Book Dragon: "Something that just wrote itself. Or seemed to, I'd like some feed back to see if this is horrible or maybe even good. Please feel free."

The Heart or the Feather?

Chapter 1: Game Start

The gloves were uncomfortable, and a bluish tint due to the visor. I held in a groan. Shitty materials used to make some of the gear usually meant the game was hurriedly put together. Didn't have time to make decent controls. Usually that meant glitches and tons of bugs in the system. I hated glitches and bugs. Ruined the whole gaming experience. And with this new system it would be even more of a let down.

"You guys sure you want to test this out now?" I asked casually over my shoulder. Better to give them a second chance and some lee way to at least fix it some more. If it wasn't fixed within three weeks, I was out of there. Cash or no cash.

"Yes, Ms. Drayce," answered one of the men in the lab coats, a short dude who was balding and had soft blue eyes inside a wrinkling face. Kind of guy you feel tells the truth a lot.

"The board set this day for the testing period. They seemed quite sure of themselves."

If they want to screw themselves, that's fine with me.

I shrugged, starting to slip on the socks now, being careful more to entangle the white wires. Did that and I was bound to rip some of them out and that would mean two more hours of sitting around doing nothing again. I already read all of the magazines in the waiting room and was quite board by now. When they gave me a twenty minutes heads up I started stretching as not to get cramps during this. I was bound to be at it for hours.

I was straightening the gloves again, trying to get them comfortable when Mr. Hanmer's voice came on over the speaker system, loud and fuzzy from the normal smooth talking man that I was pretty sure was a bastard to his dates.

"Ms. Drice."

"That's Drayce." I snarled softly into the speaker.

"Sorry, Ms. Drayce, I was going to ask if they speaker system works, but it seems you already answered my question." Yes, I did so please don't talk again.

"We've picking up the sensors in your feet and hands. The helmet will detect any strange or unusual brain functions, which is why it is heavier than the prototype we had showed you before." Does he ever shut up? Sometimes I wonder if he likes to hear his own voice.

"It should not disturb game-play, but if it does in anyway please tell us before the game starts, as you will be in a type of dream state where your body will be paralyzed, and we would not want our best tester to be-"

"Yes! Yes, we have been over this a hundred times Mr. Hanmer. I'm aware of the risks. You explained them quite thoroughly yesterday, for forty minutes, actually. Besides, I've had a stiff neck before. I don't act like a baby when I'm in a little pain." It shut him up for a while, long enough to check if the helmet was adjusted correctly twice, before finally laying down in the chair.

I glanced over at the open window, feeling eerily like a patient with a highly contagious disease. The ten adult men and five male teenagers on the project where crowded in a small control room, five different microphones to talk to her, and were wearing a number of different styles. They were all stuck behind a large thick glass wall in which to view her. The adults mostly wore suits, except for the three who had been making the game, because they were here on the most official of business. Three of men who did not wear suits had white coats on, instead. They were the doctors.

I turned away.

My vision was replaced by the strange wires and screens and monitors hanging around above me, framing what once was white ceiling plates but now tinted an ocean blue due to the screen. There was silence as I took a breath to calm myself. A breath in which I remembered when they first called to meet with her…

(…)

"What kind of game is this? A shooter, puzzler, RPG?"

"A dueling one, other aspects in other games have also been added."

"Card game? Ah, when you've played one, you've played them all... To tell the truth, I bored of them, so if this is what you want me to test…"

"This one's different."

I stopped playing with her finger nails and looked up at the man behind the desk with interested eyes. He was young. Maybe 18 years old? Not quiet a man, but old enough for me. I brushed a lock of hair behind my ear and leaned forward warily, not trying to let loose my excitement.

"…What kind of game?"

"A more advanced virtual game."

"How advanced?"

"You can smell, taste, and feel as well as see and hear." I stared, but was careful to hold my mouth shut as not to start drooling.

"We figured, being a gamer of your caliber, you would be the best candidate to try this newer…extreme…to gaming, are you interested?" Hell yes.

"What's the pay rate?"

"Fifty dollars for every hour that you're in." Fifty bucks! AN HOUR! That could buy a lot of controllers. As well as video games. Although I know most of it will end up in my bank account for college money, my parents will see to that. At least half of it. Although, if it takes me sixteen hours…

"But there are side effects." My heart lowered in my chest.

"What kind?"

"…"

(…)

"Alright boys, lets get this show on the road."

I said loudly, pressing the button of the side of helmet with one gloved finger. At first there was nothing. I was tempted to ask what the hell was wrong when the speakers in each side of the helmet started to warm up in the strangest wail of noise. The screen about three inches from my eyes sprang to life in a world of color that made me recoil.

"Sudden appearance of color is hard on the eyes, guys." I said evenly. I heard murmuring through the helmet and the scraping of pens on paper. Was going to roll my eyes, when more images flooded the screen as it moved closer. It started to get close enough where I was pressing the back of my head into the chair.

"Just relax, the screens there to tell you want to do. Just relax…" I stopped pressing. The screen folded out from one to three to cover my straight on vision as well as my peripheral. The screen got to blue I couldn't see anything outside the helmet, just a huge wall of blue. Black words started popping up. I read them. There were so many and so long I could feel myself nodding off. Really off the wall sort of shit. I wonder if that was the purpose of it, though I know kids won't be so patient for that. My eyes drooped until they finally slid shut.

That's when I realized how different the game was.

Black was behind my eye lids, but when I opened them the picture had changed considerably. Felt the strange twisting dropping feeling you get when you fall without knowing it. A sickening lurch. The blue turned blackish but not dark. Stars where flying up around me, even when I turned my head. I could feel the wind combing through my hair and breathed startled like. They must have noticed.

"Ms. Drayce?" a voice asked worriedly in my ear, "are you alright?"

"T-this is incredible." I breathed with awe. My eyes were wide and looking down at where I was falling. I could see my hands, ungloved, and widely stretched to feel the wind. Could also hear it whistling in my ears.

As well as the pleased voices also buzzing in the background. More scribbling of notes. Felt close to giggling. I had to get me one of these when they came out. I felt like I was turning and twisting, as if snaking down a tunnel, but there were no walls, just open air. I couldn't stop looking down, seeing the lights growing more rapidly and frequent. The end had to be near. Somehow I twisted from dropping with my feet down to a skydiver pose. Bend my back and didn't feel the chair underneath me. My arms out wide and my legs crooked.

It was ecstasy.

The light at the end of the tunnel came swift. I only saw the opening for several minutes as it rusted up a big white void before it consumed me and spat me out into recognizable settings.

A city stretched wide out below, beneath streaks of sun light and clouds, a beautifully constructed of cement and glass. More pretty than any city I had ever seen. They had done a good job with the graphics. I must have been going pretty fast because the tops of the buildings were coming quicker than the hole did. I was worried that I'd go splat onto the buildings when against my will I was changed back to the feet down pose.

I watched the sun staying in league with me as I plummeted, my clothes still whipping around. One of the roofs was coming up too close for comfort.

"Guys?" I asked in a little uneasy way.

"The program will slow down, Ms. Drayce, please give it a moment…"

It did.

I slowed considerably, feeling an upward force on my feet and legs, opposite of gravity. I glided down gracefully onto the roof; my feet lightly touch the ground as my hair had one final up draft before fluttering down around my ears. I stood there for a moment, breathing the clear air and feeling the heat of the sun on my back.

"Did you enjoy the ride?" One of the teenagers. Sounded smug. Didn't care. It was amazing.

"Yes." I said curtly, combing my hair back. It even felt like my hair. That was a little strange, that they knew what my hair felt like to me. As I noticed this the kid in the background laughed. I could hear things moving and shuffling. More pen scratching.

Notes I take it.

Looking around my surroundings, I noted there was no why down besides the door to my left. I took and followed the shadowed stair beneath. I was careful to feel the walls on the way down as not to loose my footing. The walls were smooth and cool. I could hear noise, not the noise of the videogame makers, but stuff altered into the game.

I had to feel for the door at the end, and turned the knob rather tentatively. It turned easily and coolly in my grip, and again I was thrown into more lights. Except these came from the ceiling. Regular office lights. That blinding white. I squinted up at them before looking back to the long stretching halls. Cream colored walls. Blue floor. There were doors on either side. I passed all of them. Then I found the elevator.

Pressed the down button and I was going. No horrible music in the background. It was quiet. Strangely so. I watched the floors decrease with steady digital numbers. It was you're average elevator. I stood in the corner, arms folded, and waited.

It slowed to a stop and a couple of people got on. They were completely realistic. I could feel the body heat off of them when they got on. Even smell some body odor from one of the guys standing next to me. I watched the lady wrinkle her noise a little away and had to admire the humor these Videogame makers had.

My floor dinged and I was out. Out into cubicle heaven. The typing of computer keyboards were crazily real, as well as the phones ringing and pleasant greeting voices, none the same, speaking in soft tones. I strolled out; hands in pockets with one or two others, looking around and admiring the graphics were again. Everything looked as good as real. I strolled down the open path way at the heart of all the cubes the workers buzzed in like bees.

I was close to smiling, but didn't. There was some strange disturbance up ahead. A crowd of worker bees around someone I couldn't see. Queen bee perhaps. I was careful to keep my footing neutral as I started to hug the wall in an attempt to get by. They were talking a great deal, but one voice was loud and rang in answers as well as orders. Not pleasant, but serious and sometimes demanding.

I passed and the group had to separate to let me pass, and I caught a glimpse of the Queen Bee. Or rather, King, if there ever was such a thing. A guy with brown straight hair that looked almost plastered to his head, pale face and hands, much taller than me. Wore a huge white coat over black shirt and pants. Ebony boots as well. I liked the straps.

He was busy. I glanced at him when I went by. I was sure he'd go by without looking. I was surprised when he didn't. Even in the chaotic sound of voices, his eyes somehow caught me, and looked at me with a blue gaze for a moment or more, before I looked away from him and pushed onward.

It was unsettling. No one picks me to look at. Never. Not even in public. Had to be a feature of the game. I felt a nervous twinge in me. Felt it as I felt his eyes on my back. I could picture easily his head tilted sideways to look through the corner of my eye. When he was far enough away I remarked.

"You're going to have a lot of female players on this if you keep that up." There was laughter from the outside world from the group of teens.

"You think he was hot?"

"No, but it won't surprise me if you have weaker willed girls swoon."

"Liar."

"Shut up." More distant laughter. I rolled my eyes, openly and opened my mouth to laugh when a voice ensnared me, tightly.

"Excuse me."

There was a bang for that distant part of that world I was laying motionless in. Something fell loud and hard and a whirl wind of confused voices roared.

"What the hell!"

"Who wrote that in?"

"What kind of joke is this!"

"This wasn't in the plot!"

"Who the hell did this!" It made me stop dead, staring blankly and confused. I wanted to speak but I felt the presence of someone. I turned before they all stopped yelling and found it was the blue-eyed man. I looked up at him with an even wary stare. He looked serious and cold. Eyes like ice. I was careful not to plunge into them.

"Yes?"

I asked over the din in my ears. When I spoke it grew dead silent, for which I was relieved. It made it easier to detect the quiet the whole place had gotten. Looking at him he seemed agitated. I held my usual careful stance with people I don't know well.

"I haven't seen you around here before." He said this evenly, arms crossed and gaze piercing. I looked at him for a moment, considering him, before answering just as evenly.

"Haven't been here long. Just passing through."

It was the truth. I'm no good at telling lies. Equally with people skills. Looking at him, I would've said the same. He considered me for several seconds, thinking. I could see movement in his unwavering gaze, not the eye moving, but something behind it. I was ready for him to call me a liar. Don't know why, just was.

Probably from the nervous nail clicking I could hear as well as the comments fresh in my head. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was wondering if someone had hacked into the system and changed the plot around. Tweaked character reactions and such. If that was true, then this guy would be unpredictable, even to the game-makers. The hacker couldn't do anything to him.

"Alright." He said, agitatedly again. Somehow every serious. I didn't like it. He seemed unusually edgy to me. It was exciting as well as nerve racking. I hadn't seen characters with such expressions or complex answers. He understood everything you said and spoke back to you.

With a nod of the head, he let me go. I made sure to keep my pace neutral again, listened to the chaotic talk again, here as well as on my world from those men in the observing booth. When I got outside and was going down the huge grand steps, down into the busy crowds between the monstrously giant buildings around me, I spoke into the invisible microphone.

"What was the commotion about?" I asked, close to a snarl.

"He shouldn't have done that. He's personality has been programmed in away where chances of talking to you were slim, 3 in fact. We didn't even know he could do that." I stopped and held my fingers to my ear to make sure I got that.

"What a minute, what do you mean you didn't know he could do that?" I asked as calmly as I could.

There was silence for a moment.

"We…programmed each person with a personality for the main characters. The computer put random personalities into the others. But we hand selected how the main characters should behave. Personally. After months of research and talking to the original maker. We made Seto Kaiba as he was depicted, and he isn't one to talk to people who he hasn't met unless he's heard of them or they talk to him first." I thought about this for a moment.

"By the look of him, I think he thought I didn't belong there. Perhaps he was trying to protect his company." No argument there. I proceeded to walk along the sidewalk, hands in pockets while I listened to the other quarrel over it. It was strange, the more I listened, the more technical and here-say added to the mix.

By the time the third street name had popped up I had had it.

"Do you want to quit game to work it out then?" I growled. Oddly enough, I got complete quiet. Not even breathing. It was strange and awkward. Enough so to make me wonder if it was smart to trust these people I didn't know very well. Perhaps suspicious is the right word. I just felt uneasy due to the silence.

It seemed dark and secretive.

I walked for what seemed like miles. I got to the point where my legs felt like they hurt and stopped in the park-like place. Sat on a bench and rested my eyes. The others had gone back to their quiet muttering. They didn't seem to keen to speak to me. I was wondering whether to call it quitting time, to get out and never come back here. Yet, I couldn't do that. It was too grand of a thing to run from. It's something we gamers dream of.

And for that, I am a fool.