006 [video/public]

[otakuro]

[Saturday night, the screen flickers on to display Atsuro wearing a fatigued expression. As he begins to speak, he pauses, then turns aside to yawn momentarily before facing back to the camera again.]

...Sorry about that.

But, uh. Guys? ...We've got a problem. Again.

[In lieu of giving any explanation, he simply readjusts the COMP so the camera is directed at his computer screen: playing in what seems to be fast forward is a video of a horde of smiling, overly cheerful yellow creatures in a strange black and green world, running rampant in every direction and chowing down on electrical wires and large floating images of the typical 'folder' icon. Occasionally, they freeze, shudder for a moment, and explode into ten new smiley faces.  After a few moments, Atsuro comes back into frame, though he leaves the video playing in the background.]

...That's not what's actually going on, before you ask.  It's a cutesy little representation, but... you guys get the gist of it. I thought it was just my PC at first, but it's looking like slow COMPs aren't going to be the worst of our troubles if this goes on. The network already looks to be pretty badly compromised.

If you've accessed the network in the last few days without a bunch of firewalls, you're probably infected. ...Actually, you might still be infected even with the firewalls. I don't know what's going on, but these aren't like any viruses I've ever dealt with. I haven't slept in like, 24 hours [he checks the clock at this point] ...30 hours, and it's like Hercules against the Lernean Hydra. Clear one and three more files are infected before I'm done - and the original file still isn't totally clean. ...I'd almost think they were learning if I didn't know any better.

[He pauses awkwardly at this point.]

The other thing is... I know this is a little bit private, but could you guys who aren't... totally organic check in? Since our COMPs are basically wired to our brains through the nanomachines, and your brains are... computers, I think, uh.  You see where I'm going with this.

[He leaves it hanging there.]

Someone should probably do something. ...Who's even responsible for keeping the network running, anyway?  Why hasn't the government said anything?

Comments

[otakuro]

...Right, I can't understand you. ...Er.

[An elongated pause now as Atsuro thinks this over.]

OK, whatever kinds of firewalls and antiviruses you have, go ahead and throw those up. Try to sequester the files it's already corrupted.

...Is that something you can do?

[A nod or shake of the head would do fine.]

[justanoutsider]

[He slips a small, lopsided smile in return. It's almost sheepish, but not entirely so.]

No, unfortunately. This technology is still foreign to me, I'm afraid.

[electricyousei]

"I can create a virtual terminal for you to set up into. It'll have the full software suite but at first sign of infection it can be terminated. That and since it won't have a back path into the main computer grid it should be all right. Once you are confirmed clean then we can link you to more secure set ups."

She lets out a breath.

"The main reason we're not infected is only dumb terminals are facing outside as opposed to anything having to do with Omoikane's CPU."

[greatseal]

[That's okay, she can take care of the details.]

That's right. They were both built by the Kirijo Group. I didn't get to meet Labrys until coming to Hinoto-ri, though.

[terminally_clever]

Currently, I'm occupied with making sure the viruses don't get through the government network or JP's firewalls.

[In other words, no progress, even though she didn't say as much.]

[all_wound_up]

[Instead he'll just get this face.]

[otakuro]

...Someone should probably get on that, then.

[A slight pause and a sigh.]

I've never tried anything like this, but it can't be too hard, right? If you know how to make a virus, making an antivirus shouldn't be a stretch...

[otakuro]

...
...
...

That... is something you can't do. ...Alright.

[He is out of advice. 'Sit still and try not to imagine the virus infecting everything inside of you'?]

Do you have an emergency safety mode?

[what kind of computer doesn't have failsafes]

[otakuro]

Hm...

Well. It looks like Nano's not doing too well. You should check on her as soon as you can - maybe she hasn't accessed the network yet.

[too late]

[otakuro]

Ah.

[How to explain computers to someone from a time before they were invented...]

Basically, the devices we're using are all for storing and manipulating information. What these things do is interfere with our ability to correctly use this information.

[...good enough]

[otakuro]

"If you can do that quickly, it sounds like it's our best bet. I'll go ahead and see if anyone else is interested in helping out..."

Atsuro sighs for a moment or two.

"Honestly, I'm not sure we're dealing with normal viruses here... There's something different about these things."

[electricyousei]

"I'll have it set up within the next 30 minutes. I always have a few spare terminals for emergencies."

She shakes her head a bit.

"I'm really worried about the various AI's out there. Forgetting how most of them are mobile weapons platforms of some sort or another, this could do terrible psychological damage to them."

[terminally_clever]

As soon as I grow a second head and a spare pair of hands, I'll get right on that.

[all_wound_up]

[If she does, she doesn't know about it. Although the chances of such a thing are slim anyway, considering she was built and programmed by someone who probably thought snack storage space was more important than things like that. Nano shakes her head.]

video;

[trainwrecking]

This wouldn't be the first time the government didn't say anything... I want to hope something is being done, but I don't know.

[He sighs.]

I want to help, but I'm... uh, I'm not a programmer. Is there anything I can do for you guys?

[otakuro]

...I meant I would try it, Fumi.

Someone's offered to help out and give us a clean place to work. Once I've cleared my systems as much as I can, I'm going to see what I can do.

[otakuro]

...OK, then.

[He would have to have a talk with Nano's creator if they ever showed up here.]

Sit still and try not to imagine the virus taking over don't panic. That's probably the best thing you can do right now.

...Well, you don't have to sit still if you don't want, but it might help you calm down.

[private]

[otakuro]

"Forget psychological damage. If the virus corrupts their personality cores or whatever programming is responsible for sentience or learning, they'll be dead. It's not like any of us know how they were originally programmed - if we aren't capable of restoring those files, we'd just be creating a new AI."

[otakuro]

...Um.

[Atsuro pauses for a moment or two before smiling a bit ruefully.]

Honestly, I'm not even sure what programmers should be doing to help out right now. I'd joke about buying us food, but that's probably not appropriate...

[justanoutsider]

...That makes sense.

We had something like it—back home, I mean. At least, the Count's library did. He used this globe to store old texts that had been translated—ones that he couldn't afford to lose. And it was different than just pulling a book off the shelf. I hadn't seen the likes of it before.

So it's something like that, but on a larger scale, I'm assuming?

...These bugs aren't alive, are they?

[private]

[electricyousei]

"I actually have brought back a few from corrupted cores. I just don't like doing it. Well, no, it takes so much out of me I'm not well for a while afterwards. Either way we should find a way of setting up a quarantine and debug area for them."

[terminally_clever]

Us?

[Fumi raises a bleary eyebrow at that.]

So I'm joining your crack team of hackers, then, am I?

[all_wound_up]

[Nano nods, closing her eyes and trying her best to calm down.]

I er ked af, Mister Atsuro. I er så ked af. Du ser ud for mig og at være så sød, selvom jeg gjorde du føler dig så akavet før...

[otakuro]

...If a team is 'me and you and anyone else I can pick up off the street', sure.

[Atsuro gives a shrug.]

If you're busy defending the important stuff, the rest of us have to fill in the blanks, right?

[otakuro]

[still not understanding la la la~]

You can... think of this as a vacation! Take some time off from work and, er. Maybe you're be able to learn all of these foreign languages when this is over.

[...Atsuro's advice is stretching it at this point.]