Ethernet

Phase Seven: Part One

Phase Seven: Part One

Jin and Daniel found the nearest sewage drain and submerged themselves into the underground tunnels. They could hear, as they passed by various gang hotspots, that the Hanz gang was at full recruitment and they had nearly doubled in numbers by the sounds of it. Everyone was ready to jump on the bandwagon of a sure thing. Rumors had even started that Hanz himself had killed Kane Z and he would not stop until he was king of the hill.

The boys knew better than to believe it but the fact that all these nomads did made the streets just a little more dangerous for members of the wrong gang. They continued to walk for hours until familiar underground markings from the Sniper gang started to appear on the wall. Jin allowed Daniel to lead as he knew more about the gang and the markings than he had. They used their S.C.A.N. cards as lights to illuminate the dark underground as, for some odd reason, their plasma lights were not working.

Most of the walk had been rather silent. The symbols to indicate directions to the current Sniper gang location were starting to grow more intricate and were now dully illuminated with a light, blue glow. Daniel started to grow more confused by each simple as they passed.

“What is going on?” Jin asked as he ran his hand over the most recent marking the two had found.

Daniel didn’t reply at first. Instead he continued to think over and over again in his mind before the thoughts started to pour out.

“It doesn’t make any sense!” He final shouted as they reached another marking, this one much closer than the others had been to their previous. Jin did not speak but waited for the boy to gather himself. He then spoke, “The markings are starting to be symbolic of some sort of victory. And blue is a color for peace. Genevieve told me that this was what they were like in the beginning. It was… damn… something to do with the purity of Ethernet… if it had ever been pure that is.”

Jin fought back the urge to show emotion. While he had been in a constant state of worry for both Kade and Genevieve since they had left, he couldn’t help but wonder what battles they were facing while submerged into a digital realm. Having been someone rather oblivious to the extent of technology, it was harder for him to wrap his mind around. More so than many others.

“She taught you about their gang?” Jin asked as he watched Daniel continue down the corridors.

Daniel lightly nodded his head as he tried to remember all she had spoken of the markings.

“Of course. Stopping Ethernet meant stopping the gang which revolved around the worship of it. I had to know what their strengths and weaknesses were, goals and teachings, in order to help her defeat them.”

Jin nodded his head as they came to an area which seemed to have been smashed in. If they had not seen for themselves the battle which took place they could have easily mistaken it for an explosion of some sort.

They froze momentarily as fear surged through them both. Then, unwilling to show one another that very same fear, they marched forward ready to fight any creature willing to charge.

The smell of old blood grew very strong as they reached the circular area where Kade had been held. The beams and floor were all very dark and glowing only a dim shade of blue, barely noticeable if it had not been so dark. There, dead center of the platform was the dead, or nearly dead, remains of one Sniper.

Daniel stepped back for a moment at the sight as Jin continued on. The blood and gore was something he saw every day of his life. He was not only comfortable but curious about his particular wounds. The torso and head were still connected, torn up a bit as if thrown through a meat grinder and then spat out mid process, as the remaining limbs were in pieces around the area.