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Chapter 3 - Trust me, any system can be hacked and any person can be tracked...

Avatara Program

Date: 14th January 2030

Testing Log #25

Author: Grace Shelley

"Consciousness translation (CT) rendered stable by isoduplication quantum entanglement generation and processing (IQGP). This has circumvented the no-cloning theorem problem by indirect qualification through error measurement.

It is now possible to perform the IQGP protocol without high energy laser; though it requires the Avatara signal given off by the main Sheldrake communications pole receiving feed from the Avatara kernel.

Programmable matter binding to translated consciousness is working well. Surprisingly, it also works with normal dust particles, though with suboptimal effect.

Avatara carry code initialises and propagates generation of body form around the consciousness based on the motivation of the subject.

These results appear inexplicable and can only be demonstrated empirically without theoretical explanation. More research is required to draw satisfying conclusions.

A concerning side effect of this process is the mental vulnerability of the candidate. Access of the kernel when individual in avatara form can allow operator to perform malicious override of subject decision making. In effect this would be a form of mind control or 'mind hacking.' Steps may have to be taken to close this loophole."

On Thursday 29th May 2030, I had to find somewhere else to live. I did not feel comfortable staying holed up in a hotel room, not leaving it and keeping a 'do not disturb' sign on the door. The cleaner knocked on my door anyway but I refused her entry. I fed by takeaways and room service. Even one of the attendants on the front desk called to check in on me. My behaviour had clearly been flagged as odd. Truth be told, I felt too scared to leave and go outside.

I paid for the room in cash for a two day stay and those two days were up, so I had to pay up the room service charge and leave. If I used my standard bank card here, it would leave a paper trail. I worried that Grimm would be able to track me by my financial data and maybe even close my bank accounts.

You see when you know how to meddle with computer systems the way that I can, you learn not to trust regular banking systems. I am paranoid about being hacked. Ever since I started working at Sheldrake, I transferred nearly all my money from my main bank account into another one. Then from that account it would go into another. In this third account, the funds would split three ways. For the first part it goes to prepaid credit card that I changed every two months and I would use that card to buy various types of cryptocurrencies anonymously at a time in the two month period where the price of the currency appeared cheap. At the end of the two months any remainder on the credit card would be withdrawn as cash, which I would give to my mother, to help her pay her mortgage. The second part I would use to buy shares in luxury items and small businesses. Leaving the third part designated for day-to-day living, and went to a banking app- unfortunately this money was traceable but it couldn't be avoided. The extra layer of security I have is on the third account where I split it three ways, by tagging it to an intrusion detection program I created that would tell me if file objects have been tampered with. Nothing had flagged so far but I knew that Grimm had the resources to track me across the seven continents at his disposal.

I got up at eight in the morning and had to check out by ten. I'd spent the previous day communicating by email with Walker, and less so with Knightmare. Knightmare wanted to know about the capabilities of Avatara and what someone could do in that form. He said that chance of making money excited him and said disrupting the system of old farts who were out of touch with the youth. His messages were littered with exclamation marks. I asked him for his age, because he seemed childish. He insisted he was twenty eight.

He must be a manboy type.

Walker kept asking me pointed questions about the technology that powers Avatara and what company supported its development. I evaded these questions saying I could only answer them when we meet. I asked him what motivated him to help me and he replied with some weak platitude about doing the right thing.

I had little confidence in either of these two people.

"Your name please madam?" said the attendant.

"Sheila Turner," I said. You didn't think I'd use my real name here did you?

"How much do I have to pay?" I already knew the answer but it's worth asking just to be sure.

"Oh yes madam, sorry I am just getting used to things here," said the attendant. A slim, young man of average height with a side parting haircut, who wore a black bow tie and burgundy waistcoat and talked while keeping his teeth closed together. He murmured to himself repeating the meals and snacks I ordered while looking at the computer screen. After finishing his consultation with his desktop he gave his numerical answer. "Ninety seven pounds and fifty seven pence please madam."

"I'll pay in cash."

"No problem madam," he nodded and smiled. A classic case of someone who had mastered the art of being polite and annoying at the same time. It must have been his forced grin and his habit of saying 'madam.'

His false smile aside, he helped by getting a cab ordered for me that would take me to the new flat I agreed to on a month's contract.

A studio flat in Pimlico just outside central London. I picked the area because it is filled with shops, gardens and landmarks more interesting than myself. I will not attract much attention here, I thought. The front of the building, had pure white walls with five floors and a black painted oak door, with a number 10, like 10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister stays. Only minutes away from the River Thames and four miles away from Sheldrake headquarters, I might be crazy but I thought it would be a good idea to be close to the enemy while I enacted my plan. I wagered that Grimm would think that I have run far away and wouldn't expect me to be right under his nose.

I got here at seven-thirty in the evening and I have taken no time to unpack or get comfortable. Time is of the essence. There is a good sofa chair I can sit on while I go into avatara form. Programmable matter is not something you can buy from a shop. I have boxes of activated charcoal powder to act as my dust formulation. It's really good at binding to molecules, ions and atoms of the avatara form. I'll need my laptop with the application . And lastly, I've got my Avatara headgear or what I like to call the brain machine. That will enhance the consciousness translation as I go into avatara form. Knightmare and Walker won't have this ability and will just have to rely on the signal given off by the sheldrake communications pole.

And I can confirm that consciousness translation just means astral projection. However I have always been less confident using that term as it sounds less 'sciency.' But who cares now anyway? I've always cared too much about what other people think, so screw it, I'll say it boldly. I am going to use an astral projection technique to hold a meeting with two hackers I don't know about how we can stop my invention being used for world domination.

Oh my God, I sound crazy. But I guess it can't be helped.

"Meet me over the Thames by Westminster Bridge at 11:30pm," I typed on my laptop.

Walker expressed concern about this.

"That's right near Big Ben and Whitehall. Isn't that too public?" he replied.

"No, I'm not worried about the public. It's more important that we put off my evil boss from interrupting. He won't want the attention."

Knightmare didn't care either way.

But I knew the truth. As soon as we made calls to the Sheldrake communications pole with our apps, Grimm could be able to locate me in my avatara form. Perhaps, I should meet them in real form but that's even more dangerous. Most times, you can only know if your decisions are right in hindsight and even that is a cruel judge of the past.

So here goes nothing...