Project Alpha 2

by R. A. Mejia

  “What is he talking about, Anthony? What monsters in the real world? What does he mean ‘he was drawn here?’ Isn’t this just some dungeon you found?”

  For all the help she’s been, Nancy’s presence complicates what I have to do next. What I need to do to help Samantha Stapleton. “Nancy. I asked for your help, and you’ve given it. But I can’t explain without putting you at risk.”

  “I’m not a child, Anthony! You asked for my help, and I came without asking questions. I thought maybe…” Her cheeks redden at whatever she was going to say, but she continues, “It doesn’t matter what I thought, but this guy is a real person, and what he says he’s been doing doesn’t make sense. I deserve to know what you’ve drawn me into.”

  She’s right. I called her because I trust her, and she’s the one that has helped me this whole dungeon run. “Okay, here’s the story.”

  I spend the next 10 minutes explaining everything to Nancy: the police questioning me, the missing items, my friend being arrested, the whole thing. When I’m done, she just stands there, wide-eyed.

  “You mean, monsters from this dungeon somehow left and stole and hurt people in the real world?”

  “Not just hurt.” I point at the remains I’d found. “But this guy had them bring him people that he killed.”

  A deep laugh interrupts our conversation and we turn to see a green glow surrounding Munro. There’s a sickening sound as his bones start to snap back in place. As William stands up, his broken bones mended, he brushes off his clothes and rolls his neck. “Well, I never thought that you two would give me enough time to use my boss power. It takes so long to work I thought for sure that one of you would notice it charging. But no. Instead, you just had to explain just how smart you were. I heard your whiny ass complaining about how sad and terrible it was that the people in this neighborhood got hurt. But who cares? All that matters is that I’m stronger. It doesn’t matter who got hurt doing it. If I’m strong, I can’t be hurt. I can protect myself from the people around me.” His gaze shifts to Nancy for a moment before returning to me. “Which is more than I can say you’re capable of. When I’m done killing you, I’m going to take a nice long time with your friend. Then I’m going to find out where your family lives and kill them slowly. And you know what? It’ll be all your fault for not being there to protect them.”

  His words, threatening both Nancy and my family, make my blood boil. No one threatens my people. I take two steps toward him, wanting nothing more than to send my war hammer through his skull and reduce his face to a stain on the floor, but then I see a smile come to his face, and it clicks. I pause mid-step and use Inspect on him. While his bones have mended, his HP is still the same, and he’s still out of TP. The bastard . . . He was trying to goad me into attacking him up close, where he’d have the advantage! I can play at that too. We may have a chance still if I can just get him to focus on me and let Nancy back away and use her gun.

  “Oh, you thought I was whining? That’s nothing compared to what you were doing when all your bones were broken. ‘Oh, please don’t kill me! It’s not my fault.’ Please, you’re pathetic.”

  “What do you think you know about me?!” he roars, spittle flying from his lips. “You have no idea how bad it was growing up. I bet you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth, lots of love and care. I had no one. I had to be tough or I would have been killed by the toughs in my neighborhood or some shitty client of my mom’s.”

  The term ‘client’ makes something click in my mind and I recall Mother Grendeline using that phrase, and I realize that all the places in the dungeon are about William Munro, his life with a neglectful mother, and the poor environment he grew up with. I wonder if the people he grew up around really were like the goblin swarm, just consuming everything in their path. I hate it, but part of me gets Munro. We both grew up poor, and we both recognized that you need strength to survive. I wonder how I would have turned out if I didn’t have the loving family I did. Still, despite his environment, William Munro chose to become who he is at some point. and even now he’s threatening people I care about.

  I decide to use what I know about him against him. “What your junkie mom leave you alone while she impersonated the town bicycle?”

  “Shut up! Don’t talk about my mom.” He roars as he tries to rush me. The goad seems to work both ways. While I recognize that he’s as protective of his mother as I am, I know that I need to keep him focused on me. I can see Nancy fade away as she activates her stealth abilities and moves away. I continue a barrage of insults, touching on his masculinity, his inability to protect his family, and the miniscule manhood I’m forced to see peeking through a hole in his pants.

  A powerful swing from William barely misses me as I step just out of his reach. I’m still faster than he is and plan to use that to my advantage. Again and again, he kicks and punches wildly, but I dodge them all since he’s carelessly telegraphing his attacks in his rage. Then the crack of a rifle breaks our exchange, and bullet after bullet slams into Munro. I back away as Nancy riddles him with lead. From the stream of red double digit numbers, I’m glad she was able to get a sneak attack bonus on her attack. It’s enough to kill William, and when the last of his health finally disappears, I consider using Absorb on him but then discard the idea. The idea that some part of him could possibly be a part of me is a nauseating thought. Instead, after a few minutes, his body disappears, leaving a small loot bag. I don’t even bother picking it up as the dungeon around me starts to shake and disappear.

  Chapter 29

  As the dungeon disappears with a pop, we find ourselves back in the basement of Samantha’s house.

  Your group has completed the quest - Defeat the Dungeon Boss.

  You receive 100,000 XP.

  Congratulations. You’ve reached level 13.

  I ignore the notifications as I try to move, but I find it hard to locate a place to step. There are piles of junk all around me: papers, empty bottles, jewelry, clothes, toys, and more. It’s not just the stuff I’d seen in the police picture, either; it’s more. Much more. It’s like everything brought into the dungeon has been dropped here now that it is gone. A groan behind me catches my attention, and I turn to see William’s body. The sight is a relief to me. A Boss normally disappears along with the dungeon after being defeated. Still, I guess those rules apply to normal monsters, not people. I use Inspect on the still-unconscious guy.

  William Munro

  Level 0

  Health 60

  Mana 10

  TP 10

  It seems like he’s been stripped of all his levels but is still a System User. I momentarily consider the war hammer in my hand and all the terrible things this guy has done.

  Nancy’s hand on my arm stops me. “No, Anthony. It’s one thing to fight in a dungeon against monsters. But he’s level zero now. If you kill him, he’ll die for good, and you’re no murderer.”

  Still, I consider it for another second before the war hammer lowers. She’s right. I’m not a murderer.

  A shout makes me turn from William and the piles of stolen items. I look up out the basement windows and see dress pants and shoes. Without thinking, I activate Sneak and then creep up to the windows to get a better view. Nancy is beside me, just as eager to see who is shouting. As I look up through the windows, I see the familiar form of Detective Pete Falkner passing orders to three other officers in uniform. “Spread out and search the house again. Street cameras tracked him to this area, and we suspect he’s come to destroy evidence linking him to the case. Anthony is here somewhere!”

  I whisper to Nancy, “It’s the cops. We can’t let them find us.”

  As the cops disperse, Detective Falkner turns in my direction, and I quickly press my body against the wall below the windows. Hidden or not, I don’t want to take the chance of being seen. I hear the last set of footsteps move away, and when I peek back out the window, everyone has gone. The creaking of floor boards above tells me that they’ve entered the hous
e and that I don’t have much time to escape. That detective would love nothing more than to find me here with all this stolen stuff.

  I quietly slide open the basement window and help Nancy squeeze through before following after her. The stealth eye lets me know that I haven’t been spotted yet, and we carefully sneak away while the cops are searching the house. We change back into our normal street clothes so as not to appear too out of place as we flee the area, confident that the thorough detective will discover Munro. Let’s see him try to explain away why he’s there will all that stolen stuff--and those corpses.

  Still stealthed, we find the closest out-of-the-way door and part ways.

  “Thank you for your help Nancy. I owe you not only for helping me out today, but for having my back at that Halloween party.”

  Nancy blushes but doesn’t say anything, instead she gives me a quick hug before she uses her Home Base Key to fast travel away from here. I follow her lead and use my own Home Base Key to go home. However, I don’t stay there. Instead, I establish a portal to Monster Squashers Inc. and travel there. Lillian’s secretary tells me that my girlfriend is in another meeting, so I have to wait for an hour before talking to her. I tell her what happened and I also admit that I may have broken a few laws trying to help my friend. I also point out that I tried to reach her first before getting help elsewhere. Before she can ask who I got help from or say anything else, I take out my phone and play her the recording of what William Munro said before I dropped him to zero health. She listens quietly, and as his confession goes on, her eyes widen, and she chews on her lower lip.

  “This is bad, Anthony.”

  “Yeah, that guy was definitely bad. Imagine hurting so many people and then all of it getting pinned on Samantha. Do you think this is enough to get the charges against her dropped?”

  Lillian nods. “We have lawyers that can help her out with this. But that’s not what I meant. You said that your dungeon scan didn’t pick up the dungeon? Now, that could have been because your skill wasn’t high enough, but I think it was something else. I think you found an artificial dungeon. Why or how it got there, I don’t know. But there have been many experiments over the years by corporations to create an artificial and controllable means of leveling up and getting loot. It’s why dungeon cores, like the one we won, are so valuable. Naturally, they are rare. But if a corporation could manufacture them, they’d be able to practically print money.”

  “So, what? One just fell into Samantha’s house? I can think of at least one guy who is out there who tried to murder me in a dungeon he says he made. Jeremy Dolton. If he’s in the area, we need to call the Oversight Committee.” I know that I’m practically yelling, I’m so angry. But I can’t help it. Dolton is a threat to not only me but my family. I take out my phone, ready to dial up Agent Anderson, the System User who is currently hunting for Dolton.

  Lillian puts a hand on mine, stopping me from calling. “Yes, the thought occurred to me. But we can’t tell anyone, Anthony.”

  “What? Don’t you think it’s him?”

  “I do. I believe everything you’ve said. We had to call the Oversight Committee in when Jeremy tried to kill you. But you don’t want them to hear that normal people are getting suspicious that the System exists. The Oversight Committee exists not only to police System Users and keep them from abusing their powers but also to stop the world at large from learning about the System.” She rubs the bridge of her nose, clearly frustrated. “I know you didn’t grow up with the System like I did, but can you imagine what the world would be like if some bad government could send its soldiers to train in a dungeon? Soldiers with the ability to respawn? Using magic and technology that would overwhelm their enemies and dissidents? A ruler who could literally ‘Charm’ his way to power and institute terrible policies that would hurt his people? While we try to stay out of normal politics and regular people’s lives, when governments or people with power start to suspect the System exists, then the Oversight Committee comes in to prevent them from discovering the System.”

  “What do you mean by ‘preventing them from discovering the System’?”

  She looks at me, her eyes drop to the desk, and then she turns away without answering.

  “Do you mean they kill regular people to keep their secret?”

  She shrugs. “It’s not something they broadcast, but yes, if they need to, they kill. The alternative is too terrible.”

  I plop down in the chair in front of Lillian’s desk as she goes into problem-solving mode. She pulls in John Remington, the company’s resident tech and crafting genius, for help. He uses his hacking skills to break into police station records and confirms that they are looking for the me in connection with a reported break-in at an active crime scene and ties to a robbery and murder investigation. They have a third suspect in custody who was found with more stolen items and several dead bodies.

  Lillian calls the company lawyers, and I have to wait while they come up with a plan on the phone. But it’s pretty clear that me being in New York at the time the police were looking for me locally will work to our favor.

  I spend the next couple of hours researching on the System information network, but I don’t find any other clues about artificial dungeons or how one got into my friend’s house. I do learn a lot about dungeon cores like the one that Lillian got for winning the System Games: that they’re super rare, and that many corporations, research groups, and individuals have standing bounties, some in the millions of credits, for anyone that finds an unbound one. Some notices are decades old. That’s how rarely they are found.

  When Lillian interrupts my research, it’s already night in New York. “Ok. I’ve talked to the lawyers, and they’ve dealt with the police. It should be ok for you to go home now.” She walks up to me sitting at the computer and wraps me in her arms. My head rests on her chest as I hug her back. Embracing Lillian feels so good after everything that has happened, so good I want to continue holding her forever, but she pulls away and looks down at me, her brows furrowing. “You need to be careful, Anthony . . .” She pauses and runs her fingers through my hair. I catch the early glisten of a welling tear. “I don’t want to lose the man I love,” she says.

  The reminder that she loves me sends a spike of excitement through me, and I stand up, pulling her to me and wanting nothing more than to reassure her. Looking into her eyes, I say, “Lillian, thank you having my back today. I promise I’ll be careful . . . mi corazon.” The affectionate term doesn’t come easy to my lips, but I mean it. Lillian has become my heart, my love. I bring her soft lips to mine. With a moan, she presses herself into me. A polite cough from Lilian’s secretary reminds me that we’re not alone in the office, and I pull back after a moment. Lillian looks up at me a little breathless, and I tell her I have to go. She gives me a kiss goodbye and squeezes my hand as we part.

  I promise Lillian to call her later and portal home, only to find my mom waiting for me in my room. The room is spotlessly clean, and I know something is wrong. I’d left it a mess the last weekend I came to visit, and Mom only gets into a cleaning frenzy when she’s worried or angry. Looking at her, I’m sure she’s angry.

  “The police came by the house looking for you, mijo.” She looks up at me, and I can see her eyes are red, but she continues, “What’s going on that the police are involved?”

  “Nothing, mom. It’s all a misunderstanding.”

  “The detective that came by said that you were involved in something bad with some girl. I’ve tried so hard to keep you out of trouble. I worked multiple jobs so that you wouldn’t have to be out on the streets doing bad things, but you’re getting into trouble anyways.” She points an accusing finger at me. “I know what is the cause of all this. It’s this dungeon stuff, isn’t it, Anthony? I knew it was nothing but trouble.”

  I recall what Lillian said about the Oversight Committee, and my heart leaps into my throat. I grab my mom by the shoulders and ask, “Mom, what did you tell the police?” She tries
to shrug away my grip on her but I grab her tighter. “This is very important. Please, mom!”

  She looks at me, and her anger is replaced by concern. I’m relieved when she tells me she that didn’t say anything and that she’d never turn on her son, even if she did think that he did the things they said. She reminds me that she knows where I get my money and that I told her not to talk about it.

  I let go of my mom and sit on the bed beside her. I try to explain that I was helping a friend out and that she’s been arrested for something that she didn’t do. I try to tell her that not only will she lose her freedom but also her child if she is convicted of the crimes. I consider how much to tell her and decide to simply say that I found the real bad guy but that I might have broken a couple of little laws to do it.

  My mom listens, and when I finish, she pokes me in the side. “I knew it was this dungeon thing. Please stop, mijo. We’re fine now. We have a house that’s paid for, and you have enough money for college. You can stop doing this dungeon thing and be a normal boy. Go to school. Get a degree. Find a good normal job, get married and give me some grandkids.”