Chapter 82 - Meeting a Creator
After several minutes, both cars made it to the Ainsley's house. Samantha parked in the driveway while Tiffany parked her car along the curb in front of the house. Getting out and converging to the front door, everyone had a mixture of expressions. Going in, everyone slowly spread out in the living room. Renee's mom quietly observed what was inside the house.
"..." all spoke as an awkward silence passed between them. Alex cleared his throat a little.
"...well...make yourselves comfortable," he stated. Turning toward the kitchen, he carried the leftover boxes.
"Mind if I put ours in your fridge for now?" Tiffany asked following him.
"..." Mrs. Ainsley commented. Narrowing her eyes, she headed toward the same area.
"..." the others said watching the adults go into the kitchen. Hearing them starting to converse with each other, they assumed they would stay there for the time being.
"Hey brother," Gene asked walking toward him. "When that guy comes, can I watch?"
"..." Jin replied with a blink then looked down at him. "Sure."
"Cool," the boy responded with a smile. Turning around, he headed toward the stairs.
"He seems excited to actually see someone who made the game," Renee piped in watching his brother go up to the second floor.
"It is something new and different for him," the sophomore mentioned. Turning toward the couch, he walked to it. Sitting down in the middle, he leaned back.
"Your sibling is the only one that retains innocence of what reality is actually occurring," Sebith added walking toward him. Sitting to his right, she seemed to relax a little.
"...that's true..." he agreed then closed his eyes. Hearing footsteps go around to his left side, someone sit down. Opening his eyes and glancing, the junior sat down next to him.
"I thought we explained to him what is possibly going on," she wondered out loud.
"...maybe...I think he sees it as a new quest or challenge in E.D.E." Jin mentioned crossing his arms over his chest. "...in any case...if Adam explains everything...then Gene, mom, dad, and your mom are probably going to flip...or not believe it at all."
"...yeah...I can see that happening," Renee agreed.
"Witnessing mortals reactions to the truth of reality is amusing," Ami stated with a small smirk. "They either fold over in fear and dread or deny it all."
"Someone was that way too when possessing another person's body," the junior piped in with a small smug.
"..." Selbith reacted with a frown and glared a little at her.
"So about that actual stalker," he began. Trying to change the subject, he turned his head a little toward her.
"Does he conjure up anything for you? Like memories or emotions?"
"..." Ami stated and tried to think hard about it. "...memories...no...emotions...I don't know..."
"That guy was straight up creepy," Renee added in with emphasis. "Especially when I walked up the driveway. Turning to take a quick look back, he was staring straight at me...freaking wanted to swing a club or something at him."
"Explain about the emotions," he asked.
"...it is difficult to explain...I did not particularly like him staring at me," Selbith said then stared in front of her. "However with him following...it seemed to heightened the dislike more."
"That sounds like a normal mortal reaction," the junior commented. "Could it be that you were actually scared?"
"..." Ami reacted with a frown.
"...are you trying to see if it is your own emotions or the person you took over?" Jin asked.
"Yes."
"Curious," Renee asked. "When you were a reaper, was there anything you feared?"
"A majority of things, no. Reapers do not have fear of anything in the mortal realm. Anything in Purgatory we are immune to. Heaven was a territory of certain perish if traveling there," Ami explained. "However...certain figures in Hell did cause forms of caution."
"Han-Ko and Lamashtu?" Jin added.
"They were the right and left hand of Satan...all demons did not want to cross them."
"But Satan was the top one right?" the other female teen asked.
"To a degree, he is and isn't...the one that banished him from the realm above the clouds was deemed the most hated and feared."
"You fear God?"
"If he over threw the Lord of the Underworld as well as his followers, then he would be more powerful than Satan could ever be," Selbith stated with bitterness in her face. "...it is a distasteful script that damned mortal souls repetitively spoke when they were tortured."
"...?" both Jin and Renee said looking at each other. Blinking, they looked back at Ami.
"Is that what you have always believed or learned over time?" the junior asked intrigued.
"I've only recently questioned Satan's gloating and preaching that he was his own almighty and a god...someone proved that he wasn't."
"Really? Who?" she asked.
"Jin."
"...!?" both Jin and Renee reacted with veering back a little.
"...me...?" he questioned and saw the rail thin teen nod. Her face looked kind of serious.
"...but...all I did was...well, you and Han-Ko helped...that was just..."
"You defeated the Hell King...and you are a half-breed..."
"..." the male teen grunted and softly face palmed himself.
"I only wish I could have seen that battle," Renee commented. She saw him look out of the corner of his eyes with no amusement on it.
"When you stated that you knew how to defeat me and others then threatened me...it made me wonder if you could defeat creators of the realm."
'...this is stupid...' Jin thought rubbing his face. About to interrupt, there was movement heard from the kitchen. Glancing over, they saw the adults moving to where the window was. Getting a feeling of who it might be, he sat up a little.
"What's going on?" the junior whispered leaning toward him. Selbith did the same.
"Possibly that Adam guy for all I know."
"Jin," his mother called out from the kitchen. "A sedan just pulled up to the curb...there is only one person in it."
"Okay," he called out then stood up.
Heading toward the front door, someone was moving on the second floor. Glancing behind him, Gene was quickly going down the stairs with a look of excitement on his face. Turning back to the entrance, he waited. The sound of footsteps from the kitchen came. Looking there, Tiffany poked her head out. The sound of gravel and someone going up the steps to the porch came.
"..." the sophomore spoke hearing the doorbell ring. Stepping in front of the door and grabbing the handle, he unlocked the door. Opening it, there was a man with a laptop carrying bag.
"Hello...you must be Jin Ainsley. Yes?" the man asked.
"Yes...are you Mr. McStronge that called over the phone?" the male teen asked.
"That I am. We finally meet in person," he stated and stuck out his hand.
"..." Jin responded with just blinking at him. Not shaking his hand, he did back up and raise his hand.
"Won't you come in?"
"...sure..." Adam answered.
Retracting his hand, he walked into the household. Hearing the door close quietly behind him, he immediately noticed three individuals in the living room. Two were female teens in which he only recognized one. He remembered that the one with the off the shoulder blouse was the holy thief. The other aspect was that she had a unique bugged partnership with the gunslinger.
Seeing a younger boy sitting on a recliner, he assumed it was Jin's brother. Adjusting the bag sling over his shoulder, he heard movement to his left. Glancing over, there were three adults standing in the kitchen area. One of the female's stepped out and approached him. Her expression was not pleased or unpleased.
"Hello...are you the one that called my son earlier?" Samantha asked.
"Yes. I am Adam McStronge. I work as a lead programmer and developer of Gamco. Inc. products such as video games, website development, and other tech entertainment products," he introduced himself. Reaching into a breast pocket, he produced a business card.
"..." Mrs. Ainsley commented. Taking the small hard paper and examining it, it looked to be the same graphic design as what the head admin person gave. Keeping a face of indifference, she looked back at the man.
"May I ask what your purpose here is?"
"...well...it is to ask Jin here to be a beta-tester for a prototype game that my company is developing."
"..." she responded with looking at her son. He did not give a reaction. None of the children seemed to react either.
"...I see...will this be requiring him to wear that VR helmet?"
"Yes...will that be a problem?"
"Yes."
"...um...may I ask why?" Adam asked cautiously. Though the parental reaction was common, the way that everyone was reacting was making him nervous. Knowing that convincing Jin would be a challenge, the others in the room seemed to throw him off a bit.
"Given that he got stuck wearing that thing and was kidnapped at the same time...I don't want to go through that experience again," she stated crossing her arms over her chest.
"...that is understandable..." he agreed nodding his head. "I can guarantee that with him being a beta-tester, he would be in a local Gamco facility with staff on hand."
"Are you Mr. Bennett's clean up person?"
"...what do you mean by that?"
"Given how he acted when he came to my household and spoke to me and my son, I have no reason to trust or believe you," Samantha explained in an even tone of voice.
"..." the lead programmer responded with being quiet for a couple of moments. "I can only apologize for my co-worker...I can't defend his actions or behaviors and ask for forgiveness."
"Since he was the first impression of your company and that he was head of adminstration...is a bit troubling to say the least."
"You are right. That is unacceptable of what he did. Again, I can only apologize," Adam repeated.
"..." Mrs. Ainsley continued to hold the same expression. Looking at her son, he had a blank look on his face.
"Jin?"
"Yes mom?"
"What do you want to do?"
"...I did agree to listen to what Mr. McStronge has to say over the phone...so that is why he is here."
"...okay..." his mother responded with a small frown. "In condition to this, I want to hear the whole truth of why."
"..." Adam reacted with pressing his lips together. Sighing, he nodded his head.
"Very well. I have nothing to hide."
"Please have a seat," Jin spoke and pointed to a free chair at the end of the coffee table.
Nodding his head, the programmer went to it and sat down. The sophomore moved back to being between the two female teens. As the man was getting his stuff out, the other adults came out of the kitchen. All three of them stood behind the couch of where the teens sat. The only person that looked intrigued and excited was the younger boy.
While Adam was getting out his laptop, he tried to figure how to angle what he was going to show. Ideally he wanted to show only the male teen; however, he walked in live mine field. As much as he tried to, there was no escape from telling what was going on. The other part that bothered him was the rather thin female teen sitting next to the boy. She stared at him with such a piercing gaze though her face was neutral.
"Okay. So let me explain the aspect of the beta-tester role and what it entails," he began.
"Mr. Adam?" Jin spoke.
"Yes?"
"Please explain the reason for your visit as you did over the phone. The beta-tester is a gloss over of what the real issue is."
"..." the man said opening and closing his mouth. The adults seemed intrigued while the teens and child did not react the same way. Sighing out loud and scratching the back of his head, he decided to stop trying to make a front.
"That's true...it is a gloss over...but under technicality, the beta-tester is actually true," he began. With his laptop open, he spent a couple of moments accessing things. Seeing him finish, he looked up.
"Could you turn on the TV?"
"...to which channel?" the sophomore spoke first.
"...looks like the national news is airing what is going on now..." the man stated looking down at his computer. It drew the others attention as the male teen grabbed the remote. Turning the monitor on, he selected one of the main national news channels. Two news anchors came on and had already began speaking.
[...the strange phenomena striking over the nation, video gamers are seemingly strapped in to their VR headsets. Common reports and calls state that both children and adults are unable to log out and remove them]
[That is right Owen. More specifically targeted to those using VR gear from Gamco Inc., gamers young and old can't seem to put their helmets down. Reporters having spoke to a few families affected by the strange phenomena and received mixed responses. Some say that their family member is a video game enthusiast and that the behavior is normal. Others say that they have tried to remove the head gear, but are unable to take off the straps and harnesses]
[Reaching out to Gamco Inc for comments, their PR department has given out a statement and message to all gamers affected. In their release of their recent expansion for one of their best selling and popular games E.D.E., their R+D department encountered too many bugs after 24 hours. In result, this has affected some of the administration access that players normally have. The company has emphasized that they are working around the clock to resolve this. Once done so, all issues will be resolved]
[Consumer response to the company's statement has been mixed though a majority has been unfavorable. Many doctors and psychologists raise concerns over the application that the VR head sets the business sells. Instead of viewing the content and interacting while conscious, they differentiate by putting a user in a subconscious state. Proclaimed to be harmless, many of the medical community beg to differ. There have been a handful of cases where if the VR helmet is forcibly removed while in use, the user is locked in a subconscious state. A handful of those incidents resulted in coma inducing occurrences]
[Has there been a public outcry from those incidents that resulted in hospitalizations over the use of them Rachel?]
[Only those in the anti-video game advocates and vocal medical professions have emphasized of criminal charges be made to the gaming company]
"That's enough," Adam stated.
"..." Jin replied turning the TV off.
"I'm not going to sugar coat this or anything. The "bugs" are actually viruses. Though my team is working on resolving the issues to fix them, it will take time," he stated leaning forward. He put his elbows on his knees and put his hands together. "What we found is that they seem to disable administration capabilities to all players in the E.D.E. game...specifically the ability to log out."
"...you mean...all those kids and adults are trapped?" Tiffany asked looking at him questionably.
"Until we resolve the viruses...yes...unfortunately," he said with seriousness.
"Can't you and your team fix the issue with having head administration access?" Alex asked astonished at the crisis at hand.
"Normally yes...the viruses have affected our admin codes to resolve this...so my team is trying to find a way around it or come up with an alternative programming."
"..." Jin spoke with just frowning a little at the man.
"Why do you need Jin as a beta-tester?" Renee commented. "Wouldn't he become trapped if he went into that game world where the viruses are?"
"If he just put on a VR helmet, then yes. However if he were to be at one of our facilities where he is hooked up to one of the multi-processed computers, we can ensure that he won't."
"And what exactly is he going to do? Fight computer viruses in a game?" Samantha said with a look of sternness.
"In a rough sense, yes. What he will actually be doing is going through certain areas of the program to either fix or manipulate the coding. That will help us track and fix the areas that are affected by the viruses."
"What if I told you that I don't believe and I won't allow you to use my son?" she added. Adam did not react and kept the same level of seriousness.
"Then the fate of thousands nationwide and in the world will be trapped and possibly psychologically damaged if this prolongs."
"This is your mess," Tiffany pipped in and crossed her arms over her chest. "You fix it and suffer the consequences of putting innocent lives in jeopardy and danger."
"I am well aware of that miss...I am just asking for Jin's help so that we can resolve this quicker and save as many lives as possible."
"What proof do you have that will convince us?" Alex asked looking unconvinced.
"I'm glad you asked," he stated and looked at the sophomore. "Jin, where is the helmet that you last used?"
"..." the male teen blinked in response. About to open his mouth, he saw Ami narrow her eyes a couple of seconds. Wondering if she was trying to say something, he thought about the answer.
"...which one are you talking about?"
"Not the one that is at the local Gamco building."
"It is in the guest room," he stated and pointed at the room next to the study room. Everyone saw Adam stand up.
"May I go retrieve it?"
"Sure," Jin answered before anyone would interject. Everyone watched the lead programmer go to the room and open the door. Seeing him step inside, someone moved their head next to Jin's
"...Jin...I told you not to use one," Samantha stated with disappointment and irritation.
"Jin did not use it," Selbith whispered causing his mother to blink and look at her. "I did."
"...then why did you say..." she began when her son put a hand on her mouth. Waiting for him to say something, he didn't. Feeling him let go, everyone heard the person in the guest room come out. As he walked back to his seat, Mrs. Ainsley stood up straight and tried to look inconspicuous doing so.
"I am assuming you used this one last time," Adam asked.
"Looks like it," the male teen responded.
"Given that it is off, was it producing oddities without wearing it?"
"...not that I remember...why?" he stated not changing his expression.
"I'm going to turn this on and show you," he stated and hit the power button.
Seeing the power light indicators come one, the cooling fans turned on. Seeing it whirl on, illumination occurred inside the helmet. Placing the head gear on the coffee table, the Gamco employee waited. After a minute or so, the glow from inside started to shift around. As if expecting something, Adam's face faulted from hearing the voice that came through.
[DARLING!#$^WHEREHAVEYOU...Adam?] an aggravated but lush female voice came from the speakers. The sudden change of tone made everyone blink and veer back to varying degrees. Only Jin and Selbith did not react with surprise.
[Darlings! You don't write...you don't call...and you hide from me#$%^#$WHATISTHEMEANINGOFTHIS!?] it stated sweetly then jumped to sounding savage.
"...what the hell...?" Tiffany muttered taking a step back and closer to Alex.
"..." Renee reacted with glancing at the two sitting to her right. Both remained in place with neutral expressions on their face. Looking at the parents, they were baffled and taken aback. Surprisingly, the programmer looked nervous.
[#$#W$#H$#Y$A#$R#$E#$N#$T#$#O$#U$#$SPEAKING!?] the individual murderously screamed at them with static going in and out a lot. It was loud enough that the interior speakers rumbled in place.
'...no...the signal was Selbith's...not Eve's...she is supposed to be where Jin last logged in,' Adam thought feeling his mind turning quickly. Confused at what was going on, someone spoke out loud.
"W-What's going on?" Alex said out loud confused.
[Who goes there?...aaaaahhhhhh...the parent of darling...hheeelllloooo sweetie]
"W-W-Who are you?" he asked getting a little disturbed.
[Who am I? Why I am #$% #$DARLING! WHATAREYOUDOING!?]
"..." Adam answered with pressing three different buttons. The head gear's illumination went dark after a couple of seconds. Sighing a little in relief, the cooling fans slowed down. After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, the glow from the helmet came back on. However instead of the pale blue, it turned crimson red.
[I DON'T APPRECIATE THAT DARLING! WHY ARE YOU AVOIDING ME!?]
"...no..." he said.
Grabbing the helmet and standing up, he headed toward the guest room. Seeing the look of concern and anxiousness on his face, the others stared with slight apprehension at the screaming helmet. Opening the door and chucking it on the bed, the man closed the door quickly. Even though the VR head set was in the other room, everyone could hear the female yelling still with much white noise. Seeing Adam's back turned, Renee leaned quickly to Jin.
"...what the hell was that?!" she whispered nervously and grabbed his arm.
"Quiet and wait a minute," he whispered back and glanced at her quickly.
"..." the junior said with a small nod.
"This is worst than I thought," the programmer said out loud. Turning around and heading back to his seat, he looked very concerned.
"Um...what the hell...was that?" Tiffany asked again.
"...that...was one of the viruses...seeing that it has personified itself means that they are evolving too quickly," he stated then looked up at Jin. Not thinking about the male teen's lack of expression, there seemed to be similar expression on the rail thin girl next to him.
"Jin...I'm going to ask you a serious question...please tell me the truth...where is Selbith?"
"Selbith?" the sophomore repeated and raised an eyebrow. "The female reaper in the game?"
"Yes. Where did you last see it?"
"...last place was on Aero-Islands I think."
"Did you see Selbith anytime afterwards?"
"..." the male teen blinked. "...no...she vanished after the Surreality expansion was released."
'...no...he has to be lying...' the man thought feeling anxiety building.
"Did anyone else speak through the helmet that you used last?"
"Hearing what came out of the helmet never happened before."
"You are lying...you have to be," Adam stated accusingly.
"In what way am I lying sir? My account and profile was deleted by you...and yet, you trace me back to my hope breaching privacy policies. And for what? In hopes to find an imaginary NPC/CPU character that only exists in a game?" Jin questioned then leaned forward.
"Selbith is one of the viruses."
"...how can she be a virus Mr. Adam when you just said the recent expansion was shut down by viruses?" he countered.
"Don't play dumb. You already know about the seven and what they are," Adam argued back impatiently.
"..." Jin commented then sat up straight. "So you are now saying that these viruses were in the game all along from the beginning?...so who is lying now?"
"Listen. You don't understand the gravity of this. None of you do," he began when he stopped. Two of the adults approached him with unpleased looks on their faces. They were Jin's parents with the mother speaking first.
"Get out...right...now."