Adapt by Edward Freeland Read Free Book Online Page B

time to a camera. Sound was available at the simple click of a button.
Reading your emails. I will read them with you.
The man he thought of as slave was in his own bedroom reading his emails. The slave, a man with long hair and a few days’ stubble, was unaware he was being watched.
    Okay, I’m going to access your profile.
The watcher opened a fourth window, this time signing in to Life’s Journal. The name he used, Daniel O’Neal. At first glance it was like any other profile, videos and photos filled the pages. Scrolling down there were copious amounts of video footage and phone conversations. Stills of text messages and emails. Some videos were double windows, one of Daniel on camera, the other, simultaneously imaging his desktop.
You can’t even pick your nose without me uploading it, slave. Months of work and you’re still oblivious. You have a breakdown, I’m here. You have an argument, I’m here. You watch porn, I’m here. You laugh, I’m here. You cry, I’m here.
    The watcher glanced at the number of views his site attracts.
It’s not only me here with you, slave. Thousands watch you, criticise you, judge you, laugh at you. Many despise you. They are not used to seeing someone all day and night. They have never witnessed someone breaking down. It’s ugly, they think you’re ugly. I’ve seen it before with other slaves but never one that brings my website so much traffic, so many views. More and more and you have no idea. I don’t hate you, slave. You bring me traffic, views, friends, comments. Nothing in it for you but there is for me. They love the way I edit your videos, they think you are a joke. Now I edit them in new ways.
The watcher laughed to himself. He gulped back his beer. Wiping beer away from his chin, stubble scratching at the back of his hand he thought of how clever he was. Remembering an article in which he read that people who use Remote Administration Tools were not real hackers.
Rubbish. I’ve infected many computers with this software unbeknown to the slave. Dating sites are the best way. Full of desperate, naïve, hopeful, trusting people. Easily fooled by a pretty picture. I use the same software used to spy on a spy: Blackshades. The Syrian regime used the same tool on an informant. The spy’s phone was infected and he had no idea.
    The Watcher opened up another window to see his slave’s text messages. The tool enabled him to use the smart phone camera, both front and back. The Watcher could view the mobile screen, one camera on his slave’s shoes, and the other on his slave’s face. All of it uploaded for everyone to see. Audio at the click of a button. Tracking via the satellite navigation. Daniel hadn’t been alone for months.
People watch you just to hate you. Some say they
are going to kill you since I have been creating my best work.
    I watch you lying down, pleasuring yourself, whilst you watch a woman lying down, pleasuring herself. Your voyeurism is our voyeurism. I now use a double window. One of you getting off, the other I impose rape footage. People that come onto my site think you look at rape. It makes them angry. It creates the reaction I thought it would. So long as no one you know informs you I can keep doing this to you. I know you’re getting paranoid. I turned the light on to your webcam intentionally to see your reaction. You were still too stupid to realise I’m there all the time. You deserve all you get, slave. Every stupid thing you say on a whim. You forget it but it’s not forgotten by others. Solidified in stone where people can replay it, edit it and despise you for it.
    The Watcher clicked back onto the Life’s Journal page.
Site not available. What?
He couldn’t access the account. He made copies every other day so he would suffer no data loses.
If they are tracing the IP address I’m fucked.
    “Oh fuck,” he said aloud while shutting down the computer. “What can I do? Shit. They have shut me down.” He paced the room.
I know, I