The Master Speaks
The alarm ran throughout the webfort, awaking me. I ran out of my small thread of a home and tried to see what the commotion was about. Cyber rush. I didn't need to be told. I could see them in the distance, behemoths of terror all misshapen into things that man should never see. I wanted to run, to hide to never have to face these things. But I'm a Coder. And it's my job to face these things. I run as fast as I can on my legs but my bandwidth isn't that great so I don't go that fast, but I get there. I climb on top of the battlements where I find my fellow coders there, giving me a reassuring nod. I know they are just as nervous as me. We begin to chant, slowly at first, but it gets higher.
Most of our mind is concentrated on our task but we leave a small part to pray to Moot that this works. The chanting gets louder, but the Cybers get nearer. Even with my face turned to look at the floor I glimpse a small sight of their malformed bodies. One of them appears to be made of aborted fetuses. I concentrate and our chant is near to an end but the Cybers are close. I smell their awful stench, they even went to the effort to make them program themselves to smell. We all shout the final word as we swiftly turn to face the sky so glad that it's over. We all shout "RUN!"
Great walls of fire surround the fort. Oh sure it's always covered by firewalls but not like this one. This one will even keep these behemoths out. Huge and massive and taking a lot of power from us but boy are we glad. For when I see these creatures of terror attempt to get through, futilely and then turn to run I go down on the floor and cry tears of joy. Until I heard it. Just for a brief second, but I swear to you I heard it. A dark, chilling voice a voice full on intelligence but definitely not human whispers in my ear "Next time..."
When the attack is over we celebrate. Every child I see I know is still here because of me. I should be glad. But I'm not because I now know there's something more to the Cybers. Something even more horrible. And that frightens me more than you can believe.
See also: The Master Revealed