=Chapter 2=
-Flashback-
The room was dark, but the outlines of various machines could be seen, some beeping softly, others flashing on and off. A boy was strapped to a metallic bed in the middle of the room. He laid completely still as a machine overhead lowered onto him.
¡°Subject has shown an influx of mentality after reviewing current condition. It will undergo reprogramming under the normal procedures.¡±
A metal claw grabbed the corners of the boy¡¯s eyelids. Pushing the flesh back, his eyeball was left exposed as a needle shot forward, straight into his pupil. The boy¡¯s clenched fists slowly loosened.
¡°Reprogramming completed.¡±
The machine lifted and the metallic bed tilted to an angle, causing the boy¡¯s head to droop forward.
¡°What is your objective?¡±
The boy slowly lifted his head.
¡°To obey all orders given to me.¡±
¡°What is your purpose?¡±
¡°To obey all orders given to me.¡±
¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°To obey all orders given to me¡?¡±
-End Flashback-
Sora opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He sat up in bed and turned towards his desk. There, at the corner, was the black cube his mother had given him when he came back. She told him that it would save the battery power on his Navi. Getting up and putting on his glasses, Sora walked towards the desk and picked it up. Taking out his Navi, Sora turned it over and opened a small compartment. Locating the correct port, Sora inserted the black cube and turned on his Navi. Inputting his name and password, The main screen appeared on the Navi.
New chat room started.
Sora blinked and pressed the enter key. A blank screen appeared and letters started forming.
You can remember, can¡¯t you?
Sora tilted his head sideways and typed in a message.
It depends on what you want me to remember.
No reply. Sora turned his Navi off.
The next morning, Sora was back in class staring off at the sky as usual. Ronald walked up to him.
¡°Hey Sora, you alright?¡±
Sora didn¡¯t reply and Ronald sighed.
¡°When you came out of the matrix, you looked kind of whacked¡¡±
Ronald immediately regretted what he said as Sora turned to look at him. The truth was that Sora always looked a bit out of the ordinary. His expression hardly changed no matter the situation. He didn¡¯t whoop for joy or even smile when the school announced that he was the top student in Labyrinth 2: maybe it was because he was the top student of the city every year. Still, his face was always blank, so no one really understood what he felt.
No one would have wanted to anyway.
Just then the teacher came in and everyone took their seats. It seemed like it would be another boring lecture, but just as the entire class was going to fall asleep, the door slid open and a red-haired girl stepped in. It was Rio. The teacher turned round as she walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. Murmurings could be heard throughout the room as finally the teacher straightened.
¡°Sora. The new headmistress wants to see you.¡±
All heads turned to the back of the class where Sora was sitting. Placing his pen down, Sora stood up and walked towards the front of the classroom. The teacher nodded at Rio.
¡°Rio will bring you there.¡±
Sora nodded and turned to Rio. Following her out of the class and through the school, they finally stopped at a door. Knocking gently, Rio called.
¡°Miss. Chikage?¡±
¡°Come in.¡±
The door slid open and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the room behind a desk. The woman put down the pen she was holding and looked up at Sora who had come in front of her.
¡°Thank you Rio. You may go.¡±
Rio nodded and closed the door behind her.
¡°Do you recognize me?¡±
No reply. Sora remained silent. The woman smiled and took off her reading glasses.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame you. I was just transferred here as the school¡¯s new headmistress.¡±
Still no reply, but Sora met the headmistress¡¯ gaze with his blank expression.
¡°I heard that you are the top student in Labyrinth 2. Is that correct?¡±
Sora nodded, never looking away from her violet eyes.
¡°My name is Chikage Coronation. I was hoping to meet the top student in the city and get some pointers from you.¡±
Sora blinked.
¡°Is that all? Or am I needed for something else?¡±
Chikage closed her eyes and chuckled.
¡°Actually, that isn¡¯t really why I summoned you here.¡±
She took out a picture from under her jacket.
¡°Have you seen this girl?¡±
It was a photo of the system oracle, taken with the scythe impaled in her. She seemed to be chained by the wrists in an upright position. Her long fluid hair was tied at the back of her head with a black band, while locks of shorter hair fell in front of her face. Her eyes were not visible as her head drooped forward, which meant that she was unconscious.
¡°Should I?¡±
¡°Please do not answer my question with another.¡±
Sora shook his head and Chikage kept the picture.
¡°I see.¡±
Silence fell in the room, broken only by the grandfather clock which struck ten. Chikage got up from her seat and walked towards the full length windows behind the desk.
¡°I won¡¯t hold you back from your break.¡±
Chikage placed her hands behind her.
¡°You may leave.¡±
She heard the door slide open, but it didn¡¯t close for quite some time.
¡°I hope Banks is doing fine.¡±
She was caught of guard. Chikage immediately spun round with widened eyes
¡°How¡?¡±
The door slid shut with Sora¡¯s back against it, leaving Chikage standing there with her mouth slightly open. After a while she closed her eyes and smiled softly.
¡°What kind of boy is he?¡±
Outside, Sora was walking down the hallway when he met Ronald with most of the other male students in class.
¡°So what did the new headmistress want with you? Heard that she¡¯s a real cute chick.¡±
Sora walked past Ronald.
¡°She wanted to see whether I was for real.¡±
Ronald cocked an eyebrow.
¡°Huh?¡±
Sora disappeared round the corner and the group exchanged looks of confusion. Ronald scratched his head.
¡°I¡¯m starting to think that he¡¯s got a serious social problem.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it that¡¡±
Ronald spun round to come face to face with Chikage.
¡°Headmistress!¡±
All the boys bowed their heads and acknowledged her. Chikage smiled.
¡°Shouldn¡¯t you boys be outside?¡±
Ronald raised his head slightly.
¡°Well, we were wondering why Sora had to see you, headmistress.¡±
¡°I just wanted to see for myself what the top student in the city was like. All I can say is that he really is an interesting boy.¡±
Chikage turned and headed down the hallway the other way. Lifting up her hand she waved at the boys.
¡°See you.¡±
Ronald and the others stood up straight.
¡°Hot babe, isn¡¯t she?¡±
¡°Yeah¡¡±
That night, it began to pour. As Sora sat in front of the window, the rain patted softly against the glass pane. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the cold hard window.
-Flashback-
A blue-haired boy is sitting at the seaside. Hugging his legs close to him, the waves constantly splash at his legs, soaking his long black pants with seawater. His grey eyes stare off blankly into the sun setting over the horizon, turning the sea into different shades of orange, red and yellow. A sea breeze found its way through his hair and the long coat of another boy standing a little behind him, causing it to billow almost lazily, washed with the orange hue of the blazing red sun. He had the exact same hair style as the seated boy, but his eyes were blood red and his hair jet black.
¡°Are you sad?¡±
The seated boy hid his face between his knees.
¡°I killed our sister.¡±
¡°She is your sister, not mine.¡±
Silence fell, broken only by a passing seagull and the waves.
¡°Taking a life, I gave birth to another.¡±
The standing boy placed his hand on his shoulder.
¡°The pain and sadness that is inside of you, I feel it to. You are me, and I am you. You and I are the representations of heaven and hell, of sanity and insanity.¡±
¡°I¡ understand.¡±
-End Flashback-
Sora opened his eyes and sat up straight. Aeries was looking at him from the kitchen doorway. She sighed and went back to washing the dishes.
¡°When will you stop fighting with yourself?¡±
Just then the doorbell rang. Aeries looked up.
¡°Who could that be in this kind of weather? Sora! Will you please get the door?¡±
Back in the living room, Sora stood up and walked towards the door. Opening it, he was greeted by a hooded figure drenched in rainwater. The two of them just stood there, with the rain still beating on the hooded figure¡¯s back and spraying onto the wooden flooring inside the house. A peal of thunder flashed through the sky, illuminating the hooded figure¡¯s face, revealing a pair of grey eyes.
¡°Can I come in?¡±
Sora stepped backed a little behind the door, giving way to the hooded figure. The figure stepped in and took off the hood, just as Aeries appeared from the kitchen. Her long blue hair fell from the hood down her back, reaching just below her hips. Aeries took one look at her and smiled gently.
¡°Are you a friend of Sora¡¯s?¡±
The girl opened her mouth slightly, then she blinked and bowed her head, sealing her lips.
¡°I promised her I would let her stay over.¡±
She turned her head and looked at Sora, who had closed the door. Aeries understood.
¡°Oh¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry I forgot to tell you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, but you¡¯ll have to sleep in the living room.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
¡°Won¡¯t want to let anything happen to our guest would we?¡±
¡°Mom¡¡±
Aeries smiled cheekily. She then noticed a trail of blood running down the girl¡¯s right leg.
¡°You¡¯re bleeding¡¡±
The girl took a hesitant step back as Aeries moved forward and touched the open wound. She winced slightly.
¡°I think you should go take a bath. It¡¯ll help clean the wound a bit and wash away those bad memories. Come on.¡±
Aeries took the girl¡¯s hand and led her towards the stairs. Halfway up Aeries turned her head.
¡°Sora, go get the bandages and some antiseptic from the cupboard.¡±
Sora turned and went to the kitchen as the girl watched him.
¡°Forgive him, he¡¯s a bit quiet at times.¡±
The girl looked up at Aeries, who smiled. Guiding her down the hallway they came to a door, which opened to a bedroom. There was another door opposite the bed and Aeries opened it, revealing a bathroom.
¡°The hot water is on the right and the cold is on the left. Get yourself out of those dirty clothes and take a nice, long bath. I¡¯ll help you dress that wound once you¡¯re done.¡±
Hesitantly the girl stepped into the bathroom and the door closed behind her. Taking her clothes off, she turned on the shower head and let the water run down her body. She winced slightly as the warm water washed over the gash on her stomach. She gently touched it with her hand.
¡°What happened to me? How did I lose control like that?¡±
The girl stood there as the water, stained with blood, seeped down the drain. Turning the shower off, she stepped out into the bathroom. Seeing that her clothes were nowhere to be found, she took a towel and went back to the bedroom where Aeries was waiting with a small first aid kit.
¡°Feeling better? Now to do something with that wound.¡±
Aeries motioned the girl to sit down, which she did. Applying a lotion, the girl winced slightly. Pain was something she had never gotten used to outside the matrix.
¡°Your name is Fio right?¡±
The girl nodded her head, not sure of what to say. Her wound still stung as Aeries wrapped a bandage round her abdomen. Snipping off the last part of the bandage, Aeries stood up and went over to a chest of drawers and opened the bottom one.
¡°I forgot to tell you, my name is Aeries. Sora should be up anytime now, so here¡¡±
Aeries stood up and walked over to the girl with some clothes.
¡°Wear these. I think they¡¯ll fit you just fine.¡±
The girl accepted the undergarments and short dress yellow dress. Slipping them on, a knock came from the door. Aeries opened it and Sora was standing there with a tray. Aeries turned to the girl sitting at the bed.
¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you alone. If you need anything, feel free to ask.¡±
With that Aeries patted Sora on the shoulder and left. The door clicked softly as Sora walked over to the desk and placed the tray down. Lifting the thermal pot he began pouring hot chocolate into two mugs.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Sora had finished pouring the steaming liquid into one mug. He paused.
¡°I wasn¡¯t myself then, that¡¯s why I attacked you.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±
Sora resumed pouring hot chocolate into the second mug. He placed the pot down and held out a mug in front of the girl. Fio looked up at Sora¡¯s blank expression, blurred by the constant rising of the steam from the mug. The rain continued to beat down on the window pane as she raised both her hands and accepted the mug. Sora sat down next to the desk and drank from the other one. The girl looked down at the mug in her hands. The dark brown liquid swirled inside. Fio looked up again. Sora had his hands crossed loosely on his lap with the mug still at hand and his eyes were set on the window where steady flows of rainwater were flowing down the transparent panes. The girl looked back down at the mug. Hesitantly she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. The warm liquid flowed through her mouth and down her throat, leaving behind a tingling sweet sensation. She opened her eyes and looked back at Sora. He was still sitting there staring at the window. She felt compelled to ask.
¡°Why do you have female clothes in your room?¡±
¡°They belonged to my sister.¡±
¡°Where is she now?¡±
¡°Dead.¡±
A tinge of guilt surfaced within the girl.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
No reply. Sora¡¯s expression hardly changed as he continued to stare at the window. A peal of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room with a haunting blue hue. There was silence again after that, which gave Fio time to observe Sora. ¡°Forgive him, he can be a bit quiet at times.¡± those words echoed in her mind. It was true what Aeries had said, but she never imagined that it could be so haunting a silence. It was then that she remembered.
¡°How did you know my name?¡±
Sora pulled out a metal bangle from his pocket and held it out in front of Fio. On it the initials ¡°F¡°, ¡°I¡± and ¡°O¡± were carved. Instinctively She looked at her right wrist, and found that the bangle was really hers.
¡°You dropped this on your way up.¡±
Putting her cup down, Fio took the bangle and slipped it on. It dangled loosely on her wrist.
¡°Thank you.¡±
Standing up, Sora headed towards the door and opened it.
¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest of the hot chocolate here. It¡¯s late. Get some rest.¡±
With that he left the room, leaving Fio sitting there looking after him. Standing, she walked to the window and placed her hands on it. She watched as beads of rainwater rolled down the pane and merged to form small streams on the window. A single word escaped from her lips sub-consciously.
¡°Sora¡¡±
The next morning, Fio awoke to the smell of breakfast. Aeries was standing next to the bed with a tray of sausages, scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins, buttered toast and a glass of milk. Fio sat up in bed.
¡°Mrs. Truehearted?¡±
Aeries smiled cheerily.
¡°Please, just call me Aeries.¡±
She place the tray of food on Fio¡¯s lap.
¡°Eat up before it gets cold.¡±
Fio looked at the food, then back up at Aeries.
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Sora made it for you.¡±
Fio looked back up and tilted her head sideways quizzically. Aeries nodded, smiling ear to ear.
¡°I think he really likes you.¡±
¡°Like?¡±
Aeries bent down so that her face was level with Fio¡¯s.
¡°How long have the two of you known each other?¡±
Fio couldn¡¯t find her voice to answer Aeries, but she didn¡¯t need to.
¡°I met her three days ago while I was out with Ronald and his gang.¡±
Aeries turned to find Sora standing at the doorway.
¡°Really? Is this love at first sight?¡±
¡°Mom¡¡±
Aeries laughed and hugged Sora.
¡°I¡¯m just so glad you¡¯re opening yourself up.¡±
Sora¡¯s expression softened.
¡°I¡¯m sorry I worried you so much.¡±
Aeries released her arms around him and smiled.
¡°It¡¯s alright. My friends and I are going shopping, so I¡¯ll only be back at around eight.¡±
Sora nodded and she left. Fio watched as he walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. Instinctively she moved a bit away from him.
¡°I won¡¯t bite you.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Silence fell. Sora spoke after a while.
¡°They probably found you by now.¡±
Fio relaxed a bit. Looking at the food laid out in front of her, she picked up a fork and a knife and began to eat.
¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡±
Sora turned round to face Fio as she popped part of a sausage into her mouth. She had never really eaten much human food, but she knew enough to tell the food was good.
¡°Did you really cook this?¡±
¡°Why? Does it taste bad?¡±
Fio shook her head and continued eating. She found it strange that someone like Sora could exist in this world. Maybe he was a program like her? She thought. Finishing off the rest of her breakfast, she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Sora took the tray and went downstairs, leaving Fio to wash up. As she cleaned her face with a towel, she noticed that there was a metal bangle similar to hers resting on the sink. Picking it up, the light reflected several engravings on it.
¡°Fiona Peacekeeper?¡±
Fio stood there, hands clutching the metal bangle. A thought came to mind. Heading out of the room and down the stairs, Fio found Sora in the kitchen washing the dishes.
¡°Was Fiona your sister¡¯s name?¡±
Sora paused, the running tap pouring onto a plate in his hand. He nodded and resumed scrubbing the plate with a sponge. Fio watched as Sora finished the rest of the dishes.
¡°I try not to live in the past.¡±
Turning, Sora walked up to Fio and stopped in front of her. He looked down at the bangle in her hands, then continued walking towards the living room.
¡°You can keep it if you want.¡±
Just then the doorbell rang. Fio turned towards the front door where Sora was heading. Somehow he seemed to know what was going to happen next. Opening it, he was greeted by Chikage and some men dressed in black.
¡°You were expecting us.¡±
It was more of a statement than a question. Sora merely nodded.
¡°Can we come in?¡±
Sora stepped aside.
¡°The Truehearted¡¯s house is open to all strangers.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
Chikage entered the house and looked at Fio.
¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised to find the system oracle here then.¡±
Fio bowed his head.
¡°My name is Fio.¡±
Chikage was surprised, but only smiled and said nothing. Sora walked past the both of them and went to the kitchen.
¡°Show them to the living room.¡±
Fio turned her head and looked at Sora¡¯s back. She understood and raised her hand towards the archway that lead to the living room.
¡°This way.¡±
Chikage nodded. Her bodyguards were still standing outside, unsure of what to do, but upon seeing Chikage going to the living room, they followed suit. However, they refused to take off their shoes as Chikage had.
Sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, Chikage examined Fio, who had both her hands placed on her lap. Chikage looked up as Sora entered with a tray. Placing it down, he poured out a cup of tea and placed it in front of Chikage. He looked up at the bodyguards.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about them.¡±
Sora placed the teapot down, but remained standing. Chikage picked up the cup and one of the guards stepped forward.
¡°Miss. Chikage.¡±
Chikage closed her eyes and breathed in the aroma of the tea.
¡°I trust that Master Truehearted will not put anything in this cup other than tea. In fact, I trust him more than I trust some of you.¡±
The guard bowed his head and took a step back. Chikage took a sip from the cup.
¡°Earl grey, with a touch of lemon and fresh milk.¡±
Chikage placed the cup down and hung her leg over the other, placing her hands on her lap like Fio, though more elegantly and relaxed.
¡°We¡¯ve been trying to find you, Miss. Fio.¡±
Fio nodded.
¡°I¡¯m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.¡±
Chikage brushed aside a stray hair from her face.
¡°Are you willing to come back then? To help us.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Very well then.¡±
Chikage looked up at Sora.
¡°You¡¯ll have to come with us also. You know too much to do any good.¡±
Sora didn¡¯t look back at Chikage, but chose to stare blankly out of the window.
¡°If I refuse?¡±
The young commander smiled and took another sip from the cup.
¡°We¡¯ll be forced to kill you.¡±
Fio also looked up at Sora, but as always his expression was blank.
¡°It¡¯s not a valid threat.¡±
¡°Why so?¡±
¡°You cannot risk spilling blood on this floor, in this room, in this house, at this street on a Sunday morning, simply because someone would hear and would have seen your bodyguards walk up the driveway. They can just link these two incidents together and point their fingers towards your organization. This is also the reason why you ordered your men to unload their guns before coming here.¡±
Chikage¡¯s expression was a mixture of surprise and something along the lines of satisfaction.
¡°Hmm? why would you say that?¡±
¡°Judging by how their coats move as they walk and their movements as they came in, it¡¯s a lot like mice crawling through an open field: defenceless. However, from what you just said and how the man standing next to the vase is constantly feeling his coat, he has refuted that order and loaded his tactical pistol with twelve 10mm shells.¡±
All eyes turned to the guard who was at the doorway, near a vase standing on a small table, behind Sora. He was slightly taken aback. Chikage lifted her hand.
¡°Please hand me your gun.¡±
Hesitantly he walked forward and took out a handgun. It¡¯s metallic blue surface shone under the light as Chikage took out the cartridge. In it was twelve shells, each marked with a ¡°10¡± at the back. All the guards gaped, slack-jawed. Only Fio and Chikage remained composed, both of them looking up at the boy who was still staring out of the window. Silence settled for a while, before Chikage stood up.
¡°Shall we go then.¡±
Fio nodded and stood up too. Walking past Sora, he turned and followed the two girls out. Outside, several sleek black cars were waiting for them. Upon getting on, they drove off towards the main city area. Sora sat in front next to one of the bodyguards who was driving the car. Chikage was at the back with Fio. They were silent as the cars purred through the busy streets, negotiating the traffic. At last a tall glass building came into view. The sun reflected on it¡¯s smooth surface, making it almost blinding to just glance at it. Just as they pulled into the car park, Chikage shifted her head slightly to look at Fio.
¡°What do you think of Sora?¡±
Fio raised her eyes slightly to look at him, then look back down again. She gave no reply.
¡°I see.¡±
They got off the car once it stopped. The other cars had went their separate ways. Entering the glass building, they came to what looked like the main reception area. A circular elevator stood in the middle of the large room behind a reception desk. The place was filled with various flowering shrubs which parted at regular intervals to make pathways. Several bridges suspended over a body of crystal blue liquid lead to different places on all sides. Chikage lead them to the reception desk. The woman seated there stood up and greeted them, her orange hair bouncing as she did so.
¡°Good morning, Miss. Chikage.¡±
Chikage nodded.
¡°Is Herald present, Ci?¡±
The woman brushed aside a stray hair from her purple eyes.
¡°No, Miss. Chikage.¡±
Chikage nodded and walked over to the elevator, motioning Sora and Fio to follow. Ci pressed a button under the desk and the elevator doors slid open, allowing them to enter. Though there seemed to be a tube that lead up the glass building, all the buttons on the panel in the elevator lead downwards. Inserting a small key, all the buttons lit up and Chikage pressed the button marked ¡°B8¡±, apparently the lowest floor in the building. The doors closed and the elevator shot downwards. In a flash they came to the floor and upon stepping out, was greeted by a large hanger. Various suits stood in neat rows and Fio immediately recognised them.
¡°Web navigation shells.¡±
Chikage nodded.
¡°Yes. The internet now is not as safe as when it first started out back in the 20th century¡¡±
Chikage began walking down the hanger towards the other end. Mechanics working on the suits immediately dropped what they were doing and saluted their commander as she passed, closely followed by Fio and Sora.
¡°¡that¡¯s why we, the Global Internet Security Bureau, is trying so hard to keep it under control.¡±
Nearing the other end, the outline of a door appeared. Duo was standing next to it, looking up at one of the suits and supervising the repairs. He turned as he spotted Chikage.
¡°Nice to see you¡¯re in good shape.¡±
¡°Likewise.¡±
Chikage stepped aside, allowing Duo to get a full view of Fio and Sora.
¡°Let me introduce to the two of you. This is Duo Maxwell, head mechanic and pilot of WNS guardis.¡±
Duo waved a hello.
¡°I may be high, but I tell no lies. That¡¯s me in a nutshell.¡±
He turned back to Chikage.
¡°Jen has been going on and on the whole morning that you shouldn¡¯t have gone on your own.¡±
Chikage smiled.
¡°I had guards with me.¡±
Duo laughed.
¡°Those guys can¡¯t even hit a target right in their faces.¡±
¡°Duo!¡±
He turned towards the direction of the shout.
¡°Got to go. See ya later.¡±
He ran off and Chikage slashed a card at the device next to the door. It beeped once and the metal doors slid open to a travellator. As it carried them down the hallway, all was silent. Fio hesitated at first, but asked in the end.
¡°Didn¡¯t you erase Sora¡¯s memory?¡±
No response. It was only after a long silence that Chikage replied.
¡°What do you think?¡±
Fio looked hesitantly over at Sora. He was staring at the space in front of him blankly.
¡°The calculated chances of erasing his memory was 99.9%.¡±
¡°Yet there is always that small chance we couldn¡¯t erase his memory of this place.¡±
Chikage closed his eyes.
¡°There will always be two ways down the same road. It was just a matter of time before he has to fight, even if he dislikes it.¡±
Light flooded the dim hallway and they came to yet another hanger, but this place was different and smaller. Suits also lined the wall, but only on one side, and they each were separated by walls. The travellator they were on ran down the other side of the hanger, allowing riders to view the suits, each coated with a different colour, each having their own unique set of weapons. Letters were visible on all their right shoulders. The first was raven with a pair of blades, followed by thor, which as the name suggested, had a hammer, valkyrie, which had a pike and shield, and finally guardis. The last suit had a duo of missile pods, plus two segmented, wing-like structures on its back. The travellator finally ended at another doorway and the trio stepped onto the balcony overlooking the control room. Jen, Rio, Chi and Mei were there and they saluted the commander when they saw her.
¡°Glad to see that you¡¯re safe, ma¡¯am.¡±
Chikage nodded at the silver-haired captain and the four of them relaxed. Chikage turned to the duo behind her.
¡°As you all know, this is Sora Truehearted, and of course, the young woman is the system oracle, Fio.¡±
Chikage turned her head towards Jen.
¡°How is Banks doing?¡±
¡°Rika is with him in the medical wing. He¡¯s recovering well and should be fully healed in two days time.¡±
¡°Good. I suppose that answers your question Sora.¡±
Sora remained silent and still, his eyes blankly staring off into space. Jen looked at Chikage bemused.
¡°Didn¡¯t you erase his memory, ma¡¯am?¡±
¡°No. In fact, something much like the opposite happened.¡±
¡°Meaning?¡±
¡°Instead of erasing his mind, he read mine.¡±
All eyes turned to Chikage, who looked over at Sora.
¡°Isn¡¯t that right? You know the entire layout and passwords in this building.¡±
Sora nodded.
¡°You know it¡¯s of no use now because we would probably change what we can.¡±
¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡±
It was the first time Sora spoke since they got on the car, and there was a notable difference in his voice: It was no longer relaxed and neutral. Rather, it was cold and almost harsh. Yet, his face was expressionless as always. Everyone present was taken aback, but Fio understood, somehow. This was what Sora was, what his true self was behind that real life of his.
¡°Any code in any number of languages can be broken. It¡¯s only just a matter of time. To break a level 8 safety lock reinforced with level 5 quicksilver firewalls and level 9 vector lingual trans-converters, it¡¯s child¡¯s play.¡±
Chikage took out a small controller-like object from under her coat and tossed it over at Sora.
¡°Let¡¯s see you do it then.¡±
A holographic keyboard appeared next to the controller, then a screen appeared in front of it. Chikage turned to those at the computer terminals.
¡°Stand by for counter measures against hackers.¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±
They began typing furiously at their terminals, generating codes to protect the system, whereas Sora stood there blankly looking at the holographic keyboard. Typing in a few letters and hitting the enter key, an alarm went off in the room. All the computer screens turned red with a warning sign.
¡°Firewalls are destroying the system codes we generated! Security lock breached!¡±
¡°Attempting to rewrite firewall codes¡ what? Vector lingual trans-converters have altered the firewall codes into approximately 30 languages!¡±
The cyber angels turned to look at Sora, who had turned off the controller. Their faces were a mixture of shock and fear.
¡°This is the problem with AI. No matter how complicated the code is, they are actually very linear formula-wise.¡±
¡°Meaning that every program runs on a simple equation.¡±
Sora turned to Fio. She had her hands in front of her and her head was bowed. The bracelet on her right wrist glowed a bit.
¡°Every program¡ the matrix, the system navigators¡ even me.¡±
The whole room went pitch black at her last words. A distant turbine could be heard coming to an abrupt halt. Everything was silent for a while, then the lights burst into full brilliance and the computer terminals started to beep again. Sora¡¯s eyes were still fixed on Fio. She could feel his blood red eyes examining her, as if it was the first time he had really seen her. The cyber angels looked about them as the other personnel present went into an uproar of relief.
¡°All systems functioning as per normal.¡±
Duo burst through the door from the travellator, panting hard.
¡°What in the world happened? Everything suddenly went offline!¡±
A screen appeared at one of the control panels. It was Rika.
¡°What happened? The lights just went out all of a sudden.¡±
Chikage looked over at Sora, then over to Rika.
¡°How¡¯s Banks?¡±
¡°Fine. At least he has recovered from all his major wounds.¡±
Duo scratched his head and frowned.
¡°Mind going back to the main subject and fill us in on what happened?¡±
¡°Sora broke the security lock.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡±
Duo shook his head and sighed.
¡°It¡¯s easy to break any code if you know the logic or basis.¡±
Rika cocked an eyebrow.
¡°I thought you wrote the codes to protect the system?¡±
¡°If I had actually wrote it, it would have taken me around 4 decades. It¡¯s too tedious to write it manually, so programmers normally use an equation to generate the codes nowadays.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you find that programmers are mostly mathematicians.¡±
Duo turned over to Sora and nodded.
¡°Right on.¡±
Sora tossed the controller back over to Chikage.
¡°I suppose now that I¡¯m done messing up your system, you can tell me why you really brought me here for.¡±
¡°Always the direct approach I see. Follow me.¡±
There were two doors at the back of the balcony, one of which Sora and Fio had come through, the other they were going through now. The hanger was much like the one before, only that it was quite empty. Reaching the end, they came to one of the compartments used to hold the unique WNS, and sure enough there was one of them there. The suit was black in colour with silver trimmings, and on its side was a shield fitted with two gatling guns. On the left arm it had a missile pack and in the middle a blade was wedged, fixed on a hinge. A helm with a gold horn that shot backwards was connected to several machines and the scientists seem to be working on it. Chikage walked up to one of them.
¡°Has it been finished?¡±
¡°Yes, but the system we installed in it is still in the preliminary stages of testing.¡±
¡°Can it be used yet then?¡±
¡°With or without the system? We¡¯re still not sure whether the pilot can stand the amount of stress the WNS is going to produce.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s find out then. Sora.¡±
Sora seem to snap out of his trance and look over at Chikage.
¡°I want you to pilot this suit.¡±
The scientists present all gasped and stared at either Chikage or Sora shocked. The other cyber angels were also taken aback. Jen immediately retorted.
¡°But ma¡¯am, he hasn¡¯t even been trained yet!¡±
¡°He doesn¡¯t need any, do you Sora?¡±
Fio turned to look at Sora. His eyes were fixed on Chikage in a bored manner, as if disbelieving that she had actually asked that question. The scientist who was talking to her gulped.
¡°Ma¡¯am I highly disagree¡¡±
¡°Open the suit and prepare for launch.¡±
Chikage was serious, and the scientists straightened and saluted her, retreating to their positions at the control panels.
¡°Opening WNS. Disengaging locks.¡±
There was a series of clicking sounds, then the suit opened for Sora to get on. They automatically sealed themselves when he got in. A visor lowered over Sora¡¯s face.
¡°Locks in place. Initiating carapace of joints.¡±
A green grid formed round the places the armour did not cover, and seconds later a grey surface formed over them.
¡°Connecting shield buster vulcans.¡±
The dual gatling guns moved over and connected itself with the suit¡¯s right arm.
¡°Connecting missile pods.¡±
Several holes appeared around the suit, and various arms connected missiles pods onto the suit. It had two on its legs and two on its shoulders.
¡°Disengaging bridge.¡±
The platform below the suit lowered and moved back. There was a circular pool underneath the suit. It appeared quite solid as cranes moved the suit directly over it.
¡°Prepping jump hole.¡±
There was a bang, and the pool suddenly shimmered with a crystal-like liquid. Sora watched as Chikage turned round to the cyber angels. They saluted and went back down the travellator.
¡°Launching suit.¡±
The cranes on the shoulders of the suit released it and it plunged down into the pool. A mass of computer data zipped past, reflecting off Sora¡¯s visor.
¡°Reaching destination point in 3¡ 2¡ 1¡¡±
The green data codes ended and Sora found himself freefalling down into a rocky landscape, much like the one he had been in a few days earlier. The ground shuddered as the suit landed. Sora stood up straight and looked around him. Chikage voiced sounded from the intercom.
¡°What you¡¯ve just been through is the usual jump hole. It transmits you to what we call channel points. There are various channel points in each sector of the matrix, most of which we have access to.¡±
¡°What happens when I don¡¯t make it through the jump hole?¡±
¡°You get deleted by the system and thrown into junk data. The others are on their way, so hold on.¡±
Sora looked into the sky. Sure enough several more jump holes appeared and everyone else arrived, with the exception of Rika and Banks. All of them hovered around Sora. He then noticed that only his suit had a helm: the others only had an earpiece and small mike, save chi who had an additional visor. Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom again.
¡°Duo, I want you to fire missiles at Sora.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Just do it.¡±
¡°Okay¡¡±
In the control room back in the facility, Chikage nodded to the scientists that were working on the suit. They immediately began typing at their consoles.
¡°Initiating sixth sense program.¡±
Sora¡¯s visor suddenly flickered and displayed several round objects. The missile hatches on Duo¡¯s guardis opened, and Fio watched from the control room as a volley of missiles headed towards Sora. The circular objects on Sora¡¯s visor began to move and marked the positions of the missiles as they flew towards him. Lifting his gatling arm, Sora fired, destroying the missiles, but one managed to get past the hail of bullets and bounced off Sora¡¯s shield, making a large clanging sound and explode seemingly harmlessly. From the control room, the scientists were overjoyed that the program had worked.
¡°Hit ratio is 96.8%!¡±
¡°All vital signs are normal. Sixth sense program still functioning, hypothetical feed at 5 gigabytes per second.¡±
Fio looked up at Chikage. She was smiling.
Back in the matrix, the circular objects on the Sora¡¯s visor pinpointed all the other WNS¡¯ positions. Sora turned to where guardis was hovering, and the circle on it turned red. Several holes opened on the suit¡¯s back, and thrusters ignited, causing a cloud of dust to rise up as Sora shot towards guardis.
¡°What the¡?¡±
Sora¡¯s suit suddenly overshadowed guardis. Before Duo could react, the suit¡¯s dual gatling guns came down hard on guardis, driving it into the ground where the rock cracked and debris flew into the air. Jen turned to where Duo had landed.
¡°Duo!¡±
Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom again.
¡°What are you doing Jen?¡±
¡°Ma¡¯am!¡±
¡°Treat Sora like any other enemy. He will stop at nothing to kill all of you. Do not hold back! Do you hear?¡±
Gritting his teeth, Jen turned to the rest of the team and spoke to them through a private line.
¡°Chi, Rio, the two of you get round to the back of Sora and attack him while I attract his attention. Mei, I want a full scan of that suit. Find any weaknesses he has.¡±
¡°Look out!¡±
Jen turned, just in time to see Sora flying towards him, left fist lifted. Jen drew his blades, and sparks flew everywhere as energy met energy.
¡°What are you trying to do? We¡¯re on the same side.¡±
Sora didn¡¯t reply, but instead flipped his blade forward, breaking the cross he made with his blades and sent him spinning. Jen steadied himself just before he hit the ground. Rio took this opportunity where Sora¡¯s back was against her and threw thor¡¯s hammer at him. The shapes on Sora¡¯s visor blinked and he turned, smiting the hammer with his shield. It flew back to Rio, who caught it. Raising his gatling gun, Sora fired, sending a blanket of lead onto thor. Rio screamed in pain as she too fell to the rocky ground. Sora¡¯s visor blinked again, and he got out of the way just in time as a thick beam shot past him. Chi was on the ground, carrying what looked like a plasma cannon. She fired again, but Sora quickly dodged it. The missile pod on his arm opened, and Sora fired a single missile at Chi. Mobility drastically decreased because of the plasma cannon, Chi was unable to get away as the missile imploded, splitting into four smaller rockets which hit her hard. Jen was horrified. Thrusters to full, he charged towards Sora.
¡°Go to hell!¡±
Jen lifted both his blades and swung them at Sora, who promptly blocked them with his shield. Sparks flew everywhere as Jen and Sora locked stares.
¡°You enjoy killing, don¡¯t you?¡±
No reply. Jen pushed harder down on Sora with his blades.
¡°Answer me!¡±
¡°That was once what I was.¡±
To Jen¡¯s amazement, Sora knocked his blades aside, sending them flying across the air into a rock outcrop. Lifting his left fist, Sora punched Jen, causing him to hurtle back down to solid ground and crash into a rock pillar. Jen winced in pain and opened his eyes. Sora was heading straight for him. He tried moving, but raven wasn¡¯t responding that well, managing a long creak and sputter, but nothing else. Fist raised, Sora charged towards Jen, and he braced himself for impact: the inevitable broken bones, punctured organs, and all sorts of punishment his body would take. Maybe he would get lucky, and his spinal cord would snap and he won¡¯t feel a thing. As Sora¡¯s fist shot out however, it didn¡¯t hit Jen. A shield sparked round raven, protecting Jen. Small shards of metal were imbedded in the shield, and Jen realised what it was.
¡°Duo?¡±
Sora and Jen turned. Duo had his hand outstretched towards raven, and part of his left wing was missing. He smiled.
¡°You can¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡±
Duo winced, and smiled again.
¡°Dang, this piece of junk won¡¯t move anymore¡¡±
¡°Duo!¡±
Jen tried moving again, but to no avail. Sora lifted his gatling rifle, and aimed it at guardis. All of a sudden, his mind went blank. It was as if he wasn¡¯t there, but he could still feel his body present. All his muscles froze, even his eyelids stopped. He could see Duo on the ground in front of him, totally helpless, but he couldn¡¯t pull the trigger. He couldn¡¯t move at all, as if he had become a statue.
In the control room, the scientists were typing furiously.
¡°Subject¡¯s mentality is deteriorating.¡±
¡°Initiating emergency shut down¡ no use! Codes are being rejected.¡±
The suit seem to just freeze in front of Jen. Even Sora seemed to have stopped in time, his eyes open, but unblinking. Finally raven responded and Jen pulled himself from the rocky surface. Cautiously he waved his hand in front of Sora¡¯s face. The suit remained perfectly still. Jen stepped back in fear.
¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±
Chikage voice appeared. It sounded as if she was in a panic.
¡°Jen, take off Sora¡¯s helm.¡±
¡°Ma¡¯am? What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°The new program we installed into that suit is a prototype analysis system. It feeds calculated statistics directly into the person¡¯s mind, giving the pilot the ability to predict enemy movements and react to them accordingly.¡±
¡°Are you saying that Sora knew what we were planning to do all this while?¡±
¡°Yes, but the program has side effects. The huge amount of data sent to the person¡¯s mind can drive him or her into insanity. Only those who have the proper training can control the system¡¯s power, but it is also only to a certain extent. Take off his helm now!¡±
Without a second thought Jen jumped forward and wrenched the helm off Sora¡¯s head. Like a waterfall, Sora¡¯s mind was suddenly flooded with his memories. Images of his past flashed by, images which he had tried to forget. All the locks on the suit opened, and Sora felt himself falling. His body still didn¡¯t respond, and he felt the world around him go blur, then dark.
Author¡¯s ramble
Sora is sitting on a chair facing a laptop, face indifferent as usual. A red crab appears on the keyboard out of nowhere.
Crab: Well, Chapter 2¡¯s done¡ notices Sora¡¯s blank stare What?
Sora: Are you the author of this story?
Crab: Yeah. Why?
Sora: But¡ you¡¯re a crab.
Crab, or Fujizr Fooj Crabster (FFC): So what? You¡¯d prefer a fuji apple? Sora stares dot-eyed as FFC starts up several programs on the laptop, skittering across the keyboard I like crabs, and I though I might as well turn into one with my author powers. You wouldn¡¯t want to see me as a human anyway.
Silence. Then, slowly, Sora raises a finger and moves it towards one of the two black pearls for eyes FFC has that protrude out from stalks. Just as he is about to touch it, a claw snaps over Sora¡¯s finger. Wincing in pain, he draws back. FFC turned round, looking extremely pissed, for a crab.
FFC: What IS it with everyone? Sure my eyes can stick out and shrink back, but why do people like you want to touch them?
Sora: I was just curious.
FFC: What are you doing here anyway? You¡¯re suppose to be unconscious.
Sora: You need a muse, right?¡±
FFC: Muse? What¡¯s that?
Sweatdrop Sora: You know¡ some guy who becomes a nuisance?
FFC: Oh. Nah. My brother has that job. A six-year-old runs past, holding a chainsaw and laughing manically PUT THAT BACK! Gruesome ripping sounds were heard from next door as Sora sweatdropped Oh well¡ I hop he remembers to clean up, or dad¡¯ll be mad.
Sora: Did your brother just¡
FFC: Mutilate someone with a chainsaw, splattering his guts and innards onto the carpet floor as foam frothed from his mouth, eyeballs popping so much they could have fallen off? Nah. Just playing with his pillow. Sweatdrops from Sora
Sora: Weird.
FFC: Nope. Just annoying. Anyway, since you¡¯re here you can help me with the story, that is if you don¡¯t mind.
Sora: Okay.