With Torque among the men and women inside the bar, most kept silent not to agitate her and prevent her from going berserk.
The chip given to Ayuka finished its downloading, "Unable to connect. Please insert the VCL."
She [Ayuka] raised her head, cautiously communicating with Torque, "It doesn't want to connect. It demands something named "VCL," perhaps you have it?" Torque's malevolent grin lanced into Ayuka's own. She stood up, nearing Ayuka, halting beside her, "Virtual Cable Link. It's a "unique" and "personal" method to register into the profile without receiving a hoax or other viruses. In short, it's a password, installed into our bodies."
Torque opened her palm, tugging a cord from its midpoint, "Breathtaking, huh?" Neither of Timothy's companions comprehended its mechanism due to inadequate familiarity with cyber gear.
They were high on their security, securing not to overlook Torque's suspicion or a way to plunge some trap. However, fortunately, Torque correlated her cord with the holograph and upheaved her buttocks onto the table next to Ayuka. "Scanning entity's hardware... No malware detected. Scanning complete." In an instant, the holograph swapped screens and unlocked the database recorded inside Torque's memory chip.
The data she read described the virtual world in which they remained trapped.
~ "Bromley Cay was classified as a "Mystic Island," located near the western wetlands and the first island to float on the vast waters. It was discovered by a man named Raymond, who once changed the world's life as a pirate. After crossing the ocean, he encountered an unidentified species called the "Silver-Tailed Fish," which he investigated and discovered was extraordinarily huge and was the main reason the island was dangling over the water despite its enormous landscape."
"After further inquiry, he discovered that the fish was stranded and in discomfort due to the isle being "fastened" to its back and weighing it down. Raymond studied that the monster fish mourned due to starvation and learned that it only managed to feed on the sea critters that paddled in its radius. The fish would open its jaws and suck the sea creatures and the water inside like a vacuum. That was its only way to survive. Raymond devoted himself to cropping the vines around its fins, detaching the enigmatic island from its back. It took him 168 hours due to the fish's enormous size."
"After achieving his goals, the Silver-Tailed Fish was set free and with gratefulness for the diligent and daring pirate, the fish swam off into the distance. Nevertheless, the island had already submerged far beneath the surface."
"As years passed by, technology improved, and Raymond became diseased, another individual — Dr. Ashura — uncovered the sunken isle and analyzed it. He recorded the data, photographed the proof, and determined to sail to the west on a PTS — public transportation ship — where he hired intelligent scientists and requested the principal to build himself a laboratory. He swore to utilize the laboratory to improve their technology and supply them with incredible inventions."
"The major agreed with his proposition and furnished him with enough finances to assemble his laboratory and produce outstanding technology."
"Doctor Ashura successfully donated to the world his high-tech inventions and conveyed them to the rest of the eastern world. And because of his superior achievement, many other nationals across the world decided to follow in his footsteps. They were intrigued by what they could develop in the future."
"But then, as the doctor grew old and was nearing his end, he decided to go another step beyond his development and came up with an idea; to make a "virtual world" where people could experience an entirely different world by having the capacity to leave and enter a non-physical dimension, yet pragmatic enough for people to enrich their brains with fresh, inventive ideas."
"He claimed: "People within this globe lack the intellect to continue the existence of the world on their own. I shall provide everyone with a highly developed brain. However, I must not let the gods mislead them." He ensured his "project" would come to reality and settled on using the last few years of his life in developing this "virtual experience," but insisted that the gods of this world remain "witless" and that his product needs to be kept a secret, at the very least a riddle. He settled on creating a "stimulant" in case the gods came in contact with him and demanded to eradicate him from this world, as the gods in that era announced that people's brains should improve via their own mind and studies. He was transgressing a regulation that the gods could not forgive."
"He decided to base his virtual experience on the sunken isle."
"Of course, due to his highly-advanced technology and the studies he encountered during his voyage in meeting different species, he succeeded in both — developing a "virtual experience" and the "stimulant," and the one "terminal" weapon to even slay a deity."
"However, while the virtual experience was a success and he developed a unique "lock" to enter, his attempt to create the perfect stimulant wasn't as successful. He urged to find a test subject and ensure his "stimulant" would be a success on a human body, specifically a newborn to avoid annihilating "intelligent" people."
"He received what he requested and decided to do his ordeal on a little girl named "Katherine Mitchell," an infant who was merely two years old."
"He decided to contaminate and infect Katherine's body, but after the pain she suffered, he realized that the stimulant he designed couldn't exterminate someone in an instant, not even a baby. But he analyzed the stimulant and concluded it would "wither" anyone's body in a few years if left untreated. He endeavored to forge a secondary interpretation of the stimulant but failed to complete it as his body finally gave in, and he perished, leaving his wife and son alone." ~
Shocked at the information given to them, Ayuka and the others became silent and gazed into Torque's eyes. "So, Dr. Ashura... He was the primary subject who designed this virtual incident. But there's no way even he could come up with such a high-tech city. I understand he was brainy, but to invent an entire, practically "second" world, would take an insane quantity of effort and time, even brilliance."
Torque detached the cable from the computer, shutting down the holograph's database, and stood up, "Don't be stupid. Of course he couldn't. He merely created an "essence," landscape, and the lobby for this island. Cyber Refuge, the cyberlanders, the cyber gear, and the programming were each formed by Erembour, Ashura's psychopathic son. And I'm afraid your friend, Katherine Mitchell, already got caught in his claws."
Torque's sudden reply astounded everyone, and their eyes became dead as fish, "Y-You mean... Aurora? B-But I thought she was with Tim and the others."
Torque lifted her finger, jerking it left and right while turning away from them, peeking behind over her shoulder with a smile, "Sorry, babe. She got captured without anyone noticing, and at this exact moment, your friends think Katherine's still with them. Right. In. Their. Sight. But *I* can bring you to Erembour's domain. I compiled enough data to know strictly where his whereabouts are. As long as you cooperate with me and "accept" my proposal."
Ayuka raised her head, glancing at Torque, "What's the proposal?"
"I hate people who disguise their secrets and lie. So, when we reach and take out Erem-bore, you will admit to everyone, including Katherine, the truth about you, Ayuka. The truth that Erembour thrust into your body. I think you know *exactly* what I mean. If you don't, I will exterminate you myself."
To be continued...