tushanshu | 00003 VIDEO: hackers

[The video pops on to show Mike at the computer with a fairly impressive set-up off to the side, featuring multiple systems. River is tinkering with a circuit board behind him, hair and a second screwdriver tucked behind one ear with an intent look. When Mike starts to speak, she looks up from her work and listens as he addresses the network.]

Mike Weston. I’ve been working with River, Aya, and Rex to locate the source of the virus that Codename Lucifer exposed our network to some months ago. The bad news is it’s a self-replicating, mutating virus, which means it’s difficult to locate and even harder to neutralize. The good news is, we’re pretty sure we’ve found the origin and can use a program we’ve developed to start removing its influence.

This version of the code has a timed failsafe built into it - a kind of self destruct. The program will run for one week and then expire on its own, preventing it from being used anywhere else or by anyone else. Just us. The whole of the foreigner population, I mean. If it works, then we have what should be a permanent fix ready to install.

We need you. If you can read this, that includes you. In order for this to work, we need to install the program on as many systems as possible as fast as we can and then let the code do the rest. If it works, our network’s security and encryptions should be in working condition again. If you notice anything glitching or failure to encrypt, errors, anything.. we need to know about it right away.

If you have questions, ask.

[ooc: River may reply to any/all comments unless specified to Mike. Mike will reply to all unless specified to River.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I happen to be chillin' in a cafe full of plenty of stacks. More than willing to boost this program up on all of them.

[If they have been uploading it to systems already, he's going to take a guess that it won't fry anything in the basic consoles set up around Keeliai.]

I haven't seen you around. Are you kedan or one of the foreigners?

Definitely not one of the locals. Name's Gear, I got here about a month ago. [He had introduced himself, but you can't meet everyone on your first day.]

[Mike takes a moment to go through the archives and find the post, confirming the guy as a foreigner with his own console. Never can be too careful.]

Sure. We'd appreciate the help. Thanks, Gear.

[There's another quick look of hesitation before Mike sends over the program.]

No problem. Anyway I can support privacy and net neutrality is a good thing with mean.

[He gets the program and immediately goes to work trying to distribute it.]

So how long should it take for this to catch on? What's the time table?

A week. We'll know more then. Possibly sooner, depending on how quickly we can get it on the other consoles. We'll post an update when we know more.

Not bad. You guys definitely put some work into this. [He gives an impressed whistle. He means that, since trying to work around the organic base of the technology that the consoles is built out of does take time, as he's found out himself.]

Question though, has the other virus been known to alter its code or evolve in anyway?

The original virus is both self-replicating and self-mutating, in that order. There are fragments of code that have nothing to do with the original execution at all, although I don't think they were there to do anything but distract us. In that sense, it evolved to avoid us tracking it, like a bad cold.

If you're talking about evolution in the artificial intelligence sense, then no, we have no reason to believe it could think or interpret independently. Aya and Rex would know more about that though.

Yeah, A.I. mutations tend to be the biggest problems, but if it's just trying to avoid detection, I'm guessing you guys figured out the pattern of the code already. Awesome. Sounds like you've got this mostly in the bag.

[It's always kind of good to have a situation where you just need to help it along instead of doing most of the work.]

How long have you been putting this together?

It was randomized with no specific pattern, but.. I guess the randomization was the pattern. We should be able to shut it down soon.

[He sighs, thinking.]

I've been working on this since the consoles were restored to decent use. It took us awhile to combine information, get the necessary equipment together, and convert what we knew of our own technology into the bio-organic consoles used here. It took longer than it should have, but we did our best.

Hey, working with alien tech is never easy. You gotta make things up as you go along. Not like they give you a manual...most of the time.

[He went back and looked through a lot of the network files so he does know around the time that the consoles were compromised.]

Has this virus only been affecting the consoles? I haven't heard anything about technology failures anywhere else, although the energy reading around the city sure are something.

As far as I'm aware, the virus only affected the consoles on our localized network and was unable to transfer to any technology existing outside that network.

[A beat.] What do mean about energy readings?

Well, that's one less thing to put on the list. And I was just talking about the electromagnetic spectrum readings versus what I'm calling the "tuvishan energy"--since you know, we don't really know what magic this world is based on, so I just had to make something up for labeling.

[Okay pull back Gear you're starting to ramble.] But the energy around the city, the palace and the forested areas are completely different.

Do you have any visuals or numbers? I'm not sure I understand what you're saying, but I can tell I definitely want to.

I've got some digital graphs and readings but I had to make up my own base of measurement for it. Not hard when I was just basing the "magic" energy readings on the electromagnetic scale as much as I could. Wavelengths, frequency strength, that kind of thing.

If I'm understanding correctly, you established a baseline for the readings and have recently found that certain areas are now casting readings that are completely different from what they were before?

Uh... [Richie has to go back over what he said and realizes how confusing it probably sounded. He looks a bit sheepish.]

Nah, man, I was saying that I was measuring the levels of energy around the turtle to get a baseline, so I made up units of measurement for it based on the electromagnetic frequency scales for wavelengths, frequency strength--guess that could be called magical strength, saturation, density, still working out the label kinks here--and things like that.

I've been doing the scans every couple of days and sometimes I'll check a place two-three times a day. Just getting a feel for everything. Some of the readings fluctuate more than others, but I haven't been here long enough to do comparisons to any major event that might have altered the levels.

Got it. [Sort of, mostly.] Have you noticed any patterns at all?

[There is a bit of a shrug there.]

Mostly noticed that the energy isn't the same all over the city. The empty patches of shell are pretty much dead zones, like the turtle's head. And the power around the palace fluctuates but I don't know if that's intentional, or if it's because the power is fading because the uh...the other Emperor died right? And it was her magic keeping it running.

00003 VIDEO: hackers

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