LinaOS v1.1 (C)Copyright Lina Inverse 2027, no rights reserved > describe "Slayers Virtual" data text file, 16 parts plus header PART 1 64,305 05-22-99 01:09a PART 2 25,542 11-16-99 13:50p PART 3 17,961 12-09-99 19:34p PART 4 18,603 01-07-00 19:28p PART 5 18,547 01-06-00 23:50p PART 6 15,963 01-22-00 00:29a PART 7 38,163 02-01-00 01:32a PART 8 32,821 02-2?-00 ??:??? PART 9 18,881 03-0?-00 ??:??? PART 10 14,690 03-2?-00 ??:??? PART 11 49,528 04-1?-00 ??:??? PART 12 71,220 05-01-00 00:00a PART 13 18,200 05-21-00 11:12p PART 14 26,782 06-30-00 09:33p PART 15 24,576 08-23-00 22:07p PART 16 18,017 09-04-00 01:02p > remember "Slayers Virtual" header @X0F SLAYERS VIRTUAL CYBERPUNK ELSE [16/16] @X0C컴컴컴컴컴컴컴| |컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 @X09 .---------------------------------. @X09 | this episode by Adrian Tymes | @X09 | cracked by stefan gagne | @X09 | indie distro by improfanfic | @X09 `---------------------------------' @X0E컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� > remember "Slayers Virtual" part 16 One month later, light rain from a dying hurricane washed over what used to be an offshore oil platform in the Caribbean. No useful petroleum remained beneath the platform, yet it still boasted human inhabitants. Several modules had been added well underneath the sea line, suspended between the platform's massive support columns so as to be undetectable unless one already had reason to suspect the platform was more than what it seemed to be. Two figures in spotless white lab coats stood side-by-side, just short of a yellow box painted on the gray metal. Their coats fluttered in the breeze, though both coats' belts were securely tied to keep the garments from flying away, or from catching too much wind. "So, who's the big shot this time?" "Our new president." "New? What happened to Rezo?" "Didn't you hear? They found him dead in his office, just after the Shabstorms." "Think there's any connection?" "Pretty sure there is. They traced Shabstorm One back to his office. He gave his life, and his company's network, to touch off Shabstorm Two." "That's not what I heard. Everyone firewalled RJR automatically when it got infected, so whoever started the first one just hacked into MazokuSoft's HQ and fired it off from there. Botched the attempt big time, though." "Who says it was botched? Disabling all copies of Shaburanigdo everywhere, so we can finally get it off our systems for all time? Sounds pretty successful, if you ask me." "I've also heard it wasn't Rezo who did it. Some hacker named Lina Inverse. Y'ever check out Xelloss's Web site?" "Xelloss?" "One of the bigwigs at MazokuSoft. No one knows his real name. He put together this long rant against 'The Enemy Of All Who Live' after the Shabstorms. Got some good video, too...but nothing that couldn't be faked. Only two things for certain: whoever this Lina Inverse is, she did hack into MazokuSoft, and she did tick off Xelloss while doing so. Not terribly convincing, though. I think he just wrote it to let off some steam, then posted it 'cause he could." "The same MazokuSoft whose Shards turned out to be one of the Shaburanigdo fragments? And whose Shards were running a decent chunk of most computers out there? And thus, whose Shards paralyzed a lot of businesses when Shaburanigdo stopped working until Draconix distributed their Shards emulators?" "Yeah, well, never said I trusted 'im. Just said that's what he's sayin', and I haven't heard any better accounts." Further conversation was cut off by the muted whup-whup-whup of helicopter blades. Both figures stood at attention while the aircraft descended from the clouds, zipped left and right like a cheap kite, finally landed on its main rotor, and popped its doors open to discharge pilot and passenger. Zelgadis tumbled out of the craft. "Amelia, just WHERE did you learn to fly a helicopter?" Amelia pouted, still buckled into the pilot's seat. "I had over thirty hours in the simulator! And I got us here in one piece, didn't I?" The landing struts on the helicopter fell off, missing all three people on deck. "Close enough." Zelgadis looked up at the technicians, mentally noting that even Sylphiel's upgrades were not enough to keep his legs functioning with no sense of balance. "I'm not sure whether my gyroscope broke or just needs recalibration. Not that it matters: this body *is* going to be scrapped once we're done, right?" The coated duo shrugged. "That was your request, Mr. President, sir." "Call me Zelgadis." "As you wish." They picked him up and began moving inside. "We should have you in your organic body within two hours...but you'll need at least a week to adapt to using it. You really should take it easy during that time." The speaker glanced back at the former transport. "I'll...call for the company yacht to take you back to the mainland, shall I?" "That would be appreciated." Zelgadis glanced back towards Amelia, then lowered his voice so she would not hear. "And if I don't make it..." "You'll make it, sir. We won't shut down this body until we're sure the other one is working...and if something goes wrong, we can just turn this one back on. We could even have two of you running around if you wanted, though I suspect you don't." "You suspect right." They entered the elevator to the labs beneath the base, pausing while one of them nudged a button with his elbow and watched the doors close. "If you don't mind my asking, sir, who is she?" "Amelia? My wife-to-be...once we get back, *if* this works." "Ah. You wish to be able to consummate the marriage?" "More like keep my word. When she proposed, I said I'd agree if she could track this place down. Rezo's records were a bit of a mess. If I'd known she could actually pull it off, I'd have asked her as soon as we met." "Forget I asked." Several seconds passed in uncomfortable silence. Uncomfortable for the platform's residents, that is; after Amelia told Lina about getting engaged to him, Zelgadis had received more needling on specifics and ethics from Lina than he had dreamt possible. He had, in response, jokingly asked if Lina thought she was Amelia's sister. How Lina managed to slap him hard enough to dent his cheek, and not feel any pain, was beyond him. But it was the last he had seen of her. Which brought his train of thought to another topic. "Why didn't this place suffer any damage when the rest of RJR went down?" "Security. In order to avert suspicion, this operation is technically independent of RJR; that includes not having the standard access packages installed. Also, we keep most of our systems powered down unless we're actively using them, and we were asleep at the time." "Ah. 'The only secure computer is a dead computer.'" "Something like that. Everything here was dead in one form or another, for a time. But only the sleepers were resurrected." --Prev/Next? N Naga stood in all her glory, her expression broadcasting her superiority to all who cared to pay attention. She was back from the dead, defying all odds... ...and not twitching a muscle. Lina sighed, letting her creation dissolve back into formless dreamspace with a wave of her hand. "Been at this a while, sis." Lina whirled, turning an angry visage towards the approaching crescent moon. "Damn it, Luna! If I can do anything, why can't I bring her back?" "Who said you can do anything?" Lina hurled her copy of the FAQ Xelloss had given her at Luna. The FAQ stopped in front of Luna. "Oh, this thing. Haven't updated it in a while. Really should add a 'Limitations' section." Lina blinked. "*You* wrote it?" "Way back when." "How long have you...well..." "Years. Since just after mother died." "..." "Y'ain't the first, or even the second. We've been experimenting with how to bring people here...though you may be the first to come here without knowing about it up front. Some say this's humanity's next form. They may be right, but it's a pretentious way of putting it." "'Humanity's next form'? Luna...you and I, I can understand. But everyone?" "Self-defense, sis. We won't upgrade 'em without their consent, of course. But power like this...if a bunch of people get it, the rest're gonna be scared. They may fight back, cling to what they have. The only way to make them get it is to give it to 'em. We've already got one war brewing; we don't need another one at the same time." "Another war? You're not making sense." "You don't know what I know. The Mazoku are rallying. They blame all humans for what you did, and want to strike back. The Dragons won't allow it. This wouldn't be a problem if there were just a few of 'em under our control...but there's one on almost every system now, guarding 'em against viruses, and they're almost done listening to us. Dragons versus Mazoku, and I don't know that either side will be watching out for any humans in the crossfire. We've gotta look out for ourselves." Lina's eyes defocused for a second, then reoriented on Luna. "Oh, that reminds me." She tossed a program to Luna. "What's this?" "Remember that French site you sent me to? I did a little messing around with their code, and I think I got it to work." "...that site was destroyed. Didn't know 'til after I'd sent you." "Yeah, well, I *was* able to salvage enough that I could figure out the rest." "It was our one shot at stopping this war before it starts." "Still is. Complete immunity to viruses, and it scans all methods of access to a system for potential security holes. Might not be perfect, but it'll probably disarm the Dragons and Mazoku enough that we can play peacemaker. I call it GigaS." "I heard the capitalization on that S. Care to explain?" "Mmm...depends." "On what?" "Your questions." Even though Luna's icon did not have a face, Lina could almost hear her sister's eyes rolling. --Prev/Next? N Reality blinked out around Xelloss. Slowly, gradually, it re-rezzed into place...then disappeared, sector by sector. Xelloss just waited patiently. Eventually, one of his targets appeared, armor shining irrespective of the lack of light sources in this node. "So, you are still here." Xelloss smiled. "Really, Gourry. Reboot, reformat, dump core...you'd think Sylphiel didn't want me in her system." "She doesn't." "Too bad. I want to talk to her." "Send her an e-mail." "I want to talk in person. Can't she come in here?" "No. The last time she entered like this, she jacked straight into your creator. I'm getting her help, but she's still terrified of being here herself." "I know. My friends were there. A bit of a mistake; we thought she was from Draconix, trying to wipe us out. We only struck back out of self-preservation." "You hurt her. You killed my parents." "If it's any consolation, the parties responsible were blamed for failing to create a backup of Shaburanigdo. They're quite dead now." Gourry drew his sword and leveled it at Xelloss. "We want to be left alone." "Alright, alright, fine, I'm leaving." And he did. Gourry logged out, brushed a bit of sweat out of his hair, and removed the electrode headband of his deck. "He's gone." Sylphiel hugged him. "I knew you could take care of him!" "What's he after, anyway?" "This." She gestured to Zelgadis's former body, now just a mindless husk ready for a new mind. "He probably heard that I'd bought Zelgadis or something, and wanted to get his facts straight. I still can't believe Zel would just throw this away." Gourry shrugged. "I can." "In any case, I'm almost ready. Are you sure you want to do this?" "Sylphiel...I know your feelings for me. You put that armor program out there to keep me safe if I ever went online, and so you could find me. Don't deny it: Lina showed me the comments you left in its code. But I also have to go after Lina, to make sure she's ok." "Gourry..." "Someone has to look out for her. This is the only way I can think of to help both her and you." He smiled. "Besides, I know how much you like to tinker with hardware. This version of me can go after Lina, while the duplicate in that shell keeps you happy." "I..." She looked away, not quite releasing him. "If you don't love me, just say so and I'll understand. Even if you leave, I'll still have dreams about you, but if you stay and you hate me..." Gourry touched her chin with one finger, guiding her face towards his. "I don't hate you." Sylphiel's voice caught in her throat. Before she could free it, Gourry's lips were on hers. Making a copy of Gourry would wait a few hours. --Prev/Next? N Snowflakes drifted, each on its own chaotic path that summed up to "down". The fireworks of New Year's Eve had ceased half an hour ago, and Zelgadis had gone to bed soon thereafter. Amelia stood alone on her porch, looking down 79 stories from her penthouse home, as she held a steaming mug out to catch a snowflake. She felt almost drowsy enough to go to bed herself. "Hey." Amelia took in a long breath, then sighed, half-mindedly watching her breath condense as an excuse not to look behind her. "Hey." "Sorry for missing your wedding." "I...understand. You were mad at Zelgadis." She closed her eyes. "You always were too quick to anger, Lina." "That wasn't it. I..." A sigh from behind her, shortly followed by a cloud of mist passing her left ear. Amelia shivered when she realized how close Lina must have gotten without making a sound. "I was an idiot. I was wasting my time trying to recreate the past." "Luna told me where she found you, and what you were doing." "You sent her?" Another sigh, but no cloud. "I shouldn't be surprised." "Everyone was worried sick when you disappeared. Logging in is one thing, but disintegrating your own body when you go online?" "It...helps me concentrate. I'm here, or in cyber...in *dream*space, but never both at once." "Must be nice. All that power..." "By which measure?" Lina's smirk carried in her voice. "You hacked Rezo's will to give everything to Zelgadis as an engagement present. Some would say that puts you *way* ahead of anything and everything I've ever done. Shaburanigdo included." "Gourry's looking for you, you know." "I know." "Are you ever going to let him find you?" "Perhaps. I...need some more time, to find out who and what I am. And Gourry needs to learn about my world. Maybe you can point him in the right directions, but we're both better off alone for now." "If you say so." "I do. But...tell you what, I'll leave a file on your deck, if you can forward it to him." "I will." Many seconds passed. Amelia looked up, taking in the moon. "You know, they're saying Shaburanigdo was evil defined in code." "They're right...arguably." "I never quite understood that." "Evil happens when you hurt someone. It doesn't have to be intentional: you might not know you're hurting someone, you might not know there's anyone to hurt, or you might not care. Or maybe it's necessary, in support of something else - you can hurt a newborn by hitting its back before it draws its first breath, or you can let it hurt itself by suffocating. Shaburanigdo did nothing but consume resources. The only harm it inflicted was in denying everyone else those resources - but many people depended on those resources for their way of life." "I don't get it. If you're not helping someone as much as you possibly can, couldn't you be said to be 'hurting' them?" "It's all relative. It depends on where you put the zero. Above a certain point, you're helping someone. Below a certain point, you're hurting them. At that point, you're doing nothing...but that is not always a clear option. For instance, if I don't let you read my books, am I doing nothing, or am I taking action against you? By some measures, there are ways to do worse things than Shaburanigdo, so the zero point could be set below what he did; by others, there are not, so Shaburanigdo was absolute evil." "Err...'he'? Shaburanigdo was an 'it', a virus." Somewhere, a dog howled at the moon. "He gave my sister the idea for the Dragons. Luna said it was almost like he was their father, given how much of his code she cloned for their first generation. It's a rough analogy, but it fits." "I guess..." "Who are you talking to?" Amelia blinked, then turned around. Zelgadis was looking at her, his expression full of concern. "Lina. She was just...here..." Zelgadis shook his head. "There's no one but us here. You were talking to yourself. Come on, let's get to bed." "Ok." As Amelia sheltered in Zelgadis's embrace, Lina flitted away from Amelia's rapidly dissolving daydream. -- End > rem So there you have it. Everything that happened, as far as I can > rem reconstruct it. Don't give up, Gourry. I know you want to > rem protect me. Someday, hopefully soon, I'll be ready to have a > rem companion again. Until then. > rem > remember me Lina Inverse v2.0 eternal beta > exit --- Author's Notes: Sic transit gloria mondo. But there's many other worlds to write about, each with its own glory. Thanks yet again to my prereaders, especially Mr. Ziegler - but the Amelia bit was not just to throw you a bone. One of the cliches of cyberpunk is that corporations run the world...but if that is the case, how better to promote justice than by having one of the world's largest corporations lead by example?