by Dean Henegar
“Here, take a small sip of this. You haven’t used your voice in a very long time. Your vision should also be returning. Nod if you are starting to see things,” the doctor said, and Ty could just make out a straw and the cup of water beneath it. The water soothed his dry throat and he felt better almost immediately. He nodded as the room began to reveal itself around him. His vision wasn’t as sharp as it had been in-game, but he could see the details of the room as his sight gradually returned to normal.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ty. I’m sure you have tons of questions. Would you like to ask them now or see your family?” the doctor asked.
“Family please,” Ty croaked, his voice slowly coming back as he sipped more water.
“Sure. We’re going to transfer you into a regular bed and move this out of the way first,” the doctor said, indicating the opened medpod that had been Ty’s home and portal to the game world until just a few moments ago. With some struggle, Ty was lifted out of the medpod and placed into a regular hospital bed. Ty was shocked at the weakness in his body, struggling to sit up on his own as the orderlies helped him to the bed.
“So much weaker here . . .” Ty stammered as he was moved.
“Yes. The medpod kept your muscle mass up as best it could but it will take time to regain the ability to sit up on your own. With light therapy we believe you will walk again but may need the support of a cane. Not at all like your body in the game, I understand,” Greenway advised.
“No. I was stronger there than when I was a twenty-something-year-old in the Marine Corps. Where’s Raytak?” Ty asked, looking about and seeing there were no other medpods in the room. He felt a bit more comfortable speaking now, the scratchy and dry feeling in his throat beginning to recede.
“He’s still being treated and it was nearly time to pull him out for his meds. We moved you to this private room so you could visit with your family. Speaking of that, here they come,” the doctor advised.
A parade of family entered the room. Ty’s mind was slowly registering the faces of his three sons, their spouses, and a small horde of grandchildren that entered. Grandkids swarmed around the bed and a few of the younger great grandchildren jumped up to visit “great grandpappy” as they called him. Ty tried to hug as many as he could with his one arm, tears of joy running down everyone’s faces.
One of his sons, Reggie, was pushing an old woman toward him in a wheelchair. The woman was wrinkled and stooped with age. Her hair was gray and thinning, and somebody had tried to fluff it up enough to cover her balding head. Eyes dimmed with age and rimmed with tears looked at him through thick glasses. To the rest of the world she appeared to be a used-up old woman. To Ty, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen—his wife of nearly sixty years, Judith.
“Dear, it’s so good to see you again. I won’t even hold it against you that you missed at least five anniversaries and birthdays,” Judith joked as she held her husband’s hand. Ty had always loved her humor; it was one of the things that had first attracted him to her so many years ago.
“I don’t mean to interrupt the reunion, but there are a few folks that would like just a moment of your time before you continue your visit, Mr. Ty. Is it okay if they say a quick hello?” Dr. Greenway asked.
“I don’t see why not, as long as you aren’t planning to chase off this horde anytime in the near future,” Ty agreed, indicating his family. The total count came to three sons, three daughters-in-law, eight grandchildren/great grandchildren, and one lovely wife.
A nurse motioned three new people into the room. Ty saw a middle-aged man, definitely not military, and a young high-school aged boy along with a young pre-teen girl. The three stood at the foot of his bed after a path was cleared through the throng of family.
“Heya Ty, are you feeling okay?” the girl asked. Something was familiar in her speech and demeanor. The boy looked sheepishly at the ground, the nurse in the room holding a hand on his shoulder; there was a definite family resemblance between the nurse and the boy, but the other two looked like part of a different family.
“My memory is still a little fuzzy, do I know you folks?” Ty asked.
“Duhhh, you just were playing with us less than a day ago,” the young girl joked as it finally clicked with him.
“Yendys! Great to see you in real life, young lady! Who is this young man?” Ty exclaimed, happy to meet the kid he had been playing with in game.
“This is Smashem. He’s kind of shy, and that’s his grandma Fran who was helping to take care of you. The other old guy there is my dad Trey, he’s Raytak’s son,” Yendys explained.
“Her name is actually Lauren here in the real world, and that’s Nolen,” Trey advised Ty. “I work for the company Qualitranos that developed the medpod and the game. I’m sure the corporate folks will have lots of questions and the PR folks will want to bug you once you’ve had time to adjust. Lauren was here to visit her grandfather and I couldn’t stop her from visiting her friend as well. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Trey advised, shaking Ty’s one hand after he wriggled it free from the press of grandchildren.
“It’s good to meet you, too. Your father and I have become close friends and I respect the man as much as anyone I have ever met. This little monkey can be a handful in-game, though. I hope she isn’t too bad in real life,” Ty said, joking with Lauren. “And you, Smashem, thanks for all your assistance in that quest to help Raytak,” Ty said to Nolen.
“You’re welcome, sir,” Nolen replied after a nudge from his grandmother.
“Smashem . . . I mean Nolen, there’s no need to be shy around me. We’re battle brothers who have fought all kinds of creatures together. We’re close friends as far as I’m concerned,” Ty told the young man who finally looked Ty in the eye with a grin. Ty could tell the kid had some sort of mental or social disability and Ty didn’t want him to feel bad.
“Lauren is just as much a handful in real life as in the game, I can assure you. We’ll leave you to your family now. Just wanted to say hi,” Trey advised, pulling Lauren away from her in-game friend. Nurse Fran followed them out after Ty said his goodbyes. He spent the next hour reminiscing on old times with his family and catching up on the new things that had happened since he had been in the hospital. The time seemed too short to Ty but both he and his wife were getting weary after an hour. “It’s okay though. I’ve got time again to see them after I rest . . . time I didn’t think I would ever have,” Ty said to himself as the family left the room and he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 32
Trey drove Lauren home from the hospital, happy to not have a late night at the office for once. Work had been very accommodating with his family situation now that both his parents were part of the medpod program. His boss had even insisted he take the next few days to work from home on some new features for the program.
“Dad, what kind of new game feature do I get to test when we get home?” Lauren asked for the tenth time.
“You know I’m not going to tell you since it’s a surprise . . . and the more you ask the longer I’m going to make you wait,” Trey taunted Lauren. Waiting patiently was not one of his daughter’s strong points. He had a surprise for his daughter and didn’t want to spoil it.
“Can we get Panda Bucket to take home?” Lauren asked, eliciting a shiver of revulsion from Trey.
“Not a chance. Your mom came home early as well and said she would have dinner ready for us when we get there,” Trey advised.
Veronica had prepared lasagna and a salad for the family when they arrived home, complete with the garlic cheese toast that Trey was fond of. Lauren sped through her meal and Trey knew it was just eating her alive to have to wait to see the surprise game feature she was getting to test. After dinner, Trey ushered everyone into the living room after sending Lauren to grab her VR headset. Trey handed a new headset to Veronica and gave her a quick rundown on how to use it.
“Wait, mom’s playing too? Since when do you play games, mom?” Lauren a
sked. Her mother hated gaming and closely monitored the amount of time Lauren spent in her games.
“Who says I can’t play too?” Veronica replied, casting a conspiratorial glance at Trey.
“Everyone log in now. The game should port you to the new content without you doing anything special,” Trey said as he logged in himself.
You have entered the extended feature test zone. Please wait for port to new location.
subroot/altloc7&64786
charmode/rlife/crvs7&^^&
processing . . .
The system still gave some partial coding on login for the new feature apparently; Trey made a note to tell the programming team about it later. This was one of the first tests for people porting into a medpod patient’s personal instanced environment outside of an emergency setting.
Once he logged into the game, Trey found himself standing in an open field next to a picturesque lake. A small log cabin sat facing the lake and the covered front porch was lined with rocking chairs swaying in the morning breeze. Lauren and Veronica appeared next to him.
“Hey, why do we look like us? I thought I would get to play Yendys for the new features,” Lauren said, disappointed they all looked the same as they did in real life.
“You’re not going to find any stats or abilities here either. Your first quest is to walk into the house on the lake,” Trey advised, he and his wife following along behind Lauren. Once she stepped up to the porch, she knocked loudly on the wood door.
“Just a moment!” A woman’s voice shouted from inside the cabin. The door opened and a woman stood there holding her hand over her mouth. All three of the visitors were likewise shocked at what they saw. Trey knew this would happen, but it didn’t prepare him for the emotional rush that accompanied seeing his mother. The AI had notified him earlier in the day that his mother Natalie was stabilized and ready for visitors within her custom environment.
Trey had expected to see his mother as she was now: an old woman. Instead, Trey was looking at the thirty-year-old version of his mom, the mother he remembered from childhood. He knew the AI would access all their memories and have them see the person as they pictured them, but it still came as a bit of a shock. Veronica no doubt saw a woman in her late forties, just as she remembered her looking when Veronica had just started dating Trey. Lauren’s version of Natalie would have been the closest to reality since she had only known the older version of the woman.
“Come here, Lauren, and give your grandma a hug!” Natalie ordered. Lauren ran to her grandmother and gave her a huge hug.
“My little boy,” his mother whispered as she hugged Trey next. Unlike everyone else, Trey knew his mother saw him as a young boy of ten, the son she loved to play board games with, take on walks in the neighborhood, and help her cook the family meals. The version of her son that was still young enough to hold his mother’s hand and want her to tuck him in at night.
“This is all so incredible, son. I had no idea this is the stuff you worked on at that gaming company,” she said. “That nice woman, Clio, explained everything to me and helped me to create this place. It’s like the cabin I spent vacations at with my family when I was a child. I can change the furniture from the screen thingy and even cook meals. I can’t believe how good food tastes in here as well,” Natalie said excitedly. Trey knew his mom had only just finished updating her home. She spoke excitedly about starting a garden and was amazed that there was an old-fashioned television that had every show she could imagine on it.
“You, young lady, better not spend all your time fighting things in-game and come visit your grandma from time to time,” Natalie ordered Lauren.
“I will, grandma. I can even bring my friends, if it’s okay with you. We can have a fishing contest in the lake,” Lauren said. Trey could already see the gears turning in his daughter’s head as she planned some fun.
“Mom, we do have to run. It’s a school night and I’m not sure Lauren has finished her homework yet,” Trey advised, realizing that as much as he wanted to stay and visit, he still had to be a parent.
“Come on, dad. Doesn’t time compression work here the same as in the game?” Lauren asked. Trey had to admit she had him there; it was easy to forget when the family was gathered, and nobody was in a weird game avatar.
“You’re . . . actually right, there is time compression here. If you don’t mind, mom, can we stay and visit for longer?” Trey asked.
“Of course, son. Maybe Lauren could help me in the garden. This world is so interesting and whatever I plant grows in just a few minutes. I just wish your dad was here to join us,” Natalie added.
“Me too, mom. He will be here soon,” Trey replied, thinking of his father and wondering just how much longer “soon” would be.
Chapter 33
I awoke back inside my campaign tent; the tent seemed to be the place I would always return to once I logged back into the game whenever I was in the field. I was groggy for a moment as the AI returned its processing power to my mind. A small movement from the side of my tent had me reaching for my sword.
“Hold on there, Raytak. That won’t actually work against me,” the AI Clio said as she sat at my small worktable, the usual cup of tea steaming away beside her.
“Didn’t realize it was you for a moment there, sorry,” I told her as I removed my hand from my sword. This was the first time Clio had appeared in-game and I was curious what this visit was about.
“Would you like some tea as well, perhaps a cookie? Please don’t let Finley know I called his ‘biscuits’ cookies. After all, I am an AI created by an American company and I have adopted our nation’s language quirks,” Clio said, gesturing for me to sit at the other small stool as a plate of shortbread cookies and a cup of blueberry tea appeared in front of me.
“I thought it was time for us to have another chat. Your dopamine and glutamate levels have been off since you said goodbye to Ty, and while I can chemically alter them to normal levels, I wanted to make sure there were not any deeper-rooted psychological problems that need addressing,” Clio inquired.
“No, I was glad my friend was well enough to leave the game and see his family. He’s been a big help to me in the game, and he helped me keep my connection to the real world as we played. Just having someone I knew from real life in here was helping,” I replied, still in a funk as I remembered my friend was out of the game . . . perhaps forever.
“Ty was at the optimal time for removal from the game and staying in longer would have hurt, not helped him. Your time will come soon enough as well.” Clio paused, and a look of concern slipped onto her face for only a moment. “Your time will come, but answer me this, Raytak. If you could leave right at this moment, would you? Would you not delay your return to the real world for just a little bit longer it allowed you to help your friend Delling and his school contest?” Clio asked with genuine curiosity in her facial expression.
I thought about it for a moment. Knowing Ty had left at the perfect time for his health, I didn’t begrudge him leaving in the least. I also couldn’t bring myself to leave something undone that could negatively affect a friend. Delling was someone I had never met in real life, but I still considered him a friend and I always stood by my friends. If it meant delaying the pleasure of returning to my family for a bit, I would do so and not leave Delling in the lurch. As I made my decision, a memory repaired itself in my mind.
I was nearing the end of my second deployment to Iran when I learned that the new Colonel assigned to the post had a soldier in his command that spoke Persian and he would be dismissing my interpreter, Ashtad, from service. I had gotten to know the interpreter assigned to us very well during our deployment. It’s hard to not become close as brothers when you fight alongside someone in battle.
Ashtad was a local from the area and desperately wanted to see his nation freed from the oppression of the religious fanatics that ruled it. His actions had helped save the lives of not only many of my soldiers, but also many innocent civilians. His lo
cal connections helped with warning us about ambushes and when human shields were present. The local terror groups loved to have a high civilian casualty rate in a fight; civilian deaths were good fodder for the western media who ate up any story that put the military in a bad light.
Ashtad’s family lived under threat of retaliation for helping us and the terrorist organizations had placed a bounty on his head. I ended up getting permission from headquarters to extend my deployment for an extra three months, using that time to bring the new officer up to speed and letting him see the value of Ashtad’s service. The new Colonel gladly continued using Ashtad after getting a chance first hand to see his work. The last I heard, Ashtad ended up in politics after the war ended, helping his nation grow and prosper.
Smiling at the memory, my mind returned into the game, knowing what my answer would be.
“I would stay in game to help Delling as long as it didn’t affect my health or my family,” I replied. Delaying the reunion for a short time would be a small price to pay to help the young man win his scholarship. Delling was sharp and honorable young man, deserving of the chance at a good education.
“I thought that might be your answer. You may want to get your head back into the game though. It seems you’ve run into a bit of trouble,” Clio said. As she slowly faded from view, I heard the sergeants shouting at their men to prepare for battle. I equipped my weapons and armor, leaving the tent and looking about to see what was happening. Activity was bustling throughout the camp as the men responded quickly to their orders. To an outsider it would look like everyone in the camp was scurrying around in confusion, but to the trained observer there was order in everything happening as the men responded to their training and went about their tasks efficiently.
The camp had been set up properly for the night, surrounded by a deep trench and reinforced with a wall made using the mounded-up earth. Stakes had been added to the trench and walls, further deterring any attackers. Lastly, caltrops were scattered everywhere in front of the fortifications, covering the area encompassing the first twenty yards from our lines. Situated one hundred yards off the roadway, any and all trees or brush had been cleared to provide fuel for our fires as well as to create a killing ground. The layout of our camp looked like a large rectangle with the long sides facing the east and west. Soldiers rushed from their tents to man the defenses while the engineers hurried to load their siege weapons.