Chapter 8

To the Anon who left a review:

Sorry not this chapter. I would've, but I didn't see the review until I finished this chapter just now. I will, however, reveal him in the next chapter, which should be up later today. But thank you and I will make sure to reveal him next chapter!


"What do you mean she's not a Stray?"

Nico looked up at the older program sitting on the stand. His graying hair and disapproving expression reminded her of so many people but she decided not to voice that. Not now.

The program who had found her, who turned out to be a guard in the patrol that had approached the portal that first day, met the older program's gaze as he stood next to her.

"I mean that despite not having a disc, she remembers supposedly everything. She even admitted to being at the portal when we had searched that area."

The programs on either side of the older program, most seeming to match him in age, muttered to one another at that.

"So, it seems your colleague's report of another presence was at the portal, despite your multiple rejections of this statement."

If this statement was mean to humiliate the guard in any way, then it only partly worked. He looked humbled and nodded, "Yes sir."

"Very well. We will discuss this later. As for now, tell us about this program."

"Her name's Nico. She claims to be a 'programmer' and_"

"And I can speak for myself." Nico cut in, frustrated that they had directed at her as if she was not there. She looked up to the program, "You can ask me the questions you want."

The program looked shocked at her defiance, then promptly said, "You must not speak out of turn in this court. Surely if you're not a Stray, you know this."

"Well, I also don't like to be talked about as if I'm not here. Surely, if you're not a Stray, you would know that."

She saw the guard try really hard to back bite a grin and the older program's gaze snapped to him.

"Wipe that grin off your face, captain, unless you wish to no longer have a reason to be here."

The grin quickly disappeared off his face, replaced by a cold glare that the older program went on to ignore.

"As for you," he turned back to Nico, "that is utterly uncalled for."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said, "I believe you have questions to ask me?"

He gave a cold look, "Yes. What is this 'programming'?"

"Well….how do I explain it?" She realized how confusing and frankly, mindblowing it would be to promptly say she created programs like them, and that she somehow ended up in their world.

"Well? We're waiting."

"Well…..I create things."

"What kind of things?"

"Um…..not sure you wanna know."

"Really now?" He seemed to turn his nose up at her, "Well, captain, take her to the Stray Ward in the hospital. Might want to give her a room with….different resources."

"Wait." Nico gave him a look, "You think I'm crazy?"

"A fact is a fact."

Nico scoffed and pulled out of the captain's grip, "I can't believe this."

"Considering you could not explain to us where and what some of your_" The captain started.

"It's hard to explain, okay?"

"Could it be possible that these answers might be a figment of your mind that you have convinced yourself to be real?" The older program said.

Nico didn't know how to reply to this and certainly didn't when the captain grabbed one of her arms.

"Don't touch me." She said testily. "What are you doing?"

He cuffed her left arm and began to pull her other arm behind her back, "It's for your own safety."

"I'm not crazy!" she protested, "Just let me go!"

He didn't say anything. She felt her temper spike suddenly.

"I'm. not. CRAZY!"

Suddenly a force came off of her. She turned to see the captain hit the wall with a grunt, having been thrown off his feet. The cuffs came off and in shock, she looked down at her hands before looking to the captain, who was shaking his head as he began to get up.

"GET HER!" The older program sputtered as his face turned an angry red.

Gasping, she turned and ran. Out the doors, and into the street where programs looked up in surprise. She glanced around, trying to find out where she could go when the doors slammed open behind her and the captain came down the steps. Quickly, she made her move.

"Sorry for this." She told a program before she pushed him off his bike and climbed on. He got up to protest but she quickly drove off. She heard him start chase on a bike of his own. Grunting, she forced herself faster as she navigated through the city streets. It seemed easy, somehow. But she didn't dwell on the thought as the captain's bike screeched out in front of her suddenly. Skidding, she turned the bike onto the back of a car next to him and went soaring. She landed with a skid in an intersection and kept moving, dodging vehicles and programs alike. The captain got caught in the traffic pileup she had caused, or at least he did when she looked back. She quickly looked back forward and fled to the portal and back into the User World. At least, for now.