Chapter 80 - Desperation
When the waiter came back to do the refills, he saw that both tables were quietly eating. Asking how everything was, there was a general agreement of satisfaction. Walking away, he peered back at them. There was an overall sense of tension at both tables. Glad that this was occurring in the morning when there was not many people, he looked at one person. Viewing her appearance and demeanor, he couldn't place his finger on it. Going to another table to tend, he tried to figure out why there seemed to be a sense of difference.
At the adult table, the three were partially eating and whispering to one another. Tiffany persuaded Samantha to continue with her story. Though she held a small frown, she continued with her story after high school. From time to time, Alex would add in his input from certain points of their relationship. To his demise, both women wanted to know how Derek kept ties with him and why. Begrudgingly telling them, he left out key aspects that would have revealed the actual reason they stayed in contact.
"..." Renee spoke taking a bite of her breakfast.
Looking at the others, Gene seemed to be a bit happier eating what he ordered. Glancing at the other two teens, she withheld reacting. The aspect that Selbith held suspicion of the food being tainted, she would only eat what Jin had. Though he ordered a more heartier meal for splitting made sense, it made her irritated. Remembering when he split his lunches and breakfast with her only made her want to frown.
"Jin?" Ami asked turning her head toward him. "If one of the creators comes to converse with you, what will you do?"
"...I'll listen to what the person has to say," the sophomore stated after swallowing.
"There is no doubt they will try to convince you to resolve the chaos they couldn't contain."
"I feel that will happen," he agreed then sipped his beverage.
"Do you think if you do agree, you'd have a chance to destroy the six demons?" Renee asked.
"No," Jin answered and shook his head side to side a couple of times. "I am still pretty sure my character and even my profile was deleted. Given the visits from the company's higher admin guy, I don't think he wants me to play again."
"You got visited by people from Gamco?" Gene asked intrigued. He saw all three teens blink and look at him.
"...yeah..." the male teen answered calmly. "...though it was more through the game."
"You know like those QA sessions where there is a guest speaker," the junior added in immediately.
"..." Selbith responded with looking down in thought. "...there were two men...one was unknown man and the other was Eve's 2nd Adam."
"...?" the boy reacted with confusion. He saw his brother immediately frown as if he held animosity to the people mentioned. However, the junior nodded her head.
"That's right. It was two guys. One was Mr. Bennett who is the head of administration. The other was one of the programmers of the game named Mr. Adam," she clarified.
"...being a creator...that would make sense," Ami spoke looking deep in thought. "He would have the power of a god. He can be in however form he choses and to have any to all control in the realm."
"The makers of E.D.E. actually go into the game world with you guys?" Gene asked surprised.
"Hmm...not that we know of. It was only one so far that we saw," Renee stated.
"..." Jin responded looking distracted at something on the table.
"Something wrong Jin?" the junior asked. Seeing him blink, he shook his head.
"...no...just thinking."
"About what?"
"Why the creators of E.D.E. can't create an anti-virus program to override what has been released?"
"Maybe they are in a panic?"
"If the creators have become disturbed and are rushing to find a savior, then fear will spread through all of the mortal realm of that world," the thin female teen stated. To her surprise, the other three were staring at her as if her words were deep. Feeling a sense of being wise, she placed her hands on the table to grab their attention again.
"For whatever decision comes to being made, know this. The souls that are trapped in that realm, they have received their judgment. Your sense of so called duty and justice to free them is folly."
"..." Jin replied with a blink. Looking back at the table, he saw his brother staring at her. Glancing at Renee, she was frowning at Ami. Taking a deep breath in and out, he didn't feel hungry anymore.
About to pick up his beverage to drink, his cellphone started ringing. Startling everyone at the table, he quickly got it out. Opening it up and seeing who it was, he tensed up. Pressing the call button and ignoring the stares at the table, he put his mobile to his ear. He didn't noticed that the parents were looking at him.
"Hello?"
[Morning Jin] Derek greeted.
"Morning Mr. Felmort," he stated. An overall sense of tension rose at the table. Selbith had a small scowl on her face while Renee and Gene watched him. Hearing sounds of movement, it seemed far behind him.
[How are you?]
"I'm doing okay. You?"
[I am doing well. Thanks for asking]
"What can I do for you Mr. Felmort?" he asked. Seeing that the people at his table were looking at something behind him, the sophomore had a suspicion of who was creeping on him. Adjusting his glasses a little, he saw who it was.
[I seem to not be able to contact...my child you are taking care of. I'm wondering...does she have her phone on her person?]
"..." the male teen answered. Glancing at Selbith, she blinked and looked at him.
"No. She does not."
[I see. Would you mind if I spoke with her?]
"No, I don't."
[Thank you my boy]
"Sure," Jin stated then pulled the phone away from his ear.
"Here," he commented and handed his mobile to Ami. She didn't move and stared at him hard.
"It's your father."
"..." she responded not changing her expression.
"He wants to speak with you."
"..." Selbith reacted with narrowing her eyes at him.
"Put it on speaker," Tiffany whispered behind him.
"MOM!?" Renee whispered sternly back. Her mother immediately swayed her hand at her and gestured for her to be quiet.
"I wanna hear this."
"..." the sophomore reacted with a small frown. "...whatever..."
"..." Selbith said tensing up. His cell was placed on the table near her. Seeing him select a button, all the sudden there was background noise coming from the phone. Looking back at him, he sighed.
"Ami is next to me Mr. Felmort."
[...hello daughter...] Derek stated.
'Curse you Jin,' she thought giving a threatening look at him. He rolled his eyes at her.
"...hello father..." Ami spoke.
[How are you this morning?]
"...I am relatively well...how are you?"
[I am doing well as well...I have been trying to reach you with your cellphone...it should be in your luggage...do you happen to have it on you?]
"...no..." Ami replied without moving or searching for it.
[Please have it on you...your sisters and mother would like to be in contact of you...in case anything...happens to you]
"...still the creeper I remember..." Tiffany muttered above Jin's head.
"...I see...I will try to remember," Selbith responded while gritting her teeth a little. "...father..."
[Good] he said as there were small voices in the background. It sounded like two girls.
[Morning Ami!] one said. To the people around the table, they saw Derek's daughter cringe.
"...morning...Nicole..."
[Morning sis] another one greeted sounding a little older.
"...morning...Rebecca..." Selbith spoke calmly and controlled. To others, they saw how irritated she looked.
[Morning dear. Are you well?] a woman asked over the line. There was a soft gasp above the sophomore's head. People at the table turned and saw Renee's mother looked surprised.
"...she is his wife!?...holy shit..." Tiffany muttered then covered her mouth. She immediately turned around and went back to table where Mr. and Mrs. Ainsley were sitting. They didn't get up to hear the phone call.
"...yes mother..."
[Sounds like you are. Would it trouble you if you could send us a picture of yourself?]
"..." Ami replied with clenching her teeth together. Giving a murderous stare at the phone, she heard a small chuckle. Darting her eyes at the thief with scorn, Renee gave a small smirk.
[...dear...this is not her phone] Derek stated on the line.
[Oh?...it isn't?] she asked.
[No, it isn't...but Jin...could do that for us...yes?]
"...?" the sophomore responded seeing quick movement. Selbith reached at him and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Giving him a death stare, he impassively looked at her.
"...you...wouldn't...dare..." she whispered in anger.
"...calm down..." Jin commented. Reaching and grabbing the mobile, he brought it to him.
"Give me a second Mr. Felmort," he stated then made some taps on the phone. The hand grip on his shirt increased. Looking at Ami, she got into his face.
"I will murder you."
"...okay...and?"
"...why should I give them a memento?"
"A photo of you is painless, quick, and will satisfy them. Might even let you go for a bit until they call you again."
"..." the rail thin teen replied still scowling. Flinching from feeling a hand placed on her shoulder, she turned to the person that did that. It was the junior.
"C'mon bonehead...you ain't scared of getting your photo taken?"
"You dare mock me mortal?" she threatened and turned around. About to open her mouth, there was a sound of something clicking with noise. Turning around again, Jin had the mobile pointed at her. Turning it around, he showed her the image. Blinking and stepping closer, she looked at it.
"...that...is it?" Ami asked looking at him. He just nodded.
"Well? Are you still afraid reaper?" Renee mentioned still smirking.
It made the other female teen frown at her. Not saying anything and looking back at the sophomore, she relaxed her face. Just standing straight and looking at him, she felt the other teen hold her shoulders. Pulling her back to sit at her chair, the junior made her sit in a certain position with adjustments. Stepping away and gazing at Selbith, she nodded her head.
"Just stay in that position...if you can."
"..." Ami responded with just a blink. "...Jin...hurry up."
"..." he spoke sighing out loud. Holding his phone up and taking a picture, he looked at it captured. Satisfied with it, he sent it to Derek's number. After a couple of moments, the people on the other side were unmuted.
[You look lovely dear!] Heather stated sounding a bit happy.
[Sis!? What happen to your hair?] Rebecca chimed in noticing the difference. Murmurs on the phone erupted a little.
"...I had it cut..." Ami answered looking down at the mobile on the table. "It was bothering me on...how long it was."
[Aww...now I can't braid your hair big sis] Nicole stated in a mild whining voice. The people at the table saw a evil smirk on Selbith's face from hearing that comment.
[It does suit you Ami] Derek pipped in after clearing his throat. The others in the background quieted down.
[In any case, it is good to hear and see you are well. We will keep in touch with you]
"Very well," she said.
Hearing the other family members say their goodbyes, the rail thin teen parted with them. Looking relieved to be free from talking with them, Jin retrieved his phone. After getting last instructions from Mr. Felmort, he closed his phone and put it away. Feeling tired, he took a drink of his beverage.
"...are you freaking kidding me?" Tiffany whispered looking back at both Alex and Samantha. "She got together with him?"
"...yeah..." Mr. Ainsley answered with a nod.
"When was this?" his wife asked.
"...uh..." he began then looked down in thought for a second. "I think it was junior year in college."
"...I don't even know how a girl like Heather would go after him," Renee's mom continued and shook her head. "Derek was one person I couldn't stand to talk to. He was just...creepy."
"Heh. He does like to play the intimidating role whenever he can," Alex agreed with a smirk.
"That is because he belonged to the snobs of the student council back in high school."
"I heard you were a regular there due to misbehavior," Samantha mentioned with a small smirk. She got an equal expression back from the woman.
"I was and they didn't do a damn thing about it."
"You were in detention a lot. Your name was always in the same group listing," Mrs. Ainsley continued.
"Got pretty famous from staying on that list. Escaped most of the time without any punishment," Tiffany commented with a smug.
"How did you escape?" Alex asked curious. "Those guys back then were pretty up tight and barked at anyone. You and a couple of others were the only ones that seemed to be able to rebel."
"Helps when a couple of members will do anything to see skin and boobs," she informed them. Smiling, she put her hands behind her head and stretching her torso.
"..." both Ainsleys commented. Samantha saw Alex's head move down a little. Immediately frowning, she pinched his thigh hard.
"Do you wanna see too Alex?" Renee's mom asked with a grin. The pain expression on his face made her want to chuckle.
"...no thank you..." he stated with a mild pained voice.
"I'm sure if you ask Sammy...she wouldn't mind."
"...back...off...Tiffany..." Mrs. Ainsley said in a threatening voice. It made the other woman chuckle.
After mentally conversing with himself throughout the drive, Adam reached his destination. Parking the car in a slot, he grabbed what he had and exited. Locking the door, he headed toward the building complex. Going into the main lobby and seeing the sign for the Gamco floor, he entered a nearby elevator. Going up to the correct floor, he left the lift.
Reaching the main entrance, he spoke to the receptionist. Passed the counter, he could see the main interior of open cubical and office spaces. Seeing the worker page someone, a recognizable face was coming down the hallway. Reaching the receptionist area, the supervisor went to Adam.
"Welcome Mr. Adam," Phil stated and put his hand out. The lead programmer shook it.
"If you follow me, I will show you what you called about."
"Great."
Both walked passed the receptionist's counter and into the main floor. The employees at their desk stopped what they were doing to look at who came. Seeing that it was one of the leads toward the E.D.E. game and development, they pondered on what brought him here. Watching Phil lead him, they went to his office. Seeing that they went inside, the supervisor stopped and turned. Pointing at something that was on his bench, the workers knew it was about the strange VR helmet.
"Around the time that we got a notification that Surreality was closing, it started acting strange. One of my techs had a bizarre encounter with it," Phil stated.
"Such as?"
"He claimed that some voice was speaking through static coming from the internal speakers...and it spoke to him."
"..." Adam responded with a blink and silence. Looking deep in thought for a few moments, he gestured to the head gear.
"Is it off?"
"Off and no power. The one tech that had the encounter removed the power plug and let the internal batteries run dry."
"How long till it completely powered down?"
"Based on what they stated, at least an hour."
"...an hour?" the lead programmer repeated with a questionable face.
"I know that the helmets, if left on, will drain the internal battery rather quickly. I don't know if what I was told was truthful or from them being paranoid."
"Is the tech still here?" he asked. Nodding his head, he went to the door frame. Motioning someone and waving them over, a man in glasses came to the door.
"Yes?"
"Greg, this is Mr. Adam. He is one of the lead programmers and developers of E.D.E." he stated. The tech nodded and reached out his hand. Adam shook it.
"Hello sir."
"Likewise. May I speak with him alone for a minute or two?" Adam asked. Phil nodded and exited the office. Closing the door, both men were alone.
"You were the one that had the encounter. Right?"
"Yes sir."
"You claimed that a voice came from it and spoke to you," he asked in which the employee nodded without hesitation.
"...do you remember what it stated?"
"...it was a female voice..." Greg began then saw the programmer's face tighten. "...it was asking for...a devil killer or something similar..."
"...devil killer you said?"
"Yes sir."
"...okay..." Adam reacted by crossing his arms over his chest. He still seemed tense and looked down at the helmet.
"What happened afterwards?"
"...well...the voice...greeted me and stated my name...then shouted at me."
"..." the lead commented closing his eyes and rubbing his hand over his mouth. "...how did it sound?"
"To be honest...it sounded like a voluptuous woman...it was alluring at first...then became monstrous...demonic like."
"..." Adam spoke seeing Greg shiver. "...you make it sound as if you saw it in front of you."
"From what it said...I did feel fear."
"...by any chance...did it say anything in peculiar that made it demonic?"
"Yeah...it said...I see you...I hear you...I can taste your fear...mortal," Greg recalled then shook himself. "Gives me the creeps every time I think about it."
'...devil killer...Eve doesn't say that and the other demons don't...that would mean...'
"Hantu-Kopek," Adam muttered quietly to himself. As if the words triggered something, the helmet turned on. The glowing lights inside illuminated and the cooling fans began whirling. However instead of the cool sky blue glow, it was a rich crimson. Oddly, the light seemed to be constantly moving which gave the appearance if it was oozing.
[#$aaaaddddaaaammmmm#$%]
"...!?" both men flinched and stepped back.
[...why...#$%$ARE YOU WALKING AWAY!?] the voice raged.
"..." Adam responded with blinking. Narrowing his eyes, he stood up straight.
"What do you want?"
[WhErEiStHeDeViLkIlLeR?]
"I deleted that character. He does not exist anymore."
[Hee hee hee...you are such a despicable worm...your flesh and mind isn't worth feeding off of] Han-Ko giggled cruelly. [I don't believe you...where...is...he?]
"..." Adam responded with silence. Both men heard something then looked at the helmet alarmed. The glowing interior lights changed. The light shining on the bench morphed to give an impression of small orbs. A pupil and iris was formed in the middle of ball spheres and moved a little to look at them. It caused their neck hairs to stand on end with fear.
[ANSWER ME! SELBITH IS ALWAYS WITH HIM! SHE STALKS HIM NO MATTER WHAT REALM HE TRANSITIONS TO!] she shouted angerly at them. The outburst caused the orbs to shake in place as if trying to mesmerize them.
"...what would you do if he put the head piece on?"
[...heehee...why should I tell you?]
"I can make him."
[...hee hee...ha ha ha...HA HA...AAAAHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHA!#$%#$!] the female demon chuckled.
Her voice got deeper and deeper until a small blast of white noise came. When it stopped, she roared at them. The crimson lights morphed to an image of a razor sharp and grotesque mouth. Without warning, the helmet shut off. The cooling fans slowed down to a stop. On top of the light indicators, the power and the charging bulbs were flashing orange. After five seconds, they turned off.
The office door opened up with Phil stepping. His skeptical face from before changed to being alarmed. Looking at his worker, Greg had backed up to the wall with a look of being disturbed. Turning to Adam, the programmer looked drained. Sighing out loud, he looked at him.
"Don't ask," the lead said. "It is a long story and I don't have time to explain. Do you happen to have an information file on the kid that used this prototype helmet?"
"...yes...it should still be in the system," the supervisor stated with a nod. "I'll have one of my workers retrieve it."
"Good. Lead me," Adam stated with a nod.
Following him to one of the female workers, she looked a bit spooked. Relaying what information that was needed, the employee began typing on the computer. After several seconds, a data file came up. Scanning through the information, he pulled out his cellphone. Immediately dialing the number, he walked away from them and put it to his ear.
"..." Jin said after putting his drink down.
Suddenly, his phone started ringing again. Frowning and pulling it out, he looked at the number. Changing to a puzzled face, it was a number he did not know. Seeing others looking at him, he adjusted his glasses and pressed the call button. Putting it to his ear, he answered.
"Hello?"
[Is this Jin Ainsley?]
"..." the sophomore answered with a blink. "Who wants to know?"
[My name is Adam McStronge. I am one of the lead programmers and developers of Gamco Inc. games. Especially Entrenchment: Darkened Eve]
"..." the sophomore replied blinking again. Feeling his gut pulling a little, he proceeded cautiously.
"...yes...I am Jin Ainsley."
[I need your help]
"...what...?" he responded leaning a little forward. "My help?"
[I don't know if you are aware or not, but the recent expansion that was released has...well crashed]
"...yes...I am aware of that," the male teen agreed. He held up his hand seeing his brother about to open his mouth. Not only did the people around him looked at him, but the adults were walking toward him.
[...to be honest...I was ordered to delete your character and to erase your profile...in case you were wondering why you couldn't log in]
"...kay...and how exactly can I help with the E.D.E. expansion crashing as you say?"
"...!?" Renee and Ami flinched with shock. Selbith was the first one that sneered.
"...it's Eve's 2nd Adam...isn't it?" she stated loud enough for the table to hear. Seeing Jin nod his head, it made her give a cruel grin.
[...to put it bluntly...I need you to play your character again and go back into E.D.E.]
"..." the sophomore replied with a small frown. "Is this a joke?"
[No]
"Sounds a bit unbelievable if you ask me."
[I understand it does...however, there is a particular reason]
"I'm sure there is more than just a particular reason," he said with a mild mocking tone.
[Let me ask you a question...where is the demon A.I. virus known as Selbith?]
"..." Jin replied and glanced at Ami. "Other than in the game, I don't know."
[Would you believe me if I said I don't believe you?]
"It's your choice as much as it is my choice."
[...do you mind if I meet you to discuss this in more detail?] Adam asked sounding impatient and anxious.
"...given that you aren't telling me everything...what if I said yes I do mind?"
[Then nearly more than a thousand of innocent lives will be trapped in E.D.E. or worse, forever trapped in a coma]
"..." Jin reacted with an expression of malice.
His free hand closed into a fist and clenched it tightly. Digging his fingernails into his palm, his closed hand shook as if in rage. Causing everyone around him to stare at him with concern, Selbith was the only one that seemed to enjoy his reaction. Seeing him look at her with a hint of evil eyes, it made her lean forward. Feeling his mind twist a little, the thought of his reaper self came to mind.
"...f...i...n...e..."