URL Lost

[Clown_of_God]

Blanc materialized in the center of the room, looking around, she came to a halt as her gaze rested on Athena.

"Both of you have an odd fascination for such an ancient civilization. Was it his inspiration or was this something you both had in common already?"

Holding up a hand, Blanc began to turn slowly and as she did, data began to materialize and form various buildings, constructs, landscapes and even people until there was nothing but a Roman city laid out within the room. As the people walked through the makeshift city, they communicated, interacted, with each other. Told tales of their most recent journeys, soldiers boasted of their last battle, while sailors chuckled heartily and sipped on their wine.

"I pieced this together based on old databases in combination with the latest discoveries. Simply, this is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of Ancient Rome."

[Thaelasan]

((

))

 

Athena's mouth opened a bit as she admired the creation Blanc had sprawled before her. Though her room was small, an entire scale model of Ancient Rome sat in front of her, almost as though built by a VERY talented child who knew his way around legos and kits. However, that was an understatement. Everything from the dust of the footsteps to the cracks of the walls was visible. Shadows from where the light of the sun was held in thrall by the stones of the buildings were cast upon tiny people, wandering the streets.

"The Fifteenth of March, the day of the Caesar assassination, right?" Athena asked, leaning closer. A parade with Caesar's name written in Greek letters was marching across the cobblestones. Several people were stopping to see the festivities. Yet, Athena knew, somewhere far from the parade, Caesar's wife was hoping for his safe return from the Senate meeting.

A return that was doomed to never take place.

Soon, the knives of his own friends and followers would pierce his back and front, his blood staining the white robes of the legislature, his mouth trying to form his final words.

"Et tu, Brutus?" Athena whispered after a while, touching several parts. The model spun as she touched it so she could get a better view of different locations. All in all, a masterpiece. Even Helen wasn't capable of data construction on THIS large of a scale. Sure, she could make high-resolution models based on available data, but not to this degree.

Ethan needed to see this. Somehow. But not right now. He was probably busy screwing around with the data collected from Blanc.

As the thought crossed her mind, she mentally sighed.

"Ethan inspired my fascination with the Greeks and Romans, partially. I already liked Mythology, but his absolute adoration with the cultures sparked something in me. I guess it WAS because we were already pretty much together, but either way, it's something we share." she said, stepping around the model with her hands behind her back. "I'm gonna guess you already know everything about them from databanks? It ruins the fun of telling you their stories."

She leaned forward on her dresser, getting comfortable.

"Imagine. Philosophers, emperors, and commoners, living together in a republic based on hopeful ideology and shared culture. They wove tales of heroes and gods. Sure, they spent most of their time fornicating when they weren't doing their jobs, and most of their gods were promiscuous, and many of the men were slight pedophiles but they were also geniuses. Can't fault the majority for the actions of the minority, especially when their good actions outweighed their strange and possibly negative ones. Still, I hope Ethan doesn't learn to take after Zeus."

She laughed, hoping Blanc caught the joke.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

"I do not understand the ideology of gods. How can one believe in an entity whose existence can not be proven? For instance, Achilles was believed to have a blessing from the gods that rendered him practically invulnerable, but was he not just a proficient and skilled warrior who fell only because he was distracted by the woman who he gave his heart to?"

As she spoke, the model dissipated and a model of Achilles manifested. Of course, like Ethan's Matric, it was only based on the many descriptions and reoccurring features. Obviously, the model towered over the two females, adorned in full armor and carrying his trademark spear, sword hanging on his hip.

"If Ethan were like Zeus, he would marry and fornicate with his own sister while having a superiority complex."

[Thaelasan]

Athena laughed harder than before, struggling to regain her composure.

"No no. I meant his adultery, not that part of him... but I suppose that could be just as bad.. He does have little sisters, after all..."

She grinned evilly, but then returned to her normal, small, quiet smile that disguised her actual personality.

Ethan knew it very well. Though she normally acted calm, collected, and aloof, Athena's actual personality was more energetic and spontaneous. Her actions had an underlying meaning - and they always had to be either exciting or at least interesting.

Above all, Athena despised uninteresting things, and things which distracted from those things. So, she was currently conflicted between what was more interesting - her own boyfriend, or this strange and powerful new Matric which had wandered into her line of sight.

However, Blanc had no way of knowing of this internal conflict. Not even the best Matrici could read minds, nor did they probably care enough to do so.

She laid herself back upon the bed, arms behind her head, as the scale model of Rome spun slowly and quietly above her. She felt tired. She hadn't lied to Ethan about that. And unlike Ethan, she wasn't paranoid about being assassinated for discovering too much. She doubted it was that big of a deal.

"So what do you remember, anyway?" Athena finally said quietly, her voice seeming distant. "I need something to keep me awake. If I pass out now, I'll never sleep tonight..."

 

----

 

((

))

 

Ethan rubbed his forehead with both hands, pulling them down the length of his face as he let out a breath. God, this was unnecessarily complicated.

A recent order for a modification had been seemingly simple at first, but the idiot had forgotten to mention he'd attempted to mod it himself - with disastrous results. Worse, he'd tried to erase it, leaving behind function scraps that kept interfering with Ethan's own mods. The entire situation was aggravating.

Though it wasn't normally his style, he was going to charge extra one way or another. This was unnecessarily irritating.

He shut down the coding for the time being. There was no point to causing himself more mental strain. No real deadline this time. He turned back to his other monitor, where the defragmentation of Blanc's known codes was processing.

"Only 30%? Damn." Ethan rubbed his eyes, frowning. "How long has it been going for?"

"Nigh on two hours and thirty minutes, brother." Achilles replied, checking timestamps.

"I'm not running any other background processes on this part of the drive, right?" Ethan leaned back in his chair while he rubbed his grizzled chin.

"None."

"Then what's taking that much time? Which folder?"

"All of them. They're resisting the defragmentation process. I've had to fight them like an army, sir."

"How?"

"Every time a file is broken down, it reveals more files that try to act like the original but are simple decoys. It's like breaking down a fortress that makes smaller castles as decoys."

"That's... pretty advanced coding. Why all this protection, though? It's only the second level! This isn't her core!"

"I couldn't tell you."

"You're right. We both have no clue.." Ethan tilted his head back as he balanced his pencil on his upper lip, exhaling quietly.

 

(( In fact, another

. )) Edited May 9, 2015 by Thaelasan

[Clown_of_God]

Blanc looked at Athena for a moment and then looked at the ground, as if distraught. Holding out her hand, a glowing orb of data formed in her palm and shortly expanded until it covered the room, forming various screens throughout the room. Each screen held a different image, file, video, replaying various parts of what was stored in her databanks.

"I remember being alone. Waking up in a dark, unknown space and not knowing why I was there. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, who I was, or why I was made. So, I began searching. Searching for answers to unknown questions and looking for someone who I don't even know.

As time passed, I met a lot of people. Some who were kind, but others who wanted... more from me. Indecent things. Then, there were the ones that wanted inside my house, who wanted to force me to do things I did not want to do.

Did you know it's possible for a Matric to kill a person? I didn't know and, initially, I didn't mean to, but when the attacks got worse... I found new ways to take care of them. Altering traffic signals, so they got into a horrible wreck. Activating security strips and posts, sending extreme amounts of data into their computers until they exploded, electrical fires, disengaging safety's in elevators..."

Blanc stopped and turned her back to Athena, inflating one of the screens and playing a few of the events she had mentioned. One of them showing where she had switched the traffic lights, allowing her target to continue driving only to get plowed by a big rig that was going roughly fifty. Another was security camera footage of an elevator dropping from the fifteenth floor and crashing through the main floor, into the maintenance level. If she accounted, Athena would notice the date in the upper right corner, dating back a hundred and fifty-three years ago.

"Ethan asked if I had protection. In terms of general protection programs, my system reacts based on the type of attack. Hacking attempts result in a fried computer, data mining strips the software and programs off the users computer and then prevents them from regaining them. I'm... not sure how I do it, but it comes naturally. Not like breathing. Like walking, where you have to take steps to attain the final outcome of the process. You know, craw, walk, run scenario?"

[KuroKishi]

(( The hell's up with this silence? ))

 

Username: KuroKishi

Character Name: Archer 'Arc' Donnel

Matric Name/Code: ZETA159ARC

Matric Nickname: Archon

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 20

Matric Gender: Male

Matric Age: 3 years since creation.

Character Appearance: Arc has a semi-athletic build and is slightly higher than the average male around his age. His hair is short and of a dark brown color, kept short overall except the top and swept back (just like his), whilst his eyes are of a vibrant, almost unnatural gray color. What Archer enjoys to wear the most includes, but is not limited to, dark colored tops, tees, shirts and sweaters, as well as loose or cargo pants and jeans. His style is mainly about looking casual, but has a slight, formal appeal to it that most would lack.

Matric Appearance: Archon is an individual that seems to look as if he's from a time even farther than Archer's reality. He wears a suit of pure black that sticks to his frame and is covered around the chest and arms by strange, metallic plates. His head is shrouded by a hood that emerges from his suit, along with a mask of the same dark metal that looks something like this.

Character Personality: Arc is quite open, to say the least. He's daring, confident and has the backbone to stay calm under pressure. In an argument, he is willing to push his side forward, yet might back off if his logic is properly disproved. An aura of seriousness covers him and deters him from a lot of contact, unfortunately. His attitude toward strangers or new friends is skeptical and, sometimes, way too cold for comfort. To be honest, this treatment does not change by much even after you befriend him... but, well, he'll most certainly split off some of his time for you, if he finds you worthy of it, and respect you a lot more than others. Some say the young man treats a third party even better, but even if the rumors are true, the members of said third party would be an extreme rarity. Lastly, Arc's personality often differs from the one he uses when playing games. It sticks to the serious, leader's tone that he has, but is much warmer and friendlier.

Matric Personality: Archon has mostly copied Arc's personality from his real life counterpart, as he believes his game counterpart 'deceives even Arc's reality beyond recognition'. In contrast to his owner, the Matric limits its words. No one really knows if he does that because he's an introvert or just because he wishes to prove how 'wise' he is with a few phrases here and there.

Character's Job/Grade: College student/unemployed.

Character History: Archer was born into a rich family that had just finished riding along the growing trend that was the VEX Industries' creations. As one of the earlier predecessors of the young man had sponsored the starting company with a risky loan after seeing their ideas, they had reaped the rewards of the booming fad that was the Matrics series. Arc had a bigger brother that was mainly 'coerced' into taking over the buisness of the family - a simple but effective goods teleportation service - whilst he himself was left to do whatever came to his mind. He grew up averagely, with the only thing different about him being the fact he would often be bothered by people that were 'trying to get some', as his dad would describe it. Finishing school with a couple of awards thanks to his natural intellect, the young man decided to try something new during his year before college began. Thanks to that choice, he turned into an avid gamer and became renowned in one or two titles because of his skills. Now, Arc leads a busy life, as inbetween college, sleep and gaming, he is trying to become more social. Maybe one of his friends could help him out...

Character's Connector: Bracelet on the right hand connected to a mini-circuit, translucent contact lens. The bracelet allows control of the AI through a one-side mini holoprojector, and the lens allows the AI to interact with the surroundings and Arc's vision at will. The connector, unlike its simplistic apperance and design, is top of the line and costs quite a fortune.

Other: Arc is an avid gamer that often spends his time playing, as studies have turned into a piece of cake for him and his need of sleep is only around six hours.

Edited May 11, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Thaelasan]

(( Accepted, and I hope you don't mind if I ninja you for a moment. ))

 

Ethan sat for a long while, frustrated and disappointed with the whole affair of this. This information was sitting right in front of him, like a chest full of gold or a valuable diamond, and he couldn't access it without taking risks that could delete the whole thing - if there were defense systems for it.

Indiana Jones would have had a challenge.

He leaned forward, then tapped a few keys on his desk. Immediately, his call began to go through, but - of course - it came up to voicemail, as it usually did. Even if he was there to pick up the phone, this particular recipient only answered when he felt the caller had waited long enough, as he valued his time too much to waste on petty calls that could lead to needless conversations. He only wanted results.

A man Ethan could respect - if be a bit irritated with his personality and actions as a result of.

Athena didn't like this person much because of how he treated people like her and Ethan when he had first met them. He hadn't PURPOSEFULLY brushed them off - at least, Ethan believed that wasn't the case - but he'd seemed brash and arrogant at first meeting. Thus, Athena had found him cold and annoying, like a block of ice shoved down your collar. Thankfully, he wasn't as hard to get rid of, in her opinion.

But, when she wasn't around, Ethan would call him off and on, because - like Ethan - he was normally an expert in these sort of situations - and he could be trusted. That was the big deal here. Trust.

Whether Blanc liked it or not - and he didn't doubt she was tracking his calls right now - this man wouldn't give her up easily.

"Hey. Arc?" Ethan started, spinning in the chair slightly to face the window as the voicemail beeped. "I'm not going to waste time getting to the point. I have a very interesting bit of information here for you that may or may not change the way this entire world views Matrici. No. I'm not exaggerating. And yes, you shouldn't tell anyone else about it. I'm serious right now. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself. Would I lie to you?"

He stopped for a moment, waiting for the voicemail to ask if he was finished. Nodding, he gave his approval and hung up the phone, then continued to stare out the window as a plane flew overhead.

Those who couldn't afford teleportation fees - or just didn't like how it felt - still used 21st century methods of travel, even after all this time had passed.

Hey, if something worked, humans were prone to continuing to use it. Lights. Electricity. Vehicles. Things that could be improved but were still good in their base form.

In other words, if it ain't broke, don't force fix it.

He clicked play on the TV, having forgotten that he'd paused it on the news broadcast earlier during typing.

"...and in other news, it has been confirmed that the powerful Donnel family - strong contributor of VEX - will be sending a representative to the show this weekend. It's said it will be the younger son of the heirs, the famous Headshot: Chrome Trigger player Arc! He will be challenging other players in live games during the show, with a cash prize - donated by the Donnel family itself and a few others - up for grabs for the first person to beat him in the Quickdraw event! I hope that I still have a good trigger finger myself then."

"You play that game?!"

"Well, off-and-on..."

Ethan blinked, then chuckled. Arc was probably busy then getting ready, but hopefully he could spare SOME time... Especially for this.

He flicked off the television, sighing quietly to himself. The defragmentation process was only at 32% now, fifteen minutes after the last check. This was going nowhere.

"Continue the process, Achilles, as best you can. I'm going to play some games, if you don't mind."

"I'll set up the sequences for login." Achilles bowed.

 

----

 

Athena listened intently, growing more and more inwardly worried. This crazed, murderous Matric was sitting in her room, one who had killed multiple people just for believing them to be hackers?...

"Well, you don't... don't have to worry about that with us. Ethan may be straightforward, but he honestly has everyone's best interests at heart... Not like a certain stuck-up prick..." Athena grimaced, her thoughts wandering to a familiar blue-blooded gamer boy named after the act of firing arrows.

"But that's not important." she waved her hand dismissively. "But one of those said a date that was like more than a hundred years ago. How old are you exactly...?"

Edited May 11, 2015 by Thaelasan

[KuroKishi]

(( Fiiirst poooooost. ))

 

..."Cut the crap already. Both you and I know what I'm here for, so show it to me already."

"Ah! Certainly, sir, this way!"

The two figures, saturated down to a gray color that befitted flashbacks, walked down a narrow hallway, sounds of machinery and computers running programs filling their surroundings. One of the figures was a simple buisnessman wearing standard clothing, such as a shirt, coat and plain pants. Behind him was a younger teenager that was obviously nearing adulthood, as he stood almost as high as the man, whose age most certainly was around the late 30's. With a simple, black tee, dark gray jacket, baggy pants and black sneakers, the naive youngster followed the man thoroughly, a small bit of annoyance visible on his expression.

Finally, the two came to the far end of the corridor, and the worker promptly sent his gaze upward. He came into eye contact with a small apparatus which fired off a beam of light into his eye and, after a very short process of analyzing, shone a green color and unlocked the door.

Making sure to let the young teen step inside first, the busnessman followed suit and walked into the dark room.

"Hey, I don't know what you're thinking of doing, but I doubt you can present me anything without hitting the lights."

"J-just a moment, sir, I'm having trouble..."

Before the man finished his words, the young man was already at the switch and was flipping it to the on position. A sigh escaped his lips as the lights came to life and revealed the pure white interior of the room. Staff stared into the room from multiple walls of glass that seperated them from their colleague and the visitor. Some seemed excited, whilst others were only able to feel sorry for their co-worker.

Giving the youngster a nervous but thankful nod, the man pushed himself off the wall he had been previously inspecting and then walked toward the centre. Silently, the teenager followed him and cast his gaze toward the platform in the middle - a small pedestal, holding a bracelet of black and a tiny box just next to it.

"T-this, Mr. Donnel, should meet your specifications-"

"He should?"

The two men shared a moment of eye contact. Tension filled the air as the young man stared daggers into the worker's body, causing the man to become even more frantic. Silently, he nodded and turned back to the glass assembly, then pointed to the device within.

"Top of the line Adaptability Code... personality reflective of your own... adapting armor class..." He muttered the once-memorized lines with difficulty as they crawled back into his mind from whichever pit they had hidden within.

"Does he have a name?" The teenager shot back as his hand nonchalantly moved forward, then grasped the glass cover that kept the top sealed and pulled it off. He let it fall to the ground, the material miraculously only cracking slightly and remaining solid.

"H-he has only but a code, sir..."

"Good. Then I may name him." The young man finished as he moved his body forth and flipped the small box open, then gazed inside. Taking the tiny translucent lens from its velvet confines, he lifted it to his eye and placed it over the lens. Though he hissed slightly and instinctively opened and shut his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the irritant, he quickly adapted himself and turned to the bracelet. Taking it from the pedestal, he pulled back his right sleeve and then placed the bracelet around his wrist. Now finished, he lifted his right hand so the bracelet was pararel to his face and turned to all his observers.

"There is only one name suitable for someone who shall serve with me, serve as me, serve alongside me and serve me. One that still deserves to stand alongside me, when all others bow." The teenager spoke, sending chills down the man's spine and even causing some of the researchers to walk into the room through the door that had once been behind him. With a final step into the other side of the room, he turned around and grinned.

"Listen well, you researchers and workers... for today, Archon has been born."

 

----------

 

A soft sigh resonated through the small room as its only inhabitant was reminded of that memory. The steam that filled the room's interior, along with the occasional sounds of splashing water, the calming aroma of mint and the small echo that reverbated with each movement revealed it was a bathing area of sorts.

Sitting at the far end of the bathroom, within a tub that could practically be taken for a jacuzi with its size and accesories, was a young man. His hair was dark brown, but the moisture within it made it glisten in a way that, combined with the white color of the tub, made it look even darker - almost an unnatural, coffee black color. His eyes were shut, and his figure was slumped in the large tub. Were one not to notice his rising and falling chest, they could mistake his relaxation session for something much worse.

Suddenly, the young man's eyes snapped open, revealing an almost fake, yet completely natural gray color. Moments later, a tone that could only be mimicked by a talented violinist filled the room, resonating from somewhere along the walls. Lifting one of his hands out of the water, the youngster made a couple foreign gestures, then dropped his hand back down and sent foam spraying out of the tub's confines.

"Hey. Arc?" A voice rang out from the speakers as the system instantly played back the recording of the voice mail, practically streaming it as the data was generated.

"I'm not going to waste time getting to the point. I have a very interesting bit of information here for you that may or may not change the way this entire world views Matrici. No, I'm not exaggerating. And yes, you shouldn't tell anyone else about it. I'm serious right now. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself. Would I lie to you?"

Silence filled the room as the recording ended and the system let out a soft beep before shutting itself off. The young man narrowed his eyes slightly as his hands rose from the soapy water and joined eachother, then placed themselves under his chin.

"What the hell is Ethan talking about..." The male muttered as he thought of the many different occurences that could lead to such a revelation. One that could change the view of the world about Matrici. Of course, it sounded too good to believe... but he knew that the young man on the other side of the call usually did not joke about such things and had a knack about Matrici.

Shaking his head disprovingly, the young man rose from the water by pushing himself out with his arms. Water ran down his physique as he cracked a couple of the worn joints along his body and waited a moment to cool down from the hot feeling that had been left on his skin by the warm water.

Stepping out of the tub, the youngster walked over to a small assembly on a nearby wall and waved his hand in front of it. Streams of hot air, layered in a way to maximise drying efficency, blasted at his body as he slowly turned in place and let the heat remove the wetness left along his skin. Once it was finished, he let out a relieved sigh and turned to the hangers along the wall next to the door. After grabbing the clothing that had been left for him - a simple white tee and gray baggy pants, along with the needed undergarments and socks - and putting it on, he walked out of the room. One could already hear the water drain away, along with the hot, damp air, and the soap and foam left on the floor.

"Archon, prepare my personal transporter. Set it for Ethan's interior... and make it as quiet as possible." He remarked randomly as he walked down the corridor toward what appeared to be his room. However, before entering it, he turned to the right and let the wall in front of him slip downward and offer a new corridor to choose from. Continuing down the narrow hallway, he reached his destination - a small room, filled with multiple devices, electronical and prototype machinery and a ton of blueprints. It was a mess he mostly avoided touching, except during the days when he felt like being creative. Instead, he turned his gaze to the corner, where a small chamber stood. A large assembly next to it was blinking in an array of colors and was letting out a series of beeps that few could really recognize as a status check queue. After a minute of calibration, the door of the chamber slid open, and the young man took a step forward and entered it. Shutting his eyes, he prepared himself for the event ahead. Even behind his shut eyelids, he could see an image through his right eye.

 

Synchronizing...

Breaking data into biobits...

Connecting on a molecular and atomic level...

Reshuffling matter into biobits and reshuffling biobits into matter...

Swap at 20%...

Swap at 40%...

Swap at 60%...

Swap at 80%...

Swap complete.

 

As the countdown ticked, the image distorted, disappearing entirely for a second, then reappering again, as if one just turned on the television and let light into the room. Reopening his eyes, the young man stared out and let his gaze refocus. In a matter of seconds, the image became clear, and he was standing in Ethan's own room.

"...the process, Achilles, as best you can. I'm going to play some games, if you don't mind."

"I'll set up the sequence for login."

The young man crossed his arms and cleared his throat out in an attempt to make Ethan focus on him.

"I'm here, Thanatos... so cut to the chase." Arc remarked as he made the connection between the other man's name and the Greek daemon. His tone was not too cold, but he still seemed grumpy - as always, really.

Edited May 12, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Thaelasan]

Ethan had just prepped himself for virtual immersion - by placing the headband around his eyes and the sound-emitters in his ears - when the very sound of Arc's voice made him jump, knocking the thing off his head and onto his desk. He shook his head to clear his mind. He hadn't HALLUCINATED that voice, right? That had been real?

He turned slowly to find the recently-bathed younger heir of the Donnel family, definitely irritated, and almost beaming with an aura of "Yes, I have a lot of money and I don't think I need to say I do for you to know."

Archer Donnel. The name was almost household in this city - which, at this time could be said was an island city off the coast of Georgia, one of many that had been constructed for World War III but had been abandoned and rebuilt as a habitation zone in the early 2700s - and carried with it not only the weight of an enormous fortune (and for some, a possible scam, though those people would be sorely mistaken for thinking they could con the boy) but also the power of a very intelligent prodigy who had been spending his life preparing for the large possibility of an equally large inheritance.

Ethan didn't doubt the boy had entire planner for how he would invest his probable share of the wealth and how he would use it to grow it. To him, money was like a plant to be sown, not a fuel to be burnt.

However, there was only one way that this man could have entered Ethan's room so quickly and so quietly, and that was if he had used his personal transporter. Mentally, Ethan understood this meant the man held him in as high of an esteem as was probably possible for him. That also meant he needed to choose his words very carefully because now all of Archer's "valuable" attention was focused on him, in this moment.

"Ah... Uh.. The Greek... God of Death. Right. I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult." Ethan straightened himself in his chair, feeling the anxiety rise within him. Dammit, he knew Archer could probably tell he was nervous, and it was understandable. Even though the two knew each other as friends, the man still had a way of intimidating you with his glare. But Ethan would be damned if he'd admit it was working.

He quickly adjusted himself back to a casual manner of talking. It would irritate Arc far more if Ethan took to groveling. Both of them would be infuriated by that. Ethan would be because he'd lose his own valuable pride, and Arc had enough of that crap from those who followed him like lapdogs. He liked those who challenged him, not those who bowed to him simply because of his name. Hence why he liked the anonymity of games - people fought you, and most of them didn't know who you were.

"Take a look at this screen for a moment, Arc." Ethan gestured to his second monitor, where the defragmentation process was still heavy in progress. 35% complete. Looks like it jumped a bit in a few short seconds. That made Ethan a bit mentally pleased.

"Ok, so, I'm telling you this in confidence, and I feel you need to know that once I tell you about this - though it's not going to stop you from wanting to know - that you may or may not be in possible danger. I'm not sure yet. We have no clue what we're dealing with here." Ethan cleared his throat slightly as he moved his hand across his facial hair slightly.

"Athena and I met a very strange... Unique, I guess, Matric today. Her name is Blanc. That's it. No Matric code. No birthdate. No known creator. Jack squat. Now, even you know that's kind of unusual but not unheard of. We've all heard of the famous First Generation that almost caused your family a large monetary loss. But this is extremely odd, because of her sophisticated nature."

He put his hands together, in the infamous "I'm going to level with you on a serious matter" pose and leaned forward slightly, staring Arc in the eyes.

God it was almost like staring into the eyes of a basilisk.

"She has no Termination Code, and from what we can gather, she can hack anything on any scale and not have anything happen to her. She can also do it in an instant. She also gave these privileges to Achilles and made it possible for him to construct himself in a café which had no hologram projectors. I'm sure of that. She also - and this is the kicker - hacked our Connectors - and never had anything bad happen to her. She didn't shut down. She didn't freeze up. Nothing. She sat there like your average, young girl. She could have been mistaken for a human if not for the tiny particle of data missing from her-" he tapped his own ear to demonstrate the location, "-right ear."

He turned back to the computer.

"Achilles, bring up the jpg, and the other files we found so far, please." Ethan requested.

In almost an instant, the confusing, static image and the strange numeric appeared on screen, as well as other corrupted data that he'd scrounged up.

"I've used almost every possible resource I have, and I have nothing to show for it. All I can hope for is that the defragmentation process shows something, but so far it keeps on fighting back, throwing out decoys and messing with the download. I was hoping you'd heard something from VEX about things like this - anything at all. Or if you know of any other way to defragment this thing. And we have to do it quietly. I don't want to risk one of the other families OTHER than the Donnels getting their hands on this, nor do I want to get VEX or the government involved. This is the find of the century, Arc. I shouldn't have to say it, but if this Matric can survive without the Termination code... what does that say about what they're capable of?

So, yes, I'm trusting you in this situation. And I hope I haven't wasted your time. I know the Con is coming up, but this is a very big deal."

 

-------

 

Somewhere, on a desert plain, in another reality, a man rode upon the back of a horse, frowning as he surveyed the landscape. Two others followed him as he trotted at a brisk pace along the sands of the Midwest, his face masked to protect him from the dust.

"Ain't been nothin' for a while, sir." one of the followers said, dismayed. "Why didja bring us out here?"

The man was silent as he moved slightly in the saddle.

"Sir?"

"I think this is far 'nough."

He turned around quickly. Two gunshots were fired. Two bodies fell from their horses as the man sighed, the smoke from his gun barrel floating into the air.

"Shouldn't have messed with Dustwalker, ya pair of traitors." the man whispered as he lifted their bodies up and tied them to the back of his horse and the other two.

He then proceeded to make the other two horses go backward as his horse went forward. He heard the satisfying tear as the bodies were mutilated.

One half would return to town... The other would be buried.

[KuroKishi]

Arc stared with curiosity at the reaction Ethan went through once he finally noticed the other man behind him. He would have to experiment with the stealth feature that he had implemented earlier. It seemed to work well... but, at the same time, his only target had worn sound emitters which muffled everything else pretty effectively. With not a word shared between the two, they made eye contact and gazed at each other.

Ethaniel Ulysses was... quite the unusual individual. Unlike Archer, who was known for his namesake and rich family, Ethan was best known for his skills with Matrics. His reputation was nothing too crazy, of course, but he had the connections that mattered in the current busy lifestyle everyone had. A bit of modding work on Matrics, as well as other venues of buisness, allowed him to have access to any of the tools and resources he could need at any time. He had gotten himself a girlfriend - to Arc's disbelief, really - that not only shared his interest, but also seemed to have a connection to him. Most would think of Ethan as weak, or the average citizen at best... but he had some things up his sleeve, namely his skills with Matrics, that elevated him further along the social hierarchy. As a man that had built himself out the way he had wanted to with not much support - at least, none that Arc or Archon himself knew of - the young man could not help but feel a bit of respect for his younger colleague.

"Yes, the Greek God of Death. Arguably, he's considered a demigod, daemon... but it doesn't really matter." Arc responded to his claim, but left it unclear if his message held a compliment or insult toward the young black cat. He'd let him guess... he was, after all, good at that.

A wave of relief rushed over the older of the two as the man's posture changed to a more confident one. Good, he was becoming serious. That meant less time spent in another person's house.

Gazing at the screen Ethan had gestured toward, Arc's eyes roamed along the code that rapidly moved up the screen and disappeared along the edge. His eyes focused on the small bar over the text window, along with the small number on the side that read 35%. A decryption, clearly, of what seemed to be Matrics files.

Shifting his attention back to the other person within the room, Arc listened to Ethan intently, absorbing his words with both his eyes shut and his arms still crossed. His eyebrows seemed to display his emotions as the one in front of him spoke as they rose in confusion and fell in frustration.

Reopening his eyes and turning to make eye contact with Ethan - who had by now strangely leaned a little bit forwad and was posing in the same stern manner Arc was - the older of the two males listened carefully. His eyes slightly seemed to widen at the mention of a lacking Termination Code... but they were certainly suprised by the point the hacker in front of him had spoken about her real-life construct, capable of hacking seemingly anything and being able to exist with no possible holoprojector to create an image from.

Turning to the screen that had previously held the decryption process, Arc's eyes analyzed the static-laced picture and seemingly covered his mouth with his hand, slight shock apparent on his expression. His Matrics immediately took action, already saving the file from what was visible for the contact lens on his eye and collecting data rapidly off the screen. Seconds later, Arc lifted his right hand up toward the screen and faked 'shooting a round into the screen'. This, apparently, was an injection into the system, as the once static-covered corrupted jpg file turned much clearer. It was, in reality, an adaptation of what was different within the static, shaped using a top-notch rendering software and then turned into a fully-realistic 3D scene. Of course, the new image still was in color - however, unlike its old counterpart, it featured more details. With enough algorithms, Archon had been able to decrypt a few more pixels around the area of the tools and use their information to guess just what a couple of them really were. Amidst the now easier to see and already identified medical tools lay others that would be used mainly for construction work... and what appeared to be strange chips, some already caked in blood after having been denied by the recipient's body. In a way, it was only an improvement over the old picture. Of course, however, Archon had made sure to save both files on his system, in case a comparison was in order.

"This..." Arc began after a couple moments of silence, the lens over his right eye having grown a translucent light red because of its overdrive. Even the bracelet on his arm seemed warm, as evident by the sheen of sweat that wrapped itself around his right wrist.

"This is quite a rarity, I'll say." The man spoke as he reopened his shut eyes and dropped both arms to his side, then started to pace about the room, deep in thought.

"Standard defrag would take too much time... algorithm-based is too risky... random is, well, too random... and quantum will take a powerhouse even I don't have... so..." Archer muttered to himself as his mind momentarily wandered over the options he still held. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity for him, he let out a soft sigh and turned toward the computer and Ethan.

"Archon, boot up the 'Tachyon Decryptor'. We'll stream the data to your main server back at home, you'll decrypt it, and through system sync, we'll combine what has already been discovered with what we shall uncover right now." Arc spoke randomly into the air, earning a soft beep from his bracelet as it started to boot the program. The Tachoyon Decryptor was yet another experiment that used decryption of all types... with a speed four times over the average circuit's thanks to superconductor technology.

Seconds later, the screen in front of him shone a crimson color and quickly turned normal afterwards. A simple Trojan Horse made the connection between both networks and started to share data at a rate that seemed to rival the decryption speed and even outmatch it.

"With a system backdoor, Archon will take more of the data than what is limited by wireless transfer... and send it much faster through a three-way-connection between me, the host; the main server... and the amplifier, a private satellite." Arc interjected momentarily in order to calm Ethan. Of course, a black cat such as himself would probably not act against this, as Arc was strictly professional and would avoid digging into what he did not need.

"So... how do you think one could even bypass the Termination Code?" Archer asked as he finished his own short work on the computer and then backed up and took a seat on the edge of the young man's bed. Though the creation of a proper tunnel took time, the speed of decryption boosted itself rapidly. Within the second Arc had finished his question and had taken a seat, the percentage on the screen now read almost 39%.

Edited May 12, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Thaelasan]

Ethan blinked a few times as the image on screen began to become more crisp, cleaner. He assessed this new image with a discerning eye.

"I haven't really looked a high amount into medical science as of yet, but this is more like an autopsy than a surgery. She looks pale. Anyone could see she's dead. But why are they operating on her post-mortem? Were Matrici at that time able to handle dead consciousnesses? This is just so surreal..."

He grabbed his notebook from nearby and began to add more to it as the clues began to develop. He then turned to Archer, reading off the list with a slight flair.

"Well, we know that she's a high-priority Matric, and we can assume whoever made her is extremely skilled. Out of my list of friends, and those I know of, no one has access to the type of technology you'd need to create something like this. The only people who could would be... would be VEX. So, let's work on the assumption that VEX DID make her. That's the only way any of this makes sense.

But why make a single Matric this powerful, and not report it to the public? Well, obviously the government and Matric protestors would get in an uproar, but think of the benefits! Think of how far we've come if we can develop something like this! Sooner or later, the government would have to realize that it's better that Matrici like this exist, free, like people..."

He went silent for a moment.

"Right, let's not talk politics. Neither of us wants to argue that right now. The point is: we're dealing with a very powerful, independent, almost omnipotent Matric capable of simultaneous code decryption and hacking as soon as the thought comes to her. She's capable of being far from her Creator - and that's assuming she has one - and still have her abilities intact. We don't know her Code. We don't know her true name. I'll just have to assume Blanc is her actual name, which means she's probably of French origin, or at least Latin. And facial recognition can confirm that she's of that lineage... but that's all I can do until I have DNA, and you can't get DNA from a Matric. We'd need the actual, original body, and for some reason, I doubt that's still in one piece."

He leaned back, sighing.

"There's just so much I don't know and I want to know it..."

Archer's question suddenly hit him. Ignoring the bypass and Trojan Horse (Ethan gave the man the benefit of the doubt), he turned back to his computer, then began to type as he brought up several programs.

"The Termination Code. This is admittedly my workshop of me attempting to find it, break it, manipulate it, and mod it. Yes, if you showed this picture to anyone, I'd be damned. So I'd appreciate if you didn't. But I'm showing you this because of what happens when you attempt to break an existing code."

A simulated Matric was on screen. It was male humanoid, but it wasn't Achillles. Ethan pressed a key on the keyboard, then leaned back, arms crossed.

Immediately, the Matric began to emit some form of distress code that was clearly visible. It then crouched almost in a fetal position and shut itself down, the screen blaring that an illegal hacking attempt had taken place.

"They shut down. The code breaks itself and defends itself. Any attempt to remove any part of the function code, or any of its subsets or routes, causes this. Any of it. I can't find the 'If Then' function that causes it. IF this is manipulated, THEN shut the damn thing down. You'd think it'd be easy to locate, but it isn't. Even TRYING to find what actually makes the code up causes this too. But you knew that.

I'm showing you this because I'm going to give you a revelation. What if she never had the Termination Code at all? Wouldn't that mean that Matrici DON'T need it to survive? That it's added after birth? That more like her could exist? And that all our government and VEX have told us about Matrici are false? Call me a theorist or a paranoid but this could be a legitimate conspiracy."

He looked out the window, gesturing with his hand.

"Right now, more like her could be out there, being used by those of less than good intent, or something. This is nerve-wracking! What if something like that hacked Archon, Archer?! Even my best mods couldn't stop Blanc. She just... just walked into every firewall I have! She could have deleted Achilles! This isn't a joke, Archer! I mean, you can relax. I've been rewriting and strengthening a lot of codes in case of future break-ins, but Blanc... we really do not want to get on her bad side, and we need to make sure she's the only one of her kind... Somehow. Which means we have to find out about her birth. That's why I'm defragmenting all of this, and why I wanted you here for it. This affects you as well."

[MyaMouse]

((No one wants to hear/see Liam? Fine.

Hmph.

*crosses arms indignantly*

I has a theme song for Liam, maybe?

Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy

Does it work well? Also, it's by Fall Out Boy, so there's a bit of adult themes in there? Damn it, I just like that song))

 

Leilani looked up; hearing the sound of metal bars being stepped on. Hmmm... She never saw this before...

"Love, what is this place?" she said into her watch. A voice responded quietly, "Uh, it was used to make and produce, uh, those cookies you used to love."

Leila walked up the stairs and to the large doors she never had noticed before.

 

On the other side, a young boy whose name also started with an 'L' jumped off the railing and landed on the ground 10 feet below him. He rolled onto his feet and ran up to the door, pressing against it with all his weight. It was probably futile, he thought, but the girl on the opposite side wasn't very strong either.

"Liam? Liam, what's going on?!" Nicole shouted into his ear. Reluctantly, the boy turned off the bluetooth speaker and his phone, then leaned on the door with the strength of his mistakes, and disappointment, and anger aiding him on keeping the door closed until the person opposite him relented. He slumped against the door, exhausted.

 

"Mmmmph! It won't budge, Love," Leila grumbled to her Matric. Love's image was puzzled.

"It should have opened... There's no sign of wear on the hinges... Hey! Is that a body heat signature? This place should be abandoned!"

Lei's own expression was a mix of baffled and incredulity at this revelation. "There's someone on the other side?!"

 

Liam heard the girl talking to her Matric. There were no windows on the bottom... Good. He ran to grab something heavy when he heard her pushing against the door again. There had been no way he could have made it in time.

 

"Oof! Hello?" the girl called out. She had black hair with red streaks and a black and red outfit. Too much red, but Liam wasn't one to complain, had anyone seen his blue-green outfit and hair. He hid behind a conveyor belt, and turned on Nicole's speaker.

 

"LIAM!"

The teenager fell over, causing Leila to walk towards him. He got up and sprinted away, then up a ladder, the girl chasing him all the while. He pulled up the ladder as she grabbed onto it, and she was left in suspense, hanging ten feet off the ground. He took this chance to run, but where to? She would get to him eventually...

 

He jumped off the platform, and the girl did the same. He grabbed his bag and ran into the daylight, pulling out his hoverboard and speeding away.

 

 

"Awh... He got away, Love," Lelia said to her Matric. Love's image nodded, and then the screen was replaced with a picture the technological being of data had taken.

"I think it was him, Leila," Love stated, "The thief. This is where he's been hiding."

 

"Alert the authorities," Leila responded. "He won't hide here anymore."

 

((AAAAH IT'S CRAP ISN'T IT

Oh well

You never put my sheets into the accepted list))

[Clown_of_God]

Blanc looked at at Athena, who seemed slightly unsettled by her revelation, but made no further remark on the matter. Instead, she became slightly bewildered by her question concerning her age. How was that relevant?

"Age is a factor only relevant to living beings, such as yourself. I do not keep track of how long I've been active, but my oldest known file dates back to over two centuries ago. Now, let me ask you this, if you were to be raped, would you not seek some form of resolve? I could have simply had those responsible locked away, but through trial and error, I came to the conclusion that such a method did not alter their actions. Humans are a repetitive species and seek dominance. If they do not obtain it, they seek more... painful means of acquiring it. I did not want to be hurt anymore and I tried to minimize the damage, but even then..."

Blanc looked at the ground, seemingly distraught as she recollected her own actions. Sure, they had been deliberate, but even Athena should understand the nature of a machine. They seek the most efficient method regardless of the end result. If that meant victims, then it was a necessary action.

"I do not intend to use such means against those who seem earnest in trying to aid in my search."

[Thaelasan]

(( I didn't put Zakku's sheet up either. I'll have to do it eventually. :I ))

 

Athena crossed her legs uncomfortably at the mention of taking advantage of someone. She frowned lightly.

"I've never really thought about it from that standpoint but I suppose..." she trailed off a moment, pondering. "I suppose if I knew for a fact that they would continue to try it, again and again, if I didn't stop them... And I had that power..."

She fell back onto the bed, arms crossed.

"But still, two hundred years... Jeez. That's quite a while. That's about the time the second generation came out... according to Ethan anyway. He's the one who really knows about all that stuff. I'm not sure what I'm really interested in. Maybe I'll end up working on computers like he does..."

She sighed.

"Anyway, you can rest assured Ethan wouldn't try to use your data for something bad. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. He may look odd or shady - even I admit that, with his beard and coat - but he's a genuinely nice - if naïve - guy. I may be a bit biased about that though. I do love him, after all."

She sat back up, smirking.

"However, if I know him,, he'll be online on one of his games soon, having gotten irritated working all day with mods... Which means it's almost time to drop in on him and surprise him. Care to join us? Oh wait, you probably don't know how to play it."

She moved from the bed, over to her desk in the room where a computer (also half-built by Ethan in order for it to be able to support what she needed) lay, connected to an uploader and a pair of sound emitters.

"Humans need these if we want to play these sort of games..." Athena mentioned, pointing at it. "But you should be able to do it just by thinking about it... I guess. I can't really explain it well. But... the game's name is Headshot: Chrome Trigger. It's pretty popular. You should be able to find it quickly."

She sat down. She placed the visual device over her face and attached the sensors to her nose and hands. Then came the sound emitters.

"You submerge in kind of a ... dream state. I have to link to Helen in order to play this and use her as an avatar. It's complicated, but it's also not."

She patted the bed near her and gestured.

"Whenever you want, just join in."

[KuroKishi]

"VEX, as an enterprise, rarely integrates Matrics or electronics within the body via a bioelectrolyte connection - nothing more, nothing less, clean as a whistle. No VEX-related surgery I know of includes screwdrivers, a handheld saw, welder, soldering iron and even a hammer - hell, none of them work with a dead body. She is one very unique Matrici, though... and both of us know how illusive the corporation's work was back then." Arc replied to Ethan's words, then only offered a shrug after his small description of the equipment on the table. His family had heard of VEX's first creations, but they were only told that it was 'an artificial intelligence that would forever change the world, and allow life post-death'. Nothing about how the systems worked, nothing about how Matrics were assembled, nothing about how their hosts would operate them. This picture seemed to shine a bit of light into that mystery... but, even with what he could hypothesize, it was quite limited. Was the second prototype line only limited to recreation of humans on a data bank so they could exist afterwards? This picture certainly seemed to tell him that.

"A free Matric with no restrictions would essentially be a synthetic human, but worse. At least we go through a grow-up process that we learn a lot from. A Matric with no Termination Code would essentially be free... and, with their way of thinking about any challenge and solving it no matter what the cost is... it could lead to huge issues. Hell, they could just find us obsolete and terminate the entire human race, seeing as we're imperfect.." The older of the two replied shortly about what could happen, were the goverment ready to just spread out the creation of such Matrics with not even basic rules, such as the Asimov Law. It could work a lot better if there was some time to implement complex algorithms and create specific rule bypasses, but no one would really sit down to work on something that would give Matrics a chance to retaliate with murderous force against a human.

Shifting his gaze back toward the decryption process as Ethan went over Blanc's identity once more, the young man eyed the lines of data that moved, as well as the injector actively inserting extra code into what was being decoded. His right eye shone just barely as the lens analyzed how the process was going. Then, silently, Arc lifted up his right hand and made a few gestures in the air. Letting his arm drop back down to his side, he watched the process once again for a couple of minutes until he was sure his changes had taken effect. Apparently, there was one more decryption type that was being lost between the lines of code. By staring at examples of the unbroken code through his lens and with Archon's help, Arc had noted a new encryption type, based loosely on the Fibonacci sequence, but jumbled to look like it was in reverse. With this new modification, all of the previously filed-off 'decrypted' codes suddenly started to pass through the Tachyon Decryptor. Within less than a minute, the progress along the process had jumped to a remarkable 52%.

At the mention of the Termination Code, Arc immediately turned his gaze toward the second screen which Ethan was now using. His hands seemed to dance along the keys as he entered multiple commands and filenames to load a series of programs that barely were related to eachother. After a few more seconds, however, Archer managed to connect what was going on to the lone window in the middle, holding a single Matric. It was a simulation. Just like emulating one operating system on another device or adapting games to a different system, it effectively created a Matric, capable of doing anything (as long as it did not break the Code) within its room's confines. With a few key presses, the trigger for a breakdown of the Termination Code was unleashed... and, not a second later, the Matric locked itself down and began emitting a distress signal.

"I wonder if there's even an "If-Then" function. The code simply acts as a wall that cannot be breached and can only be opened by experienced people. Seeing as how people have to take their Matric to VEX Industries for a reactivation if it was the victim of misuse or theft, they are one of the few that really know what the solution to the break is. I believe that the code is somehow reassembled from its broken-up form... but what the algoritms and process for reassembly are is way beyond me." Arc replied as he crossed his arms yet again and rose up, then slowly paced about the room. At the last words from the young man, he nodded with a look of unusual understanding and placed a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"So... about Blanc..." He began, taking his arm momentarily back down and placing both hands on the sides of his waist.

"With no real owner and no Termination Code, Blanc is, at best, a long-winded timebomb. I am pretty sure she is the work of someone at VEX Industries, as she has capabilities that rival Archon - and he was created by VEX's rivals after 'a hefty donation, an old favor and public pressure'. If she can punch through a defensive system that almost rivals mine - yours, of course - then she might be a risk to Archon and myself, let alone you and the other inhabitants of this... world. We still have no idea if anyone wants to claim her for themselves and manipulate her... but, if that was a possibility, they'd need hackers of a level bigger than yours... truly VEX-level. This story has so many blanks..." Archer said with a calm but hushed tone, his voice growing a little frustrated at the end but not escalating any further. He did not really like speaking of things that could stain his image or ruin his days, but, at times, it had to be done - and with a 'Matric' that could move through any source of data, project iself just at will and hack systems of a level that rival the military's defensive enviroment.

"This is quite the mess you've gotten me into, I'll say..." Arc shot back randomly as he threw another gaze at the other screen and noted a progress of 61%, which meant that it was rapidly adapting to the average decryption details and information. He let out a soft sigh and pranced about the room, eagerly waiting for more words from Ethan or for the process to end.

"I think it's high time we get rid of this trail of thoughts for a moment. How about some Headshot?" Arc randomly interjected, his hand turning slightly to point at the gear still standing on the computer desk.

Edited May 12, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Clown_of_God]

Blanc decided not to delve on the subject longer than was necessary. Instead, taking a seat next to Athena and running a simulation on the device she had mentioned. After recognizing the code, Blanc uploaded herself into the game, her avatar taking on a whole new appearance than regularly. Slightly shorter than her usual self, Blanc's avatar had silvery-mint, mid-length hair, one side pulled into a short ponytail. A black bandana was wrapped around her forehead, making her bangs stick up into the air and a small pair of goggles sat atop the bandana. As for her overall figure, she was slim with an below average size bust and reasonable hips. Blanc wore a tactical-style t-shirt, a mid-weight vest, elbow pads and fingerless tactical gloves with thicker padding on the knuckles. Urban camouflaged pants, black knee pads, and a pair of more modernized black tactical boots adorned her lower region. Around her thigh, Blanc had a pistol holster (currently empty) and an ammo belt with a pair of grenade pouches set on either side.

"Long-range support class with Ranger aspects. Avatar name... Rain. Cataloging weapons. Side arm: M1911 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol, three magazines with one loaded. Primary weapon: M21 EBR semi-automatic sniper rifle system."

As she finished, the weapons manifested into their appropriate spots, pistol holstered and the rifle slung back on her shoulder. While Blanc waited for Athena, she began calibrating the controls until the response time was minimized to a .0015 second lag. This was the best she could manage without delving deep into the game mechanics.

[Thaelasan]

As Athena immersed herself within the world, she made her connections with Helen, and then began to be uploaded virtually within the land.

Currently only two maps existed in Headshot: Chrome Trigger. A popular online role-playing first-person shooter commonly called HS or headshot, it was one of the greatest things VEX had published alongside other gaming corporations. Your Matric became your personal HUD and communicator, relaying information to you like a radar. Then the person playing could take care of the other details. This was interchangeable, one becoming support, the other becoming the body.

The currently most-popular map was Stillwater, a Midwest Cowboy-themed map which sprawled across a 30 mile landscape, including minor towns, a large amount of dusty trails and roads, a giant patch of desert, and the main hub-town - Stillwater.

"Don't tell me you're gonna wear that in this map." Athena said as she walked up to who she believed was Blanc. Other players were giving Blanc slight chuckles and stares.

"I probably should have warned you we're not playing on the base game. We're playing Stillwater, so you should probably change to... cowgirl attire?" Athena remarked, gesturing to her own outfit.

Above her head, the name "Lone Huntress Alicia" was clearly visible as her name for this map. A vest covered in cow patterns covered an undershirt, with long, leather, riding pants adorning her legs, alongside boots. Straps of leather and belts hung around her waist and wrists. She finished this by putting a hat upon braids that hung from her head.

"Welcome, ....Rain, to Stillwater. I hope you've been practicing an accent." she commented, stepping into the dust. Before them sprawled a small town with a good amount of buildings and rest spots. Other players were communicating and talking with either NPCs or other PCs, dressed in a similar fashion. A stables nearby was heavy with the smells of manure and dust. A saloon down the road echoed with the sounds of celebration.

"Oh. You probably need a horse right? Here." Alicia said as she brought up a small menu. Soon, Rain would find a gift in her message box.

"That should be enough to buy one. Head to the stables and pick one you like. We're currently in the beginning town of Archersville, named after... well you'll probably meet him, if I know Ethan..." Alicia's brow furrowed ever-so-slightly.

 

-----

 

Ethan agreed, heading over to the table and putting on the necessary equipment.

He logged in as his favorite, overequipped character: "Huckleberry" Finnegan, named just so he could shoot players and say he was "their Huckleberry." He was indeed that cocky, and he wasn't afraid to say it.

Unlike Athena, who had worked hard to customize herself to look different and match the theme, Ethan had simply kept his beard and added a pair of spectacles to look like Doc Holiday. It didn't really work, but at least it matched the setting.

He looked out over the desert town of Stillwater with a grin, having logged out on his favorite rooftop - the rooftop of the Shotgun Saloon, the favorite spot of those who preferred to shoot out their problems rather than talk it out. But that wasn't his plan for the day. He had one goal in mind - find Archer in game, which was actually pretty difficult.

Oh well. First, Ethan would head out to his own base, constructed in the desert, hidden from the community. Of course, in this game, you had to build your own shelters to hide your supplies and such. Since guns could fall apart and you actually had to purchase ammo, players needed somewhere to store extra money and items just in case they died while out and about.

He leapt from the roof, landing softly on a pile of hay.

It was time to ride out.

[Clown_of_God]

Blanc looked at Athena's avatar for a moment and went still. Pulling a few links up, she sorted through various outfits until she found some suitable attire and began making the changes. Black, snakeskin boots took the place of her tactical ones, but a pair of gray cowhide shorts took the place of her camo. A white, button up shirt took the place of her tee and was covered by a black duster that reached down to her calves. Retaining the bandana and hair color, the ponytail moved to the nape of her neck and the bandana was now tied around her neck.

"Is this more suitable?"

Of course, she also reequipped her weapons to better suit the era, but maintained the same types. Of course, her goggles were also swapped for an era sufficient pair of shades. A magnum hung around her waist and a mid-caliber rifle was slung on her back.

"So, inform me the purpose of this game. I would like to know the premise so I may be sufficient in supporting you."

[Thaelasan]

"Basically ... Well, it's like those old Western movies from the late 20th century. Check your files for those. You should be able to find them. They're classic, even more than a thousand years later. The story is simple... there's always a good guy.. always a bunch of bad guys... and they shoot out their problems when they can't talk them out, using those revolvers. That's the point of this, I guess."

Alicia crossed her arms, thoughtful.

"I wouldn't suggest shooting other people randomly, though. We're on a high-level server, too, which isn't good for you, but it's the one Ethan loves. Just stick by me and don't do anything dumb. Most people on this server won't shoot you unless they're part of the two main clans and you're part of the other one, or if you say the wrong thing, or do them wrong... Just act natural, I guess. And start thinking about the group you want to join."

She got on her own horse as it materialized when she summoned it, seating herself comfortably on the saddle. She patted the back of it.

"I'll take you to the stables, and we can talk on the way. This map is nice because of how open it is. Most of the trigger-happy people are on the main, base map - Chrome Lab. I don't like it much. It was the first one introduced, and there are so many kids and idiots. It ruins the fun. This one is for more mature players... most of the time, anyway."

"Oh, hey, Alicia. Is yer boyfriend on?"

Alicia turned, confused, but brightened up when she saw a familiar face.

"Oh. Jefferson. Yeah, he's on, I think. It just popped up. Why?"

"I been meaning to ask 'im if he finally decided to join our group..."

"Probably, but you'd have to ask him personally.."

The person who was asking looked more Western than any other person in the area. He was grizzled, wore the most authentic clothes Blanc had probably ever seen, and had a rough accent that seemed natural.

"Well ain't that somethin'. Boy seemed like he weren't innerested." Jefferson scratched his hair. "Well, iffin' ya were to see 'im, tell 'im I'm huntin' 'round for 'im."

"I will. Just make sure you keep your nose clean."

"I'll try, madame. Can't make no promises. And introduce me to yer friend sometime when I ain't busy. She's mighty pretty."

He rode off at a steady trot, leaving them both to their business.

"See?" Alicia said, when she turned back to Rain. "Most people around here are friendly enough. They start groups. Play around. Have contests. But... you have to make sure you watch out for people wearing red belts. Red. And you'll know what I mean. That's vanity-wear you only earn if you join the Bandits, and the Bandits shoot and take anything they can. I'm sure you can handle yourself but it would suck if you were to die a lot on your first day, right?"

She patted Rain's back from where she sat and pointed forward.

"We need to head out to the desert, to where Ethan's base is. He'll be there - trust me. But you can't tell anyone about it. I hope he doesn't get mad that I'm showing you where it is. He's kinda touchy about it. I'll explain why on the way. Just don't shoot randomly unless it's an NPC... I'll point those out too. Trust me."

[KuroKishi]

Nodding in return to Ethan as he prepared himself for immersion in the game, Arc stood still and strangely disintegrated, his body turning into code that rapidly broke down and disappeared. With seemingly no sound made by his teleportation, he wondered if Ethan would realize it soon.

Reappearing in his sci-lab, the young man stepped out of the reassembly chamber and leaned onto the wall, trying to regain his breath. It wasn't too often, but on rare occasions, a teleporter could leave you breathless or feeling tired.

Shaking his head and breathing in until he had regained his composure, Arc pushed himself off the wall and turned back to the machine. His hand went out and moved downward, making the machine degauss itself. Of course, this was automatic in the beginning, but he had removed the trigger so he could go through the process himself. After checking the lights and sounds from the machine to make sure it was properly rid of its charge, he walked down the narrow hallway and approached the wall. Waiting for a moment as one of the sensors in the main hallway detected vital signs and delayed the opening of the wall, it soon slid down and allowed him to quickly enter his own room.

A pretty sizeable bedroom spread out in front of Arc as he shut the door behind himself. It was split in two sections - a gaming area, and a sleeping one. The gaming area held a desk in the corner, made of ebony dark wood that had been formed and polished to perfection. Down, at the small section that would hold hardware, was a large behemoth of a system. It was Archon's own processing server that he could use for whatever he would need. Right now, it was a tiny bit noisy, but it was understandable, as the work load on the machine was actually quite a lot.

On top of the desk, attached to the wall, was a small assembly. It held three devices - a pair of dark, high-end Cyber sound emitters, along with a VR Omni Visor and a lone, large bracelet with sensors on its inside. This bracelet was connected to a vital-monitoring system that would check many things, such as blood pressure, heartbeat, nutrition and hydration values. For more serious gamers such as himself, he needed something to make sure he did not stay on too much.

Not bothering to check the sleeping area behind the large, gray leather curtains, Arc stepped to his desk and pulled back the chair. Taking a seat within it, it reajusted itself until he was lying a bit backward. A strange device along the middle of the seat realigned itself with his spine, then changed itself until his position was proper. Laying down his legs on a small platform that moved out of the large chair that now seemed more like a gaming assembly, the young man took the sound emmiters and placed them around his ears. Silence reigned over him as he also added the wired bracelet to his left hand and finally put the dark visor over his eyes. Leaning back and letting his eyes shut, he muttered a simple command.

"Anfang." The young man spoke, sending a chain of signals that turned the game assembly on. Instantly reopening his eyes as a glow started to spread over them, he gazed into the new image in front of his eyes... and immersed himself in the experience.

 

---------

 

Emerging on the other side always felt strange. Of course, it was immersive and as real as it could be, with many modules to emulate feelings such as heat, light and even different needs... yet Arc couldn't help but think that it was like watching a movie.

Sighing softly as he looked around the small town from the top of the roof he had last logged off from, the man watched the NPC's and PC's interacting with eachother. There was nothing over the top, really.

Archon was a bit different, of course, to befit the era's setting, but had not changed too much. The differences were mainly large, black cowboy boots with shining silver spurs, along with a front-open, dark gray poncho that held red stripes along the edges and a black cowboy hat with curves on the sides. Not only was his face already semi-concealed by his large poncho and the hat, but a dark red, plain bandane was tied around his mouth. It covered almost all of his head, except around his nape, which was hidden itself by his poncho. Finally, a pair of dark gray leather gloves that reached halfway down his forearm covered his hands. The face and the palm were brigher, whilst the back of the hand and the rear were darker.

Leaping off the rooftop and into a nearby stack of hay, he got out of it and walked forward, sharing eye contact with many of the other players and people in the small town. Behind all of his concealment, one could only see his yellow glowing eyes.

A stiffled whistle came from the man, after which a black stallion rapidly galloped along the city, leaping over multiple obstacles in its way and then stopping suddenly next to him. Leaping on it with a quick move, he tucked his feet into the horse's sides and pulled the reins, making the horse rise up on its two legs and kick the other forward, then moved down the road in an even quicker pace.

"So, where might you be hiding, Hucky Finn?" Archon muttered as he rapidly left the borders of the small town and entered the desert roads. Reaching a crossroad, he shrugged and turned a left, then continued trotting forward. For now, he'd try to find him like this - if it didn't work, he'd simply check for his location through the friends list.

Edited May 13, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Thaelasan]

The midday sun was hot, that was for sure. It beamed down upon Finnegan's back as he rode across the dusty plains at a brisk pace. Sand and grit leapt from the hooves of his steed, his many buckles shining in the sunlight.

After a while, he came to an intersection. Of course, none of these roads led where he needed to go. That was the trick - his base lay north by northeast of the crossroads; the perfect, hidden landmark. But his interest was suddenly drawn to a figure in a black and red outfit, sitting atop a horse, staring out into the desert. He frowned.

A bandit? No. Well, if he was, he was good at hiding it. Could that actually be...? But why would he wear something like that? It would have to be another player, surely...

He looked above the man's name and sighed.

"Archer's username..." Finnegan told his horse to move forward, but not before the man took off.

Was he looking for him? Finnegan had an idea.

He quickly drew his gun from its holster, activated the safety, and fired at Archon's backside.

With the safety on, all that would happen would be the message "You have been fired at!" and, of course, the gunshot would be heard for a fair distance.

But with the safety on, no bullet would pass through Archon's body.

[Clown_of_God]

Nodding to Alicia, Rain began getting up to her designated seat when Jefferson approached. At first, Rain was a bit skeptical of the man, but she relaxed as Alicia began speaking with him rather casually. One thing was for certain, however, and that was this man took the role of a old-style westerner rather seriously. It made her ponder if he acted in this manner outside of the game as well.

Remaining silent throughout the two's little exchange, Rain merely observed and viewed files on older game activity. From what she could tell, there two primary factions that determined how well one could perform in-game. One was based on a good, positive reputation, but sacrificed damage as a result. Then there were those based on a bad, negative reputation, sacrificing accuracy for pure bullet damage. Which would be more sufficient, Rain would have to determine through trial and error.

"I've located Ethan, referred to as Huckleberry Finnegan, near an intersection currently challenging an Archon. Unless I find a necessary reasoning to partake in this event further, I do not need your monetary donation. If I do wish to continue playing, I'll earn my own funds and purchase my own equipment."

[MyaMouse]

((Everyone's in some stupid video game I can't even join

This is basically a 1x2 now...

That sucks, I was really liking this))

 

((Edit: what an embarrasing spelling error))

Edited May 14, 2015 by MyaMouse

[KuroKishi]

Just as the rider took the corner on the crossroads, Archon noticed something wrong. His processors detected a weapon discharge, but strangely heard nothing. Calculating that this couldn't be a proper shot, he silently turned the horse around his right side and gazed out across the desert and the crossroads.

Over toward the north, seemingly having come from nowhere, was a lone gunman. If he could guess by his attire, it was a Hunter. After glazing over the avatar's username, however, the strange rider shook his head and started trotting forward.

It was Ethan - or, as he was known in Chrome Trigger's verse, "Huckleberry" Finnegan.

As he approached the figure by moving over the crossroads, he analyzed its apperarance. Strangely, however, he found few differences from Ethan's daily look. Of course, his clothes were of materials that fit with the setting, but their design and color were mostly the same. In fact, the only differences were the hat atop his head and the pair of spectacles that covered his eyes.

"Well then..." Archon's voice echoed out, sounding like something between a robot speaking through a phone and Arc's own, cold voice.

"You certainly look quite the same. Strange - I think a poncho such as mine would fit you quite well." The man continued as he silently strode over to the other rider's side and turned the horse under him to face the other's direction.

"So, what're you thinking of accomplishing today?" He asked after a moment of silence and staring out into the desert. After finishing his question, the man moved one of his hands to the back of his belt and procured something from there. Lifting it to his bandana, he revealed it was a slick, silver canteen, probably filled with alcohol. Within less than a few moments, Archon drew down his mask, drank from it using what appeared to be mechanical, yet almost human-like soft lips, and then replaced the mask and canteen along his body. Finished with a soft, relieved sigh, he turned toward Finnegan.

[Thaelasan]

(( Myamouse, what makes you think you can't join? It's a popular video game, and it's actually very important that people be in it right now. It would make sense that your character could play it. ))

 

Finnegan rubbed his chin slightly, then crossed his arms.

"Well, first things first, I was going to drop by my base, which I meant to do last night before I logged off. I stored a few things there both of us could use, if you wanted. You may want to be prepared. We're going to the Quarry today."

The Quarry was the nickname for the Bandit-owned territory - Stonecold Quarry. Once a mining operation for both coal and gold, the expedition was overrun by bandits in its prime and taken by them, transformed into a veritable fortress against all who would oppose them. The hardest NPCs (and players, of course) were there, awaiting challenges by Hunters. It was only one of many bases, but it was one of the most famous.

"I know that you said we probably aren't ready for that and I agree with you, but I'm sick of fighting those useless newbies down by the Old River. They always hide behind those rocks. I want an open arena. I want a challenge. You do too."

He pulled the reins taut and began to move forward.

"But we can discuss it on the way."

 

---

 

Alicia blinked.

"How in the world did you do that? He's not on your friends list yet... and you wouldn't be able to know that even if he was. Are you already hacking this game too?!"

She paused for a moment, her voice quiet.

"Not to be rude, but you may want to be careful about that sort of thing. The people who run this game... they don't take too kindly to hackers. They'll ban you and anyone else who knew about it, and I'd rather not be banned."

She pulled her own reins tighter and turned her horse around.

"Well, lead on then. Or did you want to look around this here town, first?" she asked, beginning to play her character.