IS Virus: Episode 2-3 - Superstrain
-FOREWORD-
Normally, I don't make these. I stopped leaving notes around episode 3 because I didn't feel it necessary. But now I feel it is necessary, so I must address this issue.
To all who decided to give IS Virus a small glance, thank you. To those who read this fanfic, thank you. But if you do read it, please leave a review of what you thought about a certain chapter or episode after you read. This not only lets me know that you really do like what I'm doing, it also lets me know what questions you have, what I can improve on. If not a lot of reviews are coming in, then I won't know whether I'm really taking the series to where I want it to go. Or whether it should continue. So, if you would, please leave a review after you read and spread word about IS Virus to as many people as you can. I will try to respond to the reviews as promptly as possible. Who knows? If a certain episode get enough reviews, there may be some instances where you, the readers, decide what happens next.
With all that said, thank you to the few who stood by Sokoto's side from the beginning and continue to this day. There is much more in store for him when the time comes. And to those who just found this fanfic, I invited you to stick around for the long haul, and I promise you will not be disappointed. Until then, I will see you all soon.
NYAN NYAN~tonbonkittybon
P.S.: Forewords and afterwords do not count toward the word limit.
Part 1: The Long Haul
-NOVIA DO CORDEIRO, MINAS GERAIS-
A gentle village of a three hundred people, surrounded by thick-skinned, sweet tangerines, banana plants, and ipe trees covered with bright yellow flowers. Technology light, rustic brick buildings, and a soothing atmosphere away from the chaos of the urban landscape. One might call this a paradise. Its residents, largely women, call it a home and a haven.
But for one resident, it's a refuge. A woman with long blonde hair in a punk rock ponytail hairstyle and a worn out collar, dressed in tattered robes, found a sort of solace in the simple life. Upon her arrival, she was welcomed by the village. Since then, she has been gathering food for the population, driving a truck into the markets of the city, and coming back with more than she could carry. But when she was not needed, she would sit quietly in her doorless room, knees hugged to her chin, wondering about the renegade. The quiet setting gave her some peace of mind to wonder about how life with him would be like. Nonstop chaos, wisecracking pranks, and breaking the rules with no regard to anyone else...that sounded like fun.
She made her home here for the next two weeks. She didn't talk very much, but seemed to get along with the folks just fine. Then, earlier today, she went into the city.
-10:30, 32 HOURS 30 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-
While she was getting extra utensils and food for lunch, she noticed that the markets were loudly chatty, even for typical crowded business place standards. She decided to find out what set the marketplace abuzz.
"Bigger load than usual, I see," an elderly woman said, "anything special you're celebrating?"
"Not really," she responded, then asked after seeing a group of men and women arguing, "What's wrong with them?"
"Haven't you heard? The renegade's in Canada."
"And?"
"They say the IS Representative of the UK was captured, stolen. And the renegade is going to save her."
Her eyes widened, "That's news to me...did he say anything else?"
"Nothing you'd be interested in."
"Oh..."
"PORQUE DEVE FAZER AINDA?!" A man screamed why the renegade should even bother, and a fight broke out.
"You know what?" the elderly woman made haste and pushed her out, "you shop here every time. No charge. Now, go!"
"But-but I could-"
"Not worth it!" The elderly woman made sure she was gone, then swiped a wooden bat, "EI CALE A BOCA! VOCÊ ESTÁ ESCOLANDO OS PÁSSAROS DESLIGADOS!"
"Tch...I could handle those burros by myself with my pinky..." she muttered while driving back to the village. Once she got there, about twenty women and five men gathered to welcome her back. "Take it easy!" She stammered, "Valencia just got married, that's all!"
"Nonsense!" A girl said, "You helped us out a lot since you came here!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," a grandfather told her.
"I know, but-"
"DARYL! DARYL!" A couple kids came and tackled her and ruffled her hair.
"WHAT...DO...YOU...WANT?!" Daryl shook the kids off her and grabbed their shoulders, "DARYL'S VERY BUSY!"
"Look what auntie got!" The children dragged her over to a house where a few people were installing a new flatscreen TV.
Daryl looked confused, "Don't we already have a tv?"
"Well, we have family from across the country," a man said, "this way we'll have more than enough room for everyone to squeeze in."
"Sure..." Daryl just walked away, waiting for lunch to arrive.
-12:00, 31 HOURS TO SHOWCASE-
Everyone gathered around the tv to test its quality and performance. They were blown away by its half-second startup time and quality of picture. Daryl was just looking onward to see what it would show. While eating, she happened to drop her spoon on the remote, "Aw, crap!"
The channel switched to BBC WORLD , where a live chase in Canada was stretching across Ontario, with the commentators talking about that one video.
"Is he really going to save them?"
"I'll bet it's all an act."
"What I don't get is why all the police."
Were some of the things that came out of everyone's mouth, except Daryl's. She just stared at the renegade, looking a little more grown up than normal, with the wind messing with his hair, his confident smile, and those blue wonder-filled eyes. Her mind once again ran rampant with wild fantasies. She spent her time in LaLa Land while everyone else was enjoying lunch.
-MILLE LACS, ONTARIO PROVINCE; 12:15, 30 HOURS 45 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-
The truck was blazing down the highway with a huge police force behind it, under the guise of a chase.
"Look at all these beautiful people, dude!" Sokoto waved his hands.
"The more the better, I suppose!" The father shouted, then checked his GPS. The tracker stopped moving, then blanked out. "Hey! She's at Lac Mastissini! Gonna be another 10 hours before we're in the clear!"
"I thought you said 10!" Sokoto shouted back, but then he saw why he delayed arrival by 2 hours, "Are they UN guys?!"
"Think so! Get that bouncy shield thing ready!"
"Already ready!" Sokoto activated the shield and dropped it on the side of the road.
"Now, why in fucking assness would you do that?!" The father bellowed.
"I clench my fists, it grapples to me!" Sokoto said, "Figured I can unclench at the last minute and send it smacking their faces!"
Two IS special forces pilots closed in.
"Target in sight," one of them said, "Engaging." She nose dived towards the renegade.
"You wanna test that "brilliant" theory of yours now?!" The father panicked.
Sokoto aimed his fist at her and clenched, bringing the shield to him. When it got close, he released his fist and ducked. The shield was still flying, but it grazed the truck and changed trajectory, so that its edge hit the pilot squarely in the eyes. She was knocked into a complete stop. She lost half her shield energy.
"Woooo!" Sokoto cheered, "Right in the belfry!"
"Shut it, clown..." the pilot grumbled, "All units, converge on my location! Stop the renegade!"
"Incoming!" Sokoto shouted as the other pilot readied a rocket launcher.
The small sprite emerged from the bag, dazed for a second, then panicked when it saw the rocket launcher. It tried to scream, but nothing came out, except a message, "ACCESS DENIED. ALL USERS BLOCKED, MANUAL REBOOT REQUIRED." It yanked its ribbon ends down in frustration until realized that the truck was at full speed. It saw the rocket fired. It quickly fizzled out and emerged below the steering wheel, and then closed its eyes as it made a shoving motion. The brakes were floored, and the truck skidded to a slow crawl, narrowly escaping the rocket before letting go and zooming back to max speed. The sprite sighed, but it got back into panic when it looked up and saw a stream of bullets barely missing. It braked again, this time with her feet and using its wavy hand motions, steered the car into and out of the police motorcade to avoid total damage.
"The fuck?!" The father screamed.
"Nice moves, old man!" Sokoto complemented.
"That wasn't me!"
"Really?" Sokoto caught the shocked look on his face, "and I suppose the truck came alive, did it?"
The father looked at the steering wheel and saw the sprite completely exhausted, panting, and sweating like a wet towel. It held out a hand and zapped the tablet a little bit, and rejuvenated itself.
"You, uh...you can drive, right?" The father asked.
It tried to speak, but it couldn't, so it gave him two thumbs up.
"Alright," the father got his rifle, "I'm gonna die, but fuck everything and wing it." He shot at a pilot charging in, giving Sokoto an opening. He threw his shield at her and sent her back several feet.
"Yeah! How 'bout dem vampire people!" He screamed as he threw his shield again, only for it to be hammered down. He was about to get shot when the sprite slowed the truck down again, toppling him off balance and against the bed, giving the father a clear shot and hit.
"Finally, some peace and quiet!" The father exclaimed a bit too soon.
"Stand down!" A police officer yelled over a megaphone, "The renegade is not a threat! Repeat! The renegade is not a threat!"
"Oh, goddamnit..." the father groaned.
"That is not for you to decide!" A pilot shot back, "Either stay out of the way, or we will take you down too!"
A squad car let out a couple grenades. The target pilot dodged and returned fire.
"And now, this..." the father reloaded his rifle, then said to the sprite while aiming, "Whatever happens, just stay on the path..."
The sprite looked at the tablet and memorized the required path in a heartbeat. But it was spooked back to the wheel when the father fired a big one.
Sokoto stood back up, "I could've used a warning, y'know!"
"Shut up and keep flinging! We got more inbound!" The father looked over at the cars rapidly approaching them.
Then, the most out of place occurrence. Half the police motorcade sped forward to defend the truck. It was the UN vs Canada fight of the century. Canadian police keeping the international force from apprehending one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. How surreal can this get?
"Pinch me, I must be dreaming..." Sokoto mouthed before receiving a BB, "OW! What the-"
"Where are you supposed to go?!" One of the police officers yelled.
"We gotta go straight to Lac Mastissini!" The father yelled back.
"We can take you as far as the Cree town of Mistissini! Any farther, and you're on your own!"
"Fine by me!"
Two cruisers sped up and guarded the front ends of the truck, while two motorcycles guarded the rear.
"All units in Ontario and Québec," one officer spoke over the regional channel, "Renegade in pursuit of U.K. IS Representative. Renegade in black GMC truck, rimless wheels. Pursue, but do not apprehend, and do not allow anyone to touch the truck. End pursuit at Mistissini."
And thus was the scene for the entirety of the trip. The renegade, Squall's father, and (to the renegade's ignorance) the tiny yellow sprite were on their way, led and protected by Canada's police force, in opposition to the UN Task Force. Or it seemed like the UN-Sokoto couldn't tell the difference, only survival mattered. Once in a while, there were pilots and other officers who were to stop the renegade at all costs, but it wasn't enough to overcome them.
The way the police coordinated the renegade's safe arrival could be described as scary. There were cameras and trackers on every car, alerting all units to his location. Whenever he nears, all units in the area will be notified, and they will substitute for the units that have already escorted him. This was the standard for escort service, added only speed. And it served the gang well. Almost.
At one point two hours before they crossed the Québec-Ontario provincial border, the truck lost control because of a rocket misfire. Sokoto and Squall's father were flung off the highway, but the officers kept a close tire on them. The car managed to slow their skid to a stop. Squall's father kept Sokoto in his arms, shielding him from the smoke and metal debris. He rushed the both of them into the cruiser and made them hightail it. Which made it all the more exciting and chaotic in the exchanges. Instead of meeting at the same building because they assumed that the renegade was in a truck, the police cruisers met several blocks away at specific meeting points to reduce detection, meaning Sokoto and Squall's father were running for their lives to the next checkpoint, and on all occasions they had to fend off UN and U.K. capture teams.
All the while pointing out landmarks and places they've visited before. It was their way of trying to make the trip easier to swallow. They would talk about the museums they snuck into, the restaurants they emptied, they stunts they pulled during their time here. Half of which the father did not believe happened, but he was surprised when Sokoto found time to imitate them right before they smacked their face in their next transport vehicle. It was the father's way of connecting with Sokoto on a deeper level. It was also Sokoto's way of blocking out the fact that the IS was a woman's weapon, and he shouldn't have been able to use it, because if he spent any time on that, it would slow them down immensely. Sokoto resolved not to ponder the fact until he arrived at the Lac.
On a side note, the sprite was nauseous the entire trip. After the truck was totaled, it latched itself onto Sokoto's shoulder, only to puke holographic vomit, constantly due to the police car interior smell and vibrations, and worse whenever Sokoto was running.
-CHAPAIS, QUÉBEC PROVINCE; 23:17, 19 HOURS 43 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-
Things got even more interesting when they flew past Chapais. After another fight with the UN, they exchanged rides for the final time. However, this was a truck custom made for heavy duty gunfire, an armored truck with a high-powered turret. Sokoto settled in the bed of the truck quite nicely. Squall's father tensed himself up and reloaded his rifle as he took his seat in the back. The sprite hid itself in an officer's cellphone calming itself with kitten videos, and didn't come out until the truck reached the final destination. But that wouldn't be for another hour, as the truck skid its wheels and did a 720 before taking off towards the final checkpoint. As Sokoto looked through the fleeting municipality, he could see the elated faces of the people there, wishing him the best of luck. That got him thinking about Claire, how that woman in Alaska asked him to find her. He wondered if she was there with Autumn and Madoka. He shook his head, reassuring himself that she is not here, as the truck flat out jumped several cars, and onto the highway.
The truck sped down the giant route, no traffic to stop it, just a bunch of special forces with rockets, grenades, and five more pilots. Only two motorcycles assisting the renegade. The pilots dove down and prepared to take the truck. Sokoto hopped on the turret and let them have it.
"Alright, noogens!" He fired and rattled, "LEEEEEET THEEEEEEEE FIIIIIIRRRRRREEEEEEEEE RAAAAAAIIIIIIIN DOOOOOOOWWWN FROOOOOOOM THEEEEEEEEE SKYYYYYYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIY!" The turret shook as he blew away at the pilots. The police got extremely close to the enemies and shot out their tires, preventing them from trailing them any further. Squall's father didn't let up on the rifle. He fired every time they got near him. Thanks to the combined teamwork, four pilots were downed.
Unfortunately, everyone ran out of ammunition during the final stretch.
"Shit! I'm empty!" The father said.
"I got no more for the rifle!" An officer shouted.
Sokoto stopped shaking. "Turret's all cleaned out!"
An officer on a motorcycle radioed, "We only have enough for one more round on each handgun!"
"Welp," Sokoto commented, "this is the most horrifically convenient timing in the history of horrifically convenient timings." He got off the turret, landed on top of the truck, and readied his shield. The pilot drew her sword and charged towards him. "It's a blade type!" Sokoto shouted, "We can still win this!" As everyone got ready, he threw his shield at her with all his might, and she knocked it off. The father pulled out his shotgun and, with the other officers, shot the pilot, making her flinch and missed her target. She crashed in front of the truck, forcing the driver to swerve, bumping into the pilot, and careening off the road to avoid a crash. The giant hills that bordered the road carried the truck over the midline and flipped upside down. It landed on its side and skid to the entrance of Mistissini, leaving deep scars on the road. The two motorcycles managed to completely avoid damage. Sokoto was conked out when his head hit the signpost. But then he had the strangest dream ever.
-UNKNOWN-
When he came to, he found himself in that same blue sky, randomly sparse clouds reflection pool from earlier. He checked his head for any injuries. No damage.
"Uh..." he hesitated, "am I dead?..."
"No!" A cheerful preteen female voice answered, "Just bonked your head, is all!"
"Huseydat?!" Sokoto looked behind, in front, above, "Hello?! Olly olly oxen free!" Suddenly, he was hit by a pebble. He angrily turned to face the thing who threw it, "The hell'd ya do that for?!" He was immediately stunned by what he saw.
A girl, barely taller than he, dressed in an oddly designed yellow, black, and white school uniform, with a ribbon tied to her hair in a way that looked like bunny ears, hanging from a giant leafless tree, waved at him. She dropped to the water and ran to him, then patted his shoulder. "Sorry if my outfit's a little skimpy," she said, "but it allows me to do this!" She did three splits in three ways, and propped up waiting for a response.
"Uhhhh..." was all he said.
"Shhh..." she tapped her finger to his lips and winked while doing a cutesy pose, "All will be revealed in time." She moved her finger to her lips, "For now, just play along."
"...huh..." he finished.
"So, you made quite a name for yourself, I hear," she said while doing motions, "THE RENEGADE. So edgy and rebel."
"Yeah, you could say that..."
"And then you go from punching Japan in the gut to finding a remedial cure for Canada! Unpredictable in every way!" She grabbed his shoulders, "You gotta tell me! How's it feel to screw those people in the brains?!"
"Pretty awesome to be honest...though I still can get around being the second guy to pi-"
"That's the best thing!"
"-lot..."
"I'm still geeking out over it! You're gonna save the very people who hate you! How do you do it?"
"Hate me? Wait, Madoka and Autumn?"
"Well...I thought you knew."
"Know what?"
"They wanted you to love them, but you got all wrapped up in this Heroes of Canada business that you'd forget whatever you learned the previous hour."
Sokoto froze. That was his biggest problem. The one thing keeping him from nailing this adventure in the coffin. That's why Madoka left the room. He looked at his hands. What was his biggest takeaway from this whole adventure? He doesn't know.
"Hey, don't look so down," she put her forehead to his, "It's a step by step. You just gotta take it one thing at a time, y'know? Everything has already been shoved in your face. No need to rush it. No one's gonna take it away. It's all yours to inhale."
"Well...ok, if you say so..." he knew the rest of the mission would be carried out on foot, meaning it got that much harder to stay focused- "Oh! Aren't we gonna get back to...Mass...Mista...Mammaslamma-"
"Mistissini," she pointed to him, "get it right."
"Right, the...Mist."
"Sure, but prepare yourself," she said as the environment slowly reverted back to the place he was in before he blanked out, "a big friend of yours is on the fritz..."
"On the fritz? Who could-" before he could finish his question, he was sent back to the real world, where he got his answer.
-MISTISSINI CLINICAL LODGE, QUÉBEC PROVINCE; 01:31, 17 HOURS 29 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-
Sokoto woke up on a bed in a lodge. He steadied himself upright and rubbed his head, "Ugh..what happened...what did I-"
He was rattled by what he saw in front of him. Three policewomen surrounding Squall's father, who was in a coma.
"No," he ran to his side, "no! No! NO! NO!"
"Hey! Easy!" An officer held him back, "This is a hassle we don't need!"
"Why not! Why can't I-"
"LISTEN!" She slapped him. He took a second to recollect himself after the initial shock, then listen as she ranted, "Listen...your friend said something...he said he's Squall's father...he also said he saw her in you. He saw his own daughter. That's why you can't afford to break down now. He's just in a coma, he isn't dead."
He sensed that aura. It's still pulsing, but barely. He seriously wanted to hug him, but the officer pulled him back to her.
"If you are telling the truth," she sternly told him off, "If you do want to save your friends, you need to go now. The UN will be here in 10 minutes. After that, we don't know what will happen. You need to stay focused. And you have to hurry. We don't have time."
He looked in her eyes, then back at the father. He finally understood what he meant. Why he flipped out when he saw him on the bed. He reassured himself that he had to save the three ladies, otherwise he father's sacrifice would be for nil. He has to go.
"Just gimme ten seconds," he said.
"Time him," the officer said.
Sokoto had to make this quick. He ran to the bed and, "For lack of better words..." kissed him, "...Be seeing you, father." While making to the door, he waved his hand over his bracelet to call forth his shield. He stopped at the door and told the policewomen, beet red, "Make sure he's healed when I come back." And with that, he was gone.
Leaving the surviving officers to ponder...
"When he comes back?"
"We'll be long gone by then..."
"This kid...the hell is he?"
"I don't know, I don't care."
"Girls? We got trouble." The policewomen saw a bright light approaching them.
"Yeah, I'm calling it," one of them readied her gun, "Those guys who chased him throughout...there's no way they're UN..."
Meanwhile, Sokoto has left the town and headed off into the forest to find the Lac Autumn was holed in. More determined than ever to set things right with himself, he decided to use this mission to process everything that has been shoved down his throat this past week. But to do that, he thought, he needed help. So, while keeping his aura sensitivity on high, and hiding in the many shrubs and trees, he turned to the one person...thing...that gave him comfort through this trip.
"Ok, Silvia. Whaddaya say we play a word association game? I'm thinking revenge movie characters."
And then, he would have sworn he heard a voice inside his head.
"Ooh! I'll go first! John Wick!"
"Dammit, you took a good one. Uh...Carrie."
"No, that's a horror movie character!"
"But she got her revenge on those bullies, she did."
"Yeah, true...Bryan Mills!"
And the game continued all the way to Lac Mistassini. With a tiny message emitting from behind his collar:
MANUAL REBOOT ACTIVATED. USER RECOGNIZED: SOKOTO. REFORMATTING TO USER PREFERENCES. DATA RECOVERED 27%.