Homeland: Ingame 2

by Kieron Uchee

  “So you really want to try this shit,” I asked. “You two are level one players in this world, that means you are weak and have no real attacks. I was swinging Jack back and forth as I spoke occasionally banging him against the walls of a nearby building.

  Smith, the shorter man reached out for me while yelling “Freeze, we are special Federal security agents, you are under arrest.”

  Flicking out my hand I cast Lightning, which blew him back to the street where he began to whimper. Lowering the one called Jack I looked at him; he was a little shaken up but responsive. I was not sure where this sudden anger had come from but I still felt it.

  I suddenly realized that it was the real world; the thing that I hated the most had now intruded upon me in the game world. Lowering Jack, I asked him, “What are you guys doing here?”

  Jack looked at me and then shook his head, “You think I am going to answer any questions, think again. You are in a shitload of trouble, starting with assaulting a special agent. I will make the list grow from there.”

  “Really,” I said. “Good luck, you have no authority over anyone in a digital realm, I have also not seen any identification, and what has happened here is what happens when you play online VRP games. So, take your threats and shove them you know where.”

  I tossed him towards his partner who was getting up and went to leave. As I stepped around them, I felt a hand grab me and heard “Not so fast, we are not done here.”

  We were done here; they just did not know it. I grabbed the hand and began to squeeze it. Once I heard the cursing begin, I let the hand go. Looking at the two special agents, I could feel my anger still growing. It was time to send them to their respawn points.

  They must have seen something in my face as agent Smith began to scramble backward but agent Jack just stood there. Lowering my voice, I said, “Do you really want to die in this game? I can make that happen, over and over, it’s called corpse camping. Not a lot of fun for the people being continually killed.”

  Jack’s voice held steady as he spoke, “No I don’t want to be killed over and over again, but by God, I will if that is what it takes.”

  What the fuck, I thought as I said, “What it takes, what the hell does that mean? Does it mean that you follow random players and harass them? All the while pretending to have authority here that you do not have. My heart breaks for you. Go back to the real world where you can be a bully and get away with it. Here that is not going to happen. Do you understand me?”

  Jack looked shocked, maybe no one had ever called him out on what he did. I did not really care; I was done here. Struggling to control myself I turned around and began to walk into the fog.

  “Wait,” Jack called out. “Let’s talk. Give me five minutes of your time and we can settle this. I know that you are not just a normal player.”

  I knew I could not trust him but was curious about what he had to say. After taking a deep breath to calm myself I said, “All right, start speaking you have five minutes.”

  He looked at me for a few seconds then began to speak. “We are aware that this game, in particular, is a focal point for several reasons. A number of people in the real world have entered this game. These are important people who may not be at the center of attention any longer but who still command respect both politically and financially on the world stage.”

  He was talking about the Old Bastards, I thought and nodded to show him I was listening while keeping an eye on his partner. The idiot was trying to sneak through the fog and get behind me. I could now see him on my minimap as a red dot and once he was close enough I again cast lightning on him then smiling at Jack I said, “If he tries to do that sneaking behind me shit again, I will fry you both.”

  Jack swore and then continued. “We became aware of this and began to monitor it for reasons of National Security; it is not considered a safe policy to allow all these people to be together like this. We, meaning the government wants to know what these people are doing and why. In addition, there is the question of the AI within the game have illegal interactions with players.”

  Looking at him I spoke, “They are called the Old Bastards and why they are here is simple, they want to live forever or as long as they can. The time dilation effect is why they are in the game. Two months’ real world is a year here, and when you are as old as they are that time dilation makes a difference.”

  Jack looked at me and said, “You seem to know a lot about these Old Bastards, could you explain your information?”

  I thought for a moment before speaking, “I have run into them upon occasion, and that is all you need to know, now tell me why you were waiting for me? As a rule, I do not like being watched or followed.”

  We flagged you once we saw you working in that Pub; you stick out like a sore thumb, a player working for an NPC. I ran a trace on you and it turns out that you are a ghost, a hacker into the system most likely; your name is not a part of the registered player database. So right there you are breaking the law, and subject to my authority.”

  This Jack fellow just could not get over his power trip and I was tired of him, the government, and all the other special agents they might have in the game. I now knew all that I needed. Looking at Jack I reiterated what I had said earlier, “You have no authority here, you guys do not have a clue. This is a game for people to retreat to and have fun. Why the fuck would you bring the real-world bullshit here?”

  “Listen up," Jack said. "All that you have is the real world, you think this is real or more important than National Security, you think that you can hide in here. Is this what you want? This shit is not real, and you better be thinking about what is, this is not your personal special place, your homeland. That is outside the VRP where the real world is, not this digitized fantasy game.”

  I turned around and began to walk into the fog, as he called out; “Listen this fantasy shit is beginning to intrude into the real world. We have captured an AI virus attempting to infiltrate GNet. We have it sandboxed but if this Eldest virus AI is from this game then we will shut this down. Then where will you go and hide, you think about that.”

  What the hell, the Eldest had tried to leave the game and enter GNet. That did not bode well for the future of the real world. I had to do some hard thinking about what I had learned. Ignoring Jack, I continued my way down the city slipping through the gates like a shadow in the mist. Once I reached the docks, I began to walk towards the section that held the houses of the merchants that had decided to have a second home down here.

  Putting all that I had learned into a corner of my mind I began to concentrate on the job at hand. That was to find a nice house, break into it and steal what I could. After walking several blocks, I came to a house that was well lit up with lights. There seemed to be a party taking place. I stood across the street, lit a smoke, and observed what was happening.

  People were arriving for the party and I saw many hired servants in white smocks carrying trays and boxes. The smell of good food freshly prepared assailed my nose just as a voice assailed my ears.

  “Hey pointy ears, I am not paying you to stand around and smoke, get your ass in here and put on the smock. I want you to be serving drinks inside, and remember, it is yes sir or yes madam or how may I help you, do not speak anything else. Now grab that tray of drinks and start to mingle with the guests.”

  I Ignored the pointy ears remark, I could not quite believe my luck. I grabbed one of the white smocks on a table and put it on. Grabbing a tray of drinks, I entered the house. Milling around the main floor I saw plenty of guests and glancing up I could see a balcony that also had guests spread out and visiting each other. I was busy for the next hour passing out drinks and vending off invitations from several of the women.

  Going back outside for another tray of drinks, I saw the house owner talking to the manager. He was asking about the babysitter who had not shown up. The manager upon seeing me waved his hand so I walked over and asked what he needed.

  “I want you t
o go with the owner of the house, he will lead you upstairs to the third floor where there are several children, you will keep them occupied and entertained while the parents are enjoying the party.”

  I nodded and put my tray down, “Sir, if you will show me the way,” I said. Carefully examining me the owner spoke, “You will do, you will have to I suppose. Here, follow me. I want you to keep the kids busy, tell them a story or sing them some songs, whatever, just as long as they are happy.”

  We went up some back stairs to the third level of the house, here the owner said, “None of the guests will be up here, these first two rooms are my quarters, the next room is the privy and the last one is where the kids are. I have sent up snacks and drinks for the children and in about two bells hopefully they will be tired and can lay down on the mats and sleep.”

  “Yes sir,” I said as we entered the kids’ room. There were four kids all under the age of six. Two of them had already curled up on the mats with blankets pulled over them.

  I looked at the others two girls and smiled at them. “Hello ladies, my name is Torn and I am here to tell you some stories,” I said as I moved into the room and sat down.

  I began with some of the stories I had told to the kids when I was growing up in the orphanage. The old ones like Hansel and Gretel, Humpty Dumpty, the Three Bears and Goldilocks. In about an hour, I was fighting to stay awake, as the kids were all now asleep.

  Being near sleeping kids has always made me feel sleepy. I covered the girls up and made sure that the other kids were still covered and warm. It was a chilly night and the top floor was not that warm.

  Leaving the kids, I made my way to the private suite of the owner. In seconds, I had the door unlocked and made my way into the room. The desk was covered in papers and the rest of the room was full of miscellaneous items. I looked at the pictures on the walls and checked them all for a hidden safe.

  It was behind the third picture, a lovely seascape with a ship sinking in the background. Removing the picture, I went to work, it took about 4 minutes to open the safe and the reward was seeing several heavy bags full of gold coins. I took five gold coins from each of the four bags and then closed and locked the safe. Replacing the picture, I then left the room and locked it.

  Once back in the kids’ room, I observed that the only window faced the side street. Searching the room, I found a small cloth from the top of a table. Knotting the coins within the cloth I then opened the window and dropped the cloth and coins straight down.

  The next hour passed slowly but finally, the master returned, looking at the sleeping kids he said, “Good work, here take this for your troubles,” and he passed me a silver coin. I thanked him and then followed him down to the main floor. Once he left me, I made my way out back and ran into the manager.

  “Hi there,” he began. “I suppose you're done now, well here is your pay plus a bonus for watching the kids. If you need more work come to the Misty Inn on the second tier, I am always looking for good workers.”

  Thanking him, I left the yard and strolled down the street. Once I was lost in the fog, I made my way back to the side street and located what I had dropped. I took my time and slowly walked undetected back to my Inn.

  I could see Mecha was at the bar so I walked over and greeted him. We sat and talked for an hour and then when he rose to leave I passed him the gold coins I had liberated from the merchant earlier this evening. He looked at the coins then stared at me, “My thanks, Torn.” I nodded, it was nothing to me to give him the gold and I was glad I could contribute to the orphanage.

  I made my way up to my room and fell asleep. I then spent the next few days working at the pub on the third tier and hanging out with Mecha when I was done my shift. I also noticed a billboard that spoke of how Kamasut the thief was captured and her upcoming execution, and the rest is history as they say.

  Chapter 16 Skills

  After listening to my tale Kamasut said, “That was an interesting story and I think you have been lucky, but that luck can’t be counted on.” Kamasut was silent for a moment then spoke, “If you want my help we will do some practice work on a few skills, things like pickpocketing, misdirection and illusion. It is the least I can do for you, and I am a pretty good teacher.”

  Torn nodded and said, “Thanks, Kamasut, I accept, I am sadly lacking in skills, and need all the help I can get. If we can practice for a couple of days, I would greatly appreciate it. In two days, I will be going back to the city and if you would like to return to the city then, we can help you.”

  “That sounds great; I think a couple of days out here recovering from the other night is what I need,” Kamasut replied.

  I nodded, she could take all the time she needed, indeed I was amazed at her resilience and the fact that she could function. Being tortured and raped, it had to leave a mark. These NPC were not just lines of code; they were real people to me and it showed in how they felt and dealt with things.

  The next two days had Kamasut showing me some tricks of the trade. She had an amazing ability to deceive people’s eyes as they strolled past, she would half smile then brush her breasts against an arm and take someone’s purse or wallet as easy as 123.

  When I asked her about this she had looked at me and then said, “What were you looking at when we bumped, my eyes first, then my breasts then as I walked away my rear. Not once did you look at my hands but if you had you would have seen my left hand sliding down my belly and then you would not have looked at my right hand.”

  Thinking about what she said I realized that she was right, she was a master at entrapment with her eyes then she would get close enough for her scent to hit you and then her breasts would softly brush against you, all in about 3 seconds. Then she was gone, walking away and you would be staring at her ass. With your money in her hands.

  I learned the basics, I could probably lift a purse or wallet or slit open a small bag, but I knew I would never have her skill. The first night after practicing all day I had gone out to the lake and was relaxing on the shore. I was aware of her approach and not surprised when I heard her ask, “May I join you?”

  “Please do, I am just relaxing,” I said. We sat in silently, I felt no need to speak as I was enjoying the evening, watching the water tinkle down and mist rise off from the lake. It was still with not much wind and while it was cool it was not as cold as it had been.

  After several minutes Kamasut began to speak. “I know I have thanked you before for what you did but I want to thank you again, it sometimes hits me that I would be dead if you hadn’t rescued me. Not to mention what that bitch was doing and had done to me.”

  I nodded and just let her continue, she seemed to have a need to talk, it was not really surprising after everything, sometimes people shut down, and sometimes they can’t help but try to express what their emotions. I could understand the need to try to express what they were dealing with on the inside. It was a hard thing.

  As we sat there Kamasut slowly began to cry, softly at first and then freely, and as she cried she began to moan. She was rocking back and forth and had tuned me out completely. I listened as she whispered over and over, “Why would that bitch do that to me, why?”

  It is a sad feeling, a terrible feeling watching someone you know is strong become weak and helpless. My desire to provide comfort was tempered by the no touch rule. Living in the orphanage we had a no touch rule. We had to respect the space of people and never touch them without being invited.

  It was understandable and applicable to Kamasut’s situation. She had to work this out and do what she needed to do; I was not prepared to be an artificial crutch. Heartless, cold bastard, maybe but this has become a rough world, and if she could not master her emotions, she would be of no use to me or to herself.

  After a while, the tears stopped, and a few minutes later she looked at me and said, “Thanks for being here, I am surprised that you did not go all manly and try to hug me and tell me it would be all right.”

  I laughed and re
sponded, “Is that what you wanted, some guy promising you the world is a safe and happy place when you know that is a lie. Besides, I think that people should not be handled like a bruised piece of fruit. I once read somewhere a line about not touching people who are hurting unless they invite you to.”

  She nodded and then was quiet for a minute before speaking once more. “What do you have to do in the city, maybe I could help you with whatever it is you are doing?”

  Letting the thought process for a minute, I explained that I was dropping off a package, to the House of Pain. Once she heard where it was going she wanted details, all of them. It was like having a sister that never grew out of the, ‘I will bug the hell out of you stage.’ I liked it, it reminded me of family.

  Deciding to tell her everything, I explained about the Big Book of Discord and how it impacts all who listen to it. Explaining that I wanted to gift the Jackass with it in the hopes that he would not be able to refrain from reading it to the house members. This would cause the House to implode over a period of about a week I hoped

  Once I finished speaking Kamasut asked. “Is the book really that powerful? If it would destroy that house and bring grief to the members I am all for it but what if it doesn’t work. It would seem a shame to waste an Epic item on those bastards.”

  She was right it would be a waste, but the power of that book and the nature of the Jackass were made for each other. I knew he would not be able to resist the books insults and the negative and angry emotions that it stirred up were undeniable. It would work; I had no doubt about it.