Finale-or is it?
When Harper arrived at the machine shop, everyone had arrived to see what he had done to save the ship. Beka, Trance and Rommie looked at him from where they were all standing, in the centre of the room, with massive smiles on their faces. Dylan and Tyr, however, were looking very normal at separate ends of the room. Dylan was fiddling with one of Harper's new inventions, with a curious look on his face.
Harper ran over quickly and wrenched his hand away from the button Dylan had been about to push.
"I wouldn't press that if I were you. That's the self destruct button." He raised his eyebrow at Dylan.
Dylan looked a little flustered and embarrassed at being caught acting foolish. "Thank you Mr Harper..." he mumbled and then coughed.
Then in a much more important sounding voice he asked Harper, "So, what was causing our little catastrophe?"
Harper smiled and reached into his pocket, bring out the little baggie with the tiny metal spider in it.
"This is the little bastard who's been chewing up our systems. It's some sort of robot."
Everyone was looking confused so Trance spoke first.
"Um, Harper? There isn't anything in that bag." She looked at him with worry written all over her face.
"Au contraire, mon ami! Grab one of my magnifiers and take a look!"
She did as she was told and looked once again. She was silent with concentration for a second, then gasped and recoiled in horror, "Oh, ugh, it's a horrible little spider!"
"Yep!" said Harper, "this tiny thing must have gotten on the ship somehow and since it was so tiny it went undetected. It then crawled into the data port in my door controls, setting up a little nest for itself..."
"Spiders make webs. Not nests." Trance interrupted to correct him.
Harper looked at her with pure annoyance before continuing, "As I was saying, It crawled in there and just inserted itself into the system. The question is what do we do with it now?"
"Destroy it." Tyr suggested from where he was leaning on a wall.
"NO!" Harper shouted, before looking slightly sheepish of his outburst, "I mean, we can't. I don't think its just some mindless machine. I think that someone's conscious mind has been inserted some how into this tiny machine."
Dylan walked over to him and picked up the baggie, "Well what do you suggest we do, Mr Harper?"
"Well, you won't be very happy with me, but I think we should talk to it in the Matrix again."
Angry outbursts came from all round the room. Beka especially was not happy.
"Are you crazy? It'll just take over the ship again!"
Harper held up his hands, in defence mostly, but also to emphasise what he was saying, "Woah! Wait a second! It won't take over the ship 'cause I won't let it. I'll put so many firewalls round it that it won't be able to even move! It'll be fine. We need to find out why it's here."
Everyone was quiet as they realised that, for once, Harper was right.
"Well, tell me when you are ready for me to go into the database, Harper." Said Dylan before he turned to walk out the door.
Harper grabbed Dylan's arm, "Wait! I think I should go and talk to this thing. I have a sneaky suspicion that I was the one who brought it in to the ship. It possibly could have hitched a ride inside my data port. The spider thing sure is small enough." He watched Dylan carefully for any sign that he'd let him go.
After a long pause while Dylan deliberated in his usual fashion, he gave a sigh, "Ok. You can speak to him, but make sure those firewalls are damn strong."
"Thanks Dylan!" Harper was so excited that gave Dylan a salute, albeit a very sloppy one, before setting to work on the firewalls.
Beka, Tyr, Trance and Rommie all looked at each other with surprise, before they left Harper in peace.
When Harper arrived at the machine shop, everyone had arrived to see what he had done to save the ship. Beka, Trance and Rommie looked at him from where they were all standing, in the centre of the room, with massive smiles on their faces. Dylan and Tyr, however, were looking very normal at separate ends of the room. Dylan was fiddling with one of Harper's new inventions, with a curious look on his face.
Harper ran over quickly and wrenched his hand away from the button Dylan had been about to push.
"I wouldn't press that if I were you. That's the self destruct button." He raised his eyebrow at Dylan.
Dylan looked a little flustered and embarrassed at being caught acting foolish. "Thank you Mr Harper..." he mumbled and then coughed.
Then in a much more important sounding voice he asked Harper, "So, what was causing our little catastrophe?"
Harper smiled and reached into his pocket, bring out the little baggie with the tiny metal spider in it.
"This is the little bastard who's been chewing up our systems. It's some sort of robot."
Everyone was looking confused so Trance spoke first.
"Um, Harper? There isn't anything in that bag." She looked at him with worry written all over her face.
"Au contraire, mon ami! Grab one of my magnifiers and take a look!"
She did as she was told and looked once again. She was silent with concentration for a second, then gasped and recoiled in horror, "Oh, ugh, it's a horrible little spider!"
"Yep!" said Harper, "this tiny thing must have gotten on the ship somehow and since it was so tiny it went undetected. It then crawled into the data port in my door controls, setting up a little nest for itself..."
"Spiders make webs. Not nests." Trance interrupted to correct him.
Harper looked at her with pure annoyance before continuing, "As I was saying, It crawled in there and just inserted itself into the system. The question is what do we do with it now?"
"Destroy it." Tyr suggested from where he was leaning on a wall.
"NO!" Harper shouted, before looking slightly sheepish of his outburst, "I mean, we can't. I don't think its just some mindless machine. I think that someone's conscious mind has been inserted some how into this tiny machine."
Dylan walked over to him and picked up the baggie, "Well what do you suggest we do, Mr Harper?"
"Well, you won't be very happy with me, but I think we should talk to it in the Matrix again."
Angry outbursts came from all round the room. Beka especially was not happy.
"Are you crazy? It'll just take over the ship again!"
Harper held up his hands, in defence mostly, but also to emphasise what he was saying, "Woah! Wait a second! It won't take over the ship 'cause I won't let it. I'll put so many firewalls round it that it won't be able to even move! It'll be fine. We need to find out why it's here."
Everyone was quiet as they realised that, for once, Harper was right.
"Well, tell me when you are ready for me to go into the database, Harper." Said Dylan before he turned to walk out the door.
Harper grabbed Dylan's arm, "Wait! I think I should go and talk to this thing. I have a sneaky suspicion that I was the one who brought it in to the ship. It possibly could have hitched a ride inside my data port. The spider thing sure is small enough." He watched Dylan carefully for any sign that he'd let him go.
After a long pause while Dylan deliberated in his usual fashion, he gave a sigh, "Ok. You can speak to him, but make sure those firewalls are damn strong."
"Thanks Dylan!" Harper was so excited that gave Dylan a salute, albeit a very sloppy one, before setting to work on the firewalls.
Beka, Tyr, Trance and Rommie all looked at each other with surprise, before they left Harper in peace.