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 Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:18 am
Stretching a long, lazy back-popping stretch, Fiach yawns as he looks around the mostly empty shop. The soft hum of the computers fills the air with a music all its own as Fiach opens up the rolodex and deftly flips through its pages. Stopping briefly at each customer's name, he lifts his cell phone off the counter and quietly drawls in his lilting voice upon receiving the answering machine, "Sionce believes he may have discovered a possible virus capable of interfering with the hackers, and, thereby, your computer systems. He has asked me to call everyone and ask each of you to bring in your hackers to the shop for a check up. The shop will be open at all times to accommodate this situation. Thank you for your time."
Having completed the last of his phone calls, Fiach heads to the small kitchen in the back and puts a kettle for hot tea on. Yawning slightly as he ponders over the phone call Sionce had given him in the middle of the night, he shook his head slightly as he caught himself wondering, "Does that man ever sleep?" The tea kettle gave its shrill whistle and called Fiach back from his mind's wanderings. Pouring himself a steaming mug and forgoing his usually addition of two sugars, he headed back out into the main part of the store. Sitting down at the desk he had inadvertently claimed as his own as it was the only one that ever managed to stay clean, Fiach pulled the keyboard out and in between sips of tea, searched cyberspace for what it was that Sionce had been talking about.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:30 am
A sudden blur at the corner of his screen snatched Fiach's attention, and he choked back on his tea as a familiar yet unseen as of lately brown figure danced closer. A black chat box appeared nearby, and a flashing marquee indicated the figure was ready to speak.
< Hello Fiach. Don't you ever sleep? =) >
Trisste smiled as much as he could, accenting the mark that appeared in his chat box. It'd been a while since he last was on these familiar servers, and he siged (accented by a *sigh*) as he looked to and fro.
< Sionce sent me here to check on you, see if you had notified everyone. He says he's managed to make some biway, but refuses to leave his home and come into the Store. >
He clapped his hand and a small video appeared in the corner, a file he'd been moving with him. It was a link more than anything, a link to Sionce's webcam, and Trisste moved down next to it.
< He says you can contact him through this, otherwise leave him alone. No personal favors, he says, since he's sort of feeling hermit-like. >
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:38 am
Coughing slightly as the last remnants of tea were forced down the wrong tube. An eye twitched slightly as he noticed he'd coughed a bit of the tea onto his desk, sighing he snatched up one of the clothes he always kept handy at the desk and wiped up the droplets. Taking a final sip to give him some to collect himself from the shock he'd just had, Fiach quickly tapped, "I would if your Sionce would stop calling me in the middle of the night with random problems that are associated with the shop..."
Tilting his head slightly, he added, "So where have you two been, anyway?" as a bit of an afterthought before noticing the window that had popped up. Rubbing his temples as he noted it was a link to Sionce's web cam, he sighed and muttered softly to himself, "This is going to be a very long day...".
Nodding as he typed the message, "All right, if we need him, we'll contact him. If not, we won't. Though I don't see why he doesn't just come here...it would make things simpler..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:47 am
< According to the phone records he calls you at that time because he knows you'll be awake. That's the same reason why I'm here now, you know, because you two have become accustomed to one another's living patterns. >
Trisste moved away from the link and back towards the middle of the screen, his movements a little sluggish as he darted. It was clear something was a little off with him, and he shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts.
< As for what we've been doing, after I was found to be 'infected' Sionce has spent the past few weeks trying to create an anti-virus. He's probably going to have to check into a hospital from malnutrition and exhaustion when this is all over. >
He sighed (accented once more as *sigh*) and crossed his small arms, the movements now clearly showing as more pained for the Elder hacker.
< And to answer why he won't comne here - most of the customers are women. Please figure that out on your own. >
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:54 am
A slight sound of frustration emerged from Fiach's lips as he realized he was quite happy Adalia wasn't in the shop at that moment. He knew she'd find some way to tease or insult him about how Trisste was talking to him, and he didn't really appreciate her behavior.
"I'm awake at those times because he calls. If he didn't call me at the same time all the time, I wouldn't be awake and used to it." He didn't really care to admit that he'd gotten so used to this routine, it was actually slightly difficult to sleep if it wasn't followed. It was quite frustrating to him that things were that way. Shrugging to clear his mind, he watched Trisste move with less than his usual grace across the screen.
"I thought Sionce was a master anti-virus programmer, so how did you get infected, Trisste?" Sighing slightly at the last comment, he added, "Well, I know Adalia misses getting to see him." A silent "and tease him" was not said, but well implied by the silence.
A purple and black flash erupted across the screen as if someone was moving very quickly from one side to the other. After a few moments the flashes subsided, though the computer moved a little slower than it had before and the desktop seemed to have a file Fiach was sure he hadn't seen before, he brushed it off as Adalia playing with his computer and made a mental note to attend to it later.
"Did you happen to catch what that flash was, Trisste?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:02 am
Trisste didn't respond the question directed his way, his head dropped down and his face slightly pale. The chat box flashed away from the corner of Fiach's screen and was replaced by a small ERROR box, only to be once more replaced by Trisste's chat.
< . . . loading . . . >
His head slowly swivelled up to reveal that his eyes were almost white in nature, their color slowly returning as the flashing line repeated its message.
< . . . loading . . . >
After a few more moments he shook his head, much slower than he had before, and turned to look in Fiach's direction.
< . . . That is the . . . virus . . . >
Trisste's speech was choppy and took a while to load, each letter come out one after another in ten second gaps. It was apperant his condition, or whatever he had, had possibly worsened due to the brief flash that had occured.
< . . . Darn . . . it . . . get . . . Sio - >
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:05 am
Grumbling slightly at his seeming over-dependence of Sionce, his worry for what he had begun to think of as, at least, a comrade, overtook that and he dutifully clicked on the link that Trisste had previously shown him. A quick check showed him that his own web cam was on as he double clicked the link and waited for it to load.
"I really should learn more about the system we have set up here..." he thought to himself, as the screen loaded a bit more slowly than it might have normally.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:11 am
As a small beep issued it from the speakers near his left-most computer, Sionce turned his face away from the cartoon he'd been watching and slowly moved his chair in that direction. It skidded to a stop as he positioned himself, and with a quick double-click of his mouse he loaded his camera.
"That didn't take long for you to open. I expected you to hold out another ten or so minutes."
His chide was in all means good-natured, though probably inappropriate at the moment.
"So, what do you need?"
As he leaned back and away from his compuer, Sionce slowly yawned beneath his great mask and made a false rub at his eyes. Why was it that he was alway awake at this time? Was it because Fiach was and the other usually called him with issues? Perhaps it was becoming a habit...
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:17 am
Rolling his bright blue eyes at Sionce's pseudo eye rub, Fiach softly sighed. "I'd have preferred to not bother you at all, but Trisste insisted that I contact you immediately."
A slight frown crossed his face as he pondered how to best describe what had happened. Rubbing a hand across his chin as he thought, he tapped lightly at the base of his chin before continuing, "A purple and black flash hopped across my computer screen several times. When I asked Trisste what it was, he told me to contact you -- after much difficulty loading enough to tell me to do so."
Clearing his throat, he added, "I'm not really sure what it was, but Trisste is having a really rough time on this system." Giving a tilt of his head, he made an idle gesture at the screen as he recalled the file he hadn't seen before, "There was a file that appeared on the desktop shortly after the flash appeared. I hadn't seen it around before, but just assumed Adalia had put it there."
With a shrug, he finished, "It might have something to do with the flash, now that I think of it..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:30 am
Sionce's face paled at the mention of the events that had just unfurled, and he slammed his hands down on his keyboard as he leaned close to his video link. It was rather - unsettling - if that was the word, to have someone in a bunny mask lean near you and raise their voice, but Sionce didn't seem to care.
"Don't you DARE open that file. Leave it there and don't even think about it for a while. If you open it even more of the store's man server will be at its mercy."
He took a deep breath and back his masked face away, running his hands through what hair on his head was visable. It was clear the whole incident now had him more awake and a bit more aggitated than the moments before, and he took a few more moments before finally speaking again.
"I'll explain to you what that was and is, but first of all - Trisste, come back onto my system. I'll fix your code the best I can before I release it out onto the main web. I...can't risk losing you before we help the others."
The hacker on Fiach's screen gave a small beep of agreement before popping off - with difficulty - and appearing on the third moniter in Sionce's main room. It was almost right away that a noticeable difference had occured in the hacker's program, as Trisste's chat box immediatly appeared and filled with text.
< I'm sorry. It got me again, after all your hard work. >
"No need to apologize. I'll get out the Rabbit and we'll have you fixed soon."
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:43 am
Blinking slightly rapidly at the close up of the bunny mask, Fiach gave a wince as he unknowingly pulled backwards away from the screen. One did not normally have a grown man in a bunny mask yelling into a web cam from up close and person, and when one did, it was rather unnerving.
"Aye, aye, captain. Won't touch the file." Rolling his eyes slightly even as he said it, Fiach couldn't help but find himself curious as to just what it was that this virus was - and what it was doing on their main system. A system that was supposed to be unbeatable.
Shrugging and tilting his head slightly, Fiach waited for Sionce to fix his friend, Trisste, and gather himself. Knowing that, eventually, the entire story would come out.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:22 pm
It took a few more moments before Trisste was able to move about the screen with relative ease, his movements far more graceful and fluid than they had been while on Fiach's server.
< There we go, that's much better. It's as we thought though, Sionce. >
Sionce nodded his head as his hacker crossed his small arms and nodded his head gravely.
"I guess it's time to explain to you then Fiach, but let me telly ou this first - This virus isn't from that UsoTsuki scare we had a while ago. Trisste and and I managed to get them out of our systems for now but this virus...is from something else."
Sionce's fingers quickly flew over two keyboards at once, his strokes light on the keys as box after box of coding began to fly past as he dug through his files. It took a moment before he finally pulled something up, and as he loaded it onto one of his screens he turned his camera more so it was slightly visable.
"I don't have any 'definate' facts on what's really going on, but I do some decent information about the incidents. It's all being caused by a virus, like I've told you, and for the most part it seems to be coming from the servers at headquarters."
He paused and then took a moment to tap on the moniter that held Trisste, his finger landing over the hacker's image and resting there.
"It for the most part doesn't affect our running servers and basic hardware systems, though it has made my smaller programs without much protection crash several times before I rebooted it. The main problem is that the virus is targetting and infecting hackers - our hackers - at an increasingly alarming rate."
< You saw what a small flash did to me, and that flash only infected me to about 50 or 57% of capcity. Luckily Sionce here has made a small anti-virus that can lower me back down towards the 10% region on several intakes, but it would take more study of the virus to create a better Rabbit that could cure on initial contact. >
Trisste folded his hands together and floated onto the next moniter without much trouble, his main body now on the screen that Sionce was pumping his information into with a steady stream of typing sounds.
< We think the main server at headquarters was probably weakly infected a while ago, maybe even a short while ago, and all the hackers that have come in and out for routine checkings or upgrades have been infected - or they could ahve been infected in other ways. All we are sure of is . . . >
"That all hackers have been infected. It's only a matter of time now."
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:40 pm
A quiet groan escaped from between Fiach's lips as he took in the implications of what his friend had just told him. Closing his eyes as he put his sleep addled mind to work on the situation, he was the apparent picture of utter calm as his mind tripped from one thought to the next. Learning forward and putting his head into his hand, he sighed, "That would explain why you wanted me to call everyone - but doesn't explain how we're going to solve the problem."
His eyes flickered towards the file on his computer and back to the web cam again as he pondered over things, his mind slowly warming up to the idea of thinking. "Do you know how the virus got into our system yet?"
A quirk of his eyebrow indicated he'd shifted to another train of thought in just a matter of seconds, the earlier mention of a "rabbit" having caught his attention -- and amusement.
"So just what is this "Rabbit", anyway?"
Inwardly Fiach cringed at his inability to think computers at the rate Sionce did, but knew that he likely never would. He'd just have to leave the computers to his friend, and the customers he'd have to figure out a way to deal with on his own it appeared.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:58 pm
"Don't fall asleep on me or I'll have to find a way to get Adalia into the room to help aid you in paying attention. It's not a problem for me to be near her when I'm not anywhere in her actual presence, you know."
Sionce snickered slightly beneath his mask, the sound coming out hallowed as it echoed against the frame. He was unusually teasing for his personality, but he blamed it all right now on the fact he was running on no sleep and very little food and drink.
"As for how 'Cheshire', that's what I'm calling the virus, got into our system, I'm not 100% percent sure yet, maybe about 47% or 48% sure. I think it may have come from that UsoTsuki accident when they breached one of my firewalls and released some hackers in quarantine, one of whom I may think have been carrying a small code anomaly on it that caused this outbreak. It's possible the virus found a way to replicate itself through how much data we have in the servers at HQ."
Yes, he was tired enough to actually say HQ instead of headquarters, but he pushed it off and reached his hand past his computer for something to drink from the hidden mini-cooler.
"It's gotten into my system because of Trisste moving in and out of the main systems and coming back here, but as I've said most of that problem is under control or solved as I've had time and put some effort into controlling what I can."
< As for the Rabbit - >
Trisste interrupted the conversation as Sionce slowly lifted the bottom of his mask to take a drink, his figure now the main focus of the web cam.
< - it's the anti-viral program that Sionce made to combat Cheshire. It's still in its beginning stages and can cure chunks of virus at 10% at a time, though due to the sad personality it has it won't cure in succession. >
Trisste sighed and turned to look a Sionce, a miniature glare on his face.
< We, meaning mostly Sionce as I was rather infected at the time, managed to secure a good hunk of Cheshire's data and Sionce made a small copy of it that he gradually turned into an AI after he found that the copy continaed traces of an anti-virus program in it. >
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 11:08 pm
Cringing at the thought of his sister being involved, and at this odd of an hour, Fiach quietly sighed. He would really have to start pushing back if Sionce would jump straight to threats. A man could only take so much bullying, after all. Shrugging and taking another sip of the tea, now lukewarm, he grimaced before nodding slowly.
"So, essentially, we will be injecting the hackers with a cure, and a vaccine, to prevent future outbreaks?"
His head tilted slightly as his mind started to mull over the work that would entail, he didn't know much about vaccinating hackers - didn't even think it had been done before - but imagined it would be time consuming. "How exactly do we take care of all the hackers? Will you have to cure them one at a time, en masse, and then do the system or vice versa?"
Rubbing his temples, he mulled over warming his now cold cup of tea.
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