good time me, Tom, Sydney, and Jane all had a cook out" Daniel said.
Lyo went through his classes that day without any real work. Finals were in a week so every class was just review. AP Computer Tech had the project due instead of a final exam. So he spent class making designs and programs to make the Anti-Net server easier for others to use, like Grace and Lexi.
Lyo had know Lexi his whole life, she was always there for him and he was there for her. She was like him, someone with the ability to change the world, someone above all the others and made an outcast for showing it. She lived in Arizona now, with her mom and dad, and baby brother. Her dad was a genetics professor at the Arizona institute for genetic-medicines. That's why they moved to Arizona, for that amazing chance for her father.
Grace was another story. Lyo knew little about her except that she had a plan to change the world the way Lyo wanted it to be. First destroying the arguing governments to create chaos and a need for leaders. They would be the leaders, and they would do this by making the Anti-net. She wanted people from around the world who were like her, like Lexi, like Lyo above the average and tossed aside because of it.
He met her in a Café in Paris while on a trip for his Adv. French class. They had been aloud to go to several restaurants around there hotel for dinner. Lyo had gone by himself to a small café where a jazz group were to be playing. While sitting at his lab top before they performed a girl walked up. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. She was wearing an old school uniform top and blue jeans. She looked at Lyo's computer and seemed very interested. After an awkward introduction they began talking and both seemed to realize what type of person the other was.
That's when she explained her idea and told him of the program she found. She didn't know much about the program except that it could be used to make secret communications. Or at least it could ten years ago. That was 2022. This was 2032 and the program was obsolete. But Lyo could update it, change it. That's when they planned to create there new world order.
It was now lunch, and Lyo sat with Tom and Daniel as always. Sydney and Jane walked over to eat with them like they sometimes did. Jane was a quiet girl and Sydney's best friend. She had brown eyes to match her short brown hair. Sydney was like Lyo's perfect angel. She had a light sand colored hair, long and wavy and her eyes were a bright blue. She loved reading and was friends with almost everyone, even if they fought with some of her other friends. She would just tell them to shut up and deal with it.
"Hey, who else is sick of review?" Sydney asked.
"MEEE!" Thomas and Daniel both replied laughing.
"Computer tech was fun." Lyo answered "No reviews in there."
"Lyo you spend way to much time with your computers. Maybe you should try to be more social. Friday is the Freshman and Sophomore dance, you should ask someone. Daniel you and Tom should too." Sydney said
"Yeah, we'll get right on that." Lyo said
That night after running a diagnostic on the anti-net, Lyo laid in bed planning his next step. He would need to test the server then try to make a second server to connect to. The next one wouldn't take near as long though. Then he would need to send Lexi and Grace means of creating there own servers. He could probably send it disguised as a virus in an email. So anyone who tried to intercept it would just toss it aside. Then... Lyo was out cold.
Lyo was in a laboratory of some sort. He was looking at a screen that read "connecting to master server..." Lyo turned to see a green holographic globe over a strange table "like what they now use in the military" he thought. Small dots scattered the globe. Lyo touched one at his home and a line shot out of the dot, pulling up a window. The top read...
Anti-net system HQ
Assigned Command: Lyo Collins
Objective and Purpose: Computer Sciences
and Server Maintenance
Then a buzzing sound came from the computer behind him. The screen was now a reddish tint and read "ERROR" Lyo heard a voice from somewhere. He looked up to see a video monitor at shoulder height. A boy with a dark tan was on the screen he looked a little older than Lyo and seemed to be panicking.
"System HQ, this is Base Australia. We are losing communications and our power levels are plummeting. They found us. I repeat they found us."
"Base Australia, this is System HQ. Who? Who found you?" Lyo asked "Was it the Alongians? The U.S. Military? Who?"
The screen flooded with static and his words were no longer audible. An Explosion sounded as the HQ began to shake. A siren sounded somewhere near by. Lyo knew that whoever found Base Australia knew where Systems HQ was also. All Lyo's work putting together the Anti-Net had finally been realized only to be blown to pieces with him in the middle.
Lyo's eyes jutted open as he jumped up in a cold sweat. He was in his bed and everything was silent except his own heavy breathing.
The next morning Lyo jumped out of bed to prepare the Anti-Net. Everything was perfect he had even been able to design graphics and an easy to use layout. Now he was going to set up the next server, which he named the link server because it's only reason was to test server link ups.
He transferred the program to a small emitter that just barely fit in his backpack. He would need to put the emitter at least half a mile away from his house and where it wouldn't be messed with. If he were to stick it on the back of the old library door, no one would ever see it. The door was never used, not even for a fire escape because another exit door was at the front of the library and was much easier to get to. At school he placed the emitter on the door before class started. In computer tech Lyo checked the progress of the new server, and to his surprise it was already complete. Lyo tried the server link. Success! They connected to each other. Lyo had already put information on the first server and this server was able to access it.
It was now Wednesday night, Grace and Lexi had both set up their servers. Lyo and Grace were using the video chat feature Lyo installed. Anything Lyo programed could be downloaded to another server and installed there.
"I have already informed the other members of your success. They both are ready to make their servers." Grace said as if this were a business meeting. To her it was.
"Who are these others?" Lyo asked.
"The first is a 12 year old boy named Jack. He lives in Australia." She answered Lyo shuddered as he remembered the boy in his dream. "He plans to be an architect. He also has access to blueprints of every building you can think of. He won't tell how though." She sighed "As a team we should be able to trust each other hopefully he will soon. The second is a girl in Japan, Azula. She would make a fine tactical general. At the time she is making multiple sides of the Tokyo gangs attack each other. She hopes to eliminate all three of them."
"Well, I can send them copies but I'll need to send it directly." Lyo said
"Okay, ill send you the info. Try talking to them some, they may want you to try to personalize theirs like you did mine." she replied. Lyo had taken time to add personalized features to hers and Lexi's servers to make them easier for them to use. Also the ability for them to redesign it so no one will get curious of what they see."
It was Friday night when Lyo came up with is master plan. The goal of every member right now was to find others who could contribute to the Anti-Net. Lyo had found two. A guy in Santiago, Chile, Tom's hometown who supposedly is the best high tech inventor there is. Lyo decided to research the guy, Alvaro Gallo, and found he once supplied the MI6 with tools until he was discovered to have released top secret information. Two years later it was discovered that the man who delivered the tools was the guilty one. Alvaro was not rehired. Since then Alvaro has made a shop where he sells gadgets, and tech. The second guy was also somewhat of a tactic, he also was a driver. Lyo didn't know why but he stood out to him. The only problem, he lived in South Korea, a heavy war zone.
Lyo needed to meet both of them somehow. He needed an excuse to go to Chile. But his family wouldn't want to vacation there, and he was to young to go alone. If he could go as a group with a few adults. Money wasn't an issue, Lyo had made plenty of money by creating addicting online games, and websites. He made about fifteen hundred every month, for about three years now. He figured that was good considering he did barely anything for them.
Then it came to him, Tom always talked about showing his friends his hometown. What would his parents say to getting a free trip back. No they wouldn't go for it, they needed a reason to go. What if it was a family problem. No, he didn't have any family there anymore.
Lyo had a way of getting ideas, the internet. He typed Santiago, Chile in the search box. Wikipedia, travel guides, news, weather... News! Lyo clicked the link. Church bombed by Alongian, grand opening of hydroelectric dam, University of Santiago to host Student Ambassadors of the World. Lyo recognized that name. In the mail, he had been invited to that group, many were to be accepted in at this meeting. Lyo had decided it was a waste of his time, but now it was a little more interesting.
After asking his parents and calling everyone and two weeks of planning and sweet talking the trip was planned. The trip was supposedly completely payed for by the Student Ambassadors, actually Lyo was paying with his website money. Thomas and his parents would go. Daniel would too. Jane had been staying with Sydney while her dad was on a business trip in Germany. She could go if Sydney was going. Sydney was the hardest to get to come. Her dad would only let her go if he came as well. Lexi and her mom would meet them in Santiago. They would stay for the entire meeting and a few extra days for sightseeing, a total of two weeks. They would leave in three weeks, the middle of June.
While waiting for the day they left Lyo was able to first talk to Azula and Jack. Jack wasn't on much because his parents didn't like seeing him in the computer all the time. However he posted blueprints of many places in Santiago for Lyo to download. Including Alvaro's shop. The store was fairly large, and had a second floor loft in the back half of the store. It used a lot of electricity but considering what he did, that made sense.
Azula seemed to be scared about something. She said that she may need to disconnect her server for a little while. She did. After a few days of not hearing from her we all tried regular emails and messages. Nothing. Then one day her server was back.
"Sorry I was gone. The gangs have created a full out war. This is how I plan to throw Tokyo into chaos. Maybe even all of Japan. If Tokyo can not research and innovate then technology will stop being available to everyone. I just hope it doesn't come back and hurt us." Azula said to Lyo and Grace.
"Well be careful we don't want to lose you because of a gang war." Lyo replied
"Find a few safe houses. And don't worry about creating problems in the world yet. We still need to get a big enough group together." Grace replied sharply.
"I know. I started this before I met you and it's hard to slow it down. I will try not to let it interfere with Anti-Net." Azula said showing her proper Japanese traditions of commitment.
The days just before they left Lyo began packing, he had to deactivate the link server, which he was now using as a mobile server for his laptop, so no alarms would be set off, he also hid inside the laptop all the parts for a protective device he designed. A sample of Alvaro's work, a small box with a wire coming out the end. The wire would release an electric current into the body. This would cause the target to become stunned. Lyo felt that this might be important if he needs to go of alone against some Alongian mercenary.
He created several new websites and online games hoping to get extra cash for any expenses needed for Anti-Net or any other unexpected expenses he may have. And every night till the trip he would wake up petrified from a nightmare.
"Sir, remember that strange signal?" The Tech asked
"Yes." General Harris answered
"We thought we terminated it but planet scans are picking up six separate signals now. One in Arizona, one in Tokyo, one in Paris, one in Sydney, and two in Burlington."
"The exact same signal?"
"No sir, they are similar but have different patterns and each has it's own frequency. The frequencies seem to be interacting with each other as well." The Tech replied
"Begin Termination. Instruct all squads within the areas to begin search and terminate procedures." General Harris ordered.
"Sir, one of the Burlington frequencies has just disappeared. The others seem to be adapting to the loss of the one signal. Almost as if they are filling a security gap. Sir, I believe if we monitor the signals closely we may be able to access through one of these gaps."
"How long will that take?" General Harris asked.
"That will depend on how long it takes for a signal to disappear or another to reappear. However I think the information we gain could be worth the wait." The Tech answered.
"Do the signals still not pose any threat?"
"No not necessarily. In fact we don't have any reason to believe that they are Alongian, or Chinese. They could still be an American source."
"Very well, but I want the signals monitored constantly and squads standing by at each location." the general ordered.
"Yes Sir." The Tech replied proud of his idea.
The day of the trip was finally here, and Lyo was more stressed than he'd ever been. Lyo had shutdown the mobile Anti-net server in fear of setting off any alarms. Security was everywhere, armed to subdue anyone with neural handcuffs, stun sticks, and bullet, shock and fire proof uniforms. Terrorist attacks were growing more and more common in churches, schools, and air ports. Alongi promised to stop terrorist attacks, away to gain the peoples trust. For about a year he did. Then he broke the promise, he had been planning to all along. He had been training men as top class mercenaries specializing in planting bombs, hiding weapons, and blending in with the public.
Lyo was glad his history class had become more of a current events class discussing Alongia and what was happening there. It helped him prepare for security here and hopefully in other countries. As they went through the Bio readers, Lyo noticed a group of men wearing uniforms much different from normal security, and they didn't look like military either. They were like a S.W.A.T. Team except more casual. Their uniforms were almost like civilian clothes, if that is even possible, with the letters N.T.C.S. on the side. Then Lyo saw one look at his watch. Lyo could barely make out an electronic screen on it.
It hit him. N.T.C.S. National Technology and Communications Security. They were after the Anti-net. Why else would they be here? When was the last time they were needed in Vermont? Probably never, with how little happens here. The Anti-net had to be what they were after. With traffic they would need an hour to get to his house, and they would need time to find his house. The signal should scramble. He was surprised they could find the right town, maybe they could read the signal perfectly the entire time. They couldn't have accessed it though or else they wouldn't be here.
Before Lyo realized it twenty minutes had passed and he, Tom, and Daniel were all sitting together across from Jane, Sydney and her dad. Tom's parents just a few seats up. Lyo still had his laptop and had luckily gotten window seat. How he didn't know, he wasn't paying attention. After a few minutes he pulled it out and turned so they couldn't see. They seemed to busy fighting over the summer project we were supposed to do.
Lyo turned on the Anti-net server. He then tried to disarm the main server at home. It wouldn't. After getting aggravated from trying that several times he got another idea. He began to scramble the frequency of the main and the mobile servers. He hoped this would stop them from being able to track it. A half hour passed till he realized his plan had worked and backfired on him.
"Hartford, this is Tech Holland. Do you read me?" The Tech spoke into toe video monitor.
"This is Hartford." The N.T.C.S squad leader replied.
"Have you left the airport?"
"No. We are waiting for them to check our equipment."
"Good you are now assigned a new mission. The second signal that disappeared before has reappeared at the airport. It then began interacting with the other frequencies and we can now no longer pinpoint them."
"Like telling us that it's somewhere in this city is pinpointing." One of the men muttered.
"I can hear you. But now you are now to board flight 96 DWN. Your all going to Chile."
"Why there?"
"We had an accurate lock on the signal and tracked its distance to each planes radio transmitters. That one was the closest. We believe that another signal is going to be set up in Santiago, Chile."
"Okay, were on it. Are the tickets waiting for us at the desk?"
"Yes. End transmission."
Lyo watched in horror as the men came down the aisle of the plane. He quickly hid his computer and put himself into his friends conversation. "Actually Daniel Toms right. We have to read the book over the summer and write the essay. But Tom there isn't gonna be a test over it, they just said that to make everyone read it." Lyo watched as the men walked by. One looked into his eyes and he tried not to notice. They had actually tracked him down. Who knew how well their technology really was. For all Lyo knew the guy that looked at him knew he created the signal and what he was planning to do. No, he couldn't know. no one could get through the Anti-net security, that was for sure.
A chime went off. "This is your captain speaking. We will be taking of in ten minutes. We will land in Santiago, Chile in about eleven hours. We will ask you to put your seats in the up right position during takeoff. Please enjoy your flight."
Lyo was glad the men were in the seats near the back. This way he wouldn't have to worry about them spying on him. He decided against deactivating the mobile server. One because they might notice him on the lap top while someone alerts them the signal is gone. Two the signals could keep scrambling each other. He could probably change the randomization every few hours to stop anyone from deciphering away to access into it. After they took off Lyo began to relax. The men seemed to care more about sleeping then watching the passengers every move. Lyo took out the laptop to reset the randomization codes. He was so worried about the men he forgot his friends sitting next to him.
"Anti-net? What's that?" Daniel asked.
"What? Oh it's my project for AP Computers that I did. I forgot to turn it off for the trip. It would have kept popping up the whole trip." Lyo replied
"What does it do?" Tom asked now entering the conversation.
"Nothin. I'll show you some other time. This is vacation we shouldn't worry about school stuff."
"It's not really vacation for you. You are stuck at all that Student Ambassador stuff half of the time." Daniel said
"Gee, thanks for reminding me." Lyo replied laughing. "Well at least I get to meet people from around the world. And you should be jealous girls tend to go to these things a lot." Daniel turned away, feeling beaten.
"So first we get to the hotel, and get to the beach for the afternoon." Tom said.
"Don't forget we need to wait for Lexi and her mom at the airport. They should be there an hour or so after us." Lyo interrupted.
Chapter 2: Santiago, Chile
"Welcome to Santiago." The chime like voice announced as they entered the main lobby of the Santiago airport. "Please enjoy your stay."
"Funny, this was the last place I was before we left. Now its where I come back too." Tom said. There was a silence.
"Where's the hotel?" Daniel asked. "It's already like 3:00 we gotta get to the beach. Now! Oh and get some chow."
"For the tenth time" Lyo said, ready to strangle Daniel, "We've got to wait for Lexi."
"How about you all go to the hotel while me and Lyo wait for Lexi and her mom." Tom's dad said.
"Honey, the hotel rooms are in your and my names." His wife said. They may not let us in unless we're both there for each room. Could you stay with Jeff?" She asked Sydney's dad.
"Sure I could except we only have one rental car right now. We don't get the second till tomorrow."
"I'll just come back and get you all in an hour." Tom's dad said.
"Lyo, you want me to stay too?" Tom asked.
"No if anyone is staying with my dad I am." Sydney said, "No chance for you to embarrass me or interrogate Lyo to death."
Lyo, Sydney, and her dad had sat there waiting for about twenty minutes. The men had left the air port a while ago. They didn't seem to be watching Lyo, and they waited far too long if they were going to follow the others to the hotel. Sydney's dad went got up to go to the bathroom. Sydney was half asleep against her dad's shoulder before he left. Now she was starting to droop over onto Lyo. Ten minutes went by and Lyo noticed her dad was still gone. The bathroom was down a side hall way and to the right, the woman's to the left. Another five minutes and still no sign of him, and Lyo began to notice a man would look down the hall and come right out.
"Sydney. Sydney wake up." Lyo said pushing her. She jumped up, blushing.
"How long was I like that?" She asked "You know leaned against you."
"Twenty five minutes. But that doesn't matter. That's how long your dads been in that bathroom. Does it usually take him that long?" Lyo replied
"No."
"Maybe it was the airplane food?"
"No, he didn't eat any."
"Lexi will be here soon. I'm gonna go check on him. Here take this," Lyo pulled out a note book from his back pack. He quickly searched for a pen and wrote Lexi in large letters, then ripped it out.
"Be careful." Sydney said.
"Who are you? My mother?" He yelled back as he walked over to the bathroom.
The bathroom door was closed with an out of order sign up. "Not good." Lyo grabbed the door handle. Locked. Now what he thought. The lock picks. Lyo pulled out his laptop and opened the compartment. He pulled out the tazer wire and a few lock pics. He quietly unlocked the door, hoping it wasn't jiggling to much. He snuck in to see ten sinks on one wall and five hand dryers on the adjacent one. Around the corner Lyo could start to see stalls. Big bathroom, he thought.
Then he herd footsteps, and jumped next to a large garbage can. Hopefully he was hidden enough. A man wearing a white T-Shirt and shorts walked toward the sink. Then turned back at the stalls.
"I said don't move!" He yelled, pointing a gun. "How about I tighten those ropes?" The man walked out of sight. Another large garbage can sat in the corner where the sinks and the wall with hand dryers met. There was enough room for Lyo to hide there and it would probably be safer. Lyo quickly crawled over. As he made his way over he saw four men tied up, the man now tightening their ropes. He picked up the first, and pushed him into a stall. Then the second, and the third Sydney's dad, then finally the fourth.
He walked over to the sink holding a mess of wallets, phones, and other valuable junk. Lyo heard something metallic hit the sink. He hoped it was the gun. Lyo moved his arm around his knee, grabbing the device. He pressed the first button, green. The wire began to straighten into more of a shank looking weapon. He then held down the second button, red. A high pitched sound began growing from it.
"What? I said no talking." He turned at the stalls, then realized the sound was behind him. Lyo was sweating. It just needed a few more seconds to charge. The man began to kneel down under the sink.
"Hey!" He yelled reaching for Lyo. Lyo stabbed the wire into his hand and released the red button. The man screamed and fell back.
Lyo jumped out and checked to see if he was immobilized. The man was shaking, his eyes closed, and he had an accelerated heart beat which was already beginning to slow down. Lyo ran to check on Sydney's dad.
"Are you okay?" Lyo asked pulling a cloth out of his mouth.
"Yes, but he shot one man in the foot." He replied
"It's okay. I'm on it." Lyo tried cutting the rope with the wire. It was no use. He didn't have a knife, not allowed on the plane. He ran to the garbage can, and began to dig around in it. Lots of paper towels, a travel toothbrush, a plastic case. Lyo grabbed it, Quick One Use Travel. It was empty. Contains one use toothbrush, travel razor, comb, and Q-tips. Lyo began digging for the razor.
Found it. The blade was still sharp. He ran back and began cutting the ropes. Once everyone was free, Lyo took the cloths and wrapped them around the man's foot. One man left to go get security. Lyo planned to get out before they got there.
"Okay that should do it." Lyo laughed "Stay of it for a few weeks, call me in the morning. Come on Sir, lets get out of here." Lyo and Sydney's dad left the bathroom passing security in the lobby. "Lets not mention this to anyone, we don't want to ruin the trip for anyone. Neither of us have been harmed so why bring it up."
"Why?" He asked
"I just don't want anyone to come looking for me. They may consider this a terrorist attack and try to find me for questioning."
"Well I suppose I owe you so I won't tell anyone."
A young girl, about sixteen, wearing a black T-Shirt and shorts walked up to Sydney, followed by her mom. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin.
"Hi, I'm Sydney." She said reaching out her hand.
"Hey, I'm Lexi, and this is my mom." She said shaking her hand. "Where's Lyo?"
"He just went to go find my dad who left a while ago. He should be back by now."
"Well that sounds like Lyo. Always being the hero." Lexi laughed.
"No, the Lyo I know is quiet and a little boring." Sydney argued.
"Well maybe he's trying to impress you." Lexi laughed.
"No, if Lyo likes anyone it's you. Besides it would take him a lot to impress me. Look there they are." Sydney pointed to them walking past a group of security guards.
"LYO!" Lexi yelled running over to give Lyo a hug. "I haven't seen you in so long. Your finally taller than me. That's a little weird, I always remember looking down at you."
"Haha very funny. I'm so glad to see you, its been forever.