Chapter 2: Huh? You Mean It's Weird?
Scott was certainly an otaku, but though he was born and raised in Japan, he'd be more at home at Otacon than Comiket. His room was rather Spartan. Cheap bed, cheap sheets, cheap everything. He didn't have much in the way of furniture or decoration, only a few posters for various anime and games he was especially fond of. This was mainly because most of his spare cash went towards more anime, manga, and video games. Though a devout nerd, he never bothered to learn much about composers, directors or voice actors, instead choosing to obsess over the plots, settings, and references contained within the media he devoured. He didn't know much about Megumi Hayashibara, save that she was hot. He knew nothing of Osamu Tezuka, save that he was a full M.D. and every mangaka in Japan and the world over seemed to worship the ground he walked on. But he did know most everything about the settings they were involved in.
"It's been awhile." Said Alex.
"Since we've met face to face anyway, over a year it fact."
"I wish I would have gotten here sooner, and more often."
"Don't worry about it. I know you've been working hard on those editorials, not to mention that book of yours. Besides, you did keep in contact with e-mails and such." He smiled, "Thanks."
"It is pretty much complete now. I do thank you for your suggestions in certain areas, they were quite helpful."
"Stop sounding so formal and crap!" Scott protested.
"Sorry, it's just how I normally talk."
"Well it's annoying, so stop it! Still, you seem to skip the formalities when you got a few drinks in you. Speaking of which…" He stood up on his chair and pushed a ceiling tile up, reached up and grabbed a fifth of spiced rum. "Imported from the outside, not an easy feat. You got any of your own?"
"But of course," Cipher said as he withdrew a bottle of sake from his longcoat.
"Sweet, can I have some?" Scott asked eagerly.
"Yes you can, just don't throw up on me."
"Have I ever done so before?"
"That one time on Saint Patrick's day."
"Oye, I'll never live that down will I."
"After what you did, I was surprised nobody called the police."
"Everyone in that bar was drunk, even you! Nobody remembered a thing!" He stood up and pointed his finger at Alex's face, his face beat red.
"Except, perhaps, me and you."
He balled his fists and looked away "Grrrr..."
"Don't worry, we promised to never speak of it to anyone else."
"Then why do you keep bringing it u-uuuup!" He said in a whiny tone, "The walls have ears you knowww."
"Too many ears. All those voices, all those people to keep an eye on. It's the same as not being watched at all, they have no true focus."
"Yeah, well, how about we lose ours for a few hours."
"Agreed, let's start drinking."
This was, obviously, not the first time the two of them drank together. Alcohol loosened inhibitions, enabled people to speak in complete honesty with one another. Sadly, when Scott got drunk he only wanted to talk about anime, manga, and video games, whilst either watching, reading or playing the one he was talking about. The one he was obsessed with lately was a science fiction RPG. After a few swigs of sake and a shot of rum he lamented about how there aren't many RPG's that use that type of setting.
"Magic and Technology are really just about the same thing, and it's not like you can't cook up some psuedo-scientific justification for cool stuff. Minovsky particles, nanomachines, most anything will work so long as it's internally consistent. Plus, giant robots. I dig giant robots, but it's just so hard to put them in a fantasy setting ya know?"
"So this game has a lot of things you like then?"
"Ok let's go down the list. Hot chicks, badass story, great soundtrack, giant robots, references that fly over 90 percent of the population's head, and all in a plot that's only half as confusing as Eva's! Yeah, I love this game!"
"That Eva comparison is pretty apt, these guys are really harping on the Christian references. What is it with you and religious symbolism anyway? Aren't you supposed to be a devout Catholic? Shouldn't you find this offensive?"
"Honestly, no. In fact, I love every bit of it! It looks cool, it sounds cool, it is cool. Untold billions of Otaku around the world just can't be wrong! This stuff sells almost as well as sex! Almost, heheheh."
"How do you know that?"
"Ok, If you let me, I can list a metric frakton of works that are not only insanely popular and well reputed, but also have enough symbolism to make the Pope blush. It ain't all Christian mind you, but it's sure as hell religious."
"I'd rather not, you'll go on for hours."
"All the more reason to believe me."
After about an hour Scott stopped playing the game and popped in an anime, which they also discussed. It was about an eclectic bunch of high school girls in pinkish red uniforms. It was a very strange anime to be sure, and not nearly as "intellectual" as the game, but Scott loved it all the same. An easy audience, most anything entertained him. After the both of them were well and completely wasted, it occurred to Alexander ask him about the school itself.
"So, do you ever see anything...strange here?" He said sleepily.
"Like what?" He said as he swung the bottle of sake wildly, his voice taking on the bad Scottish accent that indicated he was completely shitfaced.
"You know, like, the stuff the you see in those games and anime."
"Like, fantasy and sci-fi stuff happenin' in real life?"
"Yeah, anything like that here?"
"Awwww hell yeah. That tree's just too damn big, de library could easily pass for a D&D dungeon, and I swear, on some days, there's a lit-tle girl prancin' about with what looks like a blood-thirsty pup-et." he said in a sing-songy tone.
"Ever talk to them?"
"God no, they're scary as all hell. The Girl looks like she wana sucks me blood or sumthin'. An' tha doll, oh dear god if ye heard the shit she says!"
"How can you be afraid of *gulp* a little girl and a puppet?"
"If ye met em', ye'd know." He said in all seriousness.
"What's in that library? If you, don't mind me asking?"
"Pitfalls, traps, and things that can generally lead to horrible injery and deadness if ye get really stupid!" He took another swig of sake. "It's not even, (hic), been fully explored. There's a club trying to do so, but I don't wana join."
"Why not?"
"Aye, I'd rather play video games then climb bookshelves!"
"Any reshtricted sections?"
"Heck yeah! Bet dat's where dey keep da good stuff. Gutenberg bible, Dresden Codex, who knows!"
"Anything else that's not right with this place?"He paused for a second. "Aye, though ya'll think I'm crazy. Some days I see people casting spells and whatnot like they larpin' Harry Potter or someting, but the kicker is dat their spells actually go off!"
That comment caused Alexander to go dead sober. He paused to collect his thoughts and asked.
"Ever ask them how they pull it off?"
"Nah, it's pry just me imagination. Lots o' drama clubs and stuff, they be doin' some incredible things wit CGI nowadays."
CGI, every time he questioned a purveyor of insanity on the physical laws they just broke he always heard them say 'It's CGI'. Bullcrap, the world is not a holodeck, nor is it a consensual illusion. Reality has laws that cannot be violated no matter how much we desire that wasn't the case. Objects do not 'fall up', a tree cannot be that big, fire and ice cannot spring from a bare hand at the behest of a dead language.
"You know that's impossible right? The world isn't a holodeck ya know."
"Lot's o' tech they keep secret, only God knows what they be cookin' up in Area 51...or in our very own science club for dat matter. That Hakase girl and her posse somehow got da funds and da brains to pull off all sorts a' crazy sit!"
"It still sounds like a pretty thin excuse Scott, you sure that's a good explanation?"
"It's either that, or say something crazy like it was magic. And we all know dere ain't no such thing as magic. Sufficiently advanced tech on de od'er hand…"
"Humanity hasn't reached that point yet for too many reasons to list here, why do you think it has?"
"Who's ta say it hasn't? Lots o' things we don't know about."
It was obvious that logic just wasn't going to work here. Scott had his explanation to the weirdness on campus. Still, something just wasn't right. He usually had such an open mind about these kinds of things. He never discounted anything out of hand. Yet this is exactly what he was doing here. There was a possibility that Alexander conceived of that would explain quite a lot, including this sudden yet isolated change in Scott's character. But the thought of such a thing was, unimaginable. Too horrible to accept without the most serious of evidence.
Then a flash of instinct overtook him. He had his suspicions, but now he was absolutely certain. The answers he'd sought for over 30 years were here in Mahora Academy; most likely within the deepest parts of that library! Thankfully, the Mahora festival was in a few days. It was a major event that always managed to draw quite the large crowd over the course of three days. So many people would put quite a strain on any security apparatus, including any secret ones that may attempt to stop an infiltration into the restricted sections.
After a few more hours of carefree enjoyment and revelry he said goodbye and goodnight to his son. He would have to make some legally questionable preparations if he was to succeed.
And here's Chapter 2. I'll get to the badass action sequences soon enough. Remember, it took the original series a bit to pick up in that regard, and yours truly is trying to emulate it in his own way. Also, daddy loves constructive criticism, not flames and/or adulation. I do suck, but not completely...I hope anyway. Also, check out . It was those great and hilarious articles, among other things, that inspired me to start writing this in the first place.