An Advanced Reality
#1 of An Advanced Reality (Terminated)
A random story idea derived from The Eye of Minds.
Hey guys, MLGDraconCraft here, and this is (hopefully) the beginning of a new series.
I worked on this for a few days, so not long.
By the way, sorry I've been away for so long. RL, and the whole deal with my family.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy.
Roll the film!
(BTW, this is a very possible future reality!^.=.^)
I gasped and stumbled sideways as a gust of wind struck my side. I stumbled to a stop, feeling like Crammer. Glancing down at the street far below, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God I didn't fall, I thought. I mean, sure, it's only a game, but it feels so real_._
Checking my virtual watch, I saw it was 1240 hours on May 4, 2076. Then that's the time outside, too. I smiled. Almost lunch. I should probably return.
I stared down at the street again. The point of the game was get down to the street safely--any way you could think of, it was allowed. I carefully calculated the rough distance from the building I was standing on to the one directly across the street. Fifty, maybe sixty yards.
The fun aspect of the game--Ninja Fall, or something like that--was that everything was almost superhuman. No superpowers, but extreme strength, speed, stuff like that. I thought I was the only one who had figured out how to use it to help me instead of hurt me. Most people tried to be like the Flash and sprint down the building and onto the sidewalk. Or thought they could be Superman and fly. It ended a lot uglier than that, usually with a giant blood stain.
Looking around, I saw other people preparing for their attempt. They couldn't see me, or anyone, for that matter. They only saw the game. I saw because I'd hacked. On my right were strangers, but the closest house to mine was my best friend, Cody. I waved. Cody blew a kiss to me--I wondered if it was sarcastic--and typed, "See you after?"
I shook my head. "My family is expecting me for lunch."
"That's cool," Cody swiped. "By 1400?"
"Yeah."
"Sweet. I'll watch you first."
Nodding, I turned back to the street. Here's to hoping I'm as agile as they say I am. I bent my knees and jumped.
I ignored the ground flying by underneath me and instead focused on the building that was quickly nearing me. Just when I was about to hit it, I reached out a hand and grabbed a windowsill. As my momentum swung my body in an arc destined to hit the building, I put a foot out and planted it firmly against the wall, bending my knee to absorb the impact. The breath _poof_ed out of me, and I hung there for a second to catch my breath. I glanced up at Cody and grinned. The big dragon grinned back at me. _I keep forgetting to ask him where we can meet in RL(_RL is real life, for those of you who don't know).
I let go of the sill and fell a bit before kicking off the side of the building with superhuman strength again, launching myself to the original building. Oddly enough, the buildings all were the same color. Funny how I only just now noticed that.
Continuing the sequence, I rolled when I struck the ground, because most of my momentum was still going sideways.
The pedestrians--humans, mixed with furs, dragons, and basically anything else you could think of--scattered. Almost all were AI--called Androids--and those who weren't basically flipped me off for landing in front of them. At least, they usually did. There didn't seem to be many players here, at least today. I frowned, but didn't have much time to think, because Cody landed just then, his draconic muscles bunching and stretching to absorb the impact.
"You know," I said, "I've always wondered why you landed on the streets of virtual Los Vegas."
Cody smiled. "Not me."
I tilted my head, but decided to not think about it. "Well," I said, glancing at my watch again, "I need to get going if I'm gonna be back by 1400."
"See you soon," Cody said.
"See ya," I agreed. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated on Rising. Cody watched as my avatar fizzled out of existence. He cocked his head, puzzled, then shrugged it off and Rose as well.
I gasped at the feeling of hundreds of NerveWires retracting from my body while the LiquiGels and AirPuffs fell back into wherever they hid in the Coffin.
(To understand what is happening, you have to remember that the year is 2064, and a lot of inventions have been invented...created? Anyways, the Coffin is actually called a SleepBox, and they transport people into a virtual reality called the Virtual Network, or VirtNet for short, using NerveWires, LiquiGels and AirPuffs to stimulate the people's senses--including the brain--and make them feel, see, hear, taste, and smell the virtual reality. The SleepBox will nourish them, so they can be in the VirtNet for a week, at least, and only be slightly hungry when they Rise.)
(Which brings up the subject of Rising and Falling. These are the terms used to describe when players go into and out of the Sleep, which is what it is called when players are in the VirtNet. Falling, or Sinking, is when players go into the VirtNet, and Rising is the opposite.)
I lifted the Coffin lid and scrambled to get my clothes on. Most people went into the SleepBox naked or in their underwear to get the full experience of the VirtNet.
Once I was adequately dressed--adequately meaning jeans--I jogged down the stairs. Odd, I thought when no one was there. I wonder what they're doing.
I grabbed a spoon and cottage cheese, filling the bowl partway, then strode out onto the balcony, struggling to open the glass door. I glanced down at the handle. Well, I'm a fool, I thought. Reaching out with a finger, I flipped the lock. Trying the door again, it easily slid open. I chuckled a little.
Grunting, I sat down in a chair. Just because bones broken in the VirtNet wouldn't mean broken bones in real life doesn't mean the Coffin does its best to stimulate it. I'd have bruises everywhere tomorrow, unless school was in the VirtNet, like it usually was. I spooned some of the cottage cheese into his mouth and watched the traffic move by below. Peds--humans, dragons, and furs alike--walked in small groups of three or four, talking about whatever interested them at the time. I was a sort of anomaly--a lone wolf, pardon the pun (Did I mention I was a wolf?). Cody was my only friend, and we've only ever met in the VirtNet. I could still remember how we first met.
Dramatic (Or maybe not so dramatic) Flashback:
I frowned at the buy menu in front of me. I had just enough money for a Helmet + Vest buy, plus a flashbang grenade and a smoke grenade. "Save."
_ Four 'Okays' echoed across the radio. Three of them bought Deagles, one did the same I did, flash, smoke, and helmet + vest. The fifth did a Defusal Kit, plus a CZ. I smiled. "Nice choice, mate."_
_ The dude nodded at me. Of their team, I was a wolf, the Defuser was a dragon, and the other three were red foxes, so similar they could have been twins--in fact, they probably were. I whipped out a knife and as the round started, swiped the corner of the garage. I remembered the map was Cash (if you guys still haven't figured out the game, get real. CS:GO). I grinned, then ran to hold bombsite A. I frowned and looked the other way as a poorly aimed flash landed smack in the middle of A._
_ Then footsteps as three pushed in. "Push A," I called, then fired a few shots from my Five-SeveN. "Need backup."_
_ The shots took down one of the T's, but a hit from an AK made me take cover again. Holding the pistol out in front of myself, I waited for one of the Terrorists to show him- or herself. BANG-BANG-BANG!_
_ I clutched at my shoulder as I watched the T fall to the ground. "I need backup!" I growled through the pain._
_ "On my way." A raspy voice crackled through the radio._
_ _ Dragon, I thought. Then fired a quick burst from my gun at the bomb carrier. He was the only T left.
_ The bomb carrier shot a burst from his Sawed-Off, and I ducked back behind the box. As a Molotov sailed over the box, I realized it was a trap, jumping off of the platform as the cocktail exploded. A shard of metal from the bottle hit my back, driving me down to fifteen health. "You here?"_
_ A burst of gunfire answered me. Then a scream as the bomb carrier died. The dragon strode over to me and held out his hand. "Need help."_
_ I nodded and grabbed the outstretched hand, letting the dragon support most of my weight. I noticed the CZ in his other hand. "Use that often?"_
_ "Yeah," the dragon said. "I'm best with it."_
_ Nodding in agreement, I said, "I generally AWP."_
_ The dragon nodded. "Cody," he said, holding his hand out for a handshake._
_ I accepted it. "Scout."_
_ "That was the last round, right?" Cody asked._
_ "Yeah."_
_ Cody smiled at me, and I got all warm inside. "See you around?"_
_ "Sure."_
_ "Bob's Burgers?"_
_ "Sweet, love that place! 1600 hours?" I asked._
_ "Yeah."_
_ Just then, the match ended, and I hurried out into the street, checking my watch. 1430 hours. Still an hour and a half to go._
Dramatic flashback end
I smiled as I remembered that day. I absentmindedly licked the last of the cottage cheese off of my spoon, then headed inside and washed the dishes.
My earpiece beeped, and I squeezed it. The blue NetScreen winked into existence in front of me, and I tapped on the notification icon. It was an email from Cody.
J.
_ Hey, what should we do this afternoon?_
_ -C_
I smiled again and typed back,
_ Dunno, maybe FWTE? What's your idea?_
Past that, the exchange went something like this:
CodyMeverack: FWTE, like Funniest Ways To End? Do you have anything else in mind?
_ ThEWolFnOLs: Not really, except for maybe CS:GO, and that hurts a little too much for what I feel like doing today._
_ CodyMeverack: 'Kay, bro. Well, if nothing else, you can laugh while playing FWTE. Even if it hurts a little._
_ ThEWolFnOLs: See you soon._
_ CodyMeverack: I have to undress, then I'll be right in._
_ ThEWolFnOLs: Sure, take your time. I'm not even near my Coffin anyways._
_ CodyMeverack: Cool. If we can get somewhere private, I want to tell you something._
_ ThEWolFnOLs: Hmm, wonder what it is? Is it about your sexuality? :)_
_ CodyMeverack: Possibly. See you there!_
_ ThEWolFnOLs: Cool._
I grinned and shut off my NetScreen. I went to the Coffin in my room again. This time I actually stripped down, boxers and all, and suddenly, an image of what I thought Cody looked like naked filled my mind, and I grew warm. I shook my head. What am I thinking about?_Immediately, my mind answered, _Your future boyfriend. I shook my head again. No.
Opening the lid, I climbed in, and just before I Fell, I felt the NerveWires, AirPuffs, and LiquiGels slide across my body.
Once the darkness cleared, I found myself right where I'd Risen earlier. A second after I found my bearings, Cody popped into existence. "Oh! Hey there!" I said.
He smiled at me. "Hey."
I shook my head. "Private?"
"Yeah," he said, seeming suddenly nervous.
Frowning, I glanced around the street. Again, it seemed deserted of players, just Androids. "By the way, do you know why there's only Androids around?"
Cody glanced around. "Come to think of it, you're right. No, I haven't thought about it. I mean, it's LA. Why would no player be here?"
I grunted. "Maybe we unconsciously hacked our way into a private VirtNet. Unrealistic, but the most logical explanation."
"Yeah," Cody agreed. "Let's take a look at the code."
Closing my eyes, I concentrated, and under my eyelids appeared hundreds upon hundreds of lines of code. I found what we were looking for first, and opened my eyes. "Yeah, we're private."
Cody opened his eyes as well. "You always were the better hacker."
I nodded. "We should probably appear in a place where no one will find us, like an alley or something."
Nodding, Cody led me to the closest alley, between Bob's Burgers and a supermarket. We turned the corner to behind the restaurant, then closed our eyes again. Frowning, I said, "I'll open the portal to get us through. You bring me through while I keep it open, 'kay?"
He nodded again. "Sure." I thought his voice shook a little, but it could have been my hearing. If it did, I couldn't tell whether it was from exhaustion, nervousness, anxiety, or anticipation, or some combination of those four. Shrugging, I worked at manipulating the code.
"Now!" I said, just as the portal opened up. Cody grabbed my waist and pulled me through. When I felt the code shift, I released the portal, and slumped against the wall, utterly exhausted. When my migraine faded enough for me to squint, I saw Cody standing over me, almost like he was protecting me. I shrugged again. "Could you help me up? Manipulating the code is hard, even for me."
Cody nodded, and I grabbed the hand he offered to me, letting him pull me up. "Thanks." I leaned against him and limped out onto the street. "You know," I said, "I just thought of something. We could play GTA V."
"Yeah," he agreed. "It is at least much more fun than FWTE."
"Oh, come on! It's not that bad!" I complained.
"You're right," he said. "Sorry, that wasn't funny."
I smiled. "No, it's okay." I grinned even wider. "GTA V is better coded anyways."
He nodded. "Let's go."
"Sweet."
I put in my Bluetooth and hit 'Answer Call'. "Yo, I wondered when you were gonna call."
Cody's voice crackled in my ear. "Yeah, can you come pick me up?"
"Why, your car get trashed?"
"Yeah, that's what we get for playing in a lobby."
I shrugged. "Sure. I mean, if you don't mind being in a Zentorno."
"Whatever, just get over here."
"Set a waypoint for me. I'll be right there."
On the minimap in the bottom left corner of my vision, I saw a purple line appear on the map, pointing me toward the center of the city. "Thanks."
I stomped on the gas, and the engine roared to life as I sped along the blue line. "Is there a bounty on you?" A banner appeared across the middle of my vision: BOUNTY: A bounty of $5000 has been set on CodyMeverack. Kill this player to get the money."Never mind." I smiled, glancing at the minimap. "I'm only a few hundred feet away."
Pulling on the emergency brake half a second later, I skidded to a stop sideways to him. "Get in!" He jumped into the door I had already opened, getting shot in the arm once before closing the bulletproof door. I sped off. "There's a copter on the way, look out."
I glanced at the gamertag. "It's iXpertThief." I smiled. "I've always wanted to meet him."
"Dude," Cody said. "Kill me. You'll get the money, and I won't have the bounty anymore. Plus, we will be able to co-op with him to get other bounties."
Smiling, I said, "Good idea. Get out and I'll gun you."
Cody jumped out. I pulled out my AP pistol and shot him three times in the head. "Nice," he said, able to talk because it's a game. He spawned just off the side of the road. "Call in a war copter."
I grinned. "'Kay." I put him on hold while I called Pegasus and got a Savage, then picked him up again. "Where's yours?"
"Airfield."
"Same," I said. "Jump in."
He opened the door and climbed in. I sped off again, this time towards the airport. "Will you set me another waypoint?"
This time, the purple line appeared without him responding. "Here we go," I said, gunning the engine. My Zentorno squealed, then when the tires found a grip, ripped off.
I swung around the corner and into the airfield. I crashed through the gate, then jumped out of the car. "Come on! I'll call Xpert." He nodded (he seems to be nodding a lot?) and ran over to his Savage. I did the same after tapping my earpiece.
One ring. That's all it took for me to get ahold of him. "Yo, Xpert!"
"Scout?"
"Yeah, bro! Hey, we saw the bounties. Need some help?"
"That would be great, especially if your luck is better than mine!"
I smiled. "It probably is. By the way, CodyMeverack is my friend, 'kay?"
"Sure! He'll be coming with you?"
"Yeah."
"Sweet. See you soon."
"Got it. Be right there." I smiled and hung up. "You ready, Cody?"
"Hell, yeah, man," Cody said. I sensed his smile.
"Let's go then." I jumped into my Savage and started it up. The dull thump, thump, thump of the blades was shut out by the headset I was wearing. "I'll set the waypoint."
I tapped the spot that marked Xpert, then aimed my copter that way. "Here we go."
Ten minutes later, I called Xpert again. "We're here."
"I can see. Cody here?"
I glanced around. "Should be. He was right behind me a second ago."
"Still am, just up."
Looking up, I smiled. There was Cody. "You're right. Are we ready? The bounty's right over this mountain."
Both replied 'yes'. "Then here we go."
I crested the mountain first, and immediately spotted the bounty. "He's in a Zentorno."
"Got it."
Grunting, I pulled the trigger on the joystick, firing explosive bullets. I killed a few peds, but came nowhere close to the bounty. "Missed."
Just then, the car exploded. "Who got him?" I asked.
"I think I did," Cody said.
"Nope," Xpert said. "It was me."
I glanced at the chat. "You're right." I checked my watch. "Xpert, I need to go. Will I see you around?"
"Yeah," he said, "at least I think so." "Sweet," I said. "See ya."
"Bye."
I cut the engine on the copter, and just before it crashed to the ground, I Rose.
Ohhh, some mystery coming from Cody! I wonder what his secret is...
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chappy. I'm hoping it will be a new series, but who knows? Maybe it won't!
Until next time, this has been MLGDraconCraft, and I'll be seeing you guys.
When I see you guys.
Goodbye. ^.=.^