GIJOE: BACK TO REALITY CH.12
Firefly crossed his arms across his chest indifferently as if he wasn't the bit surprised that the Commander's virtual reality simulator game program had a major glitch in it, allowing Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes to break the Brainwave Scanner's mental manipulative control. Despite being ninja, the duo should not be able to break from their implanted reality that easily.
The Commander was highly intelligent when it came computer hardware, but he knew very little about digital code sequencers and wet-wire systems that handled the heavy trafficked code in programs of this nature. He, on the other hand, did know, despite his background in munitions. With his background in explosives and advanced weaponry and warfare, he had to be constantly on track with the newest technology to ever improve and keep his profession up-to-date.
"The data sequences are overloading, Commander," he remarked. "In spontaneously manipulating the BAT program, by interfering with the natural state of the implanted simulation already established, you're not only creating pockets of confusion for its characters, namely Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, but you're also destabilizing the code breakers and converting them into fragments. You must allow the program to adjust before inputting new data."
Slice looked at him like a deer caught in the highlights, while Cobra Commander looked at him with new admiration and appreciation. He saw the Commander's eyes narrow slightly, age lines showed at the corner of his eyes through his visual face plate, indicating he was smirking. "I knew I kept you around for a reason, Firefly…" He stood up from his chair. "Show me." Offering it to him.
Firefly accepted it and sat down and he started to design a special code for the program on a side bar. Then he explained what it did to the Commander. The Commander accepted his explanation and Firefly implemented it into the program. The system returned to normal as the data sequences adjusted for the new data. It only took a few seconds for it to take effect.
Firefly returned the chair back to the Commander and he sat down. The Commander took a look at the special code Firefly had typed in and nodded. "Excellent job, Firefly! A college education is a wonderful thing! Expect a sizable bonus in your Swiss account for this," he said, and Firefly said, "Thank you, Commander. Just providing knowledge where needed."
"I went to college," Slice said, but no one seemed to care.
"It's going to take a lot more than some fancy computer program to break my Master's mind!" Kamakura finally announced that he was awake. He had been listening and watching the events unfold for quite some time. They all looked at him, his wrists and ankles shackling him to the far brick wall. "Your wasting your time, there's no way Snake Eyes is ever going to believe that phony world."
"Shut him up," the Commander said casually, with a hint of annoyance, and Slice did the honors. He went over to Kamakura and commenced in silencing him, by delivering his own technique of quieting a noisy nuance.
Firefly and the Commander ignored Kamakura's cries of pain, as Slice continuously pummeled him, giving focus instead, watching the large TV screen, to the simulated world that they had inserted Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.
---
Snake Eyes put a hand to his head feeling a slight pain. Tommy felt the same pain. It was as if they were experiencing a simultaneous headache. Lowering his hand Snake Eyes said, "All of a sudden I've got a headache."
"Me too, must be from the VR simulator," Tommy said. "Or it could be from everything we heard in the conference room and all that techno-babel."
"Your true memories might be trying to break through," Billy said happily.
Tommy smiled. "I hope so, squirt," he said, and ruffled the boy's head with a hand. "Can you get your Dad a bottle of water?"
"Sure, Dad," Billy said. "There's a kitchen on this floor. I'll BRB."
"BRB?"
"Be right back," Billy said. "Boy, that game really did scramble your brain if you don't remember what simple computer lingo means, didn't it, Dad?"
"I guess so. That's why we need you to help us until they return." Tommy smiled thin.
"I'll get you your water now, Dad."
"Thanks son," Tommy said, and Billy went down the hall, turning a corner.
"My headache's starting to go away," Snake Eyes said.
"Mine too," Tommy said. "Must've been a short migrate."
"But both of us, together, at the same time? Don't you think that's a little odd?"
"Well, considering everything we discussed with McCullen and DeCobray in there, I would think there was something wrong with us if we didn't have a collective migrate. Some of that stuff they talked about was way over my head."
"Agreed. And I just nodded with most of it. They were talking like we were aware of everything, that we should know everything… but my mind is still so foggy."
Tommy nodded suspiciously. "Dr. Mindbender said our memories should've returned by now," he said. "But I'm not remembering anything new, are you?"
Snake Eyes shook his head. "Nothing," he said.
Billy returned with two bottles of water and gave one to his father and the other one to Snake Eyes. "Hearya go, Dad, and I brought one for you too, Snake Eyes," he said. Tommy took a slip to parch his dry mouth.
"Thanks Billy," Snake Eyes said, but he didn't drink any. "Not to be rude, Billy, but I'm feeling uncomfortable with you calling me Snake Eyes. It sounds so…unlucky. Why don't you call me by my first name."
"Sure. I won't call you Snake Eyes anymore, John." He said.
To Snake Eyes, John didn't feel right. Something gnawed at the back of his mind telling him something wasn't right. But until he figured out what that something was, he'd have to accept the situation at face value despite its suspicious nature.
Dr. Mindbender exited the conference room and came over to Snake Eyes and Tommy. He said, "Are you two all right? I was a little worried when you left suddenly like that. Mr. McCullen and Ms. DeCobray are our best clients."
"I apologize, doc, but we had to get outta there," Tommy said. "The atmosphere was a little stifling especially when our memories haven't returned yet."
Dr. Mindbender's eyes widened with concern. "Your memories haven't returned yet? That's very odd. You should at least have gotten partial memory return."
"Not a thing, doctor," Snake Eyes said.
"This isn't good," he said. "There must be more damage to your sciatic neutrons that I previously hypothesized or that the tests concluded. But no one has remained that long in the game simulator like the two of you did. I'll get a team on the problem a.s.a.p. and have the test pods ready for the gaming expo next month. In the meantime… why don't you go home to visit your families while I conclude things here. Perhaps being with them will trigger your memories to return."
"I don't understand, what family? Billy is the only one I have." Tommy said.
"Mr. Smith's family," Dr. Mindbender said. "His wife and three kids."
Snake Eyes' mouth dropped shocked. "I have a wife and kids?" he said.
---
As they took the elevator down to the main floor, Billy told John everything about his family. He then lead them to the reception area where a chuffer was waiting for them to drive them home. They left the building and got into a long black limo. The temperature outside was warm, but the temperature inside was nice and cool. The car drove off. "I feel so ashamed," Snake Eyes said, as he looked at the photos in his wallet of his wife and three children. "I can't believe I don't remember them. I can't go home not knowing who they are!"
"Relax, John," Billy said, giving him a smile, sitting opposite him in the car. "Things will be fine. When we explain the situation I'm sure they'll understand."
"What are their names again?" he asked Billy.
Billy named them off as Snake Eyes looked at the picture. They were all together in a family portrait, like one big, happy family.
"Your oldest boy, his name is Clayton, he's 12. The second oldest, Ralph, he's 10, and the youngest is Hara, she's 9," Billy said. "And your wife's name is--"
"Shana," Snake Eyes suddenly spoke.
"So are you starting to remember?"
Snake Eyes looked at the picture, really focused on his wife's face, and said, "No, not exactly… it's just, for some reason, I already knew it."
"That's great!" Billy said excited. "I think you're starting to remember."
"How did I ever meet such a beautiful woman like that?" Snake Eyes wondered out loud.
-- tbc