4.03 Writing the cure and checking it twice

[command_dot_com]

Inside of the Principal Office, in one of the many laboratory-cum-code-chopshop, four sets of hands are going every single digit of Guardian Code. It's been busy the last few cycles and with the capture of Turbo it's become even more urgent to 'distill' the code copied off of Bob and Matrix into some form of a cure that they can administer. Neither set of code is complete, but it's the best shot they got... isn't it?

"Hiro, how're we doing?"

Comments

[hiroaki_protagonist]

"Personally, I'm doing all right," Hiro replies. This is familiar ground for him, after all; like any hacker worth his salt back in LA, he's used to working with raw binary. What he's getting looks, much to his lack of surprise, a lot like SnowScan.

[l33t-mouse.livejournal.com]

Mouse has to admit that this fella knows a thing or three about analyzing and dealing with viral code. Which Mouse is glad for, because antiviral work is not her area of expertise. "I think we're on th'right track, Dot. With the code we're puttin' together from Matrix an' Bob, we should be able t'make somethin' that'll return an infected sprite's format t'default an' purge the virus."

[nofileext]

Phong lacks the formatted expertise of the two hackers, but he nearly makes up for it in sheer experience.

"Nearly finished..." He adds another piece of keytool code, gleaned from Bob's current code as compared to an old scan. Quite fascinating. Some of it is looking decidedly odd, but it's nothing he needs to distract everyone with now.

[command_dot_com]

"Good," Dot checks over the codework from Matrix once more before compiling it. It's got a lot of wear and tear updates from Gameplay in it. Who wants to play mad scientist and make some franken-code? "Sooner we get this formatted, the sooner Bob can download it and try using it on our 'guest'."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

At this point a new sprite joins them. By 'joins' we mean 'bothers.' "Yo, pod!" YT calls, peeking in the door. "When'll you have the cure thing so we can go bust the fragging virus already?" She's been itching for a fight ever since she got back from the mission with Capacitor - in part because she was forced to return without Capacitor. It's kind of a blow to her pride.

[hiroaki_protagonist]

"Any nano now," Hiro replies. "Quicker with fewer interruptions, of course," he adds gently but firmly.

[command_dot_com]

"What do you need, YT?" Dot looks up from her section of code sending it over to Phong for one more check over. "How's Matrix settling? ...if he is at all..."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"I am going fragging crazy," YT answers. "I don't want to sit here. Especially after hearing about that Turbo dude in the cells. He was acting like a Falabala." Of all the people in the room, only Hiro will understand what this means.

[hiroaki_protagonist]

Hiro does indeed, and it gives him the jaggies. More because of the ways in which, judging by Liana's behavior, it's not a complete description.
"And even if he could convert us, he wouldn't be able to use us, because what we do is creative in nature and can't be duplicated by people running me."
Out in what Hiro still thinks of as Reality, being infected with Asherah, by whatever means, was a mind-contracting experience, assuming it left you enough mind to successfully tie your own shoes. But here in the Net, Daemon's infection may not have any effect on the minds of her subjects other than instilling an almost a downright fanatical devotion to the Word.
"I got a million Myrmidons here. You gonna kill 'em all?"

[nofileext]

"My child," admonishes Phong, glancing up from the code, "proper preparation is essential to any endeavour. Do try to remain calm." He returns to his examination of Dot's code, and nods as he finds no fault with it.

[command_dot_com]

Dot nods back to the old sprite. In her opinion, Turbo's smile is the crashing creepiest thing she's seen since getting caught by a webcreature. Which makes it all the more important to get this cure set up. "I don't want to leave room for anything to go wrong with this..."

[l33t-mouse.livejournal.com]

"Neither do I, sugar," Mouse says as she adjusts a few variables. After a bit of consideration, she nods. "I think once Hiro's done with his share, we'll be ready for testin'."

[hiroaki_protagonist]

"Just about..." He makes a few final tweaks. "...there. That ought to do it."

[command_dot_com]

"Great, I'll let Bob know we've got the cure ready for testing. With some luck... It will beat her infection."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"All right," YT chimes in. "Let's give a dose to the Stepford Guardian downstairs and see if it clears him up."