“Thanks for waiting for me,” he said. “I’d get lost around here by myself.”
“No problem,” Josh answered. “I know exactly how you feel. There are still parts of the facility I get lost in too. You wouldn’t believe how huge it is when coming here for the first time, right?”
“How long have you been working here?” Kai asked as they walked down the endless hall together.
“Almost sixteen months now,” Josh said, then sighed. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m a loser because I’m still a Level One after all that time.”
“No, not at all! Why would I?”
Josh squirmed visibly as he led Kai to a row of elevators he hadn’t noticed before. “Because most testers reach Level Two after twelve months, some much faster. And I’m still here.”
Kai wasn’t sure how to answer, so he remained silent while they waited for the elevator to come.
“I have one month left to reach the next level before they fire me,” Josh continued, clearly embarrassed. “But I’m really close now and will hopefully gain enough points with the next tournament.”
“I’m sure you will!” Kai tried to put as much confidence as possible into his voice to cheer up his new friend.
The elevator door opened silently and they entered the silvery cabin.
“I’m sure you don’t need to worry about your progression,” Josh said while they rode upward. “You did amazing today! I can tell you’re an overachiever.”
Kai laughed. “No, I’m not. I’ve never achieved anything in my entire life. Besides, I got fried in there pretty badly, remember?”
Goosebumps rose all over his body, thinking of what had happened only an hour ago. The horror he had experienced while his mind believed he was dying.
“That could have happened to anyone,” Josh said. “The game devs are insane to set the intensity that high! What did they say in the med lab?”
Kai shrugged. “Apparently, I’m good. No damage taken.”
Right after dismissing them for the day, Topher had sent Kai to see the medical staff and let them check him out. Everyone else had left for home, but since he was the only one who didn’t live on the campus and had to commute back to the city, Josh had agreed to wait for Kai so they could go together.
Nell, the friendly nurse, had frowned after Kai told her what had happened, then took him to an examination room, where she ran some tests on him. Well, she had stuck him into a machine that ran the tests and simply checked the results. Everything seemed ok and she told him to go home and get some rest.
“No more VR for you today, ok?” she had told him with a stern voice. “And if you experience anything odd, call us immediately. Sometimes the cocktail can show side effects up to twelve hours after injection.”
The elevator stopped, and when the doors opened, bright daylight hit Kai’s eyes. He squinted, not prepared for this, then followed Josh outside. To his surprise, they weren’t at the HQ building anymore. Instead, they had left the underground facility via a base building, which was easily a quarter mile away from the round glass tower, looming in the center of the premises.
Kai followed Josh through the beautiful park and lush gardens and studied the adjacent buildings with interest.
“Is that where the employees live?” he asked.
Josh nodded.
“The buildings around the park and the pools are reserved for the higher levels, with the Level Nine and Ten penthouses at the top. Level Two to Four testers live in the more modest buildings at the back, which have no such spectacular views. But I bet any of the apartments there are still much better than anything you and I have ever lived in.”
Kai snickered, thinking of his smelly, moldy apartment he had to share with people who were even bigger losers than him.
“Oh, I have no doubt about that.”
“I so hope I’ll reach Level Two soon,” Josh said dreamily.
“You will,” Kai said with a comforting smile.
He wondered how long it would take him to be admitted here in this environment that appeared like a paradise compared to the tenement desert he had to live in now. They passed a modern two-story building which was the main cafeteria of the compound. It had a stylish outside area shaded by huge, white canvases shaped like sails. Several people were sitting there, enjoying a break in the mild afternoon. Some wore black suits while others were dressed in plain clothes.
At first, it had felt outright strange to Kai when he had disrobed from the high-tech suit and got dressed back into his normal clothes. Almost as if something was missing. He was amazed at how quickly he had felt comfortable with wearing the extravagant tester uniform, especially since he had felt so awkward in the beginning.
Suddenly, Josh grabbed his arm and stopped abruptly. Kai turned his head and looked at his friend in surprise. He saw an excited expression on Josh’s face, his cheeks blushing.
“What?”
“There,” Josh said, pointing to their left with his chin. “There she is!”
Curiously, Kai looked into the direction Josh was pointing, and his heart skipped a beat.
About 300 feet away, on the wooden bridge crossing the pond, stood a figure. It was a woman, leaning against the railing and looking down at the lilies and lotuses on the sapphire blue water.
She had her back turned toward them but Kai recognized her anyway. He knew it was her the instant he laid his eyes on her.
Her body was tall and slender. Straight white hair reached down almost to her hips, the black tips moving in the afternoon breeze. She was dressed in extravagant designer clothes, all black and white. Black top, short white leather skirt and knee-high boots. A tattoo covered her left arm all the way down from her delicate shoulder to her wrist, but Kai couldn’t see what it was at that distance.
He held his breath, mesmerized.
“Is that…”
“Yeah,” Josh answered, his voice filled with awe. “That’s her. That’s Rogue.”
Kai could hardly believe what he was seeing. The moment he had seen her in VR, he had been convinced that she was gorgeous in real life. But this sight blew his mind. She looked exactly like her virtual counterpart. Kai couldn’t see her face, but he was convinced that it was even prettier than the VR version.
“She’s incredible, isn’t she?” Josh said dreamily.
“Yeah.” Kai didn’t know what else to say but to agree.
“Her real name is Alice, you know?”
A man stepped out of the shadow of a nearby tree and approached her. He was tall and had long, raven-black hair that seemed so perfect it almost looked unreal. He wore a long, black designer coat and below it a silken, white shirt that was unbuttoned half the way down.
Kai recognized the man as well. He, too, had been part of the Level Ten squad that had stormed TSOTA the other day.
“And that’s Raven,” Josh said with a sigh, watching how the man placed his arm around the girl’s slender waist.
“Are they…?”
“Yes. Well, kinda. No one really knows. But the fact is, the guy is a total prick.”
Kai didn’t doubt that for a second. One look at him and he knew that he couldn’t stand Raven. There was so much hubris in his posture. A cold ruthlessness showed in his body language.
“We should go,” Josh said after a moment. “We’ll miss our train.”
Kai realized how stupid the two of them must look. Two nerds, total losers staring at the girl who was undoubtfully the Cyber Squad’s supernova – and her boyfriend.
Kai shot one more glimpse at her, then he and Josh hurried away and approached a side entrance of the compound Kai hadn’t noticed until now.
“This is the fastest way to the station,” Josh explained.
“Why are they so pretty?” Kai asked after a moment of silence.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Rogue and Raven. They look almost unreal.”
“Not sure. I guess that comes when you’re a multi-millionaire
. They can afford the fanciest stuff,” Josh said with a shrug.
“They are?”
Josh looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“Of course they are! You can do the math yourself and figure out how much they make per month. And those two have been doing the job for years. All Level Tens have penthouses here, but they also own huge mansions outside the city. Autonomous cars and all kinds of other shit… They can afford to look any way they want.”
***
Kai felt unreal when he reached home two hours later. Everything in the tenement district and the apartment he lived in was still completely the same as when he had left. Time seemed to stand still here. Nothing ever changed.
Yet he had changed.
Deep inside, he knew that he wasn’t the same person as he had been twelve hours ago when he had left his home to begin his adventure as a tester for Cyber Squad.
“Good evening, Kai,” the AI greeted him when he entered his room. “How was your first day at Helltek Labs Inc.?”
“Splendid,” he answered, absent-minded.
“I am glad to hear that,” Alessia said. “I would love to hear more about your new job sometime.”
“Sure,” Kai said, not even noticing what a strange statement that was for a personal AI.
He dropped his stuff and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. There, he carefully inspected his body. For a moment, he feared he’d find burns there or other horrible wounds as a memory of the dreadful explosion flashed through his mind. But there was nothing.
Apart from some of the bruises that were still visible after the incident in TSOTA, his body showed no signs of any injury. Kai sighed in relief, enjoying the warm water running down his skin. He lifted his hands and inspected the ports on his wrists. The skin around the tiny tubes was still irritated, but other than that, he couldn’t even feel they were there. Kai had no idea what the ‘cocktail’ that had been shot into his body through these tiny openings had actually been, but he was convinced that it had saved him from greater damage.
On his very first day at Helltek, he had learned firsthand why this was considered a high-risk job. What he had experienced in VR had been absolutely horrifying, and a part of him was telling him to forget about the whole thing and never go back there again.
He sure as hell wouldn’t listen to that part.
Of course he’d go back there tomorrow. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it would eventually cost him his life or turn him into a drooling vegetable. But the opportunities offered to him at Helltek were better than anything he’d ever dreamed of. Besides, he couldn’t remember when he had had so much fun in his entire life. Disregarding the disturbing incident at the end, this had been the best day ever. He’d had a blast!
A smile on his lips, he left the bathroom and went back to his room. Behind their doors, he could hear his roommates do what they did every day – which was nothing in particular with their lives. In fact, they were vegetables already, even though it would surely never occur to them. And if it did, then they wouldn’t give a shit.
It’s only temporary.
He had been telling himself this for years, and now he knew it would soon become true. All he needed to do was perform well and reach Level Two as quickly as possible. Kai hoped it wouldn’t take him as long as Josh, but even if it did, then he would accept it. It didn’t matter how long it took him, all that mattered was that he eventually made it. And he would.
Back in his room, for a moment he considered jumping into VR and into TSOTA. He was dying to tell Stan all about his adventures. At least, as much as he was allowed to. The waiver he had signed clearly stated that he wasn’t allowed to talk about anything specific concerning his job and Helltek.
Not the technology, not the testing procedures, nothing about the unreleased games he was testing – and most of all, nothing about the potential risks he was facing.
Acting against this instruction would lead to an instant termination of his contract, and he sure as hell wouldn’t risk that at any cost. Especially since he had learned that his neuro-plant recorded much more about him and his daily life than he would have ever expected. And Helltek could access this data at any given time.
After battling with himself for a moment, he decided to follow the nurse’s advice and skip the VR for today. Instead, he lay down on his bed and relaxed, thinking.
Kai’s head spun when he recalled everything he had learned in the previous hours. As if the job, the suits, the tech, and daily business as part of the Cyber Squad wasn’t exciting enough, there was so much more.
What the others had told him at their lunch break had outright blown his mind. Hackers, rogue AI… ghosts? It seemed that every rumor and urban legend about VR and using it while connected to the Net was indeed true.
Kai was excited to learn more about all those mysteries. But he also felt anxious. Was it really possible to get stuck in VR and become a digital ghost?
He was only now starting to realize how tired he was. Although it was still early in the evening, he was feeling his eyelids become heavier by the minute.
Everything he had seen and experienced today had been mind-blowingly exciting. But if he was honest with himself, the most exciting thing was seeing her.
Kai’s heart started beating faster when he remembered Rogue – Alice – standing on the wooden bridge. She was perfect.
A dreamy smile crossed Kai’s lips.
But then he reminded himself who he was and who she was. Rogue was the supernova, a member of the Level Ten squad. She was clearly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen – and filthy rich.
Whereas he… he was just some nerd. A Level One.
He had to stop himself crushing on her before it was too late. After all, he needed to focus on his new job and not dream of a girl he could never have. Not only would a girl like her never feel attracted to a guy like him, she had a boyfriend – of course.
Girls like her always did.
And if that wasn’t enough, her boyfriend was the best of the best of all Level Ten squads. A fucking hero.
Kai sighed.
Yes, he needed to focus on the more achievable things for now. Reach Level Two. And stay alive while doing so. It was a long way to go considering the current status of his tester UI.
Name: Kai
Level: 1
100/100
Team: 76B
Team Lead: Topher B.
Game: Behind Blue Eyes 3
Progression: 18/1000
Available Features: Dev mode, Console, God mode
Yet the last thing he thought about before drifting off to sleep was her black and white hair blowing in the wind.
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh, hey Kai. Welcome back!”
Lex was the only one already there when Kai entered the testing room the next day. It was shortly after 8 a.m. He had decided to show up extra early and take care of his VR appearance first thing in the morning.
It had required him to get up at 4:30 a.m., but he didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, he felt full of energy and motivated like never before in his life.
“Good morning, Lex.”
She got up from her desk and approached him. Kai looked at the taller woman as she approached him. Today she wore pink tartan pants and a black vintage-style t-shirt. ‘Electrohead’ was printed on it as well as a graphic showing a head that was half skull and half machine. Her red hair stood out in all directions and made Kai wonder if she ever brushed it.
Lex stopped a few feet away from Kai and studied him for a moment, her arms crossed.
“Topher and I took bets yesterday if you’d show up again or not,” she eventually said.
“Why?”
“Because after what you experienced yesterday, chances were high we would never see you again.”
“Seriously?”
She shrugged.
“Of course. Do you think it was a coincidence that we sent you into one of the most challenging levels the game has to
offer? On hard mode? And highest intensity?”
She winked, her blue eyes sparkling in amusement, then continued.
“I meant it literally when I said this was going to be your baptism of fire, kid. It was a test. We wanted to see what you’re truly made of and if you’re the right guy for the job. Turns out you are.”
“So, the malfunction in the game… the explosion, that was intentional?”
Lex chuckled.
“Nah, I would never mess with the game code in such a way. That was a coincidence. But if you ask me, a lucky one.”
Kai could hardly believe what he was hearing. He wasn’t sure what to say and decided to remain silent before he said something that offended her. His intuition was telling him that Lex was the wrong person to mess with.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, laughing, then she slowly walked back to her desk. “I’m not your enemy, Kai. I’m here to keep your ass as safe as possible while you risk it in there every day.”
She pointed at the alcoves.
“It was a lucky coincidence because yesterday you got a taste of it, of what this job here really is. About 60% of testers never show up again once they experience something like that for the first time, for one reason or another. I have to admit, I’m surprised you’re here, and delighted. You showed great potential yesterday. I see you climbing up the ranks in no time.”
She jumped up with surprising agility and sat on her desk, facing him and letting her boots dangle in the air.
“Thanks, I guess,” Kai said slowly. “But what do you mean by one reason or another?”
“Ha! I knew you were a smart cookie, and you pay attention,” she smirked, then turned serious. “Most have their pants full after such an experience and decide to quit. Others… well, let’s say they can’t make that decision on their own anymore.”
Her words made Kai feel ice cold. It almost seemed as if someone had turned the AC down several degrees.
“Like my predecessor… Misha?”
“Exactly like him.”
Kai was almost scared to ask.
“What happened to him?”
“What happens to many sooner or later,” Lex shrugged. “Brain damage. Helltek carries the costs for a nursing facility in such cases.”
Cyber Squad - Level 1: A Gamelit/LitRPG Lite Cyberpunk Adventure Page 17