[IC] Corrected & Connected

[Genkai]

Chapter_One

Winter had just closed its grasp upon the busy city of Tokyo and people were still transitioning from autumn's coy warmth and playful breeze, to the bitter rain, sleet and snow that was winter's agenda. It was mid-November, and if the country was the USA, people may be planning for their annual Thanksgiving feast by shopping, making travel arrangements and cleaning their homes. But Culture Day had just passed a week ago, making it Thursday the 10'th of November. JPN did celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving on the 23'd but it was for labor and to give thanks to all those who worked hard, mainly those in the Gvn and those who work on farms. Many towns and cities all across the island nation would hold festivals in honor of those servants who dedicated their time and energy to providing sustenance to the country, be it food, protection or careers.

Rather than find herself outside on the windy rainy streets, Natazume Corey was safe inside one of the numerous internet cafes.

She wasn't alone either, her fellow Correctors were all with her, except they weren't.

Their morning had started off ordinary as ever, Natazume rallied the group together to grab some breakfast together. For the past two days, no notifications had torn them away from their normal day-to-day lives and it was a little strange. So much so, that the leader of the TKY Sector insisted everyone meet up for breakfast to catch up and see how things were with everyone. It was easy to stay in touch due to constantly being on-call for work but it being nearly 50 hours of dead silence, the leader still wanted everyone to touch base. Just as their orders had been placed however, their phones went off with various noises and degrees of urgent vibration. It seemed Hackers could tell when they were most comfortable since the Gvn had just alerted them to trouble online.

The group had to cancel their orders and hurry to the nearest cafe to sync up with their mobile application. Once they rented a private room for four hours, to be safe and give themselves plenty of time just in case, they settled down and logged in. Natazume had picked a neon blue beanbag chair and had gotten comfortable before she connected to the DgtWld. When she and the others materialized in the dark lifeless grid, they were greeted with someone. That was never a good sign. Usually as Correctors, they were given a brief overview of their mission through their Cnnt application but nothing had been given and now a man in a black suit stood before them, sunglasses covering his eyes as he looked over their hired help. Gvn officials all looked the same, dressed the same and as far as the public was concerned, acted the same: in the best interests of the country, even if that entailed keeping secrets and hiring help to fight in an online world of numbers and letters.

"This mission is very different." The man began to speak.

Just as he did, static surrounded the area, blurring the images of everyone for a brief moment.

"This anomaly has appeared out of nowhere and yet it expands for miles. We cannot run a scan for who or what is taking up space but we have reason to believe-" More static followed by small fuzzy tangents of data to somehow leak from the man speaking to them. "th-that Hackers are using this as a base to stage a large sc-scale atta-ack-k over the upcoming holidaysss." Suddenly the image was gone and Crystal stepped forward and stood where the man once was. She tapped her weapon beside her and turned around to face the group, her face clearly showing her worry. This was weird enough but if what the higher up had to say had any weight, they had greater cause to worry.

"Alright, usually we'd have coordinates to help us find where to go but we should wait and see if he comes back." She suggested but as soon as she did a loud screeching noise filled the space around them. Cringing, Crystal took a knee and ducked her head. A sharp pain assaulted her head as she felt her upper body seize up. Her normal, cautious patient approach wouldn't work in this situation. Every alarm inside was going off, telling her to log off and regroup offline where it was safe but she couldn't access that part of their program. If she couldn't, then it was certain the others couldn't either. That sent panic throughout her veins as she struggled to break free from the static's down-force. She couldn't even move her mouth to speak as another shift in gravity moved left and then right, rather rapidly.

So much so, that the knight completely fell to the ground.

The others were struggling as well and when Crystal opened her eyes, she no longer saw the usual grid around them, but a city bathed in gold. She happened to by layed on her back, sprawled out above a colorful sky and jovial music was playing. Something hard was under her and she moved to place a palm beside her to help push her into a sitting position. "Guys?" She asked, just amazed she could move, let alone speak finally. Her back was killing her and she still needed to figure out where they even were. "Something tells me that agent was just a trap to lure us here...wherever we are." Crystal spoke softly and got to her feet. Much to her surprise, her weapon wasn't far from her and she quickly grabbed it, almost as means of security.

"This is surely the cause of Hackers. It's hard to imagine they would go to such lengths to pull us here." She said and looked around them. The city's alleys and streets seemed to stretch far into eternity and she knew the lack of communication back to the Gvn server was by design as well. She was worried, anxious despite the lively music on loop in the background. She needed to keep those close to her, safe. It then dawned on her that not everyone was present. With her, was Glitch and Deddoai. But where were the others? "It seems we've been separated, most likely on purpose." She said, mostly to herself though it wasn't helpful to consider that multiple enemies were in the brick maze of fanciful colors and light. "I can't believe it feels warm...the sun isn't real and yet..." Crystal stopped herself as she outstretched her palm upwards, as if able to take a solid piece of the sun hidden behind the feathery clouds and hot air balloons, and actually feel solidarity.

Inside the DgtWld, things were cold and painful and yet this display of artwork reminded the woman that positivity could also be generated. They could feel injuries and battle wounds carried over offline, and yet as she tried to quell her anxiety, she also found complicated feelings of delight and wonder. How could such a world have so much artificial life and hospitality, when outside winter was getting under everyone's skin? "We need to start looking for the others but let's be careful, we have no idea what is lurking in here." She advised the other two, still determined to stay in control of the situation they were in. The armored warrior took a deep breath and tried to push all distracting thoughts out of her head. This was work to them, they needed to stay focused and alert. "We should try and find a place that will serve as higher ground, that way we can have a better vantage point. I also believe the others may do the same." She said and glanced toward the largest point in the city, a large hourglass atop a building.

"That's our goal." She nodded slightly. "If you two aren't hurt, let's get moving."

[Krauxis]

Karasugawa Karako had been sitting restlessly with her group of coworkers-cum-friends at the net cafe that Natazume had chosen, shooting the shit, before everything had started rolling out of control. She was always a little frustrated being called on for gatherings like this, because it meant less time socializing with her nebulous cloud of other acquaintances. She was always happy to drop everything for work, or for these people that she had spent so long with that she called friends, but it was hard to reject the feeling that she could be gossiping with Miki and Keiko right about now, or shoving burgers into her face with Alice. So these meetups were often attended by a Karako who was fidgety at best, snappy at worst, even though she really couldn't be more glad to get together with everybody.

Just another idiosyncracy. Just like me. Something else to not think too hard about.

She'd been enjoying her time off, and this sort of gathering suspiciously resembled work, but not until just a little later did it turn into real work. Hackers on the move, or some such. They'd rented the room at the cafe for a few hours, and hopefully this would be clean work, but Karako had been sitting somewhat uncomfortably, on a chair turned backwards, her chest, arms and head sagging over the back of the swiveled computer chair. Too late did she decide this was a bad posture to leave herself in while working. Her body had already taken the shape of the seat and now it would be even more work to get up and shift positions. Screw it. she thought. It'll be, what, a few hours at most? This body of mine probably deserves that much abuse anyway. Taking a deep breath, she had logged on to Cnnt, shedding her identity and name, and becoming Cypher.

Smirking briefly as she felt the familiar weight of her Katana, she took a moment to flit from left to right feet, shifting her balance and 'getting the blood flowing' though such a thing was obviously useles when it came to a digital avatar. She had learned from her instructor that a good warm up was the most important part of any exercise. If she let herself slip just because she was in a digital body, it would breed bad habits. Karako had enough bad habits as it was.

She was met with some Gvn goon before being dropped fully into the problem, all of her friends materializing around her. 'Cypher' kept her warmup going while being talked at by the man here. As long as she was listening and could internalize, repeat, and follow instructions, odds are he didn't care what she was doing. And Cypher didn't care if it frustrated him in the process. Gvn folks might as well all use the same old conservative avatars, you couldn't tell them apart. This one was as stone-faced as the rest.

But there was something strange about his explanation. He was breaking up, Cypher could tell from his speech. A glitch? In the Gvn systems? It wasn't unheard of, but it was rare. Extremely rare. The man disappeared after giving the shakiest explanation she had ever heard, and Crystal stepped in to fill his shoes, taking charge of the group. That was nice. Crystal always knew what to do, even in a convoluted situation, she saw them through.

But Cypher was not the strongest of the group, at least in the matter of physical mass. So when the gravity shifts came, she was literally nearly floored. As the noise ran through her head, she planted the tip of her long katana in the 'ground' such as it was, barely standing on her own two feet. If this was some new virus, it was hella strong. What use was she if they were fighting an enemy that couldn't be cut? It was frustrating to say the least, but it didn't last forever. As Cypher squeezed her eyes shut, nearly blacking out, she was sure she was about to get forcibly booted out of the system. But she didn't. Instead, she opened her eyes to see a strange and bizarre cityscape surrounding her. Never seen that one before... Maybe she really did black out. Either way, she couldn't feel her legs, and she was still clinging white-knuckled to the hilt of her sword, whose tip was now firmly buried in the ground below. Her back hurt, and she'd felt g-forces as though they'd all been launched into the air by the world's largest catapult or else a theme park ride. Staying on her feet had probably been an act of stupidity that she'd curse herself for later.

Regardless, she had to get her bearings. Giving her sword a massive heave, she plucked it like a vegetable from a garden, looking around her. No Crystal, and most of her friends were missing too. BreGle and Apex were here, but... what happened to everybody else? "Tch, just me and the boys, huh? Could be worse I guess..." Shaking off her legs and her sword arm (thankfully the stress wasn't so bad. She'd already warmed up after all) Cypher ran her left hand through her hair, shaking it away from her face. Among the three of them, Apex was the most senior, but Cypher was easily the least patient. And she knew of the senior's military background, so she wasn't about to waste any time on small talk. Frankly, it suited her just fine. This place was beautiful, in its own way, but that didn't mean she wanted to be stuck here.

"What's the plan of action, leader?"

[TheMusketMan]

Isao shivered in the frigid air as he pulled a cigar out of his coat. He could feel the warm chattering of the cafe shut behind him, the back metal door clanging against crystal ice, a sharp cracking sound piercing the air. When he was told there was to be a gathering of the Correctors, he was overjoyed, but when he was told where it was taking place, he was a lot less enthusiastic. Not that he didn't like cafes, he just couldn't stand them for too long or else he would go crazy. He put the cigar up to his lips, tasting the tobacco, his cheap lighter igniting the cigar, a flood of flavor invading his mouth as he inhales the smoke. He blew a smoke ring into the air, watching it soar away into the gray sky. He continued to puff on the cigar, lost in thought about a breeding issue with the local deer population. His phone blared the sound of a Harley being revved up, his pocket vibrating from the force. He smiled and checked the message.

Get back inside now, cowboy. Hackers on the move.

- Natazume

He grinned and took another puff on the cigar, before extinguishing the flame and heading inside. They had rented out the cafe for a couple hours, the once bustling internet sanctuary was now empty, save for the Correctors. He plopped down on a beanbag next to Karasugawa or just 'Kara' as he taken to calling her, he gave her a mischievous grin and plugged in. The whole world went dark, being replaced with a grid and a Gvn official. Though something was off about him and before he could reach for his revolver, he was being pushed down with a massive amount of pressure. He collapsed to one knee, growling his effort to keep upright. He glanced around, seeing the others struggling as well. He took a painstaking step and fell into darkness, the G-force crushing him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was met with a golden city, the shining street and sparkling towers filled his heart with wonder. Then he glanced around and his heart was filled with giddy excitement. He was with the two of the girls! Upon closer inspection though, neither of them were Kara as he was hoping, but he'd rather be with these two then Apex or some other killjoy. He got to his feet, his flames returning to his skeletal form, his eye sockets faintly glowing with red excitement as he gains his bearings. Deddoai yanks his revolver from his holster, flipping the flaming cylinder out of it's compartment, rapidly loading the bullets. He spins the cylinder, a swirl of flames unleashes and it slams shut. He looks towards crystal, nodding, his flames getting brighter as the adrenaline starts to pump through him. He walks with the two girls, twirling his revolver on his index finger. "So, have any idea where we are?"

[AliceInRedHeels]

Yawning the cheerfully ringing of her phone tore the blonde's concentration away from the textbook in front of her as she reached for it groggily. "What time is it..?" She mumbled as she pulled her glasses off rubbing her tired eyes briefly before neatly placing the glasses back to read the summons for breakfast, yelping slightly at how stiff her body had gotten from hunching over her desk for the past 6 hours. The realization of just how long she had been cramming information in her head made her laugh softly. Perhaps going out for a few hours wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Texting back Natazume a conformation to breakfast, Alyssa set out to get ready for the day.

Humming softly Alyssa watched the rain dance down the window panes of the small crowded albeit cozy café, Natazume had invited the group out for breakfast. Smiling she watched as her warm breath softly fogged up the glass in contrast to the cold winds bearing against it on the other side, before lazily drawing the DgtWld logo into it before it all disappeared again. Most of them sat around their table chatting happily; their resident cowboy was outside smoking those cigars of his, she wonder why he didn’t just stick with regular sized smokes. It wasn’t often she got to enjoy such peacefulness, being constantly on call for both jobs was draining at times. She wasn’t even sure she’d still have her job if the Gvn didn’t approve of the research she was doing with it.

‘Anything to expand their control and competence after all.’

Her musing was broken by the cheerful tone of her phone vibrating across the table, eliciting a sigh from the blonde as she readjusted her glasses once more focusing her attention on those around her. ”Hmm…speak of the devil and he shall appear, after all.’ She commented cheerfully reading the notification from the Gvn, before looking towards Natazume who was already moving, assumingly to go cancel their orders, her stomach growling at her unhappily reminding her that she had neglected to eat in the past 12 hours. She always did manage to get absorbed in her work and forget to reconnect with the world outside her textbooks and research notes.

Sighing she evacuated her window bench, trailing the others towards one of the back rooms, a small glimmer of excitement running through her, it always came with the thought of syncing up. Regular activity in the DgtWld did little to give her the same rush of adrenaline, no with the Cnnt app and exploring the deeper levels of the Wld it also gave her more data and input that the Gvn wouldn’t always give her to work with. Bouncing lightly into the room she grinned waving a very brief goodbye at the others before syncing in as she slide down one of the walls into a slouched position between the ground and the wall supporting her as her consciousness slipped away to a different place.

~~~

A quick shake of her head sent the bright red hair falling back into place, as the smoke from an ever burning cigarette hung loosely from Havok’s lips. A brief look around with bright red eyes confirmed that everyone had transferred successfully. She had never heard definitive proof that the transfers could go wrong, but there had to have been complications in the beginning and she wasn’t sure if they did exist where they actually fixed. ”Hmm..?” The cheerful welcome home comment died on her lips as she noticed the man in the suit, reactively reaching for the twin scythes neatly fitted in the holsters on her back before relaxing at the outward appearance of a Gvn agent.

A tilt of her head soon followed as she listened to him talk, something seemed off as he started to glitch, flickering her attention briefly to Apex, ”Something seem off to you..?” She asked curiously as the man disappeared and Crystal took charge, as usual, but nothing was usual about this. Her instincts and nagging doubts told her to run, to gather the others and leave. Her eyes shot open wide as she watched the others around her tumble to the ground before the force itself hit her, drawing several unpleasant words snarling from her lips. Black nails clawed into the ground, as she tried to push herself back up ending up as far as her hands and knees before everything went white.

”White, huh? Nice change from black at least..." She hissed out with a groan as she willingly fell over to stare up at the sky, the warm sunlight caressing her softly as she draped an arm over her eyes the bright gold shimmering of the building’s harassing her. For a brief second she thought they all had been disconnected, after all the DgtWld was often cold and monotone, at least that’s what the Gvn wanted it to be. Shifting slowly she groaned again, it didn’t seem like anything was broken just sore from the transfer, as the bright buildings surrounding her fell into focus.

”Wait…what?” The fascination quickly enveloped the confusion as Havok scrambled to her feet running a hand over the warm surface of the building spiraling around slightly taking in her surroundings. The light dancing off an hourglass shaped building twinkled at her happily, before she noticed Atomik sprawled out on the ground near her, quickly going to check for a pulse, and that nothing was broken, but it seems that those two were the only ones around here. ”I guess first things first, wait for her to wake and then find everyone else…” She commented out loud before sighing resting back against the warm glowing buildings watching her companion for any signs of movement, using her left hand to free one of the blades from her back watching happily as the sunlight glimmered just as brightly off their reflective surfaces.

[TalijaKey]

Milos was taking it easy as he stood out of bed, it was heavenly comfortable to be surrounded in his warm sheets. Getting a full night rest with out even being interrupted for work once, felt quite refreshing. He even managed to get ahead of schedule for his project. Just a last look over and maybe a few finishing touches and Milos would have it done giving him a full day off. He even got around to clean up his flat yesterday....It really was needed if the amount of dust he collected yesterday was anything to judge by. The laundry was done too. Yup the hackers taking a vacation or something was really nice of them. Ignoring the small worrying voice whispering to him that vacations could be working vacation too, Milos let himself be in high spirit as he got up to do his morning routines.

The rain didnt brother him much, it was drumming against his window as he put on fresh clothing and a warm cozy rain coat and hat. He would make a walk to the net cafe where they were going to meet up for breakfast, it wasnt too far and he already send a text informing them that he would do just that. Making a last check in his house and on his wrist phone to make sure he didnt forget anything Milos locked up and got on his way.

Earphones on he listened to the music proved by his phone. A quick happy and adorable melody, and not too long he arrived to his destination. Sitting he jumped right in the ongoing conversation. It was a good start of the day for sure, Milos was thinking to himself. Sadly it didnt last too long. His wrist gently vibrated. Looking at it he saw the blinking message and with one tap of his fingers he let out a small sigh. ''Well the vacation is over.'' He said mostly to himself. Sadly looking as the order for the food got canceled. There was no helping it, he did wish that the hackers could have waited for them to at least finish the most important meal in the day... It was too good to last. They all moved to another place, a more private place was needed for them to sync up.

Walking last in, he closed the door and sat on the sofa stretching before getting comfortable. ''Lets do this and get back to breakfast I want my omelet.'' He grinned shifting some more before he found a position that would not leave him in discomfort upon logging out. Eyes closing the application running and Milos logged in, a feeling of falling accompanying it before BreGle opened his eyes to take in the deeper levels of the DgtWld.The place was always so fascinating and captivating to him.

And they were not alone, a feeling of seriousness settled in him, at the view of the man in black, a Gvn official never meant something will go over smoothly and quickly.

"This mission is very different."

And this means its very bad He listened with all of his attention the flickering blurring of the static making him more alert. His hammer in his hand, the weight of it giving BreGle a comforting feeling. BreGle looked around as Crystal stepped forward checking where once the image was. His stomach feeling with a unsettling feeling....maybe it was just because he went in with out breakfast... He hoped.

Sadly hopping didnt help as things got rocky, to say at least. The free hand went to cover one of his ears the other letting the handle of the hammer slide holding onto the chain and with a small tug the hammer started to swing in circles. A attack? BreGle tried to concentrate on his breathing to push away the feeling of the fast growing splitting headache he was getting. Attempting to look at his surroundings with a wish to smash-smash what ever was causing that horrid noise.

The gravity increase and shift arent your friend when your are whirling around a hammer. Letting his weapon go seeing it fail beside him, out his fingers to avoid his arm and shoulder to get the worse of the sudden tug. He himself failed on one knee. It was getting worse, he dropped on hands and knee, barely managing to move his hand back to his weapon hilt, not even trying to raise it. Just to hold onto it. And this is the exact reason why breakfast shouldnt ever be skipped. BreGle thought, eyes closing.

It felt like a moment passed, when he found himself laying on the side. Eyes were closed, but he heard music. On the plus side I didnt got deaf from that. His right hand twitched feeling the hilt of his weapon. Neither did I lost my weapon, another thing on the plus side. Willing his eyes open he was meet with the view of a house, it looked quite nicely and homey.

"Tch, just me and the boys, huh? Could be worse I guess..."
The voice came from behind him and he started to stand up. Turning his head around and grinning back at Cypher seeing her was another thing on positive side. ''We love you too.'' He retorted now standing and dusting himself off. The hammer resting over his shoulder as he give a quick glance around understanding now what she meant with her previous statement.

"What's the plan of action, leader?" He looked over to Apex and stepped closer to them.
''Well what ever it may be in movies someone would suggest we separate to cover more ground so, I suggest we do the opposite and stay together...''

Eyes again wandered and he observed the surrounding again. It felt like a young summer day....It was really looking breath taking...the warm colors and nice warm sunshine....A warm sunshine... He looked up stopping himself in thought. He took a few deep breaths, it was beautifully and inspiring if he wasnt awaiting someone to start shooting at them he would love to get his sketch app and start copying the surroundings. He didnt notice any figures/snipers on the close by rooftops. Didnt mean there couldnt be some hidden watching them...

''Should we check in the houses, while we are enjoying this music? I beat they are unlocked too.'' He off handy said, wondering if there maybe some ambush waiting, or maybe they get absurdly lucky and actually find something from use in one of them? Re grouping was top priority for sure, but on the way to that getting information or anything useful couldnt hurt.

[NeoAJ]

The breakfast invite was...an interesting breakup in the routine that Maya had cultivated in the past couple days. With no Correcting trips to the DgtWld, his studies had taken up the majority of his hours. It was nice to be able to go into the World recreationally though. Seemed like most of Maya's recent trips were to deal with a "bug" in the area, so to be able to escape to that far off Antiguan beach with the trance music soothing his soul was a welcome respite from the repeated software coding necessary for his class.

His fellow Correctors were the only people Maya had any real sustained interactions with. Everyone in his program seemed to be as content to stick to their own work as he was, so there was no talking or paling around with anyone from school. No one in his apartment building had any interest in extending the conversations past a greeting and an off-hand remark about the weather when he passed by in the corridor. So the people who he knew almost exclusively by their Corrector names were the only ones who could be considered friends. But their actions were primarily in the DgtWld. It was always a little off-putting for Maya whenever Corey arranged these physical world meetups. It's like all of a sudden he was asked to live up to an image he knew he had no chance of matching. He was comfortable enough with everyone that he could talk and occasionally contribute to the conversations going on. But there was little evidence to prove he matched the avatar and persona he had crafted for these missions into the deep space of the DgtWld.

So Maya had spent most of the morning in the restaurant fiddling with his hair and pretending to try and figure out what he wanted to eat as opposed to talking with everyone. He already knew he was going to get something that had more nutritional value than pizza pockets and energy drinks but he could fake it to avoid too much chatter. He was almost glad when the phones all started going off. The DgtWld was a much finer place to socialize anyway.

The cafe Corey led everyone too was rather nice, pretty comfortable by their standards. Maya appreciated the large bean bag chairs they had provided in the private room. Laying around was much more conducive to DgtWld endeavors in his opinion. He plopped down onto a big black one in the corner and jacked into the connection, uplinking to the Cnnt program.

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Atomik was a little slower materializing than everyone else. Guess the corner wasn't a good spot. She cocked an eyebrow at the apparence of the Man in Black in front of them for this particular mission, but it dropped down when the figure started talking...and then glitching out. Crystal was clearly worried about the implications and seemed to want everyone at the ready. Atomik grabbed her gun and started cranking her dial up when the noise started.

At first, Atomik thought she had accidentally given herself a taste of her own weaponry, so she dropped her gun immediately. But the static screeching did not abate. She fell to her knees, covering her ears with her hands as she desperately tried to block out the sounds but it wasn't working. Then the gravity shifts came in. It was hard enough to keep her balance before hand, with the world pitching around, Atomik quickly toppled over and blacked out.

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"...wait for her to wake and then find everyone else…"

Hmmmmmm? As Atomik slowly opened her eyes, she was definitely confused as to what had just happened...and where they were. She almost had to pull her hat down over her eyes to block out the blinding gleam of the buildings that surrounded the team...or what was left of them if that line was anything to go off. She thought it was Havok, but couldn't be sure. There was some off-putting music playing in the background too. It was like that creepy carnival kind of happy. The kind that made your skin crawl just a little bit. She struggled to push herself up off the ground, but she managed to get back upright. Her gun seemed to have followed her in the shift and wanting to grasp onto something familiar, she quickly retrieved it. Looking around the area, Havok seemed to be readying himself for a fight, scythe in hand and...and that was it. Everyone else was gone. It was just the two of them. What..where did everyone else go? What's going on? She looked around again, just to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Course, this is probably ironic or something. The guy with the girl avi and the girl with the guy avi together. Oh well. Time to think about that later. First things first...

"Ah...Havok?" Atomik caught herself almost using Havok's offline name before making the correction. "You ah, you didn't happen to have anything like this happen in Osaka, did you?"

[vietmyke]

Akihiko's flat, the top floor of a Shinkjuku Apartment turned base of operations, had been relatively quiet for the past few days. No notifications meant no missions, which meant there was no need for the different members of the team to converge in Shinjuku to perform operations or otherwise communicate with one another in person. Akihiko didn't mind, the off time meant that he had time to finish up training plans, logistics, and prep work he was otherwise behind on.

Or at least it would've if Mama hen hadn't invited them all out to breakfast. His phone buzzed incessantly on a nearby desk as Akihiko sat in front of a computer, typing away rapidly on one of the multiple terminals in his apartment's "hotbox"- the central location of his apartment where most of his computers, gadgets, and gear populated. It was a dim room, with server stacks and computer monitors taking up the majority of the space, with several seats in front of computers and tables crammed with unfinished gizmos, computer parts, and the spare parts of disassembled firearms. Absentmindedly grabbing at his phone, Akihiko stared at the message for a moment, and was tempted to put it down and continue working, but reluctantly texted a response back to the group, signalling that he would be available for breakfast as well.

At the Cafe, Akihiko remained mostly silent during the group's conversation, opting instead to continue work on his tablet as the group placed their orders. This was nothing out of the ordinary, Akihiko was always regarded as the busy-body, and rarely did much outside of work aside from the occasional trip to the bars with Alyssa or the other older members. They hadn't been able to really have any conversation before the entirety of the group's phones went off in near unison. Casually reading his phone, as though he was too busy to be bothered, Akihiko scanned his phone for only a moment before he shut his tablet off and returned it to his bag. He looked up at the others, some of them sighing as Natazume went to cancel their orders.

"Time for work."

Joining the others in the back room of a net-cafe, Akihiko eased himself into a professional looking office chair, a large, black leather chair set on wheels and with back support. Akihiko wasn't too pleased about the situation, normally they had time to prep before immediately jumping into the DgtWrld, usually they were given a brief, set with vital information from the Gvt. This time, no information had been sent to their Cnnt Apps, which meant they were going in blind. Akihiko had no unhidden disdain for moving in unprepared, but at the same time, the team had been through more than one mission with no prior information, and they were all still alive. Breathing out, Akihiko closed his eyes as he connected to the DgtWrld.

---

When he breathed in, he opened his eyes and took on his new persona. Apex rolled his shoulders, the mechanical joints in his arms whining as they came to life. Before his eyes ran a quick diagnosis of his Avatar and its systems. He had been transferred without issue, his weapon programs were running with no issues, and his new Hoverboard program appeared fine. All around him was the black grid of the DgtWrld, a wide, expansive, almost desert like stretch of digital world.

His armored figure stood with the others as the suited persona of a Gvt Official appeared before them. Apex's eyes narrowed. He watched with suspicion as the following conversation took place. He shot Havok a quick glance as she asked a question. "Something always seems off." he grunted as they watched the scene unfold, ending with the official glitching out and disappearing. When the gravity shift hit, even Apex, one of the larger of the avatars, was forced to a knee as the waves of force crashed upon him. Growling angrily, Apex struggled to remain conscious for as long as he could before his eyes were eventually forced close by the overwhelming force.

---

His eyes snapped open, and then squinted as he adjusted to the sudden white that had suddenly surrounded them. Apex was vaguely aware of the music playing in the background, as he got to his feet. Gone was the ordered black grid of the DgtWrld as they knew, and in its place was a golden city with colorful skies and clouds. A breeze rushed over them, and Apex put a hand to his face, the air felt real. Looking around, Apex quickly noticed that almost the entire team was absent from their current location. Apex frowned, activating the menu on his Cnnt, he could see that the others were all still online, but he couldn't access their location. Likewise, he couldn't utilize the log-out feature of his app, meaning he was trapped here until who knows when.

Apex quickly looked at the two team members that were still with him. Cypher- the hot-headed, but talented Corrector with a big sword to match her nearly as big mouth. On the other hand, BreGle was considerably more upbeat, talented as well as cooperative. Cypher asked for instructions, she was an impatient one, whereas he was more deliberate; and the two of them had often butt heads on more than one occasion, but she trusted his judgement, as he trusted her intuition. BreGle offered his own suggestions, which Apex took in mind as he formulated their next plan of action.

His eyes easily picked out the tallest point in the city, a large tower with an hourglass on it. Considerably taller than the buildings surrounding it, it would serve as a natural vantage point- something a sniper like Apex valued. Just as well, it being the most prominent building in the city meant the others would- if they were here, would likely gravitate towards it as well. At the same time, any enemies they might face would probably centralize around that location too, but aside from the music, the city was dead silent.

Looking at the others, Apex stretched out a hand and pointed at the hourglass tower. "That's the tallest piece of real estate in this city." he explained. "It'll give us the best vantage point, and the best chance at finding the others- if they're here."

"I want it." With that, the armored mask appeared around his face, and sealed the lower half away. At the same time, a rifle virtualized in the air, solidifying as his hand grasped it.

"We don't have time to poke around every building," he added, "But sticking to the buildings and the sides of the road would be a much safer route than walking down the middle of the street."

[Genkai]

Leave it to him to put on a show.

Crystal looked around once more but instead of looking at the detailed world they had been deposited in, she was trying to look for any sort of tell-a hint to who may have trapped them in such a place. Codes like this, she was sure took a long time to make and it also ate a lot of energy so she was certain they needed to find their way out and get the Gvn to dismantle it as soon as possible. The space was being abused and it could also get out of hand, should other Hackers find it and build upon like, some kind of hideout or headquarters. She was sure the deviants already had enough of those, though they weren't as beautiful as the one they were in, she just wanted to get out before some kind of trap was sprung on all of them.

"Not a clue." She told Deddoai as they walked.

"Like I said, we need to find the others and to do that, high ground would be the best place to start for."

She was sure that Apex and Havoc would likely follow similar protocol unless there was trouble or some other kind of emergency. As she walked, she kept her mouth shut, still uncertain if some audio or physical signal from them might trigger a trap or enemy. Right now, they were armed and she was curious as to why they were taken to such a place and didn't have their tools taken away from them. Crystal continued to mull over the numerous questions she was collecting for their warden when she heard something. "Hold up." She raised a hand and looked down, left and then right. They were current still making their way down an alley but had come to an intersection where they could take a left, right or keep following down the center. "I heard something, did you?" She asked Deddoai.

It came again, this time louder.

"There!" She turned fully to the left and saw a fluffy black cat sauntering toward them. It had tiny white patches and yellow eyes. "It was just a cat..." She sighed and glanced back to the flaming man by her. "Why would a cat be here?" She wondered, frowning. Her instincts told her to keep walking towards the hourglass but her nagging tug of curiosity was hard to shake free. "Pick it up and let's keep going." She instructed to Deddoai before she kept walking forward, her eyes going back to the glimmering hourglass in front of them. Once he retrieved the feline, she decided they needed to increase their face, from walking to jogging, at least. In her mind, the cat could be some kind of enemy in disguise or possibly some other kind of peril for them to face.

And while many would just leave it behind, Crystal refused to do that. If she did and the pair just kept walking as they were, the potential threat could then come back and ambush them later. As a leader, she refused to be so careless and instead opt'ed to take it with them as they moved, in case it was good or in case it was bad. Either way, they might get some answers in due time. She began to jog as she tried to hear or look for anyone else around them. Shouting seemed out of the question still but as the hourglass inched closer, she hoped she'd be able to find someone there, or at least from there.

The passing of time was always unmanageable in the DgtWld so the woman wasn't sure how long it took before they reached the tall object in question. "Let's be careful." She told him and held up a hand before he could ask about the cat. "It stays with us, just in case." She told him and headed for the open entryway into the building. Inside, there wasn't anything remarkable. She supposed doing interior as well as exterior would be time consuming for someone so she headed for the steps. There seemed to be five flights of stairs and at the top, she hoped there would be a doorway leading to the roof and if that wasn't enough, she would be fine with climbing the stairs and then the hourglass if need be. As they walked upwards and onwards, the sound of wind started to pick up which was odd, as wind didn't exist unless manufactured inside the DgtWld. "Don't you find it odd how selective the creator was? Wind, a cat and yet inside these buildings, there is nothing at all." She frowned as they made it out on the strip of roof to overlook the city, the hourglass at their backs.

Her eyes scanned the area but saw nothing but buildings, trees and blankets of clouds tumbling in.

[TheMusketMan]

"Pick it up, let's keep going."

"What bu-"

She was already walking off. Deddoai groans and scoops the cat up, who did not fight him for control. He catches up to her, cradling the cat in his arms. So far this mission was turning out to suck, nothing but an empty city and a damn cat. Why the hell would a cat be here? He sighs audibly as they walk, looking up at their surroundings. The gold structures that glinted made him feel anxious, like this used to be some impressive kingdom wiped out by an unknown force. Then he shook his head, dismissing the childish thoughts. He looks back at Crystal.

"If you're so worried about this thing turning into some kind of monster, let's just toss it off a bridge or something, does it really have to stay with us?" he asked, his boots echoing on the golden ground. They round a corner, Deddoai continually peering into buildings as he passes. He hops onto a ledge and starts to swing the cat around, trying to get a reaction out of it. The buildings whistle with loneliness. He stops a moment and stares at a giant hourglass, it's majesty overlooking the city, almost like a guardian. Deddoai hopped down form the ledge, racing to Crystal side, slowing down as they got to the base of the time device.

"It stays with us, just in case." she replied, walking up to the giant hourglass. There appeared to be a set of stairs next to it. They started up the winding stairs, the sound of wind whistling past them the higher they got.

"Don't you find it odd how selective the creator was? Wind, a cat and yet inside these buildings, there is nothing at all." she inquired, climbing the last of the steps through the roof. The sound of wind was so realistic, Deddoai swore he could feel it blowing at his flames. He peers over the edge of the roof, the cat becoming lighter in his grasp.

"Maybe the creator wanted a big battleground but didn't want to go too specific into the details. Like furniture and the like. Hey, do you think this fall will kill the cat? Seems pretty likely."

He dangles the cat over the edge, waiting for an order to stop. But none comes. The cat just hangs there in his hands, looking at Deddoai. He sighs and pulls it back to his chest. He looks back towards crystal, who just seemed to be gazing at the sky, lost in thought. I hate it when she gets like that, thought Deddoai. Nothing short of an artillery strike can get through to her. He sighs and holds the cat up, his eye sockets staring into its yellow eyes.

"It is odd, though. Just a random cat. What's your story?" he thinks a moment before sitting down tih the stupid thing, petting it. Worst mission on record so far, no fun whatsoever. Trekking through an abandoned golden city with a cat and no enemy to fight. Sighs again, looking about the golden city. Barren rooftops and towers...what a joke.

"Why doesn't this guy just come out and fight already? I'd love to tear this place up..."

[Krauxis]

Cypher nodded to the two boys. Seemed like they were in agreement on this weird place. Recon and regroup. Together. Their team had made great strides through other obstacles and hardships, but they had historically done it together, as a team. They should do the same this time as well.

After receiving her orders, Cypher strode forth into the unknown. Apex was a gunner, there was no sense in him going first, and she was fast. Faster than BreGle at the very least, potentially the fastest on their team, which made her the most well-suited to take point when it came to scouting. She would have to trust her companions' eyes to watch from behind, but mostly she placed her faith in her own instincts. Keeping a firm grip on her blade, she pressed forward, keeping close to the houses and away from the middle of the streets.

This is a bit silly. The place is empty. What, am I supposed to be scared of getting hit by a car? But yet, and image flashed unwillingly in her mind. A lone sniper on top of that distant tower, waiting for someone to come into the open, watching their every move. Ugh, that's too creepy. Way too creepy and gross. Not to mention, too much like an american action flick. She was as guilty as anybody of indulging in movies like that, so she knew how unrealistic they could be. But it wasn't like she had any military experience herself. Maybe stuff like that really did happen?

As she peered in the houses and other buildings that lined the streets, another thought occurred to her. "Not so much like a movie as it is a game, isn't it?" The hollow feel of her surroundings reminded her of some piece of old abandonware. Something that was supposed to be filled with people, but instead just sat empty. Its software was still online, but even the creators didn't bother with its upkeep. Yeah, nothing's gonna make this place seem less creepy, is it? Still, now that thought was lodged in her head, she couldn't force it out. It made sense, they were obviously in the DgtWld still, their avatars and powers still worked. Were they really in some far-flung game server somewhere? It seemed unlikely, but at the same time, it was about as likely as any other explanation. Nobody else seemed to be coming up with anything more constructive.

Closer and closer the building drew with no sign of anything at all, and Cypher grew increasingly frustrated over time. The weight of boredom was heavy. But she was on a mission, and she needed to pay attention to her surroundings. Didn't seem like a great time to be casually chatting to her partners, either. Or at least, she didn't have anything interesting to say. Just mountains of complaints that were probably better left inside her head. It was counterproductive, and she knew it, but this empty expanse was making her fidgety. She was playing games with her feet, similar to only stepping on the white tiles on a tiled floor, and shifting her sword's weight around in her hands, just to feel something. They were small movements, but quickly becoming compulsive. Her attention was fading fast. She wanted to scream internally.

"PIECE OF SHIT!"

Ah shit, was that out loud? Was that, like, really really loud? Oh boy, I'm gonna hear about that one later. Or now. Probably now.

[TalijaKey]

They walked, a comfortable silence settled in between them, minus the looping music. Well, in BreGle case less of a comfortable and more of a ready to spring into action kind of silence. He didnt mind it either way, he wasnt alone, that was good. He didnt want to imagine how bad he would have been taking the situation if they were separated to each individually. He wouldnt panic, he had enough training not to, but that he would hate it, it was as sure as the rising sun. Having two people beside him was good for him, regardless if they both were the silent types.

Keeping in the shadow of the buildings, he walked beside the walls and occasionally peeked into a window in passing, BreGle found it a bit disappointing nothing of interest happened yet. Neither that the inside of the buildings revel on first glance any form of hiding spots...or hacker meeting places.

He attempt to open one door, the handle didnt even turned. It didnt feel locked as much as the door felt being part of the wall decoration. He continued his stride keeping his eyes wandering but ever so often settling on the back of the much faster Cypher, just in case her scouting got her into a trap.

He knew having his mount shut was better than chit chatting and revel their position. He sighed heavily as he peeked around a corner down a small street that they passed by. It didnt stop him looking at Apex with a questioning glance.
Before he could whisper the question of how much longer Apex was thing it may take them to reach the hourglass tower, a loud scream took his attention captive.

"PIECE OF SHIT!" The shout of Cypher was in no way to be missed, BreGle could swear it even echoed despite the music in the background. First thought on his mind was that she was attacked by something, so he acted according to it. Apex fight from distance so running up beside the sword woman, to give support was all but in his instincts. The hammer swung in fast circles to his side, ready to strike at or shield from.....nothing.....
A second or more BreGle looked around before his eyes settled at Cypher.

The hammer stopped and rested again in his hand, a big grin spread on his face, the free hand toss around the others shoulder. Sure, she wasnt the hug-me type of person...but that didnt really stop BreGle from trying to convert her to be one.
''So are we now taunting invisible enemies? I kinda like that plan to lure the action out....'' He grinned giving another sweep with his eyes around the street and rooftops, just in case it did lured something out?...Nope it didnt look like it.

''But... I am sure Apex is now deeply scowling at you. '' He walked to the side of a building and peeked into the window.
''So....what point would it be to take us here?...'' He asked aloud to himself just as much as to the other two, he did keep his voice down, just in case. ''If it is to play with our nerves, totally works. Considering some shouts. '' He tried not to grin in the womans direction, teasing her too much would be bad for his own health. Once again his eyes darted around, but this time to stop on the hourglass tower, wondering if the others are already there... It was then he wondered if the looping music didnt had another propose than just to give ambient....as in cover small sounds?
''And why the music....''