-Personal Log: Entry #006-

I have taken Rhinox's advice, and am now feeling better physically than I ever have. However, a lingering thought remains. A hunch, nagging at the back of my mind. One that I will have to investigate, if ever I get the chance.

"It's not actually the scrambler program that knocked out the scanners, though I made it look like it was," Nightshade explained as he typed. "That program was only meant to draw your attention away from the other one. The other one being a mild hacker-link virus, that would not have worked, had you seen it coming."

"Hacker-link virus?" Optimus asked.

"Properly transmitted, it allows the user--that is, me--to hack into a separate computer network, using the link provided by the virus itself. Hackers are harder to track when they make their own road."

"How would it not have worked?" Rhinox enquired.

"The virus itself would be child's play to remove, for someone with your skills," Nightshade said. "I sent in the scrambler first to make it look like the virus wasn't there, so it could worm its way into this network. Once in, I was supposed to use the link to take control of your scanners and rig the results, thus making it look like my ship wasn't there. Okay, scrambler's gone. Now for the virus."

"So why not just cloak yourself, if you had that control?"

"Because I didn't have that control."

"You didn't?" Optimus asked.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm one of the best from my time," Nightshade said. "But this software is ahead of my time. In the end, it was a lot easier to shut down the scanners entirely, rather than rig the readouts. Either way, as long as the virus remained, the last thing I had done would supposedly stay done. There, done."

Nightshade backed off. The computer screen flickered, showing all systems as normal.

"Did you do the same thing to the Predacons' computer?" Optimus asked.

"Had to, to make sure I'd properly covered my tracks. And since they're the enemy, is it okay if I leave them hanging for a bit?"

"Well, why not? At any rate, it gives us the advantage in recovering our stasis pods."

"The smaller things I passed on my way down."

"That's right. Each one has a Maximal protoform inside, waiting to be reawakened."

"But the Predacons are capable of reprogramming the protoforms into Predacons themselves," Rhinox said. "Which is why it's imperative we get to them first, whenever possible."

"That virus of yours may have done us a great service, Nightshade," Optimus said, feeling new respect for the newcomer.

"Well, I'm just doing my job," Nightshade replied modestly. "If, along the way, I helped you do yours, all the better."

-End Chapter Six-