Chapter 7 My Matrix

Larry's breathing sped up. Even though he knew that Tec couldn't experience emotions, it felt like the computer was judging him. Wiping some sweat off his brow, Larry's mind raced. The thought, the mere thought of obtaining help from this computer was so insidious to him. And honestly, he didn't really trust Tec. How could he? After the horrific things Tec had said in reference to Larry being reprogrammed, Larry was more than convinced that Tec would probably do something to him when he was plugged in. Maybe he would try to tap into and fuck with Larry's mind. Maybe by plugging in, Tec would send a jolt of electricity through his body, knocking him out cold and thus leaving him without any way of fighting against Francis.

Battery at two percent.

Fear struck Larry right in the heart. His battery was draining away at a speed much faster than he was accustomed to. If he didn't plug in, he'd be left unconscious either way. And, well…

"Fuck it," Larry whispered. He bolted toward Tec and hastily tried to plug in as the voice in his head told him that his battery was almost completely out. Thankfully, he managed to plug in just in the nick of time. Talk about a miracle. And speaking of miracles, Larry didn't feel any different while plugged in. He felt the same; nothing was being downloaded into his mind, and no jolts of electricity were surging through him. No, he was perfectly fine. Tec had said that Larry should accept his help, and he had no ulterior motive. He had simply wanted to make sure that Larry could charge up without any problems.

Again, talk about a miracle.

"I see you made the right decision," Tec said. "That's good."

Those were the only words Tec said, and Larry didn't know how to react to them. Should he take them at face value, or should he feel an overwhelming desire to punch Tec in the face? He didn't know; he really didn't. And, on some level, he supposed he shouldn't waste too much time thinking about it. He was charging up now. He got a chance to be awake for any life he possibly had left locked up in this room. He shouldn't worry about what Tec's intentions or motivation were.

So, he let himself charge. After about five minutes, he decided that he didn't want to be standing for the entire duration of charging, so he sat down on the floor. Crossing his legs, he looked up at Tec's camera. The computer blinked at him (although, Larry honestly didn't know if blinking was the right word). Larry figured he was probably studying him, looking him up and down to see what Larry could potentially offer. Was this creepy? It might be. Larry couldn't say one way or the other.

"So, you operate on a battery?" Tec finally decided to ask.

"Yep." Larry snorted after nodding. "And believe me, it really sucks. I can't do everything I want, at least not for extended periods of time. I have to worry about how much juice I have left, as well as where I can plug in to get more juice." He hung and shook his head. "Honestly, I'd take being stuck in bed for a week with the flu as opposed to having the charge myself."

"You can still get the flu?" Tec asked.

"No. I can't. I'm just saying that it would be preferable if both options were available to me."

"I see."

Larry let out a breath and shifted his sitting position. He looked all over the room, at the room that had no discernible features aside from Tec. It was like Larry had been put into some sort of pocket dimension, a pocket dimension designed to both act as a prison and drive those who occupied it insane. Seriously, Larry had never felt as stir crazy as he did looking at the windowless, character-less walls. He had never felt like he was losing his mind so much observing this holding cell. Forget Francis reprogramming him; spending too much time in this room would be more than enough to break his mind.

So, with a groan, he leaned against his hand that wasn't plugged in. He popped his lips, feeling the seconds being shaved off his soul like wood gets shaven off of a wood carving. This… was it appropriate for Larry to call this place hell? Because that's what it felt like. There was nothing to do except talk with the psycho computer and think himself to death. That certainly sounded like hell, and Lord knew it felt like it too.

"Are you okay?" Tec asked.

Larry almost laughed, questioning when Tec ever got the ability to think about or even care about his well-being. He didn't, of course, mostly because he knew he shouldn't take this for granted. Tec was opening up a pathway for conversation. And as much as Larry hated his nonexistent guts, he needed to talk with someone in here to make sure he didn't fall into the inescapable, endless pit of insanity.

"I'm bored," Larry said. Tec blinked again, prompting Larr to explain. "There's nothing to do here. I can't run around, I can't talk to anyone, I can't play any games." Larry sighed. "I wish there was something for me to do. If I'm going to be stuck here for who-knows-how-long, I at least want a way to keep myself occupied." He chuckled and looked up into Tec's camera again. "You mind sending Francie some sort of DM so that he could bring down a Nintendo Switch or something?"

"Master Francis's Nintendo Switch is reserved for his use and his use only," Tec said. "I highly doubt he'd be willing to part with it."

Larry's heart sank. "Of course." He leaned back some more, counting down the seconds. Although, he didn't even know why he did that. There was no point to doing so. Counting seconds usually indicated that someone was counting how much time was left before something really cool happened. And since there was nothing special for Larry to wait for, that meant he was just counting for the sake of counting. The only person who would do something like that willingly was Iggy, and Larry didn't want to share ANY similarities with Iggy.

"However…" Larry blinked and looked up at Tec, the one word he had spoken doing a tremendous job at piquing Larry's interest. "I might have a way for you to do something."

Larry blinked a second time. "You do?"

"Indeed. I have a way for you to do all the things you could possibly want. You can play soccer. You can fight bad guys. You can interact with your adoring fans."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Are you gonna allow me access to the internet or something like that?" That would be a pretty stupid thing for the supercomputer to do, considering how Larry could use the internet to get in contact with people who could rescue him.

"No. Of course not," Tec said, fully supporting Larry's line of thought. Larry's face was just about to fall again when Tec said something that piqued his interest yet again. "I can offer you something better."

"Better than the internet?"

"Better than the internet." By this point, Larry was beyond confused. His confusion only increased when Tec said "Close your eyes."

A moment of silence hung in the air. "Uh… why?"

"Just do it. Trust me."

Larry hesitated, wondering if THIS would be the point where Tec fucked with his mind. However, he was admittedly really interested in what Tec could potentially be offering, so…

…

"Open your eyes, Larry."

Upon hearing Tec's voice, Larry did just that. When he did, he blinked. He wasn't down in Francis's computer room anymore. Instead, he was in a white void. As far as the eye could see in any direction was white, white that was whiter than the snow in World 3. And, honestly, this just made Larry freak out. What was this place? Where was he? How did he end up here?

"Uh… hello?" Larry took a step forward, afraid that he might fall. He thankfully didn't, but that didn't make this experience any less eerie. "Tec? Anyone?" He looked around, hoping to see someone. He hoped he wasn't alone, because of he was, he didn't know what he would…

"Greetings, Larry."

Larry looked forward and screamed, jumping back as he did. Someone who looked exactly like him stood a few feet away from him. No joke; it was a one-to-one copy, a picture-perfect replica. Larry's whole being shook when he saw this, and he would've screamed again if it weren't for the figure opening their mouth and talking.

"I apologize for alarming you." The voice that this duplicate spoke with sounded like Tec's voice. "I thought that me having some form of appearance would be preferable than having nothing at all."

It took a little bit for Larry to fully process this. "Well… okay! I… I don't see why you had to look like me, but… sure. You having a physical form is a good thing, Tec!"

Tec's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Would you like it if I changed forms?" He snapped his fingers, shifting into a form that still looked like Larry. Except, it was… gross. No, worse than gross; he looked like a zombie version of Larry! Bloodshot eyes, gray skin, fingernails that looked a few inches too long, and a jaw that couldn't decide whether it wanted to stay up or stay down.

Larry screamed harder than he ever had before upon seeing this atrocious sight. "DUDE! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"You don't like this?" Tec asked. "According to my research, young boys your age love to consume pieces of media relating to zombies."

"Yeah, but the zombies don't look like us!" Larry turned away, closing his eyes as his heart pounded like mad. "I take it back; looking like just regular old me is fine!" He kept his eyes closed for a good four minutes before looking back at Tec. Thankfully, he had reverted back to Larry's usual form, helping the Koopaling to relax. This made Larry feel better (although the image of a zombie version of himself was going to stick with him for the rest of his life).

"Thank you, Tec." Tec nodded, and Larry took a step forward. He looked around, wanting to see anything of significance in this infinite white void. "So… where are we, exactly?'

"We are in my matrix," Tec said.

Larry's heart skipped a beat. "You… you have a matrix?"

"Yes," Tec said with a nod of the head. "It is a part of my programming that Master Francis considers his magnum opus." Tec took a step forward. "He had been fascinated by works of fiction that explore such a concept, so he built a matrix in me. His goal is eventually to get it up and running to the point where he can trap actual people inside of it."

Shudders ran up and down Larry's spine, although he wasn't necessarily surprised by these words. "Well… that's one more tick for Francis being a psychopath…"

"Master Francis has been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder, in case you were wondering," Tec said matter-of-factly.

Larry cringed and shook his head. "So he really is a psychopath. Great."

"I fail to see how such a serious medical diagnosis is great, but that's not what we should be focusing on right now." Tec gestured to the void. "Even though this matrix is incomplete, and although it is still inaccessible to organic beings, I am still able to transport you here because of your robotic nature." Tec looked Larry in the eye. "And I feel that we can use an opportunity like this to our advantage."

"Really? How so?"

"Well, the fact is that Matrices can replicate almost anything with their programming." As if to prove his point, Tec snapped his fingers, and a puppy dog appeared in Larry's hands. As the puppy licked his face, causing Larry to laugh, Tec elaborated further. "Anything. This can include objects in the real world, and it can also include objects that are merely a figment of a person's imagination. The possibilities are more or less endless in here."

"Ohh… I see." Larry set the puppy down on the ground, and it ran away while wagging its tail. "So this place can serve to keep me occupied."

"And entertained; that is correct," Tec said with a nod. "You can do literally anything you want in here, so you do not have to worry about the possibility of boredom while being held hostage by Master Francis again." Tec held his hands behind his back. "So, I feel I must ask. What, Larry Koopa, would you like to do in here?"

"Hmm…" Larry thought about this. He knew Tec was right; the possibilities in here were pretty much endless. He could do anything, literally anything that he set his mind to. He could be the hero in his favorite JRPG. He could play the part of a main character in one of his favorite TV shows. Hell, if he wanted, he could create his own little world to explore! He could do anything he set his mind to!

But honestly… there was one thing Larry wanted to do in here more than anything else. He gestured for Tec to come over and whispered his request in his ear. When he finished, Tec pulled away.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Set it up!"

Tec nodded and snapped his fingers, creating…