by Dante Doom
"All glory to Draco!" the messenger replied as she ran off.
"Draco can go to hell," Cindy murmured as she pulled out a cigarette and began to light it. She glanced over at Van then, who'd watching the whole thing. "Something wrong with your pod, scrub?"
"No, ma'am, was just curious about that Peter guy," Van replied.
"Yeah, this is the basic treatment for new people who are joining our high level operations," Cindy replied. "This kind of guy would never make it into a facility like this with that kind of attitude, but for some reason, Draco decided to host a contest to give away five slots."
"Wait a minute," Van said. "You mean to tell me that that guy won a contest?"
Cindy looked at him blankly. "Yeah, didn't you hear about the big tournament they ran?"
"No," Van lied. He had another way to piss Cindy off even more. "So let me get this straight… this complete and total stranger wins a one-way ticket to the most powerful simulation system in the world, and what did he have to do for it?"
"He survived some kind of tournament; it was really intense, from what I heard," Cindy said.
"That's it? He won a tournament?" Van chuckled a little at her. "And you don't find that a little unfair?"
"A little, but whatever… I'm sure Draco has a good reason for bringing him in."
"You'd have to hope, right?" Van asked. "I mean, first they change up the big event, and now they're letting total scrubs in here? I really hope they know what they're doing."
Cindy paused at Van's comment. The words were sinking in deep, and he could see the dissatisfaction on her face. "Yeah, I guess. No, I'm sure… sure they're doing fine." She let out a sigh as the messenger came back in from another room. Van wasn't sure what was inside the door she'd come from, but he assumed there was a reason Cindy didn't tell him about it. The words Authorized Personnel Only were printed on the door.
"Thank you," Cindy said as she took a small data stick from the messenger. It was the exact kind of data stick that Sang had given Van. He took in a deep breath as he watched her walk up to the pod where Peter was resting. She placed her hand atop the pod and waited a few seconds.
"Authorization confirmed; maintenance mode activated," the pod stated. A few holes and slots opened up on the exterior of the pod. Cindy plugged the USB drive into a slot and pushed a few holographic buttons on the pod's interface.
"And that should do it. Sweet dreams, Peter," Cindy said as she chuckled to herself. She placed her hand back on the pod, instructing it to deactivate from its maintenance mode. The pod hissed a little as it sealed itself back up.
Van glanced at Cindy's hand. He would need her authorization in order to get his own pod open. This was not going to be easy in the least. There were two ways he could get the data stick into his pod, he realized – he could convince her to work with him, or he could knock her unconscious and drag her over, forcing her hand against the pod. Both solutions were equally implausible. Still… maybe he had a way to convince her. It would take a lot more time, however. Of course, with his current situation, time was all he had.
"Get your ass in there," Cindy said as she finished up her work on Peter's pod. "I’m tired of looking at you."
"Ha, like you have the authority to tell me what to do," Van said as he walked over to the mess hall. "I'll go in whenever I like."
Cindy opened her mouth to argue with him, but said nothing. Van grinned at her smugly. He was a VIP, wasn't he? If Draco had marked him as important, then he could take full advantage of this status and drive Cindy up the wall with it. He chuckled a little. Hopefully, this would work.
16
Van stood in front of the Emperor. He was inside of the castle where the feast had been held and the entire place was a wreck. His character’s stats were different, as well. He glanced at his character sheet.
He'd been able to retain his old character, but been given all sorts of incredible powers and developer tools. He could change reality as he saw fit. The power was kind of intoxicating, in fact, but he would have to use restraint. If he got too carried away, he'd lose sight of his objective.
"I see that you have settled into your new pod," the Emperor said. "I am glad to know that you were able to reach your new home without incident. I feared the government would try to kill you for abandoning them."
"Well, they didn't like it," Van replied, "but they didn't have much of a choice, either."
"Hahaaha," the Emperor laughed. "It is now time for you to embrace your destiny, Van. We must go to the mothership and make preparations for building an entirely new world."
"Right," Van said as he grimaced a little. "About that..."
"What is it?" the Emperor asked with a little growl. "Your tone indicates hesitancy."
"Look, I'm all about joining you and assisting you with conquering the world, I really am," Van said, "but something came up when I left the pod. Apparently, I got a call from my father when I was in the game. My mother had a terrible stroke and is in the hospital. They don't think she's going to make it."
"Such a shame," the Emperor said without a shred of empathy in his voice. "I ordered my own parents to end their lives for the good of the nation a long time ago. Ha… to watch them comply without a moment's hesitation. They bore the same expressions as when they ended my brother's life for being too 'free-willed.'"
Van balked at the Emperor's comment. He had no idea how to respond to the Emperor's words. "Uh… right, well, on earth we have close emotional connections to our parents. So… I really want to say goodbye to her before she dies."
"I see," the Emperor said. "So you logged into the game to ask for permission to visit her."
"Yes, sir," Van replied. "I know it wasn't what we agreed to and you have every right to say no, but I thought I'd try."
The Emperor shifted a little upon his throne. Van could see that he was thinking about something. "And if I allow you to visit your parents, you will return?"
"I'm in your base already, aren't I? The deal isn't changing, but I just really want to see her." Van was counting on the Emperor's unfamiliarity with human emotions to make up for the fact that he was a terrible actor. He wasn't even able to get up any fake tears.
"Very well," the Emperor said. "If we are to build a relationship, we will have to learn to trust each other. You may visit your matriarch and say your goodbyes."
"And another thing," Van asked, "can you just make them bring a car to me? I really don't want to go with your Draco stooges."
The Emperor growled a little. "That sounds suspicious to me."
"What the hell am I going to do? You have the power to just flip a switch and end mankind," Van said. "I just want a chance to drive alone for a bit, and say goodbye to my mom and grieve in private. Is that too much to ask for?"
"I suppose grief is a necessary part of being human," the Emperor said. "Or at least, that is what I have read. Fine. I will send for a car for you. Be as quick as you can. If it takes more than a week, I will destroy this planet."
"Four days, tops, I promise," Van said.
"Very well," the Emperor said. "Just note how much I'm willing to risk for your trust."
"Of course," Van said as he brought up the log-out screen. "And, thank you."
He logged out of the game and promptly climbed out of his chambers. This was going to be a pure work of art. He walked out into the lobby where Cindy was sitting. She was doing a crossword puzzle and looked to be positively bored out of her mind.
"What are you doing here?" Cindy asked. At that exact moment, a man appeared inside of the lobby holding some car keys. The man walked up to Van and gave him the keys.
"Oh, I was just going to run out real quick and grab some snacks," Van replied as he walked toward the exit to the base.
"You can't leave!" she said.
"I can do whatever I want," Van replied, "because I’m the star here. The Draco leadership said I can do whatever, so I'm going to drive to the nearest gas station I can find and get a frozen drink.
Did you want anything? You probably haven't had anything decent in a long time."
Cindy's jaw was almost hanging to the floor in response to Van's words. He could see the pure contempt mixed with agony on her face. "They're… they're letting you go to a gas station?"
"Actually, they said I could do whatever, so they're letting me leave and I'm going to a gas station," Van corrected her. "But hey, don't worry about it. Anyway, I'll bring you a Snickers or something." And with that, he strolled out of the base. He chuckled to himself as he heard the torrent of screams and swears coming from behind him. This was perfect.
Van strolled up to his pod, slurping on his frozen beverage quite loudly. He glanced up to see Cindy standing by the mess hall. Her arms were crossed and she was shaking her head at him.
"You want some?" Van asked as he held his drink up to her. She didn't reply; she merely scowled at him. Van shrugged and tossed the drink behind him. "Whatever – I was just being friendly. Anyway, I've got some stuff to do in the game. Oh, and by the way, I brought you another crossword puzzle book; I left it on your desk. Hopefully, it'll last you another five years."
And with that, Van climbed back into his pod and activated it. He was immediately transported to the throne room again. The Emperor was talking to a few subordinates – creatures who were lizard folk like King Lemuel had been.
They all stopped talking as soon as Van appeared. The royal throne room was being restored rapidly, and Van watched as the workers repaired the walls with magical spells.
"You return so quickly," the Emperor said.
"Yeah, good news actually… I called my dad on a payphone at a gas station and found out it was a false alarm. Turns out she's doing just fine."
"And I suppose you find the fact that your mother is not dead to be a good thing, correct?" the Emperor asked. Van couldn't figure out if this was sarcasm or not.
"Yeah, it's good news to me. I love my mother," Van replied.
"I see," the Emperor said. He waved dismissively at the three lizard men, who all bowed and walked away from him. "I do not understand affections such as love. These things are unique to a human, I suppose."
"I guess," Van replied as he watched the lizard folk walk away. "Can you be real with me? Do you all look like that?"
"Yes," the Emperor said. "Our race is made up of what you would call Lizard Men."
"I guess those crazy conspiracies were right," Van muttered.
"Are you ready then, to stop wasting my time?" the Emperor asked. "We must go to the mothership and prepare you for the future."
"Of course," Van said. "Let's get going."
"This way," the Emperor said as he waved Van over to a small floating disk in the center of the room. "Stand atop this and it will take you to the ship."
Van nodded and climbed atop the disk. He felt it bob a little underneath his weight. The disk began to vibrate and pulse then, and he could feel a powerful sensation of energy wrapping around his legs. The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up as the disk flew upwards at full speed.
"Whoa!" Van shouted as the disk rocketed through the ceiling of the castle. He expected to break through the wall, but instead he merely passed through. He was flying through the air, going straight up. He could feel the friction of gravity as it resisted his movement into space. Still, the disk continued moving upwards, unfettered by the laws of physics.
Soon Van found himself in space, moving toward the large mothership that was hidden by the moon. The mothership was enormous, almost half the size of earth. There were three large circular windows on the front of the ship and Van could see dozens of lizardmen working on the inside. He didn't have time to gaze at the sheer beauty of space, however, because the disk whisked him over to a window and promptly threw him into the ship.
The window opened up just in time for Van to sail through and land on the deck of the ship.
"Whoa, what a trip," Van said as he stood to his feet. The bridge of the ship was like that of an old navy movie that Van had used to watch all the time. There was a chair for the captain, along with dozens of consoles where people were working tirelessly. They were speaking to each other in their own language and no one paid Van any mind.
"Did you enjoy the view?" asked a familiar voice. Van turned around to see a Draco standing behind him. This Draco was wearing a military-type uniform, complete with hundreds of medals and badges upon his vest.
"Are you the Emperor?" Van asked.
"Indeed, I am," the Emperor replied as he gestured to his own body. "This is my true form. I rarely return to the ship, however. I prefer to lord over mankind more directly."
"I see," Van said as he looked around the ship. Hundreds of Draco were working in perfect synchronicity with one another. One Draco would report something to his ally and the other would immediately hand something over to him. They moved with efficiency and purpose.
"So what's your name then?" Van asked.
"I'm sorry?" the Emperor asked.
"Your name, what is it for real? I've just been calling you the Emperor."
"Ah, right, you humans love your names. You name everything. Even your names for species have meanings beyond simple function and purpose," the Emperor said. "They called me, before my ascension to Leader, Cleaner 39092. I suppose that was my name for all of my life."
Van wanted to laugh, but realized that the Emperor was dead serious. He shrugged. "Well, I’m not calling you that."
"You may call me whatever you wish," the Emperor said as he pointed to a door at the side of the ship. "But there are more pressing matters to attend to. Follow me."
Van followed after the Emperor, taking note of the layout of the ship. It was just as detailed as anything that he had seen inside of the game world below them.
"This ship is where all of our operations take place," the Emperor explained. "We always create one inside of the simulation so that we can work close to the game. We also use it for discrediting the media, should news of our plans end up leaked into the real world. All Draco needs to do is release photos of the in-game ship, and all claims of us being aliens become a joke." He paused and looked around to make sure no one was standing nearby. They were in the middle of a long platform that led to dozens of different rooms.
"But, most importantly, I make sure the entire ship is in the simulation; that way, I have supreme control over their lives. At any minute, I could unplug these bastards. If they ever tried to come at me or get it in their heads that I'm a threat to the mission, things could turn ugly. So by convincing them to work inside of the simulation at all times, I'm shoring up my chances of success," the Emperor whispered.
"You seem very pleased with this strategy," Van said.
"And why shouldn't I be?" the Emperor laughed. "I'm the one who's at the top here. Me, a lowly and neglected creature rules over them all with an iron fist. You have yet to see just how despicable these beings truly are."
"You call them despicable, yet you're willing to enslave and destroy other cultures for your own glory? That sounds extremely hypocritical," Van said to the Emperor.
"Hah, I suppose you are right, it sounds terrible from the outside, but you must realize something, Van, the rest of the universe doesn't look at good and evil like you do. We simply call this survival."
"Yeah, I'm sure you do," Van said as he crossed his arms. "But that doesn't change what it actually is."
"Well, you'll have time to lecture me later," the Emperor said, "but right now, we need to get you acquainted with our simulations."
The Emperor led Van to a small room that contained a few silver pods. "Behold, righteous warrior, your chariot to glory," the Emperor said as he pointed to the pod.
"So you have simulation pods inside of simulation pods?" Van asked. "How is that possible?"
"These pods are insanely complicated and are capable of achieving anything that we want," the Emperor explained, "including creating sub-simulations. This pod will enable you to create your very own world and give it
whatever you want. The time dilation is a little slower in there, however, so be warned. You will perceive seconds as decades."
"I see," Van said as he walked over to the pods. They were identical in every way to the pod he was currently occupying in the real world.
"So, you will be able to create a universe for our next targets to inhabit," the Emperor said. "Now, I warn you, it will take some time to get used to it, so your first universe is nothing more than a practice round. In your eyes, it will take you several hundred years to learn, but it will be nothing more than a few hours in real world time. Just prepare yourself mentally for the solitude. Now, we Draco run a little differently from you humans, so I'm unsure if it will have any long-term psychological effects on you. If you start to suffer from difficulty or pain, just log out and consult with me."
"Right, well, that sounds great and all," Van said as he looked at the pod. "But maybe it would be better if I had some kind of manual to read about this first?"
"No manual, Van," the Emperor said. "You'll have all of the time in the world to figure it out first-hand. Get on in and give it a whirl."
Van grimaced as he looked at the interior of the pod. He really didn't want to have to endure hundreds of years passing while he worked. It was going to be a surreal experience no matter what, and he wondered if he would go mad during the process. Still, there wasn't much he could do other than agree with the Emperor's demands. With a long, heavy sigh, Van climbed into the pod.
"Have fun in there," the Emperor said. "I look forward to seeing what you can create."
"Me, too," Van said as the pod slid shut over him. "Me, too."
Van opened his eyes and gasped loudly. He had been in the middle of raising a mountain from the land itself, using nothing more than his sheer force of will, and now he was back in his pod. He leaned up and glanced around, wide-eyed and exhausted. The room was spinning, but he recognized that he wasn't on the spaceship – he was in the real world.
"Oh, God," Van gasped. "I'm gonna be sick."