Party Hard

by David Petrie

  Milo's stared off at nothing in particular for a moment. Then something seemed to click into place. "No, it's not a code. Well, it is. Just not that kind."

  Bastian tried to follow his words but failed to make anything of them. "You're not making sense," he argued, almost sounding curt. He was too worried to remain as polite as he usually was, not with the others still in danger.

  Milo tried again, "He probably means code, as in programming. But what would he …" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. Then without another word, he ran out of the room.

  Bastian followed, not sure if the man had intended for him to do so or not as they both ran down the hall in their pajamas and socks. Bastian looked down at one of his toes that stuck out through a hole as Milo slapped the call button on an elevator, the doors opening as if it had been right there waiting for them.

  Milo continued to explain as they went up, "Okay, a while back, Neal gave me a drive with an item for the game on it. All he told me was that it was the key to something special. He wouldn’t tell me what it was, but he said I would know when to use it. That has to be it." He paused, letting his mouth fall open. "Oh god. He has been preparing this since then."

  "What kind of item is it?" Bastian asked, pulling Milo out of the horrific realization that his partner had been actively planning to betray him for quite some time.

  "It's a gem or something. It doesn't really do anything. It's a marker to trigger something in the game. I looked through the code when he gave it to me, but it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. He was always doing stuff like that. Making random things he knew we would never use. I have a drawer full of them."

  The doors opened on the top floor, and they ran down another hall into what Bastian assumed was Milo's office. It was a large, dark room with stone walls like the inside of a castle. It looked out of place after having been in the rest of the building. A dome of fiber-optic stars drew his eyes to the ceiling. It must have been expensive.

  Milo dashed to his desk, a big mahogany affair covered in decorative carvings, and fished through a messy drawer of papers and other random items, including several USB drives. He tossed things on the floor as he searched, not wasting any time on being neat. "Got it!" He held up a small drive in triumph, the word “key” written on it in black marker.

  It wasn’t as impressive as Bastian thought it would be, but that didn't stop Milo from holding it in both hands to keep it safe as they ran back to the elevator.

  "So how do we get it to the others if we can't accept a transfer?" Bastian asked.

  "Neal put a block on your characters to stop us from installing anything directly through your rigs. But if this thing is part of his quest, it will probably get a pass. After that, it should just equip automatically."

  They rushed out of the elevator and back to the Nemo unit, where Milo turned back to Bastian. "You said this orb with the text around it is on the ceiling?"

  Bastian nodded. "Yeah."

  "Okay, we'll install it on Kira since she can get to it."

  As the words left Milo's mouth, Bastian flashed back to the conversation he'd had earlier while still in the dungeon. The one about how Carver couldn't have known that they would have a fairy in their group to fit throughout the gap beneath the door. Again, the questions surfaced, since, with all Flight blocked, the only way to reach the orb was with Kira's wings. How could Carver have prepared for that? Something felt off, but before he could say anything, Milo had already popped the drive into Seth's rig, his fingers dancing across a keyboard.

  Bastian looked at Seth laying there helpless, a memory of Kira standing before him in her underwear drifted through his mind. He shuddered at the thought. It wasn’t because of the obvious attraction that he had toward the fictional woman, but because of the way that he had embarrassed himself in front of her. The memory of fumbling with his items and stuttering gnawed at him. Even after meeting Seth, he still kind of knew him as Kira, no matter what she was in the real world. His thoughts were interrupted by Milo who told him to get back in so he could explain what was happening to the others.

  He climbed back into his rig and lay down as a gruff nurse with a short beard helped him get reconnected. The man held up a syringe for him to see. "You've been under for a long time, so it will take a while for the system to pull back in. Do you want a sedative to get you there faster?" the nurse asked.

  Bastian nodded without thinking about his own safety and held out his arm.

  Milo came back over. "I have the item loading. It will take a few minutes to render so you might be able to beat it in."

  Bastian tried to nod, but the sedative took hold. His head dropped to the padded headrest with a thud as the rig hummed back to life. The world spun as if it was trying to throw him off. Then there was nothing.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kirabell, cast another heal on Ginger as the Coin made a break for the other side of the arena where there was a bit more breathing room. She tried her best not to hit any of the zombies in the process. The last thing they needed was to spawn any more of the things. The room was already packed as it was.

  In total, the team had stayed alive for a full twenty-seven minutes since Corvin had logged out, all while dodging over sixty drooling mouths. Somehow, they managed.

  Kira checked her mana, noting that she was running low again. She’d already used up the vials that Corvin had left with Max and was now begging the others for whatever items they might have. Although, considering the fact that none of them were mages, it wasn’t a surprise that they didn't have much to speak of.

  "Please tell me you have at least a lemon drop or something," Kira landed next to Ginger, who had finally found a spot away from the dead.

  The Coin panted while bent over with her hands on her legs for support. "Sorry," she said between gasps of air, before adding, "I'm not big on citrus."

  Kira deflated. "Damn."

  "I've got some hots, though," Ginger offered.

  Kira grimaced and stuck out her tongue. "I'll take one." She sighed, not loving her options as the Coin pulled a small red wrapper from her bag. Kira took it and popped the item in her mouth, the overpowering flavor of cinnamon and cayenne pepper coating her taste buds. It actually had a greater effect than the candy items she preferred, regenerating a little health as well as mana every few seconds, but it tasted awful. Kira winced and scrunched her face. She couldn't understand why Ginger would eat the damn things by choice.

  Suddenly, Kira felt the cold hands of the dead wrap around her slender neck, the surprise of it causing her to spit the fiery little ball of nasty out of her mouth with an audible, "Ptwoo." It hit Ginger in the forehead.

  "What the hell?" The Coin wiped a bit of spit from her brow without doing anything to help.

  Kira panicked. How one of the creatures had snuck up on her, she didn't know. She’d thought she was clear. Lacking her items and equipment, it wouldn't take much for the zombie to take her apart.

  She spun, hoping to at least kick herself free, but there was nothing there. She grabbed at her neck and spun again, trying to pinpoint her attacker, but all she found was a confused looking Ginger, still doing nothing to help. It was at that point that she realized there was nothing grabbing her. Just a silver pendant with a thick chain looping around her neck. A large sapphire that matched her eyes sat at its center. She let out a confused, "What the what?" not forming a complete question.

  "Looks like Alastair came through.” Max shot another zombie in the knee. “I bet that's the key we need."

  That was when Corvin got back online, his avatar appearing right where it was when he had logged off, which was now in the middle of the horde. In a heartbeat, they closed in on him. Fortunately, Farn was nearby.

  She rushed the cluster of enemies, her shield plowing through them like a bulldozer. She finished by taking the legs off three with her sword. "Nice of you to join us," she said as she helped him up and over to the rest of the group.

  "What's
the code?" Kira asked, expecting something more. "Is written it on this?" She struggled to look at the pendant, its short chain not letting her get it anywhere near close enough to see and probably making her look like an idiot as she tried.

  Corvin stepped to the side to avoid a rotting hand that reached for his ankle. "No, that is the code. Like programming. It's made of code."

  "Oh, I feel dumb.” Kira cringed and placed a hand on her head. “So I what, just fly up to that orb and the thing will open?"

  "Maybe?" Corvin gave her a shrug.

  Kira narrowed her eyes. She was really hoping for more to go on. "Alright, I guess I might as well try it and get this over with."

  Without another word, she shot straight up, leaving her friends behind and stopping just below the orb. She waited, but there was no response. She waited a few seconds more just in case. Still nothing. She glanced down at the others who were all looking back up at her in expectation, making her feel self-conscious. Kira thought for a moment, then got an idea. She clutched the silver pendant and held it out as she moved closer to the orb.

  A single drop of water ran down the surface of the crimson shape from its edge, hanging for the briefest of moments before falling. It landed directly on the shining blue gemstone of the pendant, splashing against her fingertips.

  Kira craned her head up at the orb, her eyebrows raised hopefully as the thing began to glow along with her pendant. "Yes!" she whooped in victory, flying out of the way. At least, that was what she meant to do. Instead, she let out a quiet, "Yeahhhh," sounding like a stoner as she drew out the word and stared straight into the orb, unable to move. She heard Max's voice say something from below, but for some reason, she couldn't understand him as her eyes locked to the dead center of the strange light above. It was as if the thing was staring back. Then her mind went blank.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Max took a few steps back, unsure of what was going to happen as a circle at the dead center of the floor rose, followed by several rings around it to form a platform and stairs.

  The others backed away as well.

  He glanced up at his partner, her small form silhouetted by a blood red glow. "Kira, maybe you should get away from that thing.”

  She didn't respond, sending a wave of dread through him.

  He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Kira! MOVE!"

  Without warning, the orb jerked upwards, releasing a torrent of water from its edge that formed a column around the enthralled fairy.

  Max leapt back to the platform, fearing the worst. Any moment, he expected to see her body slam into the ground. It didn't. He checked her health. Still full. She was fine. Then the numbers below her name shifted on his skin to form a rotating circle as if the game had begun loading a patch to her character data. It was accompanied by a number. It read one percent. Then two percent. Then three.

  A violet glow shined as the light of the crimson orb above passed through the crystal blue water that had engulfed his partner. The torrent hit the floor and rushed out in all directions, flowing over Max’s feet to spread out across the room toward the horde.

  The zombies screeched and screamed as it cascaded over their toes and into the surrounding moat. A chorus of cries came from all around as their spawn point was cut off, purified by the falling liquid.

  Max ignored them altogether and attempted to reach into the column of water in hope of finding his friend. His heart sank as his hand was met with resistance, like there was some kind of barrier surrounding it. "Damn it!" he shouted in frustration. Whatever was happening to her inside, he couldn't stop it. He tore his attention away from the center of the room and focused on a task that he could do something about. That task being brutal acts of mass zombicide. He drew his pistols and went to work.

  The rest of the party did what they could to remove the enemies from the arena, but for the most part, they were just in his way. Fueled by anger, Max moved like a demon as he emptied his magazines into the helpless forms around him. He reloaded and checked the percent next to Kira's name. It was up to thirty-five. He thumbed the slide lock to chamber a round, glancing back at the column of water before continuing.

  Corvin and Ginger stayed near the center, searching for a way to get Kira out of torrent, while Farn and Kegan made sure that none of the enemies got anywhere near them.

  The number below Kira's name climbed, now at eighty percent. Whatever was happening, was almost done. Max growled at the zombies with a fury worthy of his class's title, and for a moment, they even seemed scared. With nowhere to spawn, the horde thinned out, and before long, it was gone, leaving only Max in the arena, wisps of smoke trailing around him.

  The others said nothing as his eyes darted back to them. Then the rage inside him vanished as if someone had flipped a switch. In its place was dread. He holstered his weapons and ran, approaching the pillar of water just as a new exit opened at the far side of the room and the familiar voice of the darkness called out his name for a contract. He didn't respond, but it continued anyway.

  "Make your offer–"

  "I don’t give a fuck!" Max yelled back, interrupting the first of mankind's fears. He didn't care. There were more important things to think about.

  "Accepted!" the voice responded, somehow reading his input as an offer. Max ignored it, even as he felt the chill of a contract item form in his pocket.

  The value on his stat-sleeve below Kira's name reached one hundred percent, then vanished, returning her status readout to normal. The orb dropped back down with a loud bang, cutting off the flow of water in sync with the completion of whatever had happened. The column of water fell like a curtain around the platform, revealing the fairy standing perfectly still at its center, her eyes closed.

  Max froze for a second, then continued to run.

  Her silver hair was fluffed as if it had been blow-dried after a long and comforting shower. It fell to the side with a few locks sweeping past her nose and drawing his eye downward. The silver chain hung close around her throat, its pendant resting in the delicate curve of her collarbone. Its gemstone somehow changed from sapphire to a glittering amethyst.

  Max let out a heavy sigh of relief as he stepped up the first few stairs toward his best friend who at least seemed to be alright. Farn and the others gathered in behind him.

  As if sensing their presence, Kira let out a slow breath, her lips parting only a little as she exhaled and opened her eyes. She looked calm, almost rested, as if waking up on a Saturday morning in a soft bed, the whole weekend ahead of her. She glanced around at the party, making eye contact with each of them until coming to rest on Max.

  He responded with a stunned gasp.

  Gone was the bright and tranquil blue of her eyes that had always looked out at him. In its place, a dreamlike shade of deep purple sparkled in the torchlight, matching the stone in the pendant around her neck.

  Her expression grew confused as gaping mouths surrounded her. She glanced behind her, as if to see if it was really her they were looking at or if there was something interesting or possibly monstrous sneaking up on her. Finding nothing, she turned back and spoke, her voice sounding unsure.

  "Umm." She tilted her head to the side. "There's something in my hair again, isn't there?"

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Questioning looks greeted the party as Max entered the bridge of the Nostromo. This was due to the almost nude fairy storming through the room in a huff.

  Alastair started to speak but was promptly interrupted with a loud, "I don't want to talk about it!"

  Max would have laughed, but he wasn't in the mood after everything that had happened.

  On her way, Kira caught one of Alastair's Shields checking out the view.

  She skidded to a stop and singled him out. "I'm sorry, did you not get to see my ass yet?” she shouted at the crew member, whose eyes widened and shot back up to Kira’s face. "I wouldn't want to deprive you. Here, why don't you take another look." She twisted to give him a better vie
w. The rest of the crew laughed at the exchange, then promptly shut the hell up when she glared back at them. "And you!" She stabbed a finger in Alastair’s direction. "You better delete the recording of that last fight."

  He nodded several times in quick succession without offering anything more. Although, from what Max assumed, Alastair had already skimmed through the footage while they returned to the ship. So it was probably too late, and the guy had already seen everything.

  Kira disappeared down a corridor, her yelling still audible. "The merchant better have clothes!"

  Ginger followed to act as bodyguard for the pissed off fairy. Max figured the Coin felt responsible, having lost her gear back in the dungeon.

  The crew relaxed as soon as they were gone but tensed up again when Max started shouting. "What the hell happened back there? What did that thing do to her?"

  "I'm sorry." Alastair held his hands up, palms facing out. "I assure you, we had no idea that there was more to that pendant than a standard key item."

  Max watched Alastair for a moment through narrowed eyes. With his character designed to look like a JRPG villain, Max had a hard time telling if Alastair was being sincere. He decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and released the tension in his jaw. "Just tell me what it did to her."

  Alastair let out a breath and his body deflated. "The short answer is, we don't know."

  A wave of anger burned through Max's chest, but he let Alastair continue.

  "Ultimately, the item's code was normal, but there was a line hidden in the comments section that became active when Kira used it on that weird orb thing. It downloaded a ton of files from storage outside the system and installed it all to her rig and character data."

  Farn stepped up to join Max, facing her boss. "How can that even happen? Doesn't the system need consent or something?"

  "That was my fault," Alastair admitted. "When I installed the item, I bypassed it. I just didn't think—"