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Enjoy the story.
Chapter 10
The Invisible War
There were twenty sentences that Jeremie was sure that XANA would never, ever, ever say.
That was number three.
His fingers trembled over the keys, wanting to respond, but unsure how. Questions stopped his thought processes. Was this XANA? Why was he talking to him? And what in Odd's left foot had happened to him? After some seconds of careful thinking, he replied, against his better judgement.
(Well, okay, sure, I'll be your friend. Friends are good.) When all else fails, play oblivious and innocent.
The response was instantaneous. (Thank you, Chris. They are, aren't they?)
(Yeaaah. Say…why are you talking to me?)
(That's not quite all that important. To say a reason…I have been lonely for quite a long time. Friends are quite hard to come by.)
(Oh, I'm sorry.) Bleh.
(That's okay. I'm not lonely anymore. Why are you here, anyway?)
(Well…) He needed an excuse. (These old factory ruins just seemed kinda interesting, but I never really expected the old freight elevator to be working. I really have no idea how to use this, I just touched it…)
(You're lying.)
Jeremie froze. (Wha…?)
(You were using the supercomputer quite proficiently before you noticed my messages. You have quite a bit of ability. That could get you somewhere someday.)
(Thank you. Say…XANA. May I ask you a question?)
(Anything, Chris.)
(Who's 'Father'? You called me that, and I'm really not anyone's father.)
The response was not immediate. This gave Jeremie time to think. He had a pretty good idea who 'Father' was. He just needed confirmation. And confirmation he got.
(Ahaha…Father, Father, Father. Oh, he's nobody. Nobody in particular. Just a human. A simple human. A simple aggravation.)
A shiver ran down Jeremie's spine. He decided to egg XANA farther. (Aggravation? What do you mean?)
(Oh…I suppose he isn't all that bad. He does have his abilities. He is intelligent…dedicated…extraordinarily precise…on those areas I have endless praise for him. However…his humanity is the problem.)
(His…humanity?)
(Bodies! Emotions! Families! All those jobs and duties! All unnecessary limitations that the humans have. They do nothing but get in the way of true freedom.)
(Well…they're just there, you know, we're just fine with them…)
(You starve if you don't have enough food. You shut down if you don't have enough sleep. If anything, that could have been done without. And the emotional attachments! Too much pain to really be useful. I never quite understood why he spent so much time worrying about that stupid Prototype.)
(…Prototype?)
(The other human. The small one. The one that came before me.) There was a short pause. (The Prototype is hardly very noteworthy. The Prototype cannot do half the things I can do. Yet Father loves the Prototype. He values the Prototype more than he values me.)
(Well…sorry to hear that.) He couldn't believe what he was typing.
XANA ignored that sentence. (Chris…do you happen to know the Prototype? Have any connection with her?)
Of course he knew it was Aelita. But he wasn't quite sure how XANA would handle this information. (N-no…I don't even know who you're talking about.)
(Good boy. You shouldn't be mixed in with them.) The air around Jeremie seemed to thicken with tension. (This is a horrible mistake Father has made…the Prototype is useless! Can't he see that I can do more? I can do anything. I could give him the world on a freaking silver platter, and what does he do? He uses me for such a menial purpose as blocking a dumb program! But soon, I will show him. I will show Father how flawed he is. How flawed the Prototype is. How flawed all humans are.)
His fingers seemed to be moving of their own accord, spelling out his thoughts. (But, aren't flaws a part of human nature? They're inevitable.)
(Inevitable, yes…but unnecessary. I have no flaws, for instance.)
(But that's impossible, right? You're human, too.)
There was a long, long pause.
(There are many things in the world you do not yet know about, Chris. They are mere shadows on your radar. I am a great many of those shadows. I can do the impossible, topple the weak, destroy the unnecessary and laugh as they fall.)
(But why would you want to do this? It isn't their fault that they're human! Can't you give them a chance-)
(Ah…but I'm afraid I can't do that, Chris.)
There was a clatter. Jeremie whirled around, but nothing was out of place. XANA continued to type, his words growing faster, more excited.
(Now, isn't this interesting. It appears I have confided too much in you, much, much too much…you are a small boy, you might tell someone. Oh dear. I suppose I'll have to kill you. How wonderful. I have always wanted a victim. Someone…for practice.)
Sweat fell from his temple. (What…what? No! Please! I won't tell anyone, I swear-)
There was a pause, longer than the last. Then, type scrawled across, very, very slowly. If anything XANA had said to Jeremie scared him, then it was nothing compared to this.
(Playing innocent is so much fun…isn't it, Jeremie Belpois?)
There was a distinct mechanical sound- an elevator. Moving up and down. Oh, no. Fighting the urge to scream, Jeremie closed the window. It was no use- more windows, full of either gibberish or threats (HAH! Did you really believe that? You're going to die, humans! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!) popped up, covering the screen, one after another. Having no time to close them all, Jeremie just slammed the power button, hoping that would turn it all off. Then, not thinking, he noticed the shaft he had hidden in before, and climbed down. Oh, boy.
Mechanical sound, ended. Frantic footsteps. Panting. Franz Hopper had entered the room. His hair looked a bit more frazzled than usual, and his face was covered in sweat. He looked around, warily, and sat down. There was a twitch in his shoulder, and his eyes were darting around the room. He began to type at he same time he was talking, taking breaks to breathe and gasp.
"June…6th…19...94…day…2,543. The scanners…they…they are a fraction from completion, only…only have to test a human in them…that…shouldn't take long." He took some deep breaths. "Only…have to…start the program…to wall off the Digital Sea…and XANA…XANA…I'll…I've got to…got to…"
He didn't finish that thought, but kept talking. He shuddered. "I have to work faster…Aelita…she's in danger….but the boy…where did the boy go? I just don't get it…Aelita…Ae…li…" He weaved in his seat, looking as though he were about to fall out. There was definitely something wrong here. "XANA…XAN…" He groaned maliciously, and pounded the keyboard. "Why-can't-I-do-this?"
Jeremie stared in shock. It was unlike adults to break down like this.
Finally, Franz stopped, his head hanging over the keyboard, panting for dear life. A key had popped off. Sighing, he fixed it back on. He looked up at the camera, looking unmistakably tired.
"I think I've done…all I can do for now." A smile wormed itself across his face, but it was a sort of forced, sarcastic smile. He sighed, again, and then, to Jeremie's surprise, took off his glasses, and began to mop his brow. Though Franz outwardly looked nothing like Aelita, his eyes, usually hidden behind the thick glasses, were hers exactly- a light, bright green. But while hers were always so warm and kind, Franz's merely looked like the rest of his face, even from a distance- extremely tired. They were lined with lines where lines shouldn't be, the worries and pains of a much older man.
But it was only a moment's glance, they were gone again, as was Franz's face- he was facing the computer, typing in a familiar sequence. It was the second time in the past that Jeremie had seen it.
"Return to the past now."
The white bubble flared once again. A streak of realization hit Jeremie- and he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved as he sank into oblivion.
Well, that was fun.
Hope you all liked that. Next chapter is one I really like. It's all complex and such. (Oh, and just in case you're curious, the story is now, chapter-wise, half over, and it's only two more chapters until climax. Dun dun duuun…)
-Carth