by Paul Ormond
“That’s quite true,” Director Amari said. “On top of the weapons, and diseases the one thing that kept the native population at bay was literacy. The inability to transfer information with speed slowed their reaction to the threat of western conquest.”
“Let me get this straight. If we can manage to prevent an epidemic and allow our people to take up the Masters’ technology as quickly as possible, then will we be able to withstand their occupation?” General Edwards asked.
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this seems like our best bet to ensure humanity's survival,” General De Vries said.
“It seems almost ironic, doesn’t it?” President Edwards asked. “The very conditions that allowed our ancestors us to waltz in and seize a couple continents are now threatening to consume everything we have built.”
“All is not lost, Madam President,” Director Amari said. “As difficult as the situation seems, the Masters have not violated their terms in any way. They have provided us with the technology we requested and they have kept their operations hidden from view.”
“But they are the ones dictating the terms. It’s only a matter of time before they start demanding more,” Edwards said before she looked up at the portrait of George Washington looking down upon her from above the fireplace. “It’s almost like every imaginable worst-case scenario is coming to fruition as we speak. I ran my campaign under the mandate of transparency and accountability. Right now I am currently engaged in an operation with a foreign power that undermines my authority and works against the will of the people. It is only a matter of time before their true invasion begins, and I’m afraid we will be horribly unprepared when the time comes to defend ourselves.”
Before anyone had a chance to reply, Clarice burst through the door holding her clipboard and approached the president.
“Madam President, we have a situation,” Clarice whispered.
“You don’t have to whisper, Clarice,” Edwards said. “Everyone here has beyond top secret security clearances. If it’s so important, I think they have the right to hear it.”
“Our friend and ally, Commander Holrathu has asked to speak with you,” Clarice said while she avoided the stern looks of the Generals watching her speak.
“We’ll have to schedule a meeting,” Edwards said.
“From what I gather, it is something that can’t be scheduled. It sounds like the Commander would like to speak with you immediately.”
“That’s not possible. We’re in the middle of a meeting.”
“But he’s already here, Ma’am.”
“How in the hell is he here?” President Edwards said. “Like physically in the building?”
“I’m only passing on the information,” Clarice said before a low rumble shook the office.
“What the hell is going on here?” Edwards said.
“I think we need to get you out of here, Madam President,” General Broadbet said, rising from his seat.
“I’m not sure if that will make a difference,” Edwards said as a spire of electromagnetic energy manifested itself in the center of the room.
“Get security in here now,” General De Vries said while the column of energy whirled before their eyes.
“That won’t be necessary,” a voice said before a form coalesced within the spinning cloud. An earsplitting crack filled the room, followed by a flash of light that forced the onlookers to cover their eyes.
Recovering from the blast, President Edwards looked up to see Commander Holrathu towering over her.
“Greetings, Madam President,” the Commander said, scanning the group of advisors assembled in the office. “I see you were having a strategy meeting. I hope it was a fruitful discussion.”
“As you well know, running a nation is not an easy task. It requires a great deal of planning and coordination,” Edwards said while the Commander scan the room.
“This is something I understand very well, Madam President,” Holrathu said after he stepped behind the Resolute desk and dropped his enormous frame into the chair. “It’s no easy task to run an Empire, and problems tend to rise up when you least expect them.”
“You do realize that is my chair,” President Edwards said, glaring at the Commander.
“I am well aware of whose chair it is, Madam President,” Holrathu said while he leaned back. “It belongs to whom ever sits in it. That’s the thing I’ve learned about power over the years: whoever has it makes the rules.”
“Is this that what you mean to imply: that you have the power in this situation?” Edwards asked, holding her ground.
“It depends on how you look at it. Our relationship is entirely dependent on how the actors behave. Thus far we have held up our end of the bargain, but I fear you do not realize your role in this situation.”
“And what role is that? We gave you access to our planet in exchange for your technology, and we are preparing ourselves to defend against a terror attack based on the information you supplied. I fail to see how we are not holding up our end.”
“The safety and security of the planet falls under my jurisdiction. We have been monitoring the progress of your security updates, and we feel you are woefully unprepared to deal with a serious threat. Look what I just did now. I was able to waltz right in here and take your chair. Not one of these soldiers even raised a finger. What kind of security measures are these?”
“I’m not sure if that is entirely fair.”
“Not entirely fair? Do you think Mitch Mythic and his band of terrorists give a damn about what is fair?”
“I’m not entirely sure I like the direction this conversation is taking. It is time for you to vacate my chair. If you do not comply, I will consider it an act of war.”
“Those are bold words for a leader who just abdicated her throne.”
“How exactly have I abdicated?”
“Who is sitting in it now?”
“I don’t think you quite understand how things work around here.”
“I’m afraid it is you who are mistaken. I am well aware how these things go. Do you think this is the first time I initiated a planet wide occupation?”
“You have violated the treaty we agreed upon. Leave that chair now, or my security detail will remove you by force,” President Edwards said before several soldiers in black burst into the room with their devices engaged.
“That’s very cute,” Holrathu said while he stood up. “I surrender. You may arrest me.”
“What kind of game are you playing at, Commander Holrathu?” The President asked.
“The game I enjoy most,” Holrathu said before several bolts of light extended out of his hand and incapacitated the soldiers. “That was fun, but it better not happen again. Although I am perfectly capable of handling myself, I have a regiment on standby should I feel like making a spectacle. I’m sure you would rather we didn’t blow up your lovely White House and let the people of Earth know who is actually in charge.”
“What exactly are you implying, Commander?”
“I am implying that we are taking our endeavor on Earth to the next stage. You will continue to operate as normal, but we will be taking a more involved stance concerning the security of the planet.”
“I do not and will not agree to these terms.”
“Unfortunately, I do not need your agreement concerning this situation. You are outgunned and out manned. Even if you were to able to muster an army, your weapons are woefully antiquated. The only thing your nuclear weapons are capable of doing is destroying life on the surface of the planet. If you feel like committing suicide, go right ahead. Nuclear fallout will not affect our operation. In fact, culling the human population would aid us in securing the planet.”
“You are a monster.”
“I may be ruthless, but I am not a monster. We just fought a battle against Mitch Mythic and his rebel forces on a neighboring system. We believe he plans to strike here next. Therefore, we are taking every precaution necessary to secure this planet. You’ll f
ind submission is in your best interest if you wish to survive this ordeal. We believe in maintaining the status quo in these situations, and it is best to keep the civilian population sedated. So as I said earlier, you will maintain your position as President, but all security measures will be handled by my council. Furthermore, I have been monitoring your progress with the Mitch Mythic storyline and I like the way it is playing out. I think it is time we work you into the narrative.”
“Do you really think that after all this I’m still going to do your dirty work? You won’t get away with this,” President Edwards said.
“It looks like I already have. You can accept these conditions, or die. It is up to you.”
CHAPTER SIX
“YOU NEED TO get in here,” Sage said.
“Yeah, I heard already. It’s all over my news feed,” Gareth said over the video chat. “Where are you at?”
“We’re sitting on the ridge next to the merfolk pool. Just watching all this unfold. What do you think happened?”
“I’ve heard a couple things. Have you got a summon on you? It’ll save me some time.”
“Yeah, I got a couple,” Sage said, punching a button on his HUD. “By the way, have you seen your upgrades yet?”
“What upgrades? I haven’t been able to log in all day. My mom has been hassling me to get ready for school.”
“Get in here and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
“I’m on the way,” Gareth said before the video chat ended.
“Um, this was not what I was expecting,” Gareth said as his form manifested next Sage.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting this,” Candace said, looking out over the valley while hordes of players flooded toward the tower of smoke rising out of the plain.
“What happened to my armor?” Gareth said, inspecting his form. “Are these leotards? Did the upgrade turn us into bards or something?”
“Ha, that would be something, but fortunately for us, it turns out we are actually treading on familiar territory,” Sage said.
“What do you mean by familiar?” Gareth asked.
“Should we show him, or let him figure it out on his own?” Sage asked Candace.
“We don’t really have time for games,” Candace said before she crossed her arms over her chest. As the aura imbued her body with a soft glow, she rose into the air and hovered a few feet off the ground before Gareth.
“Is that what I think it is?” Gareth said.
“As far as we can tell,” Sage said. “Everything functions the same. The weapons system and all that.”
“I’m not really sure what good it will do us in here, though,” Candace said. “We haven’t had a chance to interact with the world in any way. I’m a little scared to start using it. We might attract some unnecessary attention.”
“I’m definitely scared about going airborne again,” Sage said. “One dragon encounter was enough for me.”
“I don’t think dragons are our main concern now,” Candace said, turning her attention back to the plain.
“Yeah, that seems a little more pressing,” Gareth said as he stepped to the edge of the ridge. “All the message boards have gone completely berserk. Everyone is saying it’s Deathworld Apocalypse or something.”
“It definitely looks like it,” Sage said.
“And it seems like a convenient time for all of this to come into fruition,” Candace said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t really believe in coincidences.”
“What kind of coincidences?” Gareth asked.
“Is it a coincidence that immediately after we unlock the Easter egg and get these upgrades DeathWorld apocalypse begins?” Candace asked.
“It does seem rather serendipitous,” Gareth said.
“I don’t think you are using that word correctly,” Candace said.
“I think it know what it means,” Gareth said.
“For it to be serendipitous, these events would have to be beneficial to us in some way,” Candace said.
“Well, it is beneficial that we got an upgrade right as Armageddon kicks off,” Sage said.
“We don’t know if it’s Armageddon,” Candace said. “It could be anything.”
“Do we go down and have a look?” Sage asked.
“That might just be what they want us to do,” Gareth said. “It could be like some kind of massive player cull. Remember when they unleashed the giants. They just wanted to take out everybody that was overpowered.”
“It could be, but something about all this seems really strange,” Candace said. “Why is everybody flocking toward that smoke?”
“Hold on, I’m getting a call,” Gareth said, bringing up his hud. “Darren, are you seeing all this?”
“Yeah, I am and have you checked out these upgrades?” Darren Francis asked as his face appeared before Gareth. “We’re on the plain and heading toward that smoke. Everyone is saying Mitch Mythic has returned.”
“What are you talking about?” Gareth said.
“That’s what everyone is saying,” Darren said while people screamed and hollered in the background. “Greg even saw it happen. This giant asteroid or meteor just fell out of the sky a few hours ago. Some people say it was a spaceship or something.”
“You better be careful,” Gareth said. “Who is with you? Did you get the upgrades?”
“Greg and Donnie are with me know,” Darren said. “And yeah, we got them. I don’t what to make of it.”
“Are you just walking around like that?” Gareth asked. “Somebody might see you.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t run around wearing that stuff. You can just swap it with your armor as long as you have multi-build unlocked,” Darren said.
“That’s a good idea. We need to keep this under wraps for now,” Gareth said. “There’s no telling what kind of madness we’ll unleash if people find out.”
“I hear that. But I’ve got to go,” Darren said. “We’re getting close and there are a ton of people here. I’ve never seen anything like it in Deathworld. Are you guys coming down?”
“Uh, we’re thinking about it,” Gareth said. “But I’m not going to lie to you. What ever is that’s going on down there looks dangerous. You guys need to be careful.”
“Gotcha,” Darren said. “If things go South, we’ll switch on and rocket out.”
“Just be careful and keep me updated,” Gareth said.
“All right. Man, it’s getting crazy down here,” Darren said before he ended the call.
“I don’t like it,” Candace said. “I’ve got to get Shaundra in here. We could use some more female perspective.”
“You really don’t think we should head down there?” Sage asked.
“Hey, are you in right now?” Candace asked as Shaundra’s face appeared on the screen.
“Not since those worms,” Shaundra said while she adjusted the curler in her bangs. “I haven’t been able to sleep well for the last couple of days.”
“I think you should get in here now,” Candace said. “Things have gotten interesting.”
“Are there any worms?” Shaundra asked.
“No worms, but you need to see this.”
“All right, twist my rubber arm. I’m tired of watching makeup tutorials anyway,” Shaundra said before she clicked the accept button.
“What have you dragged me into know?” Shaundra said after she appeared next to Candace. “And what are we wearing? I look like I’m on my way to the Space Night at the Roller Disco.”
“We’re not sure yet,” Candace said, glancing at Shaundra. “But whatever it is, it’s big.”
“Yeah, no kidding, I haven’t seen that many nerds since my brother dragged me to comic con in Longdale.”
“The question is: should we join them?” Gareth asked.
“I don’t see why we wouldn’t,” Sage said. “We’ve come this far. I’m not going to back out now. What do you think, Candace?”
“Like I said, I don’t like it, but if we don’t go, we
won’t know what’s going on,” Candace said, without breaking her gaze. “Anytime something happens around here, Mitch Mythic is right in the middle of it. And now, here we go again.”
“If it’s more of what we saw in the cave, I intend to put a stop to it,” Sage said. “I don’t like people going around using him for their own purposes. And if it turns out Mitch go sucked into a video game, then the world is dumber than I thought.”
“Yeah, it kind of seems like a bad plot line from a corny sci-fi series,” Gareth said. “But we’re here now. Let’s see what it’s all about.”
“We don’t know what this is all about, but we do know we are sitting on some info that could get us in a lot of trouble,” Candace said. “So let’s try not to get too sucked in to the story. If you see anything that seems a little off, don’t be afraid to say something. We might be walking into a trap.”
“I hear that,” Sage said. “We should swap out these suits like Darren said.”
“I’m with you there,” Gareth said. “I feel like I’m about to do a figure skating routine.”
“I would love to see you guys attempt a triple salchow,” Shaundra said as she swapped out her suit for her armor. “I used to figure skate. It’s harder than it looks.”
“I’m not saying it’s easy,” Gareth said as he gripped his ax. “It’s just not the look I want to rock right now.”
“Let’s stay focused,” Candace said before she leaped to her feet. “We’ve got a bit of ground to cover. If we’re going, we should go now.”
“Right behind you,” Sage said, jumping down.
“After you, my lady,” Gareth said to Shaundra as he held out his hand.
“Don’t be a cornball, Gareth,” Shaundra said while she jumped down.
“Since when is being polite corny?” Gareth said, following after her.
“What are we getting ourselves into?” Candace said while she avoided a rider on a raptron trudging past them.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in Deathworld,” Sage said, pushing away from a hulking form shrouded by a hood.