We're in the final act now, boys and girls. Time to kick it all into gear. I've been taking some extra time in order to make sure I stick the landing for Headhunters, and I'm already laying out the storyline for Arc Two as well, so I hope you guys enjoy!

And yes, Pokemaster, there's a couple of redditors, I've noticed. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Chapter 22

It took us until the following Sunday to be able to gather everyone together. School was back in full swing and real world obligations being what they were meant everyone had to shuffle things around in their schedule until they could make time to cram themselves into my apartment. Argo was the first to show up with Noya in tow, though he left just as quickly to monitor the perimeter of the apartment building on her orders. Argo herself didn't waste any time asking me a storm of questions about what happened last weekend. I answered as best I could, but I left out the more personal things like Sinon's phobia. She never said to keep it a secret, but until she explicitly told me one way or the other, my lips were sealed.

The questions stopped when Sinon herself had arrived, looking indifferent and calm, the picture of stoicism. Until she spotted me. Her face softened and she gave me a little wave.

She had bought herself a new muffler to replace the one she lost. Same design as the old one. The new Glock strapped to her thigh wasn't any different in that regard, too. Apparently, Sinon subscribed to the age-old 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' mindset.

"Hey," she said as she came to stand beside me. Maybe I was just imagining things, but it felt like she was standing closer to me than usual.

"Hey, hey," I replied back, grinning.

Sinon idly scanned my apartment. "Where's Rei?" she asked.

"Shopping."

"By herself? Is that safe?"

"She's wearing the cloak and I told her to keep her head down. No talking to strangers for any reason. If she needed help, she could message me," I said. "She'll be fine. It's a quick trip, and she's done it a couple times now. Yesterday, she bought medical supplies. The day before, it was weapons."

"You don't have any?" Sinon asked.

"Just your MP7. I lost my pistol, knife, and the sawed-off during that whole kerfuffle in Old South. I'm barely more armed now than I was when I first started playing," I explained, releasing an exaggerated sigh. It hurt to do it, but in the interest of not being flat broke, I ended up selling off some of my optical weapons. While they packed a wallop against monsters, they were all but useless against human players bearing energy shields.

Argo tittered and she made no effort to hide it. "Ya can't seem to hold onto a weapon to save your life, huh?"

"Not holding onto a weapon has actually saved my life a couple times, thank you very much," I retorted.

Sinon rolled her eyes, "Has Serena shown up yet?"

"She's the one we're waiting for," I said. I rubbed at my forehead "I hope she's doing alright. Last week must have been hard on her."

"Serena's a brave girl," Sinon said, and there was some measure of respect in her voice. "It was chaos, but she held her own. And she gave up her cover just to protect us. Protect me." she looked to me and said, "We're going to help her."

"Yeah, we are. Once she gets here, we'll start putting the puzzle pieces together. See what the big picture is," I said.

"Oughta be fun," Argo said. She made an elaborate hand gesture and several holographic windows filled with her notes appeared before her. Then she swept her arm, and each one glided around to encircle her. "It's been slow goin' with just me researchin' everything."

"Well, you're in luck today. Because Ikuchi let some things slip when I fought him," I said.

Argo looked up from her floating notes. "Oh?"

"From what he said, there was a group of people down in the lower floors up to no good. To make a short story even shorter, they were taxing kids, extorting them for who knows what, and they had enough influence to get away with it. Ikuchi tried to fight back, but from what I can tell, it didn't work out in his favor."

Argo listened intently, but the moment I mentioned the extortion, her face suddenly darkened. It was the closest I'd ever seen her come to genuine anger. "I know exactly what you're talkin' about."

"And?" I asked.

"The Aincrad Liberation Force."

I blinked. "The Army?"

Argo squinted at me. "How'd ya know?"

"Oh...um," I trailed off. The temptation to think up an excuse before I could stick my foot any deeper in my mouth was hard to ignore. Yet I couldn't help but wonder, was that really the best thing to do? She didn't know it, but Argo was a fellow survivor. She'd done a lot to help me, and despite her mischievous nature, she had never been anything other than straight with me. When I thought about it, I realized I couldn't lie to her any more than I could have lied to Sinon. "Well, because as it turns out, I'm a survivor too."

Argo's eyebrows flew up so fast I half-expected them to shoot through the ceiling. "You're jokin'."

"I'm not."

She shifted her gaze to Sinon, who shrugged.

"He's not," she said.

Argo made a low whistling noise. "Wow, this's the first time I'm the last to find out about somethin'. It's kinda embarrassin'," she spared a glance around my apartment then spread her arms out in exasperation. "Would it have killed ya to get a couch or somethin' to sit down on? A pretty girl is about to faint from shock here."

"I'm sorry, Argo," I said in a tone that conveyed the opposite. The corners of my lips twitched in a faint smirk. "It's in the budget."

Argo snorted and put her hands on her hips. "Alright, then. Spill. What's your deal?"

I looked from her to Sinon then back again. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

"C'mon, don't make me get on my hands and knees for it. I have some pride, y'know?" Argo said. "Your SAO history. I wanna know who ya were, what you were up to."

I broke into a small laugh. "You don't waste any time, huh?"

"Call it professional curiosity. If there's info to be had, then I consider it an obligation to know about it. And since this particular info has to do with an apparent SAO survivor," Argo held her hands out to me, "who's kept his past a secret until now, I have to say that I'm even more intrigued."

"Well gee, when you put it like that, I don't know." I said, stroking my chin. The faint smirk I wore morphed into a fierce grin. Ah hell, what's the harm in having some fun with it? "It's kind of nice being on this side of the exchange for once. If this information is really that valuable to you, what are you willing to hand over for it?"

Argo's murky eyes flashed with delight. "Look at ya, tryin' your hand at the information game. I remember when you were flounderin' around to keep your head above water. Ah, they grow up so fast," she said, wiping away an imaginary tear. Then her smile turned wolfish. "But word to the wise, apprentice. I've been playin' this game a long time. Nothin' stays out of my reach for long."

"Noted," I said. "So, the Army. What's the story?"

Argo sighed. She was far from ready to let go of the conversation, but she relented for now. She smoothed out some stray wrinkles on her pilot's top before continuing on. "As I was sayin', Ikuchi was probably referrin' to the Army. A lot of their boys started actin' out when the guild got too big to control. Extortion was just one thing on the long list of crud they were doin'."

"And nobody fought back?" Sinon asked.

"Oh, a lotta people did. Both internally and otherwise," Argo said. "The Army almost had a civil war with how out of control things got. Nobody could calm things down. The players in the lower floors were too afraid to stand up to them, the mid-floor folks kept their noses out of it, and the frontliners couldn't waste men and resources solvin' the problem when it didn't affect their goal of clearin' the game."

I frowned. There was a time, after leaving my old guild, the Ryujin, where I took on contract work from other players, mostly as extra muscle for an expeditionary team or as an alchemist replacing the potions and poisons used during drawn out monster hunts. I even acted as a courier once, delivering new swords to frontliners just as they were about to start a boss raid. I went where the work took me, up and down Castle Aincrad, but not once did I ever hear anything about the Army's state of disarray. It was far too late to do anything about it now, but even still, I couldn't help but feel some shame for not being there to help.

"Bad times all around then," I muttered. "But do you think that's enough to narrow down Ikuchi's identity?"

Argo paused to think for a moment. "It's better than what we had before, but it ain't enough to hit the bullseye. At best, the suspect pool goes down from six thousand to about a hundred, give or take."

The front door chimed. Someone was requesting to come inside. I approached the door, accepted it, and Serena appeared before me in a flash of light, her head bowed and her arms crossed over her stomach. I saw the worry on her face as she met my gaze. Even through a virtual avatar, she looked terrible. I wouldn't have been surprised if she was losing sleep lately.

"Hey," she murmured.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

"Could be better," she sighed. "So, am I late or something?"

"Getting to business," I said. "Need anything? A drink or something to eat?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Let's do this already," Serena said, waving a hand in front of her. I nodded and led her over to the group. Sinon shuffled aside to give her some room.

Argo crossed her arms and there was genuine concern written on her face as she spoke. "Hey, I know this is a difficult moment for ya, but there's some things I wanted to ask ya if it ain't much trouble. It might help us get a better idea of Ikuchi's identity in SAO."

Serena nodded, idly pushing her pink hair out of her face. "Yeah, yeah, I know the deal. It's no trouble, really."

"Alright," Argo said with a nod. "Brass tacks, then. Anythin' immediately come to mind about Ikuchi's past? An off-hand comment or somethin' like that?"

Serena scratched a spot on her cheek and shook her head. "No, he hasn't. I would've remembered."

"Mmkay," Argo said, undeterred. "You aware of any previous online handles he may have had in other games? He may have used the same one in SAO."

"Handles?"

"Username," I provided. "You're Serena, she's Argo, that's Sinon."

"Oh," Serena said. "Well, when he was in grade school, he liked the name Mametaro."

Argo pursed her lips, scanning her notes for a long moment. She shook her head, "Don't think anyone in SAO was named that. Closest is Momo. How about a nickname he had?"

"The nicknames the other kids gave him weren't the nicest ones," Serena muttered.

Argo wrinkled her nose. "Hmm, he have any pets that he named himself after?"

"You're not serious." I said skeptically.

"It's happened before," she replied.

"We don't have any pets," Serena said. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but I think this is going to be impossible. Ikuchi's never told anyone anything. How are we supposed to figure anything out?"

Argo huffed, wiping a finger under her nose, "Don't ya worry. I'm the best of the best. If I can't do it, no one can."

"That...makes me more worried," Serena said.

"Alright then, how about this?" Argo said with a smirk. "Was he a beta tester?"

I tossed a glance at her, and immediately understood her intentions. Out of the ten thousand players trapped in SAO, only a thousand of them were beta testers. They were the ones who got to play the game months earlier than everyone else. If Argo, info broker extraordinaire and SAO survivor, knew their identities, she could narrow down the pool of suspects considerably. Provided, of course, he was one.

As I thought this, I watched Serena tilt her head slightly. "Um, I don't know?"

"Let me put it this way," Argo said. "SAO released in November, was he usin' the NerveGear before that time? Say, around August?"

Serena's lips parted and she nodded her head vigorously. "Wait, yeah, he was. He was practically on that thing all day."

Argo snapped her finger, "Aha! Cinched it. Now we're cookin' with gas."

There was a flash of light at my door and Rei suddenly appeared, pulling the hood of her cloak off. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice died off when she saw us huddled in a circle in the middle of my apartment. I jerked my head towards the kitchenette in the corner of my room and she nodded, meeting me there. I opened the mini-fridge, pulled out a pair of glass soda bottles, and broke the caps off before giving one to Rei.

"So what'd you buy?" I asked.

Rei took the offered bottle with both hands and drained half of it in a single go. "Um, I couldn't get much, Master. Just some ammo and an extra pistol. Our finances are in utter sham — " She burped. Rather loudly. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late and she knew it, her cheeks turning bright enough to signal incoming planes. "Oh dear, please excuse me. Um, shambles, Master. This is a red alert of the highest order."

I leaned back against the kitchen counter, frowning. "Nothing for it. We're just going to have to make do with what we have."

"Is this seriously that much of an issue for you?" Sinon asked as she joined us. "You know, I don't mind giving you some credits if you really need it."

An acknowledging grunt came through the back of my throat while I downed my own drink. "I'll pay you back later."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not doing this so you can owe me a favor," Sinon said.

"I dunno. I'd still feel kind of guilty."

"That's just your pride talking," Sinon said.

"Very much so," I admitted. "But is that so bad? I think it's one of my most charming features."

"It's bad when it causes you to make reckless decisions," Sinon said. "You won't be doing yourself any favors by handicapping yourself. Worry about your neck first."

Rei killed the rest of her drink, "Master, as your ArFA-Sys, it is my duty to make sure you have adequate funds to succeed in GGO. If Sinon wants to give us money, then we should accept it with limitless appreciation."

Sinon cocked an eyebrow at me and one corner of her lips twitched upwards for less than half a second. It didn't take a detective's intuition to figure out the words behind it.

Checkmate.

I sighed. "Et tu, Rei?"

She giggled. "Verily!"

I looked between the two girls, then conceded by throwing my hands up in a theatrical gesture. "Welp, I give. Though if I'm being honest, there is one thing I need that I don't have the cash for."

"What's that?" Sinon asked.

"A photon sword."

Sinon blinked, her eyes wide. "You too, huh?"

"If I end up in a repeat of Old South, I'm going to need it," I replied. "I may not be able to beat Ikuchi with it, but I should be able to hold him off at the very least."

It hurt a little to admit it, but no matter how I sliced it — ha, ha — my swordplay wasn't what it used to be. Sure, I knew Ikuchi's gimmick, but I'd be kidding myself if I thought I could match him blow for blow. I could shake the rust off my swordsmanship and adapt it to GGO, given enough time. It'd be a grueling effort chock full of trial and error, but I could do it. But there was a downside. It could take weeks, if not months, to get back into fighting shape. Time enough for Ikuchi to take another shot at us. A potentially lethal one. And there still was no guarantee I'd be able to stand toe to toe with him by the end of it.

The photon sword was less of a silver bullet and more of another tool in the arsenal. At least, that was the hope. If it came to a point where it became my only means of defense, well, I was probably screwed anyways.

Sinon studied me for a long while, then she nodded and said. "Okay. If that's what you need, then you got it."

"Thank you," I said. "You are a very nice lady."

She grinned slightly. "Don't mention it." She looked over her shoulder at Argo and Serena as they both examined one of the holo-windows floating around them. "You think she'll be able to figure things out just by knowing Ikuchi was a beta tester."

"It makes things easier, that's for sure. There weren't that many of them in SAO and…" My mouth twisted into a frown, "a lot of people wanted to know their identities back then."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "They played the game before everyone else did, so they knew more information about it than the average player. Life saving information."

"Is that why people went looking for them?" Sinon asked.

"Yeah, but not for the reasons you'd think," I downed another gulp of my soda and said, "There were two thousand deaths in the first month of SAO. People were afraid, angry, and desperate. They wanted someone to blame."

"And they chose the beta testers. Because what they knew could have prevented those deaths," Sinon said.

"Bingo." I said. "Most of them did try to help. A group of them wrote a survival guide and handed it out for free, but it wasn't enough to save their reputation. People were still looking down on them all the way up to the end of the game."

Sinon clicked her tongue. "That's terrible. And it doesn't help anything."

"People are people. The beta testers knew things they didn't. To them, that was a good enough reason to start a witch hunt."

Sinon eyed me for a moment. "Were you…"

I shook my head. "No, I wasn't a beta tester. As far as I know, I never met one either. They weren't very eager to announce themselves to the world," I scratched my brow with a thumb, thinking back on those times. "There were rumors that some info brokers knew who they were, but I never followed up on them."

Argo snapped her fingers, gave a sharp whistle, and waved us over. Next to her, Serena was fiddling with her hands. I couldn't quite pin down the emotion on her face. The best way I could describe it would be as a mixture of apprehension, hope, and dread, like waiting for the results of a test you may or may not have bombed.

"Guess we're about to find out," I said, pushing off the kitchen counter to meet her. Rei and Sinon followed after me.

"It hurts to be this good, I tell ya. It's gotta be a crime," Argo said as she stretched in place like she finished doing an intense bout of exercise.

"So you figured out who he was?" I asked as we joined her.

"And so much more."

"How sure are you?"

She gave me a self-satisfied grin, then dismissed all but one of the holo-windows with a flick of her wrist. "I'd stake my reputation on it."

I whistled in surprise, "Alright, that's a bold claim. So what do you have?"

Argo sucked in a breath, presumably to bask in the moment, then she said, "Does the name Silas ring any bells to you?"

I ran through a mental checklist. The name didn't strike me as familiar. "Not really. Was he important?"

"Depends on who ya ask, but one thing's for sure, he was no slouch," Argo consulted the notes on her holographic window. "For starters, he was a beta tester, life I figured, and get this, his first big act was joining the raid group that fought the very first floor boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord."

I sucked in a breath, but Argo continued without noticing.

"In fact, he was on the frontlines constantly in the early days of SAO. He was there during the second floor boss, the third, the fifth, sixth, seventh, the eighth and the tenth, so on and so forth."

Ikuchi...was a clearer. He fought the floor bosses. He won against them, and those very victories were the ones which inspired me to stand up against my own fear, to leave the safety of my own prison to fight.

Serena held up a hand. "Sorry, but what exactly does this mean?"

"It means he was risking his life to save the rest of us," I said, my voice turning rough. "Being on the frontlines meant going into situations where information is scarce and the enemies are at their strongest," I bowed my head by a few degrees, closing my eyes. My face soured the more I thought about it. "More people died there than anywhere else."

"Oh god," Serena said. "Ikuchi threw himself into something that dangerous?"

"At first," Argo said. "His last boss raid was on the nineteenth floor. Not sure what exactly happened, but judgin' from some reports, he had a near-death experience fighting that boss."

I nodded along and started connecting the dots. "He almost dies and it spooks him hard enough that he leaves the frontlines. Can't say I blame him. Not everyone is cut out for that job."

Serena balled a fist over her mouth, and I observed with tacit approval as Rei reached over to pat her on the back. My ArFA-Sys hesitated a moment before making contact, but when she did, Serena thanked her in a low murmur.

"Sure didn't stop him from trying to help though," Argo said. "Because it wasn't long before he joined a guild headed up by a guy named Thinker. Guess he found his calling in spreading information and supplies to his fellow players because he rose through the ranks pretty fast."

"Okay, so what happened?" I asked. "How does this connect to his resentment of the Army?"

Argo's expression sobered. "Floor twenty five happened. Ya know the story?"

An ugly feeling curdled in my stomach. "Yeah. The boss raid was a disaster; there was a sudden difficulty spike. A lot of people died."

Argo nodded, "Most of the casualties belonged to the Aincrad Liberation Squad and in the interest of recoupin' their losses, they joined forces with Thinker's guild."

"Which means Ikuchi became a bonafide member of the Army," I said.

"And he did just about as well there as he did with Thinker's group," Argo turned slightly to face Serena. "Even if your brother wasn't a Clearer, he was still the cream of the crop. Wasn't long before he reached the rank of Lieutenant and got his own squad. Apparently he was well-liked and respected by the folks he commanded. Never lost a man in a fight and he trained them all on his own. Not to mention his own personal skills with a sword. Ain't inaccurate to say he was the best the Army had."

For the briefest of moments, Serena's face broke into a rueful smile.

"For a while, things were pretty good for him. Then the dirty stuff started happening," Argo sighed. "Once the Army started losin' influence to the other frontline guilds, a sub leader named Kibaou started up that whole extortion business while takin' his frustrations out on Thinker, criticizin' his leadership, y'know?"

"Kibaou, huh?" I asked.

Argo nodded. "Real charmer. Hated beta testers with a passion. He may as well have started the whole crusade against 'em. And there are a lot of reports of Ikuchi buttin' heads with him once he learned about the extortion and his badmouthin' to Thinker, bein' loyal to his long-time boss and all."

I furrowed my brow. "Come to think of it, Ikuchi must have hidden his beta tester status from everyone. Otherwise, I doubt this Kibaou guy would have let him anywhere near a command position."

"So ya can already guess what happened," Argo said. "At some point, the whole house of cards came down. Kibaou found out. I dunno if he overheard a private conversation or someone ratted Ikuchi out to him, but he did. And it was all the excuse he needed to get rid of a thorn in his side while weakening Thinker's support. Ikuchi was kicked out of the Army, command of his squad was handed over to one of Kibaou's loyalists, and Thinker was put in dire straits up until a couple weeks before SAO was cleared."

"Holy crap," I said, shaking my head. "That's...so messed up." I let the story sink in, examining each point until a rough outline began to take shape in my mind. Something didn't add up. A question kept nagging at me in the back of my mind. Was getting kicked out of the Army really reason enough for him to go into a downward spiral? It couldn't be. Sure, being forced out of a group sucks, but it wouldn't cause someone to go on a mad power trip, especially not to the lengths Ikuchi was going.

He risked his life to advance the game. That kind of thing needed guts, determination, and an iron will. Would someone with those qualities really turn over to the dark side? Because someone kicked them out of a guild?

It didn't track. There had to be something else. Something more had to be weighing on him.

I thought furiously. Then I remembered. Ikuchi lost someone important. He never admitted it, but his reaction to the things I said during our fight gave me every reason to believe as much.

And there was only one thing I could think of that would throw Ikuchi over the edge.

"What happened to his squad?" I asked.

Argo stared at me and spoke without a hint of emotion, like a coroner examining a fresh corpse. "They died. Ten of 'em, just gone. Their new leader got 'em all killed durin' a scoutin' mission the week after Ikuchi was kicked out. Kibaou 'n his faction didn't want to look bad in front of the rest of the guild, so they shifted the blame on Thinker and ended up securin' more influence over the Army."

I swallowed hard. No sugar-coating. No dancing around it. Just a simple, cold fact. Ikuchi tried to do the right thing and his squad paid the ultimate price for it. Even worse, someone had the gall to turn that loss of life into political points. It took me a second to notice my jaw had clenched shut and the effort I put into relaxing it almost wasn't enough. It took a solid ten seconds to unwind the tension gathering in my shoulders, but anger still thrummed underneath the surface of my voice. "And you're sure Silas and Ikuchi are the same person?"

"There were three beta testers with any connection to the Army. Of them, only Silas was pushin' back against the extortion," Argo spread her hands out, palms up. "Either it's him or Ikuchi was makin' stuff up, but it seems too coincidental to be a lie."

I took a deep breath, clearing my thoughts and extinguishing the remnants of my anger until my voice returned to normal, "Occam's Razor, then. We have to confront him about this."

"Do you think he'll even listen to us? He'll probably be like, really hostile to us now," Serena said.

"Not to mention he'll be coming after us again when the opportunity arises," Sinon said. "And without Serena being in the squad to inform us of their movements, we won't have anything close to a warning. The next trap they set might be the one that gets us."

She didn't say it, but I got the message hidden in her words. If there is a next time, he WILL use the Black Star.

"So we end things before that can happen," I said to her. "Okay, any ideas?"

Everyone exchanged glances in a heavy silence. Then Rei raised her hand up hesitantly.

"What do you got?" I asked her.

"Well, since Ikuchi kidnapped Sinon, can we report it to the admins? They can do something."

I pursed my lips in thought. "I don't think it would help. At worst, he'd get a week-long suspension for bad conduct. That would just cut us off from any chance of negotiating with him. And piss him off even more, probably."

If things were different, it wouldn't have been a bad plan. There were anti-harassment policies in place and between the kidnapping and the attempt to aggravate Sinon's phobia we'd have a solid case to really ruin his day. But that wasn't what we were trying to do. We wouldn't be solving the problem so much as shoving it onto someone else. I couldn't do that. Serena pleaded with me to help him and if I didn't do something, there wouldn't be anyone left who would.

I looked over to Argo. "Do you think you can get a message to him? Maybe we can convince him to meet somewhere and hash things out."

Argo considered it for a moment. "It's possible, but don't get your hopes up. He knows we suckered him when I turned in your bounty. He'll probably shut me down instantly. Even if he doesn't, the biggest thing he's focused on right now is beating Sinon. He might not be interested in compromisin' that." She gave a meager shrug. "I'll try. That's all I can promise."

"That's enough for me," I said.

"If it doesn't work, we're going to need a fallback plan," Sinon said.

Rei fidgeted in place. "That means we have to fight him again, doesn't it?"

"I'd prefer it not to, but we can't rule out the possibility" I said. "We need to get him to stop coming after us and put an end to his power trip. To do that, we have to convince him somehow that what he's doing isn't going to help him."

"So why don't ya give him what he wants?" Argo said before I finished speaking.

I blinked at her. "Uh, what?"

"He's gunnin' after Sinon, right? He wants to prove he's better than her? I say give him the chance. I bet he'll march into any ball game you set up for him so long as he thinks he gettin' the chance to prove who's top dog."

"Argo, thats…" I shook my head. "risky as all hell. Ikuchi's gotten dangerous as of late and — "

"Why not?" Sinon said. I shot her a surprised look, but she held firm. "It's better than waiting around and letting him decide when to hit us. If we set up the confrontation, we dictate the rules."

I considered the idea. In any battle, playing defensively only gets you as far as a stalemate. Punching back was the only way to have any hope of winning. Which meant we'd have to turn the tables on him. We had to be the ones launching the attack — controlling the when and the where — rather than the other way around.

But it wasn't a perfect plan. Ikuchi still had the Black Star and he was more than willing to use it. Sinon would still be in danger.

I stared at her for a moment, grimacing. Every fiber of my being wanted to object to the idea. I couldn't bear the thought of knowingly putting her in harm's way. If something happened to her…

Memories of last week flooded my mind. The two of us, sitting on my bed, recovering from the day's battles. Sinon was trying to come to terms with her phobia becoming a real and true threat. Yet despite it all, she still wanted to face him, to beat the specter of fear threatening to wreak havoc her life. She was going to stand up against it, even if it scared the hell out of her.

Just like me, when I decided to face SAO head on.

Screw it. There wasn't any choice to be made.

If something happened to her, we'd endure it together. As a team. No matter what she decided, I'd stay by her side until the bitter end.

"Alright. I've got your back," I said, my frown melting away.

Sinon cracked a small, almost imperceptible smile. She nodded, and when we turned to face the others again, I knew it for sure it wasn't my imagination. I caught her shuffling closer to me.

I didn't say a word.

"Then it's settled," Sinon said. "We'll force Ikuchi to play our game."

"Right," I agreed. "So how is this going to go down exactly?"

Argo clasped her hands together, looking entirely pleased with herself. "One last fight to settle things for good. If ya win, you'll prove to Ikuchi that he ain't more powerful than Sinon."

"What's to stop him from trying again later?" I asked.

"The wager."

That just confused me even more. "What wager?"

"See it's like this. If he wins the fight, he proves he's the better player. If he loses, then he stops going after Sinon and you can convince him what he's doin' ain't makin' him any stronger. Simple as that."

"And he's going to honor that?"

"He'll have to. Especially when there's going to be a lot of witnesses."

I furrowed my brow. "Witnesses? Okay, wait, hold on, where are you going with this?"

Argo spread out her arms, her smile just as wide, when she said, "Did ya know that tomorrow, Ikuchi's gonna have a live interview on MMO Stream?"

"I'm not too sure about this," Sinon said.

"You said you were fine with the plan," I replied, shoving my hands into my pockets as we stepped off the teleportation plaza. The buildings in Lower Glocken were more tightly packed together compared to other districts in the city. The roads, walkways, and staircases winded about and went into buildings with little to no reason as to why. Some led to dead ends, others to the deeper, more dangerous parts of Glocken, and opening the map showed a nonsensical mess of twists and turns liable to turn your brain into knots. Getting lost in Lower Glocken was pretty much a rite of passage in GGO; it's happened to everyone at least once.

"I am. But I'm not so sure about asking them for help," she said. "They're dangerous and we don't know them well enough to fully trust them."

"True, but if Ikuchi refuses to negotiate with us then we're going to need them on our side. They have more experience in this than we do," I replied smoothly as we entered an alleyway. "And technically I'm not asking. I'm negotiating."

"Either way, I don't see them joining us so easily. Not after we robbed them of what they wanted."

"Only one way to find out," I said. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

We turned a corner and about twenty feet away a crowd of seven boys were gathered on one side of the alley. They were a couple years older than us at least, though one could never be too sure in an online game. Every so often, they glanced down the other side of the alley before conversing in hushed tones. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I doubted they were going to do anything upstanding.

Scammers, if I had to guess. Lower Glocken was full of them. New players were their usual marks, but they'd go after other people too, if they thought it was worth it. The best way to avoid them was simple, then. Make them think it isn't worth it.

Almost as if on reflex, Sinon's rather easy-going stride morphed into something purposeful and cold. She drew up her muffler to cover most of her face, and what was left visible bristled with irritation. I followed suit, hunching forward and putting on a bulldog's glower as I picked up the pace.

It didn't take long for one of the boys to notice us walking towards them. He looked fairly unremarkable, average weight and height, no distinguishing features. He opened his mouth to presumably cause us a problem. Then he got a good look at Sinon's thorny expression. He went still, his face blank. Then he looked at me, at my equally unfriendly mug, then down at the hands still in my pockets. I watched as he no doubt started weighing options in his head, and by the time we reached the group, he apparently decided he wanted nothing to do with us. We passed by without incident.

"And the award for best actress goes to..." I said once we were far enough away.

Sinon made a noise between a sigh and a laugh, "It wasn't much of an act. Looking angry kinda comes naturally when guys like those don't leave you alone."

"Don't I know it. I still remember the scowl you gave me the day we first met," I mimed a shiver. "Very scary."

Sinon shoved me with one arm, but there wasn't any force behind it. I still hammed it up by stumbling over my feet.

"I mean it in a nice way," I defended, holding my arms up.

Sinon snorted. "Back then, you were just another guy. A really annoying guy who was in way over his head."

"So...nothing's changed?"

"Well, I tolerate you a lot more now."

"Aw shucks."

We exited the alleyway, went down a flight of stairs, turned the corner around an abandoned building, turned another corner around another abandoned building a couple blocks down, went up some stairs and went through another alley to reach the stairs that led us to our destination.

The Sanguine Strip was a section of Lower Glocken devoted to pubs, bars, taverns, ice houses, and every other kind of watering hole one could think of. None of them held the extravagance of Pulsar or the hidden niche of Third Eye, but by the grace of sheer variety, they didn't need to be. If there was a spirit or booze that existed on Earth, chances are it had been recreated here in perfect detail. Not to mention the original brews to round out the already substantial menu.

A group of red faced players passed us by, stumbling over themselves as they slurred and hollered at no one in particular. The stench of liquor on their clothes was almost overpowering. Such was the allure of Sanguine Strip. No pulled punches. Anywhere else, they wouldn't have even gotten a buzz. That's why the scammers were hanging around nearby. The only thing easier than a newbie mark was a drunk one.

Sinon adjusted her muffler so that it sat more securely over her nose as we weaved through the crowd of mostly older bar hoppers. Then she said, "What are you going to offer them anyways?"

"Not sure yet. Depends on how willing they are to help. They might understand the situation and join up without wanting anything in return, but I can't say for sure."

"Right. That's the part that worries me."

"Everything will work out. I'm no stranger to tangles like this."

"Aren't you confident," Sinon's face scrunched a bit in a way that made it obvious she was smiling underneath the muffler. "Though I suppose I can admit you have your moments sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"I shouldn't inflate your ego. It'll give you a big head. Makes you an easier target," She said. Our eyes met and she pulled down her muffler to show the teasing smile she'd been hiding. "I like having you in one piece."

I smiled, my throat suddenly dry. Sinon seemed to have this uncanny ability where she turned my brain into jelly every time she showed me one of her rare but genuine gestures of affection, while also cranking the ambient temperature to something approximating a supernova.

"You must use your powers for good," I intoned.

Sinon raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. I was talking to myself."

We stopped in front of a two-story saloon. It was sandwiched between a motel meant to give patrons who went a little too hard on the booze a place to log out (navigating Lower Glocken was difficult enough when sober), and a tavern built to resemble a European style castle, complete with an animatronic dragon perched atop it, thick smoke curling from its flared nostrils. The saloon itself looked like every one you'd find in one of those old Western movies, all oak wood and ash-stained glass windows, with cracker barrels and wagon wheels spread around the entrance to complete the aesthetic. A longhorn skull was branded on top of the building, and a sign over it read: 'TONY'S WESTERN WORLD: GORGEOUS SALOON'.

Sinon narrowed her eyes, tilting her head to one side. "This is the meeting place?"

"Yes it is," I drawled. "Join us later?"

Sinon nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I finish buying the things we need." She opened her menu with a swipe of her fingers, reviewing the shopping list I put together before we left my apartment. It contained everything we needed for our final confrontation with Ikuchi, assuming he didn't agree to a parley. As she read through it, though, her brow furrowed, and she peered up at me over the border of her holo-window. "I thought you just wanted a photon sword. Why do you want all this, too?"

"Argo's plan is good, but I want to put together one of my own," I said. "The, uh, the Black Star is still something we have to deal with."

Sinon stared at me. For the slightest of seconds, an uneasiness touched her face, but she snuffed it out as easily as one blows out a candle. "Yeah, it is," she said, frowning. "What are you thinking?"

"Odds are the first thing he's going to do when we run into each other is pull it on you," I said. "When he does, I want it to be a mistake that sinks him."

Sinon read through the list again. "And this is what you need, huh? I'm not really sure I understand, but I trust you."

Trust. For such a short and simple word, it meant the world to me coming from her.

"But just so you know, I'm not going to hide from him while you do the work. I need to be there facing him or I'm never going to forgive myself," she said.

"Right. You got it."

Sinon nodded, then jerked her head towards the saloon. "You should get going. And keep your guard up. Safe zone or not, you never know what could happen."

"You know me, I'm all about danger," I said back. We went our separate ways.

I swaggered over to the saloon's swinging doors and threw them wide open like a Man with no Name. They clattered hard against their adjacent walls and I stood firm in preparation for the inevitable attention the noise would get me.

I didn't get so much as a wayward glance. The noise I made was a faint whisper compared to the raucous energy already thundering inside. Music boomed in a hard and heavy beat from a jukebox next to the bar, some country rock number I didn't recognize. Five people, men and women, danced on the bar counter in perfect sync to the clapping and cheers from the other patrons while others danced together in the middle of the open floor, stomping their feet and singing along. People talked and shouted to each other in the booths lined against the walls, almost as loud as the music itself. A few game machines in the far corner were blaring with colorful lights and sound effects. Somebody must have won a jackpot because I heard the sound of coins clattering all the way from the other side of the wide open room.

"Some people just can't appreciate a good entrance," I sighed. I could barely hear my own voice over the cacophony of noise all around me.

As soon as I stepped across the saloon's threshold, a tingling sensation glided over me, a subtle vibration reminiscent of a tuning fork. I recognized it for what it was. The saloon's systems were checking my AmuSphere for my registered date of birth. I'd been honest when I gave it, way back in January, so it didn't come as a surprise when a pop-up window appeared, notifying me that most of the saloon's drinks were now locked and unavailable for purchase. I dismissed the window with a careless swipe of my hand and headed up to the second floor to a row of private rooms until I found the one marked as Room 214. The meeting place for our negotiations.

I took a deep breath, put my game face on, and gave the door two solid knocks. At first I thought it cracked open on its own, until I looked down and saw her.

Llenn peered back at me, draped in a cloak that covered her bright pink outfit. She fixed me with a cursory stare, then poked her head outside, scanning the empty hallway.

"Howdy, Llenn," I said, holding my hands up. "I'm alone."

"It's kinda weird that you messaged me out of nowhere," Llenn replied.

"Yeah, I get that. But there's some things I want to talk to you about."

Llenn crinkled her button nose. "What kind of things?"

"Oi, Llenn, don't hog him all to yourself! I wanna say hi too," said a voice from inside the room. Llenn shrugged and pulled the door all the way open.

There was only one other person in the room. Her boots were kicked up onto the table, the chair she sat in balancing precariously on its back two legs. One hand drummed its fingers steadily against her stomach as she guzzled a brown bottle from the other. She threw her head back with a satisfied sigh, then her attention fell to me. Dark, bottomless eyes glittered with a predator's interest and I felt a shiver crawl down my spine.

Pitohui suddenly leaned forward, the chair's front legs slamming against the floorboards. I avoided flinching, if only barely.

"Hiiii," she said with a smile so wide, it contorted her face tattoos.

"Good to see you too," I said. Llenn closed the door behind me as I entered, and I tried not to imagine it as her locking me in with someone who didn't need much of a reason to gut me. We were in a safe zone, sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Pitohui knew a thing or two about hurting someone within those limits.

"What're you so tense for?" Pitohui asked as Llenn trotted over to the chair next to her.

I stood stock still. "It's a compliment," I said.

She laughed merrily, clapping her hands together. "Aww, aren't you adorable? I could just scoop you up and eat you." She said, focusing intently on me. "Where's your drink?"

I cleared my throat. "Can't. I'm locked out."

Pitohui settled back in her chair and regarded me for a long second. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Then she banged her fist against the table, springing a holographic menu to life. I didn't even have time to read what was on it before she jabbed a finger through its interface. A second later, a glass mug materialized on the table and she slid it across to me. "I'm not letting you be such a stick in the mud. Drink it!"

I looked down at the offered cup, frowning at the clear liquid inside. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Pitohui slouched down and her long legs kicked out the empty chair in front of me. "Sit down and drink it. You're gonna ruin the mood, and I'd be really sad if you did that. Really, really sad."

I grimaced and tossed a glance at Llenn. She shrugged with an uncomfortable half-smile, but she didn't offer much beyond that. I exhaled through my nose, dropped into the offered chair, and said firmly, "I'm not here to drink, Pito. I want to make a deal with you."

Pitohui made a disappointed face, but she recovered quickly. "With me? You're going to make me blush, kiddo."

"Yes, with you. You're the only person I can turn to about something like this. So what do you say?" I asked. Pitohui and Llenn exchanged curious glances.

"Hmm, fine, then." Pitohui said. She tented her fingers together, her lips lifting away from her teeth, revealing the same manic grin she wore when she tried to kill me back in Valley Moor.

She leaned forward without ever taking those flat eyes off of me, the movement every bit as sinuous and feral as she was.

Her voice took on a low, almost seductive tone.

"Let's make a deal," said the spider to the fly.