by Cosimo Yap
Instead, as Alan’s mind drifted downwards he found nothing but endless empty space. There were no lights, no clouds, nothing at all but eternal darkness.
And it called to Alan. The blackness, the void, the place where nothing lay. It began with a silent whisper, an involuntary urge to sink deeper into the shadows. Alan would be free from everything: his responsibilities, his thoughts, even his very existence. He only had to let go.
Death was the inevitable result, the only logical conclusion. The thought tumbled through Alan’s head and the absence of everything consumed him. To be nothing, to feel nothing, to not even exist and be capable of thought.
Alan’s thoughts grew bleaker still. Because this maw of desolation would consume everything—every speck of matter would decay. Nothing Alan could ever do would change that. Everything he had ever touched, loved, or left behind would disappear. It might take centuries, millennia, or even longer, but it was a universal law.
Nothing escapes the abyss.
Chapter 6
Terror pulsed through every fiber of Alan’s being as he came back to his senses. His body—drenched in sweat and heart pounding—leapt into overdrive. But there was no enemy to fight, only the same empty Abyss Labyrinth. It didn’t feel quite so safe anymore.
What happened? Lambda asked.
I don’t want to talk about it, Alan sent. With quiet resolve, he vowed to never use this new ability unless absolutely necessary, and even then to never reach too far. Alan wasn’t sure himself how he had returned from the abyss and only knew that he never wanted to go back. Going deeper into the dungeon was a bad idea.
We registered no brain activity for a span of one minute and fifteen seconds, Eve sent. If there is a threat you must describe it to us so we may make preparations.
It was nothing, Alan sent. He let the squad know that they were going back to the Black Rose guild, and then set up camp for the night.
Alan opened the information the Warden had sent as he prepared to head to bed, hoping the data would distract him from the thought of non-existence.
The first method to reach the lower levels of the Abyss Labyrinth was to provide four filled void crystals and control of all the Sector 3 control points on this level. That wouldn’t happen without significant investment from the guild, and Alan didn’t know if they were up for another, even larger, dungeon dive. He also wasn’t sure if he wanted to dig deeper into the dungeon.
Another option was to repair the Abyss Labyrinth and see what happened. This idea was more appealing to Alan, especially if the Abyss Labyrinth was designed to keep the abyss, whatever it was, at bay. To make the repairs, over a hundred abilities were listed as necessary, many requiring intermediate or advanced mastery. Alan began reading them, but it was all just technobabble to him. According to Eve the abilities involved the advanced fields of electrical engineering, power crystal physics, and drone maintenance. The last ten abilities she didn’t even recognize—something about the transference and capture of energy.
Lambda? Alan asked.
I haven’t a clue, Lambda sent. I have some information on old technology, but nothing this advanced.
The list of materials and tools needed was just as long and tedious. Hundreds of millions of credits would be needed to procure just the items that Eve recognized, and there were around twenty items that were unknown.
Thankfully, a small map was provided, which contained additional details. It noted the locations where damage was located. Upon further scrutiny, Alan realized that the map also marked which abilities and materials were needed where, thus whoever made the repairs didn’t need to have all the prerequisite skills. Instead, the work could be carried out by multiple players or even factions.
There seemed to be two major repair points: a robotics facility, and a power station. It appeared that if the robotics facility was repaired, workers to assist with further repairs could be constructed, but additional materials were required to build and power them. The power station, on the other hand, was simply confusing. Alan and Eve couldn’t tell how it created energy or where the energy it generated went. It all hinged around a device—called a Translateral Absorber—that was broken. Eve had never heard of it. Then there was a lot of general maintenance to do as well: old machines falling apart and defenses that needed tuning. It was too much work for one person.
Of course, there were other options to reach the lower levels of the Abyss Labyrinth: they could shoot or sneak their way through the Warden’s defenses. But with unknown threats Alan wasn’t sure if this strategy was sound, especially if an amorphous force like death and decay lurked further in. Besides, Alan had other plans he wanted to try first. He was getting tired of being yanked about on a chain, going whichever way the wind blew.
***
The trip out of the Abyss Labyrinth was uneventful. Instead of emerging from the dungeon directly beneath the Black Rose guild base they came out near a hangar bay that stored and repaired smaller spacecraft for the guild. It was a few minutes’ flight away from the main base.
As soon as they left the confines of the dungeon Alan sent an update to Phantom. Phantom didn’t seem too surprised by the new information. What did surprise him, however, was Alan’s request.
Alan: There must be a central Revenant planet or facility or secret base—I want to go there. I need better hacking software and security, a more powerful capsule, and proper power armor training.
Phantom: All of those things require reputation and money that you have not yet earned. You haven’t even completed your initiate quest yet.
Alan: If we want to do this Abyss Labyrinth job we’ll need more outside help. I think the best option is to fix the main systems, and we can’t do that alone. I’m sure there are plenty of Revenant members who would sell their right arm to get their hands on the technology that needs repair, and we can give them that chance.
Phantom: I’ll consider it. Void had a similar idea and was reaching out to contacts.
Alan: What do you know about Void? The information you sent on him was barebones at best. It contained no information regarding what his class might be, and there was nothing about his abilities, or even his species.
Phantom: Don’t ask. He’ll just mess with you. Once, I was convinced Void was a devout monk to an obscure Predecessor goddess, and it took me a year and a half to learn the goddess didn’t exist. It had all been made up by Void.
Alan: He doesn’t sound very trustworthy.
Phantom: He’s always been loyal to the guild. You can talk with him yourself once you arrive.
Alan: He’s at the base?
Phantom: Yes. Where else would he be?
Alan: Never mind, see you soon.
Alan ended the conversation—then searched his list of contacts. Oddly, he couldn’t find who he was looking for. Cerberus was not on the list of players he could message.
If you want to talk to Cerberus you’ll have to find a terminal, Lambda sent. I don’t think he trusts the in-game wireless communication network.
Alan went to locate a terminal in the hangar bay.
Inside the hangar was enough room for a handful of smaller aircraft and one medium-sized shuttle, the one that had first taken Alan and a few hundred initiates from the main city of Khersath to the Black Rose base.
Other than the open space for vehicles and the lift down into the Abyss Labyrinth, there was a small office in a corner. Alan used his access level to enter it. In the office there was a desk with a terminal, which he booted up.
He made a search for Cerberus’s contact information, but couldn’t find anything, so he connected to the Academy’s main help desk instead. Alan was automatically transferred. A floating hand filled the display, and then waved.
“Hello, Alan. You took off at the most interesting time,” Cerberus said. No mouth was shown on screen.
“I apologize. My home planet’s war came to a head and I was ordered to intervene. I’m sure you’ve seen the news.”
“A waste
of time,” Cerberus said. “Any information released is outdated by the time it hits the net. Are you returning to the Academy soon?”
“No,” Alan said, “I don’t think so.”
“Really? There are still a few weeks left in your term. And there are recent developments which I think you’d be useful in solving,” Cerberus said.
Shit, he’s onto us, Lambda sent.
Wouldn’t he send the Administrators after us if he was sure I’d broken into the Data Vault and got you out? Alan asked.
No, he has no jurisdiction outside the Academy System. At least I don’t think he does, Lambda sent. And the Administrators won’t intervene without sufficient evidence.
Looks like we shouldn’t set foot in the Academy System again, Eve sent. She sounded sad.
“Anything I can help with from here?” Alan asked.
“No. Forget it. Water under the bridge. Can we say your term at the Academy has completed, then?” Cerberus asked.
“Yes,” Alan said.
A series of messages appeared:
Congratulations, you have completed the Rogue Combat program at the Academy. New title: Academy Graduate. All marks and commendations converted to experience. For acts of distinction, the Academy Chancellor has provided the Player Alan access to the Academy System. Volta, training, and similar rewards will not be available unless an advanced program is entered.
x239 Level up!
+100 ability points for gaining over 100 levels with one action.
Minor increases in reputation with the Predecessors, Lords of Life, Administrators, and Revenants.
“Wait, I graduated, just like that? What kind of messed-up school system is this?” Alan asked.
“Deeds matter more than words. You were in the Rogue program,” Cerberus said, “and your graduation project was impressive. Your Revenant initiate quest is to fix the Abyss Labyrinth, so Authority aid is not required.”
A new quest appeared:
We’re Fine. Everything is Fine Here:
Solve the Abyss Labyrinth’s problems without Authority intervention.
Rewards: Full Revenant Membership, ???
Failure: ???
“Why are you concerned about the Abyss Labyrinth?” Alan asked.
“The Abyss Complex was built to fulfill certain needs,” Cerberus said. “It is not operating at full capacity, and that will cause issues in the future. You, more than anyone, want to avoid Authority attention.”
“Let me guess, you can tell me more when I reach level 1000,” Alan said. Now that he was up to level 830 that didn’t seem too far off.
“Anything is possible, though you don’t have any hope of fixing the Abyss Complex alone. I know a few people who might help—I will provide identification keys. They have points of contact either in Khersath or on the Exchange, which I’ll grant you access to. Good luck.” Cerberus transferred a packet of data files through the terminal.
Alan tried accessing them, but they were hard to decipher—fragments of data that made no sense in his mind.
Bring them into the Armory, Lambda sent.
Okay, Alan sent as he entered Cyberspace. The Citadel was like his mind’s base within the Game, his terminal for hacking. This was all done in Cyberspace, an underlying layer in the Game. Hacking in the Game was envisioned as a 3D real-time strategy game. Alan’s base had a few structures: a research center, a supply depot, a medical station, barracks, and energy pylons, but they were all dwarfed by the Armory.
The Armory was why Alan had named his base the Citadel. It was a 150-meter-tall structure, a massive, intimidating fortification of dark metal with ten levels. Its central tower contained Alan’s command center. In addition to being a defensive fortification, the Armory could also train and develop new abilities and equipment, as well as appropriate data Alan found.
Right now the Citadel was mostly empty; a few units patrolled around, but since they cost computational energy as upkeep Alan kept his defenses to a bare minimum. Lambda and Eve could also manifest here, and were much stronger than the basic units.
Alan focused on the Armory. It was in the process of converting a sniper rifle into a piece of equipment that could be used in Cyberspace. The sniper rifle’s data had been taken from an AI that Alan had previously defeated in the attack on the New York Stock Exchange, and would hopefully provide additional utility.
Pausing the research, Alan focused on the packet of information Cerberus had sent. It moved almost of its own accord from the terminal into the Armory. Four dark data cubes appeared. They were the future’s version of a USB drive; the cubes of metal had intricate circuitry that would alight when used. It took Alan’s enhanced vision to even see the circuit lines.
Alan had Eve and a few units bring the data cubes into a room at the bottom of the Citadel. It wasn’t likely, but Cerberus could have hostile programs hidden in the data cubes. Opening a data cube in the Armory was akin to opening a treasure chest in a punishing adventure game, Alan wasn’t sure what might pop out.
The first data cube contained an accessory—a virtual blue nameplate that floated by Alan’s side. Whereas Eve constantly updated Alan’s HUD so that he would always see names, levels, and other available information, this nameplate would be visible to every player. The name currently read ‘Alan,’ but could be edited. The title below was Revenant Initiate, Human. A list of instructions was also contained in the data cube, protocols on how to connect to the Exchange. It looked like it was similar to the Market and Arcade, but hidden so only Revenant members could connect to it.
The second data cube unraveled into a physical golden key. It was named Phantom’s Key. The description read: Android and Robotics Specialist. Khersath.
Huh, looks like Phantom will be needed to fix the Abyss Labyrinth. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince him, Alan thought.
I am not so certain, Eve sent.
Alan opened the next data cube. It contained Prometheus’s Key. The description read: Energy Specialist. The Exchange.
Prometheus? That’s a human legend, Alan sent.
Remember, the Game translates everything so it makes senses in context, Lambda sent. Most cultures have a story similar to stealing fire from the gods, and his name is likely a reflection of that.
The last data cube contained The Archivist’s Key. The tag read: Predecessor Technology Specialists. The Exchange. Approach with caution.
Alan spent a few minutes examining the keys, but couldn’t make heads or tails of their purpose—he’d have to ask Phantom. He then received a message from the squad that their ride had arrived.
Alan exited Cyberspace, returning to the Game. After he left the office the main hangar doors opened and revealed a sleek black transport ship.
It opened fire, red lasers of destruction taking out the hangar’s minimal defenses.
Alan activated hypercognition and retreated back into the office as hundreds of lasers were fired from the ten-barrel laser machine gun. The weapons Alan carried wouldn’t be able to damage the ship.
The transport craft concentrated fire on Alan’s squad, who were caught out in the open trying to get back to Alan.
In seconds the healer and scout were annihilated. The rifleman managed to fire a few shots back before he was killed, but the aircraft’s shields still held at nearly full. The last member of the squad managed to find cover, but her laser sword was useless against the aircraft.
Alan sent an urgent distress message to Phantom and attempted to hack into the aircraft. Its defenses were strong, though: a boosted energy shield that protected its systems in Cyberspace would take Alan hours to break down.
Maybe they didn’t notice us, Alan sent, as the ship made no attempt to fire at his location.
Three humanoid enemies leapt out the back of the ship. They wore black Revenant power armor, with white-gold skulls of alien appearance painted onto their helms. Two wielded metal rods with arcs of blue electricity erupting from them, while the third held a high-power laser rifle.
/> Alan pulled out his plasma repeater and peeked out from behind the office door as he aimed at the trio.
Prepare to activate your implant’s suicide mechanism, Eve sent. There is a high likelihood these are slavers—do not let yourself fall unconscious.
Got it, Alan sent. He unloaded three plasma bolts at the rod-wielding enemies, who were engaging Alan’s ally, but the bolts moved painfully slowly through the air. He activated divided mind so that he could split his attention to fight both in the Game and in Cyberspace.
Alan attempted to hack into the rifleman’s weapon. It was heavily fortified, but not as strongly as the ship. Alan would need a minute to break through its shields.
A message from Phantom arrived—help would be there soon.
The enemy rifleman fired at Alan. He was unable to dodge, thus he tried to activate his armor’s innate energy absorption instead.
The armor failed to negate the attack—the laser was too fast, too energetic, with a layer of energy that Alan couldn’t decipher. It struck his head. His armor’s energy fell to 2000 and the blow sent his mind spinning, interrupting Alan’s hack.
The blow had somehow struck at two levels, targeting both his shields and his implants. Alan tried to reactivate divided mind, but a searing flash of pain went through his head.
Mini-EMP rounds, Lambda sent. Not a good idea to try something like that right now. He sounded hollow, distant.
Alan fired another round of bolts from his plasma repeater, but only two shots emerged, and then the weapon stopped firing altogether. Alan sent the bolts arcing in the direction of the rifleman. The first three he’d launched finally arrived.
The guild swordsman was barely holding off her two opponents—her shields were now depleted. The two slavers attempted to dodge the plasma bolts, but the swordsman grabbed onto one and threw herself into the line of fire.
The plasma bolts exploded, direct hits that eliminated both the swordsman and the slaver.