The Player Plague

by Lucas Flint

  “I see,” I said. “Okay, I understand this better now, but if the Z-Virus is gone, then how did I get it?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out,” said Recover. “You said you got bitten by an NPC who was Infected with it, right? How did that NPC get infected with it?”

  I bit my lower lip. “His girlfriend claimed he was sold a drug that was supposed to give him superpowers. I actually have a mission related to finding out the identity of the guy who sold it to him, although I already have a suspect in mind.”

  “Who?” said Recover.

  “Giggles,” I said. “You know, Atmosfear’s Sidekick?”

  Recover swore under her breath. “I hate that guy. He was such a creep, talking about how he felt so free to do whatever he wanted in this game. Can’t say I’m surprised to learn that he’s spreading the Z-Virus. Sounds exactly like something he would do.”

  “I know,” I said, “but I still need to find out why he’s doing this. If I don’t, I’ll not only fail the mission I was given, but the Z-Virus will spread and more people will get Infected.”

  “Sorry, Winter, but I can’t let you go,” said Recover, shaking her head. “I mean, I would love to, obviously, but as long as you’re infected with the Z-Virus, then I have no choice but to keep you here.”

  Pressing my hands against the bubble, I said, “But why? I’m not going to go around infecting anyone. I just want to stop Atmosfear.”

  “Yes, but you’re currently extremely infectious in your current state,” Recover pointed out, “and, as I said, SI Games instituted a rule that says players like me need to Quarantine Infected players like you, otherwise we risk having our accounts locked and our characters deleted. It’s a risk I can’t take.”

  I scowled. “So what am I supposed to do, then?”

  “Wait,” said Recover. Her eyes lost focus and she began typing a message on a keyboard I couldn’t see. “I am sending an alert to the Glitch Elimination Task Force—”

  “Elimination?” I interrupted. “They aren’t going to, um, eliminate me, are they?”

  “I don’t know what they will do,” said Recover without meeting my gaze. “The rules for dealing with Z-Virus-infected players is that they must be reported to the Glitch Elimination Task Force, who will then decide what to do with you after that.”

  Recover finished sending her message and then looked at me with regretful eyes. “I’m sorry, Winter, but this is for the greater good. I hope you understand.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Understand—?” I caught myself before I could start ranting and took a deep breath to calm myself. “Okay, I understand, but if you think I’m going to be happy with this—”

  “I don’t expect you to be,” said a new, harsh voice all of a sudden. “I do expect you, however, to follow the rules and understand that you are no exception to them.”

  Startled, Recover, Brawn, and I looked over in the direction from which the voice had come, allowing us to see a new figure standing in the open doorway of the medical room.

  He was a tall, painfully thin man wearing a scarf, leather, and big goggles over his eyes that resembled the eyes of a bird. Thick black feathers covered his arms and legs, while a long, deadly-looking gun hung over his right arm, resembling a steampunk sniper rifle, of all things. He was so thin I figured he could slip between the bars of a prison cell without any issue. As well, he wore thick army boots that looked a little too big for his feet, yet he showed no discomfort in their size.

  Hovering above his head was a special golden nametag I had never seen before. It read simply: [TASK FORCE ANTI-HERO TARGETMAN], which was weird because I’d never seen that particular title before, either on a player or an NPC. I Scanned him and got this information:

  NAME: Targetman

  LEVEL: 200

  HEALTH: 500/500

  ALIGNMENT: Anti-Hero

  CLASS: Shooter [Glitch Elimination Task Force]

  WEAK POINT: Elbows

  WEAKNESS: Darkness

  Founded in the wake of the Z-Virus that nearly decimated Capes Online, the Glitch Elimination Task Force is full of elite Hero and Villain players who work directly for SI Games. Armed with unique weapons, Equipment, and Powers, as well as a thorough knowledge of Capes Online’s mechanics and programming, the Glitch Elimination Task Force is a force to be reckoned with in the world of Capes Online, especially with their 100% success rate since their inception.

  “That was fast,” said Cy, who had apparently recovered from getting knocked out and was looking at Targetman with a mixture of surprise and awe. “And they sent Targetman of all people? Man, they must be taking this pretty seriously.”

  “Targetman?” I repeated. “Never heard of him.”

  “He used to be the number one Anti-Hero of Capes Online a few years back,” Recover whispered under her breath to me. “In fact, he played a pivotal role in stopping the spread of the Z-Virus during the first outbreak, because his status as a Shooter meant he could pick off Infected players and NPCs from a distance without risking his own life. Think he’s from the Ukraine if I remember correctly.”

  “Why do you know so much about him?” I muttered back to Recover.

  Recover smiled sheepishly. “You could say I was a bit of a Targetman fan girl for a while there. Just for a little while is all.”

  “Yes,” said Targetman suddenly. He definitely had a thick Ukrainian accent, but I could understand his English nonetheless. “Once we received Hero Recover’s report of the return of the Z-Virus, I put everything else on hold to come here and deal with the problem personally.”

  Targetman walked toward Recover, but he never took his eyes off me. I tried to look as innocent as possible, but Targetman had such a piercing glare that I felt like he was looking straight through me. He reminded me of my own grandfather, who, being a former police chief himself, was rarely fooled by even the best displays of innocence.

  “So, this is the player who has been infected with the Z-Virus?” asked Targetman. He turned his piercing glare on Recover.

  “Uh, yes,” said Recover, who seemed flustered by how close Targetman stood next to her. “I used Diagnosis to scan his body and find out what it was.”

  I’ll admit it, I was a bit jealous at how flustered Recover seemed to be around Targetman. Clearly, she had been a lot more than ‘just’ a fan girl for a while there and probably still liked him to some degree. It was a silly way to feel, given the circumstances, but that didn’t stop me from feeling that way anyway.

  “Are you absolutely certain you did not get a Misdiagnosis?” Targetman questioned. “My wife also plays the Healer Class, so I am familiar with its Powers. Diagnosis has a 10% chance of misidentifying a Disease that is at least five levels higher than the Healer’s current Diagnosis.”

  I thought I saw Recover’s soul die when Targetman mentioned his wife. I hid my smirk as much as I could, but I had a feeling it probably still showed on my face in some small way. Again, a silly way to feel given the circumstances, but I felt it anyway. I was only human, after all.

  “Uh, yes, I am absolutely certain of it,” said Recover. “My Diagnosis Power is Level Five. It told me that Winter’s Z-Virus is Level Four.”

  Targetman furrowed his brows. “I hope you are certain of it, my friend because the reason the Z-Virus spread so quickly the last time is because it was Level Nine and was mostly Diagnosed by low-level Healers who had no idea what they were up against. It is, of course, better to be safe than sorry, but I remember well how deadly the Z-Virus was in its heyday and I intend not to underestimate it again.”

  I raised an eyebrow. Targetman was definitely a smart guy. I could see how a guy who understood Powers that weren’t even available to his Class in such a deep way could be the number one Anti-Hero for a few years. Of course, he was also Level 200 and could probably kill me without even thinking about it, but hey, I could respect skill when I saw it, even if that skill was going to be used to kill me.

  “L
ike I said, I am absolutely certain of it,” said Recover. “You can verify it for yourself.”

  “I will do that,” said Targetman.

  He looked over at me and suddenly threw what looked like a ninja throwing stat my way. The star somehow passed through the Quarantine bubble without breaking it and struck me in the chest. Although the impact did make me stagger, it didn’t actually hurt or lower my Health bar.

  Looking down at my chest, I saw a metallic star had affixed itself firmly to my chest, a yellow light blinking on and off on its surface. A brief attempt to remove the star failed, which was annoying because I didn’t like how it felt against my chest.

  Looking up, I saw that Targetman was no longer looking at me. Instead, his gaze had become slightly distant as he looked at something none of us could see. He was scrolling through something invisible with one hand, a focused expression on his face.

  “Hmm …” said Targetman as he looked at whatever he was looking at. “Very interesting. Yes, this is definitely the Z-Virus, but a much weaker version than the kind that nearly wrecked Capes Online five years ago. Doesn’t make it any less dangerous, however.”

  Targetman tapped the air and then looked at Recover again. “Thank you for Quarantining and reporting the Z-Virus carrier to the Glitch Elimination Task Force, Hero Recover. Your work has ensured that the world of Capes Online will remain a fun, free, and safe place for the billions of players who play this game all over the globe every day.”

  Recover seemed to be blushing under her mask but managed to say, “T-Thank you, Targetman. I just did what I knew I needed to do. That’s all.”

  Scowling, I said, “What about me? What are you going to do to me?”

  Targetman looked back at me suddenly, as if he had just remembered I was here. “You? Oh, that’s easy. I am going to have your account shut down and your character deleted. It is the only way to ensure that the Z-Virus does not spread and infect more players. I know how inconvenient that is for you, but it is the only way to ensure the game’s safety.”

  “You’re going to kill my boss?” said Cy with a gasp. He raised his hands. “Oh, no you don’t, you—”

  A loud thunk echoed through the room and Cy collapsed onto the floor again, apparently knocked out. I looked but didn’t see anyone who could have knocked out Cy until I heard a soft feminine giggle, followed by Targetman saying, “Good job, Girl Invisible. I didn’t want to have to kill his Sidekick myself.”

  “No problem, Target,” came an amused feminine voice that seemed to come from empty air. “He totally had it coming, though he is kind of cute.”

  Targetman rolled his eyes before looking at me. “Now, where was I? Oh, yes. I am going to shut down your account and delete your character. As a member of the Glitch Elimination Task Force, that is one of the powers at my disposal, although it is supposed to be used only for emergency situations. Still, I feel like the return of the Z-Virus is an emergency all its own. I am sure my Captain will agree once he finds out what I have done.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “Wait, man, you can’t do this,” I said, pressing up against the bubble as hard as I could, even though I knew I couldn’t break it. “If you delete my character, my active missions will go unfinished.”

  “So?” said Targetman dismissively. “Millions of accepted missions go unfinished every day, some because the players got their accounts locked and their avatars deleted due to breaking the rules, some because they got lazy and forgot about it. You are not a special snowflake.”

  “You don’t understand,” I said. “I didn’t recreate the Z-Virus. It was another player named Atmosfear. He did it.”

  Targetman snorted. “Do I look like I care? Even if I could verify that statement, the Capes Online Glitch Elimination Task Force Rules and Guidelines clearly state that all Z-Virus carriers, regardless of Alignment, are to be eliminated without hesitation. The fact that I have allowed you to talk as much as you have should be seen as an act of great mercy on my part. I could just as easily decide to kill you now without further thought. And trust me, I did not hesitate to kill the original carriers of the Z-Virus back in the day.”

  Targetman suddenly snapped his fingers. This time, I could actually see the display he was accessing. It showed my complete player profile, account, and information, with a picture of me as my avatar. At the bottom of the display was a button that read ‘SHUT DOWN ACCOUNT’ and then, below it, another button that read ‘DELETE CHARACTER.’

  “Um, Targetman, sir?” said Recover in a sheepish voice that was very much unlike her normal voice. “Are you sure you should do this? Winter didn’t mean to cause any harm. He got Infected while saving a Civilian from getting Infected. Deleting him doesn’t seem right.”

  “If there is indeed a new spread of the Z-Virus in Capes Online, then I will deal with it after I delete Winter,” said Targetman gruffly. “If you have a mouse infestation in your house, that doesn’t mean you should kill the rodents born in your home just because they didn’t personally infest it.”

  Targetman’s had went toward the ‘SHUT DOWN ACCOUNT’ button. I banged my fists against the bubble, but there was nothing I could do to stop Targetman from shutting down my account and deleting my character. Given that I was in Project Second Life, I had no idea what that would do to me, but I had a feeling it was going to do more—a lot more—than ‘just’ shut down my account.

  Then a hand came out of nowhere and caught Targetman’s wrist. Startled, Targetman looked up to see who had caught his wrist. In fact, all of us looked to see who it was.

  Standing next to Targetman was Chuck. He had taken off his sunglasses, showing a polite but intense glare in his eyes as he met Targetman’s own gaze. Although Chuck was not as skinny as Targetman, he definitely wasn’t a big man, either, which made the way he stopped Targetman so efficiently so surprising. I honestly hadn’t expected Chuck to show up like this, but couldn’t say I unhappy, despite how annoying I sometimes found Chuck.

  “Who are you?” said Targetman, his gaze never breaking from Chuck’s. “You do not look like a player.”

  “That is because I am not,” said Chuck in his usual calm, almost monotone, voice. “I am Charles Omar, from the Department of Virtual Reality in the United States federal government. I am also the agent put in charge of overseeing the lives of the American participants in the Project Second Life joint program between the United Nations and SI Games. I assume you are aware of Project Second Life?”

  A look of surprise briefly crossed Targetman’s face before he returned to his usual stoic demeanor, although I could tell Chuck’s statement had him shook. “You are with Project Second Life?”

  “Indeed,” said Chuck. He nodded at me. “And this man here, Winter, happens to be one of Project Second Life’s participants. By attempting to delete him, you are in effect about to commit murder. Even worse, you are overstepping your boundaries as a member of the Glitch Elimination Task Force. If I recall correctly, the Glitch Elimination Task Force is not allowed to deal with glitches and viruses involving Project Second Life participants. That is under the jurisdiction of the Department of VR.”

  Targetman bit his lower lip. “You are incorrect, Agent Omar. I did not know that this player was in Project Second Life. I assumed he was simply an ordinary player who happened to get infected with the Z-Virus.”

  “An understandable, if hasty, mistake,” said Chuck. “I recommend in the future double-checking each player to ensure they are not in Project Second Life before you attempt to delete them again. That way, we won’t have another … conflict like this again.”

  Despite how polite both Chuck and Targetman spoke, I could tell they were both extremely hostile toward one another. I wasn’t sure why, but perhaps there was bad blood between the Department of VR and the Glitch Elimination Task Force. All I knew was that, as thankful as I was for Chuck’s intervention, I found it weird how he seemed to think Targetman overstepping his boundaries was worse than murder. I guess he was still a go
vernment bureaucrat deep down in his heart, however nice he might be at times.

  “Of course,” said Targetman in his usual polite, professional tone. “My wife often scolds me for my hastiness. Still, when dealing with something as serious as the Z-Virus, I find that haste is a virtue.”

  “Haste is often a vice,” said Chuck. “The prayer that man makes for good, he often makes for evil due to his haste.”

  “Agreed,” said Targetman, though based on his tone, I could tell he understood that Chuck had just subtly insulted him. “Still, as a member of the Glitch Elimination Task Force, I cannot, in good faith, allow a Z-Virus carrier to continue to walk around free.”

  “I will deal with him in accordance with the regulations that the Department of VR has imposed on Capes Online,” said Chuck, “which, I might add, are equal to the Rules and Guidelines that SI Games forced onto Capes Online in the wake of the last Z-Virus outbreak. I can guarantee that I will not allow the Z-Virus to spread and I will ensure that it stays firmly contained in Winter.”

  Targetman looked deeply skeptical about Chuck’s statement, but it was clear that he couldn’t argue with Chuck, perhaps for the jurisdictional reasons he mentioned. I didn’t quite know or understand where the Task Force’s jurisdiction ended and the Department’s jurisdiction began, but it was clear to me that Chuck had just effectively used said boundary to save my life and make a few jabs at Targetman in the process. I wondered if Chuck had been a lawyer prior to joining the Department. My Dad would have been proud to see such successful rules-jiggering.

  Targetman pulled his hand out of Chuck’s grasp and waved his hand, causing the display with my account to disappear from view. “Very well. I have been educated extremely well regarding the jurisdictional differences between the Task Force and your Department and I will avoid overstepping such boundaries, as well as the consequences for doing so. Still, I will keep a close eye on Winter from now on anyway, just to be safe.”