Title: Born Again
Characters: Miko, Ren
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word count: 300
Setting: A few days following the end of Heroes Reborn
Summary: Ren mourns the loss of Katana Girl. Miko has an answer.
Note: I don't see this as a contravention of the 'Three months later' part of Heroes Reborn, but rather as a bridge so Ren can come to terms with losing someone, and come to know the real Miko.
Miko found a quiet, morose Ren sitting in front of his laptop. The login screen to Evernow was open, cursor blinking. She knew he hadn't actually played since It had happened, since the world had nearly ended and Katana Girl had sacrificed herself to save so many. Miko knew this, because she shared her father's ability. Evernow and even more sophisticated virtual reality worlds had been a collaboration between herself and her father, at least until Renautus had engineered the accident that put her in their hands.
She sat down next to him and spoke slowly. "I have been thinking ... about the people who are gone." Ren glanced over at her to show he was listening, but said nothing. His face was drawn and tired. She went on, "There is no ... 'save' function for real life. But ... Ren ... that's not true for everyone. There are some few ... people we know, who can be restored, if you know the right cheat codes."
He lifted his head and looked at her, listening intently now.
She swallowed. "She was made from my profile. Evernow doesn't erase profiles once they are created, even if the character is defeated or lost. Do you want me show you which directory to look in to find what you are looking for?"
Ren looked between the laptop and her, eyes widening. "You can do that? You can bring her back?"
"I can't bring her into this world," she said. "That was something my father did because everything depended on it. Even then, he needed your help. But I can do what both he and I were able to do - I can send you into the other world for as long as you like. And I can make her a part of it."
"Do it," he said without hesitation. Reckless Ren was born again.