-
Dean had debated it in his mind for several minutes while he finished with the final touch ups with the fake badge for Tron. He had wondered if it would have been better if Sam went with the program instead of him but at the last second he realized this would be for the best. He just hoped that Tron would do a better job at pretending at being a federal agent than Cas.
“I need a User name,” Tron said as Sam helped him with his tie. After they had finished dinner they helped Tron pick out new clothes at Walmart. They bought him a few shirts, jeans, underwear, socks and some dressier clothing he could use to wear to pose as an agent. They also got him his own toothbrush, hairbrush, comb, cologne and deodorant, although Dean wasn’t sure if programs could perspire. Tron didn’t need to shave that morning.
“We could help you pick one out,” Sam said as he tightened the last bit. “You did have someone create you.”
“Alan-One,” Tron said in a proud tone.
“Alan,” Sam repeated. “Agent Alans.”
“Agent Trey Alans of the FBI,” Dean completed the name.
Tron pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side in a gesture similar to Cas. “I think I like it.”
“Good cause you are going to have to answer it,” Dean told him.
“He knows what he has to do,” Cas said. “Their kind happens to be fast learners.” He had been flipping through an address book looking up the addresses of the missing kids.
“What are you going to say?” Sam asked the program.
“I’m agent Tray Alans. My partner and I are investigating the disappearance of your son and his friends. We understand the occurrence happened three days ago.”
“I think he’s ready,” Sam said and walked to the bathroom mirror to adjust his own tie.
“He sounds like he could pass for a human,” Dean agreed. He had noticed a few other differences between Tron and himself. The program was able to digest his food and drink, but he had no idea how to eliminate it from his body and they had to show them how.
There was also the weird thing that Tron did when he slept. Dean and Sam shared a bed while Tron took the second to himself and Cas spent the night in the chair. Dean had no idea if programs snored while they slept, or made beeps or a sound similar to the Windows shut down sound, or if they just sound like computer fans whirring away. Instead Tron made this odd vibrating sound, almost like a cat purring. Dean had to smile when he heard that, especially after Sam told him he was a program and not a cat. It was almost soothing to hear; in fact it helped Dean fall asleep faster.
“You two start with the girl,” Dean instructed his brother and Cas. “Tron and I are going to speak with the mother of Terry Branstone.”
“We’ll call if you after we speak with Sandra’s parents,” Sam said. He turned to Cas. “I’m ready.”
Cas said nothing and pressed his fingers against Sam’s forehead. The two of them disappeared.
“That is what angels can do.” Tron said after a few seconds. “That was how he brought me here.”
“They can do that and a whole lot more, “ Dean answered as he grabbed the keys to the car. “Let’s ride.”
-
Dean was the first out of the car. He had kept on hoping that Tron wouldn’t throw anyone off when speaking with the victim’s families. The program was quiet through most of the drive, only asking about the names of the bands that Dean had played and the names of the songs. He did seem to bop his head along with the music. Well if all else fails, then Dean could at least say he taught Tron to appreciate good music.
“Follow my lead,” Dean said as he rang the doorbell.
A distraught middle-aged woman answered the door. “Yes?” She asked. Her eyes were bloodshot and the skin was puffy underneath them. She had been crying a lot. Dean could understand.
“Mrs. Brandstone?” Dean asked and waited for the woman to nod. He held up his fake badge. “I’m agent Eric Pierson with the FBI and this is my partner Trey Alans.” He glanced over and saw that Tron was holding out his badge and he had it right side up. That was one less thing he had to worry about.
“We are here about the disappearance of your son,” Tron added.
“Please come in,” Mrs. Brandstone held the door open for them. “I wasn’t aware this was a federal case until I saw on the news about the others.” She motioned to the tan and white-stripped sofa. “Please sit down.
“We have several more agents across the nation speaking with other people,” Dean answered as he sat down. “When was the last time you saw your son?”
“After dinner on Tuesday,” Mrs. Brandstone answered as she wrung her hands. “He was done around seven and then he ran up to his room to play that game with his friends.”
“He had friends over to play a game?” Tron asked.
“Oh no.” The woman smiled weakly. “It’s one of those games you play online with a group of people. It has dragons and magic and you go on quests. He was chatting about going on a raid.”
“A MMORPG,” Dean muttered under breath. He had heard about them, but he had never wanted to play them because of how addicting they became.
“Does your son run around with any people that might corrupt him?” Tron asked. “Does he go beyond his allowed perimeters?” He was using program speak again. Dean was going to have to have a little talk with him.
“What?” Mrs. Brandstone asked. “Of course not. One of his friend’s has an older brother that is in a gang, but Terry would never get involved.”
“Do you have any enemies?” Tron continued in his questioning. “Anyone that might want to cause harm to you through your son?”
“None.”
“And you have last seen your son in his quarters,” Tron said and nodded. “Are the perimeters of your—house secure?” He seemed to have been struggling to remember that word.
“We keep everything locked and have a home security system,” Mrs. Branstone answered.
“May we investigate your son’s private quarters?”
“Sure.” She pointed up the stairs. “It’s the first door on the left.”
“Thank you,” Tron said. He stood up and headed for the stairs only to pause half way and turn around to face Dean with a sheepish look on his face.
“What was that?” Dean whispered when he caught up with the program.
“I’m sorry,” Tron said. “I forgot that you were to lead and I was supposed to follow.”
“No not that,” Dean said as he led Tron up the stairs. “The way you were questioning her.”
“I may have slipped into the way I usually speak.”
“There was that.” Dean just waved his hands in front of him. “but the way you questioned her.”
“There was a problem with my method?”
“No, the opposite. That was great.”
The program smiled. “From what I can see a federal agent and a security program have many things in common. Does your brother ask questions as well?”
“Yes he does.” Dean grabbed the doorknob.
“Castiel?”
“Not so much,” Dean answered and exhaled. He stepped inside the room. It looked like a teenager’s room, bed unmade, clothes strewn around the room along with a few comic books, empty soda cans and game-playing guides. There was a small television set in one corner of the room along with a few game systems. A computer workstation was in another part of the room.
“What did he do?” Tron asked, his voice seemed to trail off. Some kind of poster on the wall had caught his attention.
“He was incredibly honest,” Dean said as he approached Terry’s computer. He noticed a small notepad next to it. There were several notes. “Help Alex equip serpent helmet, meet with guild on weekend.” He rolled his eyes. Playing a video game should not require such notes. “I hate these kind of games.”
“Why?” Tron asked.
“Cause there is no end. There are a lot of games that I played and enjoyed but they all have one thing in common, they end. You save the princess, solve the final puzzle, defeat Sephiroth and bam, you are done, but these games don’t. There is always a new quest or goal or something and the makers come out with expansions.” He shook his head. “And there are the addiction stories.”
“The games I’ve played ended when the other side lost.”
“There are those as well.” Dean continued to read. The same names kept popping up, the names of the kids that disappeared, but there was an extra name. “Joey?”
“Dean,” Tron spoke to him. “Did you find something?”
“Terry kept notes about this game, Epic Frontier by ENCOM. He had the names of all his friends.” He struck the pad with his finger. “All of his friends who have disappeared except for one.”
“Joey,” Tron read the name. “Who is he?”
“That is what we are going to find out.”
“This Terry has a picture of me on his wall,” Tron said as he pointed at the poster that had two people in gray-white armor and glowing blue circuitry and TRON written across the top.
“You do share the same name as the game and the hero.” Dean stepped out of the room
“Flynn said he created a game and named it after me.”
“Kevin Flynn?” Dean asked. He remembered the friendly and energetic man whenever he and Sam visited his arcade back in 88. It was only for three months but that was enough time for them to become on first name basis and for Dean to become skilled at Space Paranoids. He was able to even reach the Flynn goal.
“You knew Flynn?”
“Met him when I was nine. He was a real nice guy. Asked my brother and me how we were when he saw us. I once received a hundred dollar check from him and my picture and name on a special wall because I got his score on one of the games at the arcade. ‘Congrats Deano,’ he told me. ‘Very few win this award. You have great skill.’” Dean smiled at that memory. “It was hard for me to picture him as a CEO of a multi-corporation.”
“Did you guys find anything?” Mrs. Branstone asked once Dean and Tron had descended down the stairs.
“Do you know a Joey?” Dean asked.
“Joey Delan,” Mrs. Branstone said. “He’s one of Terry’s close friend’s. Poor kid had contracted a flu virus.”
“Virus?” Tron asked. He seemed to have bristled up at the word.
“Agent Alan’s is a bit of a germophobe,” Dean explained. “I’m going to need the address of Joey.”
-
They didn’t need to drive to Joey’s. The kid lived down the block. Mrs. Branstone had asked if she could phone ahead and Dean told her she could. The walk would give him plenty of time to speak with Tron and call Sam.
“Hey, Tron, did Flynn ever tell you about the viruses that we users can contract?”
“He has,” Tron said and looked down. “I know they effect Users differently than us and User viruses are not contagious to us.”
“I was just wondering because of how you reacted to that word.” Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled to Sam’s name on speed dial.
“I know I should of not reacted that way.”
“Don’t beat yourself over it,” Dean said as he pat Tron on the shoulder. “It’s instinct. Your like an antivirus.” He brought the phone to his ear. “Yo, Sammy.”
“What did you find?” Sam asked.
“We found a sixth ranger.”
“There’s a new disappearance?” Sam asked.
“No, a there was another kid in the group of friends who did not disappear.”
“Why was he spared?”
“About to find out,” Dean said as he and Tron walked up the well-manicured lawn of the Delan’s. “All we know is this kid is not feeling well.”
“Huh, that’s odd.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing new,” Sam said with a sigh. “We are going to speak with the older brother of one of the kids.”
“The one in the gang?”
“DJ might have some answers. I’ll call you when I’m done.”
“Meet up for lunch?” Dean asked in a hopeful tone. That stack of pancakes he had that morning had been digested and leaving his stomach to feel empty again.
“Sounds good.”
Tron was about to press the button for the doorbell when the door opened.
“You must be the FBI,” the tall woman said from behind the door. She had her graying brown hair pulled up into a bun.
“I’m agent Tray Alans,” Tron introduced himself and held out his badge. “This is my partner Eric Pierson. We wish to speak with your son.”
“We just want to talk with him about the night his friends disappeared,” Dean explained as he put his badge away.
“I don’t think Joey knew what had happened,” Mrs Delan said. “He wanted to listen to them play that game but he fell asleep in his chair.”
“Is he able to speak with us?” Tron asked.
“I’ll ask him,” Mrs. Delan said. “Would you care for anything to drink?”
“Just water will be fine,” Dean told her. If she offered anything else as a beverage he will accept it.
“Are you certain? I have some home maid lemonade in the fridge.” She pointed to what had to be the direction of her kitchen.
“I haven’t had lemonade in a while,” Dean said as he stepped inside. “My partner and I would like a glass.”
“I’ll check on Joey and get you boys that lemonade.” She headed up the stairs.
“Flynn has told me about how viruses effect people,” Tron said as he sat down next to Dean on the couch. “He didn’t tell me how Users purge themselves of their viruses.”
There was a guttural sound coming from upstairs. It was followed by a toilet flushing.
“Like that,” Dean explained.
A few minutes later Mrs. Delan came down followed by a pale fourteen-year-old boy. The kid was dressed in pajamas and had a severe case of bed head. There were half moon shadows under his eyes and his skin was glossy from sweat.
“Joey, put on your mask.” His mother instructed.
Joey rolled his eyes and put on his round facemask that covered his mouth and nose.
“Don’t give me that look,” his mother said as she squirted some sanitizer into her hands. “You don’t want others to get sick.”
“No, mom, I don’t.” Joey sat down in a chair a few feet away from Dean and Tron.
“Now these men are going to ask you some questions,” his mother said and walked off towards the direction of the kitchen.
“Your mom’s a bit on the protective side,” Dean said as soon as Mrs. Delan had left.
“I’m surprised she doesn’t have me in a HAZMAT suit,” Joey said.
“She is only looking out for you and everyone,” Tron said softly before he gave the boy a serious look. “I need you to tell me what happened the night your friends disappeared.”
“The last thing I remembered everyone was playing Epic Frontier.”
“Was it a good game?” Dean asked.
The boy shrugged. “I was half out of it. I had taken some Theraflu and decided it would be better if I just listened.”
“Did you hear anything unusual?” Tron inquired.
“Just the usual. Our captain was late.”
“Which one was your captain?”
“Chris was, well he is. He was late because he got this new secret quest.”
“Secret crest?” Dean raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah his brother got it from some guy named Cisquo.”
“Cisquo,” Dean repeated as he wrote down the name.
“What happened on this quest?” Tron asked.
“Not much, just the usual monsters. I think there was a huge water monster before I went under.”
“Water monster?” Dean repeated. “Like a sea serpent.”
“A monster made out of water.” Joey shook his head and raised his hands. “Like I said I was about to pass out. I imagined Ethan was saying something about his hands glowing blue and the blue glow was growing.”
“What else?” Dean sat at the edge of the couch. “What else did you think you heard.”
“The last thing was screams and I think Alex or Terry cried out they were being pulled in.”
“Pulled in?” Dean stared at Tron who looked like he was about to jump off the couch.
“Yeah. Theraflu trips me up pretty bad.”
“They were pulled in,” Dean said and stared at the program.
“They were digitized.” Tron rose to his feet. “We have to go.”
“What about the lemonade?”
“No time. We have to find this Cisquo and get the code.” He was halfway to the door.
“Wait.” Dean jumped up after him. He turned to Joey. “Tell your mother sorry we had to leave.” He ran after the program and hoped that the diner would sever them lemonade.
-
A/N The title is a reference to one of my favorite shows from the 90’s. The X-Files. The Techs part is for Technology.