I can't believe I'm talking to Gwen Stacy in my apartment.
"No problem, Ethan," she says. "I'm always happy to help a friend. Invite me in, or are we standing in the hallway?"
"Oh, sorry! Come on in."
She steps into the living room, taking it all in. "Wow, cozy," she says, amused.
Gatomon and BlackGatomon sit on the couch, looking at Gwen.
"Oh my gosh, Ethan, you have cats?!" she squeals. "They're adorable! I didn't know you were a cat person."
Crap! "Uh, yeah," I stammer. "I got them recently. They're kinda new to the whole 'having guests' thing."
I mouth frantically at Gatomon and BlackGatomon: Act like normal cats! Now!
Gatomon stretches, meows, and hops off the couch. BlackGatomon follows, though her meow sounds like a growl.
Gwen approaches them. "They're so cute! Can I pet them?"
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Yeah, sure," I say, smiling. "They don't bite. Usually."
Gwen kneels. "Hey there, kitties," she coos. "You're both so fluffy!"
She strokes Gatomon's fur. Gatomon purrs. BlackGatomon eyes Gwen, then lets herself be petted.
"Oh my gosh," Gwen says. "Their fur is so soft! What kind of cats are they?"
"I have no idea," I admit. "I just found them."
"You found them? That's so random!" Gwen laughs. "Well, they're super cute. Anyway," she says, standing. "I'm parched. Got any drinks?"
"I can make some tea," I offer.
"That sounds great!"
I head into the kitchen and start boiling water. As I'm waiting, I ask, "So, what happened with Flash anyway?"
"You don't remember?" she asks, surprised.
"It's all kinda fuzzy," I say. "Like a bad dream. I remember something happened, but not the specifics."
She frowns. "Oh. Well..." She sighs. "Okay. Flash… well, he really put you through it, Ethan. He embarrassed you in front of the entire school. Dragged you in front of the school in your underwear. He even posted the pictures online. Peter was really worried when you didn't show up the next day."
She pauses, looking concerned. "I know it's hard to come back to school after that, but if you're absent a few more days, your scholarship could be in jeopardy."
Damn, that's not good. I pour the boiling water into a couple of mugs. So, the old Ethan was friends with Gwen and Peter? And he had a scholarship? He must have been a smart guy.
It all starts to click.
The hanging rope... Flash... it's all so obvious now. That's why I woke up like that. The poor bastard offed himself. Flash drove him to it.
I hand Gwen her tea. "Here you go," I say, trying to sound normal.
She smiles. "Thanks, Ethan."
I take a sip of my tea. "Don't worry about the scholarship," I say. "I'll be there. I'm going to make Flash pay."
Gatomon glances at me, then at BlackGatomon.
"Pay how?" Gwen asks, sipping her tea. "What are you planning to do?"
I smirk. "An eye for an eye," I say, "but I'm thinking tenfold."
Gwen's eyes widen slightly. "Whoa, that's...intense. You used to let him walk all over you." She laughs. "I would always have to step in. I can't believe you're so confident now."
"People change," I say, shrugging. She can't possibly understand how much.
I may look like Ethan Kepler, but I'm not him. The old Ethan is gone, and for whatever reason, I'm here now. So for what it's worth, I'm going to avenge him.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're standing up for yourself," she says, "But don't do anything reckless. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Don't worry, Gwen," I say, smiling reassuringly. "I'm not stupid. I'll handle it."
Gwen's smile is still not fully there. "If you say so... just be careful, okay?"
I nod. "I will."
She finishes her tea and sets the mug down. "Well, I should get going. I have a ton of homework to do." She moves toward the door. "See you at school, Ethan."
"See ya, Gwen," I say.
As she leaves, I close the door.
"She seems nice," Gatomon says, hopping back onto the couch.
"Too nice," BlackGatomon says, narrowing her eyes. "She's hiding something."
"You think everyone is hiding something."
"And I'm usually right."
Gatomon is pacing back and forth. "So, this Flash character...what exactly do you intend to do?"
BlackGatomon is lying on the couch, tail twitching. "Yeah, spill it. I wanna know how much fun we're gonna have."
Hearing about Flash from Gwen has really ticked them off. I can feel their protective instincts kicking in. It's kinda cute, in a scary way.
I rub my chin, thinking. "Honestly? I don't know yet."
"What?!" Gatomon exclaims. "You said you were going to make him pay tenfold!"
"I am!" I say, a dark grin spreading across my face. "I'm just not sure how yet. But I promise you this...by the time I'm done, Flash will be wishing he was never born."
I crack my knuckles, and check my System abilities. I should look into this Connect Jump and Hacking skill.
"Alright, girls," I say. "Time to play with some new toys."
I grab my Digi-Goggles.
"What are those for?" asks BlackGatomon, tilting her head.
"You'll see," I say.
I put the Goggles on. Holy crap! I can actually see Cyberspace. Glowing lines extend from every electronic device around me. They connect, weaving together into a giant, invisible network. It is above our heads in the sky.
"Whoa," I breathe.
I turn to the computer. "Let's see what this Connect Jump thing is all about." I point at the monitor and activate the skill.
"Here we go!" I shout.
In a flash, everything distorts. Gatomon, BlackGatomon, and I become pure data. We're getting sucked into the screen. The world transforms into a torrent of information.
One second, I'm standing in front of my dusty desktop, and the next, I'm floating in a sea of binary. Gatomon and BlackGatomon are beside me, looking around in amazement.
"This is Cyberspace?" Gatomon asks, her eyes wide. "It's… incredible."
BlackGatomon is grinning. "I like it. It's chaotic."
It is pretty insane. I see lines of code swirling around us, forming structures that look like buildings and landscapes. It is a digital reflection of my PC, I can see each individual folder in the distance. I feel like I can manipulate everything here with a thought.
I concentrate, and the folder labeled "Homework" opens in front of me. It's like I have telekinesis, but for digital stuff.
"This is gonna be fun," I say. "But let's go bigger."
I scan the area and see a glowing gateway in the distance. It pulses with energy, like a portal to another dimension. "That must be the entrance to the internet."
"Let's go!" BlackGatomon shouts, rocketing towards the gateway.
"Wait up!" Gatomon calls, chasing after her.
I follow, and we plunge into the gateway. Suddenly, we're flowing through a digital highway. Data streams whiz past us at breakneck speed. I see snippets of messages, videos, and images flashing by. It's like a brand new world, made of pure information.
"This is amazing!" I shout, feeling the adrenaline pump through me. "It's like a digital freeway!"
"I wonder where it leads?" Gatomon muses, gazing at the endless stream of data.
BlackGatomon laughs. "Who cares? Let's just see what kind of trouble we can find!"
I spot an access point. It looks like a shimmering portal. "Hey, check that out! Where do you think that leads?"
"Only one way to find out!" BlackGatomon yells, diving headfirst into the portal.
Gatomon sighs. "She never thinks, does she?"
We follow BlackGatomon into the access point, and bam! The whole digital landscape shifts. Gone is the open highway. Now, we're in a confined space made of app icons and system files.
"Where are we?" Gatomon asks, looking around, bewildered.
I scan our surroundings. "I think...I think we're inside a phone."
BlackGatomon cackles. "Awesome! Whose phone is it?"
"Doesn't matter," I say, grinning. "Let's see what I can do." I focus my mind, and images of the phone's contents flash before my eyes. Photos, contacts, messages... It's all there. I can feel myself manipulating the data, rearranging files, accessing private info. This Hacking skill is way too easy.
I rifle through the photo gallery. This lady isn't just going on dates; she's practically auditioning for a reality show called "Cheaters of New York." Picture after picture shows her with a different dude. I can't help but think, "Damn, girl, get it!"
I scroll through the contacts, looking for "Husband" or something equally obvious. Bingo! "Mark (Hubby)." Seriously? Who labels their spouse like that? Whatever. I select all the incriminating photos. Then, I craft a simple message: "Hey Mark, thought you should see what your wife's been up to." I hit send.
"That should stir the pot," I say, smirking.
"Ooh, juicy," BlackGatomon says, rubbing her paws together.
Gatomon sighs. "Was that really necessary?"
"Absolutely," I reply. "A little chaos is good for the soul." Besides, the best way to learn a new skill is to practice.
After that little adventure in marital sabotage, I figure it's time to hone my skills. Turns out, getting into people's personal devices is ridiculously easy. Like taking candy from a baby. I start small, hitting up random unsecured computers. Then I move on to the more challenging stuff: smart fridges, toasters, even those creepy AI dolls. The possibilities are endless!
I try to hack into some bank servers, but that's a no-go. Those guys actually have some decent security. I can get through phones no problem.
I already have a plan on how to deal with Flash.
***
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