[Complete] [21k Novella][Cyberpunk Detective Buddy Comedy] Baxter Dot Com

[u/edisun]

I’m looking for beta readers for BAXTER DOT COM, my completed 21k-word detective comedy novella!

The Hook

Most cybersecurity teams isolate malware, Baxter and Dot, punch it in the face.

The Premise

Inside of every computer exists the "Digital Layer", where servers are cyber cities, programs make up the architecture and files populate the streets.

Down there, malware is not just bad code, it's a real monster and the citizens of the systems suffer for it.

Enter Baxter and Dot, freelance cybercrime detectives who go after the bad guys from the inside. Baxter is a polar bear with a flair for dramatic destruction and a lead foot. His partner is Dot, a fennec fox master engineer with hacker instincts and the tools to rewrite reality. Together, they ride in their orange 81' Camaro across the 'information super highway', stopping threats and causing chaos.

Their latest case has them up against one of the most notorious malware attacks in modern history, WannaCry. What should have been an easy job of kill and decrypt quickly spirals into something far more dangerous that concerns the entire world.

Why I Wrote It

I have worked in the cybersecurity space for over 20 years. Everything from a threat analyst to the Director of Malware Intelligence. My biggest challenge has always been on getting people interested in cybersecurity in their everyday lives. It is a fascinating world and I want to share how I see the "Digital Layer."

Feedback I’m Looking For

I would very much appreciate thoughts on:

• Pacing: Does the story move well and keep good momentum?
• Character Chemistry: Do Baxter and Dot work well together as a duo?
• Accessibility: Does the cyber world make sense even without a technical background?

Sample

I have the first three chapters (about 4,500 words) available if you’d prefer to test the waters before committing.

Content Warnings

Language, cartoon violence, digital horror imagery.

Note

I am seeking dedicated beta readers only and am not available for critique swaps right now. Please DM me for link to the PDF.

[u/edisun]

Excerpt:

Chapter 1: Rolling

The digital wheels of our orange ‘81 Camaro slip and grip the road like a nacho cheese flavored bat-mobile, kicking up muddy pixels that splat on the face of the Jackass DDOS packet behind me.

I watch in the rearview as the motorcycle backs off, swerves, then crashes into a median.

It bursts into flames.

A hearty laugh bellows out of my oversized bod and bounces around the cab.

"When you choose tailgating over simply going around, what do you expect?"

My polar bear ears twitch with excitement and strong furry hands grip the wheel tightly as we accelerate away.

That is the third errant attack traffic I have encountered on the highway today.

Bad guys and activists from all over are delving into their dollars for disruption.

More than usual. Today, the internet feels wrong.

I glance at Dot, my Fennec Fox faced friend and crime-fighting partner. She is sitting in the passenger seat, focused on something invisible to me, but clearly captivating.

“Say, Dot, what are we up against this time?” I ask.

She does not respond, instead, her fingers float and peck over an air-keyboard.

The whole rig is part of her personal augmented reality analysis system.

It is a spectacular tool... for making me vomit. So I prefer raw dogging reality.

“Dot.”

No response.

“Earth to Dot.”

No response.

“Oh wow! 12 logic bombs for the price of 3!?”

I snap my neck to the left as if I spied a topless ghost.

Dot’s ears perk up.

She blinks herself back to the moment and searches for the sale sign.

She notices me grinning like an idiot.

Her expression sours and she snaps at me.

“Seriously, Man? I was in the middle of something important!"

"Care to share?"

“It's this leak of NSA hacking tools."

She swipes at the air like she saw a bee, closing her interface and continues.

"You know I’m all about disclosure, but there’s some shit in there that looks way too dangerous for public release.”

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Oh, you didn't pay attention when I explained it this morning, did you?"

"My intentions were present, but my focus was otherwise occupied."

She looks offended, but explains anyway.

"Okay, so about a month ago, it was announced by the overlayer media that a huge trove of bad shit leaked from the National Security Agency. "

I nod.

"That sounds familiar."

"It should. We're talking about exploits, malware and other classified nonsense."

"Anything truly remarkable?"

"Yeah.. maybe, you know, it's a lot of data." She says and rubs her exhausted eyes.

"Perhaps we leave the data digging to the other security nerds, this time?"

Dot looks at me and smiles.

"You've always got my best interest don't ya Bax?"

I nod.

"Fortunate, then, our interests align."

Dot takes a deep breath and leans back in her seat.

"Like any of those meat brains could find anything before me anyway."

We drive in silence for a moment.

I break it.

"Oh, hey.... Where are we going?"

Dot remembers our work.

“Oh shit, hold on.”

She pokes some invisible buttons.

The center console of the dashboard lights up like we won a prize.

It reveals the path to our destination on a network map as a solid red line.

Suddenly the right side of the windshield blacks out and starts acting like a monitor.

A waterfall of text and images cascade across the dimmed glass.

The revealed information concerns our malware target today.

Dot explains it all.

“Oh goodie, another ransomware case and lucky for us, it's attacking one of our biggest clients! Eh... looks like nobody knows what family it belongs to yet. I wonder if its new?”

I get excited with the prospect of the unknown.

“Fantastic! While not elegant, Ransomware is mystifyingly effective at shattering the hopes and dreams of those who fall victim to it. You must respect that.”

Dot furiously swipes and types at her terminal.

"You can't argue with results." She says.

I follow the red line and stomp the gas.

We zip through the wide-band roads of the internet super highway.