Four days since we got kicked out of #hackers. Four days of watching splits, checking server positioning, waiting.

  The school computer lab is empty except for two kids playing Doom in the corner.

  Twenty-eight minutes until lunch period ends.

  I angle my monitor away from the Doom kids and log into the terminal. Launch BitchX. Connect to EFNet first. Eight eggdrops are already running on shell accounts across the country. Each one connected to a different EFNet server—spread across the network, waiting for my command.

  I open another BitchX window, connect to our goodmonin2ya IRC server.

   ready?

   yeah

   been watching hackers all morning. darkops and ironclan still fighting

  I switch back to EFNet. Join #hackers.

  One hundred forty-seven users. Organized chaos.

  The channel is the usual warzone—bots stripping ops, adding bans, undoing each other's changes.

  No one gaining ground, just looped automation.

  DarkOps has maybe ten bots in the channel fighting. IronClan has twelve. But sophisticated crews keep reserves—bots positioned outside channels on different servers, ready to join during splits. Standard defense.

  We have eight bots total. None in #hackers. All positioned as reserves, waiting.

  Last time we jumped at the first split and ended up on the wrong side. This time we wait for the right one.

   when the next split hits we need to be on the hub side

   got twenty four minutes. if this doesnt happen soon we wait until tonight

  Splits are unpredictable. Could happen in five minutes. Could be hours. We just have to watch.

   what if darkops has reserves on the hub side too

   then we race them

   we're faster

  The coordination works. We proved that. We just need the right split.

  I switch to #2600.

   anyone else seeing lag on the western servers

   yeah prison.net and irc.west both lagging

   routing problem probably. might split

  My heart speeds up.

  Back in #crew.

   they're saying western servers are lagging

   we have bots on both coasts

   if the west splits off we should have most on the hub side

   stay ready

  Nineteen minutes left.

  Back to #hackers. Same bot war grinding away.

  I check over my shoulder. The Doom kids are absorbed in their game. Teacher nowhere in sight.

  Back to #crew. No new messages.

  Back to #hackers. Still fighting.

  Back to #2600. Still talking about server lag.

  Nothing's happening and I can't stop switching windows.

  Then it happens.

  * DarkOps_1 has quit IRC (irc.prison.net irc.west.efnet.org)

  * DarkOps_2 has quit IRC (irc.prison.net irc.west.efnet.org)

  * IronClan_bot has quit IRC (irc.prison.net irc.west.efnet.org)

  * zer0c00l has quit IRC (irc.prison.net irc.west.efnet.org)

  * Blue_Screen_Of_Death has quit IRC (irc.prison.net irc.west.efnet.org)

  ...

  Mass signoffs from the western cluster. Dozens vanish in seconds.

  #hackers empties. One hundred forty-seven users down to twelve. Down to six.

  I check server info. Hub.efnet.org.

  We're on the hub side. The big side. This time they merge into us.

  Empty.

  * ska|ghost () has joined #hackers

  * #hackers: No topic is set

  First bot joins. Auto-ops.

  * ska|shadow () has joined #hackers

  * ska|ghost sets mode: +o ska|shadow

  Second bot joins. Gets ops.

  * ska|wraith () has joined #hackers

  * ska|shadow sets mode: +o ska|wraith

  Third bot joins. Gets ops.

  Three bots with ops. Where's the rest?

  I check. Nothing.

  Wrong server. It went to the western side. Not on the hub.

  DarkOps reserves start flooding in. Too late for auto-op but they're here.

   not over yet

   how many darkops reserves

  I count. Seven DarkOps reserves in the channel now. No ops.

   seven

   we got three bots with ops

   should be enough

  Fourteen minutes left.

  I watch #hackers. Fifteen users on my side. Three bots with ops—mine. Seven DarkOps reserves without ops. Five regular users confused about what just happened.

  On the other side of the split, the western servers still have the old channel—DarkOps and IronClan still fighting for control.

  When the servers reconnect, both sides will try to claim authority.

  In #2600:

   servers reconnecting

   here we go

   west side just re-linked

   links coming back. get ready

   ready?

   bots are configured. they should hold

  Should.

  My hands are shaking. I make them type.

   spacegoat watch for their backup plan. steez lock it the second we have control

   on it

   ready

  Back to #hackers.

  Nothing yet.

  My heart hammers.

  Merge.

  * DarkOps_1 () has joined #hackers

  * DarkOps_2 () has joined #hackers

  * IronClan_1 () has joined #hackers

  * zer0c00l () has joined #hackers

  ...

  The channel explodes. Users flood back in.

  Twenty users. Forty. Sixty. Ninety.

  Stolen story; please report.

  DarkOps ops from the western side rejoin. IronClan bots too. Both sides claiming authority.

  * DarkOps_1 sets mode: -o ska|ghost

  * ska|ghost sets mode: -o DarkOps_1

  * ska|shadow sets mode: +b *!*@darkops.net

  * DarkOps_1 was kicked by ska|ghost (get out)

  ...

  DarkOps tries to deop my lead bot.

  My bots counter. Strip their ops. Ban. Kick.

  First one down.

  * IronClan_1 sets mode: -o ska|shadow

  * ska|wraith sets mode: -o IronClan_1

  IronClan tries to deop another.

  My third bot strips their ops but doesn't follow through with the ban.

   bot3 desynced

  My hands move. I type the commands manually.

  * SKa sets mode: +b *!*@ironclan.org

  * IronClan_1 was kicked by SKa (banned)

  More DarkOps reserves flooding in. Nine total now. Trying to find an opening.

  * ska|ghost sets mode: +im

  My bots lock the channel. Moderated. Invite-only.

  The mode war stops. My bots hold ops. Their bots are outside or silenced.

  Thirty seconds of chaos.

  Then quiet.

  I look at the channel. One hundred forty-seven users. Three bots with ops—all mine.

  No DarkOps. No IronClan. Just us.

  Eleven minutes until the bell.

   we have it

   HOLY SHIT

   lock it down N

  BitchX freezes.

  The client stops responding. I can't type. The cursor is blinking but nothing happens.

  My heart races.

  I try Ctrl-C. Nothing. The client is locked up.

  What just happened?

  I close the terminal window. Kill the whole thing. Open a new one.

  Eight minutes until the bell.

  Launch BitchX again.

  Seven minutes until the bell.

  * Connecting to irc.efnet.org (6667)

  * Looking up your hostname...

  * Welcome to the EFnet Internet Relay Chat Network SKa

  Six minutes.

  Connected.

  Messages flood in. Scrollback from while I was offline.

   ska you there

   ska?

   did you drop

   bots are still holding

   we got ops

  The bots held.

  I check #hackers.

  Three bots with ops. Still mine. Channel locked: invite-only, moderated.

  They held without me.

  My automation was solid. Even when my client wasn't.

  I type fast.

   back. terminal crashed

   you good?

   yeah

  Four minutes until the bell.

  Users are complaining.

   what the hell just happened

   who are you

   this is bullshit

  * rewt was kicked by SKa (new management)

   youre gonna get g-lined

   new management

  * zer0c00l was kicked by SKa (bye)

  * SKa sets mode: +sk secretkey

  * SKa changes topic to '#hackers | Under New Management | Invite Only'

  Lock the key. Secret mode.

  Three minutes until the bell.

  I switch back to our coordination channel.

   we actually did it

   hackers is ours

   not just hip hop anymore

   this is the real deal

   got a wallops

   traceops is watching

   what does that mean

   it means dont do anything stupid now

   so what do we do now?

   we hold it. keep the bots running. make sure nobody takes it back

   and then?

  I look at my other window. Still have #2600 open. Still have the list of other channels.

  #mp3. 1,847 users.

  #warez. 1,102 users.

  The real prizes.

   we build from here

  The bell rings. End of lunch period. I have English next.

  I leave the bots running. Scripted to hold the channel, maintain ops, kick anyone who tries to start trouble.

  A message window blinks. Private message from d3fkon.

  [d3fkon] smooth work on hackers

  [SKa] thanks. question though

  [SKa] my bitchx froze during the lockdown. had to restart it. how'd they do that?

  [d3fkon] someone probably sent you a malformed topic or exploited a format string bug

  [d3fkon] bitchx has buffer overflows in the topic handler

  [d3fkon] or you loaded a backdoored script at some point

  [SKa] i thought linux was supposed to be secure

  [d3fkon] linux is fine. your client isnt

  [d3fkon] youre fine as long as your bots are on separate shells

  [SKa] got it, and what or who is traceops?

  [d3fkon] an ircop

  [d3fkon] nothing to worry about

  [defkon] unless he messages you, then maybe you should worry, ha

  I stare at the message.

  My automation saved me. My personal setup failed.

  I close the terminal windows. Log off the school computer.

  Walk to class.

  Nobody around me has any idea what just happened.

  We've taken #hackers. One of the most fought-over channels on EFNet. We've beaten DarkOps and IronClan, crews that have been operating for years.

  And we've done it in under two minutes during a lunch period.

  I sit down in English class. Teacher is talking about *The Great Gatsby*. Something about the green light and the American dream.

  I'm not paying attention.

  I'm thinking about what comes next.