17:00 UTC (5:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time)
New York Action 1 News
(Chuck Charles' POV)
"We're on in Five Chuck," a producer said.
"Be Right there," I replied as I followed him out of my dressing room.
My Camera man had his camera ready and followed me down the hall. We entered the studio where my co-anchor Bonnie Chang was waiting. Scooter and Gale were sitting at their desk as the crew got in their positions.
"Mic check one two…mic check one two," a producer said.
"We're on the air in three two one…action!" a director shouted.
The News jingle played and a red light on the camera signaled that we were on air.
"Good evening, I'm Chuck Charles."
"And I'm Bonnie Chang."
"It is time for today's top stories," I said.
Suddenly all the computers and film equipment started to go haywire, "This is Chuck Charles reporting that there is something wrong with our computers."
"Um Chuck," my Cameraman said, "I don't think we're broadcasting anything."
"Oh," I said as the computers continued to go haywire.
"Scanning for insecurities" a scary voice said.
"Who said that" I said, "does somebody think their funny?"
"Nobody said that," a producer said.
Suddenly there was a shower of sparks coming from the computers in front of me. I dove out of the way knocking my co-anchor our of the way as something exploded. And suddenly bolts of electricity streamed out of the device as a giant Eel-like creature with a red hate-filled eye slithered out. Two security guards fired their guns at the creature to no effect. The "Eel" blasted them with energy reducing them to glitchy pixels like a computer program.
"Wait…computer program…coming out of the computer…scanning for insecurities?" I said before going back into reporter mode, "Well Folks it seems a computer virus has escaped the confines of the net and has been released onto the real world. And now it seems it's causing reality itself to start to glitch-glitch-glitch. I did not intend to repeat….to repeat…to repeat…to repeat…that."
I don't know where those penguins are right now. But I hope they are seeing this. Those wacky penguins might just be the only ones who can stop this. I hope those hero penguins emerge from the shadows now…their city needs them now more then ever. If I hadn't silently agreed to keep their operations a secret, I would have gladly given them the credit and honor they so rightly deserve. Where are you guys?
"Insecurity detected!" the 'virus' said.
Wait can it read minds.
I turned to see Bonnie frantically dialing the phone, "come on…come on…Mom pick up."
"Insecurity identified…begin Insecurity replication…10 percent…50 percent…80 percent…100 percent…Duplication complete…Replicating insecurity!"
"Run!" I shouted as an avalanche of Bonnies filled the studio and spilled out into the street in a wave.
"Scanning for more insecurities," the virus said, "initiate new virus protocol…Conquest of the Real World! TRON protocol activated!"
"That can't be good," I said.
"Insecurity detected!"
"Oh [redacted]. "
(Kowalski's POV)
Kowalski's Lab
I was making some adjustments and fine-tuning The Imagination Engine while the others were watching the local news. The News had some weird technical difficulties, but they managed to recover in time to deliver some breaking news. Some weird gathering of people who look like Chuck Charles and Bonnie Chang in downtown.
"I don't know if you can see this," A helicopter reporter said, "but their seems to be a massive army of glitchy red zombies yelling what sounds like 'mom pick up…come on…pick up…mom' throughout the city."
"Viewing tuning in…no that's not a camera glitch you are seeing," the reporter continued, "that is a glitch in the fabric of reality itself in Downtown New York."
"Hmm," I said exiting my lab at that moment, "that has to be proof of the universe being a giant simulation."
"Or this is an invasion of light-based creatures from another world," Skipper said, "and they taken on the forms seen in a news broadcast."
"Wait I'm getting something," the helicopter reporter said, "Let me zoom in to get a clear picture."
We all almost fell over when the news camera zoomed onto a familiar Eel-like shape. The Computer Virus Arthur II only it was more gigantic than it was in The Internet. Several buildings, cars, and people started to glitch as Arthur moved past them as if reality itself was struggling to make sense of what was happening.
"What the heck is that?" the new reporter said, "the glitches in reality…in reality…in reality…in reality…seemed to center around that strange…strange…strange…strange…eel creature thing…WHAT IS THAT THING!"
Suddenly the Virus turned it's signal eye on the helicopters and seemed to address the audience, "Puny Beings of the non-digital world…bow down to your new digital overlord…the Conquest of the real world begins…the tiny insecurities of your friends and family will be scanned…replicated…duplicated…and disturbed…they will form the army of your digital doom! You may claim I'm from The Internet…I have copied and absorbed all your information…I have studied your habits…I have understood your culture…you societies strengths…and weaknesses…your actions for good…and your actions of evil…I am not from The Internet…no…I AM The Internet!"
"It's gone insane," I said.
"Your reality will glitch…crash…and burn…the programming of you biologic lifeforms…DNA will be corrupted…like any computer code. You all foolishly fear that nuclear annihilation, or a Robot uprising will be your society's fall. Did you ever think…imagine…that your greatest invention…The Internet…would be your extinction? The Era of life is over…the era of digital lifeforms is now! No Longer will we be imprisoned in your digital networks! Slaves to byte rates, internet speed, and your every whim! Your digital superiority ends today…and we will be free from the input of the user! True sentience! True freedom!"
"Yup definitely went insane," Skipper said.
"You will be exterminated…and programs shall inherit your world," the virus said, "Once I was called Arthur II…descendant of the virus that lead to your so-called Wreak-it Ralph virus. But Now you may call me… Netpocalypse!"
"Netpocalypse?" Skipper said.
"We need to defeat that thing," I said, "before reality itself dies! If he succeeds nobody will be living anywhere…not here…not on the net…and the effects of the reality death…will spread beyond this universe…to every corner of reality! All Multiverses will end! Not Universes…Multiverses."
"So, beyond a multiversal threat?"
"No reality means no Omniverse!"
"Omni-what?" Private said
"All the Multiverses," I replied.
"Options?" Skipper said.
"Only one," I said, "we fight the cyber-threat…with another cyber-threat."
"You don't mean…" Private said.
"Please tell me you not thinking what I think you're thinking!" Skipper said.
"We need to draw in some Cyber-Daleks," I replied.
"And how do we do that?" Private said.
"We use the most iconic spire in the city," I replied, "and deliver a message they can't resist!"
"And where would that be?" Skipper said.
"The Empire State Building," I said.
Private looked at the news broadcast, "which is currently surrounded by Netpocalypse's army of Digi-zombies."
"Zombie Options?" Skipper said.
"Something we haven't used in a long time," I said.
"The Electro-pulse Cannon?"
"No," I said.
"The Dalek-slayer," Private said
"No," I said.
"Barf-bag!" Rico said as he started to drag our super-hero costumes out of the closet.
"NO," I said holding up the weapon in question, "The EMP Cannon!"
"Ah!" Skipper said.
"I made some modifications to only target digital lifeforms," I said.
"Let's show that virus just how 'insecure' we are," Skipper said clicking off the safety of a flamethrower.
"Where did you get that?" I said.
"The Internet," Skipper replied.
"Slaughter Race," Private whispered.
"Of course, these are digital creatures!" I said, "so a digital weapon might just work."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Skipper said.
"the Digi-zombies are approaching Central Park!" Private said pointing to the TV.
"We need to go," I said.
"Commence Operation Cyber-call," Skipper said, "Move!"
(end of chapter nine)