Reborn in 1994: Internet Empire

31 Constructive Criticism

       Max started to attack the Artificial Intelligence created by Charlie and Trae. In 1994, this would easily be a feat not easily reached even by the greatest minds. However, Max is attacking this AI with the experience from the year 2020. He had lived through the different breakthroughs in modern technology and was exposed to the different hacks developed geared towards even more complex systems. With this, Max wanted to give the AI of their company a special edge, especially moving into a more technologically advanced time.

       With the focus of a brain surgeon in the middle of an operation, he attempted to hack the AI with methods of hacking developed in 1997. He uploaded a sniffer program into the system of the computer protected with the AI. Rejected. As expected this program is a little ahead of its time, after all, he thought. It was time for him to try something else. All the time he was trying to hack into the system, he mumbled to himself.

       “Mmm… maybe a bot? Hey Charlie, download this file for me,”

       “Oh, uh ok?”

       Charlie downloaded the file on the computer housing the AI. Max had hidden a bot and tied it into the code of the file, hoping that this would bypass the AI. IT didn’t but at this point, the AI was starting to stagger. Max was on the scent of a breach, and he felt he was so close.

       “Damn… it’s right there,” Max mumbled under his breath.

       The group felt as if they held their own breaths as they watched what looked like a master in his element. Trae was the most invested, as this moment reminded him of how much a genius Max is. He kept his eyes open and made sure to watch every move. At this moment, he steeled his resolve to catch up with the master that showed him the possibilities that could be opened from hacking. There was no way he would allow himself to fall behind.

       Max however did not pay attention to anyone else except the program. In this game of chess, he was looking for every hole to exploit and every weakness to take advantage of.

       “What if I did this...” Max mumbled.

       He knew in his head that he was going to go for something that the world has never seen before. He remembered in the year 2000 that there was a virus that took the world by storm, shutting down even the most secured government databases. The “Love Bug” virus, created by the Filipino men Onel de Guzman and Reonel Ramones. It was a virus that was powerful beyond its time and still rang through the annals of history as one of the most successful and powerful viruses to ever hit the technological world. Max had created a mimic of this out of pure curiosity. Now he had a chance to use it. He injected this virus using a program of his own design and waited for the effects to take place.      

       At first, there was nothing different that came about. The AI was still functioning well, and the computer was still stable for the time being. It was then that a weird whirring sound resonated from the desktop CPU. Charlie’s eyes widened, as he watched the computer start to go haywire. Suddenly, glitching started to happen on the screen of the computer, as he knew the AI was starting to become overwhelmed by the sheer power of the upgraded “Love Bug” virus. Within moments, the screen went black and the computer stopped. It was then Max leaned back on his seat, as he closed his eyes and rubbed them as if staring at the screen for hours.

       The group was shocked at the turn of events. Max was still unbeatable as a hacker, and proved himself as such by beating an AI; a marvel of the technological world as far as the 90s were concerned.

       “What did you do, Max?!” Charlie asked in surprise as he struggled to get the computer up and running again.

       To no avail, the computer remained off.

       “I used a virus to try and hack into the computer. And I did. I’m seeing all of your files on a window on my own screen.”

       “That’s not possible! This kind of tech is new and should be unbeatable with all of the algorithm's input into the brain of the AI. How did you do it?” Charlie asked, still in shock.

       “Let me get your computer up and running first,” Max said as he began typing again, in a more calm manner.

       Suddenly, the computer blinked on again, and the AI was working as per usual. It was as if it had never been hacked in the first place. However, the entire group knew that it had been breached, and by one of the most brilliant minds to ever grace the world of hacking. Maximilian Burner.

       “That virus is something that I’ve come across in my past. I’ve seen it wreak havoc everywhere it went. And what’s worse, that particular virus had no kill switch. So anyone who had come in contact with it had their own devices completely void of their old files. And that was after the repairs,” Max said nonchalantly. “If such a virus came into contact with our AI, then we know that this AI would stand no chance. That is why it was important that I give hacking it a try. So we know exactly how to fix this before this happens. You get it right?”

       Jules chimed in.

       “I had no idea such a virus existed, Max” she said, eyeing the screen of his looking through the lines of code. “I still can’t make heads or tails of it.”

       “Don’t worry Jules, I’m going to make sure that all of you know how it ticks,” Max said, as he put his hand on her shoulder.

       “Please teach me!” Charlie said in a determined manner. “I need to know how we can update our AI accordingly!”

       Max looked into the eyes of his companion in their business. He saw that there was a determination in him that screamed out how much he wanted this pitch to work. Max showed a smile as if he was so lucky that his teammates were so invested into the cause that he himself dragged them into. Now it was time for him to take responsibility, and teach them all, everything that he knows. He couldn’t help but remember the other two that he took responsibility for in the past. Liam and Dev. Paying homage to them, he took on this task and once again took up the mantle of mentor to these people who want nothing more but to learn how they could make this AI successful, and how to make this business better.

       “Alright then, let me show you how this is done. I’m gonna make sure that the program that we release will be long-lasting. The kind of things I’ll teach you will easily be applicable even into the future years. Here is my promise you guys...” Max said as he stood up and met all of their gazes. “The AI program that we release to the public will be as powerful now as it will be in the year 2020!”

       Smiles crossed all of their faces as they looked on at their leader. Now they were really excited. They had no doubt in their mind that Max would definitely get them there. Soon, Charlie sat down next to Max as they planned the upgrades that would be applied to the AI that they would soon be releasing as their first product.

       Trae looked on at the two and was genuinely happy that this project was progressing this well. However, he couldn’t help but think about the virus that Max used in order to hack into the computer. It must have been Max rubbing off on him, but he could not just seem to let that go. He wanted to know more about the virus that wreaked havoc on every single device that it came across. Immediately, he got back on his computer, determined to find out exactly the origin of one of the most impactful viruses to ever hit the earth. However, little did he know that this virus had never happened yet.

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       Jasper walked along the halls of the Locke estate. He was headed to the kitchen, hoping to get some alcohol in his system before having to deal with his overbearing uncle. He caught himself with that thought. He didn’t really think that his uncle was overbearing. Jasper knew in his heart, that his uncle, Mr. Locke, was the most terrifying man that he had ever met.

       “Hey, Jasper!”

       He let out a sigh of annoyance as he continued walking to the kitchen, not even slowing his step the tiniest bit.

       “What do you want Banner?”

       Emily Banner immediately ran past him and cut him off.

       “We have a meeting again with Mr. Locke. He is calling us,” she said, giving him that normal hateful glare.       

       He stared at her for a good long minute, before continuing off to the kitchen.

       “Where do you think you’re going?!”

       “You know… Maybe if you’d lighten up a little bit, I’d offer you a drink. You ain’t bad to look at after all,” he said, as he waved his hand.

       She stomped her foot in frustration but went along with his whims. Regardless, they already had their plan in place. All that was left was to execute.