Turning Back the Clock

Chapter 13: The Flight

Ui: Hello? Hi, officer. ...Kayaba won't say anything about where Yui is? *sigh* ok. Thanks for the help, regardless. I appreciate it. I'll call you back when I need some more help. Thanks. Bye.

Ui hung up and explained to Riko the situation.

Ui: The officer said that Kayaba refused to say anything about Yui or the command center's location in Aincrad. He just kept going on and on to them about how the "Cardinal System" directive disallowed her from interacting with other players.

Riko: So in other words, just like in Kirito's stories, she could die if she disobeys the directive?

Ui: Yes. In the meantime, I think they're taking Kayaba to jail or to prison.

Riko: For how long?

Ui: I'm not sure, but we'll have to hurry so that he doesn't kill himself or commit suicide. If that happens, we'll be unable to get help from me. It's now, or never.

Riko: Um...ok.

Riko noticed that Ui was now more serious and driven than ever before for this mission. While searching and flying, the inventor contacts them:

Inventor: Ui! Riko! We have found a potential location of the command center. It's on one of the higher floors of Aincrad. I'll mark it on your map so you can head to that spot on that floor.

Ui: Roger that, boss! Ok, rescuers! Let's move!

The group flew higher to the marked location on Ui and Riko's maps. Meanwhile, Kez's bomb squad eventually finished their covering of the floor with bombs, and were able to evade any monsters thanks to their wings. After they evacuated from the floor, Kez pushed a button, and all of the bombs set a chain reaction that wiped the floor clean of any monsters or bosses.

Kez: Mission complete, bomb squad! Now Floor 25 is safe for everybody!

The group cheered in their victory as the rescue mission group found the entrance to the command center. However, there was a giant monster in a corridor, and the door to the command center would not open.

Player: Hey, guys! Something tells me that this door won't open unless we defeat that monster.

Ui: Okay, then. We'll have to ambush the monster from all sides and surround it. Ready? And....ATTACK!

The players surrounded the monsters and attacked it with any weapons they had on them. While fighting, Kirito and Asuna took note of each other's fighting skills, and decided to try double-teaming to help take the monster down. Eventually, they were successful in defeating the monster.

Kirito: Phew. Those were quite some skills you showed in battle, Asuna. You're amazing!

Asuna: Thanks. You were great, too, Kirito.

Riko: I'm glad to see that the two of them are starting to get along with each other.

Ui: Me, too. Hey, guys! Is everyone else okay?

Player: Some of us have a few scratches and less HP, but other than that, we're okay.

Ui: No deaths.

Player: Not that I know of.

Ui: Ok, good. That's the last thing we need.

The door to the command center opened and most of the group headed inside while some others stayed outside of the entrance to keep watch.

Riko: Hey, Ui. Are you sure hacking into that command center's console keyboard will work? What if something happens to us?

Ui: Kirito was able to do it after Yui died in front of his and Asuna's eyes.

Kirito: What about me and Asuna?

Riko: Nothing.

Ui: Anyway, she's a program of sorts. Kirito isn't.

Riko: So humans have a better chance of using it without anything happening to them?

Ui: Correct.

After hacking into the mainstream, Ui managed to use the console to open up a hole, accessing the mainframe where Yui was being kept.

Ui: Ok. This hole won't stay open for long. Riko, Kirito and Asuna, hurry on inside. The rest of us will try to hold it open for as long as we can.

Riko: Ok. Thanks, Ui! Thanks, guys! We're heading inside now.