Addventure Error : Prelude [page 2]

Error.

> what?
The page you tried to access does not exist.

> what do you mean. i just created it.
Reload your browser, Miss Elizabeth.

> i did.
The page you tried to access does not exist.

> i put the page here. i know it should be here.
It's not, Miss Elizabeth.

Liz stared and settled back into her terminal. The Addventure hyperlink AI had been reset to default by a power surge. "That has to be it," she said. "Ginny," she said, addressing the maintenance droid floating nearby, "check the hyperlink AI block, I think it got fried by a power surge." Ginny beeped, "Sure thing, boss!" and zipped off towards the computer core.
It was New Year's Day, 159 AP (After Prisoner), six months after Liz was promoted into the position of Head Addventure Sysadmin. She looked over the Addventure System's main router and computer core at a classified government base deep within the ground. "I need coffee." The replicator shimmered, and there appeared a cup of mocha java. "And a donut." Boston Creme materialized.
"Mmmmm. Creamy Boston Goodness." she mumbled, biting chunks out of the sultry pastry. She looked out the window of the control room onto the network floor, watching the maintenance droids zip around carrying out the orders of their human supervisors, as she finished her donut. She picked up her coffee and inhaled the caffeinated vapours. Beep.

Beep?
MtncDroid-GN153> The hyperlink AI block is fused, boss.
Yep.
> can you fix it?
MtncDroid-GN153> It looks freaked out, boss. It's got wires hanging out melted, some cut...some look like they've been rewired.
> rewired, that's not possible with a power surge.
WHUMP! went something out on the network floor, with a huge flash of light that filled the control room window with a light blue glow. "Whoooaa!" Liz yelled. "What the heck was that? Cardin...oh." She picked up her walkie-talkie and switched it on. "Cardinal, what's going down on the floor? Cardinal! Supervise, you dork, don't just sit there! Majors, what's going on? Bluefoot! Killjoy!" The lines were absolutely silent.

They're dead, Miss Elizabeth.

Liz stared at the screen incredulously. "That is not something I want to hear." she said, frightened. She started typing at the console again. The system never volunteers information, she thought at the back of her mind.

> query heap log. what just happened?
An incident.

> nss. what kind of incident? are staff commphones working?
I told you, they're dead.

> who is dead?
The commphones.

> query staff status.
Unknown.

> query system status.
Addventure Max 5.01 Self-Aware.

A beautiful play on the usual answer. Addventure Max 5.01 online. No flaws found. Liz got up from her seat, slowly, staring out at the network floor. Not a soul to be seen, where once there was buzzing activity.

"What the hell is going on here," Liz said, and sprinted to the door that opened onto the staircase.

Liz ran up the stairs to the Head Management Office...she had to report to her superiors.
Liz ran down the stairs to the network floor...she had to find out what was going on.

Dan Jones, 3rd yr, Comp Sci, U of Ottawa - u1500478@csi.uottawa.ca
Academic Funker - http://dino.sandwich.net/funk/
Department of Pizza - http://pizza.sandwich.net/
candidate 23

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