Rogue

[Albert Wesker]

"So, if you hadn't come along when you did, I would be..." Cricket tried to strike up a conversation as the line of data moved right on along its way, none the wiser to the almost-disaster which had very nearly occurred atop it. One of the good things, and one of the bad things about raw, encoded data as a means of conveyance: it didn't much care about anything except having a clear path to where it was going. Made it sure enough as a transport (provided you weren't literally stuck in it, mind), but made it a perilous one if you ended up in a situation where you didn't necessarily have the requisite clearance to go where your binary conveyance was headed. You could end up being conveyed right into a garbage dump for data with lost passwords, or through a security system which would kindly escort you off the path, or right through a firewall or three.

Yes, wherever it was that Number Man was headed on his trip to work, it was behind not one, not two, not even three, but five separate layers of protection and security. A firewall, a good old-fashioned security checkpoint, a second, much more potent 'incinerator' firewall, a laser-guided scanning station with, according to Number Man, a "very subtle, but very effective, magnetic kill system" in place, and a third firewall which burned so intensely the flames weren't even visible any longer. The final defense was the most effective and diabolical, according to the number-crunching navi.

"Oh, yes, it was certain that you would have died, if I hadn't come along when I did," the numerical worker responded after a moment of deliberation. "Your strategy wasn't going to prove very effective, but it certainly was interesting. And rather thoughtful, given the stress you seemed to be under, at the moment!"

"It was certain, you say..." The assistant navi would have gone incredibly pale, had there been any color to drain from his face. As it was, he just turned his face downward, letting out a sigh.

"Oh, no, not entirely certain!" Number Man clarified, holding up one finger. "You had approximately a 31.72364912% chance for successful timing and creating an opening to make it through the firewall intact!" A series of bleeps and flashes ran across his dome, and he spread both hands wide. "Why, you even had a 17.813% chance of surviving the ordeal!" The clerical navi went right on with his analysis, blissfully unaware of the swift double facepalm and groan of terror from his much less numerically-minded traveling compatriot. "Oh, by my estimation, you even had an 11.36198% chance for successfully making it through the next obstacle, a 9.541% chance for the second firewall, and a 4.19254% chance to get past our magnetic kill system!" He paused, a swift beep-blip-click-whirr sounding as he lowered his raised finger slightly. "Ah, my apologies, a 4.19253% chance, based on your briefly observed levels of physical strength and creativity. Though there is only a 0.098134% chance you would make it past the final firewall, and a 0% chance you would have done so alive."

It was at this point that Number Man finally turned his eyes back down to Cricket, to find the assistant navi all but curled up and weeping. "Oh...oh, dear, I went and did it again. My apologies; that was all just speculation and extrapolation upon very minimal, likely very factually incorrect information! It was just-just assumption! You know what they say about assuming things! Ahahahaha! ....hah..." He trailed off.

And things got very quiet.