Rocky Prompts, Tennessee - 5. PT Prompt #11: Running in the Desert

“Jump! They’re coming!”

The wizard’s command boomed through the server, alarming me. He’s never sounded angry before. There was no time to analyze or question as a black portal appeared before my eyes. Obeying, I leaped.

With my heart racing, I looked behind to see the gateway close. Everything was gray and unlit, but I could make out the Gay Authors site. Something was wrong though. The widget bubbles and menus were faded; absent of familiarity. “Wizard—”

“Quiet.”

Was he displeased? Did I do something to upset him? I shook my head, certain there was trouble. Pulling the trusty keyboard to the hip, I whipped up a diagnostic program to view the site’s performance.

Offline?

The site had never done this! Frantically searching through every form and file I had access to, I found none of them were available. Peering up, I tried to make sense of the situation. My instincts told me there was still trouble afoot.

When all of the windows minimized without permission, I stumbled backwards.

The wizard sighed, “Looks like they’re gone, but I’m keeping you here to be on the safe side.”

“Gone?” I asked. “Someone was here? That’s… that’s impossible!”

“It wasn’t a someone, but a team of somethings. A squadron of Googlebots managed to sneak in and performed an evaluation.”

Googlebots? The term sounded preposterous. “What are they, sir?”

“They’re programs that scour the Internet in search of anything. For the site’s sake, they evaluate whether or not the material found on GA is worthy of winding up on search result pages.”

“That doesn’t sound bad.”

“They’re not,” he replied, “but when I have a human beta tester living in my servers… things can get dangerous.”

I scowled. I belonged here. This was my home now! “Why would they hurt me? Can’t I be explained in the coding?”

“No, you’re an anomaly. As far as I know, you’re the only living entity within the Internet. I couldn’t risk them finding you.”

A strange sense of pride warmed inside me. The wizard was willing to save me? I learned of the mysterious man’s rules over time, but none of them seemed to apply.

“Paraphrasing a bit, but rule forty-eight.”

Taking a moment, I deciphered the bylaw. If his lieutenant says something of importance, the wizard will believe him as the officer is entrusted. Does… does that make me the lieutenant? No, that doesn’t make sense!

“Not really, but you’re my subject. I value your existence and loyalty, so I transported you off the site.”

Scanning the environment, one question lingered. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my hard drive.”

I gasped. Th-the wizard’s computer?

“For safety reasons, I deactivated all permissions and capabilities on your end. You’re safe here. I’m monitoring the Googlebots’ activity and when they leave, I’ll put you back in.” He grumbled, “They’ve already been here this month. Why the hell are they here?”

Not wanting to irritate him, I stood still. This was a new area, but there was no desire to tinker. Realization struck, causing me to bite my lip. I was inside the wizard’s computer! The technology that sucked me through the Chromebook all those years ago. The code’s source.

Trembling, I fell and gripped my lengthy hair. No… no, no! I am the beta tester! I… I can’t!

Escape. A forgotten word. A forgotten plot. To be so close to the existence code.

Fear of losing everything, I flung the keyboard and watched it clatter on the ground. Temptation was shredded. I couldn’t risk this new life. So much work had been done. Tests, edits, code construction.

No. I belong here!

A white portal opened before my eyes. I could see it; the test server.

“That's why I trust you, Jake,” said the wizard.