The Seeds of Evermore

by Andrew Haines

  “Quite.” Scott looked around, “Which game is this?”

  The area was a field, lush with green and plant life, as if out of a fairy tale. The sky was a deep blue with some clouds passing above them in the wind. The flora shifted with the wind but Scott felt nothing on his virtual skin. No smells either, which was more common in VR games now than they were in the past. This is still in an alpha development stage. He looked up at the man again.

  “This isn’t a game, Scott. This is the start of a paradise isle for people to visit places that don’t exist. A book come to life so be it. It has been dubbed Project Evermore.”

  “Interesting,” Scott whispered under his breath. He had a thought of his past before snapping back to reality, “Oh I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Scott Halforld. My degrees are in Analysis of Virtual Technology and Game Mediation Law.” Scott put his hand out for a handshake.

  The man took his hand in a firm grip, “Welcome Scott. I know of your background. That is why I asked you to be here today. I am Tuomas Fidlin, lead engineer and co-owner of Virtual Industry.”

  “Mr. Fidlin, what kind of -”

  Raising his hand, the man interrupted Scott. “Tuomas is fine. No need to be overly formal.”

  “Okay, Tuomas. What are your expectations of this position? Do I need to know how to write code or be able to write a certain level of detailed analysis reports? The letter wasn’t very clear about the work that I would be doing for you. In fact there was not much in the letter at all. Why the hassle of it?”

  “Oh, you are already hired if you so desire the position. This is just a formality, so we can meet and I can explain what you will be doing here.” Tuomas shrugged off the rudeness of Scott’s question.

  “How am I…” Scott gave Tuomas a confused look. “For all you know I could have a job already. You haven’t even given me any details.”

  “The people I am going to hire are few and selected by their background in their fields, and what their life experiences have held. Each person that I have hired have been hand-picked to assist me on this project, here in Evermore. I can guarantee that you won’t have an experience at any other place of work. And I know you don’t have a job Mr. Halforld. Your online presence searching for positions made that perfectly clear.”

  Scott’s face started to warm up in the real world from the words that Tuomas was telling him. A part of his past was buried. Covered by black lines and red tape, a history that was supposed to keep his name hidden for his safety and sanity. The world around him felt like it was about to tear apart. Wait.is the IVR gear that I’m wearing feeding Tuomas the information from my subconscious? “What part of my background are you talking about?”

  “All of what you have done as a gamer, and all of your past achievements, and I mean all of it.” Tuomas smiled at him. “I know your past, and you know what part I am talking about, which is why I want you here in my circle.”

  Scott could tell his body was heating up in real world. His fingers twitched as a reflexive response to the stress. He kept that under wraps, and the government was supposed to make that part of his past stayed out of public knowledge. His thoughts started to question his safety in this place. How did Tuomas get the information? It has to be the IVR nerve gear.

  “I have no need to talk about the past, only about the future, not just the company’s but yours, and the others who will be working with you and those whose play our games and in our next step in virtual entertainment. I won’t be disclosing anything about your past, and no, the IVR gear isn’t pulling any of your thoughts from your head. I just have access to high places thanks to our companies influence within the government, and this project.”

  Tuomas took a few steps back from Scott. “I was given your name based of a recommendation from someone within the government. You know him well. He trusted me with the information and told me you would be useful and with your background, in school and your other experience, to me and this company.” Tuomas paused for a moment before continuing, “If you accept this position, I can offer you a way to help fix yourself and pay you nice salary of one hundred fifty thousand a year. Full benefits and access to insurance of course.”

  Holy crap, as a starting position. Tuomas really wants me in this position if that is his starting number. Scott began to calm down. He could tell that Tuomas was not bluffing. His words were sincere. No one would start a person that high in this field of work without an extensive background of experience. The thought of being able to help deal with the mental wound he had was very tempting to him. It was a scar that has left him secluded and alone. And most of the technology around was not as good as it claimed to be, but Scott had been one of four of an extreme case of mental trauma. “What is your background?” Scott asked, moving away from his background.

  Tuomas smiled, “I have a dual degree in software design and business innovation.”

  It is a job. I can quit if I don’t find it to my liking, and I know who I can contact if this goes south. “Very well,” Scott paused, “When do I start officially then?”

  “As soon as you want too. When do you think you can?” Tuomas asked in response.

  “Tomorrow. I need time to make sure I have everything in order and to turn down any other offers,” Scott lied, he knew he had no other things to get in order, he just needed time to get this wrapped around this whole situation.

  Tuomas stared at him then nodded with a half-smile. “Very well, tomorrow you will be introduced to your team members and the people who will be leading your department, in game analysis and beta testing. So yes you will be playing games to analyze problems and our new technology that I have been the lead for.” Tuomas glared at him. “But what you start to hear tomorrow, you will not say a word about the current project we are working on. If you do, you will be terminated as quickly as you were hired. Understood? Of course, you will sign an agreement, but I wanted to make it crystal clear.”

  Scott’s eyes widened and he gulped. “Yes, I understand.”

  “Good, now one last thing. Let me see what you can do. I need to see what kind player you are, to determine what position in the team. Here are your options, bow and arrow, long sword, claymore-”

  Scott interrupted him, “Dual longswords.”

  Tuomas stared at him with a serious look in his eye. “Really?”

  Scott nodded. “Yes.”

  Tuomas shook his head. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.”

  The two swords pixilated in front of Scott, and he gripped them. He could feel the weight of each sword. He cracked a smile for the chance to enjoy himself for a moment, it had been a long time since he had played a IVR game. They were a bit heavier than he remembered from other nerve gear games that he used to play. They were roughly three feet long. The two blades shimmered from the sunlight above them. Scott swung them around to get a feel for them, they felt natural to him.

  “Heavier than you might remember right?” Tuomas asked slinging a quiver of arrows around his back and holding a bow in his other hand.

  “A little bit, yes. How?” Scott asked, though he couldn’t remember the last time he had played a fantasy game.

  “Some updated information into the nerve systems but was a slight research bit for the new experiments and testing.”

  “This is amazing. It is so much more realistic…”

  “Well let’s see what you can do with those.”

  Scott knew how to handle these weapons. He had played this style before: Let’s burn some monsters. Laughter filled the air, “Okay let’s do this.”

  Tuomas turned his head and waved his hand gesturing towards the open plot in front of them. “Very well.”

  Three wolves pixilated into existence from the digital seed in front of Scott and Tuomas.

  “Take them down, in any way you see fit.” Tuomas told him. “Then we shall be done here for the day.”

  Scott looked over at the wolves that were standing no more than fifteen feet from him. Their
pelts were black with natural grey highlights and scarce white spots. They showed their teeth, a mixture of white and red. Scott was glad that he couldn’t smell anything. He wasn’t ready for the smell that those wolves probably gave off.

  “Why do you have the bow if I am the one who’s fighting?” Scott asked.

  “Just in case you can’t handle them.” Tuomas laughed in a sarcastic and unworried way.

  Partially ignoring Tuomas’ words, Scott gave a crooked smile, flexed his wrists, and re-gripped the brown leather of the blades’ hilts. A rush filled him, a feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time. A feeling that he had last felt in the last moments in his hidden past. He kicked off of his right leg and charged into the three wolves. He slashed at them with vicious intent, but he failed. His rustiness got the better of him, and he flailed around.

  The wolves countered and surrounded him, leaving him cut off from Tuomas.

  Okay, okay, calm down, think. Bring it back. Be smart. Scott sidestepped and cut the side of one of the wolves, leaving a blue blurry line where the sword met the wolf. Spinning around he thrust the other sword down the throat of another wolf. He pulled up and yanked the sword out of its mouth. The two wolves went flat and pixilated blue out of the digital plain.

  The last wolf growled at him as it looked at where its fallen brethren had been. It snarled and leapt at Scott.

  Scott crouched and then thrust his two swords into the beast, a short whimper cried out, and the wolf dangled upon the two swords, limp. The body dissipated, and Scott stood breathing hard. After a few seconds he chortled. “Not exactly how I wanted that to go, but better than it could have gone.”

  Tuomas was slow clapping. The sound echoed across the now empty field. He had a grin on his face. “Well done. That was quite impressive. I have never seen anyone dual wield like that, even if you are a bit rusty. That is quite a tool that I will use to the company’s advantage.”

  “I played a few games in my past, usually playing the harder classes to master, and mostly as a solo player. I didn’t have many friends growing up…” He trailed off. He thought about his past a little more than he wanted too, the previous mention of what happened made it hard for him not too. The sounds of a battlefield echoed in his mind. A blood curdling scream made him place his hand over his face in agony. The voice was one of his old squad mates.

  “Are you okay?” Tuomas asked him.

  Scott nodded, “Yes, I will be. No need to worry.”

  “You should know that you will be working with a group. I hope that won’t be an issue?” Tuomas asked him, with a knowing tone.

  “No, that won’t be an issue. I’ve dealt with many groups in school. I can handle it. I assume it is time to log out back to the real world?” Scott asked becoming eager to get the headset off of him.

  Tuomas nodded. “Yes.”

  Scott gestured his hand, and a small screen popped up. He selected the log out button. A short tone buzzed, and the headset hummed before powering down. Scott pulled off the headset and sat up off the bed. He flexed his legs, helping the blood flow from them being idle. Scott looked over at where Tuomas had been lying.

  He was already standing and moving back over to the chair that he had started in when Scott walked in. “You start at nine-thirty tomorrow morning. Be ready to be social and learn about your team in a short time.” Tuomas told him. “We start training right away.

  Scott acknowledged Tuomas’ words with a nod. “Very well sir. I shall be back tomorrow morning ready to go.”

  Tuomas chuckled. “Please, no need for those formalities.”

  “Understood s… Tuomas.” Scott stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. As he shut the door behind him, a woman was standing a few feet down the hallway. Her blond hair was tied up in a bun, and she stood about six inches shorter than Scott. Her face had some scattered freckles on her nose and cheek bones, “Be prepared for anything,” Scott said, walking past her towards the elevator. “It was an interesting interview scenario.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” The woman responded in a firm confident tone, giving him a smile.

  Scott tapped the button on the wall to call the elevator. The doors slid open and he stepped in, and now he began to contemplate the adventure that he had just gotten himself into. We’ll see how it goes. A chance to re-forge myself.

  2:

  A wild beeping startled Scott and jolted him awake.

  He took a few breaths and sat up in his bed. He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair and yawned. The sweat on the sheets had left it cold and damp. Another nightmare… Taking another deep breath, he looked over at his clock.

  7:00a.m.

  Another yawn came out of Scott as he flipped the covers off his legs and moved through the normal morning routine that he had for years since college.

  He stepped into his small bathroom, where the toilet was too close to the sink and the shower barely could hold his average sized body in it. The shower head hissed and poured water out of its nozzle as Scott pulled off his nighttime apparel. After he checked the temperature of the water, and deeming it suitable for him, Scott stepped in and proceeded to wash himself. Scott turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He reached for his towel and wrapped it around himself after drying off with it. His watch vibrated from a notification. He finished up before looking at his watch.

  There was a message from Tuomas telling him to where a business causal wear to work. Tuomas apologized for not remembering to tell him about the dress code during the interview.

  Scott smiled. He had not been looking forward to wearing a suit and tie every day to work.

  After he had completed the normal minute morning tasks and getting dressed in some jeans and a short sleeve button up shirt, he shot a glance over at the clock

  8:14a.m.

  He quickly finished the last few things he needed to do. Before he knew it, he would be running late. The refrigerator door swung open, and Scott reached in, grabbed a bottled sweet tea, and kicked the door shut as he grabbed the egg sandwich off the counter. Slinging his hoodie over his right shoulder, he zipped out the door.

  As the apartment building main door shut behind him, Scott saw storm clouds gathering to the west of the city. He could smell the rain that would be soon falling. Scott got himself back on track. He quickened his pace. It was a five-minute walk to the subway station from the front of the apartment complex. He glanced at his watch: 8:23am. He had seven minutes before the train came and went to head deep into the bustling city. He took a small bite oh his sandwich as he waited at a stoplight corner.

  Come on, come on…

  The white and green hued hand appeared, telling Scott that it was now safe to cross. He jogged across the crosswalk to make up for some lost time. Scott wasn’t fond of being late to things, and he wanted to impress Tuomas to show him de was going to be worth the time. Though Scott knew that Tuomas probably didn’t need to be impressed to know what Scott was capable of doing.

  Scott continued to speed walk towards the subway station. He took the stairs down into the underground station that was crowded with people trying to get to work. He reached into his pocket on the way down the stairs. He cursed under his breath as he realized he had forgotten his headphones.

  The train wheels clacked upon the steel rails as it traveled down the tracks. Scott stood at the edge of the waiting line for the subway. A loud horn echoed through the tunnel as the train passed in front of him. The cars slowed as the brakes screeched the train to a halt. The patrons readied themselves to board the train cars. Scott hopped on the train and grabbed a dangling handlebar to the right side of the car door.

  His breathing finally evened out knowing that time was on his side today.

  The doors of the train screeched shut, and the train jolted back into a crawling speed, then quickly back up the desired speed. Two stops… No, no three, Scott began to second guess himself, he flipped up his watch and the holographic screen appeared. He navigated to his map
he made a screen shot of. Three stops, okay. Scott took a moment to look out the train car window to see they passed out from the tunnel and were on the bridge that ran above valley before entering the industrious city. His eyes wandered along the tree line. He enjoyed the moments of nature before the world of the machine.

  Part of the crowd exited off the train where Scott got off at the station. He looked around the area and smiled, his life felt like it was finally going to be moving forward for the first time since graduation two years ago. He rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times and began his walk to the building that he had been in just the day before.

  A red hand stopped the pedestrians at the corner of the street two blocks away from the Virtual Industry’s building. Scott was looking through the crowd seeing if he could pick out anyone who looked like they were heading to the same building he was. To his surprise, he spotted the woman who had her interview after he did yesterday. Shuffling though the crowd he made his way over to her to make sure he was correct. He looked at her before he said something, he did not want to make it awkward and try and start a conversation with the wrong person. He was positive that it was her, the hair matched with the exception of the green tips. He thought that is what the bun was for to hide them in the interview. What convinced him was the freckle pattern that he noticed yesterday.

  “Excuse me, weren’t you the interviewee after me yesterday?” He asked moving so she could see him better.

  The woman looked at him for a moment. Her face blank as if she was trying to search her memory. “You were the man who went ahead of me?” she finally asked.

  “Yes, that would be me.” He replied, giving her a smile. “I’m Scott. Did you get the position?”

  She nodded. “I did, and nice to meet you.” She paused. “Did you?”

  “Sure did.” Scott smiled and reached out his hand.