Noah's Tale

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Night had fallen in the virtual realm, and Jaden and his group had made camp in a large clearing. They weren't sleepy, but they figured they'd take a break and try to get a full explanation out of Noah, who was currently stoking a virtual campfire.

"We'll wait for the sun to rise, it's too dangerous to move in the night time," Noah looked up at the moon, "Too many nasties roaming around,"

"What's out there, Nazgul?" Siho cracked, "Look, thanks for the warning, but you have got some 'splaining to do, Lucy!"

Everyone stared at him.

He looked away, "Old show...very old show...just shut up,"

"He has a point though," Jaden leaned forward and looked at Noah, "Before, how did you know this was a game?"

Noah took a deep breath and leaned against a tree, "I guess I have to tell you everything sooner or later. I'm not a game sprite, or a character that Khamille's brother installed in this game. I've been in the virtual world for years now. This is my home, and there's someone interfering with it,"

"Hold on, hold on," Alexis waved her hands, "What do you mean you lived here for years?"

"A long time ago, when I was ten years old, I was in a car accident that left me completely paralyzed. With my body rendered useless, my father transferred my mind into a super computer. Since then, I've learned how to create things within the Virtual World that was my new home. My father said he had a way to bring me back to the real world, but he forgot about me,"

He looked away from the moon and saw that the others had looks of disbelief on their faces. Smiling, he continued his story.

"When I was sixteen, I was still in the virtual world. I had created a whole universe for myself in the computers of my father's company. At the time, I hated my father and the ones who took him from me. When the time came, the people I hated came and I tried to exact my vengeance on them. However, through events I had not anticipated, I realized I couldn't do that, so I did what I could to set things right. They had escaped, but I stayed behind and nearly died with an evil that had escaped to the Virtual World I had created,"

"Uh...nearly died?" Alexis repeated, "What do you mean by 'nearly died' ?"

"I managed to save myself on a back-up file before the explosion," Noah tapped his head, "Over the years, I recovered myself and started creating a whole new world again. It was better this time, because I was able to create A.I. programs of human, animal and Duel Monsters to inhabit this world so that I wouldn't be alone. These programs would go along with their 'lives' and I would be their protector as well as creator,"

Jaden blinked, "Protector?"

"From corrupted programs," Noah explained, "Every now and then, a Duel Monster or a human program would go bad and attack the people. I would be there to destroy the files so they wouldn't infect the rest of the programs I made. Recently, things began to change when Khamille's brother started to create an RPG game in the Virtual World. I didn't mind at first, but on different occasions, I would find a corrupt file or two. These files were different, however, because they would lash out more violently and drastically alter the world,"

"How so?" Khamille asked him, "It wasn't my brother, was it?"

Noah shook his head, "No, no. Your brother may alter the Virtual World for his game, but he wouldn't leave a corrupt file go unnoticed. I think there's another force on the outside, another person who has access to this Virtual World of mine. I don't know who it is, but i do know that that person is most likely the reason why Chazz has disappeared,"

In the real world, the hacker was watching the camping group on the monitor, taking a drag of a shortened cigarette.

"Father transferred your brain into the supercomputer?" the hacker leaned back in the chair, "I remember something oddly similar to that years back, but...it can't be that same kid,"

Taking a final drag of the cigarette, the hacker moved the mouse around to a couple of files on the desktop. The sound of mouse clicks echoed through the dark room as the hacker opened file after file. Coming across one labeled NoahK.doc, the hacker opened the file and scanned the contents, eyes widening more and more with each passing second.

"No frickin' way!" the hacker quickly went back to the camping screen, "You're his son?!"

Siho rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend everything Noah had told them.

"So, let me get this straight," the ebony-haired teen said slowly, "You lived in the real world, got into an accident, then got stuck here?"

"Yes,"

"Okay, it's happened in science fiction movies, why not real life?" Siho murmured before clearing his throat, "You're also telling us that there's a person out there, in the real world, screwing up the Virtual World. In doing that, the person has made Chazz disappear after his duel?"

"That and making the Duel Monsters go nuts," Noah added quickly.

"Okay, that too," Siho rubbed his hands, "So what do you suggest we do, Mr VR?"

Noah tapped his duel disk, "The only solution I can come up with is to actually win the game. Once that's done, the program should end and you'll be returned to the real world,"

Jordan frowned, "Would that work?"

"It's the best thing we got," Khamille stretched, "We really can't do anything about the person outside that's messing with the game, so the only things we should be worried about are finding our friends winning the game. Hopefully, the others on the outside will find out where that asshole is and fix the game before that jerk does any permanent damage to the Virtual World,"

The hacker laughed, "No one can find me, Miss Tong. I got the best anti-tracing scramblers, I know all about the KaibaCorp protocols...I have the advantage here! You can try and win the game if you want kiddies, but I promise you here and now that you'll never go home when this is over!"

Back in the testing room, Kristerr and the technicians had heard every word that the group had shared with Noah.

"Is this even possible?" the male Tong wondered aloud, "I've never heard of anything like preserving a person's brain in a supercomputer to keep them alive...,"

"Sir," one of the technicians looked up at him, "You think that this person that boy is referring to is the one who has trapped them in the game?"

"Well, it certainly seems so," Kristerr reached into his coat and pulled out his cell phone, "I honestly dunno what the hell to believe anymore today, but you all do your best to get these kids out of there. If anything happens to my sister-,"

"We'll try our best, Mr Tong,"

"Make sure you do," Kristerr stormed away, I got a phone call to make.

Meanwhile, Kairi was sitting in a nearby computer chair, mind reeling with what she had just overheard from the game monitor.

First year at Duel Academy, we get Shadow Games. Summer vacation, my friends are held hostage by a hacker and are guided by a guy whose mind was transferred from his real body to the computer... she rubbed her eyes ...this sounds like something from a bad sci-fi movie!

"Lady Kotako! Lady Kotako!"

"What is it?"

"It's Huntress Celeste, she's been scouted on the edge of the valley with two strangers!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, milady!"

"Send the Six out to greet her and escort her and her...guests back here. I wish to have a word with them immediately,"

Kilnorc: Okay, another chapter for Cyber Battles is done with! Now, some people wanted explanations, so I gave some explanations. No doubt, that it's confusing, but I'm not used to doing big, extravagant stuff like that. Sorry, but I AM trying my best.

Now, this isn't the full story behind the hacker, and I'll explain that later on. Later, everyone.