In a modest house sandwiched between high rises, a young man was holding a conversation with a hunk of plastic on his desk. Of course, it was no mere toy. Zed Vactor was speaking into the PET he'd modified himself for his new best friend. That still seemed bizarre - he hadn't had any real friends at all ever since graduating from college, and nobody he'd felt comfortable calling a BEST friend since the tenth grade.
He'd only moved in here because it was cheap and he couldn't afford anything better. All Zed was expecting at the time was a place to put a bed... but behind a hidden wall, he'd found the friend that would change his life forever. And, technically speaking, that friend wasn't even alive.
Ever since finding the hidden server and installing the Navi into his PET, Zed had found Xyzillentz to be a wonderful companion. He had a similar sense of humor, was intelligent, and was always willing to listen. Of course, he asked for a bit in return - just a little help, which friends deserve anyway - and it was kind of creepy when the digital being seemed to be flirting with his operator. Probably just some sort of programming bug.
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Xyzillentz was always happy to speak with Zed. For one thing, it afforded him the luxury of seeing the human world in three dimensions through a special PET modification the boy had made for him - a privilege most Navis would never get. Aside from that simple thrill, he did genuinely enjoy the young man's company. His jokes were rather funny, after all. Smart, too.
Perhaps, though, some of this were simply satisfaction at finally having someone to work with; a partner in crime of sorts. He'd had the misfortune of being coded by a career criminal right before he was arrested, and long before the man who'd paid for his development was able to pick him up. But Zed was perfect. Not criminally experienced, true, but the seeds were there. A resentment of his circumstances and some of those around him. A need for attention. And a somewhat mischievous nature to top it off. For now, the digital creature was still training his "Corporal Side", as he sometimes called Zed - small jobs, basic training, et cetera. And now was the perfect opportunity.
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"So you're sure it's a virus attack? I mean, I've never tried to cook a whole pizza before. I could've just messed up the oven on my own." Zed wiped the sweat off of his brow as he spoke, dripping with perspiration from the heat radiating from his malfunctioning oven.
"Trust me. Nothing I've seen you cook has ever looked particularly appetizing, but I've also never seen you cause a localized heat wave like this. Something's in our system being naughty." Xyzillentz was actually hoping for a viral infection - it could be great practice.
"We'll talk about how someone who uses odor as a weapon is qualified to judge appetizing food later. I guess we've got something more pressing to do." Xyzillentz nodded in response to Zed's statement. By the time the gesture was completed, he had been jacked into the FalconSinge 3700 oven.