Teacher's (Interrupted) Vacation

As Joseph boarded his (very cheap) plane towards Netopia, after having grabbed a suitcase of various odds and ends, clothes and the like. He jumped into his seat without a second thought and buckled up. Several other people on the flight with him, each sitting in somewhat tattered and battered seats. He would simply close his eyes as the plane took off, the seatbelt sign disappearing and with a simple snore, was out like a light...for about an hour as the plane began to rock back and forth violently. He sprung awake as the others in their seats began to murmur quietly among themselves.

"What's going on?"
"Turbulence?"
"I'm surprised we haven't crashed yet."
"Oh my god, don't say that!"

As Joseph reached for his PET, the coms system sparked to life. "Hello everyone, this is your pilot speaking. We have encountered a viral outbreak on our plane's systems, they are attacking the plane's network en-masse. Now, I can not guarantee a reward of any sort, but I need ANY and all possible Net Battlers to jack into our systems and fight off the viruses. We are currently on the Netopian networks and, I will be blunt, this will likely be more dangerous than what you're used to in Electopia. Please, if you have a combat capable navi, I ask you to jack into the nearest ports, likely on your seats as old as they are, and jack into our networks to bring the virus outbreak to much more manageable levels so we can land. I repeat-"

Joseph immediately grabbed his PET and with it, Asymptote jacked into the networks of the plane they rode upon. As well as the other net battlers on the plane doing just the same. Joseph, however, saw the little notification on his PET, one he had ignored earlier when they busted with Eris. Poking it, he was surprised at what he saw...but with it...a glimmer of hope for his navi.
The plane had made a safe landing before long after it's viral outbreak, everyone exiting the plane, Joseph had been quiet the entire time. Time passed as the plane was empty, and Joseph took his chance to get off the aircraft. Looking down at his PET, Asymptote was still completely out of it, 100% comatose and unresponsive. Even as the progs took care of his physical body, the mental aspects of Asymptote seemed completely tuned out.

With a sigh, Joseph left the plane without incident, nobody seemed to be on board or even nearby after that incident, which suited him just fine in all honesty. He wasn't feeling in the greatest of moods, Asymptote was his responsibility, and he should have plugged him out as soon as it was quiet, as soon as the fight had been finished. But he was too busy celebrating the fact the plane wasn't about to crash anymore, too busy to not even take a cursory glance of his netnavi. The operator would grab his bags from check out before much longer, leaving the airport without incident. Hailing a taxi, Joseph was quick to beeline towards the nearest hotel.

Several hours passed as Joseph did his best to awaken his navi, with no attempts succeeding. Sighing as he looked at the clock, Jetlag was beginning to get to his body, it was already midnight in Netopia, thoughts turning to his students as he figured they were going to school today, it was probably a good six to twelve hour difference between Electopia and Netopia. With a sigh, Joseph sent out a message to a student he had managed to keep in contact with, attaching money and a list to it. Hopefully his student was good enough to be willing to do him a favor.
Ooooooooogh... Came a voice from the PET sat on a nightstand, the navi within groaned, Asymptote finally coming to after his shocking conclusion to his busting run, not to mention the whole "Plane Saving" incident. But regardless, he would slowly find himself getting to his feet from the floor of his PET, the boisterous brawler feeling a cool feeling along his spine. Calling up some mirrors to show himself as he looked himself face to face. There were a few differences, the rusty bloody bolts along the sides of his spine and on either side of his neck, the extra generator that now housed it's self in his spine where his mid-section was at and then...the cables that hung out on either side of his back. And then he noticed. A jagged area where his mouth would be at. Unhinging his jaw with a slow hiss of the pneumatics on either side of his face, a row of sharp teeth fit themselves in his skull, along with a segmented metal tongue.

Asymptote closed his mouth and, while being speechless at his new...addons...he didn't...seem to care about it much. He looked himself over time and time again, the navi unsure how to feel about this...but with a groan, his head throbbing as he finally oriented around him, the navi jacked into the network. There was apparently a cyber cafe in Netopia's networks. And a cyber coffee could help him some.
Asymptote made his way back to the PET before long, the navi groaning as he was attended to by the healing programs inside his PET. Less physical damage and more exhaustion than anything, all things considered. Have fun with your girlfriend, Asymptote? Joseph teased as he bit into some toast, it was getting a bit later in the day, maybe a good mid-late morning sort of thing. Joseph wearing little more than a pair of shorts and a tanktop tee. Asymptote simply groaned out at Joseph's comment, he had been up for a good while, the caffeine he had ingested earlier finally fading. Well...you're still not used to battling like this...I suppose it's a good tired then? Yea...it's pretty nice to be tired like this...just give me a few...and I'll do that mission you signed me up for...though I expect you to be there this time. Of course. Why wouldn't I? Last time was a fluke. Damn well better be.

The two exchanged talk for a good few moments, a good half hour flying by as Asymptote regained his strength and reading over the admittedly vague mission. Rubbing his eyes, he would slowly get himself up onto his feet and jack back into the net, headed towards his mission destination.
It has been a few days since the mission, Asymptote speaking not a word about what had transpired. He stayed in his PET since the incident, keeping to his thoughts and keeping on looking through the net hoping he hadn't wound up on the news. Joseph had been at the least keeping himself sane, today was the last day he was going to stay on vacation, his savings slowly drying up with Asymptote supplanting his ability to spend through virus battles, hopefully he could get his job back at ACDC Intermediate, from the sounds of things, the principal left with his tail between his legs and hasn't been seen since. Got any leads Asymptote? Joseph would eventually ask, closing his suitcase of things, a plane ticket attached to the handle. Asymptote stirring in his PET at the question as he rose to his full height, rubbing the back of his neck.

Not a fucking thing. And it's beginning to piss me off. At least I haven't wound up on the news in any capacity as far as I can see.Asymptote finally responded, moving about his PET as he continued to bring up screen after screen, closing them swiftly as his arms and fingers moved, walking about as he continued. But at least everything seems fine. Also got an email from the guy who owned the plane, he attached something you might wanna look at. He was impressed with our work, so he's giving us free tickets when we wanna go somewhere again. Lifetime free tickets, so if we wanna go elsewhere we don't have to pay a zenny within reason. So...that'll be nice at least. He continued on, finally finishing up his rounds on the "internet watch" he had been on. Joseph sighed as he finally was ready to go. Well...that'll be nice at least. Hopefully when we're back at the school, we can at least go back home and hopefully the kids will take to your..."enhancements"...the school board won't exactly be happy, but... Joseph began, trailing off at the end. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside, heading off to his flight shortly thereafter.