Shaken awake by the wind as it hit face. It was starting to get cold and that meant I would have to start staying in stacks with my aunt just so I don't freeze to death. The van's doors never closed fully so I would always be cold throughout the night but it saved me the long(and dangerous) climb down the stacks and walk to the van just to get on my OASIS.
As I put on my OASIS console issued by my school I notice a new green tint to the headwear, there was something ominous about it but I forgot about it as I continued to put it on. I see the famous three words that I love seeing everyday, READY PLAYER ONE.
Loading into the school in the last place I had logged out of the day prior made me realize something I hadn't before I put on the OASIS, It's still night! Before logging off and going to bed I might as well check out who's on first and come to see that my best friend, Aech, was on so I chatted him up for a bit wondering if he couldn't sleep.
"Howdy partner, can't get any shut eye?" I typed to him.
"To early to sleep, not to late to get some gaming in. Wanna join?" he replied.
"Sure, I'll be there in a sec."
I tap the door icon on the edge of my display and I am teleported to a basement type room with games all around me and a huge flat screen TV with a long couch in front of it. Family Ties is playing on the TV, it's one of the earlier shows when it was still at its peak in my opinion. As I start to walk around I notice Aech on an arcade cabinet playing Mr. Pacman.
"If it isn't mister puckman himself"
Aech chuckles and says, "Yeah go Puck yourself Scott Pilgrim" referring to the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the world.
"Got any clues to finding the fortune of Holiday while playing this game? I can never get over the fact that A circle can eat a ghost."
"If getting close but no cigar to your Hi-Score is getting the clue to unlocking the well kept secret of Holiday and his mula, then I hit the jackpot!"
"Sad story bro tell it again," I say just to make him mad as I look around The basement.
As I go to sit down I seen the green tint again around the TV this time and go to change the show to something else. As I get the remote to change it the TV goes to a TV error screen you see when emergency alerts used to come on. The last time that had came on was when Holiday had passed, everyone got the day off to mourn his death and celebrate his life.
"What the heck did you do to the TV you dingus?" Aech asked.
"I don't know man it just changed to this as soon as I sat down." I replied.
When I start to get up 2 guys dressed in torn jeans, T-shirts and fingerless gloves. One of them was average height with spiked hair and the other was shorter with wavy hair. Both of them looked dirtier than a pig. Aech turns around with the biggest WTF face ever.
"Who the heck let you guys in to my chat room?" Aech questions.
The tall guy says to the other guy, "I think we went into the wrong chat room these guys look like they don't know anything."
"No it says right here these are the two guys we need to talk to if we want to know anything." The short one replies.
The tall one has glasses and look more of a nerd than the other one does. He has black and longer more wavy hair that swoops to the right almost covering his right eye. The short one is more pudgy, reminds me of a pig almost, Round face and a big nose. I thought you could choose what you want your character to look like so why would they pick to look like this if they had a choice
"What are you guys talking about? Who are you?" I ask.
"We need you to tell us about what you guys know about Holiday and his treasure." The taller guy says.
"What do you mean?" Aech asks.
"We mean, tell us what you know about the Copper Key if you know what's good for you kid." Short guy demands.
Puzzled, I reply, "We know a little as the next person, now why and how did you get in here?"
"You guys are said to know the most about the Copper key than anyone else now tell us what you know." The taller guy more kindly says.
Me and Aech exchange a look and he responds, "I don't know who you weirdos are but I don't need to tell you anything."
And then next thing you know we see their avatars disappear. But within a few moments they come back out of the TV more angrier than before. They cool down and go to sit down on the couch. We stay more alert this time and think we need to talk to them before we do anything else.
"Now guys we don't want to have to do anything to you if we don't have to but if you help us we can help you." The tall one says.
"What do you mean help us?" I ask.
"We mean you can learn to get into people's OASIS like we do and do much more cooler things than just hop into someone's chat room"
"Oh yeah like what?" Aech questions.
"Like find out stuff about people or cheat at video games, whatever you want really." The short one says.
"Now that we can talk like reasonable people can you help us out? I'm James this is Chris." The tall one says.
"I guess, I'm Par-" But I was stopped midway through by the short one.
"We know who you are Parzival and Aech. Now if you guys could listen to us that would be great, we have some learning to do and don't have much time for chit-chat."
Aech and I agree and we pull up a chair in front of the couches table. We both seem to be a bit puzzled as to why they picked us when there are many other gunters around even in this area.
"So what do you guys need to know, we have read the Anorak's Almanac and been watching the shows up to where almost everyone else has. Or at least every other Gunter has, what makes us so special?" I asked
Chris, the short one makes a remote appear in his hand like it was nothing and turns on the TV. He puts on a map of the known worlds around this one we are at for school. Most worlds in this sector are school words so I don't understand this.
"Well we need to know where to get the copper key and in exchange we will give you a hack to do all the things we can do and if done correctly you won't get caught."
I thought about this for a while, if we help them we can get stuff that might help us when we find the keys. Not only is this helping us find the key but it would help us continue to find the keyholes and maybe the next keys. Aech seemed to look tense, in these situations he is usually playing a game and needs to make a big descision like in an RPG and needs my help to make it. I give him a reassuring nod.
"We will give you information that we know in exchange you will give us each the hack you say your have AND teach us how not to get in trouble when using it. Sound like we have a deal?" I asked them
"Well kid you seem to know how to negotiate, are they teaching you business classes here at school now?" James chuckled.
"Now, what we think is that the key will be in the last place anyone would think to look, after thinking that we started to research what the least traveled to planet is." I replied.
James quickly types in a window that seems to be to control the TV. The TV zooms in on a planet that seems to be close to the planet close to where I am currently logged in at.
"Looks like it's a planet not that far away from the planet you're on right now Parzival, It's called Fendor. it looks to be a desert planet with 2% water and no form of life registered living on it. Visited only to check for the hunt of the keys."
Amazed I reply, "Is that one of the things you can do with that hack?"
"Of course, I am surprised you don't care I know exactly where you are."
"I kinda assumed you knew where I was after you knew my name."
"What else can you think of that might be a clue?" Asked Chris.
"Well since you can look things up, check what the most visited planet is, maybe that will help us." Aech had to respond.
"That would actually be the school planets, one of them being the planet you are on parzival, the one you are on would be the one with the biggest traffic in and out. Most people just log in and out on that one." James informs us.
"There is no way that my planet has the copper key on it, there is nothing on this craphole of a planet." I laugh.
"Well now that we know where to start looking how about we head there to check it out?"
"What do you mean?" Aech questions.
As James winks and presses a button on his window, we are all transported to Fendor. The planet is dark as it is 2:34 am. We can see the moon, all planets have the same moon as they have to be connected in time since the server runs off of one time for the OASIS. We are spanding on a pavement road that seems to be surrounded by trees all around. You can see a mountain off in the distance but near by is a hill that has a tree on top. The tree looks to be the biggest one I've ever seen.
"Wow what a rush!" Aech yells
Chris shushes him, "Quiet we don't want people to know we are here."
"Oh sorry, where do you think it could be?"
"My best guess is that it's somewhere around this tree up here."
We start to walk up the hill, it's not as steep as it seems but the tree seems to be getting farther away the closer it feels we are getting. After what feels like 5 minutes going up the hill we come to a stop. The hill seems to be getting steeper and we are all feeling it.
"How can this thing be getting farther away the closer we get?" I say.
"It could be a trap to stray us away from the actual key," says james.
James and Chris start to talk to themselves. They look back at us every couple of seconds or so giving us weird looks.
"What do you think they're talking about man?" Aech whispers to me.
"I don't know but it can't be good."
After a couple of minutes they walk back over to us with concerned looks.
"Guys are you messing with us?" James says.
"What are you talking about?" I question.
"You know exactly what I am talking about, why are you sending us on a wild goose chase?" James yells.
"What are you guys on man, why would we do that if we want what you guys want?"
"To keep it all to yourself! I know we could never trust you."
And before we know it they are gone without a trace, leaving us stuck on this planet. I give Aech a confused look and he gives me one back. Looking around seeing nothing around on this hill or around the area. I sit down and give a big sigh.
"I have no money to get back to our school planet," I sigh.
"Come on man I have enough for the both of us." As he reaches out to pick me up.
As we teleport back to our school planet I can't help but wonder if they will be back here to search more or even if it is in this sector of planets. As we are right in front of our school I turn to Aech and shrug.
"I think they may be right that the key be close to us, what if it's on this planet?"
"Yeah and pigs can fly," Aech laughs
As we look up we see the short pudgy Chris using a flying hack to fly around the school and off into the distance. I guess anything can happen huh?