{Loading…}

{Loaded.}

[>>Now replaying: Log 1.33 - Anyway, this is Firewall]

Date: 8.9.175 AA / 4404 LTC

Location: The Bunker at Haven-Of-Progress // Zephyro’s Domain

//AND AFTERRRR AALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL//

//No one quite knows how the word firewall entered common usage. It makes very little sense once you think about it. Wouldn’t a wall of fire extinguish itself at some point? Wouldn’t it burn down the building it is trying to protect?/&$&%§$/(&)=(/&%//

//The term firewall originally referred to a wall intended to confine a fire within a line of adjacent buildings.[4] Later uses refer to similar structures, such as the metal sheet separating the engine compartment of a vehicle or aircraft from the passenger compartment. The term was applied in the late 1980s to network technology[5] which emerged when the Internet was fairly new in terms of its global use and connectivity.[6] The predecessors to firewalls for network security were routers used in the late 1980s. Because they already segregated networks, routers could apply filtering to packets crossing them.[7]

Before it was used in real-life computing, the term appeared in the 1983 computer-hacking movie WarGames, and possibly inspired its later use.[8]//

[>>DATA CORRUPTED]

E1 %Oh hex me, that was bright.

E2 % Can say that twice... by the Might of Magic, I think I went blind.%

E1 %You'll be fine. Did the Shackle take?%

E3 %Don’t think so. It’s still not doing anything.%

E2 %Try pressing the lower part. Where all the letters are.%

E3 %I did. Still nothing.%

“Damnit, they’re back,” I said, and Zephyro let out a low curse in Arabic.

{ADMIN 2 DISCONNECTED REDTOOTH 1 from t3h_int3rw3bz.}

{ADMIN 2 CONNECTED REDTOOTH 1 to HOPe_BNKR_OPEN_NW}

{HOPe_BNKR_OPEN_NW NOW CONNECTED AS “Network 2” VIA REDTOOTH 1}

{DOWNLOAD PAUSED}

{99999999999999919 IS NOT A VALID NETWORK. TERMINATING CONNECTION.}

{ALERT. SECURITY BREACH IN PROGRESS. CONTACT AN ADMINISTRATOR IMMEDIATELY.}

Boop!

Boop indeed.

[//sudo disconnect Redtooth 1]

[>>Redtooth 1 is under restriction by ADMIN 2.]

{>>ADMIN 2 NOW DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe to SAMANTHA_v0.1}

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 20%…}

“Sultana?” Zephyro began, but I held up my finger to forestall him.

I stared at the Vizier as the information rushed through my brain, with the Torch still burning in my hand. With some effort, I felt for the switch and doused the flames, then, grimacing against the pain, fixed my eyes in the middle distance instead.

[>>Error: Wiki.saintnet.gov is not responding.] [>>Re-establishing connection…]

[>>Error code: 404 // wiki.saintnet.gov:4242 not found in s̸̴̢͉̙̟͉͓̽̒͊̈́͘͝s̴̸̡͓͙̙̘̠̈́̈́̿̀b̸̸̼̻̺̙͚͚̈́̿̀͌̽̕_d̴̸̡͔̺̪̦̟̈́́̾̐͋̚r̸̵̢͚͇̘͇͙͛̈́̈́͘̚̚i̴̸̦͍͔̝͉͚̽̈́͑̿̚̕v̸̴̘̻͓͙͉͍̓͆͛́̕è̵̵̫͇͔̟͍̪̕̕̚͝͝]

{SAMANTHA_v0.1}

{▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱}

{DOWNLOADING DATA 99/100%}

{15.6 LTB/15.7 LTB}

{DOWNLOAD PAUSED.}

“How are we looking on the turrets?” I asked and shook my head at Zephyro to indicate I was talking to Chris.

Beep…boop.

“Won’t be done in time?”

Boop.

That one almost sounded like an apology. A Christmas miracle, coming from them, but not what I needed right now. My head snapped up.

“How long to the Palace?”

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 25%…}

“Maybe an hour, maybe two, Sultana,” Zephyro replied. I hadn’t gotten so close, but looking at the speed with which the Shackle was downloading, we definitely didn’t have that much time.

“Chris! Forget the turrets, we need a firewall, or an antivirus package or something.”

[>>User CHRIs is currently busy: Code_dojo.exe]

Boop.

“What do you mean, no?!” I yelled before I could catch myself. They liked to bury themselves in their projects and get snippy when I interrupted them, but they wouldn’t just shut me out like that.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 30%…}

I forced myself to calm down just enough to remember snapping at Chris wouldn’t solve anything. “Not enough time?” I asked.

Beep!

Damnit, damnit, damnit!

I would have to use the Wish. I was still hesitant because I really wasn’t in any state of mind to be toying with power of that scale, even more so now that I had witnessed the magnificent tapestry connected to my Logic.

Somewhere nearby, another building collapsed with an earth-shattering sound, and a wave of hot air and dust engulfed the rooftop we stood on. As if on cue, really. I coughed, pulling my shawl over my lower face to at least filter my breaths a little.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 35%…}

With effort, I turned my attention inward and found I couldn’t even sense the threads that led to the massive hoard of divine magic that had enveloped me in the darkness. Instead, I only found the small amount of Logic I’d managed to collect from the Ferals.

{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 237 LB}

Sure, compared to the thrumming energy filling the void, this small ember was almost pitiful, but its bell-like sound rang strong and clear nevertheless. More importantly, in my state, it felt way safer, like I’d just have to handle a fire extinguisher instead of a water hose.

Zephyro stepped closer as the dust blew away, and I quickly told him about my plan. There’d been something off about his reaction earlier, and I was just making sure again that he didn’t mind me using Logic in front of him.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Of course, he just nodded his silent agreement. Of course, he looked at me with enough hope to drown any semblance of peace.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 40%…}

I stepped up to the roofline. We were bordering on one of the main thoroughfares Zephyro had mentioned before, and the wide open space had provided a reasonable firegap. Still, distant sounds of fighting washed over the edge, mixed with the crackling of fire and faraway screams. Again I was reminded of Novus Apex and our hurried retreat from the capitol, just that this time, I was running toward the heart of the city, not away from it.

Even from this distance, the palace was monumental, its walls high and impenetrable, yet adorned with enough ornaments as to make it look inviting instead of imposing. The Skyscrapers Zephyro had called the Pillars still stood their silent watch around the structure, making it seem even more untouchable.

In short, it was the very symbol of safety. If I could just make it that far, preferably with my mind intact, I’d be good.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 45%…}

I grimaced. The download was proceeding, and I felt like I was wasting my time, but if I didn’t think this through correctly, it would backfire, and probably blow my only chance at survival.

I tried to remember how I’d upgraded my CPU. It had been relatively easy to upgrade once I knew what to focus on, but the thing was I already had a CPU before that. That wasn’t an option with a firewall. Chris and I hadn’t even thought about electronic warfare before we started our experiment. Why would we? There had only been a single computer on the planet, as far as we knew.

So that route was out.

And yet, Chris wouldn’t have sent me that readout if I couldn’t use the Logic to get out of this.

A firewall… Well, even if I didn’t have one of those on my computer, perhaps I could build one out of an object I found in the world, like with Pharus. My memories of how I did that were more than a little hazy, but I knew it was possible. Just how?

Again, I was struggling with too many unknowns, and this time, I couldn't even ask Zephyro for help. If I had an unlimited amount of time and Logic, I would have settled down to try and figure this out, probably to be outdone by Chris in a couple of minutes, but I had neither. In the end, if Logic was connected to my Wish, and there were that many similarities, I just had to assume the two worked alike.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 50%…}

There had been a couple of rules when it came to my Wish. First off, I couldn’t create something out of nothing. I needed a base object, something I could touch. I’d think about what I wanted to achieve, then will my Wish into the thing in question, and hope for the best. Sometimes it worked and I got something useable, sometimes it didn’t, but I’d gotten better over the years. In either case, the Wish would advance the thing I was holding along a conceptual axis. I could turn a stick into a club, or a spear, or even a sword if I convinced myself that with enough childlike wonder, a stick can be a sword. I just needed to focus hard enough, and most importantly, my mind needed to be calm. If I wasn’t, like right now, things could potentially go very bad.

> Too many mouths spewed prophecies that would always never come true. Eyes that stared at nothing and everything at the same time, piercing my flesh with their gaze, skin deep, relentless, and unyielding.

The unwanted memories flooded my mind, collapsing my concentration like the burned-out buildings in the street below. I grimaced, shaking my head to clear it again.

It wasn’t always that bad. Sometimes fate would smile on me.

My Torch—the one I’d made in the real world—had been an accident like that. I had been holding a stick and thinking about driving away wolves, for reasons that were most pertinent at the time.

My Wish had somehow picked up on the concept of “a stick” and “drives away wolves,” and combined them into “Stick, but on Fire!”

And so, I’d gotten a Torch that never stopped burning. The wolves had fled a few singed muzzles later. When the fire didn’t stop no matter what I did, I stuck it in the ground and collapsed from exhaustion. Its warm glow had kept me safe ever after.

So perhaps making a firewall was as easy as grabbing something vaguely wall-like and thinking about fire.

I grimaced. At least the second part would be easy. There was plenty of that to be found in this city. Gently, I sucked in a breath, steadying my thoughts as best I could.

Okay, once more, without feeling.

Eyes closed.

Kneeling down.

A deep breath to still my mind.

The divine potency within me surged, announcing my presence to the order of things. I pressed my hand to the wall below me.

I exhaled.

{ERROR!}

{>>INSUFFICIENT ERROR_VAL_NOT_FOUND! CAN NOT SUPERLOGICALLY ALTER X://ZEPHYRO/DPM/DMN/Rasul557/Coop9436_wall_4_scorched.vrt}

{SUPERLOGICAL ALTERATION ABORTED}

{YOU HAVE LOST 5 LB}

{AVAILABLE LOGIC - 237 LB}

“Oh come on!” I yelled as the blue smoke I exhaled faded away.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 55%…}

Zephyro startled, but when he looked at me, I shook my head.

“Still trying to figure out how to build a firewall, and the Shackle is already at 55%. Isn’t there anything you can do?!”

Zephyro stared at me as if he were standing beside my deathbed.

> The smell of antiseptic that can’t hide the stench of cold sweat. White hallways, rooms with lots of easily cleanable surfaces. My dad doesn’t have long anymore. No more hair, the first victim in his battle. He looks so skeletal, he might already be dead, but when his eyes flutter open, they are still very much alive.

> “Sammy…”

The memory ran rampant through my emotions, and for a second, I imagined how it must feel to see the person you hoped was going to save your people turn into the very thing slaughtering them by the thousands.

“Zephyro, come on!” I said, fighting the urge to snap my fingers in front of his face. He was going through a lot, but I was about to get mind-controlled by a computer virus, and I was starting to really freak out.

“I must offer another thousand apologies, Sultana. What is it you need?”

“Fuck…” I said for the umpteenth time that day. Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair. It had become a tangled mess wherever it poked out of the headdress. It was getting hard not to fidget, but I had to stay focused.

“I tried advancing a wall, but I don’t have the right permissions, and the Logic I invested did nothing.” I grimaced at the thought of where that Logic had come from. What it meant. “Sorry, I don’t want to waste this stuff, but nothing here works like I’m used to.”

He looked at me as if my dying words were casually discussing how to transmute lead to gold, but didn’t waste a second. “I confess I am at a loss, Sultana. No one I know of has ever made an attempt, let alone achieved success in what you are trying to do. Though perhaps… perhaps you need to truly own an object to change it with your Blessing?”

“Well, what do I own then?” I asked. “I don’t exactly have an inventory Excel sheet, and I certainly don’t have time to check everything!”

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 60%…}

“Well, you own your body, Sulta—“

“No,” I said, expression fierce. “Never living flesh.” I had learned very early that I’d rather be dead than whatever one became when the Wish met a human body.

> “The Torch lights the endless sky it points the way for them and for you, I will do anything and everyone will come…”

I shuddered at the memory, buried it quickly, as deep as I could.

“Sorry, just please, go on!” I urged.

“Well, there is of course your scepter, which you have already blessed, and lastly the robes I made for you, Sultana.”

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 65%…}

That gave me pause. “You made these?”

Zephyro nodded, and he… was he getting flustered?

Ignoring his sudden embarrassment, I looked at my clothes in earnest.

They were absolutely ruined now, but still, they were well-made, and their flexibility had served me well so far. Good range of movement, regal enough to make a good impression (or to stand out in a battle.) Even after I had lost many of the ornaments on our trip to the heart of the city, they still looked imposing enough, underlining my authority.

At the same time, they were form-fitting without being needlessly erotic, and more importantly, I knew that on a battlefield, exposed flesh meant a weak spot the enemy could exploit. I’d once killed a man by stabbing him in the codpiece several times, then letting him bleed out.

All in all my robes struck a good balance between imposing, feminine, and utilitarian. Clearly, Zephyro had put a lot of thought into fitting them to the body I’d found myself in. While my new, sand-browned skin still caught me by surprise every time I looked at my hands, the color-matched it well.

Looking at my hands reminded me that they were dangerously exposed, but the rest of my body was well-covered as far as I could see. Even my neck was wrapped in a robe equivalent to a high collar. Sturdy cloth, too. I couldn’t find a single rip or tear, despite the acrobatics routine I’d put it through.

As it was, the robes’ biggest problem was that none of it was truly armored. This wasn’t my old power armor. A blade that was sharp enough would slice it open as easily as it would silk, and I was sure that even if the spider hadn’t webbed my exposed hand, it still wouldn’t have had much of an issue piercing the fabric with those arc-welder fangs.

Regardless, the cloth offered some protection, and that was enough for the purposes of my Wish.

{DOWNLOADING SHACKLE_v1.3.exe = 70%…}

I closed my eyes, cleared my mind. I focused on the concept of feeling protected, of defending myself, of standing against the assault. I drew on my distant memories of weathering hundreds of cyberattacks, all those years ago. Of how we’d celebrated after.

Somehow, it made me think of Chris, and how I’d hugged them for the first time after they’d shown me what they were capable of. It made me think of Stax, standing in front of me in a ballroom, glove in hand. It made me think of Patti, and how protected I’d felt in her embrace. It made me think of Lorelye’s laughter, and how it shielded me from everything wrong in the world.

I almost smiled.

Then I exhaled, and my eyes flew open in an explosion of cyan.