by Rick Scott
“You come here a lot?” I ask Val Helena, still a bit awe struck by her transformation from towering half giant paladin, to supersized hot soccer mom.
“Not if I can help it. It’s is not really my thing.” And then she grins down at me. “But I do try to look the part when I’m here. As much as a half giant can anyway.”
“Why half giant by the way? Not a lot of people go for them.”
She shrugs. “Occupational hazard. When you’re a guild leader, it helps to be the biggest thing in the room when you’re surrounded by mobs. Especially when you’re a tank.”
I can’t argue with the logic and hope my puny size doesn’t cause an issues later.
We pass by a few more players who are dressed like prostitutes and I get a sickening feeling in my stomach. Is this where mom spends most of her time as well? The idea has me praying I don’t somehow run into her in here.
We finally enter a clothing store and Val Helena starts browsing through the racks.
“How old are you anyway?”
“17,” I say.
“And where’s the date?”
“Her house, I’m coming over for dinner.”
“Hmmm,” she says still flipping through the rack, which spins and reveals a never ending assortment of clothes. “Parents will be involved then. Good to know.”
She then motions to a raised circular platform that is partially enclosed by a set of three mirrors. “Go stand in the preview booth.”
I do so and my ninja outfit vanishes to be replaced by a set of well-cut jeans, a polo shirt, and a nice looking belt with brown shoes. “Wow, nice.”
Val Helena gives an approving nod. “I think that looks good on you.”
“You think so?” I say checking myself out in the mirrors.
“Very much.”
“Thanks.” I turn back to her. “But how is this supposed to help me exactly? I need clothes in real life. Am I supposed to try and match this in the retail stores or something?”
“You don’t need to,” Val Helena says. “It’s all the same code. Just save your preview and you can send it to your nano-processor to print.”
“What!” I had no idea that was even possible. “So I could even make my ninja outfit if I wanted to?”
She shrugs. “I wouldn’t recommend going on your date in it, but yeah.”
I laugh at that. “Wow. Thanks so much for this, Val. I would’ve had to resort to asking my mom for help, without you.”
That gets a goddess laugh. “Hey, I’m probably not that far in age from her, so don’t go thinking you got a better deal.”
“What? How old are you?”
She gives me an eye roll. “Never ask a woman that question, Reece. Never.”
She saunters over to me and inspects me with another approving smile. “You look good though. If you’re half this good looking in real life, Gilly’s a lucky girl indeed.”
I laugh and blush at that. It hadn’t crossed my mind yet, but I wonder what Gilly will look like in real life. The default avatar was basically a copy of you, but you could alter it. The fact that I hadn’t really altered mine, save for my body gives me a bit of hope that Gilly might think I’m attractive like Val Helena does.
“Thanks, Val,” I say and give her a big hug. “You’re the best!”
She ruffles my hair. “Knock ‘em dead, tiger.”
* * *
After a couple hours of well needed sleep, I put my Sheeba Fang up for auction and it sells almost immediately. I net 237,500 after the 5% fees and the credits drop into my account. Part of me wonders if I could have sold for even higher, but 250k was 50k above all the offers I’d gotten already, so I’m satisfied that I got a pretty good deal. To think I just made so much money is still blowing my mind a bit. But now I have to spend some as well.
The outfit Val Helena picked out for me comes to around 17k when I drag it to the nano-processor for a quote. I verify a couple of options to make sure it’s set to fit my body and not my character’s and then check to make sure mom is still online and in her rig before hitting print. Not that I want to hide this from her. After our talk earlier, I actually can’t wait to tell her that I have a date with a real girl. But I want to surprise her with it by dressing up first. I’m about to hit confirm when I remember something else. The plush Sheeba toy. That would make a great gift for Gilly!
I wonder if it will really work just like Val Helena said.
I pull up my character inventory and drag the item along with my clothes to try it. My total jumps to 19k. All right! It works. I hit confirm and the items begin to print, but then an odd message pops up as well.
[Due to excessive recent hard purchases, this account has been placed on a temporary hard credit limit of 10,000 cr per day for security reasons. Virtual transactions remain unrestricted. Thank you.]
What the heck…?
I’ve never seen anything like that before, but then again I’ve never really shopped much before either. Maybe buying the hoodie and tech visor last night, along with this outfit triggered some kind of anti-fraud mechanism. But at least it allowed me to get my outfit for now. I would have been out of luck if that limit kicked in earlier. It said temporary so it’s probably just a 24 hour thing. But that’s okay. I’m not planning to buy anymore clothes in that time. In-game gear was expensive enough, but real life clothing was astronomical.
I log out and grab my stuff off the printer with help from Mutt and Jeff, just in case mom decides to log out right when I’m doing it. I then get dressed and send Mom a message that I have something I need to tell her.
I hobble to the living room and wait with butterflies in my stomach as mom slowly takes off her rig. When she does I give her a big “Ta-dah!”
She looks bewildered. “What’s going on?”
“I got a date, ma,” I say with a big goofy grin, showing off my new threads.
She stares at me a moment more and then laughs still looking confused. “What?”
“A date, mom,” I say again. “With this girl, Gilly that I know from in-game. She invited me over to her parents’ house for dinner tonight. So I bought a new outfit. What do you think?”
She still looks like she can’t believe it. She then claps both hands over her nose and mouth. I see tears in her eyes and I can’t tell if she’s happy or sad.
“Mom?”
She wipes her face quickly and laughs again. “Sorry. I just… wow that’s great news, Ryan. And you look so handsome. I’m so happy for you! Tell me more about this girl.”
I give mom the short version on Gilly, careful to leave out any parts that might lead to questions about present circumstances. It probably doesn’t matter anyway. Mom seems so thrilled that I’ve made a real life friend, and a girl one at that, that she’d probably be okay if I told her Gilly was a serial killer.
But then her glow fades a little when she asks: “Does she know about your—?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say quickly. “She’s knows about Mutt and Jeff.” Technically anyway.
Her smile returns then. “Oh, this is just so great honey. You’re growing up so fast! Come over here.”
I do so and she gives me the biggest longest hug ever. So long that I wonder if she’s ever going to let me go. “This has been the best surprise ever,” she says finally. “Come on… I’ll walk you there. I’d like to meet this young lady.”
Uh oh!
“Come on, mom,” I tease her. “How’s it going to look me showing up to a date with a beautiful woman already on my arm?”
She chuckles. “Okay, I won’t cramp your style, you charmer, you. But maybe Mike could—”
“Mom!”
“All right, All right…” she relents. “I get it. You’re 17. I’m sure you can operate the lift by yourself. But what’s her address so I can check up on you in case it gets late.”
I tell her and she whistles. “Level 322? Sounds like a keeper.”
“Mom!”
“Okay you have fun.”
�
�I will.”
“Oh, have you seen Mike by the way?”
My mood instantly sours as I’m reminded of my dilemma, but I put on a smile. “Yeah, he sent me a message earlier. He’s cool.”
Her smile returns and I hobble away before she can ask any more questions.
* * *
The ride down to level 322 takes longer than I expected. The car stops about five times letting people on and off and especially so when it reaches the main hub at level 100. When I finally exit the elevator some 20 minutes later, I think I’ve been transported to somewhere inside Crystal Shards.
A hologram is projected onto the roof of the tunnel, giving the illusion of a twilight sky. Trees, grass and a fountain, form a park that run center down the tunnel. I’m sure they can’t be real, but they look pretty great to me either way. On either side of the park, are walkways leading to habs lining the tunnel walls, but the hatches are spaced very far apart here. Where most levels have over a hundred habs per tunnel, this one looks to have maybe 20 at most.
I stash Mutt and Jeff close to the lift and then my stomach starts doing flip flops as I head toward hab number 12. Crazy thoughts enter my mind. Like what if Gilly looks nothing like her character? What if she’s ugly and I’m not attracted to her? Or what if she’s not attracted to me? It’s all superficial, I know, but still? What happens if the sparks don’t fly in real life?
The thought is almost enough to make to contemplate calling if off. Was reality worth shattering the illusion? But then I reminder I’m here for a much bigger reason too. I need to tell Gilly about what I saw with my brother later night and explain why my timetable just got moved up to the extreme.
I reach number 12 and steel myself as I press the buzzer for the door.
Nervous seconds go past and finally the hatch opens.
And Gilly is standing there.
My heart soars with relief when I see she looks almost exactly like her character, right down to the green eyes! She’s a bit shorter maybe, but then, so am I. But her haircut is similar and her smile is irrefutably hers.
“Reece?” she says cautiously.
I almost forget how to speak. “Um… yes! It’s me. Reece or Ryan.”
An awkward pause takes hold as we gawk at one another. I notice she’s in an actual dress that looks brilliant on her. She never wears dresses in game. She has makeup on too. And her hair is shiny like she’s just had it styled. Perhaps this is what she’s been doing all day.
“You look even better in person,” she says finally and I see an all too familiar grin that assures me I’m still talking to the same Gilly I’ve spent over a zillion hours with in game.
It breaks the ice and I laugh. “I was going to say the same thing. Wow. You look great!”
“Come on in!” she says and pulls the hatch wide open.
As I enter, I feel like I’ve been transported to Crystal Shards for a second time. Gilly’s living room must be as big as my whole house! Faux hardwood floors, synthetics window lightning and that was just the room itself. Inside it was a couple of black leather couches sat around a glass coffee table and to the back of the room a fireplace that was actually burning, but with what I assumed was another hologram. Then again, with what I’ve seen thus far, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were real too.
“Wow…” I say, unable to contain myself.
It must embarrass Gilly a little, because she shrugs sheepishly. “Yeah…My mom likes to shop.”
“Oh,” I say, eager to get off the topic. “Hey, I got you something.”
I then preset to her the plush Sheeba doll I’ve been hiding behind my back.
Her big green eyes light up and she squeals. “Aw! It’s so cute! Thank you!”
Gilly throws her arms around me in a hug. We’ve hugged in game before, but it’s never felt quite like this. I can feel her weight against me and even her heartbeat, although I’m probably feeling more of my own. She pulls away and hugs the doll. “How did you know I loved cats?”
“What?” I say. “Don’t all girls love cats?”
She snickers.
“It’s a drop actually. I got it earlier today. I soloed Sheeba!”
“Sheeba?” And her mouth drops open a little. “You mean an LM?”
I nod grinning like a fool. “I’ll tell you all about—”
“So is this the young man?” a woman’s voice interrupts me.
I turn to see a middle aged couple entering the room. Gilly’s mom and Dad. Gilly’s mother looks like an older version of her, with a touch of silver to her dark hair. She greets me with a handshake. “So nice to meet you, Reece was it?”
“Sure yes, Reece is fine.”
“It’s Ryan, mom,” Gilly corrects her with a playful eyeroll. “Ryan, these are my parents.”
I look to Gilly’s Dad next. He’s a tall and somewhat portly guy. He has a full beard that streaked with gray and for some reason he looks kind of familiar to me. He extends his hand and when I grip it, his shake is firm.
“Pleased to meet you, son,” he says with a smile. “Jill’s mentioned a lot about you.”
“Oh has she?” I feel like a bit of a heel. My mom only knew about Gilly a couple hours ago. “Well it’s nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs…”
Holy crap! I just realize I don’t even know Gilly’s last name!
“Peters,” her Dad says quickly with a warm smile. “But you can call me Bruce.”
The floor drops out from under me as the recognition finally hits.
This is Bruce. The same Bruce my brother was talking to last night!
My heart hits my throat and starts going a mile a minute. I can’t believe this. It’s like a sick joke. Gilly’s father is the man who’s forcing my brother to risk his life.
“Come on,” Bruce says casually, jerking his head toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready.”
Chapter 28 Dinner
Dinner with Gilly’s parents is simultaneously the most wonderful and terrifying experience I’ve had in my entire life. I’m practically sweating bullets by the time Gilly’s mom places a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me that looks and smells like something that should only exist in game.
“Hope you like Italian,” Bruce says with a smile.
I nod like an idiot and after Bruce says grace, I dive into the food like I’ve never eaten before—half from nerves and half from the way it’s making my mouth salivate. I chomp into a meatball that’s smothered with sauce and literally let out a moan as the food fills my mouth with a pleasure like none other.
I try not to wolf down my meal too fast, but it’s like telling a man that’s dying of thirst to sip and not chug. I’m halfway through my plate before everyone else has barely had their first forkful. I only stop when I notice them all staring at me like I’m a rabid dog.
Gilly just grins though. “Good huh?”
I nod stupidly again with a mouthful of spaghetti. “Mmmm hmmm!”
“Plenty more if you’d like,” Gilly’s mom says.
I could probably finish off all their plates, but I don’t want to seem like a pig. Plus food like this must cost around 2000 credits a plate. “This is plenty, thank you.”
Dinner continues on but my heart is beating with trepidation the entire time. In the back of my mind I’m trying to figure out what the heck I can say to Gilly’s parents and more importantly, what I shouldn’t say. As much as I’d like to find out what Bruce has got my brother doing and why, I can’t give away anything that might tip off me being the “kid” that was eavesdropping on them.
“So tell me about yourself, Ryan,” Bruce says in between bites. “Where’s your family from?”
“Um…the upper levels,” I say, leaving it vague. “Above the main hub a bit.”
Bruce nods politely. “Any siblings?”
Oh crap…I didn’t expect a question like this. I grab my drink and take a chug of delicious fruit punch to buy some time. Mike and I share a resemblance. Not too close with his present haircut,
but the eyes are a dead giveaway. If Bruce finds out we’re brothers, I don’t know where that might lead. But I can’t lie about not having a brother in front of Gilly either.
“Unfortunately, yes,” I say. “We can’t all be as lucky as Gilly, I mean Jill.”
I crack a smile and they laugh at my joke.
“It’s ok to call her Gilly, by the way.” Bruce jerks a thumb toward her. “We were calling her that long before you.”
“What?”
Gilly rolls her eyes. “Dad, please don’t...”
“It’s her nickname,” he continues, ignoring her. “When she was a toddler we used to call her Jilly, but when we’d ask her to say her name, she couldn’t only pronounce it Gilly. Guess it kind of stuck.”
Gilly shakes her head exasperated while we all share a laugh. The look on her face is priceless and it makes me like her even more.
“So Gilly tells me you’re both in maintenance?” I ask, steering the conversation further away from me.
Gilly’s parents look at one another and chuckle.
“That’s one way to put it,” Gilly’s mom says. “Bruce is the head of physical infrastructure for the city. And I’m his right hand.”
“And my left,” Bruce adds with a grin.
“Oh cool,” I say nodding. I’m itching to ask more questions. Like what he actually does. And what he’s doing by sending my brother to the surface.
“And how about your parents?” Gilly’s mom asks. “What do they do?”
“Oh mom,” Gilly says quickly. “Ryan’s dad is…”
“It’s ok,” I cut her off. “My Dad died when I was young. And my mom works from home. Retail.”
“Sorry to hear that, son,” Bruce says.
Thankfully Gilly hasn’t mentioned my mom being sick. That’d be another set of dots that’d be way too easy to connect me to my brother. I change the subject to ensure it doesn’t happen. “Gilly mentioned stuff is always breaking down in the city?”
