Reconfigure by Aileen Rose

New Program

BOOM!

Lightning cracked across the skies of the N-Gin system, rain coming down in sheets. Programs all over were heading inside, fearing the lightning above.

A dark colored helicopter with yellow glowing marks sat on the edge of a cliff, not minding the rain as he watched the city off in the distance, his deep blue eyes trained on the tower that sat in the middle of it.

"Quite the storm tonight, eh Ranger 301?"

Ranger 301 looked behind him to a see a young man dressed in armor with green glowing marks approaching.

"I could agree, MA-ru..." Ranger 301 looked back to the tower. "It's a sign of activity... Are the Jolly Wrenches out again?"

MA-ru nodded.

"They're out scouting for weak points in the guard with Riley 07... Though I don't see it ending well..." MA-ru growled a little. "These darn Hackers always seem to have the upper hand when it comes to anything we try."

Ranger 301 sighed. "Resistance just hasn't been working well... Sure, we've got our little hideaway here in the Out Lands... but our true home is the city that was once ours..."

"Pheh, least till those darn Hacker Bugs decided to show their ugly heads... Viruses, they're all the same, just different names."

"Agreed..."

Ranger 301 closed his eyes, focusing on the energy in the air and in the ground.

"Doing that weird power sensing thing of yours?"

He gave a small nod. "Be still..."

MA-ru went silent, letting him focus.

Ranger 301 found himself traveling through different parts of the system, following the energies he could sense. He could see parts of the city where other Hackers were running into buildings to get away from the storm, others in buildings making plans or doing research. He came across Riley 07 with his squadron who were sneaking around the borders in their huminid forms.

Good move... He thought as he moved on to other parts of the system.

BOOM! CRACK!

Two lightning strikes...?

He felt a huge energy spike. He followed it, finding it was coming from the air. He gasped a little as he caught sight of what was causing it.

It was plane that was flying into the system at full speed. It wasn't a program he recognized but the color of its marks, which were a certain shade of blue, marked it as an anti-virus program. He focused harder to get a better look at the program.

I've never seen that program before... it looks nothing like the other programs that Brody08 wrote before- ... Brody08...

It clicked in his head.

A new program... It... It has to be...

He followed the program as it flew in further to the system... He saw it heading straight for the city.

Wait! Don't-!

BANG BANG BANG!

It was too late. The plane was being assaulted by Hackers who were in Light Jets. He fought back, using a Light Ribbon as his main weapon, tricking Hackers into crashing into the walls he created.

That's not gonna work forever...

As the plane fought, it continued its course towards the city, dodging as many hits as it could. Wasn't until it was further in the city that they started pulling out the bigger ships and the turrets. The Hackers weren't going to give up that easy and neither was this program.

They fired rapidly at it, getting a few hits in but the program didn't falter from its course.

It's gonna get itself derezzed at this point! Turn back now while you still can!

But he knew the program wasn't stopping with that determined look in its eyes... Then... came its match. Ranger 301 watched as a plane and a helicopter flew into the sky after the program. He recognized both by their marks.

Rip 13... and...

He couldn't finish his thought... He didn't want to.

Rip 13 and the helicopter pursued the program, locking in combat with him with both Light Ribbons and guns. It stopped the program in its tracks, trapping it in a location where it gave the Hackers a good position to land a few good shots. Soon enough... bullets shrieked through the air and a loud scream was heard as the plane went down.

NO!

The plane crashed, but still held together. It was lucky it didn't derezz on the spot... but that would've been a kinder fate as Hackers surrounded the plane, chaining it down and getting strapped to a tank to be taken away. They all laughed as they mocked the plane for trying to attempt such a feat, hitting it a few times with either a punch or a disk.

Ranger 301 couldn't watch anymore. He opened his eyes, finding himself trembling.

MA-ru gave a concerned look. "What just happened over there? I saw something fly in and then go down."

Ranger 301 lowered his head.

"You don't want to know... and I don't want to know either... But..." Ranger 301 looked to MA-ru. "Notify the Wrenches and Hornet 51 that a new program as entered our system that was created by Brody08."

MA-ru's eyes went wide. "OUR USER?! You sure it was him who sent that program!?"

"I'm positive, it has his handy work written all over it, especially since it was a living machine model like us. We need to see if we can attempt to save it before those Hackers derezz it or try something."

MA-ru gave a salute. "You got it boss." He quickly got up and hurried off to base. Ranger 301 turned his attention back to the city, with his eyes narrowed.

Change is coming... Those Hackers know it since they were so set on shooting that program down...

Ranger 301 felt a smirk come to his face.

Finally... The game is starting to change.