When Desperation Meets Opportunity Chapter 15 — A #NaNoWriMo 2015 Story

Chapter 15 — Jim

Blurry eyes continue to distract me. Just a few more lines, I tell myself, trying to make it all work. When you’ve never built a program before, you really don’t know what to look for. A lot of time-consuming trial and error as you compile and hope. I’ve been using a virtual box to make sure my system doesn’t get compromised while I execute the code. After five days of this, my brain is about fried. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I’m any closer to completing the virus, and Mr. Man wanted it done by the end of the week. With two days to go, I don’t feel like sleep is really in the cards for me. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday. One more day to power through, and then I’ll have all weekend to devote to finishing this thing.

Jake returned from his conference, so I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He was jacked up when he got back to the office, coming off the heels of a partnership with some big game making companies. Once the paperwork is finalized, this deal would bring in enough funding to keep us going for the rest of the year, at least that is what Jake is telling me. Needless to say, the mood around the workplace is greatly improved. It really does make me think: I took on these tasks because I was worried about losing my job and needed the money. Now, the situation seems so much more stable, yet I’m stuck. I’m creating this program to who knows what end. But, so far, nobody has been hurt, and the skills I’m learning could help me with the next leg up in my career.

I’ve been thinking a little bit more what to do with this money when all is said and done. If I recall correctly (the last month or so has been a ridiculous ride), I’ll be earning a million dollars when all is said and done. First of all, I’m going to do the responsible thing and pay off my student loans. But, that is really not that much, maybe fifty thousand dollars? I chuckle a little bit, because the idea of fifty thousand dollars being a small amount is actually quite hilarious.

After that, the sky is the limit. I’m looking to go beyond my Playstation Two, so I’ll buy the newest gaming systems. My laptop does alright for what I need to do, but I’d also love to have a pretty beefed up gaming system. I’ve never traveled overseas, so that is very high on the list. Australia, or maybe Brazil. To be honest, I don’t have much of a clue. All I know is that I want to get on a plane and go some where.

A frugal side of my brain doesn’t allow me to go much beyond that. How can I improve my apartment situation? What about my parents and their financial concerns? And realistically, how far can a million dollars take me? Eventually, it will run out. As much as I would like to be frivolous and spend on anything and everything, it just can’t happen that way. But, I can’t simply show up to the bank with a bunch of money and deposit it, so I’ll have to be strategic with how I get it into savings. This isn’t some issue I can just wait on. After completing this task, I’ll have over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in my apartment. Even in a relatively safe area of chicago, that is reckless at best. I also wonder if Jake might want a cut. It is at the forefront of my mind to provide him something for the countless hours he has spent helping me sift through binary code.

Speaking of Jake, he will be coming over soon. It is almost 9:00pm, but he thought we were close to making a breakthrough, and a few days away has helped him clear his head. I’m not sure how much more I can take, but I’m welcome to have the help. It almost seems like the archive move was a waste of time at this point. We don’t know a whole lot more about Mr. Man than we did before. I’m not sure what I was hoping for. Some kind of Magic Eye type illusion where the answer just pops out of the blue. That hasn’t come. Nothing may come. I’ll have to wait and see what Jake has come up with and if what he finds can be any help at all.

I punch in a few more lines of code, and go through my process once more to test things out. Nope, the virtual operating system survives. The virus is supposed to shut down the system and anything connected to it within five minutes after entering. So far, it isn’t even close to working. At what point so I ask for help from Jake? What more can I ask him to do? He doesn’t work with C usually, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know it.

A knock at the door. I get up from my desk, and walk over and answer.

“Hey man! Sorry for the lateness, but I have an idea.” He smiles and bounces his way into my apartment.

I yawn. “No…hawwww… problem. I’m a bit tired, but I’ll go pour through a Diet Mountain Dew and be back at it.” With that, I head to the fridge, and get myself something to drink. I offer one to Jake, and he obliges.

“Thanks man. Alright, go ahead and get your system set up. I have an idea.” This feels promising. I follow his orders and get my laptop ready to go through the code again.

“Done.”

His eyes get big and he walks over and put his hands on the desk chair. “We’ve been going about this the slow way. After some thinking, I’ve realized the pattern. I could be wrong, but I’m not.” A little cockiness showing through. Not a bad trait. We can use all the confidence we can get right now. “It just clicked in my mind. The transactions aren’t on one line, and they aren’t on two. Somehow, it pulled out the data in alternating lines. To boot, it also occurred to me that based on the info we have found so far, that the entry patterns are every five lines.” My eyes glaze over a little, but surprisingly I understand what he is saying. Five straight weeks of this will eventually teach you something.

I try and sound excited. “Dude, that is awesome.” The clicking noise of a can opening fills my ear as Jake opens his Diet Mountain Dew. I’m not sure what I was waiting for, but this cues me to do the same. “I have everything all set up. Let’s do this.”

For the next two hours, we dissect at least 20 different lines, trying to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like his pattern held true. At least, not completely. Just when I think we are done for the night, I hear a shout.

“Yeeeeaah!!!” emits from Jake’s mouth. He is practically jumping at this point.

“Dude, what?” I’m intently curious as to the nature of his excitement. It seemed like we had hit a dead end.

“I found some pretty juicy info here. Why don’t you let me have the chair and I’ll type it up for you.”

I stand up and let Jake have my spot. You can own the throne if you are doing the work, after all. He works so efficiently, it is like watching a professional athlete just do their thing. How did I get so lucky to find a friend like him? About five minutes pass, and he pushes himself away from the desk and raises his hands to the air.

“There. We. Go.”

I peak over Jake’s shoulder to read the information he typed out.

Cyberdigital Associates Incorporated

Deed of Property Purchase

Stetford, Wisconsin

Transfer to

Ming Security and Defense

It is safe to say I’m a little shocked and surprised by that little nugget.

“See, I told you I would figure something out, Jim! This should answer the question about why this guy chose you.” I just shake my head and continue to stare at the screen.

This doesn’t answer all my questions. It might only create more. More is going on than I can figure out at this point. But, as it stands, one thing is clear — Mr. Man is somehow involved in my hometown. I just wonder if it even matters anymore what we figure out about him. I’m getting paid, and he is getting work done. My eagerness to solve this apparent riddle is not that high right now. At the same time, this guy is clearly up to no good. Since Jake is helping me, I don’t need to get on his bad side by rejecting his assistance. Best to stay the course right now.

Jake stands up. “Well, I think this is enough for one night. You look pretty tired, so I’m going to head home. See you at the office tomorrow. Want to go through this more tomorrow night?”

I want to say no. Exhaustion fills every fiber of my being. The stress of building this virus is getting to me, and I’m worried about not getting paid if I can’t get it done on time. Or worse. But, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Jake is a friend, but he could be my enemy any moment, depending on how the wind blows.

“Sure Jake. I appreciate this. We’ll see you tomorrow. My place.”

With that, he waves goodbye, and heads out into the night. I take some time to put my laptop back together. It might be late, but the night is young for me. This virus won’t write itself. I just wonder — where exactly am I taking this?