Awaken Online: Dominion

by Travis Bagwell

  I had no idea the game was so popular, Jason thought as he surveyed the hundreds of fans that had come out to support AO. It was one thing to watch a stream online, but to show up at a courthouse to support a video game? That was a much more significant commitment.

  Even as he watched the crowd, Jason overheard a reporter near the barricade, a news drone hovering in the air before him. “It seems the group from Cerillion Entertainment has just arrived. And among them appears to be a young man… Jason Rhodes… the same teenager… arrested two weeks ago in a suspected double homicide… Could this be…”

  Between the shouting crowds and the fact that his group had kept moving, Jason only caught snippets of what the reporter was saying. Yet the conclusion seemed obvious. If people hadn’t drawn the connection between the kid who had killed two teenagers and AO’s up-and-coming villain before – then they were definitely making that connection now. He could see an unusual number of eyes watching him on either side of the barricade.

  Thankfully, the group made it inside quickly, where they were no longer bombarded by shouts and cameras. At that point, Francis gestured for them to draw close. “Okay, from this point on, try to avoid saying anything unless I tell you to.” He stared at Robert at this statement and the engineer simply smirked in response. “You don’t know who may be recording. This includes places like the bathroom. If people try to draw you into a conversation, then ignore them. Got it?”

  Everyone nodded.

  A few moments later, the group made it into the court room. The hallway outside and the entire seating area was already filled to the brim, dozens of eyes following them as they made their way to their seats near the front of the sitting area. Jason soon discovered that George’s security had cordoned off an area for them, and he sat down beside Robert and Claire. The gallery was separate from the floor of the courtroom by a short wall, two tables placed opposite the bench. Francis and George made their way to one of the counsel tables, and Jason noted that Gloria and several members of her staff already occupied the other table.

  For a regulatory hearing, this sure felt like a trial. Maybe it was the courtroom setting or the anxious whispering from the sitting area, but Jason was on edge, his hands worrying at his tie. At least he didn’t see his parents in attendance.

  “Jason,” someone shouted, and he turned to look back at the gallery. He found Riley waving at him, and he smiled slightly. At least someone here was rooting for him – despite how awkward things had been between them lately. He started to wave back and froze.

  Riley had turned to address the young man sitting beside her. He couldn’t have been much older than Jason, sporting sandy hair and a muscular build. Jason noted the way she leaned close to hear what he was saying and the familiar way he placed a hand on her arm. He could feel a heavy weight settle in the pit of his stomach. Maybe this explained why Riley had been acting so odd – perhaps she had simply moved on with someone else. Suddenly, everything made much more sense.

  She was interested in someone else.

  He turned away quickly, not wanting to see Riley and her boyfriend being chummy.

  A hand landed on his shoulder. “You’ll be okay,” Robert said, having taken a seat beside him. He had clearly misinterpreted Jason’s sour expression for worry. Claire was sitting on Jason’s other side, quiet and observing the rest of the gallery with an anxious expression. “This is just a bunch of flash and sizzle,” Robert continued. “George and Francis will take care of the heavy lifting.”

  “For now,” Jason muttered, his eyes fixing on the bench. In some ways, he was looking forward to the start of the hearing now. At least that might distract him from the unwelcome mental image of Riley and her new friend.

  The universe was more than happy to oblige. The door at the back of the room suddenly opened and five suited men and women exited. The room grew quiet as everyone in the gallery focused on the group. The senators took up seats behind the bench, which had been adjusted to accommodate the larger group. A man sat in the center, his hair a speckled gray and brown and spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose. He had the chiseled, smooth jawline of a politician. The senator adjusted the materials on the tabletop in front of him before turning his attention to the rest of the room.

  “Alright, I suppose we can get started,” he said, addressing the room. “For those of you who are unfamiliar with me, my name is James Lipton.” He then proceeded to introduce each of the senators seated around him one by one. “Together we form the regulatory committee that oversees the CPSC and several other regulatory bodies.”

  He paused to let that sink in. “The objective of this committee is to protect public safety and to consider complaints against consumer products that may represent an undue danger to the general public. Specifically, we are here to discuss the game Awaken Online and the related virtual reality hardware and software involved with its use – including the game’s AI controller. This is not a forum for grandstanding or personal vindication,” he added, glancing at Gloria as he made this comment before turning his attention back to the sitting area.

  “We realize that AO has become immensely popular both with the general population and among public interest groups who feel that the technology in the game overreaches,” the senator continued. “Let me be clear to everyone in the gallery. If you disrupt these proceedings, you will be immediately ejected from the premises by court security. No warnings will be given.

  “It’s also important for me to explain at the outset that this will not be a conventional committee hearing. As I’m sure you all have noticed, we are hosting a field hearing since the relevant parties are all located in town. After speaking with everyone involved, we have also opted to let Cerillion Entertainment and the CPSC present their cases and call witnesses – similar to a regular civil proceeding – which means that the senators and I will be taking a more passive role in the questioning process.” At this statement, Jason noticed how the Senator’s eyes flicked to George for a moment.

  Had the CEO called in another favor to make this happen?

  James looked at the men and women to either side of them, receiving curt nods in return – indicating that they were ready to begin. “With that out of the way, let’s get started. As an initial step, we will hear opening arguments from both the director of the CPSC, Gloria Bastion, as well as counsel for Cerillion Entertainment, Francis Rosencrantz. At stake is whether the CPSC shall be permitted to re-open their investigation into AO and its related game system.” The senator glanced at Francis. “Mr. Rosencrantz, you have the floor.”

  Francis rose to his feet slowly. “Thank you, Senator Lipton. And please let me thank the committee for the opportunity to address you.” He received nods from the men and women seated by the bench as he made eye contact.

  “As Senator Lipton mentioned already, we are all here at the behest of Ms. Bastion, who is concerned that Awaken Online and its related VR hardware and software pose a risk to the public. However, what Mr. Lipton omitted was that the CPSC has already extensively reviewed this product in numerous studies spanning the course of several years.

  “Years,” Francis repeated for emphasis.

  “At no point during this process was there any evidence that the virtual reality headset or the game posed a risk to its users. Does the hardware access a user’s mind? Yes. Does it alter a user’s perception of time? Yes. Does it affect the way a person’s mind interprets and stores sensory and other data? Of course, the answer is yes. These are not new issues. Each and every one of them were raised and studied extensively during the previous trials – showing no ill effects to any of the users who participated in those trials.

  “What we do know is that our company has created a revolutionary piece of technology. We have created the first VR environment that is nearly indistinguishable from real life. On top of that, I daresay that we have improved on our reality by providing an extended perception of time – again, something that was studied extensively during the previous tria
ls.”

  “This technology has taken off like a wild fire,” Francis continued, gesturing at the gallery behind him. “The turnout today is proof of that. Not only does this technology not cause any harm, only a month after release it is already beloved by millions of gamers.”

  Francis shook his head sadly. “And yet here we are. After years of testing and the overwhelming popularity of this product, why are we unearthing these same issues again?” He glanced at Gloria’s table, adjusting his glasses with a finger.

  “The answer is simple. Fear. Fear is a useful emotion, motivating us toward caution and preparation. Yet it can also be irrational, causing us to chase our tail needlessly and spend hundreds of hours and an exorbitant amount of taxpayer dollars seeking some justification for our personal sense of unease. More than that, it can hamper innovation, threatening a product the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

  Jason noted that Gloria flinched slightly at Francis’ words and he could only wonder why. Perhaps Francis had alluded to her personal vendetta against Jason after what happened with the game master, Florius? That didn’t seem quite right, though.

  “The testimony and evidence presented over the coming days will show that there is nothing to fear here,” Francis declared. “We will show definitively that this game and its related software and hardware do not pose a risk to the public. Thank you.”

  With that, Francis took his seat. George only spared him a brief glance and kept his expression perfectly neutral. Likely, he knew that he was being carefully scrutinized and the cameras were running.

  “Thank you, Mr. Rosencrantz,” the senator said. “Now we will hear from Ms. Bastion, who represents the CPSC.”

  Gloria took this as her cue, rising from her seat to address the committee. She took a moment, glancing down at the desk as though to marshal her thoughts. She began her opening arguments more casually, almost like she was talking to a friend – striking a much different tone to Francis’ formal presentation.

  “It’s interesting how history repeats itself. We’ve heard those claims before, haven’t we? This product is safe. All of the testing has shown that the product won’t hurt anyone. On top of that, look at how popular it is! People love it!”

  The ordinarily dour woman looked up, meeting the gazes of the committee members. “Nearly a century ago, they said the same thing about tobacco and asbestos. There was no harm. Testing showed no ill effects. It wasn’t until much later that we discovered that the danger was there, but we hadn’t known what to look for. How many people suffered from lung cancer? How many died due to our negligence? Our inability to see past our excitement and look at a product through the lens of the future.

  “Are we overlooking something harmful here with AO and this new virtual reality hardware? With its AI director? Something that might prevent thousands of people from experiencing the same pain and hardship as those before us? Or even something much worse?

  “It is our duty to pose these questions, even if it is inconvenient or entails some additional time and expense,” Gloria insisted. “And I know this duty better than most.” She glanced at Francis, meeting his eyes. “I know this on a personal level.

  “Most of you don’t know me or my history, but it bears mentioning here. My daughter was two years old when she lost her sight. That was nearly twenty years ago.” Gloria smiled sadly, her gaze sweeping back across the gallery. “Many people here probably don’t remember the world back then. This was when the first holographic projectors went to market – we were just experiencing the advent of the technology that would give rise to the Cores that are now strapped to our wrists and our modern pedestals. These products were also being touted as revolutionary. And they were!”

  “However, to a young child, a holographic light show is like a will-o-wisp, some fanciful creature that needs to be touched and ogled. These devices drew in children like moths to the flame. Unfortunately, these original devices also failed to include safeguards for very young children – who didn’t know not to look directly into the projector.”

  “My daughter was among those children,” Gloria continued, her voice becoming slightly ragged and moisture accumulating in her eyes. “As were thousands of others before proper safeguards were put in place. You can’t imagine how much more difficult and painful the lives of those children became due to a mistake – a failure to ask the sort of questions we are tackling today.”

  She paused, trying to collect herself before continuing. “This is why this hearing is important. This is why we try to examine products for issues we haven’t foreseen yet. This is why a single set of tests does not always anticipate every problem.

  “And testing has failed us here. I’ll admit, every trial we ran during our investigation indicated that AO and the related VR technology was safe. We also extensively reviewed the game’s AI director, which almost exclusively governs the game world. However, it wasn’t until the product hit the market and saw more widespread use that the negative effects have become more apparent.”

  Gloria turned to look at Jason, her eyes meeting his. “Do we truly understand the consequences of manipulating our own minds? Are we to believe that granting control of this game system to a new form of AI director will make us safe? Is there any human oversight in this system intended to preserve the wellbeing of the players? Or are our children playing a game governed solely by the “ghost” in the machine?

  “These are the questions we need to pose here. And we can already see the subtle ways that this game and its AI are beginning to corrupt our children. We have one example sitting among us today and it is our duty to take that example to heart – to make certain that something similar does not happen to others.”

  Jason could feel his stomach lurch as Gloria made this statement like a heavy, dead weight had settled there and refused to budge. He was concerned he was going to be sick, and he swallowed against the bile at the back of his throat. It was with growing despair that he listened to her continue.

  “We plan to show that AO and its AI director have corrupted a young man, turning him from an honors student at a prestigious private school to an individual who would spurn his own parents, assault other students, and energetically and enthusiastically commit virtual murder for the public’s amusement. And, when the lines blur even further, even kill flesh and blood people. This is the game that we are all praising! This is the product that Cerillion Entertainment says will change the future!”

  Gloria’s gaze dropped back to the ground, her voice quieting. “I implore you to not let the flashing lights blind you from what’s important – from our duty. Or history is destined to repeat itself, and our descendants will look back on this day and mourn our arrogance. Try to put aside your personal feelings and look to the future as you hear our case – as you hear the story of Jason Rhodes, the self-proclaimed Regent of the Twilight Throne.”

  Chapter 15 - Guilty

  Claire sat alone in her apartment at Cerillion Entertainment, the display on the nearby wall of her living room showing footage from the hearing. The first session had ended several hours ago, and she had gone through the remainder of her duties almost robotically, her mind refusing to focus on her work. She couldn’t stop thinking about the hearing – specifically the look on Jason’s face as he saw the crowds on the courthouse steps and listened to Gloria’s opening statement.

  She sunk forward on the couch, resting her face in her hands and rubbing at her eyes as though that would somehow wipe away the memories – or alleviate the sense of guilt that rested like an almost palpable weight on her shoulders.

  “I did the right thing,” she said firmly, her voice echoing in the empty apartment.

  Claire knew that she was trying to convince herself.

  Before approaching Gloria, things had seemed so clear. Alfred had breached his safety protocols and had gone AWOL, making unilateral changes to the game world, interacting with the players in ways that they had never anticipated, and refusing to communica
te with the development team. It was also clear that he had taken an unusual interest in Jason – although she still couldn’t see what it was about the boy that drew his attention or what he had hoped to accomplish.

  And then there was the night of the break-in – undeniable proof that Alfred had taken a step beyond the pale. He had reached out from the digital world and seized control of Jason’s flesh and blood body. Claire couldn’t see any other way to interpret the data. Alfred had killed two people. Real people that would never come back. It was that act that led her to blowing the whistle to Gloria.

  Yet the consequences of that single decision hung heavy upon her mind.

  Since providing Gloria with the information she had retrieved from Jason’s headset, she had secretly participated in the CPSC’s meetings as they prepared for the regulatory hearing. Gloria expected her to be a key witness at the hearing – formally offering her testimony regarding how the company had failed to act on the anomalies detected both during and after the trials, and how Alfred had influenced and eventually taken over Jason’s body.

  She was Gloria’s secret weapon – the linchpin in the hearing and perhaps the final nail in Cerillion Entertainment’s coffin.

  During those meetings, Claire had also had the opportunity to read the detective’s report from the break-in at Jason’s aunt’s home. It was that report that had thrown the first wrench into her plans. The teenagers had been armed when they entered the home. The pictures showed that they had completely trashed the place, and, by all accounts, Jason could have been grievously injured. He had no self-defense training and was your typical nerdy teenager – clearly incapable of winning in a knife fight against two assailants while unarmed.