The walls of the room were draped with hanging rugs with pink and white flower designs. The center of the room had a queen-sized bed with a pink canopy.
Priest’s yawn was cut short at the sight of two elven women, Sena and Gem. They had draped cloth over the figure of a full body mannequin.
“Oh, sorry,” Priest said. “Wrong room.”
“Oh, no,” Sena said. “This is the right room. Have a seat. We’ll be with you in a moment. We’ll need you for the final measurements.”
Gem leaned back on the bed smiling.
Chapter 30:
MedBay 5
Priest blinked hard to adjust his eyes to the harsh white light of the room. A flood of body aches seeped into reality. He felt a squeezing heat on his forearm, “Ahhhh, what the—”.
He looked down and saw MedTech Fallon’s shiny white bald head and medical goggles at his right arm.
The MedTech rolled his eyes, “Priest. This is a noninvasive blood check. Even babies feel no pain. Aren’t you Game Masters supposed to be tough multiverse operatives? How is it that you are shocked every time? You tear up every time.”
“I’m not crying,” Priest protested. “It’s the dust in here. Maybe you should clean.”
The MedTech laughed, “It’s a clean room, a completely controlled environment—”
“Whatever, Fallon. Hurry up would ya? I got quests to do,” Priest said unplugging electrodes and moving away electromagnetic coils from his scalp and neck. He yanked his arm away and rubbed the so-called “non-invasive” irritated skin injury.
“Just a couple more readings…aaaand, ok, all done,” MedTech Fallon began disengaging pod outlets that pulled away in a sickening wet pop as the suctions separated from Priest’s body.
Priest walked across the room where there were two pods that held a girl and a man. The man was a tall, dark-skinned youth, Brent Stokes. The young lady looked like a 12-year-old replica of his ex-wife, a thin, mocha-skinned girl with long black hair. Her name was Angel Kali, his ex-wife’s little sister. He put his hands on the oval glass of their pods. They’d been there for six months. It might as well be a casket. He let out a long shuddering breath and swallowed hard. He leaned against Angel Kali’s pod and stared at her young face. She had been one of the youngest players to get through the Game Master Corps qualification course, a system prodigy. Too young to be in this situation. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes tight. He bowed his head against interwoven fingers.
“We’ll get ‘em back,” the MedTech said putting a hand on his shoulder.
Priest nodded, “How are they doing?”
“No change,” the tech replied.
“We might be closer to a solution,” Pries said. “I got my powers back.” He walked over to a communication terminal.
“Really?” The MedTech followed him to the other side of the room. “How?”
“I don’t know. I-I went through a portal. Next thing I knew I had my class, abilities, and role back,” Priest said typing in a number and getting a chime.
“I thought you tried that with the developers. What kind of portal?” the tech asked.
“A portal to a previously unmapped Universal Set. Dee was right. I don’t know how he figured it out, but this was the portal to a previously undiscovered Universal Set,” a holographic display popped up on the terminal. D-6174’s bored face appeared in the display.
“Priest McKenna, greetings,” the developer’s monotone voice had no indication of a greeting. “I don’t see your avatar in Universal Set .0001 and you are contacting me from offline. Have you died in game?”
“Dee,” Priest smiled. “I made it to a new Universal Set. I got my powers back.”
“Really. Interesting,” Dee said sounding completely uninterested. “How did this occur?”
“Remember how you told me not to go to Lady Blades?” Priest said. “I went to Lady Blades.”
“And she greeted you with open arms and forgiveness?” Dee asked.
“She captured me and our group, had her gang of killers walk us through a portal at gunpoint and almost got us all killed,” Priest said.
Dee nodded, “Never would have guessed. Sooo, you’re dead now or…”
“We escaped…” Priest said. “kind of. I mean, not all of us escaped. As of right now, my avatar is sleeping with elven concubines. And I got my powers back!”
“Sleeping with elven concubines got you your power back?” Dee cocked his head. “I wouldn’t have thought to try that—”
“No, man.” Priest laughed. “Look, I am going after a lost portal. I want to know if you’re interested in being a part of the mission. I could use a developer.”
“Priest, I would be happy to help,” Dee said. “But I would have to get permission to get to you. And I have no means of getting to you even if I knew where—”
“Nooo. No.” Priest shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. I am going to come to you. I’m going to have the Game Master Corps reassign us to find a lost portal. Then they’ll give us resources and we’ll figure this all out.”
Dee shook his head, “Priest McKenna, if you have your powers back, then there is no need to risk going into a lost portal. Our quest was to find out about your power and now you have it back.”
“Dee…” Priest looked away and bit his lip, “Something I gotta tell you, man…” He let out a deep sigh. “When I went through the portal I…” Priest swallowed hard then continued. “We lost a couple of members of our team.”
Priest detached the egg-shaped display unit from its cradle and moved around the room to the two pods in the chamber. “Dee, these are my friends. They got stuck in that lost portal. They’ve been in a coma ever since.” Priest pleaded, “...I need to find them which means I gotta get to a lost portal.”
D-6174 was silent, “Why didn’t you tell me, Priest McKenna? I risked a lot by helping you.”
“I know, Dee. I’m sorry. I was afraid you wouldn’t help me… because of the risk associated with all of this,” the line went dead revealing a three-dimensional square of static. “Dee? Dee...”
Priest slapped the egg, “Dee?!”
“I think he hung up,” the MedTech said.
“No. Must have a bad connection,” Priest looked at the egg display then back at his two comatose partners. He tossed the egg to the MedTech. “Bad connection. Get that pod prepped and ready. I’m going back in soon. Gotta go talk to the boss.”
The glass and steel doors parted as Priest walked out of the MedBay. He made his way down the hall of the Game Master medical facility hall. He did not notice the people eyeing his ass through translucent skin rejuvenating tights as he power walked down the hall in a medical gown that was exposed in the back.
Chill jazz played on the on the Mitsubishi elevator capsule on his way up to the top floor. A tall exec standing behind him adjusted her glasses and quietly took a picture of Priest’s ample tanned assets with a simple squeeze of the frame. He got off the elevator on the top floor of tower 12 and walked passed a protesting secretary.
The secretary grabbed him by the shoulder. Secretary Jons Benton looked like a cybernetic MMA fighter. He was a ridiculous 6’6 with a thick square looking jaw modification that was in fashion, “No. Sir.” Secretary Jons’ deep voice rumbled through him, “Madame Giordano is in a meeting.”
Priest was on one knee enduring the pain from the vice-like grip bending his collar bone like a hover-bike clutch lever.
Priest strained to speak, “bwwaahah. Boss! I just need a min—”
The tall oak doors to the main office cracked open. A short blue haired woman in a tailored suit peeked out. “Mr. Benton, what’s all that—” She took one look at Priest and sighed in resignation. She walked back toward the office, “get rid of him.”
Chapter 31:
Director Giordano’s Advice
Mr. Benton picked Priest up like he was a child. “No. Wait,” Priest squeaked. “I got my powers back… give me a minute, boss.”
“Powers back?” Madame Giordano stepped out and shut the office doors behind her, “When?”
Mr. Benton put Priest down and smoothed the rumple shoulders of his gown.
“Recently,” Priest smiled.
Madame Giordano grinned and gave him a hug, “That is great news. So, you’ll be discharged!”
“No,” Priest smiled. “I want to stay, boss.”
Giordano released and pushed him away in disgust. Mr. Benton had his shoulder in the vice hand again, “What do you mean you want to stay? If you’re system-ready, you need to go back to ops!” Her eyes widened. The wider her eyes got the tighter Mr. Benton’s grip got.
Priest was in agony from the fingers digging into his shoulder, “Aaaarrgghhh. Boss, please give me a chance to rescue my friends.”
Giordano shook her head, “Priest, I am NOT your boss. I’m the director of the GM medical facility. I don’t direct ops.” She straightened her collar. Benton’s grip lightened up. “And besides Kiera Kali is on that quest. So, don’t worry about it. She’s more than capable.”
“Kiera?!” Priest’s brow furrowed. “She stabbed me in the lounge in front of at least ten witnesses. She butchered my avatar and almost killed me when we didn’t even know if I could ever respawn. I should have pressed charges. But I am merciful. I forgave her. She’s turned into a serial player killer. Did you know that? And she just captured me and my entire group. I don’t know why you guys gave her a GM role. That lost portal gave her some serious PTSD! She is not stable, boss. I am the Game Master for this job…”
Priest shook his head, “Wait, how did you know Kiera is on that quest? I thought you weren’t doing GM ops.”
Giordano said nothing. She looked away for a split second.
“Wait-a-minute,” Priest said. “The Game Master Corps allowed you to head the Lost Portal Quest, haven’t they?”
Giordano’s stone face said it all.
“Boss, come on,” Priest pleaded. “I can do this. You need me.”
Giordano sighed, “Priest, you need to stand down. I don’t know if you knew this, but the Corps has considered taking away your role.”
“Take my role?” Priest tried to move toward her but was locked in place in Benton’s iron grip. Her words hurt more than that bone cracking grip. He felt betrayed. “I am one of the... best. I mean, yea, I push the boundaries but that’s what we need. Someone who is willing to push the boundaries. Someone willing to take risks, right?”
Madame Giordano frowned, “Priest, take my advice. Lay low. Do not interfere with Kiera’s mission. If anyone can get Angel Kali, Bret Stoke and maybe even Cryptic back, it’s her. If she is successful, she’ll get your brother and all the others back. We now have 11 servicemen in a coma, possibly trapped in the game. This is very serious. You could lose your GM role if you interfere. Now, I want you to go back and pack your things. We’ll discharge you from the medical facility. You’ve done enough.”
Priest watched Giordano walk back into her office. His shoulder slumped out of Benton’s grip. He turned and shuffled back to the elevator.
Chapter 32:
Nothing to Lose
Priest returned to MedBay 5 to pack his things. He’d have to move back to another part of the Game Master Corps campus. More than likely that would be the operations sector where he’d be given menial quests fulfilling no overall mission. Back to the scavenger runs? Or maybe he’d be stripped of his GM role. Maybe he’d be sent to a permanent duty station in the Universal Set Staging area babysitting spoiled civilian gamers who were content with concocting new hedonistic worlds of pleasure with dumb AIs and no sentient NPCs. Being stationed at New Niagara Falls wouldn’t be so bad. Many Vets did well after leaving the Corps. He might be able to get a job as a contract gamer in the safe zones within the system.
MedTech Fallon came into MedBay 5, “Got the pod prepped. How long will you be inside?”
“Giordano says I’ll be discharged,” Priest said pulling shirts from the lower shelf of his locker.
The MedTech looked over at Priest and shook his head, “No, I haven’t received anything about your discharge.” He went to his comm. terminal and swiped, “Nope. Nothing. I’m your primary care unit. Discharge is not actually initiated until I put in the formal request.”
The terminal chimed, and MedTech Fallon swiped to take the call, “MedBay 5, MedTech Fallon on duty. May I help you?”
“Hello, MedTech Fallon,” said a monotone voice. “This is Developer 6174. I am looking for Game Master 343. He goes by his given name, Priest McKenna.”
MedTech Fallon tossed the egg-shaped holo-projector to Priest. A disembodied voice came from the device.
“Priest McKenna…” Dee said. “I’ve decided to join your quest. But you have to tell me all the details. Don’t leave anything out. No more manipulation. Especially, if you expect me to keep taking on these additional risks.”
Priest was silent for a moment, “Hey, Dee.” Priest looked at the pods housing his friends. “Sorry, that dragged you into all this. Director Giordano is not going to support me. And she made it clear that the GMC will definitely not support me. They’ve tasked Kiera… ‘Lady Blades’, to do it. She says I am going to be discharged from the medical unit. And... I might even lose my GM role. She told me not to interfere with the Lost Portal quest. I’m just packing up and getting ready to move back to Ops. Not sure what will happen over there, but thanks for all your help, man.”
D-6174 displayed his face, “If they’re taking away your role soon, then it sounds to me like you have nothing to lose doing this one last mission.”
“Nothing to lose?” the MedTech said. “How about a coma?”
Dee continued, “As I said, I’ll help you but you have to be straight with me… and… I want to walk through that portal.”
Priest walked over to his comatose friends and shook his head, “Dee, that’s too dangerous. I won’t allow you to—”
“Priest McKenna,” Dee interrupted. “You must understand that for a developer, there is no greater mission than determining the source of the multiverse simulation. The source may answer the age-old philosophical question of WHY life came to be. I think that the answers may lie within one of these lost portals that have been appearing. You are one of two who has ever returned. I am willing to risk my life to understand this system. I will do this with you.”
Priest smiled, “Well, I’m flattered, Dee.”
“Don’t be,” D-6174 replied. “My first choice would be Kiera Kali, but I don’t want to be stabbed to death.”
Priest stared at Bret Stokes and then at Angel Kali, “I took my team through the lost portal and I wasn’t supposed to. We were tasked with guarding it to make sure no one else went through. Fox… my brother, Phaze6, had a lost portal key and he walked through. I wanted to increase my status as a GM so I decided to go through… At the time I didn’t know that lost portals were putting people in a coma. We didn’t know anything about lost portals. They are so rare that they don’t even teach it in GMC basic training. I mean, yeah, there is a protocol that say don’t go through, report and wait… that’s it. But who the hell abides by protocols, amIright?”
“Everybody except you, apparently,” MedTech Fallon said.
“What happened once you got inside?” Dee asked.
Priest looked at Dee, “I don’t remember. Kiera and I woke up back in Universal Set .0001 with no memory of what happened inside. All we knew was that our memory was gone and our team was gone. Had our weapons on us. Had Phaze6’s broken portal gun. And for some reason, I couldn’t use my powers. Dee, I didn’t see code within the lost portal. I don’t remember anything. This whole situation has done nothing but mess up my life. I wish I never went through that portal. My plan was to find that portal and go back through to find Angel Kali, my brother, Stokes, Cryptic and the others who may still be inside. I don’t have resources. The Game Master Corps will almost definitely take away my role if I do this. I don’t even know what will happen if I do go thro
ugh that portal again if I find it. Do you still want to join me?”
“Yes.” Dee said, “But do you have a way to get from the universe you’re in back to Universal Set .0001. Without support from the Developers or the Game Master Corps, we will have to find our own way to get around.”
“Kiera has a database of the lost portals… Giordano must have given it to her... not sure how I can get it from her yet. And Samantha is a portal mage. She has a portal gun. I just have to find her. Then help her level up,” Priest said.
“What do you mean ‘FIND’ her?” Dee asked. “Isn’t she there with you?”
“We believe she’s in the same town… we think she’s in jail,” Priest said looking up at the ceiling and tapping his chin.
“Excuse me?” Dee said. “Did you say your portal mage is in jail?”
“I’ve got a plan,” Priest said. “Don’t worry. We’ll be in and out.”
Dee put a palm on his face, “Anyway, we can’t send messages between Universal Sets. But we can send messages through the MedBay. You’ll have to log off from time to time,” D-6174 said.
Priest looked at the MedTech, “Can you delay submitting my discharge?”
“Well,” Fallon said. “I still have to run some checks on you to make sure you’re system-ready. That will take me as long as a day or two. After that, it’s at my discretion… unless Giordano tells me to submit the papers. Giordano is not your biggest fan, Priest. You’ve been too vocal…”
“Ok,” Priest said. “Delay it as long as you can.”
Priest and Dee stared at Fallon who slowly nodded and looked over at the comatose patients.
Priest slapped the MedTech on the back, “Ok, hook me up. I’m going in. I’ve got portal mages to train, portals to find and elves to fondle.”
Back in the game, Mela was shaking his avatar awake, “Priest! Priest,” she said. “Priest, wake up. We have a problem.”
Priest opened his eyes and propped himself up, “What? What’s going on?”
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