.Hack: Penance
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters/concepts belong to Bandai and Cyber Connect. They are used without permission, but with the utmost respect.
Notes: Happens after the end of Quarantine. (Thoughts,) [text,] {email domains}. Nothing in particular to note this chapter, although I wanna send a few thanks to some people who've been cool to me from the get-go. Jonathan Priest and Goldberry – fellow writers, and talented writers at that, and all-around nice people; thank you for your kind words. Shinji Ikari, your knowledge of all things .Hack has saved my hide more than once.
D.C., you can call me 'Renfro' anytime. Ren will do in a pinch, and if you feel up to it, you can call me by my real name: Bob McSpiffy. EternallyLost, Elk-InnocentAura... glad to have you all here. Runnin' out of room so I gotta cut this short, but you know who you are, you wonderful peoples you :)
This chapter written under the influence of: Genesis – That's All
Chapter 9 – Stranger in Name Only
------------------------------------------
[News: Cyber-Terrorism Conference Begins
Just over twelve hours old, the Global Cyber-Terrorism Conference, hosted by the United Nations, began with a resounding endorsement of Cyber Connect's 'Altimit' operating system by chairwoman Alexis Fulbright. "The lessons of Pluto Kiss are clear;" said the representative from the United States, "that the security of information – of the very network upon which our society rests – is not the property of any one government, but of the cooperation of state and industry."
Fulbright spoke before a gathering of representatives, one from every member of the U.N., as well as leading scientists and businesspersons in the field of information technology. Vice President Kyoya Takahashi of Cyber Connect was present, as was Aldous Rosenberg, CEO of rival software developer Asara Corporation. No small amount of controversy surrounded Rosenberg's appearance, as his firm was recently the subject of an investigation into claims of misappropriated funds and corporate sabotage – claims filed by Cyber Connect. The investigation turned up no conclusive evidence, though Rosenberg himself has made no comment on the matter.]
-
"Mnnn... aw, man..."
Hiroshi sighed, turning over to lay on his other side, pulling the comforter with him. A quick glance at a bedside table gave him cause to frown; the alarm clock stared back at him, telling him it was six minutes after one in the morning, and more than two hours since he had turned in for the night.
It wasn't the temperature that kept him awake; the room was comfortably cool, enough to warrant tucking himself firmly beneath all of his bedsheets. The pillow pressed softly against the side of his face, beckoning him to relax, and yet his mind was abuzz with activity, all of it in the form of unanswerable questions.
None of them were new, just the usual 'who' and 'what'. Their three cousins were absent; 'where' and 'when' required a certain measure of fact, and he needed to know what was happening before he could ask 'why'.
He turned again, sliding a hand beneath the pillow and propping up his head. His eyes never opened, yet somehow the lack of visual input only fueled his thoughts, instead of stifling them.
(Oh... this is impossible. I'll never get to sleep at this rate.)
His eyes popped open, letting in the light of the nearly pitch-black room. The moonlight filtered through the drawn blinds, tinting what little they could reach in a bluish hue and forcing his pupils to widen. He recognized the darkened shapes of his room, everything in place as he remembered it.
He could hear the fan running overhead, a soothing noise that drowned out the less pleasant noises a house could make in the dead of night.
A soft exhalation, muffled by his pillow. (I just can't stop thinking about it... something really serious is going on. People are spying on me... are they watching me right now?) The thought sent a chill through his body. (What do they want with me? Does this have to do with Dean?)
Briefly, he let his mind go over his curious relationship with Dean, all the while wondering if he had inadvertently dragged Hiroshi into something the detective was already neck-deep in, or if whoever it was had an agenda that involved him from the start. Like a game of solitaire in his head, every potential move, every possible explanation, only brought up another question, another card to be placed.
Balling his hand into a fist, he squeezed the pillow firmly with his fingers. (Oh, forget it. Maybe if I get up and just check my mail or something...)
The boy resigned himself to fate, and threw aside the covers; slowly he rose to his feet and quietly toed his way to the desk. A tiny green light glowed in the darkness, the power indicator for the computer that reminded him the machine was still on. From memory, he guided his hand to the monitor, feeling the bottom right corner for the on-off button. The screen remained dark and lifeless until he gave the mouse a gentle nudge, causing the machine to arise from its slumber and the screen to light up.
Hiroshi squinted as his desktop appeared, the bright blue background shining its light into his bedroom. He moved into his chair as quickly as he dared, holding his breath as he leaned back, causing the chair to groan and creak a little under his weight.
Unconsciously, his hand found the mouse again and opened his mail client before he even noticed the 'new mail' icon.
-
From: Stolls {theworld}
To: Kite {theworld}
Subj: Re: Letter from prison?
That's me in the letter; you might remember I was in jail for a year? I'll tell you all about it sometime, but right now... neither of the inmates' names ring a bell, though I remember Alvarez. I'm not sure what to make of it, though.
I'll do some checking offline. Let me know if anyone sees any more of these things.
- Dean
-
From: ----
To: Kite {theworld}
Subj: Are y-- th-r-?
I've g-t to s--- out -- -t. There's -- t--e.
Pl--se co-e in. Theta roo- --wn.
W-i---g -or y--. No--ere e-se to --.
Help me.
-e-n
-
He shed all pretense of weariness upon reading the seemingly conflicting messages, instantly guessing that the latter email was from Dean. "Help me," Hiroshi whispered under his own breath, trying to decode the rest of the mail. (What is going on here? Did he send this later? Something's wrong, I'd better go check it out.)
He deftly snatched up his headset and visor, donning both as he closed his mail client and opened 'The World.' Everything was automatic; his hands found the controller, went through the motions, what had been his daily routine for almost a year.
A tiny voice in the back of his head objected, unsure of whether Dean would still be there, or if it even was Dean who sent the mail – and for that matter, how the email had slipped by whatever program was erasing his mail – but the voice was quickly drowned out by background music and ambient noise.
With the push of a button, Kite stepped back into Mac Anu, and quickly did an about-face to open the Chaos Gate. Another button sent him away, and he landed feet-first on the island containing Dun Loireag's gate.
The main path through the connected islands was mostly deserted, a few late-night gamers tending to various matters of their own in the distance. The sun shone merrily overhead, causing a disconcerted Kite to shield his eyes as they got used to the light.
"Where am I... where am I?"
His head turned to a familiar male voice, and found it attached to an avatar he recognized. Standing off to one side of the island, the Wavemaster Stolls staggered in place, his posture unsteady as he clutched his face with one hand, the other feebly clasping a shiny golden staff.
"Dean... what's wrong?" Kite asked, stepping over to join the magician.
"Mmn... my head is killing me," he murmured as he massaged his temples. "Hiro... that you?"
"I'm here, I'm here," the boy reassured. "I got your mail... what's wrong?"
Stolls lifted his head, exposing his haggard and worn face; still the picture of youth, the Wavemaster nonetheless looked as if he, too, was the victim of a sleepless night. "I have to tell you something," he said in a slow, weary voice. "I don't know what's going, but something's happening to me."
Kite blinked. "What do you mean?"
"There's... uhh." He winced, lowered his face, giving his head a good shake. "There's something... wrong with me. I want to tell you, but it's all so hazy."
"I don't understand," Kite pleaded, holding his hands out as if to shrug. "Please, just tell me what's going on."
"Tell me," the magician rasped, glancing past Kite to the Chaos Gate. "Have you seen me online? Be-before now?"
The Twin Blade stared oddly at his companion. "Yeah, of course. We went to that one field to investigate the bizarre character, and I've been mailing you, and you me." He stopped to swallow. "And I even called your apartment," he added.
Stolls' eyes wandered to a point on the horizon. "I see... listen, Hiro... I know this all seems very confusing, and I'm sorry for that, but there's something I need you to do."
"What is it?"
"You have to pay attention," he said, his gaze returning to Kite. "To me. There's something wrong with me, something I can't explain, I can't remember. You have to watch me."
"Why?"
"Because I think I'm watching you. And I'm not the only one."
Kite let his eyes drift, unable to even dignify his confusion with coherent thought. It was all he could do to nod in compliance. "Is there anything you can tell me about what's going on?" he asked.
The Wavemaster's shoulders sagged as he exhaled. "Not much. They did something to me, I can't think straight. I feel like I haven't slept in ages. Just... don't mention this to me."
Kite gaped in bewilderment at the silver-haired young man, to which Stolls responded with, "I might not be who you think I am."
"Oh... o-okay," stammered the Twin Blade. "I'll do what I can."
"Thanks," said the Wavemaster, his voice gentle, if somewhat dry. Slowly he walked past Kite, his feet dragging as he approached the Chaos Gate. After six or so steps he stopped, and glanced over his shoulder. "Hey... what's today's date?"
"February 7th. Saturday."
"Damn... well, thanks again." He smiled weakly. "You're a good man, Hiro."
Before Kite could say anything else, teleport rings slid up over Stolls' body, causing him to fade from sight as he departed from the area. Left by himself, Kite could only let out a long, low groan, his head throbbing as he replayed the scene in his mind. What little tolerance for confusion the boy held was now vastly overwhelmed by the cryptic responses of the Wavemaster, which joined with his sleeplessness for a psychological one-two punch that could have floored three of him.
Silently, Kite gated out, and Hiroshi's world returned to darkness. He quietly removed the visor and set aside the controller, hard plastic making an uncomfortably loud clack on the wooden desk.
He sighed, knowing he would never get to sleep now.
-
"So that's it? He didn't explain anything?"
"Not much," said Hiroshi into the phone, clutched firmly in his hand. "Just that he's... well, it was weird. He kept talking about himself, how he wasn't who I thought he was. He asked me to 'pay attention to him,' and told me not to tell him about our meeting."
On the other end of the line, Yasuhiko grunted in bemusement. "What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea," he replied as he sat down in his chair. "Right now I don't have much of anything to go on. I guess I'll just have to wait until something comes up."
"Hey, as long as you're not doing anything," said Yasuhiko, "are you gonna be online later?"
"Probably, why?"
He could hear the smile in his friend's voice. "Think you could spare a few moments to help a poor, down-on-his-luck Blademaster power level?"
Hiroshi chuckled. "Power level?"
"C'mon!" begged Yasu with obvious exaggeration. "You're a hero now, like me. We gotta stick together!"
His chuckle escalated into a brief burst of laughter, paying scant attention to the label. "All right, all right... so your mom's letting you play again?"
"Yeah, but she wants me to keep it down to an hour a day for a while."
"Right. Don't worry, Yasu, we'll get you up there in no time." With a hidden grin, he added, "And maybe someday, if you try really hard, you'll be almost half as strong as me."
"That silence you're hearing is the sound of me suppressing the urge to PK," replied Yasu in a perfectly deadpan tone.
Hiro laughed again. "All right, well, I'll be on for a while after dinner, though there's one thing I want to check up on right now."
"What's that?"
"I want to talk with an administrator about what happened last night."
"I see. In that case, I'll talk to you later." A loud cough was heard through the earpiece. "See you, Hiro!"
"See you, Yasu!" The line died with a click, and Hiroshi set the phone down on its charger, turning his attention to the computer, which had since drifted into an idle status, a field of stars in place of the desktop.
The banter had taken his attention away from the gravity of the matter, but not permanently; with every look at his computer, the boy was reminded of how serious the problem was – or, to be more accurate, that he didn't know how serious it was. The only facts he knew scared the hell out of him.
Shrugging off his worries, Hiro pulled the visor back over his head and hefted the controller, logging in for the second time that day. His first act as Kite was to open a flash mail menu. His hands found their way to the keyboard and he began typing.
[Private message – tech support
From: Kite
I'd like to speak with Lios. It has to do with the strange character at Delta: Hidden Corrupted Paradise. I found out who it was.]
The teal-haired youth nodded in satisfaction, hitting 'enter' and sending the message. Seconds later, another message popped up before his eyes, one that quite visibly caught him off-guard, though not unpleasantly so.
[From: BlackRose
I'm at Lambda root town. Got a minute?]
- End of Chapter 9
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters/concepts belong to Bandai and Cyber Connect. They are used without permission, but with the utmost respect.
Notes: Happens after the end of Quarantine. (Thoughts,) [text,] {email domains}. Nothing in particular to note this chapter, although I wanna send a few thanks to some people who've been cool to me from the get-go. Jonathan Priest and Goldberry – fellow writers, and talented writers at that, and all-around nice people; thank you for your kind words. Shinji Ikari, your knowledge of all things .Hack has saved my hide more than once.
D.C., you can call me 'Renfro' anytime. Ren will do in a pinch, and if you feel up to it, you can call me by my real name: Bob McSpiffy. EternallyLost, Elk-InnocentAura... glad to have you all here. Runnin' out of room so I gotta cut this short, but you know who you are, you wonderful peoples you :)
This chapter written under the influence of: Genesis – That's All
Chapter 9 – Stranger in Name Only
------------------------------------------
[News: Cyber-Terrorism Conference Begins
Just over twelve hours old, the Global Cyber-Terrorism Conference, hosted by the United Nations, began with a resounding endorsement of Cyber Connect's 'Altimit' operating system by chairwoman Alexis Fulbright. "The lessons of Pluto Kiss are clear;" said the representative from the United States, "that the security of information – of the very network upon which our society rests – is not the property of any one government, but of the cooperation of state and industry."
Fulbright spoke before a gathering of representatives, one from every member of the U.N., as well as leading scientists and businesspersons in the field of information technology. Vice President Kyoya Takahashi of Cyber Connect was present, as was Aldous Rosenberg, CEO of rival software developer Asara Corporation. No small amount of controversy surrounded Rosenberg's appearance, as his firm was recently the subject of an investigation into claims of misappropriated funds and corporate sabotage – claims filed by Cyber Connect. The investigation turned up no conclusive evidence, though Rosenberg himself has made no comment on the matter.]
-
"Mnnn... aw, man..."
Hiroshi sighed, turning over to lay on his other side, pulling the comforter with him. A quick glance at a bedside table gave him cause to frown; the alarm clock stared back at him, telling him it was six minutes after one in the morning, and more than two hours since he had turned in for the night.
It wasn't the temperature that kept him awake; the room was comfortably cool, enough to warrant tucking himself firmly beneath all of his bedsheets. The pillow pressed softly against the side of his face, beckoning him to relax, and yet his mind was abuzz with activity, all of it in the form of unanswerable questions.
None of them were new, just the usual 'who' and 'what'. Their three cousins were absent; 'where' and 'when' required a certain measure of fact, and he needed to know what was happening before he could ask 'why'.
He turned again, sliding a hand beneath the pillow and propping up his head. His eyes never opened, yet somehow the lack of visual input only fueled his thoughts, instead of stifling them.
(Oh... this is impossible. I'll never get to sleep at this rate.)
His eyes popped open, letting in the light of the nearly pitch-black room. The moonlight filtered through the drawn blinds, tinting what little they could reach in a bluish hue and forcing his pupils to widen. He recognized the darkened shapes of his room, everything in place as he remembered it.
He could hear the fan running overhead, a soothing noise that drowned out the less pleasant noises a house could make in the dead of night.
A soft exhalation, muffled by his pillow. (I just can't stop thinking about it... something really serious is going on. People are spying on me... are they watching me right now?) The thought sent a chill through his body. (What do they want with me? Does this have to do with Dean?)
Briefly, he let his mind go over his curious relationship with Dean, all the while wondering if he had inadvertently dragged Hiroshi into something the detective was already neck-deep in, or if whoever it was had an agenda that involved him from the start. Like a game of solitaire in his head, every potential move, every possible explanation, only brought up another question, another card to be placed.
Balling his hand into a fist, he squeezed the pillow firmly with his fingers. (Oh, forget it. Maybe if I get up and just check my mail or something...)
The boy resigned himself to fate, and threw aside the covers; slowly he rose to his feet and quietly toed his way to the desk. A tiny green light glowed in the darkness, the power indicator for the computer that reminded him the machine was still on. From memory, he guided his hand to the monitor, feeling the bottom right corner for the on-off button. The screen remained dark and lifeless until he gave the mouse a gentle nudge, causing the machine to arise from its slumber and the screen to light up.
Hiroshi squinted as his desktop appeared, the bright blue background shining its light into his bedroom. He moved into his chair as quickly as he dared, holding his breath as he leaned back, causing the chair to groan and creak a little under his weight.
Unconsciously, his hand found the mouse again and opened his mail client before he even noticed the 'new mail' icon.
-
From: Stolls {theworld}
To: Kite {theworld}
Subj: Re: Letter from prison?
That's me in the letter; you might remember I was in jail for a year? I'll tell you all about it sometime, but right now... neither of the inmates' names ring a bell, though I remember Alvarez. I'm not sure what to make of it, though.
I'll do some checking offline. Let me know if anyone sees any more of these things.
- Dean
-
From: ----
To: Kite {theworld}
Subj: Are y-- th-r-?
I've g-t to s--- out -- -t. There's -- t--e.
Pl--se co-e in. Theta roo- --wn.
W-i---g -or y--. No--ere e-se to --.
Help me.
-e-n
-
He shed all pretense of weariness upon reading the seemingly conflicting messages, instantly guessing that the latter email was from Dean. "Help me," Hiroshi whispered under his own breath, trying to decode the rest of the mail. (What is going on here? Did he send this later? Something's wrong, I'd better go check it out.)
He deftly snatched up his headset and visor, donning both as he closed his mail client and opened 'The World.' Everything was automatic; his hands found the controller, went through the motions, what had been his daily routine for almost a year.
A tiny voice in the back of his head objected, unsure of whether Dean would still be there, or if it even was Dean who sent the mail – and for that matter, how the email had slipped by whatever program was erasing his mail – but the voice was quickly drowned out by background music and ambient noise.
With the push of a button, Kite stepped back into Mac Anu, and quickly did an about-face to open the Chaos Gate. Another button sent him away, and he landed feet-first on the island containing Dun Loireag's gate.
The main path through the connected islands was mostly deserted, a few late-night gamers tending to various matters of their own in the distance. The sun shone merrily overhead, causing a disconcerted Kite to shield his eyes as they got used to the light.
"Where am I... where am I?"
His head turned to a familiar male voice, and found it attached to an avatar he recognized. Standing off to one side of the island, the Wavemaster Stolls staggered in place, his posture unsteady as he clutched his face with one hand, the other feebly clasping a shiny golden staff.
"Dean... what's wrong?" Kite asked, stepping over to join the magician.
"Mmn... my head is killing me," he murmured as he massaged his temples. "Hiro... that you?"
"I'm here, I'm here," the boy reassured. "I got your mail... what's wrong?"
Stolls lifted his head, exposing his haggard and worn face; still the picture of youth, the Wavemaster nonetheless looked as if he, too, was the victim of a sleepless night. "I have to tell you something," he said in a slow, weary voice. "I don't know what's going, but something's happening to me."
Kite blinked. "What do you mean?"
"There's... uhh." He winced, lowered his face, giving his head a good shake. "There's something... wrong with me. I want to tell you, but it's all so hazy."
"I don't understand," Kite pleaded, holding his hands out as if to shrug. "Please, just tell me what's going on."
"Tell me," the magician rasped, glancing past Kite to the Chaos Gate. "Have you seen me online? Be-before now?"
The Twin Blade stared oddly at his companion. "Yeah, of course. We went to that one field to investigate the bizarre character, and I've been mailing you, and you me." He stopped to swallow. "And I even called your apartment," he added.
Stolls' eyes wandered to a point on the horizon. "I see... listen, Hiro... I know this all seems very confusing, and I'm sorry for that, but there's something I need you to do."
"What is it?"
"You have to pay attention," he said, his gaze returning to Kite. "To me. There's something wrong with me, something I can't explain, I can't remember. You have to watch me."
"Why?"
"Because I think I'm watching you. And I'm not the only one."
Kite let his eyes drift, unable to even dignify his confusion with coherent thought. It was all he could do to nod in compliance. "Is there anything you can tell me about what's going on?" he asked.
The Wavemaster's shoulders sagged as he exhaled. "Not much. They did something to me, I can't think straight. I feel like I haven't slept in ages. Just... don't mention this to me."
Kite gaped in bewilderment at the silver-haired young man, to which Stolls responded with, "I might not be who you think I am."
"Oh... o-okay," stammered the Twin Blade. "I'll do what I can."
"Thanks," said the Wavemaster, his voice gentle, if somewhat dry. Slowly he walked past Kite, his feet dragging as he approached the Chaos Gate. After six or so steps he stopped, and glanced over his shoulder. "Hey... what's today's date?"
"February 7th. Saturday."
"Damn... well, thanks again." He smiled weakly. "You're a good man, Hiro."
Before Kite could say anything else, teleport rings slid up over Stolls' body, causing him to fade from sight as he departed from the area. Left by himself, Kite could only let out a long, low groan, his head throbbing as he replayed the scene in his mind. What little tolerance for confusion the boy held was now vastly overwhelmed by the cryptic responses of the Wavemaster, which joined with his sleeplessness for a psychological one-two punch that could have floored three of him.
Silently, Kite gated out, and Hiroshi's world returned to darkness. He quietly removed the visor and set aside the controller, hard plastic making an uncomfortably loud clack on the wooden desk.
He sighed, knowing he would never get to sleep now.
-
"So that's it? He didn't explain anything?"
"Not much," said Hiroshi into the phone, clutched firmly in his hand. "Just that he's... well, it was weird. He kept talking about himself, how he wasn't who I thought he was. He asked me to 'pay attention to him,' and told me not to tell him about our meeting."
On the other end of the line, Yasuhiko grunted in bemusement. "What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea," he replied as he sat down in his chair. "Right now I don't have much of anything to go on. I guess I'll just have to wait until something comes up."
"Hey, as long as you're not doing anything," said Yasuhiko, "are you gonna be online later?"
"Probably, why?"
He could hear the smile in his friend's voice. "Think you could spare a few moments to help a poor, down-on-his-luck Blademaster power level?"
Hiroshi chuckled. "Power level?"
"C'mon!" begged Yasu with obvious exaggeration. "You're a hero now, like me. We gotta stick together!"
His chuckle escalated into a brief burst of laughter, paying scant attention to the label. "All right, all right... so your mom's letting you play again?"
"Yeah, but she wants me to keep it down to an hour a day for a while."
"Right. Don't worry, Yasu, we'll get you up there in no time." With a hidden grin, he added, "And maybe someday, if you try really hard, you'll be almost half as strong as me."
"That silence you're hearing is the sound of me suppressing the urge to PK," replied Yasu in a perfectly deadpan tone.
Hiro laughed again. "All right, well, I'll be on for a while after dinner, though there's one thing I want to check up on right now."
"What's that?"
"I want to talk with an administrator about what happened last night."
"I see. In that case, I'll talk to you later." A loud cough was heard through the earpiece. "See you, Hiro!"
"See you, Yasu!" The line died with a click, and Hiroshi set the phone down on its charger, turning his attention to the computer, which had since drifted into an idle status, a field of stars in place of the desktop.
The banter had taken his attention away from the gravity of the matter, but not permanently; with every look at his computer, the boy was reminded of how serious the problem was – or, to be more accurate, that he didn't know how serious it was. The only facts he knew scared the hell out of him.
Shrugging off his worries, Hiro pulled the visor back over his head and hefted the controller, logging in for the second time that day. His first act as Kite was to open a flash mail menu. His hands found their way to the keyboard and he began typing.
[Private message – tech support
From: Kite
I'd like to speak with Lios. It has to do with the strange character at Delta: Hidden Corrupted Paradise. I found out who it was.]
The teal-haired youth nodded in satisfaction, hitting 'enter' and sending the message. Seconds later, another message popped up before his eyes, one that quite visibly caught him off-guard, though not unpleasantly so.
[From: BlackRose
I'm at Lambda root town. Got a minute?]
- End of Chapter 9