by Casey Moss
“Oh, sorry. You only know him as Mr. Gott. This is his community. He’s running the show today.” Beth followed another cable and made sure it was set firmly in a power strip surge protector.
“Ho-kay.” JT saluted and returned to the exit. “You guys need anything from out there?”
A chorus of no answered him. He left.
Den twirled his finger in the air to indicate the room. “So, Beth, is that why you were wrangled into helping with the networking for the party? Cause you’re Rick’s assistant?”
A blush crept into her cheeks. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Part of the story?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Could be.” The flush in her cheeks deepened. A wistful smile moved her lips.
He nodded, knowing not to push the matter since she wasn’t forthcoming. “Okay. I won’t pry for now. By the way, you haven’t seen Tavis yet, have you?”
She shook her head then ducked under the far table. “Bruce? Steve? Could one of you toss me—”
“Beth, get out from there. Steve and I will finish up the small stuff. Go take a break.” Bruce dropped his hulking frame into a chair.
She crawled out from beneath the table, wiped her hands on her jeans and walked over to Den. “He said he might run late. Tav had me tell Ri…Mr. Gott that he had to wrap up some stuff at the theater. After he was done he’d come straight here.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Now I remember.” With all the funkiness going on, he’d forgotten his buddy had to work at his part-time gig. “Thanks for the memory jog. I’m gonna head outside. Sure you don’t want a burger or hot dog before we start gaming?”
Thunder boomed in the distance. Beth’s gaze shot to the ceiling again. Placing her hands over her stomach, she bit and tugged at her lower lip.
“Beth?” Her anxiety became palpable and started to feed his unease.
Another brownout toyed with the lights and fans in the club house.
“Nah. I’ve lost my appetite. You go on.”
“All right.” Happy she excused him and he’d no longer have to be close to her and the flickering lights, Den turned to head toward the door, but people started to drift into the building carrying the remnants of the picnic.
Seeming relieved people were coming in, and she’d have something to do, Beth directed where coolers full of sodas, water, beer, bottles of wine and platters of barbecue could go. The kitchen filled with people, boisterous voices and tantalizing smells.
Beth returned to Den’s side, her gaze traveling to the window, the crowd, and then him. “I just hope there won’t be a blackout. All this work to organize the LAN party and then not be able to do the testing?” On one of her sweeps, she jutted her chin toward the door. “Tav’s here. What kind of name is Tavis anyway?”
“It’s a family name and way better than his middle name.” Den surveyed the group looking for his girl.
“Really? What’s his middle name?”
He swung his gaze to Beth. “Oh no. Uh-uh. I’m not saying. He’d kill me.”
She clasped her hands against her chest. “Please? It’ll make me feel so much better.”
Den leaned in and whispered near her ear, “You promise you won’t say anything?”
“Den?”
At the sound of Hope’s voice, he straightened up. “Ah, saved by the beautiful belle. Sorry, Beth.” After winking at the lead designer’s assistant, he hugged his girl. “You’re a bit wet.”
“Yeah, it started raining. You have any of my mom’s potato salad yet?”
“No. Didn’t get a chance.”
“Well, I know how much you love it so you better grab some before it’s all gone. I’ll find us a couple of spots that we won’t mind sitting in for the next God knows how many hours.” Hope kissed him on the cheek and headed to a couple of seats at the tables.
Beth punched him on the shoulder. “You know what? No name. No story.”
“Understood. Let me think on how much I want to keep my friendship with him, and I’ll get back to you.” He sauntered over to the kitchen to fix himself a plate and grab a beer.
On the way he caught sight of Tav and Faith having a private moment in the hall leading to the bathrooms. The two of them had started dating not long after he and Hope had gotten together. Both he and his friend seemed to be having trouble ingratiating themselves with James. So any seconds they could steal with their girls when their father was around were precious. Not wanting to disturb their quiet conversation, he went to find Hope.
As he sat beside his girl, a few other stragglers came into the room, followed by his boss. He watched Beth and Rick exchange a couple of flirtatious expressions. Ah, so that’s how it is. Explains why she blushed.
“He sure is the definition of a striking man. Fits the tall, dark and handsome cliché to a T.” Hope squeezed his knee as she spoke in a hushed tone. “But I’m wondering. Do I have to worry about you?”
Her concerned tone caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”
“I see the way you’re looking at her.”
“My dear, jealousy does not suit you. And no, you have nothing to worry about.” Den kissed her cheek.
Glassware dinged. A hush fell over the room.
“Hello, everyone. If I could have your attention for a few minutes.”
All heads turned and gazes landed on Frederick Gott.
“Thanks everyone for giving up your weekend and coming here to help test I-D-8’s new game. For those of you who were involved in the private testing, thanks for your comments and ideas. For those of you who are new to the game, you’re in for a treat.”
Rick stepped forward and grabbed a pyramid crystal off the table. He tossed and caught it with one hand. The lights glinted off the clear, glass-like stone.
“The premise of the game,” he continued, “starts with political and citizen unrest. Chemical warfare has become the weapon of choice and major cities in the United States have been hit the worst. This first version of C.O.V.E.N. starts with the destruction of Las Vegas. Years have passed but the great city continues to lie in ruins. Various shades of darkness comprise day and night due to the atmosphere never clearing up. Clans have formed. Those of you who don’t have characters yet, you’ll have to decide which clan you’d like to be a part of. There are good ones and evil ones and each clan has special abilities. You’ll also encounter creatures that exist outside of clans, like Chem Warfare Urchins otherwise known as CWUs.
“We’ll be running the Role Playing board tonight. Though you’ll have quests and other tasks, there will be situations that are unscripted. Think of it like improvisational theater, but remember to stay in game character. Speak as the character would speak. Do what the character would do.
“Also, Beth and I will be handing out questionnaires and comment sheets. Please let us know your thoughts and concerns about the game no matter how big or small. Let’s play!”
“Wait,” JT called out. “You didn’t mention anything about the quartz.”
“Ah, yes.” Rick grinned and held the stone up for all to see. “These are important. If you have one in your possession, guard it for all you’re worth. If one or more drop after a battle, gather all you can. You do need space in your storage for them. The clan or the one character that possesses all the pyramids can restore the city and win the game. The ones that are on the table…consider those your party favor.”
Some people chuckled, and everyone settled into the seats to start playing.
“What did the man mean by special abilities?” Hope asked as she logged into her account.
“Put your headset on, click on Ventrillo and then type this in.” Den passed her a slip of paper with the name of a private chat room he’d created. “This way we can talk to each other without everyone hearing. If you need to engage in conversation with the group then keep the main room open as well and just toggle back and forth.”
Once he noticed she was on and in the private room, he put on his headset and explained t
he abilities. “Each clan is of a different class…like Animal Shifter Class, Vampire Class, Bird of Prey, and so on. When you and I played the other day, we stuck close to the Aliachapel Clan since that’s who we’re affiliated with. And we’re animal shifters. When we need to, we can shift into whatever animal we want or just take on some of its characteristics. At least all that can happen once the character hits the level where it can obtain those abilities.”
“Animal shifting. Sounds like it can be quite beneficial.”
“One would think that, but it can be quite cumbersome at times, too.”
“So are my family members a part of our clan?”
Den peeked at her screen, and true to form she was trying to buy better clothing and armor for her character, Quies. “Quies, Hope?”
“Yeah, I saw it somewhere along with the word serenity, and I resonated with it. I thought how nice. It sounds like keys…keys to serenity…keys to your heart. What about you…Armino?”
“Don’t know where I saw that name. It just kinda came to me. As for your family, Cassandra and her friend joined up under the Harlestchapel Clan. They’re witches, elves, fairies, and the like. I know Faith and Tav are with the Marine Class, Statiochapel Clan. But your parents, I have no clue. James hasn’t let on to what he’s doing. Though we did try to get it out of him at the office during the week.”
“That’s my dad for you. I’m sure we’ll run into him in the game. Then you’ll know.”
Sounds of keyboards clicking and subdued voices speaking into headsets replaced the loud conversations of earlier.
Two thunder booms clapped in quick succession over their heads, disturbing the quiet hum of gaming. Den glanced out a window. It looked like night had arrived early.
Nearby, Beth fidgeted in her seat. Her face had turned a pale green.
Den had only seen that complexion once before when he and Tavis went boating on the lake. Tav never told him he disliked boats due to experiencing sea sickness. In fact, Tavis didn’t like many things that dealt with more than puddle amounts of water.
Beth stood, pointed down at her table and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t seem to speak. A red laser beam of light connected her quartz pyramid to Rick’s. Lightning flashed, illuminating the windows overlooking the playground. Thunder rocked the clubhouse. Crimson rays shot out of the two crystals and connected to two more. The process repeated until all the accessible pyramids were part of a glowing grid.
People stood, clamored about the strange occurrence and the sudden change in weather.
The grid intensified, shrouding the room in an unnatural blood-like glow. Den shielded his eyes against the brilliance and reached for Hope’s hand.
Lightning and thunder battled again, seemingly right overhead.
The lights went out.
Someone—he guessed Beth—let out an ear-piercing scream.
PART TWO
Charming Hope
Chapter Four
A wave of dizziness hit Hope out of the blue. Her chest grew tight, immobile, as if all the air had been sucked out of her. She shook her head and breathed deep in an attempt to right herself.
Hot, electrified tingling zipped along her fingers and toes and up through her limbs. She looked down at her hands. They were hers but not hers, or at least they felt that way. The outfit she’d put on for the party had disappeared and been replaced with tight black pants and a matching, tucked in t-shirt. Plain black boots covered her feet.
What the hell? Where’s my blouse? My pumps? Those items cost me over four hundred combined!
Nearby a snarl rolled through an overcast, deep gray day that seemed to be darkening as the seconds ticked by.
A growl? A cloudy sky? What is going on? She crossed her shaking arms over her stomach.
Another menacing sound echoed around her.
Every part of Hope froze save for her searching gaze. She found herself in a narrow alley created by two destroyed buildings. The rubble consisted of fractured and crushed cinder blocks, partial stucco walls, broken slabs of sheet rock and miscellaneous debris. Across the way a piece of metal glinted from the last bit of ambient light that still existed. The shape of a dome slowly came into view.
I’m down near The Circus?
The sound of scratching reverberated in the opposite end of the passage. A gust of wind funneling through the narrow passage brought the stench of rotting meat to her nose.
The shaking of her muscles grew worse as her mind processed the environment and her thoughts.
Wait. Am I in the game? How’s that poss…
“Hey, if you want to be bit by the CWU that’s coming up on you, feel free to continue standing there with your thumb up your ass.”
Hope unfroze and spun toward the voice. A man, also dressed in black and in a matching colored Old West duster coat, stood before her. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes and his face was obscured by a hood cloaking his head. He wore a chain and pendant that reminded her of Mr. Jenkins.
“What? Who?” she stammered the short questions as behind her the growls and scrapes of footsteps slowly closed in on her location.
“Really? We don’t have time for a Q and A.” He reached out, grabbed her hand and yanked her from the alley. The man swung her behind him, shielding her with his body.
Off balance and slightly dizzy, she grasped the back of his coat, caught her breath, then peeked around him.
He held up his arm, his palm facing toward the oncoming Chem Warfare Urchin.
Her heartbeat fluttered, and her body braced to run. According to the game’s story line, CWUs were the dregs of current society, humans who’d lost their humanity and higher reasoning. During and after the chemical wars, they’d mutated, morphed and bred into creatures comparable to zombie-looking rogue vampires and had no special abilities. But if the CWU caught and bit a person, the poison they injected would change the infected into one of them.
Those animal-like beings were the complete opposite of her character’s kind. For some reason, the chemicals from the wars gave her, and those in other clans, special powers and heightened instincts.
A twisted smile contorted the monster’s mouth. Pointed canines dripped crimson liquid.
“Damn it. It’s fed. Means it’s going to be extra strong now.”
“Not a good thing,” she murmured.
“No worries, luv,” the stranger crooned in a deep voice.
The creature neared. Inch by inch it limped closer, dragging its bum leg along and making the foot rub against the ground.
Thump. Scratch. Thump. Scratch.
Hope couldn’t take the sounds, nor the onslaught of the vermin’s fetid stink much longer. “Dude.” She poked him in the back. “You going to do something or not?”
“Patience, my dear.”
Patience. The CWU’s just a yard away, and he’s telling me to be patient? If they didn’t move or kill the thing soon, they’d be toast. She started to take a step away from the man, but his reflexes beat out her thought process. He reached back with his other hand and grabbed her arm.
The urchin, seeming to take advantage of their brief distraction, advanced.
As it flew toward them, Hope screamed and dropped to her knees. Her rescuer projected a laser beam of golden light at the CWU.
The creature vaporized into thin air.
Air whooshed out of Hope. After a couple of inhales, she looked up at the man. All she could see was a pair of kissable lips and a square chin. “Well, now that was something.”
“Yes, it’s quite a handy talent.” He held out a hand.
She clutched it, and he helped her off the ground. “Thank you. Mister…?”
“Call me Buzz. And you are?”
“Buzz. Interesting name.” But what about Alden? Where’d he get off to? Maybe I am in the game… For some reason, her instincts were telling her not to use her game name, Quies. “Um, Hope.”
“Hope. Pretty.” He cocked his head. “Something troubling yo
u?”
“I’m not sure.” How could she explain to the stranger the peculiar situation she seemed to have found herself in? I was in one place one moment and then another the next. Like I got sucked into a parallel universe. That would get her off to a great start.
Problem was, the more she stood across the way from the circus dome the more her current reality seemed real and the other she’d left?
Not so much.
“So, Hope, where you need to get to?”
Den mentioned ‘The Experience’ downtown was a neutral area. Maybe that’d be a good place for me to go and figure out my next move. “I’m needed down at ‘The Experience.’ Why?”
“You seem like a noob, so I want to give you a boost.”
“A noob? A boo—”
Before she could finish the second word, Buzz had lifted his hand and shot a burst of white light at her.
Hope blinked. The broken sign of the Horseshoe slowly winked on and off. She shook her head. I’m downtown? But how? Now I have another thing I’m gonna have to figure out. Horseshoe was missing the first S and E, and the last E hummed in electronic fury as it sputtered back to life to join the lights of the others only to go dark a moment later. The pale green and red colors flickered, gave a brief glow, and waned.
Glancing around, she realized Buzz wasn’t with her. The buildings in the vicinity seemed intact though not as dazzling as she’d remembered them to be. As with the Horseshoe, the neon lights weren’t as intense and some flickered incessantly, causing pulsating effects on the tattered canopy. Industrial metal music played through the few speakers remaining in their high perches on the casinos.
For how long had she stood and stared at it all? She had no idea, and she probably would have continued to be mesmerized by the shabbiness if a tap on her shoulder hadn’t disturbed her.
“Hope?”
She turned her head in the direction of the voice.
Cassandra clicked her fingers in front of Hope’s face. “Hope?”
Snapped out of her trance, Hope threw her arms around her cousin. “Oh my God, I’m so happy to see you. Please tell me you know what’s going on. Where’s Faith? Our boyfriends?”
