Steel Mountain. The hacker's dilemma. www.3alamblog.com
What to do when a bunch of data you want to destroy
is completely off the grid?
Hello, Evil Corp. We are FSociety.
Man of the hour. Take a curtsy.
Dark Army?
They got no code. They hack for anyone:
Terrorists, North Korea, Iran, Russia...
Yo, yo, yo, yo, my album just dropped.
Please buy my CD.
He has my bank account, Ollie.
We cannot just infect Allsafe's network because of this.
Can we please hear the plan?
Where are we at with Steel Mountain?
I know how to take out the backups
without blowing up the pipeline.
What do normal people do when they get this sad?
They reach out to friends or family.
I do morphine.
There it is.
After all the searching, scraping, dusting,
that's all that's left.
One line. The last line.
The consequences of busting Vera and meeting Mr. Robot,
creating you... everything till now, this moment.
I chose this. I chose all this.
Data storage facilities like Steel Mountain...
it's linear-tape open standard 9.
Temp value between 61 and 95.
Iron oxide in mag tape...
it sticks to polyurethane with a binder.
If HVAC conditions surpass the ceiling 95 degrees,
polyurethane adhesive mollifies and tape data is unreadable.
This is what we're doing.
This circuit board, if installed behind a thermostat,
it lets us plant an asymmetric back door
then create a VPN in the Steel Mountain intranet.
Okay, we all know what a Raspberry Pi is.
What's your point?
He wants to hack Steel Mountain's
climate control system,
raise the facility's heat high enough
to destroy all the tapes.
And you think sticking this behind the thermostat
will do all that?
With the right software specifically designed.
I'll pull up my research on the facility,
start targeting which thermostats
are the most accessible.
Yeah, well, that's all well and good,
but we still gotta get in the damn joint.
There. Deep in the Adirondacks.
In 145-plus acre former limestone mine.
3-ton steel gates, 24/7 armed guards,
closed circuit cameras, NOC staffing.
Sure you don't want to just blow it up?
All we need is one security flaw.
Look at this place, man. It was built not to have any.
I see about... six walking around.
You okay, man?
What the hell?
Where you going?
We're done, aren't we?
That was about the time the withdrawal started.
Remember?
I know... I broke my own rule.
But I have no Suboxone.
What I do have... clinical depression, social anxiety.
A day job, a night job, confusing relationships.
Others depending on me.
Taking down the largest corporation in the world.
And I chose it all.
This line has wanted to own me my whole life.
Biosynthesized in some lab in Mexico, packed into a pill,
shipped to the States where it was packaged
with a logo and taxed by the government,
stolen by a bribed guard, sold to a Vera henchman,
oversold to Shayla, and then to me.
It needs me just as much as I need it.
The moment was destined, every choice bringing me
closer to this one line.
This line. This last line.
I promise.
- Synced and corrected by skøad - www.addic7ed.com
Today will be the worst of it.
Get through the next couple days, and then I'll be clean.
What do you want?
Huh?
It's me. Open up.
I would have saved you the trip to the door
but you're all, like, against me breaking in or whatever.
Why are you here?
Romero got some clarity on your little plan
that's gonna need your undivided.
- Okay, let's go. - What's going on with you?
You look like shit.
I'm fine.
Look, man. This plan's not gonna work.
Why? Why is that?
I was doing recon on Steel Mountain.
Came up with a problem. A big, fat one.
Evil Corp's upping their security protocol.
If you ask me, it's overkill, but it's legit.
I already told you, they have their vulnerabilities.
So what happens after we hack the New York facility?
Then we have to take a trip to Nashville,
then Colorado, then San Jose,
then goddamn Tallahassee.
Ugh, this looks real bad. Real bad.
They are physically copying then shipping
all the analog backups.
Five big-ass fortress-like redundancies across the country.
Now maybe... and it was always a big maybe...
we get into one, but no way we get into all of them.
The minute we fry one facility,
they'll patch every climate control system they own.
No matter how you slice it, the plan is DOA.
Where'd you get this?
What the hell do you mean?
We're still in Evil Corp's network.
Shit.
This is what Tyrell was talking about.
What'd you just say? Tyrell?
As in Tyrell Wellick?
Yeah.
Since when did you and the goddamn CTO
of Evil Corp become, what, chums?
Says this isn't happening till April 1st.
It's only the 29th.
We still got a few days.
We have time.
All their tapes are still in the New York facility.
Just means we go up today.
We're nowhere close to being ready.
Well, I've already downloaded all the necessary PDFs
of the floor plans to target the thermostats.
It will require some planning,
but nothing I can't do in the car.
It shouldn't take me long to own
the facility's SCADA network.
Especially with some help.
You guys hit the road
while Trenton helps me finish the distro.
We'll double-time it.
You can get it off the FTP server as soon as you get there.
What about China?
We'd have to execute the hack before Tuesday.
Don't worry about China.
I'll it up my Dark Army contact as soon as you take off.
Oh, you just gonna hit up
the world's most dangerous hacker crew?
Pssh, ya'll have gone and misplaced your collective minds.
We've been planning this for months.
Now we're gonna go up on a lark just 'cause he said so?
This plan is shit.
The plan will work.
And once we're actually there, I still need to prep
the social engineering, plus we have no idea
who physically's gonna go in.
It's my plan. I'll go in.
Look, man, you...
you might be able to hide it from these nerds,
but I know a junkie when I see one.
In your condition, you ain't gonna do Jack or Jill
except puke your brains out
or give hand jobs for another high.
Like you said, in three days, one Steel Mountain becomes five.
That's no good for any plan.
Something ain't right about this guy.
Yeah, well. He's gotten us this far.
Still, I don't trust him.
Well, it's not about trust, remember?
Thank you, Mom.
- There it is. - All right.
Come to Daddy.
Yeah. Ha ha ha.
Yo, man.
You gonna say anything about this?
What's there to say?
You seem to have everything under control.
Yeah. Okay.
This isn't my operation.
I told you before.
You're the key to the whole thing.
You're the only force of nature at play here.
There's a saying.
The devil's at his strongest
while we're looking the other way,
like a program running in the background silently,
while we're busy doing other shit.
Daemons, they call them.
They perform action without user interaction.
Monitoring, logging, notifications.
Primal urges, repressed memories, unconscious habits.
They're always there, always active.
We can try to be right, we can try to be good.
We can try to make a difference,
but it's all bullshit.
'Cause intentions are irrelevant.
They don't drive us. Daemons do.
And me? I've got more than most.
I just need to rest a minute, okay? I'll be fine.
Bullshit... a couple hours,
you'll wish you felt as shitty as you do right now.
Wait till the convulsions start.
Full body pains, leaking from everywhere, then...
Hypersensitivity to brightness and sound.
After that, overwhelming paranoia
followed by the darkest of depressions.
Symptoms may persist for two weeks,
assuming I last that long.
Yeah, I know what's in store.
Romero may have a point.
You're not gonna be good for anything till you kick this.
I... it burns.
Don't be mad at me.
I know I slipped, but I'm about to change the world.
I'm about to change the world.
Shit.
Mm, that is the way I like to get up in the morning.
Screw coffee or breakfast in bed.
The first thing I could see every day
is that sweet butt of yours.
I'd be the happiest dude in the city.
Are you going somewhere, babe?
Yeah, um, I'm gonna meet my dad for brunch.
What? No, babe.
I was gonna take you to brunch.
I mean, I know that things are, like, okay
between us right now, but I'm... I'm not
gonna let myself off easy, all right?
You will be wined, and you will be dined
until I feel I've gotten myself out of the doghouse.
Well, we can do something tonight, then.
Perfect.
- Okay. - No.
Oh, hey.
Is Elliot around? I tried texting him.
Uh, he didn't text me back.
Yeah, he's gone for the day,
which is why I'm on Flipper duty.
Where is he?
Shit if I know.
I mean, I don't ask details,
but he only ever tells me what he wants anyway, right?
And I'll tell him you stopped by.
Do you want to walk with us?
Flipper loves an audience when she pees.
Sure. Yeah. I gotta...
head back towards the subway anyway.
Oh, we don't plan our path.
I mean, we just kind of wing it
and see where the moment takes us.
Come on.
Come on, before she bursts.
Maybe this was all intentional.
My subconscious, running in the background,
making me doubt what I got everyone else to believe in.
Turning me into the physical manifestation of my fear
of being a...
Goddamn waste.
Just give him a night to recover, okay?
- We still have tomorrow. - This shit'll last a week.
And I refuse to waste my time playing nurse.
We gotta get back, regroup, start devising a plan B.
The rabbit is in the administration system.
- Send a flu shot. - Rabbit, flu shot...
- Someone talk to me. - A rabbit replicates
till it overloads a file, then it spreads like cancer.
Cancer?
Hollywood hacker bullshit.
I been in this game 27 years.
Not once have I ever come across an animated singing virus.
I have yet to fly through a Tron City directory structure.
I bet you right now some writer's working hard
on a TV show that'll mess up this generation's idea
of hacker culture.
All you had to do is ask, klepto.
I've updated the FTP.
All the files are ready.
- I've created... - Any word from the road?
Jesus, it's been a full 24 hours.
Where the hell could they be?
Got any Advil?
I'm guessing you didn't make contact.
Nope.
Perhaps this plan was a little too ambitious.
We'll wait until the rest of them get back
and then reevaluate.
Sitting here helpless while we crash and burn?
Not my speed.
Even if they hack into Steel Mountain,
we need to hit China's data centers simultaneously.
If the Dark Army isn't compliant,
then there's not much we can do.
God... shit!
I got so wasted, I forgot it's Sunday.
I know where my guy will be.
Is that wise?
Those guys aren't known for being the most understanding.
I'm assuming if he wanted contact...
What about what I want?
I'm coming with you.
No, thank you.
You stick around, wait for the boys to FTP it.
Hey, Trenton.
Here.
- What is this? - Come on, they're my last two.
Is this ecstasy?
No, it's clarity.
It'll help you see past whatever's bringing you down.
I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude.
I... don't do drugs.
- I mean, I... I smoke weed... - Well, sorry,
but there's no take-backs, so...
Besides, don't you want to figure your shit out?
For me, sometimes when I'm going through something,
just gotta... I don't know.
Forget about it for a little while.
Are you seriously drinking
a goddamn sparkling water right now?
If you weren't wearing my scarf, I'd kick your ass.
I think we should go.
Trust me... he's here every Sunday, okay?
He'll show.
Jesus Christ, Romero. What are we gonna do?
We dump him at a hospital,
come up with an alternative course of action.
- That's our only option. - No. No hospital.
Then we split. Screw it.
I mean, you say it all the time yourself,
there's casualties in every revolution.
All that matters is the end result.
We got no time to haul dead weight.
Fine! You wanna leave, leave.
Screw this, man.
I need a hit.
I'll be better.
Just to get me through this.
I can't let you do that.
One hit.
You know, just to get me back on the road.
We don't have time. This...
needs to happen now.
One hit.
Come on.
Let's go.
'Scuse me, fella.
You lookin' for something?
He could really use a helping hand.
Yeah, okay, he can go in. But only him.
Uh, no can do. I gotta come with.
Only if you're partaking, otherwise he goes it alone.
Here you go.
30.
The guy in the house will set you up right.
Long as he doesn't kill you.
All right, look, the minute you're done...
you leave.
You don't look at anyone. You don't talk to anyone.
You take care of business and you get out.
Hey. Nod if you understand.
You want?
Hey.
Big eyes.
It's all good, man. Go on.
I just...
I need morphine. Pills.
No, man.
This is all we got right here.
It's better.
Trust me.
Go on.
There you go. There you go.
I'll help.
It'll be okay. I'll help.
Have I sunk this low?
What must you think of me?
Is it spring? Election year?
Shall I hibernate?
Did we meet? In money we trust.
No, I created... stop.
I can't control thoughts. I need this.
I know I promised my last line, but...
Greedy bitch!
Aah!
Shit, man...
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
here's that seven-day forecast for the tri-state area.
Lots of clouds today, but mostly sunny
through Thursday with temperatures
in the mid to the upper 80s.
And you will notice that the humidity
will be a tad uncomfortable.
Dear brothers and sisters,
now is the time to open your eyes.
If you have not yet woken up to the reality
of profiteering and enslavement we've been warning you about,
I hope you realize we are fast running out of time.
The governments of the world and their corporate masters
do not want us to speak.
Why? Because we unlock truths.
We expose villains. We exorcize demons.
Citizens of the world, we are here to help.
If you have any interest in waking from your slumber,
in retrieving lost, damaged, or stolen memory,
we are here for you.
We have your back. We are FSociety.
What's it open?
It belongs to you now.
Made in the Orient.
Made just for your head.
Now, find your monster, then turn the key.
But first...
a word from our corporate overlords!
If you see our logo, that means you can rest assured
that you're buying the best food,
clothing, shelter,
transportation, hygiene, electronics,
and life's necessities that money can buy.
Hello.
Hello, friend.
But we're not friends.
Can you tell me what happened to that house?
First can you tell me? What's your monster?
I think you dropped this.
♪ Ding dong ding ♪
Don't be shy now.
You can come closer.
Unsettling, I know.
Your pet beta fish chatting you up.
But time's money, Elliot.
You need something?
Your water... does it need changing?
When you live in a fishbowl, ain't no such thing as change.
My entire life's been spent in this thing.
My whole world's on your side table.
I look around... same shit, different day.
The lighting, the furniture.
Even the sounds... always the same.
I'm on a loop,
and it won't stop unless my life does.
I'm exhausted with this world.
What can I do? I wanna help.
I think it's pretty obvious.
There's really only one thing you can do
for a brother in a fishbowl.
What is it?
Move him to a goddamn window!
Angela, he's my friend.
Yes.
And he's delicious.
Here.
- Eat this. - Mm-mm.
Open.
It's piping hot, so consume with caution.
Pop's famous raspberry pie.
Enjoy.
Mm...
Yes.
Yes!
Yes, Elliot, I do.
Elliot, I do!
I do!
Those people in there...
I just told them what they wanted to hear.
You're not gonna do it, are you?
Change the world.
Figures. You were only born a month ago.
You're afraid.
Afraid of your monster.
Do you even know what it is?
It doesn't fit.
Why not?
Isn't it obvious?
You're not Elliot.
You're the...
Hello?
Am I still alone?
Is this the face of my only friend?
Are you my monster?
I am here. You are alone.
They all left.
I'm alone.
No, you're not.
I'm not going anywhere, kiddo.
We're in this to the end.
Maybe you should just walk. Ballet seems
out of your skill set.
What? Screw you, young'un!
This bitch can plié with the best of 'em.
You know, when I'm not bangin' on a keyboard,
I'm schooling classmates with moves like this!
Ooh!
Good lookin' out.
I'm sorry he never came.
Let's... let's just go.
I am a menace to society!
What?
- Wait, where are you going? - It's him.
Phone. Now!
Come on.
Why am I still out?
I have to be at work
in four hours!
There's a lot I'm gonna miss about this gig.
What are you gonna do for money now?
Oh, you know. Just be a hottie waitress.
I'm, uh... Oh, thank you.
Glad you liked it.
Thanks.
Although I am glad I got in one last hurrah
before going all corporate.
You're not worried?
Worried about what?
I don't know.
I always get worried before starting a new job.
No. I am definitely not worried.
Worry's a waste of time.
I mean, shit didn't work out at one job, so I got another.
That's all!
You worry a lot, don't you?
Yeah.
Look in the mirror.
See that badass bitch?
That's the only person you should ever worry about.
Do you know how hard it's been for me to find you?
Come here.
Yo, you need to chill.
Go to hell, asshole!
There she is.
A ray of sunshine in the dark void of my existence.
Oh, poetic.
But not an apology.
I ain't apologizing for shit.
Oh, this is because I dumped your ass.
For real? You're gonna start pissing me off.
Sorry I wanted to spend my life with you.
What a monster I am.
Things are happening, Cisco.
We need to go tomorrow.
It's our only shot.
Then you never had one.
Look, I'm serious, Darlene.
These guys don't mess around.
Now, whatever it is you think you're doing...
freeing the world, freeing the masses...
the guys I work for,
they ain't motivated by kumbaya shit like that.
All right? Now, I'm warning you...
for the last time.
Oh, come on.
You know how much this means to me.
Please...
just talk to them.
My Aunt Esther cured all her habits with this...
liquid anti-diarrheal for the... well, you know.
Lemon and salt for the electrolytes,
decongestant for the runny nose.
This is the third one.
Seven more, you'll be good as new.
I'ma go pull the van around.
Make sure he keeps chugging those.
Thanks.
Cool.
Hello again.
Long time no...
whatever it is we do.
I missed you. Where did you go?
Did you leave, or did I?
Maybe it was both.
Or neither. Doesn't matter.
Do those hopeful moments scare me?
Of course. Daemons, remember?
At some point an "action without user interaction"
will come along and sweep my legs.
This spinning wheel of false highs and true lows
will continue.
That much I know.
Daemons... they don't stop working.
They're always active.
They seduce. They manipulate.
They own us.
And even though you're with me,
even though I created you, it makes no difference.
We all must deal with them alone.
The best we can hope for...
the only silver lining in all of this...
is that when we break through,
we find a few familiar faces
waiting on the other side.
- Synced and corrected by skøad - www.addic7ed.com