Bang!
Why was that noise so familiar? The blast echoed in my memory, but where I had heard it from was just beyond my mind.
BANG!
I gasped. At least, I think I did. A memory flooded through my mind. It was in a game the company was making a while back that was to be a tournament style fighting game between gods, mortals and demons. I had chosen a satanic character and the first fights were almost a cake-walk. The final fight, however, was one of the hairier fights I've had. I thought it was because the opponent was overpowered at first, but a closer look at the character stats after the fight showed otherwise. I could only conclude it was just the difference in the two character's speed and agility stats.
Sadly, the project was abandoned a couple weeks after that. The company didn't think it'd make enough money from sales.

I opened my eyes, quickly realizing I was hovering over the platform face-up. Everybody except Mouse had gone and she winked at me when she looked up from a screen, "Good morning, sunshine."
"Morning?"
"Relatively." I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously. She raised her hands in mock surrender, "I'm a friend, sugar."
"Sorry," I said and looked down at the screen in front of her. "What's on that screen?"
"It shows me what I need to know about you. Your sprite form is obviously a sprite form and I can't find anything that would suggest you're a user..." She paused.
"Except?"
"Except, there seems to be some kind of hiccup in you."
"Explain…?"
She rolled her eyes, "Some manners wouldn't hurt, darling." I frowned and she continued, "This hiccup is probably what dropped you here. Did anything unusual happen in that game?"
"Well, I was attacked by Megabyte. He went straight for me, didn't even try to blend into the game."
"Megabyte probably tagged you with something that caused a glitch. I just can't quite crack it."
"I've got stuff to do in the real world. How can I get back?"
Mouse scoffed, "So far as I'm concerned, they're both as real as real can get."

"Hey, Mouse," Bob said as he approached, "anything new?"
She shook her head in frustration, "Not a thing."
"Really?" Bob looked surprised. "Maybe I can have a look? I learned a few things when I passed by the Super Computer for a few nanos."
Mouse didn't argue, "Good luck, sugar." She stepped aside and Bob stepped up to the panel.
"Quite a peculiar system you programs have made," I said. "What's at the Super Computer?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Bob said.
"You sound bitter."
"Rightly so, Sam." Mouse stared at me. "We don't tell just anybody about the Super Computer."
"Alright, so how can I earn your trust?"

Bob stopped what he was doing on the display and turned to Mouse, "I still yet to figure out how you could sneak in and out without a trace."
She winked at him and looked back up at me, "Well, sugar, you can start by helping us with Megabyte. He's been more aggressive lately, and we need to figure out how to limit or delete his special ability that he acquired out in the Net."
"What ability would that be?"
"He can change his shape," Bob said.
"That would be very difficult to deal with," I said. "So, can I come down now?" They hesitated. "Hey, I have a lot at stake, too! I'm trapped here and my computer has a virus."
"I think we can trust her," Bob smiled. He tapped the display and I fell onto the platform with a yelp. "Sorry," he cringed.
I rolled over and pushed myself up to my feet, "It's fine. What do I need to do?"

As I joined them, Mouse explained, "What Megabyte did to you is definitely something we need to find out."
"And how do we do that," Bob asked.
"I'm gonna need to think on it," Mouse replied.
"Well," Bob offered, "then how about we see what Sam can do? Surely her sprite has a few tricks." He turned and lead the way, "Let's go see AndrAIa. She's a game sprite, too. Maybe she has some advice."
"Alright," I replied, following. "I wouldn't mind learning what I can."

The training hall was spacious. It reminded me more of a gym, though without the bleachers and basketball hoops or floor lines.
"What natural weapons do you have," AndrAIa asked me once we gathered in a circle. I shrugged and made an 'I don't know' face. "Can you do anything special?"
"If I remember, the race I chose has a nice boost in perception," I said thoughtfully. "If something looks different than what it's supposed to be, then maybe I can detect it."
"So, you can see through disguises?" Bob asked. I nodded and Bob continued, seeming happy, "That's great, you might be able to see through Megabyte's ability."

"Could I have a look at your fingernails?" I held my hands up for AndrAIa and she peered at my nails closely. "I think you may have something I have, too. Poison nails. And if I'm correct," she squeezed the knuckle under one of my nails and the nail shot passed her, disappearing to the other side of the gym. The sensation in my fingertip was strange and yet, enlightening. There was a nail underneath the now missing nail, sealing itself to my fingertip and looked as if I never had a missing nail.
I stepped back and pointed my nails at the closest wall. A dummy rose from a hidden hatch in the floor. I focused on my fingertips and the sensation of what had just happened. To my surprise, the nails on my four fingers – not the thumb – felt looser. I tensed my fingers and all four nails shot straight to the dummy. One lodged into its chest and the other three lodged into the wall.
Bob exclaimed, impressed by the show and AndrAIa praised me, "Nice. You learned quick!'
"I really don't know if there's anything else," I confessed. "I didn't get a chance to acquire anything in the game."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out if there's more to you," AndrAIa smiled.
I looked back over at my nails embedded in the wall. I couldn't tell if there really was poison in them, but an idea hit me. Could an antivirus be made while I'm here inside my computer?
"Hey, uh," I stammered slightly, "have you guys tried any antiviruses?"