by Cosimo Yap
“Is this true, Ace?” Thiago asked, turning to look at the quiet soldier. Ace shrugged. Thiago narrowed his eyes, then looked back at Alan. “Alright, whatever. We’ll discuss this further after the fight, if you manage to survive. Know that you’re walking on thin ice. Go spend your ability points or whatever, I hope you can use that sniper rifle you got. Then go make yourself useful and scout out this base. Ace can hopefully help us figure out how to capture it.”
Silently fuming, Alan walked over to the Administrator in the corner, ensuring that Eve was able to record the conversation as he spent his ability points. He had 91 points to spend. He bought the Basic skills in Energy Ranged Weapons and Energy Efficiency. As he was about to enter battle, Alan decided to put the rest of the points into agility, perception and endurance.
Alright, Eve, does this look good? Alan asked Eve, his thoughts hovering over the accept button on the screen before him.
Yes, she replied, I believe the situation warrants this necessity.
What do you mean, this necessity?
The majority of these skills are actually trainable, or acquirable. Given the information required, I could probably teach you the Energy Ranged Weapons (Basic) skill in a few days, and the Energy Efficiency (Basic) skill in two weeks. As we do not have the time or the tools required, it seems like you must purchase the skills.
Well, that would have been fucking useful to know before I wasted all those points. God damn—
Stop. You are allowing your rage to impair your judgment, shifting away from logical reasoning. It does not matter whose fault it is, it matters how you are able to manipulate the situation to our advantage. Calm yourself.
With a heavy sigh Alan accepted the purchase.
So, what? In the future we should spent ability points on the abilities like flying, or stats?
Both of those are also able to be gained with the right materials and training. Most purchasable skills and stats are able to be gained through other means. Still, some are harder to train than others, and these skills are typically accompanied by a much higher ability point cost. I advise saving up and purchasing the Talented ability, then saving for the class upgrade, as that will also cost ability points.
Fine, Alan sent. The earlier point about Eve being his babysitter sort of hurt, but, well, following Eve's directions was the optimal way to play. DaLong was just jealous.
Activating his armor's invisibility he exited the bunker, and ran north along the side of a coastal road, remaining vigilant for any sign of enemies. They had 90 minutes before enemy reinforcements arrived; Alan was supposed to report back in 15.
Alan knew he was in a sacrificial position, supposed to be more of a distraction than anything else. No one expected he’d survive the round. But they didn't know the capabilities of his new armor. With that, he'd take the fort himself.
Fort Point, according to Ace, was located just below the Golden Gate Bridge, more of a watch tower than an actual military base. Alan verified this information with Eve. Capturing it was quite simple. After the area's boss was defeated he had to stand on a point, a Control Point. That was it. They just had no idea who, or what, the area boss was, just that they had to stay close to the Control Point. Players, machines or NPCs could perform the task.
Alan continued running, making his way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Eve had determined this was the most defensible position, giving him a high ground advantage. She began highlighting a few patrols as Alan approached the fort. They were unable to see him, but he made sure to stay far enough away that they couldn't hear him.
As he ran Alan kept expecting a car to appear, yet none ever did.
When he approached the edge of the bridge the signs of a battle emerged - various scorch marks highlighted by Eve. The marks seemed old though, the result of something that happened long before. Alan saw why there weren’t any vehicles crossing the bridge; a section had been obliterated, dividing the bridge in two, preventing any crossing. Only burnt out vehicles remained on the bridge, immobile, scattered about like ants.
A single gunner team sat atop the bridge, guarding the entrance. Alan walked right by them after Eve gave the go ahead; they had no motion detectors set up. Directly below the right side of the entrance was Fort Point.
A rectangular building made of brick, the fort stood 50 feet high with three stories; it had a single entrance, with iron-studded doors. At the fort’s center was an open courtyard, allowing Alan to see inside. There were multiple people running about, and the inside of the fort looked like the Coliseum, with levels of arches ringing the courtyard. In the middle stood a glowing blue circle with arcane symbols: the Control Point.
Alan continued to scan the fort, trying to make out the defenses. Along the top of the edges two giant turrets Eve labeled as laser cannons were mounted, one at either end. They would need to be taken out, as each could swivel inwards and fire into the courtyard. A soft blue glow that flickered in and out let Alan know that the fort as had a shield generator active. Like the bunker's shield, this would deflect any projectile attacks from outside, but wouldn't prevent anyone from walking in. Eve highly suspected the fort would have motion detectors or infrared cameras, making it harder for Alan to sneak in.
Reconnaissance done, Alan scurried away, further along the bridge. Once he was a safe distance away from the marines he sent Thiago a message.
A: 53 hostiles have been detected outside. Eve estimates 70-100 additional inside the fort. Locations updated on map. 50+ enemies unaccounted.
T: They are here, mounting an attack on the bunker. They have armored vehicles, something we did not prepare for. Shields are holding up and we've deflected all attacks thus far, but their vehicles have shields too. MadMerlin says he has an idea. You are on your own.
A: On my own? To do what?
T: Take the base. If we can we will send someone to help.
Thiago ended the chat.
Alan took a deep breath. His armor still had 300 energy, enough for an hour's worth of invisibility. Now he had to figure out what to do with it.
Begin eliminating enemies, Eve sent.
Shouldn't I try sneaking in?
Negative, lure them outside and gain experience.
Not one to question Eve, Alan set up the sniper rifle, using a small burned out Volkswagen Beetle on the bridge as cover. When he was looking through the digital scope it looked like a first person shooting game, with a small crosshair that would turn red when Eve thought a shot would hit.
I will highlight key targets. You may fire when ready.
Alan took a deep breath, trying to keep his hands steady, focusing on the five man squad on the bridge a few hundred yards away. The soldier on the gun was highlighted red. This was just another arcade shooting game.
Lying prone, trying to stay still, Alan lined up a shot. He turned off his armor's invisibility. The crosshair turned red. He squeezed the trigger. A purple, magenta plasma bolt shot out of the sniper rifle, colliding with the squad captain manning the gun atop the bridge. It was a direct hit, and a small explosion of energy erupted, killing the soldier.
MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TARGET.
Switching to another soldier, Alan fired again. A miss. He fired again. A hit. The soldier went down. The others began diving for cover, firing indiscriminately in his direction. None of the bullets came close.
Hold your breath to remain steady. Adjusting targeting equation based on new data, Eve sent.
Staring down the sights, Alan tried to find a good shot, but the soldiers were all behind cover. Every slight movement threw off where he was aiming, and it was difficult to tell what he was looking at down the scope.
Quickly eliminate the soldiers, patrols converging on our location! We need to get off this bridge before they arrive.
They're hiding behind cover!
Shoot through it.
The crosshair turned red, a bright three next to it; Alan squeezed the trigger three times. Three burning plasma bolts fired, the first two burning th
rough a car's metal frame, the third piercing the marine kneeling behind the car. Alan took care of a fourth soldier in a similar manner, destroying the concrete cover he was hiding behind.
The final member of the squad made a break for it, sprinting away. Alan tried to line up a shot.
Alan fired. A miss.
AIM IN FRONT, NOT BEHIND.
He missed again. The soldier was almost at the edge of the bridge.
FIRE WHEN THE CROSSHAIR IS RED.
But—
JUST DO IT.
Alan aimed in front of the soldier. The crosshair didn't turn red.
AIM HERE. A new marker appeared in Alan's vision, midair to the left of the bridge. He aimed at it. The crosshair turned red. He shot. The soldier leapt off the bridge, away from Alan, but into the plasma bolt. The soldier died.
Alan stood up.
Huh, I can see why the United World Government was so angry, if this is the power of the sniper, Alan thought offhand.
Yes, it is quite powerful. You only have 20 shots remaining, Eve told Alan.
Alan glanced at the energy gauge, and was reminded that each shot took 4.5 energy instead of 5 energy because of his energy efficiency skill. Reaper’s Scythe only had an energy pool of 150, but since the weapon regenerated 25 energy every minute, it should be back at full by the time he needed it.
Alan grinned, feeling a lot more confident than he had previously. This was actually rather fun, at least compared to the other life or death—
DOWN. NOW.
Alan dived to the ground as a laser beam struck above him, where his head had been a second earlier. Another beam quickly followed, striking the air above him.
Activate invisibility, aim, deactivate the invisibility right as you fire rapidly at the enemy sniper. Dive down again afterwards, Eve commanded.
Alan immediately did so, zooming out with the rifle scope. Eve highlighted a building on top of a hill in the city, and Alan quickly focused in on it. As he zoomed in, Eve highlighted a figure, another sniper. Alan aimed, deactivated his armor's invisibility field, then fired off two shots in rapid succession, diving behind cover immediately afterwards.
A message popped up:
Warning! Do not fire upon players not involved in the Survival Test: Round 2, or the United World Government will be allowed to send additional reinforcements immediately.
“What? But they fired at me first!” Alan said.
Another message popped up:
The United World Government has been warned for allowing players not in the Tutorial to interfere with a test. Should you be killed or harmed by such an unaffiliated player, you will be immediately revived to full health and energy. Your energy has now been restored. Good luck.
Alan glanced at his status bar. His armor and rifle had been restored to full energy. He turned his attention back to the marines approaching the bridge. Most were still a way off.
Um, okay, that was strange, Alan thought.
Yes, Eve replied. Perhaps a sniper in the city saw us firing upon allied forces and assumed we were fair game. We must remember not to interfere with players undergoing the Tutorial. Incoming hostiles. Proceed to the designated vantage point.
A squad of marines reached the entrance of the bridge as Alan exited. Alan continued running by them when one suddenly raised his rifle in Alan's direction, firing a few feet behind him. Alan froze, then began slowly creeping forward.
”Hold your fire!" A soldier shouted.
"I heard something—"
"Another wolf, Peter?"
Alan hurried past, running down the road away from the bickering soldiers. They seemed rather unprofessional.
They are initiates, Eve stated.
Right. These were new initiates to the Game, the kids that the United World Government had recruited most recently; all the actual marines were dealing with the terrorist attack. They were probably undergoing the Tutorial, like he was, or had recently completed it.
Alan made his way into a nearby tree line, then began taking out the various patrols Eve had noted, moving after every few shots. Alan slowly became accustomed to the plasma rifle in his hands, and Eve became increasingly capable of guiding his aim, adding arrows to his vision, points at which he should aim, somehow managing to guess at where people would be. The plasma bolts had such destructive force that any direct hits resulted in a kill.
After a few minutes soldiers burst out of the fort, charging about in every direction, trying to locate Alan. Patrols became increasingly erratic and frantic as plasma beams appeared out of nowhere, striking down a squad, reappearing elsewhere shortly after. People cowered in fear while others brazenly raced in the direction of the shots. They were all eliminated.
Occasionally one of the laser cannons would fire in Alan’s vicinity, but the large weapons designed to lock onto vehicles were inaccurate at such range. Then, a large blast erupted, originating from the direction of the bunker. Patrols began running back towards the fort. Rather than an organized retreat with cover fire, everyone simply raced back as fast as they could, allowing Alan to continue firing until his weapon's energy ran out. Experimentally, Alan fired at the fort, but its shields absorbed the blast.
Thiago remained silent, though the blast had likely eliminated some of the soldiers that had attacked them. 117 enemies remained, the number dropping from 155 moments earlier. Alan tried sending a message to Kitana, but got a message that her communications had been disabled. He slowly looked around, noting the results of his battle of attrition.
All along the road were bodies of soldiers Alan had killed. Their bodies seemed to somehow grow more distinct and less pixelated the longer Alan dwelled on them, but Alan banished the thought from his mind. This was a game; each body had a small tooltip that stated the name of the player, and “Killed by Adampwnage.” According to Eve, that last part was only visible to him. The only loot most soldiers dropped were a small number of credits, from around 10 to 50.
Unfortunately, he’d only gained a single level, but that was to be expected of such weak enemies. Although, now that Alan thought about it, the first round of the survival test would have been almost trivial with the gear he had now. There were 45 minutes until enemy reinforcements arrived, and Alan still hadn't received word from anyone else.
He would have to take the fort himself.
***
This is a bad idea, Alan thought, staring down at the fort.
Our other options are worse, Eve sent. The only entrance to the fort has enough scanners to detect an errant fart, and we can't walk in there pretending to be a marine, they have ID cards and other identification procedures that we'd never pass. We don't have enough time to burn through the shields either.
But a 150 foot fall?
Power armor is designed to absorb energy, including kinetic energy. As long as our shield holds it should heavily mitigate fall damage. Just land on top of the fort.
Alright. Alan stared off the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. He watched the waves lap against the coast, the water a mesmerizing ocean of patterns.
JUMP.
Alan took a deep breath and leapt. Air rushed by as he started descending in free fall. He wanted to scream but the fort approached the way ground shouldn't. And he landed.
A miniature shockwave erupted. A crack sounded.
Alan yelled out involuntarily. Pain, there was so much pain. Flashing messages covered his vision, but all he could think of was the pain. Eve was yelling something at him, trying to get his attention. Alarms started sounding and Alan knew he had to move but he couldn't feel his legs. His invisibility was broken, his armor's energy gone, his HP at 30% and draining.
A soldier rushed forwards, raising their gun.
"Wait, I have info about the terrorist attacks!" Alan shouted as he fell forwards. He looked at his legs, saw a bone, and passed out.
***
Alan woke up lying on a cot in a detention cell, a faint rumble in the distance. A soldier stood next to him, weapon at the read
y. His mind felt funny. Muzzled. Muffled. Muddled. That was the word, muddled.
The soldier saw that Alan was awake, and made a motion.
What's happening? Alan asked.
We've been captured, there are now 10 minutes until enemy reinforcements arrive. I miscalculated, Revenant Power Armor must have different properties due to its stealth capabilities. We took too much damage from the fall.
Falling was fun, Alan thought. He knew it was time for serious business but everything was blurry.
Listen to me. Do as I say. You're on drugs, and the only reason you aren't dead is they want information. You need to give them some, but not so much that they kill you. Do you understand?
I'm sitting, not standing, Alan thought.
The gate to his cell opened, and a masked officer entered, grabbing Alan. Another rumble sounded, closer this time.
"You have information about the Legion of Man attack. Speak."
"Um, I think I know where the bombs came from," Alan said.
Don't tell them anything.
"Tell me."
"Um, I could tell you, but then the mean lady in my head would yell at me and dark guilds might come after me."
The officer turned to look at the guard and asked, "What is he on, soldier?"
"Some alien pain killer, a medic gave it to him. Guess it has a few side effects," the guard said, looking warily in the direction of the rumbling noise.
"I don't like your tone of voice, soldier."
"Well, I don't like getting conscripted into the army when I was expecting to play a game, sir," the guard replied.
The officer casually took out a pistol and pointed it at the guard’s head.
"Wait, I didn't mean any disrespect, sir," the guard said, hands in the air.
"None taken." The officer pulled the trigger, and the guard fell to the floor, dead.
"The information, fast," the officer said, raising his gun at Alan.
Deflect. Someone should have noticed the gunfire.
"Um, wait, I can tell you something, I mean, someone. I can tell you who can tell you everything, but you shouldn't kill me because I can tell you what they can tell you if they don't tell you after I tell you about them," Alan stammered.