LOG: Counter-Strike!
Springer ::Yes, /let's:: *getting a lock on Nemesis' comm, Springer quickly runs COUNTERSTRIKE.EXE, a tactical combat simulation.*
Nemesis *Well, he can always hack this program instead...Nemesis' avatar is predictably the 'terrorist' mold, and as he examines the program for exploitable weaknesses, his avatar does the same* Interesting choice of battleground...you do know that I'm a virus, right?
Springer Yeah, kind of guessed that. *approriately picks counter-terrorist, and prepares himself for /anything/.*
Springer *quick to pick up a tactical shield* Figured it be a good place for a warm-up.
Nemesis *Well, he may not be prepared for Nemesis to do a little 'jump'...then do a second that literally sends him over half the level. Jump hack enabled!* Your loss. Heh. I'll look forwards to finding your weak point.
Springer Nice moves... *enable Jump Hack! to play "follow the leader". Enable ESP! and gets himself a read-out on Nemesis' character....*
Nemesis *Look, a completely normal character stat-wise. Which means he's probably not bothered adjusting it yet. Spots Springer's character immediately - and promptly opens fire with the sniper rifle.*
Springer *dodges, and returns fire*
Springer *Speed Hack is you're /friend/...*
Nemesis: *As is Armor Hack! Lookit all da bullets hitting him and doing absolutely nothing. Nemesis lands on a rooftop, grabs the rocket launcher, turns around and fires. He continues examining the code, searching for a place in which to launch an attack*
Springer: *narrowly avoids blast, but still takes a hit from shrapnel...*
Springer: Nice move, /slagger/. *uses ESP hack to find himself a nice machine gun*
Nemesis: Heh. If this was Halo, you'd already be dead. *And he doesn't mean just in the simulator. 'Drops' off the side of the building, and sends his avatar inside while he examines a particular interesting byte or so...*
Springer: *realizes that, noting that he's got injuries mimicking his avatars...*
Springer: Really? Didn't know you /played/ videogames.... *WALL HACK, following the virus's movements very closely...*
Nemesis: *And somehow, someway, the simple avatar is waving at Springer, and offering the finger* I find them interesting enough. Humans are such a violent species. Almost lessens my disgust of them.
Springer: *waves and gives him the finger right back* Good to hear. *is that some new code being added?*
Nemesis: *Possibly. Nemesis is finding it interesting to add another 'signal', thus inserting another avatar - a mimic of his - into the program, somewhere behind Springer. Mmmm, sniper rifle...*
Springer: *Two can play at this game.... Leaps and the avatar splits, landing copies in several different points on the map. Why, there seems to be many little counter terrorist avatars now!*
Nemesis: *Good to match the surprising amount of terrorists, too! Now they can really get this show on the road. Terrorists spread out, hunting the others and firing when they've got a clear shot. A couple start camping*
Springer: *takes out as many terrorists as he encounters, using the clone avatars as decoys....*
Nemesis: *Each terrorist downed explodes - literally - into a burst of 1s and 0s. Quite a few manage to turn around and fire off their own shots, predictably with incredible accuracy, before going down. The real Nemesis - or at least the non-subprogram one - lets them go, occasionally respawning one as he delves deeper into the simulation in a search for the root.*
Springer: *isn't phased a bit by the exploding avatars, just keeps on taking the flak, using the decoys as meat shields as often as possible... Nemesis might not /like/ what he finds in that root...*
Nemesis: *The chewy center of a program? Please, let him in! His main avatar continues moving deeper into the building, which for all intents and purposes could be metaphor'd as the central node. Heeeere, weakpointweakpointweakpoint...*
Springer: *bang-bang! Seems to be oblivious to what the virus is doing*
Nemesis: *All the better! And far be it from him to let this chance get out of his grip. The subprograms run on their own, searching, firing, dying, respawning, repeat ad infinitum while Nemesis shoots the control to a door and enters*
Springer: *...keeps on fragging the subprograms...*
Nemesis: *Open, says HE! The hack seems to work, the door sliding open with Nemesis heading in soon after it, and looking around. Now, where's the juicy core...*
Springer: *...why, it's setting right there in the open! All alone and guarded by one pathetic little avatar.*
Nemesis: ...
Nemesis: *Headshot!*
Springer: *Bye-bye guard! Meanwhile, Springer is still taking on the subprograms and taking a /lot/ of damage...*
Nemesis: THC. If that's all the defense you've got...*Advances* Pitiful, really. Then again I shouldn't really expect anything from you.
Springer: *Springer's on his last legs.... and the core is practically in Nemesis' hands!*
Nemesis: *>D! Starts to directly hack into it. How quickly shall he terminate through to the processor, or shall he take it slow and enjoy it...*
Springer: *The core has it's own ideas on that...and quickly starts forcing Nemesis to infect files*
Nemesis: ...
Nemesis: *Well, this is interesting. Tries to 'skip ahead' in the code, trying to see what exactly it's doing...*
Springer: *...and gets code-blocked for his efforts. Infection spreading faster now...*
Nemesis: *...huh* Code this yourself? *Time to pull out for now, he thinks, gathering his lines and taking a step back from the console*
Springer: *Oh gee? You wanna go /now/? But things were just getting /fun/! The core seems to be clinging to Nemesis now...*
Nemesis: *Is unamused...but intrigued! Still, let's not have anything infecting his program, thank you. Runs a purge program to cleanse it. GTFO, thx.*
Nemesis: Fascinating...
Springer: *Purge FAILED. You're gonna have to try harder than that...Little tentacles of code are sneaking in to the virus' program.*
Nemesis: *....yeah. DO NOT WANT. Growls, and, for lack of a better word - starts ripping the tendrils out* Now you go too far, Cybertronian.
Springer: *there's a faint, musical tone, then a feminine voice* We're sorry. The party you are trying to reach is no longer available.
Springer: *...followed by a very painful burst of static throughout Nemesis' code*
Nemesis: *SNARLS* You WRETCH! *That's it, he's getting the hell out of here where he can recompose himself easier. Not without leaving a nuking present before, though. Terrorists Have Armed The Bomb!*
Springer: Love you too, slagger! *logs out and crashes the program*
Nemesis: *Is going to get him for thi-ohwait, crashing. GONE!*
Springer: *somewhere, just behind the barrier, a battered and half-dead mech is grinning...*
Nemesis: *And on the other side, far away...a certain virus is purging another out of his systems. Next time, Springer. Next tiiiiime!*
...and that's that!