by Paul Ormond
“I’m right behind you,” Gareth said while turning his back to the tower. “I’ve seen a lot of strange things, but that was pretty goddamn weird.”
“You’re telling me,” Sage said before a towering scaled ghoul loomed over them.
“Where do you think you’re going, punk?” the ghoul said, gripping its mace. “Looks like you are running scared. You might be one of those traitors Mitch is talking about.”
“We aren’t traitors,” Sage said, backing up. “I know you’re all pumped up to defend your freedom, but we all need to stick together.”
“That’s exactly what a traitor would say,” the ghoul said.
“If we were traitors, would we do this?” Candace asked before she blasted the ghoul with a fistful of dust.
“What the hell is this?” The ghoul said as his body spasmed.
“A peace offering,” Candace said, pushing past the ghoul. “We don’t have time for this.”
“I’ll cut you down right here and now,” the ghoul shrieked, but his body made several violent jerks before it vanished into a puff of smoke. As the mace dropped to the ground, a white bunny leaped out of the ghouls clothes and shrieked in anger.
“What the hell have you done to me?” the bunny hollered as it attempted to pick up the mace.
“I turned you into a cute little bunny,” Candace said, before walking away. “If we were traitors, we would’ve swarmed you and jacked your gold. Consider it a favor. You should be nicer to people. You’ll turn back into your nasty old self in a little while.”
“You’ll pay when I find you,” the bunny said while Sage and Gareth followed after Candace. “Don’t you dare touch my gold. When I turn back, there is going to be hell to pay. Nobody makes a fool of Tren the Terrible.”
“I think I might need to join the Beastling guild,” Gareth said, catching up to Candace.
“You can’t. You’re not a mage,” Candace said.
“Build types are the least of our worries,” Sage said, sheathing his claymore. “We need to get back to the forest and warp home. Things have just gone from bad to worse.”
“No need to point out the obvious,” Shaundra said, keeping pace with Candace as they worked their way through the crowd of characters. “I didn’t think things could get any weirder, but apparently I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Just stay cool, and let’s get out of here,” Gareth said after they reached the top of the hill. “I have no idea what we just witnessed back there, but I know it wasn’t good. We need to get home and make a plan.”
“Just walk casual,” Sage said, leading his friends toward the forest. “If we get killed, our powers will be lost. I don’t want to have to go through the process of hunting down another Easter egg.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to have to go through that again,” Shaundra said.
“Easter eggs aren’t even on my radar anymore,” Candace said, looking over her shoulder. “Apparently, we’re criminals and traitors in the eyes of the government.”
“I don’t think that is something you should go blurting out in the middle of DeathWorld,” Gareth said while they entered the forest. “Everything is listening. They’ve got eyes and ears all over the place.”
“He’s got a point,” Sage said, stepping around a tree. “There’s the bonfire. Let’s get out of here before any more drama takes place.”
“You’re not going anywhere until I’ve had my revenge,” a voice said from behind.
“This guy just can’t take a hint,” Candace said as the same ghoul from before leaped onto the path and raised its ax.
“Did you really think you could just pull some magic spell on me and get away with it,” the ghoul said while several of his companions stepped out of the forest and surrounded Sage and his party.
“I expected you to behave,” Candace said before she blasted the ghoul with a pulse of light. Shrieking in agony, the ghoul vanished in a blast of smoke.
“What are you doing?” Sage said while the other ghouls charged forward.
“Finishing this,” Candace said, raising her arms again.
“Dammit,” Sage said as he pulled up his fist and let loose an orb of his own, disintegrating an attacking ghoul.
Gareth joined in the attack while Shaundra watched in shock. After a few seconds, the ghouls had all been eliminated. Small stacks of gold lay where their bodies had fallen.
“Scoop up that gold and let’s get out of here,” Candace said. “Can’t have anymore noobs trying to jump us now.”
“You just blew our cover,” Sage said.
“Yeah, we can’t use the forest anymore,” Candace said. “We’ll have to find a new bonfire.”
“That’s all you are concerned with?” Sage said. “You know this is going to start a firestorm on the message boards.”
“Haven’t you’ve figured it out yet, Sage,” Candace said, turning toward the fire. “What we just witnessed back there in that valley, tells us that all of this has gone way beyond DeathWorld.”
“She’s right,” Gareth said. “When the President weighs in, you know things have gotten heavy.”
“But what does that mean for our builds?” Shaundra asked. “This can’t all be for nothing.”
“It’s not, but we just don’t know what whoever put this stuff out is trying to do,” Sage said. “But no matter what, we need to get out of here first. Come to my place and we can make a plan.”
“Why is it your place?” Shaundra asked. “My parents are at the lake and there is plenty of wine at my house. I think I need a drink after this.”
“I’m not touching that wine,” Gareth said. “I had the worst hangover after that night.”
“We’re going to have more than hangovers if we don’t get out of here now,” Candace said. “Everybody into the fire now.”
“You heard her,” Sage said before he jumped into the bonfire. “See you at Shaundra’s.”
Passing through the tunnel, Sage pulled off his googles and dropped onto his bed. He let loose a loud exhale and closed his eyes before rolling onto his side.
“What the hell have we gotten ourselves into,” he muttered to himself as he stood up from the bed and unplugged the phone he had left charging on the desk next to his aging computer.
Grabbing his hat off the ground, he looked at himself in the mirror and adjusted his eyebrow. As he turned to leave, a humming sound filled the room, and he turned around to discover a small cube immersed in a blue glow hovering before his eyes.
In a panic, he leaped backwards and fell into his closet, knocking down the rod and bringing all of his old winter clothes down on top of him.
“What is going on up there, Sage?” His mother yelled from the living room.
“Nothing, Mom,” Sage yelled back after he pulled a parka off of his head and found the cube floating in the same spot. While he got to his feet, a pulse passed over the cube and a holographic figure appeared before him.
“Greetings, Sage,” the voice of Mitch Mythic said.
“What is this?” Sage said while he backed away from the cube.
“A simple solution for a not so simple problem,” Mitch said. “I’m certain you are aware of the incident which took place in DeathWorld today.”
“Yeah, I saw it, and I didn’t like it.”
“Then we are in agreement. Our enemies are legion, and they grow stronger by the day. But do not despair, for here before you lies the solution.”
“What do you mean by solution?”
“As you can guess, the character that appeared before that audience was not Mitch Mythic.”
“Sure convinced a lot of people, though. But let’s get one thing straight: you are not Mitch Mythic either.”
“You can believe what you want to believe. What does matter is that our enemies have grown in strength and boldness, and we require you and your companions to take your dedication to this cause to the next level.”
“Back up there, chief. You still haven’t explained
what this cause is or what you intend to do.”
“All of this is on a need to know basis, but we will continue to feed you information as the situation progresses. Before you hovers an integral part of our plan. I’m sure you noticed the additions to your build in Deathworld. These upgrades are intended to serve as in game training modules for individuals with no experience using inReal technology. Along with these information packets, any party who discovered an egg will be receiving a cube identical to the one floating before you.”
“What are these things supposed to do?”
“A valid question for the uninitiated, but I think you know exactly what it is.”
“You’re kidding. I thought all of this stuff was illegal.”
“It is. The governments of the world came together to ban this technology and told us all that it was for our protection. But our organization believes that these institutions don’t have our best interests in mind. As history proves, leaders are only concerned with self preservation.”
“But what are we supposed to with these things if they are illegal?”
“The world is not black and white, Sage. If that were the case, all the situations we face on this planet would be easy to solve. In this situation especially, we can see that right and wrong are determined by perspective; whoever makes the rules frames the debate.”
“That’s all well and good for the philosophers, but you just dumped an illegal weapons system on me in my house. If I start using this stuff, I’ll wind up in jail.”
“You must stop thinking that you are alone in all of this, Sage. The display you just witnessed in DeathWorld was meant to intimidate us and frighten us from further action. But it will take more than just impressive showmanship to dissuade us from our course. For we all know what is at stake here.”
“I’m not sure if I’m buying any of that right now. It all sounds like a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I just saw someone pretending to be my best friend, addressing a bunch of players in a MMORPG alongside the President, and now there is another hologram pretending to be Mitch Mythic standing in my bedroom telling me to start a revolution.”
“But you know what you saw and experienced when you fought against MindHIve last year. Was that all an illusion?”
“At this point, I have no idea. It feels like I’m losing track of reality.”
“Then ask yourself this question: What do you think Mitch Mythic would do in this situation?”
“That’s not funny. I have no idea what he would do.”
“He would stand up for what is right. You and I both know that there are others out there attempting to take this planet. As we can tell from the evidence, the people we are supposed to trust, our government, have taken the side of the enemy. If we don’t act now, it will be too late.”
“Is this when you tell me to go blow something up? Because I am not interested in becoming a suicide bomber.”
“I do not take you for a religious fanatic. Nor is this the way our organization operates. As difficult as it is to believe, you and your friends happen to be some of the most experienced users of this technology on the planet. I do recall you won a major victory over an evil corporation in the near past.”
“That was different. You’re talking about taking up arms against the government. Nobody ever wins those kinds of fight.”
“If I’m not mistaken, the history of your country would prove that you are wrong.”
“But that was a long time ago. This is a whole different game than 1776.”
“Is it? There are only two ways states are formed and they are both related. Either a group of people is vanquished by a more powerful group, or a group of people come together to put off an invasion. It is up to you to decide what pattern of history you would like to see play out.”
“Obviously, I’d like to be on the side that keeps the bad guys out.”
“Then your choice is obvious.”
“But what proof do you have that any of that is even going to happen?”
“You have all the proof you need. In your heart you know what is true, and you know what you need to do. It is time to put away all of this self doubt and confusion.”
“And join your revolution.”
“I am not asking you to join it. I am asking you to lead it.”
“What? How am I supposed to lead a revolution?”
“By example, of course. I’m not sure if you haven’t noticed, but there aren’t a lot of other people we can call on at this point. Not only are we on the brink of conflict with an external enemy that has most likely compromised the governments of the world, we are also in the midst of an information war. Mitch Mythic and everything he stands for is at the center of all this. You just said that he is your best friend. Are you going to stand around and let people use him like that? If he actually returns, what will you tell him? That you did nothing?”
“I’m not going to say that. But I’m not sure if I’m ready to pick a fight with the powers of the world.”
“I’m not asking you to pick a fight. I’m asking you to join our cause. As we speak, units identical to this one are being delivered to locations across the planet. Whoever receives these packages has taken the time to pursue the truth about what is happening on this planet. We included the DeathWorld upgrade to act as a simulator for actual combat. We can’t have everyone flying around in the sky practicing this stuff. But, as you know, it’s really hard to snuff out hacks in DeathWorld.”
“Yeah, everybody hates those hack mods.”
“But these mods are a little different.”
“I got that.”
“Within the information package, there is a communication system only available to users who received these units. We will be sending out briefings on the next phase of our operation through this system. If you accept our terms, I would like to put you in command of a division.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“By doing as you always do: leading by example. You are the captain of your hockey team. You were victorious in the battle against MindHIve, and you are Mitch Mythic’s best friend.”
“I still don’t believe any of this.”
“Just stick with me. Soon you will have all the proof you will need.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE HELICOPTER CIRCLED over the large dome before descending to the landing zone as the evening sun hung above the ridgeline. Cascades of brilliant hues stretched across the cloud-dotted sky while night’s legions mounted their offensive on the opposite horizon.
Stepping onto the tarmac, General Vargas clutched his hat and crouched low while the helicopter’s blades whirled overhead.
“You look like a spry young soldier,” his aid shouted over the din of the chopper.
“Just reliving my glory days,” Vargas said, straightening up after the chopper pulled away. “I hate to say it, but I’d take Da Nang over this any day. At least then I knew what was what.”
“I thought we lost that war, sir,” his aide said.
“We didn’t lose the battles I fought in,” Vargas said as he grabbed the folders presented to him. “And I’d choose my words carefully if I were you, Lieutenant Boyes. Any more talk like that, and you’ll find yourself taking on assignments far below your detail, like digging latrines in Al-Basrah.”
“Understood, sir,” Boyes said while he followed after the General into the compound.
“This whole situation is spiraling out of control,” Vargas said, pushing down a long hall toward the command center. “I just got out of a meeting with the Joint Chiefs. I’ve never seen top military brass so rattled. But I guess that is what you would expect given the situation.”
“Are there any new developments concerning this facility?” Boyes asked.
“Developments?” General Vargas asked before two soldiers swung open a set of double doors allowing the General to pass by. “We’re way past the development stage right now. I don’t blame the President for doing what she did. What choice did she ha
ve? But it’s looking more and more like we just invited the fox into the henhouse.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Boyes asked as the General stepped into the control booth.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Vargas said while he punched several commands into a panel, and a holographic image of the site and the valley surrounding Kingsford appeared in the center of the room. “As we speak, an alien army is hard at work beneath our feet boring into the Earth, and there isn’t a goddamn thing I can do about it.”
“We have been detecting increased levels of activity in the sub-strata for the last few hours,” Boyes said, watching Vargas zoom in on the cavern beneath the compound. “The data is all there in the file.”
“I know what it says,” Vargas said as the cavern came into view. “And none of this is helping with my blood pressure. We’re about to head downstairs and meet with their lunatic leader, and I’ve got to sit there and listen to him tell me what I’ve got to do. It’s one thing taking orders from your prick boss, but it’s another thing when that prick happens to be an alien overlord.”
“It’s a frustrating situation, sir,” Boyes said.
“Wrong choice of words, Boyes,” General Vargas said before he stepped out of the booth and strode toward a door on the opposite side of the room. “Horrifying or cataclysmic might be more suitable. But before we get to the hell spawn beneath our feet, we need to go check in on our e-warriors of the future. As if things weren’t bad enough, I’ve also got to go manage a psy-ops war playing out in cyberspace. Like I said, I enjoyed myself more when I was laying face down in the mud watching my buddies take shrapnel to the chest.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to see us through it, sir,” Boyes said, trailing behind the General.
“This yes man attitude of yours has got to go, Boyes,” Vargas said while he neared another set of doors. “I put you in this position because I thought you had some gumption, but I don’t want an aide that just clings to my coat tails and tells me what I want to hear. You’re a goddamn West Point graduate. Show me what I need to know. What am I not seeing here?”