Ruby started to get desperate when she could make her way back to the camp and found everybody in a state of deep sleep.

What Malcolm had done with them? Why hadn't affected her? Confused, with no idea what to do, she ran to her room and began throwing various items in a backpack. She could try to face the virus boy alone, but whatever he had done, she couldn't fix by herself, she needed help, and fast, but the only place she could find someone to help would be out of the game.

But the guards wouldn't let her leave, and even if she could sneak out, it was dangerous out there. Not that she minded, it couldn't be more dangerous than there. But still, leave that place and the only people she had for her entire life, even though many don't like her... But it was the only way to save them.

She closed the bag and opened the door, only to find Malcolm standing there.

"Where are you going, Red?" He asked, amused.

"You can't affect me, is why are you following me?" Replied the girl, pushing him aside and walking away.

"Just not figured out yet how to get to your code."

"Good luck with that." She said sarcastically, without looking at him.

"You really has the guts to go out alone? Know they will arrest you if they catch you, don't you?"

"You said it right. 'If' catch me. Not expect this will happen easily. And why do you care?"

"I don't care. You know if they don't catch you, sooner or later I will, you don't have the courage to abandon them, will have to return here."

"Yeah. But when I come back, it's you who'll be in big troubles."

"Who do you think will help you? Nobody would go against an important Arcade rule for a glitch that they don't know."

Ruby stopped. At that point he was right. But she had to think positive, had to have hope.

She finished checking everything she needed and walked away. Stopped near the guard house at the output of the game. Was empty, probably due to the hunting of the virus. She could denounce Malcolm, but no one would believe her. Rubi had had several bad experiences with it.

She crept stealthily through the passage until she reach the edge of the exit tunnel. She cocked her cruiser and climbed it carefully and began to go through the tunnel. It was when he crossed the passage to reach the Central she heard someone scream for her, an alarm ringing and suddenly a group of five police officers started shooting at her.

She began maneuvering, dodging the shots. She had gotten so far, wouldn't stop now. Not because of a silly rule. Taking the police firing at her, she saw nothing dangerous around, just a kind of empty station.

She had no idea where to go, zigzagged through the station with a certain skill, trying to pay attention to the names of the games around.

Then a shot struck the cruiser, making Ruby losing control. She had no time to see the game in which she headed, all she could do was try not to fall.

Was almost reaching the entrance to the new game when another shot hit her, causing her to lose balance and fall. Ruby felt her head hit against something hard, but even dazed and sore she picked up her getaway vehicle and did her best to run away before reached.

She looked around and found the forest surrounding her way, later on a well lit street and a little further, in view of the game screen, an apartment. It was there that she ran, the place looked great for her to find a hiding place.

She skidded to a halt in the lobby, she saw the stairs, was about to ran up when she heard voices from above, someone was coming down, preventing her to pass without being seen. She tried the elevator but for some reason the door wouldn't open, probably busy at the moment, or even broken.

She noticed something curious, the stone in her bracelet shone in an unusual way. What was happening?

That's when she felt a hand, small but strong, pulling her somewhere, which seemed to be a wall, but it proved a dark room.

"What..." She began, but a gloved hand covered her mouth.

"Be quiet, you want to be found?" The voice of another girl alerted her, urgently.

Then she noticed something in the girl who held her arm. A bracelet identical to hers, but with a blue stone, which also shone in the same way.

In one swift motion, Ruby managed to free herself from her savior.

"Who are you?" She asked in a whisper. It was so dark that it was impossible to distinguish anything in the room.

Then a light was turned on and she was faced with a girl somewhat lower than her, long, brown hair and blue eyes, in a different tone from hers. She was dressed in pink jacket and cap, white shirt and gloves, jeans and black boots.

"My name is Sapphira." She replied with a sweet smile. "And you are..."

"Ruby."

Sapphira laughed.

"What?" Ruby asked, a little annoyed.

"Nothing. Is just that, Ruby and Sapphira... Or sapphire, in fact, Not only are the names of two gems, which now makes our encounter a bizarre coincidence, as I also heard that they are two opposite versions of the same Pokemon game."

Ruby had never heard of Pokémon. the access of her game to the outside world was very limited, but understood where the other was trying to get with that and ended up laughing too.

"You're right. What are the chances of it happening? Further adding the factor of the bracelets." She extended her arm to Sapphira, showing the bracelet that now stopped shining.

"One in a million." Said a cheerful Sapphira. "And that's because I'm being nice to the statistics." Then she paused, examining Ruby from top to bottom. "But the right question to ask is: Where are you from?"

"Hero's Duty."

Sapphira thought for a second.

"That shooting game with evil, robotic insects?" She asked, Ruby agreed. "Now I remember you. So, why are you here? What are you running from?"

"The police. A virus attacked my game, I ran for help but they chased me and tried to shoot me. Maybe you could go there and explain everything to them." Ruby suggested.

"Why didn't you do that?"

"They don't believe me. Nobody trusts or believes in glitchs, especially considering I have done some 'pranks' because I was bored or because I wanted answers and no one gave me." She admitted a little embarrassed.

"So I feel sorry for disappoint you, but I can't do anything. Happens that I'm also a glitch. And to make matters worse, I have done the same thing as you. They wouldn't believe me either."

The two sighed.

"We are so much alike." Ruby commented.

"Similar but different. It's getting weirder that we have meet."

"You think there's a reason for me to have fallen here rather than any other game then?"

"I don't know, but it's weird."

Then they heard a loud knock on the door. Ruby startled, Sapphira laughed.

"Blue, I know you're in there, open the door!" Ralph called urgently.

"Just a minute, Ralph!" The girl shouted back, then turned to her friend. "Quick, hide." She pointed to a door on the opposite side with the head, Ruby obeyed and hid while Sapphira opened the door.

"What's the matter?" She asked sweetly to her friend.

"Cops. They're searching upstairs right now, but you need to leave now if you don't want them to discover your little hideaway, they asked about you."

"But what are they doing here?" She asked innocently.

"Looks like somebody escaped from one of the games and took refuge here. They're checking the entire game behind the fugitive, but don't seem to have succeeded."

Sapphira couldn't contain a smirk.

"Well, good luck to them. But I think appear is even better."

She went out, carefully closing the passage behind her. Luckily for her and Ruby, nobody knew that passage, she didn't even knew why the passage existed. She herself had discovered by accident at some time during their first six months in the game.

Both girls were nervous, but had no idea what was about to happen to them.