Hello! This was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, admittedly. I wanted to experiment with first person writing since I've never tried it before and I figured I'd might as well try something a bit out there while I'm at it. Thus I decided to write this reader-insert fic for fun. Though I'm going to be a bit fast and loose with GGO in terms of mechanics and how the game runs. I hope you can forgive me for that. But anyways, if you have any pointers or feedback, please let me know!

Headhunters

Chapter 1

Here's the funny thing about life: often times even the most inconsequential thing can lead to a boatload of problems. A man sleeping in and missing work can cause a major traffic accident by not being around to stop a guy from running a red light, a visit to a coffee shop could lead to a city-wide blackout because their coffee just happened to be sitting right next to the important computers when it spilled. It's called the Butterfly Effect, and it's capable of all sorts of nasty things depending on how much Lady Luck really wanted to ruin your day.

Or in my case, how much Sinon really wanted to ruin my day. She was GGO's deadliest sniper, resident ice queen, and also the sole reason I was laying in a foxhole in the middle of a scorching desert with several guns pointed at my head.

Real team player, that one.

"I don't believe it," said one of the men standing over me, thrusting the barrel of his rifle in my direction like he intended to stab me with it, "This guy killed Jak? Look at him! That sniper couldn't even take half of Jak's health."

"Well that's awfully presumptuous of you. Ol' Faithful tried her best," I patted the forest green rifle laying at my side. Rust was growing on its body and dirt caked its inner mechanisms. The thing couldn't even kill me with how low level it was. But they didn't need to know that and I had to sell the act for as long as possible.

"Yeah, real cute. But you're not fooling anyone with that thing," the man said. His rifle came dangerously close to wacking me in the face with how much he was waving it around. He motioned his rifle to either side of me and the rest of his friends broke off, searching the area for anyone else. There wasn't much to look at unfortunately. Just overturned cars, burnt spaceship debris, and endless waves of sun-cooked sand. The perfect places for people to hide apparently. My non-existent comrades were sure to be caught.

"Hey, that guy I killed with my sniper, muscle-ly and tan and had his face stuck in a scowl. Jak was his name right? Y'know a lot of people wanted him dead because he had some kinda rare keycard on him. Something the top level players were itching to get. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would ya?" I asked. Nicely, I reminded myself. People like being asked nicely.

"What's it to you?" the man narrowed his eyes.

That was the question. Truth was I didn't really have a stake in this fight. Sinon dragged me along for it. She had apparently taken on a job to recover an item from an unknown player. The aforementioned keycard. Supposedly, it was essential to opening a secret vault holding all kinds of treasures. Exotic weapons, credits, end-game mods. All the bells and whistles needed to dominate the leaderboards.

It took her a long time to find out who had it. The only reason I was here was because I asked what she was up to the moment she discovered the player's identity.

That's what I get for being curious. Something, something, killed the cat.

"I don't want to make a scene. All I want is that item. I got someone wanting to pay a lot of credits for it, and I need money for some new equipment so, y'know, be a pal? I'll split it with you fifty-fifty. That's fair, right?"

"Hah! You're going to have to do better than that," he said. "Way I see it, you're in no position to be negotiating with me."

"I strongly suggest you reconsider. Look, that keycard is worth a fortune to the right people. The kind of people that don't forget favors they owe. Or people that cross them. Really, you'd be helping yourself as much as them," I said.

"How do I know you're not lying?" he asked. Well, he had me there. I shrugged.

"What if I said please?"

"Ain't happening."

"Pretty please?"

"You serious?"

"You drive a hard bargain." I said. "Fine, pretty please with the cherry on top. I don't give that to just anyone."

"Ah fuck it, I'll kill you just to shut you up."

A pop echoed in the air and a second later, a sniper round punched through a grenade the man had strapped to his belt and he disappeared in a violent explosion.

The shockwave threw me to the ground. Dirt and shrapnel rained all over me. Hot air choked the moisture from my throat, leaving me gasping for air. The ringing in my ears nearly drowned out the shouting of the other players amid the cacophony of destruction happening just a couple feet away. The pops came faster and gunfire erupted after.

I cursed under my breath and pushed myself up into a sitting position. Getting tossed around by explosions was never pleasant no matter how many times it happened. In real life I would have been out of the fight. My energy would have been sapped like I had endured the world's worst exercise regiment. Even in-game, it took a monumental effort to roll onto my stomach and crawl towards the edge of my foxhole.

Just then, my earpiece buzzed to life and a familiar girl's voice came through. Cool and smooth. Just as it's always been.

"Keep your head down. There's more coming your way," Sinon said.

"Yeah, yeah, have fun over there," my voice came out more hoarse than I would have liked. I reached into the waistband of my pants to touch the cool metal of my revolver. A Colt Python .357 with an eight inch barrel, polished wood grip, and a custom modification that significantly increased the frequency and damage of critical hits. My very favorite gun and the first Exotic weapon I ever owned. Charon.

I climbed up to the edge of the foxhole, peeking over the top. Only a few of my would-be members were still alive. One of Sinon's shots blasted through a guy's skull the moment I saw him and he collapsed in a heap before exploding into a shower of red pixels. Next to him, a guy in a beige combat vest and his hair tied back in a ponytail noticed me and aimed his SMG square at my chest.

I yanked my revolver free and fired. The gun kicked in my hand. The bullet buried itself into the man's gut. His whole body jerked, throwing off his aim and his SMG fired into the ground next to me. I didn't give him a chance to retaliate. Three more shots to his abdomen dropped him for good.

The familiar whine of Sinon's shots passed by my head and landed in another player's chest. I finished him off with another shot to his head.

Fire erupted on my shoulder. A brief stinging sensation warning me that I had been shot. I hissed out of pure instinct and fell back down in the foxhole, clutching the wound, "Sinon! Please tell me they're thinning out."

"They're not."

"Sinon, I wish you would lie to me once in a while."

"I won't."

"Ugh," I fired my last two rounds over the lip of my hidey-hole and ducked down as they returned fire. The air grew thick with the acrid smell of gun smoke. I clicked my tongue and discarded the spent casings from my revolver's cylinder, muttering to myself, "My job is to be bait to get shot at. Your job is to lie and tell me sweet nothings."

"On your right."

I took the warning in stride and grabbed a fistful of sand. The moment a man popped his head into my hiding spot, I chucked it and nailed him right in the face. He cried out and stumbled back, rubbing furiously at his eyes and I seized my chance. I reloaded my revolver and put two in his head, watching him crumple to the ground.

Sinon fired three times in rapid succession. The faint sound of glass shattering signaling more players falling to her deadly aim. For all the times she and I have our little disagreements, I had to admit that she was far more skilled at GGO than I was. She had more experience and it showed.

"Three heading in your direction. Right in front of you. They're making good use of cover. You might have to take care of them." she said.

My back pressed against the dirt slope of the foxhole, heart pounding against my chest. I held my revolver in both hands, breath stuck in my lungs as I waited and watched, finger less than an inch away from the trigger. But nobody came. Silence. For what felt like hours, nothing happened.

"Sinon, are you sure someone's coming?" I asked without tearing my eyes away from where my gun was pointing.

"Yes. Keep your guard up, they may be planning something."

I racked my brain trying to think of what they were doing. If they all ambushed me at once, they'd take me down no problem. I could kill one, maybe two if I was quick, but I wouldn't make it out alive.

But the foxhole I was hiding in was out in the open. They'd be sitting ducks for Sinon, who they couldn't even find. They wouldn't risk exposing themselves like that. As long as she was there, I was safe for the most part.

I heard a soft patter next to me. Like someone dropped a rock into the sand. I looked over and felt my heart stop.

It was a frag grenade. Missing its pin.

"Well, shit," was my succinct response.

I shot up to my feet. If adrenaline was a thing in this game, it would be flooding my veins. I climbed out of the foxhole with the fury of a madman and stumbled when bullets sliced through my legs and side.

I could scarcely hear Sinon shout my name before my whole world was consumed by a flash of light.

It felt like I got punched by the fist of God. My innards shook like a violent earthquake. Every inch of my body felt like it was on fire. I lost all sense of direction. I felt weightless, searing hot air blowing in every direction. Then without warning the ground came at me and I face planted into the dirt.

My health dropped to almost nothing. A firm slap could have killed me. I rolled onto my back and looked in horror at the dozens of tiny bright red holes covering my body. Shrapnel. Some jagged pieces were still jutting out of my arms. I fought the urge to panic and swallowed, trying to soothe the tightness in my throat.

"I got him!"

Three men were hiding behind a burnt out car, covered from head to toe in ballistic armor and sporting LMG's that could shoot off every hair on my head with ammo left over. One of them was short, but built well and sported a buzzcut. Another was a tall and handsome man around my age. His brown hair was swept to the side to show off facial features that would make a model jealous. Both of them aimed their Minimi's straight at me. One twitch of the finger and I'd be dead before I had a chance to flinch.

The closest one wore grey lobster-like armor and a helmet with a streak of red paint over one eyehole. He leveled a belt-fed machine gun at me. A Heckler & Koch MG4 from what I could make out. His mouth, the only thing not covered, twisted into a smug grin.

"You're annoying to kill, I'll give you that," he said.

"You wouldn't be the first person to say that," I grimaced. I craned my head around. My revolver was nowhere in sight. Sinon was being worryingly silent. Best of all, I was out in the open with a health bar the size of a peanut.

My luck likes to deal me awful hands.

"I don't suppose I can make a deal with you guys? I really only came for something Jak had on him. I don't have a fight with you," I said. Lobster tilted his head to the side.

"I'll admit, me and my boys couldn't care less about what happened to Jak. He just wanted extra muscle to watch his back. Job was boring but he was paying pretty well for doing nothing. He was so afraid of player killers like you that he would pay anything to make sure he was safe."

Player Killer.

I couldn't help but glare at him. The last thing I want to be called is that.

"But," he continued, "Your sniping buddy? They're pretty interesting. Not a lot of people can shoot like that."

I felt a surge of protectiveness grow in my chest, but I willed it down and spoke in a deliberate tone, "Sorry to disappoint, but she isn't much of a team player. She'll turn down any offer you give of working with her."

The man barked with laughter. Even his buddies joined in.

"Join us? Nah, I don't want that. I already know she won't play ball. But that's fine. I'm not here to recruit her," He stood up to his full height, holding his machine gun in one hand as he leaned it against his shoulder. His voice boomed like the grenade that left me helpless, "Sinon! I know you're out there! You finally decided to return after all this time, huh? But things are different now. You're not the top dog in GGO anymore. You're just another washed up player past her prime."

I rolled onto my stomach, wincing as I felt the sting of shrapnel digging even deeper into my arms. I had to get away. I tried to crawl to safety, legs protesting against every small movement, but I was too slow. Lobster came closer and pressed his heavy boot onto the small of my back, pinning me in place.

"You're even taking chumps like this guy under your wing now. What happened to your sword-wielding pretty boy? He have enough of your attitude?"

Damn it, I couldn't move. My back ached, every limb felt like the energy had been sapped out of it.

His foot felt like a ten-ton weight crushing my spine and ribs. He could pulverize me with the slightest amount of pressure.

"Tell you what, I won't kill him just yet. You come out in the open. Fight me like a real player would. So that I can put an end to your legend as GGO's most famous sniper."

"Sinon, help. I'm being crushed by this guy's ego," I scowled. He put more of his weight on my back. The AmuSphere was immersive. Frighteningly so. I had to clench my teeth to keep from crying out. My body worked and twisted but I didn't come any closer to wrenching myself free.

"Come on out, Sinon. Save your friend, if you still got what it takes. And don't even think about sniping me. If I go down, my buddies will make sure he does too. So what's it gonna be?" he said.

Dead silence was his only answer. I held my breath, both expecting and dreading Sinon's arrival. If she got killed because of my screw up, I don't think I would be able to look her in the eye again.

But she didn't show herself. I scanned the area but I didn't find a trace of her. She was gone. I cursed under my breath, looking towards the skyscraper far off into the distance. There was nothing there. No glint of her sniper scope. No quick flash followed by a bullet. Sinon had vanished without a trace.

"Huh, guess when push comes to shove, she's just as much a loner as she always was," Lobster said. I raised my head, fingers digging into the scorching sand. She wouldn't abandon me. I had to believe that. She was distant, even a bit cold, but deep down she wouldn't leave a friend behind.

I hope she considered me a friend. God, I hope.

My earpiece crackled to life. A voice came through. Her voice.

"Get ready to run."

A sharp bang split the air. Lobster cried out in pain above me. I looked over my shoulder and saw a large red hole where his knee used to be.

I seized my chance. I pushed myself up with all my strength as more bullets rained down on Lobster's friends. My sudden movement coupled with his wounded knee threw him off balance. I got up and swung my arm back as hard as I could. My blow hit home. His leg snapped at an unnatural angle. He fell to the ground, clutching his ruined limb as I dove for the nearest cover.

I rolled behind the crumbled remains of what used to be a wall. A moment later, a familiar figure darted around it at a full sprint and threw herself down next to me.

Teal hair, piercing blue eyes, a green desert outfit combined with a long white muffler, and an anti-material sniper rifle hanging off the back of her combat harness. Sinon herself. GGO's most infamous sniper and the reason I was currently full of holes.

"Are you alright?" Sinon asked.

"I could be a lot worse," I replied. I fumbled for the pouch strapped to my thigh and pulled out a plastic white syringe with a green light pulsing in the middle of it. I placed one end against my neck and squeezed the plunger on the other, sighing in content as a cool sensation bloomed in my chest. Little by little, my health climbed back up. The wounds covering my body closed up on their own until they disappeared completely, "For what it's worth, this isn't the most dangerous thing you've had me do."

I tossed the syringe aside and pulled out another one to inject myself with, "And… thanks. I'm glad you came to help me."

Sinon nodded. The corners of her lips tugged slightly upwards before her face fell back into its neutral expression, "Here, you dropped this."

In her hand was my prized revolver. Most of the chambers were empty. I smiled at her and took it from her, "I'm surprised you actually fired this thing. I thought it wasn't part of your build."

"Hmm...it was interesting chance to test it myself."

"Well, I'm glad that me being held hostage gave you the chance to experiment," I joked as I loaded the cylinder and flipped it closed with a satisfying click. A burst of gunfire pounded against our cover, "These three aren't messing around though. Heavily armed and armoured. Attacking them head on is suicide."

"We'll flank them. One of us draws their fire and the other takes them out from behind," Sinon suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Who's gonna be the...bait?" My entire face fell when I came to the answer on my own, "It's gonna be me again, isn't it?"

Sinon pulled her anti-material rifle free and set it on her lap, "This is the only thing we have that can completely negate their armor. I'm the only one who can shoot it effectively."

"I swear, I feel like you do this on purpose." I rose to my feet and leaned out of cover. The area around us was dotted with overturned pillars, pieces of an ancient starship's hull, and blown out buildings. The wind kicked up clouds of sand around us, like the beginnings of a storm. The in-game time had shifted with the sun sinking over the horizon, casting shades of purple and orange over the sky. Long gangly shadows were cast over us as night came closer. If I was quick and kept low, I could avoid most of their fire and the coming darkness would keep Sinon from being seen until it was too late.

It was the best chance we had.

I looked back at Sinon. She was staring at the ground, a wistful look on her face. I'd seen it before. In those low tension moments, whenever we weren't in the middle of a firefight or were stalking an enemy or another player, her eyes would gloss over or her lips would purse together. Like she was remembering something that troubled her.

She had been this way for a while. The few times I would ask what she was thinking, she would brush it off and try to change the subject. It was taboo to ask another person about their personal life in GGO. Still, I couldn't help but worry. Sinon was my partner, after all. Or atleast, the closest thing I had to one.

What bothered her, bothered me.

"Hey look alive, Sinon," I said in a soft voice.

Life sparked in her pupils as she focused on me. Our eyes met for only a moment until she broke eye contact and coughed into her hand, "Let's go, before they start swarming us."

"Couldn't agree more," I wrapped both hands around the grip of my revolver, pressing myself against the very edge of our cover, "Be careful out there, Sinon."

For a moment she didn't say anything. I almost turned to face her until I felt her breath touch my neck and her hand touch my arm.

"I should be telling you that."

Her voice was so close to my ear. I prayed to every god that I could think of that the game wouldn't replicate how much I must have been blushing in the real world.

It made it all the more harder to concentrate on the task ahead as both her words and her warmth lingered as she pulled away. Part of me wanted to stay and say something more to her, but I shoved those thoughts aside.

Some people needed to be shot first.

I bent my knees, my body tensing up like a coiled spring. I chanced one last look at Sinon then sprang into action.

My boots scuffed across the granules of sand as I broke into a full sprint, revolver half raised with my finger a mere twitch away from pulling the trigger. I jumped over a pile of rubble half my size and spotted them to my left, a dozen meters between them. Lobster was walking fine, no doubt he took advantage of the lull in gunfire to heal himself.

I fired twice at them. Just to get their attention on me. A moment later, I felt the all too familiar sensation of air whistling around me as they returned fire.

I had been in this area a few times before. When I was just starting out, I spent most of my time here killing monsters and grinding for loot. Even as the sun set and daylight disappeared, I recognized every little nook and cranny. I dodged past every obstacle in my way, bounding over and ducking under where I could. The pinging of metal and the cracking of concrete followed close behind.

Pain flared across my lower back. I stumbled as the sheer force of a bullet hit me, but I regained my balance and kept running. My teeth clenched together as my legs pumped faster. In the real world, they would have given out on me a long time ago from exhaustion.

Amidst the never ending sound of LMG fire was a single, familiar crack of a sniper rifle. A man cried out and I heard him tumble to the ground.

It was one of Lobster's cronies. The handsome one. On his chest was a red hole the size of my fist. I watched him reach out to his comrades until the back of his head jerked forward and he went limp.

Sinon was standing further away, smoke billowing from the muzzle of Hecate. Even so far away, our eyes met and I smiled at her in thanks.

"Shit, take her down now!"

Well I couldn't let that happen.

I leveled my gun and emptied the last four rounds I had. Two went wide and missed. The others struck the short, stocky man from before in the back. The bullets crushed themselves against his thick armor. He wasn't even fazed. That was fine. I didn't need to kill them. I just needed to be a distraction.

Shortie and Lobster turned back to me long enough for Sinon to disappear. I had to do the same. I ducked behind a collapsed pillar as hot lead flew over my head. With a flick of my wrist, I ejected the spent shells.

"Shit, take care of him, I'm going after the girl," Lobster gave the order to his last remaining ally. The same burning protectiveness from before rushed back out of me as I slapped the cylinder in place. Sinon could take care of herself. She could probably kill all three of us if she wanted. I knew that.

But like hell was I going to let two schmucks take a shot at her.

Shortie was coming closer, his Minimi leveled at my cover. His armor clanged and rattled as each piece bumped against each other, like a foreboding warning of my imminent death.

The sun was swallowed up by the horizon. The purples and oranges that filled the sky disappeared and the never ending black of night took hold. With no light for miles around, I could barely see my own hand in front of my face.

An idea formed in my head and I jumped on it before I had time to doubt it.

"Frag out!" I shouted.

I grabbed a nearby rock and threw it high up into the air. Shortie's eyes followed. Then his head tilted upwards.

I whipped out of cover and shot him in the throat, right beneath the helmet where there was a gap between it and the chestplate. The red pixels that spurted out were as bright as a floodlight. I caught a glimpse of his surprised face in their glow.

He grabbed his neck by reflex. I put another shot into his armpit. Then again on the inside of his thigh beneath his groin.

Shortie collapsed. His Minimi slipped from his hands. I took two steps forward and pointed my gun at his head and pulled the trigger with a triumphant fervor. With all the damage he took already, his armor couldn't save him. He twitched once, twice, then went still.

I didn't stick around to watch him burst into pixels. Lobster was still hunting Sinon. I had to move fast before he found her. Her health was still full when I checked on the top left of my vision, but I had to be on guard. It didn't guarantee anything.

I headed in the direction he did. My hands ran on auto-pilot as they reloaded my gun. The ever-present worry about Sinon's well-being was all that drove me forward as I ran like a bat out of hell.

I had circled around what looked to be the remains of an ancient tank when I heard it. Quick snaps like someone had lit a barrel full of firecrackers. My heart sped up. A second later so did my legs.

The sound had come from one of the few buildings still standing. The front doors had been thrown wide open. There was nothing but pitch blackness inside. I stopped just in front of the entrance, straining my ears to listen for the slightest sound. Anxiety curled itself into a cold ball in my chest. It spread over my arms, down my hips, thighs, and froze my feet in place. My revolver suddenly felt heavy in my hands.

"Sinon?" I whispered. I crept inside, swallowing the lump in my throat. There was no response. For every second that passed another alarm went off in my head. It didn't feel right. The apprehension clung to me, like it was riding my back. It didn't stop me from moving, but it constantly reminded me it was there. Somebody had fired their gun, most likely Lobster. Sinon's health hadn't dropped which meant he missed. Sinon hadn't fired herself which meant he was still alive too.

A quick motion caught my eye. I would have missed it entirely if I had blinked. A strip of bright white cloth that whipped through the darkened lobby before disappearing again, like a shark's fin cutting through water.

I opened my mouth to speak again. The words died in my throat when I heard a rapid set of footsteps barrel towards me. Someone rammed into my stomach and knocked me to the ground. The air was blown out of my lungs as I fell into a coughing fit.

A moment later, a hot rush of lead flew over us. The person that ran into me pressed my body into the ground with all her might. My eyes finally focused enough for me to see that it was Sinon lying on top of me.

"Stay down. He doesn't give up easy," she said when I tried to lift my head. Just to push the point, she shoved it back down into the sand, "The second he reloads, find cover."

The moment the shooting stopped, Sinon rolled off me and I moved off in the opposite direction towards a small boulder. I barely managed to get behind it before the shooting started again.

"You again? You just don't know when to die, huh?" Lobster growled as he came out of the building's entrance, his MG4 spitting suppressing fire at me. Chunks of stone crumbled from the assault and I dropped into a sitting position.

"Guess I should have figured aiming wasn't your strong suit when you're lugging that kind of gun around," I replied.

"Your smartass comments aren't going to save you. I'm going to kill both of you myself," Lobster growled.

"Ay yi yi, I take back what I said. You're carrying that gun cause you're compensating for something right? You so are," I gripped my revolver tightly in my hand and peeked over the boulder, wearing the smuggest grin I could muster, "Let me guess. It's smaller than Sinon's sense of humor, isn't it?"

Lobster roared and came at me like a freight train. He pelted my cover with everything he had. Chips of stone were blasted off and rained over my head. I'm eternally thankful that people like him are easy to piss off. Angry people do stupid things. They don't think straight. All that mattered to him was sweet, sweet vengeance. Consequences be damned.

Well, consequences don't like being ignored like that.

Lobster barreled towards me with wild abandon, his finger yanking the trigger until the barrel was red hot and the noise was near-deafening.

Then it came to an abrupt stop and his gun clicked empty.

Hello, consequences.

I climbed over the boulder and threw myself at him. The full brunt of my body weight slammed into him as I tackled him to the ground.

We rolled over each other, trying to gain leverage. Lobster had to have been twice my size, but he was slow and clumsy. He wasn't used to close range fighting. I pinned his own gun against his chest, locking his arms in an awkward position as I struggled to keep him there, wincing as his knee struck my side over and over.

"You're going down. You and Sinon! You're gonna learn what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn't belong," he snarled.

"Yap, yap, yap, do you ever say anything else?" I hurled my head at his exposed jaw, hearing bone and teeth crack from the blow. It stunned him long enough for me to maneuver my hands out from between our bodies, "Guess what? I got something for you to learn too. Promise you won't ever forget it, cause boy it's the kind of thing that'll stick to you."

"For god's sake you don't know when to shut up you stu-"

With smug satisfaction, I watched as Lobster felt the barrel of my revolver press against his unarmored neck.

"You should have carried a smaller gun."

I pulled the trigger back again and again. Flashes of light and red pixels splayed over my vision. All six rounds pulverized his throat, tearing virtual arteries and vertebrae like wet tissue. His cries for help turned into nothing more than incoherent gargles.

A moment later, he was consumed with a bright light and disappeared in an explosion of pixels.

I got up to my knees, releasing the breath of air I didn't even know I was holding.

"Well done."

I looked over my shoulder. Sinon was walking towards me with her usual calm expression, her sniper slung over her shoulder. All the tension in my muscles evaporated in an instant, replaced with sheer exhaustion. I took every bit of strength I had not to flop over. After all this time, I still wasn't used to fighting other people. Wasn't used to killing other people. It drained me more than anything else. It made me frantic, almost panicked. It turned my heart into a jackhammer, mercilessly beating a thousand times a second.

"You could have helped, you know?" I said as I got up. My legs almost buckled under my weight, but somehow I managed to stay upright.

"He wasn't worth the bullet. You took care of him yourself anyways," she said. She scanned the area for a moment and tilted her head down a couple degrees, "I wasn't expecting my return to GGO to be so problematic. It looks like I've made more than a few enemies since last time I was here."

"Well, it's only natural, right? Everyone wants to be the big fish. You're just the biggest, baddest fish right now," I said. For a brief moment, I saw a proud smirk tug at her lips. Girls love compliments. Pay no attention to fish comparison, please.

"I got what we needed from Jak while you were busy," Sinon flashed a pale yellow keycard in my face. The letters were long faded and several stains covered the surface. As far as keys to unimaginable wealth went, it was pretty lackluster, "Let's get to higher ground so you can message the client in peace."

"Those are probably the nicest words you've said to me today," I gave her a tired grin. I closed my eyes and stretched my arms high into the air, swallowing deep gulps of GGO's finest desert air.

"Oh, and one more thing?" Sinon said. I opened one eye and watched her get a little too close for comfort. Heat rose up my cheeks. I started getting pleasantly warm. My heart thumped against my chest for a completely different reason than before as she stood within arm's reach of me. She was so close. The small, lizard part of my brain demanded that I get even closer. To close the distance. And damn did that sound like a good idea. But common sense fought back and I stayed where I was.

"Uh...yeah?" I didn't even dare to breath. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Sinon opened her lips slightly. She sucked in a breath.

And then smashed her fist into my face so hard I felt my skull crack.

"Don't think I didn't hear that little comment about my sense of humor," she scowled. She turned and left without another word, leaving me crumpled on the ground in a daze.

If I was smart, I would have made a witty retort about how she proved my point. But it's hard to be smart when you're trying to figure out which way was up.

Sometimes it feels like the world loves to play tricks on me.

…

"Dear sir or madam, it is with great pleasure that we report that we have successfully recovered the item you asked for. Although the previous owner was reluctant to part with it, we managed to convince him to relinquish ownership of it after some careful and precise negotiations. Please reply to this message as soon as possible with a location of where you would like to meet so that we may hand the item over to you and discuss payment for the services rendered. With love, Sinon and friends."

"Are you serious? Don't put that."

"Put what? With love? Should I put hugs and kisses instead?"

Sinon shot me a withered glare. As far as killer looks go, it was pretty deadly. I heaved the heaviest, most overly dramatic sigh I could and rewrote the message, "Regards. There, short and sweet. Happy?"

I sent off the message and closed out my menu. It's faint blue light disappeared, leaving us both in the dark of night.

The skyscraper we were taking shelter in was deserted of both humans and monsters. From our spot on the top floor we could see for miles. An endless desert stretched out beneath us, dunes rising and falling like the waves of an ocean with an endless sea of stars above them. Too many to count. I had to admit, the view was impressive. Wish I had a camera.

The floor we were on was gutted. The walls were made of sheet metal and plywood nailed together in a haphazard fashion. A section of it was missing altogether. There was no glass in the window frames, exposing us to the intense wind as it howled and whistled past us. Rusted metal creaked and groaned. If this hadn't been a game, I'd be half worried that the entire building would come down.

Sinon sat nearby the section of missing wall, her legs crossed. She was fiddling with a small electric lantern when I came back. I sat down across from her and watched her work with passive interest, "You know, we can probably make a lot more money if we just kept the keycard and took the treasure for ourselves."

"There's nothing worth taking. For me anyways. All the equipment would be under my level," she said. She flicked the switch at the base of the lantern and the light flickered on, bathing us both in a dim silver color.

"What about credits?" I asked.

"I don't need credits. That's not what I play this game for."

"So you took on this job because…?"

"I needed a refresher. It's been a while since I played GGO. I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting rusty,"

The pieces started to fall together. She wasn't trying to earn money or anything like that, "You want to be the best player in GGO, right?"

At that, Sinon gave a curt nod. She crossed her arms, her brow knitting itself into a hard line.

"I haven't given up on that goal yet. I don't plan to. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get stronger. Because once I am, everything will be the way it's supposed to be," Something flashed in Sinon's eyes. An emotion that passed too quick for me to catch. Her lips parted slightly like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself before she could, "That's all."

"Jeez, well you're honest at least," I said. A gust of wind passed over us and I shivered. Rolling down the sleeves of my combat jacket, I added, "So if you don't need those credits, can I have them? I mean you did drag me out here against my will and forced me to play target dummy. I think I deserve a little compensation for that."

Sinon seemed to think for a moment, perching her elbows on top of her knees and tenting her fingers together. Then she gave a noncommittal shrug, "Ten percent."

"Thanks! I hate it." I tried shooting a glare back at her to see if it had any effect. Expectedly, it hadn't, "Can you please not lowball me here, Sinon? Pretty please? I'm feeling a bit under appreciated here. Besides, you said you didn't need the credits."

"They aren't what motivate me to keep playing, that's all," she replied. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and placed my hand against my chest.

"So you're going to leave me high and dry without so much as a thank you? I think I might cry."

Sinon rolled her eyes. Her mouth was covered by her muffler, but I liked to think she was hiding a smile under there. At least that was the best case scenario. Worst was probably me getting very intimate with all those jagged pieces of scrap metal fifty stories below us.

"You're so needy," she said.

"And you're a ball of sunshine, so I guess we both have our charming points," I replied. Sinon huffed and leaned back, planting her hands behind her to support herself.

"That guy was right, you really don't know when to shut up."

I smiled. It wouldn't be wrong to say I enjoyed the verbal jabs Sinon and I traded with each other. It was a chance to see her act a bit more sociable. Sometimes, when she gave me a real scathing remark, I'd laugh it up and for a moment I would see her eyes light up just a little. Those moments were the best.

We settled into a comfortable silence, watching clouds of sand get swept up by the wind, twisting and dancing in the air before falling back onto the dunes. I checked the time on my menu. It was close to midnight. I should have been in bed by now. But I wanted to stay here with her. Just a bit longer.

Next to me, Sinon sighed. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. The same forlorn look she had when we were hiding behind cover was on her face. I found myself staring at her. Her delicate features, her icy blue eyes, her flawless skin. The way she fought, the quiet confidence she had, the determination to face everything head on. I'd be an idiot to say I wasn't attracted to Sinon. She was an attractive girl after all. But it was more than that. Her personality and her unwavering spirit drew me in. It made me want to learn more about her. To be closer to her. To help her when she needed it.

But the truth was there were so few girls in GGO. I'm almost positive that she's had her fair share of guys hitting on her. I knew better than to be added to that list. There were safer things to do with my time. Like cuddling rabid dogs.

She leaned forward and bowed her head, her face disappearing behind her locks of light blue hair. Her silence stretched on for a minute. Then two.

"Credit for your thoughts?" I asked in a soft voice. Her eyes met mine. It was difficult to read her face. The cool visage she always wore didn't show an inch of emotion. I started to think that she wouldn't answer until she turned away to observe the stars.

"I asked a friend if we could meet up and maybe go see a movie together, but she turned me down," she said.

"Oh, that sucks I guess. But that sort of thing happens, right? People are busy," I scratched the back of my head.

"She had a date with her boyfriend," Sinon added.

"Yeah?" I said, raising my voice slightly towards the end of the word to nudge her into being more specific.

Sinon's gaze jumped from the ground, to me, then to the sky. She flexed her fingers. Her boot tapped a nonsensical rhythm against the ground. Meanwhile, I waited patiently. For the thousandth time since I've known her, I wondered what went on in that head of hers.

Then she mumbled under her breath. I couldn't make out a word she said. I leaned in slightly and titled my ear in her direction, "Run that by me again?"

"No, forget it," She said, forcing the words out faster than I expected from her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, refusing to even look in my general direction.

"Way to be a tease," I muttered.

A soft chime alerted us both to an incoming message. I opened my menu and checked the name.

"Ikuchi?"

"That's him. What did he say?" Sinon asked. With a tap of my finger, the message displayed itself on the holographic interface.

"Pulsar Lounge. Tomorrow at eight." I read aloud. I scrunched my nose at the curt response. Not even a thank you, "You know the place?"

"Yeah. It's near the center of SBC Glocken. A lot of people hang out there. Hard to do anything without someone noticing," Sinon replied.

"Huh, you say that like you're expecting trouble," I closed out the menu. SBC Glocken was the home base of every GGO player. It had shops, living quarters, cafes, the Governor's Office, everything you needed so that you could rest and re-arm in peace. But that also made it a safe-zone. Players couldn't hurt each other while they were in the city. The chances of an ambush or a trap waiting for us in Pulsar were zero.

At least that was the hope. Not long ago, there was an incident where players died in both the game and in real life, killed by someone who called himself Death Gun. I never pinned down the exact details. It happened before I joined GGO. But the news shook the playerbase to its core. Membership had taken a dip. People swore off VRMMO's completely, claiming that they were still as dangerous as SAO was. Some believed the ordeal would have killed GGO outright, but somehow it's reputation recovered. Slowly but surely. The incident faded from memory and Death Gun became nothing more than a name whispered in the back alleys of SBC Glocken.

I bit my lip to hide the grimace growing on my face. Killing people for no apparent reason. It was disgusting. No, worse than that. Abhorrent. Abominable.

Unforgivable.

"I don't know Ikuchi that well. He may try to scam me somehow. He's not a top ranked player, but he's aiming for it. I'll need to keep an eye out for anything he may try to pull," Sinon said. She pushed herself up to her feet and I did the same.

"I-I can tag along if you want! Couldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes," the words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to process them. Sinon regarded me with a raised brow, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Alright. Meet me there ten minutes before the meet up. We'll go in together," she said, "And one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For helping. I appreciate it," she said, her eyes softened as she looked at me. Now it was my turn to look away as I scratched my cheek.

"N-No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

Sinon nodded and headed through a nearby door and down the stairs. I sighed and followed after her, wanting nothing more than to go get some sleep. Today had drained me. I played bait, was shot at, blown up, smacked around, and tomorrow I was going to a meeting spot that may or may not be a trap.

All because I asked Sinon what she was doing.

Like I said. Butterfly Effect.