"The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear." -Kali Linux I retreated to my lair for night, the world was in disarray and I couldn't bare to walk amongst the city streets tonight. Some much needed isolation was required and was at hand. The cold dark streets above my head of the city roared with the night life bustle of conspiracy, treachery, and malice. I thought I was the villain. With my stance I approached my desk and brought my AI online. I called her Carol. Here is where I would stay honing my craft and preparing for when I surfaced again. There was much work at hand to be done, and I dreaded to walk amongst my kind without a mask. After checking in with Carol, I hung up my coat and began my journey into the cybernet. The nodes that I scattered all over the globe came online and triggered my satellite to adjust into position. Once set, my scope would be universal. It was my best kept secret and no one knew I had access. Quietly I watched and waited to be called back to the world. I knew it would come but until then I would remain here. Safe, yes, cowardly? I'm not sure, but I don't get involved with childish politics and games. It's bad enough that I have to wear a mask, but it is because of that mask that I hold a responsibility to set a values and morals. I dare you to talk a walk in my shoes, I'll even clean my mask for you. Can I play games at that level, I sure can, but I'd rather take my stand and weather the storm. I digress. With a wave of my hands the world news came on the screen. Carol knew what each gesture meant. The screen showed the price of oil shooting through charts. Traders were making money hand over fist, I wasn't concerned with them. The oil rig miners were profiting. However, the average man and woman was suffering. On the left screen was a self appointed oil prophet speaking to his following shouting to companies of the financial system as if he was me and wore my mask. I will not concern myself with him, it is a waste of energy and gas. To be honest it costs a lot to run Carol and I'm capable of maintaining her, soup to nuts, all on my own. I guess that's why I don't relate to people. Machines get me. They are predictable. To thine own self be true. The quieter you are, the more you are able to hear. I built Carol on her platform before the storm and I'll be damned if I have to move her. That doesn't mean that I won't move her if I have to, but I won't change her coding because everyone else who thinks they have an AI in their is moving theirs. We will weather the storm and if the feeds that I plug into move, thus forcing me to move, I will have already made plans to do so and move. However, until that happens, I hunker down and stick to my word. She plugs into cybernet and we run on cybernet. I swung my hand and arm in anger down on an angle and changed the screen. All of the nodes I had put up and the systems I had access to were still plugged into cybernet. I kept a close eye on network. How the giants make their play is how I will make mine, unless that is, I'm called to surface early. Alone, I drew myself on a piece of paper from behind my mask.