[4-14] The Town

[Hiro Protagonist]

The revelations came fast, one after another. The true Karl Jak had been missing for over a month, and had cleverly concealed that fact with the use of identical clones back in the main Omniverse. The Karl that Hiro and Deadpool had been traveling with was one such clone, and so was the one that had been on the plane. There was no telling how many others there were by this point, but something that Karl said stuck in the hacker's mind.

"When you recreate the island? So, basically it'll be like none of this ever happened?" Hiro asked hopefully, his true question a sentence away. Karl nodded sagely. "Everything will go back to normal. No cannibals, no serial killers, my favorite restaurant will be back in business." 

The hacker blinked, swallowing in his throat, all of his optimism riding on this next answer. "Could you bring back Barry Sanderson?"

"I intend to, Chocolate Thunder. Who else is going to whip up Nagasake Bombs on my plane?"

"Wait.....really?"

Karl looked at him like he was stupid. "Yes, really. My employees have the best life insurance policy availible. Me."

So that's why Counselor Karl had said Barry was dead for good. He wasn't Prime Karl! The cloud of uncertainty and doubt and regret seemed to lift from his shoulders. Barry had been a good friend through this experience, and his untimely death now seemed like more of an inconvienient delay more than anything. He'd provided moral support, someone to talk with. Made the oppressive, spooky island that much more tolerable. If Hiro had struck out into the mists alone, he was reasonable sure he'd already be dead or insane. This wasn't his environment at all, and he'd already had his share of struggling to survive out in the elements. With the hacker's depressiom lifted by a simple words, his purpose was clear for now. Although the stress of his experience had worn him down. He hadn't had a shower in a day. Hadn't touched a real computer screen since he left his apartment.

Now he was just tired. He wanted to get off this fucking island, go back to his apartment, see how Madotsuki had been treating the place in his absence. And then he wanted to take a vacation, bid the Danteverse goodbye, and never partake in such a stupid endeavor again. Well, maybe. He'd have to see in the future.

For now?

They were getting the Fuck. Off. This. Island.

Focus. 

Hiro looked at the two Karls and spoke to the Counselor. "I assume you're staying here." Both Karls nodded while Counselor responded. "That would be correct, Chocolate Thunder. I've served my purpose." He gave a saucy wink as well. "And it's been a pleasure traveling with you. Take care, my little samurai!" He gave a theatrical wave as Hiro brushed his flirtatious goodbye off and studied the terminal attached to the medical tank.

"Karl Prime, you mind if I take some info off this computer?" The bedraggled Karl nodded and waved a hand himself. "You're mostly going to get junk data. All the important information pertaining to me was purged when I was revived."

Hiro ran a wire from his wristcomp to the terminal and muttered' "Every little bit counts." He finished as the data was copied over and straightened up, giving the room one last look for anything else useful he could scavenge. Just tubes and wires and....toys. Eurgh. Nothing else useful here.

"So first it's a stop to the Census office, then down to wherever we leave here from? Alright! I was in the mood to kill-slash-dance with more zombies. Plus, there might be hot interns in a public building, just waiting to be rescued!"

Deadpool theorized happily as the three exited the isolation room, Hiro having to lend an occasional arm to Karl so he could lean on it. The man was far from decrepit, but he was unarmed and obviously still recovering from his month long coma. Hiro interrupted the mercenary's fantasizing. "Uhh..Wade? You might want to worry about having to get Karl there safely. He still looks a bit.. "

"AIDS-y?"

The hacker facepalmed. "Not how I would put it but..." Karl gave a chuckle of his own that led into coughing. "Aww, look at my boys, worried about little old me. I assure you, I'll be more than fine." The spandexed mercenary stood straight up and declared emphatically. "Exactly! Besides, I'm a smooooth pimp who loooves the ladies, and skinny here is my black manservant! You dig?"

Hiro just shook his head as Karl summoned the elevator with the handprint scanner. The shirtless samurai looked around the sparsely decorated break room and walked over to the fridge while they waited for their upward conveyance. Inside was something that if not physically helpful, was spiritually helpful. A sixpack of beer and a couple powerbars.

"Karlsberg....you make your own beer?" Hiro asked, before cracking a can and taking a long refreshing slug. "Hiro, Hiro.....I pay people to make me beer." The producer responded, wiping his forehead and attempting to wring some of the moisture out of his hairdo. Cracking the rest of the cans out of their plastic rings, Hiro tossed one to Deadpool and slotted the rest of them in his belt. He devoured two of the PowerBars and tucked the rest into a pouch, before checking the status of his Katana, wristcomp, goggles, and the stolen machete.

Hiro was locked and loaded, ready for action....but something was missing. As they rode the elevator back up to the office floor, he tried in vain to put his finger on it but still couldn't quite grasp it. Until...

There.

Hanging off the back of an office chair was a blazer....and a loose tie. The street samurai grabbed the long stripe of black and yellow striped silk, wrapping it longways around his head, above the goggles sitting on his nose, into a makeshift sarariman headband.

[spoiler]  [/spoiler]