The Dark Web

(Kowalski's POV)

We climbed out the web browser and found ourselves amid the dimly lit streets of the dark web. Shady bits of programming moved about in the shadowy streets. Some netizens were being sold counterfeit, stolen, or fake items. And some shady characters and netizens exited a "cryptocurrency" bank with bags of coin and other digital currencies. Neon signs advertised shady services like, "fake IDs", "computer viruses", "malware", "ransomware", "spyware", "adware", "scams", "fraud", "identity theft", "IP theft", "pyramid schemes", "hacking", and "spam". Move netizens were milling around a "chat room" and another building for a "getting rich playing video games" website.

"Where are we?" Private said.

"Welcome to The Dark Web," I said.

"Keep your wits about you," Skipper said, "this neighborhood looks shady…"

"We better make our way back to the old web," I said, "we might be able to climb back up to The Internet."

"And then what?" Skipper said.

"We make our way back to The Imagination Engine portal," I replied.

"Then what?" Skipper said.

"The machine Kowalski built to get us here to get you guys," Marlene said.

"I think surfing The Internet inside The Internet is dangerous," Private said, "I rather do it on my computer."

"Easier," I replied, "and involves less walking!"

"Well Kowalski you just had to steal a web browser," Skipper said, "now we stuck down here."

"We wouldn't even be down here," Private said, "if it wasn't for Marlene making that one guy mad by upsetting his friend! If she didn't do that, we would have sailed right out of here on that web browser thing."

"Yeah," Rico said.

"We all together now," I said as we moved covertly through the dark web, "that's all that matters. Not let's get out of this mess"

"Well if you never built that Defictioner in the first place," Skipper said, "we wouldn't even be in this mess!"

"Yeah," Rico said.

"Science is about taking risks," I said.

"We are destroying that Defictioner when we get back," Skipper said.

"Too late for that Skipper," I said, "It already destroyed itself!"

"Then we'll destroy it again," Skipper replied, "for principle's sake."

"What if Rico accidentally destroys something that's not an invention of his," Private said.

"I hid the new calculator I bought," I replied, "so we're good."

"Um…where is that portal again?" Private asked.

"Back at the plaza behind some game called 'Burger Time'," I said.

"Unfortunately, the portal would damage that game when we reenter it," I added, "and I don't want to damage The Internet anymore then WE already have. So, we first have to freeze that game."

"Oh, so now you tell us!" Skipper said.

"How do you freeze an online game?" Private said.

"Um…we…uh…use a virus," I replied.

"Great what virus though?" Skipper said.

"Hi, I can't help but overheard that you need a virus," a voice said.

"Who's there!" Skipper said.

A pop-up advertiser popped up, "J. P. Spamley," he said.

"You can make us a virus?" Skipper asked.

"No," Spamley replied, "but I know a guy…"

"Can you take us to this 'guy'," I said.

"Sure," he said, "follow me. But first…"

He pulled out a pop-up, "do you want to make money playing video games?"

"No," Skipper said with a disinterested expression, "just take us to you guy."

"It was worth a shot," He said putting away his Pop-up ad, "follow me!"

We moved through the street of the dark web until we reached a building. "Double Dan's virus mall" and "apothecary" were two signs on the building. Spamley lead us to the back and opened a back door.

"Oh, by the way," Spamley said, "whatever you do…don't look at his brother Little Dan…he hates that."

"We'll stay away from the little guy," Skipper said, "we just want to see the big guy."

"Let's just say that is gonna be difficult," Spamley said.

We entered a small dimly lit backroom filled with shelves of cases. Sitting at a desk was a creature that was half man half slug and he didn't look happy to see Spamley. And growing out of his neck was a small face Little Dan I'm assuming. Private rushed out of the building followed closely by Marlene. Rico and Skipper expertly averted their eyes away from the little guy.

"I thought I told you to get out?" Double Dan said.

"Well you specifically told Wreak-it Ralph to get out," Spamley said, "Plus these folks are looking for a virus."

"What do they want!" he said.

"A virus to…uh," I said trying my hardest not to look at Little Dan, "freeze a game."

"I have just the thing to 'freeze' a game," Double Dan said.

Suddenly he pulled out a case which was shaking. He seemed to struggle to keep the case closed as whatever was inside tried to get out. We got a glimpse of a hate filled red eye and an Eel-like body. Double Dan managed to padlock the case which continued to shake.

"Meet Arthur II," Double Dan said, "programmed to freeze a game for a time. I made this one faster than the last version."

"Scanning for insecurities…scan interrupted. Going into sleep mode," the virus said.

"What happens to those inside the game?" Skipper said, "it's not going to hurt anyone is it."

"It just freezes them until the game restarts in a couple hours."

"Works for our purposes," I said.

"Oh, and one more thing," Double Dan said, "there are rumors of a portal to the real world somewhere in the gaming district. Do not under any circumstances let this thing out of The Internet!"

"Will do," Skipper said.

Spamley dropped some credits on the desk, "Our previously agreed upon payment."

Double Dan counted the credits, "I would say that it was a pleasure doing business with you…but I don't like you so it's not."

"See you around," Spamley said.

Private walked back in, "well it been nice to visit your neck of the face…I mean face of the neck…I mean there's a face in your neck…neck of the woods…Neck of the Woods…I meant."

"Were looking at my little brother?" Double Dan said, "He get self-conscious!"

"Yes…I mean…NO," Private said.

"GET OUT!"

We were then kicked out, "hey what about the virus?" I asked.

The case was thrown at me, I grabbed it and found it very heavy. I struggled to carry it and the squirming and shaking of its occupant didn't help. Rico provided a solution by swallowing the case sending it into storage. It immediately gave Rico a "stomach-ache" of sorts, but Rico soldiered through it. We left the dark web and returned to the ruins of the Old web.

Private, Marlene, Skipper, Rico and I got to work stacking bits of old website into a mound. Before long, the mound reached the height of a walkway in the new web. Once the mound was complete, we started to climb up it. We were suddenly buzzed by Spamley riding a little run-down web browser (looked more like a scooter than a car). We lost our balance and fell back down to the old web.

Spamley noticed our fall and sped back towards us, "want a ride?"

Rico responded by blasting him off his ride.

"That wasn't very nice," Private said.

"I hate pop-up ads," Skipper replied as we piled in.

We sped back up the mound and merged into the traffic of The Internet, "let agree never to visit The Internet again," Private said.

"Agreed," everyone replied.

We sped through The Internet towards the gaming district. We dodged the "police" from the anti-virus district who were actively searching for us. We zoomed past the damaged Knowsmore search bar where "anti-virus" police were interviewing the site's namesake owl. We sped past "Buzz-Tube" and "Slaughter Race" where other witness interviews were taking place. We made it to the gaming district and "Burger Time" in no time and sitting behind it was the portal. The lab stood waiting on the other side of the portal.

"Alright," Skipper said, "unleash the virus and get out."

Rico hacked up the case and we entered. Once we passed the entrance and entered the fast-food setup inside we placed the case on a table. Netizens were too busy playing levels and building burgers to notice. We opened the case and rushed out of there as the virus started to scan it's surrounding for "insecurities"

"Scanning for insecurities…scanning, scanning…" it said.

"I hope we can get home soon," Private said.

"Don't worry about it we'll be in the real world soon enough," Skipper said.

"I'm still worried through," Private said.

"I'm still worried through…Insecurity detected…duplicating insecurity!"

Suddenly an army of Private's appeared causing the game to glitch and ultimately failed. The doors to the game suddenly slammed shut freezing anyone inside. We slipped away towards the portal while The Internet started to panic. We rushed into the portal causing an energy release that spread through The Internet causing massive service blackouts around the world. The portal stopped pulsing as half The Internet plunged into darkness. Suddenly one of the bulkheads on the "Burger Time" entrance was smashed open and the "Arthur II" virus slithered out and its red eye fell on the still open portal.

(end of chapter seven)