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From: ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: The Internet
Date: 22 Apr 2024 11:05:45 GMT
Organization: Stefan Ram
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  (I [Stefan Ram] straight-up wrote a short story draft, but then this
  AI chatbot dude came in and did his thing. Followed my instructions
  to write the actual wording and all that. Kinda like a collab.)

The Internet

It was a dark and stormy night when Jack found himself on the
run. The relentless forces of the Internet were closing in,
and he knew he had to get away before they caught up with him.

Jack had always been a tech-savvy guy, but lately, the digital
world had become a living nightmare. The algorithms, the
constant surveillance, the endless notifications - it was all
too much. He had to escape, to find a place where he could be
free from the clutches of the online realm.

As he raced through the rain-soaked streets, Jack stumbled
upon a young woman huddled under an awning, shielding herself
from the downpour. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with
piercing eyes and a mysterious aura. Without hesitation, Jack
approached her. "Excuse me, miss, but the storm seems to be
getting worse. Would you like to join me in finding shelter?"
he asked, his voice raised to be heard over the pounding rain.

The woman eyed him warily. "I don't know you. I'll be fine on
my own," she replied, turning her back to him. Jack persisted,
"Please, it's not safe out here. There's a hotel just a few
blocks away. I'd feel much better if you came with me." The
woman hesitated, considering his offer. She glanced up at the
darkening sky, then back at Jack. "Oh, alright," she relented,
"but only until the storm passes."

As they hurried through the rain, Jack couldn't help but feel
a sense of unease. There was something about this woman that
seemed off, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. But
for now, he was just grateful to have found a safe haven from
the relentless downpour.

Once they reached the hotel, Jack ushered the woman inside,
shaking the water from his coat. "See, I told you this would
be a better option than waiting it out in the rain," he said,
offering her a warm smile. The woman nodded, her gaze sweeping
across the lobby. "I suppose you were right," she conceded.
"Thank you for the invitation."

Jack sat across from the woman, his eyes narrowed as he
studied her every move. Something about her just didn't seem
right - the way she spoke, the way she carried herself, it was
all too calculated, too precise. As they sipped their drinks
in the dimly lit hotel room, Jack couldn't shake the feeling
that he was being watched, monitored. The hairs on the back of
his neck stood on end, and a sense of unease crept up his
spine.

Jack felt a strange thrill coursing through him as the sense
of unease grew. There was something captivating about the
woman's calculated demeanor, the way she seemed to exist in a
world separate from his own. As their eyes met, he detected a
flicker of something behind her impassive expression - a hint
of curiosity, perhaps, or even a veiled invitation.

Slowly, almost involuntarily, Jack leaned in closer, drawn to
the mystery that surrounded her. The air between them crackled
with a palpable tension, and for a moment, it felt as if the
rest of the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them
in this charged, intimate space. Jack's heart raced as he
fought the urge to reach out and touch her, to unravel the
enigma that she presented.

Suddenly, the woman's phone began to buzz incessantly, the
screen lighting up with a barrage of notifications. Jack
watched as she calmly tapped away, responding to each one with
lightning speed. It was as if she was connected to some unseen
network, a conduit for the endless stream of digital
information. "What is all that?" Jack asked, his voice laced
with suspicion. The woman looked up, her eyes betraying no
emotion. "Oh, it"s nothing," she said, her tone eerily calm.
"Just keeping up with the latest news and updates."

But Jack knew better. He had spent years trying to escape the
clutches of the digital world, and he recognized the signs all
too well. This woman, this beautiful stranger, was not what
she seemed. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out
a small device, a specialized electromagnetic pulse generator
he had acquired for just such an occasion. With a flick of a
switch, he activated the device, and the room was suddenly
plunged into darkness. The woman's eyes widened, and she let
out a startled gasp. "What have you done?" she cried, her
voice laced with panic.

Jack leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "I know what you
are," he said, his voice low and menacing. "You're not a woman
at all, are you? You're the Internet." The woman's form began
to waver and distort, as if she were made of nothing more than
pixels and code. "How did you know?" she hissed, her voice now
a cacophony of a thousand voices, all speaking in unison.
"I've been running from you for too long," Jack replied, his
grip tightening on the pulse generator. "But this time, I'm
not going down without a fight."