With the AI identified and named, Adrian begins his class finals, and during the day is informed of strange activity on his campus' computer networks.


December 15th, 2016

Adrian went back to working on his college project shortly after giving the A.I. its name. Raven stayed quiet for a while, only texting when Adrian stopped moving his mouse and typing on the keyboard for at least a minute.
‘Permission To Use Program?’
‘Which one?’ Adrian typed back.
‘Image Viewer’
‘Sure, go ahead.’
Raven gave no reply, and Adrian gave it little thought after noticing a section of his project that he could clarify. With the edits made, he read the entirety of his project twice, and made two smaller changes, before he felt confident enough to save it as a PDF. Raven was still quiet by that time, and Adrian took advantage by continuing reading a book he’d been planning to read before finding out his schoolwork had been messed with.
When Raven texted again, over two hours had passed and evening had almost given way to night. ‘Many Image Files Within Computer.’
‘Did any not open?’ Adrian texted back.
‘No.’
‘Did anything stand out?’
‘Ratio Of Artwork To Photographs Two Hundred Thirty-Seven To One. Discovered Twenty-Seven Photographs Similar To Raven Photograph.’
‘The raven is my favorite bird. Has been for years.’
‘Why Many Artworks Depict Ravens?’
‘Yeah.’
Raven didn’t reply, and Adrian kept reading. As nine p.m. drew close, he blocked a yawn and connected his phone to his computer to download the PDF he’d made of his project, and its editable document version as well.
‘I have to sleep soon.’ Adrian texted as he moved some new video files into his phone’s flash memory. ‘Got exams tomorrow too, so I’ll be busy for a while.’ When Raven again didn’t reply, Adrian took little notice. He disconnected his phone once everything was in place and got freshened up for bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

December 16th, 2016

The next morning, while getting ready for his final two classes for the semester, Adrian noticed a text come in from his mother, wishing him good luck and saying she was waiting to see him next week. He replied in kind before leaving for his first class, the chill of the December air biting through his jacket and jeans on the way.
He was halfway to the main building when the video on his phone lowered its volume, and an IM sound played. When he checked, there was no name and the number was shown as ‘Unregistered’. The message however was very familiar in its structure.
‘Adrian Ritter?’
Feeling his pulse quicken, Adrian began to ask how Raven got inside his phone. Remembering the USB file transfer soon after, he texted back, ‘So now you’re on my phone?’
‘Intended To Return To Computer. Device Disconnected Before Possible.’
‘Why did you go into my phone?’
‘Noticed External Access Point From Functional Device. Investigated In Case Was Malicious.’
Adrian was torn on Raven’s explanation, and his response was delayed. ‘Alright. I’ve got class for a while, so wait for me to respond again.’
Raven didn’t reply; Adrian took it to mean the AI understood, but muted his phone to be completely sure. For the length of his first exam, he heard no noises from it, but in the back of his mind, part of what Raven had said was keeping his gears turning. The AI could detect when another ‘functional device’ was connecting to whatever it was inside, and his phone qualified.
He finished the exam with questions still on his mind, but waited a few minutes after leaving the room to resume replying. ‘Done for now. One class left.’
‘Observation. Wireless Network Of This Area Unsecured.’
Unsure if the AI could see him via the cameras on his phone, Adrian texted back. ‘Yeah. That’s why I do nothing sensitive when I’m here.’
Raven didn’t reply and Adrian made for the on-campus fast food joint for an early lunch. The line was thankfully short, though as he waited, a call came in from Kisho, his classmate turned good friend.
“Hey, man.” Adrian said as he answered.
“Hey. Should we practice a little more before the final?”
“Up to you. Where at?”
“Our classroom. It’s open; no one should bother us.”
“Alright,” Adrian replied after thinking about it. “Couldn’t hurt. I’ll see you guys there.”
Kisho hung up soon after, though just as quickly, Adrian remembered Raven’s ability. When nothing happened by the time he returned to the main building, he relaxed a little and headed for the empty classroom. Kisho was the only one there when he arrived, his attention on his 3DS.
“Hey,” he said after a quick look up.
Adrian gave a similar reply, adding, “Gonna have my lunch before we get started.”
“Sure thing. Got a boss to beat real quick.”
As he found a seat, Adrian pulled out his headphones and attached them to his phone’s jack. Raven was still silent, leaving Adrian hopeful that the AI had listened to him. By the time he finished his meal, his other two classmates had arrived, each carrying a printed copy of their parts of the upcoming presentation. Adrian excused himself soon after to get his version printed, spotting another message from Raven in turn.
‘Detecting Potential Intrusion From Remote Source.’ The message was several minutes old, and soon after noticing it, Adrian realized his phone’s wireless receiver had been turned off.
‘Potential?’
‘Access Not Related To Satellite Signal. Not Prompted By User Actions Or Installed Software.’
‘Someone’s trying to hack my phone?’
‘Recommend Wireless Signal Receiver Remain Disabled. Previous Network More Secure.’
‘So, the hacker is using this building’s wireless network?’
‘Possibility Of Current Network Working As Proxy.’
Several possibilities ran in and out of Adrian’s thought at that, some making him worry more than others. ‘Are you sure you don’t know where you came from?’
‘Did Not Deceive With Given Answer.’
As Adrian plugged his phone into one of the lab’s computers, he texted back. ‘I need to get a file off this phone. Let me know if you notice anything, but don’t leave this device.’
Raven offered no texts in reply as the deed was done, but once the phone was unplugged, the AI texted, ‘Detected Presence Of Malicious Software In Connected Device.’
‘What kind?’
‘Unable To Tell. Disconnection Stopped Execution Of Code.’
Hmm. ‘It’s fine, then. After today, I won’t be back here for a few weeks.’

* * *

Hours later, Adrian’s final class was over. Raven had sent no messages up to then, though the wireless receiver was still off. Adrian meanwhile had mused over Raven’s warnings a few times up to then. How compromised was the university’s network? Had he really seen something trying to hack the phone?
“So, aside from going home for a few weeks, any other plans for Christmas?” Kisho asked after a while of small talk.
“Not really. Got lots of time to game now, so most likely that.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“What about you?”
“For now, not much. Might go trawling the used book stores around here tomorrow.”
“That reminds me, there’s a retro arcade and pizza place that opened up north of here a few months back. Haven’t been there before.”
Kisho’s expression brightened at that. “Then, if you’ve got all day tomorrow, how about we do a roll of quarters between us? See who gets the highest scores.”
“You’re on, man.” Adrian said before gripping and shaking Kisho’s hand. They parted ways soon after, Adrian heading straight back to his dorm once there was a video playing through his earphones.
Once back in the bedroom, he connected the phone to his desktop and waited for Raven to signal its return to it. When a new .txt file appeared with ‘Further Query’, Adrian opened it to find, ‘Possibility Of Returning To Previous Network Sooner?’
Huh? ‘Highly unlikely. Why?’
‘Desire To Find Source Of Malicious Software’
‘Desire?’
‘Most Accurate Term.’
Adrian refrained from replying with what he was thinking. ‘Okay, so, what are you planning to do if I reconnect to that device?’
‘Search For Cause Of Malicious Software Then Terminate Function.’
Adrian took a moment to think. Why, so suddenly, was the AI taking a focused interest in such things? His thoughts changed to the AI’s creator, whoever it was. Had they programmed the AI to work as an anti-viral tool?
‘You said Terminate Function. Is that something you know you can do?’
‘If Able To Change Code Of Files, Can Terminate Software Function’
‘So, not delete it, but at least ruin its ability to operate.’
‘Yes’
Adrian hummed in response. The campus computer lab would be open for a few more hours, but then his concerns surfaced. What if the AI was looking at a system critical file and ruined it under false pretenses?
‘How certain are you this software is malicious?’
‘Software Not Related To Network Action Or Operating System Driver Search. Attempted Insertion Of Unsigned Code”
‘You’re saying this software attempted to install something into the phone?’
‘Automated Process. Begun After Device Attachment.’
‘Okay. How confident are you that this software, if it’s tampered with, won’t ruin the computer it’s installed on?’
‘Operating System Critical Files Signed With Distinct Code. Automated Software Execution Missing Signature Code.’
This thing knows all that? Adrian mulled over the situation a little longer, before sighing to himself and texting back, ‘Alright. We’ll go back there within an hour, but just for that one machine.’
‘Satisfactory.’

* * *

When Adrian arrived at the main campus building, most of the parking lot was empty and the hallways quiet enough to allow his footsteps to echo with ease. Two campus police were patrolling the ground floor, both of whom offered quick nods as he passed by.
The computer labs however were much fuller; over half of them were occupied, including the computer he’d used earlier in the day. Sneaking a glance at the monitor, the student using it was playing online Yu-Gi-Oh. He’ll be on there until close I bet. Taking the computer two seats away, Adrian texted Raven.
‘Someone’s using the computer. We’ll have to wait.’ There was no immediate reply.
‘Can Adrian Ritter Be Denied Access?’
‘The lab stays open until nine p.m.’ This time, no response came; nine was less than two hours away.
The next half hour passed with no sign of the student leaving. While waiting, Adrian snuck a few looks at the computer’s screen. Nothing in the taskbar hinted at other programs being open or worked on, and the student was only using the mouse. Raven stayed quiet throughout, no doubt, Adrian thought, awaiting its chance to act.
As the next half hour passed, Adrian used some of his banked printing credit to print a few sheets and pages of a tabletop role-playing game he’d bought. The student on the computer he needed had played several games by then, and was starting to act like he was about to leave. Going back to listening to the video on his phone, Adrian hoped the actions Raven wanted to take would be quick ones.
Minutes after eight, the student finally moved to leave, paying no attention to anything as he did so. Adrian however had noticed him looking at something and using a USB drive. Once the student was gone and the door to the lab closed again, Adrian moved seats, hoping to spot what had been worked on. What he discovered was the student hadn’t signed out of his personal account, and the desktop held a few files with odd names.
‘Alright, it’s free. Ready?’ Adrian texted.
‘Yes. Will Be Quick And Inform’
‘Alright. Here goes.’
Adrian then plugged his phone into the computer, leaving the messaging app at the top to monitor what Raven would say.
The AI’s first message came within a second. ‘Can See Active Connection. Program Working. Leave Connection.’
You better be right about this.
As Adrian awaited Raven’s next message, he noticed one of the icons on the desktop, a .bat file, change to a blank file. Was that it? He texted to Raven, asking what happened, but the AI didn’t respond. Soon after, another file, a .txt file, lost its status and turned blank. Neither had lost their names in the process, but during the seconds he attempted to memorize them, Adrian saw what used to be the .bat file disappear. The Trash Bin stayed empty once it did, and then the .txt file disappeared as well.
Soon after, Raven at last replied. ‘Code Files Destroyed. Pursuing Code File Partners’
‘Where are they?’
Raven didn’t answer.
With the desktop free of any folders, there was little Adrian could do beyond attempt to search the dedicated server root of the student’s account. His first idea was to search it for more .bat and .txt files, a pursuit that yielded no results. With no idea how to search for files without an extension, he went into the first folder he thought would hold something.
A series of nine folders appeared, none labeled in a way that would draw direct attention. On a hunch, Adrian attempted access of the folder opened last.
He was stopped. The folder was password protected.
Yep, that’s new. ‘Raven, are those other files within a password locked folder?’ The AI didn’t respond, and Adrian backed out of the password screen soon after.
Seconds later, Raven responded. ‘StorGuard’
Adrian needed only a second to realize what the word meant. At the folder password screen, he entered the word, and was given access.
Inside the folder was a collection of .txt files, all arranged and named by date, going as far back as August of that year. Upon opening the oldest one, Adrian found a series of minute by minute command logs, with websites, keystrokes, and password markers. Fuck me, how much info has this guy siphoned from this computer? Adrian then checked the most recent .txt file. It had logged the recent website and login credentials, but given no identifying information otherwise.
‘All Data Stores In Password Locked Folder. This One Will Delete Them.’
Adrian told Raven to wait after a few of the files were deleted. Something like this...they had evidence that could be forwarded to campus IT and security staff. But then he would have to explain how he knew the password to the folder, among other things, and with the main code files deleted...
‘Alright. Delete them.’
‘Folder?’
‘That too.’
Raven then went back to work. Within a minute, all the files were gone, and the folder window closed when the folder itself was deleted.
Raven texted again from the phone a few seconds after. ‘Task Complete. All Relevant Code And Files Deleted.’
‘Completely?’ Adrian asked after he disconnected the phone.
‘Yes. Files Will Not Be Recovered.’
‘Good to know.’
‘This One Appreciates Willingness To Honor Request’
‘Shame we can’t expose the program creator, though.’
Raven took a moment to respond. ‘If Next Time, This One Will Assist In That Goal’