A/N: Okay, guys, sorry for the delay: school hit me hard, but I tried to make it up with a longer chapter here.

Hope you guys enjoy it! Till then, IceWrecker out! :D

Chapter 8

RJ

Okay, let's go through this one more time.

Sandwiches?

Check.

Light Cycle Baton?

Check.

Additional jacket?

Check.

Additional flashlight?

Check.

Spare prosthetic and stabilizer?

Check.

So it looks like I have everything packed. I run my hand through my pack one more time, feeling its contents. Yup, everything's in there. I got everything.

Well, almost everything.

Slowly pulling my backpack up my back, I turn towards my bed. Another bag, this one only with one strap, is lying on top of it, its insides bulging. I carefully take the bag off my bed and haul it up my shoulder, wincing a little in the process for the object in the bag is a little too heavy for me.

My pack is not big enough, and the thing I'm planning to take with me is too heavy to carry on my back. I'm not Ralph; I don't have his strength. This is the only way I can do if I want to take this object with me to the Internet.

Now I just need to…

"Hey RJ! You in there?"

I yelp and glitch, my heaving bag sliding off my shoulder. As it lands noisily on the ground, the door to my room creaks open and my brother peeks inside. His hand on the handle, Ralph looks at me, then at the bag on the floor, then back at me again. I gulp, hoping he won't ask anything about what I'm about to do.

He doesn't.

"Hey, what's with all the getup?" He asks, curious. "You heading on a journey?"

Okay, now he does, in a way.

"Uh…sorta." I say, stammering. I'm a terrible liar; like, really, really terrible. If lying somehow became a subject, I'm certain I'll get straight D-minuses. Many of my lies get busted moments later they leave my lips, and so I learnt to steer around the topic instead of answering falsely directly. And that's exactly what I do. "Yeah, I'm meetin' with a friend of mine…yes, a friend. And…yeah, gonna bring some stuff along."

"Really?" Ralph asks me, his eyebrows raised. Uh oh! I can't let him know!

"Yeah, why not?" I reply. "I mean, since Vanny's gone I think I better find some more friends, right? I mean, yer not the only one who's allowed to hang out, right?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out. Time out." Ralph says, spreading out his hands in defense. "Now, I don't mean that, I really don't. It's just that…I'm just worried."

"About what?" I ask, taking off my backpack and walking to my brother. "Listen: I won't leave ya like Vanny did. I won't. Yer my brother, 'tis place is my home, and I ain't bored of it. I won't leave, Ralph, I won't!"

"No, it's just that…" Ralph sighs holds something out to me. It turns out to be a file. "Your reports just came back."

"My what?" I ask, confused.

"Your reports, on your Glitch." Ralph says "You went to the hospital for Dr. Dey's appointment last week, for your regular code checkup. You remember that, right?"

Oh, right.

After my second unlocking, my Glitch had become more and more unstable. Dr. Dey, the character who managed to save my life, had became the official doctor for my conditions, and had instructed me to report to the hospital for regular check-ups to make sure my code isn't going haywire. Usually, I have my appointments about once or twice a month, but recently they've become a bit more frequent, like one to two weeks between checkups.

I take the file from Ralph and flip through the papers, making a face as I do so. "Let's see…'Code abnormality detected, energy of Glitch increasin', code might not be able to handle huge power surges because of Glitch, yadda yadda yadda. What does he want us to know?"

"Beats me; you're not the only one who gets lost when Dey speaks." Ralph says. "But what I think he is saying is that your Glitch is becoming more and more unstable."

"Well, my code has always been unstable;" I say "Didn't he know that already?"

"Yeah, but…he wouldn't say it explicitly if he didn't think it was a problem." Ralph thinks aloud. "And I'm gonna be straight with you, RJ; you have been flickering more frequently, and you've even had a Glitch Attack. Don't you think that's something to worry about?"

I freeze, recalling the moment when the Glitch Attack came out of nowhere when I was visiting Sugar Rush with my brother. One second, my code was fine; and the next thing I knew I was on the ground, rolling and crying uncontrollably as my code was ripped apart again and again and again, flashing in painful pulses of light as I do so. Luckily, Ralph was able to see the Attack just before it hit me, and had wrestled the stabilizer off my chest before I fell to the ground. I don't even want to know what would have happened if my stabilizer hadn't been pulled off at the right moment; it is scary just to think about it, let alone experiencing a portion of it.

Seriously: A Glitch Attack is nothing to mess with, especially for a character with such unstable coding like me. One wrong move, and it might be good-bye for good for me.

Slowly taking in what my brother is saying, I sigh again and put the file onto my bed behind me. "Look," Ralph says "You and I both know how much trouble you're in if your code gets haywire. Your Glitch's becoming more unstable, and also more powerful. This is the third stabilizer you've broken in three months!"

I start to reply, but my brother cuts me off before I can start. "I'm just doing this for your own good, Ralph Jerome. Vanellope is no longer here, and I don't want to lose you too."

I let out yet another sigh "Look, Ralph. I'll be fine. I'll be totally fine. I'll check on my Glitch, I won't let it go crazy. I control it, not the other way round, and I plan to keep it that way."

"I know you'd say that, but…" Ralph puts his head in his hand and sighs, "Look, I have to be down at Pac-Man tonight. Some guys clogged up the tunnels with several boulders and I really hope that you're not the one behind this." He finishes with a glaring look.

"Whoa, Ralph, whoa! Do ya really think I'm able to push several big, heavy boulders with 'tis strength and unstable codin' of mine?" I ask, gesturing to my body. "C'mon. Ya know who I am, and ya know really well if I'm able to pull somthin' off. Ya should be able to know if I'm able to do 'tis!"

I'm not lying, I did not put the boulders last night, I don't even know where the dudes got the boulders from! But at the same time, I cannot prove my innocence. I can't. I cannot tell Ralph I was on the Internet last night.

"That's what I've been telling them, that you're not the one behind this. Although your pranking streak isn't really helping much…" Ralph trails off "Anyhoo, gotta get there to clear the place up before Bad-Anon starts, I'm the only guy that can do the job. So…yeah, I think I won't see you again until next morning, just like last night. So…take good care of your code, check if your Glitch is causing trouble or not. I just want you alive, not a hard task, right?"

I nod.

"Good." Ralph closes the door. "Stay safe. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, see ya."

The door clicks shut. I whistle and lie down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After our conversation, I kinda feel bad for not telling Ralph what I'm about to do next. It's true: I have been glitching much more frequently lately, and I know for a fact the stabilizers are supposed to last for at least six months before replacement. The reason behind all of this is still inconclusive, but I have a hunch that it's because I've developed a new power: the Glitch Shock, which converts my Glitch into an electric shock for the cost of my code's stability. So far, I think no one in the arcade has reported to have such a power. Sure, I know a dude or two down at Street Fighter has electric powers, but this is different in my case: their code is still stable no matter how many times they shock characters.

I can see why Ralph is worried about me, but what choice do I have? I have to do this.

After waiting a few more minutes after Ralph left, I pick up both bags and slip out of my home, heading towards the WiFi portal. Having gone onto the Internet just yesterday, my second trip is much, much easier this time. Pulling up my hood, I leap onto the platform and as expected, the capsule forms around me and sends me down the cable. Again, the same string of numbers that make up my IP address rings up above me, but it is too fast for me to mark them down. Luckily, the character that aided me to return gave me a slip of paper with my IP address on it, so that I can go home much more easily now. No more tedious work of searching my IP address from thousands of results, nope! I'm not going through that again.

Soaring above the sparkling Internet city again, I can't help but gasp in awe at everything I see. Even though I'm here just yesterday, the world seems so different, as if it has changed the very moment I left, awaiting my next arrival with new surprises.

As if the city's beckoning me to start a brand-new adventure…

Focus, RJ, focus! You're on the Internet with a mission! I scold myself. The sightseeing can wait, you have much more important business to care about now! And besides…you don't want to carry that heavy load with you all around, right?

As soon as I finish the thought, I reach the hub, landing much more gracefully than the last time. Immediately, I head straight towards the SearchBar…and the purple egg sitting behind the counter. I know, I hate being grilled by KnowsMore, but what choice do I have here?

I have to get all the time I can.

"FactChecker dot com!" I shout, and slam my hand on the very first result that pops up. I remember this was the last website I visited before I went down to the Older Net. I am in such a hurry, I didn't even let KnowsMore interrupt me before I am encased in a pad, zooming to my website. I can hear him calling behind me, telling me to stay just a bit longer. but I just wave back instead of answering. I don't have time for answers right now. No, not right now.

As I travel along the road, I can't help but peek out of the glass walls once more. Just like when I entered the Internet for the second time, the sights of the city seemed different the moment I returned, offering loads of new stuff to me. When I arrived yesterday, this was definitely not the first website I've been, nor is it the website I traveled to via the SearchBar, but the road seems familiar, yet different at the same time.

I place both hands on the glass wall and stick my face to it, glancing out at the high sparkling buildings, the other pods moving all around me, the netizens doing their daily jobs, the avatars all trying to get to their destination without bumping each other, the random character with a huge faded poncho running around the buildings…

Wait what?

I jerk my head back in that direction, and I see him. My brother's clone, running around a building towards something in the distance, his poncho flapping violently as he does so. Looks like I'd caught him on one of his trips to the Internet.

I bang my hand against the wall, but it would not budge, not until I reached my destination website. I bang my hand, but again nothing happened. With a grunt, I manage to glitch out of the pod and clumsily land on the ground in front of the building, knocking out two avatars off the edge as I do so. "Sorry," I apologize as the avatars fall downwards below the roads, out of my sight. "Stupid avatars." I mutter as I pull my hood further down my face. Standing up, I look around in the crowd, trying to find the character I'm looking for.

I turn my head, and I see him. At where I'm at, I can see he's going towards some stalls set up near the building. They don't look like to be large stalls, but from what I can see they do offer some pretty neat stuff. One of the netizens is laying out brightly-colored blankets, another is polishing some glass vases, yet another is preparing some freshly-baked rolls on dozens of baskets.

Along with several avatars, I start towards the stalls. I see some of the avatars taking out something from their pockets. I assume that you have to pay something to get the stuff on the stalls.

Just then, 'Ralph' turns in my direction, and yelping, I glitch behind a nearby booth, ducking out of his sight. Please don't let him see me, please don't! I plead, hoping he'll won't come in my direction to confront me.

He glances at the spot where I just stood for a few moments, and then shakes his head as he continues walking towards the stalls. I breathe out a sigh of relief. Good, he hasn't seen me, he hasn't. I look up from my hiding spot, spying on 'Ralph' to see what he wants to do.

With the swoosh of the poncho, I see the clone kneel down under one of the stalls, just out of the netizen's sight. He glances upwards, trying to see what the stalls have in store for him.

I'm guessing he wants the rolls.

Silently, 'Ralph' takes out a piece of debris out of his pocket, probably from the dump back home. He squeezes one eye shut and swings his hand back and forth slightly, as if aiming his throw. A moment later, the debris flies off his grasp and sails towards the stalls, towards the unsuspecting characters.

CRASH! The avatars and netizens squeal as the stalls fall around them, the rolls and blankets and vases spilling and clattering onto the ground. The glass vases land on the ground, shattering into a thousand sharp pieces. While the netizens try and salvage anything unbroken from the mess, the avatars scatter, rushing away from the scene. One of the netizens starts a fight with the character standing next to her, shouting and punching him for ruining her goods.

Through the chaos, I see 'Ralph' quickly pluck up a half-basketful of rolls, tucks them under his poncho, and runs away from the stalls. The netizens are still arguing over the mess, their fight more intense than ever, totally unaware that an unexpected thief has just paid them a visit.

I see the poncho flapping in the distance, and I chase after it, diving once again into the maze of alleys. I don't think this is the same pathway I travelled through yesterday, but soon I see the familiar set of railings barring the road in front of me, and I slow down to a jog. Just like the last time, I locate and carefully climb down the ladder, feeling my way as I get down. I can tell that this was not the same ladder I used yesterday, but eventually I reach the ground at the bottom, the environment dark and dusty around me.

I am back in the Older Net.

I give myself a moment to adjust to the darkness, then I try to locate where I am. In the dim lighting and the huge pile of dust, every single one of the fallen websites seem so familiar. I can tell this is not the place I went yesterday, but I don't know where I should go.

That's when I hear it: Faint footsteps trotting through the Older Net. I cannot pinpoint the location of the sound, but at least I can tell where it is coming from, and so I go in that direction. Sure enough, I can see 'Ralph' running right past me, the basket clutched tightly in his hands. He doesn't see me, so I silently follow him over websites and debris, trying not to let him know he's not alone.

Soon, we reach the place where I met him yesterday. Hiding behind a website, I look as 'Ralph' carefully sets his basket on the ground, then carefully pulls his poncho off and folding it to the side. He then takes the basket, gives it a heavenly sniff, and starts to pull several rolls out at the same time, devouring one after the other in seconds. I should feel sorry for him, but I can't, not after what I've seen him do just now.

"Should have thought twice before thinkin' of helpin' ya, ya lil' thief." I scoff as I move out of my hiding spot.

The half-eaten roll drops from his hand, and 'Ralph' looks up to me, finally realizing that he's not the only one in the Older Net. He glances around, nervous, as if trying to see if there is anyone other than the two of us hiding in the dump as well.

After checking that no one else is around, he grabs the roll back up, dusts it, and wolfs it down while reaching for another one.

"Stupid idea, thinkin' that I would actually go and help ya scumbag." I mutter, kicking up dust. "Don't know why I'd even made ya sandwiches."

The roll drops once more from 'Ralph's' hand as he turns to me with a shocked expression. Picking and shoving the roll into his mouth, he pushes the basket aside and cocks his head, as if trying to process what I just said.

"Well, I'm not gonna take these back, so…" I sigh and reach into my pack, tossing the sandwich bag towards 'Ralph'. I have thought that the clone would have run and catch the bag before it hit the ground, but no, no; he just lets it fall to the ground. I think he's still pretty stunned by my sudden appearance and my words.

"Go on, if ya want ya can eat it." I say, glancing at the bag on the ground, the sandwiches visible. "'Tis all yers."

A few more seconds of awkward silence pass as neither of us move. Then very slowly, the clone crawls out from his spot and snatches up the sandwiches from the ground. He turns the bag, sniffing and inspecting it carefully, as if he's not believing what he is holding in his hands.

"Hey." I say, but the clone is still mesmerized by my sandwiches, and so I say louder, snapping my fingers "Hey!"

'Ralph's' gaze moves away from the sandwiches and looks up at me. Good, I now have his attention. I take a deep breath, as I know what I'm about to say can change my life forever.

I hold my breath for a few more seconds, then I let it out and start to speak.

"Look. I want to help, I really want to." I say, walking "I mean, ya don't deserve 'tis. Yeah, ya did destroy the Internet, and yer a viral clone, that's for sure. But…I don't think ya shouldn't deserve a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone."

I hear scribbling, and I turn to see a response written on the whiteboard. Me too?

"Yes, ya too." I reply. "But we can't do it if ya continue to steal stuff like that. We need to set some rules here if we really become friends."

As soon I mention the word 'friend', the clone perks his head up, and starts nodding it furiously, as if he's suddenly interested in what I have to say. And frankly, I don't blame him. After all, that's the only thing on his mind, right?

"First off: stealin' things, that's a huge no-no." I say, waving my finger. "Ya have to kick that off. Here in the dump, no one comes to take their stuff back, but that's not the same up there. Ya cannot just take somethin' without payin' them."

I don't have anything to pay with. The clone argues back.

Oh, I haven't thought of that. Yeah, that's a possible reason of why 'Ralph' has to steal. Back home, when we headed to Tapper's, we had to pay with coins for our drinks, but who knows if they'll accept it here? I don't even know how the online currency system works!

But whether that or not, stealing is still not acceptable. At least, by me, anyway.

"Look, I'll think of somethin'. The Internet 'tis so big; we'll get money one way or another. But ya really can't steal anymore. Ya can't. From now on, 'tis over, period. Ya hear that?"

'Ralph' nods. Okay.

"Good," I say "'cuz I'm about to move on to the second point."

The clone looks at me intensely, waiting for what I want him to do. I let out a deep sigh, and then I continue.

"Teach me sign language."

The board clatters to the ground as 'Ralph' looks at me with utter shock, as if he's not believing what I just said. Grabbing the board off the ground, he swiftly writes a single word on it. What?!

I make a reading gesture with my hands "Teach…" I then point a finger at myself "me…" I stop pointing, and using my right palm as paper, start to 'write' on it "sign…" I start 'writing' again, this time on the air in front of me, fingering out some letters "language."

I hear giggling, and I turn to see 'Ralph' trying hard not to laugh, yet his smile gives it away. That's not how you sign it. He writes, and puts down his board. He holds up both hands near his head, grips his fingers together, and waves them back and forth. Teach. He mouths, before pointing a finger at his chest. Me. With both hands pointing at the center, he twirls both hands before moving them to the sides, his thumbs sticking out and his index finger pointing upwards as he does so. Sign language. He finishes, letting both his hands fall.

Yikes, that was super embarrassing.

"Ha ha, very funny." I say in a slightly annoyed tone, my face reddening. "But seriously: teach me yer language. I want to understand what yer sayin' without yer board. I want to learn yer language. Teach me, help me understand."

'Ralph' has stopped grinning, and is now looking straight at me. Really? He asks.

"Yes." I say again. "Teach me."

You really want me to teach you? He asks.

"Yes."

For a while, 'Ralph' looks at me, his face clouded with confusion as he tries to understand why I would request such a thing.

"Yer not just a clone." I say, remembering the other character's similar backstory. "Ya can be somethin' more. I mean, just look at me: I'm an absolute klutz at sign language! Ya can teach me! Show me that yer somethin' more than a clone of Ralph. Show me."

'Ralph' is still frozen, unable to choke up a response for me. From where I am standing, I can see he is desperately trying to pull himself together, but he can't, he just can't.

"All ya have to do 'tis to make the first step…"

I can see he's still confused, but he nods his head anyway. He's crying, hard, but realizes it and wipes his tears off his shirt before turning back to me.

I would have been crying too if I have been given the chance. Like, who wouldn't?

"So…Ya want to be my friend?" I ask, stretching out my hand.

"Friend?" The clone repeats, hesitating as he does the same with his hand.

I nod my head. This might be the worst decision I've made in my life, but there's no turning back now.

It's now or never.

"Friend." I say, taking the clone's hand and shaking it, sealing the deal.

'Ralph'

Is this real?

Am I dreaming?

Is this character, the stranger that I met yesterday, saying that he wants to become my friend?

This is absurd!

Why would he do that?

Why would he?

I know I can't ask, but I know for a fact that this may be my only chance at friendship. If I don't, I may never have another chance to making a friend.

I can't lose this chance.

I can't.

I take the stranger's hand, feeling a slight tingle of electricity run through my fingertips as I do so. The stranger smiles as he shakes my hand, as if pleased that I've made such a decision.

Whether that's a good thing or not, I don't know.

My stomach growls, and I loosen my grip and turn back to my spot. I see the basket with the rolls on the ground, but I suddenly have a dislike to them, as if I don't want to eat them anymore. I remember the sandwiches the stranger gave me, and so I tear open the bag and nibble into one of them. They tasted strange (no pun intended), with ingredients that I cannot identify, but are somehow more edible than the rolls.

"Oh, and I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet." The stranger says, cocking his head. "I'm RJ."

Arrjay?

What kind of a name is that?

Hesitantly, I take the board and write what I think is his name on it. This time it was Arrjay struggling not to laugh. "Nah, not like that." He grins "'Tis just two letters, R and J."

Oh, I get it now; RJ.

Still kinda strange to make your name from two letters, though.

The stranger, RJ, turns and sets a bag on the ground in front of me. "Ya don't want me to call ya Ralph, right?"

Instantly, I shake my head, to the point I fear I would become dizzy. No, not Ralph, never Ralph. I don't want any connection to the character that I was cloned from, and I would like to keep it that way. The less he knows about me, the better.

"Knew ya'd say that." RJ gestures to the bag "Got a flashlight in there. Go and pick yerself a new name. 'Tis okay, no hurryin', take yer time. I'm gonna go and leave ya with 'tis while I try and find ways to get some moolah for the both of us. 'Tis that alright by ya?"

Not knowing how to respond, I just nod my head.

"I'll take it as a 'yes', then." RJ says, stepping away from me "Oh, and the book's borrowed, so try not to damage it, okay?"

Again, I just nod my head.

"Good. See ya." RJ smiles, and then with a flash, he glitches away from the Older Net, leaving me alone again.

RJ. What a strange dude, with such a strange name and a strange power and a strange personality and a strange taste of sandwiches, yet strangely, also seems very familiar to me…

I like him.

Glancing at the bag on the ground, I pull it to me and open it slightly. It feels really heavy. Carefully, I tilt the bag to let it contents fall out, curious to see what RJ has left me.

The object is thick and blocky, slightly uneven on three sides but smooth on one. Something has rolled to a stop on my feet, so I reach down to feel what it is. As I pick the thing up, my finger brushes across something like a button, and a beam of light shoots out of the thing. Startled, I drop the thing and scramble backwards quickly, the thing spinning as it clatters to the ground, the ray of light shining away from me.

What is this thing?

Wait, I think I might have seen something like this before…

Oh, a flashlight! I think RJ was carrying one last time. Was this the same one had used yesterday when he was down here?

Try not to damage this, then. I think to myself, clasping my fingertips and plucking the flashlight off the ground, trying my best not to leave any dents or markings on it. It is then I remember the other object in the bag, and I crawl over to it.

I shine my flashlight upon the object. My guess wasn't that far off: the object is blocky and thick, but it is something that I can pry open easily. On top of the object are four words in capitalized letters.

THE BOOK OF NAMES.

RJ's words flash back to me "Got a flashlight in there. Go and pick yerself a new name."

Wait, so is it true?

Can I give myself a new name?

Can I be someone other than Ralph?

Can I?

I look down at the book again, resisting to see what lies for me inside. I really want a new name, I really do, but I fear I end up choosing a name that I don't think I'm worthy of, that I'm forced to change my choice when RJ hears about it.

I don't deserve to give myself a new name.

I don't.

I really don't.

Why am I even doing this anyway?

Stretching my foot, I try to shift the book away as far as I possibly can, but I cannot do it, as if the book is stuck to the ground, refusing to budge.

Yer can be somethin' more…

Wait, can I?

Can I really be something more than a clone of Ralph?

Can I?

All ya have to do 'tis to make the first step…

Right, first step…

I just have to do it, right?

I take one more look at the book, and breath in tightly.

Okay, here goes nothing…

Tucking the flashlight between my fingers, I pull THE BOOK OF NAMES right in front of me, hunch over it, and open its pages.