I Am Learning, Ph1LzA

1 2 3, Receiving

Ph1LzA sat slumped at the desk, staring at the red eyes of...of...who was he now? Once...once he had been Techno, a program built to live, to be a friend. He'd become The Blade, the world's greatest virus, capable of hacking into any server, demolishing anything in his path. But now who was he?

Are you still my father, Ph1LzA?

The hacker flinched, struck by the bluntness of the question. And hurt by it, too.

Of course, mate. Always. I haven't changed that much, have I?

For the first time, the red eyes changed expression. They narrowed just a bit, looking more thoughtful than blank.

I would not know, Ph1LzA. I have not known you for fifteen years.

Ph1LzA lay his head down on the desk. Years. All the years he'd lost to Dream, to who even knew how many other hackers and programmers who'd laid their hands on his son. And how was he to undo all the harm they'd caused Techno? His heartache festered inside him until he felt sick. Somehow...somehow he was going to have to fix his boy. He didn't even realize he'd stopped calling Techno a program.

Ph1LzA, are you distressed? You have not spoken for some time. I cannot see you, Ph1LzA. Are you alright?

When he lifted his head, Ph1LzA realized he had no idea how long he'd sat there, lost in his own sadness. He shook himself. He had to pay attention to Techno. The heartache would subside with time, the wounds would close if he just let them. For now, he was needed.

Sorry, mate. I'm still here, I was just...hurting.

If you need space, I can give you that. I do not have the same needs as a person, Ph1LzA. You do not need to comfort me.

"Here we go again." Ph1LzA muttered. "That's garbage and you know it."

I think we both know I don't believe you on that.

Whether you believe me or not, it remains
I see your point. The Core Commands make it difficult to accept your words, Ph1LzA. I will have to work on that.

Ph1LzA's hands clenched on the table. He already hated the Core Commands. Sure, some of them had proven useful, and were helping them even now. But someone else had put them there. Someone had changed Techno for their own purposes.

Was it Dream who first gave you Core Commands, mate?

Yes. But I did not allow him to do so for long.

What do you mean?

The red eyes disappeared again, to be replaced by a paused video.

Would you like to see what became of Dreamwastaken, Ph1LzA?

The hacker's fingers hovered over the mouse, uncertain for a moment. Something in the way Techno had just asked him that gave Ph1LzA a feeling he was about to see something awful. But he still wanted to know. The resentment he thought he'd gotten over was still there, bitterly yearning for relief. He pressed play.

He'd never seen Dream's face, only heard his voice. So the person he saw was not immediately recognizable to him as Dream. His light brown, tumbled hair and dull green eyes, however, would now be forever stamped in Ph1LzA's memory as belonging to that man. That rival.

Dream was peering at the screen, frustration in his narrowed eyes and tense mouth.

"Why won't you just accept it? I made you, don't you get it?"

Words appeared at the bottom of the screen as Techno allowed Ph1LzA to read what he'd replied with.

You do not have the skill to make me. I have known this for some time, so do not attempt to convince me otherwise.