A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters/concepts are property of Bandai and Cyber Connect. They are used without permission, but with the utmost respect.
Notes: Happens after the end of Quarantine, but before the post-game stuff. God, I love ambiguous timeframes! You know the drill: (thoughts), [text], {email domains}. Anyhoo, the plot, she thickens! And no, I didn't cave in and put Sanjuro just because of the requests. Really. Honest :)
This chapter done to the tune of: Full Devil Jacket - Where Did You Go?Chapter 12 – Shatter
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"Before you ask, I don't know who's behind this. Well, not exactly, anyway." His eyes drifted from Balmung to Ryoko, then to Sanjuro. "I don't suppose any of you saw a guy in a prison jumpsuit?"
Ryoko nodded. "Um, we didn't get to meet that character; some other players found and killed him, but we did get a letter from him. It said something about a fight?"
Dean groaned, lowering his gaze for a moment. "Yeah... that was me. In both cases. I-I mean... that was me who was attacked in the letter... and me at the field."
The Axewoman's eyes opened wide, and she let out a small gasp of surprise.
Sanjuro spoke in her stead. "How could that be you? She just said they killed that character."
"I know, I know how this must all look like... just go with me on this, man, okay? I'll get to that, but let me finish." He paused for a second or two in anticipation of other questions. Satisfied, he continued. "I was trying to give you a name to work with. The guy's name is Felix Croker. Some... small-time drug trafficker I put away that held a grudge."
"And he's the one that attacked you?" asked Balmung.
Dean turned to the Blademaster. "Yeah, that's him. I don't know what role he plays in this all, but he's a part of it, no question about it."
"If you're here," said Ryoko, "then who has Kite been with when he meets with you... uh, with your character?"
"I don't know exactly. It might be Felix or one of the others, but it's definitely not me." He cocked his head skyward, and then glanced at Ryoko. "Hey, could one of you do me a favor and log this conversation?"
Balmung gave a nod to the detective. "I have it."
"Thanks. Make sure it gets to Kite, he has to know what's going on. But don't mail it to him; you'll have to think of some other way. Offline, where they can't track it."
Sanjuro unfolded one of his legs from beneath him, planting a foot in the ground and propping his elbow up on his knee. "So, what's going on here with all these characters?"
"As far as I can tell, there's been three of me, almost like... god, how do I put this..." Dean furrowed his brow, staring into the ground. "It's like my... mind, I guess, broke into a few pieces in here. Me, the prisoner, and I even... I found myself looking like my character one time."
"And you've been all of them?" was Balmung's next query. "So, there haven't been multiple characters, but just one, just you; and you've been a different one each time?"
"Maybe, or maybe there's only been just one at a time. It's almost like a game," Dean said ruefully. "I started off as me, only I knew I shouldn't be me. It's like someone had hijacked my character and I was stuck in 'The World' as me." He waited for a beat, letting the words hang in the air. "After running from Kite and Stolls, I ran into a portal that spawned some monsters." Shivering, he added, "they killed me."
"I don't know how it happened; it wasn't like I could feel it happen, couldn't feel the pain, couldn't feel anything. I saw my body turn gray and vanish, just like anyone else in the game. Then everything went dark." Slowly, his eyes drifted away from those of his audience, a hint of fear in the dark brown orbs, his words soft, weak even. "For a while... maybe an hour, maybe longer, I couldn't tell. It was just... empty. I felt cold, alone."
Coming back to himself, Dean faced Balmung once more. "And then, just like that, I was back. As the prisoner this time. And when I died again... Stolls."
A stray gust of wind tousled loose hair and cloth, the only noise on the plain besides their voices. "Wait," said Sanjuro. "You were your character?"
Dean sighed as he looked at the samurai-themed warrior. "Yeah. And I ran into Kite, too. I didn't tell him too much... he's being watched."
"How did you become yourself again?" the Heavy Blade pressed.
"When I left the root town, I wandered for a little while. I just... I was so tired, I just collapsed. I was like this when I came to." The detective shook his head. "That's when I figured out that someone was playing a game with me, based on my memories, my past. Only I don't know what to make of it."
"Do you remember how you got here?" asked Ryoko.
"Y'know, that's a funny question. I don't actually 'remember' anything before waking up in 'The World.' I mean, I know – or at least I think – that someone kidnapped me in the real world, but I don't remember it happening." His gaze hardened. "I don't remember being woken up in the night, men in black barging in, holding me down and forcing a rag soaked with chloroform over my mouth, but that's how it happened. It's like... it's like if someone told you about an event that you didn't see for yourself. Does that make sense?"
"I think so," Ryoko replied, "but how have you been communicating with Kite? Sending mail, or leaving that letter?"
He folded his hands, resting them in his lap. "I don't know. It's almost like I can still interact with the game menu, but I can't actually see it... I just kinda feel my way around. Think about it really hard. Something like that. Sometimes it's more definite than others, like I can almost see the interface – a heads-up display, status boxes, graphical indicators. I can only imagine how it comes through."
"It was scrambled. We tried to decipher it, but we didn't get very far."
Dean nodded. "It said, 'It's me, the man in black. That isn't Stolls, that's an imposter. They want her, Morganna. Don't trust him.'"
Balmung clamped his teeth together. "They want Morganna?! Why?"
"Damned if I know. I don't know what good it would do either, now that she's... well, even I'm not sure. I know I should know, though." He chuckled dryly. "Heh, you know what's funny? When I said I don't remember anything happening... I don't even remember what happened to me when I was the prisoner, or Stolls. Like before, I just... knew that it happened."
An older woman's voice startled all four of them. "And don't you ever wonder why that is?"
All were on their feet and facing the newcomer in a matter of seconds; a tall, blonde woman, clad in a revealing white robe, trimmed with gold on the sleeves, with what appeared to be armor plating on her hips and shoulders. Much of her chest lay exposed, with only a pair of narrow straps to cover her breasts; by contrast, a large, conical white hat sat on her head, with a red visor obscuring her eyes. In her hand, the trademark of a Wavemaster, a magic wand that looked almost as unorthodox as she.
Balmung narrowed his eyes. "Helba."
Her head twitched briefly in his direction before she approached, stepping up to the small circle to address Dean directly. "Don't you wonder why you know things you haven't experienced? Why you can't seem to control what you do in other forms?"
Stollis wasn't fazed. "All the damn time. What's it to you?"
"Hmm." The corner of her lips quivered, as if in the beginnings of a smirk. "I've been watching you, Mr. Stollis. As you know, your existence in this world is an abberation, something that should not be, yet here you are. The very first incident happened a few days ago, and yet you don't need to log off for food, or drink, or rest."
Sanjuro eyed Dean carefully. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that although our detective here has been in 'The World' for well over 48 hours, he has not been at his terminal for that amount of time." She shifted her gaze to the Heavy Blade. "I'm saying that what you see here is not Dean at all."
"What... what are you talking about?" Dean asked, a tone of urgency in his voice.
"Haven't you figured it out?" she asked, an almost amused quality in her words.
He stammered, visibly flustered. "I... I don't understand..."
"She's saying you're a computer program," Balmung answered flatly. "You're an AI, or like one."
Terajima let her jaw drop, staring long and hard at Dean. "What?! You mean that this character isn't really... isn't him?"
"Think about it," said Balmung. "If someone else is controlling Stolls, and they've kidnapped him offline... why would they allow him into 'The World'? Where he might be able to find help?"
"But then, how did he get here as an AI?"
The hacker turned back to Dean. "I believe if he were awake, he could answer that very question."
"Th-this is insane!" he yelled. "I don't know anything about AI, or... any... ah... how would I... how..." his words grew more and more strained, and he gesticulated wildly with his hands. "And you... this... this doesn't make any sense!"
"You knew you would be in trouble," said Helba evenly, "so you had a program created to ensure that someone would be alerted to what happened to you."
"But I don't know anything about that!"
"Maybe someone helped you?" Sanjuro suggested.
Helba gave a curt nod in his direction. "Perhaps they wanted to imitate you, and learn more about Morganna from those who were involved. You knew this, didn't you?"
Defeated, Dean let his head drop, letting out an exasperated groan. "I... I don't know."
"Well, then perhaps we should speak again when one of us does know." She spun with flourish, her dress billowing slightly as she started to walk away. "I will find out what I need to know. I suggest you do the same... detective."
Before anyone could object, the hacker had teleported away, golden rings encircling her body as it vanished.
-
From: Balmung {theworld}
To: Orca {theworld}
Subj: Strange Character
I just met with the man Kite calls Dean – the player of Stolls, the Wavemaster. Fortunately, we were able to get to him before anyone else did. He explained some of what's going on; a lot of it was vague, but apparently he's some sort of artificial intelligence, trapped here in 'The World', and the person playing Stolls isn't the real him – that player is after Morganna.
This log file will tell you everything that happened. He insisted that you get it to Kite, only offline; Ryoko explained a little more of what was happening, and said that someone was selectively blocking his email.
I'm not sure what to make of all this, but I'll keep in touch. Let me know if you and Kite come across anything unusual.
- Balmung
-
"Ahh... now this is more like it!"
Orca barely broke a sweat as he effortlessly hacked at the gargantuan pile of metal – an animate suit of armor that was at least four times his size – and knocked off over a hundred hit points with every swing, a far cry from his performance earlier in the evening.
One final slash, and the armor crumpled to the ground, eventually losing all color and dissipating into the air. A flash of bright yellow sparks danced around the Blademaster's head, and the words [Level Up!] appeared in the air above him. Nearby, a grinning Kite applauded his friend's prowess, clapping his hands loudly and cheering him on.
"Whew!" said Orca as he raced over to his friend. "Ten levels in just under an hour, now that's progress!"
"Not bad, huh?" Kite shot back, with a grin and a smiley face.
Orca smiled back. "Well, it's almost time for me to go, but thanks a lot. I needed this."
"It's all right. I'm glad I could help. Ready to head back?"
"Sure, let's go."
Together, the two gated out from the field; snow, ice and rock were quickly replaced by the more hospitable root town of Sigma server, the aerial city. Mere seconds after they arrived, a familiar male voice broke through the crowd.
"Hey, Kite!"
The red-capped Twin Blade smiled and waved to the newcomer as he neared the Chaos Gate. "Hi, Stolls."
The Wavemaster came to a stop before Kite, and his eyes instantly went towards his larger companion. "Heh heh... now there's a face even I would recognize. You must be Orca."
Orca bowed his head in acknowledgement, which was met in kind from the Wavemaster. "That would be me," said the Azure Sea. "And you're this Stolls that Kite keeps telling me about?"
Stolls grinned. "That's my name. Nice to finally meet you in person."
"Likewise. I... oh, hold on, I just got mail."
The magician flinched for barely a second, but it was long enough for Kite to notice. "Anyway," said Stolls, "there was a report on the board about another one of those characters, but I took a look around; the field was deserted. Christ... feels like we've been stuck at square one since the beginning."
"I see... well, don't beat yourself up over it," Kite replied. "I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this eventually."
"I hope so."
Neither noticed when Orca sprang back to life. "Well, I need to log off. Again, it was nice to meet you," he said to Stolls, though there was a twinge in his speech that might have been a hint of anxiety.
"Yeah, you too."
"Take care, Yasu!" said Kite, waving good-bye to his companion.
Orca looked blankly at the Twin Blade as he vanished, saying not a word in reply.
"I guess I'll get going, too." Stolls angled his head towards Kite. "If I find anything, I'll letcha know. Take it easy, Hiro."
"I'm trying to," was the boy's unenthusiastic reply, his mind still on his friend's odd expression.
He heard the humming of the rings as they signaled Stolls' exit from 'The World'. Less than a minute later, a soft chime sounded in his ear, and a message popped up before his eyes.
[From: System AdministrationYou are number 1 in the GM queue. Administrator Lios is ready to meet you.]
- End of Chapter 12