The Chaos Hour

As the program loaded he decided he needed a new image, something to suit what he was to become. Something darker, powerful but cultured. His memory drifted back to the alleyway encounter with the criminal underworld. Yes that was a good start.

His hair kept its gelled style but he allowed it to become a bit more untamed. He pondered for a second and opted for facial hair he had never grown any properly before but now it would go with his image he thought. Sideburns and a moustache that meets with a short beard all in black. Content with his face he moved on to the clothing.

A leather jacket, black shirt short sleeved and only half done up exposing his hairy chest. Finally black combats with steel toe capped boots. The only contrasting colour was his silver Rolex watch. The colour matched the concealed flip knife on his leather belt. This was what he was talking about. He flexed his hands his knuckles cracking loudly.

Satisfied with his appearance he allowed the mainframe to kick in. The rogue coding of the key activated. The familiar noise of the main frame booting up became distorted. A roaring in his ears and then something that sounded vaguely like a crack of lightning. Then he was there in his new surroundings. This was certainly something else. He looked around wide eyed like a child at Christmas as he admired his new world... HIS playground.

 

Ellin continued to walk around scoping the area out marking areas of interest. He was walking in out of the buildings. He got to the bank lobby and decided to mark points of interested in there as well. Just in case it got to boring in here. If it did he may start a raid on the virtual world. The raid would make the place a lot better, but he needed to know the places and where everything was out.
Ellin opened the door bank lobby. He walked in casually and noticed someone having a failure conversation. Well some fool trying to start a conversation with a "nice" lady. Ellin just smiled a bit it might be a little entertaining.
Then again he really only had a few minutes on the virtual reality. He was going for a raid soon in WOW and his party hated when he was late.

 

Avatar...

Alethea was pleased with the details of her virtual self she had selected. The majority of people who entered the Com chose perfect-looking avatars for themselves, and hers was no exception. She now appeared with a face that was considerably more beautiful than her real plain-Jane look, with thin, defined eyebrows, a small nose and mouth, and large, radiant blue eyes. She gathered up her new shoulder-length blonde hair into a ponytail, allowing some strands of her bangs to hang about her face.

Her body, as well, had its own perfect shape, and her form demanded to be flattered. She implemented this through brown leather pants that clung nicely to her long legs without looking trashy. On top, she wore a fitting white tank top underneath a brown leather jacket that matched the pants.

Her weapon was a simple Beretta M9, which she concealed in a hidden pocket on her jacket. It was to be reserved for those times when she was too far away to bring her martial arts training to bear.

Done with her customizations, she went to the clerk and nodded. He imitated the gesture, and hit a button on the cash register. The room dissolved into a haze of multicolored bitstreams, which then reformed themselves into the well-known buildings of the Com.

She materialized outside of the bank. And with a start, she realized that the Com was now much bigger than it had been. The landscape stretched farther, with buildings everywhere.

Time to get to work...

 

Cain breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the Com. He stretched his legs, so thankful that at least they worked virtually. He shook his head, seeing the long dark hair that he only had in the Com. He was wearing a dark suit and jacket, with stylish pants and shoes. He was so handsome in this world; unlike the real one.

Cain looked around his homepage, past the video game store and the virtual library. Suddenly he noticed what was different about this version of the Com. Strange beams of light criss-crossed and traveled around everywhere, and it seemed as if the other users were completely oblivious to them.

"So this is the Chaos Hour," thought Cain. "What's so different about it?"

He reached towards one of the glowing lights. It reacted like a string, bouncing back when he pulled. "Weird," he muttered. He turned around, making sure no one noticed him. But he noticed someone else. An attractive blonde just logged in and was walking along. Cain had to find out if he could be noticed by other users.

"Hello, miss?"

 

She had taken three steps forward when she heard a male voice come from her right.

"Hello, miss?"

She spun to face him. Her lips smiled as her eyes glanced over him analytically. He looked like a business type, except for his longer hair. She still had to get used to the fact that every man in this world was perfect-looking.

"Hey there," She said politely. "Can I help you?"

 

"Oh, uh, just..." Cain fumbled. He had to stop thinking that an avatar was a real person. She was probably just as strange-looking as he was.

He suddenly realized how idiotic he sounded. He had to think of an excuse. "I'm new here...can you show me around?"

 

Her smile broadened slightly. A newbie, then? Her initial fear was assuaged. She would hate to have to end up betraying someone whom she found out later was using the Chaos Hour technology illegally. Inside, she still grappled with that duty. The Lurkers, obviously, were in it for themselves, trying to gratify their own struggles for power. But the Neutrals? They were just here to enjoy what the Com had to offer.

"Sure." She said. "I have to go meet a friend on the other side of town anyway."

 

J.J. took a step to the side, shrugging this stranger’s hand off her shoulder and taking a defensive stance.
“Eyes of the law?” she asked. “What do you know about it?”
She looked him up and down, trying to decide whether to fight or flee, if it came to that.

 

Work out centre- Chaos Hour

Simon walked through the building with a new sense of confidence. His stride seemed to have a purpose and his body language conveyed a powerful image of arrogance. A truly contradictory picture to that of him in the real world. A man that had just lost everything to the woman he had trusted, watched her tear out his heart and then to turn to legal system to get hold of anything else she could.

But here, here it was different. A rack of weights lined the wall. With a flick of his wrist the 5kg dumbbell lifted up and as he swung his hand it flew across the room, smashing through the 2nd floor window and crashing onto the street. Next he turned his attention to one of the bar bells loaded up to 40kgs. Once again he made a motion of lifting it and it ascended into the air. It hovered there as he held his attention on it. Telekinesis. This was going to be fun.

 

Ellin noticed the "nice lady" took in offense of the other young man. He smiled a fool that he was.
Though her voice sounded familiar and it intrigued.
Where had he heard it before?

 

"What do you know about it?" The young girl snapped to Jarek's amusement.

"A hell of a lot more than you do by the looks of it." Jarek chuckled. Then his eyes directed themselves at her coat pocket. "And that knowledge is needed if you intend to use that."

 

Cain sighed inwardly. Hopefully this would go well. She didn't seem like the type to really care if he was using the Chaos Hour.

"So, where do we go from here?

 

"And that knowledge is needed if you intend to use that."

J.J. put her hands in her pockets, her fingers folded around the medallion. Satisfied, she withdrew her hands again.

“And I suppose you’d like to show me how, would you?” she said with an eyebrow raised.

She crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, “I’m not as inexperienced as I look.”

 

"So, where do we go from here?"

"Follow me." She said. There was a cafe on the other side of 'town' where she was supposed to meet her contact. She still had plenty of time, though.

"The city here has almost everything the real world has. You can shop, play games, go to the bar, essentially whatever you like." She pointed out some of the main buildings as they went past.

"Is this your first time here?"

 

“And I suppose you’d like to show me how, would you?”

"My intention was to give you a head's up that a bank is not exactly the place you want your deals to go down. You realize how tight the security is in there? As for showing you how to use it, I suspect you already know a little about that."

Jarek only wanted to help. If not for her being attractive then for the sympathy he had for fellow users of the chaos hour.

 

Ellin decided to but in, since the voice was so familiar to him that he just had to say something. First he stared at the guy, foolish, and a bit ignorant. Then again, who was Ellin to make judges.
"Hello there, I happen to hear your conversation...is this child bothering you?" Ellin paused, "And by any chance have we met before, and I'm not using a pick up line...I really have heard your voice before only your voice I don't get out much."

 

Cain waited patiently as the woman explained shops that he knew more than the real world shops. He nodded, pretending to be wide-eyed with suprise.

"Um, miss, what's your name? I'm Cain."

 

"Hello there, I happen to hear your conversation...is this child bothering you? And by any chance have we met before, and I'm not using a pick up line...I really have heard your voice before only your voice I don't get out much."

Jarek immediately spun around and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me everything you just heard, or you'll regret ever eavesdropping." If this man had actually heard their whole conversation how could he talk so casually? Was he also a chaos hour user? Was he a cop? No, a cop wouldn't act so foolishly.

 

Ellin just smiled at him and laughed. He made be picked up by the color, but he found it hilarious.
"Like I care about what you said...I only really care about the girl at the moment," Ellin paused, "We can talk after I am done introducing myself to her...then if you want to talk we can outside, but I give you harsh warning you won't win if you tried anything."

 

Jarek couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm sure women flock from all parts of the com to see you make an idiot of yourself. Charisma does not seem to be your strong point."

Jarek released the man. What kind of fool was this?

 

Ellin fixed his shirt and stared at him.
"Woman I can care less about woman," Ellin said, "My mind is to wrapped around fairies, trolls, and dungeons then anything else...the one making a mistake and making a fool of themselves is you."
Ellin stared at the girl.
"Now as I was saying you sounded familiar,"

 

J.J. watched dumbfounded. I guess I’m hotter than I thought, she mused.
Wait a minute. I know that laugh, she thought. She remembered now.

“RealmLord?” she said before she could stop herself. She mentally kicked herself for being so stupid.

J.J. caught his eyes, hoped that her mental pleading with him not to say her name translated. She couldn’t be sure about that though.

 

Ellin walked away for a moment and heard her call him RealmLord. He sat down on one of the benches and placed his fingers through each other as if he were a mastermind plotting.
"Awww if I am RealmLord then you must be Crusher88...to meet you here in such a place...well, well, well," Ellin said.

 

J.J. cursed under her breath. Now this stranger knew her name. He could track her down. Fleeing was no good to her now. Still, she had to try.
J.J. sprinted down the street, listening for any sign they were following.

 

Jarek looked at them both confused. What the hell was a realm lord? He still didn't trust the man but they knew eachother so he relaxed a little. He would watch what happened next.