Welcome to Choteau, Montana, in 2018. What was once only a small city focused on fossils, has now started to turn into an equestrian mecca. Everyone still knows everyone, so the question remains, what will you become? 
The only light in the house came from Kristian's computer. The rest of the house was sleeping, including Embra who had made herself comfortable at the man's feet. Even on a cold night when the wind blew flurries across the farm, Embra was more than toasty with her back to the computer and her chest on Kristian's socked feet. He typed away on the screen, and the text changed color periodically from lavender to orange to turquoise. What had started as a simpler way to manage the farm's finances turned into something much more.
It was two years since Kristian had last properly created a new program. A couple macros here and there, but nothing serious. The bot for the farm was finished hours ago and happily running the background checking expenses and income and making sure everything added up nicely. However, it only served to remind the Norwegian-American of how much he missed computers. And that found him creating yet more programs and returning to old websites he hadn't visited in years.
He trusted Ivarr, his protector and boyfriend, but it was hard not to go snooping. And, with a little bit of digital help, he was right back in what landed him in trouble in the first place. Except, sitting up late at night doing things he knew he shouldn't be doing...he felt alive. There was a level of danger to the world along with a sense of treading the path less taken.
His latest search brought up some disturbing news. Much as Ivarr kept his military past a secret, some things were hard to erase fully. Deleted files really weren't deleted. Even clearing out a trash bin folder didn't permanently get rid of the files. Most files just floated around unattached and unreachable through normal means. But they continued to exist until something else came along to occupy that space. The job had been fairly simple given his years of practice. Recover and grab the folder and get out. Nothing really lost and nothing anyone would notice.
What he found, however, worried him. Details on the story that Ivarr never disclosed. Photographs, transcripts. It was hard to swallow just how much damage one person could cause. No wonder he went mute after that. Kristian wasn't even sure he could stay sane. After spending a couple hours going through the recovered files, he decided to call it a night. He popped out an encrypted flash drive only about the size of his thumbnail and hid it in a locked drawer. Ivarr didn't need to know what he had found. That in itself would require divulging that he'd now officially broken the terms of his protection.
It was two years since Kristian had last properly created a new program. A couple macros here and there, but nothing serious. The bot for the farm was finished hours ago and happily running the background checking expenses and income and making sure everything added up nicely. However, it only served to remind the Norwegian-American of how much he missed computers. And that found him creating yet more programs and returning to old websites he hadn't visited in years.
He trusted Ivarr, his protector and boyfriend, but it was hard not to go snooping. And, with a little bit of digital help, he was right back in what landed him in trouble in the first place. Except, sitting up late at night doing things he knew he shouldn't be doing...he felt alive. There was a level of danger to the world along with a sense of treading the path less taken.
His latest search brought up some disturbing news. Much as Ivarr kept his military past a secret, some things were hard to erase fully. Deleted files really weren't deleted. Even clearing out a trash bin folder didn't permanently get rid of the files. Most files just floated around unattached and unreachable through normal means. But they continued to exist until something else came along to occupy that space. The job had been fairly simple given his years of practice. Recover and grab the folder and get out. Nothing really lost and nothing anyone would notice.
What he found, however, worried him. Details on the story that Ivarr never disclosed. Photographs, transcripts. It was hard to swallow just how much damage one person could cause. No wonder he went mute after that. Kristian wasn't even sure he could stay sane. After spending a couple hours going through the recovered files, he decided to call it a night. He popped out an encrypted flash drive only about the size of his thumbnail and hid it in a locked drawer. Ivarr didn't need to know what he had found. That in itself would require divulging that he'd now officially broken the terms of his protection.