by Cosimo Yap
Thiago swore. “Administrators charge 3% net value each year to store items in their vaults. Are you sure you can’t work out a discount?”
“I’ll lend you the storage space for five chests, but it’ll cost you 2% of their net value for each year,” Alan said.
Grumbling, Thiago agreed, then sorted out the storage fees for the rest of the goods. They then took an automated car to a safe house Thiago had prepared. The warehouse was compromised due to Aphrodite’s betrayal. She had gone radio silent, or had ditched her tablet—Lambda’s bug didn’t pick anything up.
The safe house wasn’t much, an apartment room with basic security, but it was a place to sleep. The team turned in for the night.
***
“Why do you have a safe house, anyway?” Alan asked over breakfast. Gel cubes. They tasted even more bland than usual.
The loss of billions of credits can have that effect, Lambda sent.
Shut up. It’s your fault the Administrators seized my items, so you better think of ways to make it up to me, Alan sent.
Look, it wasn’t my choice to break into the Data Vault. Actions have consequences, Lambda sent.
Concentrate on the task at hand, Eve sent.
“Like I said, I have plans,” Thiago said. “We need to scope out the New York Stock Exchange. According to these blueprints, while the base architecture is the same as the pre-game building, there are additional barriers and scanners. We need to figure out the unlisted defenses as well.”
“I don’t understand,” Kitana said. “Aren’t there redundancies, backups for the data? Shouldn’t we be attacking the data center?”
“We are attacking the data, but not directly,” Alan said. “All the data, all the exchanges, are funneled to a single point: the Market, the built-in Game architecture for trade. Once any data reaches the Market, it’s untouchable—whatever deal you make is locked in. What we’re going to hack into are the servers that connect the trading floor to the Market, the servers that connect most of the capsules in the city to the Market, in fact. At least, that’s the plan. We’ll see if it’s feasible.”
“Is that against Administrator rules?” Kitana asked.
Maybe, Eve sent.
Not if we do it right, Lambda sent.
Alan shrugged.
“But first we need to figure out how we’re going to get in,” Thiago said. “I’ve examined the background of a few of the workers and I have prepared—”
“Actually,” Alan said, “I think I can just walk in, invisible.” Eve and Lambda believed he would be able to get through undetected.
“Just walk in? I’m not one to doubt your skills, Alan, but they’re bound to have some of the most advanced detection systems in-game,” Thiago said.
“If I were wearing basic Revenant armor like yours I could see the problem, but trust me, my advanced armor has gotten me through tougher security than anything the UWG is capable of,” Alan said. Eve and Lambda concurred.
“Fine. Go. Be my guest, let me know how it goes,” Thiago said. “Kitana, you’re with me. I have the feeling we might need a bunch of muscle soon—I want to make a few inquiries. I’ll make contact with a few old friends and put a bounty on Aphrodite. We meet back here at two.”
“Sounds good,” Alan said. Kitana nodded.
***
Alan breezed through the security checkpoints placed throughout the city. The sensors were fooled by his armor’s advanced stealth mode. The ability to replicate the surrounding waves— from light to sound to smell—was, he had to admit, overpowered.
The entrance to the New York Stock Exchange, with its small doorways and Corinthian columns, proved to be a minor challenge, but by timing it correctly Alan was able to enter a door right behind a random worker.
The trading floor seemed quiet and empty. There were no shouting traders in suits, no desks stacked with paper. The once open space now had three levels of capsules and screens. Technicians hovered about, making sure everything was working. These capsules seemed more advanced, with additional connections pouring in liquid silver and crackling green sparks.
Nanites and energy, Eve sent. Enough sightseeing, we have a mission.
Alan proceeded down to the server room, following the blueprints provided by Icewolf, as Eve mapped the building. The few times he encountered a locked door, he was able to hack his way through, the locks all having been upgraded to digital locks. Lambda placed backdoors so that Alan would be able to access them later. Three locked doorways later, Alan paused before the entrance to the main servers, doubling back and hiding in a bathroom where he could regain his power armor’s energy in peace.
A few close calls later, Alan was back in front of the main server room. He initiated a hack.
All right Lambda and Eve, do your thing, Alan sent.
There’s a slight problem, Lambda sent. Come see for yourself.
Alan activated divided mind, sending half of his consciousness into Cyberspace. As soon as he connected he saw the problem: there was a giant green shield covering the systems of the room. It had a million energy, far too much to take down before being noticed. Two large, green beams of light shot off the top of the shield, going out into the distance to who knew where.
Back out of Cyberspace, Alan examined the room using his cybernetic eye. There was a similar laser field protecting the room, invisible to the naked eye, connected to two other constructs. There was no such defense in the schematics Icewolf had provided. Alan cancelled divided mind.
A three-anchor shield system, Lambda sent as he probed the defense. All three anchor points will need to be taken down to destroy the shield, otherwise the other points will continually restart the shields. One anchor point is in the direction of the Control Point, the other somewhere else downtown.
In other words? Alan asked.
In other words, we’re not getting into that server unless we take down the Control Point, this shield here, and whatever the last anchor point is defending, Lambda sent.
How is that even fair, or built? Shouldn’t there be a weak point to exploit? Alan asked.
There may be one, but we don’t have weeks to try to pinpoint it, Lambda sent. The Haxlards have clearly invested in the city’s defenses—this reeks of their handiwork.
Great. So not only do we have to worry about their possible presence in the city, to potentially defend their assets, but they’ve installed security measures we know nothing about, Alan sent.
Pretty much, Lambda sent.
We should determine the location of the third anchor point and confirm the existence of the connection to the Control Point, Eve sent. We can discuss a plan once we share our discovery with Thiago.
All right, Alan sent.
He exited the New York Stock Exchange, locking on to and following the signal that the shield system put out. Amid all the signals flying about the city, it was hard to pin one down.
Got it, Eve sent, highlighting a signal.
As expected, the signal flew into the big blue shield that blocked the Statue of Liberty from view. That was one anchor point. Only a few blocks and half a bay away. To Alan’s surprise, the third anchor point was even closer, two blocks away from the New York Stock Exchange.
They have to be close to keep connected, Eve sent.
Is this really it? Alan asked.
Yup, Lambda sent. It appears the final anchor point is located in the Federal Reserve.
Alan sighed.
***
“So you’re telling me that we have to break into the New York City Control Point, Federal Reserve, and Stock Exchange?” Thiago asked.
“Yes, and break the shields within minutes of each other, or they will keep resetting,” Alan said.
“Great, let’s do it,” Thiago said.
“What?” Alan asked.
“We each take an objective,” Thiago said. “You help Kitana into the Control Point, then meet up with me and a team of mercenaries I hire to break into the Federal Reserve. Finally, you sneak
back into the New York Stock Exchange by yourself. If we succeed, we deal three resounding blows, and hopefully attention is spread out enough that no one faces too much resistance. Kitana, can you defeat the Control Point Guardian and defend it against invaders?”
“If that is what is required of me,” Kitana said.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Alan said. “Think of the consequences if we do succeed.”
“Since when do you have morals, Alan?” Thiago asked.
“Since I was tasked with potentially taking down the world’s economy,” Alan said. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel comfortable stealing people’s retirement funds and potentially leaving millions jobless.”
“Millions are already jobless. They won’t starve to death, not with the Enforcers around, so you can clear your guilty conscience, Alan,” Thiago said. “It’s not my fault if others are too weak to defend their wealth. We are redistributing funds to a better cause.
“The world is filled with leeches and sycophants whose money is better spent elsewhere. Do you know where most retirement funds end up? In the bank. People are too scared to spend their wealth, and when they do it’s for drugs and sports cars; luxury items that serve no cause. Well I have a better cause. My cause.”
“How do you know that’s the right cause, a good cause?” Alan asked.
“I don’t, but we’re at war. We need to start up a war-time economy. We’re giving people the kick in the ass they need to get invested in the Game and start leveling up,” Thiago said. “Grow up, Alan. If you aren’t willing to take what you want, someone else will be. Look at the situation Earth is in now. We’re pushed along like little chess pieces, serving unknown masters. I say we take this wealth for ourselves and become a power in our own right.”
Thiago stepped over to Alan and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re always training, trying to get stronger, grow your character, whatever that means. But humans are strongest as a society, with a common goal. Without a goal, without compatriots, you’re nothing but a sad scrap of a man.”
“And what’s your goal?” Alan asked.
Thiago spread his arms wide. “Do you have to ask? To defend ourselves, then grab as much of the universe as we can. Impose our will on the world.”
“You’re crazy,” Alan said.
“Crazy? Alan, you poor, sheltered gamer,” Thiago said. “Do you think the Game is fair? Do you think everyone is safe, that the United World Government is doing everything they can to help those that are in need? They aren’t. They’re too worried about covering their own asses and building up worthless favor with their masters. Follow me.” Thiago strode out of the doorway, Alan following behind.
“You can follow me if I’m invisible, right?” Thiago asked.
Alan nodded. Thiago activated his armor’s basic invisibility. Alan started his own, and followed Thiago down a few blocks. They stopped in front of a warehouse.
“Welcome,” Thiago said, “to the drug house of the future. Don’t worry about the noise, they won’t mind.”
Capsules lined the warehouse, basic models stacked on top of each other, crammed into every inch of space. Each contained a person within.
“This doesn’t seem so bad,” Alan said.
“It doesn’t?” Thiago asked. “Even if I told you that not a single one of these people would leave their capsule for the rest of their lives? Forever lost in Cyberspace. They’re all in the Arcade, moving from one fantasy to the next. They won’t help Earth. They won’t help themselves. Do they deserve the credits they have in the bank? Their credits will be wasted on personal delusions, on forgetting a real-world exists.”
“And how would you change this?” Alan asked.
“I’d ban such places, put these junkies to work,” Thiago said. “Make them earn their dreams. But does the UWG care? No, they’re taxpaying adults, who cares what they do with their lives? That’s why, eventually, it’ll fall. Have you noticed yet, Alan? There are no true democracies in the Game. Everyone rules through power: the Three, the Emperor, the Families. Democracy doesn’t work when, fundamentally, people are not equal. When they can level.
“I can show you worse in this city. This is tame; these people are happy where they are. You’d be surprised what people do for credits, when credits can mean eternal bliss. On Khersath, I witnessed hundreds of people willingly sell themselves into slavery. Chasing their damn high.”
Thiago spun on his feet, jabbing his finger into Alan’s chest. “You’ve probably got it worse than any of us.”
“What?” Alan asked.
“The Game has made a fucking art form out of addiction,” Thiago said. “They say drugs are dangerous because they provide a direct pathway to your brain, messing with the chemistry. What do you think the Game is? Could you ever stop?
“We’re lucky the UWG in their infinite wisdom sold capsules outright. They didn’t have to, they could have rented them out. Then, over time, they could have raised the rent prices, slowly and surely, draining everyone. But they didn’t. Tell me, Alan, have you looked into recent birthrates?”
“No,” Alan said.
“Well they’ve nosedived straight off a cliff. Having babies is expensive; even more so when you need to afford a capsule for them,” Thiago said.
“But we have an increased lifespan—”
“And who takes care of the baby while you play the Game? You end up with spoiled children who never know their parents, pieces of shit with no regard for lives other than their own,” Thiago said. “I don’t know what you were doing in Khersath, but let me tell you there were places where human servants were a novelty. Some alien species have died out because they couldn’t do well in the Game. I won’t let that happen to humanity.
“So, Alan, you tell me whether or not the good people of Earth need a wakeup call, something to kick them out of their apathy.”
Lambda? How do I respond to this? Alan sent.
I think it best if you figure this out on your own, Lambda replied.
Alan leaned on a wall, thinking. The empty streets of Khersath popped into his head.
“I understand your concerns,” Alan said, “but I think you’re overplaying it a bit. There are just as many people who are actively trying in the Game. Who are getting stronger to defend Earth, who are trying to get settled and ready before having children. The people here, they’ll get bored, or were a lost cause to begin with. Slavery rarely works out in the long run. The knowledge that you’re helping and making a difference is worth more than you think.”
“I hope you’re right, Alan, I really do,” Thiago said. “But you don’t know addiction—how it can warp and twist. I lost my sister to that shit. I had hoped that if you tried the stimulants you would realize how everything is amplified in the Game, the inherent dangers. I need you to give it your all tomorrow—the plan has no hope without you.”
“I was always going to do it,” Alan said. “I agreed as a member of the Black Rose guild to win this war—and taking down an entire economy sounds like it could be fun.”
Bring up the matter of compensation, Lambda sent.
“But,” Alan continued, “I want 10% of what’s acquired from the raid on the Federal Reserve.”
“Fine, 10% of what we earn from the raid,” Thiago said. “Mercenaries are expensive, especially last minute.”
He’s diminishing your cut by paying you after costs, net earnings rather than gross, Eve sent.
“If it’s net earnings I want 15%, under contract,” Alan said.
“Fine, 15% of net, do we have a deal?” Thiago asked.
“Deal,” Alan said.
A message popped up, notifying them that a contract had been formed. Thiago would pay Alan 15% of what was earned from the raid on the Federal Reserve.
Alan set back out into the city. There was a great deal of prep work that needed to happen if tomorrow’s plan had any chance of succeeding.
Chapter 18
“Identification please,” th
e tour guide said, after Alan had handed over two tickets.
“I’m sorry, but the player would like to remain anonymous. The paperwork has been handled,” Alan said, passing over a gold mark.
“Yes, but we must verify your identity,” the tour guide continued.
“Of course,” Alan said as he let a scan wash over him. His alias checked out.
“Would you reveal your level, ma’am?” the guide asked.
Kitana, in her combat robes, revealed her level for a second. 713.
“Impressive. I daresay you could take the Control Point yourself with that high level,” the tour guide said, smiling.
Kitana stared at her.
“Right. Well, please step aboard the ferry,” the guide said, before launching into an abbreviated history of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
They arrived at Liberty Island after a few minutes, passing through the blue shield that covered the fifteen-acre, 60,000 square-meter island.
They passed through three security checkpoints. Alan had to hack into them so they wouldn’t detect the weapons on his person. He thought he would need to hide Kitana’s sword as well, but it didn’t appear to be on her body.
“Normally there would be a great view of the city from here, but due to security concerns the shield was erected. Additionally, you are not allowed to move about the island unaccompanied, or proceed past the pedestal level,” the guide said.
“We were hoping to see the inside of the statue, though,” Alan said. “Are you sure you can’t make an exception?” He pulled out a diamond mark.
The guide shook her head. “I’m sorry, but not even I’ve been up there since the remodel. Military personnel only. It’s rumored that the Control Point is in her crown, at the top of the statue.”
“Take us as close as you can,” Alan said.
They walked along the edge of the island, passing by the occasional patrol squad of soldiers or tour group. They looked up at the Statue of Liberty in the center of the island. The statue sat atop Fort Wood, a star-shaped fortification that had been remodeled to fit four laser cannons, in addition to new shielded defenses.
