January 3, 2008 – Evening
"Oh, that's beautiful!" the Doctor cried as the dragon flew straight towards us.
"Doctor, get down!" I shouted, diving to the floor and pulling him down with me. Around us were the screams and cries of the frightened shoppers. The dragon came closer and looking up I could see with painful clarity the jagged teeth, bloodshot eyes and cinnamon colored tongue.
"Where did it come from?" I yelled over the noise.
"I don't know but I'm looking forward to finding out!" said the Doctor, rising as the dragon passed over us. He started to sprint after the flying lizard, leaping over the crouched shoppers in his haste to follow the dragon. I was about to start after him when something caught my attention, trailing in the dragon's wake.
"Doctor," I shouted again, standing up. "I think you'd better have a look at this."
"Bit busy," he called back and jumped up to grab the dragon around the middle, presumable to pull it out of its flight. With a look of shock, the Doctor felt straight to the floor, his arms clasped around empty air. The dragon flew onward with another glorious burst of flame from its jaws.
"Right, when you're done slaying the dragon, you might want to take a look at this," I said, coming to stand next to him. The other shoppers had begun to rise from their crouched defensive positions and were beginning to point up at the golden trail of words that were floating along merrily behind the dragon.
Welcome shoppers! It said. We invite you to visit the brand new all-ages arcade to play Galactic Combat Quest, the fully immersive virtual reality combat game that's taking the universe by storm. Ranked universally as the most challenging game that has ever, or will ever, exist!
"You know, I think I prefer when advertisements aren't quite so… attention grabbing," I said ruefully.
"It's hard to get people's attention around here," a stranger said, coming up to the Doctor and me. "Did you like the display?"
"Well when I realized it wasn't going to roast me," I said. The stranger was beaming around at the crowd of stunned mall visitors, taking in their reactions. He seemed human enough, but was very short, almost two feet shorter than I am, and had purple eyes, a rather twitchy nose and enormous ears. He was wearing a green waist coat and white pants and gloves. "And you are?" I asked.
"I," he said with a small bow. "Am Wally White and the Galactic Combat Quest representative here at the mall. I organize displays like this one, tournaments in the arcade, answer questions about the game… and we do birthday parties," he finished proudly.
"Aah, that was brilliant," said the Doctor, still staring after the dragon. "A virtual creature that has me fooled… that's just genius. Galactic Combat Quest? Never heard of it."
"Well that's cause it's new, then, innit?" said Wally. "Just released to major arcades throughout the universe two weeks ago. But trust me, this is going to be around for a while. Every review has said it's the only truly challenging game, that no one can beat it. Hours of enjoyment."
"I'm not sure I'd find that enjoyable," I said, imagining playing a game I couldn't beat.
"Oh well there are multiplayer modes and mini quest modes but only a genius could beat the full quest."
I took a deep breath before looking at the Doctor, quite sure of what I was going to see. He was grinning in that way I found unsettling. The way that usually meant something I had no hope of comprehending was going to happen next.
"Noelle, this sounds like my kind of game. Besides, I've never been so impressed with a hologram in my life," said the Doctor.
"That's because it's not a hologram," Wally said. "It's actually generated by the same technology that's used in the game. There's nothing there, your brain just sees a dragon because we send a mild electrical pulse that stimulates those nerves. Of course we left out the touch, sound, smell, and all the other senses that are built into the game."
"I'm finding myself with a passing fancy to see this game of yours," said the Doctor. There was a long pause. "And it's not passing, it's stopped. Right, lead the way, I'm going to beat the Galactic Combat Quest."
Wally led us through the mall, handing out arcade tokens to various passersbys along the way.
"We really need to drum up publicity," he explained. "Of course everyone agrees it's the most challenging game in the universe, but if someone comes along and beats the thing, we need to know about it so we can improve the game."
"But why's it so important to have the hardest game in the universe?" I asked. "Do people really want that much of a challenge?" I paused then added, "where I come from, most people are way too lazy for anything that puts up that much of a puzzle."
"Well it's not just a game, right? Sure, it's good fun for all the players and great for people who like the challenge, but it's for the competition."
"What competition?" the Doctor asked quickly.
"Where've you been, Earth?" Wally laughed. "I thought everyone knew – the military leaders of the six major intergalactic alliances are offering a 200 billion credit reward to the company that provides them with software to train and monitor the progress of recruits, soldiers and officers. Just about every major company in the greater galaxy has allocated some resources towards building it. And Virtual Reality Inc. is about to take the prize with the Galactic Combat Quest. This release to customers is a chance to show players the future of combat quest games and test the product."
By this time, we were approaching what could only be the mall's arcade. The dark room was filled with flashing lights and clearly appealed to the more youthful males of any particular species. A light blue equine something-or-other covered in piercings was firing a sonic blaster happily at a screen of screaming blobs. Two scaly, winged things were swatting a golden pebble back and forth across a table in what looked suspiciously like air hockey. There were even two people jumping around on a platform with sixteen glowing arrows, mimicking the dance moves of the screen in front of them.
"No fair!" I heard one of them complain. "You've got more legs than me."
"So you're saying," said the Doctor. "That you made an arcade game to get a reward from the military? The real point of your game is to train people to kill?"
"And be smart about it!" enthused Wally. "It's not enough to be strong or skilled with weapons in this game, you have to be smart too."
"Alright, let's see this thing, then," said the Doctor, practically bouncing in excitement. "Noelle, I've just got a feeling, this is going to be good."
"Whatever you say," I agreed nervously as Wally led us over to the game.
Galactic Combat Quest was clearly the centerpiece of the arcade. A red velvet rope had been looped around the perimeter of the game keeping the onlookers back and a large crowd was already gathered around the current players. The players were seated in high-backed black chairs and grasped a golden knob at the end of the armrests in each hand. They both wore helmets that covered their entire heads and faces.
"I don't get it, why's everyone standing around. There's nothing to see, clearly it's only any fun for the person in the game," I said, a bit annoyed that I wouldn't have any idea of what I was getting myself into. At least, I told myself, this isn't for real, it's only a game.
One of the players was moving, he had lifted his hands from the golden knobs and was removing his helmet amid the cheers of the crowd.
"Ug, and we were doing so well!" he cried. "Well Bobby's still in there at least."
The kid, a lanky teenager who could have passed for human, clambered down from the chair next to his friend and instantly the crowd surrounded him, eager to learn something about the game.
"Well it was like… really, you know? I dunno, I just fought a bunch of stuff and kicked some major butt until the dragon wiped the floor with me and I was totally KOed," the boy was saying, enjoying the attention.
"But it's the hardest game ever, right?" asked a small girl.
"Oh yeah man, dude I would have been out ages ago without Bobby but man's a genius so he saved us a ton. Dude, it's crazy in there. It's like… real. I mean, it's like you're right there. Come on Bobby," he started, turning back towards the game then paused, confused.
"Dude, did anyone see Bobby leave?" The crowd, who had been focused on him, shook their heads. "Lame-o! Bro just took off. Must have been POed I was getting all the attention." The kid laughed then shrugged. "Gotta go find the kid now, dude, I'm never gonna find him in all of this."
"Doctor, I didn't see Bobby leave," I said under my breath.
"I know," he agreed. "One minute he was playing the game and the next he was gone. I knew this was going to be fun!"
"You and I have very, very different definitions of fun. Doctor, are you sure this is a good idea?" I said.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Our next players have arrived," said Wally, grabbing the Doctor and me by the arms and leading us towards the chairs. The tall black things looked more ominous by the minute, a sharp contrast to the Doctor who was looking more and more excited. We seated ourselves in the chairs and Wally handed us the helmets.
"I'm pretty sure something terrible is about to happen," I muttered to the Doctor, who had already slid on his helmet and grabbed the golden knobs.
"Terrible? Don't be silly," said Wally. "Besides," he added in a low voice next to my ear. "You pair don't look like you'll get far enough through the game to have any issues at all." He grinned toothily and lowered the helmet over my head.
Suddenly I was in an open field. The Doctor was a few steps ahead of me but looked… different.
"Doctor," I started, and he turned to face me. Unable to control myself, I burst out laughing at his appearance. What I had thought was his typical brown coat was actually a cape, fastened below his chin. His torso was covered in solid metal plating that gleamed slightly and along his arms and legs were fastened heavy shields. His ordinary-looking shoes had been replaced with giant combat boots in the same metal as his chest plate. In place of his glasses was a single piece of wrap-around eyewear. The helmet from the arcade was still in place but was refashioned to appear as part of the costume and no longer covered his entire head. He looked, completely and unabashedly, like a video game character. I clapped my hand over my mouth, shaking with laughter.
"Oh come off it," he said, annoyed. "You look a right picture yourself." This stopped my laughter immediately and I looked down in horror. I also looked like something out of a video game. But females in video games tend to have significantly less clothing than their male counterparts.
"Who the hell thinks anyone can fight in this?" I asked, indicating my metal, strapless leotard and thigh-high boots. My hair seemed longer also but was held back by my own helmet, which had become more of a circlet or tiara on my head. My only form of armor seemed to be some sort of metal bands on my wrists and upper arms. "This is absolutely ridiculous!"
Welcome! A voice suddenly spoke somewhere through the game. To Galactic Combat Quest. You are playing in full quest mode. To exit the game, simply remove your helmet and you will return to reality.
Your goal is to cross through one room to enter another. In each room, different opponents will try to block you from your goal. Your final score will be based on the number of rooms you enter and the time you take. You are in the first room. Good luck!
"Is that it?" I asked. "No more instruction than that?" I glanced around and noticed that there was a wooden door standing at the opposite end of the field.
"It sounds simple enough. Well, basically simple enough. Well, like the sort of thing that sounds simple enough but turns out not to be," said the Doctor, striding forward. I stomped after him, still trying to get used to the boots and the rest of the outfit.
"At least we know how to get out of here if we need to. Just remove the helmets," I said. I reached up to test the theory and the moment I touched the cold metal, I felt for just a moment that I was back in the noisy arcade.
Players are reminded, the voice spoke again. That removal of their helmet will immediately end the game.
"Fine," I spoke to the air, annoyed. I took an extra large stomp and crushed a giant mushroom under my foot.
"Come on, Noelle, let the game begin!"
I won't bore anyone with the details of the game. It was your typical fighting combat sort of game and I honestly didn't care for it too much. The Doctor was brilliant, of course, and I usually just stood aside as he moved us through. In some cases, there were puzzles to solve and I was particularly proud of myself for finding the hidden door in probably the seventh or eighth room we entered. As we progressed, the opponents became increasingly threatening and difficult to pass.
Finally, we reached the giant dragon that had been advertised.
"We must be getting near the end!" I panted, dodging a flame. The bit that had really started to concern me was the fact that I was feeling pain whenever our opponents landed a blow or, for instance, when a fire-breathing dragon's flame got too close. I hadn't thought that the virtual reality would include real pain.
Along the way we had found various weapons, mostly ordinary swords and guns, but we had also amassed a collection of strange radiating plants, glowing orbs, helms of protection and lord knows what else. My backpack, a lucky find behind a tree in room four, was just about full.
"Nearly done here!" said the Doctor, executing some sort of pirouette under the dragon and jamming the sword through a weak point between two scales. "Run for it Noelle, this should keep him down long enough to get really, really angry. And hopefully let us get by. But if not, then all it's good for is making him really, really angry." I was already moving towards the door. I threw it open and jumped into the next room, waiting just a moment for the Doctor to fling himself through behind me. I slammed the door shut and jumped back with a cry of pain as the door handle glowed red-hot, conducting the heat of a very angry dragon's flame.
We paused to catch our breath then looked around. The rooms we had entered so far had been mostly outdoor scenes (although there was one rooftop fight that nearly ended in me having my own tussle with the concrete eighty floors below) of forests, caverns, oceans and cliff-tops. But now, everything was pitch black. If I hadn't seen the Doctor moving ahead of me, I wouldn't have believed I was walking forward at all. There was no floor or ceiling or walls, just blackness.
"Doctor, I was thinking," I said, taking advantage of the downtime to bring up something that had been bothering me about the game. "You said you'd never heard of it but Wally White said that it was probably going to be around for ages. If you've been to the future and there's no Galactic Combat Quest, does that mean it doesn't survive?"
"Well, just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it's not around. But there is something odd there, you're right. Maybe it's just not as challenging as everyone says it is and it doesn't last. Or doesn't win that award he was going on about."
I snorted. Only the Doctor would think what we had just gone through wasn't hard. I hadn't even been fighting and I was drenched in sweat, aching from head to toe and bleeding from a cut on my arm. If it hadn't been for the Doctor, I probably would have given up by the fifth room in.
"I've got to admit, I'm a little disappointed," said the Doctor as we moved through the blackness.
"Why, not enough of a challenge for you?" I said, exasperated.
"No no no, not that. That demon-y thing with the eight arms nearly had us good and beaten there, didn't it? No, there just was no witty banter. Terrible to have a game without witty banter. Makes the whole process sort of monotonous, don't you think?"
Banter had been the last think I had been thinking about but I nodded amiably.
"So where is this next monster then anyway?" I asked. As if on cue, a figure rose out of the shadows. It was the first humanoid creature we had seen but it was completely encased in a metal body suit and wielding two giant swords; one appeared to be made of fire while the other seemed to be made of ice.
"Bugger," said the Doctor.
"What, it's just a guy in a suit like you. Shouldn't be so bad," I said as the figure approached.
"It's not some dumb monster, I'm willing to bet this has most of the game's intelligence as well. Stand back Noelle and if I get knocked out just take off your helmet and we'll regroup in the arcade."
The fight that ensued would have put any action movie to shame. The Doctor and his opponent moved so quickly that their weapons were a blur. For nearly ten minutes the two battled back and forth while I watched, worried that if I took my eyes off them, even for a minute, something terrible would happen.
"Oy, I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but we're all curious about the end game, right?" said the Doctor, ducking as a pair of swords swung over his head.
"What are you talking about?" I called the added, "look out!"
"I suppose it's technically cheating but hey, now they can say they've had a Time Lord in their user test group." He took a step back, a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
"Doctor!!" I screamed as the icy blade came towards him. I was unable to look away but suddenly, miraculously, he was behind his opponent, both the fire and ice swords in his hands. He tossed them aside and lifted off the helmet of the fighter who instantly sunk to the ground.
"No!" he shouted, the first words I had heard from any of the characters in the game. "No! I tried to beat you, I could have done it, what did you do? What did you do?"
"Hey," I said running over to the fallen fighter who looked about my age now that his helmet was off. "It's okay, it's just a game, you're just a character, why does it matter? Or is this part of the test?"
"Funny sort of test," the boy said looking horrified. "Find the door then. Go onto the next room. Just don't say I didn't try to help you. I ain't seen anyone fight like that."
I looked around but the boy was right, there was no door in sight, only darkness. I turned to the Doctor for an answer but the Doctor didn't seem to be paying attention to us.
"Doctor, how are we going to move on now?" I asked.
"I think we might have run into something slightly more problematic," he said, his voice steady. I stared at him, wondering if he had been hurt. He looked fine, he was staring at something in his hands. He turned to face me and suddenly I realized what it was he was holding; his helmet.
"Doctor," I said slowly. "I thought that removing your helmet took you out of the game. Brought you back to reality." In a panic, I lifted the circlet off of my own head. Nothing happened. I put it back on then lifted it off again. Still nothing.
"I told you," said the boy miserably. "I tried to stop you, I did."
I looked at him closely. Although I had hadn't seen his face before, I had a sinking feeling that I knew who this final opponent had been.
"Bobby?" I asked, looking him in the eyes. "Is that you?"
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AN: I can't begin to thank my thoughtful reviews enough. That is the only reason I've kept up with the story this long (although I do have it planned through to the conclusion!). I'm so excited that people are actually enjoying this! This chapter was a rough one to write but I wanted to get it up so I can move on with the story. Hope you're sticking with me this far!