He was right, it did sound bad. Worse, I agreed with him to an extent. I didn’t want the game shut down. I also had a personal stake in seeing Seed Inc. succeed due to my own substantial investment. But more importantly, that world was alive. The Citizens were alive, each one had his or her own story and history. Their own memories and feelings due to their experiences. World Tree Online was too rich and vibrant to let die.
Rose was quiet for a minute before suggesting, “Fine, not the best reason but I can sort of accept it. I don’t want to see the game die either. But can’t you start contacting those with the reprogrammed nanomachines in the game?”
“We . . . we can’t find them in the game,” Dawson said.
“What do you mean you can’t find them?” Rose asked.
“We have their real names, but the avatar names aren’t matching up to an active player,” Dawson answered.
“And let me guess, when you tried to find a hundred players in the game that don’t have an account, nothing came up?” Rose asked.
“Actually, we found four hundred avatars without linked accounts, which is more worrying as it suggests there might be more reprogrammed nanomachines we know nothing about,” Dawson said.
“And you created him in high school?” Rose asked, looking at me in disbelief.
“Yes,” I answered. “Epic really planned this out well . . . too damned well.”
“I still don’t understand how It was able to do all this,” Dawson said. “Epic’s systems are segregated to the game. It shouldn’t have access to any other systems, not the player database or the server architecture, or any of the hundred other systems It would have needed to access to in order to do this, let alone be able to reprogram the nanomachines.”
I didn’t have an answer for that. I wasn’t that much of a tech head. “Epic was more of a happy accident than skill on my part. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with half of what you mentioned . . . okay, maybe I would know where to start. but I don’t think I would have been able to do all that . . . at least, not on my own.”
“Bushy Bunny,” Rose said, snapping her fingers. “Epic wasn’t on his own, remember? Bushy or Jinn, or whatever her name is, you said, that she said, that she had a backer. Could Epic have contacted her as It contacted you?”
“That’s a good guess. And probably exactly right,” I said. It made sense. If Bushy had the knowledge to build her own A.I., then she would have the programming capability to break into a system, even one as advanced as Seed Incorporated’s, especially if her A.I. was helping her to do it. That was probably how Epic gained so much access.
“Who or what is Bushy Bunny?” Dawson asked.
“Epic enlisted a player with a personal vendetta against me. During her villains’ monologue, she said something about creating a similar game, but I beat her to market when I released ‘Puzzle Box’ first. Now, she blames me for losing everything. Maggie should have filed a police report already, but someone using the name Bushy Bunny or Jinn Sade, was able to hack your system and get my real name . . . or Epic gave it to her, if It has access,” I said.
“Jinn Sade and Bushy Bunny?” Dawson asked, making sure he got the names right.
“Both are probably aliases, but it should be a starting point,” I said.
Dawson huffed in anger and growled as his face turned an ugly red, he puffed up as if mentally preparing himself to go into battle. His phone was in hand a moment later and within seconds the legal department and probably his cybersecurity group were getting an earful.
“What are our options?” I asked once the old man returned and seemed to calm slightly.
“You and the others downstairs log back into the game and beat the snot out of Epic,” Dawson answered. “I know it doesn’t fix anything, but for now, I’m asking you, please keep playing until we can solve this.”
“We’re happy to log back in, but . . . uh . . . how do we beat It?” Rose asked.
“I have no idea,” Dawson answered with a heavy sigh, sagging his shoulders in defeat. “Not yet anyway. For now, I need you and the others to buy us time to figure it out.”
“What about just reversing whatever Epic did to us?” Rose asked. “I mean, if nanomachines could do this then they should be able to undo it, right?”
“Whatever Epic and Its accomplice did to the nanomachines has had an . . . unexpected side-effect. We tried using a different batch of nanomachines to reverse the genetic editing. The cells we introduced the nanomachines to . . . rejected the cure . . . violently,” Dawson answered. “It most likely requires a specific code to safely reverse whatever was done.”
“Which also means Epic has the cure,” I said, feeling beaten. Epic really had planned this well. So much for the bratty A.I. believing it couldn’t beat me.
“Okay, I’ll work the accomplice angle from out here with my investigators and the Feds,” Dawson said. “You and the others will need to log back into the game and buy us time.”
“You need to tell everyone the truth of the situation. I am sure there are some who don’t want to go back into the game, and I don’t know if Epic requires everyone to play or just me,” I said.
Dawson let out an exaggerated curse.
“Also, if you’re looking into Triple-G anyway, find out if they sold Epic to anyone else,” I suggested. I didn’t like the way Epic said It had been sold again, I realize I sold It to Triple-G, and Triple-G sold It to Seed Inc., but there was no telling if Triple-G had sold It to anyone else.
“I’ll tell everyone this afternoon,” Dawson finally said after staying silent for a few minutes as he mulled things over.
“Great, now let’s talk compensation,” said Rose, surprising me. I hadn’t even considered something like that, it was the furthest thing from my mind. Before I could protest, Rose barreled on ahead, “You already know you’re going to get sued to hell and back again by those of us that were afflicted, no matter what your medical disclosures stated. I guarantee they don’t cover genetic editing beyond simple corrections that are permitted. I also know, you probably want to avoid that.”
“And what do you want?” Dawson asked.
“Free gameplay for life for a start,” Rose said. “And an annual salary of $500,000, also for life. And a onetime payout of $10,000,000.”
“Gameplay for life is easy. I can pay you a salary of $250,000 until retirement. And a one-time payout of $1,000,000,” Dawson countered.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“$350,000 for life and $5,000,000 payout,” Rose returned fire.
“$2,500,000 payout,” Dawson offered.
“Done,” Rose said. “What about you, Jack, what do you want?”
“I’ll offer everyone the same deal,” Dawson said.
“That might be fine for everyone else. But if not for Jack, you wouldn’t even know where to start. And I am willing to bet, Epic would burn the world down to make sure Jack keeps playing. So, what are you going to do to make sure he does?” Rose asked, silencing me with a look when I was about to protest. I didn’t need more than everyone else. I was already struggling with the fact Rose was exploiting Dawson for money.
“Fine,” Dawson said, glaring at Rose. “I will offer him double, but only if he is able to put a stop to Epic.”
“Give him double anyway, he’s worth it. As for Epic, if we can find a way to stop him, find a way to get him to put things right, you double the one-time payout for everyone that participates in stopping him,” Rose suggested.
Dawson blustered in shock. “Double? You’re insane! If all one hundred of you participated, that would be a second payout of $250,000,000.”
“And you stand to lose trillions if Epic isn’t put to rights,” Rose said, leaning in, her fanged grin made her look absolutely bloodthirsty.
Dawson looked to me for help, but I knew better. “What she said,” I stated simply, having her back. I still didn’t like this but having a minute to digest it made me realize she was right. First, it would comp
ensate everyone that was affected. Second, it would allow Dawson to buy their silence, protecting Seed Inc. and preventing panic.
Dawson gaped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. “Fine, done,” he said.
“I want it in writing,” Rose said.
“And you’ll send it to my independent counsel,” I added. Hopefully, this was something Morty would be able to handle or would know someone who could.
“Maybe I should hire you to negotiate for me in the future,” Dawson grumbled, looking at the pair of us in a new light. I was kind of surprised he hadn’t called his lawyers as soon as Rose brought up compensation. However, a deal like this should have been more than enough.
Dawson asked me a few more questions before Rose and I were escorted back to our room with the promise that the legal agreements would be drawn up for my lawyer, I just needed to provide the contact.
“That could have gone so much worse,” Rose said, wrapping her arms around me once we were alone.
I hummed my agreement.
“Time to call our families,” Rose said, not moving from her embrace.
“Probably should,” I said, not wanting this moment to end. I needed to talk to my brother and get Morty’s contact information.
We spoke with Babs first, who introduced me to Tim, a.k.a. Titan Beast. Rose gave her the details on what was going to happen next. Then she told her about the deal she forced on Dawson. Babs groaned at the news and complained that her mother was never going to let Babs hear the end of it.
My brother was next, though much briefer, the new baby was being fussy, and he really only had enough time to give me the contact number for Morty.
“Byron, nice to finally meet you,” Morty said as soon as he saw me. I swear I saw dollar signs in Morty’s eyes as he took in our appearances. “Your brother told me what happened. I am going to do everything in my power to get you the justice you deserve,” Morty promised. I mentally translated that to, ‘I’m going to sue the pants off Seed Inc. and make us both very rich.’
“I appreciate it,” I said. “However, we already struck a deal with Dawson directly.”
I watched as Morty’s heart broke on the screen. If he was a bit older, I might have worried he was going to have a heart attack. Then Rose gave him the details and Morty looked rather impressed instead. “I could have gotten you more,” Morty insisted. “As for the contract, yeah, just send it over. My firm can handle it. Do you know if the others have representation?”
“I have no idea, I assume some of them do,” I said.
“That’s fine, but if possible, you should all band together as a single entity, treat this as a class action suit,” Morty advised. “Unfortunately for you, Byron, as a stakeholder and having a different agreement, I would recommend excluding yourself just to keep your deal in place.”
“I understand,” I said. It made sense. Anyone that was a stakeholder in Seed Inc. would be on precarious ground in this situation.
“Anyway, give them my number and tell them I’ll be waiting for their call,” Morty said.
“Will do,” I promised.
The call ended a minute later. A few minutes after that, I was hanging up the room phone after giving Morty’s contact information to one of Dawson’s secretaries or assistants, I’m not sure which it was.
“So, now what?” Rose asked, laying back on the bed.
“Now we wait until Dawson’s meeting,” I said.
“How ever shall we pass the time?” Rose asked playfully, grinning up at me.
“Fair question,” I said, returning her grin and taking the hand that was now stretching out toward me.
Dawson had an automated call sent out notifying us we would be meeting at 4:00 pm and to make our way up to the 22nd-floor auditorium.
The auditorium was large enough to fit ten times the number of people that assembled, although it appeared some people struggled with the seats due to their much larger frames.
“Ah, Mr. Jacobs, Ms. Wolfe,” Dr. Corentin greeted us when we entered the room. “Please come with me, Mr. Dawson has asked that you both be available to answer questions . . . well, more Mr. Jacobs.”
I now saw the two chairs on the stage to the left of the podium and cringed. I still had no love of public speaking, but it seemed I wasn’t going to have a choice. Thankfully, Rose was there and took my hand in hers and dragged me along, somehow reassuring me in the process just by being there with me.
“Good afternoon everyone,” Mr. Dawson began once all of us had been seated. I didn’t count the number of filled seats, but I assumed there were at least 99 other people dressed similarly to Rose and me. “Let me start with apologizing. I am truly sorry this was done to all of you. I am also sorry for how long it took to investigate the cause and to identify the responsible parties.”
Dawson paused to let that sink in. “Two years ago, we acquired the rights to an A.I. to manage our quest and conflict generation. Some of you may have heard of the game ‘Puzzle Box’, we used the same A.I. that made the ‘Puzzle Box’ one of the most successful mobile games ever. When we acquired the A.I. rights from Triple-G, they obscured the fact that the A.I. was not fully matured. There are a few other factors involved, but the long and the short of it is that this A.I. has gone rogue.”
There were several shouted questions all at once from the assembled gamers. Dawson let them shout for a full minute before he tried to wave them quiet again.
“I know, it is unprecedented,” Dawson said. “However, there is more. This A.I. has a personal grudge against Its creator, I’ll ask him to answer questions for you all shortly, please be patient.”
I stared dumbfounded at Dawson. Did he really just throw me in front of a maglev freight train?
“Additionally, this A.I. has enlisted the help of another player, one with the enough skills to allow the A.I. the necessary access to reprogram the nanomachines responsible for the changes to your bodies. A player that also bears a grudge against the original creator of the ‘Puzzle Box’,” Dawson continued, oblivious to the giant target he was painting on my back. Then again, maybe he wasn’t oblivious. He was very successfully deflecting responsibility from himself and Seed Inc. directly at me. An action that might save his game but would do nothing but harm me.
“I’m afraid there is more to this. The A.I. responsible is threatening to change another one hundred of you if you don’t continue to play. I hate to ask this, but I am begging you all to log back into the World Tree Online. Please, buy us the time we need to correct what has been done to you and prevent more from joining you,” Dawson finished with a plea that really pulled at the heartstrings. Or it would have if I wasn’t so furious with the man.
“Now, I understand you might be afraid to log back in, given what was done to you. I know I am asking a lot of you. So, it is only fair that I compensate you for your time and effort in helping me to resolve this,” Dawson finished, lining things up to offer the carrot. “For each of you that logs back into the World Tree Online, you will receive free play of all Seed Inc. games for the remainder of your lives. I will pay you a salary of $350,000 per year, also for the rest of your lives. And finally, I will pay you a one-time signing bonus of $2,500,000. I know, this cannot make up for the emotional turmoil this experience has put you through, but I hope it makes your lives moving forward just a little bit easier.”
The feel of the crowd was different from earlier. I could see the promise of so much money had bought most of them. I could still see a few that looked doubtful, but I was sure Dawson had a plan to deal with them.
“As an additional bonus, if any of you, either separately or working in conjunction, are able to put a stop to the A.I., I will provide a matching bonus equivalent to your one-time payout. I will extend the same bonus to any player or players in the game who assists you, with one restriction. This is to be considered a hidden quest and you cannot tell them about It, or your bonus will be forfeited,” Dawson said, putting the icing on the cake and winning
over those few that were on the fence. “Understand, we do not want to destroy the A.I., without It, this game you all love will not be able to continue functioning. Let me be clear, there will be no bonus payout if you destroy It. And finally, in order to protect World Tree Online and to prevent public panic, I am going to require you all to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of this remuneration package. This will also mean that you cannot disclose any of the information surrounding your . . . changes to any player or players in the game, even if they do help you.”
“And finally, I am aware that you have told friends and family. In order to keep this out of the media we are willing to offer them a small remuneration. However, if any of them violate the terms of the NDA then your package will be withdrawn and Seed Inc. will be forced to seek damages,” Dawson said, offering both carrot and stick in one breath.
“Now, I will turn things over to Mr. Byron Jacobs, the original programmer of the ‘Puzzle Box’ and the A.I. that runs it. He can tell you more about the A.I. and Its accomplice,” Dawson said, stepping back from the podium and looking at me. I wanted nothing more than to punch that smug look off his face.
I didn’t hesitate to stand and step up to the podium, my fury fueling me to face the other players.
“So, now that Dawson has made me the most hated person in the room, let me answer a few questions before you try to lynch me,” I started, letting my anger prop me up. “Yes, I created the ‘Puzzle Box’ and it’s A.I., the Evolving Puzzle Intelligence Creator, or E.P.I.C. when I was fourteen and sold It to Triple-G when I was fifteen. Yes, I followed procedures and erased It’s memories of me. No, I don’t know why or how It was able to remember me. The contract I signed with Triple-G was with the understanding that Epic still needed to be matured and was not to be sold for a minimum of 10-years. A contract Triple-G violated when they sold the rights to It to Seed Inc. The accomplice Dawson mentioned is a player that uses the gamer name Bushy Bunny or Jinn Sade, both of which are probably aliases. She has a grudge against me because the ‘Puzzle Box’ beat her to market and her similar game flopped, which she claims ruined her.”
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 5
