You never left Joe’s hungry.
It was crazy to think this breakfast would be the last meal he had for three years. Would food taste as good in the game? Fuck, he hoped food in the game tasted good. He couldn’t imagine spending the next twenty years eating gruel with a wooden spoon.
It was too bad he couldn’t take Joe’s into the game, but since he didn’t have that kind of pull with NPC Corp, he’d have to settle for shoving his face full of food there this morning.
Tim was determined to make this the best breakfast he’d ever had, and that meant options.
His personal favorites included corned beef hash, potatoes or hash browns, and biscuits and gravy, with a big glass of juice. If there was room—and who was he kidding, there was always room—he’d wrap the entire meal up with a double helping of homemade apple pie a la mode.
He might gain six pounds after the meal, but he was pretty sure that when he came out of the game, no one would be able to tell.
If the thought of food wasn’t enough to get his feet moving a bit quicker, there was the extra enticement of meeting Sierra. It was a shame they wouldn’t get to spend more time out of the game together, but Tim was happy enough with their current circumstances. The way things stood now, he had over twenty years to win her over. Even Pepe Le Pew couldn’t strike out with so much time on the clock.
Tim rounded the corner and came to a dead stop. Where was the line? Where were the people? Joe’s hadn’t been closed for a single day since he’d been on campus. Why was it closed now? He started to panic, but then he noticed a sign in the window.
He read the sign with puzzlement. “‘Today is the first day of the rest of your life.’”
It most certainly was, but how could Joe know that? Was this some kind of Inception-level prank by Sierra? If it was, then how had she gotten Joe to go along with it? Maybe the sign wasn’t meant for him, and they had just happened to pick a favorite campus hangout on the one day it was closed.
What were the chances?
Tim looked at the sign and then into the clear glass windows. To his surprise, Sierra was sitting inside. He waved stupidly, then cringed at his overenthusiasm. Sierra didn’t appear bothered by his eagerness to see her. She detached herself from the seven people in the booth and waved at Tim as she headed toward the door.
Tim counted four women and three men and wondered if those were her other recruits. He was missing something, he was sure of it. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
Sierra smiled at him as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Tim! You made it! Come in, there’s a ton of food.”
Tim stepped in and took in the lay of the land while Sierra closed and locked the door behind him. He’d prepared himself in case Sierra might not want to spend time alone with him. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world if he meant no more to her than anyone else in the restaurant. At least he was guaranteed a good meal, and from the looks of it, some boisterous company.
There was a tug on the sleeve of his shirt. Tim turned around and was stopped dead by one look into Sierra’s gorgeous green eyes.
Sierra pressed her body to Tim’s. “I’m happy you’re here.”
Happy because he was part of her recruitment group, or because she liked him?
Tim didn’t know why he was a fucking idiot who had to agonize over every little thing. His pulse quickened as Sierra’s fingers lingered on his chest. “Me too?”
Sierra’s green eyes danced with mischief. “I would have asked you to meet me somewhere more private, but I already had this scheduled with my recruits.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and batted her eyes adoringly. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Tim opened his mouth to speak but closed it again before he fucked it up. Maybe she’d seen the disappointment on his face when he’d noticed the other people inside and felt sorry for him. Tim didn’t care. It was never a good idea to question Lady Fortune when she smiled down upon you. Having a girl making something up to him was almost unreal.
Today was the first day of the rest of his life. Today was the day he walked into the game and got to become anyone he wanted. What he wanted right now was to not be afraid to take a risk.
Tim didn’t have to be shy anymore, or awkward. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss Sierra. Her lips pressed against his, and his mind exploded. Why in the hell had he spent four years being too afraid to pursue this?
Wild applause broke out from behind them. Two of the guys stood up in the booth as they clapped. The ladies smiled with embarrassment and tried to get them to sit down. Joe came out of the back and looked around for the source of the commotion. His eyes settled on the two of them, narrowing slightly as he headed in their direction.
Sierra’s cheeks burned a whole new shade of red. Tim wasn’t sure why she was so worried. Joe was as friendly as they came. He’d never heard the man say an unkind word to anyone. It didn’t stop Sierra from clutching his hand when Joe stopped in front of them.
Joe looked from Sierra to Tim and back to her again. “Who’s your new friend?”
“This is Tim.” She looked at the ground.
Tim looked from Sierra to Joe with growing confusion. Why was she so worried?
Joe put his hands on his hips, smug as a cat after licking a bowl of cream. “Oh, so he’s the one.”
“Dad!” Sierra slapped him on the chest and buried her face in her hands. “This is so fucking embarrassing.” Sierra removed a hand so Tim could see her face. “I think I’m going to die.”
Tim looked from Joe’s smiling face to Sierra’s. “Wait. Joe’s your dad?”
Sierra didn’t look up. In fact, it looked to Tim like she wished she were invisible. He’d felt the same way when introducing his parents to people, so he understood what she was going through. You never knew how someone would judge you, based on what your parents did for a living.
She didn’t have to worry. He wasn’t that kind of douche.
Joe stuck out his hand. “Got it in one.”
“That is so cool. I love this place.” Tim grabbed Joe’s hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake. “Best breakfast in town.”
Sierra lowered her hands, trying to determine if Tim was just screwing with her or if he really liked the place. She smiled at her dad and plucked at Tim’s shirt. “Why don’t we get you some food? Then you can meet the others.”
Tim let Sierra lead him a few steps away, but then he turned around to look at Joe again. “Wait, did you say I’m ‘the one?’” He grinned at Sierra. “Someone’s been talking about me.”
Sierra’s eyes cast daggers at her father, and she tried to play it off. “Maybe.”
Joe walked past them, heading back toward the kitchen. “Don’t let her fool you. She goes on and on.”
Sierra shrieked. “Dad!”
Tim laughed. He’d felt the same way when he introduced a girl to his parents. What was it with parents and the need to show every cute baby photo in the world to their kid’s date? No girl wanted to see that crap on date one. Baby pictures required a much longer commitment.
He could tell Sierra was super-embarrassed, so he tried to change the subject. “Did you say something about food?”
She slapped him playfully. “Of course, the food would be more important to you than the people.”
Tim steered them toward the large covered trays. “A man’s gotta have priorities.”
“Well, this girl already ate.” Sierra smiled at him as she broke away and headed for the booth. ”I’ll save you a seat next to me.”
It was like the lights went out when she walked away.
Why did he miss her touch so much? They hadn’t even gone on a real date yet. There was just something about Sierra that drove him wild. It wasn’t only lust, although he felt a ton of that too. It was like they’d met in another life. At least they would have the next twenty years to explore those feelings.
Maybe the introspection could wait until he finished some of Joe’s famous pancakes.
Tim was embarrassed as he sat down with three plates of food. Thankfully, everyone else was done eating and just having coffee, or there wouldn’t have been room for all his dishes.
Sierra eyed his plates with awe.
It was like she’d never seen anyone eat breakfast before.
If it was going to be his last day on Earth for three years, Tim was going to make this meal count. Screw what anybody else thought. He covered the pancakes in melted butter and pecan syrup. After inhaling a few bites, he looked up to see everyone watching him. Was there something he’d forgotten to do in his haste to do some serious damage to Joe’s bottom line? Then it clicked.
The dark coffee played against his tongue with hints of toffee as he leaned back into the booth. “Hi, I’m Tim.”
“He sure knows how to make an entrance,” one of the guys joked.
Everyone laughed, but it was the special kind of laughter shared between close friends. Sure, the joke was on you, but there was no malice in it. He imagined it wasn’t every day someone sat down at your table and ate half a stack of pancakes before introducing himself.
Sierra leaned her shoulder into him. “So, this is Tim. Apparently, he likes pancakes better than people.”
Tim took another sip of coffee. “Dogs, too.”
A few people laughed, and one or two looked like they didn’t get it. Sierra smiled and took control of the conversation like a pro. “Okay, left to right, we have, Melonie, Sarah, Josh, John, Amber, Steve, and Petunia.”
“Fuck you,” the one called Petunia giggled. She extended her hand across the table to Tim. “My name’s Cassie.”
Tim quickly wiped his hand to make sure it wasn’t covered in syrup before grasping hers. “I’m sure there’s a story there, but I don’t know if it’s polite to ask.”
“Stick around long enough, and you’ll figure it out.” Cassie flashed him a wicked smile before turning and chatting with Steve.
“She’s a bit much, but she’s my best friend.” Sierra rolled her eyes in Cassie’s direction.
“You’ve already met my two best friends.” Tim grinned. “I think we both know I don’t have any right to judge.” He took a sip of coffee. “Plus, she seems kind of fun.”
Smiling, Sierra chatted with the people across from them. Tim took that as his cue to get back to work on his pancakes. One plate of corned beef hash, three pancakes, and one biscuit slathered in gravy later, Tim looked up to see Joe coming toward their table with a giant cake.
His stomach groaned in protest.
“Just one slice,” he mumbled, patting his belly. “We got this.”
Joe placed the cake on the table and beamed at his daughter.
He was so proud of her. That was the reaction Tim had hoped for when he told his parents about the job. That particular conversation hadn’t exactly gone as planned, but his parents loved him, just like Joe loved Sierra. Tim knew his mom and dad would do anything to make sure he was happy. It was just going to take them a minute to adjust.
Joe smiled, but his eyes started to mist over. “I promised Sierra I wouldn’t do this, but I just can’t help it.”
“Dad?” Sierra questioned with just a hint of warning in her tone.
Joe started cutting slices of cake, pretending she hadn’t spoken. “I’m going to miss you, Sierra. With your mom gone, you and this place are all that I have left. Three years is going to feel like forever, but I’m excited that you’ve found your place in life.”
Tim slid out of the booth so Sierra could stand up. She pulled Joe into a hug. “I love you too, Dad.”
“Can you love me and make me a millionaire?” Joe chuckled. “I’m tired of flipping pancakes.”
“As if.” Sierra put one hand on her hip and pouted. “We both know you’re going to be flipping pancakes here until you die.” Sierra poked him in the gut. “You love this place too much not to.”
“I do, but it’s not the most important thing in my life.” He hugged her again before smiling at the rest of the table. “Let’s have some cake.”
It wasn’t apple pie, but carrot cake was one of Tim’s all-time favorites. You could never go wrong with cream cheese frosting.
People started making their excuses to leave as they finished eating. Tim didn’t have anything left to do. Everything he owned was either in storage or in his backpack. For the first time in his life, he felt like a nomad.
It fascinated him to think that there were people out there who weren’t comfortable staying in one place too long. They took odd jobs and traveled around the country, never staying put for more than a year or two.
New places and new people weren’t Tim’s thing. A solid internet connection and a few friends on a voice server was all he needed to feel connected to the world.
But he was starting to think there might be room in his life for one more. “Are you ready to go?”
Sierra held up a finger, indicating she needed a minute. “I’ll meet you by the door.”
Tim got up, took a quick spin to the last bathroom he’d need for three years, and then headed to the door. Sierra appeared a few minutes later. Her eyes were red, but she looked happy. Tim wrapped an arm around her waist, and they walked out of Joe’s together.
Chapter Seven
The company building on campus handled their final paperwork. The entire process took less than an hour, then they shuttled the new employees off to NPC Corp South. It was the largest data center and POD facility in the southwestern United States. The online article he read mentioned it was NPC Corp’s newest and most technologically advanced facility.
Unlike the building on campus, this place had zero frills. From the outside, the building looked like a warehouse being guarded by a private army. The shuttles pulled to a stop, and everyone stepped off.
Tim moved Sierra in front of him as they formed into lines. He wanted to make sure they didn’t get separated when they were split into groups. Then they were led inside the facility.
Tim had read about the process of getting ready for the POD, but being here felt different.
Maybe it was the cold gray concrete floors, which made the place feel more like a prison than a gaming company. It made a certain kind of sense, though. Why spend money on aesthetics when no one was going to be there to enjoy them? They could drop the POD at the bottom of the ocean, and he’d still be in The Etheric Coast having a blast.
The next part of the process happened in a private room. There was a bathrobe on the wall, and below it was a pair of paper slippers. Next to the bathrobe was an open bin for his belongings. Tim placed all of his clothes and his backpack in the bin.
A panel on the front of the bin started blinking red. Tim looked down at the container and noticed a picture of a fingerprint. He placed his thumb on the panel and the bin snapped closed, then moved into a recess in the wall.
A shower nozzle on the far wall turned on, making Tim jump. Feeling a little silly for overreacting, Tim moved toward the water and stuck his hand out to gauge the temperature. “At least they didn’t cheap out on the water heaters.”
The water felt very good as it washed over his body. He fucking loved showers. Whenever Tim had a bad day or just needed a break, he always took a shower. Some people liked to walk to clear their head; he preferred to take a shower.
A chime sounded, stirring him from his thoughts as the water was shut off. Nozzles appeared on the sides of the small stall. Another nozzle descended from the ceiling at the same time a separate one came up from the floor.
After freaking out when the shower turned on, Tim thought he was handling the appearance of more random nozzles pretty well.
A female voice garbled through some hidden speakers. “Please close your eyes, and place your feet on the markers. Once you are in position, please place your hands on the handles located on either side of you.”
When Tim grabbed the handles, the voice spoke again. “Depilatory spray will proceed in five seconds.” Tim wondered what it was going to feel like t
o have no hair. He remembered with a chuckle the time they’d used Nair on Xander while he was passed out.
Xander should have appreciated how much bigger it made his junk look.
Tim closed his eyes and fought against opening his mouth as the spray hit his body. He might not have any hair after this, but there was always a hidden upside. At first he was worried the mist was going to be a high powered stream designed to wash his hair off, but it felt more like the misters outside a restaurant on a hot day.
The mist stopped, and Tim released the handles. He glanced in the mirror as he slipped on his robe. Not his best look. Tim actually preferred having hair, but he didn’t feel nearly as bad about being bald as he would have thought. On the plus side, he didn’t even have to clean out the drain.
With his bathrobe and paper slippers in place, Tim moved back into the corridor. It took a few minutes of searching, but he finally picked Sierra out of the crowd. Tim could have spotted those beautiful green eyes anywhere.
She tried to turn away as he approached, but Tim turned her chin so she was facing him and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Tim!” she squealed. “I look gross, like an alien!”
“You are beautiful. Ready to go on a magic carpet ride?” Tim almost choked on the words. Where did he come up with this stuff?
Sierra beamed at him, her bald head shining in the light. “Try to save the enthusiasm for when we’re in the game.” She tugged on his arm and led him down the hallway. “When I have my hair back.”
Tim resisted the urge to run his hands over her head. “As you wish.”
They walked arm in arm until they reached their separate rooms. Tim leaned in to accept her kiss. “See you soon.”
Sierra pulled him in close and then pushed him away. “Count on it.” She disappeared into her room, leaving Tim standing in the hallway alone.
He watched the closed door for a few moments, wondering how he had gotten so lucky as to have found a woman who shared his interests. Tim turned away from the door and entered his own room. It was bigger than he expected, with the POD in the corner. Two lab technicians were waiting for Tim inside.
Rise of the Grandmaster Page 6
