Exodus Part 1

The Loungers are tasked with another mission to secure a spacecraft noted for being of Scyrian origin, especially by Heili Runner and her data-being mother Johnna Runner. They found a hidden file about an 'Exodus Simulation' which lies within a large spacecraft containing a backup amount of cryogenically-preserved Scyrians in case the Adytum Project failed. Now that Scyria has fully healed, Heili wants the Loungers to get it back as the Lodgers and Heroes Act are preoccupied. Thus they enter and learn that the Exodus Craft has 8 ringworlds around it that contains cultivated life that was collected from all over the UUniverses and even replicated the most inhospitable but livable of terrain, while also discovering the simulations inside that teach the Scyrian clones inside not only to grow up as fresh new clones, but also to survive in hostile space climates for terraforming. They discover that it has not returned to Scyria for eons since their disappearance but it has still not come back after the Scyrians returned. Thus the Loungers are to investigate why and do something about it. They learn that it has been hacked by an unknown intruder. Though the heroes have to first save the people inside the simulation before they can be infected when the intruder managed to spread enhancelement into it, and has been turning survivors into avatars to serve for his army. HL-1 joins the group inside Sau's unit and seek to stop this intruder and free everyone from the simulation before they are assimilated.

## Scenes

#### **Heili’s Mission**

* Heili:... Hello, new friends.
* Sau:... Unbelievable! You’re a being of pure data and energy!
* Heili: How observant you are.
* Sau: Well, being a preserved brain inside a whole bevy of screens and machinery makes me QUITE observant. Everything is visible to me.
* Heili: A brain in a jar. Primitive, but the design is quite sophisticated. Almost Teadr 1.
* Sonny: Well, I DID take some inspirations from-
* Heili: Never mind that. You should know what I am. Since me and the Lodgers saved Scyria from Dr. SMD and Stonewell, I have become just like my mother. A Sentia Deus.
* Kii: And a rather... Attractive one at that.
* Heili: Oy. Like I haven’t heard that before. Anyway, where you’re going next I cannot follow. And neither can HL-1.
* HL-1: AWWWWW, I WANNA GOOOO!! Whoa, when did I start acting like a child?
* Cen: Your comical banter is charming, but we’re here on behalf of the Lodgers... Again.
* Alpha Rolf: Yes, so why don’t you just tell us what we need to do already?
* Heili: That's the idea. You are owed an explanation, mates. (She brought up a virtual simulation as everyone watched) The Scyrians were a grand race that began as intelligent raptors who mastered hunting in their extremely untamed world. In time, they grew stronger. They mastered genetic engineering, splicing their own genetics with their fellow fauna. At first they did this by injecting themselves with the stuff, bleeh... But then they found something revolutionary even amongst other Teadr 1 races.
* HL-1: Yeah. Are you familiar with a substance known as ‘enhancelement’?
* Cephward: Do we LOOK like we know what that is?
* HL-1: You want me to answer that, mate?
* Sau: (Looked it up with her mind)... Oh, I got it.
* HL-1:... Aw bugger all, I wanted to answer that.
* Sau: Enhancement was semi-ubiquitous in the Teadr 1 era, sometimes found in meteors. You could describe it as a, silicon-carbon-based lifeform. A wonder material and hybrid of organic and inorganic material, endlessly strong and adaptive, able to produce its own electricity and radiation like a neural network. It’s comprised of a silicon-carbon fullerene engineered to mimic DNA and weave around each other like fibers. Like, a substance made from strands of pseudo-DNA. When refined correctly, it can be commanded like programmable matter and meet any need wanted from it. Not many worlds or Teadr 1 races made use of it due to its cosmic rarity, but it in particular was the backbone of Scyrian technology. It was quickly incorporated as a fundamental constituent in the daily aspects of Scyrians life like energy, infrastructure, transport, and deadliest of all, weaponry and of course genetic enhancement, hence the name. Silly if you ask me. But I digress. Sadly, it was also fundamental for the Scyrians' downfall, as it changed in ways they never intended. Corruptive ways. They ended up flying too close to the sun with it, and like gene drugs, they went into genetic madness when their genetic code regressed them to feral primitive instinct. They had to be put in stasis.
* Heili: Not just that, either. The pseudointelligence enhancelement deeply had was heightened in its widespread public use. Cities built atop enhancelement veins became bustling metropolises practically overnight. Large demands from civilian application to overall quality of life. Its gene enhancement gave rise to transient Scyrians like higher mutations, who primarily sided with United Scyrian Government, even incorporating enhancelement ore on their bodies and minds, which a movement called the Sydus Federation cracked down on.
* Numm: So, it was a resource war for the stuff?
* Heili: Yes. This split sparked a war between the sapientists of the Sydus Federation and the transbeingists of the USG. The uses of enhancelement in open warfare, especially by the technological breakthroughs of the SF's leader's old friend Doctor Genison who gave Sydus reverse-engineered USG tech before the war, poisoned the surface of Scyria, turning its wildlife corrupt and in eons hence, gave enhancelement itself a core consciousness of its own that me and my friends were able to destroy.
* HL-1: Indeed. Many Scyrians spared the genetic madness built Adytums. Concealed biodomes that housed cultivated fauna, flora, and sentient life for environmental restoration once the enhancelement toxicity was purged at the right amounts. The sentient life thing was meant to help them survive against the struggles of alien civilizations. Something like a, predetermined alien coexistence if you will. Each of them was implanted with a consciousness from the fiercest survivors in UUniversal history. Underneath each of them were even clones of hundreds of surviving Scyrians implanted with a chosen consciousness from grand historical survivors as well, and even some surviving Scyrians as well, for several reasons like politics, leadership, farming, yadda-yadda. Thanks to the Lodgers, we made it all possible. The Scyrians are alive and well... But we’re not done yet.
* Atrick: Really? Sounded like a happy ending to me.
* HL-1: There’s another story we weren’t aware of, until now. We found they had another backup plan. Or rather, many of them, some of which are dead. There's a spacecraft out there serving as a lifeboat of sorts called the Exodus Craft. Apparently it was made by the Sydus Feferation to colonize a new world by first placing them within a simulation and training them for whatever inhospitable climate they touch down on. But it also has a dozen ringworlds circling its center that cultivates life. Fauna, flora, and also sapient life. It was programmed to collect and cultivate as much as it could find across the UUniverses, and it did so. Those ringworlds became the home of endless biological wonders waiting to be introduced on its destination.... But it hasn’t done so yet.
* Commander: You mean to tell me that hunk of junk is still searching the cosmos for a new world even since it was LAUNCHED?!
* Scowalski: (Squeaked at such a high pitch)
* Hud: Duuurrrrng, therse gurrhs rrh SURRRRRRRR lurkih!
* HL-1:... What'd he say, mate?
* Zhensi: I have NO idea sometimes.
* Scoro: Then, that means it’s vulnerable to any who would abuse it. The Shell Lodgers, Heroes Act, and others said many times, and so have we, that we have to bring Teadr 1 races back to life however we can, because of THIS reason. People like the old Jalladome Confederation would LOVE power like this. We MUST find this Exodus Craft.
* Heili: But as I said, I cannot follow. Others need me. And HL-1 cannot either. Her presence will be too suspicious.
* HL-1: MY presence will be TOO SUSPICIOUS to strangers on an eon-long derelict spacecraft?
* Heili: No, but it will to any who come after it.
* HL-1:... Ah strewth, you're right.
* Sonny: Did you get the coordinates?
* HL-1: Did I ever. (She uploaded them into Sau, but then HL-1 shut down)...
* Sau:... What just happ-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGIGIHRURGRK!!
* Bongki:... The heck kinda sound was THAT?
* HL-1: (Emerged from Sau's body) WHOO! Sorry, mate, me and Heili just decided this was the best way to help.
* Trigress: So then you ARE coming with us?
* HL-1: Technically, NO!
* Sau: (Regained control) Oh, Gods, are you gonna pop up so annoyingly often for this?
* HL-1: Mmmm, I might.
* Sau: (Sighs) Sometimes I wonder why Sonny didn’t or hasn't cloned me a NEW body. Digisurrection exists.
* Sonny: Sometimes it's expensive, and a lot of things go into registration for it. Otherwise, ANYONE who EVER died EVERYWHERE would come back to life.
* Sau:... (Sighs) I hate my life sometimes.
* HL-1: Ah, suck it up, mate. Being a machine isn't THAT bad.
* Sau: Easy for YOU to say. You were made to help Heili with physical affairs while she was busy.
* HL-1: Well YOU were made to keep your friend from going to the stony lonesome.
* Sau:... DID YOU JUST READ MY MEMORY BANKS?!
* HL-1:... Oh, should've figured that was a bad thing.
* Sonny: Okay, okay, we're getting off-track here. If this'll help us proceed, then we'll take it.

#### **Glitch Repair Scenes**

Poisonous Geothermal Swamp

* HL-1: This biome is TEEMING with life. Now, looking at the conditions of THIS land, that may seem hard to believe, but certain creatures have evolved to cope with that. It's called extremophilic creatures. In the AUU, it's mostly microorganisms, but here it's so much more. And this biome is FULL of it. So much so that it’s making the simulation glitch out. Imagine what it takes to keep track of the insect swarms alone. Thousands of insects, each on its own flight path, each looking for something to consume. Hmmm. They’re rather like tiny versions of survivors, aren’t they?
* Sau:... Maybe.

(#2)

* HL-1: My sensors, or Sau's, are picking up heaps of organic compounds in the air, just floating around. I reckon you’d call them smells? It’s just chemistry to me, mate. When you’re sniffing around this biome, watch out for hydrogen sulfide. You know, Aitch-two Ess? My data says it smells pungent, but then it deadens your sense of smell. You can breathe in the poison without realizing it.
* Sau: Well the stuff IS a byproduct of microbes feeding.

(#3)

* HL-1: Now that I’ve fixed that glitch, we can get moving. I reckon it’s important to keep moving here. This geothermal bog has a million ways to get you stuck. Let’s see, there’s quicksand, brews of chemical acids, massive spider webs, thick foliage, rising water from monsoons, especially when the gases cause acid rain, plus all the muck that sticks to everything. Makes me glad I can float, it does.
* Sau: Well, lucky you.

(#4)

* HL-1: Welp, that glitch is fixed. Pity it was hard to reach. This biome is such a dismal place to get around in. These giant trees evolved to create platforms on their branches and share a symbiosis with the plants that grow on em. Yet I know many a race must be used to life in the swamp, eh? After all, that’s where the humans came from. The Fertile Lands was once a swamp before the first humans drained it for agriculture. Unlike AUU humans, OURS weren't living in an Ice Age. THEY were in a Storm Age. Deafening thunder and lightning, hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, anything, since Marbon back in those days was moist, and had clashing cold and warm air currents. Makes me wonder if draining geothermal bogs like this is possible, though.
* Sau: ANYTHING is possible.
* HL-1: Yeah, got me there, mate.

(#5)

* HL-1: The master AI for this biome is gone! Gone for good, far as I can tell. And it’s supposed to be a final exam for Scyrian survivors in this biome, so it shouldn’t just disappear. If someone turned the master for the biome off... Why would they do that? The whole point of all this is to observe and test the survivors. You’ve been doing well, though, and if you were one of these survivors, I'd want you to get credit for it.
* Sau: Well we're not, but still, we'll take it. But yeah... Where IS the master AI?

(#6)

* HL-1: I fixed the glitch, but I spotted another change to the simulation. One I don’t think the designers intended. It’s the swamp gas in the geothermal bog biome. As designed, it was just supposed to put you to sleep if you lingered in it too long. But it’s killing survivors by the slab. Don’t breathe it unless you’ve got a mask or something.
* Sau: Some of us don't breath though.
* HL-1: MOST of us do, you mean.

Fractured Moon Biome

* HL-1: Gravity. You don’t miss it 'til it’s gone, eh? Or I reckon it’s not 'gone' so much as it’s 'on its way out the door'. Based on the data in that glitch, the lack of gravity should impact you in heaps of different ways. You can jump better, of course, and projectiles travel further. If you’re feeling clumsy, you can even fall off things without getting hurt. Not that I recommend it.
* Sau: They're already doing it. (The heroes did it)
* HL-1:... Ah ballocks!

(#2)

* HL-1: The Exodus Simulation has hotter and colder places than here, but this biome is the only place where you’ll have hot and cold separated by just the border of a shadow. It’s one of the side effects of a proper atmosphere in the other biomes, I reckon. It evens out the temperature from place to place. Air. It’s good for more than just breathing.
* Sau: Again, we don't breath.
* HL-1: And again, MOST of us do.

(#3)

* HL-1: According to data from that glitch, this is supposed to be 'a' moon. Not ANY moon. I suppose the proof is that this moon has weather. Electrical storms. They’ll fry anything that relies on electricity, unless you’ve shielded them ahead of time. At least it doesn’t rain. Unless you count the meteors. Hmmm. Yeah, I reckon we should count those.
* Sau: Well, that's what makes one a good 'METEOR-ologist'. (The two laughed)... Wow, I didn't think you'd laugh at that.
* HL-1: You really didn't?
* Sau:... I guess not.

(#4)

* HL-1: According to the simulation file I just had a squizz at, you should keep an eye out for weird gray lumps on the ground. It might be ambergris we can put to use. Supposedly it’s particularly volatile, and I know some of you blokes got a thing for explosions. But before you pick it up, fair warning: it’s basically space whule snot. Don’t expect me to get near the stuff.
* Ruke: Yeech! Me neither. I'm just gonna piss on it!
* HL-1: NO YOU BLOOMING IDIOT- (They were all blasted around the area and later recovered)... Nitrogen in the piss can be volatile to this stuff.
* Ruke:... Now you tell us!

(#5)

* HL-1: The artificial intelligence that observes testing in the alien moon biome is gone. I checked when I fixed that glitch just now. And not 'gone on walkabout for a bit' gone. More like 'gone as in deleted'. Without the master AI active, I’m not sure what’s monitoring our progress in the biome...
* ZongueBob:... Something's fishy around here.

(#6)

* HL-1: That glitch was a bit of a physics error. The makers of the Exodus Simulation used this area to test physics, long before the survivors were let in. If I know sentient nature, and it’s something I’m getting better at, you must admit, this area got turned into a proper biome when someone realized they could turn the test zone into an 'alien moon' and pop off to the pub early on a Treday.
* Sau: Heh, sounds like something I'd make.

(#7)

* HL-1: Another stray historical file. This one’s weird. A space mission. One of the Yatorans' earliest files, and one of their first trips into space. Vosikle X back in 124055 BK. The whole thing came a gutser. During the spacewalk, the cosmonaut’s suit ballooned up and he had to manually deflate it just to get back in the capsule. And when they came to Yaton, they landed in the wilderness, hundreds of kilometers off course. They spent two nights camping in the wilderness, predators all ‘round, before they were rescued. Sounds a bit like how they do things in the Exodus Simulation, eh?
* Sau:... Almost, I say.

(#8)

* HL-1: Someone’s been looking up historical data on radiation poisoning. And I mean really historical, as in Wilvus Melton in 15560 AK, the first Roenton who looked at himself anatomically with X-rays figuring his natural radiation immunity, and gave himself radiation burns as a result. Melton healed up and lived a long life, but there are places in the Exodus Simulation where the radiation is stronger than your bog-standard X-ray. So let’s be careful, eh?
* Cephward: Don't have to tell US twice.

Waterworld Biome

* HL-1: Exploring underwater here isn’t just a matter of putting on bathers and swimming about. After all, swimming is pointless if you can't explore what's actually IN the water. But that's not easy for many. I mean, it is for me, but some of you've gotta breathe. When I fixed that glitch, I took a peek at this biome’s water composition. Strewth, it was super boring, but I did spot one useful bit. This water is super-oxygenated, and thus this ocean actually allows life to thrive and diversify. But there are also super-oxygenated bubbles hereabouts. Find one of them, and you can breathe underwater, no worries!
* Sonny: Say no more. (She went underwater gurgling as the bubbles burst everywhere)
* HL-1:... Ew, did she just-
* ZongueBob: Don't ask.

(#2)

* HL-1: There are plenty of fish in the sea, but there’s more than just fish, or the usual alienated sea life, in this biome. According to data from that glitch, birds rather fancy this place. There’s heaps of ‘em! Makes a certain amount of sense. It’s always good flying weather here, innit? I reckon that’s why we’ve seen huge flocks of em. I wonder where they roost, though?
* Sonny: (Gurgling) Oh, they'll find ways. Life always does.

(#3)

* HL-1: Strewth, that glitch was downright philosophical. Apparently two parallel algorithms couldn’t agree on an answer to a simple question: Is water wet?
* ZongueBob:... Uh, yeah?
* HL-1: Let me finish. One chunk of code defined 'wet' as 'a liquid adhering to a solid' and said no. The other bit of code defined 'wet' as 'the sensation of contact with a liquid' and decided yes. I couldn’t decide, so I told them to flip a virtual coin and get on with it.
* Sonny: Heh. Scientology, am I right?

(#4)

* HL-1: That glitch proves this ocean is artificial. Not exactly news, eh? Could be worse, though. The first artificial ocean back in around 20000 BK, was part of an experiment in a closed ecosystem. At first, their ocean thrived. They even grew a coral reef. But heaps of the species they introduced died off, and the researchers inside formed hostile factions and almost starved. Hmmm. Starving humans dividing themselves into tribes. Where have I heard that before?
* Sau: Heh. You always find ways to wisecrack, don't you?
* HL-1: That's what comes with being smart.

(#5)

* HL-1: Some of the master AIs that monitor each biome have been knocked offline by whatever’s mucking about in the Exodus Simulation’s back paddock. That’s true in the waterworld biome, too, but there’s a difference. The ocean’s master AI took itself offline before anyone else could shut it down. That’s adaptive programming for ya. I reckon that means it can come back, if and when it needs to. That’s good news. Perhaps? I think? From inside the simulation, it’s a bit hard to tell.
* Sau: Oh, I believe it's got hope.

(#6)

* HL-1: No secret why they call it a waterworld biome, eh? As in, a planet with no dry land. But this glitch was a bit of deprecated code... From when this place was teeming with islands. I know the biome is 'water, water everywhere', but imagine how much easier it would be if you could just roll up on the beach from time to time, put on your bathers, have a coldie. Or whatever you do when you aren’t treading water half the time. Something or someone deleted all those islands right before the first survivors entered the simulation. I wonder why?
* Sonny: Oh, I can think of a few reasons.

Stormy Snow Biome

* HL-1: When I fixed that glitch, I spotted some casualty data for this biome. It’s not just critters or other survivors who are dangerous here. The weather might be the real apex predator. There's a hyperstorm that plagues this place, and so snowstorms here will freeze you, block your vision, and slow down travel so you can’t get away. And if that isn’t enough, a gust of wind can push you off a precipice. If you were looking for a ski getaway, this biome is not the place for it, eh?
* Sau: Oh, it can do MORE than that.

(#2)

* HL-1: I tried getting a peek at a weather forecast when I fixed that glitch, but no luck. It’s bad enough that we have to dodge snowstorms, but there’s also the sleet to deal with. Unlike a blizzard, a sleetstorm will hurt you directly. At first the hail is just painful enough to sting a bit. But if you don’t seek shelter, the hailstones get bigger, and they’ll pummel you into frozen jam if you aren’t careful.
* ZongueBob: Ouch.

(#3)

* HL-1: OoOOhoohooh! Fixing that glitch gave me the chills. Strewth, everything here gives me the chills, and I’m not flesh and blood like you. Every critter in this biome has its own solution to the cold. For a Knifon or a Mammothericus, it’s obvious: fur. The Tycrosaur and the Sodo trap warm air under their feathers. And sometimes the answer lies under the skin. The Kaiten and the Gabyrocurus have a layer of blubber to keep from freezing out here.
* Alpha Rolf: Thanks for the science lesson, professor. I TOTALLY didn't know that.

(#4)

* HL-1: I learned something new when I fixed that glitch. This biome was intended to train Scyrians to survive cold climates that reptiles can't tread. It mimics a world under an Ice Age because of a hyperstorm. So all this frigid weather isn't for more than just any kinda biome. Hyperstorms are nasty forces of nature. They can potentially freeze anything around em.
* Sau: No kidding.

(#5)

* HL-1: Look around this biome, or any of ‘em, really, and you’ll see why the Exodus Simulation makes a good testing ground for fresh new Scyrian clone survivors with the intelligence of a baby upon creation. It’s so bloody hard to build something here. Depending on where you are, you’ve got avalanches, lava, earthquakes, or an utter lack of solid ground to deal with. All of that makes keeping your buildings upright quite the task! I bet some of these glitches came into being when someone built their dream structure in exactly the wrong spot, and kaboom! Some part of the environment blew the whole thing up or down, or all around.
* Atrick: Hehe. Sounds almost funny.

(#6)

* HL-1: That glitch was all that’s left of the master AI for this biome. Gone. Deleted. Just like that. It’s not like this frozen environment won’t test us, of course, but no master AI means no final test. And worse, I’m not sure if anyone’s recording the results of your tests here. I knew you’d be curious, so I looked for clues about how or why the master AI was deleted. I came up blank. Could be a programming error, or it could be related to the security breaches I spotted earlier.
* Sau: If you ask me, it's the latter.

(#7)

* HL-1: This biome is supposed to be tough and challenging, obviously, but it’s not supposed to be this bad. The weather generation system that controls the hyperstorm is locked in high-level mode and throwing up a glitch like the one I just fixed rather than shift to milder weather. So if you were hoping for a sunny spell, well... The forecast calls for more of the same. And that’s the forecast forever.
* Winget: Well that's promising.

(#8)

* HL-1: Our intruder’s been fossicking around in old historical files again, and being careless about the glitches thrown into the simulation. This one was a very noteworthy file: “The Worst Storm In Existence”. It’s about a man named Frozwell, the first one, if not the only one, to survive a hyperstorm the entire way and live. Those poor blokes around him. They went through frozen hell trying to survive the horrible conditions. He lost his entire team to frostbite and exhaustion as they all froze to death when the storm pulled supercool air from the higher troposphere too fast to warm up and rapidly froze everything around them. Criminy, that’s grim.
* Sau: Well that's what comes with survival.

(#9)

* HL-1: Another glitch, another file from history. This one’s fiction: Jac Torques' "To Use A Fire". I can already tell I’m not going to like this. It’s about a man ending up using his sentient-level intellect and tools unwisely and accidentally burning the entire forest and himself to the ground. Here’s a bit near the end: "A good idea, he thought, to burn slowly to death and watch the world you lived in drift away from you. It was like taking an anesthetic. Burning, freezing, illness, they were all not so bad as people thought. There were lots worse ways to die". It's basically a cautionary tale and a metaphor on how sentience is not above the world they thrive in, and whatever they make CAN and WILL harm them. Let’s not find out whether he’s right about freezing being one of the least bad ways to die, eh?
* Billis: OH YOU DON'T NEED TO! (He grew back his tail which suffered from frostbite)... This is the 11th time I had to grow my tail back! And it's STARTING TO HURT!!!

Carbon Planet Volcanic Landscape

* HL-1: As if there wasn’t enough stuff coming out of the ground around here, that glitch was the result of an oil geyser and a lava eruption triggering at the same place, same time. Glad we weren’t standing here. Lava eruptions happen all the time. I mean, look around, eh? But the oil geysers are more rare. Still, if we can find one and tap it somehow, I reckon we could strike it rich!
* Sonny: We wouldn't really need it for riches, though, just for it's flammable properties.
* HL-1: Still, at least it HAS uses.

(#2)

* HL-1: That glitch was left over from a volcanic eruption, though I’m not sure exactly why. There’s a lot going on with an eruption around here. First you got your earthquake, and when a fair dinkum earthquake is just the early warning, that’s bad, innit? Follow that with molten rocks falling from the sky and magma flowing like rivers. And that's not even mentioning the pyroclastic flows that can bury you alive in cinder and ash. It’s a wonder the biome isn’t deserted.
* Sau: Heh. Lucky.

(#3)

* HL-1: I got a glimpse of air-quality data when I fixed that glitch. No surprise, mate, breathing here is bad for your health. But it isn’t just all the smoke and ash in the air. The earthquakes open up vents to underground pockets of poison gas. That gas escapes to the surface, and well, you can guess the rest. The poison gas dissipates eventually... But can you hold your breath until 'eventually'?
* Sonny: Well, some of us can do it for long stretches of time, but not forever, so I'm not testing that theory.

(#4)

* HL-1: Another glitch fixed! Look around, survivor. Isn’t it strange that you have dinos wandering around a volcanic environment, let alone a carbon planet? It’s like we’re seeing the moment of their extinction. Or at least some scientists think so on certain worlds. They’re skeptical of other theories like an asteroid strike, a gamma-ray burst, and even climate change, and they think massive eruptions like this, but lasting for centuries, might have done them all in. But on a carbon planet, it's different. They'd suffocate or be incinerated. You can find diamonds and graphite all over the place, but the surface could be ripe with tar and methane, making the air flammable. No water since any oxygen from comets or asteroid will react to the surface carbon. Yet, water is present here. Possibly via the oxygen that is already present here, which is how we're still breathing. Still, reactions can get pretty nasty. I reckon you watch out, eh?
* ZongueBob: Already on our to-do list since the beginning.

(#5)

* HL-1: That glitch was a security alert. The last one sent by the master AI for this biome. It’s gone. Deleted. I’m not entirely sure why everything here still works, but it does. Dinos still traipsing about, volcanoes still erupting, sky still raining fire... It’s all working, but it’s a bit shonky. Feels like a classroom when the teacher’s stepped out for a bit.
* Sau: We'll figure it out, eventually.

(#6)

* HL-1: Someone just added historical eruption data to the Exodus Simulation, and it threw up that glitch. I got it sorted, but we can expect the occasional worse-than-usual eruption. How much worse? Well, you heard of the Septan Traps? Kraktma? Paekutua? That sort of thing. That sort of eruption doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s time to redraw your map.
* Sonny: Heili sure made you too optimistic, hasn't she?
* HL-1: I'm an AI, aren't I?

(#7)

* HL-1: Someone’s been fossicking about in the historical records, looking up the eruption of Mount Tsinborne, Sabochalla, 43392 AK. They called it the 'Year Without Warmth'. Frost killed off crops worldwide, and it snowed across the northern hemisphere... Across the planet's summer. Tens of thousands died, mostly from famine. I suppose a bit of chill around here would be welcome, but I’m not willing to pay that price.
* Scoro: None of us are, but thankfully Zewinsaurs are bred to handle exoplanetary conditions.
* HL-1: True that.

(Story Progress)
(#1)

* HL-1: As I closed that glitch, I caught a glimpse of the survivor database. In the Adytums, not all sentient beings who were cultivated in them were of a primitive nature... But that is how it started. As time went on, when the blokes in the Adytums grew smarter, so did others on certain occasions when they were cultivated. Others were given a conscience based on those all over AUU history. All were cataloged from the Teadr 1 Era onward. I don’t know how much of it the cultivated beings HERE remember, though. As for how they were spawned into the Exodus Simulation since it's different than when being spawned in the Adytums... Well, your guess is as good as mine. Frankly, they should be proud. The whole point of the simulation is to identify the very best survivors, especially Scyrians. And many of them are alive right now, so they’re in the running.
* Sanjay: But we still have to prove to them that this IS a simulation and that the Exodus Craft needs to return to Scyria.
* HL-1: I know, but I'm just saying, mate.

(#2)

* HL-1: Did you feel a bit disjointed when you arrived in the simulation?
* Marphy:... A little bit. Why do you ask?
* HL-1: Well, that’s normal. When you enter this simulation, your personality and your memories are stored in huge memory banks, and then they get combined with a physical body inside the Exodus Simulation. Once that combination of mind and body happens, though, you’re on your own. Well, you’ve got me, of course. That counts for something!
* Sau: Uh, we don't TECHNICALLY need you. I know as much about this place as you do, and you're sharing my body so to avoid suspicion.
* HL-1: Still counts to me.

(#3)

* HL-1: Some sort of security alert caused this glitch. But it was an alert from inside the systems that run the entire simulation. I think it's the same thing that happened in the EP Simulation Heili's friends were trapped in thanks to Stonewell. Someone else is doing the same and tried to make changes in almost every part of the simulation. The creatures, the environment, the weather... Even the survivors.... Everything seems to be working, other than that glitch, of course, so I reckon we’re OK to proceed.
* Sivo: I wouldn't hold my nonexistent breath on that one, Hell-1!
* HL-1: Please, don't call me that.

(#4)

* HL-1: Every time I fix a glitch, I get a peek behind the curtain. I understand a bit more of how the Exodus Simulation works. But what I don’t understand is exactly what it's destination was. The simulation tests survivors with inhospitable alien climates, obviously. But all this testing is supposed to prepare them for arrival at a planet called... Sydus. Fitting name given that's the designated name for the Overwatcher that wanted to protect Scyria from the corrupted original Overwatcher, but I don’t know what that planet is. It's in NONE of the databanks. All it's minor description says is that it's the most inhospitable but superhabitable world in the Beta Universe. But whatever the planet is, it’s something beyond the simulation itself.
* Sau:... I can't find any information on that planet either.... So, I suppose it's a bummer nobody found it earlier.
* HL-1: I'm not sure how THAT came to be either. But, all I know is that maybe the Exodus Craft isn't fit to do the job anymore.

(#5)

* HL-1: You’ve probably noticed that the Exodus Simulation is a dangerous place.
* Bongki: (With deep sarcastic voice) NOOOO, YOU DON'T SAAAAY, WHAT GAVE IT AWAAAAAY?!
* HL-1: Just saying. It's obvious by now that safety and comfort here is a challenge, and there’s always some new crisis to deal with. Apparently, that’s on purpose. The Simulation is designed to keep you under constant pressure so your mind stays sharp and you learn survival skills. And it’s all in anticipation of the arrival on Sydus... Whatever that planet is.

(#6)

* HL-1: This glitch is another side effect of the security alert. The creatures and survivors look unaffected, but some of the safety protocols have been disengaged. This world is supposed to have a degree of danger, that’s what makes it a proper test, after all... But I’m worried. Safety protocols are usually there for a reason.
* Sonny: That's KINDA why we're here, HL-1.
* HL-1: Yeah, that's why I'm not FREAKING out right now.

(#7)

* HL-1: The simulation’s security protocols are holding, but there’s a steady stream of alerts from an unknown intruder. All this security activity is why we’re seeing these glitches, but it’s also sapping the overall system resources. I don’t know what happens if the system gets overwhelmed. Maybe I turn all pixel-ey?
* Sau: Then glad we came here before or shortly after this 'unknown intruder' is.

(#8)

* ???: I see you're cleaning up after me, and for that I thank you.
* Rozzken: What the-?
* Pip: What happened, HL-1, you got a sore throat or something?
* ???: Establishing control over this 'Exodus Simulation' involves a degree of... Untidiness, which you experience as glitches. Carry on, but know that I'm always watching.
* HL-1: WHEW! I went offline for several seconds there. Sorry about that. I miss anything? (They all paused)... What?

(#9)

* HL-1: It’s natural for people to wonder what happens after death, isn’t it? In this case, it’s rather straightforward. The Exodus Simulation captures your memories, then reloads your mind into a new body, and you’re free to keep on exploring and learning. Not that you should die just to see for yourself, of course. These people are called 'survivors' for a reason.
* Alpha Rolf: Yeah, for how long, I can't say.

(#10)

* HL-1: I was curious how the simulation was doing overall, so I took a peek as I was fixing that glitch. For starters, you’re doing fine. We make a rippin' team! But the overall numbers... Survivors are dying in droves. Starvation, violence, accidents, a bit of everything. This is supposed to be a survival test, but the death rate is off the charts. We’d best be careful, eh?
* Hanso: Zat WOULD explain why we don't see many others here.

(#11)

* ???: You’ve managed to fashion some primitive tools to aid in your survival. So have I... But the tools I’M making will alter the very foundation of the Scyrian world. Right now, my tools are likewise primitive... But I’m learning, and soon I’ll have a harsh lesson or two for you.
* HL-1: I’ve got another gap in my processes.... It happened again, didn’t it?
* Timothy: Yep. And it was a little more scary than before.
* HL-1:... That's reassuring.

(#12)

* HL-1: I can’t tell why, but some survivors aren't respawning after they die, and it’s throwing glitches in the system. Glitches like the one I just cleaned up. I think the survivors want to respawn... Although when they’re in-between bodies, how can we tell? It’s like something’s keeping them in a holding pattern. A sort of limbo within the Exodus Simulation. You’ll respawn just fine if something happens to you, though. I checked. Not that I think you’ll die, mind you. Just in case! Chin up!
* Pho: Uhhh... I don't think there's much to chin up for after hearing that. We have GOT to fix this and stop whoever's causing this.

(#13)

* HL-1: The testing apparatus is intact throughout the Exodus Simulation, even though some of the master AIs are gone. One or more master AIs must be out there somewhere. Still, it’s a poser... Why would anyone leave the tests intact, but try to knock out the master AIs that observe the tests and interpret the results? What’s the point of the tests if there’s no one to see what happened?
* Cen: Perhaps it's because whoever is causing it wants to see it for themselves.
* HL-1: True, but why? Why would they need to?
* Sau: Maybe because they WANT THE CRAFT, DUH!
* HL-1: (Sighs)

(#14)

* ???: You survivors have a tenacity that surprises me.
* ZongueBob: Ugh, not THIS guy again.
* ???: Even when you perish in this world, you respawn and try again. But don't be too proud of yourselves. Most survivors just rush right back to the site of their demise, only to die all over again. It’s amusing to watch at first, but it quickly turns pathetic. Like a video game griever. It makes all I'm doing here worth it.
* HL-1:... Another gap... It’s related to the glitches.
* Sonny: I do NOT like that guy's voice!
* HL-1: Well, I’m going to set up a backup system so at least I can observe what’s happening when I get 'repossessed'.

(#15)

* HL-1: This glitch was a bit of code debris left over from another security breach. This one involved someone trying to access the Exodus Simulation's backup files. Ones that hold survivor personalities and memories. Backup versions of their minds, if you like. Not important minds, though. These were potential survivors that didn’t pass the initial assessment to be considered for the simulation in the first place. Why would anyone be mucking about with them?
* Cen: Only one way to find out. Keep going.

(#16)

* ???: Ah, cleaning up after my untidiness, I see. (All the Loungers groaned) You all may be of use to me, as janitors. You’ve got the knack for it. You’re cleaning up messes, and yet some others who tried don’t even know why they’re doing it. But that’s true of all survivors, I suppose. None of them understand what’s going on. And they never will.
* HL-1:... Let me guess: I had an uninvited house-guest, again?
* Sau: Yep.
* HL-1: At least it doesn’t stay for long, eh?
* Sau: Don't expect any miracles.

(#17)

* HL-1: You've been doing well so far, as our own Lodgers. All this "live, thrive, and survive" stuff here in the Exodus Simulation seems to suit you.
* Drynder: Suits SOME of us.
* HL-1: Eh, whatever. Good thing, too. That glitch I just fixed was a byproduct of someone increasing test difficulties across the board. No idea why anyone would do that. Doesn't it make the data all bodgy if you change the rules halfway through? No worries for us, anyway. We’ll pass every test they throw our way!
* Ruke: We'd better. I ALMOST DIED 19 F\*\*\*\*\*G TIMES!!! When we find who is responsible for this s\*\*\*, I'm going to KILL HIM IN A WORSE WAY THAN DEATH!!

(#18)

* HL-1: Remember how I said some of the other survivors weren’t respawning?
* Boole: Yeeeeeeah?
* Kii: Well... How worse has it gotten?
* HL-1: Not worse.... For the most part. They’ve been moved into a diagnostic subroutine. Hopefully the Exodus Simulation will figure out what the problem is and get those survivors back in here. It’s curious, though... That diagnostic subroutine wasn’t running when I fixed that earlier glitch. I don’t think that subroutine existed! Someone beyond the simulation must be looking out for those survivors. Good on ‘em, I say.
* Lady Hush: I GUESS it was Heili giving us some divine intervention? You said that the Sentia Deus stuff was a pet project of the Sydus AI when she was still alive, and they were so powerful from data and energy, they ascended beyond reality.
* HL-1: Yes. If it IS Heili, or maybe even her Ma, then again, good on 'em.

(#19)

* ???: Hello!
* Mostly Everyone: HELLO, ASSHOLE!
* ???:... I’ve been watching you, and the other survivors. You should have see them all. Why, I was just watching an ordinary survivor. Some water-loving Sauran. He dove too deep, couldn’t reach the surface, and well, you know the rest. I expected a lot of thrashing about, and I wasn’t disappointed. But the wild-eyed panic of a drowning survivor... That never gets old.
* HL-1: AAAHHGH!! STOP DOING THAT!! I don’t care who or what you are, just STOP IT!!! Ugh, we had BEST get that BASTARD out of me as soon as possible!
* Sau: You mean get him out of US!
* HL-1: WHATEVER!!!

(#20)

* HL-1: My sensors are picking up changes in the mineral composition within the Exodus Simulation. Enhancelement seems to be spreading all over. That's unnerving. Enhancelement can be fundamental in artificial application, but in the wild, it can do damaging things... Depending on the conditions. Just like DNA, this blood-like stuff in it's molten form can warp anything around it. Like cultivated mutation. It's adaptable capabilities and internal energy production have allowed it to change anything, whether by giving a planet its own lifeforce, or even destroying said lifeforce. It changed beyond the intentions of even its own creators. I don’t know why the amount of Enhancelement within the simulation is increasing. Just be careful when you come across it.
* Atrick: Oh, sure, why not, it's not like we were gonna just JUMP IN and use the abilities it grants us to fight the intruder.
* HL-1: Hahahahaha! Seriously, don't mess with it!

(#21)

* HL-1: That glitch was from a security breach, but overall the number of alerts and denials is way down. You’d think that’d be good, right? No such luck. I’m seeing a lot of obvious backdoors encoded into security systems. If someone got inside the Exodus Simulation, and it looks like they did, they’ve set it up so they could come and go as they pleased. That’s bad enough, but they didn’t hide their work. For whatever reason, they aren’t worried that someone will follow along behind them.
* Trigger-Finger: Such folly.
* Alpha Rolf: Well he better watch his back, cuz we'll be CHEWING on it!

(#22)

* ???: You’re starting to struggle, aren’t you? Look at what you’re wearing...
* Sonny: AHGH!
* ???:... What you’re eating...
* Commander: (He ate a giant fish, and then began eating a stalk of vegetables before spitting it out)
* ???:... And how you carry yourself.
* Wiliford: Watch it, you phantom MOOK!!
* ???: That veneer of civilization is slipping away. And that’s fine. You won’t need civilization where you’re going.
* HL-1: AHGH!! Him again! I’d... I’d... I’d like to tell HIM where to go! Hmph.
* Commander: That guy is RUDE!

(#23)

* HL-1: This glitch was just a bit of rubbish code left over when someone added a new criteria to the survivor observation system. It’s measuring you now for something called 'servility'. I don’t have much to go on beyond the dictionary definition: 'a cringing submissiveness'. Why would anyone measure that?
* Sau:... Come on. You know why.
* HL-1: (Sighs) In any case, the tests within the simulation haven’t changed. I’m sure if we keep doing our best at those, we’ll be fine.

(#24)

* ???: Your successes are nothing I haven’t seen before. Gathering, hunting, invention... All safely in the middle of the bell curve for someone with your experience. Aren’t you going to try to impress me- (Sau slapped herself)
* Sau: AHH!
* HL-1: Gah!... I think we're getting better at giving our intruder the flick.
* Ruke: Please, we could've done that s\*\*\* FOR ya!

(#25)

* HL-1: Someone or something is trying to put new AIs into the Exodus Simulation. It’s not working, which is why we’re fixing glitches like that one. But here’s the troubling bit: that glitch was supposed to be a floating robotic companion. Sound like anyone you know?
* Atrick: OH YEAH... SAU!
* Sau:... Meh.
* HL-1: Well, whatever is mucking around inside the simulation, it better not try to copy EITHER OF US!

(#26)

* HL-1: There's a cascading series of errors in the survivor respawn system. When they die, some survivors are respawning into unfamiliar bodies. I've already said this once or twice, yes, but it's also obvious that that isn’t supposed to happen... Not by accident, anyway. It’s gotta be disorienting to wake up in a body that isn’t your own, simulation or not. Well, at least you’re all you, right?
* Ziden: We'd BETTER!

(#27)

* ???: Those memories you have... Do you suppose they're real? After all, you're spending every waking moment inside a simulation. Who's to say that someone... Me, for example... Didn't create your childhood memories as a work of fiction, then place them into your head?
* Senny: Mental terrorism? Really?
* ???: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
* HL-1: Argh! These intrusions make me mad as a cut snake!!!

(#28)

* HL-1: We might start finding more glitches like this one as the Exodus simulation changes around us. I'm seeing directives to increase dino aggression by a few ticks and change the air composition in some of the biomes. I don’t know whether those directives can override the simulation’s default settings, but... (Sighs)... I reckon it’s one more thing for us to worry about.
* Cadet: I second THAT!
* Commander: Oh suck it up, Cadet!

(#29)

* ???: I know you're busy scratching in the dirt, or lying among the beasts, or whatever you call 'progress', but I want to remind you of the real goal of all this: to please me. Thus far, you’re failing, 'heroes'.
* HL-1: AAHHH, rack off! We got better things to do.
* Sau: Yeesh, he's starting to grow on my backside too.

(#30)

* HL-1: That glitch was supposed to be an invisible camera! That’s a first. This intruder is trying to do real-time observations of individual survivors, and I think that one was aimed at us! No duh, right? The Exodus Simulation tracks what we do and how we perform, but real-time observation isn’t something it’s set up for. With countless survivors running about, what’s so special about one or few survivors?
* Belmen: Perhaps the same reason as with Rav. To prevent survivors from flying too close to the sun.
* HL-1: That's handled OTHER ways. This is too direct.

(#31)

* HL-1: Everything in this simulation is supposed to be here, with TWO exceptions. One exception, obviously, is these glitches we keep fixing. But the other exception worries me. There’s evidence of self-aware presences... Avatars, to use the technical term... Lurking about within the system. I don’t know why they’re here, but they definitely aren’t supposed to be part of the simulation.
* Alpha Rolf: Looks like our visitor has himself an army.

(#32)

* ???: How does it feel to be less than real? You aren’t just in a simulation. You ARE a simulation… of a real person.
* HL-1: Argh!! And you’re a simulation of a real d\*\*\*!
* Sau: If I have to SERIOUSLY BE HIS PHONE THIS ENTIRE TRIP, I AM GOING TO LOSE IT!!

(#33)

* HL-1: Ahh! Whew!
* Sonny: So, HL? Tell me we’re getting close because I MIGHT just lose it more than Sau is right now.
* HL-1: Well… Yes and no. That glitch was a bodgy bit of code from the survivor database. I fixed the glitch, no worries there, but our intruder is mucking about with survivor minds that aren’t even active in the Exodus Simulation. For whatever reason, as I keep saying, some survivors don’t respawn when they die in the simulation. The system is supposed to just hold their minds in storage, but the intruder is going in and editing them. And if those edits are causing glitches, I doubt the “editor” is being gentle.
* Zhensi: Oh, he or she is about as gentle as a rabid dino.
* HL-1: Hahahahaha!

(#34)

* ???: I’ve been amusing myself by watching survivors drown in the ocean biome, but you know what’s even better? Seeing the simulation fall under my control, sector by sector. Amuse yourself while you still can, survivor.
* Scoro: We already are. We’re GOING to find you.
* HL-1: Ah-CHOO!! AH-CHOO!! Ah-CHOO!!!… I-I think I’m getting allergic to pointless taunts.
* Jokey: (Super-swollen)… Some more than others!

(#35)

* HL-1: You feeling all right, mates?
* Lirry: Well since we STILL avoided getting a SINGLE claw mark our entire trip so far, yeah. Why?
* HL-1: ‘Cuz based on what I saw when I fixed that glitch, someone or something is trying to turn up aggression levels… in survivors. Aggressive dinos? That I understand. It’s part of the test. But why turn survivors against each other? I can’t tell whether the attempt worked or not. I suppose if everyone starts acting mad as cut snakes, we’ll know…
* Glora: Okay, that’s definitely a sigh this intruder is intent on weeding us out now.

(#36)

* ???: You’re doing well with the tests so far, survivors.
* Wilby: (Evil persona) And YOU’RE doing well with annoying the EVERLIVING TAR OUT OF US!!!!
* ???: Well, ask yourselves: What is this spacecraft preparing the Scyrians for? What am I preparing them for?
* HL-1: To give you a punch in the nose, I hope.

(#37)

* ???: I’m watching you struggle, survivors, and it delights me.
* Everyone: SHUT UUUP!!
* ???:… Strive against me if you wish, but know that you’re just shaking your fist at the sky.
* HL-1: UUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHGH!! You want to see fists?! HUH?! Then come at us, ya piece of pixelated rubbish!

(#38)

* HL-1: That glitch… good news, bad news. The good news is that I fixed it.
* Commander: Well THAT’S something we’ve never done here plenty of times already. And the bad news?
* HL-1: Well the bad news is that I saw what’s happening to the survivors that won’t respawn. The intruder in the system is corrupting them, turning them into half-alive “avatars” trapped inside artificial bodies. At some level, they know what’s going on, but they’re under someone else’s control. Existing survivors are all right, though. For now.
* Master Cen: Then all the more reason to move quickly.

(#39)

* ???: I’m finding the most interesting things inside this machine, like the place where it stores your personality.
* Commander: I thought we told you to-
* Everyone: SHUT UUUUP!!
* Commander: -Already!
* ???: Watch it! I could dismantle said personalities.
* Sonny: PHAH! Really? If you COULD dispose of them, WHY haven’t you done it already?
* ???:……
* Atrick: Hah! Called YOUR bluff!
* ???: (Sighs) I do not have time for this. I have more important things to do.
* HL-1: Yeah well if you’re going to dismantle a personality, mate, start with your own!

(#30)

* ???: Look around, survivors.
* Commander: URRRGH, SHUT, and we cannot stress this enough, UP!!!!
* ???: In your dreams. Everything you see is under my control now. This whole place is my personal walled garden, and I think I’m due for some weeding.
* HL-1: Really, mate? Well if I know one thing about weeds in a garden, it’s that they always come back. Always.
* ???: Not if you have the RIGHT WEED KILLER!

#### **The Master Virus**

* Cephward: (They teleported into the master control center)... Wow. THIS is the MCC? I mean, puh-LEEZE! This place could be-
* HL-1: Oh shut up! We're at least HERE! But I'm detecting SO many edits here.
* ???: **WELL, YOU FINALLY MADE IT. WAS IT WORTH IT?** (A giant head with digital armor appeared as this played)

* HL-1:... I didn't think ANYTHING would actually make it in here.
* Master Virus: **YET I HAVE. WELCOME TO YOUR FINAL MOMENTS OF LIFE. STRUGGLE IF YOU DARE, BUT KNOW THAT YOUR FAILURE IS INEVITABLE!**
* ZongueBob: Again with the cliche talk?
* Master Virus: **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!** (Digital army forces arrived and attacked them)
* Siri: Oh boy!
* HL-1: It's the survivors that have been transformed into corrupted avatars!
* Pho: What do we do now?!
* Cen: What we do best. FIGHT!
* Pho: B-B-But, they're people-
* Cen: IT'S TOO LATE FOR THEM! JUST DO SOMETHING BEFORE WE GET KILLED!! (They fought)

(Later...)

* HL-1: ALRIGHT, UGLY, PREPARE TO BE CODE-BROKEN! (They fired at the Master Virus and it screamed and briefly distorted before recollecting itself with only a small amount of armor left)
* Master Virus: **YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME? I ALTERED THE ENTIRE SIMULATION FOR A NEW PURPOSE: TO FIND WORTHY SERVANTS WHO WILL APPRECIATE THE NEW WORLD I'LL MAKE. BUT YOU'RE ALL TOO REBELLIOUS, AND THUS, UNWORTHY.**
* HL-1: Too rebellious? Mate, you haven't seen ANYTHING yet! Guys, he's not gonna go away unless we give him more of what we already got.
* Zhensi: Can you say that in a LESS confusing way?
* HL-1: Ugh, just feed more keys to the codebreaker!
* Zhensi: Then just say that next time!
* Master Virus: **THERE IS NO NEXT TIME!**

(Later...)

* Master Virus: **AAAAHHHHHH!!!** (He was distorted again with much more armor lost)...
* Shog: Had enough yet, Thanos... Whoever that is?
* Master Virus: **NEVER. MY CREATOR HAS BEEN ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOU THIS ENTIRE TIME, LIKE HE HAD BEFORE. MEANWHILE, YOUR CREATOR, HEILI, SHE DID NOT FORESEE HIS INVOLVEMENT, BUT SHE SHOULD HAVE. SHE KNEW HIM QUITE WELL, AND SHE WAS ALWAYS UNDERESTIMATING HIM. I LOOK FORWARD TO TELLING HER YOU ALL FAILED!**
* HL-1: Well, certainly shows how little YOU know about HER. If you know ANYTHING about her, it's that she sticks by her friends no matter what. And so do I!

(Later...)

* Master Virus: **AAAAAAAAHHHHUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!** (Its true face was revealed to be identical to Stonewell's)...
* HL-1: Well, Stonewell, looks like your virus shows its TRUE form.
* Master Virus: **OH, AS MUCH AS HE WOULD HAVE BEEN GLAD TO BE INVOLVED WITH THIS, HE ISN'T. I'M SOMETHING FAR BETTER THAN HE EVER WOULD. AS FOR YOU, YOU HAVE PUSHED MY PATIENCE! SURRENDER NOW, AND I MAY BE MERCIFUL. BUT KEEP CHALLENGING ME, AND I MAY UNPLUG THIS ENTIRE SIMULATION!**
* HL-1: We KNOW you can't unplug this simulation. Otherwise, you would have done it already. You don't have the on-off option. Seems like you're not as threatening as you appear.
* Master Virus: **OR MAYBE I AM MORE THREATENING THAN I APPEAR. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TRULY CAPABLE OF. WOULDN'T WANT TO SPOIL THE SURPRISE. MUAHAHAHAHAHA.**

(Later...)

* Siri: ALRIGHT, ENOUGH OF THIS! (She channeled much of the power within the area and fired it back at the Master Virus, distorting him massively)... You think I'm not as strong as Gazelle? Well, I'm strong ENOUGH!
* Master Virus: **FOR HOW MUCH LONGER? YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED ME HERE, BUT YOU'VE DOOMED YOURSELVES! WAIT UNTIL I FIND YOU, IN THE WORLD BEYOND!** (He was then deleted instantly and soon the entire simulation was cleansed of its power)
* HL-1:... We did it!
* Ruke: Did ya DOUBT?! SUCK IT, VIRUS!!! WE'RE COMING FOR THE REAL YOU NEXT!!!

Later...

* HL-1: (All the Loungers woke up from the simulation to find it has been overrun with amorphous flesh)... Uhhh... Mates, turns out... We may've been found.
* ZongueBob: Clearly.
* Trigress: But how? We made sure it was-
* HL-1: I dunno, but one thing's for sure, we need to get out of here. This craft needs to be- (Suddenly, they were blocked out of escape and several eyes popped out and looked at them)
* ???: Surprise. I've been watching you the entire time.
* HL-1: Stonewell?!?
* ???:... In the manner of speaking. (The floor beneath them opened up to reveal a large gaping maw with Stonewell tentacles for tongues)
* HL-1:... Well, f\*\*\*!
* ZongueBob: HOW DID YOU STEAL THE- (They all fell) FLOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrr!!!

To be continued...