#falgo

follow-up doesn't care though. they're in a vulnerable place emotionally and like the attention (since they usually get left on delivered or tossed in the junk mail- they find themselves in the trash zone often) so algorithm being a stalker is actually very endearing. There Is Something Wrong With Them.

algorithm is being antagonized by incognito, an entity disguised as a shadowguy that keeps intercepting algorithm's bugs and wiretaps (pixel beacons and spyware) with his very own handcrafted firewalls. the other addisons take well to this because they're not keen on algo stealing their data! that's THEIRS to sell! he's kind of a cartoon villain so incognito, by comparison, looks like a real upstanding guy <3

introductions out of the way! good!

one day, a computer virus (personified) named callback... appears. algorithm is alarmed by this because he has never seen it before- and he knows everything! not knowing something genuinely terrifies him. where did it come from, so suddenly?

it's also very, very interested in him. it manages to claw its way into his apartment through the window and snatch him up, dragging him away to his own warehouse and locking him inside. it claims it's keeping him safe. doesn't elaborate! many such cases.

(this is callback and incognito btw!)

any skin-to-skin contact with callback causes the pixels on the surface of an addison's skin to die- it's a computer worm that replaces existing code with its own information, replicating itself like a parasite. even after algorithm escapes, the pixel rot crawls up his forearms. he tries to keep it discreet. he doesn't want people to know what happened until HE knows why and how it happened.

follow-up, unfortunately, is infatuated with him! they're kind of in a situationship. it's... well, kinda one-sided? it's complicated. they notice that he's sick and pry him for answers, anything, and in response he drives a wedge between them.

enter, incognito. who was waiting for that distance, waiting for algorithm to be alone. incognito... actually legitimately wants algorithm dead! so badly. and he's not patient enough to wait for the worm to take care of it.

CLIFFHANGER!!!