Player Code

by Eddie_Forgetti_Spaghetti

Summary:

Everyone was excited about the new rail system. With the start of a new world, everyone had agreed they wanted to stay closer together- hence the new rail system. But when the main railroad console is destroyed in an accident, the supercomputer ends up being the very least of their worries.

Chapter 1

Everyone was excited about the new rail system. With the start of a new world, everyone had agreed they wanted to stay closer together- but the hermits still needed space to build and expand, so they could only be so close, really. While most of them were within flight distance, some of them were further out, so it had been decided they needed a new way to stay connected, hence the new rail system.

Designed by mostly Tango and Etho, with some assistance from Cub, Doc and Pearl for various components, the rail system utilized a mix of redstone, physics and nether short cuts to get people from place to place quickly- even quicker than flying in some cases. In other cases, it would be the primary form of transportation. It quickly became a major project to the hermits, and was a multi-person job in order to get it done.

Etho had organized a step-by-step for everyone to follow to connect their bases to the rail system, and then he and Tango alternated turns checking each base to ensure it was done correctly. Most of them, even the less redstone-competent hermits, had managed to do it with Etho’s assistance. With all the bases hooked up, all that was left to do was connect them- which was substantially harder than it sounded. Sure, they could have created a continuous loop, but the hermits had really wanted to be able to move from place to place freely, and not be bogged down by wasted time and extra distance. It was a lot of railing and a lot of connections- so all hands were on deck when they had the time to spare, which is how Etho, Tango and Mumbo all ended up working on the very complex redstone system known as The Console, which would ensure everything would run as smoothly as possible.

Naturally, this was located in the nether. They’d cleared out and mob proofed an old nether fortress, using it as the base for their operations. Unfortunately, the walls of the fortress only could serve as so much insulation from the heat.

“I hate it here,” Etho muttered, fanning himself. Granted, he and Mumbo were sweating- Etho had even taken off his jacket which he normally wore under his armour and rolled up his sleeves to his mid upper arm. Mumbo had removed his usual blazer, now only in his thin undershirt. Tango, of course, had no issue whatsoever, being nether-borne. He smirked at his friends.

“Come onnn, it’s not so bad!”

“I’m pretty sure I’m dying,” Etho grunted. Tango rolled his eyes.

“Stop being such a baby. It’s not that bad,” he insisted. “It’s just like a summer’s day!”

“Except we’re surrounded by netherrack,” Mumbo chimed in. “And it’s dark.”

“It’s not that dark-”

“Tango, just because you and I have low-light vision doesn’t mean everyone does,” Etho reminded.

“I- I know that!” Tango pouted. “I just think that if you guys spent less time complaining we could be done by now.”

“Complaining?” Etho repeated incredulously. “You think that is complaining? I’ll show you complaining-”

“Now, now,” Mumbo murmured, reaching between the two, “We still have a job to do. The sooner we get it done the sooner we get to go home so let's just- focus, alright?” Etho sighed heavily but nodded, returning to the redstone lines in front of him. Mumbo and Tango did the same.

The three remained in the noodles for some time before eventually deciding they were done for the day. Etho slipped his jacket back on and Mumbo threw his blazer over his shoulder. It was as the three were exiting the fortress that they heard the distinct cry of a ghast. They all froze in place, trying to locate the monster. While they had mobproofed most of the surrounding area, it was not impossible for mobs to make their way to the fortress- just unlikely. But unlikely or not, it was happening now.

“Where is the damn thing?” Mumbo muttered. “Can’t see with all this nether fog!”

“3’o clock,” Tango said, gesturing. Etho couldn’t see through the fog as well as Tango, but could vaguely make out the shape approaching them. Approaching them.

“Guys, let’s get a move on!” Etho encouraged, grabbing their hands and pulling them with him. Maybe they could still make it to the portal in time and escape before the ghast noticed they were there.

The three held bated breaths as they made their way to the portal. One by one, they stepped in. They all started to feel the nausea that came with world-warping when there was a cry, then a loud explosion. The three men went flying, and the portal disconnected. Tango, having some natural blast resistance, managed to stay conscious, but Etho and Mumbo were less than fortunate in that regard. Both of them were sprawled on the ground, groaning and trying to get their senses back. Etho was covering his ears, probably sensitive to the fact that the explosion had been so close.

Mumbo was just pushing himself up when the ghast cried again. Tango was quick to act, throwing himself directly in line of fire- no time to get his bow out to deflect the blast. Taking the hit fully to his body, Tango was thrown back until he hit the cliff side. He collapsed to the ground, barely able to find it in himself to get back up. Mumbo was by his side instantly.

“Tango! Are you mad!” Tango just grunted. “C-come on,” Mumbo stuttered. “Let’s- we gotta kill it or hide.” Tango groaned, his head still pounding and his chest aching from the direct hit. Just because he had natural blast protection didn’t mean he was invincible. He was considering the chances of broken ribs when he heard the sound of a crossbow firing. He looked up to see Etho on his feet, shooting at the ghast. He had missed with the first bolt, but the second made its mark. The ghast screeched an unholy sound that made even Tango flinch. Mumbo pulled Tango to his feet just as the ghast released another fireball. Etho aimed his crossbow and deflected it- straight into the nether fortress. Immediately, Tango was sober again.

“Etho! Careful, you’re going to hit-” another blast, another arrow, another explosion, straight at the console room.

“Oh good lord,” Mumbo gasped. Tango grit his teeth.

“Fuck. Etho! Either kill that thing or get your ass over here!”

“I’m trying!” Etho called back. His next arrow missed again, but the one following hit dead on, killing this ghast. Breathing heavily, he lowered his crossbow, waited to make sure it was dead before walking over to Mumbo and Tango. “It’s gone now. We can go home.”

“Not yet. Etho, look!” Tango pointed towards the exploded side of the fortress, which had a red plume of smoke wafting out of it. Etho’s eyes widened before he ran off in the direction of the fortress. “Wait-” Tango started, but Etho didn’t stop. Tango went after him- and Mumbo chased after Tango.

Etho was naturally faster than Tango or Mumbo- being part fox had its own perks too. He was in the hallway before the console room when the smoke started to drift towards him, red and smelling of burnt redstone. His suspicion had been correct then- there was a fire. And if they didn’t put it out soon, then they could lose months of work. Etho frowned, thinking, before removing his armor. He put his jacket on backwards and held the hood up to his face. It was a shoddy attempt of keeping himself from breathing in redstone particles, but better than nothing. He entered the smoke just as Tango and Mumbo rounded the corner.

“Etho- what are you doing!” Tango yelled, but Etho’s reply was too muffled to make sense. Tango cursed and removed the bandana he normally wore around his neck and tied it around his head. And now, well, Mumbo wasn’t going to let two of his friends do something this dumb without him, so he followed them with a piece of wool from his inventory held in front of his mouth and nose.

When the two got to the console room, it was hard for even Tango to see. Nether fog was one thing- smoke was another. But he could make out that Etho was smothering flames, stepping on small ones and dumping dirt on larger ones. Tango joined him, and Mumbo inspected the damage to the wall, initially looking for any bricks that might fall on him or his comrades. It wasn’t long before Etho started coughing. At first it was a light cough, as if he had a tickle in his throat, but then it quickly transformed into a deep chested cough, causing him to lean with one hand against the wall.

“Get out of here,” Tango said. “I’ve got the rest.” Etho shook his head.

“No- I-” he coughed again.

“You stubborn shit head- you’re going to die,” Tango stressed. Etho met his eye, coughed once more, then slowly made his way towards the exit. It was actually Mumbo whose lungs failed next. He felt fine, then was suddenly choking on his air and his head spun. Tango insisted he leave, too, that he could handle this. Mumbo nodded, much less difficult than Etho, and left.

When Mumbo emerged from the smoke, Etho was doubled over, holding himself as he coughed. It was deep, but dry. That was what made it so scary. He looked up at Mumbo the moment he saw him in his periphery.

“Tango,” he demanded. “Where’s-” he coughed again.

“He’s still putting out the fire,” Mumbo explained. “Hopefully his fire resistance helps him a little. He was fine last I saw him-” he coughed, too. Etho nodded but said nothing. The two of them waited for what felt like ages, coughing as their lungs tried to expel smoke and redstone dust from their bodies. Eventually, Etho straightened.

“Its been too long. I’m going back in.”

“Maybe we should message Xisuma-”

“He won’t get here in time!” Etho exclaimed. “If Tango passed out, then he’s breathing pure smoke. He’ll die before anyone could get here, even if they used the rail system-” Etho coughed a little from talking too much. “Look- message Xisuma. Tell him what happened and that we need help. I’ll go get Tango.” And with that he headed into the smoke once more.

Some of the smoke had cleared out as they put the fires out, which was good, but there was still redstone dust floating in the air on puffs of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Amongst it all, in the center of the room was Tango, completely collapsed and seemingly unconscious. Etho didn’t bother opening his mouth to say anything as he bent down beside Tango. He let go of his hood and picked Tango up fire-man style over his shoulders, then carried him out to where Mumbo waited anxiously.

“Etho!” Mumbo walked towards them. Etho opened his mouth to say something, but coughed violently and doubled over, dropping Tango in the process. Etho groaned and rolled onto his back, trying to focus on breathing. Mumbo attended to Tango, first, and gasped sharply. “No. No no no!” he yelled. Etho let his head fall to one side to see Mumbo attempt to give Tango assisted breathing. Tango wasn’t breathing. Etho felt terror cinch his chest even tighter. He coughed miserably before crawling over to Tango’s side. “Come on, come on!” Mumbo mumbled before going for another round of breaths.

Etho squeezed Tango’s hand- praying to- to something- anything for Tango to be okay. Suddenly, Tango’s breath returned with a sputtering cough. Mumbo pulled back, tears in his eyes. Tango didn’t wake, but he was breathing. He was alive.

Etho rolled onto his back again and sighed in relief. God he was so tired. All the fighting, running and coughing had completely drained him, not to mention the actual lack of oxygen. He didn’t even realize his eyes were closing until Mumbo was over him.

“No- no, Etho, don’t fall asleep on me buddy.” Etho hummed something noncommittal, trying to keep his eyes open. “Look at me,” Mumbo said firmly, grabbing Etho’s face. “Look at me,” he repeated. “Xisuma and the others- they’re on the way. They- we’re going to be okay, alright? Just stay with me- Etho- Etho!” Mumbo shouted as Etho’s eyes shut fully and his body went limp.

Then, Mumbo cried. He was alone, and two of his friends were dying. They probably were all in danger of death, still, from the smoke and redstone in their lungs. It would probably take weeks to recover fully, at least for Tango and Etho. He started coughing in between sobs, sending himself into something alike to an asthma attack, gasping for air, and panicking as he felt everything close up and himself unable to breathe.

That was how they found them.

Xisuma, Doc, Bdubs, Grain, and the rest of team ZITS had trouble navigating the fortress, not used to its twists and turns, but Xisuma was able to rely on vague memories from when Etho and Tango had first talked about building the supercomputer here to guide them. Mumbo was conscious, but not seemingly aware of them, and Tango and Etho were passed out. Xisuma immediately crouched by his two unconscious players while Grian went to Mumbo’s side. Xisuma checked for both their heart rates- slow but there.

“Doc,” he gestured, and then he was there too, opening the case of vials. He pulled out regen potions. It was a painful amount of minutes as he and Xisuma administered the potions. Doc had Etho propped against himself, and Xiusma had Tango. They both only allowed for a few drops to go down at a time, worried about asphyxiating their friends further, but had no complications other than the occasional cough. Both hermits still remained unconscious. Eventually, Grian walked over with a shaking Mumbo.

“Are they going to be okay?” Mumbo asked.

“We can’t know that yet,” Doc sighed. “We need to get them back to the overworld safely, to a hospital ward, and monitor their vitals. How long were they in there for?”

“I- I have no idea,” Mumbo admitted. “I-im sorry- it all happened so fast and-”

“Hey, hey,” Grian held his friend closer by his wings. “Deep breaths Mumbo. You did everything you could. And I’m sure the other two are going to be just fine.” Mumbo nodded, but didn’t really believe the words fully. But he was tired, exhausted even, and his lungs still hadn’t cleared, and he felt like he might very well pass out any minute.

Still, despite how he felt, Mumbo remained conscious all the way to the portal, through the world warp, and until they made it to the medical ward at Doc’s base, which was quite the distance to travel. Once Etho and Tango were hooked up to machines and the like, Doc insisted Mumbo lay down so he could monitor him, as well, knowing his lungs were likely damaged. Mumbo submitted, laying down. He fell asleep before Doc could even fully finish setting up. He was just so tired.

Chapter 2

Summary:

Tango, Etho and Mumbo begin their recovery. Xisuma gets involved, only to discover that his players may be in more danger than he could have predicted.

Tango was the first of the three to wake after Mumbo had fallen asleep. It had been 16 hours, according to Doc’s count, when Tango showed signs of awareness. He blinked blearily, and shifted in the bed he was in. Zed, who happened to be on shift when it happened, walked over to Tango.

“Hey, buddy,” he murmured, holding Tango’s hand gently. Tango groaned and blinked a few more times. Tango could make out a voice and a person next to him, but couldn’t place who it actually was. They sounded quiet, gentle and warm. The type of warmth that Tango wanted to envelop himself in, especially given how cold he felt. He felt like his blood was ice, flowing through his veins and slowly freezing all his extremities. He whined and curled in on himself. Zedaph frowned at this. He put a hand to Tango’s head and flinched. Tango always ran hot, but his temperature was normally only a few degrees above average. Typically, Tango felt like someone who was ill with a mild fever. Currently, he felt like a hot iron. “Oh no,” Zedaph murmured. He pulled away, shouting for Doc.

Tango whined and reached for the warmth that had been next to him, but Zedaph was already exiting the room to get Doc and Xisuma. Tango cried out, feeling cold and alone. His head pounded, his chest was on fire, his stomach cramped, and he swore he could feel the soreness of every individual muscle. Something in his stomach stirred, and he had only enough instinct to roll onto his side before vomiting. That was just as Doc and Xisuma entered the room. Doc checked over Tango’s vitals quickly. His heart rate was through the roof, as was his blood pressure. The coughing that had been jerking his body throughout his sleep struck again, stealing his air. He gasped rapidly. Zedaph moved to his side, had him lay down and took his hand again.

“Come on Tango, breathe. Deep breaths for me. You got this. I’m here, we’re all here- you’re gonna be okay, I promise,” he murmured, trying not to let his panic show in his voice. Tango eventually was able to catch his breath and relax slightly. He mumbled something so slurred no one could make it out before closing his eyes all the way and passing out again. Zed turned to Doc. “Is he-!?”

“He’s just unconscious, not dying,” Doc informed, but the look on his face was not reassuring.

“What is it?” Zed asked. Doc looked to Xisuma, then back to Zed. “There was a lot of redstone in that smoke. Not only have their bodies taken on carbon monoxide, methane, and other toxic gasses, but redstone dust, as well. It is impossible that they do not all have redstone poisoning. And if Tango was truly in the smoke as long as Mumbo said, he had the most exposure. He will have to recover not only from severe smoke inhalation, but severe redstone poisoning.”

“What’s the prognosis?” Zed demanded, squeezing Tango’s hand tighter. Doc looked at Xisuma.

“We won’t know unless you look,” Doc said. Xisuma shook his head.

“No- I can’t do that to them. They’re unconscious- they can’t consent. If I see anything in their code that they don’t want me to see-”

“Just focus on their tethers,” Doc interrupted calmly, placing a hand on Xisuma’s shoulder. “That’s the only information we need to check. Try to block out the other stuff. This is important. It could be life or death, especially for Tango.” Xisuma sighed heavily and nodded.

“Fine. Just- ugh, watchers forgive me,” he muttered before sitting in the chair where Zed had been before. Zed and Doc watched as Xisuma’s body, tensed, went limp, and then returned to its normal state, except now, Xisuma was moving his hand through the air, interacting with the code only he could see.

Xisuma navigated through walls of code, barriers only he could pass before finally arriving at the folder of players’ code. Everyone was listed, with a separate folder for each individual’s codes. He took a deep breath before accessing the lock to Tango’s code, passing through it easily. He could barely breathe as he took it all in.

It was rare for Xisuma to ever look at a player’s code. He hated invading their privacy- he knew how much power he had over them, and always did his best not to use it. Player code is much more complex than any other type of code. Mods and add-ons were only modifiers of existing code, and Xisuma had been working with the server code for so long it was like a second language to him. But player code wasn’t just inputs and outputs and calculations and patterns. Play code allowed for organic changes. Not only was working memory stored by code, but the code itself could be edited just by a player’s sense of being. It wasn’t an exact science. And that was why Xisuma never touched player code- the risk of changing someone's memories, whole personality, sense of being, species- he could do whatever he wanted, if he really wanted to. Could create a whole new person out of a preexisting one.

That said, he still hadn’t expected Tango’s code to be this complicated. There were lines of code Xisuma couldn’t even read- as if they were in a third language he’d only caught glimpses of before. Additionally, the code wasn’t as well organized as he had expected. He tried not to think about it and filtered out anything that was in the foreign language he had learned, hoping it would help. Surprisingly, it did. Then he searched through the remaining code for a collection of commands that defined a player’s reality- which world they belonged to and their physical aspects of a player. Once again Xisuma filtered out the nonsense, focusing just on the world-identity code. Inside, he found the line.

That was it. One. Singular. Line of code. That was all that stood between Tango, and permanent death.

Xisuma hadn’t expected Tango to be so vulnerable. Out of all the players, Tango was one of the more complex ones, considering his origin. So naturally Xisuma had expected the code attaching him to the world to be more robust- multiple lines of code dictating how exactly his body would react to the environment around him, how the world would react to him. But instead, it was just one line. It shocked Xisuma. It also meant that Tango was in danger. First the smoke, then the redstone poisoning, and now his very delicate code. All it would take was one mistake, and he’d be gone.

Xisuma gasped as he returned to the overworld. Both Doc and Zed, who had been talking supposedly, turned to him.

“What is it?” Zed asked instantly, concerned in his voice. Xisuma shook his head. It was one thing for him to know, it was another for everyone else to know. The fewer people who knew just how susceptible Tango was, the better. While Xisuma trusted and loved his players, he knew some of them knew code, and he also knew some of them were brash. He would never expect them to hurt Tango intentionally, but one mistake and-

“X?” Doc touched his shoulder gently. Xisuma took a deep breath and put his head in his hands.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he murmured.

“What the hell does that mean?” Zed demanded harshly. “Are you saying he’s dying and you won’t help him?!” he started to yell. Xisuma couldn't blame him- he’d do the same over- well, any of his players.

“No- I- I didn’t mean- I just- he’s not dying,” Xisuma stuttered out.

“Then what's wrong?” Zed pressed.

“I can’t tell you that.” Xisuma murmured. “Privacy reasons. Safety reasons.” Zed didn’t look happy about it, but didn’t say anything more. Xisuma took a shaky breath.

“Xisuma. Are you alright?” Doc asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re shaking,” Doc stated. Xisuma suddenly was aware of the fact that he was, in fact, trembling from fear.

“I’m just- worried about him,” Xisuma explained. “Its- there’s something I saw and I- I can’t tell you what but it's not good. It’s really not good.”

“Can you fix it?” Zed suggested. Xisuma blinked.

“I- maybe? But- but if I mess up or make a mistake or accidentally change any other code-”

“It’s a huge risk,” Doc summarized to Zed. “Player code is extremely sensitive. Any wrong moves, and Tango isn’t Tango anymore.”

“So all we can do is sit here?” he huffed. Neither Doc nor Xisuma could give him an answer he’d want to hear. Zed blinked a few times and tears came to his eyes. “I- alright. Alright so Tango is not dying, but could be if we mess with his code. So we just- we see this through, right? He can recover from this. He’s strong like that. Wh-what about Etho? What’s his code look like?”

“I don’t think I can look right now,” Xisuma shook his head. “Tango was- I need a break. At least a short one.”

“I’ll make you some tea,” Doc decided, leaving the room. Zed stood there for a moment longer before heading to change Tango’s sheets, which still had vomit on them.

Xisuma took a deep breath. Hopefully Etho and Mumbo would be okay. Even if Tango was delicate, it was certainly out of the ordinary. It was unlikely that Etho and Mumbo would be as fragile. Xisuma tried to assure himself of his players’ strength as he slowly stood on his wobbly legs and exited the hospital ward to find something to hopefully distract himself with.

—

Mumbo was the next to wake, two hours or so later, when Zed was still on duty. Mumbo was much better than Tango- still sick and nauseous and running a fever, but at least able to hold conversation, even if he struggled speaking due to his dry and scratchy throat. Xisuma sat down with Mumbo and had a long talk about what happened, how Mumbo was feeling, and a few other things. He also asked for explicit consent to check his code, should he take a turn for the worse, which Mumbo tentatively agreed to. After all, he really rather not die from this.

The problem with traumatic deaths is that they always left their mark. Mumbo supposed that Xisuma could edit out the changes in the player code, but for some reason he had always been against touching player code. Which was weird, since now he was asking to explore Mumbo’s, and had said something to Zed about Tango’s code. Mumbo decided thinking about it too hard was too much of a headache, however, and dedicated his thoughts to something else.

“Would Grian be allowed to visit?” he asked. Xisuma looked to Zed, who shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but Doc might. You know how Grian is with buttons.” They all shared a small chuckle.

“I would really like it if he and Scar could come by,” Mumbo added.

“I’ll see what we can do,” Zed smiled a little and got out his communicator to message Doc. Xisuma stayed standing, eyes trained on Etho. Mumbo groaned as he sat up to see better.

Etho was two beds over, with Tango between them. Etho’s mask was off, probably so he could breathe better. Still, it felt like a little invasion of privacy, seeing his face and his scar in full exposure, even though Mumbo was pretty sure everyone in the room had seen him maskless at one point or another, Zed aside. Etho was still unconscious. Most of his vitals Mumbo couldn’t really make out from across the room, but he could tell that the heart rate monitor was spiking more frequently than his own.

“Has he woken up at all?” Mumbo asked with a small cough. Xisuma shook his head.

“No. He hasn’t woken up at all,” he answered. Mumbo bit his tongue, literally, to keep himself from panicking.

“What about Tango? I heard you talk to Zed about him a little bit ago.”

“He’s woken up once,” Xisuma replied. “It was only for a few minutes though, and … it wasn’t pretty.”

Guilt settled into Mumbo’s guts. It wasn’t his fault both of his friends had ended up the way they did, except it kind was. If he had been stronger, faster, if he had managed to stop them from going into the room in the first place- watchers it would all be so different. And not only did he carry the guilt of knowing things could be different, but he also carried the guilt of knowing he was going to be okay. Consciousness was a very good sign, he’d been told. It was within all likelihood he would make a recovery, but fate was much less optimistic for Tango and Etho. Mumbo tore his eyes away from Etho’s bed and looked down at his hands. He could still see remnants of redstone dust under his nails. Afterall, it was meant to be a quick fix, so he hadn’t bothered with gloves this time.

Instead of a quick fix, though, now they had this.

Zed cleared his throat and Mumbo looked up hopefully. Zed smiled.

“Doc said they could visit for dinner,” he said. “Which is about an hour. He said that if we can get solid food in ya, then you could even go home with Grian or Scar, as long as they look after you to make sure you rest.”

Home. It felt like nowhere could be home. Not with his friends lives’ still on the line. How Zed was finding it in himself to smile was beyond Mumbo. He nodded.

“I think I’d like to try dinner, then.”

“Okay. We’ll make sure it’s nothing too intense for ya,” Zed assured. He looked to Xisuma. “Are you going to join us too?”

“I don’t know,” Xisuma sighed, still looking at Etho. “I- I still haven’t checked his code. I keep hoping he wakes up but- it’s been nearly twenty four hours.”

“How about we do that after dinner,” Zed suggested. “Maybe he’ll have woken up by then. And if not, you’ll have fresh energy to pull from while you work.”

“I- alright,” Xisuma nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…”

—

After dinner, Xisuma returned to the hospital ward alone. Mumbo was spending time with Grian and Scar, Doc was putting food away and Zed was finally getting some rest. He'd practically spent all his time in the medical ward hovering around Tango, giving updates to Skizz and Impulse. Bdubs had been getting infrequent updates about Etho from Doc, not that there was much to comment on.

Etho had a severe fever and was sweating in his sleep, likely as a result of the redstone poisoning. The coughs that went off every now and then had Xisuma most concerned. If Etho's body was constantly tensing to cough instead of relaxing, then his body would have a much harder time recovering from the redstone poisoning.

And that's why Xisuma had to check his code. To make sure that he was still tethered to the game securely and wasn't slipping away. It wasn't likely, but it was possible for a player to will themselves into nonexistence- to untether themselves from a world, due to the organic nature of player code. Etho, in all likelihood, was securely attached, but Xisuma still felt nervous at the idea of digging through his code. The Tango situation had really gotten to him. But if Etho was like Tango, it was better he found out now than never. So Xisuma brought the chair close to Etho’s bed.

“Hey, Etho,” he murmured. “I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm checking on your code. I'm sorry to invade your privacy like this, but I just have to be sure you're going to be okay. Okay?”

No response from Etho, not even a subconscious twitch of his ears. Xisuma sighed. He took a few deep breaths, then let himself go under.

Etho’s player code was almost as overwhelming as Tango’s had been. There were folders upon folders and lines upon lines of code. It was difficult to navigate, but Xisuma could at least read all of it and easily filter out what he didn't need. Eventually he found Etho’s core and inspected it. Everything seemed to be in place with multiple lines tethering him to the world. It all seemed to make sense, too. Xisuma relaxed slightly. He decided to double check everything- not to edit it, of course but just to make sure there weren't any overlooked potential issues. It was as Xisuma was rereading the code when he found something peculiar in his player’s code.

He'd missed the first time, but upon a second glance, there were commands that weren't being run. Empty filler code serving no real purpose. Xisuma frowned and tried to inspect it closer when suddenly the commands changed and started running. Xisuma wasn't sure what triggered it- he hadn't edited anything! The code was rewriting itself. Etho's sense of person was being fundamentally changed in ways Xisuma couldn't quite understand. He tried to read the code quickly to parse out whatever he could about his player, but it was happening too fast for him to keep up. Strands rearranged and rewrote themselves and Xisuma could only flounder helplessly.

Xisuma pulled himself out and back to the overworld, with one last hope, but mostly fear and dread. He shook Etho's shoulder, trying to wake him up.

“Etho, Etho, I need to talk to you. Can you wake up for me buddy? Please?” he murmured. Surprisingly, Etho stirred. Xisuma sighed in relief. “Hey, Etho, can you hear me?”

Etho looked up at him through half-shut eyes, much similar to how Tango had been when he first woke. Etho mumbled something slurred, and then started gagging. By now they were prepared and Xisuma had the trashcan ready for the bile that came up. It took a few minutes for Etho to spit all of it out of his mouth, but once he laid back down again Xisuma coaxed him into some water. So far, all seemed to be going as expected. Xisuma was caught slightly off guard, however, when Etho spoke. Tango hadn't been able to, so he'd suspected the same out of Etho, but Etho had decided to surprise him.

“Where ‘m I?” Etho asked.

“You're in Doc's base,” Xisuma answered calmly.

“Doc? Base?” Etho repeated, an odd look on his face. “Am… I at a doctor’s office right now?”

“No, you're at Doc’s base, in the medical ward,” Xisuma could feel the dread building. “We saved you, Tango and Mumbo, remember?” Etho blinked.

“I.. who..?”

“Tango,” Xisuma side stepped so Etho could see Tango past him, “and Mumbo's finishing dinner with some friends.” Etho sat silently, slowly nodding. Xisuma frowned. “Etho, are you alright?”

“I.. I have no idea who that is,” Etho admitted, looking at Tango. Xisuma gawked at him, and the dread that had been building twisted his stomach in knots.

“Who or what do you remember?” Xisuma asked.

“Nothing,” Etho answered. “I remember nothing.”

Xisuma rushed out of the room, calling Doc's name. Doc came almost running into the room, Xisuma hot on his heels. Doc moved toward Etho, who cowered slightly at the sight of him.

“Woah woah woah- who- what are you?” he asked, pressing himself against the wall. Doc frowned.

“I'm a hybrid,” he explained, “and a cyborg, I suppose, in a sense. My name is Doc. You don't remember me, Etho? Not at all?” Etho shook his head. Doc was silent for a second.

“Okay, Etho. I'm going to check your vitals- your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, ect. Nothing to worry about, just routine to make sure your body is handling everything okay. Got it?” Etho slowly nodded. He watched as Doc read the various machines before writing down information on his digital tablet. Doc eventually turned back to Etho. “Somewhat surprisingly, you seem stable. How do you feel?”

“Sick,” Etho shrugged. “I- my stomach hurts. My chest hurts. My head hurts. Everything hurts really. And I feel like- really nauseous. And I'm also very, very tired. Can I go back to sleep?”

“Alright,” Doc sighed and nodded. “You can get some more rest. Your body needs it.” Etho nodded and slowly settled down. Doc turned to Xisuma. “X, could you come with me?”

“Er, yeah, sure,” Xisuma nodded, standing. He cast one last glance at Etho before following Doc. Once they were in the hallway, Doc shut the door to the medical room.

“Xisuma, what happened?” he asked with a slight growl in his voice. Xisuma was at a loss.

“I-I don't know! I swear I didn't- you know I would never- I didn't touch his code! It just- rewrote itself! I swear, Doc. I wouldn't do this- I'd never-”

“I know,” Doc murmured, putting a hand on Xisuma's shoulder to center him. “I know you would never do this, Xisuma. But there's got to be a reason for all this. You said his core rewrote itself, so it can't be spontaneous amnesia from his brain- it's got to be in his code somewhere. And if there's anyone who can fix it, it's you.”

“Fix it?” Xisuma exclaimed, “No- no, Doc that's- I don't even know what happened! I've never dealt with something like this before. What if I mess him up more? Watchers- why am I saying it like I'm- I won't edit his code, Doc.”

“You're going to bring Etho back to me,” Doc said, darkly. Xisuma flinched and Doc pulled back. “I- I'm sorry, X. I didn’t mean it like that. But please, Xisuma, you're the only person who can fix this, and you know it.” Xisuma took a few deep breaths to keep from crying as he nodded.

“I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Doc said. Xisuma just nodded again.

“I- I need some rest before I do anything else with him, though.”

“Of course. My room is available if you don't want to sleep in the guest room with Zed.”

“What about you?” Xisuma frowned.

“It's a king sized bed- plenty of room to share,” Doc assured. “Besides, it's my shift. You've been in there for almost the past twenty four hours straight. Rest, Xisuma.”

Xisuma nodded. Doc was right. Xisuma was thoroughly exhausted, and not just from messing around with player code. So Xisuma made his way to Doc’s room and settled into the bed. For the first time in the past twenty four hours, Xisuma let himself cry. He had so much responsibility. Doc was right- only Xisuma could fix this, the only one who could fix Etho, or Tango, for that matter. But that responsibility was a crushing weight. Xisuma didn't want to be an admin. He just wanted his family safe. That was why he'd even bothered to learn code in the first place. Despite that, and everything else he'd done, there were always moments like this, where someone or something was damaged and only he and he alone could actually do anything about it.

The pressure was crushing him. It felt like it was killing him.

Sleep was never a sweeter embrace.

Chapter 3

Summary:

Xisuma is not a selfish person. Xisuma is not a selfish person. Xisuma is not a selfish person.

Notes:

Sorry for the late update! Things happened yesterday and I got caught up. Hope you all are doing well :3

Xisuma woke up the next day late in the morning. He stayed in bed for a while. Doc wasn't with him, meaning he either never went to bed or was already up, though Xisuma's bet was on the former. While laying there, Xisuma could pretend that this wasn't happening. He had spent the night at his friend's house- that's all. No crisis. No dying players. No code playing tricks on him. But that was a fantasy he could only entertain so long.

Eventually, he got to his feet and headed out to the main room and kitchen of Doc’s base. Neither Zed nor Doc seemed to be around, so Xisuma helped himself to some food. He'd pay Doc back later if he really cared. After eating something, Xisuma made his way to the hospital ward. He hesitated at the doorway, debating if he actually wanted to enter. Once he did, it was likely he wouldn't be able to leave for- a very long time.

Now, Xisuma wasn't a selfish person. He was very selfless, most of the time, in fact, but something about this situation, something about knowing he'd have to go against his own morals and the fear of screwing up and losing them forever- it broke something in him.

Xisuma backed up a step. Then another. And then he turned and ran. He ran out the front door and took to the sky.

He went north, trying to avoid other hermits. He flew for what felt like hours until his wings ached from gliding. Xisuma swooped and touched down in a clearing in a forest he didn't recognize. For the first time in years he felt free. It was just him and the forest- no hermits, no responsibilities, no death, just freedom. He breathed and sat at the base of a tall spruce tree. It was cooler here than the biome Doc’s base was in. It was nice, relaxing even. Xisuma closed his eyes to take it all in.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep.

—

> Grian: No sign of him its getting late the sun will set soon.

>Docm77: We have to find him

>Grian: It's going to be dangerous well be in unmapped area at night

>Docm77: Xisuma might die if he's alone

>Grian: fair point

>Grian: okay we keep looking

Doc put his comms away. He and Grian had both taken one direction while other hermits took to other cardinal directions. The problem was that the world they were on was huge. Infinately huge. Xisuma could be anywhere from hundreds of blocks out to hundreds of billions of blocks out- and the sun was indeed setting. Doc cursed himself for not noticing Xisuma's absence sooner. But he was also angry with Xisuma. It wasn't like Xisuma to pull stunts like this, disappearing when they needed him most. Xisuma was always the first to take the lead in any situation, and they all respected that about him. As admin, he had power no other player had, and they respected that, too. So why would Xisuma run, and why now?

Doc had a hunch it had something to do with Tango and Etho, but he wasn't sure exactly what. In his mind, Etho's code should be simple to fix. Just reverse what changed- load a previous version or something along those lines if Xisuma couldn't rewrite the code itself. But Doc still had no clue what was wrong with Tango other than that Tango was in danger. Was that it? Was whatever going on with Tango the reason Xisuma had run? It still didn't make sense to him, but it was the only theory he had.

The sun set, and monsters began to spawn. Doc hoped someone found Xisuma soon, before it was too late to save their admin. Before it was too late to save Tango and Etho. Before it was too late to save them all.

—

Xisuma woke up surrounded by darkness. Not complete darkness, but the only light was a few meters away. Moonlight, he realized with a start. It was night. Watchers be damned. Xisuma stood and reached for his communicator only to not find it. He must have left it at Doc’s place from the night before. How could he be so careless? As admin, he always needed to have a communicator on him. If they needed him, he had to know.

He had just wanted a moment to escape. That's it- just a moment.

Xisuma shook his head. He could pity himself later. He took out some rockets and tried to take to the sky only to go face first into the ground as his wings failed him. He cried out in pain. It wasn't bad pain, but soreness that he really should've noticed sooner. Great- his wings were spent. There went his only way home.

Panic began to set in. Xisuma was alone, at night, with no communicator and no way home. Well, he was actually technically wrong about one of those things, he realized. He didn't like doing it but it was his only option. Xisuma took out his compass to guestimate his location before finding a nook between two trees to place a torch for safety. From there, he accessed his admin panel.

>Console: Hello. Xisuma here. I've lost my comms and I can't fly.

>Grian: Xisuma! Thank the watchers!

>Docm77: Where are you? Coords?

>Console: Not sure. No comms. But I'm pretty sure I'm directly North of your base.

>Docm77: On the way.

Xisuma didn't see the last message.

Xisuma was shocked back to the real world by an arrow knocking itself into his shoulder. He cried out and instinctively reached up to cover the wound, looking around frantically. It took him a moment, but he spotted the skeleton before it could take another shot and dodged. Xisuma managed to get to his feet. Another arrow lodged in Xisuma's leg, but he grit his teeth and brought his sword down on the skeleton, killing it with three separate swings. Xisuma panted, now truly in pain.

He decided to leave the arrow heads in for now, knowing he'd only bleed more by removing them, but broke their shoddy shafts so they weren't in the way as much. Xisuma limped his way back over to the torch lit tree, but this time remained standing and alert. Despite this, he didn't notice the creeper sneak up beside him until it was too late and he was blown sideways. Xisuma hit the trunk of another tree hard, dislodging his shoulder. Xisuma cried out, though quickly silenced himself, trying to keep quiet as to not attract monsters, but it hurt so bad. Xisuma rolled on the ground in agony before a large figure took up part of his periphery. Xisuma pushed himself up with one arm and picked up his sword, ready to fight for his life only to be faced with Doc.

“Doc!” Xisuma exclaimed, dropping his sword. He ran over and put his good arm around Doc’s shoulder. “Doc- oh watchers, I'm so sorry!”

“Not now,” Doc said, tone neutral, but his face betrayed him. “You can explain yourself later. Right now we need to get you home.”

“There's- a few problems with that,” Xisuma gestured to his shoulder, then his wings. Doc looked him over.

“Okay. Come here,” he gestured before sitting down by a tree. Xisuma followed. “This is going to hurt,” Doc said, already placing his hands on Xisuma's shoulder, “but it needs to be done. You ready?” Xisuma nodded, and Doc pushed as hard as he could. There was a pop, and then Xisuma yelped loudly. Hot pain radiated from his shoulder, but it faded quickly to a soft burn. “All good?” Doc asked.

“As- as good as I can be,” Xisuma forced out. “What about my wings?”

“Here,” Doc handed him a sparkling potion- a potion of enchantment. Xisuma gulped it down. Within seconds, his wings were able to move again. “Got enough rockets?” Xisuma nodded. With no further words, Doc lifted into the air.

Doc was normally a man of few words, but Xisuma could tell he was being curt. He'd messed up bad.

But he had a job to do.

So Xisuma took to the skies as well.

—

It was the next day before Xisuma got to work. He and Doc hadn’t really talked yet. Bdubs was there too, now, but he didn’t say much, spending all his time at Etho’s bedside. Zed hadn’t talked with Xisuma either, despite the side eyes he kept receiving from his direction. He supposed he deserved it. He’d been a coward, a true and utter coward. But he couldn’t run from this anymore.

Mumbo was not doing well. The height of the redstone poisoning had hit him hard, keeping him unable to keep down food or even water. When he was awake, he complained of aches and pains from head to toe, and when he was asleep, violent coughs rattled his body. Etho and Tango were even worse off. Etho continued to have moments of consciousness, but they were filled with confusion and fear. Tango stirred periodically and called for his friends under his breath, but Zed would hold his hand and Tango would go right back to sleep. Both of them had coughs worse than Mumbo, but it wasn’t too much concern until Etho started coughing up specks of blood. Doc had acted quickly, increasing the percentage of healing potion in Etho’s IV. Bdubs wiped up the blood from Etho’s face and hands. Doc turned to Xisuma with a steel cold look in his eyes. Xisuma swallowed, nodded, and moved the chair over to Etho.

“I can’t make any promises,” he murmured.

“I know,” Doc said, “But if this is our only chance to get him back, I’ll take the risk.” Xisuma turned to Bdubs, who nodded.

“Doc filled me in yesterday. Do it.” With that, he turned back to Etho, practically cradling him in his arms.

Xisuma sighed, then opened his admin panel.

Etho’s code was different from the last time Xisuma had looked at it. It was cleaner, more organized. There were folders upon folders of code from different categories with no stray stands. Xisuma had never come across something like this before. Sure some players’ codes were more organized than others, but for everything to be in nice neat rows was strange. Xisuma opened the folder with Etho’s core and began to read it over again. The tethering strands were still there, all the same ones Xisuma had counted before. The once empty commands were still running. He didn’t know what to do. He’d never exactly been tasked with fixing a player’s memories. So he did the next best thing and made an educated guess. Xisuma entered edit mode, and for the first time since he’d become admin, directly edited one of his players’ code. He added a stop to the end of each of the once empty commands, then held his breath as he confirmed the changes.

Immediately, things went wrong.

Errors popped up over folders, claiming that pieces of code were failing to execute. Xisuma cursed and started inspecting them, trying to read what specifically was wrong: what was vital and what could be left for later. He was trying to do so in an orderly fashion, but when an error popped up over the folder for Etho’s core, only the worst could be assumed. Xisuma returned his attention to the code there and began panicking as he watched the code delete itself. He went into edit mode once again and started typing as fast as the codes were deleting. He could only remember bits and pieces of them, but with his background knowledge he was able to make a strand of code and execute it just as the last of Etho’s original codes disappeared. The tether Xisuma had made stayed.

Etho was hanging on by a thread.

Xisuma could hardly breathe. He’d almost lost Etho, all because of one stupid mistake. He couldn’t take guesses here. He had to be sure about every move he made, or Etho very well may slip away to somewhere even Xisuma couldn’t save him from.

Xisuma began to, much more carefully this time, edit Etho’s code. He placed a command to tether him to this world, then another, then another, until there were a good handful. If one failed, then the others would be a safety net. With the safety net in place, Xisuma then was able to spend the next few hours making his way through Etho’s code, folder by folder, line by line until finally all the errors had disappeared. As he rifled through, he attempted to reorganize and replace code that had been edited previously by the empty commands, but there was only so much he could do without referencing his library.

Xisuma took a step back. He’d done it. Etho was safe. But was what of Etho that was left was still Etho? He had changed so much code- rewritten Etho’s very core with bits and pieces of memory. There was a high likelihood he got something wrong, but there wasn’t anything more he could do without seeing what the effects were on Etho- without seeing the problems firsthand.

Xisuma exited his admin panel and returned back to the overworld. Someone was crying. Bdubds, he realized, was crying, and cradling Etho almost entirely in his arms. Doc was holding one of Etho’s hands with both of his, his forehead pressed against it. Even Zed was standing by Etho instead of by Tango where he had been all morning.

“Xisuma, you’re-” Mumbo coughed harshly, "You're back,” he finished. The others immediately looked over to Xisuma before he could respond.

“What the hell happened!” Bdubs yelled. Xisuma flinched.

“I- I don’t know,” Xisuma admitted. “I- there- I edited the commands but something in them must have had some sort of kill code? When I added a stop to them, they just started deleting everything, even parts of Etho’s core. I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry.”

“He started convulsing,” Doc informed, referring to Etho. “While you were gone. It was like his soul was trying to leave his body. And then it just- stopped.” Xisuma nodded, but the information was like being stabbed.

“We won’t know anything until he wakes up,” Xisuma murmured. “The code that got edited- almost none of it pertained to his physical body. So we won’t know until-”

“And who knows when that will be,” Bdubs huffed. “Great.”

“I’m sorry,” Xisuma whispered. “I did everything I could.”

“We know you did,” Doc assured. “You did your best, Xisuma. I’m sure of it. But it’s not over yet.” His eyes drifted up and behind Xisuma to Tango. Xisuma nodded.

“I’ll get on that.”

“Rest, first,” Doc instructed. “You need to be at full strength before-”

“There’s no amount of strength that can save him,” Xisuma huffed. “I didn’t save Etho with strength, I saved him with speed and sheer damn desperation. And trust me, I’m as desperate as any as you are to save him.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will,” Xisuma promised before going back under.

Tango’s code was just as it had been last time. A jumbled mess of lines, some that made sense and others that didn’t, and at his core, one singular strand of code tethering him to the world. Xisuma tried to understand why that was. Tango was nether-borne, the only one on the whole server. He had been originally found in the nether and had natural defenses against fire and explosions. He was one of the toughest players Xisuma could think of, but also very special. There had to be some connection between Tango’s origins and his world-binding code.

Sure enough, Xisuma found it. It was in the middle of the binding strand- a strange series of symbols Xisuma was only vaguely with. He recognized this particular sequence as Tango’s name in a nether-borne language. It was a vague memory, but he could recall Tango saying something about being fluent in a nether-borne language. He didn’t really use it- not much to talk to in the nether that didn’t attack you- but he spoke and wrote it natively. Xisuma connected the dots. He couldn’t recognize parts of Tango’s code because it was partly written in another language.

However, knowing the language being used didn’t solve the issue. Xisuma didn’t know the language enough to introduce himself, yet alone read or write code in the language. Tango would be the only one who would know how to put himself back together. The main issues with that was that Tango was currently unavailable. In theory, Xisuma could temporarily make him an admin and let Tango enter the admin panel and help Xisuma edit his code, but that didn’t work if Tango wasn’t conscious enough to actually do anything. So his only option was to make more codes and hoped they worked. So he did just that. As he had done with Etho, he created extra tethers, different ways to keep Tango grounded before resurfacing.

When he did, Zed had moved to hold Tango’s hand. Doc and Bdubs were still preoccupied with Etho. Mumbo was once again the first to notice Xisuma was aware of himself again.

“Did you fix it?” Zed asked. Xisuma gave him a torn look.

“I did what I can for now. I might need Tango’s help later on, but for now, he’s stable.”

“Thank you,” Zed said with wide eyes. Xisuma nodded. He then made the mistake of trying to stand, and promptly fell over into Tango’s bed.

“Watchers- Xisuma are you okay?”

Xisuma groaned, trying to push himself back up. Zedaph moved to help him, and together they managed to get him back into the chair.

“Are you alright?” Doc asked. Xisuma rubbed his face.

“Dunno. I- I don’t really know what caused it. It was like- like my body just stopped working,” he half laughed, nervously.

“You don’t think your code is damaged, do you?” Doc frowned. Xisuma dismissed it.

“There’s no way. All I did was edit a few lines. I- I’m probably just tired.”

“I told you you should get some rest.”

“I know,” Xisuma sighed. “But.. I just couldn’t leave him like that.”

“Let me take you back to the bedroom,” Doc offered. Xisuma shook his head.

“No, it’s fine, I just needed a minute, see?” He stood up and, to his credit, managed a few steps forward, but only before stumbling into Etho’s bed, seemingly having lost his sense of balance. Doc raised a brow. Xisuma rolled his eyes. “Fine. You have a point.” Doc chuckled and walked over. Xisuma expected Doc to support his weight, but not for Doc to straight up pick him up bridal style. “H-hey! Put me down! I can walk!”

“Sure you can,” Doc chuckled, refusing to do so. Xisuma rolled his eyes and shut his mouth, knowing there was no arguing with a Doc who has his mind made up.

Once they made their way to the bedroom, Doc gently placed Xisuma on the bed then pulled the sheets up over his shoulder. Xisuma expected Doc to leave then, but instead he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Xisuma,” he started softly. Oh. They were going to have this talk now.

“Yeah?” Xisuma sat up slightly. Doc clenched his fists.

“Why did you run away?” he asked quietly. Xisuma took a deep breath.

“It's not a problem anymore. What's done is done,” Xisuma tried to redirect. Doc pressed forward anyways.

“Why did you run, Xisuma. That- it wasn't like you.”

“If I'm being honest,” Xisuma trailed off before hugging his knees to his chest. “If I'm being honest, Doc,” he whispered, “I was scared. I've never edited player code before. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. But we needed you.”

“And I'm very very sorry,” Xisuma sighed, “I regret what I did. But I need to understand, Doc, it's- it's not that simple. What I did today, it's something I've never done before. Not only did that make it risky due to my inexperience, but I broke my own vow. When I became admin I promised myself I'd never take advantage of my players- never edit their code and make them something they're not. What I did today- it's something no one should have the power to do. I only do because- well because no one else does. I never wanted it to come to this. So yeah, I was scared and I ran.” Doc was quiet a moment before he nodded.

“I'm sorry, Xisuma. I never… I like to tell myself I did, but I never really, truly, considered what this would be like for you. I let you handle all that alone. I didn't even try,” Doc clenched his fists again. Xisuma leaned forward and put a hand on Doc’s.

“Hey. It's okay-”

“No it's not,” Doc rubbed his face, “None of this is okay. We have three hermits with the worst case of redstone poisoning I've ever seen, all with smoke inhalation, two of which their code is damaged one way or another, and we still couldn't come together to support each other.”

“Hey,” Xisuma said a little more firmly, “it may not be okay right now, but it will be. They will get better. They'll be okay. We'll be okay.” Doc nodded again, then slowly opened his arms. Xisuma accepted the hug gratefully.

They stayed in the hug for a while before eventually making their way to laying down, cuddling in a sort of awkward way. Doc held Xisuma to his chest and Xisuma had his arms around Doc’s neck. It was nice. Both of them weren't exactly touchy people, but in this moment, with the stress running so high, to be held was what they needed. They fell asleep, laying together in a much desired embrace.

Chapter 4

Summary:

Xisuma discovers something that may alter the course of everything.

Etho woke up again. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the brightness. He groaned and covered his eyes, trying to reduce the amount of light on his face. His head hurt, as did everything else, but especially his stomach and his throat.

“Etho?” Bdubs murmured from off to the side. Etho let his head fall to the side to look at him. “Hey,” Bdubs smiled softly, “How are you feeling?”

“Like death,” Etho croaked out. His voice was hoarse and cracked slightly as he spoke. Bdubs cringed.

“Okay, maybe save your voice. Sorry you're feeling bad. We've been trying to get you to keep down food, but anything that goes to your stomach just comes up again… same with Tango.”

“Tango?” Etho repeated. Patchy memories came flooding back. He couldn't remember all of it, but there were flashes of fire and Tango on the ground unconscious. Etho choked on his air. “Oh god, Tango- a-and Mumbo, are they-” he started coughing violently.

“Shh, shh,” Bdubs rubbed his back as Etho bent over the side of the bed. Small smatters of red landed on the floor. Etho’s mind was slow to process it. Once he had, he looked to Bdubs.

“Am- am I dying?”

“No,” Bdubs said sharply. “No, you're not. No one is dying- not on our watch.”

“Our?”

“Yeah, me Doc and Zed and Xisuma. We've been watching over you three, remember?” Etho furrowed his brow.

“I'm.. I'm not sure. There was… I remember the fire, and then… then I woke up here-’

“Wait, what?” Bdubs eyes widened to the size of moons. “Say that again.”

“I remember the fire,” Etho repeated. Bdubs surged forward and hugged him tightly.

“Oh, Etho! You're back!”

“I- what?” Etho questioned, coughing again.

“I'll tell you everything,” Bdubs assured, “but you've really got to save that voice of yours.” Etho nodded, laying back against the pillow on the medical bed. Bdubs started playing with Etho’s hair- something Etho only let very specific people do. Bdubs was one of those people.

“Okay,” Bdubs started, “Well, as you remember, there was a fire in the console room. You went in first. Tango and Mumbo followed you. You and Mumbo left, but Tango stayed behind. He passed out, and you went in to get him. Then you both went unconscious. You slept for about twenty four hours here before Xisuma woke you up and- he’d messed with your code. Said something went wrong- he’s still not sure what, but it seemed to wipe your memory. You didn’t remember any of us.” Etho squeezed Bdubs’s hand gently. Bdubs squeezed back. “A few hours ago, Xisuma went back into your code, trying to fix whatever happened. Seems like he did a good job.” Etho nodded again. “Are you feeling okay?” Bdubs asked softly. Etho shrugged.

“Complicated,” he said simply. Truly, it was. He was eternally grateful for Xisuma repairing his code, but he also felt very violated. Xisuma didn’t edit player code- everyone knew that. Xisuma was always very transparent with what he did and did not do with his admin powers. Knowing that Xisuma had not only entered his code, but changed it- it didn’t sit right with Etho. It wasn’t right. But he also couldn’t imagine a world where he could start over from day one. All his memories just- gone. That truly terrified him. Etho leaned into Bdubs, who cradled him gently.

“That’s okay,” Bdubs assured. “We all have a lot of big feelings going on right now. It’s okay if it's complicated or if you don’t know. If you want, you can talk to me, okay? I mean, maybe you should rest your voice, but my comms are always on me. Shoot me a message any time, okay?” Etho nodded again and nuzzled into Bdubs’ shoulder. Despite being full of anxious and violent thoughts, Etho slowly drifted back to sleep to the sensation of Bdubs playing with his hair.

—

For a while the three patients just slept, which was good, because it meant Xisuma and Zed got to rest, too. Doc checked on their vitals occasionally, making sure no one was in extreme danger. It had been three days, and no one was showing any significant improvement. Tango started to wake for longer periods of time, marginally, but didn't seem to show any real recognition of anything or anyone except for when Zed was speaking to him. Keeping Skizz and Impulse out of the medical ward was a hassle. Mumbo slept in between visits from Scar and Grian, which were now hosted in the medical ward since Mumbo was too weak to walk on his own. Etho refused to talk or really even look at anyone while he was awake, excluding a few hoarse whispers to Bdubs.

In all honesty, it was a sad state that made Xisuma feel sick himself. Seeing his players hurting and rattling with illness struck him deeper than he could express with words. The pressure was still on him, too. By now, everyone on Hermitcraft knew about the current state of the three patients, minus some personal details. This meant there were a lot of messages sent Xisuma's way, asking for more information, asking if they were going to be okay, asking if he could do anything about it. Xisuma answered them with vague information, just so no one would think he was ignoring them, but Xisuma was too tired to dwell on the questions long.

He felt guilty spending most of his time in Doc’s bed, but there was nothing more for him to do, really, and after spending most of a day adjusting Etho and Tango's player code, he was thoroughly spent.

The good news, he supposed, is that it could only really go up from here. Etho was as close to being himself again as could be hoped for, Tango was temporarily secured, and Mumbo was very likely to make a recovery from the redstone poisoning within the next week, and the smoke inhalation a while after that.

So Xisuma allowed himself to relax.

It only lasted for so long.

Xisuma woke up feeling sore, as if he had done a full body workout in his sleep. He groaned and blinked a few times before trying to sit up. He managed to sit upright using his arms to support his weight. He then turned so his feet touched the floor and tried to stand only to fall over into the nightstand, just as he stumbled the day before. Xisuma grunted and made his way back into the bed, frowning in confusion. His body wasn't working properly, but he didn’t remember actually straining it that bad. Yes, editing code took its toll, but it had never been something he couldn't sleep off. Xisuma recalled what Doc had asked him previously- if his own code had been damaged.

Xisuma doubted it, but decided to take a look anyway. He opened the admin panel and navigated his way to his own code. He checked everything he could think of that might be relevant to his bodily functions but didn't find much. He eventually stumbled across his own tether codes- about 20 lines of code he could count. He read through them until he stumbled across familiar commands. The very same commands he had found in Etho's code. Xisuma immediately backed out of the panel.

He expected to feel something instantly- for his code to alter inside him as Etho's had done, but the longer he waited and nothing happened, it became clear that he was either immune, or the commands hadn't actually started running. Either way, Xisuma was mortified. He hadn't put those commands there- and no one else had the power to change player code. Xisuma could only think of one thing with enough power to alter an admin’s code.

A virus.

Xisuma called Doc to the bedroom immediately. Doc walked into the room with a grim look on his face.

“What is it?”

“I- I need your help,” Xisuma said. Doc nodded.

“With what?”

“I need you to take me to the others. I can't walk right now, but I have to check on Tango.”

“Why?”

“I think- I think there's a virus,” Xisuma swallowed, “The thing that wiped Etho’s memories- it was a series of codes and when I changed his code- I must have picked it up- I- I think I may have accidentally passed it on to Tango.”

“I thought those were rare,” Doc muttered, already walking towards Xisuma to pick him up.

“They are,” Xisuma confirmed. “I don't know where Etho got it, or how long it's been there, but it's here now, and we have to make sure it doesn't spread.”

“Who all is in danger?” Doc asked. Xisuma shrugged.

“I don't know. Everyone who's been here the past few days, I guess. Most viruses are only contagious through code, but it's best to check everyone to be sure.”

“But if you have the virus-”

“As long as I don't edit any one else's code, the virus should stay contained. That's why Tango is the most likely to have it. Everyone else is second priority.”

“What do you know about the virus?” Doc asked. “Maybe I can do some research, see if anything comes up.”

“Well, I know that the only confirmed case before myself was Etho. The virus presents as a series of commands that have no run or start command attached. But then when I tried to inspect them, they changed, which means there's got to be another line of code somewhere that triggers the commands to start. Once they start running, they start deleting and rewriting code, as well as locking folders. It was possible to make patches with Etho, but with Tango- I don't think I can. There's- part of his code is in another language. I can't read it. Which means that if it gets altered or deleted, we'll lose the information forever.”

“Are you sure you have enough energy to do this right now?” Doc questioned, “You currently can't even walk. What makes you so sure you can fix Tango's code?”

“I'm not,” Xisuma admitted, “but I don't know what all else the virus does. And even if I did, Etho's code and Tango's code are different. The virus could kill Tango for all I know. I have to act sooner than later and just- hope for the best.”

“I'll be praying for you,” Doc said as they entered the medical ward. Zed was sitting in the chair beside Tango again, but stood up when he saw the two enter.

“What is it?” he asked instinctively, “What's going on?”

“I'll explain in a minute,” Doc assured, “but right now Xisuma needs access to Tango.” Zed pursed his lips but moved so Doc could set Xisuma down in the chair.

“Good luck,” Doc murmured. “We'll be here- no matter what happens.”

Xisuma nodded and slipped away into the admin panel again. He quickly found Tango's folder and opened it, heading straight for his tether codes. Sure enough, Xisuma found the empty commands attached to the safety net he’d created. Before they could fire, he entered edit mode, selected them and removed them. He got an error. Xisuma cursed and tried again, only to receive another. As a last ditch attempt, Xisuma selected all of the codes he had added and deleted them altogether, leaving just Tango's original tether code. The commands came back on a separate tether line.

Watchers be damned. Of course it has to be complicated.

So Xisuma spent the next few hours rifling through Tango's code. He did his best to block out what it actually meant, and instead focused on finding anything that was out of place. Xisuma found a few commands here and there, ones that terrified him. The virus turned out to be essentially a factory reset for any player. First, it wiped their memory by locking away information and adding stop commands, and then upon respawn, it would permanently delete information. Additionally, a respawn would reset a player’s appearance. It was almost a miracle Etho hadn't passed before Xisuma fixed the issue. After hours of tedious work, Xisuma had cleaned up Tango's code, eliminating the virus completely. Finally he was able to leave the panel.

This time, Doc and Zed were staring at him. He jumped slightly, not expecting it.

“Did you do it?” Zed asked. Xisuma nodded.

“I did. The virus, as far as I can tell, is gone. I- I went through everything.” He looked at Tango and his eyes started to water. He really had gone through everything in Tango's folder. Including Tango's darker parts. They all had their scars, mental and physical, but first hand seeing the very code that defined Tango's suffering- how was he supposed to cope with that?

“Good. I've gathered Bdubs, Grian, and Scar in the other room,” Doc informed. “To inspect whenever you're ready.”

“I want to do it now,” Xisuma decided. “Before- I just- I have to know if it's contagious or not before anyone can leave.”

“I understand that,” Doc said calmly, “but you just finished four hours in the panel. Are you sure you're ready?” Xisuma nodded. He had to know. And so what if he was sore and tired and spent. They could all be in danger.

Doc was hesitant, but carried Xisuma to the other room. Grian and Scar were in conversation, but stopped when Doc carried Xisuma in. Grian looked over and gasped.

“X! Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Xisuma assured as Doc set him down. “Please- let's just get this over with.”

Grian, Scar and Bdubs took turns sitting near Xisuma. One by one, Xisuma checked their code. He was too tired to do a thorough check, but he made sure the empty commands were not in their tether codes. Each time he resurfaced, he seemed to be more drained, but he insisted they get this done now, against all their suggestions. Bdubs was the last he checked.

Clean. They were all clean. Xisuma finally let himself let go of the tension in his body and mind. He remained in the admin panel for a moment, no energy to exist, but he knew it would only sleep deprive him if he stayed mentally attached to the pane, so he entered the overworld again. Questions were lobbed at him, overlapping, but he could barely make them out. Xisuma gave everyone a thumbs up before promptly passing out from exhaustion.

Chapter 5

Summary:

Things get worse before they get better

Tango woke up and looked around the room he was in. The lights were too bright for his sensitive eyes, so he pulled the pillow under him out and covered his face with it. The action hurt like anything, a persistent pain in his chest, but the lights berating his eyes were too intense to ignore. He looked to his right and saw Mumbo, laying in a medical bed. Before Tango could process much else Zed had moved to his side.

“Hey, hey buddy it's alright. You're okay.”

“Mmm Zed?” Tango croaked out. His voice had more gravel than normal, and his throat hurt a little, but mostly it was his stomach that hurt.

“Yeah, that's me. I'm here, Tango. Zed’s here.”

“Whya bein’ so weird?” Tango mumbled. Zed’s eyes widened.

“Oh- oh- Tango!” he wrapped the nether-borne in a hug. Tango yelped. Zed pulled away instantly. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just- Thank watchers, you're awake!”

“Mm wha’ happen?” Tango asked, still trying to adjust to the light and the pain.

“There was a fire,” Zed explained. “In the console room. You went in to put out the fire and passed out. You, Etho and Mumbo have been in Doc’s base for about four days now.” Tango nodded slowly.

“Etho and Mumbo? Are they okay?”

“As good as they can be,” Zed assured. “They're just resting. They both have a lot of recovering left to do- as do you.” Tango hummed and finally managed to get his eyes to stop hurting.

“The console room?” he questioned. Zed pursed his lips.

“No one's been in there since the fire. When we got there there was too much smoke and, well, ever since then everyone's been so worried about the three of you, ya know?”

“I-” Tango opened his mouth to speak, then gagged.

Zed was there with a trashcan instantly. Tango bent over the bin as he vomited. Just when they thought Tango was done coughing up bile, he threw up again. Zed rubbed Tango's back gently, murmuring small affirmations, but Tango couldn't really hear him over the sound of his own body rejecting water and stomach fluids. After the fourth round of retching, something dark and gritty made its way out into the bin. Zed’s heart went to his stomach as he recognized it as dried blood. A fifth round had the bin turning pink.

“Tango- Tango deep breaths,” Zed whispered to him. “It's going to be okay. I know it sucks, but I need you to take deep breaths and try to keep down as much as possible, got it?” Tango nodded, feeling like his head would explode, his chest was being stabbed and his stomach was being twisted in knots literally.

Zed left his side, the bucket now in Tango's hands. Even though breathing hurt, Tango managed to keep it all down until Zed and Doc entered the room, when he threw up one more time, more red than the previous time. Tango was shaking and sweating from the strain when Doc had him lay on his side. Doc and Zed some more words before Doc kneeled before Tango.

“Hey there Tango. I'm glad to see you awake.” Tango huffed and forced a smile. Doc smiled back softly. “You’re going to be okay. All that's happened is your body is under too much strain. You've been vomiting a lot the last few days from the redstone poisoning. There's a tear in your upper digestive track- at least that's my most likely theory without doing scans. It shouldn't be life threatening. However, I'm going to have to put you on some additional antibiotics to help the wound close.”

“Just make it stop,” Tango groaned. “It-” a small gag, “it hurts.”

“I'll give you some additional pain meds as well, then,” Doc replied as he stood.

Doc and Zed worked together to get everything sorted for Tango. They moved quickly, but calmly, Zed taking his time to keep Tango up to date with what they were doing. Once the pain meds kicked in, Tango finally relaxed slightly. He blinked a few times, his eyelids heavy.

“You want to go back to sleep?” Zed offered. Tango shook his head.

“Wann’ be here with ya,” he explained. “A-and Etho and Mumbo. Need to make sure they're okay.”

“They're not awake right now,” Zed reminded. “How about you rest, and I can wake you up when one or both of them wake up. Okay?” Tango hummed, nodded, and got in a more comfortable position that didn’t hurt to breathe before falling asleep.

When Tango woke up again, it was not to Zed’s voice, but Skizz’s.

“Top!” the angel exclaimed before hugging Tango, who had barely even opened his eyes. He hissed at the pressure on his side, but Skizz was already pulling away.

“Mm Skizz? Wha’ doin’ here?” Tango managed, groggily.

“Oh geez, you sound terrible,” Skizz commented. Tango rolled his eyes.

“Thanks, Skizz.”

“Wait- no- I didn't mean it like that-”

“Who let this annoying angel in here?” Tango half joked. Skizz made an offended noise.

“I did,” Zed said from somewhere out of Tango's view.

“Impy’s here too!” Skizz announced. Tango looked around until he found Impulse, who smiled and waved.

“Hey Tango. It's good to see you.”

“What are you all doing here?” Tango asked, sitting up so he could see everyone. Skizz helped him- and thank god because the pain was so bad Tango wouldn’t have been able to sit up on his own.

“Couldn't keep these two out of the med ward after I made the mistake of telling them you woke up,” Zed rolled his eyes. “I tried to explain that you were still sick and needed rest, but who listens to doctors these days.”

Tango laughed, cringed at the pain, then dissolved into a coughing fit.

“Careful there buddy,” Skizz murmured.

“Your guy's fault for making me laugh!” Tango pouted. Skizz chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Top.”

Tango tried to mock him, but it only resulted in a voice crack. The three other men smothered their snickers with varying degrees of success.

“Hey!” Tango exclaimed, using the same voice so his voice cracked again, “Shut up!”

“Agreed,” came a mumble to their left. Tango looked over to Etho, who had his pillow covering his ears. “How's a man meant to get any sleep around here?”

“Etho!” Tango beamed, “You're awake!”

“Am now,” Etho sighed, putting his pillow down and sitting up.

“Sorry dude,” Skizz rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Just- got excited. It's good to see you up, too.” Etho nodded.

“I'm glad you guys could make it. Just try to keep it down next time, please.”

“Noted, will do,” Impulse assured.

“They've had enough time in here anyways,” Zed said, starting to shoo Skizz and Impulse out. The two men complained, but were no match for Zed’s stubborn protectiveness over his patients.

“Byeeee!” Tango called after them. Once they were gone, he turned to Etho. “How are you feeling?”

“I doubt any better than you,” Etho sighed. “Everything hurts.”

“Yeah… Zed, is he on pain meds?” Tango asked. Zed nodded.

“You're on the same one, all three of you, just different dosages. Are they not working?”

“Oh it's working alright,” Tango assured. “I feel miles better than before. It just still hurts.”

“You did take a ghast shot straight on,” Etho recalled.

“You did what?” Zed turned to Tango, who flushed sheepishly.

“It was to protect Mumbo, okay! For some reason the ghast was locked onto him at first and- well, I have some blast resistance so I figured better me than him-”

“Tango, just because you have natural resistance doesn't mean you can just- not mention something like that!” Zed huffed.

“Hey, I've barely been awake at all! Don't get onto me- I couldn't have told you if I wanted to!” he defended. Zed hummed, then walked over to Tango's bed.

“Tango, tell me, do you feel dizzy?”

“Yeah..?”

“Weakness or short of breath?”

“Yeah, but I think it's just the smoke.”

“Tango- you threw up blood,” Zed reminded. “You could have internal bleeding.”

“Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah, Oh shit,” Zedaph repeated. He checked one of the monitors by Tango before starting to unhook Tango from the machines.

“What are you doing?” Etho asked.

“Getting him a scan,” Zed explained. “This could be anything from benign to fatal.”

“I- but- i don't- you wouldn't let me die, right?” Tango stuttered.

“Of course not,” Zed replied firmly, "That's why I'm going to scan you,” he moved Tango's bed to the far side of the room where there was an alcove with a giant machine.

Etho had had the misfortune of being inside it once. Tango didn't look exactly happy as Zed moved him onto the slide out shelf. He made sure that Tango wasn't wearing anything with metal hardware and talked him through what he was about to do before turning the machine on. It wasn't loud, but Etho still saw Tango flinch as the shelf started to move. The scans themselves didn't take long to complete, only about five minutes. Tango was back beside Etho by the eight minute mark. Tango and Etho waited nervously as Zed inspected the scans.

“What’s the deal?” Tango asked tentatively.

“It’s not good,” Zed murmured. “Tango. How much pain are you in right now? You- most people- you have a fractured rib, and one of the pieces managed to pierce the wall of your stomach. You have internal bleeding and god knows what else is going on.”

“That actually explains a lot,” Tango admitted. “I thought the chest pain was just the smoke inhalation, or maybe a bad bruise, but a fracture makes much more sense-”

“Fuck,” Zed muttered. “Tango, you could die, you realize that? The only reason you haven’t is because the internal bleeding isn’t severe. But if we don’t get you situated soon- I’d say you have no more than a day.”

“Oh fuck,” Tango breathed. “Oh fuck. Shit- fuck fuck fuck-”

“Tango, breathe,” Etho murmured, but Tango was already experiencing a full-blown panic attack.

“We need to get him to calm down,” Zed said, “He’s just going to exasperate his injuries.”

“I’ve got it handled,” Etho decided, “You go get Doc and talk about the internal bleeding situation. Tango can survive a panic attack, he can’t survive that.” Zed hesitated, but nodded, leaving the room quickly.

It was now just the patients in the room. This meant that no one could stop Etho from doing something stupid. Etho pursed his lips before pushing himself up to his feet. He coughed rather violently, and swayed on his feet, but managed to recover. He removed all the things attaching him to various monitors, and rolled the IV drip stand around the bed so he could be beside Tango to offer comfort. Tango was digging at his arms with his nails, leaving red lines that were starting to spot with blood.

“Tango,” Etho said gently. “Tango, I know you’re scared, but you’ve got to calm down. I’ll help you. I’m going to touch your hand now, okay?” he said. Tango didn’t respond properly, but Etho didn’t want to risk Tango making things worse, so he took Tango’s hand into his own slowly. Tango didn’t pull away, which he supposed was a good sign. Etho used one hand to bring his tail up onto the bed and put Tango’s hand on it. “You feel that?” he prompted. “Doesn’t it feel nice and soft?” Tango nodded. Etho smiled. “Can you tell me how it feels to you?”

“S-soft,” Tango stuttered quietly. “I-its soft. A-and warm. Never touched y-your tail before,” he commented. Etho flushed slightly. This wasn’t exactly something he did on the regular. He just hadn’t had any other sensory pieces on him to give to Tango.

“Yeah? Well, there’s a first time for everything?” Etho murmured. “Can I have your hand again?” This time, Tango willingly offered his hand. Etho took it and placed it on his own chest. He was suddenly aware of the rattling in his chest and realized that maybe this was a bad idea but- too late now. “I’m going to be taking some deep breaths. I want you to try to do them with me. Okay?”

“H-hurts,” Tango frowned.

“I know,” Etho sighed, “But breathing slower will make it hurt less. Do you think you can try for me?” Tango nodded. Etho took a deep breath in, counting up to four seconds, and then letting it out for eight, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Tango did his best to follow. He failed once or twice, but did his best to stick with Etho’s rhythm, even when Etho coughed in the middle of breathing in. Eventually, the two of them had synchronized, and Etho put Tango’s hand down. “Better?” Tango nodded.

“Much. Thanks, Etho,” he whispered.

“Of course. Glad I could help,” Etho murmured. Tango hummed.

“Can… can I touch your tail again?”

“What? Why?” Etho asked, blushing. He didn’t even think to hide it, used to his mask being on. Tango smiled a little at him.

“It’s soft. Calming,” he explained. “A-and I’m still- i’m not panicking but I’m still freaking out. I don’t want to die.”

“You won’t die,” Etho assured, sitting on the edge of Tango’s bed so Tango could run his fingers through the fur on Etho’s tail. “Doc is a talented surgeon. I’m sure with Zed at his side, they’ll have you fixed up quickly.”

“You think they’re going to give me surgery?” Tango asked. Etho shrugged.

“I’m not sure, but it seems likely if you have a tear and a displaced bone.”

“...I’m scared,” Tango admitted. “Fuck, I’m so scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Etho touched his shoulder. “But you’re going to be alright. You have three people making sure you are fine, four if you include me.” Tanfo nodded. They stayed in silence for a bit before Zed returned, Doc in tow.

“Okay, Tango- Etho!?” Doc exclaimed, “What are you doing out of bed!?” Etho quickly moved his tail away from Tango’s hands.

“Tango had a panic attack, I was helping,” he explained.

“I- watchers- Etho, you were hooked up for a reason. Back to bed, now,” Doc instructed. Etho rolled his eyes but got up and made his way back over and laid down again. Zed helped set Etho up while Doc approached Tango’s bed.

“Tango. You’re aware you have internal bleeding?”

“Am now,” he huffed. “So what? I die now?”

“No,” Doc shook his head. “We won’t let that happen. But we do need to perform surgery in order to fix everything.” Tango nodded. “There’s a separate operation room,” Doc explained. “Since this is urgent, we’d like to get you in there as soon as possible. The quickest Zed and I can prepare the room is an hour. Would you be willing to go in for surgery then?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really. The longer we wait, the more likely your chances of dying from internal bleeding- and who knows what that will do to your body.” Tango sighed.

“Yeah. I’ll be ready, then.”

“Ideally, we’ll put you under anesthesia. Would that be alright with you?” Doc asked. Tango nodded.

“Whatever you think is best.”

“Okay. We will be back to get you in an hour. I’ll have someone come watch over you three while Zed and I are preoccupied.”

“One last thing,” Tango started as Doc started towards the door.

“Yes?”

“Can you put Etho’s bed closer to mine?” he requested. Doc raised a brow, then turned to Etho, who shrugged.

“I’m fine with it,” he consented. So Zed and Doc moved Etho close enough so that Tango and Etho could hold hands.

And so that- once they left- Tango could play with Etho’s tail some more.