by Randy Thao
"We will be departing in 15 minutes. Please be seated, thank you," announced the automated voice.
Seeing that there were plenty of places to choose from, Dee slipped between two single seats. He looked at the window where the light rail schedule information displayed. Total number of passengers read, 2 of 2. Dee tapped it with his finger and moved it to another part of the window, so he could look outside. He thought about the woman that was in front of him in line. Could she also be here? There was not another soul in sight when he came on, but could it be that she had already boarded the light rail? He didn't want to risk getting motion sickness trying to look for this other person, so he made himself comfortable and reclined back in his hover chair. He took one more look at the light rail schedule. Approximate time of arrival 30 minutes. His eyes slowly came to a shut as the humming of the air beneath the light rail sung him to sleep.
Chapter 6 - Adrenaline Corp.
The hollow sound filled Dee's ears as the light rail flew to its destination. He awoke and felt a little dizzy from the ride. First thing he did was look out the window to see where he was. The Teleport Station Center rests in the center of Albertville. The land was cheap, and there wasn't much out there before the Teleport Station Center was built. The Twin Cities had grown immensely and over populated. The state wanted to spread out their resources to unclog the demand in crowded places. This was a win-win situation for the city and the state. The light rail provided a cheaper way of transportation for all to get to their destination. A circular timer on the window now showed five minute before arrival and counting down. Dee sat up straight stretching from the nap on the way there.
"Now approaching Albertville, Teleport Station Center. Please take all your belongings. Wait for the light rail to come to a complete stop before exiting. Have a nice day," The overhead speakers ended with a cracking sound.
Dee had not seen the Teleport Station Before, only in pictures, but this place was massive in size. The latest ISR Droids stood by the entrance and a couple more at a counter inside. There were many people walking in and out of the station. A side walk path wrapped around the round shaped building with a beautiful garden of all sorts of colorful flowers planted along the way. They swayed and danced as the wind blew them from side to side. The top of the station was in the shape of a dome. All around this dome were spinning objects and rotating metal rings and gears that went in and out of the station itself.
As Dee approached the two gold double doors, they retracted automatically sliding into the side walls of the building. Upon entering, to his right was a receptionist's desk displaying information about the Teleportation Station, but no receptionist. The pictures and tiny displays of gadgets on the table intrigued him, so he made his way there. As he got about three feet from it, a light source from the floor shot up from behind the desk.
"How may I help you?" called a voice.
"Whoa, hello," said Dee startled.
He froze in place, and his neck pulled back like a chicken. Before him stood a hologram of a woman wearing a grey suit and skirt with a red tie. The missing receptionist. He had seen holograms before, but was just taken back that they were now using them in public places. In the gaming world, it worked well, yet it had its issues. The problem was that the holograms had to be projected somehow, and the projections would be cut off if something blocked its way. If the hologram had to walk further from where the projector was, another projector had to pick up the image. This caused an inconsistent free flowing hologram. Therefore, more source projectors had to be installed, which resulted in an expensive setup.
"Hello, my name is Kim. May I assist you in more information about the Teleportation Station or maybe direct you where to go?" offered Kim.
"Yes uh, here is my paper work," Dee pulled out a letter he had gotten a week ago with instructions. The hologram leaned over scanning it for a few seconds.
"Here it is. You are to go to dock 169 due for Adrenaline Corp. Take a right at the end of the hallway. It will curve left. Look for a sign on the wall for dock 169," directed Kim.
"Thank you," Smiled Dee, and he started down the hall.
"Your welcome," She nodded and flickered away.
As Dee rounded the hall, there were other rooms with destinations written on them as well. One said Japan and another read Canada and Dubai. It started to get louder as he continued. He had a feeling that his transport room was coming up, and then he caught the glimpse of silver reflecting from the sunlight. It was she, the woman in front of him at the ticket station. She was still hiding beneath her hoodie trying to keep a low profile. Dee thought to himself that she may have been on the same train as him after all. A big crowd had formed at the entrance of Dock 169. Reporters outside of the room were getting ready to start broadcasting soon. Die hard gamers lined the halls as well as spectators. The silver stripe woman made her way in and was now lost within the crowd of people. The inside of the room looked like the DMV on a busy day. A line zigzagged left and right from wall to wall up to the teleporter.
"Everyone! Can everyone hear me?" shouted an older woman with leopard designer glasses. Her lipstick was as red as her crimson dress that went down to just above her knee. The clacking sound of her red high heels came to a stop in the front of the room. She came out with a planner in one hand and waving with the other to get people's attention.
"Before we proceed, I will be calling out your names. This is to prevent people from just walking in, and there are many desperate people who will do just about anything to get through. When I call your name, please proceed forward, and we will start transporting you out of here right away," the woman unzipped her planner and cleared her throat. She started naming people off one by one.
"Beatrice, Ken, Terry, Waltar, Simon A. and Simon H......" she continued.
Dee looked around for the silver stripe woman pushing his way around following her path. People were at shoulder to shoulder and with his hover chair, he could only move about an inch before having to stop again. There she was, standing in line listening for her name.
"Mara," called the lady, and the silver strip woman stepped forward.
"Mara," whispered Dee. He watched as she stepped up front to be transported.
"Dee," called the lady in red.
"Here!" exclaimed Dee raising his hand in the air as he got in line. Only then did people finally clear a path for him.
The transporter looked like a huge round bank vault. It could seat up to six people at a time. When everyone found a seat, a man, standing next to the machine, would press a few buttons on the control panel and a blue force field would appear like a bubble underwater. It flickered bright lights. In a matter of seconds, they were gone and so was the force field. The process had begun on the next set of six consuming a total time of less than a minute per teleport.
Dee felt a little nervous about the whole teleporting. He had never done this before. Still, nothing was going to stop him from getting further. He got on with the six called, which also included the silver stripe woman. He hovered his chair in the middle of the transporter. Still not able to get a good look at her. It only seemed like a split second, and they were gone. It felt like someone had turned off the lights and turned them back on, but now they were in a different place. Dee looked around at the other people on board and could tell that none of them have been there before either by the look on their faces. They were amazed with eyes wide open at their new destination. In big bold blue letters above them, it read, "Welcome to Adrenaline Corp." on an arc structure made of gold.
The sign displayed in front of a huge skyscraper that seem to go up forever. Dee stood in amazement. Every one of them and those who came before them bent their heads back trying to see as far as they could. The windows reflected the universe and all its wonder. Behind the building was earth and the sun further in the distance. There were multiple energy entrance doors that scanned every employee that entered the building. Energy doors were used mainly in high security places. It was not a
solid door, but a wall of energy that could block out the outside like a door. At the same time, it scanned every person's features to identify them. If they were not recognized, it would automatically sound the alarm, and ISR Droids would be there in seconds.
"This way everyone, this way!" shouted a man standing behind them.
He was wearing a cap that read "Adrenaline". He had a thin grey space like suit on. There were others there as well, dressed the same and trying to direct all the people. Dee had not noticed them, because the overpowering skyscraper had stolen his attention since their arrival. He could see that there were already some people heading in that direction. His group moved off the transport platform. They were in the middle of some garden square in front of Adrenaline Corp. Dee could hear whispers all around him about this floating island in space. There were other transport platforms next to theirs going down for miles. People from all over the world were transported in. Many different kinds of ethnicity and cultures filled the wide open square.
Adrenaline Corp. is not your ordinary worldly place. Mr. Montgomery spent a good deal of money to buy himself a spot in outer space. Yes, outer space is very expensive, but possible if the price is right. 10 years ago was when people started to notice a small planet like shape in the sky. It started small and eventually grew. Investors knew it belonged to Adrenaline Corp., but its purpose was hidden. Only Montgomery himself knew the secret behind it. Suddenly, what looked like four moons started orbiting the massive structure. Smaller objects naturally orbit larger objects with more mass. The result? He had built himself his own planet! Star gazers observed with precision of the surface of the moons. They started to take shape, and every day it changed. A crater there and then now a hill? No, a mountain. It was as if the moons themselves were alive, an ever changing terrain. Buying space in outer space is not something new; some of the biggest names out there like Disney, Microsoft and Apple have also taken interest, but not to this level. Soon, the headquarters of Adrenaline Corp. relocated there along with all its employees.
As the last few of the remaining people teleported in, they were all herded into the back of the square where they surrounded a four-foot-tall round platform about a 150ft in diameter. Dee just sat where he was. There was no room to move about in his bulky hover chair. His eyes scanned left and right trying to find where Mara the silver strip woman had gone. Before he could get any further, a loud sound came from the platform stage. In the center, a slot opened up and from underneath like an elevator, Mr. Nye Montgomery in his royal blue suit slowly rose to the surface. Everyone held their breaths as he entered onto the platform.
Chapter 7 - First Glance
"Who is that?" questioned a man from behind Dee.
"That's Mr. Montgomery!" exclaimed another.
"The man himself! I wouldn't have expected anything less. This is the launch of one of the most anticipated MMOs, and the debut of the modified RT2 Nano-bot," explained yet another.
The commotion in the crowd grew louder and Dee had to set his wheelchair to hover a little higher to see, a max height of three feet as defined by the Medical Association of the World or MAW. They made it this way otherwise it would be considered a glider vehicle, which required a registration and the works. He could see that there were many others who also came for the same reason as he. Missing limbs, the handicapped, the deformed and of course the extreme gamers.
Everyone was standing to see the great Nye Montgomery. He raised his hand to quiet down the crowd. When it was silent, he stepped forward.
"Welcome, RTU players," spoke Mr. Montgomery, "You are about to commence on a journey never before experienced in all MMO history. This will be life changing. An experience in which the harder you work the greater the rewards!" exclaimed Mr. Montgomery. The crowd roared in applause and cheer.
"I can't wait!" said a woman excitedly from a distance.
"Come on let's start, yeah!" yelled a man.
Dee nodded in acceptance of this new challenge. His heart was thumping with excitement. The energy, the hype and the atmosphere of this place just radiated throughout the universe.
With much confidence, Nye continued to explain, "What you have heard in my press release is just the tip of the iceberg. We have taken augmented reality to a whole new level."
With a snap of his finger, something like that of very fine sand started to form a goblin kind of creature, red in skin color and hideous looking. In a matter of seconds, it was fully erected and standing. The crowed oohed and awed at the creation standing before them.
"Is it real!?" came again someone from the crowd.
"Oh yes it is," answered Mr. Montgomery. From out of nowhere, he pulled out a grand sword that reflected in gold with colorful stones imbedded into the handle. With one swipe, he cut the goblin in half, and it fell to the ground. Again like sand, it perished away. The crowd applaud again in excitement. He dropped his sword to the ground and raised his arm in front with a fist. His fingers extended out increasing his reach, and suddenly, fairies appeared within the crowd. "Are they not real?"
Dee saw a cute fairy clothed with a pink tutu sparkling with pixie dust. It sat on his shoulder and waved at him.
"Amazing!" murmured Dee. He could also feel the warmth of this imaginary creature as she sat fixing her hair and yawned like a real living creature.
"Thank you. See you soon!" said the Fairy in a high pitch voice, and just like magic, it dissolved away.
"Right now as we speak, everything that you touch, smell and everything that you see have been built by my RT2 Nano-bots. I will not keep you waiting any longer. SUITS!" Commanded Mr. Montgomery.
At the sound of his voice, billions of RT2 Nan-bots naked to the eye, but when gathered together, moved like dust from the earth. White suits formed around each and every one. People stared breathless at the sight of suits being created right on them, right before their very eyes. Even Dee who was sitting, felt the slight vibration coming from the RT2 bots from beneath him. The next thing he knew, he was in full suit ready to go. The suit felt comfortable and fitted to the shape of his body structure. They seemed to have a slight glow to them. From what he could see, other people's suits were slightly brighter and some dimmer.
"Congratulations and most of all, have fun! announced Nye Montgomery.
Mr. Montgomery took a step back and waved goodbye and descended from where he came. Everyone looked around in confusion as to what to do next. Dee looked at himself, but how was he going to compete with the rest of the other players who had all working body parts?
"Listen up, listen up people. In a few seconds here we will be opening up four portals. These will transport you to the starting place of your choice. And...Now!" directed the Adrenaline coordinator.
In front of the circular stage, four portals, which looked like sheets of moving melted glass, flowed up from the ground. It then spread into a huge rectangle shape door towering a good twenty feet across and forty feet high. Above them, 3D displays of the moon, and its structure and terrain were revealed. From what Dee could see, the moons reflected the four seasons of earth, very typical in MMO RPG genre games. He has played many like it, and those elements are almost always used to build up game play areas.
"Once there, you are on your own. Discover the world of RTU. Good luck," finished the Adrenaline coordinator.
All round him, Dee could hear people talking about forming alliances. That was also another advantage. He knew what it meant to be in an MMO. Alliances were very important and guilds helped to solidify structure and hierarchy. Support from other players guaranteed defeating bosses that drop better items and gear. Advancing to higher level areas is much easier when a complete group is formed. From the looks of things, he might be a lone ranger. Who would benefit with an alliance with him? Dee waited for the crowd to clear. He didn't want to bump into too many people and so stayed stationary. The area emptied in the matter of minutes, and if his legs were working, he would have also been long gone.
"I guess I better choos
e," sighed Dee.
The four portals were as listed from left to right: NauNau, Patxi, Kuhang and Pongblong. As he read them out loud one by one, a mysterious irresistible pull came from the last portal, Pongblong. It spoke deeply into his mind and soul in a soft whisper, "Here..Hey....Over here." It sounded like it was coming from right above his left shoulder. Turning around, he saw players further away speaking indistinctly. They looked back as if to say, "Who you looking at buddy?" This place was wide and open. It could have been any one. He hovered his way to the portal. The melted glass door glowed orange and yellow. He placed his hands up against the moving substance slightly tapping it. When he felt no harm coming from it, Dee held his breath like diving into a body of water.
"Here goes nothing. Actually, here goes everything."
Chapter 8 - I'm Baack!
"Hey there partner!"
Dee stopped dead in his tracks right before entering. He turned his hover chair around.
"Hey," Dee said cautiously.
There stood a rather heavy built black man about six feet tall. With a sling on his right arm, the shape of a cast could be seen underneath the white suit's sleeve.
"The names Charles. Charles Bu, but you can call me Bu. That's what people call me. What's yours?" he initiated.
Wondering why anyone would speak to him, he replied, "Dee Rogers."
"Looks like you were planning on going in by yourself. Looking for a companion?" insisted Bu.
"Sure you could use someone like me?" Dee looked down at his legs.
Charles held up his right arm, cocked his head back and raised an eyebrow. They both laughed at the fact, but the truth was that they both needed each other if they were going to survive in this game. Dee held out his hand, and they shook on it. Once their alliance had been established, they entered through the portal.
