Chapter 41

The ride down in the elevator from the satellite was much more relaxed than their journey up. Now that that awkward silence between them was broken, Daniel started babbling at great length about his knowledge on space with much enthusiasm. Vlad nearly sighed at that point, for it seemed Daniel inherited his father's ability to blather on without end, which could be quite tiresome at times. Strangely though, Vlad found he was smiling as the young man talked.

Daniel glanced his way briefly before turning his gaze away again and scratching at his cheek with one finger in a show of embarrassment that was almost cute. Vlad almost jerked visibly as he frowned. He should certainly not be thinking of the young man as cute. It wasn't because of something as trivial as the fact that Daniel was a man. Vlad had experiences in that department in his youth, long before that accident that gave him his digital powers. No, that certainly wasn't the alarming issue here. Daniel was young enough to be his son. In fact, if Vlad had his way in the past and married Maddie instead of Jack, Daniel could very well be his son. He was nearly three times older than Daniel! Cute was not a term he should be using to describe someone that much younger than he.

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled, shifting awkwardly where he sat as the elevator neared the ground level of the NetZone. "I guess I kind of ramble when I get going on space." He glanced Vlad's way again and seemed to be searching for something. "What kind of things were - are you interested in?" He laughed with some nervousness. "I mean, I guess you had an interest in viruses like my parents if you did research with them back in college. But, um, what got you interested in studying them?"

Vlad realized he hadn't thought about the reason why he got interested in viruses in ages. Thinking on it now, it felt like a faraway dream, or a story he once heard from someone else instead his own past. "It was quite some time before I went to college. I believe I was sixteen at the time," he explained, trying to recall the events the led up to his interest in studying the NetZone. "An incident occurred. A virus managed to escape from the NetZone. The first in fact. The Guys in White were quite quick to capture it."

Perhaps too quick, he realized now as he retold the story. The GIW were good at making messes, and it wouldn't surprise him if they inadvertently created something that drew out the virus by accident. From the fact that the GIW weren't able to yank out a virus from the NetZone, Vlad assumed that whatever their method was back then, it wasn't a reliable one. Or possibly, they weren't aware that it was their doing in the first place, assuming of course that they did cause the virus to appear in the real world.

"They tried to cover it up, of course," Vlad continued, not revealing those thoughts to Daniel. "Erased everything about the incident that they could find. But," a smirk twisted upon his face, "they couldn't destroy all evidence of that event. I was always fairly decent at working with technology, so naturally, after learning about that incident, I started doing my own research on viruses and the NetZone. Then when I went to college, I bumped into your parents, both of whom recalled that same incident. The club was Jack's idea, of course. We met almost daily to share notes and ideas on inventions. All of us entranced by the whole idea of viruses taking on humanoid appearances. Your father was the one that brought up the idea of finding some way to be able to pull out a virus from the NetZone. To give it a physical body within the real world, like with the incident we remembered so well, so that we could examine it in real life."

Daniel looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing over the answer he was given. "I never even really asked my parents about what got them interested in researching the whole NetZone and viruses." A grumpy expression crossed his face. "But it was always sort of embarrassing having them running around like maniacs with crazy inventions. People thought they were complete nut jobs until viruses actually started popping out into the real world."

"It's easy to discredit people when there's no proof to support their claims," Vlad agreed, understanding how Daniel could find his parents' behavior embarrassing, especially among his peers. If he hadn't known about that little incident, Vlad doubted he would believe anything about viruses, or programs, adopting humanoid appearances within the NetZone. Or even that the NetZone was a world within itself beyond just wires connecting various technology. "It's happened numerous times throughout history. The world being flat. The Earth being the center of the universe. People being accused of witchcraft. The list goes on and on. And until people could prove themselves correct in their thinking, many wrote them off as crazy."

Daniel nodded as he listened to Vlad. "I guess we shouldn't be too quick to judge people just because their ideas sound a little out there."

"You never know. The next time you hear someone talking about something that sounds completely unbelievable, they might end up coming out with something that changes the world as we see it and make millions." Vlad smirked somewhat at that thinking. It was because of his immersion into the NetZone, thanks to his powers, that he was able to build such a successful company. That was perhaps one reason to thank Jack for that little screw up, though money hardly mattered to him while living within the NetZone.

The elevator reached the ground level, and the door slid open to allow them to exit. Daniel stepped out first, stretching his arms over his head. He walked around in a small circle to work out his stiff legs from sitting for the long duration. Vlad followed suit, and the elevator sealed itself shut behind him. When he went to Daniel's house earlier, he never intended to take the young man up to his personal satellite. After speaking to his father, however, Vlad felt some pity toward Daniel, knowing the weight of a crushed dream all too well. It was a spur of the moment decision when Daniel finally arrived home, a small way to cheer him up, and also to make his own apology to the young man.

"I can allow you access if you wish to visit again," Vlad announced as Daniel finished with his stretching.

"What?" Daniel blinked owlishly, stunned by the offer. "Really?" His green eyes lit up with hope that he could return to the satellite again to see space with his own eyes.

Vlad nodded with a very small smile. "But you must be certain not to get in the way of any programs working there."

"Of course not! I promise!" Daniel grinned excitedly at the prospect, and his happiness was nearly infectious.

Vlad's mouth twitched, the corners threatening to spread into a smile before he managed to control his expression. "Now. If you're feeling up to it, we can continue with our training. Since you've learned some about energy manipulation, we can start on something new."

The thoughtful expression returned to Daniel's face as he held his chin in a hand. "So," he said slowly before lifting his gaze toward Vlad, "basically we can manipulate our energy to create virtually... anything?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow as he eyed the man curiously, wondering what thoughts were churning through his brain. "That is quite possible."

After a nod, Daniel's face scrunched up in concentration. Vlad frowned to himself as his mind once again wished to categorize the expression as "cute." Tearing his gaze away from the young man, he focused his attention onto what Daniel was trying to accomplish. He noted the familiar binary coding forming before them in a strange lumpy shape that expanded somewhat as the young man focused his thoughts. He blinked in mild surprise while watching Daniel work. With no one to guide him, Vlad stumbled onto the whole energy manipulation ability through trial and error.

After several moments, the ones and zeroes shattered apart much like they did after Daniel formed his helmet. What was left behind took Vlad by surprised. He walked over, running his gloved hand over the sleek smooth curves of the object. When he turned back to Daniel, bent over as he panted after the effort, Vlad gave the young man a curious look.

"A motorcycle?" Vlad inquired when Daniel straightened. "A little ambitious there for only your second attempt, don't you think?"

Daniel shrugged with a cocky little grin. "Thought I'd give it a shot." He stepped up to his newly crafted motorcycle and easily climbed onto it. "I always thought the idea of a motorcycle would be cool, but my parents want me to learn the responsibility of money so they won't buy me anything to use for transportation. And with school and fighting viruses eating up my time, I don't exactly have a lot to spare to take on a part time job so that I can afford anything." He turned a grin on Vlad. "And it's a long walk back to your place. I figured this would make the trip faster."

Vlad did admit the young man had a point. It would be quite a walk from the satellite elevator back to his domain. His mouth pursed slightly, annoyed with himself that he never thought of crafting something similar when he needed to get around the NetZone. But it was such a rare occurrence when he did need to get somewhere. Or used to be rare. He became a lot more active since Daniel turned up at his domain for the first time.

Daniel patted the seat of the motorcycle behind him as the grin remained firmly on his face. "Hop on!"

Vlad snorted at the request. "Do you even know how drive it?"

Daniel's face fell as he returned Vlad's inquisitive look with a flat glare. "I do have a driver's license." He frowned then added in a mutter, "Even if I don't have a car."

"Yes, but driving a car isn't the same as a motorcycle." Vlad remained hesitant, not certain of the young man's ability to actually control the vehicle that he chose to craft.

"Just get on," Daniel ordered grumpily.

It almost made him smirk to see Daniel respond so easily to a little prodding, but Vlad managed to keep his expression schooled. He slid into place behind the young man, situating himself snuggly against his backside as he snaked his arms loosely about Daniel's body to secure himself for the ride. No longer in view of the man, Vlad allowed a smirk to slip onto his face as he felt the tension in the man's body.

"Sure you know how to drive this thing?" Vlad questioned, almost allowing a teasing note to enter his voice.

"Yes," Daniel snapped quickly, and if he could see the man's face at that moment, Vlad was certain he would find a blush upon his cheeks.

Daniel didn't wait for anymore comments before he started up the motorcycle. There was a squeal of the wheels against the ground that made Vlad wince. Then they tore away from the elevator, heading in the direction of his domain. At the forward jerk, Vlad tightened his arms around the young man. Snow white hair fluttered backward as they sped along through the NetZone. Wrinkling his nose, Vlad turned his head aside, making a note to remind Daniel to wear a helmet next time, if the man could manage to focus on keeping two things in existence at the same time.

The motorcycle was indeed a good idea, and they reached his domain in good time. It would have taken much longer to cross that distance on foot. When they arrived, Vlad was happy to be able to place his feet on firm ground again. Daniel may not have fully inherited his father's reckless driving skills, but that didn't make his racing around the NetZone seem any less terrifying. Vlad thought perhaps it was a good thing that there was plenty of wide open space for Daniel to drive through without crashing into anything. Once Daniel was off it, the motorcycle turned blocky and dissolved into nothing.

"That energy manipulation thing seems like it'll be really handy," Daniel commented as Vlad typed in the password to his firewall to all them entry.

"I find it to be," Vlad agreed, entering his domain. Daniel followed, and the firewall closed off after him.

Once they were inside, Cujo decided to pop out again, appearing suddenly at Daniel's side after jumping out of the watch that the man wore in his human appearance. With a bark and wag of his tail, he trotted off to pester the cat curled in a cushy little basket bed that Vlad created for her. It seemed his domain was taking on more homey aspects since he met Daniel.

The two pieces of virus coding that were pulled from Daniel remained at his desk. He eyed the one with whitish yellow sparks. He was still puzzling out the mystery of that latest problem. After Daniel left his domain early yesterday morning, Vlad spent quite a bit of his time toying with the coding, trying to decipher its purpose and why the unknown virus wanted to infect Phantom with it. What game was this virus playing with Phantom? First it manipulated events to give young Miss Gray that digital suit and a vendetta against Phantom. Now it was trying to plant harmful coding into Phantom. A grim frown cross his face, and he thought it was indeed a very good thing that Daniel came to him when he did and started learning how to fix his damaged coding and remove infections. If left alone, who knew what that virus could have done to him?

"Now," Vlad said as he turned to face Daniel and clasped his hands together. All signs of dark thoughts washed away, and he focused on the task at hand. Daniel still had much to learn. "As you are quite familiar with manipulating your energy into useful items, I think it would be wise for you to choose a weapon."

Daniel blinked. "A weapon?" he parroted as his bafflement caused his brows to draw together. "Why do I need to choose a weapon?"

"For combat," Vlad replied without emotion, though his gaze clearly read that he thought the man had to be joking. "I'm sure you've noticed that virus tend to utilize weapons of their own choosing."

"Yeah," Daniel said slowly, eying the man before him. "Skulker uses lots of different projectile weapons. And that female one at the game had a guitar. And the Box Bug," he paused then shook his head with a snort of a laugh, "obviously uses boxes. But I've always just used the energy balls."

"Because that was basically all you knew," Vlad reminded. It wasn't until he caught the green eyed glare directed at him that he realized his words came out a little more cruelly than intended. "You're progressing quite nicely though," he amended in an attempt to smooth over the previous comment. "While you are capable of making any weapon you so desire in any given situation, I would suggest a single default weapon." He extended an arm before him, and with very little concentration, the energy expanded from his hand and quickly formed a sharp edged sword. "The advantage of a default weapon is that the more you use it, the easier it is to craft until you barely have to think about it. In a battle, time is an important factor. Too slowly in choosing a weapon and materializing it could cost you dearly. If a situation calls for another weapon more suitable to dealing with your opponent, you can still utilize your default weapon to buy yourself the time needed to form a different one."

Vlad watched as his words slowly sank into the man's mind. Daniel was absorbing the advice, and Vlad could practically see the words etching themselves into his brain so that they would remain forever present in his head.

"That does seem to make a lot of sense," Daniel agreed. His bit his lower lip as he pondered. Raising an arm, he focused, and his brow set with deep lines of concentration. It took him time, much like with the helmet and the motorcycle, but it came easier than the latter. When it was done, he held a sleek black shaft in his hand with a curved blade at one end that glowed green like his eyes.

"A scythe?" Vlad's red eyes roamed over the weapon of choice curiously.

Daniel frowned, lower lip jutting out only slightly. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not." Vlad shook his head. It was, after all, Daniel's choice, and it should be something that he wanted to use as a weapon. "Now banish it, but remember it in every detail."

"Okay. But why?" The scythe vanished, but Daniel's frown remained as he eyed Vlad with some skepticism.

"Because now," Vlad smirked, brandishing his sword, "I'm going to give you some real combat experience."

swagdanny: The space card! 8D It's the fastest way to Danny's heart~

Mischievious Kiss27: Yes, bonding~ 8) The bonding is good~ Guess Danny's finally seeing that Vlad isn't such a jerk after all. XD;;

maltese: It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? XD;;

DB-KT: Well, I guess we can give him some moments of happiness. But you know how it goes. A brief shining moment... then utter despair and torture. 8D;;;; *killed*

midnight: It definitely helps show Vlad in a different light when he does something like that. XD I guess he has a heart in there somewhere after all. XD;;

Sammi: Danny just doesn't know how to process Vlad of all people doing something like that for him. Especially after the way things started between them. XD;;; It was just kind of a mind blowing gesture to him.

Just Will: XD So much filler~ But I think it helps add to the stories. In my older stories, they all seemed very plot oriented without much in the way of side plots or anything else going on with the other characters. So I think doing different perspectives with each chapter is really helping to explore the other characters and give them a lot more than a flat personality. =) And it's a lot of fun. XD;;; Vlad has moments of being nice. Haha. XD;; Well, in this story anyway. He's not as grossly bitter and vengeful here. Mostly because of that hard dose of reality of collapsing and being told he was dying in the real world. orz

Anon: They just don't know it yet. 8)