Know Thy Enemy

by Dawn Chapman

  The figure walked closer. Drayk almost towered above him, and then he removed his hood. User81 was no more than a boy.

  Drayk turned to Altus. Pain evident on the leader’s face.

  User81 spoke. “Don’t let my stature put you off. I am quite capable of doing any job you throw my way. And possibly more.”

  Drayk knew his stats were good, but this was a kid.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “You’re looking for a human friend.”

  Drayk had his attention pulled back; he moved to almost kneel before the kid, “How did you know that?”

  “I’ve been following progress in the game from a few friends. They said there was something happening. In the north. I needed to be here. So, I got my quest back and was following through with it when I saw Altus put a special on the boards. He used a job name only a few people know. Also, it required payment on two levels to get the info. That was tough going.” the kid turned to Altus. “Nice job there by the way in deception. Only a true player with skills could decipher your true meaning.”

  “Well then I’m glad you’re here,” Altus said.

  Drayk reached for Altus’ hand this time, squeezed it. “I trust you, but a kid, a human kid no matter his level. I have to admit I’m nervous. I really don’t know what I’m doing here. Drei really won’t like it.”

  “I know, but let’s hear him out.”

  Drayk nodded, allowing Altus to move forward, following User81 into the village.

  Drayk was the one to fill in User81. The kid sat and listened before he spoke.

  “Your human friend is Pierce Hunt, yes? Best of the best? Trained killer, soldier on the forefront of finding and securing our species a new home. Keeping our alien friends off our backs. If they have him away somewhere in the real world, and you don’t know where that is, I’ve a few tricks I can use to try and locate him.”

  He stood, removed his cloak, revealing metallic hands and arms.

  “I was supposed to meet Pierce a few days before the event, but he cancelled. He’s a hero of mine. Pretty darned funny if I turn out to be the hero he needs. I’ll do what I need to. I want to help. I’ll tell no one, use all my resources, and funds.”

  Drayk sighed. He hoped this’d work. “You can find his friend, Wayne, in his world pretty easy then I guess?”

  User81 smiled, “I know where Wayne eats his breakfast. Everyone does; he’s like clockwork. Wouldn’t be surprised if they really don’t suspect him, but actually, I think he’s darned smart. That precise routine is what’ll keep him and Pierce alive. That is why Wayne does it; he looks kooky, but he’s way above everyone’s level in intelligence.”

  Drayk moved to the door, palmed a computer station. “Do you believe me about the nanites?”

  The kid nodded, “I can’t read any of your stats. You’re not in the game. I think that’s something we can use to our advantage as well. These nanites, do you think I can take some? Put them in my blood, so we have direct communication?”

  Drayk nodded, “I’ve been working on a third master nanite. Yes, I think this is possible, I am not sure how it ‘d transfer from your avatar though.”

  The kid tapped his eyepiece, “They’re not watching me. I’m an assassin, also mostly under their radar. They know I’m in their game but they don’t know I’m here with you. I’ve a friend who had my duplicate eyepiece over in a different city, so there’s no way they can see me here. This is the way in. Your master nanite has to travel through with me and my consciousness in the tech transfer when I close down my system, or I die. I’m not too happy about dying at the minute. There’s a lot of loot and goodies I’ve not stored, but maybe if you keep them here for me, I’ll be able to come back and get them after. I think this village is going to be the place to see these next adventures out. Don’t you think?”

  The kid could sure talk. That scared Drayk; he knew a lot more about the game than Pierce even did. Did it mean he knew about Leenz and the Araratian resistance?

  Drayk wanted to ask, but lots of time for that. “Let’s get to the labs, then see about getting this master installed.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll place my belongings in your trust,” he said, passing his bag over to Altus. I think you’re trustworthy enough.”

  Altus took the bag, noted its weight. “I’ll make sure it’s safe; no one’ll touch it.”

  “Good. That’s my ticket to keeping my family in their home.”

  “I’d not see anyone out of profit, and we’d recompense you either way.” Altus smiled. “You’ve a very old head on your shoulders, kid,” he mused. “But I happen to like you and your enthusiasm.”

  User81 turned with a smile. “That comes with learning. Wanting the best for you and your family, as it looks like what you also want for yours, this village. I have to inform you there’s some scouts on the lookout for ways to get into the village before the raid. You need to be doubling your outpost’s guard.”

  “I think that’s something I can do if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. I skirted a few, and they were big. A hundred men or more, trying their best to be silent but they weren’t. They broke up half the forest with their stupid meandering feet. They also have many more weapons. I’ll go through them with your master at arms, if you like.”

  The computer systems in the main room hummed and buzzed. Leenz had wanted to be there, but Drayk had managed to persuade her not to come in early. He wasn’t sure she would comply, but she did.

  Once the kid was in the chamber, suspended in the air, Drayk started the process to implant the nanites. There wouldn’t be just one. He had to give the master something to command, so that meant that this human kid would be getting the upgrade of a lifetime.

  “Your stats will alter later. Not sure if that lets the authorities in your world know about it or not, but let’s hope not. I think they’d have noticed if Pierce used them, but they didn’t. I’ve had basic messages which means there’s something still able to pass over and through the programming.”

  User81 nodded, pulled his sleeve over his arms. “I think these’ll help, as do the internal metal components of Pierce’s legs.”

  Drayk had considered this but then thrown it away. Now it made much more sense.

  “Let’s get this started.”

  He moved through the systems at a great pace and met the new master. Looking at the mech face-to-face, he nodded to it. “We’re in sync.” He spoke clearly for Altus and User81 to hear. “I just need a way into your skin.” Altus keyed in the codes for that, and the panel slid out from the chamber and opened up to reveal a needle.

  That was when User81 said, “I really don’t like needles!” He closed his eyes.

  Drayk proceeded to the brain stem and implanted some interfaces, so he could see and hear everything that User81 did.

  “How does it feel?” Drayk asked.

  “Weird. Almost like I have someone else in here with me. Are they totally sentient?”

  “No, they’re programmed, but they’ll take orders from you as you learn their commands. Just like you would in the game, there’s different levels if you need anything. You also have direct chatter to my master, and me.”

  User81 whistled, “This is the best upgrade anyone could have. I think they’re already doing stuff.”

  Drayk laughed, “Yes, they are.” They’ll fix any tiny elements which aren’t quite right, but sorry, before you ask, no they’d never be able to do anything else over your arms.”

  User81 let out a sigh. “So, I guess I have to die?”

  Altus helped him back out of the chamber. “I am afraid so. We can make it a simple death. You’ll just go to your spawn point.”

  “No, I don’t want that. I think I still need to learn how to die with dignity. Is there someone I can fight against? Maybe, at least I can improve my skills, learn how to work these babies? I can’t leave your system yet ‘til we’re sure they’re all working and in sync.”

  “Good point,” Altus sai
d, “I’ll message Leenz. I think she’s the best one to aid us here.”

  “You think she can kill a kid?”

  “No, not just kill a kid, but help him improve more. I think she’ll be the only one I can get to do so without worrying it’ll affect their mental health.”

  “I agree. She’s the elder in here.”

  “You’ve got an elder? Like a true Araratian?” The kid’s eyes lit up. And Drayk had no choice but to tell the truth.

  “Yes, we do. She’s royal.”

  “Wow.” His smile couldn’t have gotten any bigger. The kid looked up at Drayk, and his grin faded, serious now. “You’ve no idea… I’ll be here, no matter what, if you need it. I’ve many friends who’ll come, too.”

  Altus swallowed, “You’ve got human friends who’ll help?”

  “Hey, I’m not just a kid you know! I was second to be in this game if Pierce didn’t cut it. It’d have been me who disappeared…”

  “I wonder if that would be true,” Altus said. “Thank you. Let’s get Pierce, and let’s get everyone around him who cares about him to safety.”

  The kid held out a hand. Drayk took it; so did Altus, “We’re in agreement then. There’s a lot of people who think he’s dead. They shouldn’t think he’s dead; they were counting on him. I’m going to have to leak that info.”

  “You’re a huge advantage for us, a very much needed support for him and for Drayk.”

  “I see how we’re all connected now. There’s something else going on, but I’ll wait. You’ll tell me all when there is time. For now, this Araratian Royal needs to kill me.”

  “So, I think we’re done,” Drayk said. Glancing to Altus he nodded, “To the training room then and one last battle for User81. When he is in the real world and he comes back into the game he’ll be a User/Player no more. He’ll be something else, something I don’t think any of us will have seen yet.”

  “The transformation in game will be totally different from mine. Or Pierce’s when he finally gets back here.”

  “We’re still watching, learning what all this tech does to us, and that’s scary,” Altus said.

  The kid reached out, placed a hand on Altus’ shoulder, “I know. I can see that, but don’t worry. I think we’re all leaning in the right direction. This doesn’t feel bad. It feels right. I’ve felt some bad stuff in-game in the last few weeks. This, for once, has the feel of something finally coming to a head.”

  Chapter Forty

  Drayk

  Drayk entered the training room with Altus and User81 in tow. Leenz was punching and slicing her way through several pretend dummies.

  She looked to Drayk, then to the kid. “This is who’ll save Pierce?” She actually ran at him and placed the blade to Drayk’s throat. “You’re kidding me. This child is going to be our saviour?”

  Drayk choked. He felt blood trickle down his throat, but he didn’t move or panic. He held her gaze. She wouldn’t really hurt him.

  Altus was the one to pull her off. “Check his stats, Leenz,” he growled.

  Leenz whirled around to the kid and used her form of inspection on him. Then her eyes widened. “I had no idea humans could train or grow so well! How long have you been in the game?”

  “From the beginning.” He leaned against a table, checking out the weapons there.

  She frowned, but she let Drayk go properly, now fully interested.

  “Okay, so you want a fight to the death?” She looked to Altus who nodded his approval.

  “I guess so.” The kid looked up all doe-eyed and yet grinning. “This is what Drayk tells me. To get the new programming sealed in the real world, I have to go through a respawn, the…”

  Drayk took over. “I believe the interface takes a reprogram, so the new codes can’t settle inside the game until they are planted, sealed. This only happens after death.”

  “I think that sounds very weird, but I trust you. I want Pierce back.” Her eyes faltered, “I’m still not 100% happy that you expect me to fight and kill a child though.”

  “You’re the only one who’d be able to without repercussions.”

  Leenz moved away and bounced her weapons in her hands. “You okay with melee I guess.”

  User81 nodded, moved to the side. “I can pick any of these?” he asked Altus.

  Altus nodded, “She’s already got hers on show. Choose anything you want.”

  User81 picked up a set of Kildros daggers. This moved Drayk. They were hard to fight against another with if you weren’t skilled.

  The battle began. User81 whirled and twirled, giving Leenz hell, cursing and laughing more. Cursing as he got in tiny stabs and slits here and there. She couldn’t even get close to him Despite her being older, more trained. His stature skills were off the charts already.

  Panting, now sore, she looked to Drayk and frowned. “I’m not sure I can win this.” Then she used that to her advantage when User81 came in for a strike. Leenz turned herself, dropped low, struck out. It was indeed a killing blow to the kid’s chest.

  He looked dumbfounded, but he grinned, reaching for his chest as she pulled out her sword. “Nice play, Leenz, nice play.” User81 choked blood up. “I’ll respawn outside the city of Grolina,” he said to Altus, “I’ll start to make my way back here in the game but that’s not my goal.” He collapsed as blood seeped through his tunic.

  Leenz, already at his side, supported him, tears running down her face. “I’ve faith in your skills, youngster. You’ll not let us down,” she said.

  User81 spluttered, tried to smile, but then his face fell. Within a few seconds, he had vanished.

  Altus coughed, as Drayk looked to him, “That kid had much more than I thought in his bag; he’ll come back for that alone.”

  Drayk looked to the door, back to the labs. “We need to follow this and him and see what happens.”

  The three of them ran, Leenz dropping her blood-stained knives, rubbing her hands down her clothes.

  Once in the lab, an instant view: a room full of teen things. Then it moved as the view changed. “I’m not going to give a running commentary,” the young man said.

  And then Drayk saw it; the room was User81’s. His real name splattered all over the trophies on his wall. Then Drayk also saw the different sets of gloves he could put on, several pairs.

  Drayk wanted to explore the room, to learn more of humans, but Max didn’t. He was up and moving out of the room. “Can I talk internally?” Max asked.

  Drayk picked up Pierce’s headset, speaking into it, “Yes, you’ve no need to speak aloud.”

  “Good. Though I was gonna start sounding crazy to my mam again. She thinks I am anyway.”

  Drayk laughed, “What’s the plan?”

  Max checked the time. “If I’m right, Wayne’ll be in the diner across the city in a few hours. It’ll take me a while to get some things in place to meet him. I need to see two friends in the lower slums; they’ll have the facilities Pierce needs.”

  “Will they help you?”

  “If they want to see us win this game, then yes, they’ve been fighting for him, wanting this as long as I have. You’ll see.”

  The view changed as they left the house and the kid placed a mask over his face. Drayk took in a breath, also feeling the hot, stagnant air through his system’s connection to Max.

  “The air there’s horrid,” he said. “I don’t know how you do it. How you breathe through that?”

  “We’ve no choice; the planet’s just surviving. We’ve got O2 plantations all over to help, but they can’t keep the population in clean air. It’s pumped into the cities’ ducts, into the posher places, like where Pierce lives. But us lot…” Max turned, allowed them all to see through his eyes the place he’d just left: grotty, ruined walls. Everything to see, the good and bad.

  The kid pointed far to his left. “My other friends used to live there, but they were O2 dependants. Pipes failed. They suffocated … sometime last year.”

  Drayk coughed. Altus said his s
orry.

  Leenz leaned and whispered into the mic. “Your planet is in a bad way, but maybe the right way to do this is not to fight.”

  Drayk reached for her. If only it were true. Leenz’s eyes met his, “We’ll make it true, no matter how long it takes. She promised them all. “People can’t live like that.”

  Drayk squeezed her hand. “I know. I didn’t know or believe it at first. But you’re right; we’ll do this.”

  The kid started walking again, quickly. Although his breathing came to them laboured, he didn’t let up his pace. He moved for an hour and eventually got on a tube-like train which took them further away from his home.

  Deeper into the city’s slums Max rode. “This’ll be the biggest test, they’re not expecting me, won’t have thought I’d respawned. They were waiting on their cut of loot. So, Altus if you can get them some funds, I’d appreciate it.”

  Altus nodded to Drayk, “Whatever they need they’ll have. Don’t worry. We’ll cover it.”

  Max moved off the tube. He walked several streets before turning off into an alley. One with alley guards. The bigger of the two approached with a frown on his face.

  “Max, a little early, aren’t you? Bobby won’t be expecting you.”

  Max looked up at the well-built guy. “But she’s gonna want to know this, so best go fetch her, hadn’t you?”

  Max waited patiently until a woman came into view up ahead. Petite, pretty, with long black hair tied back tight.

  “This early, our funds aren’t due for a week.”

  “We’d better go somewhere we can talk,” Max said. “I don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Time is something none of us have.” She motioned for him to join her and headed to a transport car. “This is about the safest place. My men aren’t happy you came early.”

  Max moved to get inside, but in his ear, Drayk warned, “Sure you’re not going to get murdered?”

  Max laughed, muttering low, “Na, been here before. Bobby just doesn’t like surprises.”

  When they stepped into the vehicle, Drayk got a look at some human world tech. Much more primitive than he expected, even from the Araratians. How strange.