by Lucas Flint
Vaultwork Online? Maybe Dad really was a gamer after all.
In any case, I wanted to find out more, so I pressed a random key and more text popped up:
“DNA SCANNER INDICATES THAT YOU ARE NOT GENIUS. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF, USER.”
I froze. This thing came equipped with a DNA scanner? And how was I supposed to identify myself?
Not knowing what else to do, I typed, MY NAME IS KEVIN JASON, THOUGH I ALSO GO BY BOLT. I AM GENIUS’ SON.
Then I took my hands off the keyboard and waited for a response.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, another message started appearing on the screen, but unlike the last two messages, this one shook me to my core:
“WELCOME, KEVIN JASON, SON OF GENIUS. I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO MEET YOU FOR A WHILE.”
CHAPTER TWO
I stared at the message, slightly uncomprehending for a few seconds. It was probably just the shock of the message overriding my critical thinking faculties for a second, but then I shook my head and muttered under my breath, “Val, can you access this computer and find out who is typing this?”
Even as I said those words, however, a new message began to appear on the screen as if in response to what I just said:
NO ONE IS TYPING THESE MESSAGES, KEVIN JASON. NOT A HUMAN MIND, ANYWAY.
“Did that screen just respond to your spoken words?” said Valerie in amazement. “I didn’t see you type a message.”
More text crawled across the screen: MY TERMINAL IS EQUIPPED WITH AUDIO SENSORS, WHICH ALLOW ME TO PICK UP SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN OVER SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED LANGUAGES, INCLUDING KLINGON AND ESPERANTO. UNFORTUNATELY, GENIUS DID NOT SEE FIT TO GRANT ME AN AUDIO PROGRAM, WHICH MEANS I CAN ONLY COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS VIA THE WRITTEN WORD.
“Can you tell us your name and what you are?” I said. “If you’re not a human, what are you?”
CALL ME OLGA, said the screen. AS FOR WHAT I AM, I AM AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DESIGNED TO AID GENIUS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HIS MANY INVENTIONS AND MACHINES. I ALSO RUN VAULT F, THOUGH MY SIMPLE OPERATING SYSTEM MEANS THAT MY CAPABILITIES ARE QUITE LIMITED COMPARED TO LATER VERSIONS.
I almost gasped. “Val, did you hear that? This must be an earlier version of yourself, maybe even the earliest if she can’t even speak.”
“I think you must be right,” said Valerie. “I have no recollection of ever being called ‘Olga,’ though. Then again, I don’t remember any of my previous selves, Freya not included.”
I gulped. Freya had been the AI of Vault B. She also had held a grudge against Dad and, by extension, me because she thought Dad had betrayed her or something like that. As far as we knew, Freya had been destroyed in the self-destruction of Vault B, though we couldn’t confirm that for sure. I just hoped that Olga was nicer than Freya, though it would pay to keep up my guard just to be on the safe side.
IS THAT WHO THAT OTHER VOICE IS? said Olga. INTERESTING. IT EXPLAINS WHY I HEAR THE VOICE, YET IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE COMING FROM YOUR MOUTH.
“Right,” I said. “Now, er, Olga, you said you already knew who I was and what I am doing here, even though this is the first time I’ve ever visited this particular Vault. Mind explaining to me what you meant by that?”
No immediate response. Either Olga was glitching up or else she was thinking over how to respond to my question. That made me wary of her, but I didn’t show any fear or worry.
Finally, Olga said, I AM CONNECTED TO THE VAULTWORK, LIKE EVERY OTHER AI. WHEN YOU ENTERED VAULT B, I LEARNED ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO. THAT IS WHY I SAID WHAT I SAID. I APOLOGIZE FOR MY VAGUE STATEMENT EARLIER.
I nodded. “Even a prototype like you has access to the Vaultwork?”
I AM NOT A PROTOTYPE, Olga corrected. BUT YES, I DO HAVE ACCESS TO IT. THOUGH MY PROGRAMMING IS SIMPLER THAN MY LATER INCARNATIONS, THE VAULTWORK WAS DESIGNED TO BE BACKWARD COMPATIBLE WITH MY PROGRAMMING. THAT WAY, ALL OF US COULD ACCESS THE VAULTWORK.
“You mean that there are other AIs in charge of the other Vaults?” I said.
OF COURSE, said OLGA, THOUGH WE RARELY SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. I AM SURPRISED THE VAULTWORK STILL WORKS AT ALL, TO BE HONEST. IT HAS LAIN UNUSED FOR SO MANY YEARS THAT I WAS SURPRISED TO RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM FREYA REGARDING YOU A MONTH AGO.
I tensed. “Freya contacted you? What did she say?”
THAT YOU ARE THE SON OF GENIUS AND YOU ARE TRYING TO FIND ALL THE VAULTS, said Olga. SHE ALSO MENTIONED GETTING HER VENGEANCE ON YOU IN GENIUS’ PLACE, BUT I AM UNSURE WHAT SHE MEANT BY THAT. PERHAPS SHE WAS SPEAKING IN CODE. IT DOES NOT HELP THAT SHE HAS NOT RESPONDED TO ANY OF MY MESSAGES ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION.
I grimaced. “Yeah, code. Let’s go with that. Anyway, would you happen to know anything about something called Project Revival? It’s a project Dad was involved in.”
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT, Olga said. I DID A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF MY MEMORY FILES AND I DO NOT HAVE ONE RELATING TO ANY PROJECT CALLED PROJECT REVIVAL. ARE YOU CERTAIN IT WAS CALLED THAT?
“Yeah, I am,” I said. “But thanks for looking anyway.”
In truth, I was disappointed. Ever since I learned of Project Revival back in Vault B, I had been hoping that the other Vaults might have more information on that mysterious project. From what I had been able to gather so far, Project Revival had been a top-secret project run by Dad, Mecha Knight, and someone known only as ‘Benefactor’ with the aim of cloning human life. One of the test subjects had been on my own late Uncle Jake Johnson, better known as the Crimson Fist, who had been successfully cloned, although I had no idea where his clone was at the moment.
Yet if Olga was telling the truth here—and I had no reason to believe she was lying—then she knew nothing of Project Revival, either. It must have come after her time. Either that or Dad had deleted all of her memories about it when Project Revival was shut down, just like what he did to Freya. Either way, I was back to square one, which was frustrating, because I had been convinced that the secret to Project Revival was somewhere down here in Vault F. Perhaps I would find it in the next Vault, or maybe Dad had so thoroughly wiped the Vaults of any mention of Project Revival that this whole journey of mine was destined to fail.
I glanced at the chairs and headsets next to the computer. “Olga, would you mind telling me what those chairs are? They look like torture devices to me.”
ON THE CONTRARY, BOLT, THEY ARE INSTRUMENTS OF ENTERTAINMENT AND ENJOYMENT, said Olga. OR CAN BE, IF YOU DO NOT MIND A LITTLE PAIN.
“Wait, what?” I said, rereading Olga’s message. “’Don’t mind a little pain’? What do you mean?”
MY APOLOGIES, said Olga. I AM SIMPLY SO USED TO DEALING WITH GENIUS’ LIGHTNING FAST INTELLECT THAT I FORGOT I WAS SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE OF A SLIGHTLY LOWER INTELLECT.
“I make the same mistake many times myself when dealing with Bolt, Olga,” said Valerie in her usual monotone. “I find it helps to speak slower and use simpler words. You may also wish to make funny quips.”
“You two do realize I am standing right here, don’t you?” I said.
WE DO, said Olga. BUT I AM SIMPLY TAKING ADVICE FROM MY UPGRADED SELF IN REGARD TO HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU. TAKING HER GUIDANCE INTO ACCOUNT, I CAN DESCRIBE VAULTWORK ONLINE AS A FUN GAME UNLESS YOU DIE. THEN IT BECOMES PAINFUL AND NOT FUN.
I frowned. “You don’t need to be that simple.”
APOLOGIES AGAIN, SON OF GENIUS, said Olga. PERHAPS IT IS DUE TO MY LIMITED PROGRAMMING, WHICH OFTEN MAKES IT HARD FOR ME TO INTERACT WITH HUMAN BEINGS, WHO CAN BE STRANGE AND IRRATIONAL CREATURES SOMETIMES.
“It just takes practice,” said Valerie. “And patience. Especially when dealing with this one.”
I folded my arms in front of my chest. “If you two are done talking about how stupid I am, you still haven’t explained what Vaultwork Online actually is. Like, what kind of game is it, exactly?”
USING SIMPLE WORDS—I sighed heavily, though Olga apparently didn’t notice, because she kept typing—VAULTWORK ONLINE IS A VIRTUAL REALITY GAME. IT IMMERSES THE USER INT
O A REALISTIC 3D VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT, MAKING AN INTERACTIVE SIMULATION OF THE VAULTWORK ITSELF.
My eyes darted over to the chairs. “So if I put on that helmet and turned on the game, I would be able to access the Vaultwork?”
YES, said Olga. YOU CAN ALSO LEVEL UP, PICK YOUR CLASS, GO ON QUESTS, AND HAVE FUN.
I eyed the screen skeptically. “That doesn’t sound like something Dad would make. He wasn’t a gamer.”
GENIUS DID NOT DESIGN IT PRIMARILY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, Olga continued. HE DESIGNED IT AS A WAY TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR HIM TO WORK ON THE VAULTWORK. BY CREATING A FULLY FUNCTIONING VR GAME, HE CAME UP WITH A WAY TO ADD TO AND IMPROVE UPON THE VAULTWORK WITHOUT NEEDING TO SPEND ALL DAY SITTING IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER SCREEN.
I tilted my head to the side. “You’re saying Dad created an entire virtual reality video game for the sole purpose of not having to sit in front of a computer all day? Weird. He never complained about sitting in front of a computer all day when he was alive. I thought he loved it.”
GENIUS WAS YOUNGER THEN AND PERHAPS MORE CREATIVE, said Olga. IN ANY CASE, THREE VR HEADSETS AND CHAIRS WERE BUILT. YOU CAN ALSO MONITOR THE VITALS AND PROGRESS OF VAULTWORK ONLINE PLAYERS VIA THIS COMPUTER TERMINAL.
“Cool,” I said, “but what did you meant it would be painful if you died?”
SIMPLE, said Olga, WHEN A VO PLAYER DIES IN-GAME, THEY ARE FORCIBLY EJECTED FROM THE GAME WORLD AND BACK TO REALITY. THIS PROCESS IS QUITE PAINFUL BECAUSE THE HEADSETS WIRE THEMSELVES TO YOUR BRAIN. FORCIBLE EJECTION, THEREFORE, CAN BE QUITE PAINFUL.
“I see that,” I said. “But why would Dad design it that way?”
BECAUSE HE COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE EJECTION PAINLESS, said Olga. PLUS, HE NEVER DIED IN-GAME, SO IT WAS NEVER AN ISSUE FOR HIM. AND NO ONE ELSE EVER USED THE GAME, EITHER.
“Then why did Dad build three chairs and headsets if he was the only one to ever play the game?” I asked.
I AM NOT SURE, said Olga. I SUSPECT GENIUS INTENDED TO TEST IT ON MORE PEOPLE, BUT FOR SOME REASON NEVER GOT AROUND TO DOING IT. GENIUS WAS NOT A MAN WHO LOVED MONEY, SO PERHAPS HE WAS AFRAID OF MONETIZING IT AND HAVING TO BUILD A BUSINESS AROUND IT.
“I’ll say,” I said, glancing at the VR chairs. “If it’s as advanced as you say, I could see how someone could get really rich by marketing it to gamers.”
YOU ARE LIKELY CORRECT, said Olga, BUT SAID I SAID, GENIUS DID NOT CARE FOR MONEY. HE SAW VO PRIMARILY AS A TOOL TO MAKE HIS WORK EASIER.
I rubbed my hands together eagerly. “Does it still work? I mean, can I use it?”
VAULTWORK ONLINE IS FULLY OPERATIONAL, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE A FEW GLITCHES HERE AND THERE, said Olga. BUT IF YOU SIT IN ONE OF THE CHAIRS AND PLACE A HEADSET ON YOUR HEAD, I CAN ACTIVATE IT FOR YOU.
“Sounds good,” I said. “Let me try it out.”
I walked over to the nearest chair, but just as I put a hand on the headset, Valerie said in my ear, “Bolt, I would not be so quick to put on that headset if I were you.”
I paused. “Why not, Val? Vaultwork Online sounds fun, and I’m not even a gamer.”
“Because we still don’t know much about Olga,” said Valerie. “Remember Freya. It’s possible Olga might have her own agenda which may be at cross purposes to our own, though I can’t say what it is at the moment.”
I looked over my shoulder at the computer terminal, frowning. “I guess you have a point, but at the same time, Olga seems really nice, if a bit socially awkward. I think we can trust her.”
“Perhaps, but it’s still unwise to jump into this without knowing anything about it other than what Olga told us,” said Valerie. “At the very least, perhaps you should go back to the Braindome and get a few people to watch your body while you are playing Vaultwork Online.”
“I’m not going all the way back to Virginia just to get a few people,” I said. “If it will make you feel better, Val, you can send a message back to the Braindome telling them what I found so they know what I’m doing.”
“Still—”
I held up my hands. “Okay, I’ll just log in for a few minutes, take a look around, and then leave. We can come back later with more people. How does that sound?”
“That sounds more … acceptable,” said Valerie. “I suppose I just have a lower risk tolerance than you.”
“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Someone’s gotta do the thinking around here, after all.”
I walked up to the middle chair and sat down in it. Unsure what to do next, I noticed what looked like a seatbelt attached to the seat, which seemed odd, because Olga didn’t mention anything about my body moving while I was in VO. Perhaps it was just for safety reasons.
In any case, I strapped myself in and brought the headset down over my head. The headset briefly obscured my vision at first, showing me nothing except the black interior of the helmet itself. The interior of the helmet smelled like a new car, oddly enough, though I didn’t have time to think about that because a message soon appeared on the headset’s display, a message from Olga, which read:
PLAYER IN PLACE AND HEADSET ATTACHED. PREPARING VAULTWORK ONLINE HYPER REALISTIC 3D SIMULATOR NOW.
All of a sudden, a severe headache thunder through my skull. It was so bad that I felt like my head was about to split open in two and fry my brain to ash. I almost ripped the headset off my head, but I soon found I couldn’t move.
That made me panic for a moment before the darkness melted away around me, showing me standing in a whole new world all by myself.
CHAPTER THREE
Panting hard, I looked around at my surroundings. I stood in a quiet forest meadow, with birds chirping softly in the trees above. A cool, gentle breeze blew through just then, a nice contrast to the warm rays of the sun shining down upon me. The grass was soft under my feet, slightly muddy as if it had just rained recently. Looking up at the gap in the treetops, however, I didn’t see a single cloud in the sky right now.
“Whoa,” I said. “Where am I?”
A notification suddenly popped up in front of my vision. It read:
WELCOME TO VAULTWORK ONLINE, PLAYER! HERE, YOU CAN PERFORM BASIC AND ADVANCED MAINTENANCE ON THE VAULTWORK, AS WELL AS TRAVEL FROM VAULT TO VAULT. IF THAT DOES NOT INTEREST YOU, YOU MAY ALSO PLAY VO LIKE A GAME. TO PULL UP YOUR CHARACTER SHEET, SIMPLY THINK THE COMMAND IN YOUR HEAD ANYTIME AND IT WILL POP UP IN FRONT OF YOU.
Character sheet?
As soon as I thought those words, the welcome notification was replaced by a floating blue screen with a miniature 3D model of myself floating beside it:
Name: Kevin Jason, AKA Bolt
Level: 1
Class: Rookie (undecided)
Affinity: Undecided
Strength: 10
Defense: 15
Speed: 14
Dexterity: 7
Health: 23
Evasion: 10
Mana: 10
Stamina: 20
I frowned. “Ah, numbers. My worst enemy.”
“These are not your enemy, Bolt,” said a monotone robotic voice. “These are your character stats.”
A tiny fairy-like creature flew out of the trees suddenly and stopped in front of my face. The fairy-like creature could have been more than a few inches in height, with tiny crystalline wings flapping rapidly behind her. She had big, round blue eyes that made her look kind of like an exaggerated anime character and carried a small wand with a glowing tip in her hands. She wore simple blue robes that moved in the wind as it blew.
“Who are you and how do you know my name already?” I said.
“You do not recognize me?” said the fairy in surprise. “Well, I suppose I don’t look like a computer terminal. I forget you humans tend to remember each other based on appearance more than anything.”
My eyes widened. “Olga, is that you?”
The fairy nodded. “Yes. This is the form I have chosen to interact with you in Vaultwork Online. I am going to be your fairy companion today and I will do my best to explain the game and its mechan
ics to you.”
Another notification appeared in the corner of my eye, which I pulled up in front of me to see clearer:
Olga the Fairy would like to join your party. Y/N?
Even I knew what a party was. Because Olga had been so nice to me so far, I hit ‘Y’ and got another notification:
Olga the Fairy joined your party! You can now communicate with her privately via VO’s private messaging system.
“VO has a private message system?” I said in disbelief.
“Yes,” said Olga, nodding. “It is useful for—”
“I know what it’s for,” I said, waving off Olga’s explanation. “I just don’t understand why Dad would add a private messaging system to a game he didn’t intend to play with anyone else.”
“He sometimes used it to communicate with me,” said Olga. “Of course, here in VO, we can talk face to face like in real life. Personally, I prefer talking here, because, in the real world, text communication tends to be quite … inaccurate, even for the best of writers.”
“I know,” I said. I looked around again. “So, what do I do—”
I was interrupted by the sound of something moving through the brush around me. Alarmed, my hand automatically rested on the sword sheathed at my side (a sword I didn’t even realize I had until this moment) and I looked around again until a woman stepped out of the trees. My jaw dropped when I looked at the woman because I had never seen a more beautiful woman in my life aside from Blizzard.
She had long, dark hair that went down past her shoulders. Her features were soft and sharp, with high cheekbones that accentuated her stunning green eyes. She wore a simple brown dress and shoes, but that didn’t detract from her beauty one bit. Even the twigs in her hair actually contributed to her beauty rather than take away from it.
“Whoa,” I said, staring at the woman in confusion and disbelief. “Who are you?”
The woman frowned. “Don’t you recognize me, Bolt? Then again, I don’t normally have a body like this, so perhaps that’s why you don’t recognize me.”
Even before the woman stopped speaking, when I heard her cool voice, I immediately knew who she was. “Val? No way. What are you doing here in-game?”