The Player Plague

by Lucas Flint

  Before I could say or do anything else, I heard a dull ding sound in my ears and then a new notification popped up in my view:

  You have enabled Kids Mode! Pain Level lowered from Real to Easy, EXP gain is halved, and swear words and other adult content are censored. You can toggle Kids Mode off anytime by going to the ‘SETTINGS’ tab in your main menu.

  ERROR: Pain Level unable to be lowered. Please report this error to Capes Online Technical Support.

  “What?” I said. “Chuck, it says my Pain Level can’t be lowered. What’s the deal?”

  “Hmm?” said Chuck. “I don’t know why. If I had to guess, it’s because you’re a digital being and so your Pain Level is likely more strongly associated with your character than it is for normal players. Nonetheless, I will look into it and see if I can find out what the problem is.”

  My scowl deepened. Great. Just great. I still felt the same amount of pain as always and my EXP gain was halved. It was like I had gotten the worst of both worlds. The only consolation was that the Z-Virus countdown timer in the corner of my screen had slowed down considerably. It seemed to take two or three seconds for one second to pass, which meant I had much more time before the Infection settled than I did before. That was a good thing … assuming the SI Games designers could come up with a cure before my time was up, that is.

  “In any case, this should hopefully only be a temporary measure until a cure can be developed,” said Chuck. “I have sent a complete data report of your character’s current status to SI Games’ senior developers along with my notes on how you got Infected. I will update you on their progress as they develop a cure.”

  “No need to go through all that trouble,” I said. “We could hold a fundraiser to raise funds for a cure for the Z-Virus.”

  Chuck rolled his eyes. “I see your sense of humor is still intact, at least. That’s good. You will probably need it.”

  Chuck raised a hand and snapped his fingers. The Quarantine bubble around me suddenly popped, allowing me to walk freely for the first time in what felt like forever.

  “There you go,” said Chuck. “Now, I must go. I am going to compile a report to submit to both Director Johnson and SI Games’ head developer regarding Atmosfear and the Z-Virus. If the Z-Virus is back, even in a weaker way, then it must be dealt with before it can Infect too many players.”

  “What should I do in the meantime?” I asked.

  “Whatever you want,” Chuck replied without missing a beat. “I would suggest completing your current missions and keeping an eye out for any activity from Atmosfear and his Sidekick. If you discover any more interesting clues about Atmosfear’s whereabouts or his current goals, then please contact me as soon as you can and let me know. Bye.”

  With that, Chuck disappeared, leaving me standing all by myself in Recover’s medical room. Well, I wasn’t entirely by myself, of course. Cy still lay unconscious on the floor from where Girl Invisible had hit him. Actually, he had been lying on the floor unconscious for a fairly long time now, making me wonder if he was suffering any serious concussion from getting hit so hard.

  Then, without warning, Cy’s eyes snapped open and he sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a groan.

  “Ugh, that hurt,” said Cy. He looked around suddenly, fear in his eyes. “Is the scary skinny guy gone? Because he’s scary. And skinny.”

  “Targetman left a while ago,” I said as I dusted off my suit. I held out a hand toward him. “Need a hand?”

  Cy stared at my hand in horror for a moment before jumping to his feet and stepping away from me, holding up his hands defensively. “Whoa, dude, hang on a minute there. I don’t want to get infected with the Z-Virus. I’m too young and beautiful to die. I have a whole life of fun and laughter ahead of me that I don’t want to give up just for a handshake. I mean, I still like you, of course, boss, but—”

  Luckily, I was saved from Cy’s endless rambling when the door to the room opened and Recover and Brawn rushed into the room.

  “What’s going on?” said Recover as she and Brawn came to a stop. “I thought I heard someone scream—”

  Recover came to an abrupt halt when she saw me, which was when I remembered I was no longer in the Quarantine bubble that she had put me inside.

  “Miss Recover,” said Brawn, pointing sharply at me, “Winter has somehow escaped his Quarantine bubble. Do you want me to activate the Nuclear Laser and destroy him before he can spread the Z-Virus?”

  I held up my hands quickly. “Whoa, man! There’s no need to bring out a Nuclear Laser or whatever. I’m not able to spread the Z-Virus anymore. You guys are perfectly safe.”

  Cy gasped. “You mean you are cured? I can’t believe it. It’s a Christmas miracle!”

  “It’s February,” I said.

  “Then it’s a Valentine’s Day miracle!” said Cy. “The power of love must have cured you!”

  I slapped my forehead in exasperation, while Recover said, “No, that can’t be. My Scan shows you are still Infected with the Z-Virus. What do you mean that you can’t spread it?”

  I looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet Recover or Brawn’s eyes. “Chuck enabled Kids Mode for me.”

  “He what?” said Recover, leaning closer.

  “I said, Chuck enabled Kids Mode for me,” I muttered without looking directly at Recover.

  A smirk appeared across Recover’s lips. “Can you please say that again? I don’t think I quite caught that. What, exactly, did Chuck do to you?”

  I looked up at Recover in irritation. “He enabled Kids Mode for me! There, I said it. Happy?”

  Recover now looked like she was doing her best not to laugh, although a soft giggle escaped her lips every now and then. “Oh, too bad. I can’t imagine how awkward it must be for a full-grown adult like yourself to have to play Kids Mode. You are an adult, right?”

  “I’m twenty-five-years-old,” I said irritably. “What do you think?”

  “Definitely an adult,” said Recover. She now sounded close to bursting out into full-on laughter. “I’m so sorry that you had to experience this, er, misfortune. Wouldn’t you agree, Brawn?”

  “Yes, Miss Recover,” said Brawn with a short but swift nod. “It is quite embarrassing. I am glad that you do not have to suffer the indignity of being forced to play in such a childish way.”

  “Thanks, Brawn,” I said in a flat voice. “You really know how to make a person feel better, don’t you?”

  “Don’t worry, boss,” said Cy, patting me on the back. “Kids Mode isn’t so bad. I mean, being a kid is great! I had a great childhood, full of wonder and exploration and fun. Of course, I also fell on my head a lot, but overall I wouldn’t trade my childhood for all the tacos in the world.” He paused, and then added, “Mmm … tacos.”

  Hearing that Cy fell on his head a lot as a child explained everything about him and then some. Oddly, it did not make me feel any real sympathy for him, but I guess that was because I was so caught up in my own embarrassment that I didn’t have any sympathy left for him or anyone else at the moment.

  “Why did Chuck, er, enable Kids Mode for you?” asked Recover. She snorted a couple of times when she said that.

  My scowl deepened even more than it already was. “Because he claimed that Kids Mode will contain the Z-Virus inside me. It’s not a cure, but at the very least, you guys don’t have to worry about getting Infected even if you touch me.”

  “But the Infection is still spreading through your body, right?” said Recover.

  I nodded. “Yeah, but the rate has slowed down considerably. Also, Chuck is going to have the SI Games developers try to make a cure for the Z-Virus, so if we’re lucky, I’ll hopefully be healed before the end of the week.”

  “I hope so,” said Recover, “because that was the main reason the first Z-Virus outbreak was so bad. The developers were unable to make a cure. I’m skeptical they could do it now.”

  “Well, I can’t afford to be skeptical,” I said. “My life is on the l
ine here and if they can’t cure me, then I don’t even want to think about what will happen to me.”

  “Right,” said Recover. She brushed back her hair. “If I had to guess as to why Kids Mode keeps the Z-Virus from spreading, I would say it’s because Kids Mode also disables in-game illnesses. It’s something I found out on the Healer’s Clinic in the Capes Online Forums, where some Kids Mode players would report that their character couldn’t get sick.”

  “Makes sense,” I said. “Can’t imagine any parent would want their kid to play a game where cancer is just as bad here as it is in real life.”

  “Very true,” said Recover. Then she grinned. “But you’re still just an adult playing Kids Mode.”

  I glared at Recover. “If you tell anyone else about this—”

  “Don’t worry,” said Recover with a wink. “This will be our little secret. I won’t tell Dillo or Funky or anyone else. You can trust me.”

  I frowned. I hoped Recover would keep this to herself for now, but even if she didn’t, I had far worse problems to deal with at the moment.

  Namely, the fact that I would be dead within a week if SI Games’ developers didn’t make a cure for me in time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  After that, Cy and I left Recover’s Base. Recover offered to help me with my missions—implying that Kids Mode prevented me from completing them myself—but I politely declined her help. I did, however, ask her to keep an eye out for any other Z-Virus carriers. Given that Recover was a Healer, I thought it was likely that she would run into other Z-Virus carriers at some point, especially if Atmosfear continued to sell Z-Virus injections to players and NPCs alike. She promised to let me know if any other Z-Virus carriers came to her Base and that she would inform them also about the benefits of Kids Mode in preventing the spread of the Z-Virus.

  I was glad when Cy and I finally left Recover’s Base because I was getting more than a little tired of Recover constantly cracking jokes about my condition at my expense. She seemed to find me playing Kids Mode very amusing and I still wasn’t convinced she would keep that particular nugget of information to herself.

  “Man, life just seems to be throwing you all sorts of curve balls recently,” said Cy as we walked. “Almost getting assassinated by two ninjas in your own home, getting infected by the Z-Virus, and having to play Kids Mode … how high is your Luck Stat again?”

  “Two,” I said without even glancing at my character sheet. “And don’t remind me. I want to forget about all of this crap. Let’s go do some level grinding until midnight, see if we can level up once or twice in preparation for tonight’s mission.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” asked Cy. “I mean, doesn’t Kids Mode halve your experience gain?”

  My scowl became so deep that I wouldn’t be surprised if my face was stuck in that expression now. “Yeah, but I’m pretty close to leveling up now. Even at my current rate of EXP gain, I don’t think it will take me long to reach the next level.”

  Cy nodded and opened his mouth to say something stupid, but then there was a loud ringing noise coming from his pocket. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and immediately answered, saying, “Hello, this is Cyclone speaking. What’s your favorite color?”

  I heard a harsh, rough voice on the other end say something that made Cy cringe. Yet Cy didn’t put down the phone and seemed to be listening intently to whoever was speaking to him on the other end. He kept muttering, “Yeah, yeah, sure, of course …” as the person calling him went on and on. The call lasted for maybe a minute, but from my perspective, that was almost an eternity as I stood there staring at Cy and wondering who he was talking to.

  Finally, Cy nodded and said, “Sure! I’ll bring him there as soon as possible. See you later.”

  Cy hung up his phone and looked at me with a big grin on his face. “Boss, do you know who that was?”

  “No, I don’t,” I said. “Who was it?”

  “It was my friend, Gerald,” said Cy. “You remember Gerald, right? He’s the guy I told you about earlier, the one who sells Base upgrades for a reasonable price.”

  “You mean the one we couldn’t find?” I said. “That Gerald?”

  “Exactly,” said Cy, nodding. “He just called me for the first time in forever and asked me to stop by his store! Well, he really wanted to meet you. Guess he must have heard about you somewhere and decided he wanted to see you.”

  I frowned. “Did he say why he wanted to meet me?”

  “Not really,” said Cy with a shrug, “although I think he might want to sell you Base upgrades. He also mentioned something about the Blackout. Maybe he wants to thank you for your role in that.”

  I scratched the back of my head. “Well, I guess we were talking about upgrading my Base’s security system, but we don’t know where Gerald’s shop is.”

  “Actually, we do now,” said Cy. “He added the location of his store to our maps. Look at yours.”

  I opened my map of Adventure City and was surprised to see that Cy was correct. A couple of miles to the north was a glowing blue spot helpfully labeled ‘GERALD’S BASE UPGRADES.’ It looked like it was just outside of the Shopping Plaza, which was also pretty close.

  “How did he add the location of his shop to our maps from a distance like that?” I said, scratching my chin. “I didn’t know that was even possible.”

  “No idea,” said Cy, “but I think we should go. It’s not far away and, like I said, Gerald has good prices. You can trust him to have the best upgrades in the biz, guaranteed.”

  “Sounds like a slogan.”

  “That’s because it was his business’ slogan for a few years,” said Cy. “Anyway, let’s go check it out. After we’re done shopping, then we can do some level grinding. How does that sound?”

  I scratched my chin in thought. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look. But we’re not going to spend hours shopping and we’re only going to buy what we need, not what we want.”

  Cy’s shoulders slumped. “Aw, man. You’re no fun.”

  “But I am the boss,” I pointed out. “Anyway, let’s go. Time’s a wasting.”

  -

  About half an hour of walking later, Cy and I entered a small, unassuming store just outside of Shopping Plaza. It was close enough that we could hear all the hustle and bustle from Shopping Plaza, but just far enough that there was barely any street traffic or pedestrians. It was also the only shop located on this particular street. All of the other shops to either side of it were closed down or not currently opened. It certainly seemed like a weird place to set up shop, given how little foot traffic this street apparently got, but it was also kind of nice because it meant we didn’t have to fight through crowds of players and NPCs just to get inside, like what you had to do in Shopping Plaza.

  In any case, although the outside of Gerald’s Base Upgrades was rather unimpressive, the inside was a completely different story. It felt like I had walked into a huge hardware store, like Home Depot, only somehow even larger. This despite the fact that the store couldn’t have been more than one story tall if that.

  Overhead, the ceiling towered above us, the fluorescent lights illuminating the entire room quite well. It allowed us to see all of the items for sale quite well, and the variety was absolutely dazzling. I saw expensive-looking futuristic laser cannons that you could apparently mount to the exterior of your Base, trap doors that could mimic the appearance of any surface for maximum effect, and tons of other tricks and traps I didn’t even know existed. The air smelled vaguely of cut wood and metal, although there was a hint of smoke as well despite the fact that I couldn’t see any fires.

  “Whoa,” I said, looking around the huge store with my mouth hanging open. “I didn’t know it would be so big.”

  “It’s actually bigger than the last time I was here,” said Cy, glancing around. “Much bigger. I guess Gerald must have decided to expand or something.”

  “Speaking of Gerald, where is—”

&nb
sp; “Hello there!” a deep voice to my left said. “Hello and welcome to my store!”

  I looked to my left, expecting to see a man walk up to us. There was definitely a man, but he didn’t walk up to us on his legs. Instead, I saw a man sitting in what looked like a pod of some sort, the lower half of his body hidden inside the pod itself. The pod hovered, seemingly of its own accord, toward us, while the fat, middle-aged man sitting inside it controlled it with what appeared to be a small control panel. The man had a soft, but aged, face, like he spent most of his life indoors. He appeared to be rather fat, no doubt made worse by the fact that he was flying around in a pod rather than walking on his own two feet.

  The nametag above his head read [CIVILIAN GERALD], which was how I knew it was Gerald, the store owner and Cy’s friend. He didn’t look close to retirement age like Cy said he was, although it was clear that his best years were behind him.

  “Hi, Gerald,” said Cy, waving at Gerald as he approached us. “Long time, no see!”

  “Cyclone, my boy,” said Gerald as he came to a stop before us, his pod hovering noiselessly in front of us. “I see you’ve finally gotten yourself a new Hero. He certainly looks better than the last one you worked for.”

  I looked at Cy. “Wait, does he mean you were someone else’s Sidekick before you were mine?”

  Cy nodded but didn’t meet my gaze. “Yeah, but I don’t like to talk about it.”

  “I thought you were generated by the game when I logged in,” I said. “You mean Capes Online didn’t make you for me?”

  Cy shook his head, still without looking at me. “It depends. Sometimes you get an entirely new Sidekick made just for you, but most of the time you’ll just get an already existing Civilian who was a Sidekick at some point. I’ve only been a Sidekick to a player twice before you, though, so you’re my third.”

  That was odd, but it made sense. Given how complex and realistic your average NPC was in this game, I imagined it must have taken a lot of processing power for the DES to make up an entirely new NPC from scratch for each player. Reusing already-existing Civilians—especially those who had been Sidekicks to previous players—was easier and less wasteful than the alternative. I wasn’t a game developer, but that made sense to me.