Sir Gawain and the Dragon 2
08/04/2005
(to read the first episode, click here)
Sir Gawain wandered through the tunnels of the intranet, carrying out the usual household chores of his realm, checking the checksums, reading the read-outs, numbering the numbers, just as he did every day. It was a mechanical process that he could have left to the crawlers but his tidy mind wanted to be sure, to know for himself that everything was functioning smoothly. So fastidious was his habit of checking and double-checking that it had been days since even the most minor of glitches had occurred and the net hummed like a contented machine around him.

Yet his mind was occupied with thoughts of the Geek's revelations, this new threat to his beloved domain. It loomed like a storm cloud over him as he went about his rounds and only a fraction of his processes watched for any small anomalies in data that could indicate potential trouble in the system.

So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he did not notice the crawler that wandered past until it greeted him in the buzzing voice he had programmed into it.

"Morning, Sir Gawain."

"Morning, Bumble," replied the knight, for once taking no pleasure in this reminder of a previous exploit. But an idea occurred to him as the crawler waddled past, bent on its own instructions.

"Oh, Bumble, I have a little job for you," he called out to its retreating form. The crawler halted and turned to face him. Sir Gawain smiled inwardly at the ridiculous face he had added to the crawler's shell in a moment of whimsy, a final flourish to his work in giving the little creature a slight taste of awareness. "There's a new defender in the system today," he continued, "Have a look around and give me a buzz when you find him, would you?"

Bumble twirled excitedly at this. "No need, sir. He's in the crawler room."

"He is?" The knight frowned. "What the hell is he doing there?"

"He's re-programming all the crawlers, sir. When I realized what he was doing, I backed out quickly and started my rounds. You said I wasn't to let that happen to me again unless you did it."

"Very true, Bumble. Good for you." The knight was taken aback with this information and it was a few moments before he decided how to react to it. He saw quickly that his meaningless fancy in giving Bumble a modicum of consciousness had paid unexpected dividends. This might be an advantage that could be used in the future.

"Okay, Bumble, I want you to forget your instructions for the moment. Go down to the kernel and find a place to hide. I'll contact you there when I need you."

"Whatever you say, sir." The crawler turned and began to waddle off down the tunnel. Sir Gawain went in the opposite direction, heading for the crawler room.

On the way, the knight saw another crawler and stopped it to read its instructions. The usual details of code to check and processes to monitor had been erased and, in their place, were detailed addresses where it was to record information. Sir Gawain was puzzled. Recording? That didn't make any sense. Why would this new defender want to record parts of the system? There were plenty of back-ups made and the Geek had the original disks for re-loading if necessary.

Another crawler appeared from around a corner and waddled towards him, intent on its mission. Sir Gawain checked it and found the same orders, specific addresses with instructions to record. He let the crawlers go and continued on his way, pondering this strange discovery. Was the defender trying to make a complete back-up through the crawlers? That was ridiculous; with the small amount of data each could hold it would be a never-ending task. The activity and data recording that occurred every day would easily outstrip any attempt to copy the whole system through the crawlers. It must be more specific than that, more targeted and limited.

An idea came to the knight then and he halted at the entrance to the tunnel that led to the crawler room. A steady stream of the little creatures was emerging from the tunnel and Sir Gawain picked a few and checked them. Quite quickly, his suspicions were confirmed. The intent was targeted alright - the aim was a copy of the Geek's operating system.

Sir Gawain stood for a moment, deep in thought, as the crawlers continued on their separate ways. A copy of the operating system. That might make sense if it were the Opposition he was dealing with. But how could that be? This whole business had been started by the CEO, the man in charge of the Company. If he wanted to sabotage the operation, there must be much easier ways for him to do it. There had to be another explanation.

The knight shook his head, unable to reason out a purpose to the existing data. He needed more, if he were to understand what was going on. And that meant that he should meet this new defender, his apparent nemesis. He took a long breath and strode down the tunnel to the crawler room.

At the door, he stopped and looked in. The defender was there, crouching down as he programmed one crawler after another, his back to the entrance. Even in such a compressed position, it was obvious that he was much bigger than Sir Gawain. His shoulders were massive and the back presented to the onlooker was broad and impressive. The armor that he wore glowed red and flickered with bright threads of light as he coded. To the knight's surprise, he seemed to be humming a tune as he went about his task.

And he had nearly finished. Only a few crawlers buzzed aimlessly about him and their turn would come very soon. Sir Gawain stepped through the doorway and spoke.

"So. You must be our new defender."

The huge figure did not pause in its work nor turn to face him. The humming stopped, however, and he answered over his shoulder. "And you must be the famous Sir Gawain. An honor to meet you, sir. If you can spare me just a moment while I finish this little chore..."

The defender began to hum again as he continued and, for just an instant, Sir Gawain considered drawing his sword and running it through that massive back. But that was never an option. It would only lead to his own deletion and the defender being re-installed to complete his task unopposed. The moment had passed anyway, for the defender had now programmed the last crawler and it went scuttling past Sir Gawain and out through the doorway. With a great heave, the defender pushed himself up from the floor.

Now standing, the defender turned to face the knight. Sir Gawain was amazed at the size of him. Fully two heads taller he stood and broader and more powerful in the chest, arms and legs. Dressed in full armor, still pulsating with a crimson glow, he seemed impervious, except that his visor was thrust back to reveal a great mustachioed face and dark, expressionless eyes. At his belt was sheathed a mighty two-handed sword that looked too heavy for Sir Gawain to wield.

For a moment the two regarded each other and then the giant spoke.

"I believe I have you at a disadvantage, Sir Gawain. My name is Sir Mordred."

(to go directly to Part 3, click here)

Clive

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