The Mind Hack

By Peter Summersby

Reality is defined by what we, see, hear and feel. What would happen if you are unable to tell the difference between what is real and an illusion? When a computer AI starts testing a virtual holographic system on two unsuspecting men, they must race to find a way out of the computer that is hacking their minds and attacking New York.
Tolbert, a simple room attendant, is unexpectedly caught up in a holographic projection. He must decide what is real and what is not. The fate of the world hangs in the balance, as aliens and monsters ravage the centre of New York. An army of raptors led by trolls engage an alien menace.
Striker, a computer gamer and hacktivist notices that a fellow gamer is being attacked in a game and seeks to find out what is going on. He must find and shut down the cause of it all before the world he knows is destroyed forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Summersby
• Release date: Oct 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370693719

Book preview

The Mind Hack

Acknowledgements

My thanks to my wife Petua who pushed me and gave me courage. I would be lost without her. My thanks to Clancy, Mccaffrey, Fiest, and Hobb for awakening my imagination and helping me escape to another world better than my own.

Thanks to my mother who gave me advice and allowed me to believe that I could do anything, thanks to my father for giving me the discipline needed to master my craft. Thanks to all those who have given me advice and pointers.

I dedicate this book to my wife

Petua who has stood by me through and through.

Chapter 1

Tolbert squinted, leaning towards his computer screen, as if by his closeness he could force his desire onto the screen. He fought with the avatar creation kit for Dragon Hunt, a new game he had discovered online. After hours of tediously setting the precise angle of the jaw, the width of the nose, and the size and colour of the eyes all he had achieved was athletic blond.

Sitting back into his chair he sighed with relief as he completed his creation, and worry and stress leaked out of him. The monotony of real life could now be escaped and he could immerse himself into the virtual world of gaming where he could find real connections.

A shriek from a woman down the hall made Tolbert cringe; the neighbourhood was better than the last by far, no gunfire, but the screaming was doing his head in. First she would scream at her husband and then the rest of the building would start on each other. At least they weren’t using a gun. Thank God for small mercies but the noise was horrid.

The game finally loaded; Tolbert found himself in a ruined New York–buildings had collapsed and rubble littered the road side. Holes had cratered the road exposing water mains, sewerage and subway lines. His first mission blinked on the screen, he must kill a raptor, a short reptile with yellow and green patchy skin, long talon-like claws and a large snout-like nose. Several other people meandered about the streets including a redhead wearing bikini armour. Tolbert chuckled to himself as he watched the avatar of the redhead carrying a broadsword come out of an alleyway and stop, facing him.

Hey, what’s happening? Tolbert spoke into the microphone, sending his voice into cyberspace.

Hey, a husky voice replied.

Yep, totally a dude; no self-respecting woman would wear a bikini so revealing. Tolbert was concerned that she would fall over from the triple E breasts. Here could be a decent human being. If he got too loud he at least could turn down the volume.

A roar bellowed from down the street. Tolbert jumped, his heart in his mouth. A large green troll with six arms was beating its chest under the streetlight half a block away. The monster stood two and a half metres tall.

Sweet, a troll, the large busted redhead observed. Can you help me with this one, mate? Been trying for one of them for three hours.

Sure, Tolbert replied. He checked his name that hovered above his head and added Striker to his friends list. Tolbert drew his fifty-calibre sniper rifle with an optical scope mounted on the barrel. Let’s get started, he bellowed, a sweet rush rippled through Tolbert. Could this be what it is like to have a friend?

Striker ran forward, sword drawn, screaming into his microphone.

Tolbert crouched down and aimed at the head of the troll, firing off a single shot. He felt in control, completely at ease with this weapon. It made him feel like God to be able to control his own destiny.

The bullet whistled past Striker’s head, hitting the troll right between the eyes. The troll, dazed, paused a moment, and then charged at Tolbert.

As the gap closed between the troll and the scantily clad Striker, Striker swung his sword, slicing off one of the troll’s six arms.

The arm dropped to the ground, spurting blood; however, the troll continued barrelling towards Tolbert.

Tolbert cursed, reloaded and aimed up another shot. The shot cracked out, hitting the troll right between the eyes.

Stunned, the troll shook its head and continued its charge towards Tolbert.

Run! screamed Striker.

Tolbert ripped his head from the scope as the troll filled his view. His heart began to race; the troll was right on top of him. Shit. Tolbert scrambled away, his long legs eating up ground, his spurs jangling with each step, the ground hard underneath his feet, the pounding in his ears echoing with each footfall. Glancing back over his shoulder, Tolbert saw the troll bearing down on him.

With two outstretched hands, the monster picked up Tolbert’s lean frame and began beating the ground with him. The sickening crunch of bones and the splatter of blood drowned out the rest of the world.

The world went black; the silence deafened Tolbert.

Tolbert sat up, a scream escaped his lips. Trembling, he felt sweat run down his spine, chilling him to the bone. The room was lit by the light from the full moon streaming through the open window. He breathed a sigh of relief. Tolbert swept his eyes around the room, assuring himself that everything was safe, and that there was no monster hiding in his small room. His computer was on standby on the desk in the corner, the cupboards all closed, his computer chair covered in a mountain of unfolded clothes. Just a bad dream, it wasn’t real. His breathing slowed to normal. Lying back into his bed Tolbert closed his eyes to sleep. With his sheets sticky from sweat, he fell into a dreamless slumber.

Striker sat at his computer and sighed to himself. Looking around the room, he sighed again; everything was in its place, perfectly within reach if needed. Swinging his chair back to the computer and pressing his bulging belly to the desk, he surfed the web. A banner advertisement with a redhead contorting provocatively, its borders flashing on the side of the screen, caught his eye. He scratched his balding head as he contemplated the ad with disgust, and then he fled from the page with a sneer.

He searched for a combat game he hadn't already played. Sighing forlornly over the results, he moved to the next page. Since his failed attempt to hack into the neon signs at Times Square he had been laying low. Nothing quite compared to the thrill of hacking, but living in a prison cell was not what he wanted to do. Sure, the payout had been tempting to post that slogan on the signs but not enough to risk prison time.

Down at the bottom of the third page, a monster-killing genre game caught his attention. Maybe a new game could provide some diversion. While reading the description, he smiled with delight. He normally didn’t play this type of game; however, the reviews