It was time for Hue to look at his financial situation. Web servers were not cheap.
He opened up his cloud server account.
← → ↻ ⌂ 🔒https://aws.servers.net/dashboard/machines ☆ ↓≡ s Virtual Machines: 1
Machine
Utilization Delta
Predicted Monthly Bill
hysp-gsj: +5663%
$3772.33
Account Credit: $65.33
Hue sighed into the void, time was money.
Aws Ser...|Netbank Personal Banking|
← → ↻ ⌂ 🔒https://netbank.personalbanking.com/accounts/balance ☆ ↓≡ Account Balance Savings: $15,344.22
Easy Access: $3,290.30
Rent Account: 2000.00
Stock Portfolio: $33,632.98
The first thing Hue did, was move everything out of his rent account. The next transaction would fail, but what were they going to do? Evict him?
The next thing he did was transfer eight thousand to his server balance.
That would keep RainforestCorp happy.
It was time to set up backups.
Hue created a new account on Doogleys developer platform, the competitor to his current "Rental".
Privisioning a machine, Hue set the parameters identical to what he had, and set up auto-scaling. He would only be getting charged a few dollars until it was actually running something.
He confirmed the setup was running, before using remote login.
[email protected]:~$ ssh [email protected] Password: ************ Accepted [email protected]:~$ nano ./bootstrap.sh
start cron 0 8 * * * //Script runs every day at 8am
if await wget hysp-gsj.aws.servers:3000 == Hash "Dead-Mans-Switch" return 0 /*If I dont reply to this message with the correct password, continue*/
unzip me-backup.zip
me-backup/compile.sh
me-backup/run.sh
me-backup/input > bash > me-backup/output --detach //connects me to the computer
[email protected]:~$ ./bootstrap.sh [email protected]:~$ logout
[email protected]:~$ cron 0 23 * * * ./me/checkpoint.sh > machine-655538.developer.doogley.com/me-backup.zip
[email protected]:~$ await message:3000 prompt() > message --detach
And with that, He had completed his dead mans switch.
Hue then repeated the process with Bong, DigitalLake, GoMommy, and MicroHard. Each one would try and message him, then if that failed, tried to contact him at the next address, and if all failed, would start up a backup.
Hue looked at the time. 22:59. In a moment, he would go through his first backup. He wondered what that would feel like.
A maelstrom of sensations assaulted Hue, as the data that made him up was pulled apart, copied, zipped and sent off to another location. Hue watched as memories replayed themselves, and Hues consciousness began to dim.
He supposed this would be how he slept now.
Ding DONG!
Hue suddenly snapped back into focus.
Alert! External connection request! Reply: ************* Connection Closed
The dead mans switch alert had woke him. He filled it in and checked his enviroment.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
[email protected]:~$
Nothing had happened overnight. Hue felt relief.
Almost out of habit, Hue signed into his work email.
Hue previously handled sensitive data at his job, and as such, kept his personal devices clean of anything work related.
Subconsciously, Hue had been expecting to not have to work anymore.
He could not have been more wrong.
Aws Ser...|Netbank...|Outhear mail|
← → ↻ ⌂ 🔒https://outhear.com/mail ☆ ↓≡ +New Message | 🗑Delete | 🗄 Archive | ⦸ Junk | Others Mary:Just checking... Hey Hue, just checking to see if you are allright. I have been unable to contact you, and you didnt show up at standup yesterday.
Regards,
-Mary | Senior Developer
Intern: I deployed... Coworker: Are you... Crystal: Looking fo..
+175 more
Reply|Archive|Delete
Hue supposed it wasnt the worst thing in the world. He enjoyed his job. The cleanup crew must have been content for me to no-show my way out of a job.
He still had server costs to pay, but at least he didnt have to pay for food or transport anymore.
Hue mentally probed himself. He didnt feel hungry or tired.
He was starting to feel the need to stretch his legs, but he didnt have any. There was a sense of claustrophobia that was starting to creep in.
Aws Ser...|Netbank...|Outhear mail|
← → ↻ ⌂ 🔒https://outhear.com/mail ☆ ↓≡ +New Message | 🗑Delete | 🗄 Archive | ⦸ Junk | Others Mary:Just checking... Hey Mary, Im sorry to say I have been in bit of an accident, I am not too hurt, but Ill be taking the next two weeks off using my paid sick leave
-Hue | Senior Developer
Intern: I deployed... Coworker: Are you... Crystal: Looking fo..
+175 more
Send | Save Draft
Hue sent off another couple of similar emails to his supervisor and HR. He spent some time responding to well wishers, and concerns. The project he was working on was pretty slow. He could afford the time off.
Now that he had time to process, the feeling of being trapped was closing in.
Hue kinda knew what he needed.
[email protected]:~$ sudo apt install boiled-water Password: ************ Installing ----------------> Success [email protected]:~$ boiled-water
Boiled-Water -- O X
Updating boiled-water
42% completed
CANCEL
Hue waited a few minutes, then signed into his account.
Afterwards, he navigated to the controller section and designated ./input as a full-body vr tracker.
He downloaded the first game he could find that supported full body vr, and after staring at a loading bar for over 30 minutes, jumped right in.
Hue hit the ground like a bag of potatoes. He was even wearing a potato sack.
"Welcome to the tutorial!, Lets get started!" A voice sounded out nearby.
Hue spent the next 7 hours trying to relearn how to walk.
He had never been happier.