I moved back to the pod and sat back in the rather pungent smell and lowered the lid until the screen was just in front of my face.
“Hello again, Mr. Jacobs,” said Maggie, her friendly face a welcome sight.
“Hello again, Maggie,” I said. “I take it the three hitmen looking gentlemen at my door were sent by Seed Inc.?”
“They were indeed. I am sorry to see you were also afflicted,” Maggie said.
“How many others?” I asked.
Maggie frowned. “Why do you think there are others?”
“You said ‘also afflicted’, that suggests there are others,” I said, thinking quickly. My mind though went back to what Epic told me. ‘Return in a week, or else another hundred will join you, along with the first hundred.’
“Eighty-seven so far,” Maggie answered. Only eighty-seven? I doubted Epic lied to me, maybe others hadn’t logged out yet . . . or they were Human already and didn’t have their looks changed. There must have been more to it, Epic would not have said a hundred if there wasn’t something more than just a change in appearance involved.
“Okay, do you know what happened?” I asked.
“Our information is limited at this time,” Maggie answered. “If you are willing, the men that have arrived will escort you and your Seedpod to our campus. We would like to run some tests on both you and your Seedpod.”
I remained silent. If I went with them now, it was unlikely I would be ‘vanished’. If that was their intention, then they would have blocked me from calling my brother. For that matter, they wouldn’t have bothered ringing the doorbell.
“Alright, I’ll go along,” I said. I wanted answers to my current state as well. I knew the ultimate cause was Epic, of that, I had no doubt. But how Epic did it is what I really wanted to know.
“Excellent,” said Maggie. “I will inform your escorts.”
“That’s fine, tell them to give me twenty minutes to shower and shave,” I said.
“Actually, we would prefer you not. The doctors will want to collect your wash and shavings for analysis,” Maggie stated.
That was gross, but then scientists could be strange. “Okay, so what do I do, just put on some clothes?” I asked.
“The gentlemen at your door will have some clothes for you if you let them in,” Maggie answered.
I didn’t like that, but I couldn’t really argue. “Alright, but I’m calling my brother first and letting him know what is going on,” I stated, trying to see how Maggie would react.
“That is wise, please assure your family we will do everything in our power to correct the situation and return you home safely as soon as possible,” Maggie said, her kind smile never faltering.
I nodded, “Thanks, Maggie.” I pushed the lid back up again and stepped out of the pod.
“Okay, I’ve spoken to Maggie, she said you have some clothes for me,” I said, flipping the intercom and camera back on.
The middle suit held up a sealed bag for me to see.
“I’m going to open the door slightly, please pass the clothes inside and wait there while I dress,” I said, giving them one more test to prove they were trustworthy.
“That is acceptable, Mr. Jacobs,” the middle suit said.
I took a breath and braced my shoulder by the door just in case. I open the door a few inches and the sealed bag was pushed through the gap. I took the bag and quickly shut the door shaking the wall slightly with how hard I shut it after. It wasn’t necessary as there was no resistance trying to stop me.
I relocked the door before opening the bag. They looked like hospital scrubs except for being long-sleeved and having a hood to cover my head. They were also a few sizes too large. They might have even been a few sizes too large on me pre-World Tree. They also had booties to cover my feet which I didn’t care for at all.
After I was dressed, I called my brother back, this time a video call, best he got a good look at me.
“You been kidnapped yet?” Earl asked, his eyes slightly wide as he took in the changes to my face.
“Nope, but they did ask me to come to their campus for some testing,” I answered.
“Think it’s safe?” Earl asked. I was grateful that he wasn't making a big deal out of my change in appearance.
“I think so. What did your lawyer friend say?” I asked.
“Morty said that if they are there, then most likely they are looking to settle out of court. Given you’re a shareholder, that could cause all kinds of problems. If you can wait, he suggests you get a lawyer and bring him with you. If not, your best bet, assuming you have established the goons outside your door are really from Seed Inc., is to cooperate and record as much as you can, but don’t sign anything. If they give you any kind of NDA or medical release forms, call me immediately and I’ll get you in touch with Morty to look them over first. Now, given you were able to call me, I don’t think your life is in danger. Just, send me a screenshot of the men from your door camera,” Earl said.
I quickly took the snapshot and sent it to him as requested. “Sent,” I said. “Before I forget, am I an Uncle yet?”
“Doctor says it’s a few hours away still,” Earl said, a grin unable to escape his face.
“Wait, are you at the hospital now?” I asked.
“Yeah, Marilyn went into labor last night. She insisted the baby was waiting for you,” Earl joked.
“Tell her I’m sorry I won’t be there,” I said.
“How bad is it?” Earl asked, his voice turning serious.
“I’m not in pain or injured,” I said. “I just . . . look different.”
“A little bit of an understatement, those eyes are going to give me nightmares,” Earl added with a chuckle.
“I’ll video chat with you and Marilyn later, that way you both can laugh at me,” I promised.
Earl sighed again, his shoulders relaxing slightly on the screen. “Alright, you be safe and call me as soon as you know anything.”
“I will, I promise,” I said, ending the call.
I pulled up the hood and opened my front door. “Come on in guys,” I said.
“Thank you, Mr. Jacobs,” said the middle suit, entering first followed by the other two suits and two men in coveralls with the Seed Inc. logo printed on the backs. I hadn’t seen the technicians before. “I’m Jefferson, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too, Jefferson. And please, call me Byron,” I insisted, watching the technicians making a beeline for the Seedpod. “So, what happens now?”
“We have an air van waiting downstairs to fly us and your Seedpod to the Seed Inc. campus,” Jefferson answered.
“Should I pack a bag?” I asked.
“Aside from any medications, we will provide you with everything you need,” Jefferson answered.
I wasn’t on any medications. And being in the Seedpod eliminated the need for any medications, the nanomachines were able to address any medical issues . . . the nanomachines . . . I wondered if that was how Epic did it? Was he able to reprogram the nanomachines? But how would he do that if the nanomachines were separate from the game?
“Ready to go?” Jefferson asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Sure,” I said, watching as the technicians led the way out of my apartment, guiding my unit on a rolling cart. Once everyone was out, I made sure to set the security and lock the door behind me.
The air-van was comfortable enough, it was little more than a box with comfortable seats and windows that flew via drone technology. They were often referred to as flying boxes. They weren’t all vans, plenty of people had custom air cars but the principal was the same. With the advancement of A.I. and drone technology, they had pretty much replaced actual cars that still used roadways.
“Estimated flight time to Seed Inc. - Main Campus is 2-hours, 13-minutes,” the van’s speakers announced as the vehicle gently lifted off from the landing pad in front of my condominium complex.
I pulled the hood lower over my head and leaned back. New technology,
same long flight times. I would have liked to have fallen asleep for the flight, but my situation had me completely freaked out. As a result, my adrenaline was still coursing through me even after we landed.
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” Jefferson said, stepping out of the air van first.
“It’s fine,” I said, following him out.
I looked around me to see about a dozen parked air vans but only one other van had someone stepping out, a woman wearing a similar outfit, one of her grey skinned hands stuck out of a sleeve momentarily before she let the long sleeve cover it again. I couldn’t see much of her with how baggy her clothes were.
“We should get moving, Dr. Corentin will be waiting,” Jefferson said, motioning toward the glass doors ahead of me.
“When did the first person show up?” I asked, not sure if Jefferson could tell me anything.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he led me inside the tall glass building with the other two guards walking just behind and to either side of me. I don’t know why they felt so much security was needed but I wasn’t really in a position to argue.
“Hello Mr. Jacobs, Ms. Wolfe,” said a woman with a French accent. She was older, if the few strands of grey hair on her head were any indication. If not for the grey hairs, I might have thought she was quite a bit younger, there wasn’t a wrinkle to be seen on her face. “I am Doctor Sabine Corentin, welcome to our facilities. I am very sorry for the circumstances which have brought you. I promise I will do all that I can to look after you and to reverse what has been done. But first, I feel you may wish to get cleaned up, yes, no?”
I saw the girl next to me nod once, an action I mimicked.
“Wonderful, please follow me,” Dr. Corentin said, turning and walking toward a bank of elevators, ignoring the security gates. I couldn’t help but notice there was no one in sight. Not a receptionist nor a random employee.
I followed her as did my guards. I noted the girl and her guards followed as well. The elevator went up several floors before opening to a floor that reeked of antiseptics, clearly a medical floor, maybe even a full hospital.
“Joshua, please show Mr. Jacobs to the changing room and showers,” Sabine said as soon as we exited the elevator. “Susan, please show Ms. Wolfe the same.”
Joshua, who was probably just a few years older than me, softly asked, “Dude, so . . . what are you?”
“Excuse me?” I asked, feeling somewhat offended by the question. It made me feel like he no longer thought of me as human.
“Sorry, man, no offense. I was just wondering what you got changed to look like. We’ve had Orcs, Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, lots of Beastkin. I even saw one Sprite,” Joshua tried to explain his question.
I studied the young man a minute before answering, “Half-High Elf.”
“Oh, that’s not so bad,” Joshua said, almost looking disappointed it wasn’t something more exotic. “Anyway, put your clothes in here,” he said pointing to a basket I hadn’t noticed when we entered the new room. There were two showers, a basket lined with a plastic bag and a stack of clean clothes that were very similar to what I was wearing now. “The first shower is on the left. It’s water only, you need to scrub as best you can with just the water and the brush so we can collect as much as possible. The second shower on the right is for after the first shower. This one will have soap and stuff,” he explained. Then he added, “Oh yeah, did you want to shave?”
I rubbed at the beard that had grown over the last month. “Yeah, probably be a good idea,” I said.
Joshua nodded and went over to a cabinet near the door. He returned a moment later with an electric trimmer. “It’s waterproof, if you use it in the water shower first, I’ll get you a razor and shaving cream for the other.”
They weren’t kidding about collecting everything they could.
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it then,” said Joshua. “Back in a few with that razor. When you’re all done, I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
I nodded once again. I was kind of looking forward to the shower after feeling so grimey for so long. I kind of felt bad for the security guys that escorted me, I must have smelled something awful.
I took my time with the showers, making sure I scrubbed and cleaned every inch I could. When I finally left the showers behind, I felt so much better. I was even given socks and slippers in place of the booties for my feet.
“Ah, excellent, feeling better now, Mr. Jacobs?” Dr. Corentin said in greeting when she saw me. I don’t know why I was surprised she recognized me with the hood up and my head covered. I shouldn’t have been, I was probably the only afflicted guy on the floor at the moment.
“Much better, thank you,” I said.
“I am sure you have many questions. Both of you,” said the doctor, looking to my left where the girl, Ms. Wolfe, now stood. “However, I have been instructed not to answer any questions at this time. Mr. Dawson will address you and all the others in a couple of days. Hopefully, by then, we will be able to give you some answers.”
“Speaking of Mr. Dawson, I need to see him,” I said.
“I’m sure you do, but it will need to wait. He is rather occupied with the current situation,” the doctor replied.
Before I could argue the girl snapped.
“To hell with that, I want answers now,” said Ms. Wolfe, but it wasn’t Ms. Wolfe. It was a voice I knew too well. A voice I had craved to hear with my own ears.
“Rose?” I asked, turning to her, not quite believing she was really here.
“Not now, Jack,” the girl stated, holding out a hand to stop me. “Now see here doc-” Rose’s voice trailed off when I took her hand in my own. “Jack?” Rose questioned, turning to look at me as if she just realized I was there.
“Rose,” I repeated, pulling back my hood, an action Rose mirrored.
It was her. A little different from in the game, what with her jet-black hair and blood red roots, but it was definitely her, glowing red eyes and fangs both present. I instantly tried to pull her close and lean in to kiss her.
“Whoa, hold it right there,” Rose said, stopping me and recoiling away. “Just because we got close in the game doesn’t mean anything in the real world.”
I was stunned, paralyzed, and heartbroken all at once. Mercifully, it only lasted a moment before I saw her smirk. “That was just cruel.”
Rose’s smirk blossomed into a full smile. “You’re too easy, Jack,” she said with a small laugh before she jumped at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me while her mouth quickly found my own, my arms automatically wrapped around her, holding her up. She was really here. We were both there, both in the same place. I didn’t care why we were both there, I was just glad that we were. I was overjoyed to have her in my arms, to feel the warmth of her skin against mine. This was something I don’t think the game would ever be able to duplicate as precisely.
“Ahem,” Dr. Corentin cleared her throat loudly, not that Rose or I paid her any mind. “That’s quite enough, both of you.”
Rose broke the kiss much to my disappointment. Her head turned to glare at the doctor. “Are you going to give us answers?”
“I told you, I can’t. But I do have several tests that must be run,” Dr. Corentin replied.
Rose narrowed her eyes at the doctor. “Tests can wait,” she stated simply before turning back to me and resuming the kiss.
“Merde,” she complained in French. “Listen, both of you. You can do that to your heart’s content after the tests are done. S'il vous plaît,” she pleaded in her natural French.
Rose stopped the kiss again and huffed in annoyance. Looking me in the eyes, she asked, “You won’t leave my side, right?”
“It would take an army to get me to leave your side right now,” I said honestly, giving her one more kiss as she unwrapped her legs and began to lower them back down to stand.
“Fine, do your tests, but he doesn’t leave my side,” Rose insisted.
Dr. Corentin sighed. “Fine, that will be fine
. Follow me.”
Testing consisted of several blood draws, checking blood pressure and a dozen more metrics I am sure my regular doctor never checked. Then Rose and I were made to run on a treadmill. They put a breathing mask on my face for more measurements. Then there was the actual running part, something that was more unpleasant than I remembered it being. My muscles and joints being as stiff as they were from a month of not moving, probably didn’t help. After that, they drew more blood and retook more health measurements. Neither Rose nor I were overly pleased with the long and annoying testing.
“Thank you both for your patience,” the doctor said. “I understand you are frustrated, but I promise you both, answers will come. For now, Joshua and Susan will escort you to the rooms we’ve had prepared for you and the others.”
Rose’s hand clasped mine tightly. “Jack and I will share,” she stated clearly before looking at me. “Just sleeping,” she said softly.
I felt relieved by her insistence. I didn’t want to be alone in this place either. The fact that it was Rose just made it all the better.
Doctor Corentin sighed, “Young love, who am I to stand in the way. That said, you’re correct in saying just sleeping. No sex. It is best not to risk pregnancy with the changes to your bodies.” Queue blushing from both Rose and me. The Doctor then continued, “Joshua, please escort them to a room.”
Joshua smirked. “Follow me,” he said, leading us back to the elevator. “So, you two know each other?”
“Yes,” I said, not relinquishing my hold on her hand. I was a little afraid she would disappear if I did, as if she was an illusion and this was all the work of Bushy . . . Jinn . . . whoever she was. I also wasn’t interested in giving this guy any details.
“Did you meet in the game?” Joshua continued to probe once we were inside the elevator, but neither Rose nor I were answering. Finally, Joshua sighed, “Anyway, you and the others are occupying the rooms above.”
“What is this place?” I asked.
“This is the Seed Lab, it was where the docs did most of the nanotech testing as well as all the medical checks after every immersion dive during the testing phase,” Joshua answered, pulling out a small tablet from one of his pockets. “Do you two want a queen bed or two twins?”
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 2