Chapter description: Billy has quite a long day! A real mixed bag!
Tags for this chapter:
Violence, Machine Gore, Gem Injury, Hyperventilation, Sentimental Loss
09. My Unexpected Confrontations
It was early morning. Pouring rain. Flying wasn't recommended. Even if it was, Dia was not quite so receptive towards doing so as Dave was. Understandable, it wasn't for everyone.
Instead, purple umbrella in hand, Billy walked him to school. His first day, he knew, down at Baldina's. She was one of the few Webspace residents to have stayed true to the point of her game. Except, of course, actually teaching, and not the gimmick of the collecting and survival objectives.
The walk there felt so much shorter than it was, but this was only due to being able to get the young gem to talk. While the two were at least acquainted, it was nothing more. Which was why it was Dave's suggestion - a bonding experience. It wasn't a confident one, for he clearly was on the fence between that or going himself, but… Well, here they were.
Anyway, even as introverted as Billy himself was, he did his best.
Nice hoodie. "Th-Thanks." A real diamond, right? "Yeah." Does he have any lore? "No." None at all? "Never made any." How does he feel about… Rain? "Too wet. Too cloudy. Makes me tired." Are sunny days better? "I guess." How did he find the Webspace? "You w-wouldn't believe me."
That sounded like a challenge. "Try me."
At last, Dia looked up at him. "I came here with someone. A, uh…" He trailed off, as if wanting to back out.
"I will not judge you." Billy assured, lightly.
"Okay, w-well, he…" Dia started to explain, "It was his first time being Online, and d-didn't know how it worked. He mentioned being called here by a strange voice, and I-I almost ended up helping him. Then I found out about Dave, and that kinda… Fell apart." He paused. "Haven't seen him since. M-Maybe he found out how to go back home."
"Home…?" The robot gently inquired.
"On the computer, where his game is, he said. If only it was that easy…"
Going back… A game that's gone Online would've done so with the full intent on not doing that; why would they? It was hard to comprehend.
Unless… He did not want to be there in the first place. That was the only reasonable conclusion.
"But, hey, it's not like I miss being on a PC," Dia suddenly continued, desperately, "In a tiny, empty game, crowded with weirdos and a player. Especially when she just abandons you for like a bajillion years, without saying anything. Not at all! I'm glad I walked out! Never looked back! Never been better!"
Billy wasn't sure if he meant it or not, so he chose to believe him. "I see. I'm sorry about Kelly."
The young gem froze, bearing an expression that Billy struggled to read. Finally, Dia looked away, tone angry-sounding. "Don't say her name."
Oh dear. It was that bad. "My apologies. I will refrain."
The rest of the way was silent. He couldn't believe he crossed the line so quickly. Entering the school grounds, Billy lightly stopped him. From his inventory, he selected his spare umbrella. "Here. In case you need one." Wordlessly, Dia took it.
It felt like a gamble, but Billy wanted to try. "I really am sorry, Dia. I had no idea."
"... It's fine. I just don't wanna talk about it." Better than the silent treatment.
"Understood. Will you be okay?" There was a nod. "Then, I'll be here to pick you up. See you later." Dia took the opportunity to leave rather quickly, going straight for the main building.
When he was inside, Billy sighed to himself, turning away and departing. Classes end at 3 PM. He internally set an alarm for 2:30. Maybe by then, the rain will quit. For now, he found that he ought to discuss this with Dave. Perhaps he knew more about it.
Once again, he started walking.
In a quieter area, he heard something, and paused to listen. "There you are. You motherfucking snitch." He barely processed the words, being rammed into the nearby alley, dropping the umbrella. He quickly regained himself and recognized his aggressor.
Aldurra.
Even while pinned to the wall, Billy dodged his attacks - one arm bearing a hand, the other a scythe. He managed to kick the taller demon away, getting some distance. He turned his hand into a tranquilizer barrel, trying to aim.
"Not this time, jackass!" Aldurra yelled as he charged, his blade blocking the darts that came for him. When close enough, it cleanly sliced off Billy's arm, sleeve and all. Aldurra growled in triumph. "Now you look more like him."
Whoever he was talking about was lost on Billy. In any case, the best plan of action was to get his umbrella. He reeled back his elbow and jabbed his adversary in the sternum, using the stun to sidestep over, picking up the item. He hurriedly closed it up, wielding it like a blunt weapon.
This time, he bolted right back, striking with all he could. Aldurra took a few hits before it grew dented, possibly no longer functional. That only became all the more probable as the demon bit into the object and ripped it away from him, tossing it aside and out of sight. Billy tried to throw a punch, but his hand was crushed in the other's maw.
Aldurra promptly paused to spit out the pieces, and all Billy could think of doing at this point was fleeing. He brought out his jetpack, taking to the air.
But he only made it about three meters up, when he suddenly saw Aldurra's scythe pierce through his torso. "And just where do you think you're going, punk?!" Releasing, the robot began to fall, but Aldurra caught him by the leg, and used the momentum to slam him into the ground, repeatedly. Grunting, he added, "You're. Staying. Right. Here!"
The final one broke the joints in his knee, but the demon had stopped long enough for Billy to roll over and realize it - the same leg, from years ago. That does it.
Glancing at what remained of his hand, the wiring and endoskeleton was intact - he could still move it with ease.
"Alright," He finally said, as he detached the injured leg from the calf down, then undid his tie. "Now you've really made me angry." He tied up the excess trouser leg, and despite what was happening just before, Aldurra watched on.
"You have like, a bunch of bodies," He noted, as Billy did his best to stand. "What would one hurt?"
"This one," The robot explained simply, righting himself, "Means a lot to me. And you've just ruined it." Guided by his fury alone, he somehow managed to sprint, calf raised to attack. The attempts were much more focused, blocking and dodging whatever Aldurra tried.
The demon eventually got a comeback, kicking Billy in his remaining leg, and slammed him into the bricked wall, face-first. It wasn't hard enough to crumble it, which was strange at first; wouldn't he have wanted to use as much force as possible? Perhaps even toss him through it entirely?
Then, Billy felt it - the demon's hand on his head, dragging his face across the rough surface. It was tearing the synthetic skin nearly to ribbons.
Oh. He wanted him to suffer to the end. Got it.
Really, he could just shut down this vessel, then retrieve it later once Aldurra finished having his fun - and that would've been the most logical answer.
But no. Billy wasn't going to let him have the last laugh.
Another of himself, stationed at home, heard the front doors open. "Heyyy! Billy, you here?!" Oh! It was Sam; she sounded excited. He, #18647, marched over to greet her, smiling.
"Hello, Sam. It's nice to see you." His tone was chipper as ever.
Back at the alley. His prior self, #120, finally had enough and managed to hit Aldurra into letting go. He quickly turned, following up with a strong kick, sending the demon flying into the dumpster. He just barely kept from hitting the ground in the process.
One of his ocular lenses had cracked, greatly impairing his depth perception. No matter; he had to finish this.
"You're never gonna believe it," Sam continued, smirking, "But I think I… Well actually, I don't know for sure juuust yet, but I got a lead."
"On what?" #18647 asked, curiously.
"Okay, so," Sam began to explain, "Based on everything we know, I might've finally found her. She joined the forum recently. Sure, she only posted twice, but hey, it's something!"
In the blink of an eye, Billy flashed back to certain moments in question - there was this Internet forum Sam frequented, based on discussions and findings concerning the Webspace. According to her, the users considered it much the same as most Humans who visited - a game. As for Sam, she played along with its mentality.
Aldurra rose and jumped out of the container with a roar, barreling into #120. This led to him being knocked down completely, the enraged demon huffing down at him with no indication of mercy.
"What is your problem?" Billy couldn't help in asking, as nearly every other option was exhausted by now. "And, how did you escape?"
"Unlike you, I can keep personal information to myself," Aldurra sneered, pressing his foot down on Billy's chest. The casing began to bend and crack from the pressure, moreso than it already had. "I don't give a shit how many yous you got, so long as I can teach you a lesson. You knew I was drugged up, and you used that. And then you told your two-faced, backstabbing brother of yours! I must've been this big, fucking JOKE!"
Brother… Denied? What had he done?
Billy couldn't respond. He wasn't sure how.
"May I see them?" #18647 asked Sam, and she nodded, forwarding two screenshots into their DMs.
"Way ahead of you!" He opened the first one, reading it.
Distinguishing Instances?
MissShelly [7:18 AM]
Hi, I'm just wondering if there's a way to tell the difference between multiple game characters. I heard there are separate copies, and that Daves are very common. How would you be able to know who's who?
And then, the second one.
MissShelly [9:02 PM]
Ah, I see. Thank you so much, everyone. I might give that a try.
"Well you know what?!" Aldurra kept going, with a disgusted hiss, "I've had it with you privileged brats! I'm gonna-!"
"I'm sorry." #120 interrupted. The anger was gone. While he couldn't answer for Denied, he could for himself.
"Yeah, you better be fucking sorry- Wait," The demon paused. "Just so I heard you clearly, run that by me again."
"I'm sorry," Billy repeated, stressing the phrase, "I didn't realize how important that was to you. Plus, I just assumed that you would've been completely sober. And awake in a quarter of the time."
"You-! You fucking-! FOUR TRANQ DARTS?!"
"Alex did."
The demon stopped. "Oh, Goddamnit."
"I get what you mean," #18647 nodded once over. "I assume there's no further information on her profile?"
"That's right," Sam sighed, "It's almost totally blank. Just how it is sometimes. Though, I will try and get in touch with her, and maybe we'll learn more. But, God, could you imagine? Kelly, trying to find Dave?!"
"I'm sure he would be happy to know that." His words were sincere, his grin growing soft. It was easy to picture such a thing. But then, there was Dia. He was completely lost on how he would take the news. Well… They'll all figure it out somehow, Billy hoped.
"Oh yeah, go ahead and pass it on. Like, even if this falls flat, ya know."
"Of course!" Only Dave, though. For now.
Aldurra heaved a breath. "That son of a bitch is all you had to go off of, huh."
"Yes," #120 replied, "It was risky to do any less. I'm sorry that I've mistreated you."
His captor stared down at him, emotions shifting. "Didn't expect someone like you to fold like that. How am I supposed to beat the Hell out of you when you're being so reasonable?"
"If it's any consolation, I look like a mess. Repairing…" Billy trailed off momentarily. Dave could not see him like this, even though… The robot played the stalling off as a glitch. "Will be. Tedious." Another pause. "A friend once told me that Alex has pitted us against each other, knowingly or not. I believe her. He's the cause of everything."
"I hate that you're right-" Aldurra went to say, but cut off when he was whacked by a second umbrella. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly hard enough to leave any kind of impact, and Billy distinctly heard a ringing sound. Both looked over to see
Dia, who promptly began to shake in regret. Half of his arm slipped out of his hoodie sleeve and clattered to the ground. The young gem was like a deer in the headlights.
Billy immediately panicked, gripping Aldurra's ankle. In the meantime, he sent two others of himself to this location. He warned, "If you so much as touch him…"
In response to all this, Aldurra huffed down at him again. "What do you take me for? Even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be necessary - the kid can't even keep himself together." Back to Dia, he motioned for him to shoo. "Now, I'm only going to tell you once: Buzz off. This isn't any of your business."
"... Did two of you just leave? What're you in a hurry for?" Oh no. Sam noticed. #18647 struggled to work out how he was going to bluff this. He couldn't.
"I will tell you when I am able." Instead, he bought some time.
"B-But, you're… You're hurting him…" Dia dared to speak, but was rooted to his spot.
"That's all? He'll live. He's just a machine." Aldurra retorted lightly.
"Yeah, well, he's-..." Dia stopped himself, as though the statement would've given too much of something away.
"Go. Do as he says. Please do not get involved." In turn, Billy spoke vaguely. His backup was almost here. Just a bit longer.
"N-No! I can't! I-I…!" The area around them was darkening. Was Billy's optics failing? Wait, no. Dia was… Getting brighter. Almost glowing. When he noticed, he swiftly pulled off his hood, amplifying the situation. The young gem's voice rose. "I can't lET HIM KILL YOU!"
Then, he shrieked, the whole alley becoming flooded with white light. Instinctively, Billy squeezed his eyes shut and covered them with his arm.
From what else he could hear, however, Aldurra yelled out in protest. "Jesus CHRIST, how in the- are you-?! Cut that out!" Those last words sounded different, and immediately following, it all stopped. Dia fell to his knees, but as Billy took a look around, Aldurra was blinded.
"You- You little TWERP!" He gazed through everything as he moved, trying to locate Dia, which freed Billy in the process. "When I get my hands on you…!" That was all the motivation he needed to rise.
He maneuvered around the demon, stashing his dismembered limbs, as well as Dia's arm, into his inventory. Finally, he hoisted the still-recovering gem over his shoulder, booking it out of there as fast as his legs could carry him, with whatever remained of them.
All Dia did was yelp in surprise, but nothing else.
His other selves rerouted to where he was heading, and before long, the two were in a safer location. Only then did he let go of Dia, who seemed to be processing the events of just minutes ago. Billy listened for approaching steps, knowing all too well that it didn't matter if they made any sound - an Alex always knows where his prey is.
Then, next to him, Dia was hyperventilating. Billy wasn't certain how to help him, exactly, but recalled when he himself was on the verge of a mental breakdown… He gently brought him close. "It's alright, Dia. I'm here. I'm here."
"That… That was… An Alex!" Dia was stuttering. "I thought you were-! God, I…!" Billy said nothing else, just let him talk. "And I just- just got in the way! I lose my forearm, and I freeze! But you! You…!" The young gem pulled back suddenly, looking right at Billy, voice quieting. "You're all… Broken. And you somehow…"
With what was left of his face, Billy managed a nervous smile. "I know. I must appear so disfigured and scary. I'm sorry you had to see me like this, Dia. I do appreciate you standing up for me, but overall, I'm just glad you're unharmed. Mostly." He selected the shiny appendage, handing it to him. "Can you be repaired?"
Dia's eyes lit up, taking the part. He sounded a lot calmer. "Yeah. This- This isn't the first time. I need some resin, that's all."
"Resin…" Billy echoed, then stopped. His other selves were here. Dia turned and saw.
"I believe I have that back at my house," One of them said, continuing where #120 had left off. The expression Dia made indicated confusion. "Oh. Dave must've not told you yet. It's me. They're all me." The second one next to him waved.
"So you're, uh… One person? In three places?"
"Or more, yes."
"OR MORE?!"
He couldn't blame Dia for being so weirded out. It was a very typical reaction to his way of living. He briefly recalled Dave's, beyond just the coincidence of "meeting the same Billy" - as it was more like, "always meeting the same Billy".
"Anyway, let's get you patched up. Then, you're going back to school."
"Yes, sir." Dia's voice went meek as he avoided Billy's eyes, but in this instance, he had to be stern.
Eventually, the four of them made it to his home, and right before the trip, #120 deactivated himself. Waiting there was #18647 and Sam. Once she saw the state #120 was in, she made a face.
"Holy sh-..." She stopped, noticing Dia. "Toledo." She turned to #18647, no-nonsense in tone. "Okay, which one did it?"
"Aldurra." His displeasure was apparent.
"Oh God. A… A Human…? Like, a real one…?" Dia was whispering to himself.
"Oh, yeah!" Sam gave him a lazy grin. "Dia, right? I'm Sam, this guy's player. Nice to meet ya!" She reached out for a handshake. The young gem hid instead of replying. "Aw. Shy little guy."
Down in the lab, #120 was laid out on an operating table. The Billy in front of him sat in the nearby chair, leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, hands interlaced over his face. At least a dozen thoughts were going through his mind.
TELL DAVE THE FOLLOWING: DIA ALMOST SKIPPED SCHOOL; HIS ISSUES CONCERNING KELLY; SAM'S POSSIBLE LEAD ON FINDING HER; ALDURRA JUMPED ME IN AN ALLEY, ALMOST ATTACKED DIA (WHICH IS HOW I KNOW HE WAS SKIPPING), AS WELL AS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY RUINED DAVE'S KNEE REPAIR; |
… Which was its own episode in of itself.
Yes, that was very, very, very important to Billy, so much so that
DAVE, DID YOU KNOW THAT I NEVER DID ANYTHING ELSE TO IT SINCE THEN? NOT EVEN FIX THE SKIN? YOUR REPAIR WAS SO SPECIAL AND MEANINGFUL, THAT I LEFT IT EXACTLY HOW IT WAS. BUT NOW IT'S BROKEN AGAIN, EXCEPT THE WHOLE DAMN VESSEL IS A WRECK, AND I COULD NEVER MAKE YOU |
Billy faceplanted on the table. He needed to calm down. This was ridiculous. The more he was forced to confront it, the more he had to realize that this sort of thing was inevitable. Eventually, one way or another, something would injure #120's knee.
And today: Two years, fifteen weeks, and two days after he walked and fell out of that tree to talk to Dave directly… It happened.
Billy lifted his head again, glancing back at it. With a heavy heart, he went to retrieve his tools. While Dave's help all that time ago won't apply any longer, Billy will still have the memory of it. Even so, he felt a new streak of wetness down his cheek, swiping at it.
Tear ducts. He wasn't sure if that was a regretful addition. Even if it were, he simply did not have the motivation to remove them from all twenty-eight thousand bodies. Sure, all he had was time, but the effort? No, it was better to let it be.
And then, he remembered what Aldurra mentioned about Denied. That… Was yet another thing, on the pile of things, of which to deal with. Later, he decided, but he noted it.
TELL DENIED THE FOLLOWING: ALDURRA JUMPED ME IN AN ALLEY; CALLED DENIED 'TWO-FACED' AND A 'BACKSTABBER', LEAVING ME TO WONDER WHAT HE'S BEEN UP TO.
Later came in the form of several hours, where he'd walked into the ocean, down the dropoff, and all the way to the dome. Entered the chamber, drained the water, and knocked. Not that it wouldn't have been possible for him to be seen from outside, or even through the doors.
Yes, he had to admit, DMing Denied would've made this far more efficient, but this warranted an in-person experience. And yes, ordinarily he would've been using a wetsuit for obvious reasons, but the day had been so rainy anyway, that it no longer mattered.
In the reflection of the clear entrance door, he saw it - a pinhole-sized, red pair of dots in his pupils. More self-restraint was required. He took a slow blink to settle down, and when he looked again, they were gone.
He didn't really want to scare him, after all. Just get some answers from his side of the story. Yet, it was difficult to not be the smallest bit peeved.
He saw his brother head to the door, letting him in. "Oh, hey! Uh… Wow, you kinda look like shit." To be perfectly frank, compared to this morning, this was quite tame. "Is there an emergency or somethin'? Wait, lemme check…" He pulled out his phone, then glanced back at Billy. "Hm, no news. Aight, well, let me get you a towel, okay? One sec."
He turned to leave, but Billy spoke up. "That won't be necessary. We need to talk." Denied stopped in his tracks, but didn't look back at him. No response. So, arms crossed, the robot continued, recounting the events. "I have always thought of you as a good person. But now, I must ask you: What have you been doing, brother?"
It took a minute of silence, but the merman faced him again, downtrodden. "It's… A long story. But I promise, I was only trying to help." That sounded more like the Denied he knew, but Billy had to withhold judgement for the time being.
"Please tell me. Everything," He paused for a moment, in realization. "... I have changed my mind. A towel would be nice."
It was indeed a lengthy tale, but he minded not. He listened intently, nodding along every so often, cozied up in a chair at his brother's kitchen island as he sat across from him. As it wore on, Billy's initial resentment gave way to sympathy, having a much clearer picture than previously.
"I wasn't trying to keep him from seeing family, like, that'd be the worst!" Denied was finishing up, "It's just, if anyone saw him out and me bein' responsible for it, we'd both be fucked, ya know? And who would help him then? Yeah, you would've probably bailed me out, but that would've led to this. I… Guess it don't matter now; it happened anyway."
"And, you'd become too suspicious to be trusted out there." Billy added at last.
"Oh my God, yeah! You get it!" Denied threw his arm in the air, then lay his chin on the marble surface. "It's just a big ol' mess of stealth and variables and shit, dude… I can't fight Viktor, none of us can. But since Aldurra's, well, out and about, maybe the 'others' he sensed got him outta there. It's weird, though; there's no Wanted listings or anything on the guy. Almost like Strobovski don't want him back."
"To be fair, his charges were basically negligible."
"Aside from your house? Yeah, pretty much!"
"And that only took me half an hour to fix," Denied couldn't hold back a laugh. "Anyway, thank you for letting me know. If I may say…" He paused, the merman rising back up and gesturing for him to continue. "I think it would be nice, if we could all be friends."
His brother gave a soft grin, but soon it changed into a smirk. "Except Alex. Fuck that guy."
"Oh, absolutely. Send him back down to Hell where he belongs." Billy replied, seamlessly. This time, it left Denied wheezing. A smile formed on the robot's face, full of relief compared to just a short while ago.
More info:
- Billy is more of a builder or a planner than a fighter, so he does his best
- But now he's so much more used to it that he's found ways to be resourceful. Bad of ass
- A previously-repaired but now broken knee on one vessel seems irrelevant, but Billy is quite sentimental
- Can't believe it took this long, actually
- That said, #120 is the one that truly met Dave, the one he uses around him whenever possible, etc
- Days with little sun, as well as night, tire Dia more easily. Another inspiration from KoG/LotL
- It was only after the fight at the alley that his arm was fixed up. He ran out of resin long ago
- He wants to give that blinding attack a name, but he hasn't picked one out yet
- His umbrella was still working, so it was used on the subsequent trips to Billy's house and Baldina's school (again), and so on
- When Dave found out about all this, it was in the form of a list of four main points. "That much just from this morning? I worry what an entire day would look like…"
- It should be noted that what Aldurra did tell Billy, way back in ch 2, was while he wasn't of sound mind
- He'll probably forgive Billy and Dia, but not Denied. Not now, anyway
- Nothing to really note about Sam herself, but game characters with schools/houses/some kind of property can lock/unlock their spaces based on players and other characters. So Sam can just waltz into Billy's house because she has a "key"
- This also includes Denied's dome and Gonzalo's submarine, as both consider her part of the family, on top of their original player (who has yet to be namedropped)
- If 40 Billys total have appeared, as well as multiples of the other two, where are the other Humans? Not a single one knows they're here, sorry to say. Sam's case, as well as the OG player of Denied and Gonzalo, are extremely rare
- However, if necessary, there is a lockout system in place that overrides it
- Probably would've been more realistic if the web forum was a Discord server, but I have a soft spot for those digital bulletin boards, so the former it is
- Is the new member Kelly?! Who knows…