Earth – World of The Misplaced Dungeon.

{Timeline: Start: Just after HawaiiCon, shortly before Taskforce Blue – MD Ch. 26}

= September ’18 =

Three excited teens and two long suffering adults awaited their turn to board the JAL Boeing airliner for their return flight to Tokyo. The two sisters were chattering with each other while their cousin barely managed to insert the occasional comment.

Yukio noted the look his older brother was exchanging with his wife. He smiled brilliantly, “Thank you for putting up with us Gorou. The con was brilliant, how do you think they made the blue screens work?”

Gorou chuckled, “It was worth it to see you all so excited.”

Akemi looked worried as she glanced at her husband, “I’m still seeing those screens. How is that possible love?”

“I honestly don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible. I chose the class samurai and I seem to know ... things. I admit I’m worried. What about you?”

“I chose Miko, and, yes I’m worried.”

Then they were boarding and conversation ceased. Then they were settling in their seats and making themselves comfortable. The two sisters Nozomi and Nabiki resumed their high speed chatter, their eyes darting here and there, as if they were scanning the air in front of their noses.

Gorou watched bemused, “What about you brother? What did you chose?”

Yukio looked faintly embarrassed, “Um... I chose to be an elven Mecha pilot. I did get warned that Mecha weren’t likely to appear any time soon.”

“And what about your cousins, do you know?”

“Um, I think they chose to be Kitsune, like their costumes. I wonder if that why they managed to win the prize for best costumed pair.” Yukio reached across and grabbed Nozomi’s shoulder, giving it a slight shake. The eighteen-year-old paused in her chatter and looked at him enquiringly.

“Gorou is curious as to what you and Nabiki chose with the screens.”

Nozomi smiled, “It’s cool isn’t it? We chose twin tailed Kitsune. We are the spirit foxes of the family Hasegawa.” And both girls giggled.

* * *

Nabiki jerked awake at the sharp gasp of fear. She looked at her lap in confusion and stroked her sister’s head. Despite her eyes she knew that the reddish furred fox sleeping with its head in her lap was her sister. The two bushy white tipped tails were tucked up against her body.

Nabiki looked up at the wide eyed stewardess and her ears folded down warily. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “It’s alright, it’s only Nozomi. She won’t hurt anybody.”

The stewardess backed away, then she turned and ran.

Gorou woke at the flurry of footsteps as the woman fled. He looked across the aisle and froze at the sight of his fourteen-year-old niece. The fox ears on her head unfurled and stood perked up in interest even as her black clawed hands scratched the big fox snoozing on her lap behind the ear.

= November ’18 =

Nozomi leafed through the manga album on her lap. She was bored. Very bored. Over against the far wall Nabiki was playing one of her endless MMORPGs. At least she didn’t seem bored.

Nozomi threw a dirty look at the camera in the corner. This isolation unit was quite spacious. Or rather it was quite spacious for the number of people it was designed for, now with everyone who had been on the flight isolated the isolation units were crowded. She was sharing a small one person room with Akemi and Nabiki. She couldn’t understand why they didn’t allow married couples to remain together.

Their only contact with the outside world was via video. They didn’t even have windows. Just those damn cameras.

It had been nice to speak with mother and father, even if only through video.

The hiss of the isolation lock caught her attention and she looked up just as the inner door slid into the wall. Nozomi came out of her seat in a rush and she darted across the room dodging the other inmates as she rushed to hug a tearful Shizu.

She looked down at her cousin and best friend. She noted with surprise the two fox tails waving agitatedly behind Shizu. “You too? When did this happen Shizu?”

“Shortly after I talked with you and Nabiki the other day. Director Namura is scared. He couldn’t find any contact with you or any other affected. They don’t understand how this is spreading. People are hiding that they are affected.”

= = O = =

Marion Robert Freedman parted ways with his school bus in a foul mood. The hoity toity stuck up bitches had been picking on him recently. It didn’t help that his movie mad parents had stuck him with the name Marion. Even John Wayne had changed his name so why did his parents give him a discarded name.

He’d get his own back, Ellorie would learn that it wasn’t wise to piss off Shadowjack. He slipped into the kitchen, stroked Buddy managing to avoid a face washing by tongue.

Feeling considerably calmer he opened a can of dog food, which distracted Buddy, and made himself a sandwich and disappeared into his secret lair, otherwise known as his bedroom where he tackled the onerous task of finishing his homework.

Then he lost himself in the web, after half an hour he stared bemused at his Ellorie file. He just couldn’t believe anyone could be that stupid. Deleting his file he made sure to thoroughly overwrite it. Pushing his glasses up on his nose with a finger he wondered, just for a moment, if he could do anything to help.

Soon after he had completely forgotten everything else as he assumed his persona of Shadowjack_01011 and dived into his favourite game of the moment. And his buddy Orion458 was back online after weeks away. They did some farming then tackled the Nightblack pits dungeon.

Orion458 and NinjaFox666 started telling them about their experiences at a recent con, being careful to hint and not mention names. Shadowjack was fascinated. Their delve slowed, but paradoxically it allowed them to recover and do far better than usual. Gloria4482 and A$$1n1ne were soon just as caught up as he was.

* * *

Shadowjack woke seeing blue screens. Remembering what NinjaFox had said he read the intro, looked at the accept button and thought accept. He grinned as it worked. He spent nearly an hour setting up his character. Elf naturally. Pity there was no option for decker, and the system message stating that that might prove viable in the future was not very reassuring. But there was the option for computer wizard. And that was so cool, so he chose that. Next he customised his body, he’d always wanted to be taller. He wanted to be able to see properly. He lightened his hair. He was trailing through all the variations of elf that had been created when his alarm went off.

Then he was scrambling to get dressed, eat breakfast, pack a lunch and get to the bus stop. Ellorie and her gang were still acting like bitches but he was able to ignore them. There was so much to explore in his head.

The changes hit that night. He hadn’t really believed, not truly, but he gained thirty centimetres overnight, his build changed, his ears grew points. Best of all he didn’t need his glasses anymore. None of his clothing fitted. Luckily his father had heard of the phenomena and believed him, his mother just had hysterics, which didn’t help. His little brother just made fun of him, which was par for the course.

His father took the day off from work, bought him some clothes, that Shadowjack thought to be very uncool. Then they went to the local government offices in the state capital of Boise to register the change. And that was a two hour drive. Computer wizard raised flags and was considered more important than elf. The fact that he was fifteen saved him from some problems. His father ended up wit a ream of government paper because he’d been incautious when filling in his new paperwork.

* * *

When the little group met again on Saturday Gloria4482 was spitting feathers. It appeared the Canadians were not enamoured of teenage computer wizards, and she was being asked to wear a tag. A$$1n1ne was more complacent, but then he’d chosen to be a standard mage, and as he hadn’t changed his appearance, he was coasting under the radar in his native Belgium.

With two computer wizards things proceeded smoothly and Orion458 and NinjaFox666 were able to share their plight.

Working together proved interesting and educational. Somehow the odd synergy of magics between a firmly committed kitsune, two computer wizards and a mage caused a certain limited degree of blending when it came to knowledge.

= December ’18 =

Nozomi groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes. Nabiki was insistently shaking her shoulder. She looked up at her sister resentfully only to be silenced by a gesture. Nabiki pushed a piece of paper into her hand. Nozomi glanced at it and her eyes flew open when she understood what was written on it.

“Cameras disabled, mikes not. Hurry the lock will open from 01:30 to 01:40. Help me wake aunty Akemi and Shizu. Gorou and Yukio will be waiting outside.”

Nozomi scrambled into her clothes and went to wake her aunt with the note in her hand. Ten minutes later the four women made their way quietly to the quarantine lock and it opened just as they were arriving. They scuttled through nervously and followed Nabiki down the corridor.

As they rounded the corner at the end of their corridor they saw that it continued and spotted Yukio stepping through an open door, he was immediately followed by Gorou. Akemi rushed to him and hugged him in relief.

Nozomi watched them with a gentle smile, Nabiki for her part seemed impatient and after a few moments glared at Yukio and tapped her wristwatch. Yukio jerked and looked worried then he nudged his brother and whispered “time.”

Gorou jerked and checked his watch and blanched. They moved off again, Nabiki in the lead. Nozomi spotted her sister place a leaf culled from one of the pot plants in their isolation ward on her head and then in her place was the elderly and rather testy Dr Hiraoka.

The substitute Dr Hiraoka burst into the guard room at the end of the corridor complaining bitterly. He abruptly ordered the two orderlies in the room to fetch him several items. Almost screaming in irritation when they hesitated. The two orderlies obviously decided to comply to avoid problems.

As soon as they were gone Nabiki in her new guise gestured them to move. Yukio led the way and smiled as the secure door opened as he approached. Soon they were gone and the door was once again closed.