Chapter Text
Chance flipped his coin in the lobby. Watching everyone else while in a corner. Seeing the others talking and getting along, while he observed. It wasnt an uncommon practice, but they did notice how someone seemed to be missing. Flip, their thoughts were interuptted by the sound of the coin. Now they watched as it spun in the air, heads and tails flashing in their eyes.
Their eyes wandered over to a worried looking Noob. Confused, they got up and walked over. Coin still flipping with them. Noob watched as Chance approached her, "Oh hey!" Noob spoke, trying to hide how nervous she felt. She watched the coin as it flipped in the air, being caught by Chance over and over. "Hey Noob, you uh good man?"
Noob swallowed at the question, trying to ease their anxious self. "Y-yeah! I'm just fine, dont worry..." They watched as she tried to shoo them away. Chance saw through it, and sighed. "Noob, i'm not blind. Come on, lay it on me. Why are you worried?" Noob fidgeted with their hair, twirling it. Before answering, "Well it-it's just Seven said he would meet with me. Discuss strategies and uh stuff. And, well he hasnt like showed up. And-and i'mm kinda concerned..."
Chance's mouth formed an 'O', but they didnt say much more. They only stood in place, silence in between the two. "Well, im sure he's fine. You know him, always running away. Why dont we just take our minds off it? You know, i think Spectre gave us Uno this month!" Wrapping an arm around Noob. She sighed, before nodding. Swayed by their charm, and soon the two found themselves with the deck of Uno cards.
They both walked to the center of the main cabin. Seeing most of the other survivors gathered in different spots. Chance grabbed the cards from Noob, and held them up. "Hey, who wants to play uno?" They watched as people peerked up. Turning to see the gamblr holding the cards, and soon a small pile gathered around Chance. They sat down aswell, shuffling the deck of cards. Then gave them out to the people playing. 7 to Noob, themself, Taph, Guest, Shed, Dusekkar, and Two Time.
"So who wants to start?" The question answered by Taph placing down a card. Motioning the circle turning clock-wise. Guest followed suite, placing a different colored card. The game went on, unusually orderly. Until, "You cannot be serious, i have to be curious. Why would you place a +4 when there is already two!? Was it a que?" Dusekkar's ryhmes ringed out. Shedletsky next to him trying to hide his cackles. Then Dussekar turned to Taph, "You started this, how dare you. I wish you would turn into a boo. Float away, and go live in a cave."
Taph's shoulders shook a bit, no sound left them. And finally, everyone laughed. Except for Dusekkar, who looked like he wanted to rant on about how "unfair" that was. Chance looked over to Noob, seeing her giggling with rest. Their signature smirk appeared, content that they had made Noob somewhat forget their worries. They looked at their cards again, noticing that their hand was garbage. Their sunglasses hid the pain in their eyes. Now, it was Chance's turn. "Uh, hm." Bringing a hand to their chin, they tried to play off how they had a terrible set of cards.
"Uh chance, you gonna play a-a card?" Noob looked over. Seeing how Chance just sat there. Nudging them, Chance came back. Looked at her, and somehow. Their cards had seemed to change, Chance played a card afterwards. Noob looked back at their cards, shock filling them. As she looked at her cards again, "Did my cards change!?" Everyone playing Uno just stared at her. "Dearest Noob, would that not be impossible?" Their tail swished behind them.
"Yeah your cards cant just change halfway through a turn." Chance just turned away from Noob at that comment. Hoping to play off the trick that they had pulled. But as they moved away from Noob, and closer to Taph. Her eyes narrowed, burning holes into chance. "Chance. Did...did you steal m-my cards?" An eyebrow lifted up, Chance could feel the stare. "No? Why would I even steal your cards?" The lie exited effortlessly, but Noob only stared. "I didnt take em!" Chance said again, hoping to get her eyes of them. But Noob did not relent, only turning their head a bit. Chance watched as she shifted a bit closer.
"Alright, fine! I took them. Geez." Noob fell back, no longer staring at Chance. But before she could forget, "If you pull that again, i will find your casino and burn it. Now-now could you uh give my cards back?" Chance nodded, handing the stolen cards back. Taph only looked over, shock showing on them. Even with a hood. "Chance, how in the ever-loving 2x2 did ya do that?" Guest questioned. Chance shrugged, doding the question. Before they forget it all in the playing of Uno.
After a bit of silence, Chance spoke up. "You know, now that I think 'bout it. Where's 007n7? He usually plays Uno with us." Noob's smile dropped a bit, the question reminding them off their nervousness from before. The other players didnt have an immediate response. "Maybe he's resting, I wouldnt blame him." Guest finally said. Breaking the awkward tension between them all. "Y-yeah, that soundss right..." Noob said, trying to smile. But a mediocre one appeared instead. "But its just...uh-uh he said t-that he would meet up with me-me. But I uh havent seen him yet..."
Some peerked their ears at that. Wondering where he was. "Like Guest said, he's prob sleeping or somethin'." Shedletsky put another card down. Noob only nodded to the response. And the game went on, forgetting about the question. And with it, it soon came to an end. After a long while of +2, and +4. Taph had won Uno. They slammed their last card down, before standing up and walking to the door. Before leaving, the signed with their hands. 'So long, suckers! I won!'
.....
007n7 pushed past the fake shrubbery. His panel glowing a slight red, and he entered the command. Watching as what stood infront of him opended. Leading the man to a void, full of code. Like curtains had been pulled, to show the outside. 'Finally. We can get out of this god forsaken realm!' The thought ran through his mind. Making him remember the outside world, and how it was so close to him now. He stepped forward.Weaving his hand through the code, trying to push it away. But instead, it wrapped around him. As if it was a million snakes, it slithered and coiled. Tightening around his arm now. Sentient code pulled him closer.
007n7 lost his footing, shocked at the weird code. Yet the code did not relent. It only pressed against his skin. Cold yet hot to his skin. It only tugged on the man's arm, and started to climb higher and higher. He felt himself being pulled closer and closer, 007n7 thought it was a dream. But, with the reality of sentient code dragging him into a void filled with code.
He fell in.
Code swallowed him. Falling past letters and numbers, brackets and slashes. It all passed by his blurry eyes. He didnt even comprehend it as real. All of it flashed infront of him. Making a way through the pit of snakes, the code didnt bother to wrap around him anymore. As if knowing it already had him in it's clutch. 007n7 tried to reach out to grab anything. But even when greeted with the code, it passed through his hands. Only light of the letters being reflected on his skin. And the feeling of falling not stopping.
The pit reached him. 007n7 braced himself for the bottom, and hit the ground. Black laid beneath him, while sprawled up. Climbing and climbing up, to a point he couldnt see the top. Only the faint glow of code. He sat up, his back no longer against the cool void. C00lgui popped up, frantically 007n7 typed in it. Trying to find out where he was. 007n7 looked up from the Coolgui, noticing an empty spot where code should be. He stood, and walked over. When he stepped on it, C00lgui made a loud glitching noise. He looked over at the panel.
'ERROR! THIS PLACE IS UN-IDENTIFIED.
NOT SAFE, PLEASE LEAVE ASAP!
NOT SAFE, PLEASE LEAVE ASAP!
NOT SAFE, PLEASE LEAVE ASAP!'
007n7 stared at the text. "But where am i?" He typed in the request once again into C00lgui. But what greeted him was the same text from before. A sigh escaped him, and he looked over to the lines of code around. Watching as the scrolled past. He didnt find the need to read the code, especially if he was in a place that C00lgui told him to leave. But curiousity tugged at him, begging to see just what this code was. Yet, 007n7 found no useful infromation when he complied. Only seeing simple code, none that would explain why his C00lgui wanted him to leave.
'007n7 THIS PLACE IS NOT SAFE. PLEASE LEAVE!'
He sighed at the text appearing. His panel was brighter, the text catching his eyes. C00lgui only had the text on the panel. Not bothering to erase it, only letting the words sink onto it.
"C00lgui. Can you just tell me where we are?" The man pleaded to the gui. Typing on the panel again. A loading screen appeared on the panel. He watched for a full minute before new text appeared.
'ERROR. DO YOU WANT TO RUN THE COMMAND AGAIN?'
Tapping the button quickly. He watched the loading screen, but it came back faster this time. Appearing with text. But it seemed the panel glitched a few times. Ignoring it, 007n7 read the text.
'...007n7. HOW DID YOU GET HERE?'
"C00lgui just tell me where we are!"
'WE ARE IN THE CODE. THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THIS SERVER.'
He blinked. Confusion crept up his face. Re-reading the line of text over and over. Disbelief rolled over the confusion. 007n7's jaw was open, shocked from the new infromation. Slowly, he came back from his shocked state. Looking around once again at the realm. Turning to see lines of code scrolling across. Their glow lighting his body. C00lgui erased the code, the panel now empty. 007n7 brought his hands to his face. Groaning as he rubbed his eyes.
"Fuck me man! How am i gonna get out."