[OPEN]

[subtract]

Who: Add, Data-Roxas, & OPEN!
Where: Various locations, including TechCleric computer repair shop, Calico cat café
When: April 22nd to 25th
What: Prayer #15. Isn't it kind of shady to "bring business" to a repair shop...?
Warnings: Nyan Cat, Add. Will update if needed.

When Roxas stated the name of the business that had prayed to them for help, there was an immediate pang of guilt from Add. Not that he really wants to admit why he so eagerly volunteered to help with this one, but considering it was the same computer repair shop he'd been pilfering for materials over the past month...

And now it was almost ready to go out of business thanks to numerous tools and parts going missing. The constant need to order new parts created such huge delays that customers ended up going elsewhere... even if they improved the turnaround, would it be enough of a change to bring those customers back?

Of course, there would only be customers if they had electronics that needed repairing again...

Hmmm.

If it's for a good cause, it's perfectly fine to muck up some machines, right?? ... He'll be gentle to keep his god from complaining, though.

The end result is a (relatively) harmless piece of malware embedded into several local websites. Just visiting one of the infected pages is enough to pass the infection on to a computer, phone or tablet, which causes it to loudly play an obnoxious song nonstop, on any and all connected audio devices, and block all attempts by the user to deactivate or adjust the volume of said devices. Even if every part capable of outputting audio is physically removed, the virus will manipulate any moving internal components to try and simulate the song's tune. The virus will also spread to any connected devices and resist removal attempts—it's certainly possible to remove it with enough technological and programming know-how, but without knowing exactly where to look or how it's going to respond, it could still take hours to clear the damn thing out and prevent reinfection.

Unless you have the deactivation code for it. Which, of course, Add does have. And what do you know! Now his favourite repair shop also has it. Who would've thought they'd be so quick to figure it out, huh?

Not that this will be immediately obvious to everyone who picks the virus up, but even if other repair places are picking up business from Add's mischief, there's only one place in town that can remove the infection in a matter of minutes. News like that can spread quickly. It's a foolproof strategy!

And if it hits a few Far Shore devices, well, business is business.

[ A - TechCleric Computer Repairs ]

After setting his trap and planting the deactivation key at the struggling shop, all that's left for Add to do is wait and watch as they flourish thanks to his efforts...

Or, at least that's how it went in his mind. What actually happens is they get an unexpected flood of customers and a cryptic note that no one can figure out. He... may have been a bit too vague with his instructions.

Okay, so maybe he has to hold their hands a little. Just to get them started.

Somehow "explain to them how to use the deactivation code" turns into "volunteer to help handle all the customers", and suddenly Add is manning the front of the store and trying yell over the blaring sounds of Nyan Cat coming from several devices at once. He does not look amused.

... but he isn't complaining, and he's still helping. He'll see this plan through to the end, even at the cost of his own sanity...

[ B - Calico Cat Café ]

When he finally gets his lunch break, Add is completely exhausted. It takes all of his energy to drag himself out of the store, trying to find someplace quiet to soothe his raging migraine. Why did he have to make his virus something so loud...

That new cat café ends up being close by. He wanders shakily inside, finds an empty chair, and sprawls out onto it unceremoniously. He has no money, so he can't even order a drink... but at least he can drape an arm down for passing cats to rub up against. And if a few of them hop up to sit on his lap or shoulders, he's happy to let them stay there. He's too worn out to push them off even if he wanted to.

If anyone wants to kick him out for loitering, they'll have to drag him out by force.

[ C - TechCleric, Post-Nyancataclysm ]

After the first day of handling the front counter Add is asked to come back tomorrow, and then again the next day... and when the chaos finally subsides after the virus is "mysteriously" removed and deactivated remotely (he's so sick of Nyan Cat he doesn't even care anymore, that's more than enough business to revive one shop), he figures he'll no longer be needed.

But when he's told to come in again tomorrow anyway, he realizes he somehow ended up on the payroll.

He feels a little guilty for accepting payment for something that was meant to fix a problem he'd caused, but... maybe this can be his way to repay them. The only thing better than a one-time miracle cure for a short lived virus is a long-term miracle employee with amazing technical skills, right?

Business is quieter now, but if anyone has a need for computer repairs or happens to be passing by, they might spot Add sitting at the front desk. It's almost like he's a contributing member of society now. Kinda freaky. The shop is only supposed to service your every day electronics, but considering its Add manning the store right now, he isn't the type to turn away less mundane requests. Like advanced technological weaponry, or cyborg parts... just don't expect him to do any work for free.

Comments

D

[cloak]

Roxas can't ignore the sting that accompanies his clarification of what their job is. Non-combative missions have been easiest to complete with Add, and this one seemed like the sort of thing his best friend would be suited for. But there it is, the sting of guilt, and it makes him think back on that time he caught Add trying to strong-arm Naminé into helping him steal something.

It's cause enough for him to wonder about Add's recent "shopping" habits, but for the moment he concerns himself with the task at hand. And so, arms folded across his chest, he watches as Add in ponderous silence. Weighing the options, he actually isn't sure how to promote a business, so he hopes Add's creativity might shine through on this one.

That, or they'll simply have to muddle through.

"So what do you think we should do?"

[subtract]

He has one hand cupping his face thoughtfully, the other supporting his elbow and drumming idly. He started spacing out almost immediately after Roxas explained the situation, but he hasn't really had time to think of a solution yet. No, he's busy thinking about how he might be able to sneak back a few things without his god realizing they were stolen. He's already used most of the parts and the tools have probably been replaced by now, but there were a few things he didn't end up using... would bringing those back help...?

He snaps back to attention when Roxas speaks again, though.

"Er, for— yes, rejuvenating business," he smoothly tries to answer, clearing his throat. "Well. We should make sure they update their organizational system first so they don't misplace anything else. As for bringing in more customers, sabotaging the competition would be effective."

... except that would just create more problems for someone else. Before Roxas can even have a chance to scold him for that— "Ugh, no, that won't work. It would take too long to damage the reputations of all those other businesses. Can't we just buy a bunch of stuff off them? That counts as business, right?"

[cloak]

"That'd only be a temporary fix," Roxas surmises, fairly sure that any business they gave the place would not only be forgotten, but not have a lasting impact. The store needs a steady flow of customers in order to be successful, and for that, they need to get people interested in their products and services. That much he understands on the most elementary of levels, but he's never been a businessman.

Where he came from, enemies dropped munny. It was very easy to be well-funded if one fought enough Heartless, that was of course providing that one had the appropriate weaponry. And of course he did. Then in Monad, they had that strange points system that they never had figured out, although there wasn't actually a need to buy anything.

Perhaps for the best, since most of the food was inedible.

At least Add hadn't really tried to push for the sabotage suggestion, so he doesn't have to get into why that wouldn't work. It'd probably lead to a never-ending series of businesses praying for help with flagging sales or lost products. "We have to encourage people on the near shore to spend money there."

[subtract]

Well, if everyone was praying for their business to survive, that would also mean more prayer-business for the gods... but Add might feel bad about it, so he's ruling out that option (for now).

"Their main services are repairs, system cleaning and custom parts orders, so it's more complicated than just convincing people to go there. You don't shop at a place like that unless you have something that's broken or not working correctly." So, they need to find more people with those types of problems.

"...We're invisible to most mortals, so it wouldn't be impossible to break in and damage a few computers... first we create more customers, then we can convince them to spend their money there. We'd have to make sure only to damage parts they have in stock, though. Something quick and easy to fix but still expensive..."

He trails off, still mumbling to himself about this new grand scheme of his to sabotage a bunch of future customers into existence instead. Somehow, this is better than sabotaging the competition. It's fine if they're just extorting random civilians, right?

[cloak]

Roxas waits patiently for Add to elaborate, more concerned with settling on a method before they get started than barreling in without a sense of organization. Some jobs require no strategy or minimal forethought, and Roxas finds those easy enough to tackle without discussions like this. But for this sort of job, they need to work something out, and he thinks Add is the best person for planning.

Unfortunately that first means working through some questionable methods that he knows Add is sure to come up with. His friend is many things, but he'd generally be inclined to prioritize efficiency over much else. And while that might be favorable for something like Roxas most of the time, he doesn't want to generate more work or collateral damage at the same time.

"I'm not sure we should be breaking and entering..." Roxas offers after a few moments of thoughtful silence. He has to imagine that Add knows exactly why that's not an ideal plan. They're supposed to be protecting people, not causing problems in order to solve other problems.

Surely Add can think of something else. At some point he made a holographic cat-cube, after all.

[subtract]

He nods a few times at Roxas' comment, still mostly lost in his own thoughts. Breaking and entering would mean a lot of legwork, and hitting enough to-be customers would take a long time with just the two of them. It's just too impractical.

"We'd need to do damage on a large scale, so something that can target many devices at once would be ideal," he mumbles a little more clearly. "Maybe something like an EMP shock to a targeted area, or... or a virus, something that can be spread through casual use and then activate and inflict damage once enough machines have been infected."

It's the perfect plan! He could do all the work from his room and all he'd need to do is make sure someone gets infected that can spread it for him. And it would also make it easier to control exactly what gets damaged if he's targeting software over hardware...!

Add starts to cackle a little under his breath. Maybe getting a little too excited about this idea.

"Kukukukuku, yes, something like this is perfect! We'll create a virus that spreads at a rapid pace before dealing heavy damage to infected devices! They'll have no choice but to pay whatever price we tell them to spare their data from being destroyed!" Only Add could turn helping people into a villainous plot.

[cloak]

This is far from the first time Roxas has listened to Add launch off into his own thoughts. Generally speaking, it's something that he'd become very accustomed to back in Monad. He isn't as privy to such things as he was back then, but that doesn't make it any less familiar to him now. After all, his memories don't dull over time as they would for others.

"...Let's...try to make it less harmful," Roxas offers once Add pauses for breath, sensing that he needs to weigh in here. A virus would be potentially effective, but they should take care not to deal any lasting damage to anyone's computers, or cause suffering that would lead to more prayers as a result. Something that isn't going to cause serious harm, then, would be ideal.

And he's not saying that he's against using a virus of some kind, if only because it's something Add could do, and he knows precisely how troublesome they could potentially be.

Moderation seems the key here.

[subtract]

"It has to cause some harm, otherwise there wouldn't be any motivation to get it fixed in a timely manner," Add reasons, quickly picking back up with a fresh breath of air. "But I suppose it wouldn't look good if the virus was repaired but data was still lost. Perhaps a virus that only holds the data hostage while threatening deletion if it's not removed in a timely manner? That would guarantee the data's safe recovery as long as they get the key to disarm it, and the key could be planted at TechCleric so they'd have no choice but to come there instead of a competitor. It should be something flashy, too, to make sure it gets the user's attention..."

He trails off again for a moment, giving Roxas another chance to speak, though he does also use this time to clear some space off his desk and motion for Apocalypse. The purple cube drifts over to its master's side.

"Should take some time to program a virus from scratch, but if Apocalypse can automate some of the more tedious processes..." Because Apocalypse is such a good assistant like that.

[cloak]

"You'll also need to make sure that it's not going to seem like the store is behind the virus," Roxas thinks it best to point this out, lest Add neglect that detail. They can't let this means of repair become too suspicious, or else it could hurt the business too. The key ought to be subtlety, in whatever manner they're capable of... And while Apocalypse is very obliging, he wonders if the cat-cube has any more idea of how to exercise discretion than Add does.

"I know something about code too," he points out the glaringly obvious with a vague wave of one gloved hand, "so I can lend a hand. I'm not really answering a prayer if I put all the responsibility on my shinki."

Not to mention, and he refuses to say this because of the words involved, he wouldn't feel right. They're supposed to work as a team, and that's his understanding of the system. While it means Roxas is rewarded with followers and he seems to gain more power from it, he'd find it wrong to gain by Add and Apocalypse's efforts while contributing nothing of his own.

[subtract]

... Oh. Right, that's a good point. Can't make it too suspicious. He nods fervently, already rearranging the plan in his head. Unfortunately, Apocalypse is a good and loyal servant, so it would never even consider questioning Add's judgment. Roxas still has an important role to fill after all.

He frowns at the offer anyway, putting his thoughts on hold for a moment to steal a glance at Roxas. He knows his god is supposed to be an AI, but does he really have any skill with something like this? Genos is a cyborg but that doesn't mean he can built a robot.

Besides that... even if they're a team, and even if this was a prayer given to Chang'e, it's still Add's responsibility. It was undeniably his fault this happened. It doesn't sit right with him to let someone else fix a problem he caused...

"If it's something like this, I don't mind handling it myself," he answers cautiously. But it's also important that they finish this quickly... "You don't have to, but... for the sake of expediency, I guess I can allow it. Have you ever created a virus before?"

[cloak]

"I've dealt with them, but I haven't made one yet. What I have done is modify a system from within, and travel through various levels of secure data." Roxas volunteers this much as he considers it relevant, not exactly the best at selling himself but well aware of his capabilities.

He may not be able to directly interface with data now that he's corporeal like this, but that doesn't mean that the understanding is gone. The intuition remains and Roxas believes he can use it. Not to mention, this way he can keep an eye out for Add to make sure that he won't do anything too drastic and find himself with more trouble than he already attracts.

And it's a proven fact that Add can and will find trouble when left to his own devices. Capable as he is, he's reckless...and he's forgotten what he learned the hard way in Monad.

Here, it's not as simple as a hard reset.

"I also benefit from remembering all of my experiences," he offers at length, with some reluctance.

[subtract]

"Very funny." That reluctance is going unnoticed, so instead he's going to take it as a sarcastic remark. Blame Roxas' usual monotone for making it difficult to tell.

"Hmph. If you're more used to dealing with them, you can take care of the quality testing," he suggests, drawing out a holographic screen and keyboard from Apocalypse. "If the virus is too easy to remove then it'll be less effective. We need to make sure it's intelligent enough to evade even experienced detection and removal attempts. That's the most important part after making sure it's intrusive enough to demand attention."

Which would still leave Add doing the bulk of the work. A compromise? It's good to have a second set of eyes to test out his code, anyway. He can't really test it on himself since he knows exactly what to look for, and he's not sure how good Apocalypse would be at sniffing out viruses.

[cloak]

Although Roxas could clarify what he means, he chooses not to. Right now the object of focus is completing this prayer, and anything else can be set on the back-burner. One day he should probably at least tell Add that he never forgets anything, because that might become a useful trait, but for now he simply nods at the concession.

"I should be a reasonable gauge of whether it's that difficult, at least." Something he can most certainly do, because coding is not only what he is but what he knows. He'd wrought a battlefield out of code in an instant to challenge Sora, because as an AI he had an intuitive understanding of how a data environment worked that others wouldn't have from the same perspective. He can't create at will in this world, but he still understands code.

And considering how determined Add seemed in handling this himself, for reasons he can only speculate, Roxas will consider this much of a compromise success in and of itself. During their first week, he's sure Add would have declined to allow him any involvement at all.

[subtract]

He nods in agreement, starting to pull up a few more screens to work with and feeding Apocalypse some instructions on coding a simpler part of the program—that could be interesting to observe as well. Apocalypse has proven itself to be fairly intelligent and adaptive, but how much of this task could it complete on its own?

... but that's not what this is about. He scolds himself a little in his mind. Something like this should take at least a day of solid work. He needs to get this virus completed quickly, so he can't be getting too distracted by side-projects within the main project. He sighs and starts working on an outline for the program.

"This might take awhile, so you don't have to stay here," he offers, not really convinced that his god is going to leave anyway. It's a bit awkward to just sit here in silence with him, though.