by Randy Thao
smiled, "Good morning Rachel."
"Hello Dee," replied Rachel. She bundled up a stack of papers and filed them away.
"What's going on here?" asked Dee. "It's like a zoo in here."
Rachel leaned over with a raised eyebrow. "You haven't heard? Where have you been? The news just came out yesterday and we just received a copy of the journal this morning."
Turning slightly pink, Dee scratched his head in embarrassment.
"No worries. One name, Nye Montgomery! He just released his journal about his latest news," exclaimed Rachel.
"You mean Nye the owner of Adrenaline Corp.? Yeah, that is big. The self-made trillionaire. It was crazy enough when he bought us out. What could possibly be better than that?" laughed Dee. Rachel leaned forward with eyes wide open like a child peering through the glass of a grand toy store on Christmas day.
"You really don't know do you? This is big news for you. Here, read this. She handed Dee a copy of Nye Montgomery's journal release. The title read "RT Universe".
Below the title, the captions read "A Solution Through a Game". On the front cover was a picture of what looked like a mechanical oval shaped robotic bug with a round red circle sphere like plate at the top. Extending out from beneath it, a multi-layer mechanical pinchers and claws. It had a slight glow, which reflected off a kind of substance covering it. Towards the bottom of it, it had fine details of circuit lines webbing in all directions. Surrounding it were four moons of different colors resembling different weather conditions like dry desert sand to cold white snow cover; all floating in the mists of outer space.
"What in the world is going on here?" Dee whispered to himself. Rachel was now on the phone with her headset, which lit red meaning she was busy. Dee hovered along with the journal on his lap trying to make his way as best as he could through small pockets of people in the office. They were staring at him as he passed, and their eyes glittered in his direction. Finally making it to his cubicle, he took a deep breath from the awkwardness so far this morning.
"On!" commanded Dee. The computer system's voice recognition confirmed, and the hologram menu started to appear out of thin air from all around him. It was dim and blurry, but it soon focused as the colors became brighter and the objects more vivid. It created a work space without any physical hardware. As the system continued to boot up, Dee plopped the journal magazine on his desk and turned to the first page.
"RT Universe, revolutionizing gaming and nanotechnology ," read Dee. "Nanotechnology? What does this have to do with the gaming world?" Further down in bold letters it wrote "Free" and it quickly caught Dee's eyes as he read on.
"The nanotechnology used today solving world issues, where affordable, will now be absolutely free!" His eyes grew wide as he swallowed hard. He had read multiple articles about nanotechnology before and what it could do. Especially as a way to restore his legs to normal again. The only thing that held him back was the fact that coming up with 10 million dollars is not something you can just work for in a lifetime with a 9-5 job. He had heard stories of people winning the lottery and going crazy with the different kinds of changes that could be done to their bodies through the use of Nano-bots depicted on the cover of the journal. One thing people forget is that when making a change to your body, one must also put in the effort to maintain it or else it could cause weird side-affects such as unproportioned and abnormal body parts.
"How can Adrenaline Corp provide this for every single person?" Dee thought. He flipped to the next page. It contained a large chart that expanded to the next. There were text boxes and arrows pointing in all directions explaining each step in how this could be made affordable to not only the casual gamer but to everyone. It explained the many other benefits that it could provide to the citizens of America, which was achievable in a controlled gaming environment that Nye Montgomery had brilliantly thought of. It went a little further with sketches of how it could benefit even the most remote places of the world.
Dee continued to read, "RT Universe is a Mass Multiplayer Online game. It consists of four moons that can be explored. This 'Live action augmented reality' is nothing that the world has seen before. After a gamer has accepted the terms, they will receive special suits, which will be worn under their armor acquired throughout the game. The Nano-bots reside within these suits and flow freely back and forth interacting with you and the universe. The gameplay experience will not be explained here as this knowledge will be gained during gameplay. So, how does RT Universe pay for itself? The key is in the Nano-bots. These aren't any ordinary Nano-bots. They are a modification of the RT2 made specifically for this reason. These Nano-bots are able to extract and harness the energy produced by you, the stars of the show, which would naturally be released as heat. Energy is produced by players who complete quests and by fighting monsters, basically being active. This energy is stored in the Nano-bots which will make your suit glow. At the end of the day exactly at midnight, your Nano-bots will turn in the energy collected or what's left of it into the game. RT Universe converts and collects this energy storing them into a huge power plant to power the homes and cities of this nation! This energy is also needed to use special abilities within the game as well. As you gain levels and more powerful armor, the more energy you will be able to store and self-generate."
Dee sat with anticipation. "How could any of this be possible? Live action augmented reality, what does that mean? Sounds like we will be physically playing within the game?"
"Oh yeah, it's possible and it's already here," bragged Lee. "Everyone here is psyched out about it! Oh I wished I could have tested this out with Adrenaline. Hey, wasn't Jerry supposed to work today?"
"I'm covering for him today. I don't know if I will be of much use in the game," Dee said doubtfully staring at his legs.
Lee pointed out, "Hey man, that's the reason why Nye Montgomery created this in the first place. It's for people like you and me who could never afford something like this. Did you read the whole article?"
"No, just got to page 2," sighed Dee.
"Yeah the rest isn't that important. It goes into some history about Adrenaline and yada yada stuff that we already know about." Lee suddenly straightened his face. "It also says that anyone will be able to play. Still, you have to be doing some kind of work and not just sitting around with no energy to turn in at the end of the day. If this game does not motivate anyone to get up and move, I don't know what will. Turning in energy gets you in game currency to purchase armor and items by the energy produced by the body. This is a very physical game. How the system extracts this and how to determine how much energy you get from killing mobs, that's beyond me."
"Your right. We haven't come anywhere close to that kind of programming here along with that kind of hardware. Well, we better finish our project for the new release of Call of Men: Milky Way Expedition," Dee shoved the journal article in the back pocket of his hover chair. Lee walked back saluting him as he left. If anyone is welcomed, he would be the first to take his chances in hopes of getting his legs back and possibly his life.
Chapter 4 - The Invitation
After two hours, the commotion had settled down. The work day had to continue as usual. There was testing to be done and releases that needed finishing touches. The idea of having his legs back stuck with Dee all day. Then another thought came to mind. Just because Nano-bot technology was going to be available for everyone through this game, it didn't mean that everyone will get the chance to play it. He can already imagine the extent of the waiting list. The chaos of just getting in would not be available until next year or even longer! The release of OutBurst Unlimited a few years ago had crashed the host servers located in South Korea causing prolonged delays logging in and out. Dee had to work extra hours that week not for developing, but simple customer service. The reason why Dee loved working at KodeKen was the fact that they could freely work between departments. This made it very flexible for other employees to take days off, like Jerry, and not have to worry if their d
epartment would be under staffed. Good thing both of their departments were on the same floor.
The time read 4:00pm on his glass desk. He placed a finger on it, and it stuck to his finger as he slid it towards the left corner of his desk where it would be out of the way. He wrote a few notes directly on the glass to his right reminding him where he had left off with his finger. The writing appeared in a glowing pale blue light, and when he had finished, it pulsed once symbolizing that it was now saved darkening it to a solid black.
"Shut down," commanded Dee. The screens that appeared before started to fade and go dull in color until they vanished out of sight. He hovered out of his cubicle and into the aisle. Everyone else had already departed for the day. Friday nights always brought the dead to life towards the end of the week. He didn't mind as he had grown used to being the only one left on his floor. This made it easier for him to maneuver out with his hover chair. Everyone had a place to go except him. Sure he had made a few friends here and there, but it was less enjoyable having to drag along dead weight. It definitely wasn't very attracting to the ladies as well. He gave a long sigh and exhaled as his eyes drooped almost to a close.
"Dee!"
He noticed the voice. It was his boss, Jake Mcklean.
"Hey, not going out tonight?" questioned Dee.
"No, I have some things to catch up with before I head out. I wanted to talk to you. About the recent news release," informed Jake.
"Yeah, yeah I read a little about it." Dee added.
Dee reached for the journal article in the back of his hover chair and held it up to Jake.
He then continued, "Genius idea. Simple and everyone wins. We will all have to wait a year at least before we can even make it on the waiting list."
"Heh heh, you got that right. Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you," laughed Jake as he cleared his throat.
"Listen to me carefully Dee. An exclusive email was sent. Sent from Adrenaline Corp. to the sister companies such as us, RampageGamez, MiniGamers Online, In Controller and others. In my inbox right now, I have a guarantee pass to RTU to give to whoever I want excluding executive management. Dee, I see the hard work you have put in over the past years moving up to where you are now. Every Friday I see you leaving here by yourself. I get it. I really do," Jake started to choke up as he continued.
Dee murmured, "It's alright Jake; You don't have to. I mean, there are other people here who need it more than I do. I .. I can't.,"
"Dee. We want you to go. It wasn't just my decision. It was the company's. The people. This will benefit you more than anyone else we can think of," Jake insisted. He turned to the printer and retrieved a piece of paper. He handed it to Dee, "Congratulations."
"Thanks Jake. I don't know what to say. I don't know what this all means," Dee sat there staring at the invitation he had received.
Jake crossed his arms looking at his silver watch. "Go on get out of here. It's Friday. You need to get packing anyways," exclaimed Jake.
"What do you mean?" questioned Dee.
"If you read towards the bottom, they are giving a week for people to get ready. You bet I read that invitation up and down about twenty times before announcing it. I'm counting on you to lead us when we finally make it to the front lines. Have a good night."
Jake turned around and left back to his office.
"A week huh...I guess. It has been in the making for over twenty years. I wouldn't expect anything less from Adrenaline Corp," Dee thought to himself.
For the first time in his life, he felt his second chance. Every day was just another day of the daily grind back and forth from work. Now, there was something else to look forward to. Dee tucked the invitation in the back of his hover chair and made his way out of the empty office. A smile came across his face as he approached the handicapped elevator. An enormous amount of things ran through his head as the elevator doors closed behind him.
Chapter 5 – Departure
The week crawled its way ever so slowly to the day of departure. Many people in the office asked Dee how he felt about getting his legs back. He was excited, but reminded them that it's not a 100% guaranteed yet. There hadn't been much detail about how anything works at all. All the invitation said was that instructions will be given at the time of training. Many people in the office and online bloggers gave their speculations and theories of the workings of RT Universe. There was even one man who claimed to have worked for Adrenaline and had the inside scoop. He too along with many others were found to be phonies. At the same time, the beta testers were nowhere to be found. Usually these people, if given the right price, will end up letting the cat out of the bag on online forums or gaming sites, yet the public heard nothing. As the days passed, Dee would soon find out for himself what this was all about.
"Is this all that you're packing?" asked Jerry.
"Yep, the invitation said to pack lightly. One duffel bag it is," he turned around in his little one-bedroom house, looked around as if to say goodbye to the old life and went out the squeaky paint cracked door.
"Thanks for coming to see me off."
"No prob. It's the least that I can do. You sure took the 'pack lightly' seriously. And that beard, I don't recall ever seeing you without it. It has always been a part of you since I met you. I think I've only seen you once without it. Hey, don't forget me. Who knows when I can get in," joked Jerry. "We can form a KodeKen guild or something. Sure ya don't want me to just drop you off at the teleport station in my air cruiser instead?"
Looking down at his legs, Dee continued, "No, I'm fine. I hate being in glider vehicles. The light rail is tolerable enough. I'll definitely be waiting for you guys."
"Do you think they will fix those for you? We all know what Nano-bots can do, but to what extent does RTU utilize these bots? There must be a ga-zillion of them, if that's the case," Jerry stared off into the cloudy sky imagining what it could be.
"I don't know. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit scared of this whole thing. From all the stories and theories from all over the world, I don't know what to expect. I haven't left my home and this job for the past seven years. Ever since the...you know. Nothing outside my house and job really mattered. At the same time it's also very exciting. I mean nothing like this in gaming history has ever been this big and this innovative," Dee lifted his head, slowed down and looked for any passing cars.
Jerry did the same before crossing the street. The streets were generally clear in these parts of town. Still, it was a habit from their youth. The entrance to the light rail was only another block away. The bright pale lights and yellow letters read "Enter Here" inviting people to the waiting area for travel.
"I'm so jealous man," Jerry confessed. "I wish I could be going with you."
"I wish you could as well. Looks like this is my stop," Dee held out his hand.
"Have a lot of fun man. When you get back, tell me everything about it," Jerry shook his hand and watched as Dee passed through the sliding doors to the light rail.
It was a little busier when Dee finally made it to the ticket booth. The attendant was printing out tickets behind a bullet proof window with a metal circular intercom that spoke between her and the outside. Only a small slot big enough for payment and tickets was available at the bottom. Behind her was an older model of the ISR (Intelligent Security Robot) droid, yet still very accurate and useful.
"One for Teleport Station Center," said the woman at the front of the line. Dee's head shot up and his eyes scanned up ahead. It appears that there might be more people granted initial access to RTU around here after all.
He couldn't get a good look at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a Twins cap and a hooded sweater, one size too big. She had black yoga like pants with a silver stripe on the sides that went right to her ankles. Her white Nike tennis shoes stuck out like the North Star in the night sky. They were extremely clean and retro. Like those of 2032. It still had Nike's old logo. The sharp curve had gotten a slight change with a star at the tip represen
ting the partnership with Converse.
The woman turned right and walked away. He watched to see where she was going, but the crack of the intercom drew his attention towards it.
"Welcome to the light rail station. How may I help you today?" greeted the attendant. She wore a navy blue blazer and skirt with white lined trimmings. A couple of silver pendants hung on her right collar in the shape of the light rail. Her brown hair was tied up with a red ribbon in the shape of a pineapple.
"Oh yes, sorry," apologized Dee. He pressed a button on his hover chair and it lifted him higher to see face to face with her. She also was sitting, but on a black office chair. She reseated herself ready to start typing.
"Name please?" asked the attendant.
Dee cleared his throat. "It's Dee. Dee Rogers. Um, also going to the Teleport Station Center."
"Ok, just give me a second for the system to register the information," replied the attendant. She swiveled around in her chair to the other side to a printer where a ticket was waiting. She grabbed it and swung back to Dee. "And here you go. Thank you for using the light rail. Have a nice day!"
"Thank you," smiled Dee taking his ticket.
He read the instructions on the ticket. He was to take the C9 light rail, which will take him directly to the Teleport Station Center. As he made his way reading the hologram signs coming from the ceiling, he noticed that it brought him further and further to the back of the station. It got quiet quick, and there were no more people scrambling to get into their correct light rail.
"C7, C8 and finally C9," Dee whispered to himself.
He approached the sliding door, and it swiftly opened without a sound. Soft music could be heard coming from inside. He looked left and right to see if anyone else was coming in.
"Looks like this will be a quick ride for me. The quicker the better," Dee took a deep breath and exhaled as he entered in. Flashes of images from that freak accident flooded his head like a continuous picture carousel. The beating of his heart pounded in the empty light rail echoing down the aisle. They immediately disappeared the moment he opened his eyes. Dee shook his head blinking a few times as he got himself together again.
