"So, we're doing this?"
Junior gave a faint nod. "Yes." He tried to sound more assured than he felt.
"Where do you wanna start? voidharrow or delta.eel?"
After Millie had read the small selection of posts to Junior, those two had interested him the most.
"Let's start with delta.eel. I'm curious why their score is higher. Can you give a few details from my dream without making it sound like I'm . . ." he hesitated. "Uhm, so inexperienced with seeing?" he added tentatively.
Millie flexed her fingers. "Got you covered." Then she read out loud for Junior's benefit as she typed their response. The GCG's site had assigned them the username latchkey.meridian.
[delta.eel: Apeirosis 5.22% – Is this normal?]
[latchkey.meridian replies: 2.37% here. Dreamed I was on a weird beach, but everything was hazy, distorted. Twisted figures, maybe monsters. Shifting weapons, never the same from one moment to the next.]
Junior's fingers tapped a rhythm on the cushion as he waited for Millie to post. It didn't take long for a reply to appear.
[delta.eel replies: Mine wasn't like that. More like a training sim. There were targets. Aggressive. Smart. Had to push myself.]
"Interesting," Millie said after she read the response for Junior's benefit. "Their dream sounds more coherent than yours. I wonder if the System synergized with it better, hence the higher score?" Millie scoffed and shook her head with frustration. "Assuming that's what Apeirosis even is."
"We can work with that assumption for now," Junior said encouragingly. "Maybe Delta's dream was 'better' somehow. But how, exactly? More grounded in reality? Is the System rewarding realism?"
"Could be something there. Let's say Delta has real-world experience with fighting." Millie smirked. "Maybe one of those fake wrestlers. Or a cop. Or even just a gamer . . ." She said the last a little bit wistfully.
"Whereas I have none," he agreed, following her thought. "Delta mentioned pushing themself. Maybe effort was a factor? I had no clue what I was doing or how an enemy should react. That could lower my result."
"Hmm." Millie nodded as she typed:
[latchkey.meridian replies: That's a big difference. Do you have any training? Maybe the System scores coherence? I have no fighting experience at all.]
Millie read the reply out loud when it arrived.
[delta.eel replies: Could be. Trained in firearms. Familiar with weapons. Know them like the back of my hand. You didn't feel it - didn't know how to move. Could explain the difference.]
Junior was beginning to note a pattern to the way Delta phrased things. Short. Definitive. Assertive. Was Delta someone used to authority? Giving commands?
Then a new user responded to the thread.
[chaff13signal replies: 3.6% but i didn't fight i ran and hid until I woke up too scared]
Millie smirked at the new poster's lack of punctuation, while Junior frowned.
"How come Chaff got a higher rating if they didn't fight?" he asked.
Millie was already typing. "Thinking the same thing."
Junior waited patiently as she tapped away. He was scratching Achilles' ears when Millie spoke again.
"I'll just summarize. Chaff, Delta and I talked it out. Delta says they have combat experience but won't say from where. My bet's on shooter games! Chaff's dream was interesting, too. They weren't just hiding in a corner somewhere. They were 'actively sneaking' - checking corners, keeping low, trying to stay quiet. Sounds like one of those stealth or infiltration games."
Junior laughed, hearing the excitement in her voice. The sofa shook a little as she bounced in place, unable to contain herself.
"So the System is a game? Where have I heard that theory before?" he teased. Then he continued more seriously. "What's its angle? It wants realism? Immersion?"
"That's what role-playing games are all about. They reward more than just fighting - the better ones, at least."
"Like what?" Junior asked.
"You can get XP from sneaking, crafting, healing . . . even good performances. Anything that takes skill, effort or insight." She paused, then added more gently. "Maybe your dream didn't give much because you didn't have experience to draw on. Not your fault, of course. But if you focus on something you're more familiar with next time ... maybe the System could latch onto that."
Junior smiled to show he wasn't offended, then replied. "Go ahead and post that. Maybe you'll be the first to make the connection."
Millie grinned and did exactly that. For the next few minutes, she relayed the developing discussion. Delta.eel and chaff13signal were both intrigued by the video game comparison, though neither claimed to have much experience with them.
Millie sighed. "So much for the gamer theory. But still. They both had something. They both engaged with their dreams."
Junior nodded. "Maybe that's all the System needs."
Millie continued to chat as the thread garnered more attention from the small community of anonymous Reclaimed.
Junior listened, but his mind had drifted elsewhere.
He hadn't forgotten about Voidharrow's comment. Hearing things in the wind. What could that mean? Junior figured it probably wasn't something mundane like the sound of traffic or, you know . . . the sound of the wind. Would it be something unusual? The possibilities teased his imagination.
But first, it was time to return to Junior's condo and feed Achilles. Millie joined them as they all took the elevator up to the next floor. Back at his condo unit, Junior fed Achilles while Millie set Athena up to access the GCG's board.
"Thank you, Millie," Junior said when she was done. "You did that even faster than I would have. Do you use an AI assistant like Athena, too?"
"Something like that," Millie replied absently. She was lying down with her back on Junior's floor, her legs crossed and resting on his couch above, in pretty much the opposite of how a chair was meant to be used. Her laptop rested on her stomach, and her phone was in one hand. She had the GCG board open on the laptop and one of her System Apocalypse forums open on the phone, dividing her attention between both. "I don't have one at home like you, but at work I do."
"Oh? What kind of work do you do?" Junior asked, curious. Then he added belatedly, "Wait, how is all this lockdown business affecting your job? Sorry, I never thought to ask before."
Millie waved a hand dismissively. "No worries, my dude, I'm all good. Most of what I do is remote. I only get called to a site when the poop hits the fan." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "And you?"
Junior smiled. He made his way with practiced ease to the piano in the corner of the room and patted it fondly. "I'm not too different, I guess. I have a few classes I teach online. My upcoming ones were cancelled or rescheduled after the Integration, so I'm free for a while. I go to a recital or gig every so often. Other than that, it's just Achilles and me doing our own thing."
"Sweet deal," Millie grunted a quick compliment.
"Yeah, I've got no complaints."
They talked idly about their lifestyles for a time. Then Junior brought up the topic of Voidharrow's post. He tried to gently broach the topic and the possibility of real-life, supernatural abilities, but he'd apparently forgotten who he was speaking to.
Millie returned his interest.
Dialled up to eleven.
"It would be amazing if it's some kind of prophetic ability!" Millie enthused with more than even her usual boundless energy. "Or! Maybe it's telling them the secrets whispered from all across Palea!"
"Meanwhile, all I get is the power to see a blurry dog," Junior joked. "No offence, boy," he added, patting the dog in question warmly.
"I'm sure there's more to it than that," Millie chirped optimistically. "All sorts of powers could be based on vision. My bet's on some kind of soul vision. You know, since Achilles is your soulbond. Soulbonded? Whatever."
"You're really selling that hard, but I'm still not buying," Junior said wryly.
"Don't worry, Achilles, I believe in your soulfulness. If you're in the market for a new soulbonded, you know where I live."
Achilles barked as if in response, tongue lolling in a canine grin. The two humans laughed.
"Why don't you respond to Voidharrow's post yourself?" Millie said as the playful banter settled down. "No one has responded to them yet. Most of the chatter's still in Delta's Apeirosis thread."
"I want to, but I'm still worried about giving myself away," Junior admitted.
"For what it's worth, the coastie wasn't lying about the security of the site," Millie said begrudgingly. "She probably thought her technobabble went over our heads, but I did a little probing, and what she said checks out so far." The diminutive young woman flashed a sheepish grin. "If anything, she was under-selling their security measures. I, uhm, may have gotten a polite slap on the wrist from a site admin for digging a little too deep."
Junior sat up straight, alarmed. He opened his mouth to inquire further, but she hurried on.
"Anyways," Millie continued loudly. She studiously avoided looking at Junior as her cheeks reddened. "You and Voidharrow aren't the only Reclaimed displaying real-world 'abilities'. No laser-beam-eyes or super-strength, sadly. But something." She waved her phone as if presenting evidence, though she knew quite well that Junior wouldn't see the gesture. "Forums are going crazy with speculation. You don't even have to reveal anything about yourself; you can just say you read something online."
Junior settled back, mollified.
"Thanks, Millie," he said. "That's very helpful."
"'s why I'm here!" Millie chirped brightly, and Junior smiled.
He took a short breath to compose himself.
"Athena, open the secure Reclaimed forum on the GCG site," Junior said, using the voice command Millie had helped him set up. "Search for a post by a user named voidharrow84, and read it aloud."
"Accessing the Galatean Coast Guard's Reclaimed forum," the AI replied in its smooth, melodic voice. "One post found by user voidharrow84. It reads: 'Can anyone else hear . . . something in the wind?' Would you like help composing a reply?"