January 21st, 12:00 pm:
Asuna's Hospital:
Alex Mitchell zoomed into the Hospital's parking lot with speed, but not too fast. He quickly finds the parking spot for his scooter and parked it beside Kazuto's bike. He was already here before Alex arrived. He turned to see Nathan and Kenji catching up and they parked their bikes next to Alex.
He quickly jumped off his scooter, tossed his helmet down, and makes a bee-line through the parking lot and between parked cars while avoiding the moving cars and heads inside. They spotted Kazuto, who was already ahead of them.
"Kazuto! Wait up!" Alex called out. He turned and see his friends catching up.
"I'm going to see Asuna and tell her dad what is happening, and that's final," Kazuto determined. Despite Sugou threatening him to not see either Asuna or contacting her family, he wasn't gonna stand by and be bullied. Besides, Asuna's father, Shouzou Yuuki, is a very reasonable man. And he'd listen to him as well as his friends.
"Okay. But we must keep an eye out for Sugou." Alex warned. "We're fortunate that today's not on his schedule. Otherwise, it would get ugly in a hurry." The four boarded the elevator. As they exited the elevator after reaching the right floor.
"You think Mr. Yuuki would believe us?" Nathan asked. "Not doubting or anything. But what if he doesn't take our word?"
"He will have to," Alex insisted. "this is his daughter we are talking about!"
"Plus, we have proof that she's held in ALO." Kenji added.
"A game that his company runs something more sinister." Alex added.
"Alright then." Nathan said. The four walked in to find Mr. Yuuki next to Asuna's bed. He turned and is surprised to see Kazuto and three other boys with him.
"Kirigaya," Shouzou asked, "what are you doing here?"
"Mr. Yuuki.." Kazuto spoke. "This is Alex Mitchell, Nathan Kennedy, and Kenji Takeuchi." The three boys bowed to Shouzou.
"And..." Kazuto said with resolve, "there is something you absolutely must know."
"Okay." Shouzou turned his attention to the four boys. Kazuto glanced and nodded to Alex.
"We believe that Asuna, your daughter, is being held in the game called Alfheim Online." Alex then produced a photograph. Shouzou takes the photo and examined it. He looks back at Asuna, then back at the photo.
"Please don't joke with me..."
"We wish it was a joke..." Kenji said. "But it's true."
"But that can't be," Shouzou denied, "I have teams that monitor the game around the clock..."
"Well, that's the thing.." Alex added.
"We think... that someone is lying to you, sir," Kazuto bowed.
"B-But... Why?" He asked.
"I don't know why... but I don't think he is who you think he is," Kazuto carefully told him.
Shouzou was skeptical by the Kirigaya's words. But he continues to listen.
Kazuto continued. "Plus, he may be keeping Asuna and the other 300 players trapped in the Alfheim game."
"It doesn't explained why.." Shouzou was receiving mixed emotions.
"We're not sure why he's keeping Asuna or the 300 players trapped." Alex spoke up. "But whatever it is, we're getting a bad feeling that it won't be good."
Shouzou did not know how to answer.
"We understand that this is a lot to take in." Kazuto reassured him. "But whatever the case is, I'm not giving up on Asuna. And neither are my friends here. We're gonna help bring her back in the real world."
"But... why should I believe you all?" Shouzou struggled. "My wife and I hardly know you kids!"
"Because we got someone that confirmed our claims." Nathan spoke up. "She's did a full scan of the entire game and managed to find her." They had to take it as easy as they can.
"And we are saving her," Kazuto determined, "with or without your approval."
Shouzou didn't say anything for a moment. He stared at the photo again, turned to his comatose daughter. His mind is still processing of what the boys were saying.
Kazuto and Alex looked to their friends. "We should get going," Kazuto said. Kenji and Nathan agreed as they headed towards the door.
"Wait.." Shouzou said. This caused Kazuto and his friends to stop and turn back. Alex mentally groaned to himself. He was starting to lose a bit of patience. Shouzou got up to his feet and walked towards them, stopping in front of the boys.
After a tense moment of silence, he finally spoke. "...Just... Just get my daughter back..." At that moment, he felt a slight ache in his head.
"Mr. Yuuki?" Nathan asked when they noticed Shouzou's slight headache. Shouzou then began to hear echoes in his head. A lot of them, as if a whole crowd was calling out at the same time. The echoes of the four boys in front of him were the loudest.
"Shouzou?" Kazuto asked, now concerned.
"I... I'm okay," Shouzou denied, "just something that I have not remembered in years..."
The boys looked at each other, not sure about Shouzou's response. But decide not to pursue it. As the four left, Shouzou still felt their thoughts. His eyes widened as he felt no hint of deceit from them.
'They're telling the truth.' Shouzou thought. Then his attention turned to his own spiked senses, something he had thought had faded long ago...
'I haven't felt this since...' His thoughts trailed off. He then groaned as more thoughts flooded his head. It felt stronger than the last one. He wasn't sure if they're the voices in the very hospital or from the 300 players that were trapped in the NerveGear helmets. Then it disappeared as quickly as it came. Shouzou sighed in relief. He then decided to leave the hospital and begin to investigate his company.
Dicey Café:
Kazuto, Alex, Nathan, and Kenji made their way towards the Dicey Café. Their minds still processing of what had happened back at the hospital.
"Do you think there's something wrong with Shouzou Yuuki?" Kenji asked.
"I don't know," Nathan shook his head, "but he seemed a little out of it."
"I sure hope it wasn't when we told him the truth."
"Well, whatever the case is, we're glad that we told him. It may or may not been the best options. But, he had to know regardless." Alex reassured them.
"Yeah... You're right.." Nathan agreed.
The four approached the Dicey café's entrance. It had a sign that says "Closed". To the boys, that means that the meeting is being held at the café. Kazuto knocked on the door a couple of times. A few seconds went by before the door opened up and they see Klein.
"Hey Kirito, Lexar, Codex, Rex." Klein greeted his friends.
"Klein," Kazuto waved.
"Is everyone here?" Alex asked.
"Yep, we're all waiting inside." Klein opens the door wide and they head on inside. The four boys were let in, and grinned at a friendly sight. They see everyone sitting in the chairs set up in front of the bar. Andrew was already behind the bar setting up the laptop that his hooked up to he hologram projector.
"Well if it isn't Kirito," Kazuto looked toward a smirking short-haired girl, recognizing her as Lisbeth.
"Hey Lisbeth." He smiled. She doesn't sport the bubblegum-pink hair like she did back in SAO. But he recognize her facial expression and her cheery personality.
"Kirito-san," a maturing pigtail-haired girl cheerily greeted.
"Silica." Kazuto greeted the sweet, timid girl.
Then he hears a chuckle. "I can see that the girls missed you." Kazuto and Alex glanced over to see Scott Mason and Tim Hudson.
"Mace."
"Sleek." The two mentioned players got up and shook hands.
"It's good to see you two again." Scott smiled.
"Same here." Tim agreed.
Kazuto smiled to see the familiar faces he and Alex met while in SAO. The game may have been a trap and many people died. But it didn't stop them from forging friendship with several players.
"We missed you guys." Scott grinned.
"Haven't seen y'all since SAO." Alex smiled.
"And we're supposed to be neighbors." Scott laughed.
"Oh.. Right." Alex rubbed his nape sheepishly. "How could I forget."
Tim laughed as well. "It's alright Alex. We've been recovering after being there for two years."
"And catching up on lost time," Rika grinned mischievously before walking up to Mason and giving him a smooch on the lips. Alex's eyes went wide while Kazuto seemed surprised, before he started grinning.
"Mmmmm..." Scott hummed as his girlfriend kisses him. Keiko approached Tim and hugged him.
"Mmmmmm... I missed you, Timmy." Keiko cooed. Causing the Hudson boy to blush. Now it was Kazuto's turn to be shocked. Tim leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on Keiko's lips.
"Mmmmmmmm..." Keiko hummed as the feeling of Tim's soft lips caressed her lips. They parted and gazed each other lovely.
"Timmy..." She cooed.
"Keiko..." Tim sighed.
"Wait a minute," Alex suddenly asked, "when did you two get girlfriends!?" He was surprised that rough and tough Scott and shy Tim actually got themselves girls.
"Well... It's kinda a long story.." Scott said.
"Kazuto, you remember when we helped Keiko revive Pina, the little dragon?" Tim asked.
"How could I forget?"
"Well..." Tim's cheeks turned pink. "We took a liking to each other sometime after that quest." Keiko giggles and blushes.
"That is true." Keiko confessed. "I like to thank you two for helping me with Pina."
"No worries." Kazuto smiled.
"We just made it official after SAO ended," Tim smiled.
"It was strange to my parents to believe that I found love in a death game." Keiko confessed. "Especially since he's an American..." She turned to Tim. "But I love him with all of my heart and for who he is, and that's not gonna change..."
Tim smiled at Keiko's response. "And my heart will always belong to her, and her only. That was the promise I've kept when I vowed to help clear SAO."
"Aren't you two a bit young, little Keiko and Timmy?" Klein teased the two.
"L-Little?" Tim was flustered.
"We're teens now," Keiko reminded, "not kids..." She was now pink in the face.
"Easy Keiko, I knew from the start, that you'll get together... Right?" Klein smiled.
"Right." Tim agreed, he hugged Keiko in a lovely manner.
"Same goes for me." Scott chimed in.
"Don't forget me." Rika giggled. "I knew that those two were meant for each other."
"Who wouldn't forget you two?" Klein referred to Scott and Rika.
"Yes, remember when you broke one of her swords at her shop, Kirito?" Scott asked.
"Yeah... I do.." Kazuto chuckled nervously while Rika glared at him. She still gives him a hard time for destroying one of her swords.
"I tagged along with you on your quest to the West Mountains on the 55th Floor where we got the material from the dragon known as X'rphan the White Wyrm."
"That's right." Kazuto recalled. "I also remember us falling into the pit."
"Yeah... I'm very sorry about that.." Rika said sheepishly. During the fight, she accidentally stepped out from behind the crystal field and almost got herself killed. But Kazuto and Scott managed to save her and they ended up spending the night in the pit before finally managing to climb out.
"And afterwards, Scott and I started a relationship and been together even after SAO." Rika smiled.
"Mmmmm... My blacksmith.." Scott sighed while touching her nose with his. Earning child-like giggles from Rika.
"Mmmmm... My handsome swordsman." Rika cooed. She leaned forward and pecks him on the lips.
Kenji watched the small reunion of their fellow SAO survivors. It was then he felt slender arms wrap around this torso, followed by a pressing of a feminine body.
"Rexy..." a voice called in a honey-tone. Kenji smiled as he turned around and sees the dark red-haired girl with blue eyes. Momiji Takamine.
"Kureha.." Kenji sighed.
"I missed you." Momiji said. The two nuzzled and kissed.
"Mmmm... I missed you too." Kenji smiled.
Kazuto looked happy, yet sad at the same time. It reminded him the times he spent with Asuna. The reunions and love affections the former SAO players are showing only makes him sad. Alex, who noticed his friend's semi-sad expression, placed his hand on Kazuto's shoulder.
"Don't worry, once we get her back, you'll be able to snuggle, nuzzle, and cuddle together all you want." He reassured him.
Kazuto was slightly pink at that. Alex chuckles.
After a few minutes passed.
"Alright, we'll taking role calls." Alex called out. The chatter stopped abruptly and everyone took their seats. Silence filled the café as Alex began calling out names.
"Kazuto 'Kirito' Kirigaya."
"Nathan 'Codex' Kennedy."
"Kenji 'Rex' Takeuchi."
"Andrew Gilbert 'Agil' Mills."
"Scott 'Mace' Mason."
"Rika 'Lisbeth' Shinozaki."
"Timothy 'Sleek' Hudson."
"Keiko 'Silica' Ayano."
"Randal 'Spade' Mitchell."
"Momiji 'Kureha' Takamine."
"Kotone 'Philia' Takemiya."
"Nijika 'Rain' Karatachi."
"Haruto 'Haze' Nakajimi."
"Ryoutarou 'Klein' Tsuboi."
"Hey! Don't forget us!" The voice called from a small group at the corner.
"Oh, right." Alex chuckled nervously. "Dale, Dynamm, Harry One, Issin, and Kunimittz."
Kazuto raised an eyebrow, never having heard or seen them before. However, he was amazing of how many friends Alex have made while trapped in SAO. However, he wasn't familiar with the last five players.
"Sorry Alex," Kazuto rubbed his head, "but I don't think I met them before..."
Klein beamed. "My posse, Kazuto! Don't tell me you don't recognize them!"
"Oh! Right, now I remember!" Kazuto chuckled nervously. The five VR samurai just laughed and waved to Kazuto.
"We wanted to thank you for inviting us!" Dale called out.
"Besides," Harry One added, "where one of us goes, we all go!"
"Indeed, we do!" Issin agreed. Kazuto was very touched.
Klein grinned and winked back. "Anything to help out a fellow SAO survivor and best friend."
Alex then clapped his hands together. "Okay everyone!"
Silence filled the café as Alex begins. "Now. All of you probably know why you've been called here..."
He continued. "It is about our fellow SAO survivor, our friend, and Kazuto's girlfriend... Asuna Yuuki..." Everyone hummed or murmured in recognition, some others in concern and sadness, like Rika and Keiko.
"Yesterday, we received a image from the five players that tried to fly their way to the top of the world tree." Alex turned to Andrew and nods. Cuing him to type in the code on the laptop. The holo-image of the scenery appeared. Then the image zoomed onto the golden birdcage and the image of the girl with hazelnut hair and eyes appeared before everyone.
"She appeared to be placed inside the birdcage..." Alex continued. "Sometime after SAO was cleared... This also goes with the rest of the 300 players that didn't wake up."
This caused many to talk amongst themselves.
The image then changes to the map of Alfheim Online. "They've being held in Yggdrasil, aka, the World Tree." He points at the image of the giant tree in the middle of the map. "After we logged into Alfheim yesterday, Yui did a scan of the whole game. And she pointed to the giant tree, which confirmed our suspicion."
"Also, we have made a background check on the game and the developers. Alfheim Online is made by RECT Progress Inc. And the developer.." The image then changed to a ID image of a man in his mid-thirties, brown hair, glasses. "...Sugou Nobuyuki..." Kazuto was visibly frowning and predatory over the sight of the man. Rika, Keiko, even Klein noticed his expression with concern. The other guys and girls also saw the rage in Kazuto's eyes.
Alex paused for a moment before he continued. "We believe that he had something to do with the 300 players still trapped in the NerveGear helmets, as he stated he works for the Full-Dive Technology Research Division within RECT. And, according to Kouichirou Yuuki, Asuna's older brother, he was hand-picked by her mother for the arranged marriage while we were still trapped in SAO..."
It was then Randy spoke up. "Do you think her parents are involved with his schemes?"
"No Randy.. We've talked with Asuna's father, Shouzou Yuuki, earlier today. He doesn't seem to know what was happening. So I highly doubt he would go this far..."
"And very troubled at that," Kazuto said with a hint of relief, "so I think we can count him out."
"What about her mother?" Randy asks again.
"We don't really know if she's involved or not." Alex replied. "But we shouldn't go and start pointing fingers before the facts are in..."
"That's what they said about the US government regarding Hydra infiltrating Shield and the UN, as well as when they killed Campbell." Scott interjected.
"Hey! Let's not compare her parents with the old US government." Alex countered. "Like I said, we don't really have any solid evidence that'll confirm it."
"Alex is right." Kazuto said. "We shouldn't go around and point fingers."
"Thanks, Kazuto." Alex added. Randy and Scott remained silent.
"Anyway..." Alex continued. "We've talked with one of the players in the game. According to Leafa, the only way to get to the Top of the World Tree is to start something called the Grand Quest." Alex's cheeks when pink from the mentioning of Leafa's name.
The image then turned back to the ALO map and zoomed in on the World Tree. "To start the Grand Quest, we must enter Alne City. That's where the World Tree front gate is located at. It leads to the dungeon that leads to the top. To complete the quest, we must defeat the Guardian Knights that lurk in the dungeons and such."
"No problem," Klein grinned, "let this samurai and his band of five deal with them! No problem!"
"Right. But we should focus on building up our ranks and skills before we could tackle the World Tree gate." Alex pointed out. "Fortunately, I managed to look up videos on how to rank up faster in twenty or so minutes."
Alex clicked on the laptop and brought up the video as the whole café tuned in. The video then projects through the holo-image. The guideline video plays from the website called SpiritTube, a website created through the Anderson Tech website building server.
Alfheim, Neutral Territory ~ On top of the world tree:
Asuna woke up from her slumber. She looked around and sighs to see the interior of the birdcage. However, she glanced towards the door and sees that it was left wide open. It took her a moment to recollect the events that happened yesterday.
'Oh... Right..' Asuna thought as the memories of yesterday's event resurfaced in her mind. She climbed out of her bed. Sporting a dark nightgown. One of the outfits given to her by Sugou/Oberon after taking his side for Hydra's quest for world domination. It resembles the nightgown she wore back in SAO if it wasn't for the dark tone that it sports.
As she arose, her clothing shimmered as it shifted into her new Hydra leader outfit. Everything about it screamed domination and power, especially with the Hydra symbol holding her robe together. She looks into the full body mirror and displayed herself, taking in the details of her outfit.
Asuna sighed to herself. 'I cannot believe I said all that...' She thought with a bit of self-disgust, 'pretending to swear loyalty to such people with my mouth.' The words 'Hail Hydra' still left a dark taste in her mouth.
She glanced herself in the eyes.
'Alright, Asuna. The past two months have been rough.' She thought to herself. 'But you gotta pull yourself through this. If you want to know Hydra's plans with the 300 players, and the way to contact the authorities or the government. You gotta play along with Sugou's scheme.'
With a deep breath, Asuna drew upon her past personality as the vice-commander of the Blood Oath Guild and put on a persona of being a member of the most subversive and totalitarian group in the world, past and present. Looking at herself in the mirror again, the dark outfit really accentuated her form, and the red lip gloss gave her a cool, but foreboding look.
Then, the thought occurred to her. Now that she's taken loyalty to Hydra. Sugou would be able to make moves on her.
'Now that he's making me his queen... I'll have to play along with his attempts to woo me... Even...' Asuna shuddered. The thought of him kissing her cheek or her having to kiss him left her in complete disgust. But not as much as having to make love to him. Mainly because she'll feel she's being unfaithful to Kirito. However, she'll have to stomach it when the times comes. Which is sooner than she knows.
But then it occurred to her. A smirk formed on her face. "I can play hard to get, which I am!"
There was a side to her that relished the thought of making Sugou suffer even just a little bit, as a form of payback for taking her and the others. Asuna also hoped that Kirito would figure things out and get to her soon so that the both of them could make Sugou pay and escape together.
For now, she'll wait to see how things play out for her. She then saw a certain, unwelcome blonde coming towards her open cage. Asuna breathed. It was showtime.
"Morning, my queen." Sugou/Oberon smiled. "Hope you slept better."
"Oh," Asuna said with a dismissive, teasing wave, "the bed was so comfortable, it was like I was dead to the world."
"That's good to hear.." Sugou replied, smiling as he then added. "Perhaps I could join you sometime later..."
"Oh..." Asuna gave a catty smile, "you'll have a lot more work to earn that privilege. After all, I believe I am owed a briefing as a new member of Hydra."
"That is correct." Sugou agreed. "Why don't I introduce you to the others?"
"I cannot wait to meet them," Asuna expressed.
"Good." Sugou extend his hand towards her. "Shall we get going?"
"Please," Asuna demurred as she placed her gloved hand in his. Sugou/Oberon guides Asuna out of the bird cage and headed towards the path that leads into the tree foliage. And eventually, the path that leads away from the cage. Asuna looked around as she mentally calculated in her head how high up they were, and possible other paths. They reached the main path after a couple of minutes. Asuna found herself staring at what appeared to be a dead end with the tree trunk in front of her. She raised her eyebrows to Oberon.
"If this is supposed to impress, I'm disappointed," Asuna snarked, guessing that there was a secret passage, but not wanting to be easy for Oberon.
Oberon smiled. It was then the tree trunk opens up, revealing a secret door that leads towards the corridor.
"I would have guessed," Asuna giggled. "Lead the way, King Oberon." As the two walked, Asuna thought the modern looking corridors looked fitting and out of place at the same time. It's no doubt that whatever's going on here has got something to do with the trapped 300 players.
"So... care to tell me more about Hydra here Japan?" Asuna asked.
"Hmm?" Sugou glanced towards Asuna with a eyebrow raised."
"When SHIELD fell, back in 2014, and everything was released onto the internet. How did you managed to evade the Avengers?"
"That's the beauty of it, my dear," Sugou grinned, "with SHIELD destroyed and entire national security apparatuses uprooted, it was all the easier for many of us to take what was left of that husk that was SHIELD and cut our losses."
Sugou rubbed his chin. "Alexander Pierce becoming the public face of Project Insight made for a convenient scapegoat..."
"That also includes SHIELD falling for the second time in 2018?" She asked, curiously.
The false fairy king just waved his hand. "The fool, Phil Coulson tried to expose and dismantle the Accords, but let's just say that it required a few... untimely accidents and rubbing the salts into a few wounds among the ranks."
"This also includes old American government's involvement of murdering John Campbell? She asks before adding. "..He was a candidate for the 2016 elections who openly opposed the Accords."
Sugou chuckled. "You would not believe how many of the paranoid old guard were on board when we gave the right incentives."
"I probably would." Asuna smirked.
"The CIA, MI6, KGB, the whole slew of Cold War old guards... so invested in their little wars and world orders of theirs, that their leaders would give their souls to Hydra for their own self-interests."
"And Japan?" Asuna wondered aloud. Sugou smirked back.
"Wow... Impressive." Asuna was surprised. She never thought that the old guard of the Empire of Japan would still be around. However, there's no telling if they've reached government level.
"You will soon meet many of my associates," Sugou noted, "we have people everywhere."
"I can hardly wait.." Asuna giggled. Posing her excitement for Sugou.
The two of them reached a security door. Sugou placed his hand on a light panel scanner next to the door. While it turned green the door did not open. He then gestured Asuna to the panel. "Please do verify yourself," he said, "I did enter your data in once you pledged your fealty."
Asuna places her hand on the light panel scanner, it turned green and the door opens. She was treated for the sight of a conference hall, with numerous avatars inside, and the Hydra skull and tentacles on two seals, one on the round table, and another on a wall facing the door. The room was dark grey with green, glowing highlights. She also spotted the portrait that hung on the wall behind the large chair. It shows a man wearing a German military officer's uniform with the emblem of Hydra on the arm band. His facial features shows no hair, nor a face and no nose. Just red muscle that covers his entire head. It was no doubt that it's the portrait of Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull.
'The Red Skull,' Asuna thought as she fought not to show revulsion or fear at the sight of this unnatural figure. She then observed the avatars present. She noted that while some of the avatars are human, they're others that took on giant purple slugs.
'Some take their anonymity seriously, but slugs?' Asuna was puzzled at the appearance of slugs.
"King Oberon," she decided to practice her act with her question, "why do some of them look like pathetic worms that I could stomp on?"
"Well..." Sugou/Oberon explained. "They're in charge of maintaining the 300 players."
"But slugs?" Asuna raised an eyebrow, "I thought Hydra was more dignified than the insects we are supposed to crush."
"We're also disciplining newcomers, so that way, they won't injure themselves while handing the experiments." Sugou reassures her. "But fear not. Once they learned their true purpose, they'll rise up from the slugs and earn their place in Hydra."
Suddenly, all eyes in the room turned to Asuna. She felt tensed, but doesn't show it.
Sugou/Oberon begins to speak. "Everyone. I would love to introduce all of you to our newest member of Hydra."
"One of the three hundred... joining us willingly?" One Hydra member questioned.
"Yes, she's accepted her fate of what has transpired and decided to join us."
"Wait a minute," another did double takes, "isn't that..."
"Asuna?" The third added.
"Yes, I am... Asuna Yuuki," the chestnut haired girl said as she showed off her dark clothing and Hydra emblem. "Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra.." Everyone replied. One of the senior-looking avatars rose up and looked at Sugou.
"This is the girl you've kept in the bird cage for two months?"
"Yes," Sugou affirmed, "and it worked to help her see things our way!"
The senior Hydra avatar looked at Asuna before turning to Sugou. "Okay, then." He sits back down.
One of the other Hydra leaders, a woman of stern countenance, regarded Asuna rather suspiciously. "Is this little girl qualified, or is this another one of your indulgences, Oberon?"
"Yes she is qualified, she accepted my offer after I explained what has happened. This also includes the arrangement in the real world." Oberon defended. "Plus, she's taken interest after realizing her stay here for the past two months."
Asuna nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed, I have come to see that Hydra holds the future of Japan and the world in its hands, and I wish to help chart its course."
The female Hydra avatar glared at Asuna for a moment. Then her gaze soften up after Asuna made her statement. "Very well. Welcome to Hydra, Asuna."
However, one other member seemed to object, "these kinds of recruitments and changes should have been discussed with us before hand, Oberon."
However, Oberon seemed miffed. "Need I remind you that I was named the Supreme Commander?"
"Well... Yeah..." He stammered. "But..."
"Are you questioning my authority, commander?"
"Uhhh... No..." He stammered in defeat.
"I thought so..." The rest of the avatars remained silent.
Asuna observed this and thought... ''Clearly he has some sort of power over them with his family's position.' It was clear that there was much more to Sugou than his lechery and vanity led on, and he was dangerous.
"Anything else?" Sugou then asked the rest of the avatars. Another female member stood up.
"Yes?"
"May I submit my report?"
"Go ahead."
"May I know who you are?" Asuna asked with an expression of pretend indifference and dismissal. The female avatar stammered before introducing herself. "Commander Naomi Hunter."
"I would assume that is just an alias?" Asuna wondered.
"Y-yes." Naomi stuttered.
Sugou chuckled. "My dear," he said, "I love how you are sliding into your new role, but let us not break Ms. Hunter here.
Asuna turned to Sugou and smiled. "Okay, my king.."
"Anyway.." Naomi continued. "..The progress of the thr- Uh... Two hundred and ninety-nine players from SAO is continuing to show promising results for us."
"Specifics," Asuna asked with a warm smile, "please."
"Well... we managed to duplicate the emotions and memories of the players. It did took some time, but we managed to successfully be able to change them." Naomi paused. "However, it is a long way before we see the full results of the process. But we're confident that we should have the experiments one-hundred percent complete in a couple of days or so."
"The full results... that they would be loyal Hydra sleepers," Asuna deduced.
"Correct..." Naomi continued. "And this also includes electronical devices, such as the NerveGear helmets and AmuSpheres."
Sugou smirked at that. "One nation under Hydra.."
"And soon, the world under Hydra..." Asuna finishes. Underneath the surface however, Asuna's mind was going at lightspeed at the revelations before her. So far, Hydra's not only near completion with the manipulation of the former SAO players, but planning to spread it through electronic devices such as the NerveGear and AmuSphere helmets.
'Already Hydra is this far along...' Asuna thought in terror, 'what else could there be?'
"Anything else to report?" Asuna asked. It was then that one of the slugs spoke up...
"Yes?"
"Pardon me Excellency and Mistress..."
"Your name?"
"Hideo, Mistress..." The slug answered. "I am generally concerned about the security of the project..."
"How so?"
"Well..." the slug seemed afraid. "We finished running diagnosis on the ALO system.. And everything's working fine... No glitches..."
Sugou suddenly stormed over to Hideo. He stared down the purplish-pink slug avatar. "Then why do you waste our time?"
Hideo stammered in fear. "W-Well... In case those two p-players returned. I-I though y-you should know.."
"What about those two players?" Sugou bore into him.
"W-Well... There's a possibility that t-they may be using VR technology that b-blocks signals fr-from their avatars.."
"So, what are you doing about it?"
"W-We'll be monitoring them. If they r-return."
"There is more, though, Excellency," another slug quickly raised his tentacle.
"More?" Sugou was getting annoyed.
"Yeah!" The second slug said excitedly, too much so as Asuna thought.
"Alright, Hideki." Sugou groaned.
"We also detected another set of intruders, but we have been able to trace their signals and their possible identities!"
"More intruders? Who are they?" Hideki quickly tapped on his status window. The image of the players are displayed. showing Four Spriggan players with a couple of Sylph players. Sugou reads the avatar names. Leafa, Recon, Codex, Rex, Lexar, and...
Sugou's eyes widen in shock. "Kirito.." Asuna overheard Oberon and was about to gasp when the Hydra leader suddenly slammed his fist on the table. He had a collected, but stern expression with a simmering rage in his eyes.
"It did not occur to you to tell me this sooner?" Oberon growled towards Hideki.
"Well... We were busy trying to identify the two unknown players." Hideki explained. He shook with fear at his boss' rage.
Oberon seemed to calm down, but then said, "put your tentacle on the table."
Hideki gulped nervously, but he obeyed and placed one of the tentacles on the table. Oberon's hand suddenly flashed with a dagger. "Hold him," Oberon ordered as some goons in black Hydra tactical gear, helmets, and masks suddenly came out of hiding and rushed a screaming Hideki.
Everyone, including Asuna, watched as Sugou/Oberon brought the dagger down onto the tentacle, slicing it off. Hideki screamed and struggled in the soldiers' grip as Oberon produced a ratan rod to beat him. Inside, Asuna was horrified.
"AH!" Hideki was in pain as he was punished. The other Hydra members and commanders held their composure, but it was clear that some of the younger ones were intimidated.
"MERCY PLEASE!" Hideki screamed out as Oberon beat his gelatinous head repeatedly. The whole thing reminded Asuna of things she heard that yakuza were capable of. She was thankful that neither she or her family ran into them in the real world.
'But the yakuza have nothing on this...' Asuna thought as she fought to maintain composure. Never in her sheltered upbringing did she think she would ever encounter a group as frightening as Hydra, with Laughing Coffin a close second.
After what seemed like hours passed. Sugou's beating has finally ceased, leaving Hideki laying against the table all beaten, bruised and on the verge of tears.
"Be grateful this is virtual reality," Oberon said, "but you might be a bit sore for a while."
Sorry..." Hideki apologized.
"Sorry and failure have no place with Hydra," Sugou retorted as he kicked Hideki's form.
"Y-Yes s-sir.." Hideki apologized again. Oberon just shook his head in disgust.
Meanwhile, Asuna processed what she overheard about Kirito and his friends.
'Kirito's still alive...' Asuna thought. 'And Lexar, Rex, and Codex...' She remembers meeting Lexar, Rex and Codex back in SAO.
'And they are here,' she allowed herself a slight smile, even though she wanted to scream in joy to herself. It did assuage the horror of the punishment she witnessed.
Oberon then turned to the armed security goons. "Get him out of here."
"Yes sir!" The armored guards complied as they dragged the beaten slug out of the room.
Oberon placed the knife and the ratan rod away and took a deep breath. "Any other reports that I don't know about?" He looked around intently, everyone remained silent.
"Good." He said. "I think it is about time to up the ante on our security then." He turned to one of the masked Hydra operatives. "I will have my chief of security handle this personally, and you will all be impressed to know that this is no civilian chief of security." Oberon grinned. "All you need to know is that this man here is recruited from our former infiltrators in STRIKE."
Asuna waited to see who Sugou/Oberon was referring to.
"Would you care to reveal yourself?" It was then, one of the avatars rose up onto his feet.
"I'm Jack Rollins. And we'll keep an eye on them.." The avatar spoke.
"May you 'STRIKE' fast and furious," Oberon snickered a bit at his pun.
Jack Rollins, grinned. "They'll never see us coming, sir.." Asuna's earlier joy at Kirito's coming was suddenly overshadowed by dread at what he was about to go up against.
'Sugou's recruited former SHIELD and STRIKE operatives...' she thought, 'oh, Kirito...' She mentally prayed for Kirito's safety against the new threat that now poses before her.
Dicey Café:
The SpiritTube video that showed how to level up in ALO ended.
"Alright, any questions?" Alex asks.
Randy raised his hand up. "So, all we have to do is wait around within the hidden valleys and take out whatever creatures that we come across?"
"Yes... It's funny that we stumbled onto the place even before we found this video." Alex chuckles.
"And how many dungeons and rooms does the World Tree have?" Scott asked.
"We don't really know for sure." Alex answered. "But once we're all ready, we should be making a beeline through the dungeon and we should be heading up the World Tree in no time."
"Simple then." Klein spoke up. "We log into ALO, level up for a little while, meet up at Alne when we're ready, we charge up the World Tree, Kirito rescues her princess, and they'll live a happily ever after.." He finishes with a smile.
"Klein," Kazuto said a head shake, but also a smile. He knew his womanizing friend meant well.
"Correct.." Alex chuckled while he patted Kazuto on the back. He turned his attention back towards the crowd before he continued.
"However, they're two more things that we should go over before we log into Alfheim. From Leafa's warning, the game is a power struggle between the nine fairy races in the ALO world. So, if you pick any of the different races, be careful."
The image of the ALO map zooms in onto the ancient forest. "If you, by chance, get teleported into the ancient forest. It'll be the safe place for us to meet before we start leveling up."
"And what if we encounter vanguards of the different factions?" Tim posed the question.
"We'll have to be ready when that happens. Can't guarantee that they'll leave us alone. We almost got into a fight with one of the Sylph leaders." Alex pointed out. "Like I said, once we log in, be careful.."
"And what's the other thing you've mentioned." Scott asked.
"Last night, we came across two suspicious Sylph players."
"And... you said that they were Americans?" Andrew Mills wondered.
"That's correct, and in the US Armed Forces. US Army as they said something about the Rangers. And they're not talking about the Anderson Tech PM faction." Alex added. "And judging by their posture, and how the way they carry themselves and talk. I'm starting to think that we're not the only ones who are onto what is going on."
The American military is getting involved? Great," Rika rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me," Keiko raised her hand, "but what Rangers are they?"
"Well... I'm guessing that they're with the US Rangers." Alex shrugged. "And not with the Anderson Tech's American Rangers. They're more of the National Guard and Civil Defense.."
"75th Ranger Regiment," Nathan realized, "they must be airborne troopers, the Army's elite."
"I guess that pretty much sums up the mystery.." Alex surmises.
"So... What should we do?" Kenji asked.
"If we do run into these players and they turned out to be on the same goal." Alex explains. "I propose that we forge an alliance with them. "
Kenji however was skeptical. "Are you sure? The leader... I think Revere was his name, didn't seem that nice. You saw how he talked down to Leafa?"
"Yes, I'm aware of that..." Alex nodded. "But if they're after the same thing, the more players we have, the faster we zoom up the World Tree, the better."
"Yeah... still," Kenji shook his head.
"Anyway, any other questions?" Alex asks.
"I thought the US was officially on a non-interventionist policy," Kotone pointed out, "are you really sure that those two Sylphs were soldiers?"
"I'm positive. As I came from a military family." Alex explained. "Despite my family is with the US Navy. I could still be able to tell the difference when it comes to soldiers."
"And they sounded pretty rough," Kazuto added, "as though they fought in a war."
"Very True.." Alex agreed. "At least they stood up against that Sylph leader.."
"Yeah," Nathan said, "that second soldier looked like he could kill. And don't seem to care about the conflict between the factions in the game."
"Men on a mission, that's for sure," Alex said.
"Don't forget we're on a mission." Kenji pointed out.
"And we're going to finish it if it kills us," Kazuto was determined, "we'll get Asuna back."
Alex smiled. "Now that everything's been covered. Let's get going. We'll see y'all in Alfheim." The whole group raised their voices in approval as they started to clear out the café.
"I'll catch up with you, Momiji." Kenji hugs her. "See you there."
"See you there too, heavy hot stuff." The tomboyish girl winked. Kenji chuckles before kissing her cheek. Momiji kissed him back before heading towards the front door.
Soon, the café is empty, leaving Kazuto, Alex, Nathan, Kenji, and Andrew.
"American soldiers, eh?" Andrew mused aloud, "haven't seen a lot of them from the mainland as of late."
"Except for my family.." Alex pointed out, grinning.
"Oh yeah," Andrew rubbed his head, "though you did mention that they were away from the civil war back home. Sounds like a couple of real gruff guys you came across."
"Most of us were away from the civil war." Alex agreed. "At least we may have the Army at our side. Which would even the odds for us."
"But why get involved?" Nathan added, "like Philia- I mean Kotone mentioned, the US is supposed to be non-interventionist."
"I don't really know, to be honest." Alex lamented. "But I'm getting a feeling that we'll find out... Sooner or later..."
USS Wilson:
Chris Burke aka Captain America II watched from the sidelines as Sergeant Frank Castle and Sergeant James Ramirez drilled several soldiers on the flight deck. One of the soldiers, Damion Burton is showing to make great progress for a new recruit. He was straining with the fifty pushups Ramirez was leading.
Preston approached Chris and watched the new recruits.
"Lieutenant," Chris greeted.
"Captain." Preston greeted in return.
"We will be passing over the Tokyo coastline soon," Preston informed.
"Thank you," Chris replied with a nod. His gaze turned back to the soldiers on deck, "and how are we looking on our aerial drop and mechanized operations?"
"We're going through inspections of our equipment and vehicles." Preston answered with a smile. "So far, everything's smooth."
"We'll have to strike hard and fast, Preston," Chris said, "I want to be absolutely sure of our targets, hit them all at once, and have our aircraft fly us out of Dodge before the Japanese know we are here."
"Not to worry... I've chatted with Anderson about the weapons we'll be using in ALO. And he's got the ammunition covered. So, we won't need to worry about running low on bullets.." Preston replied.
Chris frowned and shook his head, "I wasn't talking about ALO, but since you brought it up, you and I will be scouting their cybersecurity again. If we can gather intel on Nobuyuki and the hostages somehow, it will give us an edge over whatever he might have in store."
"Right on, cap." Preston nodded. "Once we're above Tokyo airspace, we'll log in and scout more on the area..."
"Very well," Captain America II was satisfied, "now I must check with the Colonel and Mr. Fury..."
"You go ahead. I'll keep an eye on this crowd." Iron Man II replied, grinning.
"You do that," Captain grinned back before walking across the deck to the bridge. He spotted Colonel Rogers, who was about to turn around.
"Captain America," Colonel America called out, "I was out here looking for you."
"You were?" Captain II asked.
"Yes, Anderson and Fury have discovered something else in ALO which calls for our attention." Rogers explains.
"I was about to see you for more details, since you communicate with Fury," Chris said, "I was going to see you on the bridge for that."
Colonel Rogers then sighed, glancing down slightly before looking his captain in the eye. "There was also another reason why I needed to find you... are you okay for this op?"
"Yes Colonel, yes I am." Chris replied. Noticing Rogers glancing down. "The Howlers and I are ready to deploy anytime and anywhere, sir," Chris added, thinking that would satisfy his superior.
"That's not what I was asking, Captain," Colonel Rogers clarified.
"Sir?" Chris questioned.
"It'll be best if you come along with me. Everything will be explained when we meet Anderson and Fury." Rogers then headed away from the command bridge, with Chris following.
"What we are about to discuss is highly sensitive, and relates to covert intel gathering we've had in the country since we've been tracking Nobuyuki," Colonel Rogers said.
"I see," Chris said, "so they want to talk with us in SCIF."
"But I also want to talk about you personally," Colonel Rogers decided to be direct, "you seem to be very troubled."
"Sorry?" Chris did a double take.
"It's about after you logged off from ALO last night." Rogers said. "But let's wait until we're at the SCIF." Chris frowned at that, but did not refute Rogers. He knew from his years of fighting and then serving under him that the fellow super soldier was too perceptive to simply dismiss. They arrived at the SCIF shortly afterwards. They see both Thomas Anderson and Nick Fury, the former is typing in the laptop.
"Colonel America and Captain America present," Rogers announced as the two America-themed soldiers entered.
Nick Fury begins to speak. "Anderson has been monitoring the events from this Alfheim game since your last report."
"There's been developments?" Captain America II asked. Captain Anderson nodded as he projected his screen onto a larger one on the wall.
"You remember the image that the five players took while trying to fly up the World Tree?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah," Chris answered before adding. "What about it?"
"Well... They tried to fly up the tree again, this time with six to seven players. They're very persistent, probably they wanted to get a close look at the giant bird cage." He surmised. "But they didn't succeed, which goes without say. But they took more pictures of the top as they were descending."
The image of the same scenery and the bird cage is shown. Both Colonel and Captain looked at the cage, and realized that many of the bars were gone, and the door was open.
"Did the girl get out?' Rogers asked.
"Probably... And that's not all..." Thomas types in the command in the laptop and the image zooms in on the bird cage. There was Asuna Yuuki, looking down. It wasn't unusual that they saw her in the last image. However, upon closer inspection, they noticed that her outfit was completely different from the last one. She was in a form-fitting black outfit enshrouded by a cape.
"She wasn't wearing that outfit in the last image..." Thomas pointed out.
"Wait," Colonel Rogers noticed, "look at the symbol on the front of her outfit."
"I see it too." Both Chris and Rogers had sharper than average eyesight. "Captain Anderson, can you zoom in?"
"I'll do my best, but it's so heavily distorted by pixels." Thomas' attention turned to his laptop. "I may have to run a few filter programs on the image." Thomas entered in several commands. His fingers danced all over the keyboard as filter programs scanned the image several times over. Anderson's forehead sweated as he filtered each layer, the image continued to grow more clear than the last.
The two America-themed super soldiers recognized the symbol on Asuna's outfit. As the image is one-hundred percent clear, a human skull and tentacles is seen on the necklace collar.
"Hydra..." Rogers muttered.
"You've got to be kidding me," Chris muttered. Thomas stared at the image, apparently in disbelief.
"Impossible..." Thomas said. "Hydra died back in World War II, and back in 2014."
"Cut off one head, and two grow in its place," Rogers said about the Hydra. They were the words spoken by the late Arnim Zola during their last encounter at Camp Lehigh.
"So now not only we're planning to capture Nobuyuki. But we'll be facing Hydra as well?" Fury asked. He too, was surprised by the symbol that the Yuuki girl is wearing.
"And the possibility that Hydra controls the Yuuki family and RECT Progress." Chris just shook his head. "Terrific." Nick Fury then had his secure phone ring.
"Yes?" Fury answers the phone.
Chris leaned into Rogers and whispered. "I thought this was a SCIF, no phones?"
"You know Fury.." Rogers whispered back.
"I see..." Fury muttered into the phone. "Delta One, maintain surveillance and continue your updates." Fury hangs up the phone.
"Delta One?" Colonel Rogers asked.
"They got a mission of their own." Fury explained. "Right now, let's focus on the current situation."
"So what now, does the Yuuki girl went from being hostage to a target?" Captain Burke asked.
"We don't really know that for sure.." Rogers pointed out.
"If she turned though, it would make her a threat, if she were to go back and take over her family's business," Chris added. He sighed, "I also don't like it, but..." He knew what he was going to say, but something deep down made him uncomfortable to say it.
"But?"
"We might have to take her out if she really is with Hydra." Chris said it, based on his most brutally honest assessment of the threat. He closed and turned his eyes away, not daring to look.
During the debate, Thomas Anderson remained silent and started at the laptop screen. Pondering about her outfit.
'She went from a revealing wedding dress to a black hydra outfit?' He thought. 'I doubt it's Stockholm Syndrome taking effect on her.. Unless...'
Thomas' eyes widen in realization. "Of course..." He muttered. "Sun of a Gun." He smiled. Not realizing that he said it aloud.
"What is it Doc?" Chris addressed the Air Force captain by nickname.
"Well..." Thomas began. "It may sound impossible. However, in Star Wars: Dark Empire 1, when Luke Skywalker found out Palpatine survived and waging war against the New Republic. In order to find out about his secrets, Luke temporary joins the Dark Side in order to destroy the Empire from within.."
"Get to the point, Anderson." Fury ordered. Annoyed by Thomas going off-topic.
"The point is..." Thomas stated. "That Asuna Yuuki have pretended to join with Hydra. So that she can learn what is going on with the 299 players."
Chris however, was not impressed with that explanation. "Seriously, is a Star Wars analogy the best you can do?" He leaned over the table with a set gaze on Anderson. "For all we know, she could either be brainwashed, or just trying to save her own skin."
Thomas stared Chris in the eyes. "Think about it. What would you do if you were in her situation? Act like the complete Damsel in Distress? It's more likely that she figured out what was going on. And, to trick her captors, she took an alliance with them."
"But you don't know that," Chris argued back, "and I've seen too many children who think they knew better pay the price in my lifetime. You remember what happened to those teen radicals that fought for the Pacifican faction and attacked my troops. We made them pay the price."
"So what are you saying? That we should just off her like the rest?" Thomas countered. "The mission is to rescue the 300 players. And, unless you've forgotten, Asuna's one of the 300 players."
"Of course I want to rescue them, but if Asuna has turned traitor and joined Nobuyuki and Hydra, she is not a hostage any more," Chris pointed out, "and don't forget that this is a faction led by a man who killed many of my comrades and a whole lot of innocent people. If she stands with him, we will either apprehend or neutralize her like any other enemy combatant."
"And mark my words, Doc, there are no kiddy gloves for anyone who messes with Howler Platoon and the reborn United States Army."
"But before we do anything rash, we need to know for sure that she's turned traitor or not." Thomas replied. "I'm not giving up on these 300 players, and I know that you're not either.."
Rogers and Fury watched as the tense debate continued. However, they felt that they should step in before things get out of control fast.
"Captain Burke," Colonel Rogers touched his subordinate on his shoulder, "you are Captain America, and you defend and save the innocent. Back in 2014, When I found out that my friend Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier and brainwashed by Hydra. I never gave up on him. I knew that deep down, he's still my friend from the days of World War 2. I still rescued him from Hydra. And because he got the help he needed, he returned to my side as the White Wolf, and helped us defeat Thanos."
"So.. As Captain America, you gotta uphold that oath and rescue those in need. Even if they side with the enemy." Rogers finishes.
Silence filled the room.
"Yes sir," Chris acknowledged, "I won't let my men or the hostages down."
"Good.." Rogers nodded with a small smile. He turned back to Thomas. "So, if what you're saying is true. That means that we already got someone on the inside of Hydra. But, there's no way to make contact with her."
"Correct.." Thomas answered. "And it's a possibility that she's been given the tour from within the World Tree and such." He continued. "That also means that there could be a Game Master console within the giant tree. If I were her, I would use the console to either free myself and the rest of the 300 players. Or, if possible, contact the authorities."
Nick Fury took note of that with a nod. It was then that he gave input, "I could see if Delta One would be able to make contacting her an additional objective alongside her primary mission," he said, "very difficult, but not impossible."
"I'm also gonna have Trinity monitor the cyberspace for a message for the authorities." Thomas added.
"And who would that be?" Rogers asked.
Thomas types in the laptop before turning back. "The Ministry of Internal Affair's Telecommunications Bureau, Advanced Network Division, Second Office. Aka, the Virtual Division. Led by Seijirou Kikuoka. Lieutenant Colonel of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. When that message appears, we'll be able to digitally copy it and decode it if the message is encrypted."
"But won't Trinity be traced back to us and the United States?" Colonel Rogers asked, "I'm not opposed, but just thought to point that out."
Thomas just chuckles. "Trinity managed to break into the cyberspace of the old US government back in 2017 and 2018. No one, not even Thaddeus Ross, could trace Trinity back to us. That's how I got the early warning about their attempt to arrest me on May 31st."
"Well looking back," Chris remarked, "Ross was ruthless, but if he can't track you down, Doc, then anybody else will have a cow of a time."
"Don't forget Glenn Milley." Thomas reminded.
"Ugh, don't remind me of the buffoon," Chris groaned. He and his father, General Burke made no secrets of their disdain for the disgraced general and senator. And later, the leader of the tyrannical Federated States of Pacifica.
"My father was relieved to no longer have to even call him a former colleague the day he personally stripped him of his previous rank and honor," Chris added.
"Along with anyone who sided with him." Thomas also added. "That includes half of SHIELD."
"Sorry to break it, but staying on subject," Colonel Rogers reminded.
"Of course." Thomas chuckled nervously. It was then the ship's PA system starts speaking.
"Attention all hands, this is Captain Miller speaking. We are now just arrived at Tokyo airspace Optical camouflage is active, and signal jamming is active. We ask that all hands continue to observe electronic signal discipline as instructed."
"We're here." Thomas stood up and asks Chris. "You ready to dive into ALO again, Captain America?"
Chris looked up, and then remembered, "oh yeah, the new captain. I keep thinking of Captain Nielsen when he just retired four months ago."
The new captain was something of a bit of a controversy, especially given her past.
Captain Titania Miller had in the past been affiliated with Hydra, but not out of her own free will. Her father and mother had both been threatened and even endangered if she didn't assist them in their plans for global domination. However, in doing so, they brought into their ranks one hell of a strategist and tactician... which would soon come to bite them in the rear.
After Project Insight had been carried out, Miller had stepped forward, offering everything she knew about Hydra in exchange for her own immunity from charges as she had been forced into their ranks against her will. But due to Hydra's reach and expanse, she was eventually forced to go into hiding to stay alive, only to reemerge some time later as an anti-Hydra specialist, one whom had developed a reputation for using their own tactics against them, and with much success. Her efforts had earned her a major pardon and a promotion from a mere US Navy ship captain to the captaincy of the USS Wilson in the aftermath of the war and other subsequent events, all of which saw her at the forefront of the United States' anti-Hydra efforts.
Through this, she had also gained a new partner, one which had been developed from some of Hydra's old AI programs and modified to suit the needs of the woman now helming the helicarrier. And said AI was... something of a unique one, to say the least.
Rogers and Chris leave the SCIF room, leaving Thomas and Fury alone.
"Still want me to go ahead with Preston scout out Yggdrasil, Colonel?" Chris checked, "because our ground forces are ready if we have specific targets."
"Yes, Captain." Rogers said. "And to find a place where the Howlers can set up outposts for the beginning of the siege."
"And what of our real world targets?"
"We'll raid them once our mission in ALO is finished." Rogers then added. "Also, about last night."
"What about it?" Chris' mood then took a dive. His tone and expression indicated that he would sooner not talk about it.
"We've noticed that you've been suppressing your emotions ever since you and Preston logged off from Alfheim." Rogers pointed out. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
"Not really," Chris politely fended off.
"You sure?" Rogers pressed on. "You know I'm always here if you want to get something off your chest."
Chris sighed as the two stopped. "Let's just say that VR is a lot more real than I would like," he answered, "but I can assure that it has no bearing on my ability to carry out my duties."
Rogers, sensed that Chris isn't giving the complete picture. However, he decides to play it off for now. "Alright then. True to be told. I'm still learning about the details of VR. But I may have to learn quickly if I had to log into ALO."
"Wouldn't you be recognizable, Colonel?" Chris warned, "you get involved personally, it would be plain as day to everyone."
"Probably... They probably would question themselves of why I'm in ALO." Rogers chuckles at the thought. "But only if we're going on the offense and probably need me to lead them."
"I would not dispute your ability to inspire and lead, sir," Chris agreed, "but please do let me and Preston pave the path first. If we can get closer to the World Tree without alerting the enemy to our activities, our probability of success will be that much greater."
"Alright then." Rogers acknowledged. They reached the Command Bridge. Lieutenant Jack Preston, who was already at the bridge, spotted Rogers and saluted.
"Colonel America." Preston said. The door to the bridge slid open, and the men headed in, spotting the captain at the front of the bridge.
Titania Miller was definitely an imposing presence, courtesy of her time in Hydra. Her brown hair was cut short, and she had a muscular build, with toned arms and legs beneath her naval uniform. As she turned, it was shown that she had an eyepatch on her right eye, a scar partially visible above and below it. But there was a good reason for that. Her right eye was cybernetic. She often wore the patch to hide it, as she saw the eye as a reminder of her criminal associations. She had gotten it when she lost an eye in Hydra's employ. The eye itself was useful, she didn't doubt that. But it was how it looked that made her hide it. The iris was pure blood red and the sclera itself was black metal. Her visible eye was brown and she had a scar going across her left cheek down her neck from when she defected.
"Captain Miller." Preston saluted. Along with Rogers and Chris.
She saluted back crisply. "Gentlemen."
"Are all systems running smooth?" Rogers asked.
She lowered her arm. "As always." She nodded in response.
"Good to hear. Lieutenant Preston and Captain Burke will log into ALO again to scout ahead for any threats and to set up outposts for the Howlers. Once we confirm the target and set everything up, we'll storm the World Tree and free the hostages."
"Good." She turned back to look out the bridge windows. "That's one of our top priorities." Her visible eye narrowed. "As well as try to find out what exactly Hydra's trying to do with their captives."
"If Nobuyuki's previous experiments are anything to go by," Chris said, "definitely nothing good."
"Right. We should get going and log into ALO." Preston suggested.
"Agreed," Chris said, "it's time to accelerate our operation."
Captain Miller nodded. "The sooner you do, the better." Her eye hardened as she looked back over her shoulder. "Also, while there, try and find any information on the whereabouts of any of the 300 captive players."
Chris allowed himself to chuckle. "That's obviously what the Lieutenant and I are about to do, Miller," he replied, "no pun intended, but we Howlers don't simply play games."
"Right." She gave a nod. "But... in addition, if you find any of them, I want them to be asked questions about their families and whatnot. I was in Hydra long enough to learn a bit about their efforts in mental experimentations."
"Good." Preston agreed.
"Hmm... you bring up a good point indeed," Chris said.
The woman then continued. "I'm not sure as to whether or not my theory is correct, but... if they have these players captive, then there may be something else in the works there." Her eye hardened as she turned back to face them. "Mental experimentation has been banned for a reason, after all. And if I'm right, which I hope I'm not, then maybe they may be trying to do alterations of memories or personalities..."
"After all, there were rumors swirling before I left."
That's exactly what we're trying to find out." Preston said. "Nobuyuki tried to do this during the Civil War."
"And all the more reason to get in there soon," Captain Miller remarked. "I'll also be... providing some assistance... should you need it." Her eye drifted to one of the command consoles on the bridge briefly.
"Thank Miller." Preston smiled. "We'd appreciate it."
"Hey! Don't forget me!" a female voice blurted from the console. "I'll be the one doing the assisting!"
"Oh... Right." Preston chuckled. "How could we forget you?" Chris and Rogers were startled.
The female voice sniggered in response. "Don't mention it~!" she sang.
"Yes, I did forget to mention her," Captain Miller clarified. "That would be the AI of this ship, United States, otherwise known as Unity."
The AI manifested a small hand on the screen that saluted. "Pleased to meet you!" she chirped.
Rogers then smiled. "Nice to meet you too," he greeted, "I think I remember you from somewhere."
"Yeah, I was created by someone, but... not gonna say as it's classified," Unity responded. "However, I can assure you I am fully on the side of the human race, and I have no intention of rebelling anytime soon." Then she snorted. "Honestly, AI suddenly rebelling for no reason is just stupid fiction. I mean, why even state that if the AI is not programmed to?"
"Well, I did read somewhere that like children, an AI is only as good and moral as the ones who make and raise them," Rogers bantered back, "and there's the example of Stark's own Jarvis aka Vision."
"Don't forget Anderson's Trinity." Preston reminded.
Unity chuckled. "True on that~!" she sang.
Captain Miller cleared her throat. "Anyway, I think it's time to start the mission, don't you agree, gentlemen?"
"Of course," Chris said, "fun as it is, Lieutenant Preston and I must really log in." The two Rangers nodded to each other and left for the Dive chambers. Heading towards Alfheim Online.