The Place Where

by Rodion Pretis

  “It's all a nervous strain,” Carolina laughed. - Tomorrow everything will pass.

  “I really hope so,” sighed Alexei. - Bye, Lina! Till tomorrow.

  “Until tomorrow,” answered the phone in Carolina's voice, and then a click and short beeps followed.

  Chapter 2

  This time, the game "Contract Risk" was conducted completely differently than usual. It was decided to carry out all tasks using virtual reality (some new developments). And the game itself was delayed for a week, because only by the dinner of the seventh day the finalists will be announced. The selection method was, as always, simple - those with fewer points at the end of each day will leave the game. So, out of a hundred applicants, five finalists will be selected.

  On the morning of the first day, the girls entered the crowded hall of the building, where it was planned to conduct the game. But after a few hours all the participants were resettled in rooms and delved into the study of the rules of the game and the conditions of the preliminary contract. Anyone who refused to sign it dropped out before the first stage.

  Having signed a preliminary contract (where it was said that the player accepts the conditions of the Game and is ready to take risks for money) and dressed in a special jumpsuit made of soft elastic fabric, the friends went to the Main Game Hall, where the first television cameras were waiting for them.

  Aleksey hardly survived the official part when they introduced the players, while Carolina enjoyed every second spent in front of the cameras.

  Here (finally!) A signal was given to the beginning of the first stage, and all the players, wearing additional “ammunition” (special helmets and gloves) entered individual cabins and connected to virtual reality.

  The first task was to create your hero, and Alexey, without thinking twice, projected herself, and then distributed the allocated “stars” of abilities as optimally as possible - as a result I received a bonus from additional “stars” and money for which I acquired “stars” "And improved her character by getting the highest rating. Further, carrying out mission after mission, she continued to improve the hero's abilities, sensing with each her cell both the risk of tasks and the improvement of the skills of the created character.

  According to the results of the first day, those who failed to complete the required number of missions or too poorly developed their character dropped out of the game. The next round was 80 players, on the third day there were 60 left, on the fourth - 40.

  The 5th day of the game came, and the 30 remaining players took their places in the booths, where a weightless field reigned. The game entered a new round of reality - all that the character felt and felt was transmitted to its creator. If earlier players often thoughtlessly risked their hero, now they (for the most part) tried to eliminate unnecessary risk. Aleksei, who initially risked consciously, did not completely change the style of her game and now has noticeably gone ahead.Her character, like her, bearing the name of Alexei, was developed almost as much as possible: top speed, ingenuity, intelligence, 5 types of martial arts, maximum regeneration, the ability to drive everything that goes, shoot almost everything, medicine and strength are almost at maximum and average psi abilities. But she had an absolute zero on her account, while other players had a fair amount of money.But she did not care - she wanted to get to the finals and went to this day after day. On this day, Alexei developed to the maximum of psi-abilities, strength and medicine, and gained maximum attractiveness and diplomacy. In the evening, she felt like a "squeezed lemon" and instantly fell into sleep.

  Having woken up on the 6th day, Alyoshka realized that all her senses had aggravated, and she had not noticed such a reaction before herself. “It's strange,” the girl thought, “it feels like developing a character at the same time developing yourself,” but then, shaking her head, she delivered a verdict. “You need to play less!”

  The sixth day of the game was much more difficult than all the previous ones combined - the risk was everywhere and brought bonus money or knowledge. And the girl chose knowledge - these were languages, history, etiquette, piloting and much, much more, she did not even try to remember everything that her character could already do - now everything happened instinctively ...

  “Good evening, Alexei,” greeted the girl Alexander at the exit from the game room. - How was your day?

  “Good evening,” Alyosha smiled tiredly. - It's hard, I'm very tired today, I don't even have the strength to talk, sorry.

  “Have a good rest, tomorrow you will have a little battle and a finale,” he smiled encouragingly, and opened the door in front of her.

  “Thank you,” the girl thanked and went to her room.

  “How susceptible she is,” the man smiled at his thoughts, “she answered me without hesitation, and yet in the morning she did not know this language” ...

  Alexey woke up early, she completely possessed a sense of anticipation of something important that should happen soon. She stretched like a cat and, slipping easily from the bed, opened the window, letting in fresh morning air into the room. The girl listened to herself - from yesterday's fatigue and weakness there was no trace left, her head was bright, and her body strong and flexible. She was in good shape before, and now, it seemed, had reached its peak. It was incredible, but distinctly felt. Alexei slowly leaned back, put her hands almost next to her legs, then she also slowly moved her legs up, becoming in a handstand, in this position crossed the room and went to the shower.

  Cool water washed away the remnants of sleep and made the girl laugh. She liked the way she changed day by day, and even more she liked the speed with which these changes occurred. If on the first day she began to suspect that the skills that her hero receives in the game were developing in her way somehow, now she was absolutely sure of it. Her strength, speed, flexibility, endurance, knowledge continued to amaze her all the time. What seemed like a clever publicity stunt turned out to be true.At the very beginning, all participants were warned that the new development of virtual reality has not yet been fully studied. That as a result of the "full presence effect", players can feel what their hero feels in the game, which can lead to the development of certain skills for the players themselves.

  Having dressed in a player's suit, Alexei went to breakfast with the hope that even today she will be able to finally speak normally with Carolina, but she was not there.

  “It's so good that I caught you,” Alyoshka Lina, who was about to leave the restaurant, called out.

  - Hello! Do you have an alarm that doesn't work? - She smiled, noting a slight mess in the clothes of the blonde.

  “The alarm has nothing to do with it,” Caroline frowned, impatiently throwing her hair back and tying it in a “tail”. - I just do not have time to relax. Every day it is getting harder and harder for me to get out of bed, every cell hurts. I don't like all this, I don't like it at all.

  - And this game captured me. She is great! This is the best I've played.

  - Alyosha, the reality of what is happening scares me. Yesterday my character fell and hit hard ... it hurt so much that my breath caught, and today my side looks like a palette of a crazy artist, and it hurts to walk. I'm scared.

  - Remember, we were warned that the brain can perceive everything too real. This is what happens, - Alexey looked into the eyes of her friend and, seeing pain and panic there, she realized that her friend could not stand another day in the game. “You need to hold out quite a bit, Lina.” Be in the game next to me, I will help you get to a safe place where you can wait out the semifinals.

  “I'd better take off the semifinals,” Carolina almost whispered. - I'm so afraid ...

  “I will help you,” Alexey promised her friend, taking her hands in hers, and smiled soothingly. - You can leave with your head held high and a good win. You just have to hold out until an hour. I will find you and help. Good

  “Good,” Caroline smiled weakly. - I will do it.

  * * *

  At the entrance to the hall, the girls m
et Alexander, dressed almost like the players.

  - Are you participating? - surprised Alexei.

  “Not like a player,” the man shook his head, noting that Carolina looked very pale and exhausted, a shadow flickered in his eyes. - I will be a kind of pass to the finals.

  - Like this? - one voice asked the girls.

  “You will find out in due time,” the man grinned. “Now hurry up, there is very little time left,” he opened the door and, letting Lina through, stopped Alexei, whose eyes lit up with surprise.

  - What does it mean? She raised an eyebrow.

  “Your friend will not reach the finals,” the man calmly stated the fact, glaring at the girl's face, “but you can, if you don't do anything stupid and help her.”

  “I myself will decide WHAT to do to me,” steel sounded in the girl's usually soft voice.

  I hope when you have to choose, you will make the right choice, ”Alexander said, clearing the way.

  “And do not hesitate,” caustic irony sounded in her words ...

  Chapter 3

  This time everything was even more dangerous, scary and ... real. Fatigue and pain were felt, as they say, "in full." Alexei quickly realized that the safest place in this game was next to her, and did not let her friend go a step away from her. Gradually, four more players joined them: the Destroyer (Mikhail), Nick (Nikolai), the Player (Igor) and the Wolf (aka Vladislav). So the team was formed, and it became much easier to continue the game. Opening one of the "boxes", they found a task that they had to complete in order to get to the finals: they had to deliver the VIP person from one place to another. Thinking that this person could be Alexander, Alexei mentally cursed.But the task is the task, and the team went to fulfill it.Almost without incident, they reached the appointed place, on the way opening the "boxes", which could contain bonuses (money) or some skills. Opening one of these "boxes" Alexei saw an interesting choice: "Million or immortality."

  - Wow! - whistled the Wolf. - Nice bonus.

  - Take the money! - others unanimously advised.

  - No. Now the main thing is to reach the finals, - Alexey did not agree with them. - In the final, this amount will seem a trifle. I choose immortality. ”She touched the inscription with her hand, the letters lit up and pulled into the glove.

  - Wow! - Carolina shook her head. “We should have taken the money, as we advised you ...”

  Aleksey instinctively, without thinking, jumped and covered her friend, while opening fire on one of her noticeable goals. She felt a wild pain in her chest, and the light faded ...

  ... The first sigh was given with difficulty, then the girl breathed quietly and opened her eyes.

  “Welcome back,” Wolf grinned, helping her to her feet.

  - Well, you have a reaction! - a rather rude compliment to the Destroyer. “If you hadn't laid them, you wouldn't see us ending, like your ears without a mirror.”

  Nick and the player just smiled: they carefully watched the situation.

  “Thank you,” Carolina thanked through tears. “I would probably die.”

  - Nonsense! - Alyoshka snorted, walking with a tenacious look around the neighborhood. - I would lose, I do not argue, but to die is impossible. After all, this is a game, albeit a very real one, but still a game.

  “I'm afraid you're wrong,” said the Wolf. - Yesterday, one player died, and two more were hospitalized.

  - It's just a computer game ... - Alexei was a little confused.

  “We are not in vain signing a contract,” Wolf grinned wryly ...

  ... Players overcame another quarter and in front of the house where they should have picked up the VIP, they came across a whole scattering of "boxes". Without thinking twice, they, having counted and divided "boxes", began to open them. And already none of the guys had a question of taking or not taking money, they chose skills. So the Wolf received levitation, immortality, an internal sense of place and distance, initial teleportation and a “shield”. Destroyer - armor from bullets, additional weapons to match their parameters, super strength, portable tracking device and (cheers!) Immortality. Player - quick regeneration, initial copying abilities, hacker ace, hacker super-ace, mini-computer.Nick - sniper rifle, knife fight skill, advanced sniper, master sniper, ass.Carolina received the highest acting skills, high regeneration, telepathy and ... money. Alexey opened her first “box” and was taken aback: there was no choice, just as there was no choice in the rest. She got two cars, mimicry, mimicry guidance and a set of commander: a super powerful mini-computer, communication devices and ... a list of teams whose first line was self-filled as soon as the girl picked it up.

  - Wow! - the Wolf whistled, touching the list and reading "Alexei is the group's commander" and the line that appeared below "Wolf is the commander's right hand, station wagon."

  “Well, show me,” the Destroyer took the leaf into his own hands and read one more line more: “The Destroyer is a specialist in tracking and power confrontation,” he grinned and stated. - Not bad.

  “It turns out that now with the help of this list we can formally create our own team,” Alyosha said thoughtfully. - Nick, Player, are you recording?

  - But what about! - they laughed and touched the list that instantly responded to this: “Nick is a sniper. The player is a specialist in technology, a hacker. "

  “Lina, now it's your turn,” she handed her friend a piece of Alexei.

  “I don't think I need it,” Carolina hesitantly responded.

  - Come on. It seems to me that otherwise we won't be able to go together, ”Alyosha insisted.

  “Good,” Carolina slightly touched the list with her hand, at first nothing happened, and then the inscription appeared: “Karo is an actress, a temporary member of the group.”

  “At least he recognized you as an actress,” Alexey smiled and shuddered: the list broke out of her fingers, struck the box with communication devices, opening it, and “sucked” into the computer case ...

  “Well, now we are a real team,” Alyoshka noticed, clutching a computer on her forearm and distributing communication devices, ...

  After checking the connection, the team cautiously entered the building - dead silence reigned in the huge hall, the grated floor shone ominously in the dim light. Deciding that this could be a trap, Alexei and Wolf slowly moved into reconnaissance, and the Destroyer, Player and Nick remained to cover them and at the same time to look after Carolina. When they reached the middle of the hall, and the Wolf turned to signal the others to follow them - the floor in the center instantly disappeared, and some aggressive creatures materialized around the perimeter. Some of the creatures began to shoot at Alexei and Wolf hanging over the failure, while the rest rushed at the other members of the team ...

  ... The Destroyer, Nick and the Player, quickly orientated themselves, took up a circular defense, thus covering each other and Carolina, and began to successfully shoot back to the side of failure. At this time, Alexei and the Wolf, who had already fully mastered levitation, methodically shot armed monsters.

  “There are too many of them,” Alyosha switched to single shots. “We must break through to the elevators as quickly as possible, or we can forget about the assignment.”

  - Guys! Run to the elevator! - voiced the order of Alexei Wolf. - We will cover.

  They quite easily managed to get to the elevator, which carried them up. Noticing that you can get to the floor they need only with an electronic key and access code, or on the stairs, which are probably teeming with monsters, Alexey turned to the Player:

  - Can you break the lock?

  “It's easy,” he grinned, pressed the stop button, took out his computer and tools, quickly connected, and after a minute the elevator again rushed them upstairs ...

  The elevator doors parted softly, giving access to an elegantly furnished living room, where the sound of music penetrated through an ajar door - someone was playing the piano. Not forgetting the danger for a minute, and covering each other, the team members went into anothe
r room, where they were simply dumbfounded: a divinely beautiful fragile girl sat at the piano and played selflessly, not paying the slightest attention to those who entered.

  “It seems that we should take her through the whole city and deliver safe and sound to the finish line,” after a little hesitation and verification with the computer, said Alexey.

  - Are you sure? - the Destroyer doubted.

  “The computer shows that she is just the person we need,” Alyosha nodded affirmatively.

  “Then you need to take her,” the Wolf stepped toward the girl, but a strong discharge threw him into the wall.

  - Lina, look how the Wolf is there. The Destroyer, Nick, look at both, you never know what else could happen - she began to give orders to Alexei. “Player, there's some kind of active force field,” her fingers ran along the keys of the computer. “You won't break it alone ...”