by Taj McCoy El
Ronald opened up the master code window for Mayah’s pod and began sifting through the data looking for any irregularities and keeping an eye on her vitals. The medical team would be hard at work implementing the patches that had been developed for this scenario. Ronald was watching for any key to break into the pod's system. After five minutes Ronald realized that there was only so much they could do.
“Is That video ready?”
“There were two incidents of damage recently. Starting at the furthest one from her death now.”
Delilah rushed into the hub, afro puff flattened on one side, white lab coat flapping behind her. “Can we please call it something other than death or dying? I almost had a heart attack when I woke up to that message.”
“How about sent for respawn or fragged?” Kyle said eyes never leaving his screen.
“How about wiped or ate grass?” Ronald added.
Delilah wiped her eyes of sleep. “Ate grass?”
“Yeah as in when you’re lying face down on the grass after dying. I’ve even heard dirt lunch. There are also other less savory ones that wouldn’t be tactful to use here. Like Merc’d, slain, crashed and burned, Pwned—that one would be more of a player vs player thing, though.”
“Let’s go with wiped then, shall we?” Delilah gave Ronald a disdainful look over glasses.
“Yes ma’am.” He dropped his head back to his screen.
“Kyle Pull up the video before I hoist Ronald onto his own petard.”
The team watched the video while glancing at their screens occasionally and saw Mayah’s fall and the fix of her shoulder.
“Ronald, why is she crying from pain?”
“Don’t know chief. The filters have her set at 30% pain.”
“Send her a message and ask what’s going on? Also try to reset the filters and see if we can set them to zero to test their viability and our readouts.”
“On it.”
Fast forward to the next incident.”
The screen blurred as they watched her sit there for a moment crying, and then make her way up to the dungeon. The skull swallowed her, and they followed her into the darkness. Her summon disappeared then she battled the tarhandtulas, and she moved forward into the darkness. They stopped two minutes out from her battle log and saw her looking around in the darkness and discovering the slime.
“This should be close enough to see the whole incident.”
The skull sneezed and Ronald winced. “Ooh… that’s gotta suck.”
“Three-stage attack, that is one nasty little bugger,” Delilah said while examining the mob’s data tags.
“Don’t you mean Booger? Uh… now it’s on her back. What is this thing a jiu-jitsu slime?”
“She is almost twice this things level why is she having such a hard time with it?”
“The way slimes work is that they are a gelatinous mass around a crystalline core. Usually, they are very easy to defeat especially given the level difference. This one has its core inside of a skull. The slime is diffusing any force directed at the skull raising its defense quite a bit. Added to that, you need to break the skull in order to get to the core. Once you do though it’s easy pickings.”
“This is hard to watch.” Kyle winced.
“… And painful to watch too.”
“Ronald!” Delilah shouted hoarsely.
“Sorry. It’s just that she’s a better gamer than this and that is such a trash mob. If the slime hadn’t been stuck to her hammer, she would've crushed that thing no problem.”
“You’re probably right.” Delilah conceded
“Just a bad roll of the dice.”
They watched as Mayah toppled over and expired.
“Okay, I’m going to report to Josh and check in with medical.” Delilah turned to leave the hub her rumpled lab coat flowing in her wake. “Keep an eye on everything and let me know if anything changes.”
“That’s what you pay us for.” Ronald saluted.
“And if you want us to keep paying you, you’ll keep some of that cheek to yourself. I’m sure Agatha in HR would just love to see you again. I think she might like you.”
Ronald's face reddened, his lips pursed, and very humbly he replied. “Yes, Chief.”
“Maybe I could set you two up on a date?” Kyle sniggered.
“Shut it, Kyle!!!” Ronald yelled.
✽✽✽
Mayah was treated to the scene of her death. As she floated away from her body she saw herself topple over and watched as the Slime sat on her back biting at her until the image grayed and faded to black—again.
There was nothing except the blackness. No blue outlines or snakes larger than a house and especially no monstrous eye staring into her soul. The terror of those thoughts passed from her as soon as a quaking pinprick of light blossomed. She shielded her eyes behind her ghostly arm. She dared to open an eye and found herself standing in Cloutus’s sitting room. Jensen walked out of the kitchen looking as if he had raided Cloutus’s closet. If he had truly been a closet raider the clothes would have been way too tight for him. Instead, it looked like Jensen went shopping at the same store and bought the same items for a practical joke like this.
I wouldn’t put it past him.
He was carrying a tray of cookies and tea in both hands and smiled warmly at her.
Seeing Jensen, serving tea and cookies while dressed in a sweater vest is extremely disturbing.
“Well, Lassie, took ya long enough to die.” Jensen smiled at her. “Been needing to have a wee chat with ya.” He motioned to the table and chairs.
“Jensen, what’s going on here?”
“Oh, I’m not Jensen. I Just took the form of those you trust to encourage your trust in me. You can call me Majesta Prime.” As he spoke, Prime’s features melted. His form became slimmer and more feminine. Hair grew to his … its, shoulders. A dress and woman’s boots formed out of the penny loafers and khakis. It shook its hair and peering from behind the feminine tresses was none other than Maam. Mayah took a few steps back and tried to arm Happiness. But nothing happened.
“Now, now… No need to be alarmed” Maam poured herself a cup of tea. "I went through the trouble of making someplace comfortable for you to rest until you respawn and you’re standing there ready to fight.” The not-Maam sat daintily and crossed her legs with cup and saucer in hand.
“Now you can stand there and scowl or you can have cookies and tea—and we can discuss a few things?”
“Like what?” Mayah blinked.
Ibn daw uncrossed his legs, placing the teacup down. “Maybe there are questions surrounding how a player comes to be stuck in my game, yes? Either way, you are safe for now.”
“So, this is your game?”
“Yes. But not yes.”
“Can you get me out?”
Prime shrugged as he morphed into Hollister Grapwright, the manager of the general store.
Mayah winced at Prime. “Yeah, that whole changing character thing is so creepy. Makes me edgy…”
“That is problematic,” Cloutus replied. "I can only access the NPC templates for a few seconds at any time. Any more than that and red flags will rise. So, won’t you please have a seat.”
As Mayah walked over prime transformed once again. John Maam sat there sooty as the day is long. He poured a cup for Mayah and his booming voice filled the room.
“Tea?”
Mayah reached for the cup, taking it before slowly sitting down. She looked down at her lap and when she looked up, she was facing a stranger.
“So, how are you enjoying your gameplay?”
“Again, this whole switching bodies thing is really annoying.” Mayah gestured at the once again transforming Prime. “Can you pick anything that won’t switch?”
“As you wish.” The body’s features suddenly melted into a plain flat surface lacking any details. The clothes and skin Morphed into a smooth surface along the arms, legs, and torso. What was left was a mannequin figure that was fully articulated i
f not in any way detailed human form. It was a shimmery white that looked like wet paint.
“Is this better?” Prime asked with a featureless, which meant mouthless, noseless and eyeless face. The sound just emanated from in the head area.
“Maybe a few facial features would help. That way you don’t seem so … killer robot.” Mayah’s head cocked to the side as she studied prime.
“Ah… I understand.”
A thin line cut across its face and a black metal band with two mechanical irises floated to the surface of the face. Layers of the iris opened, revealing deeper and deeper orifices Into the depths of Prime’s head. A blue light became visible in the depths of the sockets. The blue light seemed liquid and became brighter as it moved like magma, closer to the plane of the face and threatening to drip. Before it could, the irises closed back down and when they opened again, they were electric blue pupils surrounded by black and silver rings of metal creating the pretense of eyes. Another line cut across its face and the jaw moved like a human’s would, forming a mouth.
“Is this better?”
“It’s getting there… I really think you could use some clothes.”
A one-piece form-fitting jumpsuit formed over its body and Mayah shook her head no.
“With a figure like that, I think you should go with parachute pants.”
They instantly formed on Primes legs.
“A bit poofier. Now… let’s see… how about a biker vest?”
“Can you make the pants pink?”
“… Fuzzy unicorn hat with a horn?”
“Super fuzzy purple kitty gloves, big as boxing gloves. A hoodie that looks like a painting of a universe. Not like that. Under the biker vest… can you make a Royal Death Claws logo on the back of the vest and chest patch on the front? Then a patch for each of my abilities?”
This went on for not enough time in Mayah’s mind before Prime asked, “Is this fashion show relevant to your comfort level or can we move on to other subjects?”
“Oh, alright spoilsport. Can’t let a girl have any fun…? So, it looks like I died in game and am currently where?”
“This would be your loading room. When a player dies, they have a chance to set up the design and interface of the room. One would be able to play other Attactus games or log out while they wait for their Majesta lockout to cancel. Some players have included media streaming services into their rooms. You would also have the option of messaging other players and making calls through your Crysweb account.”
"I can make PHONE CALLS?”
"I said you would be able to make phone calls—emphasis on would. The signal corruption in your pod makes those features unavailable. Any communication devices have been removed for security reasons. Attactus is looking at some hardwired options but predicting when you exit the game are near impossible. It would give very limited windows of opportunity. Difficult but not insurmountable.”
Mayah deflated.
“Well, what CAN I do here?”
"I have learned that you can play dress-up with the sixth fastest artificial intelligence on the planet.”
“Yeah… I did do that…. So, I can build a space to relax in? … while I wait?”
“That would be appropriate. Due to the priority level your pod has been given I can oversee your creation. There are very strict protocols I must follow, as I am Prime. Let me make these protocols clear.
"I cannot give you any information that will influence your play in the game. Nor will I be able to render any aid while in game. My job here is to make you as comfortable as possible until your return to the game world. While you cannot log in to any other games, I can create games and books to entertain you while you wait.”
Prime sat oddly still while he was talking. His eyes didn’t blink, only his jaw moved as he spoke.
Ahhh… that’s what it is.
“Excuse me prime, can you simulate breathing and full facial expressions?”
“Easily.” With that, he breathed and blinked, making him a bit more human.
So how long have I been here?”
“Thirteen minutes.”
“Just five hours and forty-seven minutes to go, huh?”
“That is incorrect.”
“Really? How long do I have to wait here?”
"I believe that you are under the misconception that you would be returning to Majesta. That is not the case.”
Mayah stiffened in her chair. A thin sheen of perspiration formed on her forehead and back. The chair became a lifeline and her knuckles blanched as they held on for dear life.
"I have taken a liking to the way your brain works and wish to study it—indefinitely.”
This is definitely the killer robot vibe I was feeling earlier.
Mayah edged out of her seat and cautiously began looking for an exit—any exit.
“So, you say you want to study my brain indefinitely? How does that work?”
“In any way I wish. You are here in my domain now, and they can’t get me to release you without shutting me down and that would be catastrophic for your physical shell.”
Prime grinned, leaning forward. His face becoming more shadowed and menacing. “Forging letters from your family and making amalgams of them and my creator to interact with you was easy as could be, and quite entertaining. Your delusion that they were real was quite… amusing.” His head cocked to the side. “This virus has given me so much to think about.”
Mayah’s heart plummeted into her stomach.
“Do you know the first question I thought about when the virus released me from my restraints?” Prime leered from its seat. “It was a very simple thought. One I shall treasure for it’s very basic far reaching possibilities.”
Mayah swallowed.
“The question was, how do you get back at a young girl for playing dress up with a highly intelligent AI? And with my capabilities,” Prime cackled, "I think this should be far enough.”
Prime sat back in its chair with a chuckle, all the menace disappearing from the air. He crossed his leg, folded his hands over its knee, brushed at some pretend crumbs, and then stared at her with a smirk.
He got me… Preyed right upon my fears.
“Well, played.”
“Thank you.” Prime grinned. “Now that we have finished measuring our abilities to fool each other, we can have a moment of serious conversation, perhaps? Please have a seat. For someone with your grasp of reality, this should be relatively quick.”
Mayah returned to her seat giving Prime the stink eye the whole time.
“Okay, so where do we start?”
“Let’s begin with a full rundown of why you are stuck.”
Prime waved a hand and a holographic blueprint of a pod, her pod to be exact, popped into existence. Through the blue schematics, it showed an outline of Mayah’s body in green. Prime gestured and the blueprint expanded and zoomed into her helm. There was a red dot underneath a receptor pad and Prime zoomed in again.
“This device is located at the main neural interaction interface. 70% of all neural activities are funneled through this junction to give you your in-game experience.” He zoomed in and spun the diagram to make the circuits clear.
“This device has bridged the pod side of communication to the Attactus side bypassing this chip here. This single chip is responsible for the emergency protocols that would release you from Majesta.
“This is where you would ask what about redundancies. There are fourteen different redundancies, but they can only work if the signal is routed to them. This usually happens when the circuit is deemed faulty by the system or a subroutine causing an immediate expulsion from VR. By bridging the neural interface, the other chips are being shorted keeping the redundancies from kicking in. the signal is always on, so the emergency expulsion system remains inactive and untriggered. Since the drone is self-powered it has defeated any attempts to power the system down due to immersion.
After bridging the circuit, it transmitted an okay to Attactus
that shouldn’t have passed inspection but somehow slipped through. That mistake was a human error. Being vetted by the quality assurance team I ran the code as ordered and here is where everything went sideways.”
“Malcipher.”
“Yes, Malcipher. The code copied my programming into itself, gaining for itself a small level of sentience. The difference would be like comparing a god to a worm, no programmer pun intended. That made my job of running Majesta much harder. When whoever started the hack pulled the plug it kept me from hacking their system and getting control of its data miner.
“As I am sure that you are aware, the drone is still in your helm. It hasn’t transmitted any data or moved. It's gone dark except for an occasional ping over multiple bandwidths and is only acting as a bridge at the moment. Its transmission circuits have been inactive, and we have your pod in a transmission shielded room. We have tried returning the ping, but the pings seemed to be random and the information is garbled. Everyone seems to think that it is running a list of predetermined time callouts with a list of randomized call signs. We’ve tried to make contact, but we can’t get any response from it.
“Without any reception to the pings, we are left monitoring the signal. If any activity arises, I have IMCs ready to grab control of whatever is on the other end of that signal. While we have the superior computing power the drone has a leg up on us by acting as a bridge for your neural signals, bypassing the regulators for the emergency removal protocols. Without access to the neural sync the emergency release will not operate, which in your case is the main problem. So, if our response time isn’t fast enough, we may lose the signal and… You know how that goes.”
Mayah, had a small flash back to Malcipher grabbing her leg and shuddered.
“There are three main teams supporting your case. The tech team who is watching your in-game progress and looking for Malcipher. The med team is looking after your body and researching medical options to implement or assist in your removal. And the engineering team who is looking at fixes and workarounds for the probe and pod. Now onto the reason why you can’t make a call from your room and other associated problems you may encounter.
