Cyberspace.
Contents:
Gemini Man
Things are running smoothly as always in the UN Database. Why wouldn't they? What are you implying? What do you know? Who sent you? AHHHH!!!! ... ...
Ahem, yes. Well things are about as secure as ever, for the most part. The UN's ever faithful database watchdog is a tad occupied though. Since last night's incident, Midi has been looking through cyberspace, trying to find another trace of Data Raccoon. She promised she'd talk with him, but still, he has to look anyway.
Nevertheless, he is presently 'in' the database, though his attention is divided. Probably enough for a hacker who is good enough to worm their way in undetected... for a while.
Someone out there is probably good enough. But it's also not who you would expect.
The data stream comes in subtly, under the UN watchdog... a foreign worm, if you will, searching the database for files. Quiet and stealthy, the unknown signal approaches, then, pounces, like a manic cat, into the UN databases.
CyberMidi blinks, and a vid-window-ish thing pops up in front of him "Hmm, what's this?" Of course, it's notifying him of the little worm, though by the time Midi analyses the trace on the stream, it's faded. He idly scratches the side of his helmet, and opens up another program, best to start a sweep of the system, just to play it safe...
It was a nasty invasive procedure...the strange signal hitting the UN's budget projections, to start, and it's still going on, though it seems to have moved toward a personnel archive. There's an unknown signal, still looking through the personell database, browsing the files as if it had every right.
CyberMidi fingertaps in the imaginitive space, then opens up two programs of his own design, which sort of resemble your basic fodder bots from MMBN "SPC, PSF, trace it, and bring the unknown agent to the surface." Midi, of course, isn't stupid enough to let two automated programs do it alone, he follows after them to make sure nothing goes wrong. He's more or less giving these two creations of his a field test. Just as well to take advantage of the opprotunity as it arises. The two programs quickly begin to catch up with the outsider, and attempt to unmask it, so to speak.
As the programs do their work, the outside presence seems to do the job for Midi, without him even asking. Perhaps noticing that he's been detected, the new signal 'speaks out' over Cyberspace, beaming a message directly to Midi with a sarcastic snip. "Well. If it isn't Jim Henson's Hacker Baby. Hey, aren't they afraid you'll encounter bad language on the internet... you little s**t?"
Well. That sounds a lot...like Number Man. And the invasive procedures stop scanning, perhaps for fear of Midi totally tracking the signal.
Idiot Number Man poser is quick on the draw. "You should try Miss Pac Man. Moves faster." The signal fortifies itself against the protection programs, as if it plans to 'stand its ground' right in the mainframe of the computer. Then, he starts to fight back, chipping bricks off the fortifications, lightly, as he tries to keep up with Midi's skill. Midi seems to have the upper hand almost immediately.
But... what? Is there a second signal? A second hacker? Moving back into the databases at a completely different angle, browsing photographs of buildings, idle shots of exterior photography, as if it were looking for a back door to bigger finds.
CyberMidi notices that almost immediatly, and quickly darts his attention back and forth between the two "Brought someone with you? That's new... what, is that an apprentice?" He tries to keep up his confidence, they ARE on his home turf afterall. But still, he doesn't need to be tackled by two at once, one of which being Number Man, if it IS Number Man, he's still trying to decipher the ID. His mind races, as he quickly sorts through his options. Focus on one, the other roams free, in the time it'd take to call for some assistance, they could finish their search and be gone, things happen very quickly in terms of data. So, he opts to bring out another expirment of his, this one not properly tested, but hey, the others worked out so far.
Quickly loading up another program, NSF, Network Soldier Fortifaction, quickly goes after the second signature, as Midi confronts the original, trying to reinforce the barriers "That's as far as you go..."
The second signal dodges and weaves, almost downloading at random. He's looking at the Seoul blueprints, the databases that relate to Repliforce, and a few other things, touching the tips of their entrances before pulling back. Searching, not damaging, not deleting. He's either too chicken, or he's biding his time...but dodging Midi's soldier sequences is getting challenging.
Working on countering the fortress seems to be wearing the first signal down. "An apprentice? There's nobody good enough, and you know it." The signal cuts through. The hacker's user ID, getting confirmation. A slight choke from the wandering Number Man voice, and, then, it sounds changed, as it's realized it's been found. Still cocky, though. "Or wait? Is there?"
ID... reading: 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
The NSF (which resembles those generic flying Knight-ish enemies from MMBN) continues it's pursuit of the double, while CyberMidi finally gets a reading on the ID. He arches an eyebrow "Two...?" Even though he hasn't directly dealt with this particular hacker yet, the reputation precedes him "Two's.... the double, right. You're Gemini Man, aren't you?"
Does Midi get cocky and relax his stance? Heck no, save that for the cocky arrogant hackers, like his brother, Midi's not slacking off one whit, he DID manage to get in here, afterall. Though he does try to re-arrange some of the files that the double seems to be after, and replace them with utter garbage, which he always has stored away for just these occasions. The double still skins some real data off, but starts to pick up a lot more spam, junk, garbage, and just ridiculous stuff, and Midi's collection of Mega Man shots, he's a fanboy afterall. "Trying to look do gumball-head's dirty work? Or is there something else you're after?"
There's a distinct sound of distaste from that silent partner, as he hits a cache of Megaman photos and doubles back across the network. Apparently that's like Robot Master 'garlic.'
The avatar coalesces, suddenly, out of the light and air of Cyberspace, Midi can see one Gemini, of indeterminate size: the pixels that make up the crystal on his armory glowing with floods of brilliant light. Behind that light, data streams converge within him behind the flat crystalline panels, information spinning into his avatar body. "We do our own dirty work." A blinding streak passes out of his right arm, hitting into a few of the bricks in his cybernetic prison. The blast bounces, strikes, another and another, disabling the counterprogram bit by byte.
Robot Master garlic eh? Plenty of that around then, this IS Midi afterall. As the shield is slowly dismantled, Midi prepares the @boot command. Though that'll take some time, as he'll have to isolate Gemini's specific frequency, and with two of them, that eats up precious seconds.
"Well that's nice. But I'm going to have to throw you out soon anyway, I can't have anyone snooping around the UN Database." Even against a Robot Master, Midi is still polite. No shaking that inherent personality programmed into him it seems.
While this is going on, NSF begins more aggressive tactics, attacking Gemini's double by trying to directly disrupt the trail of his frequency, trying to lag him out and cut him off, so to speak.
It's hitting personnel again. That second signal definitely seems to be searching for a name and location... perhaps he's looking for some information on the hacker that hit the Master computers. If he's lucky, he'll find something of interest before he's lagged out, but, he suddenly hits a jam, stopping dead in his tracks as Midi initiates a lag.
"Damn!" outcries the more visible avatar, though he still doesn't strike out at Midi's persona directly just yet. He's more intent on breaking down the walls of the program that's holding him back. Then, a communication seems to pass silently between the two Geminis. Thinking outside the box, it's easy enough to surmise that the 'two' hackers are sitting right next to each other. The forefront avatar stops attacking the wall, and starts a strange counter attack. A few bricks off the fortification seem to change 'alliance,' turning pale, and trying to pile themselves around Midi.
Well, Gemini will likely not find much about the hacker who hit the Robot Masters, since as far as Midi or anyone else is concerned, it wasn't from the UN. Noticing the change of tactics, Midi smirks, and quickly loads up another program of his, suddenly this odd, almost Russian beat fills the air. Midi manages his fingers, like playing with a string puppet, as blocks seem to fall from 'above' filling in the cracks around Gemini's blocks. Each time he fills a row, it dissappears.
Yes it's a mad variation of Tetris, Midi like's his archaic videogames. And during all this, he's still working on the @boot, Gemini should soon be sensing the cold hand of doom approaching.
Gemini Man spends enough time around Magnet Man, but this tactic surprises him. Once he sees what's going on, he pulls his own blocks back, altering their course appropriately as Midi uses a counter program to disengage his own.
The second signal, still frozen in mid-download, pulls out, suddenly, as if he simply choked out his connection, unplugged himself from the internet directly. He doesn't want his physical location to be tracked while he's in the middle of a transfer.
Gemini's avatar seems very frustrated. He won't let on to Midi that he already GOT what he was really looking for. "Well. It really WOULD have been fun..." The Gemini avatar chuckles, and, then, chokes, as if giving a ragged breath as he feels his signal starting to cut off. His eyes flicker with intended mischief, and, then, the entire avatar erupts in a painful flash of energy. Gemini, back in his comfortable seat, floods the database with a 'loop,' a garble of nothing that amounts to no information, trying to slow progress on Midi's end with an error program. It won't stop the boot command, but it will cause the UN systems to chug pointlessly while attempting to process the error.
Chugga Chugga? The UN Database isn't some crummy 386 clunker. Though, regardless, Midi finds the whole routine pausing more than he'd like it to. With the connection severed, or almost so, Midi 'tsks' in frustration, he had hoped to get a trace too. Well, it'd have done no good had it just pointed back to Africa, but still, who knows how many secret locations the Robot Masters use for stuff like this.
As the whole system lags on this, Midi initiates a system flush, to cleanse it off all types of foriegn data. In the form of a giant Pac Man, a Mrs. Pac Man actually (smarty pants) which quickly devours, and deletes all the garbage Gemini flooded the system with. The @boot goes ahead, and it leaves Midi back alone in the database again.
He sighs with mild weariness, Gemini Man put up a better fight than he thought, or maybe Midi is just starting to lose his edge, he needs to shape up. He quickly sorts the data back into it's proper place, regretting he was unable to see what Gemini managed to get away with.
============================ BB Post in Progress =============================
Group: Civilian
Title: Database incident - Gemini
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<Interpol Spinny, Interpol only. This Midi report is possible with the
support of viewers like you ,and has been brought to you by the letter H.>
Midi's at his station at the UN Database, again. Looking weary once more, two nights in a row confronting an opposing hacker can be tiring. "Hi everyone. Well, earlier tonight, a hacker tried to get into the Database. He managed to sneak in, and started browsing files. I noticed him and tried to get an ID. At first, he tried to trick me into thinking he was Number Man. He almost had me fooled, he was pretty good, but not that good. After a second access attempt was made, and the ID came back in all two's, I realized it was actually Gemini Man. I'm not sure what he was after, but he didn't get away with much. I think he mainly scanned personell photographs, profiles, and some information on Repliforce, though I couldn't track down what. None of the data was in a code-red security zone, so it may not have been vital information, but I'll keep trying to trace what exactly he managed to copy. Nothing was damanged or lost though, and I booted them both out. Though there was quite a bit of lag instated by them when they exited, they pulled one last trick out of their bag, so if anyone experienced a lag spike while accessing the systems earlier, that's all it was about."
He fingertaps idly "Wasn't a total loss, though. I managed to give three auto-defense programs of mine a field test. They worked out pretty good under pressure. Allow me to introduce...
3 Data files, each with a name and description
PSF - Personal-User Searching Front - An automated program to trace the ID
of invaders in the system
SPC - Security Perimiter Conveyance - An automated program to detect invaders
in the system, can immediatly set PSF into action
NSF - Network Soldier Fortification - An automated program to attack hostile
hackers, and defend areas of the database
Midi returns "These three are by no means a replacement for a skilled hacker. But since myself, or any other of our hackers, may not be around the Database at all times, these guys will at least be able to ward off some lesser-skilled hackers, and hopefully at least stall some better ones. I'm still working on tweaking some of the bugs out, their AI isn't quite up to snuff yet." He coughs, blushing a bit "Anyway, that's all I have to report. Midi out."
<This has been a presentation of the Midi Broadcasting Company.>
==============================================================================
Online Life is graciously hosted by RPGClassics.