The Goddess Quest

by Lawrence Ambrose

  Brandon backed off, but Brad stayed put. He responded to Bran's mean looks with a raised hand. Brandon scowled and turned away, heading toward the main parking lot. Brad edged into the unoccupied space until he was front and center with her.

  "You're still here," said Alex.

  "Yeah," he said. "I just wanted to say something to you without, you know, your friend here." He cleared his throat like a truck changing gears. "I wanted to say that I was wrong to give you an ultimatum. I had no right to ask you to change your whole life when we're just starting to know each other. I was just being lazy – and trying to pressure you. So I'm taking it back."

  Alex regarded him as she might a dubious puzzle.

  "I'm willing to put in the time," Brad said. "To be patient. I'm not going anywhere. I wanted you to know that."

  "Brad, I'm a half-frozen corpse..." She trailed off with a laugh. "You're not a necrophile, by any chance, are you?" Alex affected a hopeful look.

  "Heh, ah, no, but whatever it takes."

  "You've found the perfect girl to nobly sacrifice yourself to."

  "You're not going to bully me out of loving you."

  Brad appeared as surprised as Alex was.

  "Wow," she said. "Relationship words to live by."

  "Well, uh, that didn't come out quite right." He offered her a strained laugh and smile. "It's just you're always saying or implying I'm a wuss. So I'm saying you're not going to scare me away, Alexandra."

  Alex didn't want to say anything encouraging. But she was fresh out of discouraging. So she contented herself by regarding him with a droll poker face.

  "Anyway," he said, "I'll stop bugging you. But please know I'll always be there if you need me."

  Alex raised a limp hand in acknowledgment. Brad stooped forward and kissed her softly on the cheek. Man. Dude was so fucking sweet he triggered an insulin reaction.

  Brad departed with a plenitude of backward longing glances. Alex sighed and resumed slumping on the park bench. After a while, she noticed a young bearded guy in a business suit perched on a nearby bike rack, arms folded across his chest, eyeing Alex with a sardonic, conspiratorial smile, as if he knew something damaging about her.

  What the fuck? Yet another dude about to hit on her? Apparently, without noticing, she'd become a Mary Sue.

  The bearded dude straightened up and sauntered over to her. His hair and neatly trimmed beard glowed with gold specks as the sun hit his face. His features were even and clean – like an archetype of a nice-looking guy, the dude next door, an amalgam of every sweet and sexy regular guy – fit, but not overbuilt, tall, but not too tall, handsome, but not in your face. His blue eyes twinkled, for God's sake. He reminded Alex of the stereotypic "Aryan Jesus" – golden skin, soul-eyed, aquiline nose, firm-jawed, finely featured – who adorned so many WASP home and church walls.

  He stood before her as if he knew her, and as if she certainly should know him. Alex opened her mouth and closed it. Damned if she'd speak first, unless she could think of something intelligent to say. But the dude just smiled and stood with his hands clasped in front of him as if he were content to stand there all day.

  Okay, so let's say I should know him. Who, logically, could he be?

  One possibility slapped her in the face. The instant the thought formed, she knew it was true. It had to be.

  "I thought you'd be taller," she said. "And less Jesus-like."

  The golden-bearded guy chuckled.

  "Hello, Alex." He thrust out his hand. "Albert Owen."

  Alex rose, rather shakily, and grasped his hand.

  "I'm glad you accepted my challenge," he said.

  "As if I had a choice."

  "But you did have a choice." A puzzled frown transformed into a smile. "Oh, you're speaking metaphorically. Unless you're a hard determinist."

  "You'll need to be quicker on the uptake if you want to have a chance against me. And incidentally, you have no chance against me."

  "That's why I chose you. I could not devise an algorithm that predicted your behavior. And I dedicated hundreds of petabytes to that project."

  "I guess I really do contain multitudes. I'd wondered if that was just my ego talking."

  "I also find your sense of humor hard to predict."

  Alex released his hand. She peered into his deep, shining, blue eyes.

  "I find a lot of things about me hard to predict, too," she said. "Except one: I'm going to kick your digital ass."

  GLOSSARY

  AFIRM: Ares Full Immersion Recreation Module, featuring a REM-induction capability.

  Akrasia: (Also Magic World.) A sword and sorcery VR world featuring a society of "civilized monsters."

  Alpha: Number one ranked gamer in the Omniverse.

  AlphaOmega: Or AO. The Omniverse's A.I overseer, recently created in conjunction with Google.

  Amazon Worlds: Amazon, Inc.'s main VR platform.

  Goddess Quest: The story's main quest. A singular quest consisting of five stages occurring within Reality One, the object of which is a drink conferring godlike powers and an unprecedented cash award.

  Apex Level. (Apex.) Highest ranking category in the Omniverse. Top 50.

  Apprentice Rank: Below 1,000,000.

  Avatar: Representation of a person in a virtual reality setting.

  Avatar Binding: In Omniverse Reality Level One, when an avatar is in confinement or has been sentenced by law to confinement, the inability of the avatar's owner to participate in that reality via alternate avatars.

  Avatar Owner: (Usually "owner".) Person inhabiting/directing an avatar.

  Checking In: (Or check in, checked in.) Establishing a conscious connection with an avatar.

  Checking Out: (Or check out, checked out.) Withdrawing conscious connection with an avatar.

  Default Avatar Setting: (DAS.) In the Omniverse, all avatars, regardless of sex or type, start with the same strengths and capabilities, based roughly on a human average. Additional capabilities can only be acquired by purchase or game awards.

  Department of Space Exploration And Colonization: (Usually simply SEAC, pronounced "seek.") The Parallel United States Government agency responsible for space exploration and colonization of planetary bodies. Replaced NASA shortly after the Apollo Missions.

  Discovery Stage: A stage in a quest where a central puzzle must be solved before proceeding to another stage or the game's conclusion.

  Doppelganger: (Or Ganger). An Avatar not under conscious control.

  Droid: A gamer who parasitically leaches off the skills and talents of other gamers.

  Duel: A contest limited to two people (most commonly) or two or more groups of people.

  Edit Back: (Or Write Back.) Changing the history in a VR world.

  Emergency Automatic Recall: (Usually simply "recall" or "EAR".) Termination of VR session in more advanced VR units caused by high stress levels experienced by the avatar owner or by a dangerous external event or machine malfunction.

  Executive Rank: 10, 001 – 20,000.

  Exit Location: (Usually, just "exit".) Place where avatar leaves the VR (appears to vanish to observers in that reality).

  Eyes Only Event: ("Eyes only.") An event that where recordings of the competitors' actions are not made publicly available, except insofar as they become part of the public record.

  Founding Fathers: Wendell Martin, Glenn Willers, and Brian Thompson, founders of Omniverse Corp.

  Free-Range: (Or Free-Ranging.) Skipping clue phases and going straight for the win.

  Fully Loaded: (Or Full Metal Jacket.) All sensory experiences operational, including taste, pain, smell, and sexual feelings, in either a mechanically or dream-based VR unit.

  Gameroid: A gamer fond of over-the-top violence. (Combination of "game" and "roids").

  GM: Gamemasters. The Omniverse's top programmers and designers.

  GoogleVille: Google's primary VR LION.

  Hooked Up: Connected to a virtual reality system. (Also, Checked In.)

  Immers
ion Module: (Or Immersion Chamber, IM, or rig.) A chamber featured in a more advanced VR experience that provides a realistic virtual experience for the user.

  Insert Location: (Usually just "insert".) Place where an avatar enters a virtual reality world.

  Internally Generated Powers and Property Only: (IGPPO) A LION where powers and property and be acquired only within the virtual reality world itself. Though powers and property may be purchased, they can only be purchased from someone who has earned them within the virtual reality world. At the time of the story, the only LION featuring this restriction is the Omniverse.

  Journeyman Rank: 100,001 – 1,000,000.

  Junior Executive Rank: 20,001 – 100,000.

  KOD: One thousand Omniverse Dollars.

  LEVRIC: Life extension virtual reality immersion chamber. A unit that integrates life suspension in combination with a virtual reality experience.

  LION: large-scale interactive online network (an updated term for a Massively Multiplayer Online Games or MMOs).

  MAP: Minimum Avatar Performance Mode

  Master rank: Category below Supernatural, 1201 – 10,000.

  Maxiworld: The Verse's most popular search engine, accessible only within the Verse.

  MOD: One million Omniverse Dollars.

  Motion Enabling Module (MEM): (Also, a Robust, from the most famous brand of mechanical VR machines by Robust Robotics International. A virtual reality immersion device that relies on mechanical and electrical simulations of movement and sensation.

  Non-Listed Awards: (Non-Listings or "NAs".) Awards derived from puzzles that aren't formally part of a game, available to everyone present in that virtual reality.

  OD: Ominverse Dollar(s).

  Omniverse: The world's largest interactive online network, founded in 2005, seventeen years before the start of this story. Includes the Parallel Worlds.

  Omniverse, Inc.: (Or OmniCorp; also, Oinc, pronounced "oink.") The corporation that owns the Omniverse.

  Open Game: A game open to anyone.

  Parallel Earth: (Or PE). The Omniverse simulation of the geography and societies of Earth.

  Parallel U.S.A.: (Or PUSA.) The Omniverse simulation of the United States. More of an alternative US than a direct simulation of the current US.

  Parallel Worlds: Or PWS. The Omniverse simulation which encompasses Parallel Earth and several other planets and solar systems.

  Physical Needs Quota: (Or PNQ). The requirement in a Reality One game to meet the needs of a normal human body (eating, drinking, and excreting). Failure resulting in the same kind of fatigue and eventual physical shutdown as in the Real.

  Power Grade: A level of power, ranging from 1 – 10 (10 being highest).

  Prime Quest: A quest involving higher degrees of difficulty, usually more discovery stages, and greater monetary and power awards.

  Puzzle Elimination Contest: (Or Puzzle Elimination Mode.) A contest where the first one to solve a puzzle eliminates it and its awards from other contestants.

  Puzzle Reset Contest: (Or Puzzle Reset Mode.) A contest where the puzzle resets for every contestant.

  Quest: A game involving a series of puzzle-solving stages and usually travel between the stages.

  Reality Edit: Changing some aspect of a virtual world or universe.

  Reality Level One: (Or Reality One.) The Omniverse's most accurate simulation of the real world, which includes full recording of all events and imposes realistic requirements on avatars (such as eating, drinking, resting, etc.). Once an avatar enters (or "inserts") into a Reality One world– insertion must abide by certain rules to avoid detection or disruption of that reality – it cannot leave except through official death (the owner can check out from the avatar, but the avatar will remain, functioning on MAP).

  Reality Level Two: (Or Reality Two). A less accurate Omniverse simulation of the Real, featuring a lack of permanent recordings of avatars' actions and events.

  Reality Reset: (Or merely "reset"). Restoration of a virtual environment to its original settings, usually after a particular game or contest.

  Red Zone: A threatening level of vital signs that in many VR units triggers an automatic termination of the VR session.

  REM-Induction Helmet: Part of an AFIRM (Ares Full Immersion Recreation Module) responsible for inducing a lucid dream state while connected to a LION or MMO.

  Shill: An avatar playing a secret role – usually pretending to be a sim – in a VR game, often offering clues or deflections.

  Simulant: (More commonly "sim.") A computer simulation of a person or animal in a virtual reality setting.

  Simworld: A VR world that simulates the Earth or other real planet.

  Singular Quest: A quest that ends once someone completes it.

  Special Invitation Game: (SIG). A contest by invitation only.

  Subvocal Command: A technology whereby an avatar can open a connection to the Real internet by making silent vocal motions with their mouths and throat that are interpreted by a subvocal utility.

  Subvocal Utility: (SU. Pronounced "Sue.") A program that interprets silent mouth and throat motions into text.

  Supernatural Category: Rank category just below Apex, consisting of six categories: Mage: (51 – 200), Wizard (201 - 400), Sorcerer (401 – 600), Warlock (601 – 800), Enchanter (801 – 1000), Magician (1001 – 1200).

  The Real: Non-virtual reality (real-life).

  Versenet: A search engine in the Real dedicated to searching for information contained within the Omniverse. Other popular search engines can reveal things happening within the Omniverse, but only Versenet is dedicated solely to that virtual world.

  Versewise: A site dedicated to information about the Omniverse.

  Virtual Certification: (Or VC). Certification required for performing work in the Omniverse that requires certification (electrician, plumbing, doctor, etc.) Achieved in a LION such as Omniverse by attending VR schools or VR classes in conjunction with real-life classes. Some modern colleges have integrated VR certifications into their programs.

  Virtual Degree: (Or VD.) A necessity for VR jobs requiring degrees.

  Virtual Reality World: (Or VRW.) A virtual reality that encompasses an entire world (e.g., the Omniverse).

  Zero-One: (Or just "Zero.") Derogatory term for sims (also "digital brains"), referring to programming ones and zeros.

  Zeroed Out: An avatar reduced to Verse default capabilities.

  Thank you for reading THE GODDESS QUEST! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review here. You may also enjoy checking the first two chapters of my novel SUPERWORLD in the following pages.

  SUPER WORLD

  Chapter 1

  TWENTY-NINE WAS WAY too freaking young to check out of life. That was a thought Jamie Shepherd had often these days. Yet sometimes she felt a certain peace about it. Her husband and baby girl had died two and a half years before, and they had also been too young. To die at five was just plain insane. But some measure of peace came when she thought of rejoining her family. If there was a God, if there was anything like cosmic justice that would happen. If only she could be more sure about that. It was so easy – too easy, she thought – to believe in heaven when you've lost your family and you're dying. But something about death makes you want to live – even a pathetic life like mine.

  Jamie walked to the edge of the property. It was an effort to walk, but she'd read that people who survived pancreatic cancer got up and moved around. Sitting or lying around all day, which she now preferred, was a death sentence. Not that the odds were good no matter what she did. Only one percent of people diagnosed with Stage IV survived five years. She was four months beyond her first year, and from the comments of her oncology doctor and a nurse-friend, she was doing well to have come this far.

  She and her husband had set up a target range at the southern border of their land. Guns had been more Dennis's thing, but she'd eventually gotten into it. It made her feel strong to hold a Glock .40 or a .357 magnum and plink away. The clanging
of the bullets on the hanging steel targets was gratifying. Cathartic. Even weak and dying she could still be lethal.

  Jamie blinked away tears as she aimed down the sights of her Glock 22 on a head-sized metal plate sixty feet away. Her hands were shaking badly, but she took her time – waited for that still moment. Clang! Take that, exocrine pancreatic cancer! Clang, clang, clang! That’s for you, Mr. Bank of America mortgage department!

  But then what difference did it make now that B of A was foreclosing on her property? Her family was gone. No one to leave it to other than her dad, now living with her after his second divorce. It was just an insult added to injury.

  She did entertain an occasional fantasy of going out with a bang. Lately she'd been thinking of jumping out of an airplane without a chute. Dennis, who had a perverse adrenaline junkie streak to counter his overall conservativism, always wanted her to try skydiving with him, but the thought had terrified her. She couldn't even sleep the night before he’d jump. All the risks he took skydiving or riding his motorcycle or rock-climbing. A thousand excellent opportunities to die. Never once had she imagined something so pedestrian as a drunk tow-truck driver plowing into his pickup – on the one day that week where he picked up Kylee from kindergarten.

  Jamie also fantasized about a different kind of bang: her .357 would make quite an impression on the smug loan officer at Bank of America. Or maybe just contact the local newspaper or GoFundMe and tell her sad story. The donations might be enough to save her house. But she hated the idea of charity, of being a victim. Better just to take her medicine and go out with class. The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea of skydiving without a parachute. Just flying through the air, the ground rising to embrace her – and blackness. A courageous way to die instead of something cowardly and typically female like sleeping pills. To end her life with something so joyous seemed life-affirming in a weird way.

  Jamie was sighting in on one the farthest targets with her Glock – a body-shaped metal target seventy-five yards away – when a darkness obscured her sights and the target vanished with a sound like a beer can being crushed. It was so fast – much faster than an eye blink – that she would've ignored it except for the missing target and the metallic crunching sound. She lowered her gun. The metal figure really wasn't there, to her amazement. But something else was: an object that looked like the upper half of a large vitamin pill.