03-21-2010, 10:12 PM
“Take that!”
“No!”
Lance lowered the tip of the massive blade that he wielded. The freak standing in front of him was all that was standing in his way between him and the end of his event. The woman, a recreation of the Laughing Octopus from the Metal Gear Solid series, took a step backwards, her body noticeably shaking upon facing her opponent. Baller rolled his eyes upon seeing it—it was just another thing that Keith Summers had done wrong in his programming. Laughing Octopus was a maniacal villain who wasn’t afraid of anything, but this one seemed to just cower in fear and cry all the time. He couldn’t even imagine what the scrawny programmer could have gotten her confused with.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but you can stop,” Baller shook his head. “I’m going to fight you, and I’m going to kill you.”
“What!? Why are you doing this?” Laughing Octopus sobbed. “I’m not who you think I am? Don’t you remember me!? Christine Clemens!? We’re classmates!”
“Keith, you asshole,” Baller sneered, looking towards the sky. “This isn’t funny.”
“No!” the woman in front of him put her hands on her head, her tone wavering between fear and madness. The metallic limbs sprouting out of her back stretched and curled towards the blue-suited swordsman. “I won’t let you kill me! I won’t!”
The metal arms shot towards Lance, who widened his eyes and ducked just before the attack could reach his head. “Ohoho, you’re finally fighting back. Good, I was just starting to get bored!”
He gripped his sword and sprung forward, whipping the blade forward in a backswing. Octopus screamed and raised a metal limb to block it, the metal of the two objects clanking together and creating a spark. Baller laughed and spun around, his speed much greater than that of his opponent, and swung again, the blade cutting into her vertically. The woman’s scream was cut short and turned to gurgling as the strike downed her. Octopus slumped to the ground in two parts, blood gushing into several places.
Lance glanced at the portal opening at his side and sighed in thought. Oh man, that was fun. I wonder what time it is, though. I should probably log off for a bit.
*
“Did…did you figure anything out?” Yuffith inquired bashfully, suddenly realizing that Kepler was standing in the doorway to her cottage with his arms folded.
“I did.”
Her countenance changed immediately. “Really!? What is it?”
The elf lowered his head. “You might not want to hear it.”
“…so it’s that kind of news, is it?” Julia sighed. “Please. Tell me.”
“…we’re screwed, kid,” the man sighed.
The girl gasped.
“All the ports and pathways have been blocked,” Stone went on to explain. “There’s not a damn thing I can do from inside. Not without administrative status.”
“I’m not sure…what you mean,” Yuffith shook her head. “I’ve never been into computers.”
“Hm…how can I explain this…” Kepler sighed again. “Okay, well…have you ever played one of your kid brother’s video games, or at least know anything about them?”
“I know…the basics, I suppose,” the girl nodded. “Why?”
“Well, just think of your brain as a start menu,” the hacker said. “The system uses advanced cybernetics to plug itself directly into the player’s brain. If a normal player thinks it, he can bring up a menu that appears just in front of the player’s eyes. The concept has been used in several ways, like when you brother flashes the ‘party status’ for kicks. Normally, people can log out from there, but…”
“But…?”
“We don’t even have access to the menu itself. We can’t do anything from here,” Kepler closed his eyes. “We are completely and utterly trapped.”
Elsewhere in the prison, Magnus yawned and stretched out a hand, testing his movement right after he logged in. Everything seemed to be in order and completely realistic, just as he programmed it. “I can feel the weight of the gravity, the sting of the burning sun…everything is in working order, as it should be. Now…”
What was it that the players were able to do? The Summers kid had the files on all of them, but he was able to sneak a peek when his wasn’t paying attention. Whatever it was, they called it “ki.” The way the robotic scouts explained it, it was some sort of inner strength that they could turn into energy. It was a concept that seemed too silly to fully understand, but something like that mattered very little when he had complete access to every command from within the game. If he focused enough, he found that he could do anything. Focusing on the palm of his hand, his eyes went wide as a blue spark shot out of it. Concentrating even further, he conjured up a larger spark. Suddenly, an orb of pure energy formed.
It was all so easy.
He charged more artificial ki into his palm and shoved it into the earth, creating a large explosion around him.
*
“What…what is this!?”
Lance gasped and stumbled backwards, his knees suddenly giving out upon seeing what was in front of him. A large room that he previously hadn’t been able to get into housed all sorts of machinery, each with cords that had been jacked into dozens of people, each sleeping on beds that lined the floor. Taking a deep breath, the boy slowly made his way further into the room, shaking in fear upon seeing some of the people. The woman he saw die in the Wonderland event had fallen off of her bed, foam covering the area around her mouth. From the looks of it, the sudden death in the system caused her body to convulse. Poor lady—her body couldn’t handle the shock.
His eyes left Mirabelle and looked up ahead—another body was in an odd position, apparently a result from convulsions. The girl looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. When he finally did, however, he gasped and ran to her. “Christine!”
He shook her body, but it was the same result. She was dead long before he even made it to the room. Lance lowered his head and shook out a few tears before his sorrow turned to rage. Shaking furiously, he dashed from the room and ran as fast as he could. Keith had been lying to him the entire time, and he simply grinned like an idiot when real people were dying. Part of him thought it best to just unplug them right then and there, but he couldn’t be sure what effects it would have on the people. For all he knew, it would kill them anyway.
The door of the control room was wide open, allowing him to run into the area with all his momentum. “You son of a bitch!”
Keith merely sat in his chair, eyes glued to the screen in front of him. He didn’t even turn around when he responded. “Hm? Why are you yelling? Did you not like your event?”
“My event? My event doesn’t mean shit, you bastard! Why are you using real people for this…this monstrosity!?” Lance made a fist.
Keith turned his chair around so that he could face his accuser. They locked eyes for a moment. Suddenly, Summers began to laugh. “So! You found the secret room, huh? Looks like you’re curiosity got the better of you.”
“You…!” Lance reached out and grabbed the neck of Keith’s shirt, lifting him to his feet. “Don’t act so damn smug! You’re going to get them out of there right-fucking-now!”
“…you’re an idiot, Lance. Always were,” Gamer responded, still smiling. “You act so big and bad. You don’t scare me. I doubt you even have the balls to actually hit me.”
But he did, much to the billionaire’s surprise. Knuckles cracked against his nose, sending the boy stumbling over his chair and crashing to the floor below. Without the time to think, Lance sprinted towards the control panel and started entering commands.
I didn’t knock him out, so I don’t have the time to get everyone out. This is all I can do for now…
Upon entering the last commands, he sighed and turned around to see what Keith was doing. He widened his eyes upon looking down the barrel of the other teenager’s pistol. All he could see under it was Keith’s lips, which had curved into a smile as blood leaked between them. “Fool.”
Instead of pulling the trigger, he lifted his gun and whipped him with it. The butt of the pistol cracked across his face sending him towards the floor.
I did all I could do, Lance thought as his consciousness began to fade. It’s…it’s all up to you…Mixie.
*
A massive explosion ripped through the prison, leading the newest prisoners towards the area. As the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood in the center of it: Magnus. Upon seeing everyone gather around, he smirked. “I’m glad that my little act of power drew your attention. How happy I am that you made it.”
The prisoners frowned and exchanged glances as the hacker spoke.
Magnus continued. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. There is no way you can escape. Your lives belong to me until the game is over, do you understand? My command is absolute!” he began to laugh. “I can see the expressions on your faces, the defiant glimmer in your eyes. You don’t believe me, do you? Very well, I shall prove it to you! All of you, come at me! I’ll strike you down and impose my will!”
“No!”
Lance lowered the tip of the massive blade that he wielded. The freak standing in front of him was all that was standing in his way between him and the end of his event. The woman, a recreation of the Laughing Octopus from the Metal Gear Solid series, took a step backwards, her body noticeably shaking upon facing her opponent. Baller rolled his eyes upon seeing it—it was just another thing that Keith Summers had done wrong in his programming. Laughing Octopus was a maniacal villain who wasn’t afraid of anything, but this one seemed to just cower in fear and cry all the time. He couldn’t even imagine what the scrawny programmer could have gotten her confused with.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but you can stop,” Baller shook his head. “I’m going to fight you, and I’m going to kill you.”
“What!? Why are you doing this?” Laughing Octopus sobbed. “I’m not who you think I am? Don’t you remember me!? Christine Clemens!? We’re classmates!”
“Keith, you asshole,” Baller sneered, looking towards the sky. “This isn’t funny.”
“No!” the woman in front of him put her hands on her head, her tone wavering between fear and madness. The metallic limbs sprouting out of her back stretched and curled towards the blue-suited swordsman. “I won’t let you kill me! I won’t!”
The metal arms shot towards Lance, who widened his eyes and ducked just before the attack could reach his head. “Ohoho, you’re finally fighting back. Good, I was just starting to get bored!”
He gripped his sword and sprung forward, whipping the blade forward in a backswing. Octopus screamed and raised a metal limb to block it, the metal of the two objects clanking together and creating a spark. Baller laughed and spun around, his speed much greater than that of his opponent, and swung again, the blade cutting into her vertically. The woman’s scream was cut short and turned to gurgling as the strike downed her. Octopus slumped to the ground in two parts, blood gushing into several places.
Lance glanced at the portal opening at his side and sighed in thought. Oh man, that was fun. I wonder what time it is, though. I should probably log off for a bit.
*
“Did…did you figure anything out?” Yuffith inquired bashfully, suddenly realizing that Kepler was standing in the doorway to her cottage with his arms folded.
“I did.”
Her countenance changed immediately. “Really!? What is it?”
The elf lowered his head. “You might not want to hear it.”
“…so it’s that kind of news, is it?” Julia sighed. “Please. Tell me.”
“…we’re screwed, kid,” the man sighed.
The girl gasped.
“All the ports and pathways have been blocked,” Stone went on to explain. “There’s not a damn thing I can do from inside. Not without administrative status.”
“I’m not sure…what you mean,” Yuffith shook her head. “I’ve never been into computers.”
“Hm…how can I explain this…” Kepler sighed again. “Okay, well…have you ever played one of your kid brother’s video games, or at least know anything about them?”
“I know…the basics, I suppose,” the girl nodded. “Why?”
“Well, just think of your brain as a start menu,” the hacker said. “The system uses advanced cybernetics to plug itself directly into the player’s brain. If a normal player thinks it, he can bring up a menu that appears just in front of the player’s eyes. The concept has been used in several ways, like when you brother flashes the ‘party status’ for kicks. Normally, people can log out from there, but…”
“But…?”
“We don’t even have access to the menu itself. We can’t do anything from here,” Kepler closed his eyes. “We are completely and utterly trapped.”
Elsewhere in the prison, Magnus yawned and stretched out a hand, testing his movement right after he logged in. Everything seemed to be in order and completely realistic, just as he programmed it. “I can feel the weight of the gravity, the sting of the burning sun…everything is in working order, as it should be. Now…”
What was it that the players were able to do? The Summers kid had the files on all of them, but he was able to sneak a peek when his wasn’t paying attention. Whatever it was, they called it “ki.” The way the robotic scouts explained it, it was some sort of inner strength that they could turn into energy. It was a concept that seemed too silly to fully understand, but something like that mattered very little when he had complete access to every command from within the game. If he focused enough, he found that he could do anything. Focusing on the palm of his hand, his eyes went wide as a blue spark shot out of it. Concentrating even further, he conjured up a larger spark. Suddenly, an orb of pure energy formed.
It was all so easy.
He charged more artificial ki into his palm and shoved it into the earth, creating a large explosion around him.
*
“What…what is this!?”
Lance gasped and stumbled backwards, his knees suddenly giving out upon seeing what was in front of him. A large room that he previously hadn’t been able to get into housed all sorts of machinery, each with cords that had been jacked into dozens of people, each sleeping on beds that lined the floor. Taking a deep breath, the boy slowly made his way further into the room, shaking in fear upon seeing some of the people. The woman he saw die in the Wonderland event had fallen off of her bed, foam covering the area around her mouth. From the looks of it, the sudden death in the system caused her body to convulse. Poor lady—her body couldn’t handle the shock.
His eyes left Mirabelle and looked up ahead—another body was in an odd position, apparently a result from convulsions. The girl looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. When he finally did, however, he gasped and ran to her. “Christine!”
He shook her body, but it was the same result. She was dead long before he even made it to the room. Lance lowered his head and shook out a few tears before his sorrow turned to rage. Shaking furiously, he dashed from the room and ran as fast as he could. Keith had been lying to him the entire time, and he simply grinned like an idiot when real people were dying. Part of him thought it best to just unplug them right then and there, but he couldn’t be sure what effects it would have on the people. For all he knew, it would kill them anyway.
The door of the control room was wide open, allowing him to run into the area with all his momentum. “You son of a bitch!”
Keith merely sat in his chair, eyes glued to the screen in front of him. He didn’t even turn around when he responded. “Hm? Why are you yelling? Did you not like your event?”
“My event? My event doesn’t mean shit, you bastard! Why are you using real people for this…this monstrosity!?” Lance made a fist.
Keith turned his chair around so that he could face his accuser. They locked eyes for a moment. Suddenly, Summers began to laugh. “So! You found the secret room, huh? Looks like you’re curiosity got the better of you.”
“You…!” Lance reached out and grabbed the neck of Keith’s shirt, lifting him to his feet. “Don’t act so damn smug! You’re going to get them out of there right-fucking-now!”
“…you’re an idiot, Lance. Always were,” Gamer responded, still smiling. “You act so big and bad. You don’t scare me. I doubt you even have the balls to actually hit me.”
But he did, much to the billionaire’s surprise. Knuckles cracked against his nose, sending the boy stumbling over his chair and crashing to the floor below. Without the time to think, Lance sprinted towards the control panel and started entering commands.
I didn’t knock him out, so I don’t have the time to get everyone out. This is all I can do for now…
Upon entering the last commands, he sighed and turned around to see what Keith was doing. He widened his eyes upon looking down the barrel of the other teenager’s pistol. All he could see under it was Keith’s lips, which had curved into a smile as blood leaked between them. “Fool.”
Instead of pulling the trigger, he lifted his gun and whipped him with it. The butt of the pistol cracked across his face sending him towards the floor.
I did all I could do, Lance thought as his consciousness began to fade. It’s…it’s all up to you…Mixie.
*
A massive explosion ripped through the prison, leading the newest prisoners towards the area. As the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood in the center of it: Magnus. Upon seeing everyone gather around, he smirked. “I’m glad that my little act of power drew your attention. How happy I am that you made it.”
The prisoners frowned and exchanged glances as the hacker spoke.
Magnus continued. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. There is no way you can escape. Your lives belong to me until the game is over, do you understand? My command is absolute!” he began to laugh. “I can see the expressions on your faces, the defiant glimmer in your eyes. You don’t believe me, do you? Very well, I shall prove it to you! All of you, come at me! I’ll strike you down and impose my will!”