by Wolfe Locke
“Hopefully, you’ll never know that feeling for yourself. To be put in that position with somebody who was your friend. But there was little I could do for him. The military has no use for cripples. Not you, not him, not even me, but if I can toss a little bit of dignity back his way, I will. He doesn’t need to know I singled him out for this job.” The Colonel said. “Besides, this is a good chance to see for yourself how to turn a broken man into an asset and how to right a wrong.”
“I look forward to that, sir,” Zander said and walked out, leaving Grisham alone in the quiet office. He was hoping Niles would get them the results they wanted. Whatever was happening, Niles was the only one who could help.
Colonel Fairway knew despite what he had told Niles, that the man was the only one who fit the job, a former shooter who could handle the Talon because of the eRehab therapy he’d been receiving. Besides, this is something he’d enjoy. He always was the kind of person who didn’t mind giving himself to the job completely. It’s just a shame he’s such a grudge-holding bastard. Grisham thought as he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Chapter 8: Integration
* * *
After getting something to eat and feeling refreshed from a hot coffee, Niles went back to his quarters and opened the room where the new Rig was kept. The room was much colder than the rest of the facility, and Niles felt the chill spread throughout his body. Though he was walking with his cane, the chill made his leg start to ache, but he ignored it.
Niles had a lot on his mind. Being back and seeing Colonel Fairway had stirred up a lot of old memories about the way he used to be, the man he used to be. He braced himself against the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for the memories to fade. I don’t need to remember; I just need to be ready.
“Begin activation,” Niles said, waiting for the Rig to start up. He heard the excitement in his voice. The lights in the room began to dim as the machine glowed with blue light and opened, revealing the gel interior. I wonder if Grisham has one of these. He probably has the unit crest embedded on the lid of his. The thought amused Niles.
He slowly walked over to the pod, taking care to not lose his balance as he took his clothes off and climbed up into the Rig, lowering himself into the immersion gel. Unlike the eRehab machine, the gel in the Rig was warm and comforting. He had two questions on his mind, when would “The Old Dominion” hit again, and how he would trace them once he did.
“Begin integration sequence,” Niles said. A low hum of energy started up as the SynaCAID platform began its boot process. His implant notified him when the Rig and the software were ready for the dive. He laid back in the gel. It was soft to the touch and smelled good to him. It helped to clear his mind.
Clearing his mind made the integration easier and helped to avoid side effects like vertigo from the Grishamsition. All he had to do was close his eyes to one world and open them in another.
That was part of the draw of going under. It was practically magic. Niles signed and pushed thoughts of Grisham and the Old Dominion out of his mind. It was difficult, but he had a working system to trigger that mindfulness. It was part of his training to use the eRehab system. He thought of mindless mornings on the mountain drinking coffee with nothing but the sound of nature around him. It was peaceful.
“Begin,” he said, and the pod hissed shut, sealing him in as the immersion gel began to rise and a low pulse of energy went through it, adapting to his brain waves. The gel rose quickly, and soon, Niles was under. His breathing was steady, though uncomfortable as the gel-filled his mouth. Within seconds, the pod was gone. It was if the entire world had gone to black only to be replaced by a version of himself looking up at the SynaCAID interface, asking which part of the system he wanted access to.
SynaCAID Platform
Which Program Would You Like To Run?
Seven Cities Online
Personal Trainer
eRehab - Mountain Side Retreat
Combat Simulator
LMS – Academy
Religious Services
Entertainment
Government Services
Niles was unfamiliar with the Combat Simulator, Personal Trainer, and the LMS – Academy programs. Everything else he had experience with, though as a rule, he’d avoided using Seven Cities Online. Niles had never seen the appeal of going to a digital movie theater with other people when he could just watch it a lot more conveniently through the Entertainment subprogram or the comfort of his apartment.
The eRehab program was his personal favorite. It had been loaded with the memory of Lake Tahoe from when he was a kid. So long as he was using a medical grade unit and running the eRehab protocols, his leg would continue to recover as the nerves and muscles were rehabilitated.
SynaCAID Platform
Selection Confirmed – eRehab Mountain Side Retreat
The system had picked up on the wrong subroutine. No, not that one. Niles stopped his implant from sending him to the Mountain Side Retreat. Halting it sent a quick query to him, asking to confirm as the Rig reconfigured itself, and Niles selected what he needed. Seven Cities Online.
SynaCAID Platform
Selection Confirmed – Seven Cities Online – Oceania Server
-Note- This selection will be saved. The system must be fully reset to return to parent menu.
*Current Global Users – 477,109,483
*Notice* As this is the first time this unit has accessed Seven Cities Online, you will be directed towards New Character Creation.
Chapter 9: A New Path
* * *
SynaCAID Platform
Currently Transferring to Seven Cities Online
Location: Arcadia - New Player Orientation
With a flash of light, Niles opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a busy cafe, and though he had never been one of the people who had adopted any of the Seven Cities as a second home, Niles knew enough about entertainment to recognize NPC’s when he saw them.
It had been years since the last time he had even tried to log into a Digital Life MMO, even the ones before SynaCAID launched. He had opted instead for private servers and subroutines like his mountain retreat. He looked around, trying to catch his bearings, when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. Niles spun around, ready to fight, and found himself face to face with a young woman.
“Hey, sorry about that Mister I was just wanting to know what your name is.” She said with a smile as a blue screen appeared in front of Niles’s face.
Seven Cities Online - Arcadia
Welcome to New Player Orientation!
Here in the Seven Cities, we encourage interaction and reward good socialization. The first step in that journey, be it as a Wandering Adventurer, Humble Inn Keeper, or even as an Influencer, starts with a name. A name that will become an extension of your reputation and brand. This does not have to be a real or formal name.
What’s yours?
Niles thought for a moment, it was a good question. His real name obviously wouldn’t work for multiple reasons, and though he had briefly visited Seven Cities before, none of his experience likely mattered anymore, the platform had long since evolved away from whatever limited knowledge he had gained in that time, and with it, a connection to his then avatar. No, I need a new name altogether, a fresh start.
He turned to look at the girl and answered, “Marx, my name will be Marx.” The girl wrinkled her nose unamused and responded. “Weird name, but if you decide you want to change it later you can, the first name change is free within the first 30 days of activity, but after that, or for an additional name change, it will be $9.99 USD per.”
I remember now why I’ve avoided this place for so long, Niles thought as he ignored the girl and noticed he felt cold. From outside there seemed to be a bit of a flurry of snow that made the coffee shop that much more enticing as the strong smell of fresh brews mixed with the scent of fresh bread and soups. I wonder if it tastes as good as it smells. In the real
world, it’s so hard to get a decent meal in with all the shortages.
“So...” Interrupted the girl with a flirty smile, “Would you like anything to drink Marx?”
“I’ll take a black,” He answered, and though he was craving a full meal, he didn’t want to get sucked into the trappings of this world, not yet at least and the last thing he wanted to do was sit down. He could feel his leg and wanted to move. No drag. No numbness. He felt healthy and whole and anxious to get going. The girl walked over to the counter and grabbed a few things.
“Here you go Mr. Marx, let me know if you would like to see the menu,” She said again appearing right beside him. She continued to smile, but Niles could an unfocused look in the NPC’s eyes that let him know she wasn’t human, just a program. The smile was suddenly not as cute to him, but creepy. Niles shook his head and said “No thank you,” as he took a sip of the coffee he watched her go. The coffee tasted better than anything he’d had in years. Niles got up to leave, carrying his cup as he walked out onto the street, leaving the fake people in the fake cafe behind to head out into the virtual world.
Seven Cities Online - Arcadia
Wait a minute, not so fast! Before you head out, you need to choose what your avatar is going to look like. Currently, it is set to DEFAULT MALE 11.
Would you like to go to character design?
Yes/No
Niles thought for a second about whether to change or not, and was reminded of all the bot accounts he’d seen in his younger days. Probably all go with the standard default models. I’ll need to take a second.
He selected “Yes” and began the avatar creation process.
The feeling was a bit disorientating as Niles found himself, looking down at himself. His body having reverted to basically a blank canvas that rapidly started to change, showing him hundreds of different combinations in the spawn of seconds. None of which really appealed to him.
“Can I be myself?” Niles muttered and in response, the avatar he was looking at began to shift. Hair grayed and grew longer, unkempt and wild with a coarse beard and deep worry lines on the forward. Niles grimaced. “Yeah, not like that. My younger self. The me of my 20’s.”
The body shifted again. The avatar’s back straightened slightly as some of the weight and age was lifted away. The hair became short, darkening to a deep black. Time unwound from the tired-looking face, revealing the chiseled and bronzed features underneath. The beard disappeared and was replaced a clean shave.
“That’ll do,” Niles said with a smile, remembering when he had been young and still strong.
Seven Cities Online - Arcadia
You have finished creating your avatar. Unlike you log into a gaming area or play zone you will not receive any updates or stat changes.
As you have created a “Male Human,” you will receive no bonuses.
Note: Partaking in gaming areas and play zones is not required for continued access to Seven Cities.
With his approval secured, the character creation disappeared, and Niles once again found himself looking through the eyes of the avatar. The change complete, he left the café.
SynaCAID Platform
Currently Transferring to Seven Cities Online
Location: Arcadia - Mainstreet
Instantly, once on the outside, the weather changed. Rather than the biting cold on his skin that he had been expecting, Niles felt the warm glow of sunshine on his face. A sunshine that warmed his bones as a gentle breeze blew on what would have been an otherwise perfect spring day. This is too real for me, far too real. Why would anyone ever leave it here? Why have I been so adamant on not checking it out for myself.
Niles walked down the street through a mass of people of every size and color. Some he’d never seen before. Many were wearing fantasy armor and plate mail, while others moved around on jetpacks with suspiciously specific copyrighted white armor. Not everyone wore armor, others had tattered outfits and long dredging coats to match the aesthetic they were trying for.
The ones that made him smile the most, though, were the mascots, an entire faction of users who stuck to a hard rule. Everyone that belonged to them had to wear a mascot styled helmet and a formal looking suit to go with it. This is the kind of stuff I would have enjoyed when I was younger if I hadn’t joined up.
Once he’d taken in the spectacle of the other users, Niles decided it was time to go shop to shop and store to store. Arcadia was bright and vibrant and full of people. It exposed reality for what it was. A place nobody wants to be. He laughed, seeing a small family of four eating ice-cream together. They can’t do that anymore in the real world.
He was fixated on a world that seemed to be taken straight out of time. The better years of yesterday and bright world of tomorrow he had been promised as a child. For a moment, Niles was overwhelmed until he was able to refocus. Every place he went to got his complete attention. This is what it was like to go to Magicland as a kid. It was more than just amazement that drove him. He was also checking for clues, some sort of manifestation of an anomaly or suspicious activity.
Nobody looked as surprised or how awed as he was by how real everything was. The newness probably wore off a long time ago for them. Niles had heard how perfect Seven Cities had integrated with the SynaCAID and had seen for himself how real things could be in his mountain retreat module, but this was different. He might as well have been walking around the block outside the house his parents had owned upstate.
Niles kept walking, narrowly avoiding a pair of space marines running to a nearby gaming zone. He shook his head and smiled as the two gave each other high fives before jumping into a blue portal that appeared out of nowhere. That looks like fun…
He ducked into a nearby shop called “Everything My Mother Warned Me About.” It was fairly plain but as soon as he stepped through the door, a menu opened up.
Seven Cities Online
“Everything My Mother Warned Me About”
-As this storefront deals in digital goods, you must have a parent or guardian assist with purchases if under the age of 17.
Note: No digital goods purchased have a real-world match.
- Cosmetics -
Tuxedo Hat – $1.99
Penguin Suit - $1.99
Baseball Cap + Team of Choice - $1.99
Masked Vigilante – $6.99
Mascot Rat - $6.99
1/105 pages
Maybe later, he told himself as he backed away, and the screen disappeared. I’ve been missing out on a lot, apparently. He continued walking, there was something he needed to do, and the environment was distracting him a bit before continuing onwards. There was something he needed to do. He wanted to check out the 3rd Ward, where the analysts’ reports said the AZM Conglomerate had been wiped out, and that part of Seven Cities was currently unreachable to most people.
He was positive he wouldn’t find any answers there. Instead, he headed towards the first attack site, a Jewelry Store named “Rupees”. It was a dropship company directly connected to a mining operation in India.
The first victim had been a kid who’d been looking to get something to impress a girlfriend, a bracelet. The kid had been attacked head-on with a dagger through his heart. If I understood correctly, it’s supposed to be impossible to even perform an attack in commercial or residential areas of the platform.
The kid had been killed at roughly the same in real life on the outside. In the reports, there had been two main differences, at the shop, the kid had been killed from up close, and outside of the game in the real world, the kid had been killed by a sniper’s bullet.
Niles walked down the main street of Arcadia, ignoring the personal pings and solicitations for subscription services from attractive women and influences jockeying for attention. Window shopping was never for me.
The block button had a function, and Niles used it freely to clear up his peripherals and weed out the noise. He directed his implant to show him directions, and
as the blue screen showed up in front of him, he adjusted and changed paths according to the information provided by the implant.
A full twenty minutes later, and still nowhere near his destination, Niles changed his mind about walking and flagged down the first transportation cab that he saw. Though it wasn’t quite as nice as some of the other units he had seen moving around, there was still something to say about riding a chariot of flame across the sky to your next destination. As the chariot touched down in front of him, Niles waved his towards the card unit held by the driver and mentally was sent the receipt for the fare.