The Cyber Deep

Everything was dark. That was the cybernetic limbo, an anteroom that everyone went through when transferring their consciousness to the Cyber Hut. The process was pleasant. The mental synapse entered a state of absolute relaxation as the mind was transferred to the virtual world.

"Mi-kun, I'm here."

The young boy opened his eyes. "Master."

"My name here is GIA. It stands for Great Inventor Akira. But no one knows that! Hehe. This is not a public cyberspace Mi-kun, so it’s mandatory to use a pseudonym to protect one's identity. Our identities and our connections must be well hidden to not be spotted!!"

Although Ano knew the theory and practice of making secure connections, there was something about the Cyber Deep that he did not know. Only experts like the boy's teacher knew how to proceed in this space.

"You should hide your face like me to protect your identity."

The master wore a flat white mask that hid his avatar's face. His clothing, completely brown, looked like that of a desert dweller.

Ano was wearing his typical dark attire. He decided to change it to a more urban one, but kept the black on his clothes. As a mask, he chose that of a white demon.

"You should also change your nickname. Where we are going, it is dangerous to give your name so easily. It's a rookie mistake." He pointed to the boy's name.

Avatar names were not public, nor did they float out into the air. However, where they were going, it was impossible to hide it. Everyone could see the data of any avatar that went in there. That’s why it was needed to falsify the data before entering.

"So. How about this?"

*Ghost*

"Mmmmm... It's okay, but there are already a lot of ghosts. If you want to get attention and make yourself respected, you'd better have a much more charismatic name."

Ano changed his avatar's nickname again.

"How about this one?"

*North Star Ghost*

"Ah. I see. It seems like a perfect name for you, Mi-kun. But if you leave it like that, it will have more of an impact."

The master edited his disciple's nickname, by which he would soon be known throughout cyberspace.

*Star Ghost*

In the next year, that name would become the most respected yet feared name throughout cyberspace, after a certain incident. However, it would still be some time before those events.

The young boy stared at the nickname given to him by his master. A distant light, along with a voice, echoed in the distance as he contemplated that name.

"Ano-kun..."

"Ano..."

“Mi-kun…”

*Can you hear me? Hey!”

"Mi-kun! Hey, Mi-kun, are you okay?" The teacher asked worriedly.

The young inventor had gone blank for a few moments. His clouded mind had been confusing his judgment for a while now.

"Yes. Sorry master."

The master continued with what he was saying before the young boy was lost in his thoughts.

"Very well. These are the rules before entering the Cyber Deep. Ahem, ahem."

"Rule number 1: Avoid names. Not just your name and mine, anyone's. Even those of brands or entities. No mentioning Asu. You have to let it be understood what you are talking about without mentioning names. This is done to avoid trackers."

"Rule number 2: No unnecessary questions. No asking if someone can, or if someone knows... If you want to know something you have to approach and demand it. If they ignore you, it's because they don't know anything and we must head to another avatar."

"Rule number 3: This is the last and most important. Do not meet anyone from the Cyber Deep in the real world."

Once the rules of that site were explained, a portal appeared in front of them. One that would lead them to their destination.

"Alright Mi-kun, we are ready. Let's cross this portal."

They both crossed the turquoise portal that floated in front of them. A great flash of light hit the young boy's face as soon as they crossed the portal. It was not because it was daytime; in fact, it was night. It was because the neon lights of that cybernetic space were 10 times more powerful than those at Neo Shibuya.

"Come on, Star Ghost, follow me. I know the perfect place that will help you."

As they walked, Ano was surprised to see what exactly the Cyber Deep was. He had already experienced what a cyberspace was like. Colors, smells, movement... All factors were programmed through a Cyber Hut, and the goggles, along with the gloves, plunged the brain and body into a hypnotic state that transported consciousness into the cyber world.

But that space was something else. That place was, for all intents and purposes, a world entirely different from the one he knew. Everything was perfect. The feeling of immersion was so complete that it really felt like your real body. The aesthetics, the colors, the smell, the sounds... everything was the same as on earth.

However, there was one big difference in that world. There were no suburbs nor slums. All that space was made up of luxurious buildings. People from all over the Neo-Human territory had access to that space. It didn't matter how far away they were physically, because mentally there were no borders. That was the world that Ano and Hana dreamed of for their perfect world.

"Master, why are we almost the only ones wearing masks?"

"Ah well. Many people usually modify their avatars so they don't need to wear masks. For example, look at that catwoman. You and I, however, are more honest than they are. Just don't talk to anyone with a weird accent, and we'll be fine. There are rumors that say that Stay people are wandering around here, but if that were so, I would know about it. There is no one better at identifying connections than me." Said the teacher, first serious, then more relaxed.

There were rumors that claimed that in that virtual space there were inhabitants living in Stay territory. People who came to speak with a strange accent. However, they were simply rumors that were never confirmed.

****

Master Akira, accompanied by his disciple, after walking for several minutes, arrived at the place they were looking for. At the entrance shone a huge turquoise neon sign where it was written, The Duchess.

"Very good Star Ghost. In this bar you will find the information you need. You'll have to go talk to the duchess, though."

"So the person I'm looking for has the same name as the joint."

"Exactly. Listen, you have to refer to what you're looking for as cats. That's their name here."

Without much hesitation, both inventors walked into that building. As they entered, the music he heard in the clubs of the real world hit his ears. That joint was an exact recreation of one of the joints where he had been looking for information about the pink drug a few months ago. Master Akira, or rather GIA, was cordially greeting multiple avatars in the room. Not because they knew each other personally, but because that place was a place that people from Neo Shibuya frequented.

"Two gold edition whiskeys for me and my companion!!!"

"Marching GIA! You look lively today!" said the bartender.

"Yes! Today is a very special day for me!"

"Did something good happen?"

"Yes... very good!" The master looked up at Star Ghost.

After drinking some beverages that tasted better than those in the real world, they both approached the central table of that joint. In that cyberspace, it was customary for business owners to sit at the central table of their business.

"Good afternoon, Duchess. My friend Star Ghost would like to speak with you."

"I am looking for information about cats." Said the young boy without hesitation.

"Something specific about cats?"

The avatar of the duchess was that of a young woman. She was extremely well dressed, replete with jewelry, and was surrounded by her own entourage of muscular men. She was certainly a beautiful woman by anyone's standards of beauty.

"I understand they like to drink pink milk, which makes them very happy."

GIA looked at Star Ghost and gave a thumbs-up in approval. Just as he had taught him, you had to speak in code. You couldn't use certain words, including drug. The way Ano referred to the pink drug was sublime.

"Aaaaah. Of course, I have what you're looking for."

A large panel appeared in the middle of the duchess's table. From there, she pulled out a stack of folders and files that materialized on top of the table.

"Here I have what you asked for. Mails, messages, calls, files... Everything."

The young boy reached over to pick up the files. However, one of the Duchess' muscular escorts stopped the young inventor before he could get his hands on that material.

"Hold it right there, Star Ghost. Before we go any further, I need you to pay for it." Said the duchess laughingly.

"Very well." Said the young ghost.

There was a short silence. The young boy was waiting for the duchess to tell him the price.

I can’t ask for the price myself or I’ll be at a disadvantage!!

Asking what the price was would have left the young boy at a disadvantage when it came to negotiating. The duchess was surprised that this novice knew anything about underworld business.

"Twenty million yen."

Under his mask, the boy's face turned white from the shock of hearing the price.

20 million, she said? I only have 2 million. I need to get this any way I can! What if I steal it? How does this world work... I can just take these files and they can't do anything to me in the real world...

While the young boy was debating with himself, the master stepped forward to negotiate with the duchess.

"Duchess. First of all, these files are clearly corrupted. Do you want to infect our minds?"

Infected? That's right! Now that I look closely, there is something strange in the code of these files!

"The second thing. We don't know if it's what we're looking for. And third, have you forgotten that you owe me a few favors?"

"Hohohohohohoho." Laughed the Duchess. "All right, GIA. Here are the clean files. Take them away. It's on the house this time. After all, it didn't cost us anything to get that information."

Master and disciple picked up the files and left the Duchess's bar. Star Ghost came out of there perplexed. He could not believe that those people could get something that he could not get in 22 months while working in the very same company.

Do they work at Asu? How did they get all this information without working there? The building's security systems are virtually impenetrable. Is there an insider at Asu Industries? I must find him if this is the case.

"Alright, Star Ghost, let's get out of here and take off the Cyber Hut."

After crossing a turquoise portal that opened in front of them, both inventors took off their goggles and gloves and returned to the real world.

"Mi-kun. How fortunate that they had what you were looking for. I'm going to prepare the curry you loved when you were a kid. It's been a while since we've spent so much time together."

The master was happy to spend so much time with his young disciple again. Since he went to work for Asu, he hadn't had time to be in touch with him after all.

"You can analyze the information here if you want, or you can take it home to look at it later."

Akira left the room smiling. The young boy was left alone and began to analyze all the data they obtained. However, the amount was so large that he had to leave it until the dinner was over.

****

After dinner, the young boy downloaded all the information onto his PDA. He intended to go spend the night at his second home, the former brothel he used as a warehouse to develop his devices.

"Mi-kun. I was so glad you came. Can you stop by tomorrow for a moment? There's something I need to tell you.”

"Sure, master."

The young boy was calm. He realized that being together with his master was something that calmed his soul. The times when he was most enraged were when he was alone. However, being with people seemed to make all his worries and hatred disappear.

Ano arrived at that lonely building where he used to live 2 years ago. The silence that reigned there was medicine and poison at the same time. The fury and rage that inhabited his heart came to the surface again as he researched those files relentlessly through the night.

Among one of the many messages, he finally found what he was looking for.

*I got the liquid you asked for. See you at 18:00. You know what to do.*

It was a message from a sender named ???? addressed to Dr. Tsukino. The date of the message was the date Hana was killed.

I found you, filthy rat.