.hack/Polarized/Destruction.and.Salvation
by
Chad 'Graeystone' Harger
XXXXX
Pluto's Bracelet turns into fire. He pours all his hate and rage into it. The beams of fire come at me. The fire beams drain the very air leaving nothing but the exposed data that lies underneath. Now is the moment of truth for me. I brace myself and in my mind I raise my own barrier. The fire beams hit me and I scream in pain! My screams slowly turn into laughter as the fires fade away.
"I guess the warranty on your Bracelet expired today!" I manage to say while laughing. He tries again and this time I stand there as if nothing is going on. The border that separates fiction and reality in my mind raises a shimmering barrier and when the beam reaches that part of my mind the barrier it causes it to ripple and nothing more.
Pluto tries two more times. I stand there taking it. When he stops he looks at me with disbelief. "My turn," I say. "Data Drain!" My Bracelet strikes Pluto and the beams shatter. I forgot he data drained Cubia from the inside out. In doing so Pluto gained Cubia's immunity to the Bracelet.
In our frustration we both do something dangerous. We aim our Bracelets at each other and fire. The beams hit then try to rewrite each other. The combined power causes the spot where they intercepted to implode then explode. Pluto and I are knocked to the ground by the explosion.
"Won't be doing that again," I mutter as I get to my feet.
"Bracelet won't work then I use my hands!" yells Pluto.
"No!" I yell. "Take a long hard look at both of us then ask yourself who we are!"
"I god, you dead!" growls Pluto. So I'm not only facing a psycho AI with a deadly addiction, but I'm fighting one who thinks he's a god. I should've figured that much out earlier when he revealed his name.
"I'm talking about what we are within The World," I say. "All that knowledge and information and you're still an idiot!" Not the brightest thing to say to a psychotic AI but I have to get him to fight a certain way.
Pluto hands are glowing. He's ready to blast me out of The World. I may be immune to the Bracelet but I can be hurt by everything else. Yet he appears to be thinking about what I said and it's the only thing that saves me for the moment. "In the World we are Twin Blades. So what of it? Didn't care if character was female as long as it had the Bracelet."
"That's right, we're Twin Blades in The World," I say. To make the point I hold my Amateur Blades in my hands and get into a fighting stance. "You want to fight me then you'll have to do it the right way."
"If I defeat you then no one will be able to stop me," says Pluto. He gets in a fighting stance of his own. "Sin of Hades!" The darkest and nastiest looking Twin Blade weapon I've ever seen appears in his hands. One hit and I'm dead and Pluto knows it. I push my adjusted mind to block out the nastiness of Pluto's choice of weapons.
We both yell a battle cry. We charge at full speed with our weapons ready. We try to stab each other with one blade and block with the other. I can feel Pluto's weight as he tries to get an advantage. If I can feel his weight it must mean the borders are nearing the breaking point!
Pluto keeps pushing forward. The muscles in my arms are straining. I manage to get my left foot between his legs. I catch his right leg and I manage to sweep it causing Pluto to lose balance. I aim for his neck and strike fast. The word 'Miss' appears on the screen. "Of course," I mutter.
Pluto regains his balance. He adjusts his blades for both a high and low attack and almost nails me. The only thing that saves me is my own speed. I jump back out of the way and almost trip over my own feet.
The only saving grace at the moment is that Pluto has no finesse or style. He just attacks blindly. My own problem is that I have the balance of an elephant trying to do ballet. I'm not as experienced as Piotr or Unknown. He tries something called Dark Dance. He isn't facing me so he has to turn. It gives me enough time to try and counter. "Saber Dance!" Our moves are close enough to be the same movements. I successfully block Pluto move for move. My arms are hurting though. I can barely keep my fists closed. If the body suit picks up on my hands opening it will read it as the command to sheath my weapons!
Pluto presses the attack with regular moves. My breathing labored. Pluto is laughing at me. My back is touching the barrier. Pluto closes in with murder in his eyes. I have one chance at this. It's going to be either him or me. One of us is finished right now. His weapon starts to glow again and he's right next to me. Now is the time to use what Kite gave me! "Weapon change: Sora's Blades!" I yell.
Pluto's eyes go wide as my new weapons appear. I manage to lift my left arm up and brace it as Pluto's right arm comes at my face. I groan in a strained voice as I swing my left arm up and over. Pluto screams in denial as my weapon cuts off his hand. He's too stunned to move. I crouch low and bring my right arm back. I yell while drawing what's left of my reserve and desperation energy. I strike with my right hand as fast and hard as I can. Pluto's scream becomes so loud it's intolerable as I stab him in the gut as hard as I can. I strike so hard that I lift Pluto off the ground. He ends up with my arm up to my elbow jammed inside of him. I can feel the pressure of all the data that's inside him. How much did he steal over the years?
I stand up and Pluto slumps forward. I look down and I can see part of my blade sticking out his back. I spin Pluto around and slam him against the barrier. I place my left forearm against his neck to hold his head up. "Open your eyes," I say. He doesn't do it and I know he's not knocked out. I move my right arm around. His eyes pop open. That got his attention. "Hurt, doesn't it?" I ask.
Pluto looks at me with shock. "Impossible," he rasps. "Only level one."
"Do you think you were fighting this?" I say in reference to Chase. "You were fighting the real me!"
"Who . . .you?" he asks.
"You tried to data drain me twice and you never bothered to examine the information you tore from me?" I ask. "I was right, you're nothing more than an addict!" Normally I'd pity him for his addiction. But the pity goes away whenever I hear about an addict hurting someone. All it does it make me angry at the waste of humanity.
I lean in so I can whisper in his ear. "You want to know who I am? I'm your last victim!"
"Only put people in coma," groans Pluto. "You I want dead."
I move my right arm again. Pluto moans in pain. "I'm talking about your first attempt at trying at get into the real world. The one where you reached out through the Internet and hurt millions," I say. "Think real hard toward the end of the nightmare you caused so many."
"Yes, that," says Pluto with a smile. He must really have gotten off on the data and information he tore from people's minds and bodies. The smile fades though. "The boy!"
"You killed my parents when you caused Deadly Flash. If it weren't for Aura, I'd probably be either dead or in a mental ward right now." I move my head back so I can look Pluto in the eyes. "Do you even know my real name?"
"No," whimpers Pluto.
"You chose the name Pluto because you wanted to be the bringer of death. Here's a newsflash that you might have missed. Its about my real name," I say. We're practically touching noses. "My name has a double meaning. It means either person of war or warrior." I get the satisfied look of surprise on Pluto's face. "My name is Chad!" I say with conviction.
I lower my voice. "Guess what's on the wrist that's jammed in your gut right now," I say to him.
"The Bracelet," whispers Pluto with real fear.
"Then we both know what happens next. The harder the outside, the softer the inside," I say to him. I don't yell or shout the words. As Aunt Miko told me I couldn't do this out of anger or vengeance. I do this because it has to be done. In order to save two worlds from destruction I merely say the words as I would say anything else under normal circumstances. For the last time I speak to Pluto and I say the words. "Data Drain."
And nothing happens. Maybe I spoke to softly. "Data Drain," I say a little bit louder. Still nothing. Something must be wrong with the body suit! My left arm is fine. The right arm controls must have shorted out!
An invisible hand grabs my neck and squeezes. I turn my attention back to the game. Pluto is choking Chase and it's affecting me for real!
Pluto is regaining his strength as his pain turns into hate. He's choking me with his left hand. His right hand is raised up. He created a new hand! He must have used his own power instead of drawing power from the game.
He's going to stab me in the head! If he does that then I'm dead for real! Pluto brings the dagger down toward my head. Halfway through the motion Pluto yells in surprise as his right arm is yanked backwards. My right arm starts to shake. I grab it with my other hand to brace it. I see Pluto's right shoulder bulge like something trying to break out. His mouth opens in pain. I look down and see a glow around the hole in his gut. Data Drain did work. Pluto is so dense with data and information that it took longer than normal for something to actually happen.
I hear a pinging sound like metal against metal. A small hole pops open on Pluto's bulging shoulder and a thin white beam shoots from the wound. The horrible sound of so much information and data escaping nearly deafens me. Pluto twists his body around as pinholes in his body break out and the information and data stole escapes. I turn down the receive volume before I go deaf.
I feel pressure building against my arm that's jammed into him. I try to pull it out but it's stuck! I say a prayer in the hopes that if Chase's arm gets blown off the same doesn't happen to mine! I see light coming from his eyes and mouth. The pressure around the wound becomes too much. I'm knocked backwards and slam into the barrier. I to am knocked back and am slammed against the wall. The wind is knocked out of me and I'm seeing stars. I was struck in the middle of my chest. I cough a couple of times as my vision clears. I try to stand up but I can't.
Pluto closes his eyes and clamps his hands over his mouth and nose. His face bulges and his fingers slip. I hear a muffled scream. His head is jerked back. Beams of light come out of his mouth and eyes.
A minute later red spheres fly out of his stomach. Every few seconds a red sphere comes out and flies into the sky. I count nine spheres in total. The last three spheres hover before me. They merge into one large sphere. The sphere takes the shape of someone who I don't want to face right now. The laughter of an innocent little girl chills me to the bone. Its Morganna and her eyes are filled with evil and hate. "Aw. . .nuts," is all that I can say.
"I know you wondered why I let Pluto data drain me. My daughter lets me exist on the condition that I'm unable to leave Net Slum. Even if you lost being a part of Pluto was better than being trapped in Net Slum. But I knew you could do it," says Morganna in that innocent voice of hers. "To thank you I will make your End as painless as possible."
"Get bent," I say.
"Don't be rude to innocent little girls," pouts Morganna. I laugh at her. There's nothing little or innocent about her.
I hear Helba's voice. "I got the portal open. Get him out before the area inside the barrier collapses."
"Some other time," says Morganna. She turns into a red sphere and flies through a portal of her own.
"Man, you're a mess!" says Shugo. With him is Balmung. He helps me to stand up.
"We got a problem," I say. "Morganna is free."
"We'll deal with her later," says Balmung. "With all the data flying around the inside of this barrier, this spot has become dangerously unstable."
They help me to the portal and we step through. I look back at Pluto. He's still releasing stolen data and information and beneath the sounds of the other data and information I can hear the pain Pluto is in. I feel nothing because I have no regrets with what I did.
XXXXX
We appear a safe distance from the barrier. They lay me down on my back. I'm so hurt and exhausted that I can barely move. The barrier starts to fade. I start to see the escaping data and information. "Is that Pluto?" asks Piotr.
I hold up Sora's Blades. "I data drained him from the inside out. Where is everybody? Why is the area empty?"
"We don't know. Soon after you nailed Pluto, his people started to logout, no, more like the character data was being deleted and whatever happened affected Pluto's monsters," says Helba. "The same thing happened to the players who helped us. If this is Aura's handiwork, then I don't know why she would do this."
"What about Aura and Zelphie?" asks Annrika.
"They came out of Pluto's body as red spheres. They flew straight up and that was the last I saw of them," I say.
"They'll be fine," says Mistral. "They might not look it but they're built to last."
"So is Morganna," I say. I look at Helba. "She used Pluto to escape Net Slum."
The ground starts to shake and at the same time I feel a tremor. At first I think it's the game and the borders nearing collapse but it isn't. It's an actual quake.
"I'm getting reports of worldwide quakes," says Helba. Then again I could be wrong.
"What do we do?" asks Annrika.
"Close the borders," I say.
"Doing what we did against Pluto's barrier won't work here," says Shugo. "No amount of Virus Cores would help either."
"You don't need a key to close a door," says Helba.
I try to raise my arm but I can't. "I-I can't move my right arm for real," I say.
"No worries, I got it," says Shugo. He points his Bracelet at the sky.
Kite grabs Shugo's wrist. "This isn't your call," says Kite. "Aura gave me the choice of whether The World would either be destroyed or saved. Your choice was whether or not The World would face a storybook ending or continue on. Now its Chase's turn to make the decision Aura gave him."
Shugo lowers his arm. "Don't blow it Chase," he says.
"I can't even lift my arm," I mutter. "My arm is paralyzed."
"Let me help you," says Aunt Miko. I see Unknown just behind Annrika. Aunt Miko must have disconnected her body suit. Aunt Miko takes hold of my hand and lifts it up.
"Thank you," I say. I say another silent prayer in the hopes my arm is only temporary paralyzed.
"Whatever happens there's something you need to know," she says. "I know there were times you thought you were a burden to me. I gave up a lot like relationships for you but not because you were a burden. I wanted to raise you right like your parents would want. I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood son."
"Thank you Aunt Miko," I say while I try to hold back my tears. I blink to clear my vision. In the game Annrika and Piotr are holding my arm up.
I aim as best I can. I look at the two skies that are almost touching as the tremors become worse by the moment. In the most critical moment I realize that I can't do this! I can't make the decision! "I can't do it!" I yell.
"Listen to me," says Kite calmly. "Aura gave you the power to make the choice because she knew you could do it. You were right when you said I didn't know what you went through in the past. I do know this much, you have no reason to feel any guilt about what you need to do. Aura chose you not only because of your unique mind but because she knew you'd make the right choice."
"He's right," says Piotr. "I don't know what kind of decision you have to make but you know you have my back."
"You can do this," says Annrika. "You're a fighter. For as long as I've known you, you always fought against bad odds."
I look at the sky. The sky of both worlds is a giant blur. Now I must make my decision. The pain in my heart is overwhelming but I have to make the choice now while I have the chance! I make the final adjustments in my aim. "Annrika, Piotr, Unknown, everyone forgive me!" I yell. "Gate Hack; Close Gate!"
My Bracelet grows to full size and it does something different. The prongs on the full size bracelet flip upwards. When they stop it looks like I have the Bracelet on upside down. The Bracelet starts to spin on my wrist. I tell Annrika and Piotr to keep their grip and to hold my arm steady. The prongs start to glow and thin beams of data are shot toward the center of the spinning Bracelet. A sphere of data forms and is held in place by the spinning Bracelet. "Hold my arm tight!" I say as I grab my right arm to help Aunt Miko to brace it. There is a loud thump as the sphere is shot into the sky. The sphere flies straight to where I aimed it. The sphere stops at the section of The World's sky. Beams shoot from the sphere and create a net. The World's sky becomes all white as the net spreads outward.
I feel the tremors gradually fade away as The World's sky is filled with white. "Something is wrong with The World's sky," says Helba. "The data is being deleted."
It doesn't take long for the realization to sink in. Everyone but Kite looks at me with horror. He knew, somehow Kite knew what the choice was going to be. Blackrose is the first to speak. "What did you do?" she demands.
I don't want to answer but they want one. There is only one acceptable answer to her question. My voice is filled with grief and pain as I say, "Destruction and salvation as the whim of the user."
"I don't believe you," says Shugo. "So what if you can't enjoy fiction. It didn't give you the right to do this!"
"That's enough!" growls Piotr. "Can't you hear the anguish in his voice? He didn't want to do this but he had no other choice!"
"He misheard Aura," cries out Mireille. I shake my head no. Aura's words were so clear that I want to deny them so much.
Another voice rings out with hatred toward me. A voice I thought I never would have to hear again except in any nightmare I may have after this is finally over. "Chad! Chase! Die, die, die, die!" screeches Pluto. He's floating in the air limp like a dead body that was lifted up off the ground by invisible forces.
"I thought you took him out," says Annrika.
I look at Pluto as he comes closer. "Oh crap," I say realizing I made a mistake. When I data drained him I focused on the data and information that made him real like Aura and Zelphie. Because he's an amalgam of reality and fiction the Bracelet only drained the real parts of Pluto. All that's left now is the fictional and made up data and information he stole and absorbed into his body over the years. Pluto's body is like the Wavemaster I saw at Net Slum. He limps towards us. His body has an odd green glow.
"Not again," complains Blackrose.
"What's that glow?" asks Piotr.
"One of the Morganna's little tricks. He's invincible," says Mistral.
"Can we defeat him?" asks Annrika.
"It'll take longer than usual but it's doable," says Mistral.
"Pluto is already starting to absorb data," says Helba. "We must move fast and hope he doesn't try-
We see Pluto pointing his Bracelet at us. "Too late!" yells Piotr. "Everyone scatter!"
"Drain Heart!" yells Pluto. His Bracelet of fire shoots off multiple streams of blazing fire.
Annrika reaches out to pull me up. "Don't worry about me! I'm immune so get out of here!" Annrika backs away then turns around and runs as fast as she can.
"Chase you have to get out of there!" yells Kite who's busy trying to dodge the beams. "Drain Heart affects the character but not the player!"
"What!" I yell in disbelief. Unknown runs in front of me to take the fire beams meant for me. The beams never reach her or anyone else. Pluto is blasted in the back and flies forward into the ground. The Drain Heart beams fly off in all directions then fade away.
"Is everyone alright?" asks Bear.
"We're all accounted for," says Rena.
There is only one of us who could nail Pluto like that. I look at Helba and smile. "Good shot."
"It wasn't me," she says.
"If it wasn't her then who?" asks Piotr.
Pluto slowly stands up. "I will kill your characters then hunt each of you down in the real world. I will drain every iota of your human bodies." Pluto is blasted again from the side.
"Who's doing that?" asks Annrika.
Pluto gets up. "All of you die!"
He's blasted again. This time we get an answer. "Pluto, that is enough!" yells Aura's voice. The ground stops shaking as six red orbs fly behind Pluto. They merge into another red orb then take the form of Aura and Zelphie. Aura is holding an unconscious Zelphie in her arms.
To be continued . . .