Work Text:
—-----------------Jul 6th, 200X, 12:11pm LDT—-----------------
It had been a little while since Sh1v3r had re-united. The Eternal September’s open floor plan let everyone listen in on a particularly odd conversation that eClips and 0rator were having, one that had left p011-y baffled and delTree enraptured by its direction.
“I’m t3ll1ng y0u, it’s such a g00d id3a!”
“You know, I have my doubts about this, but…”
“Think ab00t it! What sh0ws up in aband0n3d plac3s but every0n3 th1nks ab00t th3m?”
“Cryptids?”
“Wh4t’s sup3r aband0n3d, 4nd is m4de fr0m th1nking?”
“Cyberspace?”
“See? It’s purrf3ct! People w1ll b3 all 0v3r this! ”
0rator hated to admit it, but eClips had totally convinced him on this wild idea: eClips’ occasional times cryptid spotting out in the real world didn’t really give him any cool footage (only bug bites) but in Cyberspace, seeking out cryptids is an idea that might actually have some merit. Plus, it’d be pretty fun.
“That… makes sense. Where do we start?”
“Nullsp4c3 is aband0n3d-sp0t c3ntral! Buuut… th3 Arb0rmyth is a for3st and for3sts are crypt1d hav3ns…”
“I suppose Nullspace is a good first spot. If we do encounter something, we’ll be able to see it coming. And good thinking with the Arbormyth; cryptids and legends are inextricably linked, and the Arbormyth is made of stories, though urban legends like those serial-killer stories could be there too. ”
“Yeah! And w3 can f1nd c00l stuff t00! B3s1des, we sh0uld get DelTree’s-”
Before Clippy could even finish his sentence, Deltree butted in, answering, “U don’t need permission 2 go there, the Arbormyth’s 4 everyone! But if U break anything, U know what happens!” with a sunny expression… one that absolutely let the both of them know just how bad Deltree’s wrath would be if they went around breaking things willy nilly.
“...OK, let’s h1t nullsp4c3 first.”
—-----------------Jul 7, 200X, 1:10pm LDT—-----------------
Nullspace was a familiar sight to 0rator; the Ophidophobia Zone bore a strong resemblance it, and he had seen many other piracy sites before his fall and decay into Nullspace when Pando shut them down. As they walked up the path to the Nullspace Castle that S4BR helped link them to, 0rator mused, “You know, Clips, Nullspace always fascinated me. It’s the epitome of conspicuous emptiness; like a building suddenly abandoned, leaving nothing but vague memories. They’re the ultimate in liminal, empty spaces.”
As they made their way inside, 0rator found himself fascinated by the layout of the castle they’ve entered, cameras and flashlights in hand. There were two central towers, one of which bore the symbol of the LRPA, writ large upon its exterior, and a transparent slide wrapped around both of the towers.
“In fact, this castle seems particularly wistful. From the castle-like exterior and the slide in the interior, I’d say this is a place where childhoods, as transient as they are, were spent. Truly fascin-”
Before 0rator could finish, he found himself pelted in the face by a plushie of a tuxedo cat; looking up, it seemed that Clips tossed it at him to get his attention.
“J0, big O! Look here, I f0und s0me stuff ab0ut Cyb3rsp4ce research! ”
His train of thought derailed, 0rator shrugged and looked up at eClips poking his head out of the highest window on the left tower. He always was excited to find new things, even if it was usually just to have something to show off to everyone else. “Okay, you can tell me, but next time, please don’t throw something at me.”
“Well, I k3pt cr4wl1ng, and it kept work1ng! But th3y w3re us1ng funny heads3ts when pe0ple were sl33ping to help them project?”
As eClips told him this, 0rator looked closely upon another report… if he had a nickel every time these guys mentioned the word “gamma”, he’d probably be able to pay off that lawsuit Pando Music put up against him for setting up BasilRIPS.
“I suppose so… and this report down here apparently talks about using binaural beats to aid Cyberspace projection. Back before cyberspace pods, they were trying just about anything…”
“I kn0w! Isn’t 1t s0 c00l?!”
Their exploration continued as they made their way back out of the castle, though not without eClips trying out the slide; a massive hand statue was present, another report detailing a clumsy attempt at trying to punch a portal into cyberspace, which was cool as hell but ineffectual. Did have some merit though…
But just when eClips thought this would just be an “abandoned sites exploration” video, he heard it: a quiet, spectral exhale as the wind blew. Immediately swinging his flashlight to look at the source of the sound, he found… something moving beneath the castle. “J0, l00k! Und3r th3 c4stl3!”
“Let me guess, another one of those toys?”
“N0, s0meth1ng like a gh0st and… oh.”
As the two followed what seemed to be the source, they found… something strange. A veritable horde of plushies, all neatly arranged in a ring, facing the center of the castle. “...Did you do this, Clippy?”
“N0, I…”
The wind began to howl, a harsh, metallic groan sounding out from right beside them. For a second, Clips could swear the plushies glanced towards him as the light beneath them started to flicker.
That’s when 0rator saw it. A black, shimmering strip of magnetic tape, sliding its way up by his buddy’s shoulder, and a strange, glowing light beside him… one that suddenly changed into a photorealistic eyeball.
“...1t’5 b3h1nd me, isn’t it?”
“...Yes.”
Clips slowly turned around, pointing both his camera and his flashlight at the apparition… only to reveal that it was, in fact, just Copy Cat playing a trick on them, and at that moment, Clips realized that he actually knew a cryptid personally, the specter switching to a cutesy :3 face to accentuate that they were just playin’.
The initial fear and dread that had been mounting since he found that weird plushie ritual faded, and he slowly backed off, remarking to 0rator and the camera “J00 s33 th4t? A r34l crypt1d!
0rator, in the meantime, was just slowly backing up, carefully nudging eClips to just do the same.
The two left for the Arbormyth, leaving Copy Cat to their business; while a cryptid they personally knew was good, finding new spooks would be something far better. Little did they know, they’ll get just what they wished for.
—-----------------Jul 7, 200X, 2:40pm LDT—-----------------
The Arbormyth’s winding branches stretched and twisted in every direction into the fog. Every step that the two took landed on ancient bark that was possibly older than the both of them combined. Stories weaved and grew in the forms of branches; the ones in DelTree’s Open Organic Orchard being the youngest but fastest-growing.
It was kind of beautiful… but they did pass the Open Organic Orchard a while back, and Clippy had a sneaking suspicion they were lost, a gnawing pit of fear in his stomach. He couldn’t tell how 0rator felt about the current situation past the mask… but 0rator was afraid too; the farther they went from the hyperlink, the darker the fog got, and the denser the branches got. However, he and O continued wielding their old camcorders and flashlights courageously.
That is, until the two were started by a sharp, high pitched “HEY!” coming from the branches above them. A squirrel-like program stared down from a branch above, loudly admonishing them.
“What are you two users doing over on this branch? This is the sub-branch UL413 [Urban Legends]! Shouldn’t you be on something safer like BL2440-2500 [History]? Users aren’t allowed on this branch for their own safety! You SF-470 [Foxes] and PN6140-6180 [Theatre] should turn back!”
After a brief moment of confused staring, Clips piped up.
“J0, b3 c00l, m4n! W3’re try1ng to f1nd som3th1ng sp00ky!”
“Oh, you’re looking for PN6160 [Horror], huh? You’re certainly going to find it if you go down UL413 [Urban Legends], and you’re not going to like it! Any SQURL will tell you that!”
“W3 can h4ndl3 it, n0 th4nks to j00!” With that, Clips confidently waltzed off further on that branch and 0rator hastily followed, hastily apologizing to the SQURL. The fog grew darker still, and the two began to slow down as it grew harder to navigate. When they stopped, only one thing greeted them: a dreadful, long silence.
So it was all the more startling to hear a twig snap.
Both wheeled around to the source of the sound, but only caught a fleeting shape ducking behind one of the massive branches. The sound of something banging against branches circled around them.
Frantically, Clips tried to follow the shape passing between the branches… and soon, it came forward. A slowly floating, damaged Pando LUX unit, clearly harmless… but letting out a distress call.
“He-[KZZZT]-lp! Danger!”
The machine’s cries for help went unanswered, however… as a huge hand came after it, grasping its head and crushing it like it was nothing but a soda can. The body fell to the ground, only to get crushed underfoot by the unknown assailant.
The two users were reduced to being frozen in fear, gazing at the one who crushed that poor LUX unit to death: a towering serial killer known in pop culture as the Strangler of Strix… or, more accurately, a twisted memetic literally born from the urban legends about his real-life counterpart. Upon his faintly green, rotted face was a crooked grin, wider than was humanly possible… and grew wider when he set eyes upon the two users.
What Clips said accurately summarized what the two did next.
“F@&K1NG RUN!”
No matter how fast the two ran through the winding branches, they could hear the heavy footsteps of that serial killer close behind, a sickening, guttural laugh forcing itself upon the two users’ ears every so often.
Only when they managed to find their way back to the Open Organic Orchard did they get any breathing room, hastily blockading the door with the loose pots they could find. But soon, the hostile memetic returned. 0rator and eClips could only watch in horror as the door that they hastily barricaded was slowly being brought down, one flailing punch after another wearing down the hinges.
It was then that eClips noticed something… 0rator was shaking. He never did that, always seemed to be so managed and calm.
“Big O?”
0rator, through shaky breath, replied “Yes?”
“...Ar3 j00 sc4r3d too?”
0rator hesitated for a moment, holding his hand up to the chin of his mask… and slowly taking it off. For the first time, Clippy got to see the face of his old Cyberspace friend. Nowhere near a handsome classical actor, 0rator looked more like an awkward theatre kid.
But that didn’t matter, he was still his friend.
“...Yeah, I am. I’m terribly sorry I helped get us into this mess. ”
“N0, n0, it’s my fault…”
A second passed, and 0rator noticed something…. Clips was starting to cry.
Gently putting a hand on his shoulder, 0rator quietly told him “No, it isn’t. Neither of us knew that we would encounter an aggressive egregore like this. Besides… if this is the end, at least I get the company of my best friend.”
“Th4nks, O…. means a l0t.”
Letting out a sigh, Clips looked up at his friend, gingerly placing his own hand on 0rator’s. “S1nc3 w3’re d00med anyw4y… I guess j00 sh0uld kn0w my n4me…”
“And that is?”
“...Cody.”
“That’s a better name than mine: Eugene.”
“Th4nks, buddy.”
With that, the two held each other close, shut their eyes, and waited, content in knowing that they got that off their chest.
But when that door finally caved, there was a sudden THWACK that rang out, and a sudden yowl rang out, falling into the distance. Instead of the Strangler, DelTree was there, having batted the egregore off the branch into the chasm with one of her magic vines.
“I’m SO sorry U 2 had to deal with that! Some memetics sure r mean, right?”
A minute of stunned silence passed… before Clips finally caught his breath. “Y34h… l3t’s just 4get about this!”
“Not yet, Clippy. We’ve still got some footage to upload!”
The last bits of fear vanished in eClips… they really did get what they came for, and maybe got a little closer in the process.