Project Alpha

by R. A. Mejia

  Hard Quests: Battle an invading alien race. Create a new propulsion system. Space Battle against a Star Destroyer. Prevent a time distortion.

  Over the next three days, the three of us spend part of the day completing these quests. It’s not easy, but the time compression in the dungeon helps us find the extra time. When we’re not questing, we’re enjoying the convention, attending panels, guessing who cosplayers are dressed up as, and perusing artists’ alley for stuff to buy.

  When we finally defeat the last hard quest and save the confederation of planets from certain destruction, we are each awarded some serious XP and credits. For defeating the level 10 dungeon we each get, 10,000 XP and 9,000 credits. That leaves me just 577 XP shy of level 9. Yes, the quests were super hard, especially that time distortion one. On that mission, the three of us had to avoid violating the temporal time directive as well as repair the damage done by a time traveling alien rebel. Still, all the work was worth it. The 9,000 credits will go a long way to outfitting me with some good gear and to helping out at home.

  Chapter 36

  After spring break is over, I return to school, work, and dungeon clearing.

  One day when I come home from my morning class, I find Mom sitting in the kitchen. Usually, she’s asleep by now, resting for her night job while Marie is at school. Her shoulders hunched, and her gaze is downcast, staring at something in her hands. As she takes a sobbing breath, I realize that she’s crying. I drop my backpack, rush to her, and put my arms around her shoulders.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?”

  She pats my arms and makes an effort to pull herself together. My mom’s never been one to cry in front of her kids if she can help it. “Oh, nothing for you to worry about, mijo. It’s just…” She doesn’t finish her sentence and instead holds up two crumpled pink slips.

  It takes me a moment to realize what the two pieces of paper mean. “You got fired? From both jobs?”

  A sniffle and a nod are all the response I get from my mom.

  I’m stunned. My mom’s been working at least one job since my dad left. “How…why…?”

  She pushes away slightly and looks up at me. Her eyes are red from crying, and she has a hurt look. “Do you think I did something to deserve this?”

  “No, Mom. That’s not what I meant. I just mean…well, I don’t know what I mean. I’m just surprised that both jobs would lay you off.”

  Angry now, she stands up, and the chair scrapes against the floor. She paces the length of our kitchen before answering, “It’s that stupid buyout. Last week, some big corporation bought both the places I work. They promised that everything would stay the same, but then this morning a bunch of people got pink slips with their paychecks.”

  “One corporation bought out both your employers? A hotel and a factory? Those are some very different businesses to buy.”

  She shrugs. “I don’t get it either. They said something about diversifying their portfolio and investing in small businesses.”

  Something seems off about this. Not trying to make my mom worried, I ask casually, “What’s the name of the company that bought your former employers Mom?”

  She thinks for a second, then hands me the pink slips and points to a corporate logo. In the top, left corner of each slip of paper is the black and white image of a tall skyscraper and underneath are the words ‘Arschloch Corporation.’

  My blood boils when I see that name. Would Auden use his family’s multinational corporation like this? Or is this because of my refusal to leave Lillian and join their group? Either way, it’s my fault that my family has gotten involved in all of this.

  My mom is still pacing and wringing her hands. I walk in front of her to get her attention. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve been saving up some money from my jobs. We’ll be ok.”

  She pats my cheek appreciatively, “No, Anthony. That money is yours. It’s supposed to be for your school.”

  I shake my head. “No, Mom. You’ve been taking care of us all by yourself for a long time. I have the money. I’ll take care of the bills until you can get another job.” I try to recall how much I have in the bank and also convert the recent credits I’d earned into dollars. “I have a little over $12,000 saved up. That should keep us afloat for a couple of months, right?”

  My mom looks at me strangely. “You have that much saved up? That will pay all our bills for four months, sweetie. Are you sure this is how you want to spend it?”

  “Of course. You always taught us to take care of each other. How could I do anything less for you and Marie?”

  My mom nods to herself. Now with burden and worry lifted from her shoulders, she stands up straighter and wipes the last tears from her eyes. “Ok, mijo. We’ll use your savings until I get another job.” She hugs me tightly then looks up at me seriously. “But don’t you think that I’m going to let you spend all your savings on us. You worked hard for that money. We’ll only use what we need, and I’ll pay you back as I can.”

  I don’t tell her that I don’t expect to be repaid. That would hurt her pride. My mom’s a bit touchy about feeling like she owes people. In my mind though, I know that I’ll give every penny I have to make sure my family is taken care of and that I don’t care if I get the money back.

  Instead, I nod and hug my mom again. She pulls away after kissing me on the cheek and goes off into the kitchen to make lunch for the both of us. She whips up a delicious dish of shredded chicken tacos and Spanish rice.

  While I eat, I contemplate how I can make some more money to help out. I know my work at the Quickie Stop Mart, and my savings will keep us afloat, but Marie’s private school’s tuition payment is coming up too. She worked so hard to get a scholarship into that fancy school, and she’s doing well there. It would be a shame if she had to leave because we couldn’t pay the rest of the tuition.

  Besides thinking about our finances, I also consider how I’m going to get back at the Arschloch Corporation for this.

  Chapter 37

  That same day, my mom and I look through the bills, so I know how much to give her. We list what everything costs.

  Rent: $1200, Food: $600, Utilities: $300, Cell phones: $200, Transportation: $300. $2,600 a month for necessities. That doesn’t include other monthly costs like detergent, trash bags, soap, shampoo, etc. To be on the safe side, I decide to give my mom an even $3,000.

  The school Marie goes to costs $35,000 a year and most of the people that go there pay it at the beginning of the school year. But because we’re not rich, the school lets us pay Marie’s tuition in three lump sums. Marie’s scholarship covers a little over half the tuition, but we still have to pay $15,000 a year. The next payment is due at the end of the month though. That’s going to be $5,000, and that leaves me with $8,000 in savings. That plus my regular paychecks from the Quickie Stop Mart means we’ll be ok for May, June, and July. Come August though; we’re in trouble.

  I tell my mom that I have some money in my room. Once I’m in my room, however, I port over to Lillian’s office to exchange all the credits I have for dollars. She doesn’t ask why I need everything in dollars, but I can tell she’s curious. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable discussing my family business, but she’s my friend, or girlfriend when my mom’s around. Well, our relationship is complicated.

  I port back to my room and hand my mom $12,012 cash a few minutes later. I happen to have $12 in my wallet.

  “Anthony, don’t take this the wrong way. But why do you have so much money in cash in your room?”

  The question catches me off guard. I hadn’t considered what it would look like for me to hand her that much money in cash. Thinking quickly I tell her, “I heard the banks were going to start charging fees for balances over $10,000 so I’ve been keeping it in my mattress. You know old, school style.”

  My mom gives me a concerned look for a moment, then shrugs. I just gave her twelve grand, what does she care where I was keeping it?

  When Marie comes home from school, Mom tells her about
being laid off. Marie sort of freaks out. She’s just old enough now to realize what it’s going to mean for us if Mom can’t get another job. She’s such a good kid; she even offers to stop going to her private school and get a job if it helps out.

  Mom’s response is a classic, “No, Marie. Your job is to go to that school and learn. Your brother and I have already paid for the semester, so there’s no discussion about you going.”

  It’s a little lie. We’ve only put money aside to pay the semester. But the little lie helps Marie calm down and focus on her ‘job.’

  “Ok, Mom. If my job is to do good in school, then I’ll get to it.” She then grabs her backpack and heads to her room to study.

  I take a lesson from Marie and get ready for my shift at the Quickie Stop Mart. I know I should probably be dungeon diving or something since it pays more, but I just can’t give up my only source of steady income. Besides, where else can I do homework and work on my System skills while getting paid?

  Chapter 38

  Work and school for May and June are fairly predictable. I have college finals in June. But honestly, the classes are the least worrisome part of my life. Because of my high Intelligence stat, and my skills in Speed Reading and Mental Math, the algebra class isn’t a challenge. The intro chemistry is mostly memorizing facts, the periodic table, and some formulas. Any math in the class is at the algebra level. Physics is the most challenging class, but with my increased intelligence stat, memorizing all the formulas is easy. The only thing that’s challenging is picturing the word problems about multiple force vectors in my mind. The piano class is actually boring. I know I took it for fun, but I end up sitting at a piano practicing finger movement and helping other students to learn how to read sheet music. The final for that class was simply playing a piece of music of my choice. I’d already gotten the Piano skill and even gotten it to level 2, so playing Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls of Fire wasn’t challenging. Even with 12 in dexterity, I play the song with only a couple mistakes. This semester I learned the skills: Piano, Chemical Mixing, and Vector Analysis. Vector Analysis helps me figure out to break up applied forces into component parts to—you know what, it’s just a physics thing.

  Once my last final is complete in June, it’s summertime. While most college students are focused on having fun, Lillian is determined to get me to grind out XP to get me to level 10.

  Unfortunately, we are only able to complete a bunch of low level dungeons for minimal XP. We get a lead once, with a dungeon having level 15 monsters and rush there only to find the entire building cordoned off by Security guards wearing body armor and semi-automatic weapons. They prevent anyone from entering the building by claiming that they’re responding to a ‘security threat.’ The Arschloch Corporation logo on their shoulders lets our group know that another dungeon clearing company has beaten us to the to the dungeon and aren’t willing to share.

  It’s that way for any dungeon with monsters higher than level 5. We rush there, but someone else gets there first and sets up security to prevent anyone else from getting to the dungeon. So, we’re stuck running low level dungeons. Well, I’m stuck I should say. Lillian and John are too high a level to get any experience points from these kinds dungeons. John spends his time harvesting resources, and Lillian coaches me on fighting techniques. Most of the dungeons are straightforward, and all I have to do is kill the boss to complete them. Most of the monsters are too low level for me to get any XP but at least finishing the dungeon gives some XP. Each of the smaller dungeons gives between 1,000-3,000 XP when completed. Unfortunately, since I need 557 XP to get to level 9 and another 25,600 XP to get to level 10, it takes a ton of these kinds of dungeons to make any progress.

  Lillian takes most of the credits earned from these low-level dungeons since she and John aren’t getting XP and the business still needs to bring in income. I make 5,000 credits by the end of June and hit level 10. One of the reasons I lost to Auden at the Halloween party was the lack of health points and TP. So, I put my stat points from the last couple of levels to constitution and wisdom.

  Anthony Tinoco

  Level 10

  Unspent stat points: 0

  Unspent skill points: 77

  XP to next level: 51200

  Health 250

  Mana300

  TP350

  Strength10

  Dexterity12

  Constitution15

  Intelligence20

  Wisdom25

  Charisma10

  Credits: 5,000

  SkillsLevel

  Inventory Management3

  Inspect5

  Deception1

  Dungeon Scan3

  Dungeon Inspect3

  Dungeon Mapping4

  Mapping3

  Bludgeoning Weapons3

  Guilt Trip1

  Cooking 1

  Speed Reading4

  Mental Math4

  Analysis3

  Piercing Weapons1

  Throw5

  Trap Making5

  Weapon design4

  Armor design2

  Gadget4

  Firearm4

  Ranged Combat4

  Rifle4

  Handgun2

  Writing2

  Computer Knowledge2

  Computer Interface2

  Laser Technology3

  Explosives3

  Grenades3

  Piano2

  Chemical Mixing2

  Vector Analysis2

  Abilities

  Roll

  Flying Kick

  Smash

  Stab

  Fireball

  Bite

  Iron Grip

  Spider Climb

  Naughty Children

  Ice Needle

  Inventory - 9 slots

  Portable class B trap construction bench

  Laser Pistol

  Traps

  High yield grenade

  Hammer

  Trap parts

  The Dungeon Games start at the beginning of August, so I have all of July to relax if I want.

  Not that I want to. Mom still hasn’t gotten a new job. It seems like her old employers are badmouthing her to anyone she applies to for work, a pretty dirty tactic from the Arschloch Corporation. However, if I keep dungeon diving like I have been, even working small dungeons will bring in enough extra money to keep the lights on.

  With all the dungeons I’ve been going to in the last few months, I’ve gotten into the habit of using Dungeon Scan whenever I walk around, just to put in the hours to get it to level. I’ve gotten used to it just running in the background all the time. So, I’m really surprised to get a notification that it’s found a dungeon while I’m walking to work.

  I make a quick detour to check out the dungeon. After all, what if it’s a high level one? I could use the extra credits I’d get from clearing it. I’m walking through an alley behind a supermarket when I spot the red door of the dungeon. I jog over it and use Dungeon Inspect.

  Dungeon

  Type - Fantasy

  Restrictions - Technology restricted to level 1

  Recommended for levels 6-9

  My excitement practically bubbles over. This dungeon is perfect. I’m a tad high now that I’m level 10, but I’ll still get XP for killing the monsters and clearing the dungeon. Plus, none of the other corporations has found this one yet.

  I’m tempted to try and clear it alone and keep all the credits and loot for myself. But I remember the last time I tried to milk a dungeon for-profit and pull out my phone to call Lillian. Between her, John, and myself we should be able to take this dungeon out in a couple of days and easily get another 5,000 credits each. That will seriously help my family, especially with my mom blacklisted.

  I’ve dialed Lillian and have my phone next to my ear. I hear someone pick up and say, “Hello. Anthony?”

  I smile, knowing that Lillian will be happy to get a higher level dungeon after being blocked from them the last couple months. But before I can s
ay anything, I feel something cold and metallic pressed to the back of my head and heard the distinctive click of a gun hammer cocked back. My body instinctively freezes, and I hear a voice whisper into my left ear. “End the call and drop your phone.”

  I briefly consider using one of my abilities to kill this guy, but I don’t think I can bring myself to kill a real person. This guy is probably just trying to rob me. It’s better to give him what he wants. If he kills me, I’ll just respawn in my room, but I’ll lose a good amount of XP and likely get knocked back to level 9. So not worth it.

  I drop the phone and wince when I hear it crack as it hits the ground. Stupid phones are so delicate. I wish I’d purchased that extended warranty now. I just want to get this robbery over so I can go on with my day. “Hey, man. I don’t want any trouble. My wallet is in my left pocket. I don’t have much money, but it’s all yours.”

  The person holding the gun to my head snickers, “You think this is a robbery, Anthony? You’re mistaken.”

  The use of my name sends a shiver down my spine. Before I can do more than considering implications, I feel the sharp prick of a needle on the side of my neck and the sensation of something injected into me. The world goes blurry, my whole body relaxes, and I’m only vaguely conscious of dropping to the ground. Then everything goes black.