The Evil That Chips Do"
By: Krystal, Hologram, [RNPC]
Giuseppe Silvio, Chief Engineer, [RNPC]
Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist, [PC]
Stardate: 58206.16 0600
"Pixie, don't make me turn you off..." Maxine threatened and glanced at the once bright and chipper pixie only to see a haggard, droopy creature who was slightly green around the gills and had a definite roundness to her belly.
"Nnnnoooooo!! Not that!!" Krystal groaned dramatically and flopped over Max's shoulder, looking like a limp rat with wings. "I don't like isolation, Maxie... Can I *ppllleeaaassseee* come out now?" she begged.
"No." Maxine was emphatic. "Not until all your diagnostics finish running and I've had a chance t' go over your code myself. Look at yourself. That is NOT normal," she pointed out and even reached up to poke a slender finger at the hologram's growing belly.
Krystal groaned and peered at Max through one opened eye. "Where are we going? I think you're making me sea-sick," she accused when the turbolift they'd stepped into began to move. "Are we there yet?"
"Just about," Max told her. "And while the Lieutenant and I work I'll need you to be quiet," she warned.
"Quiet? But... But... What if I get sick? Or what if--"
"Hush," Max interrupted her. "Just do the best you can. Do you have any preliminary data on just what that is?" She poked the rounded belly again.
"Oh, don't do that," Krystal groaned. "He doesn't like it..."
"He? He who?"
"The baby," the pixie gave her a *look*.
"Krystal...." Max began as she stepped from the turbolift. "Listen to me carefully... -You- -are- -not- -having- -a- -baby-. Begin an extrapolation and tell me what the function is of that code you've got quarantined in your belly. I want a detailed analysis along with projected scenarios," she instructed.
"Analysis? I think I'm going to be sick," Krystal groaned.
"Fine, be sick. Just do it," Maxine instructed. "And hush now..." The computer expert with her defunct, isolated, drowned rat looking pixie stepped into Main Engineering and went directly to the Chief Engineer's office.
"Sir? Lt. Silvio?" Max stood in the doorway waiting for his acknowledgement.
Silvio had almost nodded off to sleep when Max walked in. He looked up at her, "Hello Ensign, How is your program coming." "It's ready t' go, sir," Max offered him a smile. "I've got it loaded into the system and just need t' execute it... I thought perhaps we could snag any modified chips as the program finds them," she suggested, indicating that she wanted to include him in the finding if there was anything to find. "I'm betting they will all be in Auxiliary Control," he said. "Let's do it." "I've learned t' listen when officers such as yourself 'ave 'unches they're willing t' bet on, sir," Maxine stepped out of the doorway so he could exit his office. "Auxiliary Control it is." Silvio picked up his tool kit and said, "Let's go." *** ==Auxiliary Control== Silvio pulled out the indicated chip and scanned it with his tricorder, "This one looks like it is already discharged." Silvio set it down on the top of the desk and inserted a new chip where this one had been. "That's good," Maxine glanced over at him and then back to her screen. "Maybe we'll be lucky and they'll all be spent," she commented. "It's located another one. I'll pull it." She was on her feet a moment later and pulling the isolinear chip to add to the small pile Silvio had that he was checking.
Silvio picked up the chip she had just pulled and scanned it with his tricorder, "Here is a live one," he said. Silvio set thatone down near Max's PADD. "How long do you estimate it will take your programm to search the whole ship?
Maxine looked at the program's running time. "I think another thirty minutes," she told him. "I set system priorities and the non-essential ones will be scanned last." As she talked she sat down and inserted the 'live' chip into the PADD she'd screened the original chip with. "'ere we go..." she moved it so that Silvio could see it too. "Activating it now...."
Silvio watched with curiosity over Max's shoulder.
As the first chip had done, the microscopic processor dumped it's payload into Max's PADD and then destroyed its own operating system. "Crikey..." Maxine whispered as she watched the malicious code invade her PADD. "'old on while I 'ave a look at this..." she half muttered as she became lost for a few moment in the intricacies of the code.. "Bloody 'ell..." she turned to look at Silvio and there was a frown marring her brow. "This chip targets Warrant Officer Northrop...." she told him.
"I see," said Silvio." The computer beeped again , "Look, there is another one," Silvio bent down and located the infected ship. He carefully removed it and gave it to Max."
Maxine took it from him and turned it over in her fingers before she exchanged it for the one that was in already in her PADD. "Let's see what this one is up to...." While they watched it did pretty much the same thing as the two previous chips. "Blimey 'e's good," she said after a moment or two of examining the code. "This one appears t' be targeting Lieutenant Carter."
"Birkoff appears to hold a grudge," observed Silvio as he replaced the chip he had just removed."
"Aye sir, that he does," Max agreed and continued to study the code while the program continued to scan the multitude of chips in the Zion's system. After a few more minutes another beep sounded, indicating it had located another of them. "Got another one, sir. Chip MS-167C," she announced and looked over at him.
Silvio tapped on the console in front of him and the display told him where That chip was located. "Hmm, that one is on deck 5 in main security." He looked at Max, "I will go get that one and bring it back."
"A'roight," Maxine nodded. "M'going t' just study this code...." she told him, and when she looked at him even her eyes seemed to be filled with the reflection of it.
Silvio nodded, "I'll be back." He grabbed his tool kit and headed for Deck 5.