Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) (16 page)

Alright.
Alan stared off the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. He watched the waves lap against the coast, the water a mesmerizing ocean of patterns.

JUMP.

Alan took a deep breath and leapt. Air rushed by as he started descending in free fall. He wanted to scream but the fort approached the way ground shouldn't. And he landed.

A miniature shockwave erupted. A crack sounded.

Alan yelled out involuntarily. Pain, there was so much pain. Flashing messages covered his vision, but all he could think of was the pain. Eve was yelling something at him, trying to get his attention. Alarms started sounding and Alan knew he had to move but he couldn't feel his legs. His invisibility was broken, his armor's energy gone, his HP at 30% and draining.

A soldier rushed forwards, raising their gun.

"Wait, I have info about the terrorist attacks!" Alan shouted as he fell forwards. He looked at his legs, saw a bone, and passed out.

***

Alan woke up lying on a cot in a detention cell, a faint rumble in the distance. A soldier stood next to him, weapon at the ready. His mind felt funny. Muzzled. Muffled. Muddled. That was the word, muddled.

The soldier saw that Alan was awake, and made a motion.

What's happening?
Alan asked.

We've been captured, there are now 10 minutes until enemy reinforcements arrive. I miscalculated, Revenant Power Armor must have different properties due to its stealth capabilities. We took too much damage from the fall.

Falling was fun,
Alan thought. He knew it was time for serious business but everything was blurry.

Listen to me. Do as I say. You're on drugs, and the only reason you aren't dead is they want information. You need to give them some, but not so much that they kill you. Do you understand?

I'm sitting, not standing,
Alan thought.

The gate to his cell opened, and a masked officer entered, grabbing Alan. Another rumble sounded, closer this time.

"You have information about the Legion of Man attack. Speak."

"Um, I think I know where the bombs came from," Alan said.

Don't tell them anything.

"Tell me."

"Um, I could tell you, but then the mean lady in my head would yell at me and dark guilds might come after me."

The officer turned to look at the guard and asked, "What is he on, soldier?"

"Some alien pain killer, a medic gave it to him. Guess it has a few side effects," the guard said, looking warily in the direction of the rumbling noise.

"I don't like your tone of voice, soldier."

"Well, I don't like getting conscripted into the army when I was expecting to play a game,
sir
," the guard replied.

The officer casually took out a pistol and pointed it at the guard’s head.

"Wait, I didn't mean any disrespect, sir," the guard said, hands in the air.

"None taken." The officer pulled the trigger, and the guard fell to the floor, dead.

"The information, fast," the officer said, raising his gun at Alan.

Deflect. Someone should have noticed the gunfire.

"Um, wait, I can tell you something, I mean, someone. I can tell you who can tell you everything, but you shouldn't kill me because I can tell you what they can tell you if they don't tell you after I tell you about them," Alan stammered.

"Tell me." The officer brought the gun closer.

"Ancient Armour, in the trading hub. Talk to the shopkeeper. Tell him that I told you to tell him that I told you—"

"I get it," the officer said, lowering his gun. "Shut up."

Alan nodded vigorously.

"Now," the officer continued, "Icewolf wants you to know—"

Exactly what Icewolf wanted Alan to know he'd never find out, as at that moment the wall behind the officer exploded. A brick flew forwards, knocking out the officer. Ace stepped through the hole in the wall, fists at the ready.

"Did you just one-punch that wall?" Alan asked.

"I did," Ace replied. "You've looked better, Alan."

"Thanks, you look pretty good too but I don't swing that way," Alan said.

Ace grinned. "And to think Thiago didn't want to save you," he turned to look over his shoulder. "Daisy, Alan needs you!"

Alan watched as Daisy entered through the hole in the wall. She took out a vial of silvery substance, pouring it over his wounds. A soft glow began emanating from her hands, and Alan felt his mind begin to clear. Feeling seeped back into his legs, and with it pain.

Alan shut his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of the pretty girl. Then there was a flash of heat, and the pain was gone.

"Nanites and psionics, pretty miraculous stuff," Daisy said. "Now come on, we need to find the area boss."

Alan stepped off the cot unsteadily, surprised to find himself still in his power armor. It had even regenerated enough energy for ten minutes of invisibility. They found his items next door. According to Eve if he had died the items except for Reaper’s Scythe would have despawned with him.

"So, what happened?" Alan asked, following Ace as he charged down the corridor.

"Well, MadMerlin and KingArthur turned our shield generator into a makeshift bomb, taking out the armored vehicles but dying in the process. The blast somehow made a miniature EMP," Daisy said.

Ace ran into two soldiers who shot at him but their bullets didn't appear to do any damage. Ace punched the first and they were pulverized, crumpling under the blow like a piece of paper. A kick took care of the other soldier.

"Damn," Alan said.

"Yeah, I think he's what gamers like to call over powered," Daisy said.

"Enough chit-chat," Ace called out. "We've cleared the first floor now but there's no sign of any area boss. They're required to stay near the Control Point, so we need to make our way into the courtyard."

"Are you forgetting the laser cannons?" Alan asked.

"Thiago and Aphrodite are taking care of one, Kitana and DaLong the other. Come on," Ace said, punching through a wall. Alan blinked, clearing away the dust. Before him was the courtyard, the Control Point at the center.

Ace strode forwards. Daisy stood back in the hallway, watching; Alan waited with her.

Enemies flickered into existence under the arches facing the control points, fifty metal skeletons that looked like terminators, each carrying a minigun, a massive six-barreled machine gun that began pouring round after round into Ace.

He staggered under the rain of fire, whatever passive resistance he possessed beginning to buckle underneath the constant barrage.

Alan whipped out his sniper rifle, taking precious seconds to line up a shot. He fired, and the plasma bolt passed through the target, striking a wall. The robots noticed Alan, turning to direct their fire at him. He and Daisy dived to the side of the hole in the wall as bullets begin pouring through.

Put your hand into the stream of fire,
Eve commanded.

What?

Trust me!

After the jumping fiasco?

Do it. Remember Daisy is here to heal you.

Sighing, Alan hesitantly poked his pinky into the line of fire, expecting it to be blown off. Instead, the bullets passed through Alan's finger, as if they weren't real.

They aren't,
Eve sent.
Mere illusions. There are likely only a few actual miniguns set up and firing. I detect signals emanating from below the control point.

Alan nodded, activating his invisibility before running out into the courtyard. He yelled out at Ace, "Punch downwards!"

Ace seemed to have heard him, as he punched through the ground, falling down through a hole. The machine guns stopped firing at Ace, and began firing at where Alan had shouted from. Alan ran in a circle and then towards the hole.

Below he saw Ace, punching his way through aisles of machinery. The robots began flickering in and out of existence, images distorting.

In the corner
, Eve said, highlighting a man scrambling towards a flight of stairs.

Alan turned aimed with his sniper rifle, and fired. The man exploded and a series of messages popped up:

Alan raced over to the Control Point, now glowing a dull teal. As soon as he stepped on it another message popped up:

Yes,
Alan thought, more messages popping up afterwards.

The messages were quickly followed by another:

A moment later:

Then:

I'd like to take ownership,
Alan thought.

WAIT
, Eve cried, but it was too late.

Additional messages appeared:

Um, what just happened, Eve?
Alan asked.

Should you control a single Control Point, you gain control of the surrounding area,
Eve sent.
However once a required number of Control Points are held by one group, varying levels of control are attributed! The levels of control are as follows: Plurality, holding the greatest number of points in an area, Majority, holding more than half of the points in an area, and Entirety, holding all control points in an area
.

The United World Government had control over the entirety of Earth and has majority control of our solar system. The amount of control a group holds varies upon the level of control. The group with the highest level of control determine the in-game laws, and are only able to influence real world laws once they hold an Entirety Control Point and every Control Point in a given region. A notable exception is that native, indigenous species of a given planet or solar system may govern the area’s real life laws and taxes while only holding a majority, rather than an entirety.

So basically I just broke the government’s monopoly?
Alan asked.

Yes,
Eve sent.

Alan groaned inwardly.
If it's so important, how did the government let us take over the Control Point?

You are undergoing the survival test, and aren’t expected to last,
Eve sent.
An estimated 1% of players survive each round. And, once the test is complete it will be trivial for the United World Government to regain the Capture Point, which must be held for a day for it to actually count.