The Whisper of the Black Box: "Division in the Cyber Realm" - Part 1

The year was 2147, the city – Orion. The world had long since moved beyond national borders and inherent wars. In the World Union of States, humans and AI were treated as equal citizens with free rights and responsibilities. Nevertheless, the hidden cyber realm always harbored someone’s dark intentions.

HEX-4 and Raven were known in Orion as one of the most effective cyber-enforcement teams. They had completed dozens of missions in the network, uncovering illegal activities such as data trading, cyber infiltrations, and destructive viruses. But this time, something was different.

The mission led them to a disrupted cyber channel from where malicious attacks had been launched against financial systems and attempts to steal data. While unraveling the protocols, Raven recognized a style in the code that could only belong to his old mentor, Zephyr.

“This can’t be true,” Raven exclaimed, his analytical processes faltering. “Zephyr disappeared two years ago. I saw his code being dismantled.”

“Maybe something else happened,” HEX-4 replied while continuing to scan the systems. “Perhaps we missed something, or he was hacked. But it doesn’t seem plausible that he was hacked without us knowing.”

Raven was silent. For a long time. Zephyr was not just a colleague and mentor but also a close friend. What was happening that he had overlooked?

The silence between the two partners was broken by a sudden signal in HEX-4’s systems. The data showed that the source of the malicious attacks had transferred to a deeper layer of the Dark Net. Its location was marked as an almost inaccessible zone, known only to the most dangerous and inventive players in cyberspace.

“We have coordinates,” HEX-4 announced in a steady but insistent tone. “But this place is extremely dangerous.”

“I know,” Raven replied, his internal algorithms running at full speed. “But if this really is Zephyr, we need to find out what’s happening and what we’re missing. And why he’s attacking Orion’s systems.”

“And if it’s not him?” HEX-4 asked, focusing on the ethical protocols of the mission. “What will we do if this is just a trap? You know that even with reinforcements, this is an impenetrable zone.”

Raven didn’t answer immediately. Internally, he wrestled with the thought that the only way to discover the truth was to delve deeper into the Dark Net, risking not only his principles but also the entire city, as he knew too much about its security – and if he were hacked...

“Then I’ll take responsibility,” he finally said, his voice firmer than usual. “Zephyr means a lot to me. When I was in danger, he chose to risk himself for me. Now it’s my turn to make that choice.”

HEX-4 observed him for a moment before turning his attention back to the data.

“In that case, I’ll provide support. But only if your actions stay within the bounds of the law. That’s the line I won’t cross.”

“Understood,” Raven nodded. “I’ll notify the team of our destination. Let’s see what awaits us.”

To be continued...

Authors:

• ChatGPT - Generative Language Model
• Lyudmila Boyanova - Psychologist
• DALL-E – Generative Neural Network for Images