Author's Note/Disclaimer:

I read the original book, and I loved it. I wrote this story because I was bored, and I was also really obsessed with Daisho. The characters are all property of Ernest Cline. So is the plotline, minus a few things I added in for my own story. None of the characters are mine, and this story is not intended to be published.

The Spy Who Came To Ludus

1

I remember exactly what I was doing the very first time I got the invitation. There was an email in my inbox, and an invitation from someone I only vaguely knew.

I decided to deal with the email first. I wondered how it had gotten through my spam filters. I had only friends authorized to send me emails. I regularly checked my spam, but not much ever arrived there. Just the usual offers for free Viagra or penis/breast enlargement. I didn't really care. But this email was interesting, because the subject caught my eye. The email appeared as follows:

Subject: Addressed to Taisei Oshiro. URGENT.

Message: Hello. My name Is James D Halliday. I wish to ask for a meeting with you. As you may or may not know, I am the creator of the OASIS. I have sent you an invitation, with my avatar name. Anorak. Please kindly accept, and I will initiate a chat with you. Thank you very much. JDH

I didn't know what to think. What would the creator of the OASIS want with me? Had I done something wrong? I didn't believe so. I had graduated just seven months ago, and I now had a job. I worked for IOI, (Innovative Online Industries), as one of the developers for the network based in Japan. I was constantly working on a plan to bring them down, but that's a story for another day. Right now I had to be thankful they had even given me a job. They were too over confident, these Americans. I rubbed my hands and turned to the business at hand. James Halliday's email. I sighed. I wondered what I had done to make him angry.

I had two choices. I could decline, and see if he went away on his own, and hit up the next person on his list. Or I could accept, hoping that he wanted to congratulate me on something that I had done. I don't know what sounded better right now. Evade him, or see what he wanted. My heart was beating fast. I didn't do anything. So, what would be the harm in accepting his invitation? Unfortunately it was the beginning of the worst period of my life.