No one's POV
Currently in a forest area in GGO, Sinon is running from two players in hood chasing after her and she continued and then made it into a open area and she then turned around and aimed her sniper at them and shot,
but one of the players dodged her shot and then went to aim at her,but suddenly she jumped back and two armed car came crashing down and the players looked completely shocked and Sinon just smirked as she got behind it and the other players started to shoot at it, but dodged as they almost got ran over and the driver on the first car, who was Klein aimed his assault rifle out the window and started to fire at them.
Klien: This is a fully-automatic Tanegashima!
Klein continued to drive and Liz aimed her shotgun out the window and fired at them.
Liz: You dirty PK jerks, how do you like this?
As Liz continued to fire at them, the two hooded players continued to dodge their shots and fire at them and from the back Silica who was on a mounted turret and Philia who was holding a mini gun both started to fire at them.
Philia: You messed with the wrong team!!
As one of the hooded players took cover from Silica and Philia, the other armed car who had Kureha and Zeliska at the back, along with Arfa Sys who was driving the car.
Kureha: Whoa! Whoa! Don't think you can run away from us.
Zeliska: Now bow before your Queen.
Arfa Sys: I won't let you get in my Master way.
Kureha and Zeliska started firing their rifles towards the hooded figures. The two hooded figures started hiding behind some nearby tree. Trying to make their escaped, they threw some smoke grenade blinding them. Sinon looked towards the armored car and shouted out.
Sinon: You three are up! I'll cover you!
Klien and Arfa Sys stopped the car, and two figure from Klien's car and one figure from Arfa Sys car jumped out and started heading for the hooded Pk. And all three of them activated their photon swords and it was Kirito, Asuna, and Zora.
And watching from a drone, was another player with long hair and he saw all four of them using photon swords.
???: Photon swords?
Another player with short blonde hair was over looking all the hooded players started to give out orders.
???: Teams B, C and D, head to Grid 4-6 to back up Team A. You have permission to use grenades.
???: Hey, Boss, can I go too?
???: It's probably too late for that. Just sit back and watch.
Back with Zora and the others, they were still giving chase to the two hooded players and as they were, four more hooded players then appeared and one shot a grenade at them, but a sniper shot flew past Zora's head and hit the grenade and blew it up and Zora looked back at Sinon was in her sniping position and smiled at her and she smiled at him back.
Zora: Let's go you two!
Kirito and Asuna: Yeah!
The hooded player started firing at Zora and he blocked the shots, along with Kirito and Asuna helping him from the sides covering the shots for Zora.
Kirito: Go Zora!
Asuna: Leave this to us!
Zora then rushed towards one of the player shooting at him and slashed him in half, and both Kirito and Asuna went to take down their targets, but one of them throw a smoke grenade at them. Seeing this, Zora, Kirito, and Asuna regrouped with their backs behind each other. But once the smokes cleared away, the hooded players were gone.
Zora: Again...?
Back with the two other players, over looking the fight, his alarm started to go off.
???: Times up, huh? All teams, retreat. Move away from Grid 1-9.
???: That would've been the last prey for today, right? You sure you want to end on a loss, Boss?
???: Battling an irregular squadron like that won't do much good, training wise. We wouldn't want any negative effects to carry over into the actual operation. Let's go.
The blonde haired player started to walk away and the long haired player then put his hood up and smirked.
???: Till next time.
(Timeskip)
After the fight, Zora and the others went back to town, celebrating their victory at some nearby bar.
Klien: Man, I'd heard the rumors, but GGO sure is a hardcore game. I mean, you're allowed to PK all you want wherever you are on the field!
Philia: But it's alright. With Kureha, Zeliska, and Arfa Sys over here, we will know when the enemy might hit us.
Kureha just blush slightly while Zeliska smile delightedly.
Kureha: Yeah, but even with no-holds-barred PK-ing, that squadron we just fought was an anomaly.
Zeliska: Indeed. Normally, you'd PK for money or items...
Kirito: But those guys only seemed to be focuses on killing us.
Zora: They were tossing grenades and smoke without restraint. Wouldn't that put them in the red?
Sinon: Probably. But they're always like that whenever they show up. They attacked squadrons that are left isolated on the field, massacre them, then vanish without even looting items.
Asuna: Is it true they have a 100% win rate?
Zeliska: Yeah. Our squads were ambushed just awhile back before we asked you guys for helped.
Kureha: That's why I thought of inviting Sora here for helped. With his team, I thought we could win if we went after them in a really unusual style. But it seems that my plan had too many holes. I never thought they'd just retreat like that!
Klien: But hey, it's not a defeat, right?
Kirito: They're the ones who ran, so it's the same as a win!
Liz:Not that we have any idea who they really are, or what they're after.
Asuna: I wish we could've found out the leaders name.
Silica: It wasn't even clear which one of them was the leader, though, was it?
Philia: My guesses that, none of them was the leader. I think that the true leader of those squadron is hiding somewhere else giving orders.
Zora suddenly, started to doze off and leaned on Kureha's shoulder.
Kureha: Hey! Don't just doze off like that! Geez...
Zora: Zzz...
Philia: I think it's best to just let him sleep. He's been taking time off from school since Thursday, touring companies.
Asuna: Kirito here, has been doing the same.
Sinon: Zora's probably tangled up in some bizarre business again.
Kureha: As his senior, I think I need to discipline him.
Kureha said while grabbing Zora's head who was on her shoulder and putting him on her lap letting him sleep. After awhile, everyone then walked out to logout and Klein, Liz, Silica, Kureha and Zeliska all logged out, leaving Zora, Philia, Sinon, Kirito and Asuna.
Sinon: There's actually something I need your help with.
Asuna: You mean the PK squadron?
Sinon: Actually, it's something else.
Sinon looked over at a terminal for the last Bullet of Bullets and saw the listing for the top 3 players.
#1 Subtilizer
#2 Kirito
#3 Sinon
Sinon: Could you, Philia, Kirito, and Zora meet me on the other side tomorrow?
Philia: Let's see... the evening should be okay.
Asuna: Yeah, I'm free during that time.
Philia: Let's meet in Agil's shop. Is that alright with you?
Sinon: Of course. Oh and I'll email you both the gist of what I'm going to ask you. Read it over, okay?
Asuna: Right.
Philia: Then I'll see you there.
Kirito: Even though I have a pretty good ideas of what you want to ask us.
Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon then logged out, while Philia go and wake Zora up telling him to log out.
(Timeskip)
Currently, Sora, Kazuto and Shino are at Agil's bar, waiting for Asuna and Kotone to get here and Shino was looking up and down at Sora.
Shino: Hey, did you lose some weight?
Sora: You think so? Never mind that. Didn't you want to ask me something? Is it about BoB?
Shino: Yeah. There's a player named Subtilizer who won BoB 4. He also won the first one. And who also beat me and Kazuto as well.
Sora: He beat both of you? He must be really strong.
Shino: We were all so fired up, you know. About getting the chance to face the legendary Subtilizer.
Sora: From what I could tell from the live feed, he's got a silent, matter of fact fighting style. It seemed similar to the vibe I was getting from yesterday's PK squadron.
Kazuto: You have no idea. Subtilizer's on a whole other level. He read every single one of my move. He disarmed my Photon Sword and killed me in an instant.
Shino: It's the same as me too.
Sora: That's incredible. To be able to anticipate the moves of BoB veterans.
Shino: After playing enough to be considered a veteran, you find yourself bound by theory, so it might be easy to recognize pattern in our movements. Which brings to my request.
Shino then points Sora with a finger gun.
Shino: They way I see it, a player who acts unpredictable in any fighting style might be able to outmaneuver Subtilizer. It may be early, but I'd like your help in the 5th one at the end of the year. That's why I've asked you here today.
Sora: Eh...?
Shino: Whoever we're up against, we're definitely going to win the next one! Whatever it takes!
Sora: It's not even a Squad Jam, so we can't really team up. And also... Looks like you're pretty much over it now.
Sora and Kazuto smile knowing that Shino managed to overcome her fear of guns.
Shino: Ah...? It isn't like I'm not scared at all, but I'm getting better.
Kazuto: By the way, how's he doing?
Shino: Oh..Shinkawa is...Yeah, his condition's starting to stabilize. I'm planning to visit him again soon.
Sora: I see. That's good to hear. Then I guess that means the Death Gun incident is all wrapped up now, huh?
Shino: Although there's still one more perp on the run.
Kazuto: Kikuoka said it's just a matter of time before he's arrested, too.
Shino: Yeah, I guess so.
Asuna: Hello!
Kotone: Good Afternoon!
Asuna and Kotone walked inside the bar and the two of them sat down, with Asuna beside Kazuto and Kotone beside Sora.
Asuna: Hey, there, Shino-non!
Kotone: How are you doing?
Shino: Hello, Asuna, Kotone!
Asuna and Kotone strode across the natural wood floor so that they could clasp hands and share in the delight of reunion. They sat down in adjacent chairs, and Sora asked in surprise.
Sora: When did you three get to be so close?
Kotone: Oh, me and Shino stayed at Asuna's house last month.
Kazuto: Wh-what? Even I've never been to her house.
Asuna: And whose fault is that?
Asuna chided, fixing Kazuto with a glare.
Asuna: Who keeps claiming he needs more time before he's ready?
His response was to sulk and sip at his drink. Still, Asuna smiled at him with kindly understanding.
Asuna: Anyway, about BoB 5, it's okay with me!
Kotone: I'm in too!
Sora: You asked them, too?
Shino: Yes. With those two by my side, we could keep an eye on you two boys.
Sora and Kazuto: -_-
Kotone: Hey, Sora. You've lost weight, haven't you?
Asuna: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Sora: Even you two!
Shino: See? Even Kotone and Asuna think so!
Kotone: It's because of your part-time job, isn't it? Really. Overdoing it again.
Kotone grabbed her phone and looked at something.
Sora: Please don't look at that every time you're worried of me.
Kotone: It doesn't seem to be affecting you physically, but...
Asuna: What are you looking at?
Kotone pulled her phone from the bag slung over the back of the chair, presenting it to Asuna and Shino with the welcome screen activated. It was set to display a cute animated background. In the center of the screen was a pink heart with red ribbons, pulsing regularly once a second. There were two numbers on the bottom of the heart, but she wasn't sure what they meant at first. On the left was the number 63 in a large font, while smaller and on the right was 36.2. As both Asuna and Shino watched curiously, the left one rose to 64.
Shino: What is...?
Sora: -_- Don't stare at it like that.
Sora sheepishly asked her not to stare at it. At last, she figured out what the numbers represented.
Asuna: Wait...this is your pulse and body temperature in Celsius, Sora?
Kotone: Bingo. You catch on quick, Asuna.
Kotone said, clapping. Asuna looked back and forth from the phone to Kazuto's face a few times, then asked the first question that came to mind.
Asuna: But how does that work?
Sora: Under the skin, right here.
Sora said, pointing to the center of his chest with his thumb. He reached out toward Shino and made a gap with his fingers less than a quarter of an inch wide.
Sora: There's a tiny sensor about this big stuck in there. It measures my heart rate and temperature and sends it to my phone through Bluetooth. From there it goes through the Net to Kotone's phone, giving her a real-time status update on me.
Shino: What? A biometric sensor?
Shino squawked. Two seconds later, she wondered.
Shino: B-but why...? Oh, is it an anti-cheating system?
Sora and Kotone: No!
Sora: Actually, when I started my new job, the client recommended having it implanted. It beats having to stick the electrodes to my chest each and every time I go in. When I told Kotone about it, she strongly recommended that I send her the vital data. So I put together a little app and installed it on Kotone's phone.
Kotone: I mean, I don't want some company to monopolize Sora's body data. In fact, I was against him getting that weird object put in him in the first place.
Sora: -_- Oh, really? Who was it who happily said she liked to check the monitor when she had a moment to spare?
He prodded. Kotone's cheeks went just a bit red.
Kotone: Well, looking at it really sets my mind at ease. To see that Sora's heart is beating.
Asuna continue to look at Sora's heartbeat at Kotone's phone, before her eyes looked up seemingly glowing and looked over towards Kazuto.
Kazuto: Oh no...
Sora: Welcome to my world...
Shino: Now then... Let's hear more details. What is this fishy job you're doing? Knowing you, it's probably just an alpha test for some new VRMMO or something.
He stared at her for a long moment, then clarified her suspicion.
Sora: Well, you're not right, but you're not wrong.
Sora smirked and traced the center of his chest where the micro-sensor was embedded.
Sora: Yes, it's true that I'm a tester. But what I'm testing isn't a new game, but the brain-machine interface of an entirely new full-dive system.
Shino: Ohh! So they're coming out with a new generation of the AmuSphere? Are you testing it for Asuna's dad's company?
Kazuto: Nope, RCT has nothing to do with it.
Sora: In fact...I'm not really sure what the whole scope of the company is. It's a venture I'd never heard of before this, but their development funding is massive. I wonder if they've got some huge investment fund backing them.
He said, putting on an enigmatic expression. Shino tilted her head in confusion.
Shino: Oh...what's the company's name?
Sora: It's called Rath.
Asuna: I've never heard of that company.
Shino: Hmm, is that an English word...?
Sora: I wondered the same thing. Kotone knew the answer.
Kotone: That's the name of an imaginary creature that appears in " Through the looking Glass. " Some say it's a pig while others say it's a turtle.
Shino: So they're going to release a next generation full-dive machine?
Sora: Well, I don't know. The actual body of the machine is kinda huge. Combined with the control console and cooling system, it would probably fill this entire room... From what I hear, the very first full-dive prototype was that big, and it took them five years to get it down to the size of the NerveGear. And they say RCT's pushing to get the AmuSphere's successor out next year...Wait, was that supposed to be a secret, again?
Hearing this made Asuna laughed.
Asuna: It's fine, they're going to announce it at the Tokyo Game Show next month.
Shino: Oh, RCT's got a new one, too? I hope it's not that expensive.
Kazuto: I know, right? They won't even tell me the price, though...But I'm really enjoying ALO, so I'm not in any hurry to upgrade. It's tempting when they talk about how much better the graphical power is, though. They said it's going to be backward-compatible.
Shino: Whoa, really? Maybe I should look into a job, too.
Shino said, consulting a mental spreadsheet of her finances. She looked over at Sora.
Shino: Does that mean that huge full-dive machine Rath is working on isn't for commercial use? Is it industrial?
Sora: I think it's still before that stage of development. In fact, if you're going to be specific, it's a completely different thing from the current full-dive system.
Shino: Different? What's the in-game world like?
Sora: I don't actually know.
Everyone: Huh?
Then Sora matter-of-factly dropped the most shocking detail yet.
Sora: It's probably for the purposes of secrecy, but I can't actually bring the memory of what happens in the VR world back to real life. I've completely forgotten everything I saw and did during the test.
Everyone looked at Sora completely shocked.
Shino: Forgotten every last detail? Don't tell me it's the same as the Augma?
Sora: No, it's a purely electronic measure. Or...quantum measure, I guess. So it doesn't put any stress on your brain like the Augma did. It's just that I can't remember, since the Fluctlight is blocking the path.
Kotone: Fluct...?
Sora: Then I'll start by explaining the broad picture. What the Soul Translation tech is all about.
The unfamiliar name sounded like a spell in a game, Shino thought. Something about it didn't seem to fit the concept of cutting-edge technology. Next to her, Asuna wondered.
Asuna: Really...? "Soul"...?
Kazuto: Yeah, I thought the name was pretty overblown the first time I heard it, too.
Sora: Where do you think the human soul is located?
Kotone: Soul?
Kotone asked, taken aback. The answer seemed obvious.
Shino: Inside the head...the brain, right?
Sora: Then if you zoomed in and looked at the brain in detail, where would you find the mind?
Shino: Where...?
Sora: Well, the brain is just a mass of brain cells. Like this...
He held out his left hand toward Shino, fingers extended, then used his right index and middle fingers to trace a circle in his palm, then a larger one around it.
Sora: You've got a nucleus in the middle, then a cell body that surrounds it...
He tapped his five fingers in order, then drew a line from wrist to elbow.
Sora: You've got dendrites, and an axon, then the connection to the next cell. Which part of this brain cell contains the mind, do you suppose? The nucleus? The mitochondria?
Shino: Umm...
Shino mumbled. Kotone spoke up.
Kotone: You just mentioned that it's connected to the next cell, Sora. Isn't it the network of all those neurons tied together that makes up the mind? It's like if you asked someone what the Internet is—you can't explain the answer if you only look at individual computers.
Sora: Yes. At present, the neural network is the mind, in my opinion. But...I feel like the question of what the Internet is, for example, would get you a lot of different answers. I mean, it's a construct of computers all over the world connected through a common protocol...
He pointed to his own phone on the table, then to Kotone's.
Sora: In terms of making up that network, you can say that these individual computers are the Internet. You might even claim that the users operating those computers are part of the Internet. All these things together make up what we know as the Internet.
Shino: So...what does the human mind have to do with the Internet?
Sora gave the glass back to Kotone and made a spherical gesture with his hands.
Sora: Well, the shape of the Internet is this giant net of servers, routers, computers, and mobile phones.
Asuna: The shape...
Shino: So what is its essence?
Shino thought it over.
Shino: You mean...what flows through that network? Electronic bits and bytes...?
Sora: True, but the electric and light pulses are just the medium. The essence of the Net is what is passed through the medium: information put into words. Let's use that definition here.
He stopped gesturing and steepled his bony fingers on the tabletop.
Sora: Now, let's return to the network made up of tens of billions of brain cells. If we view this as the shape of the mind, then what is the essence we should be looking for?
Shino: The stuff being transferred through the medium...through the electric pulses in the brain cells. So...information?
Kazuto: Actually, the pulses are more like.
Kazuto said, forming a fist with his right hand and pushing it toward his open left palm.
Kazuto: A trigger that releases a transmission substance into the synapses between neurons. Just the consecutive firing of cells along a particular route can't be called the essence of the mind, I think that's what Bro is trying to say.
Sora: Indeed.
Shino: Umm...so...
Shino mumbled, frowning, and Kotone stepped in at last.
Kotone: This isn't really fair, Sora. After all, even modern science doesn't have a clear answer about what the mind is, does it?
Sora: That's true.
He said, grinning.
Shino: Wh-what?! You set me up into racking my brain over something I could never figure out!
Shino fumed. Sora merely looked away at the rainy neighborhood through the window and said gravely.
Sora: But there is one person who approached the answer, while working on a particular theory.
Kazuto: A...theory?
Sora: Quantum mind mechanics. It was originally proposed by an English scholar toward the end of last century and treated like fringe science for years. Now Rath is building that monstrous machine based on it...First of all, let me clarify that I barely understand everything after this point. But anyway, remember how I described the structure of the brain cell?
Shino, Kotone, and Asuna nodded.
Sora: Inside the cell is a frame that supports the whole structure. They're called microtubules. The thing is, those little 'bones' don't just support, they're also like a skull. For the brain inside the brain cell.
Asuna: Huh...?
Sora: They're tubules. Hollow tubes. Just very, very small ones...nanometers in diameter. But they're not empty. There's something stored inside those tubes.
Shino looked over at Kotone and Asuna, then they looked at Sora.
Shino: What's inside them?
Sora: Light. Photons. Evanescent photons, they call them. A photon is a quantum of light. Their existence is indeterminate in nature and fluctuates constantly in a probabilistic manner. According to this theory in question, this fluctuation is, in fact...the human mind.
Those words sent an instantaneous, inexplicable chill across Shino's back and upper arms. The human mind is flickering light? The image was mysterious, beautiful, and, in her opinion, eerily holy in nature. Asuna's brown eyes wavered nervously as she considered the same concept.
Asuna: Earlier, you said the name of the new full-dive machine is...the Soul Translator. Are they claiming the aggregate of all that light is the human soul?
Sora: The Rath engineers call it a quantum field instead. But given what they named the machine, I'm certain that's how they feel about it... That this quantum field is the soul.
Kazuto: So what does that mean? That the Soul Translator is a machine that connects not to the human brain but to the soul itself...?
Sora: When you say it that way, it sounds less like a machine and more like a magic item in a game.
He grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
Sora: But it's not powered by magic or holy miracles. To explain how it works a little more: It records a microtubule photon as a unit of data called a 'cubit,' based on its spin and vector. So the brain cell isn't just a gate switch that allows signals through but a tiny little quantum computer all its own... And even that surface explanation is beyond my understanding...
Shino: Don't worry, you lost me ages ago.
Asuna: Me, too...
Kotone: Same...
Kazutoi: I'm barely still able to understand.
Shino, Kotone, and Asuna signaled their resignation, Kazuto still racking his brain trying to understand and Sora heaved a sigh of relief.
Sora: So this amalgamation of photons acts as both a processor and memory, and it might just be the true form of the human soul...Well, Rath decided to give it their own special name. It's based on the term fluctuating light, which is combined as... Fluctlight.
Shino: ...Fluct...light.
Shino mumbled, repeating the strange word. If everything he'd just told them was correct, then one of these fluctlights was inside her own head. In fact, it was what she was using to think... Her own consciousness... That shiver returned, and she rubbed at her bare arms where they emerged from her short summer sleeves. Asuna was also cradling her own body.
Asuna: So the machine that reads Fluctlights is called the Soul Translator?
Kotone: But you could do the opposite as well, right?
Shino: Opposite?
Kazuto: The AmuSphere allows us to experience the virtual world by sending visuals and audio signals to the brain, right. So couldn't the Soul Translator send information to the soul in the same way?
Shino: Meaning...it writes information into the user's soul...?
They all looked at Sora. The black-haired boy was uncertain for a moment, then eventually indicated a confirmation.
Sora: The Soul Translator, which Rath refers to with the acronym STL, has a bidirectional translation capability. It takes the billions of cubits of data the human fluctlight possesses and translates them into words we can understand, and it also retranslates information written in our words in order to record them. Otherwise it wouldn't be a full dive into another world, as Kazuto said. Essentially, it accesses the part of the fluctlight that stores and processes sensory information and gives it the information the machine wants the person to see or hear.
Kotone leaned forward. This was what she'd been waiting for.
Kotone: Are you saying...this even works on memory within the soul? You just said you don't have any memory of what happens after you come out of a dive. Are you saying the Soul Translator—the STL—can erase or overwrite memories?
Sora: No.
He said, brushing her hand reassuringly and shaking his head.
Sora: The parts that manage long-term memory are so wide-ranging and have such a complex archiving system that it's beyond their grasp at the moment. The reason I don't have memories of the dive is just because they shut off access to those parts, they say. So it's not that the memory was erased after it happened—I just can't remember it, I guess.
Kotone: But still...I'm concerned, Sora. I mean, memory manipulation... And wasn't it Chrysheight...I mean, Mr. Kikuoka from the government who brought you that job offer? I don't think he's a bad person, but I feel like I don't fully understand his motives. He's like the guild commander, somehow. I just get the feeling... that something bad is going to happen again...
Sora: You're right that he's not someone you can fully let your guard down with. I still don't know his exact position or job duties. But...
Sora paused, and his pupils focused on someplace far away.
Sora: I took the very first morning train on the day the original industrial full- dive machine was first put on display at the amusement park in Shinjuku. I was only in grade school...but I knew that was it. That was the world that had always called to me. I saved up all my allowance to buy the NerveGear the day it came out...and spent countless hours on all kinds of VR games. At the time, I couldn't have cared less about the real world. Eventually I got selected to the SAO beta test, and everything went wrong from there...All those people died. Even after we finally got out after two years, there was Sugou, and Death Gun after that. I just...want to know. Where full-dive technology is taking us...What all those incidents truly meant...The way the Soul Translator functions is entirely new, but the basic architecture is modeled after the Medicuboid they use in hospitals.
Kotone's, Kazuto's, Asuna's shoulders twitched when they heard that. But his quiet, steady voice continued to fill the room.
Sora: I just have a feeling. There's something within the Soul Translator. Something more than just an amusement...Yes, there might be risks involved. But...
He mimicked grabbing a sword and swinging it.
Sora: I've come back from all those worlds before. I'll be back from this one, too. Even if I am just a wimpy, underweight gamer in real life.
Kotone: You'd be totally helpless without me there to watch your back.
Kotone laughed, then sighed and looked over at Asuna and Shino.
Kotone: I wonder where he gets this confidence.
Shino: Hmm, I don't know. He is the legendary hero, after all.
Asuna: Who saved our life many-many times.
Shino understood some of the things Kotone and Sora were talking about and didn't know others, so she chose to keep her distance from the conversation as it was happening. Now she tried to break the chilly mood by saying.
Shino: I read that Full Record of the SAO Incident book that came out last month. I'm still having a hard time reconciling that the Night Sky Swordsman in there is this guy.
Sora: H-hey, don't say it like that.
Sora complained, waving his hands dismissively as he leaned back. Asuna giggled.
Asuna: I know, right? The leader of a pretty big guild among the active members of the game put the book together, so it's pretty accurate about most stuff, but there's a heavy bias on how they represent the people. Like the scene where Sora fights the orange player...
Kotone, Asuna, Shino: 'When I pull out my third sword, no one can withstand me!'
The girls burst into laughter and Sora sank sullenly into his chair while Kazuto comforts him. Relieved that Kotone was smiling again, Shino decided to deliver a follow-up.
Shino: I hear the book's going to be translated into English for America. Then the great hero will be an international figure.
Sora: Just when I was trying to forget...They really owe me some royalties, I figure.
Sora grumbled to another round of laughter. Shino decided she'd get back on topic by asking something that had been bothering her.
Shino: But Sora, does this STL just end up doing the same thing as the AmuSphere? If it's just going to generate a virtual polygonal world and send the images and sounds to the brain like before, why go to the lengths of this elaborate new system?
Sora: Aha! Good question. You said 'generate a virtual polygonal world.' Well, a polygon is just a series of coordinates and a plane connecting them. It's digital data. Modeling is so high-res nowadays that trees and furniture and all that are indistinguishable from the real thing, but at its core, they're no different from this.
He flipped through the phone on the table and booted up one of the preinstalled mini-games. The futuristic race car that rotated slowly on the demo screen had a primitive interior design and somewhat blocky angles. It wouldn't fool anyone. Shino looked up and noted.
Shino: Sure...even in ALO and GGO, if you get enough players in one place, the system sometimes starts to chug as it draws objects. But there isn't really a fundamental difference between the AmuSphere and STL in that regard, is there? They're both showing their users things that don't exist so that they can see and touch them. Those things still have to be created as a 3-D model from scratch.
Sora: That's the thing. Umm...how do I explain this...?
Sora paused, then picked up the empty caffé glass and showed it to Shino.
Sora: This glass exists in reality, right?
Shino: Yes.
Sora pushed it closer to her face. His next words were somewhat difficult to understand.
Sora: Listen. At the same time that this glass is being held in my fingers...it's also in your mind, in what Rath would call your fluctlight. Technically it's just the light reflecting off the glass that your retinas are catching and converting into nerve signals that allow you to visualize it as a glass in your mind. Now if I do this...
He reached out and covered her eyes with his other hand. She automatically shut her eyelids, reducing her vision to solid gray with a hint of red.
Sora: Did the glass within you disappear instantaneously?
She wasn't sure what he was getting at but gave him an honest answer anyway.
Shino: I'm not that forgetful. I was watching it for so long, I remember the color and shape of the glass. Oh...but it is getting a bit more vague...
Sora: Exactly.
He took away his hand, and Shino opened her eyes to glare at him.
Shino: Exactly, what?
Sora: Get this...When we look at the glass, or the table, or each other, we're holding that data in a form that can be stored and replayed within the visual processing center of our fluctlights. It's not just a copy that disappears the moment we close our eyes. So when I hide this glass from sight and your memory of it fades...
He slipped the hand holding the glass under the table.
Sora: And then I input into your fluctlight vision center a perfect copy of that data from when you were looking at the glass earlier, you will be seeing a glass that isn't actually on the table right now. Something far more vivid than just a 3-D model...The glass will be absolutely identical to the real thing.
Shino: Okay...maybe that's true in theory...but when you're talking about data that the human mind saves, that's just memory, right? You can't just hypnotize people into recreating their memories from an external source. How do they...
Shino stopped. Just a few minutes ago, Sora had told her about a machine that could do that very thing. Kazuto broke her long silence to chime in for Shino.
Kazuto: The same way the AmuSphere shows the user's brain 3-D data...the STL writes in short-term memories to the user's mind. In other words...it's not a creation. The virtual world and everything in it that the STL builds...is essentially real, as far as our brains can process it...?
Sora dipped his head and put the glass back on the table.
Sora: Rath calls the images in our minds 'pneumonic visual data.' I still remember what happened in my first few test dives...and it was different. It was nothing at all like the VR worlds that the AmuSphere creates. It was just a small room I was in, but I...
He paused and adopted an awkward, deliberate grin that dimpled one cheek.
Sora: At first, I couldn't even tell it was a virtual world.
Asuna: But is it really safe?
Kotone: I was thinking the same thing, it scares me.
Kazuto: It was Kikuoka who offered you that job, wasn't it?
Sora: It's true that I never let my guard down. The tech sounds really creepy when you hear all these terms like fluctlight and pneumonic visuals...but I think I actually connect with the world the STL creates more than the AmuSphere's. When you get down to it, it's basically more like a waking dream...
Kotone: A dream?
Sora: Yeah. You're calling forth objects that exist as saved memories, creating a world by combining them together, then doing stuff in it...Doesn't that sound like how dreams work? In fact, they say the brain patterns of people in the STL are very close to those of being asleep.
Kazuto: So your job is basically to dream? You slept for three whole days and made a bunch of money doing it?
Sora: Th-that's what I told you right at the start. I didn't eat, didn't drink, just slept. I mean, I had an IV for water and nutrition.
Now that he mentioned it, she did remember him saying that just after he'd shown up at the café. But she figured he was just lying on a gel bed, not literally engaged in a very, very long dream. Shino looked up and murmured.
Shino: A three-day-long dream...You could do all kinds of things in that time. And you wouldn't have to worry about waking up before you get to eat that delicious piece of cake.
Sora: Sadly, I don't remember what sort of things I ate on the other side. Let's just say I had cake for every meal...
He joked, but let the words trail off. Shino looked down and saw that his eyebrows were pensive under those long bangs.
Asuna: What's wrong, Sora?
Asuna asked, but he didn't respond. He made the motion of grabbing something and bringing it to his mouth.
Sora: It wasn't...cake...Something harder...and salty...but it was good. What was it...?
Kotone: Y-you remember? What did you eat in the virtual world?
Sora: Nope. Can't remember. It was something I've never eaten in reality...I think...
He scrunched up his face for several more seconds, thinking hard, but eventually exhaled and gave up. Shino couldn't hold back the question that popped into her head.
Shino: Wait, is that even possible, Sora? Eating something in the STL that you've never tasted in real life? I thought you said the STL creates a virtual world constructed from parts that it finds in the user's memory. So in a basic sense, it can't show you things you've never seen or feed you things you've never eaten, right?
Asuna: Oh...yeah, right. Good point, Shino-non. Wouldn't that mean the STL's virtual world is extremely limited in nature, despite its realism? You couldn't create a true fantasy realm like they did for Aincrad or Alfheim.
He acknowledged her point with a nod and smiled to dispel the awkward atmosphere he had created.
Sora: Well, for example, you all have long dreams sometimes, right? And when you wake up, it feels like you've been dreaming for two or three hours. But chances are, you've actually only been dreaming for a few minutes. The STL creates the same kind of phenomenon.
Shino: Um...
Sora: The same way that humans see dreams, spanning several hours in a matter of minutes, you can also, experience the virtual world several times longer then the actual dive time. That's the STL's featured function. Fluctlight Acceleration. FLA for short.
Kazuto: Interesting...
Asuna: I'm so confused.
Kotone: I think my brain just exploded.
Shino: So during the three day dive you were doing, about how much time did you spend inside?
He tilted his head, trying to remember.
Sora: Well...like I explained earlier, my memories of the dive are limited...but I recall them saying that the current maximum amplification factor of the FLA is a bit over three...
Kazuto: So...nine days?
Sora: Or ten.
Asuna: Hmm...I wonder what kind of world it was and what you were doing. If you can't take out the memories, could you at least bring your memories in with you? Were there other testers?
Sora: Honestly, I have no idea about any of that. They said having advance knowledge will affect the test results. But even if they block memories from within the dive, I don't know if they can limit your existing memory...At any rate, the place I go in Roppongi only has one experimental STL in it, so I'm guessing I was the only one diving. They wouldn't tell me anything about the inside. What's the use of being a beater if you can't get an advantage as a beta tester? All they would tell me was the code name of their test world.
Kazuto: And what is that?
Sora: The Underworld.
Shino: Under... an underground world?
Kotone: I don't even know if it's meant to be realistic, or fantasy, or sci-fi. But with a name like that, I'm guessing it's dark and subterranean...
Shino: Hmm. It doesn't really stick out to me.
Shino murmured. Meanwhile, Asuna put a finger to her slender chin and said softly.
Asun: Maybe...that has to do with Alice, too.
Shino: Alice...?
Asuna: Like I said with the source of the name Rath, maybe this one comes from Alice in Wonderland. Well, the original manuscript title was Alice's Adventures Under Ground.
Shino: Oh, I didn't know that. The more I hear, the more this company sounds like it came from a fairy tale. Shino noted giddily.
Kotone: In fact, both Alice books were big, long dreams in the end, right? I wonder if that means you were having tea parties with rabbits and playing chess with a queen while you were under, Sora.
Kotone giggled at the thought. But Sora himself was staring at a fixed point on the table, lost in thought.
Shino: Is something wrong?
Sora:...Oh, uh...
He looked up, still squinting, then blinked in obvious confusion.
Sora: When you said 'Alice'...I felt like I was about to remember something... It was just one of those things, you know? Where you're on the brink of recalling something huge, but you can't remember what it was, so it just sits there on your shoulders like this big ball of anxiety?
Kazuto: Oh, yeah. It's kinda like when you have a nightmare and wake up from it, but you can't remember what it was about.
Sora: There's something...something I'm forgetting that I was supposed to do right away.
Sora lamented, scrunching up his hair. Kotone looked at him with concern.
Kotone: Is it a memory from the test...?
Shino: But you already said that all the memory from the virtual world gets deleted.
Shino reminded him. He shut his eyes and groaned, then gave up and slumped his shoulders.
Sora: Well, it was ten days of memories. Maybe there are little fragments here and there that they couldn't block out entirely...
Asuna: I see...If that's the case, if you still had the memory, you would be a whole week older than us compared to before, mentally speaking. That's... kinda scary to think about.
Sora: I don't know...I kind of like that. It's like it closes the gap a bit. Speaking of which, from the end of yesterday's dive to about the middle of school today, I got this weird feeling. It was like...all the familiar parts of town and TV shows and everything were all fresh, like I hadn't seen them in forever. And when I saw people in class, I was like...'who is that again?'
Shino: Oh, don't be dramatic. It was only ten days.
Shino snapped.
Kotone: Yeah, you're going to make me worry. You have to stop participating in that dangerous experiment, Sora. It's definitely going to affect your health, for one thing.
Sora: Right. The long-term consecutive diving test was a major success, and all the big hurdles as far as the fundamental construction have been passed. Next comes the stage where they shape it into a functional machine, but I can't begin to guess how many years it will take to shrink that enormous thing down to a commercial level...I'm not going for any side jobs anytime soon. I've got finals next month, anyway.
Shino: Ugh. Don't remind me. You two are lucky; you barely even have any paper tests. We still have to use Scantrons. I wish they would get with the times.
Asuna: Hee-hee! Well, we should have a study session sometime soon.
Asuna suggested. She looked up at the wall behind Shino and gasped.
Asuna: It's almost six! Time really does fly when you're chatting.
Kazuto: I guess we should wrap it up. I feel like we only talked about the main point of the meeting for about five minutes.
And after they had finished talking, they all had walked outside and got ready to leave and Sora put up his hood on his hoodie and Kotone opened her umbrella.
Shino: We'll be in touch about the BoB. Thanks for coming.
Asuna: Sure!
Kotone: See you, Shino!
Shino: Later, Asuna, Kotone.
Shino then walked away.
Asuna: Well, we should be going as well.
Kazuto: I'll see you at home, bro. I'll be taking Asuna home.
Asuna and Kazuto both walked away and Kotone looked over at Sora.
Kotone: Let's go.
Kotone saw that Sora was looking down the street and his eyes were narrowed.
Kotone: What's wrong?
Sora: Nothing. Let's go.
Sora and Kotone then started walking back towards Kotone's home. And after an hour, Sora came to a sudden stop, and so did Kotone at the exact same moment. When she opened her eyes, the striking of seven o'clock caused an old-fashioned wrought-iron streetlamp to flicker to life. There were no other people to be seen on the residential walkway in the dusk after the day's rain. Sora slowly tilted his head to look at Kotone with those blue eyes of his.
Sora: Kotone...
He took a step forward to drive away his hesitation.
Sora: I think I'm going to go.
Kotone knew that he had been weighing a decision about his future path.
Kotoen: To America?
Sora: Yeah. I've already talked it over with Kazuto. I spent a year doing a lot of research, and I think the brain implant chip they're studying at a university in Santa Clara is the proper next step in the evolution of full-diving. I think that's the way that the brain-machine interface is going to go. And I really, really want to see when the next world is born.
She looked directly back into those eyes and nodded.
Kotone: It wasn't all just fun times...There were hard times and sad times, too. You want to find out why you were called to that castle, and where it's been taking you.
Sora: I could live hundreds of years, and I'd still never see the end of that road.
Sora quipped with a grin. However, he soon fell silent again. Kotone sensed that he couldn't bring himself to say that they'd be living far apart. She was going to keep that smile on her face and tell him her own answer that she'd been incubating within her for so long—but Sora found his voice then, his expression the exact same one she remembered from when he proposed to her in Aincrad.
Sora: So, I...I want you to come with me, Kotone. I just—I can't do it without you. I know this is an impossible request. I'm sure you have your own ideas for your future. But even still, I...
He hesitated—Kotone's eyes had bulged, and she snorted.
Sora: Huh...?
Kotone: S-sorry, I shouldn't laugh. But...is that seriously what you've been worrying about all this time?
Sora: W-well, of course.
Kotone: Oh, sheesh. My answer's been decided for ages before all this.
She reached over and enfolded Sora's hand with both of hers. She gave him an even bigger bob of the head.
Kotone: Of course I'm going with you. I'll go anywhere to be with you.
Sora: Kotone...
He stared at her, blinked several times, then gave her a dazzling smile of the sort he rarely ever showed. He lifted his other hand to her shoulder. She let go and circled her arms around his back.
Their lips were chilly when they first touched, but they soon melted into warmth. Kotone imagined the light that made up their souls trading infinite information. She knew for certain that no matter what world, no matter how long they traveled, their hearts would never be apart. In fact, their hearts had been connected long ago. Since the moment they disappeared in a rainbow aurora above the collapse of Aincrad, or perhaps even before that—as lonely solo players who met deep in a dark labyrinth.
Kotone: So does that mean...
Kotone wondered aloud several minutes later as they resumed their walk through the neighborhood.
Kotone: You don't think the Soul Translator you've been testing is the proper evolution of full-diving? The brain chip is a connection on the cellular level like the NerveGear, but the STL goes further to interface on a quantum level, right?
Sora: Hmm... Yes, it might be true that the scope is much more advanced than the brain chip. But it's just...too progressive. It won't just be a few years until they can downsize that tech for home usage. It'll take at least ten or twenty. I feel like the STL I've been working with isn't meant for the purpose of simply allowing a person to full-dive into a virtual world...
Kotone: Huh? What's it for, then?
Sora: I think it might be a tool to understanding the fluctlight, the human consciousness...
Kotone: Hmm...
So the STL wasn't the goal but the means. Kotone tried to imagine what knowing a person's soul would gain you, but he resumed talking before she could fathom such a thing.
Sora: Besides, I think the STL is more like...an extension of Heathcliff's ideas. I don't know why he created the NerveGear and SAO, why he victimized thousands of people, why he fried his own brain and unleashed the Seed into the world...or if there was even a reason for those things. But I can't help but feel like the STL possesses some part of his essence in it. I do want to know what it was Heathcliff sought, but I don't want that to be my destination. I don't want to feel like I've been dancing in the palm of his hand all along.
For a moment, Kotone envisioned the long-gone man's face and nodded.
Kotone: I see...Hey, is the guild leader's mind—or thought-mimicking program or whatever—still alive on some server somewhere? You mentioned that before, didn't you?
Sora: Yeah, just once. The machine he used to commit suicide was a primitive prototype of the STL. In order to read the fluctlight, it had to use a high- powered beam that fried all his brain cells. I think it was probably an hours- long process and far more painful than when the NerveGear destroys a brain...Whatever reason he went to those lengths to make a copy of himself, I think there has to be a connection to what Rath is trying to do with the STL. The only reason I took Kikuoka's offer...might be due to something in my heart that still wants to see an end to that...
He looked up to the sky, where the last vestiges of red were vanishing. Kotone gazed at his profile for a while, then squeezed his hand harder and whispered.
Kotone: Just promise me one thing: that you won't do anything dangerous.
Sora: Of course. I promise. Now that I know I get to go to America with you next summer.
Kotone: Well, you need to study hard and get a good SAT score if you intend to do that, remember?
Sora: I'm not worried. I'm pretty confident in my learning skills
Eventually they reached a small park that was fairly close to her house. It was customary for them to part here when Sora walked her "home." She came to a hesitant stop and turned to face him. He looked her in the eyes. Right when they were only inches apart, heavy footsteps thudded in their direction, and Kotone instantly pulled away. Trotting toward them from the T-intersection behind her was a figure, a short man wearing dark clothing. When he spotted Kotone and Sora, he approached, apologizing in a high-pitched voice.
???: Excuse me! Um, which way is the station?
Kotone: Just go straight down this road, then turn right at the first ligh...Ah!
Sora had abruptly reached out and pulled her shoulder back. He stepped forward and moved her behind him.
Kotone: Wh-what's...?
Sora: You. You were outside Dicey Café. Who are you?
He demanded. Kotone sucked in a sharp breath and looked closer at the man. Narrow, mirthful eyes peered out between shaggy bangs. The man tilted his head in apparent confusion at Sora's accusation, but that suddenly gave way to a dangerous look, his pupils glinting.
???: No use trying a sneak attack, then.
The man lamented, drawing back one corner of his mouth in what couldn't be distinguished as either snarl or grin.
Sora: Who are you?
Sora commanded again. The man shrugged, shook his head a few times, then sighed theatrically.
???: Oh, come on now, Zora. You forgot my face already...? Well, I guess I did wear a mask before. But I haven't forgotten yours for a single day since then. Now that Xaxa's been caught, I have to show some grit, right? As the last survivor of Laughing Coffin!
Sora: You...
Sora twitched. His back went straight. He pulled back his right leg and dropped his weight.
Sora: You're Johnny Black!
He accused, and his hand shot like lightning to grab empty space over his shoulder—the exact same spot where Sora the Night Sky Swordsman once reached for the hilt of his beloved Prosperity Sword.
Johnny: Bwa-ha! Heh-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You got no sword there, bud!
The man named Johnny Black cackled, writhing with high-pitched laughter. Sora slowly lowered his hand, though it wasn't a relaxed gesture. Kotone knew that name. It belonged to one of the more famous red players of old Aincrad, the ones who eagerly and intentionally killed other players. He had formed a partnership with Red-Eyed Xaxa within the PK guild called Laughing Coffin, and they were responsible for more than ten deaths between them.
...Xaxa. That name had come up just half a year ago, too. He was the ringleader of the horrendous Death Gun incident.
Xaxa (Shouichi Shinkawa) and his younger brother had been arrested, but their companion got away, according to the report just after the incident. They assumed he had been caught long ago. But that meant the third man, named Kanamoto, must be the man before them now...
Sora: So you're still on the run?
Johnny: Of course! But really, Zora... Without your sword, you're nothing but a feeble little brat, huh? I can't believe you're the same swordsman who beat the crap of us during that raid!
Sora: What can you do without those cheap poisoned weapons?
Johnny: Oh, I have it! I have a poison weapon, alright!
With snakelike quickness, Kanamoto swung his right hand behind his back and grabbed something from his shirt. It was a strange item. A toylike grip jutted out of a smooth plastic cylinder. Kotone thought it was just a water pistol at first, but the way Sora tensed caused her to hold her breath. Her confusion turned to fear when she heard his voice.
Sora: Death Gun!
He pushed out backward with his right arm to further distance Kotone from the man, meanwhile pointing the end of his folded umbrella toward Kanamoto. Even as she unconsciously took a few steps back, Kotone's eyes were glued to the plastic "gun" the whole while. She knew that was not a simple plastic gun but an injector using a high-pressure gas, loaded with a terrifying chemical that would stop a human heart.
Johnny: As it happens, I do have a poison weapon. Too bad it's not a good old knife, though.
Kanamoto hissed with laughter as he waved around the tip of the injector, the only metal part on the tool. Sora got into a fighting stance and shouted.
Sora: Kotone, run! Go and get someone!
After a moment's hesitation, she spun and raced away. As she ran, she heard Kanamoto say.
Johnny: Hey, Treasure Hunter! You'd better tell everyone you know... that it was Johnny Black who finally took down the Night Sky Swordsman!
It was about a hundred feet on a straight line to the intercom of the nearest house.
Kotone: Someone...somebody help!!
She shrieked at maximum volume as she ran. She wondered if it was a mistake to run and leave Sora behind, if it would have been better for them both to leap on him and subdue the weapon. She was halfway to her destination when she heard the sound.
It was the short, sharp sound of depressurization, like the bottle cap of a carbonated drink or a blast of hair spray. But the knowledge of what it meant in this context was so terrifying that Kotone's legs faltered, and she slipped and put a hand to the wet bricks.
She turned slowly to look over her shoulder. It was a ghastly scene. Sora's right leg was directly onto the man's face as he landed a kick. And Kanamoto's injector was pressed against Sora's left shoulder. They both lurched over and toppled onto the street.
The next several minutes were as surreal as a black-and-white movie. Kotone worked her disobedient legs until they took her to Sora's side. She pulled him away from the agonized Kanamoto, who was unconscious, and urged her boyfriend to hang in there as she pulled out her cell phone. Her fingers were as cold as ice. She fumbled across the touchscreen, and her voice quavered as she called the emergency center, relating to the operator their location and status.
Belatedly, onlookers appeared. Someone had called it in, because a police officer soon shoved his way through the crowd. Kotone answered his questions briefly and merely clung to Sora's body after that. His breathing was short and shallow. He could say only two words through the pain.
Sora: Kotone, sorry.
After an eternity of several minutes, two ambulances arrived. They loaded Sora into one, and Kotone rode in it with him. The paramedic examined Sora, who was lying unconscious on the stretcher, making certain that his airway was clear, then promptly turned to his assistant and shouted.
Paramedic: He's in respiratory failure—get me the ambo bag!
They produced a breathing device, a clear mask that went over Sora's nose and mouth. Kotone nearly screamed in terror, but through a near-miracle brought about by the severity of the situation, she was able to tell the paramedic the name of the drug.
Kotone: Um, he was hit with a drug called...succinylcholine! In the left shoulder.
The paramedic looked briefly stunned, then barked out new orders.
Paramedic: He needs epinephrine...no, atropine! I've got the vein!
They removed Sora's shirt, stuck an IV needle in his left arm, and plastered heart-rate electrodes on his chest. Voices shouted back and forth. Sirens rent the air.
Nurse: Pulse is dropping!
Paramedic: Prepare the CPR machine!
Under the LED light of the ambulance interior, Sora's face was alarmingly pale. It took quite a long time for Kotone to realize that the voice saying was coming from her own lips.
Kotone: No, no, Sora, you can't.
Nurse: Flatline!
Paramedic: Continue the massage!
Kotone: This can't be real, Sora. You're not going to leave me behind and go somewhere else. You said...we'd always be together.
She glanced down, and her eyes caught the screen of the phone clutched in her hands. The pink heart on the screen shuddered once, then fell still. The digits on the readout dropped to zero with cruel precision, then stayed there.
Kotone: SORAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.....!!!!