Worldshift- Virtual Revolution

by Scott Straughan

  The streets were also no longer completely empty. This was the beating heart of the city. People of all sorts were walking around. There were both employed and unemployed in sight, although the dregs steered clear of the scum and didn’t interact with them more than was necessary. Colorful flashing signs decorated the many fancy-looking shops lining the street. Most of the stores were corporate fashion boutiques with huge signs advertising what brands they sold, but there were also quite a few food joints and brand-specific electronic stores. Ethan recognized every outlet as belonging to a mega corporation, which was to be expected. No small businesses could afford to deal with the expensive regulations and proscriptions the government enforced, and that was the way the government liked it. It was easier for them to develop harmonious relationships with huge corporate oligarchies.

  As his bus passed a shop with Tekko’s logo on its big neon sign, Ethan smiled as he remembered his new personal device. Even employed scum couldn’t buy better! It was brand new and top of the line.

  A few minutes later, the bus finally arrived at Ethan’s stop and came to a halt at the side of the road, so he stood and walked out. As he passed through the doorway, he heard a mechanical voice. “This free transportation service was brought to you by the government. Remember, harmony is our strength!”

  Ignoring the banal speech that he’d heard a million times before, Ethan took a moment to look around as the bus behind him pulled away. He was standing on a busy street corner. People were talking and walking all around him, although there was plenty of room to move. There was an ice-cream parlor behind him, and there was a fair bit of vehicle traffic on the road. Personal cars and drone taxis zipped past. There were also a few police cars, far more than you saw in residential areas. Downtown was very tightly secured, and the police vehicles weren’t the only law enforcement tool in sight. There were cameras on every building, sweeps by small black hover drones, and more than a few patrolmen standing around. It was overkill and paranoid considering the incredibly low crime rate, but the government could afford to pump a lot of money into security, which did create jobs.

  There was a patrolman just down the street from Ethan who was watching the people walk by, and his gaze mostly seemed to be focused on dregs. It was easy to tell who was employed and who wasn’t by the cut of their clothes and the accessories they were wearing. Every employed person flaunted their wealth.

  A few of the richer people in sight even had robotic pets walking beside them. The robots were shaped like dogs or cats but would never be mistaken for them. They came in several sizes, including one that was waist high on its owner, and were designed to be as eye-catching as possible with metallic surfaces and flashing lights. The robots were very smart but also extremely expensive to maintain, which was sort of the point.

  Ethan’s gaze fell on the nearby patrolman again. There was a scowl on his face as he studied the unemployed that walked by—as if he was waiting for one to cause trouble—so Ethan hurriedly moved to keep out of his sight. He didn’t want to draw any more attention from the law. They could cause him a lot of problems, even if he hadn’t done anything wrong, as Ethan knew from recent experience.

  Having all these people around, especially the employed, made Ethan feel more than a little anxious, even if he could pretend to be just another face in the crowd. He looked down to conceal his face as he headed toward his meetup with Kyle. It wasn’t very far away. According to the map on his visual interface, it was just down the street.

  Sure enough, as the crowd ahead of Ethan shifted, he caught sight of Kyle. The young man was standing outside the entrance to the burger joint they’d agreed to meet at. He quickly noticed Ethan’s approach and turned to give him a friendly wave in greeting.

  “Ethan! It’s great to meet you out here,” Kyle announced as Ethan reached him.

  “Yeah, you too. I can’t believe you’re right here in front of me,” Ethan replied. Kyle looked much the same as he did online, with dark skin and short curly hair, but he did seem a bit skinnier. Without his armor on, it was obvious he didn’t have much in the way of muscle. Of course, Ethan was the same way. He’d lost weight recently.

  “Are you excited for this mission?” Kyle asked before rambling on in his characteristic hyper way. “The new interface is just super whack, and this new personal device I got is fragging great. Tekko sure is handing out a lot of prizes! I can’t wait to see what we get after this mission. Maybe we’ll strike it rich!”

  As Kyle talked, Ethan couldn’t help but take a moment to study his friend’s clothes. They were a little odd. At first glance they looked stylish and sleek like premium brands, but he didn’t recognize any of the logos. Ethan supposed it meant Kyle was unemployed, but he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up.

  However, Kyle noticed his friend’s look and rolled his eyes. “Ya, I’m unemployed, a dreg. I know that’s what you’re wondering about. It’s fine. I can see you’re one too. There’s no need to be shy about it. It’s better than being scum though, eh? They’re all a bunch of sellouts.”

  “Ha, yeah…” Ethan laughed nervously. There were several employed within earshot.

  Thankfully, Kyle quickly changed the topic. “Hey, do you think we should accept the mission now?”

  Ethan blinked and collected his scattered thoughts. “Ah, sure.”

  They’d both waited so they could accept the mission together, but here they were. Thus, Ethan quickly used his new visual interface to send his young friend a group invite. Kyle accepted it a moment later, making them a party. It apparently worked exactly like in Worldshift, allowing them to chat and see each other’s info, including their location on the mini-map.

  “This is so cool. We’re a team in real life now. Best buds. I got your back now,” Kyle remarked as he gave Ethan a wide grin.

  Not wanting to be a downer, Ethan nodded along. “Er, yeah. I got yours too.”

  “Then let’s get this mission started!” Kyle’s sudden shout drew several disapproving looks from people nearby. Ethan cringed and confirmed the mission so they could get moving. Instantly, new text appeared in the air in front of him.

  Your team has accepted the bonus quest. Please proceed to the following coordinates.

  Checking his mini-map, Ethan saw a new location had been added. It wasn’t too far away—within walking distance—so after a brief chat with Kyle, they both headed toward it.

  Thankfully, their route led them away from the crowds that had made Ethan uncomfortable. They turned down a side street and passed an almost-deserted strip mall. Then they headed down an alley and found themselves on a deserted street that contained larger business buildings and a bunch of nearly empty parking lots. The buildings here were far more subdued and practical looking, since these were places where people quietly went to work at mundane jobs. Thus, there wasn’t much to see except for the occasional car that drove by or drone flying by overhead.

  Despite the deserted feeling of the area, everything was still clean and bright thanks to the incredibly cheap labor of drones. Also, Ethan didn’t fear for his safety. Even here there was no shortage of surveillance, so crimes were practically unheard of. If three people got together to talk in an alley, a government algorithm would note it for future reference.

  As Ethan and Kyle trudged on, their surroundings changed again. Most noticeably, the sidewalk disappeared, forcing them to walk alongside the road. That became annoying when a big drone transport truck drove by. They had to jump out of the way as it zoomed past without slowing at all. There were also other changes. The buildings grew farther apart until the offices completely gave way to large warehouses, many of which didn’t even have business signs. Instead, they were identified only by the barcode on plaques next to their gates. Since he wasn’t a drone, that normally wouldn’t have told Ethan anything, but his new interface translated the barcodes for him instantly. Most of the buildings were simply numbered warehouses though, and not very interesting. Stopping to look around, Ethan realized h
e hadn’t even seen any personal cars go by for a while. There was only the occasional drone truck.

  “Ever been out here before?” Ethan asked.

  Kyle shook his head. “Nope, never. I don’t think many people ever do. It’s like a ghost town for drones, a drone town.”

  Ethan nodded in agreement. Did anyone even work out here, or was it completely automated? He had no idea. It was entirely possible that drones ran everything and some of these warehouses hadn’t been entered by a real person in over a decade. So much that people did these days was make-work.

  Frowning, Ethan checked his map again. Their destination should be just around the next corner, but was this actually the right place? Why would a quest from Tekko send them all the way out here? All Ethan and Kyle could do was keep walking alongside the road until they found themselves standing outside their destination. It was another warehouse, and it was almost completely indistinguishable from every other one they’d passed, especially from the other side of the chain link fence that surrounded it. There was no way in. A tall gate blocked the driveway, and the fence was obviously meant to keep people out. The barbwire running along the top of it made that clear. It didn’t even have an English sign, just another barcode.

  Ethan hesitated, but when he glanced at the barcode, his interface scanned it and a pop-up appeared in the center of his vision.

  Welcome to Tekko’s testing ground. This area is set up to resemble Worldshift. We hope you enjoy your visit.

  “Sweet. I was getting tired of walking. It’s really not, like, my thing,” Kyle remarked. He sounded more than a little tired and was breathing quickly.

  Smiling, Ethan nodded and waited for the gate to open, but nothing happened. “Er, now what do we do?”

  Kyle stepped up beside him and shrugged. “We’re in the right place, so I guess we treat this like we’re online like the message said.”

  Ethan stared at the gate and the barbwire that ran along the top of the fence. Were they supposed to try to sneak in? That sounded incredibly risky, but was there another option? For an electronics and software company, Tekko sure seemed to employ an awful lot of sadists.

  Kyle moved up and tried to push the chain link gate open, but it didn’t budge. Meanwhile, Ethan’s gaze slid to the data pad next to the gate. Frowning thoughtfully, he stepped toward it. He’d disregarded it earlier because he hadn’t been given a password or card for it, but perhaps there was another solution. Ethan took out his personal device and waved it in front of the pad. Nothing happened, so he scowled and put the personal device away.

  Kyle leaned over to see what he was doing. “Try hacking it.”

  “What? I don’t know how to hack things.”

  “No, like you’re in game.”

  “Huh, good idea,” Ethan said and went through the options in his interface. Sure enough, he found one for hacking and was able to use it on the data pad. It was set up exactly like in Worldshift, so Ethan was soon zipping through the mini-game and had it beat a few moments later. When he was done, there was a loud click, and the gate before him swung open.

  “Super electric,” Kyle remarked happily as they both stepped through the gate and headed for the main doors of the building beyond it.

  The doors were locked and there wasn’t anyone around, but another quick hack got them open and the pair stepped inside without a problem. There was nothing special about the entrance room they then found themselves in, but there were two more doors on opposite walls that led farther in. Both doors were steel and looked mechanical, but a quick inspection revealed the door to their right was locked, so they walked to the other one.

  The second door opened as soon as Kyle approached it, so they both walked through it into a long white room with featureless walls. There was absolutely nothing in it but some bright lights on the ceiling, until another notification appeared in their sights.

  Welcome to the holographic projection chamber. Please pick up your weapon and prepare for combat. Survive until the end to unlock the next room and progress along your mission.

  Kyle turned toward Ethan as if to say something, but they were both distracted by a loud hissing noise, and they turned to see two hidden hatches in the nearby wall open. Inside were two black rifles that could have come right out of Worldshift.

  “Oh, epic.” Kyle laughed as he grabbed one.

  As Ethan took the other, Kyle aimed his at the wall and pulled the trigger. Ethan flinched, but nothing happened. “Hey, you didn’t know what that would do!”

  Kyle just chuckled. “It’s not like it’s a real gun. Relax.”

  Before Ethan could reply, the room around them shimmered, and the white walls were replaced by a long concrete chamber full of rubble and small smoldering fires. It looked like the whole area had been bombed or something. The illusory chamber stretched ahead for several hundred feet until smoke and dust blocked Ethan’s sight, and there was a waist-high concrete barrier right in front of him and Kyle.

  “Well, I can guess where this is going,” Ethan said as he scanned his new holographic surroundings.

  Sure enough, a few moments later there was movement up ahead as a dark figure stepped out from behind some cover and leveled a rifle at Ethan. It looked like a man in dark military gear with a mask covering his face.

  Before Ethan could react, Kyle had already opened fire. There was a boom and then an energy blast slammed into the enemy soldier, disintegrating him.

  “This thing has some kick, like a real weapon,” Kyle remarked in surprise as Ethan glanced his way.

  “Huh, this is weird. With this interface, I really feel like I’m online,” Ethan replied as he raised his weapon and scanned the corridor ahead of him.

  Within moments, several more holographic soldiers appeared, so Ethan and Kyle opened fire at them. The soldiers quickly fired back, forcing the players to take cover behind the concrete barriers in front of them. As time went on, more and more enemies appeared, increasing the difficulty of the game. This firefight continued for half an hour until the enemies stopped appearing and a message appeared before them.

  Congratulations on your victory! Please return your weapons and move on to the next room.

  Ethan stared at the letters and frowned. “I have no idea if that’s a hologram or displayed on my visual interface.”

  “Does it matter? Just be happy we won! Prizes, here we come,” Kyle replied as he put a hand out so he could lean on the concrete barrier beside him. However, it was a hologram, so he fell right through it and hit the floor. A moment later, the entire ruined hallway around the players flickered out of existence and was replaced by the white room from before, but now there was a door on the far wall.

  As he picked himself up, Kyle smiled sheepishly. “I totally forgot that wasn’t real.”

  “I don’t blame you. It’s getting increasingly hard to tell what is,” Ethan told him. It wasn’t just the holograms and new interface. He’d been spending far too much time online lately, and there was also the shadow. He still had no idea what that thing was. What was real and what mattered was becoming increasingly blurry.

  After putting their weapons back in the wall compartments, the two young men walked to the door that had appeared when they’d won the game. It slid open automatically as they approached, so they stepped through it into a long, dark hallway. It appeared to be real though and not a hologram. Ethan checked by touching the walls. However, this didn’t stop another glowing message from appearing in front of them.

  Use stealth and your hacking abilities to reach the other side of this corridor undetected. If you’re seen the test will be restarted. Good luck!

  Kyle raised a hand to his forehead as if he were shielding his eyes and studied the area in front of them. “I see some cameras on the walls. It looks like we’ll have to disable them.”

  “Shouldn’t be too hard,” Ethan replied as he strode forward. His own visual interface had already highlighted several surveillance devices for him.

  Moving ca
refully, the pair made their way into the corridor. It was poorly lit and contained a lot of what seemed to be piles of empty plastic crates, but it wasn’t difficult for them to detect and disable each of the cameras and sensors they found. Some of them were well hidden, but they had practice at this thanks to Worldshift.

  Once they neared the end of the corridor, they realized it took a left turn, but before they could get closer, there was a flash of light from beyond the corner. Ethan quickly signaled at Kyle, and they both ducked behind a pile of crates. A few seconds later, the source of the light stepped into sight. It was a humanoid droid with a flashlight in one hand. Stopping at the corner, the droid briefly turned to study the hallway the players were in before turning around and stepping back out of sight.

  “Wow, an actual security droid,” Kyle whispered once it was gone. “You don’t see those much. The government doesn’t like them being used anywhere people could be used instead.”

  “It’s going to be hard to get around that without being seen,” Ethan remarked. He wished he had his energy blade. In Worldshift, a single droid like this would be nothing to him.

  “Maybe we could hack it while its back is turned?” Kyle suggested.

  “Sure, let’s try that. I don’t have a better idea.”

  Warily, Ethan and Kyle moved to the corner of the hallway and disabled the sensors on the way. Once there, they peeked around the corner to see where the security droid was. The area in front of them was much the same as what was behind them, and the droid was at the far end of the corridor, past several piles of crates. Seeing this, Kyle crept out and disabled the nearby cameras before joining Ethan in hiding behind another heap of boxes.

  A few minutes later, the droid returned as it went along its patrol. As it moved, its light cut through the shadows and washed over the boxes the players were hiding behind, but it didn’t detect them. Instead, it walked up to the corner again, looked around, and then walked back the way it had come.

  As soon as the droid’s back was turned, Kyle dashed toward it. Sensing something, it began to turn toward him. Ethan bit his lip. It didn’t seem like Kyle was going to make it, but then the droid flinched and froze. That gave Kyle enough time to close the distance and grab it.