Author¡¯s Notes
stands for telepathic communication
stands for computer communication
Sorry about not informing you all. On with the story now.
=Chapter 3=
When Sora awoke, he found himself staring at the ceiling of a room.
¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±
Sora turned his head slightly. It was Fio. She was sitting next to the bed he was in. She looked relieved, almost happy. Sora tried to get up, but Fio placed her hands on his shoulders.
¡°The doctor said that you should rest.¡±
Sora looked at Fio straight in the eye, but the blue-haired girl held her ground, and Sora obediently lied back down. She pulled the rumpled sheets back over Sora, and sat back down next to him.
¡°What happened after I passed out?¡±
¡°Chikage sent some people down to get you and the others out. When Jen pulled the helm off you, the sixth sense program messed up the sector a bit, but things were straightened out after a while.¡±
Fio was trying not to make eye contact, as far as Sora could tell.
¡°What happened to the cyber angels?¡±
¡°They suffered only minor injuries and have fully recovered.¡±
¡°How long have I been out?¡±
¡°Two days.¡±
A thought suddenly occurred to Sora.
¡°How long have you been here?¡±
Fio bent her head lower, and Sora noticed that she was clutching her bangle tightly.
¡°Two days¡¡±
There was an awkward silence. Fio herself could hardly believe that she had spent all this time at Sora¡¯s side. Why did she feel so attached to him? Was it because he had saved her? Or was it something else? Sora examined Fio, he then noticed something shining on the small table next to the bed. It was his bangle.
¡°Why did you bring that here?¡±
Fio looked up, surprised, then turned to the table where the bangle lay.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. Since we left your house, I¡¯ve had it with me.¡±
She reached out to take it, only to have Sora¡¯s hand on hers as they both reached for the article. There was a pause. Sora¡¯s hand was warm and comforting, but the feeling soon left Fio as he withdrew his arm. Grasping the bangle, Fio returned it to her pocket. She had changed, and now wore a pink low-cut blouse and a long blue skirt with white flowers spiralling down one side. She also had a large white bow tied on her hair where the black band once was. Sora looked back up at the ceiling.
¡°I try not to live in the past¡ but it seems to haunt me everyday.¡±
Fio just had to ask.
¡°Did you really want to kill them?¡±
Silence. It was after some time that Sora spoke.
¡°My eyes have been tainted by bloodshed, as are my hands drenched in blood.¡±
There was knock on the door, and Chikage entered. She smiled when she saw Sora was awake.
¡°We were starting to get worried.¡±
The cyber angels followed Chikage in. They looked fine, even Banks was there. Fio stood up and gave her seat to Chikage. The young women just watched Sora for a while, before she spoke.
¡°I think there¡¯s someone you have to thank, Sora.¡±
Sora nodded, and turned to Jen.
¡°Thanks for saving me, despite the fact that I nearly killed you.¡±
Jen shrugged.
¡°Chikage told me to do it. If she trusts you, then I guess I do too.¡±
Chikage nodded.
¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±
¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Why did you attack us in the first place?¡±
¡°Funny you should ask that Duo.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Sora turned to look at the mechanic.
¡°You attacked me first.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah¡¡±
Rika shook her head.
¡°Dense¡¡±
Sora looked back at Chikage.
¡°When will I be discharged?¡±
¡°Tomorrow morning, I suppose. Then you can resume your duty as a cyber angel.¡±
Everyone gasped and looked at Chikage.
¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±
¡°He¡¯s going to be a cyber angel?¡±
¡°Are you serious?¡±
Chikage smiled at Sora and nodded.
¡°That suit needs a pilot, and you¡¯re the only one we have that isn¡¯t at some mental institution.¡±
Sora took one good look at Chikage, then nodded too.
¡°Oh, and we need to get a paint job. What name should your suit be?¡±
Sora blinked and looked back up at the ceiling. An old memory floated up in his mind.
¡°Seeker.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Name the suit Seeker.¡±
Silence followed as everyone digested the information.
¡°Seeker? What is it with that?¡±
¡°Since you want it though, I¡¯ll get someone to work on it right away.¡±
¡°Thanks, Duo.¡±
¡°Anytime.¡±
Chikage stood up.
¡°Well, with that settled¡¡±
She turned to Fio.
¡°¡I think someone has a story to tell.¡±
Fio bowed her head, uncomfortable to have become the centre of attention.
¡°It¡¯s time you told us what this is all about.¡±
Jen nodded.
¡°What¡¯s happening to the matrix?¡±
Fio stole a peak at Sora. He was looking at the window. Her hands clasped round her metal bangle, she looked back up and opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. Chikage smiled encouragingly.
¡°Go on.¡±
Fio blinked, and thought for a while. Why not? Part of her conscious asked. We shouldn¡¯t worry humans about this mess, the other side countered. They seem like nice people, and they are guardians of the matrix also. Sort of. So what? It¡¯s beyond their comprehension as to what¡¯s going to happen. Still, we have to try¡
Fio took in a deep breath and spoke.
¡°The entire matrix is a system of sectors connected by points. Its creators initially called it the internet, and people thought it was some sort of trick, but as time progressed, more and more people began linking up to it. Back then, the internet was like a huge library, providing information and data in the blink of an eye to users. It became a worldwide phenomenon, and almost everyone was hooked on to the system by the 21st century. Problems also arose because of this as users manipulated the system, using things such as ¡®viruses¡¯ and ¡®spam mail¡¯ to disrupt the flow of information from place to place.¡±
¡°That¡¯s when firewalls and scanners were introduced, correct?¡±
Fio nodded.
¡°Yes, but the problems still got worst and the second generation of the creators of the internet tried to create a totally independent program capable of dealing with any problems hackers threw into the internet. They succeeded in creating one just before the new millennium started. At first it was effective, wiping out any new virus that came by, but then the program went wayward, destroying the entire mainframe.¡±
Duo¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Millennium bug?¡±
Everyone held their breathes and looked at Fio for the answer. She nodded, confirming their fears.
¡°The second generation creators realised that with the correct sequence of data input, a human can ¡°enter¡± the internet and this opened new doors for ideas. As viruses were becoming a problem again, they decided to create a program which could counter this problem without having to be constantly updated. They hit upon the idea then of infusing codes into a human, giving programs the ability to respond and adapt to any situation, ¡®project oracle¡®. As jump holes were still experimental then, they had to rely solely on theories to create the program. They got the human in safely, and he was placed in an empty sector for analysis and the insertion of the codes, but when they started up the program, the human¡¯s mental ability went berserk after a while and he went insane. Since he was infused with all the codes to every single location in the internet, he went about destroying everything.¡±
Duo shook his head, still unable to believe what Fio had just said.
¡°They said that there was something called the millennium bug that was going to mess every system in the world up at the beginning of the 21st century. They got everyone off the internet so that they can fix the problem, only giving the go for some organizations to resume use because the effect on them would be small.¡±
¡°The second and third generation creators managed to contain the program. Surprisingly he regained his mentality after a while and went on to live a normal life, but never to go near the internet again. Still, the creators still went on experimenting. They reasoned that the first project failed because the human mind has limits as to how many codes can be written into it, with women having a higher capacity than men. With scientific advancements, they began experimenting with DNA, and they divided all the codes they had into sections, writing them into seven separate individual programs fused with human genes and hormones. The project was a success, and each oracle was given an identification bar, allowing them access to almost the whole of the new internet, namely the matrix. The letters you see on my bangle¡¡±
Fio lifted her right hand, and the light reflected the letters on it.
¡°¡are actually a series of codes for me to travel through the matrix.¡±
There was silence. The curtains were wavering as a breeze blew in. Everyone was looking at Fio, their suspicions proven true. The only person who didn¡¯t seem interested was Sora, who was still looking out of the window. A mockingbird was signing in the tree right next to the hospital building.
¡°How did you end up in that virus then? System oracles are suppose to be all powerful when it comes to dealing with them.¡±
Fio looked down at her hands.
¡°The seven of us meet every once in a while to relate anything new that was taking place, but the last time we met, there was a boy there, as if he was expecting us. We asked him who he was, but he only smiled¡ and we all just shut down.¡±
An awkward silence followed. Who in the world had enough power to bring down seven oracles at once?
¡°Can you remember anything after that?¡±
¡°I only woke up when Sora was fighting that¡ thing.¡±
¡°Maybe he was a creator?¡± Duo queried. ¡°That boy. He might have just performed a check-up and got ambushed by some hackers.¡±
Fio closed her eyes and shook her head, the movement causing her hair to sway from side to side.
¡°We do our own check-ups. The fourth generation creators prefer to have us act independently then control us, and all of them are already well in their thirties.¡±
Chikage looked over to Jen.
¡°Well, one thing¡¯s for certain.¡±
Jen nodded.
¡°We¡¯ll have to stop this person as soon as possible, before he does some serious damage.¡±
Fio looked at him worriedly.
¡°Please, they¡¯re my sisters.¡±
Chikage smiled knowingly.
¡°We¡¯ll try not to hurt your sisters, but we¡¯re not even sure how we can do that when they are in the viruses, but I¡¯m sure Duo will think of something.¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Duo jumped at the mention of his name.
¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±
Duo scratched his head.
¡°Umm¡ technically speaking the oracles are living, so I¡¯m not sure whether I can do anything about it.¡±
¡°Get Jun to help you then.¡±
Duo froze, a large sweatdrop appearing next to his forehead.
¡°Um¡ heh¡ I think I can work something out on my own¡ yeah.¡±
Duo walked towards the door, mumbling to himself.
¡°Duo Maxwell!¡±
Duo¡¯s hand was at the doorknob as he paused. Rika had called him. She crossed her arms.
¡°Since Chikage said that you should get my help, then I¡¯ll help you.¡±
Duo¡¯s shoulders sagged as he bowed his head.
¡°I¡¯m dead.¡±
Sora was wondering what that was all about, but the others only exchanged smiles. Fio was at a loss also, but Chikage turned their attention back to their current situation.
¡°We¡¯ll have to be more cautious now. We¡¯re dealing with new viruses. No matter what we do, we cannot kill the ones that are trapped inside them!¡±
Fio smiled at Chikage gratefully.
¡°Thank you.¡±
Chikage returned the smile before replacing it with her serious expression.
¡°Duo, you and Rika try and find a way we can separate the virus and oracles.¡±
¡°Got it!¡±
Duo left too hastily with Rika at his heels.
¡°Fio.¡±
Fio jumped slightly at her name.
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Could you lead Jen and the others to where you met that boy?¡±
Fio nodded.
¡°Good. Can you go tomorrow?¡±
Fio hesitated, looking at Sora absentmindedly. Sora returned the gaze, and with that she made her decision.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Well then, we shouldn¡¯t bother Sora too much. He needs his rest.¡±
Standing, everyone left the room, leaving Chikage alone with Sora. Chikage watched as everyone left through the door, and smiled as soon as it clicked shut again.
¡°I¡¯ll ask you the same question. How do you find that oracle?¡±
Sora closed his eyes.
¡°She has a name.¡±
Sora heard the chair scrape the floor as Chikage stood. Her footsteps echoed as the door clicked.
¡°I see.¡±
The door clicked once more, and the room was silent. Sora opened his eyes, and raised his left hand. He looked at it.
¡°The proof of my existence¡¡±
Sora let his hand fall to his side, and he slept.
The next day, Sora was discharged from the ward. When he asked the nurse what date it was, she replied that it was a Tuesday. Sora had completely forgotten the time, but it made little difference anyway. Chikage was at the main entrance waiting for him. Nothing much happened on their way to the cyber angel headquarters, but Chikage did briefly mention that she had settled his absence in school.
¡°Not that you need to go to school.¡±
Sora¡¯s head still felt a bit numb, so he closed his eyes and rested a bit. They finally arrived, and as usual Ci was there to greet them
¡°Herald left a message ma¡¯am. He said that he was going overseas and won¡¯t be back until two weeks later on Friday.¡±
¡°Expected. He¡®ll have to explain to those shameless politicians what¡¯s going on with the matrix. Are you free Ci?¡±
Ci nodded.
¡°Good. Could you bring Sora down to the tailors? We¡¯ll need to get him a uniform.¡±
¡°Now, ma¡¯am?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
With that Chikage left down the elevator, leaving Sora there as Ci went back to the desk. She took out her handbag and looked over at Sora. She smiled.
¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±
In the matrix, Duo was manning an airship as the others flew round it in their WNS. His pride and joy, the airship, Éclair, was Duo¡¯s creation. Capable of creating its own jump holes, the ship could travel at the speed of sound, and even possibly that of light if pushed to its limit, its sleek body cutting out any air resistances opposing the craft. The ship itself looked like a hawk as it swoops down for its kill, its hull painted black, with red streak running down its wings like war markings. Like it¡¯s namesake, it moves almost like a bolt of lightning, unpredictable and dangerous. Equipped with six laser canons, five missile pods, and a formidable particle cannon which Duo nicknamed Little Dragon, the airship also has an A.I. which basically adapts to any situation thrown at it, making the craft an overall hell bringer to anyone or anything that opposes it. Though the craft is modestly small compared to most military battleships, it¡¯s carapace is thick enough to take a beating and on the inside is spacious enough to house all the cyber angel¡¯s WNS. Fio was with Duo on the bridge. Duo looked out of the window screen as Jen flew by.
¡°So how are the thrusters I installed in those suits?¡±
Jen¡¯s voice came through the intercom.
¡°They¡¯re doing wonders Duo.¡±
¡°They should be. Those thrusters gives you an increased mobility of 300%¡±
Duo keyed in a few commands into the computer and a map of the matrix appeared in front of him. He turned to look at Fio, who was at his side.
¡°So where is it?¡±
Fio, who was looking out of the window into the open sky, turned her attention to the map. She pointed at the place.
¡°Section 12, grid 2435.¡±
Duo typed a few more commands and face-faulted.
¡°You met in a Chinese restaurant?¡±
Fio blinked.
¡°No. We met behind it.¡±
¡°Whatever you say¡¡±
He opened a com-link to everyone.
¡°I¡¯m sending you the coordinates now.¡±
In a flash the information was transferred to the ear piece of the other cyber angels and it projected an image in front of their eyes.
¡°There must be something wrong Duo, this is a¡¡±
¡°I know¡ they met behind it.¡±
Sounds of realisation came from the intercom as the ship altered its course for the destination. Fio was curious to know what they were doing.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Duo looked up at Fio before turning back to the controls.
¡°Chinese restaurants are a haven for hackers and spammers.¡±
Fio tilted her head, her fluid blue hair falling to one side.
¡°We automatically cancel out all viruses and spam mail within the area we are in so long as the data is within us.¡±
Duo stopped typing on the keyboard and cocked his eyebrow.
¡°That¡¯s convenient¡¡±
Ci and Sora entered the emporium. It was deserted since it was still early in the day and everyone was either at work or at school. Sora followed Ci through the square and they came to an archway guarded by two security personnel. They eyed the two of them as they neared. Calmly Ci took out a card and showed it to them, and one of the security guards took away the red rope blocking the entrance, allowing them passage. Ci turned to Sora.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Sora nodded. The emporium itself branched out into different sections. This particular street was commonly known as VIP road, because only those rich enough to afford a pass can enter here. It was a shopping haven, full of renowned brand names and high-class restaurants. Ci brought Sora down the street and into one of the shops. It looked like a men¡¯s boutique, from what Sora could see. Immediately they were greeted by a man.
¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Ci.¡±
Ci smiled.
¡°It sure is.¡±
The man wore a white collared shirt and black vest, plus a pair of dark blue pants. He hugged Ci and looked over at Sora.
¡°So who¡¯s this?¡±
¡°Walter, meet Sora Truehearted. Sora, this is Walter Emo, tailor and owner of Emo tailors.¡±
Sora and Walter shook hands.
¡°So you¡¯re here for a cyber angel uniform?¡±
Ci nodded, and smiled.
¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±
¡°Not at all.¡±
Walter took a good look at Sora, scratching his chin as he did so. He smiled after a while.
¡°I¡¯ve got just the thing.¡±
Back in the matrix, the cyber angels arrived at the back of the Chinese restaurant. Éclair cloaked itself as it hovered down, dropping off the cyber angels and Fio. Duo tapped at the controls on the bridge and a bluish orb appeared in front of him.
¡°Get yourself back to base, alright?¡± Duo told the A.I., smiling. The bluish ball blinked several times before disappearing. As Duo got into his WNS and got off, the airship hummed to life and flew off, its back draft sending dust scattering all over the place.
There was a small garden, and the trees were sporting autumn looks. A stone table stood next to a pond filled with fish, accompanied by a few stone chairs. Jen looked over at Fio.
¡°Is this the place?¡±
Fio nodded. The seven of them loved nature, so whenever they met, it would be at a place with lots of plants and animals. Jen turned to the others.
¡°Alright. All of you spread out. I want a full search of this place. See if you can find anything unusual.¡±
After taking some measurements, Walter gave Sora what looked like a scuba suit. It felt like cold steel however, as Sora put it on and came out of the dressing room. Walter took one look and smiled.
¡°Perfect.¡±
Sora looked down at his hand, part of the strange material covered a bit of the back of his hand as it hooked onto his middle fingers.
¡°What is this?¡±
¡°The standard WNS plug suit.¡±
Sora looked up at Ci for an explanation.
¡°The suit is actually a series of circuits that maintains your body¡¯s temperature and metabolism while in the WNS. It doubles as an electrical insulator in case your WNS short-circuits.¡±
Sora looked at his arms again. The strange fabric clung to his limbs.
¡°Am I suppose to wear this all the time?¡±
¡°Whenever you are in your WNS.¡±
Walter handed Sora some other clothes.
¡°The good thing is that you can wear clothes over it. The suit is basically there to protect you in case the WNS fails. It has its own tracker that works in and out of the matrix and an intercom for you to communicate with the control centre at anytime. They¡¯re those rings on your fingers.¡±
A few minutes later, Sora emerged from the dressing room again. This time he had on a pair of black trousers, laced heavy duty boots, a loose white t-shirt and a jumper with GISB¡¯s emblem, consisting of the world with the organization¡¯s name revolving around it, imprinted on its sleeve. Walter blinked, mildly surprised at his own handiwork.
¡°Not bad¡¡±
Ci agreed whole-heartedly.
¡°There¡¯s one problem though¡¡±
She walked forward and took off the glasses that Sora wore. Walter smiled.
¡°Honestly I didn¡¯t think anyone else but Jen could make it look good in that suit.¡±
Sora blinked, and Ci chuckled.
¡°How much?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll send the bill over next month.¡±
¡°Thanks, Walter.¡±
After chatting with Walter for a while, they left the boutique. Ci checked her watch.
¡°Look at the time! Let¡¯s go for lunch.¡±
¡°In this?¡±
Ci had insisted that Sora wear the uniform for a while to get use to it. She smiled at him.
¡°You do look rather cute in it.¡±
Sora blinked, but said nothing and followed Ci as she headed for a nearby restaurant. It was quite empty as it was still early, and the man in front greeted them.
¡°And you¡¯d like a table for¡¡±
His voice trailed off as he examined Sora. He sounded definitely French. Ci smiled politely.
¡°A table for two please.¡±
The man snapped from his trance and held out his hand, inviting the two of them to come in. He led them to a table at the side of the restaurant and handed them the menu. Ci browsed through the menu as Sora watched her silently.
¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°Anything is fine with me.¡±
Ci paused and looked at Sora, then she smiled.
¡°It¡¯s hard to find boys as well-behaved as you are nowadays.¡±
¡°Your point being?¡±
Ci smiled and shook her head.
¡°I was just commenting on how you behaved, that¡¯s all.¡±
Ci called for the waiter and placed their order, handing back the menu as she did so. The other waiters seem to be murmuring among themselves and glancing at Sora, but he ignored this. Slowly, but surely, the place began to fill up as the minutes ticked by. Most of them looked like executives and business people, but their actions were the same: all of them glanced at Sora briefly before chatting with their companions or looking through the menu. Again Sora chose to ignore this and closed his eyes as they waited for their food.
¡°Hey Sora.¡±
Sora looked up to find Ronald standing there, grinning from ear to ear. Ci also looked up from a book she was reading.
¡°Are you a friend of Sora¡¯s?¡±
Ronald nodded, and turned back to face Sora.
¡°So it¡¯s true then, you¡¯ve become a cyber angel.¡±
¡°What of it?¡±
Ronald snorted.
¡°The cyber angels are legends. Man, what¡¯d you do to get into the organization?¡±
Sora shrugged.
¡°What are you doing here?¡±
¡°My father dropped by the school today, so he decided to take me out for lunch.¡±
¡°By any chance is your father Ron Howitzer?¡±
Ronald turned to Ci surprised.
¡°How did you know?¡±
Ci smiled.
¡°He¡¯s one of the highest benefactors of the cyber angels.¡±
¡°You work for the cyber angels also?¡±
¡°Who did you think I was.¡±
¡°Well¡ I thought you were Sora¡¯s mother.¡±
Ci smiled politely, but she did look offended.
¡°I¡¯m still in my twenties thank you.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry.¡±
¡°Ronald!¡±
¡°Got to run, see you.¡±
¡°Bye.¡±
Ci and Sora watched as Ronald left.
¡°He¡¯s quite a rude boy don¡¯t you think?¡±
Sora shook his head.
¡°Just insensitive, that¡¯s all.¡±
Their food finally came and they ate.
In the matrix, the cyber angels were searching the place. They had gone over it trice already, but still nothing strange was found. Fio was sitting on the stone stool closest to the pond, watching as the fish swam about. She smiled to herself. Duo appeared at the entrance with a bag of boxes.
¡°At least there¡¯s a restaurant nearby.¡±
Everybody took a break and got out of their WNS. Sitting round the stone table, they dug into the food. The Chinese food was good. Fio watched as they ate, Jen was the first to notice this after a while.
¡°Why don¡¯t you eat something like the system navigators do?¡±
Fio shook her head.
¡°I don¡¯t have to in the matrix.¡±
Duo slurped up a particularly long serving of noodles and looked over at Fio curiously.
¡°You mean to say you don¡¯t need anything to sustain yourself so long as you¡¯re in the matrix?¡±
Fio nodded. She had been out of the matrix a few times, and it was only at these times did she begin to have almost human sensations. Hunger, warmth, softness¡ those were just a few of the things she had felt when she was outside of the matrix. The seven of them agreed it was strange that such a thing could happen.
They finished their meal and went back into their suits. Again they combed the place, but this time Fio felt something. Her spine tingled as she turned to look at the pond.
¡°I can sense my sister¡¡±
Rika, who was closest to her, turned.
¡°What?¡±
Fio pointed at the middle of the pond.
¡°Something¡¯s over there.¡±
¡°Of course! The pond!¡±
Rika turned to Jen.
¡°He¡¡±
All of a sudden the pond rippled, and a creature burst out of the water, knocking Rika out. The other cyber angels turned around stunned. The creature growled, and Jen pulled his blades out just in time as the creature jumped forward and swiped him with its claws.
¡°Dang it¡¯s fast¡¡±
Jen pushed the creature back. His arm was bleeding slightly where the creature had scratched him.
¡°It¡¯s smart too, taking out our healer first. Chi, generate temporary fie¡¡±
It was too late. The creature grabbed Chi by her head and threw her into a tree, causing it to snap and fall. Chi slumped to the ground unconscious, against the stump of the tree. The creature growled again, and jumped towards Jen for a second assault, but found itself trapped in a shield. Angrily it clawed at it, and the shield reverberated with each hit. Duo was sweating from the energy needed to keep the shield up.
¡°I can¡¯t keep him in there for long¡¡±
Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom.
¡°What¡¯s happening? Why is there a virus signature?¡±
¡°It just ambushed us all of a sudden. I think it¡¯s one of the oracle mutations. It¡¯s already taken out Rika and Chi.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Chikage turned to a panel of personnel.
¡°Evacuate the area! Seal off that section!¡±
¡°No go! Area is already saturated with too much data!¡±
Chikage frowned. This was bad.
¡°Jen, keep that creature in the area, do not let it escape!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
The shield finally broke and the creature pounced on Duo. Luckily Banks caught it mid air with his lance and threw him onto the ground. It yelped in pain.
¡°You alright Duo?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ I¡¯m fine.¡±
The creature got up again, but he didn¡¯t immediately pounce on any of them, but looked about it. All of a sudden, it leapt onto the roof of the restaurant.
¡°Damn! Duo, get Rika and Chi onto the hover ship. Bring them back to the control centre. The rest of you, follow me!¡±
¡°Roger!¡±
Jen, Rio, Banks and Mei took flight. The creature had jumped from the restaurant roof onto the busy street below, and pedestrians all backed away in fear as the creature looked about it, growling. Suddenly, it roared and jumped at a small girl clutching a teddy bear. She screamed, but luckily Jen came just in time, blocking the blow. Rio scooped up the girl, just as her mother came.
¡°Christie!¡±
Rio ran over.
¡°Here.¡±
¡°Thank you!¡±
She turned to the rest.
¡°Everyone evacuate from this place now!¡±
They didn¡¯t need telling twice. With Mei and Rio helping them, everyone was soon safely out of the sector. Chikage smiled.
¡°Good work girls.¡±
Laughter filled the empty streets all of a sudden. A high-pitched, evil sound. The four cyber angels looked about them confused.
¡°Oh, the fun¡¯s just beginning!¡±
¡°Show yourself!¡±
The air above the creature seem to shimmer and a woman appeared. She wore a full length cloak-like dress with purple swirling patterns. Brushing aside part of her red hair, she eyed the cyber angels, her purple eyes glinting gleefully.
¡°Who are you?¡±
The woman smiled.
¡°That is of no importance.¡±
Banks growled. He leapt forward, lance ready, but the woman threw Banks backwards with a wave of her hand.
¡°How amusing¡ Why not we have some fun then?¡±
She lifted both her hands, and a black sphere materialized above her. The gathering energy causes a whirlwind to form, blowing loose items around. Jen and the others cover their faces as the wind becomes stronger.
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
The sphere in the woman¡¯s hands glowed purple, and spikes shoot out of it in all directions.
¡°Everyone up!¡±
The cyber angels flew into the sky just in time as the spikes hit the ground where they had stood. The street cracked and shuddered as more creatures appeared. They were hideous, saliva dripping from their oversized jaws as they moaned and stretched. Their bodies seemed to be made entirely out of limbs stitched together, twisted at awkward angles and covered in what looked like blood.
¡°What in the¡?¡±
Suddenly, the cyber angels found themselves entangled in a web of wings. Some of the creature had wings stitched onto them, and they could use them though they were like the rest of their bodies: twisted and broken. All of them fell to the ground, where hundreds more swarmed over them. Jen managed to pull out one of his swords and hacked away at those crawling over him, but more soon followed. The others did about the same, but there was simply too many of them. The woman laughed.
¡°How entertaining¡¡±
Two red beams suddenly shot past her, eradicating most of the minions she had summoned. She spun round, surprised.
¡°What?¡±
Standing there was Fio. She was no longer in the dress she wore, but instead was in full battle gear. Her swimsuit-like armour was blood red, with green trimmings. On her arms were two armlets, each with a transparent orb. Her thighs were bare, but the lower half of her legs were covered in armour. She had a visor on, which also had a red hue to it, and two short wings shot out from the sides of her face. Those were the only things that weren¡¯t red, but white with a red strip running down the middle.
¡°Return my sister!¡±
The woman was caught off guard, but smiled and composed herself.
¡°You sister? Why don¡¯t I let her decide for herself?¡±
The creature roared and lunged at Fio who jumped away. She couldn¡¯t hurt her own sister.
¡°It¡¯s me, Fio!¡±
Unheeding, the creature slashed at Fio viciously. Jen and the others finished off the rest of the minions, and ran forward to help Fio, but the woman blocked their way again.
¡°Going somewhere?¡±
More minions appeared. Jen pulled out his other blade as the others readied for the attack.
¡°Damn!¡±
All of a sudden, missiles flew into the mass of minions and exploded, destroying all of them and filling the place with smoke. Jen squinted through the dust.
¡°What just happen?¡±
¡°Sorry I¡¯m late.¡±
The dust cleared with Sora¡¯s thrusters as he landed. His visor was gone, but he still wore the helm. The woman gritted her teeth.
¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°I should be asking you the same question.¡±
The woman sneered.
¡°No matter, your presence means nothing to me!¡±
More minions rose with a wave of his hand, but Sora mowed them down with his gatling guns. With full thrust, Sora charged forward, slashing and hitting the minions like ragged dolls in a dog¡¯s mouth. Sora went straight for the woman, but met with a shield instead, and was thrown back by her. Sora steadied himself with his boosters.
¡°You think you¡¯re so great? Try this!¡±
¡°Rage!¡±
The woman stopped, hands half raised.
¡°Rage! Return now!¡±
The woman turned to the sky.
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Return now! The master is unhappy with you.¡±
The woman known as Rage cursed under her breath, and turned to Sora.
¡°Don¡¯t think this is over!¡±
With that she disappeared into thin air, but Sora couldn¡¯t be bother to investigate: more pressing matters were at hand. Fio was pinned down by the creature as she tried desperately to reason with it.
¡°I¡¯m Fio! Remember? Your sister!¡±
The creature roared, and raised its claw for the final blow. Sora charged forward and knocked the creature off Fio, driving it into a nearby building with him. Shaking off sand and dust, it looked about itself, growling. Sora stood a few feet away, Looking at the creature, the visor lowered over Sora¡¯s eyes. The scientists back at the control room were typing furiously at their terminals.
¡°Program activated! Hypothetical feed at 5 gigabytes!¡±
Chikage looked at the screen.
¡°What is he thinking?¡±
All the missile pods on Seira opened, and Sora fired everything at the creature. Fio was shocked.
¡°Sora! Stop!¡±
Too late, all the missiles flew towards the creature. It would seem that it was doomed, but the visor on Sora had marked out each missile and he lifted his gatling guns. He fired, destroying the missiles at the last moment, sending thick black smoke everywhere. Seira¡¯s thrusters ignited and Sora flew forward. The creature, blinded, was unable to react as Sora punched it, sending it flying into another building. The creature roared in pain as it picked itself up from the wall. Sora appeared out of the smoke in the air. He came down on the creature with his gatling gun, but it disappeared in a blink of an eye.
¡°What?¡±
Sora turned round as the creature appeared behind him, ramming him through two buildings at one go, coming to a halt at the wall of the third. The creature jumped backwards, and crouched there looking as Seira fell to the ground. Sora couldn¡¯t move.
¡°The program has frozen subject¡¯s muscles!¡±
¡°Attempting manual shut down¡ negative!¡±
¡°Wait¡ movement detected!¡±
Chikage turned to the scientists.
¡°What?¡±
With tremendous effort Sora pushed himself off the ground with his left hand. It felt as if a ton had fallen onto him. Bit by bit he stood up. The visor indicated the creature, telling Sora that it was the enemy. The graphics blinked suddenly, and indicated something else was running towards him. It was Fio.
¡°Which is my enemy?¡±
Sora breathed hard, perspiration dotting his forehead. Just standing there was taking all of his energy. With a final roar, the creature jumped forward. Fio was running towards them from one side. She and the cyber angels watched as the creature pounced onto Sora.
¡°No!¡±
Two things happened then. One, the creature was thrown backwards. Two, an orb of light engulfed Sora and Fio. The computers monitoring Seira flickered and the graphic design of the suit changed.
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
The armour on Sora¡¯s body was suddenly covered by glowing red energy. Part of it shot out from his right arm, and the red shell shattered, revealing a long, wide blade. The rest of the red substance also shattered in a chain reaction. His armour had become more rounded, and was ruby red in colour with black trimmings. His helm had disappeared, but the visor was still present, with a reddish tint to it. Sora looked down at his arms.
¡°What happened?¡±
What happened?
That was Fio¡¯s voice, but it was in Sora¡¯s mind. Sora looked down at the blade on his right arm.
¡°What is this?¡±
It seems we¡¯ve merged¡ somehow. Look out!
Just in the nick of time, Sora used the blade to block a surprise attack by the creature. It leapt backwards and growled at Sora as he readied himself. A newfound energy was surging through his body.
Please don¡¯t hurt my sister.
Sora nodded, and the blade retracted itself into the armlet on his arm. The creature pounced again, but Sora caught its claws and knocked it with his head, sending it flying backwards. Not giving up, the creature attacked fiercely, but Sora managed to avoid all of the assaults. The other cyber angels were confused.
¡°What the hell is going on?¡±
There were noises behind , and they turned to find minions crawling out of the ground.
¡°Them again?¡±
They pulled out their weapons and hacked away at the minions, but they just keep coming.
¡°Why are there so many of them?¡±
Sora and the creature were fighting it out, and none of them seemed to be in the advantage. All of a sudden Sora grabbed the creature and flew into the air. His intercom still worked.
¡°Jen! Get out of there now!¡±
¡°No need to tell us twice!¡±
The cyber angels flew into the air and Sora threw the creature towards the mass of minions. The blade shot out of Sora¡¯s armlet with a metallic scratching sound and he pointed it at the creature. Energy gathered there and a thick beam shot out from the blade, slicing through the air and into the creature, followed by the minions. As the light subsided, all that was left of the road was nothing more than charred debris. All the minions were gone, and the creature lay in a crater motionless. Sora flew towards the creature and landed next to it. The creature glowed green and turned into a girl. Light encircled Sora and Fio separated from him. She bent down and helped the girl into a sitting position. The girl had her hand on her forehead, her facial expression showed discomfort. Her hair was lime green, and was about as long as Fio¡¯s hair, but not tied in a pony tail. Instead it fell freely down her back. Her skin was also slightly tan.
¡°Maya? Are you alright?¡±
The girl opened her eyelids, revealing a pair of ruby red eyes. She turned and looked at Fio surprised. She blinked.
¡°Fio? What happened?¡±
Fio smiled.
¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±
Jen and the others landed behind them. Chikage¡¯s voice came through the intercom.
¡°What is the situation down there?¡±
¡°All clear ma¡¯am.¡±
¡°Take off your helm Sora, just to be on the safe side.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Sora grasped the back of his helm and pulled it off in one clean motion. Maya tried to stand, but winced and her knees gave way. Sora caught her.
¡°Are you alright?¡±
Maya looked up into Sora¡¯s equally red eyes, mistaking the tired look on his face to be a look of concern. She blushed and looked away, smiling slightly.
¡°My legs¡ they don¡¯t seem to work.¡±
Sora looked over at Fio.
¡°I don¡¯t think she can fly in this condition.¡±
Fio nodded.
¡°We¡¯ll have to find another way to get her out.¡±
Jen nodded and called Chikage.
¡°Ma¡¯am? Could you send down the hover ship?¡±
¡°It¡¯s on its way.¡±
Back in the facility, Rika was tending to an unconscious Chi. She winced slightly. Her abdomen still hurt from the blow from that creature.
¡°Hey¡ don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡¡±
Rika shot Duo a deadly look.
¡°I can look after myself.¡±
Duo lifted his hands in a gesture of defeat. He had some bandages over his left arm and some plasters on his face.
¡°I was just concerned, that¡¯s all.¡±
Chikage appeared on screen on the wall in the medical ward then.
¡°Duo. Get over to the airship. There¡¯re some people who need to be picked up.¡±
Rika turned to face Chikage.
¡°Are Jen and the others okay?¡±
¡°Yes, and another oracle is joining us.¡±
¡°Well¡¡±
Duo headed for the door, hands behind his head.
¡°¡guess I should be going.¡±
With that Rika watched him leave. Biting her lower lip, she returned to observing Chi after a while.
Duo got the ship, and in a few minutes he was down at the sector. He whistled when he saw the damage done.
¡°Sora and Fio did all this?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Get on. We¡¯re leaving so that the cleanup crew can get to work.¡±
¡°Roger that.¡±
The cyber angels boarded the ship and placed their suits in the WNS bay at the bottom level of the craft. Jen turned at the door.
¡°Come on, So¡¡±
His jaw dropped. Banks turned round and was equally surprised. Sora had just gotten out of his suit and looked at then quizzically.
¡°Hmm?¡±
Rio peered over Jen¡¯s shoulder, and blinked. Mei also took a look, her fox-like ears twitching.
¡°Is it me of does he look better in a uniform than Jen?¡±
¡°Definitely.¡±
Sora thought for a while before he realised what they were talking about. He face-faulted.
¡°Is it such a big deal?¡±
¡°Kawaii!¡±
Sora felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. Maya had jumped onto him. She was quite heavy, considering the fact that she still had on her armour. Also, the claws on her armlets were dangerously close to Sora¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t freak like the other did.
¡°Are you okay now?¡±
Maya cracked opened her eyes and blinked. Her face turned red slightly as Sora looked at her.
¡°Yes. Thank you for saving me.¡±
¡°Do you mind letting go?¡±
Maya smiled.
¡°Yes I mind.¡±
Jen and the others looked over at Fio for an explanation, but she just shrugged. Maya was the carefree sort of girl, very open with her feelings and emotions. After some persuasion Maya finally let go, and they headed for the bridge. Duo was manning the craft, but when he caught sight of Sora he nearly lost control.
¡°Seriously¡ that¡¯s Sora?¡±
Sora rolled his eyes. There was a lounge below the bridge, and they spent their time there resting as the hover ship made its way towards the closest jump hole large enough to hold the ship¡¯s capacity. Maya finally got out of her suit, and was wearing a very wide-collared shirt and a short green skirt with a large bow tied round her waist at the back. She had another yellow bow tied round her collar and her metal bangle was hanging loosely from her right ankle. She nudged Fio slightly and whispered into her ear.
¡°How¡¯s Sora like?¡±
Fio blinked.
¡°Like? I don¡¯t understand.¡±
¡°You know¡ his personality.¡±
¡°Well¡¡± Fio looked at Sora, who was looking out of a nearby window into the sky. She would love to ask that question also.
¡°He¡¯s a mystery I suppose.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
Fio turned to find Maya smiling happily.
¡°That is so kawaii!¡±
Fio sweatdropped and smiled back slightly. This was the Maya she knew all too well.
Author¡¯s Ramble
FFC skitters across the keyboard, typing away. Sora is sitting on the chair as usual, but his expression showed confusion
Sora: I don¡¯t get it¡
FFC: Neither do I.
Sweatdrops Sora: Okay¡
FFC: I already told you I¡¯m still working on the storyline.
Sora: But¡ what¡¯s the matrix?
FFC: A rip-off from the movie, but this time it¡¯s more like a new country. People can travel in and out of it through portals.
Sora: Oh. Then what¡¯s with GISB?
FFC: Again. Not yet settled with the finer details. It¡¯s an abbreviation for something else. By the way, your name isn¡¯t Sora Truehearted.
Sora: It isn¡¯t?
FFC: Nope. Truthfully you should be Pryce Rekees, an elemental wielding, neutral demi-god.
Sora, or Pryce: Huh?
FFC: My OC, remember?
Pryce: Oh. Hey. My name changed.
FFC: I told you.
Pryce: So I¡¯ll be keeping this name?
FFC: For now, yes. To the readers, ciao.