Hello there!
I can't believe that so many people signed up to this story in the first chapter! I'm so happy to see many of those who joined me on my first crazy journey jump back on for the second one.
Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, Tifflinck, Tatsuki74 and sarahlucylu.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Markiplier, JackSepticEye or Matthias/Hi5 Universe. If you wish to use anything relating to my own universe, please ask first.
Chapter 2: Jumping Back In
The next day saw Mark and Jack spend several hours recording before going through Matt's email from the previous night, studying it in detail to look for anything they were unsure of. They had come to the agreement that they wouldn't want to disturb Matt while they were away, so they checked each of the fixes that Matt had written for the Dreamscape and made sure they knew how to upload them without any issues. Fortunately, Matt was now very experienced with the Dreamscape's coding – through a combination of Alix's tutelage and his own experimentation – so they weren't too worried about any problems arising from his additions. Mark and Jack weren't as sure as Matt, but they were sure they could still make all the changes safely.
After that was all done the two just had a chilled-out night, watching TV and playing a couple of games as they caught up. While Mark and Jack now spoke most days, either messaging or via video chat, it was never the same as being there in person. Though the three of them had all grown much closer after their misadventure, Mark and Jack's friendship had evolved to a whole new level. Coming to terms with their experiences at Damien and Anti's hands had proven difficult for each of them, and there wasn't really anyone who could relate, save each other. Jack had been the first to open up, letting Mark in to all the concerns Anti's existence had brought to light. Hearing that Jack was struggling to accept the events of the Dreamscape had allowed Mark to air his own fears – they had helped each other heal and accept.
A year on, the pair were in a good place, able to go about their day-to-day activities without thoughts of the twisted pair interfering with their lives.
By the time 11pm rolled around Mark was playing Fortnite while Jack watched, the Irishman throwing cheap insults each time his friend lost a round. Jack started laughing loudly as Mark jumped from a cliff but missed placing down a platform, instead plummeting to his death. The half-Korean watched the screen in shock, unable to believe he'd just messed up as Jack held his sides, almost giving himself a stitch from laughing so hard. With a mild glare Mark elbowed him in the side, causing Jack to bite his lip in an attempt to stop laughing, though his eyes were still alight with mirth. Mark stuck his middle finger up at the other man. "Piss off, Sean, as if you haven't done that before!" he exclaimed.
Jack drew in a deep breath as he slowly began to control his breathing. "Yeah, but never before shouting 'Watch these mad skills!'! Seriously, Mark, you couldn't have timed that any better!" Before Mark could aim another shot at Jack's ribs, both of their phones flashed with a notification. They each looked over and saw a message saying that Matt had just come online on Skype. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Okay….why the hell is Matt online so late? Doesn't he normally get an early night?"
Mark frowned. "He used to stay up late often, but not since he's been suffering with the headaches, he's too exhausted by this time of the night. That is odd." After a moment of deliberation Mark clicked on to Skype and called Matt, hoping to older man wasn't in a place where the ringing might disturb Amanda or Luna.
After the fifth ring the image of Matt appeared on the screen, having answered on his phone. It was dark all around him, save for the light source off to his left which Mark worked out was Matt's computer, and the older man was wearing a pair of sunglasses. Mark winced, having heard about this from Amanda. When Matt couldn't sleep he would go downstairs and try to do something productive. Assuming that his current headache was a really bad one, Mark spoke softly. "Hey, man. Having a rough night?"
Matt chuckled. "You could say that, Mark. I get the feeling it is going to be a long one. How did you know I was up?"
Jack appeared in the frame next to Mark. "We just got a ping from Skype saying you were online, and we were both concerned."
The older man looked confused. "Hmm, I don't even remember turning my Skype on, strange. I must have fiddled around with the settings earlier and not changed them back. Sorry, hope I didn't disturb the pair of you."
Mark smiled at him. "Not at all, Matt. Are your girls asleep?"
Matt sighed. "Yeah, Amanda and I headed up about an hour ago, but it was no use for me." He smiled slightly. "So…" The image then shifted, flicking over to Matt's computer. The pair of them snickered at seeing one of Mark's videos half played on the screen, before Matt turned the camera back to himself. "I'm currently going for something easy to watch, hopefully it'll help my brain switch off a little. I dunno if it'll work, but it's the best theory I've got going."
"Well I'm glad you didn't go anywhere near any of my videos, that definitely wouldn't have helped your head," Jack joked, earning a laugh from Mark.
Matt's smile widened slightly. "Yes, that at least, was a no-brainer. I can feel myself starting to unwind at least, so hopefully I won't be up for too much longer. What time does Signe arrive tomorrow?"
Jack's smile broadened. "She gets into LAX at 10:30, we're going to head over and pick her up. You still good for having us, Mark and Amy over in the evening?"
"Of course, it'll be good to have everyone over before we split up for the week."
Mark could see Matt was starting to look ever more tired on the phone. "All right, dude, we'll head away," he said gently. "Look after yourself, and we'll see you tomorrow. And I promise I won't poke too much fun if you're still wearing those shades when we come around."
Matt scoffed. "Yeah, I'm probably the one person who still has to wear sunglasses indoors. I swear these headaches better be down to a light sensitivity, or I'm going to feel so pissed at carrying these damn things around all the time."
Both Mark and Jack laughed lightly. "Okay, we'll call it a night there, see you tomorrow, Matt!"
The older man smiled as the call disconnected, but his expression turned much more serious as he put the phone back down. He muttered under his breath as he heard movement up above and turned to smile at Amanda as she came down the stairs. Amanda watched him in concern as she found Matt at his computer. "Matt, are you okay?" she asked softly.
He stood up to give her a gentle hug, feeling to the tension in her posture as she gripped back. "I'm fine, Amanda, just trying to ease my head a little. Sorry for disturbing you."
She pulled back and gave him a stern look. "We talked about this, you said you'd stop sneaking down here."
Matt sighed. "I know, I know…I just hate bothering you when this isn't your problem."
Amanda gave him a small smile before kissing him lightly. "That's what being married is all about, Matt. We face things together. Don't shut me out with this, I know you're scared by it."
Matt smiled back before giving her another hug. "I'll be all right, hopefully we'll get some answers from today's appointment tomorrow. Head back up, I'll join you soon."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You promise?"
"Promise."
After giving him a disbelieving stare, she relented and gave him one last kiss. "Okay, I'll see you soon. Love you."
"Love you too." With that, Amanda headed back up the stairs.
He waited until he heard the bedroom door shut before sitting back down on the chair, turning his attention back to the screen. Now in the clear, he removed the sunglasses, revealing the red-tinted irises which had been lurking beneath. "Damn it, that's more memories I'm going to have to shift to Matt now. Why did he even have Skype set to log in automatically?" he muttered under his breath before switching the screen over back to his previous work.
The window which had been hidden on his taskbar flashed up once he brought the Dreamscape matrix back online, and he snorted at the message lurking there.
W͔̭̭h̩͉̪̳͚̻̺ä̭͖̜̻̪̻̝́̈́̋ṭ̌̑̊'͚̑̉̿̅͆ͨs͉͇̰̟̻̠͉͆̒̄ͫ̃̊ ̜̟͍̺͙̹̓ͪͥ̉̃t̘͊ͭ̈̍̃h̯̯̭̹͎̘̺̍̒̾̂́e̜͖̗̬̯ ̙͓̙̬͎̽f͙̜̜̯͔ͩ̅ͨ̋ụ͍͒̑́̂̽ͧc̫͈̪͇̫ͬͧͪk͎͋̈ͩ̉͆ͭ͌i̗ͮ̇n̯͚̽̌̄͆̆̚g͚̞͉͓̎̃͑ͦͅͅ ̙͈̈̔ͫͭ̚h̩̯̺̥̫̽ͣ́ͨo̲͔͉̿͌̂̇͌l͛̄ͨ̒d̰͍̹͉̍̆̊̽ͣ̚ ̱̹͍̫ͧ́̃ͨü̟̅p͇͉̱̍ͧ,͉̦͉̼̜̲͙̇̔͋̃̽͊ ̊̋D̹͇͓͕ͮ̿͊ͩà͉̥͂̏̑ͩ̌̆m͓͖͓͇̞͚ͨi̥̗̣͚̮̍ͧ̃͑͛͛e̯̱̠̘̜̺̾̌ͤ̐̋͐n̖̪̪͖̹̩͐ͪͣ̋́̓ͮ?ͩ̈́̃͒ͥ̚
Damien rolled his eyes at Anti's words and chose to ignore him, instead returning to his task. After another ten minutes he received another message, snarling at the intended tone.
D͉̖͔̏̊̚̚O̓̀̆̍ͬͣṆ͈̼͌ͤͨ̾͊̓'̰͎̱͚̄̾̉̂̐͂T̳̖̃ ͓̻ͫI̿̽̋G̱̼̯̟̞ͮ̾̀ͪͅN̻̪̦̪͓͖Ō͈͚͙̓͊͒ͨͅR͗E̮ͯͩͥ́ͧͨ ̽ͤ͒͑̐M̙̻͕̦̅ͦḘ͓̤̈́̚ ̉̔̔̍͛̃̎Y̤͇̜̦̯̗͆Ö̟̩͈̻́ͦ̍ͧͮU͉̯̗̠͎̇ ̼͉̱͒̊M̼͎̱̜͎͛̄ͯ̚Ȍ̝͖̖͖̻ͪ̊̽́Ț̪͓̤̥͒̐̋̽ͦH̼̲̩̍E̪͎̘̬͓̥͓Ṟ̄̀F̝̱͈̥͚̜̯͗̽̃ͭ̾̽̑U̬̪̮̳̟̠͗̉ͨͣͤC̪͓͇̠͇͎ͧ̇͑̓̚KẸ͈̩̣͉͖ͅR̝̓̈ͦ͒ͤ!̞̹̯̟͋̈́̑̍ ̳̯̗̣̰̦͕̎̓̒̓̋̿I͇͖̙̲̳ ͉͙͎̭̤ͅK̺̼͉̭ͯ̑ͣͣ̃ͦͩN͍ͪ̑O̲͉̟͊̃ͩ̀̑Wͫ̉̚ ̺̜ͬ̆Y̱͈O̪̰̟͌͐̈́̎Ủ̬̣̲̎̎̐̆̈́̚'̦͚̔̋͐ͨ̃R͆ͫͥ̇E͋̐̿ͩ̏̓ ̱͐̎̎ͪ̆F̼̞̩̣̬̤͉ͧ̊̔͌̅̾U̲̺̫̠̞͗ͤ̐̎͂́C̤̞̯̼͙̣̺̾̇̿K̦̙̖̙͓̳͖ͤ̑I͈͇̫̫͖ͥͣͧ͆͆̄N̰͕̘̟̥̅̊̄̆̾͛ͣǴ͓̲̙͚̳̞̞ ̰̭̟͍̼ͣ̎̋ͬͅT̰͕̰̮̲̹́͐ͦ͛̇̽H̲̖͙͉̳̮ͬ͂̉̍ͩE͚̫͓͍̜̼͂ͯͤ̓͆ͦ̇R͙̖E͙͍̹͎̰̪̝̍̅̍̈́!̬̗ͣ̈̅͂ͭ̾
With a hiss of agitation Damien switched to the chat window, typing back quickly before returning to his previous screen.
I'm working, as you should be. Now shut up and get back to it. Mark and Jack leave for Digitalia in two days, and I can feel my hold on Matt slipping. This is our window. You've had a year to finish Mesmeria, don't waste time chasing me.
H͇͕̣͆o̮̫͔ẅ̱͈͔̗͚ͩ ̼̝̦̬̽̓ͮͦͅt̯̂̏̉͋̐̾h̥̺̜̞̙͇͖͊̌e̗̖̾̈ ̱̠̹͈̓f͉͕̯͓̗͉ͤ̋̈́̈͌u̺ͧ̎͑̋c͓̮̬k̝̺̜̩̯̞͔̓̈́ ̯͒͒̈́ͥ̔̊̇ā̺̹͔̼̝̦̠r͒̓̀̌̉ͯeͩ͂ ͉͙̹̐̉ͮ̿ͭ͑̇y͍̦ͤ̅ͧ̃̀ͥo͍̥̭ͨ̀̔̃̄ȗ͔̬̞͕̔̃̒̔̚ ̗̜̭͈̈͑ͬ̔ͮͭ̅ͅg̼̜͚̉ͯọ̪̞̃̌̃̈ͬ̚i͕͎̗̗̜̝̬͐̾̅͐̓n̝̤͖̜̎ͩ̅g͑ͧͭͭͫ ̻̤̮̻̐ͧ͗ͣ̽͑t̰ͧ̍̎͑ọ̖̭̄̿̊ͪ̊̈̓ ͭ̔̓̒ͧ̓̓g̘͉̜̈ͬͭ̇͆e̮̼̜ͪͦt͗ ͓̙͕̰̭̤͕b͈̬͕̙̘͙͔͌̌̽̏̌ȁ̭̟̟̍ͭ́͂͒c͚̪̻̣̝͍̆͗ͫͤk̟ͬ͌ ̟̣̄̀̎h̞͙̫͎̮͈͕̍ͭͯ̃e̦̯̳ͬr̼͈̻̠͆ͬͥ͌̂ͫe̼͖͖̙̙͊ͫͅ ̳͐ͥ͒̓î͉̦̰ͥ̈́ͣ̓ͦf͎̩̝͊͌̉ ͚̗̠̓ͧ͌ͮ̈̐M̪̳̮̲̟̌̌a͇̭͕̳̦̗̟͌t͔͈̲̤̗̅́̓ͮt̜̄ͫ ̦̙͚̻̪̈ͭ͊̚ͅi̦̻ͧ̄̽̒s̖͇͆̑ͪn͎͌'̔ṭ͓̼̰́ͣ ̰͖͔̙̞̒w̫͖̦͔̯͈ͨ̒͋i͌̾͑ͪ̇tͤͦ̆ͭh̠̹̞̘̭̖̝ͫͦ̓ͦ͐ͬ̍ ̺t͈̪̱̰͈͉̊͌̊̓̃h̝̳̽̈́̔̚e̱̓ͮm̟̙͎̽?̮̼͍̙͓͉ͬͅ
Leave that to me.
Mark and Jack picked up Signe the next morning at LAX, before dropping her and Jack off in LA for the day, giving them the chance for some time together. He then started ferrying Jack and Signe's belongings over to Matt and Amanda's for their departures the following day. Matt wasn't in for much of the day, going to the doctor for the results of his tests earlier that week: which gave Mark the chance to ask Amanda how he was really feeling. Though the two of them often spoke on the phone, Mark knew she always felt better after speaking about it face-to-face. She confirmed that Matt was suffering from ever worsening headaches, and he seemed to frequently be up through the night as he couldn't sleep. Her worry was growing with each passing day, as she could see the strain on his face. The stress over his worsening condition was beginning to show, and she could tell his hope at a solution was starting to ebb away. Mark gave her a long hug and helped her let out some of her suppressed fear, knowing well just how scared she was.
They hoped Matt joining the girls' trip to the seaside was going to do him the world of good, or at the very least help him relax for a few days.
That night saw Mark pick up Amy, Jack and Signe as they spent the evening with Matt, Amanda and Luna, everyone getting excited for their respective trips. They played a few party games and swapped various stories across the night, enjoying each other's company. As the six adults were so rarely together, everyone was happy to just appreciate the occasion and enjoy the conversation. Mark took Amy, Jack and Signe back to his just after midnight, all of them anxious to get a good night's sleep. They had a long journey in the morning.
It was just gone 10am when Mark pulled back into Matt and Amanda's driveway with his carload of people. They spent about an hour there before Mark and Jack prepared to set off for Digitalia, receiving long hugs from everyone there. Matt pulled them both into a group hug and whispered to them that if they needed anything, to not hesitate in calling him. Jack and Mark had just chuckled and told the older man to enjoy the sunshine, and the time with his family.
Four hours later found Mark and Jack arriving at Digitalia. Though Jack was excited to get inside the Dreamscape, they waited a couple of hours to allow Mark to get some sleep after the drive. While Mark napped, Jack went through to some of the rooms they had adapted over the past year. In their time at Digitalia they had upgraded the base slightly, changing some of the derelict rooms to be set up almost identically to their recording spaces back home as well as adding a communal games room. Though they didn't often use these spaces, it was nice to have the option.
Mark woke up three hours later – having slept much longer than he expected – and found Jack in 'his' recording space. Though he wasn't making a recording, he was still playing a few games. It had taken some time for the trio to find workarounds to all restrictions which had been set up on the internet within the base, but they managed it at the end of their initial visit, making life a lot easier for them in the time since. Jack spun around in his chair at hearing the door open and smiled at Mark. "Hey, dude! Feeling better?" he asked cheerfully.
The half-Korean chuckled. "Yeah, though I didn't think I would need that long, sorry Sean."
Jack stood and shrugged before turning to shut down the computer. "Don't apologise for that, Mark. It's not as if we're on a deadline here. Besides, it allowed me time to get everything ready to upload to the Dreamscape. Matt's made it pretty easy for us, we've just got to find the right directories and make the additions and changes. Here's hoping this will help Alix out."
Mark nodded at him and the pair soon set off for the main chamber. During their last visit, Alix had mentioned how some areas on the fringes of Glaysha were starting to glitch out or not render properly. While it was nothing major, the other three could tell it was something she wished she could fix herself. Unfortunately, if she made any changes to the game code from within the Dreamscape, they were uploaded line-by-line – meaning if she needed to delete any lines of code and replace them, she could destabilise the whole thing. Not wanting to risk her, Matt had volunteered to work on a couple of patches, as he could complete all the changes and upload them all at once from the outside. Mark and Jack knew Matt was passionate about the work he'd put in, so they were anxious not to mess it up.
They worked together on the central control station for another hour, inputting all the corrections to the code. While they could have completed it much faster, they were double checking all their work as they went. Once they were eventually convinced that it was good to go, Jack initiated the upload. Several tense seconds passed as they waited to see if the Dreamscape was going to become unstable, but everything remained unchanged. Jack finally let out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay, looks like we're all good. Anything else you want to do before we head in?"
Mark thought for a couple of seconds before he realised there was something. "Oh, shit! I almost forgot to hook up my phone!" He quickly plugged his phone into one of the panels, clicking through a list of programs before nodding in satisfaction. "Okay, all set. I doubt I'll miss much for how often I'll be jumping in and out, but it'll be good in case Matt tries to get in contact."
During their first trip back, Alix had told the YouTubers about the alert system her team had designed for when they released the Dreamscape commercially. It was a simple idea: just connect your phone to the network and synchronize whatever functions you wanted to be made aware of while you were inside. They had tested it out successfully a while back, meaning that Mark could plug in his phone and be alerted if it started to ring or he received at text message while visiting. They'd never had a reason to use it before, but this was the perfect time.
Once Mark was satisfied that his phone was ready, he set up the timer for the launch sequence. Jack then approached him with a set of the emitters. Mark smiled as he put them on, watching Jack do the same. "So, how long do you plan on staying in this time?" Mark asked with a smile.
Jack chuckled and shrugged. "Ummm…no comment? I guess I'll just see how I'm feeling when I get in there. Can you maybe keep an eye out on my phone when you're jumping in and out?"
Mark nodded and started the timer on the computer. "Right, one minute till we're in. Let's get comfy." The pair got settled in a couple of the pods and shared a smile as they heard the automated message play out from the speakers.
Connection to Glaysha matrix established. Upload in 30 seconds.
"Hey, Mark?" The aforementioned man turned to Jack and saw he was deep in thought. "Do you think Matt is going to be all right?"
Mark sighed as he sat back, closing his eyes in preparation. "I don't know, Sean. I really hope he will be. I guess we'll find out soon enough."
Launch sequence initialized. Upload in 10 seconds.
"See you on the inside, Sean."
"See you soon, Mark."
Returning to Glaysha was a strange sensation for the pair, no matter how often they had done it now. As they opened their eyes in the middle of the forest, both Mark and Jack stood and smiled at seeing each other back in their classes. Though it may only be a simulation, they both enjoyed rediscovering the natural skills being in this world allowed them – it was like re-uniting with an old friend. Mark drew his sword and spent a few minutes swinging it around, leading Jack to chuckle as he saw Mark trying out some of his more complex moves. "You trying to impress me or just not stab yourself?"
Mark smirked as he sheathed his sword again. "Well I am glad I didn't stab myself, yes, but it's more that I'm rusty. And I really don't want Alix to kick my ass again when she inevitably challenges me to a duel."
Jack laughed loudly. "So, you're wanting to not lose as badly as you have every other time you've fought her is what you're saying? Mark, she's had a hell of a lot more practice than you, she's been in here for two years now. That and she goes out and completes the bounty quests for fun nowadays, so she's getting better all the time. We don't quite have that advantage."
"Yeah, yeah, just because she doesn't scrap with you. I think a fight between you two would be fun to watch."
The Irishman raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to hurt her? My lightning packs a fucking punch nowadays, Mark. As much as I know she's fast as all hell, I could still catch her: and I am much as we both know how effective those healing serums are, I don't want to put her through anything."
Mark sighed. "I know, Sean, I know you're really protective of her. Still, she can take care of herself. Don't let your Aura Mage nature blind you to that."
Jack shook his head as he sighed. "Okay, fine, so I'm maybe being a little too careful. I can't help it."
The other man wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders and steered them in the right direction. "You never can, Sean. And for the record, don't change it; the fact you care so much is one of the best things about you." Jack chuckled and swatted Mark away, but the half-Korean could still see the slight red tinge in his cheeks.
Another half an hour of walking they could see glimpses of the town through the trees. They spied a group of children playing just at the main entrance and shared a smile before they approached. It took until they were only about ten feet away before some of the group spied them. One of the older boys, who was around the age of 11, was the first to clock them. His eyes lit up at seeing the two YouTubers. "It's Mark and Jack! They're back!"
The rest of the children all charged over to the pair excitedly. Jack knelt to hug a couple of the girls while high-fiving the rest as Mark ruffled their hair. "Hey you lot!" Mark greeted happily. "How've things been?"
"It's been pretty boring, honestly. Nothing exciting has happened in aaaaages," moaned one of the boys.
Mark and Jack laughed, secretly glad for that to be the response. If there was no trouble in Glaysha, it meant there was no sign of Anti or Damien: and that could only be a good thing. "Is Eamon around anywhere? We'd better see him before word of our re-appearance spreads too far." The kids nodded and ran ahead, leading the way through Glaysha for the pair. A few times they were stopped and greeted by some of the other NPC's briefly before heading on their way. It always blew their minds how the Dreamscape seemed to remember their previous actions and adapt the opinions of those around them to it. When they'd truly thought about it, they could see why Damien had intentionally trapped Alix in here. He was right – this world was too alive. No computer could do this, not without external intervention. Even if that intervention was supernatural in nature.
They smiled as they saw the group of kids charge up to Eamon in the middle of the town square, and the older man's posture brightened at seeing them. He gave a quick goodbye to those he was speaking with before approaching Mark and Jack, who both gave him a handshake. "Ah, gentlemen, it is good to see you again," Eamon said warmly. "I was wondering when you would be returning. Matt is still unwell?"
Mark grimaced slightly. "Unfortunately so, but he wishes he was here." Due to his constant headaches and believing they were a result of their journey into the Dreamscape, Matt had never come back to Glaysha, but normally kept an eye on Mark and Jack from the outside. Hearing Eamon ask about the condition of the other man made their thoughts drift back to him, and hoping that Matt was going to be at least slightly better by the time they saw each other again.
Eamon gave an understanding smile at the slightly downcast looks from the two men. "It is a shame, but it cannot be helped. In any case, I believe I should take you to see our lovely Lorekeeper. I may be the Overseer, but that does not stop me being fearful of our young spitfire."
Jack had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing. "You think Alix knows that Eamon is intimidated by her?" he whispered to Mark as Eamon led the way.
Mark leant over and whispered back to him. "I think Alix would be mortified if she knew that. Who's going to tell her, you or me?" he added with an evil smirk.
"You just want to embarrass her," Jack hissed back.
"I know, and it's great. I'm still paying her back for all the times she's teased about us 'kissing'."
Jack shook his head. "She only does that because you give her such a good reaction, you know. She's never mentioned it when it's just me in here." Mark stopped and looked at him in disbelief as Jack smirked. "Your squawk of embarrassment whenever she brings it up is brilliant, though. I might give her some better ammunition next time you leave."
"Sometimes I really hate you, McLoughlin." Jack's grin became knowing as they entered the library, Eamon pressing on towards the Lorekeeper's study.
He opened the secret passage and led Mark and Jack through it, knocking on the wall as they reached the opening. The young figure at the table spun at seeing her company: the YouTubers had to keep neutral faces at seeing the excitement in her eyes. Eamon bowed slightly with a knowing smile. "Sorry for the intrusion, my dear, but I found these two in the centre of Glaysha. I trust you can handle yourself in their company?"
Alix hummed in thought before smiling and crossing her arms. "I certainly believe I can, Eamon, thank you for bringing them here. Is all well in the town?"
He stood again and nodded to her. "Everything is peaceful, though the re-appearance of the Wanderers is sure to liven things up slightly. Is there anything else you require?"
She regarded him kindly. "No, thank you, Eamon. I will see you tonight, I am sure. The usual time and place?"
The Overseer inclined his head toward her. "Of course, Jack and Mark's return is cause for much celebration." He chuckled at seeing the YouTubers shaking their heads. "As much as you may protest, gentlemen, everyone is delighted to see you back in Glaysha, and I have no urge to deny their will for a party. We shall see the three of you this evening. Alix, can I trust you to drag these two along?"
Alix giggled. "Kicking and screaming if I have to." With that, Eamon gave them all one last smile before leaving. It took all of three seconds once they head the door at the end of the passage shut before Alix couldn't hold herself back any more and tackled Jack in a full hug. He laughed as he gripped back tightly before Alix pulled away and gave Mark the same greeting. "I can't believe you guys are back so soon!" she exclaimed happily, a beaming smile on her face. "Has it really been that long?"
Jack smiled. "Yep, it's already been four months since we were last here. I'm taking it as a good thing that you haven't been keeping track of the date." Alix laughed before hugging him again, much less energetically this time though.
The past year had seen a lot of changes for Alix, down to Mark, Matt and Jack's help – though in reality, Mark and Matt knew it was mostly down to Jack. Though all three of them were determined to help Alix escape someday, Jack was the most passionate about it. Seeing what they were all willing to do to give her a future again had inspired Alix to find the will to live again: the first step of that, was reclaiming her own identity.
Some crafty use of her illusions had seen 'Ayala' and 'Cassia' leave Glaysha on a journey, with Ayala naming Alix as her successor. Fortunately, the program seemed adaptable enough to cope with the variable, and Alix had been given the chance to live as herself again. Her mental strength had increased greatly, and she had rediscovered much of the personality she though had died with her physical body. Though there was much of the past year that none of them would change, telling Alix that she really was 'dead' had been one of the hardest things any of them had ever done.
When they had begun work on finding a way back home for Alix, the news was not good. Damien had at least been telling them some truth before they went inside – she had been 'dead' since just over a month after she became trapped. They had found a journal belonging to one of the other scientists, detailing everything which had happened to her body after her mind was stranded. The trio had flat refused to tell Alix the exact details: no-one deserved to hear how they 'died'. What they did discover was how her team had tried tirelessly to rescue her, before her body had finally given up. There was an unintended side effect to the supersonics, and after a certain time the body would just shut down without the mind's presence. While the knowledge hadn't really helped them in the long run, Alix hearing about how the rest of her team hadn't given up hope had brought her some comfort.
Now, Alix was pretty much back to her old self, living as best she could in the digital world. The YouTubers always updated her on how her family was doing, managing to find information subtly through social media, while telling her anything new that had been happening with them. She pulled back from Jack and urged them to take a seat on one of the loungers she had added at the end of her study. "So, what's been going on for the past little while? Any changes?" It was then that something occurred to her. "Wait…how come Matt hasn't said hello? He's normally chimed in by now." At Mark and Jack's shared look of concern, she could put the pieces together. "He's not here, is he?"
Mark sighed as he answered her. "No, he's not feeling up to it this time. He is really sorry that he couldn't make the journey. You won't have noticed anything yet, but he gave us a bunch of fixes for the glitches and issues you've been having. Hopefully it sorts them all."
She smiled sadly. "Oh Matt, you didn't have to…I can only imagine the pain he's in and how frustrating it is for him. Please give him a big thank you when you guys next see him."
"We will do, don't worry," Jack assured her.
"Is he still at home, then?"
"Nah, he's away with Amanda, Luna, Amy and Signe. They've headed to the beach for the week, so hopefully a vacation will do him some good. At least if he's somewhere where he shouldn't be working, he might actually relax a little more," Mark explained.
Alix nodded. "Okay, here's hoping it does something for him. Have they made any progress on controlling his headaches?"
"No, nothing yet. He went to the docs a couple of days ago, but we didn't ask for any details. If they gave him something, hopefully it will kick in soon."
"Here's hoping." She smiled back at them. "So, what do you want to do first? Catch up or go on a hunt? There are a few bounties on the board, and one or two looked like good fun."
The pair gave each other a knowing look before smirking at her. "Have you been getting lonely on your adventures, Alix?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow.
She blushed lightly. "Okay, maybe a little." Her expression soon flipped to confident. "But it might also give you the chance to get back into shape, Mark. I don't want too easy a fight when we duel."
Jack burst out laughing at the indignation on Mark's face. "So harsh, Alix!" he squawked.
The Irishman whooped as he got his breathing back under control. "Oh wow, too easy. Nice one, Alix." He gave her a wink, at which she stood up and bowed dramatically. Mark stuck his tongue out at the pair of them, which made Jack and Alix laugh, with Mark joining a couple of seconds later. "I'm up for a hunt, where we headed?"
"I'll let you guys choose from the board, but don't pick something which will make us avoid the party tonight," she added knowingly.
Mark and Jack both groaned. "Come on, Alix…"
She smirked at them. "Nope, I enjoy the parties the town throws when you guys come back. You guys should be used to the attention by now!"
"Is it so hard to believe we like being relatively anonymous?"
"No, but there's no chance of that even happening in here after your first adventure." She gave them a more serious smile before walking back over to hug them both. "It's amazing to see you both again, I just wish Matt was here so I could give him the thanks he deserves."
They hugged her back gently. "Don't worry, he knows," Jack assured her. "And despite all our moaning and groaning, we're happy to be back too. So, where we headed?"
And that's the end of this part. Not much happening again, but things are about to start ratcheting up! Since the Zalgo text does come out a bit weird, here is everything that Anti said.
Anti's translations:
- What's the fucking hold up, Damien?
- Don't ignore me you motherfucker! I know you're fucking there!
- How the fuck are you going to get back here is Matt isn't with them?
I hope to hear from some of you on what your thoughts were on this chapter, and I'll see you all soon!
*Smooch*
