MY GOD IT'S A ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### IRUS CHAPTER 4 : VIRII-MONGER ====================================================================== If you haven't guessed already, this is continued from Chapter 3!!! ====================================================================== The stair case seemed to never end. Jeoff began to wonder if, when he reached the top, he would require one of the new Mech-5 Space Helmets, or perhaps a Greenhouse-7 Anti-999999° Heat Suit, but then he pushed these thoughts aside when he began to think of how serious the situation had become. Heaps of thoughts entered his mind upon every step... 'Why did it have to infect MY computer?'.... 'Whats the Authorities going to say and do to me?'.... 'Wonder what its like on National 3D-TV'.... 'Did I leave the microwave on?'....'I better stop thinking before my mind gets more tired than my feet'... Then, as he cleared his mind of alV these thoughts and tried to think of something pleasant, they finally reached the top of the stair case. A large blue door barred their exit, and it had yet another hand-print identification panel. David pressed his hand on it and the door whizzed and, only by the miracle of modern technology, opened. Inside they were confronted by 8 rows of computers stretching from their end of the room to the other, each row containing possibly 200 Amiga 6000's, of which even David was surprised to see. They alV appeared to be working on something. David walked up to one of them in amazement to try and work out what it was doing, while Jeoff walked over to another and began trying to find games on the NASA HD. David watched as the computer guided on the screen the assembly Vine production. He watched as parts were put together, and then shifted off down a conveyer belt. He slid along to the next computer, which was controlVing the conveyer belts. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly. JEOFF: "Found anything?" DAVID: "Nah.. I don't think the virus has got here yet.." David took a side step to the next computer, which was guiding the parts off the conveyer belt and into the spray-paint division where the parts were painted. JEOFF: "What, you mean nothing unusual?" DAVID: "Nope.. everything is working absolutely perfectly." David moved to the paint-control computer, which controlVed what was painted on the parts.. there, he found something a little out of the ordinary.. for some un-known reason (although you have to be Sherlock Holme's doormat not to be able to figure out why!!) the spray paint computer was spraying all over the parts things like "REMAL IS COOL" and "REMAL RULZ". David began to type on the computer, trying to shut down the operation, but it seemed he would need higher access. JEOFF: "Well, I guess if everything is okay we'll move on then." DAVID: "Actually there is something a little fishy going on here but it's not worth mentioning.." David only had to glance at the next computer to see it sending the parts to the address of "ME" and "REMAL". JEOFF: "Well, I've found something very very interesting." DAVID: "What's that?" David walked over to the computer Jeoff was at. JEOFF: "I think it's ca Ved.. SPACE INVADERS.." DAVID: "Space.. Invaders...... right.. jeez, somebody save me before I die of simplicity sickness.. come on, we haven't got time to play games!" David grabbed Jeoff and dragged him away from the computer. Then they jogged a little until they reached the elevator at the other side of the room. Once inside David attempted to get the on-board computer to take them to Richard's office level. COMP: "What level please?" DAVID: "Umm.. Richard's office level." COMP: "Richard is no longer an official employee of Nasa. Sorry." DAVID: "What?" COMP: "What level please?" DAVID: "You try telling it, Jeoff." COMP: "Jeoff is no longer an official employee of Nasa. Sorry." DAVID: "Don't sorry me." COMP: "What level please?" DAVID: "21." COMP: "21 is no longer an official employee of Nasa. Sorry." DAVID: "I' Vishow you sorry." David began to claw away at the delicate wiring of the computer keypad next to the door. COMP: "What level please?" David reached in and, with his bare hands, ripped the entire circuity of the keypad out and ha f of the computer with it, too. COMP: "Thankyou, now going to Richard's Office Level." The doors slid closed and the elevator begant to move upwards. DAVID: "See Jeoff, a Viit takes it a little gentle touch." JEOFF: "Huh." DAVID: "Jeoff is no longer an official employee of Nasa. Sorry." JEOFF: "You were saying?" DAVID: "Just.. shuttup." Suddenly the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal and plain white office with a man, presumably Richard, sitting at a computer. COMP: "Richard's Level, Ladies-wear... have a nice day." DAVID: "Yeah, same to you." David and Jeoff walked out, the elevator doors closing behind them. They walked up to Richard, who was hard at work on something. RICHARD: "Take a seat guys." David and Jeoff looked around, noticing there was only one seat available.... and Richard was sitting on it. RICHARD: "So.. you guys notice anything bad going on downstairs?" DAVID: "Well... unless you hired Rolf Harris to do your parts design logo I think they're something out of the ordinary going on." JEOFF: "Huh?" RICHARD: "Yeah, I saw that.. can't stop it spray-painting. It's locked me out or the system. I'll only be a tic here, just trying to shut off the rocket launch system." DAVID: "Okay... mind if I ca Vimy boss again?" RICHARD: "Go for it." Richard, not looking up, slid amall Viphone across his desk towards David. David picked it up and began to dial. JEOFF: "Why are you calling your Boss again?" DAVID: "He needs to know what's going on." JEOFF: "Ever heard the phrase 'What he doesn't know won't hurt him'?" DAVID: "Yeah.... ever heard the phrase 'What he doesn't know gets me fired'?" JEOFF: "Huh... you worried about your job? I'll be lucky to be pealing potatoes with my tongue after this has finished. DAVID: "Yeah, well..." David's boss, Mr Filworth, answered the phone. FILWORTH: "Yeah, what?" DAVID: "Hi Mr Filworth, it's David." FILWORTH: "David.. what now, more bad news?" DAVID: "No, just an update on the already bad news." FILWORTH: "Right, go ahead." DAVID: "Well, it seems Nasa has gone into panic here.." David looked at the unexpressioned Richard sitting behind his desk, who still hadn't looked up at them yet. DAVID: "The virus is causing some major damage... hey Richard.." RICHARD: "Yeah.." DAVID: "How's the shutting down of the rocket launch systems going?" RICHARD: "I can't seem to shut them down..." Richard hit his computer keyboard in annoyance. DAVID: "Yeah, the virus has changed the security passwords and all. Now we have to shut down everything by hand." RICHARD: "Can't you cut the power supply there?" DAVID: "Well.. Richard, have you shut down the generators?" RICHARD: "Yeah." DAVID: "Right... yes, the generators have been shut down, but they only account for a minimal sector of the operation here at Nasa. Most of the major working areas and development sectors run by the same power source that's powering most of America here.. AmoPower.. shutting it down would mean shutting off most of the power to the country.." FILWORTH: "Right.. damn.... well, is there any way to sever the wires and cables that are supplying the power?" DAVID: "We COULD, but that would set AmoPower into confusion and mayhem. They'd want to know what's going on and they'd be sure to leak it to the media." FILWORTH: "Well the media is going to find out sooner or later anyway... cut the wires, I don't care what the cost, be we have to stop the virus from doing any futher damage than it already has. There are hundreds of thousands of people living on the moon under the risk of having their oxygen supplies shut off even as we speak. Something has to be done." DAVID: "Got your loud and clear Mr Filworth. I'll get somebody onto cutting those power lines right away." FILWORTH: "Right.. give me a ring when you've secured the moon base.. thanks... Bye." DAVID: "Bye.." David hung up and placed the phone back on Richard's desk. To his amazement Richard was actually away from the computer and looking at them. DAVID: "Hey Richard, long time no see eh?" RICHARD: "Right.. pity we have to meet under such urgent and life-threatening conditions eh?" DAVID: "Well that's always the way.. right, my Boss has suggested cutting the cables supplying the power to the main sectors." RICHARD: "But what about the oxygen generators operating the moon base?" DAVID: "We'll have to leave those cables go... I'll try and keep the moonbase under control, and I'll put everyone up there on standby." RICHARD: "Okay. I'll get a few guys to work on those cables." DAVID: "Great.. I'll go and try and keep the Moonbase systems in order as best I can.." RICHARD: "Right.. here.." Richard gave David and Jeoff a Vidi-CB each. RICHARD: "We'll keep in contact via these." JEOFF: "Oh beauty, just like the movies eh?" DAVID: "Yes, Jeoff.. just like the movies.." RICHARD: "If anything urgent comes up, just press the green button talk... both Jeoff and myself will hear you." David glanced down at the small Vidi-CB in his hand, and noticing that there were at least 60 green buttons on it and acknowledging Richard's ability to never be able to explain something he decooed he could work it out for himself. DAVID: "No problems.. okay, come on Jeoff. We've got a moonbase to run." JEOFF: "Is that like running an ice-cream van?" DAVID: "Yeah, except you get paid more for running a moonbase... come on.." David grabbed Jeoff and dragged him to the door leading to the shuttle systems control/moonbase monitoring systems section. He quickly glanced back at Richard who was now on the phone to some work crews, and then turned back, placed his hand on the identi-hand pad, and upon confirmation of his access led Jeoff through the open door into the un-known. Once inside the Shuttle Systems Control section the door closed behind them. Only the faint electronic heartbeat of the computers around them broke the silence, and if it wasn't for the fact that nobody was operating them it seemed as if almost nothing was wrong. Jeoff walked over to one of the computers which seemed to be playing the same Space Invaders-type game as the other one was. David, in the meantime, took hold of another computer in an attempt to shut down the Shuttle Section. JEOFF: "What are you up to?" DAVID: "Didn't you hear the narrator?" JEOFF: "What?" DAVID: "I'm trying to shut down this section so no shuttles can be launched and the shuttle information stored here doesn't get too damaged." JEOFF: "But Richard was trying that and he couldn't do it." DAVID: "I know but maybe there's one or two things he hasn't tried yet, I don't know." JEOFF: "Well I've got something interesting here.. it's that Space Invaders type game.. but it doesn't resemble Space Invaders that much at all... I've seen this screen somewhere, I just can't remember where." DAVID: "Well we haven't got the time to waste, I'll try a few tricks here but then we have to move straight on to the Moonbase Monitoring Systems." JEOFF: "Okay.." Jeoff began to hit his head in an attempt to recall where he had seen the screen that now faced him. He was almost certain that he had seen it recently, but decooing that he couldn't of possibly seen anything from NASA moved over to where David was. DAVID: "Damn, this entire system has been almost re-programmed. The best I could do was empty all the fuel out of the shuttle and straight onto the shuttle pad so it can't possibly take off. That minimizes the damage it's capable of." JEOFF: "Good idea." DAVID: "Well, lets move on." Jeoff and David continued on past several more computers and the large strategic screen at the front of the room to the door leading to Moonbase Monitoring Systems. Jeoff noticed several more screens bearing the Space Invaders type game but because his memory failed to remind him of where he'd seen it he didn't bother David about it. Another hand print identification gave them access to a very large room which seemed to stretch for almost a kilometer in each direction. At a rough count Jeoff estimated the computer count to be almost 1000, and there were at least 20 massive generators towering to the roof lined along the walls. JEOFF: "Jeez, I thought this was the thing you only saw in movies.." DAVID: "Well this isn't no movie, otherwise I'd be able to be much more certain that the good guys are going to win in the end." JEOFF: "That bad eh?" DAVID: "Yeah, this situation seems pretty desperate. I'd better take a look to see how the moonbase is fairing." David walked over to a nearby computer and pulled up a seat. While he began to run through the systems check Jeoff caught a glimpse of the familiar screen on several computers, and he strolled over to one and watched it as it brang up a picture of Earth. Red dots seemed to light up all over it like a Christmas tree, and then lines were projected between them. The end effect looked like a Christmas tree wrapped in cob webs (well, to Jeoff anyway). DAVID: "Jee... I can't seem to find anything wrong..." His words went un-noticed by Jeoff. DAVID: "There ISN'T anything visually wrong.." These words also seemed to go past Jeoff. DAVID: "Jeoff isn't listening to me." Jeoff suddenly looked up. JEOFF: "Huh?" DAVID: "Would you stop wasting your time on that stupid game and come over here?" JEOFF: "Okay okay.. but I'm sure now that that ISN'T Space Invaders." DAVID: "That's good to know, but there's more important things than that stupid screen that seems to enthrall you so much." Jeoff walked over to David and pulled up a seat himself. DAVID: "From what I can see there isn't much wrong at all. I'm going to contact the moonbase now and get the guy in charge up there to get everyone on board those shuttles and back down to Earth." JEOFF: "Go for it." David requested a link with the Captain's computer, and after the security sequence was confirmed at both ends the Captain came on-line and began to type. >"HELLO THERE... WHAT'S UP?" >"A LOT. I'VE BEEN TOLD TO PUT ALL OF YOU ON THAT MOONBASE ON ALERT, SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG DOWN HERE AT GROUND CONTROL." >"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" >"IT'S A VERY LONG STORY AND OUR TIME IS SHORT, SO I CAN ONLY EXPLAIN BRIEFLY. ONLY A SHORT TIME AGO AN EXTERNAL COMPUTER RANG THE NASA BULLETIN BOARD SERVICE AND UPLOADED A VIRUS." >"BUT GROUND CONTROL, WE HAVE A VIRUS KILLED CAPABLE OF KILLING ANY VIRUS." >"NOT ANY MORE. THE PROBLEM IS, YOU SEE, THAT IT WAS THE VIRUS THAT RANG US." >"THAT'S RIDICULOUS. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" >"BELIEVE ME THERE'S PLENTY OF EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT IT IS CAPABLE OF THIS. AS WE SPEAK THE MAJORITY OF OFFICIALS DOWN HERE AT GROUND CONTROL ARE ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL CHEMICAL FIRES AND MAYHEM IN THE CHEMICALS SECTION, WE ARE UNABLE TO SHUT DOWN THE SHUTTLE LAUNCH SYSTEM, PARTS ARE BEING MANUFACTURED WRONG AND SENT TO UN-KNOWN ADDRESSES. NOW I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THIS VIRUS IS BEYOND BEING SIMPLY A PROGRAM." >"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING HERE.. THAT THIS IS AN ACTUAL LIFEFORM?" >"BASICALLY YES. IT'S CODE WAS ONLY 1K LONG, AND I DESTROYED THAT. BUT THE VIRUS CONTINUES TO GROW. SO WE MUST EVACUATE THE MOONBASE NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE." >"10 - 4 GROUND CONTROL, I'LL GET EVERYONE ON BOARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. YOU'LL HAVE TO PROGRAM OUR FLIGHT PATH THOUGH." >"NOT A PROBLEM, JUST MAKE IT SNAPPY BEFORE THIS VIRUS GETS TO THE MOONBASE COMPUTERS." >"OKAY, I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS I'VE LOADED THESE PEOPLE UP." >"GREAT. TALK TO YOU SOON." >"BYE." The screen reset, and while the link remained David left the computer to see what else was happening around Nasa. JEOFF: "What the hell are do you mean that this virus is alive?" DAVID: "Isn't it obvious? This virus isn't simply a program.. it's way beyond that.. it's actual MATTER." JEOFF: "But where the hell did it come from?" DAVID: "Beats me. And with any luck I'll be able to buy some time so we can find out." JEOFF: "Okay. What are you going to do now?" DAVID: "Just check what is happening at the Chemical sector." Suddenly a sharp tone emitted from the Vidi-CB's they both helo. David pulled his out and scanned the small control panel looking for a suitable green button. He decooed to use the one marked CHAT. The screen suddenly lit up with the image of Richard in his office and the connection was made. DAVID: "Yo Richard." RICHARD: "d loo. I've got the work crews on to those cables. How are things going that way?" DAVID: "To my suprise it appears the Virus hasn't got to this section yet, because everything is in order. I've alerted Moonbase Control, the captain is getting everybody onto some shuttles, he should be ready soon." RICHARD: "Great. Well, program the flight path to land into the Pacific Ocean at Propelled Site #2." DAVID: "What's the hot key for that?" RICHARD: "Hot key? Buggered if I know!! There should be a reference around there somewhere." David looked around on the desk. The reference was right in front of him, but as always these things take time to find when in the most obvious place. DAVID: "Right, got it... that's Delta Saga Ctrl F3.." David hit the 4 keys and an enlarged area of sea just off some coast line. A small dot light up, and the words 'Lunar Landing Site #2' appeared next to it. Under this, in flashing red, were the words 'Emergancy Use Only'. At the top of the screen the computer queried: 'ENTER EMERGENCY SECURITY COUNTERCODE:' DAVID: "Yo, Richard, what's the security countercode?" RICHARD: "Forty-four.." David typed as Richard spoke.. RICHARD: "Alpha Niner Sixer Lamda Narda Alpha One." After Richard finished the phrase and David hit the Security Code query disappeared and the words 'Site Locked' appeared. DAVID: "Okay, it's set." RICHARD: "Right.. well, I better go show these work crews exactly where to cut and where not to cut.. don't want your computer systems down there going off-line, that could cause a lot of people to die up in that Moonbase." Somehow Richard seemed to be trying to make David feel even worse, juggling the lives of so many people in his hands. DAVID: "Rightio, well catch up with you in a few minutes with an update then?" RICHARD: "Yep. See ya." DAVID: "Bye." The Vidi-CB made a sharp scratching noise before the image faded and the hollow noise of Richard's office halted. David turned to the screen and wondered what would happen if the virus got into the internal workings of the Moonbase systems... and the lives potentially at risk... meanwhile Jeoff's brain continued to fail to remind him of where he had seen the Space-Invader type game before... but somehow he knew it was much more than just a game. All he wish he knew was is exactly HOW much more and exactly WHAT all of that was that he had seen on the screen. Somewhere else in the Nasa complex a virus was lurking though. It knew of the Moonbase already.. but had failed to get to reach it's computer controls as yet. It was tied up with much more important things.. Just what you'll have to wait until the next and possibly final episode to find out..... and YES, it isn't designing a new Coffee machine for Jeoff & David, something much more sinister and evil.. (the sort of thing a virus with more intelligence & evil than any other being on this planet & in control of the most technologically advanced computer systems in the world could do)... See you next episode... --------------------------------------------------------------- A preview of the next episode in this bizarre thriller(!!): "My god.... it's the virus..." Keep yer eyes on Newsflash!!! Written by Darren Vukasinovic for the NEWSFLASH Disk Magazine ---------------------------------------------------------------