Turn me on

[Ronan Engel]

ENTER

...

<execute>

Ronan kept his gaze glued on the computer screen as he leaned slightly to the left to grasp a can of Sprite. He brought it to his lips and took a gulp while code began to run in a dizzying frenzy down the otherwise black screen. Leaning back in his computer chair, he held his Sprite against his chest and tapped his feet to the loud techno music playing from the speakers behind him.

Then the code suddenly stopped. The screen flashed red, white, then the power went out. Like everything in his apartment shut down. Maybe the neighbors' too. Ronan sat up and let out an irritated scoff as he brushed hair impatiently from his face. The can of Sprite set down between his legs. His tongue slightly popped out from the side of his mouth as he concentrated on getting the computer back on.

Annoyed, he leaned down to try the big power button. Just before he could make contact, though, the power came back on. The computer fan whirred back on and the lights flickered before steadying. The music came back on with a vengeance, blasting Ronan with sound. But that wasn't the only thing that happened. Ronan turned to tell his music player to turn down when he saw another person occupying the room with him. His eyebrow immediately quirked upward in surprise before he got up, knocking the can of Sprite on the ground and all over his bare foot.

"Shit!" Ronan stared. "It's really... It really fuckin' worked."

RholyR

[Kode]

It was a dream to be in Prism to some but not to Kode, not at all. He was stuck in a world he was trying to take down. The game was maddening Kode almost lost himself a few times but he had hope, he could code his way back out. Not getting deleting by updates was always fun. Kode learned how to survive in Prism. He had no friends he had no companions he could trust with his knowledge he would out himself explaining how or what he was coding.

But the code was different this time someone had connected with his code and it opened up a portal and Kode step through it awaiting his home, his city he almost lost sight of it and who he was. It was like a surge of electricity was running through his whole body but it didn't hurt.  It was quick he was out in no time. But when he opened his eyes he saw an unfamiliar face in an unfamiliar room

"Did you get me out?" his voice quivered as he spoke.

He looked around the room and at the computer tower and screen it was so outdated, was this some underground hacker? He walked over to it to see what he had been working one. His hand was shaking as he reached out to touch it. It was like he was run through a deep freeze Kode was so cold. His skin was pale in color from the trip to Hazleton. Of course, Kode had no idea where he was he could be still in the game for all he knew. Kode's mind would play tricks on him if he was in the right place or not.

[Ronan Engel]

Lines of code actually stood before him, organic and realistic. Ronan looked him over as he walked a step forward and then circled the young guy standing there in the middle of his room. Cute, kinda, in that squishable way. Like he had cheeks that people had to want to squeeze. Ronan could just imagine what his own adoptive parents would've done if they came across him. They'd have some choice things to say about the fact that he was naked in his bedroom, though.

"Yeah, that was me," Ronan said, with a slight nod, cool as could be. He wasn't going to lose his shit again like he did a second ago. This guy knew nothing about him and that meant a fresh slate. That meant he probably thought Ronan was somebody with godlike powers (which in all honesty, wasn't too far from the truth... after all, he had been born to serve a god.)

Ronan crossed his arms and watched the guy go for his computer. Yeah, he was shaking and it could've been from the cold or it could've been from fear. Or something else. Taking pity on him, Ronan let the guy go ahead and make sure the computer was real while he rummaged in his nearby wardrobe and pulled out some clothes.

"You might wanna cover up. I mean, unless you want to parade around my apartment naked. I do it, so..." He shrugged nonchalantly.

[Kode]

Shit! Naked! Why did he not realize he was naked? He quickly covered himself up.

"I would rather not parade around naked." He said in a sure voice a little freaked out that he was cool with him being naked in his room. Thankfully he got some clothes out for him. It had been a long time since he had talked to someone real. Kode hoped his new friend was real. How lonley it can alone with your own thoughts. Kode took the clothes and quickly put them on.

"I want to thank you, for getting me out." He said sincerly and walked over to the other guy to make sure he was really there. Yes that might sound made but his mind played tricks on him in the past. He wanted this to be real he wanted to be out of Prism. 

Looking around suspicious before he reached out to and pocked his arm. It must have looked strange no matter he still did it.

"Sorry I was stuck in the game for so long I don't know what's real anymore." A sorrowful smile crossed his face he then said, "But you feel real." he said in a more chipper tone.

"I'm Kode with a K by the way." He snickered a little at his ryhm. Small things ammused him.

[Ronan Engel]

"It was..." He waved a hand to appear sheepish and let out a small laugh. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

It was kind of something, though. He was exerting considerable power when he'd reached out into that alternate dimension and pulled this guy through. There were reasons for it and he was looking for somebody specific. Was this really him? Hm... He didn't look like something from the future. But maybe that was the thing. Who really did look like they were from the future? He was just a human.

"I'm definitely real," Ronan said in an assured tone. He raised his brow at the little ditty. Kode with a K, huh?

"Sounds like a real hacker's name," Ronan said. "I don't really have one myself. I just go by the Red Angel online and you won't believe how many people call me she because of it. Angels can be men, too!"

[Kode]

"Were you new to the game. I never heard of you." Red Angel, it could mean many things, the name must have a good story behind it like Kode's. He prided himself on his name. To have Red complement it made him feel good. It also put him an alert, he knew he was a hacker.. or was guessing. Kode didn't want to ask either to clear it up but he needed to.

This place he was didn't feel like home and the longer he was out he felt the paranoia creep in. He wanted to trust this guy he had a kind face but so did Kode and what he was doing was wrong. This was a new start for Kode as well Red had no idea who he was and what he did he could be the good guy this time, not the bad guy.

Is that what Kode wanted? To be good he had a lot of time to think about the type of guy he was a he was pretty fucked up. He didn't want to be the fucked up person anymore but he also didn't want to let his guard down either.

[Ronan Engel]

"Which game?" Ronan asked. "It's my hacker tag. I mean, I play a lot of games so it could be anything. I found you in a weird bit of code I found. You probably don't want to know where."

He let out a soft laugh at that. Kode, huh? And Red Angel. Since he didn't want Kode here running around calling him in that public--he looked like the kind of guy who was easily confused (look at him right now), Ronan decided to add, "By the way, you can just call me Ronan. Like I said, the other thing's my hacker tag. Not something I need getting around."

Unless he was hacking.

[Kode]

"Prism," a questioning tone rang when he spoke. He felt like everything he said was going to be held against him so he didn't want to speak too much. He was very tired and confused but he had been confused for a long time now. But he didn't age that was the weird thing.

His ears perked up, "Come again? Yes! I do want to know." Kode's eyes were practically popped out of his head. "What can you tell me about it?" He sat in the chair in front of the computer screen he wanted to see the code himself.

"Ronan I will keep your hacking name a secret. Should I make up an alias?" He ruffled his hair, "You'll keep my secret, right?" He looked back at the screen. Not just every day did someone come blazing out of an online game.

"Ronan I think I am lost." He stared blankly at the screen "Will you help me get home?" This was a lot to put on a young hacker be he was the only person he knew and this was not easy asking for help.

[Ronan Engel]

"Never heard of it." Prism? It did sound kinda familiar though. Was the kid talking about that weirdo magic drug? Same sort of sound to it. Could be a spin off. Ronan stroked his chin in thought, raising a brow in amusement and bemusement. So, the guy--Kode--wanted to know more. Ronan plopped down on the end of his bed and drew his legs up to cross them.

"Two words: deep web," he said, as if that was enough to say it all. Weird stuff could be found in the deep, dark web and some harmless code from what looked like a new game was right up his alley. Of course, when he went tweaking it, he hadn't expected it to bring somebody from that ....game? back to his place. And alive. Weird. Weirder than weird.

"You're gonna need one if you want people to take you seriously. And I have no reason to blab. But uh... why do you want to go back there? It's just ones and zeroes, right? At least now you're real."

[Kode]

"Do you think others know about me? I mean in the deep web?" If Ronan found him in the dark web others could have tracked him. This is when the panorama set in other could be alerted to him being here and on there way, god what did he get himself into.

"Not that home the home before the code. I don't want to go back in there." Fear took over his face that would be the absolute worst thing ever he didn't know what he was living for at times stuck in there.

"But am I really real?" He sighed. "What should my name be? What would be a common name for me in this place."

He was breathing and he could feel his organs doing what they should. But not having his mind fully is what scared him the most. He didn't know how to share this.

[Ronan Engel]

"Doubtful?" Ronan checked the back of his nails and then sighed as he shook his head. "Listen, you're real, okay. It's kinda part of the thing I do. I can take you ones and zeroes and make you real here. I don't know anything about this other world you're from. I just saw your code out there and it was really... enticing."

Come to think of it, maybe Kode here had been calling to him. Ronan sometimes got that without meaning to--reaching for things that were already beckoning to him. So far, this Kode character didn't seem like trouble, though. Just scared and maybe a little paranoid.

Well, he was in a new world and all that.

"A common name for a guy like you? I dunno. Peter? James? Matt? Honestly, though, it doesn't matter, I guess. Even if you go by Kode, you can just say it's a nickname. You don't owe anyone an explanation."

[Kode]

He looked at the backs and fronts of his own hands okay, he was going to believe him on this one. He seemed to be who he thought he was just not where he should be.

Kode laughed a little, proud to here his code was enticing. he would be lost right now if Ronen didn't work on his code. He was now curious how Ronan's ability worked. Where he was from they had magic so this was not uncommon for him.

Nodding, Ronon was right he didn't need to explain anything to anyone really. "What day is it here? And the year?"

His stomach let out a tremendous roar it seems he needs to eat. "Ramen? Do you have Ramen?"

[Ronan Engel]

"It's 2018. December 10th. Monday. Hope that helps," Ronan said, although he had to peer at the calendar hanging over his computer. Without an analogue one, he'd be fucked when the power went out like it just did. Ronan might work with computers and shit but that didn't mean he counted on them always working.

"Ramen?" Ronan laughed. "That's the food of choice for hackers. Where you're from, too?"

He went to the cupboards and started grabbing the things he needed to start a pot of ramen boiling on the small stovetop on the island in the kitchen.

[Kode]

Kode picked between his eyes as he shut them. His heart sank December of 2018 god he must have been time travel or ended up in a different dimension whatever the case he felt sick to his stomach. He knew something didn't feel right once he was out.

"Yeah," He laughed, "I guess so cheap and easy." Ramen noodles were a thing back home where ever that was.

"So the tough question can I stay here with you?" He felt odd asking Ronan this but he was lost and alone and Ronan is the only person he knows or slight trusts. Paranoid and scared he was going to get his own virus Kode was alone and the young man was helping him. Why? Kode asked himself. Why is Ronan clothing and feeling me and being kind to him?

He was so used to being alone and counting on only himself to get him through anything in life. Everyone back home what good where them to him and his not so loving parents where were they now and all of his friends? Did any of them miss him? How long had it been there? Does it really matter he was here now?

This is his life and surviving was the goal. Eating was part of surviving Kode watched as the ramen boiled. It was going to be so nice to eat some ramen noodles it felt like forever since the last time. Once it was cooked and served up Kode didn't wait to stuff hot steamy noodles in almost spitting them back out with how hot they were. He blew on them for a seconded before trying again.

It took only a few minutes before he slurped up the last of the broth and noodles, he set the bowl down. "That was great, thanks, It feels like it been ages since I've eaten real food." What was real food? That not good for you procedes shit you know.

[Ronan Engel]

Cheap and easy, that was the way of the hacker. Meals weren't hard to come by in most of Hazleton but there was still a homeless population. Ronan skated by that lifestyle with his work. At least he could work from home, though--in a tank top and sweats, barefoot and comfortable. He preferred staying home to going out so it was the perfect line of work for him.

"Is that a tough one?" Ronan asked with a quirk of his brow and a wry smile. He sat cross-legged after the ramen was done, watching Kode eat. The noodles were gone in a matter of minutes. Not surprising. Being a line of code pulled from who knew where, that probably took a lot out of a guy.

"No problem," he said with a thumbs up sign. "But back to where you're staying. I don't see why you can't stay here. It's kinda small but I'm the only one here now so nobody else has a say."

And it didn't bother him. He wasn't worried about getting murdered in the night.