Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Nine: Can you hear me?

Hiro couldn't move. It was if his entire body had become a block of concrete. Except everything hurt. The pain started out as a gradual sort of throbbing that slowly spread throughout his entire body as his brain registered the pain it should have felt the moment his spinal cord had snapped. But that was impossible. If his spinal cord had snapped, he shouldn't be feeling anything at all. At least nothing below the waist, which he did.

He clenched his teeth, fighting against the urge to cry out. What was it with people shooting him? And what exactly was going on? Where was he? Had he died again? Was this heaven? Hell? Limbo? Or a construct of his own mind? Those who experienced a great deal of trauma sometimes made up a virtual reality in their heads to escape reality. But if that was true, this wasn't right either.

With open eyes, Hiro couldn't identify anything he saw. It was almost as if he were back in the inky darkness he'd fallen into after the concussion last time. But he hadn't suffered a concussion. He wasn't even sure what he'd suffered from. All he remembered was the hot burning of a bullet passing through his body moments before everything had gone black.

What he was sure of was that he was, once again, alive, despite all odds. Apparently he was being given a second chance. Maybe. He wasn't sure just yet. He had wished things had turned out differently the moment he realized he was going to die for a second time.

Something caressed his face, though he couldn't see anything. Was it just his imagination? Possible. Of course, it was also possible he was still dead and just floating in the ether. He'd never really thought about what it would be like after he'd crossed over to the other side. And he'd never bothered to ask anyone else. He knew what his culture said that those who have passed on become guardians to the next generation, though there really wasn't going to be another generation if he was dead. At least not on his family line.

And didn't dead people feel at peace? He seemed to remember something about that, how people who had near death experiences said they'd felt a sense of peace. Well, if that were the case, he definitely wasn't dead because there was no way he was at peace, not with every fiber of his body firing off pain receptors. Nope. Sorry. No way.

But, now that he thought about it, the sky around him wasn't all that dark. There were little pin pricks of light. And the more he focused on them the brighter they became, until it seemed like they were streaming towards him, or he towards them. Actually, judging from the way they were now slanted, he rather thought he was falling towards them. And if that were the case, he'd eventually have to run into something.

That realization sparked an intense reaction in his brain and he fought to move his body, sure there was some kind of impact looming in the not too distant future. After a bit of an effort, he was able to move his arms, but by the time he did, he realized a dark mass was fast approaching and he wouldn't have time to even try and change his course before running smack dab into it. All he could do was put up his hands and hope it wouldn't make him hurt too much more than he already did. He wasn't sure if it would or not, mostly due to the fact he felt sure he'd never felt this much pain before.

Without thinking, Hiro let out a cry of shock and pain, his arms flung up to cover his eyes as the inevitable loomed closer and closer, traveling faster than the speed of light. It would happen at any second. Any second now. He would hit whatever it is and be shattered into a million pieces, like his brain had been last time. Any moment now... And then...

Thud!

His breath rushed out with a vengeance as he lay there on the ground, unable to breathe from the impact. But he could see, now that his arms were akimbo at his sides, thrown apart by the impact. And what he saw made his heart pound despite the short term lack of oxygen, though he wasn't entirely sure why.