.Hack//Heist
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters, settings and concepts do not belong to me. I use them without permission for fun, but not profit.
Notes: Takes place shortly after Mutation begins. Parentheses indicate thoughts. Voltron's Office of Homeland Security is in the Heeeeouse!
Chapter XIX - Silent Truth
------------
*Kite has joined #RoseRoom*
Kite: Hello?
BlackRose: One sec.
Hiroshi nodded to no one in particular, waiting for BlackRose to start. His mind fired off question after question - a disposition he felt disturbingly accustomed to - and they all were variants of "what just happened" and "what the hell is going on". Reclining back in his desk chair, he folded his arms across his chest and kicked his feet up on the desk, replaying their encounter with the homicidal Long Arm.
(That was Tamon, all right... I guess the rumors were true. So what does this mean?)
BlackRose: Ready?
Kite: Go ahead.
BlackRose: I spoke with a couple of people who claimed that Tamon was PKing. One of them left just before Tamon showed up in that field.
Kite: I see... well, it seems they were telling the truth, but how does that fit in with earlier?
BlackRose: I don't know. But that's not the half of it. It looks like these guys are pretty high-level; the Wave Master I talked to said they were at least 60.
Kite: Really?
BlackRose: Which makes me ask two questions: first, what were level 60 characters doing on Delta server? I know they said they were investigating, but it still seems awfully low-level.
Kite: And second?
BlackRose: How did they get so high so fast?
Kite: So fast? What do you mean?
BlackRose: Well... this is kind of a guess, but everyone I've talked to has said that they don't remember seeing Tamon around, at least not until recently.
Hiroshi blinked. He read the glowing text again. "So what's she saying?"
BlackRose: I'm not sure, but I think either they powerleveled for a while - which would be quite a trick seeing as Lambda server didn't open until a couple days ago - or they're hacked characters.
(Hacked?!)
Kite: Hacked? You mean like Helba?
BlackRose: Honestly, I don't know.
Kite: Well, let's stick to what we do know for now. And right now, that's Tamon's gone nuts, and I haven't seen or heard from his party either.
BlackRose: Right. But something's definitely fishy about this. I mean, that creature was there and all, but...
Kite: Yeah... I wish I could get ahold of Stolls or Deisart. Maybe they could tell us more. Did you find out anything else?
BlackRose: No, that's pretty much it.
The screen vanished as Hiroshi hung his head, massaging his temples. The constant staring at a screen was finally starting to get to him, adding a subtle, yet contstant pressure to his head and eyes that grew into a full-fledged headache. His eyes still shut, his hands fell back to the keyboard seemingly of their own volition, index fingers grazing the small divots on the F and J keys.
Kite: Hey, listen, I'm gonna lie down for a while. Got a bit of a headache, I'll be back in a little bit.
His eyes opened again, revealing to him the one word he hadn't expected to see.
BlackRose: Wait.
His interest piqued, he sat up straight and resumed typing.
Kite: What is it?
He couldn't help but idly bounce one leg on the ball of his foot, curious and perplexed as to her imminent response. Seconds passed with a graceful subtlety, the ticking of his room clock masked by the continuous whirring of the fan. The seconds became a full minute, and then another; he got the impression that his companion was repeatedly typing and hitting Backspace.
After the longest three minutes of the evening, Hiroshi got his response.
BlackRose: Thank you... for helping me earlier.
Hiroshi read the statement six times in one glance. (It's a start,) he thought as a small smile crossed his lips, hands instantly at work responding to her.
Kite: Anytime... partner :-)
BlackRose: :-)
With that, he took his cue and left, signing off and powering down his machine. Rubbing his eyes thoroughly, he stumbled out of his chair and over to his nearby bed, where he collapsed with a deep, satisfied groan. Sleep followed him shortly, a dreamless blanket of comfort and relief that ceased the throbbing in his skull and stole away every one of his troubles, if only for a while. Through it all, a single image remained burned into his mind, a smiley that spoke words he knew the speaker was too shy for.
-
From: Stolls@theworld.com
To: Kite@theworld.com
Subj: Let's talk
I don't know what Tamon has or hasn't told you, but we're out of options. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but we need your help. For real this time.
Delta, Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field. One hour.
-
"So, that's all he said?"
Kite nodded. "Yeah. He didn't say anything about Tamon PKing, or that Delphi thing. I don't know..."
BlackRose sighed and shook her head. "I'm getting a little tired of saying that. Or hearing it."
That got a chuckle out of Kite, albeit a weak one. "Me too."
"Still," she said, "I guess that does sum up what we've done so far. I mean," she made a vague gesture with her arm, "we really don't know anything about what's going on, do we?"
"No, not really," he admitted. "I guess all we can do is just keep trying, huh?"
"Mmm."
A soft breeze drew a steady rustling through the air, long blades of grass twisting and shivering in the wind. Above, the sun shone merrily as it hung in the blue sky, adding light, but not warmth, to the expansive, rolling hills and grasslands of the field. As the breeze subsided, the Heavy and Twin Blades were left to the increasingly common sounds of silence.
Kite sank back into his earlier bout with his own thoughts, mulling over whether to break the silence or not.
(Should I say something?) he wondered. (What should I say? I owe her for finding out about Tamon and the others... to say the least, but...)
(But nothing. You're just scared.)
(Of course I'm scared! You only have to say the wrong thing once!) He frowned.
(And what makes you think she wouldn't appreciate a genuine compliment or two? Do you remember the last time you paid her one?)
His thoughts stopped cold. Not from his own persuasiveness, but from the rather deep sigh that came from his companion.
"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to face her.
BlackRose shook her head. "It's nothing."
"C'mon," he urged. "We'll be here for a little while longer anyway. What's on your mind?" he asked again, offering her a reassuring smile.
"Well, it's just..." she began, turning her head away slightly. Her stance shifted, one foot sliding behind the other, hands clasped behind her back.
Kite leaned forward a little, trying to maintain eye contact. There was a certain defensiveness to her new posture that was mimicked in her expression, her eyes back to their typical friendly liveliness, yet with a hint of a hidden smile just beneath them. She appeared to be about an inch away from a blush.
The expression didn't last; her face flattened, turning back to face Kite. It became obvious that a silent decision had been made, and it was in neither of their favors. "I'm just a little tired of all the mystery," she said. "I want to find some real answers, find out what's going on here."
He had a strong hunch that wasn't what she wanted to say, a condition he related to quite well. "Yeah," he replied, quietly, not sure which statement to which he was replying; what she had said, or what she had not. "Me too."
(So much for saying the wrong thing,) he thought. (Not like either of us can get a word out about it...)
(About *what*? What is it you want to say to her that's so important?)
(I don't know.) He sighed. (I don't think I ever asked myself that...)
(But what if she's thinking the same thing?) his thoughts insisted. (What if she's not just sticking around because you two have the same agenda?)
(Look, just stop!) His eyes darkened, unbeknownst to him. (I have enough to worry about... Yasuhiko, that Skeith thing, and now Delphi and Tamon, and who knows what else... and I still don't have any idea what's going on! And... and on top of that... the only player who knows... who I think knows... and I...)
No answer. His sense of sound overruled his dueling thoughts, approaching footsteps causing his ears to perk up.
"Who is it?" he asked, looking up and around.
"There," said BlackRose. "It's him."
Following BlackRose's gaze, he spotted the gray-clad Wave Master, standing alone in the center of the field. He looked around carefully for a moment, eyes searching the horizon as he nervously tapped his staff against the ground.
"Stolls!" called Kite, raising a hand and waving to get his attention.
(Now we'll see what's really going on here,) he thought as Stolls neared, a slight, out-of-place smile on his lips.
- End of Chapter XIX
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters, settings and concepts do not belong to me. I use them without permission for fun, but not profit.
Notes: Takes place shortly after Mutation begins. Parentheses indicate thoughts. Voltron's Office of Homeland Security is in the Heeeeouse!
Chapter XIX - Silent Truth
------------
*Kite has joined #RoseRoom*
Kite: Hello?
BlackRose: One sec.
Hiroshi nodded to no one in particular, waiting for BlackRose to start. His mind fired off question after question - a disposition he felt disturbingly accustomed to - and they all were variants of "what just happened" and "what the hell is going on". Reclining back in his desk chair, he folded his arms across his chest and kicked his feet up on the desk, replaying their encounter with the homicidal Long Arm.
(That was Tamon, all right... I guess the rumors were true. So what does this mean?)
BlackRose: Ready?
Kite: Go ahead.
BlackRose: I spoke with a couple of people who claimed that Tamon was PKing. One of them left just before Tamon showed up in that field.
Kite: I see... well, it seems they were telling the truth, but how does that fit in with earlier?
BlackRose: I don't know. But that's not the half of it. It looks like these guys are pretty high-level; the Wave Master I talked to said they were at least 60.
Kite: Really?
BlackRose: Which makes me ask two questions: first, what were level 60 characters doing on Delta server? I know they said they were investigating, but it still seems awfully low-level.
Kite: And second?
BlackRose: How did they get so high so fast?
Kite: So fast? What do you mean?
BlackRose: Well... this is kind of a guess, but everyone I've talked to has said that they don't remember seeing Tamon around, at least not until recently.
Hiroshi blinked. He read the glowing text again. "So what's she saying?"
BlackRose: I'm not sure, but I think either they powerleveled for a while - which would be quite a trick seeing as Lambda server didn't open until a couple days ago - or they're hacked characters.
(Hacked?!)
Kite: Hacked? You mean like Helba?
BlackRose: Honestly, I don't know.
Kite: Well, let's stick to what we do know for now. And right now, that's Tamon's gone nuts, and I haven't seen or heard from his party either.
BlackRose: Right. But something's definitely fishy about this. I mean, that creature was there and all, but...
Kite: Yeah... I wish I could get ahold of Stolls or Deisart. Maybe they could tell us more. Did you find out anything else?
BlackRose: No, that's pretty much it.
The screen vanished as Hiroshi hung his head, massaging his temples. The constant staring at a screen was finally starting to get to him, adding a subtle, yet contstant pressure to his head and eyes that grew into a full-fledged headache. His eyes still shut, his hands fell back to the keyboard seemingly of their own volition, index fingers grazing the small divots on the F and J keys.
Kite: Hey, listen, I'm gonna lie down for a while. Got a bit of a headache, I'll be back in a little bit.
His eyes opened again, revealing to him the one word he hadn't expected to see.
BlackRose: Wait.
His interest piqued, he sat up straight and resumed typing.
Kite: What is it?
He couldn't help but idly bounce one leg on the ball of his foot, curious and perplexed as to her imminent response. Seconds passed with a graceful subtlety, the ticking of his room clock masked by the continuous whirring of the fan. The seconds became a full minute, and then another; he got the impression that his companion was repeatedly typing and hitting Backspace.
After the longest three minutes of the evening, Hiroshi got his response.
BlackRose: Thank you... for helping me earlier.
Hiroshi read the statement six times in one glance. (It's a start,) he thought as a small smile crossed his lips, hands instantly at work responding to her.
Kite: Anytime... partner :-)
BlackRose: :-)
With that, he took his cue and left, signing off and powering down his machine. Rubbing his eyes thoroughly, he stumbled out of his chair and over to his nearby bed, where he collapsed with a deep, satisfied groan. Sleep followed him shortly, a dreamless blanket of comfort and relief that ceased the throbbing in his skull and stole away every one of his troubles, if only for a while. Through it all, a single image remained burned into his mind, a smiley that spoke words he knew the speaker was too shy for.
-
From: Stolls@theworld.com
To: Kite@theworld.com
Subj: Let's talk
I don't know what Tamon has or hasn't told you, but we're out of options. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but we need your help. For real this time.
Delta, Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field. One hour.
-
"So, that's all he said?"
Kite nodded. "Yeah. He didn't say anything about Tamon PKing, or that Delphi thing. I don't know..."
BlackRose sighed and shook her head. "I'm getting a little tired of saying that. Or hearing it."
That got a chuckle out of Kite, albeit a weak one. "Me too."
"Still," she said, "I guess that does sum up what we've done so far. I mean," she made a vague gesture with her arm, "we really don't know anything about what's going on, do we?"
"No, not really," he admitted. "I guess all we can do is just keep trying, huh?"
"Mmm."
A soft breeze drew a steady rustling through the air, long blades of grass twisting and shivering in the wind. Above, the sun shone merrily as it hung in the blue sky, adding light, but not warmth, to the expansive, rolling hills and grasslands of the field. As the breeze subsided, the Heavy and Twin Blades were left to the increasingly common sounds of silence.
Kite sank back into his earlier bout with his own thoughts, mulling over whether to break the silence or not.
(Should I say something?) he wondered. (What should I say? I owe her for finding out about Tamon and the others... to say the least, but...)
(But nothing. You're just scared.)
(Of course I'm scared! You only have to say the wrong thing once!) He frowned.
(And what makes you think she wouldn't appreciate a genuine compliment or two? Do you remember the last time you paid her one?)
His thoughts stopped cold. Not from his own persuasiveness, but from the rather deep sigh that came from his companion.
"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to face her.
BlackRose shook her head. "It's nothing."
"C'mon," he urged. "We'll be here for a little while longer anyway. What's on your mind?" he asked again, offering her a reassuring smile.
"Well, it's just..." she began, turning her head away slightly. Her stance shifted, one foot sliding behind the other, hands clasped behind her back.
Kite leaned forward a little, trying to maintain eye contact. There was a certain defensiveness to her new posture that was mimicked in her expression, her eyes back to their typical friendly liveliness, yet with a hint of a hidden smile just beneath them. She appeared to be about an inch away from a blush.
The expression didn't last; her face flattened, turning back to face Kite. It became obvious that a silent decision had been made, and it was in neither of their favors. "I'm just a little tired of all the mystery," she said. "I want to find some real answers, find out what's going on here."
He had a strong hunch that wasn't what she wanted to say, a condition he related to quite well. "Yeah," he replied, quietly, not sure which statement to which he was replying; what she had said, or what she had not. "Me too."
(So much for saying the wrong thing,) he thought. (Not like either of us can get a word out about it...)
(About *what*? What is it you want to say to her that's so important?)
(I don't know.) He sighed. (I don't think I ever asked myself that...)
(But what if she's thinking the same thing?) his thoughts insisted. (What if she's not just sticking around because you two have the same agenda?)
(Look, just stop!) His eyes darkened, unbeknownst to him. (I have enough to worry about... Yasuhiko, that Skeith thing, and now Delphi and Tamon, and who knows what else... and I still don't have any idea what's going on! And... and on top of that... the only player who knows... who I think knows... and I...)
No answer. His sense of sound overruled his dueling thoughts, approaching footsteps causing his ears to perk up.
"Who is it?" he asked, looking up and around.
"There," said BlackRose. "It's him."
Following BlackRose's gaze, he spotted the gray-clad Wave Master, standing alone in the center of the field. He looked around carefully for a moment, eyes searching the horizon as he nervously tapped his staff against the ground.
"Stolls!" called Kite, raising a hand and waving to get his attention.
(Now we'll see what's really going on here,) he thought as Stolls neared, a slight, out-of-place smile on his lips.
- End of Chapter XIX