tczy

We Target the Average
(A gibsonesque)

The place was called "We target the average". When you asked why the glass was dirty, the bartender would reply: "We target the average." When you asked why the PA was so shitty, the soundman would answer: "We target the average." When you asked why there was no lightshow, why half the chairs were broken, why there was nowhere to plug your stuff, you'd inevitably be told: "We target the average."

After some time you'd conclude that, indeed, they target the average, that this is what average looks like, and go somewhere else, where they have that most important thing right.

In reality, however, the name was a reference to the backdoor password of Z1, the first military aircraft ever hacked, while operational, in a combat zone. That most important thing of theirs was something the average didn't care much about.

...

The Bouncer

The bouncer was a hairy guy named Harry. He had no teeth. He told everyone it happens when you start using too much torque. Your body stops getting calcium. Then you stop and let your body work again. By the time it's over, you've got a few bones broken and you miss your teeth.

He looked like fifty and no one believed him. They thought he was a junkie, but all he ever did was use too much torque. Perhaps it was because they came from outside the door.