When a gamer from the far future is flung back in time to the day Sword Art Online first opened, he, along with a group of scientists and gamers thrown back with them, have the opportunity to stop the original tragedy from ever happening, but they s...
Inventor: First, go ahead and purchase your own copies of SAO and headsets for the game. The headsets should be called "NerveGears." You should have enough money in your pockets for buying the copies. Once you have them, go somewhere where you could play for 24 hours without anyone disturbing you too much.
Kez: My grandpa grew up in this area. He told me that there's a park where people can sleep or lay outside for hours on end without any major disruptions. How about that?
Inventor: Perfect. Is it in the town that you're in now?
Kez: Yes.
Riko: Do you still all have your stats, skills and coding from the lab?
Ui: We sure do. I just checked on my laptop.
Kez: Did you bring anything that can help you, Riko?
Riko: Not much. Just anything I had lying around from the online games I played last.
Gus: I'm sure we can make use of that once we're in the game.
Riko: But wait. There aren't any inlets on the NerveGear. How can we put our tools into the game?
Inventor: No problem. While it won't necessarily be in the NerveGear, you're still wearing your headsets here at the lab, which act as makeshift NerveGears. Everything you need and brought in with you will still be accessible to you via the headsets and its controls.
Riko: Ok. That's good. What should we do once we're set up?
Inventor: We'll worry about that when the time comes. Baby steps, Riko. It's best not to overburden oneself for a project like this.
Riko: Ok, Dad.
After purchasing the game copies and NerveGears, they all meet up at the park.
Kiyu: I overheard someone in the game store saying that the game is going to open up to all players in a little while, so everyone get ready.
Riko: I just hope nothing goes wrong and we don't die in real life.
Inventor: I give you my word, son. Nothing will happen to you in the lab, no matter what happens in the simulation.
Riko: Ok. Phew.
Gus: Let's get into the game and set up while we have the time.
Kez: Sounds good to me.
Everyone puts the NerveGears onto their heads, lay down, and close their eyes.
Ui: Ok, everyone. Same count-off as before. 1...2...3!
Team: Link Start!
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The team members then find themselves in the world of Sword Art Online known as Aincrad.
Riko: I can't believe it. I'm actually here. In the real SAO.
Kez: Well, sort of. Don't forget that this is still technically a simulation.
Inventor: But the simulation did indeed send you back in time, like I said.
Riko: Time-traveling sounds complicated.
Inventor: No one ever said it wasn't. Anyway, I assume all of your tools came into the game with you and nothing is happening to them.
Ui: Yep. I edited the coding so that the game thinks the objects are from this game.
Inventor: Great! Now go ahead and set up. The creator - Kayaba - should address all of the gamers momentarily about the gravity of the situation and the game.
Riko: Like "you die in real-life" and so on?
Inventor: Exactly. Now hurry.
As the team sets up their equipment in a secret, abandoned house that they found, Riko speaks up.
Riko: So if you guys don't mind me asking, what are the transportation and extra weapons for?
Kez: To easily kick some monster and enemy butt!
Kiyu: That, and to prevent any players from dying in battle, especially when dealing with any bosses or deadly foes.
Gus: As for flying, this is a way for us to skip at least some of the floors, if not all of them.
Ui: Each floor seems to have an invisible wall or barrier surrounding it, but these barriers, like those in a game like Alfheim, are not necessarily invincible or impenetrable.
Gus: Like a rocket clearing the atmosphere by blasting off at thousands of miles per hour, with enough force and speed, we can fly out of the barrier on one floor and enter the next, and then leave that one to go to the third floor, and so on.
Riko: *whispering* I'm surprised Kayaba didn't consider this when making the game.
Inventor: I don't know whether or not he did, but what I do know is that he was a fool. He trapped thousands of players in this tomb of a game without considering that someone could use his own game's technology against him. That's partially why Kirito is a hero and was able to free everyone who survived SAO.
Riko: Video games have come so far, yet glitches still exist.
Kez: Some things never change. Do you know the famous "backwards jump" trick from Super Mario 64. I'm sure the developers of that game had no idea that that was even possible. Same applies here in this game.
Ui: Well, minus the backwards jumping.
Kez: Give them time. They'll figure it out eventually.
As the crew is chuckling and finishing setting up their equipment, Kayaba appears on a monitor above the other players.
Inventor: Kayaba is talking to the players now. While he is talking, go around the crowd of players to the front. Make sure you are out of Kayaba's sight so that he doesn't question you. Just blend in with everyone else.
Ui: Roger that. Come on, everyone. Let's head outside! Our mission-
