Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 2, 2012 20:12:41 GMT -5
There she laid in her bed in the early morning hours, in a room that belonged to a world that she never truly found herself to fit in well enough with. Her blue eyes slowly panned over to the side to peer at her desk, into her terminal, at the headset that rested on its side on top of her keyboard. All around her she could hear whispers radiating from her computer, from The World, telling her to log on and to exist within its pseudo-reality. She did not have the strength to get up, or to do much of anything, at least not right now.
A hand of hers moved limply, as if she were too weak to control it with a normal sense of finesse, her fingers grabbing at her grey hair to pull it over her face. Her hair didn't seem like it was hers anymore, not after so many long years of only ever seeing pink stem from the top of her scalp. Her blue eyes took the image in but her mind didn't want to accept it, she figured that she wouldn't have to accept it, and that if she started to really dislike it then she could log into The World and get away from it all. Perhaps that was a good idea, especially considering all she had gone through inside of it. All she ever had to live for was inside of it. Everything she ever wanted to have was within it. Why couldn't she live in it like she had long before? Why wasn't she still one with the core?
Groggily lifting herself out of bed, she saw out of the corner of her eye that it was 0500 hours, a weak grumble passing through her teeth as she shifted from her bed and onto her own two feet. She had fallen asleep in a large t-shirt, perhaps one she was given by some moron in high school or something. There she stumbled past the computer, the computer that had a notification at the bottom right saying that there was an email she had received that was apparently listed as urgent.
Through one door and out another she made her way to her kitchen, opening the refrigerator to grab a bottle of cold water to wake herself up. She always was thirsty in the morning, but at the same time who wasn't? Water, water was everything to her. Why wasn't she in The World taking a swim? She never made much sense to herself outside of The World, living outside of The World never made much sense at all. Perhaps a shower was in order, to collect her thoughts or something. The female thought about it for a moment, or two, or three, and ultimately figured it'd be good if she actually cleaned off whatever blood and tears had stained her skin during the night. ...So she did.
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 2, 2012 20:43:30 GMT -5
The urgent message on Violet's screen continued to flash, waiting for the girl to finally read it. When she did get around to it, enclosed was a message, the subject displayed as: reality. Inside the contents were straight to the point.
subject: reality. urgent! [ Violet ]
Sending this message is dangerous, but necessary. There are things about [The World] you must know. I am seeking your help and will offer some valuable information in return. I cannot give you my name just yet, but I will tell you to go to the nearest cafe at your house. I'll be waiting for a few hours, make it as soon as you can. Yellow.
The message was short, simple. She had wandered the buildings to find and open WIFI connection to send the e-mail, skewing the I.P address attached to the e-mail. Aria even made sure to make up a false e-mail account. A civilian's identity was less valuable than her own, and she knew that Violet would know which cafe was closest to her home. Right now, the morning air was cold. Around her neck was a loose scarf, hiding the lower half of her face while she held a tablet. Just enough time to send the e-mail, then take a taxi to her destination. She closed the lid of her tablet, reached out her left arm and waved it – her fingers were spread wide, gloved, in signal. Soon a yellow cab pulled up to the curb and she got in. In a whisper, she gave the taxi her location:
Cafe Latte
As the taxi parked in front of the cafe, she gave the driver a handful of cash before exiting. She was so happy cafes were invented, open at early hours for the working class. Not that she had much to work on now, anyways. Taking her time, she stepped into the building. The cafe was a beautiful one, with a low light setting, washed away in yellow lights. Some seats were taken, a few men reading the newspaper – the line was small. Aria knew that the rush would come at eight o'clock. Along the large windows that looked out into the small town, Aria removed her jacket to drape over one of the chairs. Just to secure a spot. With her purse rung over her shoulder, she slowly got in line. Her eyes were fixated on the clock, looking from side to side. She didn't see anyone who appeared to be looking for someone just yet. But what could she expect, it had only been ten minutes.
As the lined shorted, it was her time to order. She had got a white mocha. After waiting for the clerk to make it, she grabbed her cup and moved to the table with her jacket. Once she settled down in the chair, she laid a bright yellow notebook on top of it. Her hands were still cold from the chill of the morning air, so once her belongings were settled – she slowly wrapped her fingers around the warm cup. She just held it there, her hazel eyes staring blankly at the notebook. Aria was having second thoughts. She had been mauling over it for months. As an established woman with a career, she was putting it all on the line. All of those years, all of that work.
They couldn't take it away, could they? But she reminded herself that she had to do the right thing. There were many souls in need of her help, of her truth. Perhaps she felt a little uncomfortable knowing she was requesting help from Violet, probably just a girl who enjoyed the escapism. The thrill. Aria didn't know. She just helped with the game, never actually played it.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 2, 2012 21:02:11 GMT -5
There she stepped out of the shower in nothing but a towel wrapped just above her bust, her blue eyes staring through the foggy mirror at the reflection of herself she could barely see. She stood there as the steam from the shower escaped into the space around her, casting a nice feeling across her skin. If she stared hard enough at herself in the mirror, would her eyes turn yellow and her hair become pink? Would she wake up and realize that her real world was [The World] and that the one she was in right now was but a dream? Violet must have stood there for about three minutes, but nothing came.
A hand brought itself over the mirror to wipe away at the condensation so she could get a better look at herself, a distant look coming over her as she tried to accept herself as she always did. Looking down at her own arms, just below her shoulder, the self-inflicted scars seemed to be more noticeable than they normally were in this paradigm she found herself in. Violet dismissed the thought, grabbing her toothbrush to clean her teeth for a minute or two before walking back into her bedroom.
Once she was in her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and sat down at her computer. Her eyes were down at her own knees from the way she sat crooked in her chair, simply deep in thought. Bringing a hand down to her leg, she ran her palm across its smooth surface as if she were admiring it. On the contrary she was doing nothing of the sort, Violet was just inside of her own mind thinking that this was all one big game. Did she always drill herself with the same thoughts? Perhaps that was why she lived as awkwardly as she has come to.
Violet grabbed at her skin suddenly, holding it in a vice grip as her nails began to sink into her skin. The look on her face was a plain one, but the skin around her leg was becoming red as her nails dug into her flesh. It'd only be a matter of time before she'd pierce through her leg, digging holes in her own leg, but a chime from her computer caught her attention. It was an email. "...No way."
It wasn't even two minutes later, but she was running out of her apartment with her wet hair in a bun and her shirt halfway on. The weather was freezing, she could see her breath, and running around in the cold atmosphere with a plain white t-shirt underneath her fleece hoodie with jeans and tennis shoes was not sufficient enough to make her feel as warm as she liked to. At least, she thought to herself, that the hoodie she was wearing would keep her head from freezing over from her now frazzled wet mess on her scalp.
She ran and she ran fast with nothing but her wallet in one pocket and her phone and keys in the other. Did she remember to lock her door? She had in the same motion as she closed it, she had done it so many times in her life that it was just automatic to her now. She ran down the streets she has always known, but never really known at the same time. Running through people, around cars, blazing through breaks in the sidewalk even when the red hand was telling her not to cross, she blitzed all the way down to the local cafe to meet this person who called themselves 'Yellow'.
Her lungs were burning up from the cold air she was taking in, her whole body feeling as if it were going to snap in half if she moved it too much in the cold weather, but still she carried on. She wondered in her mind, through the prickling sensation of the cold weather, if this email was truly legit or not. Violet didn't know if this was some sort of prank or if it was as serious as the individual had made it sound. If it was serious, and if it was valuable, then who was giving her that information? Why? She just had to know!
Violet suddenly came to that cafe, the one named after some caffeinated drink that they served, and pushed both doors open with one hand on each push bar. She broke the silence of the cafe like a gunshot with the strength she used to open the door, and as she came to a stop inside, her heavy breathing was almost uncontrollable. Bent forward, trying to catch her breath, the doors shut behind her; she couldn't help but feel as if she were just locked in a jail cell.
Once she caught her breath, once she was able to at least regain her composure, she stood up with a hand on her hip as her free one pulled down the hood over her face to allow her a better view of all of the patrons of the cafe in front of her. There was a decent amount, anyone could have been the person who had sent the email, but how would she know? All she had to go by was 'Yellow', whatever in the hell kind of name that was!
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 2, 2012 21:22:38 GMT -5
Finally dragging herself out of her reverie, she took a sip of her coffee. The world was a cold place to be, and merely having this cup of coffee made it seem like it would all wash away. It made her feel alive, connected to something. But her eyes were still cold, focused on that yellow notebook. Would Violet understand that she was giving her a color to look for, to identify her? She wanted to leave, to not deal with the stress. There were other things she could be doing, like working. Oh, she enjoyed working so much. While players had an escapism in [The World], she had hers at work. There was no time to make relationships, no time to get hurt. Her savings account only grew, to the point where she could live in a mansion. But why would she? A mansion for one person sounded ludicrous.
Her left hand floated over her notebook, getting ready to grab it. Right, she was a person who disliked others. This wasn't her responsibility, she didn't do any of it directly. If there was a finger to point, that finger wouldn't be at her. It would be the bastard who ran the CC corporations, a brilliant and psychotic man. An idea of a virtual reality turned into something wrong. She wanted to restore the CC Corporation for the sake of her career, the money, and for the experiments. The technology to reality experiments, not the ones that included live human beings. But she knew that if she ever wanted the old administration to come back, she would have to save those locked into [The World].
She had been there, read the BBS. Aria knew about the King and his ego-driven decisions. Hackers were always mad in that way, hackers hacked to get power. The King went too far, he had his hands on data that normally A.Is would use. So, she was curious if the man was even human or not. But right now, she couldn't think of that. Then her mind changed back, she was too far deep to turn back down. The hand went down to rest on the notebook, but she didn't pick it up or even open it. Instead, she went back to sipping her coffee, thinking about what was going on in the present – rather than selfishly thinking of her future.
The door of the cafe burst open, shocking most of the customers there. It even shocked Aria. She turned her face away from the table to notice there was a female with light hair, breathing heavily. The person appeared to be looking for someone. The urgency in Violet's expression was obvious. Aria didn't know what to do, was that the girl she had been waiting for? She felt absolutely nervous now, the girl was young. But how young? She couldn't tell the age from this distance. It also made her a little uneasy. Of course she wasn't expecting an adult, they hardly played, but it still shocked her. Somewhere in Aria's conscious, she had already decided that this girl was Violet.
Awkwardly, she stood out of her chair, grabbing the notebook. Almost like a dumb gesture, she turned the yellow cover of the pamphlet toward Violet's direction. She knew that if this who she was waiting for, the female would recognize something unique about it. After all, Aria was the only one standing still while the others remained seated. Even the people in the line had looked away, assuming that Violet was late for an appointment – that she needed coffee, and quickly.
Then again, Aria's heart sank. The girl could just be late for classes, on to a final – a test – she didn't know. Plus it had only been 45 minutes.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 2, 2012 22:34:22 GMT -5
It all felt so surreal, as if she were in some espionage movie or a cheap action film. The bright colored notebook stood out like the sun in her mind, and her blue eyes could only focus on it and not the person holding it the entire time. The notebook seemed to be screaming at her in visceral tongues, calling out to her to come closer and to come in contact with it. In her mind she could hear the sounds of death and violence coming from the yellow notebook, she could hear fire crackling and buildings burning as she concentrated harder on it. It was building up in her head, building up so loud, she felt as if her mind was going to blow or as if she was about to have an aneurysm. Violet told herself to run, to get out of there and to stay far away from the yellow, but she could not turn and leave. Perhaps that was why, when the doors shut behind her, she felt as if she were locked in hell itself.
She came to suddenly, snapping out of what warped reality she was in to find that she was right on top of the notebook and the individual who was holding it. She must have stood there for a minute or two just staring at the notebook as if it were an artifact of a time that should not exist, as if it were pandora's box itself. Violet lifted her head up to meet eyes that she first took in as yellow, and her heart sank deep inside of her chest. It felt as if she were looking into a ghost, as if she were looking into herself, into someone that shouldn't exist. Focus, she thought, and she took in the whole picture. It was a girl, a female who she had never met before, but based on the clothes that she wore Violet could tell she was someone who carried themselves like a proper business woman. Who in the hell was this?
Without a word she sat down on the opposite end of the table with her hands in her lap and the most dumbfounded look on her countenance, wondering if this was truly the end of the world.
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 2, 2012 22:47:43 GMT -5
Aria watched the girl come toward her, a fog in his eyes. As if she was moving in a place between reality and a game, trying hard to exist – but it was obvious she didn't want to be here at all. She had seen this look among many players, who appeared haggard and deprived of sleep. Just to game. Aria wasn't any different in the sense that she over worked herself, but there was some pity that that [The World] never paid. The game only appeared to take away from others, whatever it was. A sign of life came to Violet's eyes as she glanced up at her own face. Aria felt mildly embarrassed, meeting someone like this on an unprofessional level. At least for a business meeting she could hide behind presentations, intellect.
Then the girl took a seat in the empty chair across from her own, and Aria slowly sat down too. She placed the notebook on the table, in the middle. Inside of the notebooks were notes of some kind, all typed up in a professional manner. Aria sat straight, stiff, awkward. Where to begin? She really wish she had a power point for this. She was sure that Violet was curious as to who she was, but her presence here today was real. The look in her hazel eyes were serious, despite Aria's nervousness. “You've probably met me a few times, or once, as Lunea,” she gave her character name. She prefer not to get personal with her work, but she had wanted to see how it came along. Aria even acted different inside the game, as if expressing her inner self.
Funny how games did that, funny how masks changed a person.
“But here, you can call me Aria,” she gave her name. There was no last name to share, she didn't want to be tracked down just in case Violet betrayed her. Was it even her real name at all? Violet would have to make her own decisions on how to handle her presence. “I am sorry for being anonymous at first, but you have to understand I called you here to talk about a serious matter. Involving, [The World]. It's hard to engage if players care about the game in general, so I have an incentive. Some information, on some of your friends.”
She made it plural, trying not to make it so individual. Politely, she waited for Violet to respond.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 2, 2012 23:11:57 GMT -5
The female across from her had finally opened her mouth to spill out information Violet didn't know if she was glad to hear or not. Lunea did ring a bell, and she remembered having met the character in [The World] one or two times or perhaps even more. Something inside of her, in that heart that had sank, skipped a beat. Violet thought how cool it was to meet someone who she had met in the game in real life, like if she was meeting a really good friend online off of the game! It wasn't like that at all, and Violet brought herself to that note.
Information about her friends? Did Violet have any friends? The only people in the game that she cared about were people that she cared about a lot. If any of them were in serious danger outside of the game, for one reason or another, Violet knew she would be heartbroken. What could she do outside of [The World] though? She wasn't Lopper, she didn't have the power of a God on her side. She was just Violet, a weak girl who suffered too much from all the instability that was in her mind. She couldn't be the way that Lopper was, she couldn't be as strong and independent as Lopper was, there was no way in hell she would be able to do anything to save anybody! Still, she decided to entertain herself and ask just what this was all about.
Before she spoke, she thought about how funny it was that she was referring to Lopper as if Lopper were someone other than herself. "Are they okay? What happened? Who?" Her voice was quiet, in a whisper, but scared as if she were asking if any of them had died or something. She wasn't whispering like this because of the environment she was in, but much rather because Violet was just a meek girl outside of [The World].
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
wat
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 0:50:10 GMT -5
Aria didn't like to meet clients, no, she always hated to get personal. Her eyes remained emotionless, trying not to give away the difficulties she experienced in sharing bad news. The only good news she had was to tell her drunk mother that she was successful, that she got wealthy without her. That she hated her. This moment seemed similar, but there was some ease in the fact that Violet was a stranger to her. From an outsider's perspective, Violet looked rather sickly. Like a person who spent long hours dwelling in the dark, eating little, suffering from depression. That was most of [The World]'s client base, and she didn't like fitting Violet in that category. So, she said nothing of her appearance, made no personal remark. Aria was here for business.
“I know one is your friend. The other one could be an acquaintance, and she's not really a person at all,” she started, knowing she was being vague. Aria didn't mean to, she was a factual person, but she needed a good introduction for the girl's attention. That is what sold products. “The first one goes by the character name Alexei, and no – I wouldn't say he's okay,” the news was heavy and she turned her eyes out to look at the window. Aria was avoiding Violet's reaction, whatever it may be. “He was a coma victim in the first version of [The World], few of the first. The CC corporation has attempted to kill him several times, as a failed experiment. But a scientist in our sector thought he could do more. Right now his body is being kept in a facility.”
Aria couldn't even begin to explain the horrors that were done on the male, who was a teen then – now turning into a young adult. Missing all those years of life. She would get into it more, but she wasn't going to throw a chunk of information at Violet when the first segment was so hard. This was the incentive for Violet, to offer assistance. Perhaps if Violet could do things in the game for her, Aria would work on the outside – to save her career. She was still a selfish person after all, she wasn't going to give it all up to strangers. But she wasn't going to let them be victims forever, either.
Even the poor kid's parents had no idea. Reality was a bitch.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 2:41:21 GMT -5
At first she didn't believe that she had heard the other female correctly, at first she thought that she was just hearing what it was she wanted to hear. It was when she had mentioned that he wasn't okay, that there was something wrong with her beloved Alexei, that she realized that her mind wasn't putting her through the motions and making her hear things that she wanted to hear. "Alexei...?" she whispered, completely overtaken by fear and worry that showed on her face like a bright flashing red light. It was all of that emotion that she felt that made this conversation, this situation, a lot less awkward and a lot more dire.
She placed her hands on the table suddenly, almost slamming down on it as she lifted herself a bit out of her chair to lean forward towards Aria. "Don't fuck with me," she said just above a whisper with eyes as big as a baseball. She wasn't threatening the other female, she was begging the other to not toy with her emotions if she were. "I don't believe you," Violet added, bringing herself back down into her seat. "Why should I trust you are even who you say you are?" Her eyes lowered down to the table, her entire body shaking at this point. "...You can't be serious."
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
wat
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 3:44:27 GMT -5
The slight slamming on the table caught her attention, her hazel eyes shifted to the small girl. Aria didn't know what to expect out of the reaction, but she could relate to the denial. Every time bad news occurred, the first thing was to question it – ask how, why, when. It was in the stages of the grief cycle of the person to see the body before they actually accepted the death. Evidence. Violet was the same, she probably needed to see the male in a hospital bed; she needed to see him hooked up on those machines. Aria's lids lowered a little, the look of seriousness increasing. With the purse still slack over her shoulders, she turned to it – opened the buckle and began to dig through her belongings. She withdrew something white, and placed it on top of the yellow notebook in-between him.
It was her employer card, from the CC Corporation. Everything was on it, her photo I.D, her sector. The card had said she was in charge of the information technologies, but it was a gimmick. She was much more than that. Then, she got a little annoyed. “Why would I joke about that? About a person that I have no personal connections to?” Those were her questions, solid ones. Aria wasn't the type to waste her time on other people, she despised them. She was used to people taking her serious at work all the time, thus her reception to Violet's reaction was a little poor. But she was trying her best to understand, trying to be patient.
A pause.
“You play with him in [The World], right? Does he appear to be a normal player, has he even talked to about his real life? Mentioned it?” Aria didn't know what their conversations entailed, but she was curious as to what Violet knew. Maybe Alexei had talked about his real life, maybe that is why she assumed Aria was joking. She didn't know, maybe Alexei thought he was still able to access the real world. “I mean it should be obvious...”
Obvious that he was in the game almost all the time, abnormally. Had Violet EVER received an outside contact from him?
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 3:49:12 GMT -5
Of course Violet knew that Alexei wasn't normal, that he wasn't someone who had ever spoken about the real world because he had never been there before. Violet was more shocked about the fact that Alexei wasn't just some rogue intelligence she happened to fall in-- Violet was more shocked about the fact that Alexei wasn't just some rogue intelligence she had met one day and had gotten really close with. She never thought that he was ever an actual player, but this girl in front of her was saying that he was. Should she believe her? The I.D. card in front of her spoke volumes, Violet didn't feel the need to pick it up and examine it further.
Her bottom lip was quivering, unsure of how she felt about the entire situation. She thought, sickly in her own head, that she would trade spaces with him in an instant. Was that her selfishness talking? Did she say that because she wanted him to live a real life? Was that the Lopper in her head telling her she needed to become one with the core once more? All of these thoughts, along with this news, were making her sick to her stomach. Her hands brought themselves over her chest as she looked off to the side, at anything at all, to try and focus on it instead of the tears that were swelling up in her eyes.
"What can I do...?"
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 4:10:03 GMT -5
Aria couldn't read the girl's thoughts, she didn't know what Violet had thought about him. But that was personal to her and she wasn't going to press. Instead, she was a little regretful that the girl didn't know him before it all happened. She would have been an easier source to talk it over with, compared to the kid's parents. Aria wasn't really here to save on person, she wouldn't do it for one, it was for all of those trapped under the King. Perhaps rousing Alexei out of his coma would help, or maybe with that knowledge Violet could persuade him in game. It wasn't like he could read e-mails from Aria, or could he? She was so unsure of the circumstances.
“It's about the King, mostly. Since Noah is a first generation lost one, I am sure he has capabilities within the game that most coma victims don't. Some coma patient's conscious are trapped in a space of data, where the first generations are able to still use their characters. However, the King appears to be bringing back the first technique to use players as his pawn. Right now, as he is, you could talk to him. Get him to help with what he knows now. He was a novice hacker at one point, kid stuff, but it probably hurt him in the long run. We have a file --”
She reached her right hand over to the notebook, flipping it over. Inside there were pictures in white slips, of a male within the bed. The photos were green, as if taken in the dark. Under the next few pages, Violet will be able to find a background check on the person name 'Noah Matthews'. As she had the pages exposed, she turned it so that it was facing Violet and allowed her to look it over. When she was ready, Aria could see that she was having a hard time with the information. But now that it was out, Aria wouldn't allow a break.
“Right now it's unsafe for anyone from the CC Corporation to log into [The World]. I am sure this so called King has us as targets, it wouldn't do us any good if I got put into a coma. Basically, you'll be my inside source – my eyes, my ears. I can manage things out here, for the situation. I am asking you to form a group, to make this information known. Although the coma stuff is obvious, players stuck in there need to be aware that there is help. That the CC Corporation, all the creators to all this mess, isn't going to turn a blind eye.”
Aria was on a mission, and she was most likely being paid for it. Violet would have to agree to it. “Can you talk to him in game? Get his opinion, information? Something. Then we can save him.”
God, she could talk a lot.
“There are other experiments that also concern me..”
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 4:19:31 GMT -5
Violet found it really difficult to care about anything it was that she was saying, even though she spoke about benefiting [The World] and Alexei both. It all went through one ear out the other as her eyes stared down into the notebook that contained everything there was to know about her precious Alexei. There was an unsightly photograph of him, or rather Noah, all hooked up to machines and in a hospital bed where ever the hell he was. Aria just talked and talked about all of these important things, but Violet just didn't give a shit! She just wanted to get back on [The World] and talk to Alexei about all of this and see what he had to say about it. At the same time, she thought about going back to her place and never mentioning it again, and just going about her days leaving Alexei in [The World] as Lopper's play thing.
"I really don't care" were Lopper's words coming out of Violet's mouth, and Violet use to be such a good girl. "If there's something I can do, if anything at all, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I would rather be breaking him out of the hospital he is in rather than using him as a means to your end. He doesn't deserved to be locked up that way, kept in captivity like some sort of experiment!" Her voice was growing louder, but she just couldn't help herself with all of the emotions that were running through her head at the same time. Violet was looking back at Aria now, her blue eyes staring straight through those hazel ones.
In the back of her mind she could hear Lopper talking, telling her to somehow turn this around where she herself could end up in the game forever so she would never have to use this body again. She heard all the ways Lopper was talking about snapping this bitch's neck clean off her body and pitching her in a garbage can. Lopper kept calling the lady in front of Violet a cunt, and a bitch, and someone who should bleed out at Violet's feet like a stuck pig. All of this negativity and violence inside of her mind was insurmountable, it was driving her insane on top of all of this other information.
Her face found her way into both of her palms, her elbows on the table as her shoulders jumped and her breath shuttered violently. Aria wasn't able to see anything, but at this point it was safe to say that Violet was probably sobbing underneath those bruised and torn hands of hers.
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
wat
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 4:31:49 GMT -5
She hated children like this, so immature. The always overreacted, assumed that adults were always up to no good. Were disrespectful and ignorant – she hated kids that much, perhaps that is why Aria was always alone. Perhaps that is why she wasn't married yet, with her own kid and settled down, happy. As Violet's voice rose, people in the cafe started to stir, looking toward the two. Those curious eyes were annoying Aria more than Violet's little tantrum. All she could do was give the girl her cold exterior, never letting a trickle of emotion reach those eyes of hers. But she did manage to frown.
“You can't just wake someone up from a coma,” she said flatly. “Don't you think we've tried that? It has to be done in game, but we can never find his data to begin with. It's almost as if it's hidden in the actual game itself. After things at the CC Corporation became a little rocky, that's what we wanted to do – make sure that we could salvage what was lost. From lawsuits, financial loss, decrease in players, you know – business stuff. So, they've tried reviving Alexei from the outside and in the game. He even died a few times in the process, but they've managed to resuscitate him.” Although Violet was probably cursing her out somewhere, Aria was making her own negative judgments about the girl.
Now the child had her bruised hands in her face, and Aria could see that the girl was probably more deranged than what she assumed. Perhaps on the level of being committed herself, but right now Violet was the only hope. She would hate to have to contact someone different, to explain this all over again. And it wasn't like Alexei had a ton of friends he still talked to in the game, the last data she found was hovering around Violet's character: Lopper. It was almost as if the two had emerged in someway, but right now she didn't want to ask.
“You have to do it on the inside, that's what I am telling you.”
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 4:39:50 GMT -5
Violet didn't understand what there was to do, or what she could do that would be any different than all she had already done that would wake Alexei up from the inside. What was there that she could do to wake him up from the inside that would work on the outside? Aria had mentioned something about his hacking abilities, or his sub par ones at any rate, and how that might have been a good choice to go with. What was there that he would be able to touch, or change in-game that would snap him out? Violet didn't understand, she didn't get it, this was all so heavy.
Her body slowly fell onto the table with her arms crossed to hide her face in the darkness she made for herself. Her eyes were shut tight, but she still felt as if she were anywhere but where she wanted to be. She wanted to concentrate hard enough to imagine Lopper's hands slowly stroking her hair and kissing her wounded hands, she wanted to imagine Lopper's body reaching from behind and embracing her in all of her protective power and whispering in her ear like a lover would that it was all going to be all right. Violet wanted to know that Lopper would take care of everything, and do what had to be done. Violet wanted to hear that Lopper would do what Violet herself couldn't do.
Just as she thought, and just as she wanted it to be, she could feel an invisible hand patting the top of her messy head that brought a warmth to her that was so surreal. She was still crying, and she still felt more hopeless and miserable as she had before, but with Lopper there by her side and taking care of her while she vented her weakness through tears and desperate action she didn't feel so bad. It's okay, she could hear Lopper say, I'll take care of everything. Lopper promised!
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 4:53:30 GMT -5
Aria was a selfish person, but she hid it. The girl was displaying it rather proudly, as if she had nothing to lose. Her friend was stuck in a coma and all she could do was cry about it. Sure, it was heart breaking news but it wasn't happening to her. Aria suspected that the girl was a little envious that it wasn't her, seeing as her arms were all jacked up – Violet probably wished she was the one stuck in the male's place. Perhaps she should have been careful in who she had asked for help, did a better background check. On the outside, on the report, Violet appeared to be normal. Aria leaned back in her chair, realizing she had forgot her cup of coffee. She didn't touch it, knowing it had gone cold.
She would give it time.
Backing out of her chair, she left the girl with the notebook so that she could go to the empty ordering station. She placed in a hot, sugar raspberry tea. It only took a few moments and she brought it back to their table, settling it down next to the girl's arms. She could tell that she had ran out into the cold with wet hair, could tell her hands were purple from poor circulation. Aria would just have to accept that Violet needed to grieve before proceeding, if she decided to. Though she added in quietly:
“You don't have to do this, Violet.” Aria's voice was gentle this time.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 4:59:57 GMT -5
Violet heard those words, a door to run into and escape this entire situation so she could go back to a reality that she had grown truly accustomed with. It felt as if she just walked out that door that she would just forget this happened in due time, and she could go back to living happily ever after vicariously through a life and a relationship that wasn't truly hers. Violet almost took that route, she almost decided to go that way, but something had changed in her when she saw that picture of that poor young man trapped inside of his own body. She felt as if everything were up to her, as if she were his only hope. No one else could do this for him, and she didn't want to let anyone else do it. Violet didn't even want Lopper to do it for her! She wanted to do it all on her own!
Slowly did she lift up her face, the tears having stained her cheeks and made her eyes all puffy. Violet figured she couldn't look anymore shitty than she already did, figured she couldn't seem any more messed up than she already did. Besides, she heard someone say once that you should do something not like yourself sometimes! This was that time, at least for Violet! Slowly did she reach for the hot tea that Aria had bought her and took a sip for it, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a few dollars that she placed in the space the tea had once been in. She hadn't pulled the cup away from her lips even when she stopped drinking, she just kept looking down at what she could see within the yellow notebook.
"Don't treat me like some child," she spoke in a muffled whisper. "I can do it, trust me. You have no idea who you're talking to." Violet spoke the truth, because Aria truly didn't know what Violet was capable of.
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 3, 2012 5:09:47 GMT -5
Aria watched as Violet's head lifted, preparing to hear the words that it was too much responsibility. She braced herself for the reality of finding someone else just as active as Violet, in the game, to reach Noah. Then she was met by those puffy eye and saw something else, determination. For the first time since their meeting, she found the girl to be admirable. That was the spirit she liked to see, a woman who wasn't afraid of a little hard work. Although Violet's charisma wasn't as strong as Aria's, it would do. The liking for the girl only grew when she set the money out in the middle, between the two. But Aria wouldn't take it, the tea had only cost her two dollars. Nothing to even worth noting.
“Well, good, then I am going to send you to Russia to access everything,” Aria moved her hands back into her purse of hers and threw down a pair of first class tickets to Russia – labeled the next day, right on top of the girl's money. It was ironic that it had worked out that way, but she wasn't going to delay when Violet would only have the whole day to prepare and pack. “His body is being held at a facility there, I can give you a pass as a guest to see him. But remember you won't be able to wake him from the outside. There isn't a manual on how to actually wake a coma patient, especially one of a first generation – consisted of mostly old data. That will have to be figured out to your own devices.”
“I'll be accompanying you, to work from the outside. We do have separate hotel rooms, however. I have yours set up with the best technology to get to [The World]. Before we do go, would you prefer a fake passport – are you concerned for your safety?”
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Jan 3, 2012 5:19:14 GMT -5
When she heard that she was going to be going to Russia to do this, to take care of all of this, the look on her face was priceless. Her jaw dropped open just a bit, and she stared at the other as if to see if she were truly serious or not. The tickets she placed on the table were legit, and Violet took one of them and put it inside of her pocket that had her wallet; she tucked it behind her wallet to keep it safe. "There's no need for a fake passport," Violet said with a scoff, actually finding Aria's suggestion to be rather humorous. She understood the risks and she knew that this was rather serious, but she truly didn't have anything to lose; she surely did not fear for her life either.
Taking another sip of the tea Aria had gotten her, she continued to sip the cup's contents as her eyes looked all around her. Was she suspicious that someone was watching the two of them or were she just taking in the sights and sounds one last time before she departed on this great adventure? Violet was glad that she knew how to pack very well, and could fit everything she truly needed in a single book bag if it came down to it. Violet was very resourceful and knew a lot of stuff, and though she only left her room sometimes she had more experience than anyone in this god damn cafe! Stupid pretentious bastards!
Finally setting the tea down for a moment, she stuffed her hands inside of her pockets as she watched over Aria as if she were waiting for her to add something else to the end. The 'but' however never came, and Violet thought it was the best that she just took things as they came. "This is, like, the beginning of the end or something right?" she asked in a very anticlimactic and ditzy manner, a toothy grin forming on her lips.
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Level 16
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,126 posts
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Post by Alexei on Jan 6, 2012 17:09:00 GMT -5
After Violet took the first ticket, Aria reached over for her own. She placed it back into her purse, her eyes wandering to the windows outside. This wasn't her hometown, thus she was a little enamored by the small city life. She was used to a place like New York, where it was impossible to pass someone on a sidewalk without touching them. It was a strange living situation for someone who enjoyed being alone, maybe it was a way for her to feel less lonely. Aria then glanced back to Violet, watching her as she enjoyed the tea she purchased. The money was laid upon the table, but Aria would never accept money unless she worked for it.
The question was a solid one, but unnecessary. “It's just the start of a new beginning,” she replied, a slight smile lifting on her slightly pink lips. There was no way she would let [The World] end in this way, instead she would hope that the CC Corporation would gain control over the game again. She wanted to go back to her life, the life that she created and knew. But she would hope that if the CC Corporation did regain control, they would rethink their methods and how they saw players. On the flight to Russia, she wouldn't discuss these matters. The air pressure hurt her ears, and she could barely hear without risking a voice being raised. Everything would be discussed on land.
“Before we depart to get your things packed, there was a player inside of the game attempting to make artificial intelligence into real people. They were going to use coma patients – patients that had nothing to do with the game – to give them a body. The CC Corporation put a stop to them, temporarily, but it's only a matter of time before they come back.”
She took this topic into consideration, and put it on a scale of importance, “I want to help the real victims first. The false players can be dealt with later.”
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