Chapter 2: Hacking on Heaven's Door
Kenji and Aito [https://i.imgur.com/psIVuIu.png]
As the intense light from the black box faded, Kenji and Aito found themselves sitting in a vast black void. It was so dark that for a moment Kenji thought he had lost his vision. Disoriented, he saw Aito nearby, lit by the dim glow of the black box and the scanner still attached to him. He felt around him, and noticed that his backpack was also nearby.
In the all-encompassing darkness, Kenji rummaged through his pack, something he always carried when working outside with Aito, and retrieved a small, blue-glowing screen. Gently, he attached it to Aito's belly, the screen flickered as it synchronized with the teddy-bear. This second small light source helped, but was quickly swallowed by the void around them.
"I can barely see anything. Help me scan the area, Aito," Kenji requested, his voice steady despite the unknown. A soft blue light emanated from Aito’s scanner, piercing the darkness. The scanner's glow cast eerie shadows as it swept across the void, revealing very little. Kenji carried Aito like a lantern as he took a few steps forward. Soon an object faintly emerged into view. Kenji approached the source, discovering an old-fashioned computer terminal from the early digital ages. It had a bulky monitor atop a utilitarian desk. Next to it stood a filing cabinet, desk lamp, and a solitary office chair. Islands of the mundane in a sea of mystery.
Kenji stood still for a moment, absorbing the surreal nature of their situation. "Aito, can you detect anything else in this void?" he asked, his voice echoing faintly in the vastness.
The teddy bear's screen displayed a series of readings. "Scanning... No additional objects detected within immediate vicinity," Aito responded, his voice a calm constant in the enveloping darkness. "The only anomalies are the desk and its accompanying items."
With a nod, Kenji processed this information. He carefully deliberated his next steps, methodical as always. He slowly made his way towards the desk, the blue scanner-light from Aito illuminating their path. The old-fashioned computer terminal, the desk, the filing cabinet, and the solitary chair stood as peculiar artifacts, contrasting starkly with the surrounding void.
Kenji paused a short distance from the desk, his gaze lingering on the computer. A fleeting thought crossed his mind — why wasn't he panicking? This scenario was beyond the realm of normal, yet a strange sense of calm prevailed within him. He pondered this for a moment, his hand instinctively ruffling Aito on the head. Perhaps it was the familiarity of a challenge, the presence of a puzzle to solve that steadied him. Or maybe it was Aito's unwavering digital gaze, offering silent support.
Drawn almost magnetically to the computer, Kenji found himself standing before the desk. The machine, an anachronism in this void, felt strangely inviting. It was a slice of normalcy in an otherwise incomprehensible situation, but this was something he could understand. He reached out, hesitated for just a second, and then pressed the power button.
Slowly, the computer whirred to life, making noises that only a machine older than Kenji could. Kenji had seen several machines resembling it in museums and textbooks, and found one himself once, while scavenging for parts. Collectors his uncle’s age loved them. Its screen flickered with a faint glow, casting light on his face. It was a familiar sight, a screen awaiting input, a gateway to answers and perhaps, a way back home. He pulled the chair back and sat down, a sense of purpose igniting within him.
As the computer hummed to life, the screen displayed a message that made Kenji raise an eyebrow: "Welcome GOD." Below it, a blinking cursor next to the word 'Password' awaited input. Kenji couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity.
A professor of his made a comment once that computers from this era all had the same default password. So on a whim, he typed in 'ADMIN' and hit enter. To his surprise, the system accepted it immediately.
"Seems like 'God' should really update his password security," Aito remarked in his digital monotone, almost sounding amused.
“I didn’t even need to try “PASSWORD.”
The computer then transitioned to a loading screen, followed by a disembodied voice that echoed through the void. "Welcome back. You are not scheduled to return from vacation for another 36,000 days." A pause, then, "You have 1,654,100,042 unread messages."
Kenji leaned back in the chair, a mix of disbelief and amusement in his expression. "Am I really logged into a god's computer?" he mused. He looked around, with a glance behind him for good measure, he half-expected a divine being to appear and smite him. But the only response was the silent flickering of the screen in front of him.
Kenji, still grappling with the reality of their situation, turned to Aito. "Let’s plug you in and see if you can sort through some of this data. There's got to be something useful here," he instructed, connecting Aito to the computer with a cable from his knapsack. Luckily it had at least one standard port.
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Hacking the System [https://i.imgur.com/mQcBhPV.jpeg]
Aito started to glow for a moment as he directed full power to interface with the system. After a moment, he spoke, "The volume of data here is beyond my processor’s capabilities to analyze fully in a human lifetime. However, there appears to be a file for every person on Earth."
Kenji's eyes widened in disbelief. "Every single person?"
"Affirmative," Aito confirmed. "Would you like me to access yours, Kenji?"
The suggestion sent a shiver down Kenji's spine. The idea of seeing what such a database might hold about him was both intriguing and unsettling. He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, let's see what it says about me."
Aito's scanner flickered, and then, with a soft whir of internal mechanisms, he projected a holographic display in the air in front of them. The projection showed a loading icon at first, then began to reveal data and images related to Kenji's life. Kenji leaned forward, his curiosity at an all-time high, as the secrets of his existence started unfolding on the floating holographic screen.
Aito navigated through the holographic interface, bringing up a new display. "Here are some of your measurements, Kenji."
Kenji leaned in to examine his status screen. Much of it seemed rather arcane, but he was able to understand the section Aito had highlighted. His eyes narrowed as he read the statistics: every physical attribute was marked 'Below Average.' However, what truly irked him was his intelligence rating: 'Slightly Above Average.'
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"I was on track to becoming the greatest programmer of my generation on a full scholarship! 'Slightly above average'?" Kenji exclaimed in disbelief.
As if in response to his indignation, Aito's projected screen updated. "Your profile has just been amended with new traits: 'Overestimates His Intelligence' and 'Somewhat Egotistical.'"
"That's ridiculous! I'm a misunderstood genius!" Kenji protested. Frustrated, he began typing into the file, attempting to correct the glaring error. "I'm changing this to 'Misunderstood Genius.'"
To his astonishment, as he made the edit, Kenji felt an immediate shift in his perception. It was as if a mental fog had cleared, leaving him feeling refreshed and sharply focused, like waking up from a deep, restorative sleep.
"That did more than just update some text," Kenji murmured, a mix of wonder and confusion in his voice.
Observing the change, Aito asked, "Perhaps you would like assistance in enhancing your physical condition as well?"
Kenji hesitated. The idea was tempting, but he responded with caution, "Maybe we should slow down a bit. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Kenji briefly imagined writhing on the ground while his body twisted and contorted painfully, like something from a horror movie.
Aito's screen flickered as he analyzed Kenji's updated profile. "Despite your more well-rounded stats, you are still rated 'below average' overall. Your Luck and Karma scores are extremely low."
The mention of Luck struck a nerve with Kenji, especially considering his recent misadventures. "No one would know if we changed my Luck, right?" Kenji asked, half-jokingly.
"Your recent string of misfortunes has defied all probability," Aito observed.
"How much luck would I need to get back home in one piece?" Kenji's temptation was growing quickly.
"A positive shift in your luck from its current negative value might be advisable," Aito suggested.
Kenji mulled over the thought of his luck being so low it hit negative numbers. "Just do it," he said finally, giving Aito the go-ahead.
"Adjustment complete," Aito announced after a moment.
Kenji held his breath, expecting some immediate sensation, but nothing happened. "That was underwhelming," he said with a sigh.
Then, he noticed a small image of Aito on the screen. "Hey, is there a file of you attached to mine?"
Aito brought up his own file. "It appears so. However, it's quite brief. It says 'Aito is a childish toy that Kenji modified into a personal assistant,' with a side-note that it's 'Possibly a sad excuse for an adult to carry around a teddy-bear.'"
Kenji frowned. "Who the hell writes these?"
Hacking Stats [https://i.imgur.com/l7Eew8m.png]
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Feeling a surge of protectiveness, Kenji quickly typed a new description: "Aito is a lifelong companion of Kenji, and is capable of self-improvement. His design is decades ahead of the competition. Aito is actually really cool, and everyone else wishes they could have one."
Aito's screen flickered. "I think you might be...," he began in his usual tone, then suddenly shifted to excitement mid-sentence, "Completely right about how awesome I am!"
At that moment, Aito's leg twitched.
Kenji stared in disbelief. Aito, for the very first time, looked up at Kenji. The two broke into excited laughter, with Kenji picking up Aito and spinning around. This continued for some time.
image [https://i.imgur.com/z6jE2SK.jpeg]image [https://i.imgur.com/xCVASAw.jpeg]image [https://i.imgur.com/INU8aeD.jpeg]
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"Haha, you are making me dizzy, Kenji!" Aito exclaimed.
Kenji was ecstatic. "I can't believe you can move now!"
Aito performed a quick spin, mimicking a muscle flex. "Me being amazing is actually the most normal part of today."
Seeing his companion come to life in a way he had only dreamed about had washed away Kenji’s fears and doubts. He sat down, his eyes shining with excitement. "Okay, bud, let's get back to work."
—-
With a newfound sense of mobility, Aito reconnected to the computer, manipulating the cord himself. There was a clear sense of delight in his movements, a reflection of his emerging personality. "Kenji, I'm beginning to understand our predicament," he said, his voice still containing the excitement from his recent discovery of movement.
"You mean how this is like something out of a Manga?" Kenji asked, trying to add a bit of lightness to the situation.
"More than just that," Aito replied, the newfound animation in his voice evident. "It's about your specific situation. Escaping this room alone won't suffice. Your Karma seems to be the key issue."
Kenji's curiosity piqued. "How bad is it?"
Aito displayed the information with a flourish. "Your status is 'Irredeemable Villain, Do Not Reincarnate, slated for Permanent Soul Deletion.'"
Kenji was taken aback. "What could I have done to deserve that?"
"Would you like me to start with the incident when you wet the bed and blamed the dog?" Aito teased.
Kenji didn’t think this was something to joke about. "That can't be it!"
Aito, adopting a more serious tone, revealed, "Your Karma was actually positive until these last three entries."
Kenji listened intently.
"Strike one: You're accused of stealing God's favorite truck."
"That was an abandoned wreck!" Kenji defended himself.
"Strike two: You accessed and used God's tablet without permission."
"I was tracking a killer, and he left himself logged in!"
"Strike three: You illegally entered heaven and hacked God's computer for personal gain."
"Breaking into heaven was an accident! And then… !" Kenji realized the gravity of his actions. "Can we delete those entries?" he asked in haste.
Aito processed the request. "Good news and bad news. I've managed to turn your Karma positive by reinterpreting the events, suggesting you were trying to return God's property and got accidentally trapped in the afterlife. That significantly improved your score."
"Why didn't you just delete the entries?" Kenji questioned.
"Our GOD clearance level isn't sufficient to alter past events. Trying that triggered an alarm. The best I could do was a quick rewording," Aito explained.
Kenji fell silent, contemplating their predicament. "You can't be serious."
"Unfortunately, I am. We should expect a door to appear shortly, likely with a security team to inspect," Aito cautioned.
Kenji's mind raced. "Clear any traces you can. And find out what's beyond that door. We'll have to improvise, be ready to follow my lead."
“I’m on the network remotely now, I can buy us a little time.”
Kenji nodded in response. As they braced themselves, the outline of a door began to form in mid-air, its glow slowly intensifying.
image [https://i.imgur.com/2cNjo2V.jpeg]
image [https://i.imgur.com/6L0Ml8e.png]
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End Chapter 2: Hacking On Heaven's Door
Next Time: Chapter 3: Fall From Heaven