Hiro ran his own tracer program to seek out the strange being in the school network.
He couldn't work out what it is, but his systems were very eager to tell him what it was not. It was not a digital fairy, nor was it an AI... on the off chance it was another cyborg running in proxy, he tried a few protocols that he suspected would be recognised to their own kind...
... but there was no response. It was not a cyborg either.
Yet whatever the 'thing' was, seemed to exist both within cyberspace and had some kind of physical component in real space. He couldn't quite work out what was going on. Was it some kind of ghost?
Hey... you know you shouldn't be here, let's talk... Hiro ventured.
Suddenly, Hiro felt his systems just freeze
The intruder had just gone inside his systems. It didn't even attempt to negotiate the firewalls, it just walked past them. He only had a brief second to consider the implications that his systems failed, and more so that there was now yet another being existing in his own brain!
"Get... the... hell... out of me!" Hiro said gritting his teeth.
Then... just as suddenly, it was gone. There was no further trace of the alien intruder... A little apprehensive, Hiro ran a system check.
Everything appeared to be fine... but there was something strange with his directive protocols. It was taking up more space then it had before, yet it appeared to be the same file... he attempted to open up the system.
access denied.
Hiro irked an eyebrow. "What...?" Someone just locked him out of his own system? That shouldn't be possible! Clearly someone had just tinkered with his directives, but he couldn't work out what just happened.
Mr Grayson looked at the computer, and at the strange 'image' of Effie.
The digital fairy realised, the man was looking sceptically. While her mother was certainly willing to believe, her father might take a little more convincing.
"You are claiming to be Freddy? What's his birthday?"
"I..." Effie gulped. "I don't know..." It was only now, she understood what her name used to be. It was such a distant memory, a dream...
"What about your mother's? Tell me something only we would know."
"Honey," Interrupted Deanna. "She can't remember."
"Convenient. We lost our son, and you are so quick to believe this might be him? She doesn't look anything like him!"
Effie winced. Her father was always the healthy sceptic. She just wanted to run back out into cyberspace, but Dennis willed her to stay. She had to remember something! "I- recall.. a little. I can't remember a lot-"
Mr Greyson then just fell to the floor weeping. The digital fairy strained to see as he had fallen out of sight of the camera, but she could still hear him. She had the vague idea that she had never seen her father cry over anything. Right now, she wanted to cry too. She was so sorry to have hurt him...
Deanna gently held the man, trying to console him. "Honey... it is him. I can see it in her eyes. Look, can't you see it?"
Effie swallowed nervously, and moved her bangs of green hair away from her eyes. She hoped her mother was right. Right now she really wished she wasn't wearing her signature dress...
Max thought heavily on the words of the councillor.
Was she right? Were people not looking at her in the way she thought? She always blushed heavily when she just thought of her extra breasts, and cringed at the idea that people could see them. Still, was it possible that by acting as she did, was she drawing more unwanted attention?
The catgirl recalled never being one for attention before, but with everyone looking at you in your first day...
She accidentally bumped into a young man. "Oh sorry." She said.
Hiro looked at her, as something in his systems kicked in. It responded with a 'negative' output.. which was strange, as he didn't even know what his systems were looking for. He couldn't find any trace of the hacker... but was it now using him? He had to fight it!
"It's... okay," Said Hiro, a little distracted.
"Are you okay?" Asked Max.
Hiro looked at the strange catgirl. His sensors had told him an awful lot of detail, and he was finding it very difficult not to blush. He glanced down at her chest, his cybernetic eye glowing softly. "Y-yeah.. I'm.. fine.. I'm Hiro Hibiki," He said.
Max wasn't sure she liked the way the cyborg looked at her.
Hiro immediately caught the expression, and elevated stress levels. A very slight raising of her heckles. "I... didn't mean to startle you," he said trying to be soothing. "I'm new here... I don't really know my way around."
Max relaxed a bit. "I'm Max," She said.
"Nice to meet you." He offered his human hand to her, despite it being the left one, and kept the cybernetic arm to his side. The tactile feeling of flesh felt good, and Hiro allowed the feeling to linger a moment.
"What.. are you?" She asked.
Hiro shrugged. "Half machine, half human."
"oh..." Max wasn't sure why, but she felt a little sorry for him. Although that sympathy stopped when she realised, he probably see her unusual breasts. Unlike that Drow-boy, Hiro didn't seem willing to admit much. "So... do you help with the computers in the school?"
Hiro scoffed. "They have a twelve year old girl doing that, since she's the real deal." Hiro bit his lip. He didn't really want to rant on such an old argument with someone he just met. Truth was, he could use a friend. "Er- sorry. Touchy subject.. say, do you know a flower girl? She's.. well..." He wanted to say pretty. "She wears a pink dress."
Max thought about it. "I've seen her around I think. But I don't know her personally."
The cyborg nodded. "Yeah- well- no problem. I was just wondering," he said a little wistfully. "Say- er- you want to study together? I got all the information on the best books locked in here," he said taping his head.
Max shook her head. "Actually... I rather just study myself. Nice meeting you." She decided to leave as quickly as possible.
Hiro looked disappointed as he watched her go. He wished he was better at talking to girls. For as much as his systems improved, this was the one thing it did nothing for.
They will always be afraid of you The voice bubbled into his memory.
Jenny and Lilly continued running. It was the last 500 meters and Lilly really wanted to catch up to the rabbit girl! In the end her competitive streak was too much and she decided to push ahead. Jenny had also put up the pace, thinking now was the right time anyway.
Lilly moved all she could, her twin tails flicking and moving. She adopted a more downward gait, almost using her hands to get an increased boost. She managed to close the distance, even going much faster then Jenny.
The two tailed squirrel stormed past the rabbit girl, who looked with great confusion herself.
"I win! I won!" Lilly said happily. She had never won in racing before! That was incredible! That was just so... then she fell to the ground fainting.
The teacher was quickly to the squirrel girl. "Are you okay sweety?" She said carefully touching her forehead. She felt a little cool to the touch.
Lilly looked confused. "I... dunno... I just got so tired now... feel sleepy."
The rabbit girl shook her head. "You burned out, tha's what happen'd. Don't you know wha' happen' to animals?"
The squirrel girl looked defensively. "I ain't an animal!"
The teacher shook her head. "Let's get you some water. Part of this class is to teach you the limits of your bodies..." She was satisfied Lilly was not in danger... but being part animal and human put new limits on the body. While it looked like Lilly had exceeded human endurance, her stamina suffered greatly for it.
Jenny stepped up concerned looking to Lilly. "You okay?"
"Uh huh," said Lilly shyly. "Sorry... I just wanted to win," She said feeling very lame at such a childish admission. Was being in such a young body affecting her that much? She was forgetting so many things.
Jenny reached down and hugged the squirrel girl. "You we're really cool there too," She giggled.
"R-really?"
"Yup." she giggled again.
Lilly blushed as she stared at the innocent snow white haired girl. Her friend.... "A-Are we.. best friends?" She asked.
"Course we are!" Said Jenny surprised she even had to ask.
The squirrel girl drank the water, slowly feeling the energy come back to her. She had a craving to eat some nuts, or some fruit... She didn't think this class would teach her anything, but it looked like she was going to learn a lot after all.
Father Robert lit the candles, ending the congregation. It wont be long now until the demonstration against her came...
As the rest departed, and she was once more isolated in the great church, with only the Lord with her, she decided to spend some time looking to the altar. She was also thinking about the clothes she would have to buy for herself... and she was worried.
She glanced down at her torso, fearing terribly the extra breasts she carried, as well as the feelings of the horns on her head. Her tail was also starting to get very uncomfortable under her robes. She adjusted the robe a bit, trying to make the tail comfortable. It slid out underneath it. She didn't want to cut a hole in her vestments, besides... it would make her look one step closer towards...
.. towards the image people have, of Evil.
Her sermons had become peaceful, trying to teach tolerance now. But... there was no going about it. She was a hypocrite. The only reason she was saying these messages of peace, were for her own skin. How can she possibly ask God to forgive her, when she couldn't forgive herself?
Even if God would forgive...
Her tail was still very uncomfortable. Finally, unable to really take it much longer, she slipped off the robes, allowing the tail full room to roam. She was still wearing her pants, and a vest on top- straining her large top breasts. She made sure nobody was around... indeed there shouldn't be for a long while, and the doors were all closed.
Her tail was happy to be free, and eager to show it's gratitude, as it started caressing behind her back, and along the side, brushing her secondary and tirtiary breasts as it slipped under her vest...
"Time.. and place.. for everything," She said softly. "Not here... okay?" She willed the tail back, as it started to caress along her leg instead. Why did her tail have to be... doing something? What was worse, she knew it wanted to caress someone else more then her own body...
She sneaked a glance out the window, to see how many demonstrators had arrived. There was a small picket group of about ten people... all of different transformations. She was however quite glad to see a small group of angelic changed near by too. It was not quite the confrontation she expected... they seemed to be quite relaxed. It was almost like a little festival going on in the street.
She glanced at her discarded robe a little guiltily, and at the red skin she was showing.
It wont be long now...
