Chapter Seven: The First Expert Arrives
You don't mind if I keep going? Okay, sure.
Picking up my cane, I began working my way towards the front door of my home. Yeah, it is a pretty big place for one person to have been living here, especially someone with my setbacks. When my parents passed on, everything that they had passed on to me, including their home. I'd considered living elsewhere, but after some thought, I decided to stay, viewing it as an opportunity to keep in shape. After all, it would be so easy to let things atrophy...
Anyhow, it took me a little bit of time to reach the front door. Agent Smith had said thirty minutes, tops, and it had already taken twenty minutes to get to this point, so I figured he'd be arriving with his associates shortly. It seems I had timed things exactly right, because the moment I reached the front door, there was a rather polite knock at the door.
That didn't sound like Smith: Too quiet, too polite, and the knock came from much lower on the door than it would be for someone his size. I was almost certain that it was a girl-scout, honestly. I opened the door, and I was half-right: It was a girl, and a rather... small one.
I estimated her age to be somewhere between nineteen and twenty-five. She was a little less than five feet tall (Less than 152 centimeters, for those of you who prefer metrics), with brown hail tied back in a bun, and big brown eyes, magnified by a pair of coke bottle glasses. Her face was covered with freckles, and she dressed in a manner that could only be called 'nondescript': Brown was the main theme, covering a modest figure. She looked almost ridiculously ordinary, honestly. Overall, the effect was that of a mouse wearing glasses. Admittedly, it was a cute mouse, but she wasn't really my type. The fact that she was clutching a laptop against her chest proclaimed her identity louder than words. This had to be Smith's 'tech-expert'.
Clearing my throat, I asked, "Can I help you?" Better to play dumb, just in case: Smith would be peeved if it turned out I was wrong. You guys understand how it goes, right? The first rule of Magic Club is: You do not talk about Magic Club.
Looking me up and down, she immediately made an assumption. "I'm sorry," she said, meekly, "I think I have the wrong address. Do you know where Hiro Ecks lives?"
"You're looking at him," I said with a chuckle.
Looking me up and down with an expression that practically screamed, "Are you sure?" she examined me more closely. I couldn't blame her, really: When folks hear that I'm half-Japanese, a gamer, and physically handicapped, they form certain expectations of how I should look. They expect someone who would be shorter, and skinnier, for one thing: People often forget that Japan is the home of sumo wrestling, and my uncle, on my mother's side, was heavily into the sport. In addition to that, while my mother herself might have been petite, in high school and college my father was a linebacker. He could have gone pro, but decided to go into the family business instead. End result? I'm six foot eight and a little over two hundred fifty pounds. I'm not the most muscular guy in the world, but I keep in decent shape: After what happened to my foot, I got in the habit of doing physical therapy exercises. It would have been far too easy for me to fall into a deep funk, spend all day in a chair, and eventually atrophy to the point that I need a wheelchair to move around. When I got out of the hospital, though, I decided 'Fuck that shit', and made sure that my morning routine always included at least a half hour of exercise. There's plenty of reasons to be wheelchair-bound: Being too lazy should not be one of them. I did, however, inherit from my mother's side of the family vaguely aristocratic-looking features and straight black hair. Beyond that, not much else. Folks have often commented on whether or not it was even physically possible for someone my size to have come out of my mother, but I was a late-bloomer: I didn't start getting really big until after I turned sixteen.
Aren't preconceptions funny? People forget that gamers these days come from all walks of life, and are all ages, from six to sixty. I'm not kidding about that last part: When I bought Fallout 3, I met an elderly man who was buying the same game. I asked him if he was getting it for his grandkids. His response? "Screw my grandkids, they can get their parents to buy them a copy. This one's mine!"
You never know who you might be playing against, these days. I once played a round of CoD Modern Warfare against a team composing of a sixteen year old, his father, and his grandmother... and granny ended up having the best kill versus death ratio at the end of the match.
Anyways, sorry I went off on a tangent. Moving on!
Smiling, I asked, "Not what you expected?"
Blushing, the young lady replied, "Not really." Looking at my pajamas, and my bunny slippers, she observed, "You're dressed a little casually..."
I thumped my cane on the floor (I can keep my balance on my good foot quite well, thank you) and said, "Changing clothes is a bit of a hassle for me, there really hasn't been time. Besides, everything is covered properly, as is." Smiling, I added, "So, where are the others?"
Blushing, she admitted, "I'm a little closer, but I live in the opposite direction from where Agent... Smith is coming from, so I drove here on my own. He'll be here shortly with the others." Extending her hand, and struggling to keep her laptop up with one arm, she added, "Agent Mouse, at your service. Magi-tech specialist."
Agents don't use their real names in the field: There's too many ways that one's 'True Name' can be used against them. Thankfully, the name actually has to have been spoken within a brief time period for that kind of magic to work, otherwise all it would take for the fair folk to conquer the world is access to birth records. Still, it is an interesting security precaution. Amusingly enough, after meeting me, Smith decided to change his code name. He used to be Agent Orange. I've heard that a lot of agents go by code names that have some sort of a joke in them. Mouse's was apparently a comment both on her expertise with technology and her somewhat mouse-ish appearance. I idly wondered if she had chosen that one, or it had had been chosen for her.
Taking her hand and giving it a small shake, I said, "A pleasure. I'll... lead you to the computer in question. I'll explain as we go."
--------------------------------------
My turn? Okay.
By this point, I was beginning to hate Daruma-san. Seriously. Have you ever tried to cross a distance of sixty feet while playing 'Red Light, Green Light'? It is not as easy as it looks. So far, I'd failed fifteen times, and while I was getting closer each time, Daruma-san was getting trickier. As Hiro had warned, he changed the rhythm every time, making predicting his turning around difficult. However, I did notice that his overall strategy changed with each tile I succeeded in crossing. On the last three attempts, he got me by blasting through the entire chant at high speed and spinning right back around. The thing that truly irked me was that each time, I reached the final tile. Don't you hate when that happens? It's like losing to the final boss in an old school video game and having to start over again.
After the latest failure, after the fox statue's laughter once again damaged my self-esteem, I heard a quiet conversation coming from the orb. My ears perking up, I listened in.
The first voice was definitely Hiro's. "So, yeah, I was sent an alpha build a few hours ago. I'd checked out the company that was supposed to have sent it. They seemed legit, but..."
Another voice, nerdy (Yes, I know a nerd when I hear one) and yet definitely feminine, said, "It could have been a dummy site, set up for the sole purpose of deceiving you. Or perhaps an enchantment was placed on your computer, so that when you tried to access their website or you sent them an email, a projection of what they wanted you to see was automatically displayed on your screen. I can do a few tests, and find out which."
Hiro's response was hesitant as he admitted, "While that might be good to know, what I really need to know more about is the 'game' itself. I'm pretty much positive it opened a window to another world on my computer. I... think it might be better to show you, than explain it."
"Fair enough," the nerdy girl said, then added, "But, um, I don't know how much help I'll be. My expertise is on interactions between magic and currently existing technology. I mean, if you wanted me to cut the connection...?"
The split second of terror I felt at that casual statement was profound. Cut off the connection? That would leave me stranded, alone...
Hiro's response was immediate, and left no room for argument. "Absolutely not!" There was a pause, then he added, "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. It's just... it'll be hard to explain. I'll show you, and then you'll understand."
There was a pause, then Hiro's voice, much clearer, asked, "How's it going, Liz?"
Giving a frown at the orb, I admitted, "Not as good as I'd hoped. I keep getting caught at the last tile. Any advice?"
He hmmm'ed, then said, "Well, this thing is more or less a kind of robot or other automated system. Has it changed its strategy every time you cross a tile?"
Nodding, I admitted, "Yes. It gets faster when it decides to speed the chant up, and the last few times, it has caught me by turning, saying the entire chant very quickly, then turning right back around. It's... too fast for me to stop myself."
"Then try not moving." That was from the female voice.
Curious, I asked, "And that would be...?"
"Ah, sorry, I forgot how sensitive this mic can be," Hiro said, seeming to be talking to the other person. "That was Agent Mouse. She's an... expert of sorts in the kind of connection that's going on between you and I."
Deciding to have a little fun with Hiro, I said, "Oh, well, if you were having trouble with that, you should have told me. I'm not one for playing hard-to-get, stud. It's not complicated: All you really need is a bottle of wine, a dozen long-stemmed roses, some candles, and maybe a little romantic poetry, and I'm all yours."
There was a moment of what I assumed was stunned silence, followed by the sound of Hiro laughing. I'm fairly certain I heard the girl titter a little as well. After a few seconds, Hiro said, "Thanks, Liz. I needed that... and I'll keep that in mind for later." I blushed a little bit at that, before Hiro continued, "But, back to the topic at hand. I think Mouse had the right idea: The statue may be able to change things up, but I don't believe it can truly think. It has to have, if not a preset pattern, then a limited number of variations on the way it will say the chant. If you sit still and wait patiently on the last tile, you should be able to work it out, and learn when to move, and when to just sit and wait. These... games were meant to be solved, I think. Its just a matter of figuring out the solution."
Nodding, I said, "Right. Makes sense. I'll try that. Thanks." Moving back to the starting tile, I prepared to start again.
I heard a ringing sound, what I later learned was a doorbell, and Hiro said, "That's probably the others. Liz, I need to take off again. I'll leave you here with Miss Mouse for a little bit." I thought I heard a whispered objection from Mouse. After a moment, I heard Hiro whisper, "Just keep her company for a bit. She's been alone for a while now, and we're the first people she's been able to talk in weeks. I won't be long."
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NEW CHAPTER UP!!!
More please
I love Liz and Hiro so much. S'awesome. And yeah, I know it as far as the 'gamer' tag is concerned. I've seen all sorts of people too. Me, I'm just your average 6'5" dude who's a little overweight.
Anywho, does Hiro's LoL team have a name? I'm curious to hear what it is if they do have one. X3
Wow! This is one awesome read.
Interesting ... in a way, I'm not surprised that Hiro is a big dude ... he just seemed like he'd be one; not sure why. I'm wondering how his foot got injured, and if it's tied to his parents' death somehow. Liz and Hiro are so cute ... love their dynamic. Mouse sounds utterly adorkable too. Hopefully Smith will be there soon ... LOL "Agent Orange," I can see why he changed it ... I bet that made him the butt of a few jokes.
I want moar of this old man.......
5412151
It's a true story.
5412188 Where you live is awesome.
I really enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to read. Can't wait to see what happens next.
5412210
It was a few years ago. I've moved since then. But yeah, where I live now is pretty awesome too.
Mouse is adorable. I love her. Is she true human?
That old man gamer sounds awesome and I want to hear more of his exploits.
That true name thing with birth records is rather insightful. Though does that work for humans or just magical creatures?
...Resevoir dogs,Or the Herbicide?
5414829
Only he will ever know for sure.
Okay, I've decided that I now have to read everything you've written here. I like your writing style too much to not do so.
OCs, HIE, and what have you aside, I really think this story deserves more exposure... I really think you'd get a lot of favorites if more people would give it a shot...
I love this story!!!!
Don't stop writing!
5412137 I know!! I too got the sense Hiro would be of the larger, more muscular persuasion!
Good man, give us more
Okaaayyy!
Yeah, there was just one little stumbling-block in the first chapter, but everything since has been pure adventure. Bravo!
5417237 My grandpa was a guard when they made the herbacide. He got cancer from it.
Or maybe that was the smoking.
But he was still a guard!
Last post the 21st of December. Nyeagh.
5842905 This story needs an update!
You have all these stories marked incomplete but you seem to only work on one story at a time. Any chance you'll end up working on this (or one of the other stories) half way through your current story or when/if you finish it?
And then.... It went silent for a while!
So we're off to a good start, at first we thought this was in the Optimalverse, but now it's clearly not. Sweet!
Keep going! ;)
I was getting really excited, and REALLY into the story, then i reached the last chapter out. Bucking Nonsense, when are you going to update all these amazing stories?
nnnnoooooooo! This story is so good!
Hmm, yes... I would like another serving now, please. ... What? What do you mean it's out of stock?!? I can't believe this! I'm going to have to call the manager. Where can I find them? ... Unavailable?!?!? What do you mean, unavailable?!?!?!! This is impossible, improper, implausible, impudent, imponderable!!! You absolutely must tell me as soon as there is more!
*grumble grumble...*Kids these days...*grumble grumble...*
(
)
6438768 I second this notion.
How do you tie back hail and why would it be brown?
I'm looking forward to more.
~poke~
Does this fic still alive?
6448760 Motion carried. Bucking Nonsense, you are hereby sentenced to write more of this story as quickly as possibly, or face the wrath of angry fans
6794045 I, um, don't know that I've ever had wrath. I certainly don't have any of it on me right now. I think the best I can do is awkward silence, is that ok?
More please! Too awesome and funny to leave hanging.
When can we have more plz?
7318798
Just because you don't believe in gravity, doesn't mean you won't fall off and die if you walk off of a cliff.
wow again. reminds me of an article in a game magazine where someone was playing a game that simulated dogfights with WWII-era fighter planes: after he lost, he was astounded to find out that his opponent had really flown a fighter in WWII!
oh, i just remembered: one of my favorite online comics is "code name: Hunter". Hunter is part of a secret British agency that deals with magical problems. their best defense against magic involves using a sword and a metal collar to "ground" magical attacks directed against them...but Hunter has a bad habit of charging toward the enemy.
7319140 Update now!!!!!!!!!! This story is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please?
Any chances of you coming back to this story?
Hiro Ecks
heroics
i get it!
6794443 *awkward silence-ing intensifies*
7713515 i thought it was 'Hero X'
8570663
Hey Listen
When the neck are you going to finish this?
It's been 3 years...