Chapter 14: Reality Zero: Part 5
Apollo Island: Reality Zero
"Ok—is everyone ready?" Senku Ishigami addressed the group. "There is no turning back now after I activated this switch that will teleport us inside their base. Our only solution of survival is to hack in and take over the Bridge in order to get home!"
"We know the risk Senku," says Zack, readying his Buster Sword.
"Dangerous risk," Senku explained simply. "When Slone finds out what we're doing she is going do everything in her power to stop us! Meaning she is not treating kids gloves with us!"
"It's going take me eleven minutes to hack into the bridge's system in order to send us back to our worlds," Senku told them. "At the same time Slone is going to mobilized her most elite and powerful forces of Imagined Order to tries to stop us—you get what I am meaning?"
Naruto gets what Senku means. What he was trying to say was that this was a one-time trip, and this had to be done hard, fast and right. Meaning make sure Slone does not interfere once they make their jailbreak.
Naruto recalls his conversation with Old Man Sarutobi and Granny Biwako, the day he left Leaf Island to join the Marines. The two of them think that he was rushing into situation he can fully understanding, meaning he wasn't ready for the world beyond their native island.
Naruto counter that he already understands the risks involved and begin a marine can get him killed while sailing the Grand Line. However, he was not in the Grand Line or any part of his world.
He was trapped in another dimension, by an organization that was abducting people from countless worlds and universes. And the odds are, that Doctor Slone, the woman who betrayed him during his mission to destroy the Mothership—she was an extremely intelligent and cunning individual, but also ruthless enough to treat anyone as sacrificial lambs to fulfill her goals.
Naruto felt like he had butterflies in his stomach. Senku was right. This was a time voyage where there is no turning back. They need to fight every ounce of their power in order to get back home. Looking back to the rest of his crew, Naruto knew he has to give his best. He was not going to lose anyone under his watch, no matter what!
"Let's just get the party started Senku," Nero persisted, punching his cybernetic arm. "I got a score to settle on my world with the bastard that took my arm!"
"Yeah—and I miss my favorite episodes, the Simpsons!" says a familiar yet annoyed voice.
Everyone was completely started when they heard that voice and turn around quickly to see Harley Quinn is back.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Shikarmaru retort out loud.
"Yeah," Nojiko added. "I thought you decided to stay here in this crazy dimension."
"I did," Harley replied. "But this place is really boring and I kind of miss home and stuff, so I decided it's time to leave."
"Just like that?" Tenten reacted with disbelief. "After that big crazy speech of yours a couple of hours ago?"
"I don't trust her," Erza voices her option. "We can't have someone unpredictably crazy in our group. We can't afford anyone, or anything jeopardized our last chance to escape back to our worlds!"
"I agreed! How do we know you won't betrayed us when we try go back to our universes?" Igaram questioned Harley.
"Well, wiggy," Harley begin. "I happened to have a key to hack into Imagined Order's core computer systems. All I had to do it make their HQ's system go crazy, make everyone run around with chicken running without their head, while we make a get away!"
"You're lying!" Tsuande responded. "Do you honestly think you make us believed you has some access to Imagined Order's core computer systems?"
In response to Tsunade's accusation, Harley pulls something out of her cleavage, showing everyone what looks to be a disk.
"Let me see that." Senku requested. Once Harley gave him the disk, Senku began examined in carefully.
"What is it Senku?" Zack asked.
"This disk—this is an immense bonus!" Senku reacted with excitement in tone. Turning to Harley and says, "I don't know where you got this Harley, but this really can be huge benefit in our escape from Reality Zero!"
"Surely you are not going bring her with us," Erza begin to protest.
"Yeah, she too troublesome due to her insanity and unpredictability!" Shikarmaru pointed out.
"I know Harley can be problematic," Senku admitted. "But we can't afford to reject any possibility we need to escape back to our worlds!"
"Yeah," Harley joked. "We're all rocking the same boat—or the boat is rocking us—rocky rock— whichever is the other way around I guess!"
Senku gave Harley a hard look before he says "Just try not screw this up, will you? Despite the huge advantage of this disk you gave me, it will all go to hell is someone is showboating!"
"What's so special about that disk?" Zack asked.
0o0o0
Doctor Slone was having a tough day.
Since the aliens from the Last Reality invaded the island, she had struggled with a lot of issues to regain order and control in her circumstances.
For example, her first step was to deal with that traitor Maven. It turns out she was a mole working for the invaders. How she was able to operate a mole within the Imagined Order was something Slone would never find out. One thing for she, Slone dealt with Maven personally. If there is one thing Maven will learn "there is no room at the Imagined Order for traitors."
The next step was to manipulate the Loopers in destroying Mothership from the Last Reality. She couldn't believe it that the aliens owned the Cube. It matters not. The aliens were defeated, and the Cube was destroyed. Right now, she needs to focus in cleaning—
"Doctor Slone," an Imagined Order technician suddenly spoke up. "We got a problem with the security feed!"
"What kind of problem?" Slone responded.
"We're getting huge static from the security videos that are monitoring the Bridge," the Imagined Order technician informed.
"What?" Slone reacted, looking surprised. "What's wrong? What's the problem with videos?"
"I don't know Doctor Slone," the Imagined Order technician. "According to these readings, it seems some outside sources is interfering with—"
"I don't want to hear your excuse!" Slone cuts him off. "Get those videos back online and operating—now!"
The Imagined Order technician was hurrying up, aware of how wrathful Doctor Slone can become when she is angry. It took a couple of minutes, but the technician finally put the security videos online. Once the visual screens were online, Doctor Slone's face reacted with shock when she saw what going on. The video shows several intruders in the bridge room. Intruders that Doctor Slone easily recognized.
"That's impossible!" Slone reacted. "How did they survive the—what they doing in the bridge? How did they all get in the bridge?"
Instantly, Doctor Slone gave orders "Get a security team down there now! Killed whoever was in the bridge room! Understand?"
"Yes ma'am!" they responded.
Suddenly, the computers were going haywire and berserk, confusing everyone. It was not just the computers, the lights, doors, and anything that was tech-made was acting funny. Seeing this, Slone demanded "What's going on? Why are the computers and the tech systems all acting like that?"
0o0o0
The disk that Harley gave to Senku was a computer virus infiltration disk. Its purpose was to download equations within the supercomputer systems of Imagined order. Imagined Order has already had top-notch computer defenses to protect its systems from outside infiltration.
However, the disk was designed to be a Trojan Horse virus, its purpose was to come in contact with the data network of the Imagined Order computer security. Like positive and negative forces that meet each other head-on, the virus and Imagined Order computer system will cancel each other out.
The moment they teleported in the Bridge Senku got started downloading the virus in the system. Once the virus begins spreading across the systems, he begins to focus quickly on the device that was supposed to take them back to their worlds. Studying the man and the way he worked so fast, Naruto guess Senku knows what he is doing, a scientific genius in his own way.
"I got good news," Senku says to everyone in hearing distance. "I arranged the Bridge to send us back to our world the moment it links with our Portal Device!"
"And what's the bad news?" Nero asked.
"Yeah," Kiba agreed with Nero. "When there is good news there is also bad news!"
"I guess you had a point," says Senku. "Somebody got to stay behind to manage to Bridge's operation for all of us to go home!"
"So, we draw straws is that?" Shizune stated. "To see who will be the last one leaving?"
"I'm afraid so," says Senku. "Plus, I study the systems that control the Bridge, and it takes about a few minutes for the machine to connect our Portal Devices to our worlds. Estimating my calculations, it's going the total will be about 30 minutes."
"Which will give us enough time for Doctor Slone's goons to find us here!" Naruto calculated the odds.
"Then that means we got to make sure that Slone's forces don't interfere," Tsuande also gaged. "Yet the remaining question is who's going stay behind to make sure the Bridge is operated in the last moment?"
"Very well then," the woman known as Erza speaks up. "I'll be the last one to stay, to make sure the Bridge is operated, and everyone goes home!"
"Hold on Erza," Zack speaks up. "What makes you think you're going to volunteer? Why don't I volunteer to be the last one to stay in the last minute?"
"What about your friend, Cloud?" Erza questioned. "You say you need to get back to your world to help him?"
"Neither of you is going to be the last one to stay," Nero says, stepping in. "If anyone is going be staying it's going to be me!"
"How about me!" Harley says, raising her hand.
"Absolutely, not!" Everyone in the room snapped in an instant.
"None of you is going to be the last one to stay," says Naruto. "If anybody going to stay in the last minute to make sure the Bridge is operated, it's going to be me!"
"Naruto?" every one from his group gasped.
Before anyone was about the protest, it was without warning the doors of the room were forced open. Entering the room was a large force of Imagined Order troops, all heavily armed and ready to kill.
However, in blink of eye, a dozen of them were all cut down by Erza by her superb swordsmanship skills.
"Maybe it's not the time to argue," Erza told the group. "We need to keep these guards at bay while we keep the Bridge operated so we can get back home!"
There was no argument with Ezra. They saw more and more guards entering the room. Now was not the time if they all wanted to go home.
Everyone was capable and skilled fighters in their own unique way. Plus, they were working well together under a common goal: to return to their own worlds or native universes.
But Naruto knew this was not going to be easy. The Imagined Guard's onslaught was relentless as it was fierce. For every Imagined Guard soldier to fallen, ten takes his place. Plus, their attackers were very strong and skillful to handle. It seems like a war of exhaustion, whoever tires out is the first to lose.
Luckily, they were not going keep this up forever.
"I got it now," Senku yelled. "Zack, you go first!"
Zack was torn. He was happy that he could finally go home. But he dislikes the idea of abandoning his allies in the middle of the battle. Yet it could not be helped!
"Just go Zack!" Senku yelled again. "I can't keep this portal hold forever!"
"Go!" Naruto ordered. "We'll be all right!"
Finally motivated, Zack made his goodbye "Best of Luck! Everyone!"
He jumps into the Bridge and completely disappears.
"What the hell are they doing?" one of the Imagined Order shouted.
"They're trying to escape," a second one replied. "We need to stop them or Doctor—"
"Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
In a bright flash of light, Erza's armor changed. In an instant, she now silvers metal armor, showing off her cleavage that left the tops of her breasts exposed, as well as her stomach. She was surrounded by over dozen swords floating in the air.
"Circle Sword!"
Eraz's attack was so powerful and fierce it struck down a large force of Imagined Order soldiers as if they were straws against a hurricane.
"There is no way in hell I'm letting any of you bastards stop us from going home!" Erza snarls at the Imagined Order soldiers.
"That's right!" Nero agreed as he prepared his own attack. "I got get back to my world and I don't have time to deal with you creeps!"
"Stamen Ray!"
With his cyborg right arm, Nero fired a particle beam blast at the soldiers. The force and destruction of his attack were so intense, that he succeeded in taking out more and more Imagined Order Soldiers.
"Your turn is next Nero," Senku shouted. "Move in now!"
As Nero disappears in the bridge, Doctor Slone's voice speaks through speakers "Did you people think you can get away with it? Now you all are starting to piss me off!"
"Crap, she on to us!" Tenten panicked when she heard Doctor Slone's angry voice. "Now she knows what we're doing and she's taking the kids' gloves off!"
The Imagined Order soldiers, after hearing Doctor Slone's angry voice, knew what would happen to them if they failed to stop them from escaping back to their worlds. They become extremely intense, fighting more fiercely to stop them. Soon more and more of them begin entering the room, putting pressure on the defenders.
"Damn, they're get tough every second!" Kiba shouted. "And there is no stopping them!"
After Erza took her turn and disappears into the bridge, Naruto says "Senku, why don't you use the Bridge to head back to your world. We will take it over for now!"
"What about Harley?" Senku pointed out.
Harley Was like a laughing demon. With baseball bat and gun in hand, she was rampaging unstoppable amongst the Imagined Order troops. There was no stopping her now.
"Don't worry about her," Naruto told him. "I'll take care of her! Just get back to your world!"
After Senku disappeared from the bridge, Naruto who was now working on the system that control the bridge shouted "Harley!"
Harley didn't seem to hear him. She was too busy fighting the Imagined Order, laughing maniacally.
"Harley!" Naruto shouted.
Again, she didn't seem to hear him.
"HARLEY!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Just ignore her," Tsunade says while fighting. "We don't have time for lunatic deadweights holding us back! Just focus on getting us back to our world!"
Naruto did as he was told and began working on the bridge. With his Portal Device he was able to operate the bridge to open a dimensional rift. Looking through the rift, Naruto saw recognizable signs and his hope increased as he recognized home.
"Ok I finally managed to open access to our universe," Naruto shouted. "Everybody gets in while you can!"
One by one, everyone enters and disappears through the Bridge—Kiba, Akamaru, Tenten, Choji, Shikarmaru, Neji, Shino, Rock Lee, Tsunade, Shizune, Igaram, and Kosuke. Nojiko stops before entering the Bridge facing Naruto.
"Are you coming?" Nojiko asked Naruto.
"I'll catch up," Naruto told her. "Don't worry about me! Just get in."
After Nojiko disappeared through the Bridge, Naruto shouted once more "Harley! Are you listening to a single word I'm saying?"
"What is it?" Harley responded, not very happy that Naruto was ruining her fun.
Before Naruto was about to say something his senses warned him of a coming attack. Turning around, he brutally knocks on the back of his head. And in an instant, he blacks out.
AN
Tr1vium: No, this is not a story discontinued. I still keeping up with this story, so don't worry.
Samuel Santillan: Harley Quinn will be joining Naruto's crew, but right after she has her own adventure in the One-Piece world.
Spenge: Yes, this is fortnite.