Title: Downloaded: Chapter Five
Author: Stormhawk
Rating: PG
Notes: To Star: I'm sorry for forgetting you in the last chapter so here you are.
VWS belongs to Mordax.
Word Count: 2428
Please Read and Review.
Going back to the message board she only found one person still on there. Star-slayer.
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – What u doing up so early?
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – I don't sleep
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – everyone sleeps unseen
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – I don't
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – come on, are you still pretending to be the real Stef?
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – I am the real Stef, and Jonas is Crete
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – Jonas? Right, he's too nice a guy
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – that's only his PR, how can I prove it?
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – I guess you can't
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – can you just believe me?
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – if you tell me one thing
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – what?
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – how come smith didn't get deleted for trying to overload himself? It wasn't like 'you' or Jones cause you had previous access leading to an addiction, he was doing it purposely
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – you had to bring that up didn't you?
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – ha! You don't have an answer
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – I do, I just don't like to think about Smith trying to kill himself
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – well? What is it?
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – Jones' report actually saved the need to lie about it
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – do continue
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – it had it listed as a glitch, it said smith was accessing it and it faulted and started pumping the code into him and he couldn't control it. Well, basically that in more tech terms of course
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – ok, brownie points for originality
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – you believe me now?
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – I think I do
(IM) Unseen_Spyder to Star-Slayer – cool
(IM) Star-Slayer to Unseen_Spyder – night Stef, hope you're still around tomorrow
Stef smiled as Star-slayer signed off so she clicked back over to FFW. Leaving aside the fact that these stories were about people and events she knew some of them were pretty good.
Gadget was the first one up, rising about seven am, bidding his computer a good morning, he walked past the computer room once. Pausing and looking at Stef he shook his head and walked down to his kitchen. Coming back up the stairs to his own computer he sat down and dialed up all ten of his modems to check his email.
"Morning Gadget."
"It is pointless bidding morning to someone who isn't there. You will disappear once the coffee hits my brain." He said turning and smiling.
"Have you forgotten everything that happened last night?"
"Kind of, my recall doesn't work well until it's loaded with caffeine." He sipped at his coffee and waited for the 'figment' to disappear. Chuckling nervously, he sculled half the cup.
"Why haven't you gone yet?"
"Good morning Gadget, my name is Stef…"
"I know who you are."
"Remember I turned up here with the trio last night?"
"Grady program you? Better than some of his other projects."
"No, I came of Jonas' server. Even Anne's brain works better than yours this early in the morning."
Cautiously, Gadget reached out and poked her arm. "You're real, oh crap. I am talking to a fictional character."
"I am not a fictional character!" Stef snapped, shoving him backward in his chair. His arm flew up and the coffee came out of his cup, hitting her fully in the chest. "Shit!"
"Are you burnt?" he asked as she ripped off the jacket. Most of the liquid had been absorbed with the material. The disc, however still looked ominously wet. "That's not good. That is so not good." The disc made a strange sound.
"Fix it greenie, fix it." She said as she dropped the jacket to the floor.
"Just stand still. Grady! Tavis! Nevin!" he called toward the spare room. Wiping some of the droplets off it, the disc made another whining noise as the trio ran tiredly up the stairs.
"Please tell me you can fix this," she said with a pleading look at Grady.
"Coffee?" he asked looking down at the cup on the metal mesh floor, "How much got in there?"
"A few drops."
"Gadget did you do this?" Nevin asked.
"You know how my brain doesn't function well in the morning."
"That's your own fault, you knew Tetra-tech would mess with you some way or other."
"What's that?" Stef asked, trying to concentrate on something other than the fact that the disc had coffee in it.
"A drug. It makes your brain process at twice normal speed. He was an addict."
"I see."
"It wasn't supposed to have after effects like this," he said as he collapsed down in his chair.
"It's a black market, highly illegal drug Gad," Tavis argued, "what the hell did you expect would happen?"
"I needed it at the time." Gadget said looking up at Grady who was bending down, inspecting the disc closely. "Is it wrecked?"
"I don't…" he started as it made a small pop. "I've got to open it up. It has to dry out." Grabbing a small screwdriver from the table he flicked open the outer casing and exposed the insides to the open air.
"I'll turn the scanner on, maybe it can see if there's anything wrong…" Gadget said as he flicked on the scanner.
"Don't!" Nevin yelped but it was too late. The high voltage caused a small arc of electricity in the disc and Stef disappeared. Grady jerked his hand to avoid electrocution and sent it flying. It landed behind Gadget's central computer.
The quartet was silent for a few moments. "Oh shit," Gadget finally. "I killed her."
"I'm not dead," a severely pissed voice said. "Just all four of you stay exactly where you are."
"What's wrong?" Grady said taking a step closer.
"I said don't move Grady. Chuck me your shirt please."
"You can have mine," Gadget said peeling off his pajama top and throwing it over the top of the counter. "Why do you need a shirt?"
"Don't ask any more questions and toss me some pants," Stef asked, humiliated. The surge of current combined with the coffee damage has deleted certain things. Namely, her clothes. Also, she had a lock of long black hair hanging over her face. It had screwed somewhat with her program, but it could have been a lot worse.
Gadget dropped his pants and threw them over to her. That left him standing in boxer shorts with Matrix code all over them. The trio sniggered and waited for Stef to pull the borrowed clothes on. Standing and tucking the new hair behind her right ear she gave a weak smirk. "Morning."
"Can I be excused please?" Gadget asked, "I'm cold."
"So that's why you're blue and green. Go."
"Give me a look at the disc," Grady said as Gadget ran back to his room. She pulled it out from the shirt. He nodded and clicked the outer casing closed. "It's fine. And so are you, you could have extra arms or something right now."
"At least I wouldn't have been naked." All three blushed and tried to look away. "Grow up," she said with a groan.
"I apologize for the three of us," Tavis said. "But we are breathing males and ATS fans. We have all spent a fair to decent amount of time looking at Agent Honey fanart and screen captures."
"VWS?"
"It's a real game out here. It's got a huge fanbase."
"I like that game."
"So does everyone else who can appreciate parody," Gadget said climbing back up the stairs. "My brain is now functioning."
"Good," Stef commented but took a step away from him anyway.
"What are we doing today?" Nevin asked as they walked to the kitchen.
"We need to get our hands on a Spyder," Tavis said. "Simple as that."
"Well, you can't scab the money from me for two reasons, one I don't have that much and what I do has to last me for two weeks." Gadget said as he threw some instant French toast into his own Nuke1500.
"We can't have more than four hundred total," Tavis said. "And that includes the money hidden under Nevin's mattress."
"How do you know about that?"
"We all know about your money Nev," Grady said as he poured a glass of blue milk. "You count it every other week."
"If I may ask," Stef said as she stared at the milk. "Why is it blue?"
"Well it's not copying Smurf-boy, it's GE milk."
"Genetically enhanced?"
"Nope, engineered," Nevin said with a smile.
"Here we go," Tavis said shaking his head.
"The cows this milk came from are grown in labs, specifically engineered to produce milk with lots of vitamins in it. Especially those that you didn't used to find in milk. Drink enough of this and you don't have to take iron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E or calcium. It's perfect. Blue is the standard color and it comes in all the best flavors."
"You know this how exactly?"
"My granddad worked on the initial project."
"Cool."
"That still doesn't solve the original problem," Tavis said. "We still need a Spyder."
"We don't have to figure that out today Tav," Grady said. "Jonas ain't due back for at least three weeks."
"And if you want to go out I have some clothes that would probably fit you. And that don't look like they haven't been washed in three days."
"Thanks Gadget."
The green-haired young man smiled. "They're even girl's clothes." The other four stopped and looked at him.
"What are you doing with girl's clothes Gad?" Nevin asked.
"My sister left them here the last time she was in town. Black pants, flare shirt, even a pair of shoes I think."
"You want to see the outside world?" Tavis asked.
"Sure, why not?"
"Can we finish the movie first?" Nevin asked. "I want to see her watch the virus speech."
"Is that ok?"
"Yeah," she said with a nod. The four persons capable of eating finished preparing their breakfasts and everyone helped carry everything into the room with the holo-player. Gadget pulled a small table from the corner so that there was space to put the foodstuffs down as Nevin popped the movie in.
Chapter skipping until the place they had left off they watched on as Anderson woke up in the real world and proceeded to be taught by the rest of the Nebuchadnezzar crew. Stef was getting twitchy with all the rebel-centric-ness until Cypher was in the restaurant talking to Smith.
"Oh, ok. So that's who he is," Stef said nodding in understanding.
"Who?"
"When the Exodus crew first told us they wanted to get plugged in Smith made this comment about this other guy who wanted the same thing. I'm guessing this doesn't go well."
"Depends who's side your on," Tavis said.
"Rebel-lover," Nevin said smacking him over the head with a pillow.
"Nope, just a Trinity-fan boy."
"You are so sappy Tav," Grady said. "Half the stories in your favs list on FFW are T/N shipping. In present company I won't mention what the others are."
"Spill it Grady," Stef said. "I was on FFW all night, I'm not hidden from the truth."
"S/G shipping."
"Be fair Grade, there's only three of those. And there's only five T/N fics."
"I never realized guys read so much soppy fanfic."
"Don't mistake me for a wimp please Stef, yes they are shipping but there is major plot and fights and stuff in them as well."
"That makes all the difference doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does."
"Encryption doesn't have that much plot to it. Couple of cool fights though."
"You…read Encryption?" Tavis said with a smirk on his face. "Ok, that's just weird."
"You read a shipping fic about yourself?" Gadget asked.
"I had nothing to do for a few hours. I read a few stories. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Probably not, but since nothing like this has ever happened before who knows?"
***
"YAY!" Stef yelled jubilantly as Smith shot Anderson. "Die Neo die," she chanted as the 'one' fell to the floor of the old hotel.
"He comes back to life," Tavis said.
"I kind of guessed that, but it's still fun to see him dead. Damn," she commented as he rose from the dead.
"We can stop it there," Grady said.
"Why?"
"Unless you want to see Smith get all explodified."
"Ok," she relented. "Don't need to see that."
"Ok, where are we going shopping?" Nevin asked as he ate a cold square of toast.
"How about the mall on eighth?"
"Sounds good."
"Come on Stef, I'll show where my sis' clothes are."
The clothes were in yet another of Gadget's spare rooms, the converted warehouse seemed to be full of them. The pants and shoes were normal enough; it was the flare shirt that impressed her. It was a simply cut black shirt of, curved neck and one long black sleeve. The other sleeve was the definitive feature however. Silken, it was colored and patterned, this particular one was black and gold, and it panned out to a wide but manageable width at wrist-length.
And they fit perfectly. Stepping out of the room she was met by four looks of approval. She tried to tuck the disc into the shirt but it was simply too chunky.
"Can't leave it out," Grady said simply. "Then everyone would immediately recognize you as a hologram."
"Well what do you suggest?"
"Another jacket?" Tavis suggested.
"No way, it's not that hot out. It'll be too obvious."
"Can't I stick it in a bag or something?"
"No, it has to be able to sense you from within a couple of centimeters so it can keep the project stable." A smiled spread over Grady's face, "I think I've got it." Walking over to her and stretching out the metallic blue wire that it was attached to he slipped it past her shoulders and down to her stomach.
"Pull your shirt up a little," he asked. She did as she was asked and he let it rest flush against the side of her stomach, with the cord around her back. Pulling the shirt back into place. "Fixed."
"I would have paid money to do that," Nevin said wistfully, Tavis smirked and slapped him on the back of the head.
"Well let's go," Gadget said. "Can I just check the board first?"
"You are impossible Gad. Five minutes."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ok, this was going to be longer but I was bad and cut it short. Don't worry, I'm working on chap six right now.