The otakus eventually met the other geeks, but even in a larger group, they still had little chance. The rogue AIs would raid them every day. Almost every attack was a stomp; almost every battle ended in retreat. Every attack chopped their numbers, slowly diminishing their hope of getting out.

Fortunately, the outside world had not left them. In fact, they had been trying desperately to save them. Every nation had one of its own trapped inside, turning the Escapist Dream into an international emergency. Countries then banded together, not to fight a world war or a global pandemic, but to save geeks whose only crime was living the lives of their favorite fictional characters.

However, even the outside world had no luck. Hacking the Escapist Dream was like invading the land of the dead, to bring these people back to life. Still, they had to try, even if the fabric of reality itself had to be pierced in order to send a helping hand.

Eventually, fate would throw these people a bone. The cage would open for some reason. Though odd, it was the opportunity the government needed, and they had to take it before it faded away.

The FBI was the one tasked with the rescue attempt, and a special task force of ten men was assembled. The chosen men had interesting profiles, some having background from other departments, while others were downright foreign in origin. Since the tragedy of the Escapist Dream was a global dilemma, it was a sign of good faith and respect to let other people do the rescue mission besides the Americans.

On a hill overlooking the barren outskirts, Haru stood staring at the horizon. She tried to remain motionless, to hide her emotions, but her shaking hands and legs betrayed her. Being on this lonely hill, flaunting her bright costume, made her appear like a beacon, unsafe in the open.

Laughter was heard, but she could not determine where it came from. It seemingly came from every direction. She then closed her eyes, knowing this meant only one thing. Monsters have surrounded the hill and they were ready to party.

Little gremlins, like the ones from the 1984 film, rushed to the top of the hill. They were short two-foot-tall monsters with rough green leathery skin, red eyes, and sharp teeth and claws. At least a hundred of them were present, carrying various weapons, like baseball bats, serrated knives, and hatchets. They were filled with fervor, drooling at the idea of being able to slice flesh today.

The hairs on Haru’s arms rose as danger fast approached. However, she swallowed her fear and stood fast. Haru may have lacked bravery since birth, but throughout her time in the Escapist Dream, she had been doing her best to learn it.

Aniki…

As the gremlins finally arrived at the top, not far anymore from Haru, their bodies suddenly became paralyzed. The gremlins didn’t even know it. They just stood where they stood, the devious look on their faces still present. Time had stopped, saving Haru. Though the girl was still conscious, the ones who wanted to do her harm were screwed.

Ryūji arrived from the sky, powerful squalls whipping everyone in the face as he landed. A humanoid golden silhouette wearing armor floated behind him. “Za warudo…” Ryūji whispered. He was the one who had stopped time around the hill with the use of his magical silhouette – a Stand from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures.

Suddenly, shots rang out, bullets hitting many of the gremlins in the head and chest. Several grenades were thrown around the hill, blowing several of them up. A burly guy carrying an M4 carbine charged up the hill. He was in his mid-30s, with a bald head and bronze skin. Just one look at him would immediately give the impression of a warrior. He had no geeky costumes on him, only wearing a soldier’s fatigue to keep it pragmatic. He was Captain Mulholland, an FBI cybercrime agent, a former member of the Special Forces, and the leader of this mission.

The captain then turned on his radio strapped on his collar and said, “We’re good to go. Ryūji only has a limited chance to use his time stop ability, so make it count.”

“Rules of engagement, sir?” a voice replied.

“Annihilate them,” Capt. Mulholland said calmly. Music reverberated around the area for some reason – the “Shock and Awe” theme from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Rifle rounds, larger than the previous ones, killed the gremlins near Haru’s vicinity. Those big caliber rounds crushed the heads of the gremlins like they were watermelons. This made the girl hug the dirt screaming as blood sprayed all over her face. The shots came from a sniper hidden on a separate parallel hill. He wore a reddish-brown camo suit and pants, together with his scoped brown McMillan Tac-50, perfectly blending into the environment. He was Lt. Lewis, the group's specialist, and an all-around Swiss knife. "Multiple tangoes down, sir," Lt. Lewis whispered to his radio. "Attrition has always been my favorite tactic."

Soon, other individuals charged the hill. Another buff man with pale skin and shaved head, let his RPD machine gun rip and tear. He also wore military fatigue but covered himself with Kevlar, a Geiger counter, and a black gas mask; giving him the appearance of famous fictional Russian characters like Strelok and Artyom. This man had the codename of Agent Nagant. He was a Spetsnaz – Russian Special Forces – working with the FBI. “Urra!” yelled Agent Nagant as he fired. His machine gun tore many of the gremlins in two, some horizontally, others vertically.

Another man came, this one wearing a more eccentric uniform. He was a blonde man wearing a brown duster coat, with helms reaching down to his knees. He wore a metal cylindrical helmet with horizontal slits to see, a wrought steel cuirass to protect his torso, and a steel apron for his upper legs. “Fuck ooll of yah!” the man yelled in an Australian accent as he used two large revolvers on each hand, to blast large holes on gremlins' torsos. The man was Agent Bryant – an Australian Special Intelligence Service agent – on loan to the FBI.

Another person, one who was in his mid-20s, also joined the butchering. He strolled through the hill, swinging his sword and meat cleaver rhythmically as if he was conducting music. He wore a tricorn hat and a knightly plate armor, covered in a leather long coat. That person was Agent O’Neil, the FBI agent known as Amp. His appearance back then was in slight contrast to what he would become months later. As he cleaved through the gremlins, his face glowed with motivation. During that time, his objective was not survival but saving these trapped geeks, and he did his mission with passion and pride.

The team slaughtered the gremlins, not even giving any of them a chance to fight back, or even know what was happening to them. The moment time went back to normal, those who survived could only cry in terror as they were surrounded by their butchered comrades.

“Ryūji!” Capt. Mulholland called out to the otaku. “They’re getting away. Can you stop time again?”

“I can’t, sir. Not anymore,” Ryūji said. "I have to wait. My level is not high enough for me to use it for longer periods."

“No need for that,” Lt. Lewis said on Capt. Mulholland. “I got this all under control, captain.”

The lieutenant then grabbed a laptop from his pouch. He opened it and an unknown application emerged on its screen. The moment he typed and pressed enter, a white-winged drone appeared from the clouds, too small to carry a person, but big enough to carry a few small bombs. It was an army standard predator drone. Lt. Lewis controlled it using the laptop, highlighting several gremlins being tracked from above. The drone then unleashed a heavy bombardment of high explosives and flammable napalm, massacring all that was left of the gremlins.

The group finally rendezvous on the hill. “You all did a great job, especially you Haru. We really needed someone to bait those perverted gremlins for this ambush, so thank you."

“Y-You’re welcome,” replied Haru.

“I’m going to radio my other men to tell the geeks it’s now safe to cross the badlands,” the captain followed up. “Would you mind coming with me, Ryūji?”

“Yes sir,” Ryūji replied.

As Ryūji was in the process of walking down the hill, Haru ran to him, saying, “Aniki. Y-You did great! I-I wish to unlock a Stand too someday when I finally reach level 35.”

“Do what you want, Haru,” Ryūji said. “But please, be careful. This is the last time you’ll be tagging along with us.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Haru replied. “You still have to watch over the others too. Please, you have to keep an eye out for them too.”

His brother said nothing, and it made Haru felt even more ashamed. Ever since that fight with those pink-wearing guys, Ryūji had focused solely on keeping his sister safe. This was a problem since Ryūji was the last of the admins; the last of the old breed. Haru blamed herself for his indolence. Only if she was stronger…

The task force had been helpful so far. Even though ten agents came into this world, the five people present on that hill seemed competent enough to solo this mission. Haru could still remember their arrival. It happened six months after the log-out button’s disappearance, and it was an event that was celebrated by the geeks. Their arrival signified that the outside world had not left them, signified that there was hope of getting out.

The task force did not waste any time when they arrived. The professionalism and expertise they brought were big advantages even in an unfamiliar world. No expenses were wasted on their competency, and the whole task force had everything that was needed – from hackers, guerrilla fighters, combat fighters, even geeks too.

It took them only three days to learn how to fight inside the Escapist Dream. It also took them only a week to map the whole place, and learn how to navigate against some of the most dangerous areas. They unlocked the powers which were practical and necessary – from mind protection, strength, stealth, etc. Ryūji and the other geeks helped introduce the world to them, but eventually, they learned on their own at a rapid pace.

Their objectives were simple – protect the geeks and find a way to get out. Finding a way to get inside was easy. But finding a way to escape meant having to step foot into the world and test everything out.

Eventually, Lt. Lewis did find a way. Although it was still near impossible to create an escape route from the virtual reality world to the real world, Lt. Lewis found they could instead create an escape route back to the lobby. Once they get to the lobby, the place seemingly untouched by the malfunction, he could create another escape route that would transport their consciousness back to their bodies – back to their families and back to their world.

There was a problem though. Lt. Lewis needed a place secured and safe enough to create the escape route. A mass escape plan would be noticed by the monsters, leading to a potential bloodbath.

The task force had to meet up and discuss this matter. Thankfully, the geeks had built them a tent to talk.

“Can’t we use one of the areas?” Lt. Lewis suggested. “Maybe it’s time for us to take back at least one of them, just for this occasion. We really need a place secured to get everyone out.”

“Yerr boy is rite,” added Agent Nagant. “Anyone of you tired of always being on the run? Being chased away like kats? Why kan’t we be on offensive diz time?”

“We can’t take risks,” Capt. Mulholland answered. “I know losing people is part of the game, but this will get a lot of people killed without even being certain we can take it. And besides, what good will those areas do? Otaku Academy is a fortress, and we don’t have the time to besiege it. Stan City is a literal city and Gamer's Den is an enclosed dimension. The Library is a valley smack dab in the open. Trying to take one will be dangerous.”

“How about you, mate?” Agent Bryant asked Amp. “What do yah theenk?”

“You asking me? Don’t think I got anything to add here,” replied Amp.

“Come on, this is a demawcrytic group at layst.”

“If you’re gonna ask my opinion, then I’m with the Captain. The areas are too difficult to take. And our current strategy has served well so far. If there’s someone here that should give an opinion, then it should be the admin.”

All eyes then befell on Ryūji and Haru. For most of the meeting, both had been silent, content to let the professionals do the planning. He may have lost his motivation to be responsible for these people. But now, as all look at him for suggestions, he was thrust back into his role.

“It’s up to you what you will do to open a way out,” Ryūji said. "But if you guys need a rearguard or a diversion, I would be happy to oblige.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to Ryūji’s suggestion. They then huddled back together and re-examined their options. What the otaku suggested could work. They didn’t need a superb secured area or be on the move to do this. Lt. Lewis could just stay in any area, as long as it’s secluded and protected. A defensive line or perimeter would wrap around Lt. Lewis, as he tried to hack the program and create an escape route.

A new plan was born from this brainstorming. Lt. Lewis would be somewhere in the outskirts where he could be hidden and be safe. Several geeks would be with him. Four other separate groups consisting of other agents, with the assistance of Ryūji and a select number of geeks, would be placed all around Lt. Lewis to provide eyes and shields. The rest of the geeks would be roaming around the outskirts, to create an illusion that they were still on the run.

Deception and patience must be present for this plan to work. They would be losing people, of course, but hopefully only minimally. This would be an important sacrifice, and sacrifice was and would always be the most important ingredient to success.

“Aniki, let me take your place,” Haru said to her brother, as all began to leave the tent.

Ryūji reacted to Haru with surprise and annoyance. “No. You have to be with the main body where you will be safe.”

“I don’t want to be there. I want to help.”

“Haru, please...”

“It’s okay, Ryūji,” Captain Mullholand chimed. “Your sister is one of the bravest fighters I’ve seen here. She’ll be more useful with us than be with the roving group.”

“It’s too dangerous, sir. I can’t let her come with us. Right now, I am hoping that at least one of us gets home. We don’t know what our father is going through, but one of us needs to get back to him. I want her to be the one to get back home.”

“Aniki, please. We know that’s not true! You are a better person than me. If there’s anyone who deserves to live, it is you!"

“You don’t have to argue,” Captain Mulholland said. “It’s okay Ryūji, she can come with me where she will be safe. And Haru? Don’t worry about your brother. He's tough, and I’ll make sure he’ll have the assistance of the other FBI agents. I promise both of you are getting out of here. It’s the least we can do since you guys have done so much for us.”

The plan would marinate in the following days – constantly being adjusted, carefully being improved. Ryūji and Haru witnessed how these people tirelessly and meticulously put all their efforts into their escape. They were resolved to save every one of these geeks, otakus, gamers, and all other nerds. Freedom was near; they could now smell the fresh air and the cries of their loved ones back home.