Cyber Wars Chapter 4- Shell Games

[Wolf99x]

Wolf was shocked. He could not believe that Monk, someone with the most advanced skills in martial arts...was living a fake life and using skills that he had not really acquired...if he was reading this right.

Wait...bullshit. Wolf thought This is not real. This is not true. The Monk I know is not a liar...and as for his skills, well...he's one of the few who has ever kicked my ass.

Wolf pointed his Uzi in the direction of the entity Monk had called 'Myth'.

"Enough of this fake reminiscing bullshit." Wolf said. "What the hell are you and what the hell is it you want?"

And why the hell am I the one asking this question? Furthermore...does Monk actually know this creep?

***

OOC: And now we go join Beowulf and J2 in their quest to nuke Mastermind's control systems. (thought I'd forgotten about them, eh?)

Beowulf and J2 approached a border checkpoint at the edge of Mastermind's cyber-territory. Beowulf walked throught the metal detector...which went off.

A guard approached him.

"Please remove any metallic objects you may have on you..."

Beowulf pulled out his .45s and aimed them at the guard's head.

"Shit..." was the last word the guard said before his brains were blown out.

Beowulf then drew his M16 and killed 3 more guards. The 4th guard tried to radio for backup, but J2 shot him through the head with a pistol.

"Send a burst email to Jade...tell her we've breached the perimeter." Beowulf said to J2.

[batgirl]

"You've got it," J2 said as she shot another guard at point blank range.

Jade's PDA beeped, but she was too busy staring open mouthed to bother opening it. This...can't be happening. Is this really Monk's mind?

[Wolf99x]

And why, Wolf thought as he was still waiting for a response from Myth, Does the Bohemian Rhapsody seem to fit Monk's situation so well?

[MC43]

"Down... Wolf was it? Ah... such a gullible fellow, one to believe in all of Monk's lies. I know... how coud he? He's such a good friend to you, isn't he? Or maybe... you're too good of a friend to him?"

Monk turned around and shouted through his tears, "You leave my friends out of this! Tey have nothing to do with..."

"This? Oh... they have everything to do with this, but not now. No... I'll save them for the end. Right now, I have to show you... yo're real happiest moment." And with a wave of his arms, images started to appar again.

Monk stood alone, fighting back tears, and practicing by himself. After several kicks and jabs to the air, he stopped and dropped to his knees covering his face with his hands. "He did give me a second chance... I can't believe it! This was the secon time I tried out... and the second time I froze! Why am I such a coward!?"

"I can change that..." a vdeep voice came from no where. Monk looked everywhere for the voice, but could not find an owner to it. "Come with me... and all your fears will simply, disappear."

"Dis...disappear? You mean...?"

"Yes, I can help you...What is your name?"

Monk looked at the ground. "I have no idea. They never reavealed it to me. I guess you could say that I have no name."

"Then I... as your new found father.. shall give you one. From now on, you re known as... Myth. A great story that has it's roots, but cannot be proven true. That is the same as you... is it not?"

"Yes..." He stood up, "What my I call you...?"

"For now... you may call me father... but everyone knows me... as Mastermind."


Mastermind!? My father!? No!! Monk thought in his head.

"But it is true. Where these Monks left you, Mastermind came and took you, protected you uner his wing." Myth fiishde his thought for him.

"Impossible!!"


But as the words were finished, there was Monk, now with a backpack on , heading out the door, all the kids pointin and laughing at him as he went out. He turned to them, shouting, "You'll see. You will all see! I will be the greatest Monk ever! I will help millions of people, and be known throughout the world!"

"Yeah... for being the biggest clutz."

"You couldn't help yourself, much less someone else."

"Yeah, get out of here before you hurt something!"

As the laughter continued, Monk choked back a tear and went along his way. Off to his future, of to be... Myth.


Monk shook his head. "These lies will not work!"

"LIES!? I have shown you the truth to your life, and this is how you thank me!? By saying that everything s a lie!?" After takng a breath, he grinned and settled down. "I guess I ave no truth, but to show you how your life went... after that..."

I don't want to know... make it stop! Please!! Monk dropped to his knees and grabbed his head. "Lies... Make it stop! Not true!"

This is all a lie... I... I'm a lie...

[Wolf99x]

Wolf now considered what he knew.

1. Monk had no real name. Sucks to be him...real bad...I don't think I could manage living without a real name.
2. Monk had flunked out of whatever school he had been learning martial arts from. Again...bad...
3. Mastermind had done what he had done with all other disenfranchised people...seduced them into dreams of grandeur...made good on the promises to achieve their dreams...and then brainwashed them into killing machines. Absolutely wrong...and in this case...Monk's worst nightmare

But Wolf knew one other thing. Monk had broken Mastermind's chains on his freedom. Monk had escaped. Now this 'Myth', Monk's evil half, was trying to bring him back in...by calling him a lie, and a fake. No fake could escape Mastermind's clutches... Wolf realized.

"Bullshit." Wolf said. Myth looked at him, so did Monk

"Myth, Monk is not the fake. You are. You are the product of Mastermind's evil intentions to use Monk to do his killing. You are the product of a system of lies and fakery devised by Mastermind in order to make Monk a great fighter...and then a killer in Mastermind's employ. Unfortunately, this proved to be an error, because Monk fought the system and won. I know this...I helped him escape it. The Monk that Jade and I know right now, who is kneeling there, is real. He is the product of an amalgamation of three people, the expelled student, the killing machine, and the freed man who now fights to destroy the one that stole his life. You however, are not part of him any longer, and now you're trying to take back what you think is yours. Well, it isn't happening. Monk has rejected your existence, and now you try to shatter his spirt, try to do what you did to him before? Hell no!"

Wolf, now leveling his Uzi at Myth's head, walked in front of Monk. "I will not allow you to mess with him again. Nobody deserves to be a mindless drone to Mastermind, and nobody certainly deserves it twice. So get the fuck out of Monk's head...and don't...fucking...come...back."

Wolf bent his head towards Monk, but kept his eyes on Myth. "Monk...listen to me." he whispered to his friend "You and I both know only you can defeat him. He is the fake...hell, his name practically means fake. Unless you want to go back to being a slave to Mastermind, you have to realize that you have a valid existence...and he does not. Besides which, if you don't kick his ass...he'll probably kill me, seeing as how he doesn't look too happy because of my little editorial."

I hope I know what I'm doing. And I hope Monk realizes the truth in what I said...since only he can eliminate something in his mind. Wolf thought as he kept the gun level. If he cannot stop Myth now, then I fear we are all in danger.

[Zephie]

A click echoes in the room, and is followed by footsteps as Wraith stands beside Wolf and also aims his pistol at Myth's head. "I don't know much about what's going on here, or about you and Monk or anything else I'm hearing...but I think you'd better do what the man says."

[batgirl]

OOC: Corny mode set to on.

BIC: A third click was heard. Jade had leveled her rifle at Myth's head. "I second that. No one is taking Monk away from us without a fight, and you'll find that we're harder to take down than you think. I suggest that you leave right now or you'll find yourself in a load of shit." Come on Monk, snap out of it.

[MC43]

OOC: Hope you guys don't mind readin' long posts.. I have a feelin' a bunch more are comin' up for me.

Myth looked down the barrels of the three guns leveled at him. "Are you kidding me!? I have shown Monk what he wants t know! He wanted to know his past, and I have done just that! No!! I have given him more!! And now you all treat me like this!? Mastermind... made... Monk!! He made us!! He gave us this power! Do you know that!? And now... this!? You level your guns at me... threatening to kill me!?" He was breathing heavy as h continued, "Do you want the truth!? Do you Monk!?" He was now shouting between the line in front of him, "This... is the real you!!" He pointed to the side once more.


Monk appeared again, but this time, he was in some strange suit, the one that Myth was in right now. In front of him was a machine, one that looked human, but obviously wasn't. Mon got into a fighting stance in front of it and went in for the kill, but the machine was too fast, and beat Monk to within an inch of life.

"Stop the program!" A voice called out.

Monk looked towards the wall, "I'm sorry! Please..."

"Again!!"

"Sir... I have done this several times, but I have never succeeded..."

"AGAIN!!" and the robot made it's move, and begun to beat Monk again. Monk cried out in pain and started to cry as the bot continued to hit him. "Stop it... It's pointless..." The bot backed up and stood away from Monk, now bleeding from many places. "Get up! Go to your room and rest for tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow...?"

"The same exercise! Until you can finally defeat it."

"I can't... It's too hard!"

"Then you will fail... and will be booted again, then where will you go!?"

Monk staggered up, "Yes sir..." And the image faded away.

This scene was repeated several times, and it looked like Monk was never getting any better. Time after time, he would be beaten and embarrassed in front of the trio. It was after several visions that he finally succeeded in his task.

Monk jumped in the air and kicked the head of the bot clear off. "Stop program!" The voice called out. "Good... I am very impressed."

Monk bowed before a window that had just appeared in front of him. "I thank you for giving me the chance."

"No... you are not yet done."

"Excuse me? I have completed my training. What else is there to do?"

"Guns... you must learn how to yield a weapon."

Monk had a look of surprise on his face. "What!? I didn't not sign up for that!"

"Neither did we... but trust me... You'll like it..." The bot somehow stood up again and stuck out its index finger, a needle shooting out of it. It rose up its arm and jabbed it right into Monk's head. He grabbed the bot and tossed it, but not before the bot had succeeded in its mission. He had got the bug in, just in time. Monk paused for a second, then looked up at the window. "When do I start?"

There was a momentary pause, until a pistol was dropped from the ceiling, and landed right in front of Monk's feet. "Right now..."

And several shots could be heard, before another scream from Monk, and then blackness once more.


"Do you see now!? We gave him those fighting abilities!! Those Monks back at the monastery are weak and feeble compared to him!! If he took that test today, then the 'Master,'" He even made the air quotes with his hands, "...would be lying on the ground, dead! And it wouldn't be because of them, it was because of Mastermind!! I have shown you the truth... as Monk has asked many times!! And how do you repay me!? By threatening my life!?" He grinned as he relaxed back into position, "Or... did you just risk your own, just for this... fake..." He looked to the air for more words, "This... lie..."

This... lie...? No. I am not a lie. Wolf is right, I am better than this, but I did not attain it this way! Oh God... What am I!?

Myth reached to his sides and pulled out his two pistols and leveled them at Jade and Wolf's heads. "I know you can hear me. They make one move... and they shall be killed. You wouldn't want that... would you?" He asked, like he was talking to a child.

Monk was silent for a moment, but he eventually stood up. "You leave me friends out of this... This is between you... and me." He pushed through the line and in front of Myth.

"Heh... I knew you wouldn't let your friends down. Good... then we shall resolve this..." He put his guns away and turned around, pointing towards the hallway. "You see the three doors, don't you? The one to the right is his memory. You may find what you need in there, and if you so dare, you get to watch me and Monk. The one to the right is Monk's inner deep and dark secrets. The funny thing is, it's locked, and he is the only one allowed to open the door, not even I can open it. The center door..." He paused just to add to the suspense, "Is my room..."

He turned to the group again, "And I have to thank you. My, have you furnished it for me. It is more commonly known as his room of fears, and since I am his number one fear, I have lived there all this time. It was lonely before, but after he all met you, you have given me glorious things. That is where Monk and I shall be. That is... if he can fight his own fear. Who knows what's behind there..." He grinned. "I shall be waiting, oh... and if you want, the door is now open, you may leave if you wish." A click was sounded, as Myth started towards the hallway. "You coming?"

Monk took a deep breath and took a few steps towards the door...

[Zephie]

Wraith lowers his gun very slowly from the point after where Myth threatened Wolf and Jade on, and finally has it down at his side. He glances between first Jade, then Wolf, wondering what they'll choose to do.

(( So lemme see if I got this right...Myth just offered for us to check out Monk's memories, and he and Monk are gonna go into his room of fears, but we could also leave if we like? Not that we would, anyway... ))

[Squishy Cheeks]

Coyote was looking at his watchless arm like he had a watch. "They are late, and you gentlemen are on time. I always liked punctuality."

"What is it, exactly, you want Mr. Coyote?"

"Harsher punishments for parole violators, and world peace. What do you want?"

"We are not here to play games, virus."

"Oh but you are. And how well you play will result in whether or not you walk out of here with your bits intact. You came into the Coyote's den, AI. Here I rule, here I am God.

"What is it you want Mr. Coyote?"

Coyote smiled.