internet daemon

Thursday, July 10th, 2225. Illan Sparks has gone missing. Her father, computer superstar genius Bill Farts, has hired you, a private investigator, to track her down. [[Investigate!]]

1. Illan Sparks, prodigy hacker and adoptive daughter of tech CEO Bill Farts, went missing on December 29th, 2224 at a New Year's Eve party being held at Farts Co. International Headquarters in New New York City. 2. She was last seen running out of the building, still in formalwear, carrying a suitcase full of expensive equipment. 3. Key witness testimony claims that Miss Sparks was visibly distressed and agitated, and would not respond to offers for assistance. 4. The last time she was sighted was at a convenience store nearby a few days later. She was wearing a black baggy hoodie, sweatpants, and an expensive pair of Alvensleben headphones. 5. In the time since, there's no sign of her anywhere. She could be anywhere in the city. Hell, at this point, anywhere in the //world.// //So where the hell did she go?// ... [[You think you have an idea.]]

You recieve a DM. The user is anonymous. [[OPEN]]

You're in your office. On your desk, scattered, is a pile of papers related to your current case, as well as a miscellany of other objects. [[Missing Poster]] [[Dossier]] [[Newspaper Clipping]] [[Illan's Report Card]] [[Memo from Farts Co. International]] [[Your belongings.]]

>> (text-style:"shudder")[(text-colour:cyan)[stop what you're doing right now.]] > (text-colour:orange)[[Uh, why should I?]] > (text-colour:orange)[[Who are you?]] > (text-colour:orange)[[I'm busy working. Office hours are 10-3. Message me back later.]]

>>(text-colour:cyan) [uh, because... i said so?] > (text-colour:orange)[[Okay. Blocked.]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[my name is not important] >> (text-colour:cyan)[what is important what i'm about to do] > (text-colour:orange)[[That's a reference to a 200 year old game...]]

This thing's been plastered all over every free wall, pillar, and milk carton in the city for the past few weeks. " ''MISSING ILLAN SPARKS LAST SEEN:'' January 20th, 2225 Date of Birth: December 25th, 2210 Age: 15 Sex: Female Nationality: Filipino Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, shoulder-length, choppy Height: 4 feet 9 inches Weight: 110 lb Last seen wearing: Oversized black hoodie, navy blue sweatpants. Identifying Characteristics: Hi-Fi Bass Boosted HD413 Alvensleben line brand of headphones, may be carrying other technical equipment May appear agitated. Any and all information should be forwarded to the Bill Farts Foundation immediately."

This is what Bill's secretary gave you when you accepted the job. "Last seen December 29th, 2224 at 5:54 AM outside of the Farts Co. International Headquarters building carrying a Farts brand suitcase*. DOB: December 25th, 2210 Age: 15 Blood type: O- Sex: F Race: Filipino Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, shoulder-length, choppy Height: 144.78 cm Weight: 50.8 kg Last seen wearing: Dulce Leche brand backless satin formalwear black gown & matching heels. * Suitcase contents are highly classified. Likely uncooperative and unstable. Return to parental custody, alive, safe, and sound, under any means necessary. Any and all information should be forwarded to Bill Farts' personal secretary, Nole Smelts. Contact information is..." Your eyes start to drift off the page. You've read this thing a thousand times, and you doubt you're going to glean anything from reading it again.

No self-respecting publication would still be sending out physical papers. You had to print this one out yourself. "- with search crews hard at work, all of us are still praying to find Miss Sparks safe and sound. Back to you, Greg!" Nothing useful. All of the important information is right here, on your desk.

You decide to look at your personal belongings. On the desk are: - A pile of [[miscellaneous papers]], unorganized. - Your [[laptop.]] It's closed. - A [[cup of coffee]], with accompanying stains. You don't keep a coaster. - Your [[bowie knife]]. - A pack of cheap [[cigarettes]]. - A bag of [[BBQ chips]]. - Your [[leather-bound notebook]], full of sticky notes. - One (1) antique lever action rifle; model Winchester 1895, estimated production date 1914. Silver inlay depicting the skeletal Grim Reaper holding a scythe. Stock bears engraving in English cursive: "Memento Mori". - [[A framed photo of your dog, Princess Monster Truck.]]

This is where you do most of your investigative work. There's a lot of bullshit on your desktop, but you know where all of the important stuff is. [[Browser]] [[Email]] [[DMs]]

Most of the world's gone totally digital by now, but you like to keep it old-school. Old habits die hard, yeah? [[Letter from Dad]] [[Note from Seb]] [[Note to self]] Oh, shit, there's a coupon for a free burger in here! Score!

It's a knife. You use this to cut stuff - usually the tags off of clothes - and to skin game, when you go hunting.

You eat a single chip. Delicious.

You pick up the pack of cigarettes and take a look at it. Not really in the mood to smoke, but you always liked the design this packaging has. ~~the joke is that you don't get to see it~~

The spine is worn from years of use. You use this thing to keep notes on bigger cases. All your colleagues think you're old-fashioned for it, but it helps to get your thoughts out on paper. This case hasn't earned an entry yet.

This is where you keep all of your correspondence. End-to-end encrypted with the strongest security that money can buy. You're thankful you're not the one who has to pay for it. There's only one contact you need to worry about right now. [[Bill Farts]]

You open Echidna, your ~~fictional~~ browser of choice. You fuck around on the internet for a while before getting back to work.

> A hologram appears before you. Thousands of digital eyes, swallowing the scene of your office. They blink in unison.< i know you're there, jackass! > (text-colour:orange)[[Oh, shit.]]

You fucking hate this guy. You hate his stupid name, you hate his stupid face, and you hate everything he's ever done in his life. He's paying your boss, and you have to do what your boss says. This also means he's paying //you.// You notice you've got a new email from him. The client, not your boss. [[Bill's Email]]

(text-colour:blue)["Hey, hey, hey, Nathan, it's great to hear from you again! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time you sent me an e-mail was ''13 HOURS AGO.'' That is ''COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.'' This is //''EXTREMELY URGENT''//. The whole entire world and human population is counting on you and your abilities! Remember: I only hired you because I was told by my secretary that you were the BEST OF THE BEST. Remember: The world is at stake! Allow me to remind you: If you can't find my daughter, then WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE."] You close the email before reading further. The guy's a nut. He's got nothing for you.

>> (text-colour:cyan)[that's such horseshit, there's no way you would know that] >> (text-colour:cyan)[Hatred came out literally 200 years ago] >> (text-colour:cyan)[June 1st 2015] >> (text-colour:cyan)[aka ancient history] > (text-colour:orange)[[Why not? Can't a guy be a gaming historian in his off hours?]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[will you fucking listen to me NOW?] > (text-colour:orange)[[...Fine, I'm listening.]] > (text-colour:orange)[[No, lol]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT] > (text-colour:orange)[[I'm a retro gamer.]]

>>(text-colour:cyan) [you probably weren't even playing games back then] > (text-colour:orange) [[What makes you think I was even alive back then?]]

You look at the photo fondly. <img src="https://rekanochi.neocities.org/img/mygames/8YL8MP05pfwR38GvsDVXJTJhbvNKPqNi9atF1mowWMlzjBrXK2QLEz4GNhzg.png"></img> What a great dog.

You take a sip. It tastes bad. Just how you like it.

>> (text-colour:cyan)[you can't block me, i have control over all of your systems!] > (text-colour:orange)[[Okay, then prove it.]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[it's not an ASSUMPTION. it's a FACT. you're super fucking old!!!] > (text-colour:orange)[[Prove it.]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[investigating!!!!!!!!!!!!!] > (text-colour:orange)[[Investigating what?]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[oh my god, you are so fucking annoying] >> (text-colour:cyan)[don't say i didn't warn you] > A hologram appears before you. Thousands of digital eyes, swallowing the scene of your office. They blink in unison.< >> I HAVE MY EYES ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!] > (text-colour:orange)[[Oh, shit.]]

> A hologram appears before you. Thousands of digital eyes, swallowing the scene of your office. They blink in unison.< > (text-colour:orange)[[Oh, shit.]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[WHY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!] >> (text-colour:cyan)[LOOK] >> (text-colour:cyan)[I'LL JUST] >> (text-colour:cyan)[LET ME MAKE THIS SIMPLE FOR YOUR ] >> (text-colour:cyan)[DUMB] >> (text-colour:cyan)[ASS] >> (text-colour:cyan)[OKAY?] >> (text-colour:cyan) [JUST STOP INVESTIGATING ILLAN SPARKS] >> (text-colour:cyan)[AND] >> (text-colour:cyan)[AND UHH] >> (text-colour:cyan)[ERASE!!! EVERYTHING YOU HAVE ON HER] >> (text-colour:cyan)[AND THEN I'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE] >> (text-colour:cyan)[I WON'T EVEN LEAK YOUR CREDIT CARD] > (text-colour:orange)[[Right.]]

NIKORA WRIGHT. <img src="https://rekanochi.neocities.org/img/mygames/natebizcard.png"></img> Nathan White is a pseudonym you use for work. You stopped being concerned about people finding out the truth when you realized that it didn't matter that you were legally dead anymore. Not like it interfered much with your work, right? You were born May 15th, 1987, which makes you 238 years old. ~~Christ alive.~~ You signed up to work for your most mysterious employer after you died. That contract is what is keeping you animated to this day. So. Now you know where you are, who you are, and what you're doing. Now's a good a time as any to go over: [[The Facts]]

>> (text-colour:cyan) [ok] >> (text-colour:cyan) [your real name is Nikora Wright,] >> (text-colour:cyan) [you were born on May 15th, 1987] >> (text-colour:cyan) [(which makes you 238)] >> (text-colour:cyan) [aka: super fucking old] [[Wait, how did they know that?]]

>> (text-colour:cyan) [i already told you! stop what you're doing!] Time to play dumb. > (text-colour:orange)[[Which is?]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[ok] >> (text-colour:cyan)[since you're probably STUPID] >> (text-colour:cyan)[i will spell it out for you] >> (text-colour:cyan)[i want you, Nathan White, to stop investigating Illan Sparks] >> (text-colour:cyan)[or ELSE] >> (text-colour:cyan)[i, the all-powerful internet daemon, ip0s, will be the one that sets forth in motion your downfall] >> (text-colour:cyan)[and your demise will be imminent and brutal and terrible] >> (text-colour:cyan)[is that simple enough for your stupid tiny man baby brain to understand?] > (text-colour:orange)[[Right.]]

You get up from your chair. Your entire office has been conquered by holographic eyeballs, the display of which swallows everything you can see. Whenever they blink, they do so in unison. The strange lighting in the dim room is making your head hurt. You take a minute to think. [[Your name is...]]

> (text-colour:orange)[Hey, Illan. I know it's you.] >> (text-colour:cyan)[you what] > (text-colour:orange)[[You can drop the act.]]

> (text-colour:orange)[It's really obvious...] > (text-colour:orange)[You really should've done your homework on social engineering before contacting me, kiddo.] >> (text-colour:cyan)[NO SHUT UP FUCK OFF] >> (text-colour:cyan)[NO I DIDN'T] >> (text-colour:cyan)[I MEAN YES I DID] >> (text-colour:cyan)[WHAT] >> (text-colour:cyan)[YOU DIDN'T] >> (text-colour:cyan)[SHUT UP] > (text-colour:orange)[[Look...]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[uhhh, i don't THINK.] >> (text-colour:cyan)[i KNOW.] > (text-colour:orange)[[That's a weird thing to assume...]]

That's... very strange. Your legal name is recorded in very few places anymore. It's been long enough that the only people who //would// know are the people you told yourself. > (text-colour:orange) [Alright, alright, alright. You made your point.] (text-colour:orange)[[What do you want?]]

> (text-colour:orange)[I know better than to tell you not to cause trouble.] > (text-colour:orange)[And I know better than to try to keep tracking you down] > (text-colour:orange)[cos you're a slippery motherfucker and I got better shit to do with my time] > (text-colour:orange)[Seriously, kid, this entire country is surveilled to hell and back and I only found you once you came to me yourself] > (text-colour:orange)[Point is] > (text-colour:orange)[I'm letting you go, yeah?] > (text-colour:orange)[Your old man, on the other hand...] > (text-colour:orange)[[I'll kill him for you.]]

>> (text-colour:cyan)[you'll what?] [[END.]]

Notably, right after you begin investigating this case, you get contacted by a hacker, demanding you to cease your investigation A.S.A.P. This hacker is clearly extremely skilled, since they're capable of overriding the building's systems entirely to pull off a trick like this. Not only that, but they act like a little kid. [[You remember being a kid, right?]]

A rowdy bogan teen, causing trouble, making a ruckus. Acting out, because he had something in him hurting, hurting bad, and he couldn't figure out how to cry it out. Your heart aches a little, thinking about it. [[You know what to do.]]

You already know where the kid is. The only question is, what will you tell them? [[Open DMs with USER_ip0s]]

(text-colour:red)["Nikora, I know we've had our differences over the years, but after all we've been through, all the hell we had to withstand together as a family... I'm proud of you. I'm proud of us. But I'm mostly proud of you."] Your old man's been gone a long, long time, but you always come back to this one. You have a couple of copies of it, and this is the one that you always keep in your office. Something about it makes you smile. Old coot always had a sense of humor.

This one took some digging. Miss Sparks dropped out of school to attend university early, but you figured this would provide a little insight into her character. Looking over the report card's grades... "English - B Math - A+ Biology - A+ Chemistry - B History - B+ Music - C- Art - D Gym - F Remarks: She is incredibly, incredibly bright, but she is desperately in need of an attitude adjustment. Illan is capable of demonstrating an exceptional intellect, but is sorely lacking in work ethic when it comes to areas not of her interest." A prodigy, too bored by homework to bother getting it done. She'd have straight As if only she just //applied herself.// You roll your eyes and move on.

(text-colour:grey)["Dear Mr. White, We will make this brief. Illan Sparks, beloved daughter of beloved CEO Bill Farts, has gone missing. We need her retrieved A.S.A.P. You are the best of the best. Find her, and be rewarded handsomely."] You always feel a little uneasy looking at this one. There's plenty of other skilled investigators they could've handed this off to, but instead, they... ... I mean, they're paying you, right?

It's a sticky note. (text-colour:(hsl:0,0.8039,0.5,0.65))["Remember!~ I'm aaalways watching! :}--<"] Your boyfriend must've left this in your office when you weren't looking. Dork.

This is just a grocery list. "-lighter fluid -cigs -treats for PMT -holy water -box of .22 LR ammo for Scott -instant coffee -prosthetics oil -knife oil -gun oil -olive oil -6 oil drums -sulfuric acid"

> (text-colour:orange)[I'm going to kill your father.] --- Thanks for playing! :]