The three teens piled into Arthur’s formerly white 2011 Honda Civic, Jason slipping into shotgun and buckling in before Isaac could protest. Throwing his backpack in ahead of him, Isaac slid into the back instead, while Arthur started the engine.
“Hey, pass me the aux,” Jason demanded, queuing songs on his phone.
“Bro, every time you’re running DJ, it’s nothing but My Chemical Romance and Panic! at the Disco,” Arthur complained.
“No way, man!” Jason firmly denied, stealthily reorganizing his playlist. “I listen to, like, way more bands. Fine, I’ll skip them this time, happy?”
Sighing, Arthur passed him the cord, backing out of Isaac’s parking lot.
Over the car speakers, a low bass melody began pounding out while Jason bobbed his head loosely to the beat.
“Pumped Up Kicks? Really?” Isaac rolled his eyes.
“Goddamnit, Jace.” Arthur laughed, turning a corner out of Isaac’s subdivision.
“Hey, I noticed you tore off your Green Party bumper sticker,” Isaac commented to Arthur, leaning himself forward between the two front seats. “You disenfranchised with them already?”
“Yeah, couldn’t really get behind them,” Arthur explained. “I found a new party though, and I think they’re just what we need.”
As the oldest of the three, Arthur had taken it upon himself to be the most interested in politics, although he had a tendency to swap his party allegiance almost monthly.
“Bro, you’re gonna run out of political platforms before you even get a chance to vote.” Isaac laughed. “You’ve literally backed everything except Bloc Quebecois and the NDP, haven’t you?”
“I’m just working my way down the list,” Arthur declared. “And I still haven’t found the right one yet. No matter what values a guy’s got, every party out there either misrepresents or fights against them.”
“Well, I dunno what choice you’ve got, unless you plan on starting your own party.”
“Funny you should mention that.” Arthur stopped for a red light. “I was on BRYZ earlier today and… you know what, never mind, we’ll get into that over supper.”
“Oh God.” Isaac passed a hand over his face. “Well, what party did you back this time?”
“Oh, I’m with the People’s Party of Canada now!” Arthur explained enthusiastically.
“Gosh, I didn’t even know the Communists had a party!” Isaac raised his eyebrows.
“Huh? What, no! They’re not commies, they’re classic Liberals, and they…” Arthur sighed. “Ah, forget it. I’m probably not sticking with them either.”
“I think you’ve got a problem,” Isaac quipped. “Well, anything else going on in your life ‘sides politics?”
“Oh, actually!” Arthur perked up again. “You know Ashleigh O’Donnell?
“Sure…” Isaac nodded, warily.
“So, she started messaging me recently. I think she’s into me!”
“Wasn’t Ashleigh totally into your older bro, Theodore?” Isaac queried.
“Yeah, but he turned her down already. Now she’s messaging me asking if I’m seeing anyone right now!” Arthur grinned from ear to ear.
“Art, you know she’s not looking for you, she’s looking for Theodore 2.0,” Isaac warned. “Don’t go for it, man.”
“You don’t know that, Zach,” Arthur shot back stubbornly.
“What I don’t know is why I even bother.” Isaac threw his hands up. Turning to Jason for backup, he found his friend staring out the car window seemingly deep in thought, a serious expression on his face.
“Hey, you’re pretty quiet today, Jace. What’s on your mind?” Isaac asked his unusually taciturn friend.
“Well…” Jason started, turning to look at Isaac. “Have you ever thought about how… even when you close your eyes, everything stays there? Like…” he gestured with his hands as if he were grasping for the right words, “just because I can’t see you, it doesn’t mean you’re not there.” He closed his eyes, opening them again after a second. “Isn’t that, like, wild?”
“Bro.” Isaac blinked. “That’s called object permanence. I think most kids learn that when they’re 8 months old.”
“Okay, but just because they know it…” Jason paused in thought. “…how many people do you think really grasp just what it means? We, like, aren’t the center of the universe. It just keeps going on, whether we look at it or not.” He looked up at Isaac. “That’s pretty deep, right?”
“Yeah, deep as a puddle.”
“Oh, screw you,” Jason muttered, sitting back into his seat and turning up the volume.
*******
By the time Isaac and his friends arrived at the family restaurant/laundromat that was their usual haunt, it was already well past 5. Making their way to a booth in the back, they placed their orders, killing time with more aimless conversation until their food arrived.
“So?” Isaac asked, taking a sip from his root beer as the owner deposited their three orders onto the table; a burger, a shawarma, and a wrap, each with sides of fries. “What’s the news?”
“When’s the last time you went on BRYZ?” Arthur asked, reaching for his burger.
“Well, right before you guys arrived, I guess.” Isaac shrugged, unwrapping his shawarma.
“Gotcha, so you already know what’s going on then.” Arthur nodded.
“Huh? What’s going on, guys?” Jason looked from one friend to the other. “Something’s up with BRYZ?”
“Right, you don’t play it much.” Arthur nodded, taking a deep draught from his ginger ale. “In a nutshell, BRYZ as we know it is gone. In its place, we’ve got some kinda fantasy RPG loosely masking as it. I did a little poking around, and I’m about 99% sure it’s no hoax or prank; something big’s going down, guys.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Jason shot back sceptically. “No way that’d ever happen. You’re getting pranked, bro, something like that’d be aaaaall over the news.”
“Then you obviously haven’t been reading the news,” Arthur shot back, reaching into his backpack and tossing a stack of newspapers towards him. “Whatever’s up, it’s the real deal. From the sounds of things, the UN hasn’t made any announcements yet, but it’s only a matter of time. After all, BRYZ as a platform falls under their jurisdiction.”
“Huh? But… nobody controls the internet… right?” Jason asked in confusion, picking up one of the newspapers.
“Well yeah, the internet’s still more or less ungoverned.” Isaac stepped in. “But BRYZ just uses the internet. It’s software like anything else, and the UN quickly nabbed up it’s use as falling under international law.”
“Exactly.” Arthur cut back in. “So, while the various bureaucracies of the worlds are struggling to figure out what to do with BRYZ and whether to pull the plug on it or not, I’ve got a plan to put ourselves on the virtual map!”
“Oh…kay. And just how are you planning to go about this?” Isaac ventured, immediately on guard.
“Simply put, in this new world, thing that would normally be impossible for us are suddenly within reach. It combines the freeness of the internet with the consequences of the real world,” Arthur theorized. “Anything you ever daydreamed of being, you could be it on BRYZ now! It’s a veritable Wild West period for the internet, and you can bet we won’t be the only ones trying to stake our claim on a larger slice of life.”
“Okay, but it’s still just a far-bigger MMORPG,” Isaac defended. “Just what are you planning on doing with it?”
“Oh, I dunno, ruling the world.” Arthur bit into his burger.
“Hey, sick! I could totally be an assassin then!” Jason perked up.
“I could always use a skilled assassin at my side to silence the opposition,” Arthur agreed, extending a hand. “To our future dominance?”
“To our future dominance!” Jason returned, clasping his hand in a firm handshake. “I’ll be your shadow and strike down all who oppose you, except on weekends.”
“Wait, seriously?” Isaac interjected, breaking the mood. “You’re joking, right?
“Well, yes, I was.” Arthur chuckled. “But all jokes aside, I really do think we could use this as a springboard to make a whole lot of difference in the world, in our own time.”
“Wait, you were just joking about the domination part?” Jason complained.
“You’re thinking something like… when people on Ribbit find missing kids and solve old crimes?” Isaac asked, ignoring Jason.
“You’re thinking small potatoes.” Arthur shook his head. “Remember when you suggested I start my own political party?”
“You know I was being factitious, right?”
“So, I was thinking I start something along the lines of a global political activists group,” Arthur declared, setting his food aside as he launched into his idea.
“Our world stands on the brink of a major turning point,” he started. “Some people say it’ll be “World War III”, others guess it’s gonna be some environmental issue, some would venture it’ll be the mass collapse of the global market. Either way, a turnabout is inevitable now. However, I really believe we can lessen the collateral damage of the reversal, if we act correctly.”
Taking another sip from his glass, Arthur warmed up to his topic. “My aim is a global, bloodless, revolution of the people,” he stated, pausing to let the idea sink in. “The UN can spend years debating and accomplish nothing because they’re simply a room full of self-interested officials, representing self-interested countries. However, with BRYZ, I could reach out to every person, regardless of language, distance, or creed, and incite a global upheaval; a worldwide grassroots movement, if you will. Started by me, but led by the people, we could create a historical “reset”, as it were, and steer this world in the correct direction as one, united people. That’s my goal.”
Arthur finished speaking and sat back, finishing off his meal. A stillness set over the group, as each contemplated Arthur’s words.
It was Jason that first broke the silence.
“Look, I’m not gonna pretend to be smart enough to know if your idea’ll work or not,” he admitted. “But, like, even I can tell the current system isn’t working. You’ve got a plan, and I really think you can make something work, so I’ll back you up any way I can.” He chuckled awkwardly. “Who knows, even if this doesn’t work out, maybe we’ll be the example it takes for someone else to make the difference. I’d take that.”
“Thanks Jace, I’ll give it my best shot,” Arthur grinned, finishing off his soda with a single quaff. “What about you, Isaac?”
Isaac was silent for a moment, before responding slowly and resolutely. “Sorry to rain on the parade, but I haven’t made up my mind yet whether your way of thinking is right or not, Art,” he started. “I still don’t like the idea of using BRYZ as a political tool. Rather than take part in something I’ll likely regret, I’m not gonna help you with your plan until I have the time to think it over. I really believe taking the wrong action is ALWAYS worse than taking no action at all, so until I’m sure you’re right, I’ll sit this one out.”
Arthur nodded understandingly. “Fair enough,” he started, clearing his plate. “I didn’t expect you to…”
“Hey, I’m not done yet!” Isaac interjected, cutting him off. “I said I’m not gonna help you in your world reset scheme, but I can still show you the ropes in BRYZ at least. I sure as heck don’t want you dying to some muggish grunts or something.”
Arthur grinned and sat down again. “All right then, I’ll turn this meeting over to you. Did you all bring your N-LiFes?”
“Yup, I made sure to charge it for today,” Jason affirmed, pulling it out of his backpack. “I kinda don’t use it much so it’s a little dusty, but it runs just fine.”
“It’ll be worth it once you see BRYZ now,” Isaac assured him. “Actually, I’m always surprised you don’t use yours more often. How do you live without one?”
“Well, it’s not like I don’t use it,” Jace remarked. “It’s handy for simulating different weapons to train with, since I can only afford so many replicas, but other than that I still have a PC at home like you. I mainly use that.”
“Fair enough,” Isaac nodded. “I still like the old-school touch of a PC too. Still,” he turned to Arthur “Are you sure you’re okay with starting your campaign on your personal N-LiFe? We could do this later, after you’ve picked up a second copy to register anonymously.”
Arthur shook his head. “If I’m expecting citizens to put their identities, and maybe even their lives on the line, surely I can at least do the same. Citizens won’t follow someone who doesn’t lead them from the front.”
“Spoken like a true leader,” Isaac sighed. “I guess I’m not cut out for this whole “leading” thing, I’m more of a behind-the-scenes type.”
“Don’t worry, I can have you run as political “supporter” for the opposition, and have you sow fear and distrust among their ranks in a way only a sneaky behind-the-scenes type like you could!” Arthur affirmed, giving him a thumbs up.
“Thanks for the confidence boost,” Isaac grumbled. “I always wanted to be seen as “sneaky”.” He turned over and waved at the store owner. “Hey Boss, make sure nobody takes anything from us while we’re out, okay?”
“I keep machete under counter for such time,” the owner called back in a heavy Lebanese accent. “They touch you, they lose hand, see?”
“Thanks Boss!” Isaac called back, picking up his N-LiFe and placing it on his head. “Just letting you guys know, I’m actually quite a ways away from the spawn, I met up with a group of other players, and we made it pretty far already. When you get the chance, send me your locations, and we can all meet at a central area. If I can sneak to the center of town without the rest of my party noticing, I can use the teleportation rune to get to the closest Resurrection Shrine, and meet up with you from there.”
“Got it,” Jason agreed, blowing off his N-LiFe and putting it in place.
“Sure thing,” Arthur assented, already initiating the sensual override. “Alright boys, let’s change the world!”
*******
Isaac opened his eyes to find himself staring at the same unusually-shaped knothole he had noticed in the hotel room’s joist the night before.
I guess the others dumped me back in my room after I collapsed, Isaac thought to himself, silently surveying the room. Looks like I’m all alone. If I were a real protagonist, there’d for sure be a cute girl next to me, who waited by my bed the entire time I was out. Well, I guess it’s for the better there’s no one here. I’m in a hurry, and I don’t have time for… whatever’s going on with Tenshi.
Isaac swung his leg over the side of the bed and was about to step down when he froze suddenly, a memory surfacing. Silently, he opened his game menu and checked his friend’s list. As he suspected, of all the people on his friends list, Tenshi was the only one still showing as online.
I should have guessed, Isaac thought, recalling her behavior the previous night, waiting outside his door. Whatever she is, AI or not, she should really learn some basic etiquette. Getting out of here unnoticed is gonna be a whole lot harder now. He exited his friends menu, double-checking his status with a wry smile. “My asocial skills are finally coming in handy,” he half-murmured to himself. “My account’s automatically set to “appear offline” whenever I log in. She won’t know I’m back yet.”
Swiping to a different tab, Isaac checked his status. “Hmm, seems I leveled up during the previous battle,” he mused. “Also, looks like I forgot to spend my skill point from my first level up…” Tapping on his newly unlocked skill points, a massive star map exploded out of his screen, encircling him. “Geez, I forgot how many different skills I designed,” he half-chuckled, staring at the hundreds of pinpoints of light around him, each representing a different skill, all glowing softly in different colours to show their availability. “If I recall correctly, blue means the skill is available to learn,” Isaac mused, as he slowly dragged his finger through the air, spinning the half-globe of lights around, zooming in to read the floating descriptions on each skill. “There’re plenty of good powers here, but what I really need for this situation is…” he paused with his finger over a shiny azure glyph. “It’s a bit anticlimactic for my first power, but it fits the situation.” Tapping resolutely on it, the glyph flared to life, and a text message flashed across his screen;
“New skill unlocked: SNEAK. Until the player attacks, takes damage or is afflicted by a negative status condition, they make no noises and don’t show up on thermal vision, x-ray vision, or any kind of scanning spells or abilities. Note that the player is still physically visible.”
“That should get me out of sticky situations like this one. Okay, now for my second choice.”
“New skill unlocked: SNIPE. A single-shot ranged attack with a high accuracy stat. Does extra damage on critical hits.”
“Might as well have one good offence skill with me before I go,” he reasoned. “Okay, my skill points are spent, time to get outta here!” Isaac murmured. “SNEAK!”
Isaac stood still for a moment. Nothing seemed to be happening. He carefully examined himself, expecting some sort of indicator of the power’s effect.
“Well, that’s helpful…how can I tell whether it activated properly?” Isaac muttered.
…Or tried to, at least.
Despite clearly having spoken out loud, no sound escaped his lips.
“Okay, so it did activate?” Isaac tested, venturing his voice a little louder. As with before, not a single noise issued from his mouth.
I guess that’s all the confirmation I get. Isaac smirked. Well, time to go!
Standing up, Isaac grabbed his pack off the floor and strapped his gun belt on, the ornate periapt-studded buckle noiselessly clicking into place. Walking across the now-uncreaking floorboards, he opened the window and leaped down into the streets, his boots making no noise as they struck the pavement. Fortunately, none of the nearby NPCs and players seemed to pay him any mind. After satisfying himself that nobody had noticed his rapid descent from the window, Isaac dusted himself off and strode towards the teleporter, following his game map.
ns3.145.133.121da2
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