The Player Plague

by Lucas Flint

  I cracked a smile. “Well, I hope President Nelson’s reelection campaign goes well, then. If I still had a physical body, I’d definitely vote for him again after this.”

  “I am sure the President will be happy to hear that,” said Chuck. “In any case, Capes Online is once again safe thanks to your efforts. I probably should be annoyed that you left your Base against my wishes, but it all worked out in the end, so I can’t really complain.”

  I nodded myself. But then I remembered something Atmosfear told me and I said, “Chuck, before Atmosfear died, he told me that he got a sample of the Z-Virus from someone within the Department of VR. He said you guys kept a sample of the original Z-Virus even after SI Games reset all Infected servers five years ago. Is that true?”

  This time, Chuck didn’t meet my gaze. He seemed to become inordinately interested in his tie all of a sudden. “Hmm, well, I suppose it’s possible a rogue agent kept a sample of it, but I would think an SI Games developer would be more likely to do such a thing. Atmosfear was probably lying.”

  “He also said that James Osaka wasn’t the leaker,” I said. “In other words, you guys got the wrong guy.”

  This time, Chuck did look up at me, but his sunglasses made it impossible for me to read his eyes. “Nonsense. All evidence pointed toward Osaka being the leaker within the Department who was working with Atmosfear.”

  “Are you absolutely sure about that?” I said. “What if he was framed? What if the real leaker is still in the Department, still collaborating with Atmosfear? What would you do if that’s the case? And how else would you explain the return of the Z-Virus if not from you guys?”

  Chuck hesitated. I could tell my question had gotten to him. I tried not to sound accusatory, but it was hard not to because I sensed that Chuck hadn’t been entirely honest with me about the origin of the Z-Virus.

  “Winter,” said Chuck. He sounded like he was choosing his words very carefully, like a lawyer laying out his case in front of a skeptical and angry judge. “While I try to work with you as much as I can, I am still bound by Department of VR rules and regulations from divulging the Department’s inner workings to outsiders. I hope you can understand, then, why I might not be able to answer your question as honestly as I would like.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Meaning you know what Atmosfear is talking about but can’t tell me because your boss said you can’t.”

  “I can’t confirm or deny that,” said Chuck. “Just understand that I am still on your side, whatever Atmosfear said or whatever I cannot say. I know you still harbor a degree of distrust toward us, but trust me when I say that the Department of VR has the best interests of everyone in Project Second Life in mind and that we would never do anything to harm you or any of the other Project Second Life participants.”

  Chuck sounded sincere enough. I had to admit I probably shouldn’t just believe everything Atmosfear says. Even so, I sensed Chuck wasn’t being entirely truthful with me. I suspected he knew about a sample of the Z-Virus being kept by the Department for their own purposes but for some reason never thought to tell me about it. On the other hand, Chuck did save my life and the lives of my Teammates and the Task Force. Chuck was hard to read at times. He was kind of like Funky in that regard.

  “I see,” I said. “Well, thanks for saving my life. I owe you one.”

  “No problem,” said Chuck. “Anyway, I need to get back to work. Despite what I told you, I still have a mountain load of work that I need to finish, otherwise I will be working all weekend and won’t get to see my wife. She’s a wonderful woman, but she can be quite wrathful when I annoy her.”

  I nodded. “Well, you earned a break for your help.”

  “Thanks,” said Chuck. “And, as usual, if you need my help, just click the ‘HELP’ button in your menu and I will be right there.”

  Before Chuck left, however, I held up a hand and said, “Wait. How are the lawsuits against SI Games going for their role in the Blackout?”

  “Still in progress, I am afraid,” said Chuck. “I think SI Games will win most of them, but that remains to be seen. I will keep you up to date on the lawsuits as they are finished, although personally, I doubt Capes Online will get shut down anytime soon.”

  With that, Chuck tapped a portion of the air like there was a button in front of him and he disappeared, leaving me sitting all alone in my room, thinking about what Chuck told me and hoping that Atmosfear would be caught again soon.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  As soon as Chuck disappeared, the door to my room burst open and Cy dashed in. “Boss! I thought I heard voices in here. Were you talking to someone?”

  Startled by Cy’s abrupt appearance, I said, “Uh, I was talking to Chuck. You remember him, right?”

  “Oh, yeah,” said Cy, nodding. “I remember him. He told me to stay out of your room while you guys talked.” He looked around my room suddenly, a frown on his face. “Your room is a lot cleaner than the last time you had people in here. Guess you must have a lot of fetishes.”

  “A lot of—?” I said in exasperation. “Why would you even think—”

  Cy held up his hands suddenly. “Hey, man, it’s fine. Like I said, I don’t judge. I’m just offering my observations, that’s all.”

  I sighed deeply, considering whether it would have been better to have stayed a zombie. At least then I wouldn’t have to deal with Cy’s constant running commentary. “Right. Well, Chuck was just telling me about how the Z-Virus has been destroyed and there’s now a Z-Vaccine available to anyone Infected with the Z-Virus. So hopefully, the Z-Virus will no longer be an issue.”

  “Yay!” said Cy, clapping his hands together excitedly. “I was really worried about you for a second there, but glad to see you’re okay. I heard everyone else is also okay, although I haven’t seen anyone from Team Winter since the attack on the factory.”

  “Bet they logged off again,” I said. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Can’t say I blame them. Between the Blackout and the Z-Virus, I’m starting to think Capes Online isn’t as safe as it seems.”

  “Uh huh,” said Cy in a voice that clearly told me he hadn’t heard anything I said. “Well, I’m glad you’re awake now. We’ve got some guests over who want to talk to you.”

  I stroked my chin, remembering the ‘guests’ Chuck had told me about. “Who are they?”

  “You’ll see,” said Cy. “I’ll head back out and tell them you’re awake and will come down when you’re ready. Once you feel like coming out, just head to the living area. You’ll find us there.”

  With that, Cy zipped out of my room before I could say anything to him. I found it annoying how Cy was keeping the identities of my guests a secret from me, but at the same time, I was very curious about who had come to visit me in my Base. For that matter, I wondered how anyone had gotten in after I was unconscious for two days and unable to allow guests to enter my Base.

  After I got up, brushed my teeth, and washed my face—which gave me the Clean buff that increased my Charisma by 0.5% for the next couple of hours—I headed down to the living area of Warehouse 13 as quickly as I could. I followed the sounds of conversation and soon found Cy and three people sitting in the small living area that the two of us had designed not too long ago.

  To my surprise, our guests were three people I recognized: Grandmaster Yamamoto, back in his normal ninja robes and looking as healthy as ever as he sat in my recliner, while Aimi and Riku stood by either side of him, looking no worse the wear despite their brief zombification. The three ninja were listening to Cy, who seemed to be telling them a joke of some sort.

  “… And then I said, ‘That’s not a caboose, that’s cat booze!’” Cy finished. “Get it? Caboose? Cat booze?”

  To no one’s surprise, Yamamoto laughed, while Aimi and Riku just looked uncomfortable. “Ah, Sidekick Cyclone, your sense of humor is impeccable. A certain daughter of mine could definitely learn a thing or two about getting a sense of humor from someone like you.”

  Aim
i just sighed. I got the impression Yamamoto made comments like that all the time and Aimi had just stopped arguing at some point and accepted it. Riku also looked resigned to his Grandmaster’s poor sense of humor.

  “Hey, guys,” I said as I approached the group, causing both Cy and the ninja to look over at me. “Sorry for being so late. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you too much.”

  “It is not a problem, Hero Winter,” said Yamamoto with a bow of his head. He gestured at Cy. “Your Sidekick here has been entertaining us with the most amusing stories and jokes. He is almost like another son of mine, except, of course, he isn’t.”

  I forced myself to smile and wondered how it was that Cyclone, who was a young Hispanic Sidekick, and Yamamoto, an ancient Japanese ninja Grandmaster, could possibly have the same sense of humor. It was yet another quirk of Capes Online, I suppose. “Glad to hear it. Not to sound rude, but can I ask how you guys got in here? I was unconscious for a couple of days and I don’t remember allowing you three into my Base.”

  “Your Sidekick let us in,” said Yamamoto, nodding at Cy. “Cy-chan here let us inside when we said we wished to speak with you.”

  “Cy-chan?” I repeated incredulously. I looked at Cy. “Is that what they’re calling you now?”

  “Yeah, and I like it,” said Cy. “Anyway, boss, you gave me administer controls over the Base, remember? So I can approve or reject guests like you. I hope you don’t mind. Yama-senpei and his very beautiful daughter and her okay-looking friend have been so good to us that they’re practically family now, so I didn’t think letting them in would be an issue.”

  Yamamoto just smiled, while Aimi glared daggers at Cy and Riku looked unsure whether to be offended or not by Cy’s comments about his looks. It would probably take a while for the three of them to get used to Cy. After all, I still wasn’t.

  “No, I don’t mind, but next time you want to invite someone over, could you let me know so I can approve them myself?” I said. “For security purposes, you understand.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” said Cy, nodding.

  Glad that Cy wasn’t going to argue the point, I looked at the Ninja Guild members and said, “So, why did you guys come over to talk to me? Did you just miss me?”

  Yamamoto stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “First off, we wanted to inform you and your Sidekick about what’s been going on in the outside world since the factory was destroyed. The most important piece of news is that complete and total destruction of the Stalking Shadows. With Haru’s death and the destruction of their supply of Z-Virus, the organization quickly fell apart due to vicious infighting between Stalking Shadows Commanders. The Ninja Guild has been taking advantage of this infighting to pick off their members. We’ve also used the Z-Vaccine to cure as many of them of the Z-Virus as possible. So far as we know, every Z-Virus carrier is either dead or cured.”

  “Meaning the zombie apocalypse has been successfully averted?” I said.

  Yamamoto nodded. “Yes. And with the death of Haru—” Yamamoto paused briefly, a look of pain crossing his features before he resumed his normal expression, “—that means you have finally completed the mission I offered to you long ago and are therefore deserving of the rewards for completing the mission.”

  As soon as Yamamoto said that, a notification appeared before me:

  MISSION: Defeat the Stalking Shadows III

  STATUS: Successfully completed!

  With the death of Master Haru and the destruction of the Z-Virus factory, the Stalking Shadows are now a shadow of their former self. Grandmaster Yamamoto has personally come to congratulate you on your success and give you the rewards you deserve.

  REWARDS: Higher reputation with the Ninja Guild, plus a complete set of Ninjutsu Armor [Rare] and 10,000 credits. For ‘Successfully completing’ the mission, +12,000 EXP, +10 SP and +5 PP.

  My jaw dropped when I read the extra rewards, but that wasn’t where the notifications stopped. Several new ones followed in rapid succession:

  You’ve Leveled up! You are now Level 27! +4 SP and +2 PP! Level up further to get even stronger! EXP to next level: 18,550.

  +10,000 credits have been deposited into your Wallet! Check your Wallet to see your current deposit.

  Your reputation with the Ninja Guild has increased from ‘Unfriendly’ to ‘Trusted Ally’! Not only will Ninja Guild members avoid assassinating you, some of them may even go out of their way to help you or even offer you special missions and items unavailable to other players. Continue to increase your rep with the Ninja Guild in order to gain access to even better opportunities and mission!

  Team Winter’s reputation with the Ninja Guild has increased from ‘Neutral’ to ‘Friendly’! Now the Ninja Guild will be more likely to come to the aid of your Team in a crisis. Continue to improve your Team’s reputation with the Ninja Guild in order to unlock more opportunities for you and your Teammates!

  I gaped at the notification as they came in one after another. “Wow. This is … I don’t even know what to say. It’s amazing.”

  “I am glad you are pleased with the rewards you have received so far,” said Yamamoto. “But you still haven’t received all of them yet.”

  Yet another notification appeared before me, which read:

  [Grandmaster Yamamoto] would like to give you a complete set of Ninjutsu Armor [Rare]. Accept? Y/N

  Without hesitation, I clicked ‘Y’ and immediately saw the complete set of Ninjutsu Armor appear in my inventory. I clicked the armor and saw this:

  Ninjutsu Armor [Rare]

  Materials: Leather and metal

  Rarity: Rare

  A complete set of Ninjutsu Armor. All Stat bonuses derived from individual pieces of the set are increased by 10% when user is wearing all six pieces of the armor. Please check each individual armor piece for more information on Stat bonuses and Powers they provide.

  I whistled appreciatively when I read that, but decided that now was not the time go through my item inventory. I closed my inventory and looked at Yamamoto again. “Thank you, Yama-sama. I really don’t deserve all these rewards.”

  “It is of no issue, Hero Winter,” said Yamamoto. “Or perhaps I should call you Winter-sama now. In any case, I always reward those who help me, even if they are not a member of the Ninja Guild. But there is one more reward I wish to give you that was not technically part of the rewards for completing the mission.”

  Yamamoto closed his eyes. A thrum of power went through the air and I got yet another notification:

  [Grandmaster Yamamoto] has added you and [Sidekick Cyclone] to the list of approved guests for the Ninja Guild HQ! You may now enter and leave the Ninja Guild HQ as you please without fear of being caught in their traps.

  “Wow,” I said as I read the notification. “That’s awfully kind of you, Yama-sama. Are you sure you want to give me that clearance?”

  “I am certain,” said Yamamoto. “You have proved yourself to be a solid ally to the Ninja Guild. You and your Sidekick are free to come by anytime and visit us. Especially if you have any new puns to share with me.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” said Cy, giving Yamamoto the thumbs up. “I’m always thinking of new puns to make up. You could call me a punoneer.”

  Yamamoto burst out laughing. “Ha! Punoneer. Truly, the gods have gifted you with an amazing sense of humor. Winter-sama, you are lucky to have such an amusing Sidekick.”

  I smiled, even though I was pretty sure Cy’s newest pun had just killed my soul a little. “Yes. Very lucky indeed.”

  Yamamoto nodded again before rising to his feet. “Well, Aimi, Riku, and I must go. There is still much for us to do back at the headquarters, but if at any point you need our help, don’t be afraid to contact us.”

  With that, Yamamoto pulled out a smoke bomb and thew it on the floor. The three ninja were briefly obscured by the smoke bomb, but when it cleared, they were nowhere in sight.

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  “Did they have to use a smoke bomb to make the
ir escape?” I said, waving the thick smoke away as I tried not to choke on it. “Seems like they could have just used the front door.”

  “But they’re ninja, boss,” said Cy. “Ninja always have to do things stealthily. How is going through the front door stealthy? It’s not. Therefore, they had to use a smoke bomb or else they risk bringing shame and dishonor upon their Guild’s name.”

  “Uh huh,” I said sarcastically. “I’m sure they did. Anyway, look at all of the SPs and PPs I got. I think I could level up at least one of my Powers with the PPs I have. Gonna be hard to decide which ones to level up.”

  Without hesitation, I pulled up my character menu to see my current Stat spread:

  Secret Identity: Winter

  Real Identity: Nyle Ash Maxwell

  Level: 27

  EXP: 0/18,550 (18,550 EXP to the next level)

  Available Stat Points: 14

  Available Power Points: 7

  Alignment: Hero

  Class: Fighter

  Reputation: Household Name

  Powers: Super Strength [Level 2], Ice Beam [Level 3. Next Level: 10 PP], Freezing Touch [Level 2. Next Level: 10 PP], Hero Sense [Level 2. Next Level: 2 PP], Dual-Wielding Ice Dagger [Level 1. Next Level: 9 PP], Ice Shackles [Level 1], Ice Slide [Level 1], Flight [Level 1]

  Skills: Scan [Level 4], Perception [Level 3], Dodge [Level 3], Negotiation [Level 1], Dual-Wielding [Level 1], Blade-Throwing [Level 1], Aim [Level 1]

  Combo Powers: Blizzard [Level 1]

  Equipment: Ice Man Costume [Powers: 5/5], Energy Cannon, Snowshoes, Snow Cape [Powers: 1/1]