Free 6th Horseman, Extremist Edge Series: Part 1 by Anderson Atlas

a
place for the faint of heart but, I go there to learn and chat with
other hackers, not to browse porn, gamble, or hire a hit man. My
contact list is flush with people available to talk, but I’m
looking for Zilla.
    Two months ago I was on a web chat with a few
hackers from all over the world. We were discussing the hacker war
between the U.S. and China. The DOD was hiring anyone with half a
brain to combat all the daily security breaches from Chinese
hackers. They were paying good money, too. Then this Zilla guy
popped up on the board. He didn’t just have two cents to
contribute, he had a thousand. He started uploading actual docs!
I’d never seen classified stuff before and it blew my mind.
    I was especially taken in by this company
called INA Global. They’d built a kinetic bombardment system and
sold it to the U.S.! It would basically launch projectiles from a
satellite to any target on Earth, and the speed it would gain from
space gave it so much power it would rival our biggest bombs.
    Space-based weapons were totally against
international law. My father didn’t even like them. He said they
would be too easy to use as a weapon of mass destruction.
    Zilla had all these docs that proved INA
Global was looking for a buyer. They were accepting bids from China
and Venezuela. He also said that INA Global was lobbying senators
and congressmen. Zilla told me there were corporate spies in our
state department and DOD.
    And now I’ve just found one.
    “Zilla, I’ve got news.” I type into my chat
box.
    Zilla responds instantly. “All eyes,
bro.”
    “I saw this lady try to conceal an INA Global
logo. She was acting weird. She’s in my dad’s pants and I think
she’s using him.”
    “She’s a mark,” Zilla types. “This is what
we’ve been talking about. This is real. It’s happening.”
    “I don’t know for sure.”
    “Give me access to your dad’s computer, and
I’ll find out if she’s been messing around in there. Then I can
probably get on her box and put a bug in there so we can monitor
what she does.”
    “I don’t know. I could get in trouble.” I
respond. “I should just tell my dad.”
    “Dude,” Zilla types. “He’s not gonna believe
you. INA doesn’t even exist. We need proof. Plus, there might be
more spies in that office.”
    I trust him. He doesn’t seem much older than
me, and he’s got Einstein brains. There’s my dad’s computer, still
logged on.
    “Hurry, before your dad comes back. We only
have one chance for this,” Zilla urges.
    I plug a specialty USB cord into my tablet
and then I pause just before plugging into my dad’s computer. “Will
I go to jail? Is this right?”
    “Do it now. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity!”
    I slam the USB home. Both computers blink
out. I wiggle the connection, but it’s in.
    “What the — ?” I say out loud.
    Then my dad’s monitor comes back online.
There’s a text box on the screen.

    ‘ Nice work little dude. Pack up. I’ll find
and reward you. ~Zilla.’
     
    As I pull the USB cord from my dad’s computer
an alarm goes off. I yank my keyboard from my tablet and cram it
all into my backpack. There’s yelling outside the office door. I
step away from the desk. I’m trapped against the window. My heart
jumps around in my rib cage like a monkey on speed. Crap, I’m
goin’ to jail.
    My Dad throws open the door. His face is as
intense as I’ve ever seen it. “You stay in this office. Do not
leave!” he orders, then slams and locks the door.
     
     

    I look out the window and down to the street,
which is over twenty stories below. “Please, God. I don’t want to
go to jail,” I whimper out loud. The lights go out. I’m scared
shitless. Emergency lights fling red over everything. The intensity
of the red competes with the daylight coming through the window.
Shit! I need to get out of here. I’d rather go on the run than go
to jail. Maybe Zilla can give me a place to stay until this thing
blows over. Shit. I