Corrected & Connected in Cyber Space Interface

[Reialgo]

You all should relax.

the suggestion made Nathan tut softly, Vypr was in control and she knew it. However he had willingly handed it over to her, so what did that say about his loyalties? One by one the wing sat down onto the ground, staring upwards at the "enemy", and all this managed to occur in less than 20 minutes. It was insane to say the least, but they were here now. Devon was still on edge, his weapon visible to all while sasha had dropped her usual giddy attitude for even she knew when something was serious. Naive? Blind? thats what she called them, but hadn't there been no other choice? They were allowed to fight for truth and justice in the Dgtwld only through following the gvn's orders. The day's current events were eroding that thought, things weren't adding up, a so called enemy inviting them for a chat and the heroes were not attacking it at it's weakest.

Apparently Vypr couldn't have cared less about how the correcters before her handled the incoming information so she just wants to share it, yet that in itself shows some care... he thought to himself. She was in no way being compassionate, throwing a threat they're way before even beginning. Nathan ignored it, her actions showed that it was at least an empty one. Then came her reveal, the first of many he guessed. The so called virus had in fact been a pioneering corrector, blowing apart the foundations of what Nathan thought he had been fighting for, it was true that Vypr had clearly not been a standard V. he had never guessed she was really human, and the possible circumstances that brought about her current labelling was what troubled him more at this point. As she spoke, Nathan realised that her thoughts disturbingly echoed his own only 30 minutes ago, were he and his friends stuck on a loop? one that vypr had been walking for far longer....

Silenced her? for.....finding out the truth? Nathan was shocked by the thought, they're own government had acted to protect it's dark secrets, secret so powerful that it required any pure soul to disappear from the real world, and what better way to do it than trap it in a place that doesn't truly exist. It was a horrible thought, the powerful blasts were barely noticed by the teen as he thought it through, forced to kill her own friends in cold blood just because she knew the inner workings of the gvn...what kind of twisted reality was this? This wasn't the justice he had fought, and put his life on the line for. And to make matters worse, she couldn't die, no matter how hard she tried release was impossible, that was torture of the most barbaric level. Just what did she see that provoked such a reaction!?

The girl before them was a broken shadow of her former self, that was clear for all present. Doubting even her own memories for all that they were were bits floating around her head. Was she looking for comrades now that she finished her story? No, it looked like her hatred for the gvn had overcome her as she had spoken, a deadly wave of light building up in an outstretched hand. Nathan simply sat there, he couldn't move himself to fight, for he didn't know what he would be fighting for. Sasha sprung to her feet, desperately trying to offer help to there current attacker, well that was one confirmed. Devon joined her, even he had dropped his hostility towards her.

Not that it was enough, with a anguished cry she fired at the group, but her aim was off, or rather was never trained on them in the first place. The attack landed harmlessly infront of them. She scurried back to her broom like the attack was meant as a diversion, it was certainly not needed against the current people. Vypr summoned the black vortex from before and it in turn drew them inside, the last though that crossed Nathan's mind was if she intended to kill them next time.

And then they were back, back to the normal dgtwld that they knew. The gvn was probably irritated at the lack of a completed mission, but screw them was the thought in his head. Logically Deovn suggested leaving the current plane, not that Nathan was far behind thinking so contact with gvn would best be avoided in his current state. His senses registered the real world and he quickly took off the needed headset, grabbing his phone. He clenched it slighty before ending the special app with a horrid taste in his mouth. Nathan stood up with equal speed, ignoring the sudden throbbing from the rush of blood to his head. Awkward silence followed, nobody moved for those few seconds, untill Sasha broke it quietly, thinking that the group should go to eat something. "I'm not hungry" he said quietly and simply left the cafe, anything more and he might have broke there and then. He wouldn't want to be around himself the way he currently felt.

He made his way swiftly back to the cinema to where his bike was chained up, storing the said chain away and rising off back to his appartment as fast as his legs would allow it. The bike was crudely chained to the closest fence to the appartment on his return and he slid inside, feet barely taking him up the needed flights to his own door. It softly slid shut behind him, and he took off his jacket, hanging it on the desired coat hanger. Nathan stood they're for a long minute, before he spun round and cried "SHIT!" smashing his fist against the closest wall. What had he just heard? that his whole belief was corrupt from it's foundations? how many others had he unwittingly hurt? how many dreams crushed just by following orders. He felt no worse than a simple soldier, no he felt worse because now he lacked a cause to follow, the orders.

[Frenetic Raptor]

Relax? You mean she isn’t here to fight us? Why of all circumstances would the Gvn call them out otherwise, if Vypr was of no immediate threat? Reluctance holding Sheela in check, she focused a worried glimpse at Sasha, Devon, and Nathan, all already taking partial heed to her words. Ok, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to listen to her, for once. Her brother might have been a completely different story altogether, not giving up his entire guard to her, if he had to. She carefully positioned herself as close as she possibly could get to Sasha, not desiring to provoke Vypr in any way. Sheela’s eyes never drifted away from Vypr, not even to take a caring glance at Nicholas after curious words were spoken.

Nicholas refused to ease himself amongst the tranquil land that surrounded his feet. Until he was absolutely certain there was no ill intent, he would continue to be an exception, keeping himself firmly at attention. Naive and blind, huh? Is that what every Corrector this day and age is considered? A little naïve, he could understand, pulling from the inexperienced youth of society to do their bidding; though being blind through this ordeal was not entirely by choice. Mulling over such a precarious situation, this perception of hers seemed completely reasonable, as unfortunate as it appeared. This wouldn’t change even the slightest; not as long as the Gvn continued to pull from the same pool of candidates.

I certainly don’t know what to believe anymore it seems. Sheela, from the very beginning, carried herself without ever questioning her existence, following through with the motions with little regard to the consequences the Gvn imposed upon the DgtWld at any given duration. But why would it ever need to come to that point? She didn’t want Vypr killing any of her friends off. She felt nervous for her own life, before familiarity was mentioned. She was one of the first? Her eyes flickered with surprise; until gloominess clouded her curiosity. Corrupted fragments? What could have possibly happened to Vypr to make her think this way?

Continue on Vypr. Let’s hear what you have to say about our Gvn. Nicholas’ calculating thoughts beckoned her to proceed. You pretty much got faceless right on the money. The predictability of uncertainty followed from behind. It wasn’t until the mentioning of silencing did his attention grasp onto a demanding curiosity. Angered words preceded an aggressively impulsive light show. So, there are secrets the Gvn doesn’t want us knowing about. The whole situation wasn’t out of the realm of possibility and explained why they were always so tight lipped about revealing anything beyond the standard protocol. The only thing I don’t get is why they would deem it necessary to turn a Corrector against one another, to the death. Were their only two options for existence; to serve, or die?

How can they possibly do such a thing to another human being? Sheela was exasperated at such a travesty. Wasn’t it already enough to capture another’s freedom, but to have a Corrector executed was stepping over the line. The absurdity of the whole confliction of ideals was beyond ridiculous. She shied her eyes away, the enragement originating from Vypr far too much for her to handle all at once, overwhelming her optimistic subconscious. There has to be another way out of this, isn’t there? God forbid her from ever stumbling on a dark secret from the almighty Gvn. I just can’t see myself doing the same. Tears pooled within her eyes, her mind distracted entirely on tragic thoughts. You guys are really out to delete me, aren’t you?

Kind of sucks, doesn’t it. Not being able to do a damned thing for another, or even for yourself, for that matter. Abide by the rules and be a good little mindless drone to society or break them down and die trying to fight for a rightful individuality. Nothing like becoming meaningless pawns in a game of chess no less. Is this what kind of primitive life we’ve been reduced to, even in this day and age? He gave off a pretentious glare, focused on the escalating, emotional exchanges. Nicholas’ arms remained crossed as Vypr let loose, holding nothing back, all except her aim that was. I suppose we can’t. Not just yet, I think. There was no doubt in his mind that this wasn’t going to be the final time they crossed paths. Until then, he would be prepared. With their normal digital plane of existence returning and the desire to leave given, Nicholas logged off, without a word.

There has to be some way of helping Vypr out. Hesitant to move on, she questioned herself, wondering if all of this was simply make believe. If all of this was indeed a false reality, Vypr was quite the talented actress. What am I thinking? No one with that kind of story could just make up something so devastatingly tragic. Sheela sighed heavily, utterly confused, her mind beginning to hurt from over-thinking. Let’s just not think about the worst right now. She attempted to psych herself up, to no avail. It’s no use. With little desire to linger behind, she released herself from the DgtWld and returned to the real world, searching for some kind of welcomed solace.

And so it had begun, the first of the group had departed. This definitely bites. Catching sight of Nathan’s swift absence, Nicholas fiddled with the empty bottle next to his designated PC, contemplating. His mind was going to be filled with a racing stream of chaotic thoughts for the remainder of the day. “Damn… I should have known better.” Frustration finally revealed itself, after all this time. Whether or not anyone of the group still remaining figured as to what he was referring to, only Sheela would actually know of anything.

“Nicholas, are you going to be alright?” She leaned forward, attempting to get a better glimpse of her brother.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. Just letting things get to me again.” He brushed off her concerns; holding whatever lingered, to continue to accumulate within.

“Ok… Nicholas.” She reluctantly accepted his response, though she wasn’t entirely satisfied at his poor attempt at concealing his true feelings. “Um… Sasha…” Sheela wondered if she even dared try at all. “Would it be alright if I…” Is this really the time to be asking? “Would you mind if I stayed with you for a little while longer?” She looked away and up towards the ceiling. “We don’t have to eat anything. I was hoping we could talk things out a little more, whatever it may be.” To be honest, Sasha was really the only one she could talk to when she thought her brother was unable to do so. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” She returned her gaze towards Sasha, letting her emotional eyes plead her case.

[Snowflying]

"You all should relax." Vypr sat before them in a haystack, acting as nonchalant as if they were a group of friends hanging out on a pleasant day. The sun was setting off in the distance, bright rays reflecting off of the metal towers holding up the telephone wires and lighting up the haystacks with bright yellow hues. The silence could have been called peaceful…if it were an actual calm evening, that is. But Rey knew it was all an illusion, something whipped up by Vypr. To try and get them to lower their guard, perhaps? Was that the reason for her relaxed manner? She couldn’t be sure. But Sasha and Devon seemed like they were willing to listen and, to her surprise, sat on the ground casually (if not a bit grudgingly in Devon’s case). Even more baffling was the rest of her team following suit. Being the only one who remained standing, she felt stupid and squatted down. If she sat all the way she would feel vulnerable, and she was by no means giving Vypr her full trust.

She listened in silence as the girl told her story.

On the outside Shade’s face was a mask of impassivity, but on the in inside emotions began to swirl. Government secrets…trapping her in the DgtWld…pitting her against her own friends…Vypr’s tale was a shocking one, and Rey was slowly trying to form an opinion of it. She tried imagining the Gvn doing all the things Vypr claiming they had done, and…well, it made sense. In the context Vypr had given, at least. A powerful government forcibly recruiting people, feeding them tasks without allowing questions to be asked, and the good little Correctors did as they were told. Rey couldn’t tell if the girl was trying to get them to betray the Gvn, if she just wanted to get her story out there, or if she was lying through her teeth. Rey’s impulse was to believe the latter theory, but Vypr’s emotional outbursts began to chip away at her armor of stubbornness. She obviously felt strongly about this, so much that her emotions were getting out of control. That wasn’t a characteristic of a V; emotions could be programmed, she supposed, but certainly to the level of complexity and unpredictability humans possessed. So – assuming this whole story was a lie – Vypr would have to be a hacker.

Rey’s days as a vigilante hunting down hackers came flooding back into her memory. Whenever she would track one down they would always lie, try to cover up their tracks. But their lies were well calculated and thought out, while Vypr seemed to be losing control. This was confirmed quite immediately when her enraged attacks were suddenly aimed at them.

Rey sprang to her feet as Sasha began to call out to the angry girl, tears running down her expressive face. As Shade was considering intervening Devon suddenly leapt in front of Sasha, trying to talk Vypr out of it. It seemed like he was confused as well. Shade’s grip on her swords tightened as she raised the tips upward into an attack position. But it wasn’t necessary, for Vypr’s blast hit the ground in front of them and she soon left them in a fury of emotions. The strange black hole appeared again, and Rey closed her eyes as they were transported back to their standard plane of operation.

She didn’t open them again until she was back in the real world, following Devon’s advice of logging off. Her eyelids opened slowly, taking in the sight of her friends in emotional disarray. Devon was muttering the obvious, Sasha wanted to go eat for some reason, Sheela and Nicholas were conversing with each other, and Nathan quickly bolted from the room. This left Rey, who had yet to say anything…or react in any way, really.

The emotions came quickly.

Rey realized she had been holding them inside this whole time, not wanting to say anything while Vypr was around. But then they suddenly burst – all of the confusion and anxiety that had built during their tense conversation with Vypr.

“It…it can’t be true,” she said, starting out softly. “It’s got to be a lie! The Gvn would never do something like that…not after all the good things it’s done…” She turned to her remaining friends, a searching expression on her face. “Surely you don’t believe her. We all know the destruction that Hackers have brought upon innocent people! Our job is to stop them, and that’s what we’ve been doing. It’s all thanks to the Gvn. Without it, I’d certainly be dead and…and…my brother would have died for nothing.” Her voice had risen with each word, and come back down so that her last statement was nearly a whisper. Now her anger came out in her actions. Frustrated, she swung an arm at the chair she had just been sitting in and knocked it over. It clattered against the floor of the small room. Then it was silent again, and the only sound Rey heard was that of her breathing, loud in her ears.

[Genkai]

Before she could even stop Nathan, he hurried out. If Sasha had been in her right mind, she would have acted quicker but she just looked and watched him go with slight concern. 'That doesn't surprise me but I don't think we should leave him alone.' She slowly thought. She slowly got up but Devon moved and put an arm out to cease any more of her frail attempt to run after the boy. She gave Devon a questioning look but simply sat back down. Outside she could hear people laughing with their video games and some were probably in the DgtWld trying to escape by immersing their mind in a place like Hawaii or Italy. Sasha looked down. "Are we just going to let him go?" She asked, her voice slurred with devastation and confusion.

"Yes. Leave him be." Devon said and folded his arms. He looked and saw Sheela and Nicholas ending their small discussion and it seemed Sheela needed to go with Sasha and talk. 'Figures.' He thought. 'But Nathan's action doesn't surprise me, he's shutting down. I think we all are in our own ways.' He shifted a bit, feeling suddenly restless. "Hey Sasha, count me out on that whole eating thing, I'm gonna let you two ladies deal with things together." Devon said, trying to act nonchalant. The last thing he needed to do was accidentally tip Sasha back into a whirlpool of uncertainty about him bowing out of an outing which he know was a good intention. But he knew it would be best if he didn't go, and he just didn't feel like it. 'Maybe going on my own wouldn't be so bad...' He began to think but suddenly Rey spoke up.

'I hadn't noticed that she was lingering a bit.' He thought, though she kind of was lately. Her outburst was a surprise. 'She's usually so collected. Vypr really rattled us all. Was that her intent?' He thought, arms still folded and face rather turned upside down. As she spoke, the others were silent and respectful. Devon wasn't the emotional type but seeing someone who almost mirrored his personality so lost, made him actually quite sad. Devon unfolded his arms as Rey swung at the chair after she had ended her small speech. "Hey..." He said and could hear Sasha's small whimpers and cries in the background. 'It must have frightened Sasha...' He assumed and took a careful step toward Rey. "Rey, come on." He said. And for a moment he felt like embracing her. Instead he simply grabbed her arm and pulled her out as they both had their cell phones on them.

He dragged her out of the Cyber Cafe and marched down the sidewalk. For a whole two blocks he didn't say anything but his mind was running a mile a minute. 'God what am I doing?' He thought to himself. 'What was I thinking? Just yanking her off with me like that...seesh. And I have no idea what we're even going to do.' He frowned as he kept his grip on Rey. He took a left turn and reached the outside of his apartment. He really hated having his friends over but he made rare exceptions and this would be one of them. He finally let go of her arm and shoved his hands into his pockets. "S-sorry about that." Devon muttered and looked off. "I just...got really annoyed at you and..." Was this his way of showing he cared? He knew he could be difficult but so could Rey and Sasha and Nicholas and even Nathan. They were all hard to handle at times. Maybe that's why they made a good group. "Come on."

Giving up, he walked over to the entrance of the building and scanned his ID from his wrist cell phone. He opened the door and held it open for Rey, hoping she would accompany him. She finally entered and he closed the door and headed to the elevator. Once more after scanning his ID, it came and took the two up to his apartment. He walked into the room and again held the door open for her. Devon may be distant at times but he was by no means rude to people he cared about. The male walked into the kitchen, his mind suddenly blank. 'What should I make? I just wanna order something.' He frowned and looked down at his wrist, almost too empty to even order a simple pizza and drink. He slowly sat down at the kitchen table and waited for Rey to join him. Part of him wanted to take out the sake and indulge a little and the more he thought about it, the more comforting it sounded.

Devon rose and took out a bottle of sweet sake and two small white cups and sat back down and poured himself one. He wasn't about to push any onto Rey unless she wanted some. "I'm confused too. We all are." He decided to break the thick ice. "I mean...I've been a Corrector for a long time, longer than you and I've always thought we were part of the greater good but now I'm not sure anymore. A big part of me is yelling this whole story is a trap, a ruse to throw us off or to test us." Devon said and picked up the cup and tossed it back and set it down on the table. He licked his lips and refilled his cup and stared at it. "I don't have a good feeling about any of this but I think we should try to investigate a little but I don't...I don't want to end up like Vypr if she's telling the truth. And I don't want to endanger any of you." He looked up. Anyone close to the boy knew it rare for him to voice his affections for others but he did sometimes and it was usually as blunt as possible.

Back with Sasha, she had heard Sheela's proposal and was about to speak up when Rey had started talking. Sasha looked to her friend but kept her own expression rather mute and unreadable. The run in with Vypr had shaken Sasha to her very core and she was now being forced to question everything she had believed in and had fought for, as well as against. She swallowed and then let out a pained whimper as Rey finished and then knocked over her chair in a dramatic manner which Sasha might have usually laughed at. Sasha flinched and simply stayed still, far too afraid to move even an inch. 'Rey...Nathan...everyone is hurting.' She thought. 'Vypr is hurting too. All this time Sasha...was doing bad...?' She wondered childishly. 'What have we been doing? What have we been doing? What have I been doing?' Sasha kept asking herself as if an answer might come given enough repetition.

She was brought back to reality when Devon suddenly moved and pulled Rey out of the room. Sasha watched them go and she slowly turned her head to the raining two in the room. Nathan had bolted and now Rey and Devon had as well. She felt suddenly alone. Lost. How could she possibly console Sheela now? In the back of her mind she wondered if someone would go after Nathan, she was worried about him being alone without someone to talk to. Slowly she tried to stand again and accomplished the feat since Devon wasn't around to stop her. Silence was among them as the peppy girl tried to think of what to say. 'Of course I want to spend time with Sheela...I do. I just...I just don't feel like myself, like part of me is still stuck in the DgtWld with Vypr.' She thought. "I um...yeah, we can go somewhere." Sasha said with great difficulty.

'Anywhere but my place.' Sasha could see in her friend's eyes that she needed her. And of course Sasha needed Sheela all the same. Sasha slowly reached out and clasped her hand with Sheela's and then looked to Nicholas. "You...can you...Nathan...?" She could only muster so much at the moment. Her eyes were terribly red and she was still sniffled from time to time. All she wanted to do was break down and cry and ask dozens of unanswerable questions but she had to be strong. She had to be strong. Sasha walked out of the room and the man behind the counter asked something about a noise but she ignored him and stepped out into the daylight with her friend and just stood there. Everything was crumbling on top of her and she felt so overwhelmed.

Luckily she had people who could relate to her. Like Sheela. 'Yes, I have Sheela and I hope she never gets taken from me.' Sasha thought. Sheela was like a sister to the girl. She found a small smile making its way to her lips as she squeezed a bit more. "I still wanna eat something. Or drink something." Sasha couldn't help but comment. The Corrector was doing her best to remain strong and optimistic for everyone. Even though she knew they could be annoyed by her, she knew deep down they saw her as some sort of reliable beacon. 'I want to help Vypr.' There was no doubt that she was telling the truth. Even though she knew she might be deceived or in the wrong, her heart couldn't sway her from her heart of justice. The girl had a passion to help others after all. 'She must need our help, if she wanted to just kill us, she wouldn't have to have explained everything to us. But still someone is lying here...either the Gvn I stand behind or Vypr, someone I do not really know.' There were two sides and Sasha kept leaning toward one and then the other. 'I wish I knew what to do. I want to help Vypr, really! But...to think the Gvn may be doing bad things...is my heart protecting my mind or is my heart right?'

[Frenetic Raptor]

Witnessing a rush of angered words followed by an aggressive reaction, Sheela found herself in an uneasy silence. Rey... Feelings of intimidation kept all but a name within thought. Unlike her unwilling mind, her nervous eyes never left Rey’s presence. Caught completely unprepared, there was nothing Sheela could possibly do. An overload to the senses, her body felt frozen in time, for just a single moment. If it wasn’t for Devon… If it wasn’t for Devon stepping in to calm a tense situation, who knows what Rey might have done. I just don’t want to think about it. If Sheela’s nerves weren’t entirely shot by now, they were certainly on their way, fairly quickly.

With Nathan, Rey and Devon, already out of sight their little group was crumbling around its fragile foundation. Please let them all be safe. She didn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to any of them, no matter what. There was little desire to dwell upon devastation as Sheela returned her focus on the now standing Sasha. Is she really going to let me stay with her? Deeper contemplation only brought along second guessing. Growing restless from within, she sought comfort from Sasha, whose response was of divided assurance. Even so, Sheela extended her own hand in acceptance. Pulling herself up, she directed her attention to Nicholas, hearing of Sasha’s desperate plea. You can be sure, he will do his best. If not, she knew where her brother lived.

“Be safe Nicholas.” She gave Nicholas an understanding glance in acknowledgement. Following from behind, her eyes wandered amongst others who were completely oblivious. To be that unaware… Both Sheela and Sasha weren’t so lucky, it seemed. Stepping outside, a radiating reassurance temporarily brightened a gloomy horizon. At least the rest of the world wasn’t currently in an apocalyptic state of mind. Reality regaining focus, Sheela began to accumulate ideas. “Well now… I suppose we could.” Sheela’s distracted eyes scanned the nearby premises. “We never did get our ice cream, did we?” Continuing with the topic of conversation at hand, Sheela wondered whether ice cream was appropriate, of all times. What am I thinking? Shouldn’t I be talking about what we just endured? To simply get away from everything, that must have been the reason.

That is... impossible. There was no easy way out, no matter where she was to look. “I’d be willing to buy any kind you’d want. Anything at all… I don’t mind, really.” Sheela looked at her, smiling reassuringly, hoping she would cave in at least this once. “Do it for me, please?” Her childlike state of mind resurfaced, desiring to have her moment of solace. Pleading her case became almost common practice. “The one over there looks like a good place.” She turned around and pointed further down the same side of the road. Letting her sweet tooth get the better of her, she beckoned Sasha to follow. Upon arrival, she anxiously held the door open for her best friend to come inside. “Now you’ve got to order something.” There was nothing wrong with talking all about this depressing subject matter over a bit of ice cream.

*~*~*~*~*

What a mess this day has become. What was he to say to Rey, to makes things better? Nothing was ever going to change their reality. To be dragged and pulled from two opposite polarities continued to overwhelm everyone from within the group, one by one. But were they truly opposites? There has to be some kind of reasonable connection between the two of them. There was more than likely one common driving force that linked Vypr and the Gvn together. We just have to find out what this exactly is. Until then, we can only do what we are capable of. Keeping to himself, undisturbed, his mind was momentarily secluded from reality. Let’s just hope it is enough to survive until we are able to find out.

First priority was keeping the group intact, starting with Nathan. Not to worry Sasha. I won’t let anything happen to him. He gave them both an affirmative nod, before being left alone in unfriendly solitude. By myself once again. Easing himself off his chair he lingered by, contemplating. We can’t just leave things a wreck in here, can we? Taking into some consideration, Nicholas approached the stricken chair and picked it up. Placing the chair back into proper position, along with the rest, he felt partially satisfied. With the empty bottle still hand, he walked out of the room with all but one concern on his mind. Looks like a trip to Nathan’s apartment is in order.

Following out, as did the others before him, he glanced around, catching a brief glimpse towards what appeared to be Sheela and Sasha, walking together. Not heading home, huh? I wouldn’t blame you, Sheela. Not like Nicholas was going home either. Walking in opposite directions, he made his trek over to the theater, locating his bike. There was no way he was in any mood to show up on foot. The quicker I get there, all the better. With his bike unlocked and at the ready, he jumped on and took off in his own little rush. Wasting no time at all, he reached the familiar building. If I am not mistaken, that is Nathan’s bike along that fence.

Confident, he parked his bike, further along the same fence, locking it up in similar fashion. With everything secure it was onward, within the apartment complex. Carrying himself with a motivational talk within sight, he held his hopes that Nathan would be willing to listen. Upon entering, Nicholas casually walked up the flight of stairs, searching for the correct room. This should be the one, in front of me. He stopped and stared at the door, unsure of what to expect. Not with Rey already taking out a chair. Can’t be too careful, can we?

A deep breath preceded a series of knocking, upon Nathan’s door. “Hey Nathan? You alright in there? I came over to see how you were doing.” He sure hoped that he was taking his concern into consideration. “Everyone is worried about you. If you need to talk, I am here for you, buddy. We are all dealing with the same thing.” Nicholas patiently waited for any response from within.

[Snowflying]

As Rey stood there in the silence, she immediately began to regret what she had done. Her friends stood around at her, staring at her in shock, like…like she was some sort of monster. She could hear Sasha whimpering and she knew she had gone too far. Her outstretched arm dropped to her side and she hung her head in shame. No…Sasha…you know I would never hurt you…

What had she done? She had been thoughtless, that’s what. She knew full well that her friends were just as shocked as she was, that they might share sentiments similar to hers. But did they blow up like she did? No, they stood there as calmly as could be expected in this situation, exerting a good deal more self-control than Rey seemed to have. Even Nathan, who had quickly run out of the room, was probably doing so because he didn’t want to upset his friends more with his own jumbled thoughts and feelings. It was too late for Rey to be courteous to her friends, but if she followed Nathan’s example and cleared out of the room she could stop herself from upsetting them further. She was about to do just that when she heard someone take a sudden step forward. It was Devon, and her head snapped around to look at him.

"Rey, come on."

Before she could determine whether this statement from Devon was friendly or one of anger, she suddenly found herself being grabbed by the arm and whisked out of the room. Out of the building, onto the street, still he led her on, marching forward as if he wasn’t going to stop for anything. Rey let him pull her along, still too numb to resist or question his actions. Besides, Devon was her friend and she trusted him, even though she had no clue what he planned on doing. She felt a sharp jerk on her arm as Devon veered to the left, leading her straight towards his apartment building. She was a little shocked that he would be taking her here; she had only been to his apartment a few times before and she knew that he otherwise didn’t like to have others over. She understood; she was the same way.

Stopping outside of the building, Devon finally let go of her and shoved his hands in his pockets. He seemed ashamed…or maybe embarrassed? Perhaps he wasn’t sure what to say. Rey was in the same boat, and remained silent. "S-sorry about that." He managed to mutter, not looking at her directly "I just...got really annoyed at you and..."

Well, at least he was being honest. But if he was trying to cheer her up or make her feel better it certainly didn’t work. He was annoyed at her…well, she certainly didn’t blame him. But that didn’t mean his comment didn’t hurt. Just as quickly as he had stopped Devon was moving again, opening the door for her into his apartment building. Still Rey said nothing, though her brow was now wrinkled in what might be considered a thoughtful or maybe concerned expression. Even though he was no longer pulling her along she followed willingly, riding up the elevator and finally arriving in his apartment. She sat down at his kitchen table across from him, staring blankly off to her right. When he got out the sake and poured himself a glass, she tentatively did likewise. She clasped the cup in her fingers and stared down into it as he spoke, not yet taking a sip. It wasn’t until he finished speaking that she looked up at him, her eyes blazing.

“First,” she said firmly, “don’t think about it that way. That you’re the one endangering us. You want to find out the truth? Well…so do I. And I don’t know about the others, because that’s a decision we’ll each have to make individually. I’ll distance myself from them if I have to, if it’s to keep them safe. But…you don’t have to worry about me. Please don’t feel like it’s your responsibility to protect me, because we’re a team, remember? It’s not all on your shoulders.”

She stopped speaking for a moment, looking back down at the table and taking a small sip of the sake. When she spoke up again, her voice was barely above a whisper. “You understand, don’t you?” she asked. “What this means to me. Hackers. My brother. I…I’m sure it means a lot to you as well…” But in truth, she really didn’t know how much being a Corrector meant to Devon. They had been friends for a while now, but how much did she really know about him? About how he felt? Not as much as a good friend probably should, she realized.

“Well, I guess I don’t know about you, but my entire life just got turned upside-down and dropped on its head. That’s why I acted like I did back at the café, and I’m sorry. But please try to understand…at least somewhat?”

[Reialgo]

He stood still in the silence for several long minutes, wallowing in the sudden wave of depression. The silence itself seemed to penetrate his thoughts, and he just stood facing a dull wall akin to a statue. Then just as if his brain had went through a system reboot, he started to think like a rational being again, that was the most selfish move I could have done.... was the first thought that entered his head. He had been afraid to share his thoughts with the others, even though he had shared duties with them for years. Worse, he next realised that they were all like him, they cared for others and thats why they were happy with they're job, and they must have all fealt as down as he did right now.

and Nathan had vanished

He let out a long sigh, feeling like he had deflated somewhat, and stood up. Maybe he should go back, kick his stupidity to the curve and swallow what little pride he had left after that little act. But he was still angry at vypr's situation, to angry to face equally enraged friends. Flipping out his phone, he looked for something to listen to, to soothe his head. But he paused his thumb. If he was going to be left on his own, he owed it to the others to sort things out head on. "Alright then...." he smirked at a childish thought that crossed his mind, that he could go into some zen mode and fight the negative thoughts inside. yeah right he paused, shifting to the kitchen as his subconscious reasoned that he should at least down some coffee as if it was the answer to everything. So the goverment locked up one skilled hacker because she got to close to the truth....but just what kind of information could be so corrupted that it can't be allowed to surface in reality... he hummed as he paused, going over what he knew the goverment could do. creating law, holding peace, keeping the economy in check, allowing people to....materialise in another world....

“Hey Nathan? You alright in there? I came over to see how you were doing.”

Nicholas' sudden knocking followed by the question caused the thinking teen to jump, pulled back into the world where everyone else inhabited. In an instant he figured what had brought the other male over to his house. yep I was a total jerk Nicholas claimed they were all worried over him, whether that was true or not wasn't what was grinding Nate's gears at that point, his storming out had caused someone to get tossed out to come after him...nice. Without further adieu he rushed to the door, pausing to gain some composure as he opened the door to be greeted by Nicholas. Instinctively he scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed that he had caused someone to come all the way out to his apartment. "Ah, I'm sorry about that moment of retardation just now, anyway come in" he beckoned briefly, stepping aside to clear the way for him before closing the door. "You might figure but I'm not really prepped for guests" he noted for an attmpt at humour before saying "this is the best place to sit in here..." and guiding his new guest into the kitchen. "Coffee?" he asked while on the move, he was already in the process of making it anyway and went on to do so regardless of the answer, it would give him something to do right? He poured the beans inside the "mechanic" then stopped short of turning it on, swallowing as he finally decided to break the ice and do what Nicholas had come for in the first place.

"So your pretty beat up over Vypr too?" he stopped then quickly said, "I mean, not that you wouldn't but....really badly..." realising his opening question made him sound somewhat pretentious. He was feeling awkward as apart from his close family, he had never really talked to anyone about serious matters, and barley talked alot to nicholas to begin with. "I just don't know what to make of it...I was to confused to talk and thats why I left, I guess" he continued on, "if, no, taking what vypr said into thought, are wethe bad guys? Like, sure the hackers have been causing damage to the dgt wld but now it seems they were doing so for all the right reasons...." he didn't want to seem like he wanted to control the conversation but he was giving Nicholas what he had asked for, just so long as he responded equally as well to him. At a glance Nicholas seemed to be taking everything that happened well, though he was only using himself as a comparison. He probably was the only one to overreact like that, that or nicholas was incredibly good at hiding his true thoughts

[Genkai]

When Sheela brought upon the topic of ice cream, it took several seconds before the idea clicked and connected. "Oh right." She said and exhaled softly, not realizing she had been holding her own breath. "I umm..." She shifted a bit, feeling like with each passing moment were nothing was resolved, that weights were pressing further down on herself. Sasha looked to Sheela who seemed adamant about paying. Normally Sasha would insist she treat or they split. Today however, she did not have the heart to refuse the girl's offer and decided a small smile would suffice as her answer. The two girls walked along, both aware of the impending conversation that would have to have. Not only with themselves, but with one another and the group. Upon arriving, Sasha walked in and mouthed a 'thank you' to Sheela before raising her gaze to look at the menu.

'I'm hungry but...can I eat?' She wondered. 'The banana split looks good but maybe just a milkshake would be best.' Looking around, she saw more happy faces. A family was in the corner with a mother, father and little boy. There was a happy romantic couple in their early twenties, much like her and Sheela. Sort of. 'It's not fair.' She couldn't help but think, a little envious of their ignorance. "I'll have a...chocolate milkshake please. With whip cream." Chocolate was often seen a comfort in times of trouble for the girl. Now more than ever, she wouldn't mind indulging in more sweets later. 'Maybe I'll pick some more up on my way home...' The idea of going home twisted knots insider of her stomach. 'How can I go home like this?' Sasha wondered as she stepped aside as if on auto pilot, to let her friend order and pay.

As Sheela paid, Sasha found a booth and sat down. When her friend joined her, she sighed deeply and grabbed a straw from the container on their table and twirled it around and then put both of her fists around it, one on top of the other, and rested her chin on it. "..." They had to talk. "What do we do?" She asked. No ask questions. "I...this is...way over our heads." Right now she couldn't worry over the others. Sure she had a feeling of how they might judge the situation but right now she and Sheela had to settle things on their own. Together. "I really want to believe our Gvn is in the right. I do...but...I just can't help thinking what if Vypr is right. We have to...we have to look into this, don't we?" She asked quietly as a preppy waitress brought over their order. Sasha didn't touch hers yet. "I mean if it were me...I'd want help." She said and simply closed her mouth since she didn't know what to say.

Devon looked to Rey as she sat down and poured herself some sake. He kept his mouth shut as she began to speak herself. She paused and took a sip and then continued to talk. He remained perfectly still, not wanting to seem rude or disinterested. He was interested and concerned. He just wasn't fond of showing it most of the time. When she was finished, he opened his mouth. "...I do understand. I mean...not completely but I do understand some." Devon told her. Part of him wanted to reach across and hold her hand for support but that wasn't his thing. He didn't think it was her thing either. And he did not want to make things anymore awkward and uncomfortable than they already were so he just poured some more and sipped it. "And I can't just not...not assume some responsibility here." He told her. "You're my friend. You all are. I would do everything I could to keep everyone safe, you know that."

"Besides...right now I guess it's better if we look at things from a technical stand point." Getting too emotional would only worsen things. "We would have to do some digging around and find out more about Vypr first. But...the Gvn won't like what we're doing clearly so...this is a rather tricky situation but I might know of someone who can help dig up some answers for us." He told Rey. 'She may not like it though. I mean I don't but a resource is a resource right?' He thought to himself. The boy finished what was in his cup and refilled it again, already knowing after this cup he should stop. Otherwise he might not want to later on. He pushed the bottle out of his reach a bit and looked to the girl across from him. "The person I have in mind goes by a code name like we do. I just know them as Nelwa." He said. "They're...a Hacker. But at this point I'm willing to hire own to investigate the matters at hand."

That was what the boy was prepared to do. On his own if need be. Like Rey, if he had to protect his friends by distancing himself, he would do that. Nelwa was a pretty nutrious Hacker. Thankfully one they hadn't yet come across in the DgtWld as Devon was well aware if they were up against someone like Nelwa, it would be the end of the six Correctors. Nelwa was pretty mysterious. No one was sure if their true gender or occupation or even age. Their avatar was androgynous and they could supposedly create an active avatar in the DgtWld much like the Gvn did with the Correctors. Devon downed the last drink he had allowed himself to have. "We need more information on this Vypr to see if she is a Hacker or something. I don't want anyone falling into her trap. I'm pretty sure it's a trap..." He muttered and licked his lips, tasting the last remains of his sake. "Appearances and words can be deceiving but her actions aren't all that clear either..." Still referring to Vypr. 'We need to act fast here, but still carefully. We can't go accusing or distrusting the Gvn now. Not unless we have proof. The safest thing to assume for us is that the Gvn is right and Vypr is wrong.'

[Frenetic Raptor]

Your welcome Sasha. Pleased that her offer was taken, Sheela followed close behind, letting Sasha order first. A chocolate milkshake… Sounded good to her ears and appealing to her taste buds. Although… I would much rather prefer a vanilla milkshake myself. This wasn’t her first choice when it came to ice cream or frozen beverages; though she couldn’t help but feel as if placing an order for a banana split was going to be a bit too much. Compared to Sasha’s order that would make her look like an undesired glutton. I do have my moments. Forgetting that she had yet to actually order anything for herself just yet, the young guy at the register quickly reminded her, urging her to place an order for something else or pay.

Snapping back to reality, she flightily responded, “That would help, wouldn’t it?” She almost giggled, holding herself to an innocent smirk. “I would like to order a vanilla milkshake. Just make sure there is plenty of whipped cream and a cherry to top things off.” You got that? She gave the cashier a cunning gaze before paying her grand total. Until the safe arrival of her milkshake was to be, she was going to watch them with the eyes of a hawk until her order arrived in its complete entirety. No skimping or sampling of the toppings is allowed. Distracting herself her sole motivation, she directed herself to Sasha already successfully locating a booth for the two of them.

Time to get serious… and no more distractions. Putting on her serious face and getting down to business, she sat on the other side of the table and listened, her hands resting in her lap. “I’d say we have to look into this.” How far they were able to go and what they would truly find was unclear, but they could try as valiantly as they possibly could. “I kind of get the uneasy feeling that if we don’t do something now to figure this situation out, we may not be able to do so later.” By then, each and every one of them within this group of theirs may be in too deep to do anything. “I don’t think it is possible for us to continue on without knowing these secrets. They are playing with peoples’ lives no matter how we look at it.” That realization alone sent disturbing vibes tingling throughout her body.

“As much as I would like to lend my trust completely to Vypr, even I am uncertain whether we can actually save her. Maybe there is no way of doing so.” And that would most definitely bite. Such a cruel cruel world. Emotions aside, Sheela lingered on topic. “Of course, something tells me that this may only be a warning, hinting at something far bigger. I haven’t the foggiest idea of what may be coming, but we need to find the answers soon.” The group’s little failure might have already done more harm than good. That could possibly mean greater Gvn surveillance. They were always digging up dirt about anyone only to scrutinize their efforts. “I hate to admit this, but we may need assistance from others.” If that is even possible. “I don’t even know where we could find such help.”

Though I do know that milkshake of mine has been resting upon the table, taunting me by my name the whole time. Spotting the milkshake with widening eyes, she took a moment and scooted her vanilla milkshake closer, across the table. She immediately snatched up the cherry and plucked it off the stem. She plopped it into her mouth before diving beyond the whipped cream to sip into creamy vanilla. Desiring to savor her milkshake further, she paused for a question. “Do you think we are capable of doing this ourselves?” Confidence in herself would only get her so far, but even Sheela had her limitations.

*~*~*~*~*

You most certainly better be. Sarcasm remained in thought. It wasn’t often Nicholas was willing to venture out of his own little world and even then it took quite a bit to drag him away from his own personal priorities. Stepping inside, he wandered about before being ushered inside the kitchen. Yeah, your place is definitely a mess. At least that is what Nicholas would have said, provided there was any real reason to do so. I’ve seen far worse. And I don’t think anyone really is guest ready all the time. “I suppose I could use a cup. I’m not a heavy drinker in regards to that stuff, but why not… since you happen to be making some.” Nicholas couldn’t let it all go to waste. Even so, Nathan would probably finish it off otherwise, he was sure of it.

Standing normally, he listened intently; wasn’t like he was going to be doing anything else. Only until Nathan concluded did Nicholas speak his mind. “I wouldn’t say I am literally beating myself up because of Vypr. Still, I am none too pleased about being wrong or deceived, but this is our reality to endure.” We’ve only just happened to receive the short end of the stick I’d say. “As to say whether we are the bad guys, we most certainly could be… you never know. But we won’t ever know who we are without knowing the truth.” There was a formulaic pause, attempting to find a way to decipher this riddle of a predicament. “Do you feel like the enemy?” For Nicholas, why would there be a reason to feel such a way, provided the given circumstances?

“Even if it is proven that we are an enemy, we would have never of known. Even then, aren’t we seemingly an enemy to another’s personal ideals at some point. Right and wrong feels so prejudice.” Nothing like persistently labeling the masses with general misconceptions and conflicting beliefs. “Just because a person may choose to be a hacker, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are always the bad guy. Even government may be deemed as corrupt in the general scheme of things, though I am sure there are a few still standing tall, speaking the words of the common people.” He released a sigh, in disappointment. Maybe that was thinking too far in a greater light.

“Unfortunately, we all seem to be so complacent. We thrive on familiarity to comfort us while taking the easy way out of things or to solve our problems. We’ve all become ignorant in a way and the ones above us all are just taking advantage of everyone, using us on a whim of chance. Most seem to have abandoned their sense of independence… only to rediscover it until it is too late.” This kind of beared a strong resemblance to every corrector in existence to this day. “Does the Gvn really need to overshadow what little fragile independence we have remaining? While I believe Gvn should have a moderated control over everything, I’d say the Gvn needs to find what the priorities of the people serving their countries truly desire.” Realizing he might have been going on a bit longer than anticipated, he hurried in an attempt to let Nathan express his opinion.

“I think what we really need is some transparency from the Gvn. But then again, if that were to happen, I am sure that once the cat was let out of the bag, people would grow rebellious over the whole ordeal… if they found out some deep dark secret.” Maybe it was his mind getting carried away; exaggerating the outcomes, but the extremist thoughts weren’t to be subdued so easily. “No matter how you look at it right now, we’ve got to be subtle in how we go about this. Vypr will do her own thing whether we follow along or not. I’d say for now, we need to pull together and act as a group. None of us is as powerful alone as we are together and I am certain we may need additional resources even then.”

[Reialgo]

A click followed by the familiar soft hissing of free gas leaking out of the stove occured the moment before Nicholas replied to him, a small blue flame poked up at the bottom of the coffee pot. Like the other man had done so, Nathan quietly listened to him as he described his thoughts in the calm manor that he usually spoke in, so that's how it is was the soul thought in his head as he listened. Nicholas' short pause was closely followed by a delay in Nathan's own response, he wasn't stupid enough to wallow in despair and call himself the enemy of freedom, but at the same time..."I feel like I should be...though to who I'm not entirely sure, all this stuff just now makes it seem like there is no real hero side..."then again, that's the true case in war...

I swear in another life he was a philosopher true or not, the boy infront of him had a way with words, and it seemed he was getting more than he had asked for. Despite feeling somewhat lost in everything he was saying, Nathan was feeling more at ease as he listened. He really did want to kick himself at that point for simply abandoning reason, he was well aware of what Nicholas was getting at, or at least he should have 20 minutes ago. He supressed a smirk when the "conversation" started to dip into the government itself, he is good at hiding then....undoubtedly the government was in the wrong, but they must have acted out of a belief that whatever they were doing was for the good of the majority....., problem was it still wasn't everyone, a utilitarian view if he recalled correctly.

The dark brew was bubbling fiercely as Nicholas concluded his mini-speech, as such appropriate attention was momentarily diverted from the point at hand. Two discovered mugs later and Nathan spoke up again, moving to grab the last of the milk from a very recent carton. "I feel like I just heard socrates incarnate" he started sarcastically, but turned to look Nicholas in his eyes, showing him he wasn't going to continue that line of talk. He placed Nicholas' mug on a table he was inches from, rather than forcing it upon his guest. The true weight of the correctors current position dawned on him as he began to speak again, "I think your right about the high chance of rebellion if the average joe knew what we knew, putting everything together it's clear that what we truly need is a new government. But that isn't happening in our near future...Before I would have probably said some crap about how wrong it is for our higher order to twist us in such a way. But now...I understand that there were good intentions to such ways, at least originally. Clearly vypr and god knows how many before her are proof that they went over the thin line between protection and moderation."

He chuckled momentarily, "We are talking about some pretty radical thoughts here, next thing you know we're going to end up being full time hackers...but like you said that might not be a bad thing. I guess I've been seeing the way this country was through someone else's ideals and not my own.", though he now wanted to quickly change the conversation, or even out it back to it's original problem. "Thanks for the thoughts, now though I'm wondering what our next actions should be. Subtle, is the only option...and it looks like we''ll have to go to the other side of this cyber war if we want to be able to do anything. No doubt we can't look into anything while using the government's app." "the other side" was obviously the hackers, finding one might be a battle all on it's own though, it wasn't like they hung a neon banner infront of them or something. "What do you think we should do now? do we cut ties with the government completely? Regardless of whether or not we act quickly about this, we all understand the hackers views. If we were to show hesitation in a battle with a V, the government would be onto us in a nanosecond" he had to vent some of that lost worry somewhere for the time being, and it was a genuine one as well. They would essentially be hiding in plain site, something Nathan was sure the group as whole would find difficult to hold up for long