Three weeks later.
I woke up in the hospital. My back hurts.
"Reconstructed epidermis layer. Press therapy or cryotherapy recommended
reducing scar size."
.........…..
"This shit is going to stay on my back forever?! Are they kidding me?" Angry, I threw the discharge papers at the big mirror in my room. Somebody thoughtful, probably my sister, covered it with my old bedsheets, so I didn't have to look at what they've done to me. "Fuck it, it's time to face the truth. I haven't seen it myself yet, but I still remember the disgusted grimace on the nurse's face while she was changing my bandages."
I took the bandages off and turned my back against the mirror and looked in to it. It looked like a cheap prosthetic created in a basement by some amateur cosplayer. A prosthetic I can never take off, something that will always be a reminder of … Everything suddenly came rushing back to me - the confusion, dizziness, the smell of burning flesh ... and the message - ACCESS DENIED - burned into my mind.
"Who the fuck did this to me? And why? I was kicked out exactly the moment I found her. Shit, what did you get into, girl?"
"That wasn't a prank by some script kiddie messing around. It was a fucking assassination attempt." "How the hell did you manage to piss off people who can do something like this?"
I clenched my fists. 'I have never heard of such an attack before. Hell, if someone had told me a month ago that something like that was even possible, I would have laughed them off. And here we are,' I glanced at the mirror again. It wasn't a prosthetic; it was a deadly warning. Whoever attacked me was dangerous and powerful, and didn't want myself anywhere near her.
I knew the only smart move to make now was to lie low, disappear, and stop meddling with forces that are clearly out of my league. 'Forget about you, Rose, so they can hurt you all they want.' I clenched my fists so tightly that it hurt. 'I can't let that happen. I need to warn you, at least. Alice, what the hell did you do?'
I grabbed my phone and sat down on my bed, scrolling through news forums and media, Anything on the attack. Nothing. But there was one thing that caught my eye. 'Sword Art Online. Coming soon…' I didn't think much of it, only that it was a new VR MMO RPG in development. I stopped myself from getting even more distracted and left my apartment.
Ever since I walked through the campus, I felt people staring at me, as if they could see through my t-shirt and knew what I was hiding. 'What are you looking at? Get off me!' I thought.
"Good to see you back among the living." A familiar voice spoke to me as I passed by the statue. Iven stood next to me, grinning. I smiled for the first time in weeks. It was good to have a friendly face here. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't visit you in the hospital." He continued, "I really have my hands full with the F.I.V.E.S. project at the institute."
"It's fine. Cast the first stone, who never crunched, Mr. Junior Engineer." I responded. "Yeah, there was a bug in the code I've been trying to fix for almost a week, and it turned out messing up everything else." He said and continued, "But now, if you need anything, just ask."
Loki- "Actually, there is one thing ..."
Iven- "Consider it done!"
Loki- "I need new gear to get back there."
I've never seen people turning pale so fast. Iven gasped and took a step back. He said, "What is it, a death wish?! You almost died last time you went there."
Loki- "I have no choice, I need to log back into RLO and get into Club 69."
Iven- "Shhh! Lower your voice!"
He looked around as if he expected someone to be spying on us. Fear widened his eyes and ears. He moved so close to me that I could smell his aftershave. "Don't say the 'C' word out loud!" He whispered. "Chill, man, can't I just ask you about your work?" I said. "I am officially working in F.I.V.E.S. project. As in the 'Fully Immersive Virtual-reality Engineering System', not the 'Fuck Innocent Virgin Engineer Sibling'.
Iven- "Club 69 is its unofficial mod server in RLO. My bosses and the game company don't even know it exists. I knew giving you that gear was a bad idea."
Loki- "What are you talking about?"
Iven- "What I'm trying to say is that you can't go back there! There were some rumors. People who run around that place can be dangerous, like, they can make others disappear."
Loki- "What the fuck? You're telling me this now?"
Iven- "I'm just answering your question."
Loki- "And you didn't think you should've mentioned that BEFORE I logged in? They BURNED MY SPINE! It's a miracle I'm not in a wheelchair right now. Fuck, I was lucky to survive!"
Iven- "Those are just rumors!"
I pushed him back, he stumbled, but didn't fall. "And you have never been kicked out from the club?" I said. "Never." He replied. "Has nothing sus ever happened to you when you've been there?" I asked. Without hesitation he answered, "Nothing, I was just dancing with chicks and drinking margaritas." At that moment I was confused, I didn't remember the bar had named drinks. "Wait, Robotic arm guy fixed you a margarita?"
Iven- "Ehmm, Robotic arm guy?"
BAM!
A quick jab landed on his face, leaving him speechless and sending his glasses flying to the ground. Suddenly, it went all quiet around. People stopped and looked at us with curiosity. I loosened my clenched fist. It hurt, but the pain was strangely satisfying. Iven looked at me in shock as I picked up his glasses and handed them to him. "You've lost your mind!" He said.
"The robotic arm guy is a bartender there. You have never been in Club 69 have you, you fucking coward!" Still shocked by what I did, which was uncharacteristic of me, he spoke, "Oh fuck you! I know a lot of people who use Club... IT, and go back unharmed!"
Loki- "You didn't have the balls to go in yourself, so you sent me as a test subject."
Iven- "It wasn't like that."
Loki- "Was it?"
Iven bit his lip, looking away. "You sneaky little..."
Iven- "Okay, I deserved that."
He touched his sore cheek. "I really thought you were safe. I have no idea why someone would want to attack you. You're a nobody... there."
"Rose."
Iven- "Rose? Who the hell is - wait... you mean that girl from back then?"
Iven- "Yeah. I saw her there."
"Seriously? Dude, I barely remember her. You two used to hang out all the time, right?" He continued, "And how can you be sure that was her."
Loki- "We were best friends. She disappeared overnight. One day we were walking home from school, the next day her place was empty. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone like she never existed."
Iven- "Man, I forgot she even existed until now. You've really been holding onto that all this
time?
Loki- "She was thirteen, Iven. Thirteen. It wasn't her choice to leave. Her parents pulled her out of our lives without warning. She didn't ghost me-she vanished. That's why I can't let it go.
Iven- "Still, you spent years chasing a memory. You don't owe her anything."
Loki- "This isn't about owing. It's about doing what's right. She's in danger. When I was looking for her, I set up alerts for her username on forums, social media, anything. A few months ago, she posted something about a club in RLO. So I went looking for her there. But apparently I'm not the only one. She's really in deep, Iven. The people who attacked me are after her. I have to warn her!"
Thomas- "You seriously think she'll even remember you?"
"That's not the point. I remember her." Thomas stepped back, eyeing my clenched fists. But I forced my hands to relax. "Even if I wanted to help, I can't. The gear I got, Derik gave it to me on strict terms. If he finds out I passed it on, I'm screwed." I responded, "Then give me his address."
"No way! Derik only deals with people he knows. He'd lose it if I sent you his way." He said. At that moment I was starting to lose my patience. "For fuck's sake, Iven! Rose is in danger!" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The air between us buzzed-hot, thick, full of unspoken tension. I stepped closer, and for a second, he looked like he might swing. But he didn't. "There are two girls who might help. Alice, she's at her lab in the Institute. Sarah's probably working out at her flat." He continued "Hold on, I'll send you their addresses."
He grabbed his phone and proceeded to do just that. "I'm not promising anything though. It's a long shot. But it's all I've got." "We're still far from even, but, thanks." I shook his hand, which was still a bit sweaty. He wasn't off the hook yet, but at least I didn't want to punch him in the face anymore. As I turned around to leave, he grabbed my hand. "Just remember, if you play with fire ..."
"I got burned already, thanks." And I left.
.........…..
Half an hour later.
Something was wrong - the door to the girl's apartment was ajar. Was someone there? The corridor seemed eerily quiet, with everyone either at work or at the institute. If she cried out for help, no one would hear her. I quickly scanned the corridor and slipped inside her flat. "Oh. Damn." The room looked like the hideout of a gamer who rarely saw daylight or touched grass. With a bunch of junk all around. It was horrendous.
Fiber optic cables were neatly tucked along the walls. Various lenses, polymer parts, and old cables were scattered everywhere, giving the room the appearance of an illicit hardware store hidden in a garage. I moved towards the big armchair standing next to the desk groaning with files. Whoever lived here seemed to be responsible for single-handedly deforesting a small tree nursery. One particular stack of papers caught my attention. They were blueprints of VR helmets, with various notes scribbled alongside them- numbers, names, and mysterious acronyms that didn't ring a bell to me.
Most of the designs looked elegant and complex, with multiple layers of different materials holding together the whole. Others, Well, in terms of their complexity they resembled buckets. The one Iven gave me definitely was a 'bucket' type.
Suddenly, I heard a muffled sound coming from the armchair. I turned around quickly. A half-naked blonde beauty in the armchair looked like she was sleeping, but in reality she was hooked up to a VR server. This technology induced immediate sleep upon activation, allowing the electrodes to deliver realistic body sensations. A bit creepy, but necessary for the system to work effectively. Her helmet had numerous additional buttons and adjustments, and its design differed slightly from the ones shown in the blueprints. It was a Ferrari among VR helmets.
The girl stirred restlessly. There was no time for playing around anymore. It would be better to wake her up now rather than let her catch me standing over her like a creep. "Get off me." She said. "Oh shit!" I immediately pulled my hand back. "What the hell are you doing in my room, you creep?" she continued. Sarah hurriedly pulled on her jeans, using the chair as a makeshift shield. "Your door was open, and I was afraid something bad had happened." I continued, "I've heard there are burglars in the neighborhood."
I pointed to the VR helmet left by her on the desk. "You have a valuable piece of equipment here. If I had any ill intentions, I would have just grabbed it and run. Instead, I tried to wake you up and warn you about the open doors." She stood up from the armchair and gave me a curious look. "How do you know the gear is valuable?" she asked. "It looks like something from an R&D lab." I responded. She asked "You're interested in VR?" I replied, "I am. And I need to borrow your gear."
"Nice try, creep." She said. "There's a girl I can only contact through VR, and someone's after her. I don't know who they are, but they're not messing around." I explained. "Call the police then." She said. "And what will they do? Raid the VR server? I need to warn her myself!" I continued.
Sarah- "Wait, you're so worked up because the girl is in danger in VR?"
Loki- "They attack people in RLO: Club 69 using the gear."
Sarah- "I don't know anything about this 'Club 69', I am testing F.I.V.E.S."
Bullshit, she is too much of a nerd, to not know about the server the whole VR community is buzzing about. But I'm not here to vex her by calling it out, I need her help. "Next time you break into someone's place; you really need to come up with a better cover story." Said Sarah. I clenched my jaw. 'No matter what I say, she won't believe me.' I didn't have much of a choice, did I? If I didn't get the equipment, who knows what would happen to Rose.
"That's what they did to me."
I turned my back to Sarah and pulled up my shirt to show her my scar. I heard her gasp. "It's impossible." For a moment, she just stood there, with her big green eyes wide open. Then she took a step towards me, clearly staring at the hideous scar on my back. "It's an electrical burn, and this shape looks familiar." She said. "Do you believe me now?" I pulled down the t-shirt. I wasn't a freak show. Sarah, "But I use it every day! Hundreds of people keep using it, and they don't know it is dangerous! We need to tell everyone! I'll call my boss!"
"No!"
I grabbed her hand before she could reach for her phone on her bed. If she made that call, I would never be able to warn Rose. I didn't know how much the attackers already knew about her. I couldn't risk it. "They will fire you, if you do that." I said. Sarah, "What?! Why would they?" Loki, "They can't afford to have someone running around the company, demanding them to inform the entire world that their equipment can be deadly." I continued, "If you start making noise, they will silence you."
She looked horrified as she glanced at her own gear, now lying on the desk. "But people are using this gear right now! I can't just sit doing nothing!" she said. I told her, "Find out how these attacks are possible and figure out how to prevent them. If you go to your boss already having a solution, they'll fix the gear in no time." I continued, "You will be a hero." I shook my head. "What?! You convinced me to fix the gear, but you don't want to help me? What the..."
Loki- "I will help you, but I need to warn Rose first. I need your helmet."
Sarah- "That gear isn't mine, so I can't just lend it to a stranger!"
Loki- "Then I can't help you."
Sarah- "You are putting people's lives in danger!"
Loki- "That makes two of us."
"I really can't lend you that, even if I trusted you. It's a development kit - you won't know how to use it, but I might be able to help you in another way. I'll give you the QA's access codes. If you log in using them, your attacker shouldn't be able to recognize you, at least not right away." She explained.
Loki- "That's a start."
Sarah- "But you have to promise me you will come back and tell me what would happen to
you - I need every detail!"
Loki- "It's a deal."
Sarah- "Not because I need you or anything. I just hope I'll be able to figure it out on my own."
Loki- "I'll help you. You said it, people are in danger, we can't just do nothing."
Technically, I didn't lie to her. I am a person. And I don't want to end up in a wheelchair next time I make a wrong move in Club 69.
"Take care!" She said.