Firewall

**Episode Information**GalleryTranscript

Firewall

Release Information

**Release Date**
October 23, 2020

**Viewers**
458k+ views

Credits

**Written by**
Jeffrey Yang

**Directed by**
Luke Lerdwichagul

**Storyboard by**
Elle Nguyen

**Firewall** is the twelfth episode of *Meta Runner*, and the second episode of Season 2. It premiered on YouTube on October 23, 2020.

Synopsis
Theo causes trouble for Lucks as Tari continues her life inside TAS Corp's walls.

Characters* Derek Lucks
* Theo
* Tari
* Belle Fontiere
* Evelyn Claythorne
* Lamar Williams
* Sofia Porter
* Masa Shimamoto

Others
Minor Characters* TAScorp. Workers
* Gamers
* Annoying Neighbor

Locations* TAS Corp.
* TAS Corp Server
* Masa's room

Games* Hidden Heroes
* Pocket Gakusei

Plot
The episode starts with Lucks coming down an elevator to check on Theo for the day. On the big screen he pulls up the video of the containment room Theo is in. Lucks welcomes Theo, who expresses that he wants to get out of the room that he is in. Lucks replies by explaining the room will keep Theo safe so he won't continuously glitch. He adds that TASCorp. is working on a way to free Theo from his containment again. Just then Lucks programs a stool to appear in the saferoom. Theo gets an idea to use the stool to glitch inside it and bust his way out of the room. He clips through the wall, leaving Lucks shocked and confused initially, demanding to know where Theo disappeared to. Upon checking, it is revealed that Theo had made his way into the TASCorp. server.
Theo, now in the server, runs across for freedom. He hops around data blocks which appear to be connected to the computers at TASCorp. Hitting the blocks causes the computers to glitch. Lucks first tries to stop Theo using a data partition which sets up a red wall to block Theo from continuing to escape. It fails however as Theo uses his coconut to jump over it. Next, Lucks initiates a quarantine system, which spawns in quarantine bots to capture Theo and send him back into the room. Theo is picked up and is being taken back to the small room. Using his coconut to break the bot, Theo falls onto one of the data blocks. It transitions over to the next scene at the training rooms in TASCorp.
Tari and Evelyn are practicing Hidden Heros for the upcoming showmatch. As they are fighting, Evelyn traps Tari and defeats her. Just then Theo falls into one of the computer screens where Belle is standing next to. Belle is confused at seeing Theo inside the computer. Theo asks Belle where to go from the server but just then, the quarantine bots come back and capture Theo and Belle calls for him to come back. Tari and Evelyn don't know what is happening, but Belle does not mention the incident and tells them to get out of the room that they are practicing in.
Back at the containment room. Theo is captured and the stool he used to break himself out of the cell was taken away. Lucks looks at Theo with a disappointed face and Theo asks Lucks if he is still planning on breaking him out, but Lucks doesn't answer and leaves Theo to himself. Lucks questions all of his workers how he broke out but no one understands how he did it. Lucks tells them to analyze what happened until they figure it out.
Back in the training hallway Evelyn is pretty upset that she has to share her upcoming showmatch with Tari, claiming that "Tari has the charisma and gaming talent of a malfunctioning bot boy". Just as Evelyn says that, she bumps into one of the TASCorp. workers who drops a Pocket Gakusei tablet. Tari picks it up, but Evelyn snatches the game from her and says mockingly that she would hide her face as well if she played an online anime dating sim. Evelyn also begins to mock Tari by calling her an otaku. She retorts by saying there isn't anything wrong with being an otaku and she adds that some of her best friends are otakus as well. Evelyn walks off after mockingly asking who would ever play this game but Tari seems to know one person that would. The scene then cuts to MD-5 back in the low tiers.
Lamar, Sofia and Masa all talk about a plan to take down TASCorp. Sofia explains how Belle found Sofia's phone at TASCorp. Masa asked if Sofia could send the decryption case to hack in but Sofia claims she can't due to TASCorp. having upgraded their security system after attempting to crash their server prior. If Sofia attempted to give the file to Belle, it would be blocked by TASCorp's firewall and sent to Lucks to warn him. Masa was disappointed but Lamar brought up the fact that Tari and Theo were their friends and they could help but Masa claimed that they weren't their friends because Theo was a spy and Tari was involved with Project Blue and Dr. Sheridan. Just then an annoying neighbor comes to ask Masa something, but notices that he still has visitors, making the neighbor leave. Back to the conversation, Lamar replies by saying they made a promise to protect them but they couldn't. Masa, after thinking about it, agrees to help. He asked Sofia if there was any way to get a new arm. Sofia replies saying that they may not be able to buy one but if they try hard, they can win one at a competition.

Trivia* This is the second episode where Tari does not appear in the thumbnail, the first being Bad Split.
* The trick that Theo uses with the stool is a reference to the BLJ (backwards long jump) glitch from Super Mario 64.

Sources