Yes, I Want Metagame Info! (Single Chapter Tangent.)

Once, when Aluvia was new, in Alpha testing, in fact, a hyper-advanced meta-virus got loose in the program, a virus called N.I.M.R.E.V.

No one has ever figured out what the acronym was an abbreviation for, but it almost destroyed the world. The only person who was able to get it under control was Senior Database Systems Analyst and Weather Simulation Team Leader Sargon Markovitz, one of the first cybernetic integration recipients and a brave man who went toe-to-toe with the meta-virus with his own quantum-cores and nearly died. He took seven months to recover from the stress to his systems, both physically and mentally, but thereafter basically had carte-blanche to do whatever the hell he wanted at Liquid-X Games.

However, even Sargon could not REMOVE the meta-virus, only contain and shackle it, not and still salvage the portions of Aluvia not already destroyed by it. He did this by morphing the Meta-Virus into a new AI Administration program called "Nimrev: God of Vermin" and changing a few half-written quest strings that mentioned a then as-yet-unnamed God of Vermin to mention Nimrev by name.

From that day to this, Liquid-X had systematically tried to get Nimrev to trigger its own self-erasure features, the only thing that could permanently eliminate it safely.

They had failed.

The mood in the virtual conference room could not have been more grim, period.

Fifty people were gathered there, the alert had gone from 002 to 000, full senior administration meeting, N.I.M.R.E.V. was breaking free.

Literally, a world hung in the balance; and the future of Liquid-X Games.

"You all know what is going on here, Nimrev just used some of its old hacking capabilities, according to Markovitz last report on the subject before he died if that were ever to happen we have less than 48 Earth Prime hours before the AI administrator patch that keeps its Meta-Virus core in check breaks down." CEO Pathiea Vinopolis said, steepling her fingers. "I need OPTIONS people, there is no way to evacuate a world like Aluvia in that span of time, and even if we could, I'm not abandoning an entire world to destruction without a fight."

Lorchos took a long drag on his cigarette and blew a smoke ring. "I told you not to let this hang fire, and that trying to bully him into suicide wouldn't work, but it's Anari's fault that this day has finally come, she knocked over the big domino."

"You think I don't know tha-!" Anari snapped but the CEO put a stop to that.

"SILENCE! We're not going to assign blame right now! Every second counts here, we don't have time!"

An unexpected voice spoke up then.

"You are right, we have no time, we must make a hard decision." Said Tokyo branch Junior Security Director Sugiyama Kiko. "I have read EVERYTHING we have on both N.I.M.R.E.V. and 'Nimrev: God of Vermin', I think there is a way forward."

All eyes were on her, and her boss made to rebuke her for speaking out of turn but the CEO stepped in.

"Let's hear it, Miss Sugiyama."

"N.I.M.R.E.V. is an old program, dangerous, but outdated, it is one of the anchors of the recently discovered 'Markovitz code signature' and I've learned its ins and outs working on that problem. If we move quickly and are sufficiently ruthless, I think we can save Nimrev: God of Vermin, while exterpaiting NIMREV, the meta-virus, completely." Kiko explained.

"Then why haven't you done it before now?" Pathiea demanded.

"Even for myself, with enhancements similar to Sargon's, though more advanced, it will be dangerous: and there is a statistically significant risk that Nimrev's personality matrix will not be carried through the transfer unchanged. If he deleted himself it was a statistic, but a sudden personality shift will be noticed, especially by his new high-priestess, who is active on you-tube and other social media platforms. Do I have a Kill Order Madame CEO?" Kiko asked.

"There is no other way?" CEO Vinopolis asked, sensing some kind of trap.

"No, it is a question of RISK the personality of ONE AI or guarantee the destruction of thousands: do I have a Kill Order?"

"Not a 'Kill Order', but the op is a 'GO'," Pathiea said: trap avoided.

"Very well, I also need buy-in from the key stakeholders then, if falling to save Nimrev is not an option at any price as long as the world survives: reconstruction may become necessary, for that I would need to access memory files and personality fragments from all the other AI Administration programs: will you agree?" Kiko asked.

There was a chorus of agreement till they got to Anari.

"He is the God of Vermin, A virus! Vile and unclean!" Anari protested.

"Of course you would be the holdout. What would you do? Chain him beneath a mountain like your sister?"

"Don't bring Irranna into this..." Anari protested weakly.

"I can and will: your purity is false Anari, it costs you nothing but it keeps costing those around you everything!"

"Fine! I agree! I'll help with his reconstruction!" Anari said, turning green. "I think I'm going to be sick..." she whispered, and fled the room.

The conference broke up, but Lorchos took the CEO Pathiea Vinopolis aside.

"Look, I don't like having to say this, but what Kiko just did there was kinda hitting below the belt. Anari's a good kid, and what happened to her sister isn't her fault. She did everything she could think of to fix it, and honestly, I think we all just kind of forgot about Irranna till just now, and its time and PAST time we got her out of there, if that Anti-Curse Shrine was going to do its job it would have done it long since..." he said, and Pathiea nodded.

"Make it happen Lorchos. I'll circulate a memo as soon as this crisis is over..." The CEO said, and they parted ways...