Have been busy for two days setting up their infrastructure again. Stealing electricity, server, network, cables, and so forth, all the shit you need to have the virtual world up and running. Now stand up and introduce yourselves!

That’s Ben; he’s already eighteen and supplies the group with money. He tests corporate IT for vulnerabilities. And in his free time he’s trying to develop a decentralized network. Which he’ll probably manage to do in fifty years. Well, maybe. Or maybe not, because he doesn’t have millions at his disposal to hire a swarm of top programmers to set on the task. He doesn’t have millions at his disposal because nobody who has millions at their disposal is interested in a new internet. The old one is working just great.

That’s Maggy, who’s very young and has problems with people. Well, actually, people have problems with her, as Maggy is too heavy and too manly to fit the social conventions that determine how a young girl should look. Rachel, over there in the corner in the plush coverall with bears’ ears, is just fourteen and doesn’t like to talk. Talking bores her. She’s also not too good at it. She constantly has cold fingers and chews on them while staring at the internet—it’s warm there. Over there are Kemal and Pavel. The children of some immigrants or other, groups that have started to be hated of late, and for good reason of course, because they’re to blame for global warming. And privatization. And tax evasion in the Cayman Islands.

These are: the Friends.

Who are angry at society but don’t know who they mean by that. Who talk about anarchy but don’t know what it is. Who pine for action but mean things online. They’re the good guys. Whatever that means. There’re also the others, the bad guys.

Everyone has logical-sounding explanations for the state of the world. The Vatican, intelligence agencies, the Koch brothers, if they’re still alive, and if not, the people who represent the Koch brothers, a coalition of free marketeers and old Nazis—someone is to blame. Someone wants to usurp global power. Their minds won’t tolerate chaotic situations and rule out coincidences. The Friends here are looking for a hold in a parallel world, because the real world is unbearable when you have a bit too much intellect and also too little to just blow out the candle. Save the world. Meaning, actually, themselves.