A few days had passed since Chris was first attacked by an Employer. Aden continued to explain more about Employers and their slaves - Employees, he called them.
"Employees can never become Employers," Aden said between bites of his pizza. "Employers just kind of show up, twisted caricatures of all the negativity associated with Work." He stopped to savor his meal. "Man, it's been ages since I've had one of these! Deep dish really is the best!"
Chris chuckled. His friend hadn't changed one bit. "So what kind of Employer did you fight the other day? I'm curious to know."
"That," Aden wiped his mouth before continuing. "Was the Professor Employer. It's the embodiment of Study Work. He had been taking the fun out of learning and forcing students to work on something, I don't know what."
Chris recalled what it looked like. The Professor had a mortarboard on his head, a ruler and a book in either hand, and it spit out sticks of chalk. Its face was incredibly deformed, looking like something out of a horror movie. Its hands, if you could call them that, were large and inhuman.
"Learning can be fun?" Chris tilted his head in amazement at his friend's remark. Aden used to hate studying, only getting good enough marks to pass. "I can't believe that. Coming from you, of all people."
"No, it's true." Aden felt around the table for a bit before Chris handed him the spatula.. "Thanks. Play can be found in everything, even Work.
"Some people really do enjoy learning. Researching new things, experimenting. People wouldn't actually become scientists and engineers if they didn't think at least something about those fields would be fun, right?" Chris nodded.
"People also need to work at their hobbies. You used to enter tournaments, right, Chris?" Chris nodded again. "Don't you remember what it was like picking up Courtyard Combat for the first time? You sucked at it. But you took the time to practice, put the work in, and you started to place in those tournaments. No one's a master of anything fun at first. But because it's fun, and there are no repercussions for doing poorly, you can learn and master it at your own pace. And that's where the balance lies.
"Okay, that's enough of that for today," Aden wolfed down the rest of the pizza rather quickly after that talk. "I want to show you something." He placed $40 on the table and reached for his cane. "Let's go back to my place." Chris rolled back from the table and followed his friend out of the restaurant.
Chapter 2: Taking Control
It was a fairly short walk from the restaurant to Aden's place. It was an apartment building in the North Side which, thankfully, had an elevator. "I'm up on the fourth floor," Aden said. Once the two got up to the floor, Chris was amazed.
The elevator opened directly into Aden's loft. It was entirely single-story, save for an overhang that used to be their clubhouse, now reduced to storage. The place was pretty minimalistic, though that made sense, considering Aden's situation. There were a few pieces of art on the walls, but they were few and far between. Most were pictures of Aden's family; His parents and younger sister. Most of the others were of the Chicago and New York skylines, as well as a few paintings Aden had done when he was younger. An older man walked out from the kitchen, shirtless and holding a steaming mug. "Took ya long enough to get home!" the man bellowed with a hearty laugh. "What'd ya, get lost on the subway again?!"
"Hey, Uncle Jacob," Aden sighed, resting his cane on its hook. "I brought Chris over."
"Chris Reynolds?" Uncle Jacob walked up to the two. "I heard about the accident, kid. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Chris said with a weak smile. "I got right back up… Figuratively speaking."
"That building just collapsed though! Didn't your folks-"
"Uncle Jacob," Aden interrupted. "He knows."
"Is that so?" Jacob sat down and guided the two boys to the living room table. "Well, I'd say 'Welcome to the cause,' but I'm sure Aden here already gave you the warmest welcome he could. Innat right, Ade?"
"My name is two syllables," Aden snapped, annoyed. "Stop shortening it."
"Well anyway," Chris said. "Aden said he had something to show me. What was it?" Aden had already gotten up and went to his room.
"He'll be back in a minute," Jacob leaned back into the sofa. "So what has he told you so far?"
Chris summarized what Aden had explained over the past few days about the Employers, Work and Play, and explained that Aden had shown him the Core. "So he's shown you the Core. Has he shown you the Consoles?" Chris shook his head. "The Consoles and Cartridges are what power the whole Gamer System. It's what gives Adey the power to fight the Employers."
"Well, why didn't you use it?" Chris said. "Aden's blind! How do you expect him to fight like that?"
"It wasn't the plan initially, no." Jacob sighed, shaking his head. "Jason, his father, was supposed to use it, but he wasn't compatible. Aden only barely managed to synchronize with the Core when those damned Employers left him for dead. It saved his life. Of course, the process left him scarred and blinded, but he insisted on fighting in his father's place."
"You and Jason were game developers, weren't you?" Chris asked. "Did you also create the Core?"
"It was all Jason," the older man looked pale, talking about his brother. "We were twins, but he was always the smartest between us. He found out about the Employers on a whim and immediately started learning about them and working on a way to fight against them." Jacob leaned forward, bowing his head. "It was five years ago, when he and his family moved to New York.
"When he finally called me six months ago, he said he figured them out and that he was on his way back to Chicago because he needed my help. Four months later, the whole family ends up missing. Aden showed up at my door a couple weeks ago, dirty and disheveled. He had the Core embedded in his chest and a briefcase full of schematics and notes from his father. I got the basic system figured out and helped him make the Consoles. So far, we've only gotten Retro to work." Jason stood up and walked over to the kitchen, Chris following him.
"The problem is," Jacob poured himself another cup of coffee. "That Gamer is a two-part system. The console needs a player. Aden is at his weakest when he fights alone. He needs someone to help him reach his full potential. He needs you."
"Wait, what?" Chris leaned back in his chair, surprised. "He needs me? What can I do? I'm just a teenager in a wheelchair."
"A teenager in a wheelchair who happens to be a master of every video game in existence," Jacob laughed. "The Cartridges are all based on video games. All you need to do is take the controller in your hands and guide him. He gets into a rage when Employers are involved, he's careless. You be his eyes, control him, he'll be your avatar."
"What'cha guys talking about?" Aden said suddenly, scaring Chris. "Come on, let's go to my room." Chris followed Aden through the threshold.
"So what is it you wanted to show me?" Chris looked around at the room. It wasn't as clean as the rest of the house. It was big enough to wheel himself around in, but just barely. The workdesk in particular looked incredibly messy. "It's a wonder you can even find anything in this mess."
"Come here," Aden waved Chris towards the desk and showed him a black Cartridge. It was large, reminiscent of the old 16-bit era cartridges. The image on the label portrayed two warriors coming to blows. "This is the Fighting Cartridge. I just finished it yesterday."
"Wow," Chris had a confused look on his face as he reached for the cartridge. It was heavier than the old IDeA cartridges. It also felt kind of warm. "Nice tech. You know, you're about 20 years late, right?"
"Shut up, this is a technological marvel," Aden yanked the Cartridge out of his friend's hands and put it away. "I tried testing it with the Gamer System-"
"The Gamer Driver," Chris interjected, very matter-of-factly.
"Not calling it that~" Aden replied. "Anyway, I can't seem to use it properly. My body keeps rejecting it after a few seconds."
"Maybe you're just not doing it right," Chris said jokingly. "Maybe you need to add flair to it, like Kamen Riders do."
Chris splayed his arms out dramatically, making intricate motions in the air. "Henshin!" He tapped his chest the same way Aden did before. "Now, it's time to play my game. Kamen Rider! Gamer!"
"Now you just look dumb," Aden said with a smile. "There's no way that's the pro-"
"Aden!" Jacob burst into the room. "Get out here, quick!"
There have been multiple fights breaking out in the vicinity of Access Boxing Club,The boys immediately heard the news report as they scrambled out of the bedroom. Men and women alike are raising their fists upon one another, heavily injuring each other for what seems to be no reason at all. We'll up-
"We need to go now!" Aden said angrily. "This is an Employer, I know it!"
"Just be careful, Ade," Jacob said. "Don't overexert yourself."
"I'm coming, too," Chris said. "Let's stop him together."
"It's too dangerous, Chris!" Aden argued. "I won't put you in danger."
"We can argue here and let innocent people get hurt," Chris said angrily. "Or we can get a move on and hopefully beat this thing before anyone else does." Aden sighed in exasperation as Chris rolled into the elevator. "Are you coming, or what?!"
The boys made way to the boxing club with haste. They ran into some civilians trying to pick fights, but they were more focused on fighting each other than two children.
"Any idea what kind of Employer could do this?" Chris asked? "Turn right here."
"I have an idea," Aden said between breaths. "I think it's the Trainer, a Sports-Work Employer. It's a boxing club, so it makes the most sense."
"Okay, how do you take the fun out of sports?" Chris wondered. "Aren't they fun by definition?"
"Not after you make it your job," Aden said. "Once you make something about money, it becomes work. And with the public eye on you, you're in under more pressure to perform well, or else you get benched or forced to retire. You put your body through hell just so you can take more punches, hit more home runs, kick more goals. It isn't fun when you have so much at stake.
"We're here." Aden stopped moving. The area around the boxing club was riddled with people fighting for no good reason. Shedding blood and breaking bones without any idea why. "Let's go inside."
As they made their way through the jungle of combatants, the boys noticed that the people around them seemed to become more and more sluggish as they neared the boxing club. "They're becoming Employees," Aden scowled. "It won't be pretty once they're fully turned."
"What happens?" Chris asked, trying to keep up with his friend.
"They lose distinctions. They all become the same.," Aden said. "Not men, not women. Not black, white, Asian, Hispanic, whatever. They all become pale, featureless husks without souls. Easily controllable by the nearest Employer. Speaking of."
This Employer looked nothing like the Professor. Whereas the Professor was equipped with rulers and chalk bullets, this one was more streamlined. Its face was an eye and just that. It was wearing boxing shorts and gloves, and had a stopwatch hanging from its neck. It was thinner than the Professor, too.
"Well, well, well," a grotesque voice coming from nowhere said. "If it isn't a cripple and a bat! Sorry, boys, but the club's only for people who can… you know? Fight! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"These people aren't fighters, Employer!" Aden barked. "These are civilians! Stop turning them into Employees!"
"And what if I don't want to?!" The cyclops pointed a gloved fist at the boy standing before him. "Who's gonna stop me?"
"Who else?" Aden raised a Console in one hand and a Cartridge in another, crossing his arms in front of him. "Why don't we play my game, Employer?" Aden placed the Console over the Core of Gamer and clicked it in place.
Retro, SET!
He then slammed the cartridge into its slot.
Gamer, SET! Press Start!
An aura emanated around Aden's body, blinding Chris. Aden slammed a fist into the Core and the aura was pulled into the Core for just a moment.
Retro! Gamer! The annoying voice of the Core shouted. As Aden was enveloped in a bright white light, Chris looked away once again. When the lights faded, his friend had been transformed into the warrior from before. Gamer.
"Fight me, Employer!" Gamer charged at the Employer, fists at the ready. The Employer simply jumped out of the way and into a boxing ring.
"Ah, ah, ah!" The Employer waved his gloved hand back and forth tauntingly. "I only fight in the ring!"
"Fine by me!" Gamer jumped into the boxing ring and stood in the corner. "Let's do this!"
Chris, however, had a bad feeling about the situation. "Aden, don't rush into it!" he shouted.
"I know what I'm doing, Chris!" The bell rang and the two fighters went at it. Gamer started off incredibly strong, blocking and making hits easily. But then...
He gets into a rage when Employers are involved, he's careless. Chris remembered Jacob's words as Gamer's guard was broken by the Trainer. Its eye grinned and the creature began pounding on the defenseless hero.
"Aden, no!" Chris yelled. He can see the Employer, but that doesn't mean he's fast enough to dodge those attacks. There's nothing I can do in this situation. Nothing!
It's a two-part system. Be his eyes. Control him. He'll be your Avatar.
The Code Controller. If Chris could get his hands on it, he could take control and turn this around. "Aden! Give me the Controller!"
Gamer kicked the beast away and summoned the Sword. He threw the controller at his friend and focused again on the monster in the ring. Just as he went in for a slash, the sword flew from his hands.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Trainer shook his hand again. "No weapons in the boxing ring!" Gamer sighed and went back in with his fists.
Chris caught the Code Controller, found the Adapter and threw it. "Yes!" he exclaimed once the controller was connected. "Alright, let's beat this guy!" He began inputting commands but…
Nothing! None of the buttons were doing anything! "Aden, the Controller won't work!"
I should probably mention. The Code Controller doesn't work with the Gamer Cartridge.
"This is a hell of a time to tell me!" Chris sighed. "Then change Cartridges!"
Hack and Slash is out. Trainer can force the Code Saber out of my hand.
"Then use Fighting!"
It doesn't work yet, remember?
"We're out of options, Aden!" Chris pleaded. "It'll work, I know it!"
Fine. Gamer ejected his cartridge from the Driver. He raised the Fighting Cartridge and slammed it into the slot.
FIGHTING, SET! PRESS START! Gamer pressed the button and a bright light enveloped him. When it faded, Gamer was….
The same?
ERROR!
"What just happened?" Chris said.
"I don't know!" Aden's voice came from within the warrior, hitting the button repeatedly. "It just keeps screaming ERROR at me!"
"I got you!" The Trainer saw an opportunity and hit Gamer square in the face, sending him flying into the ropes. It stuck its arm out as Gamer ricocheted back towards him and clotheslined the stunned warrior. "Guess you can't stay in the ring with me for very long! Better luck next time, kiddies! AHAHAHAH!"
The monster ran away and left Chris in awe and Aden on the floor, forced out of his armor by the damage.
"Well… What do we do now?" Chris moved to the ring, by his defeated friend's side. "He wiped the floor with us."
"With me." Aden corrected. "He wiped the floor with me. I couldn't do anything about it."
"We'll figure this out together, Aden. You know we will."
The boy in the wheelchair said nothing more as his friend lay on the mat, screaming in anger.