Torrent exhaled in relief. Finally after weeks of pulling virus tendrils out of her hair-pipes she was going to get this problem sorted. “Thank you, both of you. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to live with this for much longer…”

She looked up into the sky. “Hippie? Are you okay? We’re ready to go, now.”

There was no reply, so she activated the alarm on her PET; a sure-fire way to get Hippie’s attention.

A window into the real world flashed open before her. <<Torry! Sorry! I totally spaced! How did it- um… What’s the verdict?>>

“CareFilly’s going to stay in the PET and look after the horse. I’m going with BoltColt to… uh…” Torrent trailed off. She pointed over Hippie’s shoulder. “Wh-what’s that?”

<<Hmm?>> Hippie looked behind her into the kitchen. A man-sized glob of dough was busy kneading bread on the countertop. <<Ah, this is Brot! He’s some kind of abomination, but he’s taking to baking really well. I’ve been giving him lessons!>>

Torrent stared at the dough-man as it ponderously rolled the bread. Two empty sockets in the hump where a head might be turned slowly to meet her gaze. She shivered. “Whatever you baked that with, I think you shouldn’t use it anymore.”

<<I agree!>> Hippie nodded sagely. She held up a bottle with a stylised W on it. <<Creating new life is not something I have the time nor brain space for.>> She pocketed the bottle in her apron then punched the air. <<Let’s go find a cure!>>

“Right.” Torrent decided she was going to ignore all that. She waved at CareFilly then followed BoltColt, jogging lightly to keep up with the sprightly horse boy.

Torrent bit her lip at the twins’ request. HayWire had made a mess of things in her PET the last time he’d been out. But, she supposed there’d be no way for him to get the attention he needed without being let out of stasis.

“I’ll let him out. Just, ah, don’t let him get upstairs. There’s plenty of beach to run around on down here.” Torrent glanced at the memorabilia on the second platform and shuddered to imagine it covered in virus.

She charged energy into her finger and poked the bubble. It popped soundlessly, the liquid flowing out of its spherical shape at an abnormally slow speed, gently depositing the horse onto the bottom floor. The horse stirred; it wouldn’t be long before he was galavanting about again.

Torrent turned to the twins. “Alright, um, I couldn’t say who’d be better to come along.” Thinking on it, she had the sense that CareFilly was the more thoughtful of the two, and if she had to put money on it, she trusted her more to not get all of her stuff broken. Plus she didn’t really want to leave a guy alone in what was basically her room.

Torrent nodded at CareFilly. “I’ll leave you in charge here, then. Take care of things while we’re gone.” She smiled at her twin. “BoltColt, why don’t you show me the way? I’m afraid I’ve no idea where to start with this.”

MidKnight pushed through the electric jitters, gritting her teeth as she forged on. However, the Kabutank’s blast caught her off guard, slamming her face into the roof of the bus. As she raised her head, the imprint of her face was dented into the vehicle; a metallic smile.

MidKnight grinned back at it. The flush of pain energised her, and she bounced to her feet in no time flat. “You’re a smart one, aren’t ya? Cheeky.” She wiped the blood from her mouth and bounded forward, straight off the back of the bus.

Battlechip data was already flowing into her. She held her sword high and behind, the weapon splitting as she fell. One blade became three, and the tips bent into claws. With an elated battlecry, MidKnight plunged downward at the orange ball with its absurd cannon-nose. She swung, intending to perform a trisection on the Kabutank.

MidKnight rose from her landing point, her helmeted head scanning for the small bunny-eared menace that had shocked her so many times. The tingle of the electricity sparked from her grinning teeth as she locked eyes with the Bunny. “Got anymore in ya? Or are you all tuckered out?”

The visor on her helmet snapped down, and she braced herself, claw-sword held low behind her. The rockets in her greaves ignited, blasting her forward, the metal soles of her boots scraping against the roadway and showering sparks into the smoke behind her. This technique was hard to control, but for MidKnight the rush was exquisite. Plus, she wanted to practice.

Upon reaching the unruly rabbit, MidKnight swung in a flash, using the momentum of her drive to unleash an eviscerating double-whammy of uppercuts. The weight of her unbalanced blade twirled her like a pole-dancing golfer as the force of her first swing spun her neatly into a second.

---MIDKNIGHT'S TURN SUMMARY---

[1]: Stunned!

[2]: (Movement) -> Off the bus at the Kabutank

[3]: RageClaw1Damage: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw)
Accuracy: B / B then B
Description: Creates an impressive bear claw. Can be used to slash or throw enemies or objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 uses.
Element: Null
Special: Throw: The wielder must first grab the target to be thrown, then the target is thrown in the direction/area indicated. A second check is made if against another object/enemy. Throw deals damage to both thrown object/enemy and the second object/enemy. Damage occurs at point of collision with the ground/wall/ceiling/etc. or an object/enemy, not during initial grab attempt. Objects deal their max HP in damage (instead of the chip's damage) if they hit an object/enemy, then break. If they miss, the object just takes the chip's damage. This chip has a variety of uses.
Trader Rank: D: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw) (Acc: B / B then B) -> Kabutank
[3+]: Sword Mastery (+1 Slashing Accuracy)

[4]: (Movement) [/b] -> Bunny

[5]: RageClaw1Damage: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw)
Accuracy: B / B then B
Description: Creates an impressive bear claw. Can be used to slash or throw enemies or objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 uses.
Element: Null
Special: Throw: The wielder must first grab the target to be thrown, then the target is thrown in the direction/area indicated. A second check is made if against another object/enemy. Throw deals damage to both thrown object/enemy and the second object/enemy. Damage occurs at point of collision with the ground/wall/ceiling/etc. or an object/enemy, not during initial grab attempt. Objects deal their max HP in damage (instead of the chip's damage) if they hit an object/enemy, then break. If they miss, the object just takes the chip's damage. This chip has a variety of uses.
Trader Rank: D: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw) (Acc: B / B then B) -> Bunny
[5+]: Sword Mastery (+1 Slashing Accuracy)

[6]: RageClaw1Damage: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw)
Accuracy: B / B then B
Description: Creates an impressive bear claw. Can be used to slash or throw enemies or objects.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 6 uses.
Element: Null
Special: Throw: The wielder must first grab the target to be thrown, then the target is thrown in the direction/area indicated. A second check is made if against another object/enemy. Throw deals damage to both thrown object/enemy and the second object/enemy. Damage occurs at point of collision with the ground/wall/ceiling/etc. or an object/enemy, not during initial grab attempt. Objects deal their max HP in damage (instead of the chip's damage) if they hit an object/enemy, then break. If they miss, the object just takes the chip's damage. This chip has a variety of uses.
Trader Rank: D: 40 + Slashing (Attack) OR 20 + Impacting (Throw) (Acc: B / B then B) -> Bunny
[6+]: Sword Mastery (+1 Slashing Accuracy)

“Have him… stay here?”

Torrent pondered the ramifications of what CareFilly was suggesting. Though she wanted to make sure HayWyre was cured, allowing it to stay was another matter entirely.

She looked around her island home. It was her bastion against a world of monsters. Outside, viruses and worse prowled in endless packs, ceaselessly hunting for Navi destruction. In here, she could be whatever she wanted; a powerful fighter, a great hero. But…

She had to admit, it was a… lonely existence.

Torrent bit her lip and looked at HayWyre. Thoughts of what could go wrong bullied her brain; the loss of her home, of everything she owned, of her safety… But looking at the state of HayWyre’s infection… her strongest and most convincing thought was that if she had been infected, she’d hope someone could be there to take care of her.

Torrent nodded, a smidge of reluctance shaking her head like a bouncy ball. “Alright. Alright, I’ll… let him live here. Y’know, until he’s better and can decide for himself.” As soon as she said the words, a slight soothing sensation washed through her. It felt… good.

Torrent’s arm jittered as the farm-flavoured vetirinarians shook her hand. CareFilly and BoltColt’s earnest eagerness somewhat assuaged the anxiety in her heart, and she was able to put some trust in the two. “Hello! Thank you for coming all this way to help me out. I don’t know if this is something you have to deal with often…”
She beckoned them to follow her towards the jack-in port at the back of the homepage. “I’ve been keeping the creature in my PET because… well, I wouldn’t know where else to put it. It doesn’t feel like a regular virus to me.”

Torrent stood in front of the portal for some time, but the threshold didn’t respond. “Hippie?” She called out.

<<Huh? Oh, hold on, gotta wash my hands!>>

Torrent flashed the pair a patient smile. “My operator works at Cafe Castel, which specialises in baked goods, and I help out when I can.”

Torrent began to regale the two with her experience in the malfunctioning Auto-Waiter robot, with only a few self-aggrandising adjustments to the story. She explained how she had to take a roundabout path to the control centre, where she came across HayWyre spreading its infection to the system and causing the bug. The resident Progs hadn’t been much help in determining the horse’s origin.

A loud ‘whomph’ thundered from the real world. Torrent checked her video and boggled at the sight of Hippie struggling to contain what looked to be a vast blob of dough that had apparently escaped the oven and was taking over the kitchen. “Hippie!? Are you alright?”


<<No- mmphg- no problem here! Got it all under control!>>
Hippie leaned over the counter behind her, her face filling the feed. Her oven-gloved hands were full of monstrous bread. <<Nevermind, I’ll just use my nose! Boop!>>

The aperture in front of the trio opened up, and the feed cut out. Torrent wondered if there was anything she could do to help, but Hippie had dealt with worse confectionary catastrophes before. She shuddered as she remembered the ‘cornbread incident’.

A brief instance of infra-red travel later, and Torrent was standing on the silky sands of her personal paradise. The small island was surrounded by a cascading wall of electric water, the simulated sky showing through the circle it formed. Beyond a ringlet of palm trees, a three-tiered structure burst from the ground, like three plates jammed onto a spiraling staircase at various heights. The different levels held Torrent’s various trinkets she’d accumulated over the years, and Torrent led CareFilly and ColtBolt to the lower tier.

The bottom tier had been cleared out for its new occupant. Suspended in a thick bubble of liquid electricity, HayWyre dozed fitfully. Even though she’d just cleared the area this morning, already a small cadre of mechanical tentacles had escaped and clung to various surfaces.

Torrent used the power of her PET to scoop up one of the tentacles in a bubble and held it out to the twins. “This here is the problem.”

The Kabutank blast struck MidKnight like a sucker punch, ripping a gasp from her. She stumbled back, dropping to her knees, rainbow-static spittle dripping from her mouth. Her sword clattered against the floor as she lost the strength she needed to lift it. A blackened crater smouldered on her purple armour, and the smell burned her nostrils.

Her arms and legs had seized up, the data routing through her limbs had been interrupted by the shock, and she couldn’t move them very well. She could see the shadow of a virus approaching, but she couldn’t respond.

The only thing MidKnight felt worse than the pain… was the euphoria. An overwhelming feeling of right-ness racked her body, her mouth quivering unbidden into a bloody grin.

“Now this… is a real foight!”

<<Mid. Get off the floor.>> Orion chided, trying but failing to hide her concern. <<You don’t know who touched it last.>>

MidKnight reached for her sword, fighting through the paralysis. Her fingers clamped around its hilt, and she held tight, tensing her body. She watched the shadow of the Swordy virus, waiting for its next attack. If it did attack her, she intended to roll under its swing and strike upwards from a kneeling position. Hopefully by then her body would be under control again.

<<What did I say about watching your back?>> Orion counselled. <<That tank’s got your number. It won’t let you get close so easily.>>

“That’s alroight, mo’im,” MidKnight acknowledged, her eyes bright and alert, “I’ll take the bus!”

MidKnight leapt onto the bonnet of the bus and tried to clamber onto the top, rationalising that one who had the high ground naturally had the advantage. If she kept low, the tank would have a harder time hitter her at this elevation. However, the bunny would still be hopping around somewhere. MidKnight kept an eye out for both of them, wary of their ranged attacks.

Battlechips slotted into her system like a hug from an unknown relative. A pale half-sphere as wide as her torso shimmered onto her left wrist. With sword and shield in hand, MidKnight prowled forward, the wonderful pain of the tank blast still smouldering on her chest.

Should the Bunny get the first shot in, MidKnight intended to dash forward, reserving the Shield for the Kabutank. Otherwise, as soon as she spotted the trundling machine she’d raise up her defence and brace for impact. With enough luck, the tank would get a taste of its own bolognese.

If MidKnight managed to survive all these problems, the Cannon data stored in her twin-pronged sword would be her return answer to the tank”s explosive questions. “I’d take a dozen more shots from you if I could,” MidKnight admitted to the tank as she lined up her shot, “But this bus has a schedule to keep.” Hopefully, the tank would be able to feel the same thrill that she had as the cannon blast launched from her sword, down at the treaded virus.


---MIDKNIGHT'S TURN SUMMARY---

[1]: Stunned!

[2]: (Dodge)
[2+]: Riposte(Auto Counter, 40dmg + Slashing, A) -> Swordy
[2+]: Sword Mastery (+1 Slashing Accuracy)

[3]: (Movement) -> Onto the bus

[4]: Guard1Effect: (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect(up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack): On Hit)
Accuracy: S
Description: Generates a 1-Hit Shield upon activation. When this shield blocks one hit from a non-Break attack, it responds with a hyper-fast damage ray.
Duration: Until broken or overridden.
Element: Null
Special: Negated by Break. Ignores Impact.
Special: Reflect: Damage returned is equal to the damage of the attack blocked or the damage cap listed, whichever comes first. Reflect is not subject to negation by Impact.
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: E: (1 Hit Shield) + (Reflect(up to 60 + Piercing + Line Attack): On Hit) (Acc: S) [/b] -> Kabutank

[5]: (Dodge) -> Bunny

[6]: ShotgunDamage: 50 + Spread 1
Accuracy: A
Description: A gun whose shot penetrates an enemy to hit another one directly behind it.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: E: 50 + Spread 1 (Acc: A) [/b] -> Kabutank

Torrent's Link: (HippieTHG.pnk)

Torrent fidgeted with her green gloves, running her fingers over the nozzles on their tips. She was happy she’d managed to find some help for HayWyre, despite all the trouble it caused her. The mad horse program, origin unknown, had infected the cafe’s auto-waiter in search of food. Only through dumb luck had she been able to trick it into the teleport beam to Hippie’s PET. Within her realm, Torrent had been able to contain the beast, but her perfect little paradise was not the same.

All night, the infected horse would groan and plead in its stasis, and every morning Torrent would boot up and find tiny tentacles festering on her beach. It wasn’t hard to delete them, manipulating the tide to swallow them was all it took, but every day there were more of the little blighters. It was only a matter of time before they’d catch her unawares.

<<Are they there yet?>> Hippie asked, her voice in Torrent’s ear. <<I can’t look up from this dough.>>

“Of course not.” Torrent paced checking her internal clock. “It’s still half an hour before the meeting time.”

She was happy she’d been able to get help in return for some mercenarial work. What worried her cowardly spirit… was what dangerous mission they would ask her to do in return.

“Wait.” Torrent paused. “Why can’t you look up from the dough?”

<<Because I’m experimenting with 200% baking soda and instant yeast.>> Hippie replied, and Torrent could swear she could hear a horrendous groaning noise over the speaker. <<As soon as I turn my back on it…. WHAM! It’s gonna pounce!>>

Not for the first time, Torrent wondered if Hippie might be some sort of Human Virus.

Bright, happy darkness illuminates Hippie’s homepage. Shades of black, pink, and yellow plaster the background, with pictures of goth-coloured cupcakes and flowing dresses covered in metal spikes. The BBS board in here lists several of Hippie’s home-made baking recipes, along with directions on custom food colouring. It isn’t all that popular, but there is some traffic; mostly from users trying to reach the hyperlink pad to the Cafe Castel delivery website.

“Hello CareFilly & BoltColt, thank you so much for answering my request! I’ve had a similar encounter with a trigger-happy navi, and I’m glad to hear that not everyone is like that. I’ll send you the link to where you can meet me.

And thank you, GNA, for your assistance with this matter!

-Torrent

((I was planning to create a Homepage that links here, which I feel is a sensible landing point for visiting a PET, unless you had something else in mind?))