Medusa Bug

The Medusa Bug

The Medusa was a small viral bug contained in a hand held box. The Medusa was created by Hexadecimal and spreads uncontrollably to everything, infecting, and turning it to stone. Soon afterwards everyone and everything infected by the Medusa degrades to dust, starting with low-energy before working up to high-energy life-forms such as Binomes and Sprites; potentially leading to the collapse of the entire system.

The Medusa open

Megabyte started working with Hex for a short time in order to steal the Medusa from her. He was successful in smuggling the box out of the Lair. Hex brought Nulls to stop him but Hack and Slash broke the bridge to Lost Angles severing it from Mainframe. Megabyte escaped back to Silicon Tor by leaving a small group of ABCs to try and stop Hex. She easily destroyed them with minimal effort, then left, saying she was bored.  

Dot Infected

Mainframe being infected

Medusa surrounding Frisket

Megabyte didn't realize that Hex purposely let him take it so that he would activate the viral bug away from her island. When he opened the box it immediately infected his hand turning it to stone and traveling up his arm. His computer was unable to identify the bug and couldn't come up with a cure. Hex taunted him in his last moments revealing her trap to him. The Medusa infected the Tor quickly and moved on to the rest of Mainframe.

Bob Infected By The Medusa

Principal Office being infected

Bob, Dot Matrix, and Enzo Matrix encountered the Medusa when it infected a large portion of Baudway Sector, including Dot's Diner. Enzo watched as the virus infected Frisket, as the dog ran toward them to get away. The three sprites went to the Principal Officeand asked Phong about the odd infection. Phong told them it was a bug, pure and simple, spreading to anything it touches. He told Dot and Enzo to work on evacuating the city, while he took Bob to the Mainframe Armory to work on a defence.

Hex and infected Scuzzy

At the Armory, Bob asked for several powerful weapons, but Phong had to tell him that they were not in the Super Computer, and that they only had some less sofisticated weapons. Bob tried to use a powered-up Viral Erase Command on the bug, but it was too powerful to be erased and resisted the command.

Phong Infected

Phong evacuated the city's inhabitants to the Principal Office and put up its shields. The Medusa quickly degraded the shield and infected the Principal Office and everyone in it. The only one to survive was Bob; his guardian code made him immune.

Dot and infected Binomes

Bob decided to go to Lost Angles and tried to exact his revenge by infecting Hexadecimal with the Medusa. When he arrived at Hexadecimal's Lair, Hex had decorated her Lair with infected Mainframers, even Scuzzy had been infected.

Hex had no trouble stopping Bob and was ready to destroy him when he thanked her for making Mainframe so quiet and predictable, with no one moving or changing. When Hex realized how peaceful it would be in Mainframe, which worked against her chaotic nature. After an outburst she snapped her fingers, and the entire city was immediately restored to normal.(The Medusa Bug)

Medusa Mark II

Soon after these events Megabyte had developed his own version of the Medusa Bug, less powerful than the original but just as effective against Mainframe. This version also was designed to avoid infecting Ghetty Prime Sector. Hexadecimal can easily erase this version of the Medusa as it is a altered copy of her original weapon.

Bob being a Guardian has once again found himself immune to the Medusa. Desperate to save his friends he turns to the Super Virus Hexadecimal and personally asks her to remove it. Hex admits while she hates Megabyte, she likes the chaos he is inflicting. She instead proposes that Bob remains with her, to that which he rejects. Bob is determined to find a vaccine and contacts Phong, who warns him the Medusa Virus has broken through the Principal Office's defences, and that he must find the "Trias Effect", just as the old sprite is infected too.

Bob arrives in the Principal Office looking on helplessly at the frozen forms of Phong, Enzo, and Dot. Bob concludes only one place has the solution, commanding Glitch a portal to the Super Computer. Megabyte views the fallen system and gloats, believing Bob has abandoned the city, but suddenly the Guardian returns with an anti-viral program. Glitch then enacts the Trias Effect; Megabyte howls in defeat as his Medusa Virus is purged and eradicated from Mainframe in a huge orange explosion. (Promo Spots)

References

• The Medusa viral bug itself is an allusion on the Greek mythological creature 'Medusa' whose mere gaze could petrify observers into stone.
• The story of the second Medusa Bug was not shown in an episode. Due to production delays, the fifth episode of ReBoot was not complete when the fourth episode was ready to air. For the next six weeks, short teaser clips were shown instead. These teaser clips showed a sequel to The Medusa Bug. The "sequel" was shown in single clips shown over five weeks where other shows ran in ReBoot's time slot. See: Promo Spots