The Enigma Wraith

Okay, Jacob, launch the cancer.”

With a few keystrokes, Jacob launched the cancer into the fray, and in moments the digital growth started to shrink and finally was gone. Jacob sat and smiled with a hint of self-congratulation.

“How many is that now, Quip? I’ve lost track.”

Quip grinned and replied, “You just like hearing me say gobs! You’re not fooling anybody, Mister water-temperature-reporter-and-depth-finder-from-a-bridge-in-a-kilt-with-no-hands! You are so bogus with that claim!”

Petra looked puzzled as she asked, “What do you mean, how many times? It is just the same test repeated over and over, right?”

Jacob looked thoughtfully at the 3-D display then clarified, “Nope. We incorporated an obfuscation algorithm so the virus would try to build itself in a myriad of ways with different build approaches that could match infinite end states. I wanted to make sure that we could spot the ghost code no matter how he tried to grow himself.”

Petra was just realizing the depth of the accomplishment. With a hint of awe, she indicated, “I can see how the trigger works to launch it, but how does the cancer work to kill the ghost code? How does it assassinate the ghost code?”

Jacob breathed a heavy sigh as he explained, “I used the grasshopper-loop with its kill switch as the main attack logic. I introduced the notion of behavior patterns into it so when it recognizes the pattern, it simply shows up to be incorporated into the ghost code but continues to add programming logic into the virus that makes the ghost code consume itself much like an organic cancer would do. Su Lin would be pleased, I think, with how her logic is going to be used.”

Quip grinned and added, “A fitting legacy to a brilliant programmer. Oh, and I think you deserve some small amount of credit too, Jacob, with over a hundred completed scenarios without a miss.”

Jacob’s look of annoyance was unmistakable as he said, “Why, thank you, Mister I-don’t-have-a-spare-tire-but-an-anaconda-wrapped-around-my-waist! Brother! You do realize that you are a legend in your own mind, right?”