Seoul - United Nations Plaza
It is here that most of the world's decisions are made. The kind of power here reflects in the architecture, with the HUGE UN building that holds the General Assembly. Blue and dome shaped in design, it is the only one in the world of its kind, and workplace to the thousands that work here. The perimeter of the General Assembly building is surrounded the flags of every country that has a seat, which is nearly everyone. Outside are a number of other large office buildings, ranging from delegate bureau's, to the Headquarters of the UN Police, to a Repliforce office. Constantly patrolled and guarded by UN Police, safety is among an utmost concern after the infamous April Fools Day Massacre. Despite that, the place is a very safe environment.
Willy - The Oversized Snail Drone [RM]
United Nations Vehicle Garages <UNVG>
Obvious exits:
<UN> leads to United Nations Building.
East <E> leads to Seoul - Northern Commercial District.
West <W> leads to Seoul - Tourist District.
South <S> leads to Seoul - Historical District.
North <N> leads to Seoul - Eastern Residential District.
Like a theif in the night....if the theif in the night is using a cable to open up the computer locked door of a programming company in downtown Seoul, near the assembly. "I just need to use a physical seoul address to bypass some of their new firewalls. Once I get piggybacked through here, you two can hang out, unless I need you to open up a hole." Using a wireless transmitter, ERWIN is already overriding the security cameras in the building, and quieting the alarm before it can speak. "It'll take me some time to get set up, though."
And what is the UN's fearless database defender up to? Guarding the database with unparralled valor? Well, sorta, if by guarding with valor, you mean playing Pac Man. Wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka! Well he's still keeping an eye on the database activity, he's just playing that old classic in another window. Yeah. He's currently on level 255
...Really bad disguise... Gemini Man is simply draped over with a trenchcoat and a hat, as if he were a lesser Robot Master with lesser disguise skill. Either he simply doesn't mind being caught, or he's trying to conserve energy. Gemini steps around and leans against the wall next to ERWIN's little project, tipping his hat forward over his forhead-crystal. "No problem," he simply entones.
Shadow Man, for his part, has no disguise whatsoever. How he still managed to avoid any sort of detection on the way over... well, that's what Knowledge: Ninja Secrets is for. He follows suit with his elder brother, leaning against a convenient wall. A flick of the wrist produces the note from earlier, which he glances at without bothering to read, and then his eyes flick inquisitvely to his squadmate.
Number Man is opening one of the access ports in the wall for the a workstation's network connection, exposing the fiberoptics carefully as he begins attaching interface nodes, opening the black bag he brought with him. And what's in the black bag? Nothing so mundane as a computer, or a mere cyberdeck, but something more interesting. His own System Access Node, complete with spoofing gear and various other hacker toys. Connecting it all up, the lights in his bowl begin to flash quickly, processing and preparing as he jacks himself into the node, and through it into the local Seoul network. "Initiating crosslink."
Midi is still playing Pac Man. Wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka! He's currently going to get the highest score ever, only ever gotten by one human in the 20th century (thank you pointless random post!) and no one has cared enough to get it again since. He is still keeping an eye on the other window, which shows activity in the database, nothing new yet.
(Hm. Computer talk.)Oo Gemini Man gets it, but finds it almost weird that he does, or that he cares. "Good bubble-boy," he mutters to ERWIN, keeping his optics peeled for trouble.
Shadow Man for his part has no idea what his youngest brother is talking about, and perhaps ironically, is vaguely annoyed by that. He blinks again at Gemini Man, but when no answer seems forthcoming, vanishes the note back to wherever he keeps such things.
Number Man shrugs. Gemini Man is ignored. He's got a lot more to deal with now. While his body sits, he is flying through the datastream, or more exactly, gliding through it in a simulated hangglider, the representation of his deceptive programs. Slipping over the "wall" that represents the initial UN access nodes, he begins to soar in for a landing in a clearing that represents the drive where the Intel databases are collected. Black, shadowy, and very unfriendly looking.
This should be fun.
<Global News Network> "This is Yuperdoder Bingbung here, reporting the great fishing tournement in NYC... Eh, I'm over here, point the camera this way!... What are you starin... OH MY GOD, what's happening to the Statue of Liberty? Oh <beep>, this is horrible" *the report ends abruptly*
Midi gets closer to finishing the 255th level. He's about to finish it when he notices a blip in the other window, which shows what looks like someone new on the network, that shouldn't be there, and that distracts him long enough that he fails to get that last piece of fruit, and gives him a less than perfect score when he finishes the level. "Aww nuts..." He complains to no one in particular. Now getting nothing but a screen of static, and a less than perfect score, Midi shuts the game off, and turns to the other window. Whoever this assumed intruder is will pay for making him fail his self proclaimed geek quest! He opens up a panel on his chest and connects a wire from that into the CPU, sending HIM directly into the system as well. Still a bit upset at losing his shot at getting a perfect score, he sends an identification program after the intruder, in the form of a giant Pac Man! Wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka!
Gemini Man doesn't notice any of this, being that he's not logged in to the computer. He eyes Shadow Man. "Yeah?" he asks, fairly quietly, to see if the ninja has a question.
Shadow Man blinks. A soundless snap of the fingers, and the quartered note is held between index and middle. He raises an eyebrow.
Number Man blinks. He knows this sound. It has haunted his days. His nemesis of so many years......no....NO! Memories of YEARS of Wily trying to reach the fabled perfect score flash through his mind. WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA....the sound of doom. But he knows how to fool it. Taking the Glider in his hands, he begins to twist and fold it, manipulating it like digital origami....until it rests in the middle of the ground, in the form of a giant cherry. (A program to fool the ID that everything is fine, of course.) Slipping into the shadows, ERWIN waits to see if this will work.
WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA <CHOMP!!> <fade> The Pac Man 'eats' the cherry, and fades from view. It of course tells Midi that everything is fine. He idles for moment, thinking it over, but he's not really fooled himself. He opens up another program, this one in the shape of Pac Man again, except it's not arcade style, it's Pac Man with arms and legs. Yes, it's the long forgotten Pac Man from PacMan 2, the New Adventures! Seems someone went overkill with their Pac Man research, yeah Midi's a big dork. He then tosses up a giant yellow sphere-like thing in front of the 'humanoid' PacMan, who then gratefully eats it, and turns into SUPER PAC MAN! (a red mask and a red cape) This is a more offensive program which scans the traces left of the last program, and sets out to attack and boot off whomever they originated from. Go go go PacMan!
Gemini Man gives a single "Heh," at the silent query. "New project. See, we're always...thinking." He points to his own head. "Since we can't do much about DeVry anyway until he pops out of his hole, we're going to go with the next item and do something about..." He trails off. "Well, that's what the password is for. So we don't have to relate anything to you in plain language. The less said, the better."
A second Gemini, in the same kind of coat, appears on the other side of Number Man. "Maybe you'd better log in?"
The first Gemini Man waves the second off. "We'll wait until he gives us a distress or something."
Shadow Man nods at Gemini Man. He looks upward, to verify that what he's about to do is not, in fact, incredibly stupid, and then takes out a lighter and disposes of the note. Just because it can take care of itself doesn't mean it has to.
Number Man has his own drone programs, and it seems time to deploy one. In the physical world, ERWIN opens up the bag again, and slots in a program chip. In the virtual world, several Ghost programs appear, (Inky, Pinky, and Boo), with the mission of drawing Super-Pac off while ERWIN begins to access the node, heading for the most recently uploaded files, looking for anything related to the Mavericks.
Oh no, Super Pac Man is distracted by those foul ghosts! Grr! Ohnoyadont! Midi isn't finished yet! Though he doesn't bring Pac Man out anymore, he quickly loads up another program, which is actually just a large, but empty file, used to take up space and make searches more complicated. And this takes the form of... several large Tetris blocks, falling out of the 'sky' and around Number Man. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Have fun wading through all THAT.
Gemini Man's twin rolls his optics slightly at Shadow Man. The original Gemini simply snaps his finger, and, with an exaggerated wave of illusory flame from the otherwise-ordinary lighter, the note simply vanishes. "Sorry. Forgot. All you had to do was ask."
Midi also loads up a music playlist while he's at it, and starts playing the classic, repetitive Tetris music.
Gemini Man rolls back one shoulder a couple of times. Idly, to Shadow, he remarks, "You know, this is slower than advertised. I've half a mind to ditch this geek and go watch Megaman get gang-smacked."
Number Man growls, slightly. You just had to make it harder. Time to clear out the crap. Another chip is slotted in and.....even as ERWIN's avatar moves deeper into the maze Midi has now created, an Arkanoid paddle appears, blasting the blocks away with it's bouncing plasma balls and laser beams. And as a counter to the music, his own preferred sounds of the FF1 battle theme plays on.
Shadow Man shrugs to Gemini Man, apparently not particularly concerned either way. He passes the lighter over to the outer fingers, and grabs a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flipping it open and offering his elder brother one.
Oh is that so? Well time to bring out the big guns! A slightly
more offensive program is loaded, to go act directly against the 'Arkaoid'
paddle, and it's user. And this program is? Donkey Kong! <DK fanfare>
The big ape 'stands there for a few moments' making poorly animated growling
noises and beating it's chest, before it picks up a barrel or two from out
of nowhere and chucks it at the Arkanoid paddle.
Doot doot doot do doot doo doot. Doo doo dooo doot doo doo doo do dooot.
For every measure, there is a countermeasure. Which is why a large italian plumber is now leaping over the blocks, headed for the ape. "YOU Leave-a him alone, you dumb monkey!" Yes, Mario has returned to his roots...and is using a massive hammer to smash the barrels as he closes on the Kong.
Meanwhile, ERWIN begins simply trying to download anything he can get to, speaking in the "Real" world.
"Well. I think I've found a playmate."
"True. So very true," says Gemini Man, as if Shadow Man had somehow, silently, offered him up a great wisdom. He pulls a cigarette out of the pack, and leans back again casually, lighting the tip on Shadow Man's lighter.
"Oh, yeah?" asks the twin. "I thought you were looking for UN info, not pornbunnies."
"Eh, knowing ERWIN," Gemini says.
Shadow Man then lights one for himself, and replaces pack and lighter into his nanoweoven pockets. He wonders what kind of advanced algorithms and protocals Number Man is executing, and just what 'playmate' means in the technical jargon. If he knew the truth of it, he'd probably knock his little brother's disco ball clean off.
Oh, but 'DK' has vanished, and in his stead is a maze of pipes, spinies, a giant POW block, and.. pipes. Yes, it's the original Mario Bros. acrade game. Various sentry programs come dashing out of the various pipes at Number's own 'avatar'. In the meantime, Midi is working on moving all of the important new files to a different location, and is instead leaving in place, various recordings of the General's speeches about Reploid rights and Repliforce values, Sigma's tired old campaigns, and various edited pics of Wily's head pasted on super model's bodies, which were ... found by some other UN staffer that wasn't Midi, of course.
Number Man sighs. These extra files and programs are becoming a problem. They've got guns, numbers, and some fairly nasty opponents. He's got a body full of the best technology Dr. Wily could steal. So. Time to show them what he has. Making sure his original downloads still progress fairly well, he sends a pair of search daemons round the back, while runing his own little cheat.
Time to show them exactly how wrong they were.
>Load DeusEx.JCdentonmale bcheatsenabledmind****er==true.
SpawnMasshooker2000.
And so, Hos appear from the sky. A living, breathing, grinding mass of Hos, shielding ERWIN and flooding the data channels to allow him time to move deeper into the maze, a temporary block, but a damn funny one.
"GO FORTH, MY HOOKER ARMY!"
It's a bit odd watching someone without a nose smoke. (Not to mention someone who doesn't need air in the first place.) Gemini Man takes a mouthful of smoke, then blows it back out in a slow stream.
"I'm officially bored," says the hologram, crossing his arms. "You know what that means."
"Patience," says Gemini, after the stream of smoke vanishes. "We'll give him... ten more minutes before we make excitement."
Hooker Army? Way to warp Midi's fragile little mind! Well not really, if anything you've given him an awkward question to go ask Iris later, that'll be fun. Luckily, when Midi is focusing on hacking, little things like that don't grab his attention TOO much. So you want to try and cheat hm? My dear fishbowl, Midi manipulates code in his sleep, says so in his skills ;) Midi conjours up a giant turtle-like thing, with spikes on it's back. It LOOKs like Bowser, except he's wearing cheap polyester and a fedora, er, just ignore that. And Pimp, err, King Koopa handles the Hooker Army, while Midi works in trying to find Number Man's ID himself, so he has something he can actually boot off the system to end all this.
You code in your sleep? That's nice. ERWIN -breathes- code. HE WAS Code. His entire body was once the soul of the machine. You ain't getting him that easy. While you are closer to tracing his location every time he performs an action, his next move is quite simple. A massive shoe, wielded by what appears to be a mushroom guy, lands atop the Pimp Bowser.....skooshing him.
"Ooops."
Kuribo hops away, as more downloads complete, even if half of them are utter crap, at least, as ERWIN attempts to lead this chase a bit longer.
Shadow Man glances to Number Man, and then Gemini Man, and his
left wrist. He's not wearing a watch, but it's the thought that counts.
Gemini Man leans his head back and closes his eyes as if he's thinking about
something very intense, as he smokes. "Five minutes," the hologram
mutters.
Bowser crushed by a Goomba ina Kuribo's shoe? How ironic, but that's more a story for Videoland, not here. Though by now Midi has realized he's not dealing with your commonplace hacker, if he's able to give Midi a run for his money this well, it has to be someone good. Really good. While Midi would like to know the identity of this assailent, he'll settle for booting him out. Time for some more advanced stuff. Midi loads up one of his more offensive programs, which takes the form of... a giant brain in a jar. It seems to be dormant at first, but the moment one of Number's subroutines or 'Hooker Army' scan, copy, or do ANYTHING with it, the 'glass' shatters and the brain plops to the ground, which then turns into a super godzilla brain! GO GO GOJIRA MOTHER BRAIN! The demonic looking beastie seems to eye Number's programs as if they're its next meal. And it drools quite profusely too.
Number Man does the only thing one can do. 3 minutes until his last batch of downloads complete. So. Here comes.....the only person who can stop this. Glowing letters appear in the air.
J U S T I N B A I L E Y
Suddenly, a giant bikini clad woman, wearing an armored swimsuit and a big freaking gun stalks towards Mother Brain, arming missiles and freeze beams. "*****, you got real ugly." And so Super Samus Aran charges in.
Shadow Man suddenly pauses, raising a cautioning hand, and bows his head, as if concentrating, or listening intently. After a few moments, he drops the hand and resumes his casual stance. Perhaps some odd sort of meditation technique? Or maybe his hypersensative hearing picked up someone walking around too close for comfort outside, while Number Man was distracted with the linkup?
Hey, is that Anthem? Midi doesn't have time to ponder it, funny, he notices something, for some reason he's taking the form of all the bad guys, while Number is being the good guys. Which is odd since Midi STARTED out as a good guy, how the heck did this happen? Is this all some elaborate foreshadowing, about some future event where Midi will have to chance sides back and forth until you just don't know which side he's on? ... ...nah. Midi decides to load up one more, almost unbeatable offensive program. And it is? A short little robot boy, in underoos... no it's not Rock. It's.... Astroboy! Or AKA the Mighty Atom! Yeah he's leaving the videogame world, and going to classic anime. I own't tell if you won't. And as always, Astroboy always wins! He's a good guy from an old 1960's anime, of COURSE he always wins! Also, the Astroboy theme song begins to relentlessly play in the background!
Soaring high in the sky, he may be small but only in size.... (Midi seems to idolize thses short superheros, doesn't he?)
Gemini Man finishes off the cigarette, tosses it onto the ground,
and steps on the butt, grinding it into the ground. ...Three minutes until
Number's download is done. Whatever. There wasn't ANY time left before Gemini
Man's boredom threshold was breached. "All right. Fun is fun. Now's the
part where we entertain OURselves. You hear me, ERWIN?"
"What?" asks the second twin, giving Shadow Man an incredulous look.
"If there's someone out there... ice 'em."
Shadow Man indicates with a wave of the hand and an unworried
expression that whatever potential danger may have existed has passed.
But even Astroboy can fall. After all, here comes someone extremely skilled
in stopping robots. Especially little, cute, dangerous ones. With a whistle,
the specialists have been called in. Linna and Priss of the Knight Sabres,
in hardsuits, charging after the little guy. But, all these decoys come at
a price. Number Man himself is covered in flashing lights, more and more of
his processing power being taken up by the duel. "G...g....go. STOP...them.
CONFUSE...them.
C...c...c..c....ause....havoc.."
Midi on the other hand... is also starting to feel a bit of wear, looks like they're both reaching their limit. Time for one last dance. Though Midi's player hasn't seen Knight Sabres, he'll just have to assume Astroboy met his end, poor little roboboy. One last program is brought out, a bit of spyware, and thiefware. This program takes the shape of the infamous Lupin the 3rd, who tries to get an ID on Number Man, so Midi can have an idea on just who he's dealing with incase there's a sequel to this silly little scene. While he's at it, he tries to steal back as much of what Number Man swiped as possible, even the crap. This is likely his last hurrah though, Midi won't have the concentration to keep up a 'fight' this intense for much longer.
Gemini Man looks over to Number Man. "Ooooooo. He's broooken."
"Mmmmm. Havoc." The holographic clone vanishes from sight.
Number Man is cutting the connections, but has one last ploy. One thing that can stop Lupin...even if he will gain his buisness card.
Fujiko.
"Lupin no HENTAI!"
With a massive slap, Fujiko sends Lupin reeling, with a large "W#" on his forehead from her rather large gold ring. He gets most of what he came for, and Midi now knows who he tangled with.
DOWNLOAD: COMPLETE.
Retracting cables, Number starts jacking out. Of course, unfortunately for him, Midi also knows what building he's in, downtown.
"We need to go."
Shadow Man nods, and glances to Gemini Man, then inquisitively at Number Man. While in the relative privacy of the building, he generates a Shadow Blade with the customary flash of light blue and horrendous sound, just in case.
Gemini Man blinks at ERWIN. "Oh, really?" He walks around the talking computer at a slow and easy pace. "But we were just getting ready to finish our part of the bargain."
"Fuuuuujiko Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! <THUD>"
The program is batted away, but it does most of what it was sent to do, and the foriegn intruder in the database disconnects itself, Midi does the same, to give his mind a rest. Doing that takes a lot out of him. He signals the UN security to sweep the city, whoever it was must have been in city limits, however these guys are UN security drones, not exactly bright, and three Wily bots should be able to slip by them easy enough. Midi glances at the W# sign that was left on his program, as a sort of mark, the W seems to be self evident, but that's not enough to link him to the culprit. He sighs, and makes a note to mention all that in his report... in the morning. Little boys need their sleep you know. Yawnie.
Number Man shrugs. "I got what I needed, and I think I stalemated the defenses. But I don't want to chance it. You can stay and play if you want, but I'm taking the road back home." Stuffing everything back into his bag, he buckles it and secures it to himself, ready to bolt. Heading for the door, he gets his gear ready. "Let's move."
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