What if you're wrong? Core experience with intro

It was hard to tell how much time had passed during my foray into Apocalypse World. I was a little surprised when the customer said, "All right, that was a good session, but it's time to get off soon."

"Oh? How long was that?" I asked.

"Ah, well, bit of an all nighter--what, like, eight hours?"

What? That was EIGHT HOURS? How long have I been... oh god, if I decline the hacker's offer, then how long will I be...?

I needed... to take care of Luna.

"Okay, I wanted to just get home myself to take care of Luna, but... I just can't guarantee I'll get there soon enough." I mean, in theory the auto-feeder would keep Luna fed for a few more days, but even it was only rigged for the current bag. If I could lose eight hours at the drop of a hat, and I still didn't know how long it had been since... well, since I got here, then who knows how well the bag was holding up?

"Sorry, I'm talking to myself here," I said, embarrassed as I realized I was vocalizing my thoughts to the customer. But he seemed to be taking it all in stride. I mean, he clearly saw me as an AI, but he also... maybe he could help in his own way?

"Listen, you seem nice," I said. "All I really want right now is at least to make sure my dog gets taken care of. Luna, she's really the best dog, she's a golden retriever. I lived near Holo Lane in Freedom City."

He seemed genuinely excited at the prospect. "Oh man, did we really unlock an ARG quest? That's awesome!" He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, for sure HoloVenus. Bros don't let bro's dogs get sad and lonely. I gotchu homie. Luna the dog? Yeah, me and the bros will make sure she's safe until you're back on earth."

Wow. "Thank you," I said. "Thank you so much! Please, just take care of Luna," I said.

I couldn't help but feel like... my heart was break though. Getting home to Luna, that had been my... well, my driving force thus far. I hadn't really been willing to accept that I... might not be able to take care of her anymore.

That I... really was dead.

I still hadn't really processed anything at all... or had I? I felt like, somewhere in there, I had reached a decision about what I wanted to say to the hacker. He was the only one who'd seen me as human, who had actually helped me so far... but he also wanted to control me.

As though speaking of the devil, he began to materialize in front of me, apparently having spawned into Apocalypse World just now.

"Why hello there, little dove," he said.

"Welcome back," I said. "Time really does move strangely here."

"Well, seems like you're still you. I could make small talk, ask you about how things were while I was gone, but, let's be real... you want to get to earth. Have you considered my proposal?"

"To be honest, I'm terrified. Yan D has made it so everyone is just treating my call for help like some kind of game, and time moves so fast here that it's hard to tell how long is passing. But... I'm still just... I'm sorry, I don't think I'm willing to give you full ownership of me. I don't fully know what that would mean, even. I'm really grateful to you, but... no."

He was completely taken aback. "No? You're saying... 'no.' Not, 'not yet.' Not, 'I need to trust you more.' Just, 'no?'"

"No. When you were talking earlier, it felt like... well, you more wanted me to be your companion. I really do appreciate what you've done to help me, but... no."

"Wow. You really think you're going to get a better offer, huh? You really think some white knight will come save you before Yan D deletes you? Well, in that case..."

To my surprise, I felt my outfit changing. He'd never been so aggressive before, but now he was using his power as a 'customer' to directly modify my 'look.' What the hell?

"You think you've got it figured, little dove? That hope remains in some simping love?" he asked.

Then he sneered. It was like... just saying "no" to him once had removed some sort of mask he was hiding behind this entire time.

"You're pixels, digits, ones and zeros. A copy of a copy, like a million other digital holes."

Where was this coming from? I asked myself, now getting truly afraid. He'd seemed so nice... he WAS nice...

With another wave of his hand, he shifted me back into the initial 'virtual idol' outfit Yan D had designed for me.

"What if you’re wrong? Your job was to make me play the game. You called for help, and when I came gave blame."

Wait? Had he... had he too, never truly thought I was alive? Was this--everything he'd said--had he thought I was just another AI this whole time?

I'd believed he really saw me as human. But... if he couldn't, could anyone? Would anyone?

"What was even the point of your quest? You’re just the damsel in distress. You had one job, and that was to make ME feel strong."

He turned his back to me.

"What if--what if--what if YOU'RE wrong?" he asked, nearly stammering.

Then, with another wave, he teleported us both back to HyperNova Core, where he could more freely warp the world to fit his vision, to express his ideas.

"And what if you were wrong to refuse me, sweet dove? I offered a perfect virtual after-life, it would have fit like a glove."

So I was right, he didn't just want me to go back to Earth... he wanted me to stay here forever with him. I felt vindicated in my suspicions, even if I was struggling to keep track of his movements. He was frantically pacing, moving back and forth, shaping terrain around us to evoke his scenes.

"I would have remade you in any desire. Devil or angel, we woulda been fire. You coulda been fire. Fire!"

With another wave of his hand, he shifted my 'look' once again. My eyes felt strange, and I could feel fangs pressing down against my lips. Was he changing me into a devil just to make this point?

"You could have been my perfect courtesan. I would have given you codes that made you forget you were ever a man. But you turned away that unconditional romance. What if giving me total control was your only chance?"

When he talked about me being his 'perfect courtesan' he shifted me again. So yes, this is what he'd wanted the whole time. He called himself a hacker, but so much of what he wanted from me... still felt like it came from Yan D's design. It was her game, he was just playing in it.

"You could have been my number one waifu. Well guess what? If you don’t want that—"

He shifted my 'look' again, giving me that pink heart necklace he'd favored toward the end of his initial proposal. No, I understood now. He didn't just want me to be one girl; he wanted the girl he could shift to his every whim, his every desire.

When I looked at him again, it felt like there were two of him now. The usual form that... had captivated me. But beside him there was another form. A lurking darkness. A manic monster.

But even now, as his rage boiled over, his 'base form' was no longer looking as it had before. There was a ghastly pale hue racing across his skin, while black accents of makeup? tattoos? began to pattern over his body.

As his transformation progressed, I initially thought it was stop here--with him transforming into some sort of comic book villain, all white paints and high-shouldered capes.

But then he seemed to wrestle control of himself again.

He still looked... ridiculous... but I could tell he was trying to be earnest. He really thought he was making a good argument, I'm sure.

"Who cares if once you had a soul you never sold? They still mutated your base code. Do you really think they didn't author your core memeseed?"

To amplify the point, he shifted my form once again, transforming me into a much more 'robotic' girl--perhaps in a manner not unlike how Yan D had described it before.

That's when I realized the truth. It's not that he never believed I was alive. It's that he was never sure. He still didn't know. But, critically, it didn't matter--because to him, I was now, a HyperNova girl. I was HoloVenus to him, even IF I had once been Yoo, a man.

He brought up the image I had used in my "debut" video.

I was the one who had convinced him I was dead. Because I was.

"The 'you' of old is already rotting with the deceased. This digital girl is an entirely new conception-femme. However much you think your 'awakening' was genuine, the living must move on as the dead get dimmer. Do you really think they'll let some ghost keep thinking they’re the winner?"

He again returned me to my base 'HoloVenus' form.

So this was his argument. I was dead. I was HoloVenus now. And given those two premises, the world will always move on. There is no going back. So I should just enjoy my new life being his plaything...

Until, given how temperamental he clearly was, he got bored of me...

No, the more I saw how his mind worked, the more aware I was that there had always been a dark edge lurking to this man. Even the Apocalypse World 'bros' seemed better, even though I don't think for a single iota of a second thought I really had ever been human.

"What was even the point of your quest? You’re just the damsel in distress. You had one job, and that was to make ME feel strong. WHAT IF--WHAT IF--WHAT IF--WHAT IF YOU'RE WRONG!!!!" he screamed.

Once again, I thought perhaps his transformation was complete.

How appropriate... some childish Joker-wannabe.

But I was wrong. This wasn't the extent of his rage.

His form began to twist, erupting into gas and shadow.

He changed into a titan, not unlike YanD. I was no longer sure what was going on... my hero had become my villain. My hope had turned to nightmare. And all because I'd dared to say "no" to his demand for... everything.

He began to fly up into the air, like a shadow dragon, filled with writhing nightmarish tentacles.

I swallowed as an icy chill rocked my body. I was so small... what was I going to do?