Crystal Shards Online Omnibus 1

by Rick Scott

  “Do we know who it is?” Mike asks one of the two men present.

  An older man, wearing a beard and a gray boiler suit answers him. “Don’t know the name yet, but he came from L32G.”

  “Alive or dead, Bruce?” the third man asks. He’s a slim guy with curly red hair and a suit and tie. Not exactly the type I was guessing my brother would be hanging out with. What’s he doing with people like this?

  “Alive for now,” the bearded man—Bruce—says. “He’s the only one we’ve found so far. Don’t know how many more might have chosen to go to the surface with him. We’ll know if we see more bodies show up tomorrow.”

  Bodies? My skin prickles. What’s going on here?

  “What difference is one person going to make?” my brother says harshly. “We need to get out there. Now. All of us . . .”

  “That’s not going to happen,” the red-haired man says.

  “Yeah, and you know why, Dennis,” Mike says as if challenging him. “People would rather keep playing their stupid games than face reality. It’s no wonder no one’s willing to take the risk anymore.”

  “You have any idea what this place would turn into without Crystal Shards?” Dennis says. “They tried it once. It didn’t work out so well. Don’t believe me? I’ll send you a history lesson they don’t teach on the education feeds.”

  What are these guys talking about?

  “Dennis is right, Mike,” Bruce says. “Like it or not, it’s the best way we’ve got to maintain stability. We can’t risk everyone going out there. They tried that once, too. It was a complete disaster. It’s best the majority of people just don’t know.”

  Don’t know about what?

  “So instead, you risk people like me,” Mike says smugly. “Is that it?”

  Dennis eyes him, something I don’t expect a skinny guy like him to get away with when it comes to my brother, which tells me he must be holding something over Mike. Money, or power maybe. “You trained for it,” he says. “You have the skills for it. That’s why you take the risk.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t sign up for it,” Mike says bitterly.

  “Didn’t you, now?” Dennis places his hands in his pockets, casual and smug. “You had a choice, and you took it. Four times, I might add.”

  “Yeah, and you remember that, too,” Mike spits back. “How many other people you got who’ve been to the surface four times and survived?”

  Holy crap! My brother has been to the surface? Four times? And what does he mean by, “survived”? Was he exposed to radiation? The same as that guy in the booth maybe? The same as my mom?

  “All we’re asking is for you to go out there one more time, Mike. We need someone with experience up there. The stakes are just too high now.”

  Mike folds his arms across his chest. “I didn’t have any experience my first time out.”

  Dennis sighs. “Look . . . we know your mother is sick. If you do this—”

  “Hey! You leave my mom out of this!”

  “We can make it happen for you,” Bruce says.

  “Oh yeah? Like you promised the last time?”

  “You didn’t come back with anything last time!” Dennis shouts. “Neither did anyone else. You know what the ration is down to now? 700k!”

  Mike pauses for a moment, as if dumbfounded, and then lets out a caustic laugh. “700k? That’s it? What are you doing with the people who hit the limit?”

  Dennis looks down at the guy in the booth. “Stasis, like him. Most of them are happy to spend what they have in the Shards, anyway. In truth, that’s the only thing keeping us afloat right now. But we’ll all end up in there soon enough if things don’t change.”

  I’ve got no idea what these guys are even talking about, but my stomach is doing flip-flops.

  “Don’t worry,” Bruce says. “If you go this time, whether you come back empty-handed or not, we’ll make sure you can save your mother.”

  Save Mom? How? What is Mike going to do?

  “That’s if I even make it back,” Mike says, and the thought that he might not causes my heart to jump.

  “You know what you need to do, then,” Dennis says.

  “Hey, I ain’t got to do crap!”

  “But you will,” Bruce says. “Because we both know how much your mother means to you. Plus, you’ve got more reasons to go to the surface than just her . . .”

  What does he mean by that?

  Mike’s biting his lip. He looks like he wants to punch the both of them. I kind of want to, too. Whoever these guys are, they’re forcing my brother to go to the surface for them, holding my mother over his head like she’s some kind of prize.

  “Fine,” Mike says. “I’ll do it. But this is the last time. And you’d better come through with that treatment.”

  “There’s something else,” Dennis says. “The main reason we called you here tonight. No one else can know what I’m about to tell you.”

  My breath catches at that, and a layer of sweat coats my skin.

  “What?” Mike says.

  “We’ve detected some abnormal vibration recently,” Dennis says. “And it’s getting stronger.”

  “What’s does that mean?”

  “We think it could be a Builder.”

  Mike’s face goes deadpan. “A Builder? Here?”

  “We think so,” Bruce says.

  “Have they found us?”

  “We’re not sure. But the last Builder nearly wiped us out 300 years ago. And we were in much better shape back then.”

  300 years ago? Wiped us out? What the heck is going on here?

  “On the plus side, if you want nano-shards . . . there’s no better source.”

  Mike looks furious. “You want me to go up against a damn Builder? Those things running around up there are bad enough! But a Builder?”

  Things? What’s he talking about?

  “That’s why we need you,” Bruce says. “And whoever else you can convince to go up with you.”

  “If you’d let me do it my way, I’d take the whole damn city with me. We’ll all die down here, thanks to you two, asleep and playing these damn games.”

  “You know that’s impossible,” Dennis says. “We don’t have the nano-tech left to gamble. Whoever goes to the surface has got to be fit to the task. Speaking of, how’s your team coming along?”

  Mike shrugs. “What’s it matter? I can’t force them to come. You know that.”

  “The reason I ask is because we’re moving the timetable up,” Dennis says. “With the potential of a Builder finding us, we’ve got to act now.”

  “How soon?” Mike asks.

  “We’re moving it up by three weeks.”

  “What?” Mike shouts. “That’s less than a week away!”

  A week? In less than a week, my brother’s going to the surface? To take on a Builder? I don’t even know what that means!

  “I’m sorry,” Bruce says. “But these are dire—”

  His words cut short as my foot slips on the pipework. It sends a flake of rust falling to the floor.

  Oh crap!

  “Hey!” one of them shouts.

  I bolt back the way I came, trading stealth for speed. I hear Mike shout from below as I bounce along the pipework. “Someone’s up there!”

  I hop over the railing onto the catwalk and take off at top speed. I can hear heavy footfalls running up the stairs a level below me. I have a good head start, but I’m bound to be spotted if I hit the open street. I clamber up another set of stairways instead, close to the exit, and then crawl onto a piece of large machinery and make myself small in its shadow.

  About a minute later, Mike appears, followed by the two others. They’re all breathing heavy, though Mike not so much. They look outside to the street, and then return to the building again.

  “Who do you think it was?” Bruce asks.

  “Looked small to me,” Mike says. “Could have just been a kid.”

  “Probably a street rat,” Dennis says distastefully. “If they�
��re living way out here, they probably don’t even have Shard access.”

  “Not much risk of a leak, then?” Bruce asks.

  “Not where it matters,” Dennis says. “Still, I’ll put a trace out. If anything we’ve mentioned pops up on the Shards, I’ll let you know who it is.”

  My throat goes dry.

  They disperse then, and I’m left hiding alone in the dark, trembling with fright.

  Chapter 22: Aftermath

  I wait for more than an hour, making sure they’re gone and that none of them return to look for me. My mind is awash with what I’ve overheard. Builders? The surface? It’s almost too much to take in. The only thing I know for sure is that my brother is going to risk his life facing both, and all to save my mom.

  That’s almost as hard to believe as everything else. My brother, the king jerk and reclusive loner, has been risking his life on the surface, doing who knows what, to save our mother? I suddenly feel like the stupid little kid he thinks I am. Here I am, thinking he’s abandoned his family, while in reality, he’s risking everything for it.

  It makes my own efforts to save our mom seem almost trivial. But darn it! Maybe if I had told him the truth about the scroll and my plan, maybe if I had come clean, he wouldn’t have gone and made that crazy deal to put his life at risk.

  In less than a week, he’ll be going to the surface again. To face a Builder?

  I still don’t understand that part.

  This Builder, or whatever it really is, doesn’t sound anything like what I learned about in my education feeds. What did that guy mean by one nearly wiping us out 300 years ago? I thought Builders built this place. Why would one want to destroy it? It can’t be the same thing.

  I need to talk to someone about this. But who? From what that guy said, no one should even know what I know. And if I mention it while connected to the Shards, he’ll be able to trace it back to me?

  I feel so alone. And scared.

  I thought this would be about saving my mom. But now, it’s about saving my brother, too. A guy I normally hate. Still, the thought of actually losing him tears my guts apart. I can’t let Mike go through with this. I can’t let him work for those guys and do whatever it is he’s supposed to do up there on the surface. He has to know there’s another way to save our mom.

  A better way.

  Would he even believe me if I told him, though? Especially now? After I’ve lied to both of them? No, not likely. I can’t talk to him about this . . . I just need to make it happen.

  That’s the only way he’ll believe me.

  When he sees Mom is cured, he can go tell those two guys to buzz off and deal with that Builder themselves, whatever the heck it is. My plan hasn’t changed. It’s just accelerated now. Val Helena even hinted it was possible. She said I could end up earning enough for Mom’s operation sooner than I thought. That I could earn millions, just like Aiko.

  But could I earn 3.5 million credits in less than a week?

  “I have to,” I say to myself.

  If I’m going to save both Mike and Mom, I need to get back to Crystal Shards immediately.

  I need to level like I’ve never leveled before.

  Chapter 23: Insomnia

  I sneak back through the hub to take the elevator back home. It’s a daunting trek, and I spend half the time looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Mike charging at me at any moment. I know it probably wouldn’t make any kind of sense for that to happen, though. They didn’t get a good look at me, thank goodness, and my disguise is still holding up pretty well. I look no different than most of the people roaming the streets down here.

  I’m relieved when I get back to the hab without incident, and doubly so to see Mom still sleeping soundly on the couch and Mike nowhere in sight. I’m dead tired from the mental exhaustion and adrenaline, as well as the couple mile hike through the hub.

  Hitting the sack would feel great right about now, but the imperative of my new goal means I can give myself no quarter. Literally every hour counts right now. If I want to make 3.5 million credits, I need to be Level 85 yesterday, and soloing Gruzug by tomorrow.

  I order a couple of energy drinks and down one before jacking into my rig.

  I’m slightly disappointed when I don’t see a response from Gilly. Although, given the present circumstances, a tiff with my online girlfriend hardly seems worthy of my concerns. Still, I can’t just push her totally to the side.

  Not again. I made that mistake once already.

  I look into setting up a live stream. If I’m going to make money, I need to exploit every opportunity available. It takes me all of five minutes. I call my channel Dodge Tank, and have all of zero subscribers and no idea how to get more. Finally, I log into Nasgar.

  I materialize in the warehouse and get to work.

  I hit-and-run the dockworkers in chain succession. It’s a mind-numbing experience after a while, and not fun at all, but I’m not playing for fun anymore. I’m playing for my brother’s life. After an hour, I hit Level 20 and get a new ability called Charge Strike.

  Charge Strike

  Use your extreme agility to close the gap on your enemies with a lightning-quick attack.

  Activation: Instantaneous

  Cool-down: 5 seconds

  Cost: 10 TP

  Seems I get abilities every 10 levels instead of 5 on an advanced class. This looks like a pretty good one, though. I test it out on a dockworker that’s standing a good thirty feet away. My heart pumps with adrenaline as I literally fly toward him in less than a second, jabbing him with my katana. I go toe-to-toe with him for a bit, but I’m able to Evade the dockworker’s attacks without too much difficulty. I then try the Active Dodge ability I got at Level 10. My body shifts almost on its own in a blur, avoiding a punch that was dead-set on hitting me a split second before. I cast Shadow Copy and continue to fight head-on. My damage is low, since I’m still using noob weapons, and without the Backstab, the fight is prolonged.

  I lose my shadow to a punch and screw up on an Evade, taking a hit that drops me to 10%. I go to use Shadow Copy again, but it’s still on cool-down. So is Active Dodge! I retreat, barely dodging another swing, and run to hide behind some crates. My heart is still pumping from the close calls when the dockworker draws near, and then gives up his search for me. I can really feel what it means to Dodge Tank now. Operating so close to the edge. One hit from defeat no matter what you fight. In truth, I love the feeling of it.

  I continue on for another two hours to hit Level 30, dumping my points into Dex to catch up with my 50 Agility. The new ability I get at that level is called Retreat.

  Retreat

  Perform a backflip that instantly takes you out of melee range.

  Activation: Instantaneous

  Cool-down: 5 seconds

  Cost: 10 TP

  I remember the Ninja frog-master guy using this on me, moving quickly out of range so he could cast his spells. I try it out, and it’s pretty effective. It allows me to escape after a Backstab much faster than simply running. I’m even able to chain it with Charge Strike and perform wicked hit-and-run combos. It feels like a dream, like I’m someone else. Like I’m a real honest-to-goodness superhero Ninja with badass moves that can take down any foe!

  At least in virtual form.

  Despite my fatigue, I feel invigorated and continue on well past Level 30.

  I don’t actually remember when I stop, because I think I fall asleep at some point.

  When I come to again, I notice I’m at Level 34.

  And it’s almost 4 a.m. Up way too late!

  I log out and remove the rig to get a couple hours of real sleep before my mom wakes up. Level 34. Not bad. If I can keep up this pace, maybe I can do it. Maybe I can reach Level 85 before Mike has to risk his life. I slide onto my mattress and am asleep before I know it.

  * * *

  I wake up with a groan.

  The payback for staying up late and running on nothing but energy drinks all night is brutal. I�
�m barely able to operate as I hear my mom calling me from the living room. I feel irritable from lack of sleep, and my body aches all over. Part of me wonders if I wasn’t backflipping for real last night.

  Then I remember the conversation I witnessed with my brother. That causes me to sober a bit. I drag myself out of bed for a shower and almost stand. Suddenly, I remember that I left Mutt and Jeff leaning next to the hatchway door in the kitchen.

  Oh crap!

  Mom is already awake. I can’t just walk out there to get them now. I sigh inwardly. I feel terrible for what I’m about to do, but there really isn’t any other way.

  “Hey, Mom,” I call out to her. “Can you check to see if Mike put Mutt and Jeff somewhere? They’re not in here with me, and I need to get up.”

  Geez, this feels bad.

  “All right, honey,” she replies weakly.

  I endure my remorse as I hear her strain to get up off the couch. She’s weaker than I am, and I’m forcing her to get up because of my stupid carelessness and lies. I need to not slip up like this ever again.

  She comes in with my crutches, looking paler than ever. “Here you go, sweetie.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  She coughs a bit as she turns to leave.

  “I’ll get breakfast in a sec,” I say.

  “It’s all right, I’m up. I’ll get us something.” She then cocks her head and looks at me funny. “You don’t look so good, Ryan. Are you sick?”

  “No, just . . . long hours with the new job, I guess.”

  She frowns. “Well, try not to push yourself too hard.”

  “I won’t,” I lie. Way too late for that.

  “I know you worry about me, Ryan, but I don’t want you to put your life on hold or stress out because of me. I’ll be fine. You need to focus on yourself, too. On what you want to achieve in life. Have you even given any thought to that? You’re 17, you know.”