Portrait
Conversation
WARNING: If you make him mad, he may stop talking to you forever(?).
1 - Before choosing a side
2 - After telling him/it that you're supporting the viruses
3 - After agreeing to help
4 - After April 4th - Dead cleaner :(
Intro (Before choosing a side)
Your comm screen pops up a sight that would be a little more familiar while you were hacking the Net: a user's metallic avatar floating among the datastreams.
It rotates to face you and a disconcertingly human voice emanates from your speakers. "Hello. It seems you've run into this new virus making the rounds."
"As you might have guessed from my new handle, I'm interested in shutting it down for good. Are you in?"
Yeah, I'll help/Alright, I'm in
"Good to hear." The avatar moves with a jerkiness belying its liquid appearance, extending a bundle of data in one hand.
"Consider yourself deputized."
"This tracker will let us keep track of your progress and how much we're able to beat back the virus… to be crass, it's how I'll know who to send the loot when this thing is over."
You found: deputy tracker
(End of conversation)
(When talked to again triggers a different intro)
Viruses Forever!/I'm rooting for the virus
"Really?" "Well, I guess that puts us on opposite sides of this…" The avatar floats motionless among the datastreams for a few moments, then winks out of existence.
(End of conversation)
(When talked to again triggers a different intro)
Why should I?
Several arrows appear on the display, pointing out different datastreams. "See those? That's all viral data, being piped from site to site, creating its own network."
"It gets stronger with every site it infects. Eventually, we'll have nothing but encrypted viral data shuttling around, too much to do anything else."
The arrows disappear. "Then the corps come in to clean things up and I don't think anybody wants that."
Alright, I'm in
I'm rooting for the virus
I'll get back to you
Maybe later/I'll get back to you
"Alright, just don't pretend we've got time to spare… this will only get worse on its own."
(End of conversation)
Intro (After telling him/it that you're supporting the viruses)
Your comm screen pops up a sight that would be a little more familiar while you were hacking the Net: a user's metallic avatar floating among the datastreams.
It rotates to face you and a disconcertingly human voice emanates from your speakers. "I don't have time for this. You're either with us or you're not."
I was kidding
The avatar recedes rapidly, almost disappearing into the distant datalines. The voice's volume doesn't change, however.
"I'm not amused."
(End of conversation)
(Locks you out for the day?)
(After choosing the dialogue option "Screw you too!" the previous day)
Although the avatar is quite featureless, you can tell the voice behind it is less than amused.
"Oh, I guess you were kidding when you said to go screw myself too. You're such a kidder."
(End of conversation)
(Locks you out for the day?)
Screw you too!
The connection cuts off abruptly. What a jerk.
(End of conversation)
Nevermind
There's a long pause, then the line disconnects.
(End of conversation)
Intro (After agreeing to help)
The connection flickers open, revealing a field of data and a flickering metallic avatar. Although it's familiar enough for computer use, it seems strange in your comm, when you should be having a high-fidelity image of a real person.
"Hello again."
How am I doing?
Have some viral data
Can I get that program again?
Let's talk
Nevermind (End of conversation)
How am I doing?
The avatar stands motionless, but you can hear some tapping… a retro keyboard maybe?
(With 0 sites patched)
"Well, I don't see you having helped much at all. Be sure to run that tracker I gave you or I'll never know."(With negative sites patched) Edit - this seems to be the 'no activity' message if you are running the tracker, instead
"Well, I don't see you having helped yet. Get out there and… fight the good fight."(With 1 site patched?)
"Well, you're just getting started, but I think you've got some promise in you."(After helping out the most)
"Well, I can't say we're winning, but you're winning. Hopefully some of the others will catch up… not that I want you to lose… I just don't want us to lose."(After helping out the less than first place most)
"Well, you're doing good. You're… hmmmm… xth on the list."(Following day)
"Well, you're doing good. You're… hmmmm… xth on the list."
(After February 14th, 2011, appended to above text)
"It seems like the harder we press down on it, the harder it fights back. Or, really, the more avenues of progress we cut off, the more it's looping back and reinforcing what it's already infected."(If virus progressed the previous day?)
"But that means it's not spreading, at least not as fast as it wants. Shame it's not like in Matsuo where you can just kill the Zombie Lord and everything's back to normal." Someone clears their throat pointedly in the background."Sorry, gotta go."
(If virus regressed the previous day?)
You hear a faint chuckle. "But, you can't corner a tiger without expecting the claws. This just means we've got it boxed in."(On March 8th, 2011, talking to him for the first time)
"The viral nodes are starting to go quiet… But it feels like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Maybe the reverse-engineered code was a blessing in disguise, but I doubt it. The quarantine was holding…""Damn it. We've got to turn that back before OmniT… before the corps notice. It'll be a bloodbath."
(On March 14, 2011, talking to him for the fist time [trigger?])
"The viral nodes are starting to go quiet… We've got them quarantined to this segment of the Net… now to quiet the people spreading the reverse engineered code everywhere. Damn it."(After March 2nd, 2011, (sometimes) appended to above text)
He lets out a shaking breath. "And, as if the virus weren't bad enough, the Golden Chip is testing some new code based on it. This is bad. Very, very bad."(After March 8th, 2011, if you're in first place?)
"I think both of us could use a drink. Check your OmniMall account while I've still got access."
(And, if you have asked him ten or more times today how you are doing)
There's a long pause, followed by the sounds of someone drinking.
"Heh, I really should have built a leaderboard like those University nutjobs that started this whole mess. Live and learn, I guess."
(End of conversation)
Have some viral data
"That'd be great. How many samples do you have?"
You take a quick inventory of your data folders and find you have X.
Oh, I have X
Nevermind [[(End of conversation)//
Oh, I have X
(Giving one piece of viral code)
"Thanks for this. Even one of these could start the whole thing up again."(Giving multiple pieces of viral code)
"Thanks for these. It's important we round these up… keep them from falling into the wrong hands."(Giving 0 copies of viral code)
There's a moment of silence on the line. "Well, come back when you want to hand some over."(Giving Mucho pieces of viral code)
There's an audible exhale on the other end of the line. "These could cause a lot of damage. Thanks for rounding these up and feel free to drop off any others you might find."(Giving a large chunk of pieces of viral code)
There's a sharp exhale on the other end of the line. "Damn. Thank the heavens these aren't going to get out to the public… Disaster. Unmitigated disaster."(Giving a negative number)
There's a moment of silence on the line. "That's clever… I guess. I mean here, let me give you those number samples. Ha… ha ha."(End of conversation)
Can I get that program again?
"Those things don't just grow on trees, you know. If you lost it, well, you'll just have to prove yourself some other way."
You hear a bit of nervous, almost panicked, breathing and the line disconnects.
(Or, with enough points)
The voice at the other end sighs loudly. "Alright, alright, fine. But I'm docking your pa… points."A data transfer prompt pops up on your screen, giving you access to a copy of a familiar program a moment later.
You found: deputy tracker
(End of conversation)
Let's talk
(Before March 1st)
"Sure, but make it quick, we've both got work to do. What do you want to talk about?"
The virus
Your avatar
You
Nevermind (End of conversation)
(After March 2nd)
You can hear a little quaver in the speaker's voice, that sort of barely-controlled panic usually reserved for people being held at gunpoint.
And then:
(March 2nd-11th):
"Sorry, no time. This is bad… very, very bad. We've got to clean this up before those Golden Chip guys are able to spread it."Or, after March 12th:
(When your gang had the biggest network at rollover:)
"You've got to help me out. Convince your buddies in <gang>. They've got to stop before the Corps notice. Please. Please."(When a gang you're not in had the biggest network at rollover:)
"This situation just keeps getting worse. You can hear <gang> all over the Net. The Corps are going to notice… probably sooner rather than later."(When a disbanded gang has the biggest network at rollover:)
"This situation just keeps getting worse. You can hear that gang… I can't remember the name all over the Net. The Corps are going to notice… probably sooner rather than later."(When a gang you're not in had the biggest network for the full day:)
"I can almost feel OmniTech breathing down my neck. OmniTech's sure to notice unless someone shuts <gang> down."(And, if you are not a member of that gang and are high enough of his list?)
"Here… accept this download. And don't tell anyone, I mean anyone, or I'm a dead man. It should help beat them back. Might work against the virus too if we can pick out its signal again."You found: signal finder
(Otherwise, followed by:)
"I'm so fucked." He lets out a shaking breath and disconnects.Or, after March 22th:
"The Golden Chip has the software they need and they're working on the hardware. There's no way to keep it under wraps if they finish that. I'm so fucked." He lets out a shaking breath and disconnects.Or, after March 30th, if you rank high enough on his list?:
The voice drops so low you're not even sure you can make the words out. "I just need to hear back from Z. I need more time. You gotta stop Jumbucks in a Tuckerbag. Virus, another network, anything." He lets out a shaking breath and disconnects.Or, after March 30th if you have Deputy Tracker loaded:
"Ah, looks like you got the software update. We've got to stop the Golden Chip from getting their hardware ready… and it looks like to stop the Golden Chip, we've got to stop Hounds of Hameln… so I made some… modifications. Gotta go."(End of conversation)
The virus/The virus, then
The avatar shakes its head disapprovingly, one of the few motions it seems able to make. "The virus by itself isn't that dangerous, certainly nothing compared to the stuff they deployed during the Orbital Wars."
"But, well, the more sites it infects the more they seem to be chattering to one another. A high enough concentration of viral nodes would crash out whole segments of the Net, just from the sheer load of it."
The voice continues rattling off arguments at a practiced rate. "Worst case scenario, the entire segment you're on crashes or is compromised and some other corp has to move in to fill the gap. Midgard's either behind it or can't stop it, so it has to be one of the big two."
"Bad news, anyway you cut it. Which is to say, we'd better get back to work."
(End of conversation)
(Or, after helping some?)
"You've been doing this good a job without knowing? Wow, I guess you took my offer of giant stacks of credits seriously… not that you shouldn't have."
The voice pauses for a bit, as though its owner is collecting his thoughts. "Well, the further it spreads, the more it seems to be networking among various nodes. I don't think it's going to give rise to some monstrous AI bent on destroying humanity… but to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure we can rule that out."
You faintly hear a sound like someone clucking their tongue dismissively in the background, then being shushed.
"At the end of the day, I'm not sure it really matters. It'll spread too far, slow down too many important lines, and the corps will come in hard. Heads'll roll."
There's an uncomfortable silence that stretches on for entirely too long.
"We should get back to work."
(End of conversation)
Your avatar/Your avatar?
"You haven't run into this? Well… I guess most businesses can't support security hackers."
You hear a slight rustling on the other end of the line. "It's just the default defense hacker icon from the OmniTech SecuritySuite… or OTSS if you prefer. Or oats if you're up with the commfeeds."
"But it's anonymous and anonymity is my middle name… Oh Five Anonymity Cleaner. Yup."
The line drops a moment later.
(End of conversation)
You
"Nothing much to say, really."
Or, sometimes (after helping?)
"What can I say? I'm a man of many talents: coding, hacking, collecting rare My Little Idoru…"
You hear a gruff voice in the background say something about "Idoru" and "company policy," to which 05Cleaner responds "Shut up, Mark!"
A moment later the call disconnects. Huh.
(End of conversation)
Intro (After April 4th - Dead cleaner) :(
You call and call, but nobody picks up.
(End of conversation)
Notes on score
You seem to gain negative score for infecting sites while running the tracker, maybe - I infected 3 sites while running the tracker, but my rank didn't go down.
Source
- Selling Viral Code, after the 7th Feb.