by Cosimo Yap
Develop a suitable training regimen to transform an everyday man into a soldier.
Time limit: One week
Point of contact: Alexander
A handful of personnel—engineers, from the look of their sleep-deprived eyes and tool laden-belts—walked past them.
“And what, then, are the rest of us to do?” Icewolf asked.
“You will await further instruction.” Alexander paused, and then said, “You were brought aboard because there are those who think your insight might prove helpful. Discussions with the United World Government are underway, and it is thought your response might be particularly telling.”
“I see,” Icewolf said.
“Ah, here are your quarters,” Alexander said.
There were five rooms, each little more than a closet. The bed took up half of the space in each room. Two guards wearing crimson power armor and wielding hefty laser rifles stood by every room.
“Rotating guards will accompany you at all times, to ensure your safety, and make sure no one wanders off,” Alexander said. “I am told the systems are well protected, with safeguards even against Machine Lords.”
Alan turned to look at Alexander. He smiled.
“Now that is all the time I have for you today,” Alexander said. “Icewolf, I will see you and your friends in Conference Room at 0800 tomorrow morning.” He strode off, back the way they had come.
“Good luck with your programming,” Icewolf said. He entered his room and shut the door behind.
Alan turned to the two guards. “Can you take me to the simulation room?”
The guards nodded, then set off.
As they walked down the hallway, Alan began to get a sense of the layout of the space station. They were in a ring, at the edges of a disk that wrapped around the station’s main cannon. Based on his estimation, a full lap around would be about two miles. There were two elevators on opposite ends of the station, each leading to other levels.
Other than that, the space station held normal facilities. Alan passed by an infirmary, a workout room, recreational spaces, the crew quarters, and the mess hall, on his way to the simulation room.
The Red Sentinel’s system was closed off; Lambda couldn’t connect to it. Given Alexander’s warning, Alan didn’t want to risk any hacks, so he kept his senses inside. They passed by a closed door that Lambda labeled as an elevator. A single guard was posted outside.
“This is the simulation room,” a guard said.
A door opened to reveal a large, rectangular room the size of a school gym. There was a drop of nearly six feet to the floor of the room.
“Walk in, you’ll see.”
Alan stepped inside, expecting to fall. Instead he walked through a bubble-like membrane and floated—the room had no gravity.
A message appeared:
You have entered a simulated zone! All damage will be simulated and not actually affect the player. No death penalties. Severe XP penalties while in the zone.
Permissions: Administrator Level. Able to change and program the simulation at will. Developer tools activated.
A grid appeared before Alan, covering the entirety of the simulation room. Lists and tool icons appeared, Photoshop panels and game-engines on steroids. Alan had played around with Unity before, but nothing like this. He could drop in whatever assets he desired: enemies to fight, NPC’s to assist, buildings and battlefields to explore.
A few custom scenarios were already loaded onto the room—tutorials and basic combat tests—but Alan saw that they only took up 5% of the room’s memory capacity.
We’re going to need a connection to the Globalnet, Lambda sent. And maybe a budget.
Alan turned to let the guards know. Or at least he tried to. He couldn’t maneuver without gravity—there were no objects to push off of.
Lambda directed Alan’s attention to an icon. Alan selected it.
Free flight activated.
Alan felt a different type of weightlessness grab hold of him. He could now direct his body to move somewhere, and it would fly there.
You can also use the ‘force exit’ command and be kicked out of the simulation room immediately, or go into a commander-mode state, Lambda sent.
Alan turned and flew to the edge of the door, then relayed Lambda’s demands.
A few minutes later a laptop was brought to him.
“This laptop has a secure connection to the Globalnet. Do not attempt to communicate with outside forces; your activity is being monitored,” said the guard that brought it. “You are allowed an initial budget of 5,000 credits, more if your initial programs are promising.”
Alan spent the next few hours running through a few tutorials for how to develop simulations with Lambda. By the end of it he could set up a basic scenario, such as a firefight in an apartment complex, or a wave of giant sea monster attacks, and had spent 500 credits.
Alan began browsing through the ready-made boot camp programs available online, trying to evaluate which one might be best for training human soldiers. Given recent events, it looked like they would be fighting humanoid enemies, either other humans or Haxlards, which helped him narrow down his search.
After a few more minutes Alan and Lambda settled on a basic rifle combat training drill put out by the Empire. It had a healthy amount of violence, and centered on the user gaining a few skills that would increase their strength, agility, and endurance. Alan could only afford a license for the program, so all he got was a copy he couldn’t edit that would last a month and cost 2,000 credits. The Game’s digital rights management was oppressive.
He’d try running through the program himself tomorrow, but was feeling tired and decided to call it a night.
Alan was escorted to the mess hall where he grabbed a gel cube, then returned to his cell-like room. He fell asleep.
***
Up and at ‘em.
Huh?
Check out these messages, Lambda sent.
Icewolf had told Arthur and Merlin to begin. Then he had told Kitana to come to his room.
I no longer detect any traces of my bugs on Kitana and Icewolf—they are not broadcasting any signal, Lambda sent. Arthur and Merlin are not exchanging friendly jabs, which is uncharacteristic of them.
Alan walked outside. Two guards were stationed by his room, with another four next to Icewolf’s. The guards that had been following Arthur and Merlin were nowhere to be seen.
What should we do? Alan sent.
I dunno, try to listen under their door? Something’s happening.
Alan sighed. He wished Eve was restored already. A week had turned out to be far longer than he had expected.
He walked over to Icewolf’s room. The door opened.
“Alan, I was just about to ask you to join us,” Icewolf said. “Please, come inside.”
Alan stepped inside and sat down next to Kitana on the bed.
We’re cut off from all outside communication, Lambda sent; there must be some sort of jamming device active in here. The device is not only blocking all signals, but devouring any that are generated. I only work cause I’m literally inside your head.
Icewolf placed a long, thin, metal rod at the bottom of the door frame. The rod extended until it connected to either edge of the room, and then a blue shield emerged, covering the door.
“That should prevent any unwanted entrances or eavesdropping,” Icewolf said.
And lock us in here, Lambda sent. We should—
I’m on it, Alan said. He began hacking into the device, but as soon as a connection formed it was swept away.
“Now, on to our main business,” Icewolf said. “First, I would like you to know that this room is now cut off from the outside world. Whatever is said in here will be kept between the three of us. No planted bugs or listening devices will hear or see anything, and nothing will be recorded.”
He’s right, the in-game recording feature is disabled, Lambda sent. Look around the room, do you see what could be causing the disruption?
�
�Why all the secrecy?” Alan asked. He looked over to Kitana, then at Icewolf, scanning the room. “As far as I can tell we’re among allies.”
On the bed stand, the small black stone, Lambda sent. I don’t recognize the item. Looks like we’re trapped in here.
“Ah, that’s exactly what all the secrecy is for. For we are agents of the United World Government, Alan,” Icewolf said.
“What?” Alan said. He tried again to connect to the shield device, to the black stone. Every connection was eaten away.
“And our mission is to shut this space station down, so that a successful invasion of Mars and the destruction of the Legion of Man can be achieved.”
“But the attack on New York—”
“Was planned,” Icewolf said. “Key players and the United World Government pulled their investments out months earlier, then gained a great deal shorting the markets, and will go on to earn great returns when the United World Government wins this war decisively and the economy recovers.
“The increase in power handed over to UWG officials was not something I foresaw, but I think it is a nice side effect. I’ll have to concede one to the politicians.”
“The debt, though,” Alan said. “You told me the UWG will go bankrupt in years; the numbers you provided proved that.”
“If things remained as they were, if humanity continued to watch and play their games as Earth crumbled beneath their feet. But now people are united; they have a common foe. We are making the sacrifices necessary to keep Earth strong,” Icewolf said.
“So Aphrodite, that was planned? And Thiago is part of this as well?” Alan asked.
“There are plans inside plans, Alan, you don’t need to understand them all,” Icewolf said. “I don’t have time to explain the details. I need to know, are you in, or are you out?”
“If what you are telling me is true, why would I be out?” Alan asked.
“Because it would mean betraying the guild,” Kitana said.
“Right, the guild mission is to help the Legion win the war,” Alan said. He turned to Kitana. “You know what the Black Rose guild does to traitors. There will be a massive price set on our heads.”
Kitana rested her hands on her lap. “I will face all assassins that come.”
“There will be a massive price on your head if you do not agree,” Icewolf said. “Remember, I know you’re the Doomsday Hacker. If you do not join us you will be labeled a traitor to humanity and live the rest of your life in infamy.”
“Now decide.” Icewolf brought up a contract for Alan:
Contract of Servitude:
The player, GuardA, will give up his rights and serve the United World Government for the next 50 years. In return, he will be forgiven for all crimes committed against the United World Government, including his unlawful hack into the New York Stock Exchange, the destruction of UWG property, and the murder of its forces.
Warning: By agreeing to this contract you are forfeiting your rights as a free player. Failure to abide by the contract and serve your master’s best interests will result in massive penalties and possible banishment from the Game.
“Wait, you want me to give up my freedom?” Alan asked.
“Yes,” Icewolf said. “There’s no other way that I can guarantee you won’t betray us at the soonest opportunity.”
“What about Kitana?” Alan said. “Did she agree to such terms, is she your servant?”
“No, but she signed an earlier contract,” Icewolf said. “Are you loyal?”
“Yes, sensei,” Kitana said.
“Sensei…You’re her teacher,” Alan said.
“Yes, as I will continue to be yours,” Icewolf said. “Once this mission is complete, I will absolve your servitude, but a similar contract will be needed. Your actions wrecked the Earth’s economy. You must pay an equivalent price.”
“Why? What does he teach you? You’re a better swordswoman than any I’ve seen,” Alan said.
“I helped teach her about the Game—there are many opportunities you have yet to take advantage of, Alan. The gladiator tournaments, for instance,” Icewolf said. “I am also personally seeing to it her father is freed. Now, agree to the contract so we may begin this operation.”
Alan thought for a moment. “I can’t help you,” he said. He tried to access the shield device again. No luck.
Icewolf narrowed his eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Alan said, “but I have a kill switch in my head, in my implants. As soon as the Black Rose guild knows I’ve betrayed them they’ll kill me.”
Icewolf looked over at Kitana. “Did you know about this? Do you have such a switch too?”
“I don’t know,” Kitana said.
“We’ll need to sell all the items you’ve received from them,” Icewolf said, “but this is a risk we’ll have to take. You did not accept any implants, so there should be less risk.”
He turned to Alan. “Well, it looks like you won’t be able to aid us in this mission, but I still ask that you sign the contract.”
Alan sighed. He stood up and looked Icewolf in the eyes. “You say you know more about the Game, but I don’t think you do. I’ve spent hours, days, weeks delving into its secrets. Scanning the Globalnet, the Academy database, the Black Rose archives, for any and all information.”
Well, Eve has, Lambda sent.
“And humanity is still a race in its infancy, the United World Government not even a year old,” Alan said. “We do not have the infrastructure to train my class, to stand up against the Haxlards. When the new-race immunity runs out, we will be crushed.”
“So help us build the infrastructure,” Icewolf said. “We have already begun talks with the Empire; there are plans in the works that will—”
“You did not include me in this plan, why would you include me in future ones?” Alan asked.
“I didn’t include you?” Icewolf asked. “You’re the one who did not include me! You were to head here, Mars, from the start. Become my agent here. Instead, you went off to Khersath and joined some random guild. You never consulted me, the one who invited you into the Game, about what you should do. You wandered off doing who knows what.”
“That’s because you manipulated me. You tied me down through debt, never explaining anything,” Alan said. “Now let me tell you something I bet you don’t know. The Game is not the end.”
“What?” Icewolf said.
“Look up all the highest-level players in history, the cream of the crop. The emperors and kings, the greatest inventors, the most skilled pilots, the strongest warriors. They all leave the Game, well before their life spans end,” Alan said.
“One or two might be an unfortunate accident, but the number of disappearances reveals a pattern. Some do eventually return, but there is something out there, something bigger. The Haxlards are not some evil race bent on conquering us, but gatekeepers, a constant that has existed since the beginning of the Game. Your war with them is a fool’s errand.”
“And what evidence do you have of this?” Icewolf asked.
“Only hints, odd conversations as I was wandering off doing what I pleased,” Alan said. “Earth is a small fish in an ocean, and I won’t be stuck here working for a government that won’t exist in five years.”
He grabbed the black stone and threw it into the shield. There was a moment of skull-splitting pain as he touched the stone, but it disappeared once it left his hands.
Alan connected to the device and threw everything he had at it.
BEHIND.
Alan turned to see Kitana leap to her feet. A shimmering image was appearing in her hands—she was summoning her sword. Alan tried activating hypercognition, but couldn’t without Eve.
Damn, the Legion didn’t prepare sufficient psionic defenses, Lambda sent.
Alan dodged a short thrust. Kitana had difficulty maneuvering in the small quarters, as she needed to avoid hitting Icewolf.
Icewolf dove for something beneath his bed, giving Kitana room
to strike.
Got it, Lambda sent.
The shield flashed and disappeared.
As the door opened, Alan leapt forward and to the right, but a shining blade swept through his left arm, cutting it off.
“They’ve betrayed the Legion, shoot them!” Alan shouted as he ran out of the room.
As he ran down the hallway Alan looked back to see a guard cut in two by Kitana.
There was a red blur, and then Icewolf appeared beside another guard, a laser sword raised. Icewolf eliminated the guard.
Shit, Icewolf’s a dual class, both a Rogue and a Warrior, Lambda sent.
There was a short burst of laser fire behind Alan, then silence.
“After him!” Alan heard Icewolf yell. He detected Icewolf send a wave of messages, telling about fifteen players that their operation had begun.
Alarms began to sound; wailing cries and flashing red lights filled the corridor.
Alan dove into the infirmary he had noted earlier.
“Patch up my arm, stop me from bleeding!” Alan said.
A confused nurse grabbed a bottle of gel and poured it on Alan’s wound.
“Thanks,” Alan said as he ran right back out of the room. A cold sensation began to set into his arm. Luckily, his abilities, the adrenaline, and shock had helped him ignore the pain.
I am also dulling the pain, Lambda sent.
Alan looked back—Kitana was cutting her way through more guards that had arrived, but had her eyes set on him. Alan continued to sprint down the hallway.
More people emerged from various rooms, many armed, to see what the commotion was about. Kitana killed them all and continued to make her way closer to Alan; she was now only twenty feet behind.
She’s faster than you, Lambda noted.
Shut up, I’m missing an arm, Alan sent as he continued running down the hall, slightly off balance.
He reached his goal, the simulation room. Kitana was seconds behind, engaging additional Legion of Man personnel and a turret that had emerged from the ceiling.
Alan dove inside, and then created a new simulation, a long hallway leading into a storage room. He added a few guards and placed a copy of himself behind a box. He then activated the simulation and turned himself invisible, hiding behind a fake wall next to the entrance of the hallway.
