ReBoot: Pascal 1
by Zach Dolman

(Author's timeline: Shortly before 'The Tearing', Season One episode)

*

This is nuts. Completely nuts.

"How's your energy shake?" The doctor asked.

Other than the fact it tastes God-awful, and it has a texture I've never felt before, and the fact that I'm in a place that should not exist?

"Fine." Pascal answered.

The doctor looked over a series of notes on his padd, selecting and editing various sections of whatever it was he was reading. As much as the recent crash of the Twin City had bothered him, he still plugged on with his routine.

Pascal, on the other hand, was still coming to grips with his situation.

It'd been one hell of a day. In his 18-years-plus of life back in Edmonton, he couldn't come up with any one day that topped the overwhelming feeling he's had this day... Or, second... Whatever.

Not only had he suddenly woken up in a city that existed within a computer, not only had he woken up without any knowledge of how he arrived here, not only was everything around him strange and frightning... But he had no knowledge of how to get home.

He took another sip of his "energy-shake", as they called it. Strange beverage. The texture wasn't quite there, the taste seemed to be a cross between an over-sugared cola and a badly-shaken bottle of juice, and the feeling it created afterwards was something undescribable. Going into the establishment, he felt exhausted from his unbelievable day... Now, he still felt overwhelmed, but still ready to tackle more. Odd.

"How 'bout you?" The doctor asked.

I want to go home. Now. "Fine."

"The truth?" He pressed.

Damnit. How the hell can I tell you the truth about me? If word got out, I'd be hanged. "I've felt better... I think." Pascal paused, "It's difficult knowing that I've felt better before... Yet not knowing when."

The doctor put down his padd and relaxed in his chair. "Very few people have gone through what we think happened to you... And lived afterward. None to date have been able to retain their past memories," he paused, "It's unfortunate. But with help, I think you'll be able to recover a normal runtime."

NORMAL? RUNTIME? This is NOT normal. Last I checked, computers understood two things: ones and zeros. Nothing more. And it's LIFE, not runtime, or some shit like that. "How though? How am I supposed to support myself out there, when I can't remember a thing about myself?" The blue sprite queried.

"No one said it'd be easy." The binome doctor countered, "But, that's not to mean that you won't have help along the way."

Help? You guys have already given me knowledge of this world, a set of clothes, enough credits for a week-- er, cycle, and helped me get a cut-throat rate on a place to stay. What's next? "More? You've already given me so much."

"Perhaps. But that doesn't mean we can't stay within arms' reach and lend a hand if needed."

Damn this place is left-wing. Back home, I'd be thrown on my ass an hour after they found me. "I don't know what to say." Pascal looked away.

The doctor chuckled, "'Thank you', would be nice."

If only he knew the truth about me... His attitude wouldn't be so rosy. Pascal grinned, "Thank you doctor. You and your collegues have given me a second chance."

The doctor stood up, "It's our job, and our pleasure Mr. ... Pascal, is it?"

No, Calvin Wilson actually. But that will do for now. The sprite nodded.

The doctor made a semi-disgusted look, "I still don't like the name you chose for yourself... It just doesn't seem... You."

I agree. But you don't know that. Pascal shrugged weakly and pointed to the pendant hanging around his nack, "This may hold the key to who I am. The 'P' probably holds some significance."

The doctor nodded, "True."

Horseshit. I got this trinket for 2 bucks, and it's a stroke of luck I was even wearing it when whatever it is happened to me. Pascal picked up the shake, and finished it off with one last slurp.

"Well, I best be off to work. The crash left MainFrame with many more cases just like yours," the doctor exhaled slowly, "Some even worse."

You're assuming that I'm telling the truth about all this. DAMN. This left-wing society's getting on my nerves... After one day-- SECOND. "I can imagine." Cal put on his best solemn-looking face as a brief silence passed between the two.

"Take care Pascal, and don't hesitate to call back if you have any bothers or concerns."

I won't. "I will."

With that, the doctor departed, leaving Calvin Wilson -- aka Pascal -- to fend for himself in the cyberworld of MainFrame. As much as the doctor was still worried about how able a young sprite would be to reconstruct their runtime in the break-neck pace of the 'Net, there was something about the young man that he couldn't put his finger on... A feeling of confidence in the face of his world being restarted? Brave.

Little did he know, the young soul he'd just had lunch with was not just another sprite who'd lost his memory thanks to the power surge that accompanied the crash of the Twin City... He'd been sitting with a User. Young, lost, and far from beliggerant... But still... A User.

A fact that Calvin Wilson would keep under wraps... At almost any cost.

* * *

Pascal returned to his recently aquired loft in Kit's, and marvelled at his luck.

Damn. Not only has it got a great view, it's massive!

After another look around his new home, he got down to business. He walked over to the suite's Main Computer Panel and activated it with a few quick strokes of the keys. He activated the voice recognition software.

"Computer: recognize new user." Pascal stated to the vacant apartment.

"New user recognized. State name." The female voice of the computer stated.

"Pascal."

The computer buzzed for a moment, "User confirmed and stored."

"Computer, set all functions and commands to be carried out under this user only." "Understood."

Pascal walked over to the apartment's Security-Storage-Device, their fancy name for a 'safe'. It was conspicuously placed right in the middle of the main lobby of the loft, but from the demonstration he received earlier, there wasn't much of a point to keep it hidden.

"Computer: open SSD."

The SSD glowed to life and opened as commanded.

He raided his pockets and dumped anything that might've given a clue as to where he was really from into the device. After dumping his keys and loose change into the unit, he pulled out his wallet and systematically scrutinized every article within it for possible references.

Canadian currency? Gone.

Credit card? Gone.

Birth certificate? Gone.

Blockbuster Video membership? Hell yes, it's gone.

After a few minutes, not much of his wallet was left outside the SSD. His driver's license was the last piece of incriminating evidence. Instead of tossing it into the unit, he read over it's features one last time.

"Name: Pascal," he read aloud, "Date of creation: unknown... Residence: MainFrame."

He dropped the card into the unit and stood up.

"Computer: seal and activate SSD."

The device closed. "Please submit new user deactivation code."

"Deactivation code: three-three-six-six-six-eight-six-six."

The computer beeped. "Code stored and accepted. SSD online."

He exhaled slowly and sank in the nearest chair, "Mr. Wilson, you are hereby confined to quarters until 'Pascal' figures out what the hell to do."

He looked around his new, empty home. His expression darkened.

"Too bad Pascal needs a job, first..."

* * *

I wake up in the middle of a city I don't even know existed...

Have an experimental device used on me to "educate" me to the ways of MainFrame in mere seconds-- er, nanos...

End up having a group of good samaritans get me onto my feet in this crazy world...

And fake a bout of amnesia to get around telling *my* story...

Heh... And they say living out in Edmonton is boring!

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Author's Notes: Alright. This story doesn't make much sense at this time. And it won't until I get a few more installments out the door. Yes. The story doesn't *actually go anywhere*. As I said, let me get number two and three out the door, this is a foundation for them (and more). In this short story, Pascal doesn't interact with any of the major characters from the ReBoot universe. That changes from now on. It's important that the character doesn't meet the likes of Bob, Dot, et al. until he's somewhat settled into MainFrame's landscape.

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