Kobaishu: A Wired Prequel
Prequel to a Wired Romance
By Jeremy Keil
Disclaimer: I don't own Serial Experiments Lain or any elements of the story that come directly from SEL, including the use of Layers for the different sections. However, all original characters, such as the Tiburon brothers and Jelemei Kobaishu, are mine. As with the first, I will try to use Japanese (as much as I know, that is) wherever necessary. Also, anything other than this that is italicized is Jelemei's thoughts…since he thinks more than he speaks, it'd be best to remember that.
Layer 01: Prologue
"Kobaishu Tyrei…I regret to inform you that your wife, Kobaishu Lili, suffered severe injuries in the crash. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough. Lili is gone." Jelemei, only eight years old, looked up as his father, not quite understanding. But Tyrei only looked stunned. "Lili…" What the doctors hadn't known is that there were two Kobaishu fatalities in that crash…Lili had been pregnant for only a month.
As hard as that day was, the next few were only to become worse…Jelemei ended up going to the funeral alone. His father had been so stunned that he picked up a bottle of beer…and never stopped picking them up. Jelemei was confused. Did Tyrei think that oblivion would bring back his wife? Why was he drinking this liquid that dulled his senses, anyway…and why did it make him so mean? Was it all because of the loss of Lili and the unborn sibling? So many questions floated through his mind…and Jelemei was determined to do all he could to find the answers.
Over the years, Jelemei became studious, absorbing all the knowledge he could in hopes that he'd find answers, hoping that his father would realize what was happening to him and come to his senses… But all the learning in the world and on the Wired could not change his father, who became worse than ever. Jelemei began to take martial arts in order to become stronger and be able to defend himself…this, too, had a negative result. People began to pick on him just to see what he could do…and did he ever show him. He would get into several fights a year, despite maintaining an excellent GPA. He had become the most intellectual bad boy in Tokyo.
Then, in Jelemei's eighth grade year, a new game came out…Phantoma, the most realistic FPS ever created. Jerome managed to obtain a copy (by legal means) and installed it on his Navi in order to play with the one friend he had, Tiburon Ryutsuki. And that is where our story begins…the middle of the first semester, with a fateful game that marked the beginning of the evolution of mankind…
Layer 02: Game
"All right, Ryutsuki…I hope you're prepared to be beaten down." Jelemei smiled as he looked at his screen and spoke into his headset. "Pistol, .45, lock and load!" On the screen and in Phantoma, Jelemei's avatar pulled out the semi-automatic pistol and prepared it for firing. "You still stick to that weapon, Jelemei?" Ryutsuki asked. Jelemei responded, "Hey, it always works for me, doesn't it?" The game began, and the players moved around the playing field. "Looks like we got some newbies on the server, Jelemei…how about we give them a warm welcome?" Jelemei smirked a bit in reality. "Sounds good to me, Ryutsuki. Then we'll have a one-on-one duel, all right?" Ryutsuki acknowledged with an affirmative, and then dispatched the first newbie he saw. A second newcomer spawned a little too close to Jelemei and caught the butt of his pistol. "Twin .45 pistols, semi-automatic, lock and load!" A second pistol entered Jelemei's other hand just in time to unload two rounds into an unlucky player. "This is great! I can almost feel the recoil!" "That's what I love so much about this game, Jelemei…so much realism, yet no one ever dies!" Ryutsuki responded.
A new voice cut in on their headsets. "Man, this is weird…I just cut too close to the wall in the game, and now I have a scratch on my arm in reality…" Jelemei responded, "That's impossible, man…this game isn't that realistic. Ryutsuki, look for a person with a scratch on his arm. He's too busy worrying over nothing to be able to play correctly." Ryutsuki confirmed it and went after him. The new person begged, "Hey, wait a minute…don't fire that gun, please!" But it was too late…Ryutsuki fired his shotgun at the player, and a strange double echo occurred that Jelemei had never heard before. "This game is war, kid…you never beg, because you'll never be heard," Ryutsuki said. There was a silence…an unearthly quiet. Then suddenly, in the faint background, Jelemei heard something very unusual… "Oh, my God! Jiro! What happened to you?" "He's dead…dear God, he's dead…" What the hell…no one has ever died playing Phantoma before…the game isn't that realistic...
Ryutsuki broke the sudden silence. "Jelemei…is it just me, or do you have this feeling that something is seriously screwed up here?" "Yeah…I feel that, too, Ryutsuki…maybe we'd better stay off Phantoma for a few days," Jelemei responded. Ryutsuki expressed his agreement. "See you in school tomorrow…if you aren't detained as usual." Jelemei laughed a bit. "I've never been late to school, have I?" "How you manage to keep a high GPA with all the fights you get into, I will never know, Kobaishu Jelemei." "Good night, Tiburon Ryutsuki." With that, Jelemei disconnected his headset and logged off of Phantoma. His record still stood…he was the only player of Phantoma on the Wired that was still undefeated, and despite the fact that he disconnected mid-game, he still kept his record intact. But Jelemei's thoughts were elsewhere… If someone really did die playing Phantoma over the Wired…what are the prospects of any of us surviving? Will it take us out one by one…or will its victims grow in number? More importantly…will there be anyone left in the end?
Layer 03: Confusion
His voice…I can't get it out of my head… Jelemei was having an unusually hard time concentrating on his work. Aside from the distraction of three of the most popular girls in school talking to a cute girl in the front row, Jelemei's mind was tormented by the events of the night before. More specifically, he was worried…worried not so much for his own safety but for that of his friend. My life's headed for destruction, anyway…but Ryutsuki is got a lot to live for. He has both his parents, a cool older brother, good grades…yet he never lets it get to him. I don't care if I die…hell would be preferable to here. Just please, God…let my friend live…
Desperate for distraction, Jelemei turned his attention to the girl in the front row. He lay his head down so as to avoid being noticed look at her. The distraction was effective… Oh, my God… Jelemei seemed to freeze in place. She is beautiful…how could I have not noticed her there before? Oh, wait…I'm usually reading my textbook right about now. Jelemei quietly sighed to himself. He took out his book just as the teacher walked in. Immediately, his mind wandered back to the events of the night before, and all else was lost in the haze…
After a long day, Jelemei began to walk home. He'd managed to sneak a look at the beautiful girl's school Navi and memorized her name…Iwakura Lain…pretty name for a pretty girl. He was still in a fog…his only thoughts were of the mysterious girl and of the night before. Oblivious to all else, he didn't notice the gang of thugs that had jumped out in front of him and walked right through them. "Hey, you! Wake up, Kobaishu!" the leader yelled and threw a rock at him. Brought to his senses by the sharp pebble to the back of his head, Jelemei stopped. "Do you mind…I've got a lot on my mind today, and I really don't feel like playing with you today." The leader yelled back, "Quit playing tough! We know you were on the Phantoma server last night…and that was one of my friends that died!" "So what? You're going to take out your frustrations at Phantoma on me? Very well…" Jelemei turned around, his eyes filled with the killer glare he was used to giving before a fight. "If you think you can beat me, then bring it on."
The leader of the gang led his group in a charge. Jelemei stood still, then quickly scooped up a handful of pebbles from the sidewalk and launched himself into the air. While still in the air, he rapidly tossed one pebble at each person, then flipped and landed with perfect balance on a nearby short brick fence. The leader ran to pull him down, but Jelemei sprang forward and stepped on the unfortunate guy's head, forcing him to face-plant onto the sidewalk. Jelemei landed in a three-point stance and then swung around to leg sweep the nearest assailant. He then tossed the remaining pebbles at each of the remaining thugs' heads and began to walk off. The attackers helped their two fallen and injured comrades up, then walked off themselves. They picked a very bad day to mess with me…Jelemei cracked his neck and walked off. He had someplace to go tonight…the new club called Cyberia.
Layer 04: Cyberia
Cyberia was only open for its third day, but already Jelemei had heard the usual negative hype that comes with the opening of a new club…"A potential haven for druggies and sexual predators!" Adults…they take so few chances that it's like they've reverted to childhood when they were led everywhere… Still, Jelemei did feel an unusual air in the club, almost as if he sensed something was going to happen. It's a good thing they serve water here…I'm too young to drink, and I don't think it'd be very wise, considering what it does to Tyrei… He sipped his water cautiously, looking around him every so often. Nothing was out of the ordinary: couples dancing, people conversing over a drink, Lain and the girls who were talking with her at school… Lain is here? Oh, my God… Jelemei immediately went into nervous crush mode. What if she sees me? What if she comes to me? What if she asks me to dance? Oh, dear God…but I can't dance!
Fortunately, Jelemei's train of thought was interrupted…unfortunately, it was by the sound of gunfire. The smell of gunpowder awoke him to the realization that this wasn't a game, and he ducked under a table. Hmm…submachine gun…9 millimeter barrel…rapid-fire mode, it sounds like. Another burst of gunfire confirmed his suspicions, hitting Jelemei with a new realization: Dear God, there's a madman on the loose, and he's going to kill us all! The rapid-fire rampage continued for a while, then suddenly paused. Reluctantly, Jelemei peeked out from under the table…
Lain…what the hell are you doing? He's on something, and he looks about to blow all of our heads off! Jelemei watched, transfixed as a man holding the gun shakily aimed his laser sight straight for Lain's heart. All over the floor were bodies of people who just moments before were having the time of their lives…the only people still living seemed to be the DJ, Lain, her friends, the bartender, the shooter, and Jelemei. Suddenly, Jelemei recalled a recent news report he'd read on the Wired: Shaky, irritable, wide-eyed, ill-tempered…he's on Accela! The most dangerous cyber-drug ever invented… He listened to the man's voice as he broke the silence. "You…you did this to me…" What? Lain did what to who? Is he hallucinating? That's not a side-effect of Accela… Lain's response stunned Jelemei even more. What did she mean, "We are all connected"? Jelemei suddenly realized how little he really knew about Lain…and even less about himself. I swear, if this has to do with that Phantoma game, I'll never play it again…
Jelemei turned his head away for a second. In one minute, more questions entered his mind than had come the following day. When he turned back, the man had the gun pointed at the disco ball hooked to the ceiling, then slowly turned it to point into his mouth. Oh, my God! Lain, get out of there! He's going to… Jelemei never finished his thought, as he was silenced by the echo of a single gunshot. The Accela junkie had switched the gun to single-shot mode and fired upon himself. The blood from the wound splattered on the transfixed Lain, while an equally petrified Jelemei crouched behind a table, the rest of the night disappearing in the haze of disbelief.
Layer 05: Friendship
The following day, Jelemei walked to school with Ryutsuki. "Man, I can't believe you survived that! That guy could have killed you, Jelemei, and he probably would have if he hadn't killed himself." Jelemei just blinked. "Uh, Ryutsuki…what are you talking about? I remember being at Cyberia last night…but after that, it's all one big blank," he responded. Ryutsuki sighed, "Post-traumatic amnesia…but you could at least tell me if you saw any cute girls there, man!" Jelemei shrugged. "I could…if I could remember. Something crazy must have been going on last night for my unconscious to lock it away…you know I don't forget stuff very easily." Ryutsuki smiled and suggested, "Hey, maybe a game of Phantoma will help get it off your mind! Tonight, seven, same server as always?" Jelemei gave a trademark "you're on" smirk. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Hope you've been practicing in offline mode, because you're gonna need all the help you can get." They arrived at school and entered their classroom.
As Jelemei walked to his seat, he walked by Lain. As usual, the classmates were talking among themselves, but as he sat down, he focused on a conversation nearby him. "Look, that guy over there…isn't he the guy they showed on the news last night?" "You mean the guy who was walking away from Cyberia, seemingly in his own world?" "Yeah…man, that guy is lucky to have survived that massacre…and he just walks into class as if nothing happened?" The conversation faded away as the teacher entered, and for the first time in his life, Jelemei found himself unable to concentrate. The teacher's lesson faded into the haze of confusion around his mind…and he felt a pair of familiar eyes looking his direction.
The day passed by in a hurry. Jelemei couldn't remember any of the homework or reading assignments the teacher had given; in fact, he was barely able to remember that he was even at school. He had enough presence of mind to walk home…or at least, he started to when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Great…not someone going to ask me questions… He turned sharply…nearly knocking Lain over. "Oh, dear…sorry, pre-occupied mind, in a hurry to get home…" He'd fallen into nervous mode again. Lain simply answered, "It's all right. I'm…unharmed." Jelemei shook off his nerves. "I'm Kobaishu…Kobaishu Jelemei." He extended the one of his two hands that wasn't shaking like a leaf. "Iwakura Lain…" She doesn't talk all that much…but that's okay. Don't really like outgoing girls much… Lain tentatively shook his hand, and Jelemei tried his best to hide a cry of jubilation. "Things are changing, Jelemei…be careful." Lain walked off as silently as she'd come to him…leaving Jelemei in a state of shock. What the hell…"things are changing"? This is…really weird…
Later that night, Jelemei logged onto the Phantoma server and place the headset on his head. "Hey, Ryutsuki…looks like we're all by ourselves this time. How about first to 15 kills until some other people get online?" Ryutsuki replied, "I'm okay with that! Shotgun, 12 gauge, lock and load!" "I'm going to try something different this time…rocket launcher, infrared scope, lock and load!" Jelemei's avatar saw a rocket launcher materialize in front of him. "Finally wised up about the .45s, did ya?" Ryutsuki kidded. Jelemei responded, "Right…game start!" As it turned out, Ryutsuki and Jelemei had initially spawned near each other. Jelemei quickly turned, backed up, and fired a rocket on the run. Ryutsuki's avatar exploded upon contact with the rocket…registering one frag for Jelemei.
"Not half bad, Jelemei," Ryutsuki woefully admitted. "Hey, by the way, who was that cute girl I saw you talking with for a little bit after school?" "Name's Iwakura Lain. Not much of a talker, but she makes up for it in looks." Jelemei switched back to his trademark .45s and took another frag, making it 2-0 in his favor. "She's got this aura about her…it's almost like a trap that you never want to escape from." "And you got this from talking to her once!? Damn, Jelemei…you get all the luck." "Maybe…after all, I'm told I survived a mass murder at Cyberia last night…too bad I don't remember jack about it. Oh, behind you, Ryutsuki." Ryutsuki turned his avatar around…just in time to take a .45 caliber head shot. The score was 3-0, Jelemei.
Suddenly, Jelemei got a creepy feeling. "Ryutsuki…something is wrong here…I don't know what, but I'm sensing something is out of whack." Ryutsuki responded, "Jelemei, you're sounding just like that guy the other night." "Exactly," Jelemei answered, "and you remember what happened the other night…" Ryutsuki laughed over the headset. "You're just getting paranoid, my friend…" Jelemei shrugged to himself. Maybe Ryutsuki's right… "Flamethrower, lock and load!" Jelemei set up to track his friend down. "Ready or not, here I come." He located Ryutsuki and clicked his fire button. 4-0… Ryutsuki's avatar was incinerated, but Jelemei heard an explosion over his headset. "Hey, Ryutsuki, is your brother trying to cook again? Ryutsuki? RYUTSUKI!" Dear God, it's happening again! And this time, to my own friend… The next thing Jelemei heard was, "Jelemei…Kobaishu…I blame you for this." Takaishi… Then Ryutsuki's computer logged off. Ryutsuki…my God…
Layer 06: Confrontation
The walk to school was a lonely one. Jelemei felt as if he'd lost a brother twice over. "Kobaishu…I blame you for this," Takaishi had said. But Takaishi was almost as much of an older brother to him as he had been to Ryutsuki. How can he blame me for Ryutsuki's death…when I don't even know what the hell happened? Jelemei's head began to pound, even after he sat down at his desk. Ryutsuki…my friend…you're gone forever now… He laid his head down on the desk, lost in his grief. What if Takaishi's right? What if this is my fault? What if Ryutsuki's dead because of me…
His PDA beeped softly. Jelemei took it out of his desk and checked the screen. He'd just received an e-mail, but he was reluctant to open it. Just my luck…a call-out notice. Of all the worst days for someone to pick a fight with me… He opened the e-mail…then paused in what was as close to horror as he could ever get. Yomoda Chisa? But…how can a girl who killed herself almost two weeks ago be able to send an e-mail? He knew the story well: about a week and a half ago, a girl from class D named Yomoda Chisa had thrown herself off the top of a building in the Shibuya district. That event in itself wasn't all that remarkable, but the event that had accompanied it, all those post-mortem e-mails from Chisa… Jelemei shuddered at the mere remembrance of it. And now he'd gotten an e-mail from her… Come to think of it, it's no weirder than anything else that's been happening lately, so might as well read it… Jelemei looked down at his PDA and read the following:
"You might think this is a joke or some kind of 'Trojan horse' e-mail, but I assure you that this is not. I am still very much alive, though not in a physical sense, obviously. I don't know for sure about your friend, but I can guess that he has probably also found this world more suitable for him." (Damn you…how dare you assume things about Ryutsuki! Jelemei thought.) "There is no need for physical bodies anymore…you will see. Everyone will soon see… Signed, Yomoda Chisa."
The e-mail remained hanging in Jelemei's head the entire day. "What will we see?" he muttered to himself. "That the world is just a bunch of bull-crap and that nothing matters? Well, Miss Yomoda Chisa…I've already seen that…" He opened his locker, only to have it shut on his hand. Jelemei suppressed a curse as he turned around to face…Tiburon Takaishi. "What's the problem, Takaishi?" Takaishi grabbed Jelemei by the collar and slammed him against the lockers. "Murderers do not deserve to call me by my first name!" he growled. Jelemei sighed slightly. "You really do think that I'm responsible for Ryutsuki's death, don't you…" he intoned. Takaishi responded, "Damn straight, Kobaishu. My brother's dead, and it's your fault…for being the one who got him hooked on the game and for pulling the trigger on that flamethrower!" Jelemei brought an arm up and punched Takaishi…not his hardest punch, but he didn't have a lot of room to swing his arm back, either. "Get a grip on yourself, Tai…Tiburon! I'm not the one who programmed Phantoma, so you should be mad at the game not at me!" Takaishi retaliated by letting go of Jelemei and swinging a potentially powerful haymaker. Jelemei barely managed to dodge in time, and Takaishi's fist slammed hard into the locker door, denting it. "As if my day wasn't bad enough, now you've messed up my locker door…" Jelemei coldly taunted, a teasing smirk on his face. "Unless you want to injure yourself further, I recommend we settle this later, Tiburon."
"I'd rather you not finish it at all." Oh, crap, it's the principal… The principal stood right behind Tiburon, looking not very amused. "Thanks to you two, we'll have to dip into our already meager budget to have the door fixed. We can't afford to have anymore inadvertent destruction around here, so if I catch either of you two fighting again, you are gone, got it?" Jelemei suppressed a semi-sarcastic reply in favor of a nod, which Takaishi echoed. "Good…now get to class, or you'll be late." Jelemei turned back to his partially destroyed locker, got the books he needed, and got to class. I can't be expelled…school is the only thing I have left now… As he turned again, he noticed Lain watching from down the hall. Those big brown eyes of hers…they seem to peer into my soul…do they know my innermost secrets? Can she see into my subconscious and view that which I cannot reveal? Lain turned around and walked back to class, leaving a depressed and angry Jelemei further confused. Maybe the next day would bring about a change…
Layer 07 (Epilogue): Recollection
"Jelemei? Wired to Jelemei; wake up." The soft voice snapped Jelemei out of his reverie. Lain was standing there in front of him, as calm as ever. "Gomen nasai, Lain…I was just remembering the first few days of my last week alive…" Lain smiled a bit. "No problem, Jelemei…but I do have a bit of a surprise for you, since it is, after all, your birthday in the real world." Jelemei returned the smile, then stood up and gently kissed Lain. "You remembered…how nice of you. So what's the surprise?" "Well, you've been thinking a lot about your last week in the physical realm a lot lately, so I did a little research around the Wired, and I found something interesting." Lain gave him a bit of a mysterious "I'm deliberately delaying the surprise" look. "And well…I was wondering if you tell me a little bit about your friend Ryutsuki that you often refer to." Jelemei laughed a bit, then looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Well," he began," I remember vividly something Ryutsuki told me during the first week of eighth grade. He said, 'Jelemei, I think you need to find a good girlfriend. One who doesn't care that you hit the books as hard as you hit; one who will be able to counteract your temper; but most importantly, one who won't play you until the captain of the basketball team is available.'"
"Dammit, Jelemei, you never did take my suggestions," a familiar voice rang out. "I said to find a good girlfriend…and you find the one that's perfect for you." Jelemei looked up towards the voice's origin. There, as if he'd never died, stood none other than Tiburon Ryutsuki. Oh, my god…Yomoda Chisa wasn't kidding after all! Lain explained, "I found him wandering around. He'd had no idea how he got here until I explained to him about Phantoma's little…programming flaw." "Ryutsuki…" Jelemei smiled and kissed Lain deeply. "Iwakura Lain, this is the best surprise that I've ever gotten!" Ryutsuki teased, "Oh, sure…thank the girl, but all but ignore me. Kobaishu Jelemei, you haven't changed a bit!" Jelemei smiled a bit. "Apparently, neither have you. It's good to see you again…" He turned away a bit. "I never told you this, Ryutsuki, but you're like the brother I never got to have." Ryutsuki shrugged a bit and replied, "Well, I'd always wanted a younger brother, even if only slightly younger." Lain smiled and hugged Jelemei. "I'm glad you like it, Jelemei." "Well, with a beautiful girl by my side and being reunited with my friend, living here in the Wired now seems just a little more like Heaven…"
The End