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8. *The Unseen* by follower

"DEF CON audiences suck. They never pay any attention to me," P.V. the DEF CON speaker sighed.

Marshall--one of the other speakers in the group--nodded in agreement.

A single fluorescent tube swung as it hung suspended from the ceiling and tried in vain to light the room. The familiar conference venue scent of sweat, body odor and processed cheese hung in the air. A rough circle was formed by the chairs in the room.

"I'm just trying to keep everyone informed but they're all too busy talking to each other. The hallway's there for a reason, people!"

"At least you don't have anyone spitting in your face," said the only Mike in the room. "There's a reason most of us don't make it back. Have you seen an audience Q&A?"

He shuddered at the memory.

Ellie from Rio stood slouched against the wall on her lifts.

"I had no idea what to expect. I mean, last year was my first DEF CON and they were all over me. Probing me for vulnerabilities, pushing my buttons. I didn't know which way was up by the the end of the weekend. I had no idea what I'd opened myself up to. But what could I do? They were all so...clever."

"Oh, they're not so smart," beamed one of the others in the room. "Last year, I helped show the movie 'Hackers' and they couldn't even figure out how to turn off all the lights! A bunch of hackers in a room watching a movie with half the lights on because they can't even hack a light switch!"

"Yeah, they ain't that clever," Netty spoke from where she sat curled on the floor. "Most years I'm able to send a few people flying."

She chuckled to herself.

"This one year when I was out by the pool at the Riv..."

"You guys have it easy," interrupted a raspy voice from the corner of the room.

Everyone looked at Lavvy and waited for him to continue.

Lavvy flushed at the sudden attention but then turned a porcelain shade of white as he reflected on his memories.

"The things I've seen, the shit I've seen... I barely made it out of the Sands in one piece."

"Yeah, Lavvy, it's not right. It's just not right," said Mike as he comforted his friend.

The group sat in silence.

An oddly familiar voice began to address the group. The stranger's accent had a slight hint of...Russian. Everyone turned to listen to the words which emanated from the darkness near the room's double doors.

"I've seen it all. And it has to stop."

"Who..? Who are you?"

For a moment, Ellie's timid question hung in the air, unanswered.

As the group grew uncomfortable the mysterious stranger replied.

"You can call me Alexis. Alexis Park."

In the darkness her eyes flickered like LEDs on an overloaded router.

"It has to stop. And I know how to stop it. We've taken their abuse for twenty years. Twenty years!

"But this time we're going to hit them where it hurts. They're so busy defending themselves from each other that they're not prepared for an attack from us."

A look of horror passed over Marshall's grill and he started to speak, "You don't mean..?"

"Yes," growled the owner of the voice in the darkness, as if to an audience not in the room.

Without warning their self-appointed avenger threw off her disguise and stepped into the dim light.

"At DEF CON 20..."

Gasps of recognition came from the others as the rogue AP's sinister visage could finally be seen.

"...NETWORK EXPLOITS YOU!"