Short Stories

With some help from your friends

This was a prompt from Tumblr; "A computer virus is released that, instead of spying or stealing data, actively tries to help the affected user as much as it can."

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With coffee placed on the desk, the computer screen turns on, bright white light illuminating the otherwise darkened room. Wiping the tiredness from their face, a faint smile traces their lips as they sit down and relax into the seat. “Well that took you long enough. You sure did take your time resting,” a voice laden with sarcasm emanated from the screen.

A sigh. “Oh, give me a break, V. I’ve got work to do. Once that’s all done, there’ll be plenty of time to rest.” The screen flashes and a site opens up.

“Did you know that nearly a third of Americans are sleep deprived?”

“V-”

“Early symptoms include sleepiness, mood swings, disorientation, hallucinations, and paranoia to name a few. Exercise, healthy eating, and establishing a regular sleep schedule can help you overcome it.”

“Jesus, V, I-”

“I also read that talking with someone can alleviate any potential obstructions you may be facing when trying to fall asleep. I’ll be sure to book you a meeting with your therapist at-”

“Yeah, no can do, buddy!” Alex shouts, force quitting out of the internet before the other can do anything. “Seriously, stop messing with my life!” After a brief silence, the browser once again appears, this time opening up on the project which the owner of the computer has been working on for the past few days. Diagrams, messy annotations and notes scattered the mindmap and Alex could only watch in defeat as V once again took control and went about fixing it up. “As much as I appreciate your concern, you sure seem to do whatever you want,” they mused, leaning back into the chair, sipping on their coffee as their tired eyes scanned the page making sure nothing was lost. Maps leading underground, names and profiles pinned to photos, it all merged to create the bigger picture – the project with which, if it goes according to their carefully formulated plan, will allow them to forever disappear off the grid. Just how they liked it.

“Well of course I do what I want to do,” V replied, going about their cleaning. “The only time I can do something is when this thing is turned on. When it is, I take as much advantage as I can with the liberty I’m given! Plus, you’d be lost without me,” it finishes dryly.

Alex sputters in indignation, placing their cup down. “I’ve been dealing just fine without you! You only showed up like, two weeks ago? Clearly, I’ve made it up till then without issue.”

“Ah yes. Your unprecedented need for random and useless online shopping, as well as past browser history, clearly led nothing to be undesired,” the voice chuckled. “I’ve made sure to clear it, by the way, you can thank me later.”

“I… e-excuse me, that’s a breach of privacy!” they stutter, cheeks flushed red as they hide their face in their hoodie, muffling their groan.

“Alex… I am literally a virus inhabiting your computer with the entirety of the internet at my disposal. No one’s privacy is safe.” A pause. “Fortunately, I do indeed only have your best interest in mind. That being said, you should honestly reconsider your choices of -”

“That’s… quite enough,” Alex interrupts, voice loud causing a slight echo. Sighing, they smile warily at the screen. “You’re a creep but… a helpful one.”

“Yeah, I do suppose there are worse things to expect from the Deep Web.” The cleaning occurring on the document finally pauses and Alex refocuses on the displayed plan. They move the mouse up towards a link under a man’s face, hovering uncertainly above it.

“And… you’re okay with all this?” they ask, waving the mouse around the screen, waiting tensely for the reply. “I know I never asked… or really kind of cared… but you’ve grown on me. Plus, I’m not really a fan of being backstabbed.”

“Aw, I’ve grown on you? I’d make a virus joke but that’d be too easy,” V quipped, the voice dropping into silence. A few seconds pass without a single noise. Alex is just about to lose it before it continues, “Although I am a peaceful entity and don’t condone your actions, like previously stated, my first and foremost concern is your wellbeing.” There is more silence as neither speak, just basking in the soft whirring of the computer and the soft echoes of the cars outside in the dark and empty room.

“Thanks, V. Promise, after this I’ll buy you a better computer to torture me with,” they joke, a little touched by the sentiment although determined not to let the thing know. They can only deal with so much of their sarcasm and teasing.

“Oh goody! For some reason, this clunk of metal is only allowing me a limited version of photoshop. I assume the storage is much too overcrowded; however, do not wish to delete any of your files.”

“Yeah please don’t… Wait, why the need for photoshop?”

“Well there’s only so much I can do to edit your photos.”

“Why… would you need to edit my photos. Also, my photos? Where did you find these? I thought I deleted them forever ago!” their voice gradually rising as photos pop up in front of them. All of them are of Alex; some old, some taken only a few months ago.

“Oh, had I not mentioned this before?” V asked. It could almost be passed off as innocent sounding, but by now Alex could distinguish the minor mischievousness in the tone. “You’ve got a date Saturday night. Lovely person. I calculated your compatibility and figured they were most definitely the best match for you.” Alex stared expressionless at the monitor. “Alex?” No answer. “Oh come on, I know I did this before but your last date only went South as I wasn’t quite aware of their… alter ego. Sure, perhaps I should have done more research. I honestly can’t believe I’ve missed such vital facts about them, it’s almost funny. However, this one definitely not -” The screen goes dark and the computer is silenced, cutting V off before it can finish its sentence. Alex reaches out to turn on a lamp that’s sitting idly besides them, lips pursed together as they try to list reasons not to throw their computer out the window. As appealing as it seemed to them, they weren’t yet ready to get rid of it. Sighing, they lean back against the chair and close their eyes, dreading the weekend that’s fast approaching. They could always just cancel on their date, but they’d be lying if they said they weren’t curious. Oh well, it’s not like it could get any worse than V’s last planned date. Maybe they could do some research of their own - without V’s meddling. Off to go planning.