Help for a non-battle encounter (werewolf/mage (oWoD))

[Shinizak]

I'm making a game where the characters may have to go into cyberspace. The idea is that they characters are on a tropical island that belongs to a mad scientist, the computer will often try to hack other computers. The problem is that I don't know how to make encountering an A.I., going into the computer system, and staving off a hacking attack dramatic without having a fight.

I'd essentially like them to fight the computer without knives and so forth. Any ideas?

[satorian]

What kind of characters are they? Is cyberspace accessible from the umbra in your game? Do they have a werewolf/dreamspeaker with easy access to the umbra? Anybody a mage that has high dots in Spirit? Is one of the characters a virtual adept? Anybody have high forces that could manipulate EM signals? Is the computer a solid thing that they could just destroy from the material world? Basically, if you need help, you need to give more information.

[Shinizak]

Info:

The web is accessible from the umbra, but it isn't advisable paradox spirits and pattern spiders are all over that. Only one of the players is really any good at getting into the web (but that's his focus).

The Players:

Werewolf Silver Fang: Fighter type
Head squisher

Werewolf Fianna: Joker type
Silent prankster

Celestial Chorus: neutral type
High entropy (likes to be lucky)

Son of Ether (electrodyne Deva): computer type
High correspondence/mind (think mind to computer interface)

They all have something to relate to spirits (only one or two dots though)

NPCs: literally of all shapes and kinds.

They could destroy the physical computer, but the point of the adventure is to get to the physical part of it while defending against it's attacks.

[Satyr]

I am more of a werewolf player than a mage one, so this may be a bit prejudiced, but: AIs are essentially powerful spirits, who can channel their powers into the physical world from their domain. In your case, it could abe a rogue net spider, other weaver thing, or even an electronical elemental. Dealing with spirits works pretty much as usual - and in their domain, they can be very nasty, so a binding ritual is pretty much the best sollution. So go to your friendly neighbourhood glasswalker, and get the right ritual. Try to keep the spirit unaware or occupied, while you use a simple Ritual of Binding. That will take its time, and perhaps only work on the very computer the spirit uses as a lair. If the ritual is succesful, the characters can pretty much download it to a USB stick, and have therir very own djinn in a botte - whom they can ask to do them a favor. You have basically created a talen, and with a pwoerful spirit inside, a mean one. Now, you can use the trapped spirit to monkeywrench pretty much every computer system around the world which is not magically protected, when they are able to upload the spirit in said system. Which is an awesome weapon.

if you like to add some thumbscrews, and your mages have access to the near umbra (it is pretty much a given for the Garou), you could also send them to the Cyber Realm to obtain the fitting ritual. But that can easily become a suicide mission.