2
Luckily, the subway ride only took thirty-five minutes.
The New York City subway system had gone through major renovations over the past thirty years. After the outbreak of a major virus back in the '20s, the city decided that keeping their mass-transit system clean and sanitized was probably a good idea. Now, the entire subway system was shut down once a month for an entire day, so sterilization specialists could give each subway car a good scrub down.
Now that too many people actually used the subway any more. With the advent of inexpensive, self-driving, fuel efficient cars, traffic jams and gridlock were simply words of the past. Most who took the subway were kids with no money or people who lived too close to their destination to hire a cab.
Most of the time, a ride on the underground train was quiet, what with no crowds and those who were on the subway engrossed in their neurolinker, watching the news, playing some games, or checking the latest reality feeds from whichever celebrity they might be following at the time.
Thus, nobody bothered Rick or Lisa as they boarded and sat, which was normal as far as they were concerned. Stories from their grandparents painted a picture of packed, overcrowded cars, loud noises, bad smells, and touchy-feely pervs.
They easily found two seats next to each other and sat. Not long after, the sudden jolt of the train leaving the station was felt and they were off. The quiet of the car was occasionally broken by a little girl in the corner, giggling at whatever she saw on her victual display, but other than that, everybody else in the car was absorbed in their neurolinkers and quiet. Most looked like they were in full-dive.
Rick leaned over to Lisa. "So," he murmured, "what do you think?"
"About?"
"This surprise meeting with Sam. It feels... I don't know; wrong? Maybe not wrong," he corrected, "but not normal. I mean, I know Sam has a reason for everything she does, but springing a meeting like this on a day she was supposed to be busy for at least five or six hours? Something's up."
Lisa shrugged. "Be that as it may, you said it yourself; Sam's got a reason for everything she does. We may not understand it, but understanding isn't needed to listen. She's our Governor and we promised to follow her. Plus," she poked Rick in his ribs, "she's your girlfriend. You gotta do what she says whether you want to or not!"
He pushed her fingers away and ignored the jibe. "Just because she's our Governor in the," he looked around, "in the ACW doesn't mean we have to follow her every order in the RW, you know?" Rick knew, though didn't completely understand, how some people didn't - or couldn't - separate their lives in the Accelerated World form their lives in the real one. He was also careful to keep his voice down, careful not to reveal the existence of Brain Burst in front of a bunch of strangers.
"No," Lisa conceded, "but if she's calling this surprise meeting, then it's going to be Legion related and important. I doubt it'll be about the territory battles tomorrow."
Rick nodded at that. Sam always sent out an email the night before the territories detailing strategies and whatnot. Whatever this meeting was about... well, Rick had to believe it was some sort of emergency. So, he resolved to do whatever was needed to fix the problem.
May 4, 2053 – 2:43 PM
They left the terminal and walked across the street to Central Park. Thanks to the neurolinkers everyone wore, linking to each other to communicate with self-driving cars, pedestrian fatalities were almost nonexistent, and the street was shared equally between cars, bicycles, and people.
It was a pleasant Saturday in early May, so naturally the park was quite crowded. Tourists followed streaming tours, downloaded into their neurolinkers as they walked, while children followed parents, running and screaming happily. Food vendors and entertainers were seen almost everywhere and teens, both young and old, were found playing various sports on the dozens of green lawns.
Rick and Lisa held hands, so as not to be separated by the throngs of people. Neither thought much about it, though Rick noticed a few stares by their peers, especially since Lisa looked about three years older than she really was. He ignored them as he secretly wished his extra-normal curse would kick in and people would forget he existed, as was the case for most of his life. Sadly, holding hands with a pretty girl seemed to negate the power! Who knew?
Because of the crowds, it took them a little longer to reach the Base, a small fountain in the shape of a goose spraying water in the air. When they finally reached it, however, Sam was nowhere to be seen.
"Figures," Lisa muttered, plopping on their usual bench.
"Well, it was a bit of a wait." Rick said, sitting next to her. "She probably went to the bathroom or something. Maybe she's getting snacks."
They sat waiting, each thinking their own thoughts. Not long after, two girls – maybe around their ages – sat on a bench at the opposite side of the fountain and began chatting with each other. They looked similar enough to be sisters or cousins.
Another few minutes slowly went by, Lisa tapping her foot all the while before a young voice sounded behind them, causing them both to start. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Rick and Lisa spun around and there stood level 9 Burst Linker and Governor of the Crystal Conclave, Samantha Watt. She was holding the hand of a little boy and she had a wide small on her face and a thick wrap around her ankle. She wore her tennis outfit, complete with a sweatband, and her hair was in a tail.
The boy with her had dark hair and eyes and skin the color of mocha. He wore large, round glasses (instead of using his neurolinker to correct his vision with a digital overlay) that were pushed up the bridge of his nose, making him look extra smart. Shorts and a T-shirt, with a fanny pack around his waist, completed the ensemble.
Rick blinked in surprise. "Leander?"
The boy waved. "Afternoon."
"That's where you've been." Lisa sighed. "Picking up Leander."
Sam nodded. "Sadly, my twisted ankle means I can only go so fast." She grinned. "Mind if I have a seat? It really hurts."
Rick started, then bolted to his feet, moved around the bench and took Sam's hand, leading her to where he sat just seconds ago. Lisa gently took Sam's leading her to where he sat just seconds ago. Lisa gently took Sam's leg and laid it across her lap, in an attempt to elevate it.
"Wish we had some ice," she muttered. "And this ankle should be raised above the heart."
Sam smiled slyly. "Yes, but in my tennis skirt? Rick and I haven't been dating that long, you know."
It was meant as a joke, but Rick had a very active imagination, which was starting to process the image of just what might be under Sam's tennis skirt besides those slime, athletic legs and -
He cut off that line of thinking and turned to Leander, who had stayed rooted in place when Sam had gone to the bench. "How's it hanging, bud?"
The boy blinked. "Fine, Rick." He opened his fanny-pack and pulled out a small bag of a metallic blue color, handing it to Rick. "For the Governor's ankle."
Rick looked at the blue bag. It was very, very cold. "Ever Ice?" he asked. "All the commercials say it stays cold for twenty-four hours at a time." He handed it to Lisa, who applied it to Sam's ankle.
"About twenty-one hours and thirty-seven minutes," Leander corrected. "I've run several time trials and that's the general average."
"Thank you, Leander," Sam said, letting out a sigh. "And on that note, I think we can begin the meeting."
"I think you mean emergency meeting," Lisa said, eyebrow raised. "I had you at a competition all day."
"Yes, well, my ankle had other plans." Sam said through a grimacing grin. "So, I thought that instead of watching the others and moping, we could talk a little about some Legion business."
"Something that couldn't have been talked about through live-chat or multi-dive?" Rick asked. Normally, he didn't question Sam's motives, but something was up.
Sam didn't meet his eyes. "Well, I simply thought -"
"You hurt your ankle on purpose." Leander said in his quiet monotone from behind the bench. "Something happened. Something you didn't - or couldn't - plan for, and the only time to deal with it was now, but you were at a tennis meet. So, you injured yourself to get away, then called an emergency meeting to discuss whatever it was that had you so distressed."
Sam sighed. "I'm still amazed at your perception sometimes."
He shrugged. "All the pieces were there."
Rick didn't see any pieces of anything, but that was beside the point. Had Sam really hurt herself, just to call this meeting? Normally, she didn't let Legion business interfere with real life, so whatever this was, it must be important!
"My dad's out of town," Sam said, "and mom's at work, so I had to convince my coach to let me go home by myself." She looked at Leander. "And, yes, I did twist my ankle on purpose because of something I hadn't counted on. Honestly, I couldn't think of anything else to do. I didn't think this could wait until tonight or tomorrow.
"Besides, I told you two that I would consult you before making any big policy decisions for the Legion, so here you are."
Rick and Lisa glanced at each other knowingly. This would be the first time Sam would utilize them as Senators – advisors – to the Legion. It was a pretty big deal, all things considered.
He licked hi slips nervously. "So, uh, what's the problem then? Me 'n Lisa will help however we can." Lisa nodded in agreement.
Sam smiled graciously. "The other day, I was sent an in-game email by a young woman named Periwinkle Pigtail, asking to join the Conclave. She and her sister, Bluebell Bonnet, have been Burst Linkers for around four months or so, and are both fourth level. I think they'll be fine additions to our team."
Rick and Lisa looked at each other again, confused. "Uh, that's great," Rick said after a beat. "Growing the Legion's all good, but I mean... you run the Legion, right? So as Governor, you can invite anyone you want to join us. If you say they're good then you'll get the okay from us."
"Yeah," Lisa said. "We appreciate you asking for input, but I don't think this was any reason to get yourself all banged up."
"I agree," Sam replied, sounding like a teacher to her students, "which is why I'd like you to let me finish."
Leander let out a quiet snicker, as though he knew she would say this.
"Moving on," she laughed, "I have agreed to grant them membership into the Crystal Conclave. There is, however, one condition that we have to accept before they're willing to join. The two of them will require protection in the Accelerated World for the next thirty days."
"Protection?" Rick asked. "From who? And for thirty days? That's fairly specific."
Lisa nodded. "Very specific." She looked Sam in the eyes, who nodded in response.
"So that's how it is, huh? Which one?"
"Wait, what? What's going on?" Rick had no clue what the communication between the girls was about or what it meant, but that wasn't particularly unusual. Ever since installing the Brain Burst program, his life had become a game of catch-up.
Sam sighed, ignoring Rick's questions. "The Lupus Guard."
"Dammit." Lisa muttered. "Why can't these things ever be simple?"
Rick waved his arms in the air. "Hello? Still in the dark here. I know my powers of being so normal you forget I exist don't work on you two so stop ignoring me. An explanation, even a small one for context would be nice. What about the Lupus Guard?"
Lisa nodded. "Okay then. Let's go over the basics of what I taught you. What is the primary benefit of being in a Legion?"
That question was so easy even Rick could answer it! "Obviously, the ability to decline duels so you can decide who you want to fight and when. That way, higher level opponents can't spam you into fights and take your points." He looked at Leander as he said this.
"Right." she replied. "And there can't be a Legion without a Legion Master – a Governor – right? So technically, if you think about it, the ability to decline duels is a gift granted to us by the Governor of our Legion, yes?"
"Uh... I guess?" He was following the logic; he just wasn't sure where this was leading.
"Well, the game gives Governor's power of the members of their Legion, in return for the power to decline duels. Care to guess what that power is?"
Rick, wide eyed, shook his head.
"It's called the Judgement Blow," Sam responded quietly, "and it has the ability to instantly drive a Burst Linker to total point loss, exiling them from the Accelerated World forever.
Rick audibly gulped. Force total point loss?! Not only would Brain Burst be uninstalled from your neurolinker, unable to ever be downloaded again, but all of your memories in regards to ANY of Brain Burst or the Accelerated World would be erased. It was an overwhelming power to have over another Burst Linker.
And it terrified him.
"You," he looked into Sam's eyes, "can do that to me? To Lisa?"
She closed her eyes and nodded. "I never would, but yes. I can."
"It was in the contract you agreed to when you joined the Legion." Lisa said testily. "You really need to read things before you agree to them."
"But, but..." Rick tried to get the subject back on course, grappling for what he wanted to say, "but the new recruits. The sisters. You said the Lupus Guard, right? They were a part of the Guard, but not anymore. They're with us now, so it isn't an issue for them, right?"
"It is," Sam replied. "A Governor can administer a Judgment Blow up to thirty days after a person leaves their Legion. Our two new members-to-be don't live within our borders right now, so they aren't protected by our Legion. Within the Unlimited Neutral Field, any members of the Lupus Guard could take them directly back to Silver Lupus, who wouldn't hesitate to give them the Blow.
Rick shook his head. "Then why bother leaving the Guard and joining us? They aren't getting the Legion protection either way, so why put targets on their backs?"
"Why not ask them yourself?" Sam responded, raising her hand and waiving to the two girls who had been sitting across from them the entire time.
They rose and walked over, both looking a little unsure.
Rick was feeling a little nervous himself and he could tell form Lisa's quick intake of breath and wide eyes that she was just as surprised. Only Leander didn't seem to react, though that was par for the course.
"IN the real, sis?" Lisa asked.
"Already?" Rick followed.
"I trust them," was all she said.
He watched as the two girls rounded the fountain and made their way closer. Usually, Sam had good instincts about people, especially Burst Linkers, but her spontaneity could really make him crazy sometimes. As they stepped up to their bench, he took in their details.
Bothe were slim, though not athletically so like Sam or Lisa. One had light brown hair worn in braided pigtails with freckles splashed across the bride of her nose. She wore acid-wash jeans and a t-shirt with the word "PEACE" written in three different languages across the front. The other's hair was split down the center, half bleach blond, the other half neon pink, and was in a ponytail that trailed out the small of her back. She wore a pleated, plaid skirt that went to her knees, black tights up her legs, and a pink button-down shirt.
The two girls stopped in front of the group, looking nervously at Sam. The one with pigtails broke the awkward tension, stepping forward.
"Sorry. We were in our last Legion for almost four months and we never met any of our Legion mates in the real. This is kinda scary, ya know?"
Sam nodded. "It's rather unsettling to us as well. Please, take your time."
She nodded back. "My name is Sarah. Uh, Sarah Leiber. My avatar is Periwinkle Pigtail." She nudged her sister, who was in the process of blowing a bubble with gum in her mouth.
"Oh! Sorry! Name's Jayne Leiber. My avatar is Blubell Bonnet. Pleased ta meetcha!"
Rick blinker. Those were some pretty sudden introductions there! He hoped there was a story here. Burst Linkers didn't just up and leave their Legions like that. Luckily, it seemed that Lisa was just as in the dark as he was.
"Okay," Lisa suddenly barked, suspicion edging her voice," so spill. Why are you defecting from the Lupus Guard? If you guys were there a month and a half ago, you gotta know that Silver Lupus sent a hit after our Governor. And on that note, Midnight Talon isn't our biggest fan either. Leaving that Legion and joining ours seems a little, well, foolhardy."
The two girls looked at each other for a second before turning to Lisa. "First." Jayne replied," we need to hear your version of what happened that night month and a half ago. We got Talon's side of the story, but we can't trust a word out of his mouth, most of the time."
Sarah nodded. "Silver Lupus is a PR/propaganda machine, so anything he or his Senators say is suspect as far as we're concerned. It's tough to know what's true and what isn't"
"For instance," Jayne picked back up after a beat, "Midnight Talon sent out an email to the entire Legion warning us about travel through Manhattan as it had been taken over by an overly aggressive Crystal Seraph and her band of high-level mercenary thugs. He says he was forced into a battle royal and beaten to within an inch of his life."
"Then apparently, you sent those mercenaries out to spread fake news about a level 1 newb that was able to standup to an assault from him." Sarah concluded. "Try to get the Accelerated World talking, get more folks to join, all that stuff."
"It shouldn't be surprising he made himself the victim." Sam commented.
Jayne let out a gruff chuckle. "Yeah. Then he warned that you were coming to conquer the entire Accelerated World, starting with the Guard; that we all needed to be on high alert and that you might try to recruit Guardmembers using threats or seduction in the real."
Sam let out a smirk. "Clearly, I'm trying to seduce you to my side. My twisted ankle, certainly, must be very enticing."
Everyone laughed at that, though Rick was pretty shocked at the story of the new girls. Knowing that Midnight Talon was this bad of a liar infuriated him!
Lisa seemed to share his feelings. "What a lying bastard." she said shaking her head. "Next time, beat him slower, so he feels more pain." she said, turning to Sam.
Sam raised a hand, silencing Lisa. "Please continue."
Jayne shrugged. "That's about it really. On the plus side, most of the folks we talked to didn't believe most of what was said, but there are a few that are just as crazy as Silver Lupus and his Senators. They eat whatever crap spews out of the PR hole and love it. They would go to total point loss for Silver Lupus in a heart-beat. They can't think for themselves.
"Or don't want to." Sarah added.
Lisa curled her fingers into a fist. "Want to know what happened that night? What really happened" Rick knew enough to keep quiet while Lisa's anger simmered like this.
"That jerk, Talon, hired three mercs, two level 4s and a level 5, and together, the four of them hunted Sam in the real world. But they were only using Sam to get to us, so she called us in so we could defend ourselves. They attacked us that night, and while me 'n Copper Tarnish held off the mercenaries, Crystal Seraph managed to take out Talon." She crossed her arms huffily.
"So, that makes you... Indigo Viper?" Sarah asked, somewhat nervously.
"Oh!" Lisa started. "Uh yeah. Name's Lisa. Lisa Pak. Indigo Viper's my avatar."
Rick grinned. They had been so interested in getting Sarah and Jayne's story, they had forgotten to introduce themselves. Well, he and Lisa anyway; Leander was always quiet. He took a small step forward. "I'm Rick. My avatar is -"
"Copper Tarnish!" Sarah interrupted suddenly, before slapping her hand over her mouth and blushing slightly.
Jayne sighed. "You'll have to forgive my sister. She's a bit of a fangirl."
"Sorry." Sarah whispered. "You're also... Gold Virtue, right?"
He nodded, rather sheepishly. He knew his reputation was spreading, but it still caught him by surprise when somebody was eager to meet him.
Jayne raised an eyebrow. "Talon said the story of you changing from copper to gold is a lie. Fake news or an illusion; maybe some item you purchased.
"He wishes." Lisa grumbled.
"My name is Leander by the way," the small boy said, approaching from behind the bench. "My Avatar is Mauve Dictionary."
Everyone was quiet with the sudden introduction until both Sarah and Jayne began whispering to each other. "So cute," one said. "He's adorable." said the other.
Leander just shuffled nervously, looking at his feet. He always got nervous when girls complimented him in the Accelerated World, so why not the real one?
"Getting back on track," Rick said, grinning at these thoughts, "let me ask the question that prompted all of this; why bother joining us and making yourselves targets if you don't live in our territory's borders? You don't benefit from the Legion's protection from duels, so what's the point?"
"Well, uh..." Sarah stammered. She wasn't looking at Rick for some reason.
Jayne rolled her eyes and hit her sister's arm. "It's because we can't stand being with that Legion of idiots another second! They don't let us think for ourselves, they have ruthless training regimens, and Silver Lupus expects us to treat him like a messiah. I ain't doing that! Plus, his second in command, Platinum Patriot, keeps hitting on us! And he's about as creepy as you can get!"
Sarah nodded.
"Who?" Rick asked.
"Listen much?" Lisa asked. "She just said he's second in command."
"You do need to learn about the other Legion's Governors and Senators." Sam chided.
"Though," Lisa continued, "that doesn't negate his question. I understand why you're leaving the Legion, but what do you get in joining us?"
"Other than maybe a few new friends?" Jayne asked acidly. "Burst Linkers who enjoy the Accelerated World as a game and not a violent political spectrum?"
Lisa started at the anger in the response.
This time, it was Sarah who hit her sister. "I have to apologize for my sister. She likes being melodramatic. We are looking for new friends though!" She laughed a little.
"In truth, we only joined the Lupus Guard because we spent most of our time in the Bronx, because that's where our private school is, so most of our friends lived up there. With no major Legion in Manhattan, our choices were pretty limited."
"But," Jayne butted in, "we're moving in mid-June! Our dad was picked up by a new law firm, so he wants us to live in a nicer neighborhood."
"Not that the place we live in now is a sty," Sarah said quickly.
Rick agreed that if they went to a private school, they probably didn't live in a sty.
"Plus," Jayne continued, "our new school is here too, so we'll always be in your territory starting next month. But as of now, we're vulnerable. Except at school, we can be targeted at any time."
Sarah nodded. "Silver Lupus doesn't let people just leave his Legion. He'll send folks after us.
"Disconnect from the global net?" Rick suggested. "Just use your school and home net?"
Both girls – and even Lisa – gave him blank stares at this.
"Ever try to live without access to the global net?" Jayne asked. "It's needed for almost everything these days. And that's not counting social media!"
"We thought about it," Sarah said, "but in the end, it would be too difficult, not to mention suspicious, if we only ever used our home net. Our parents would certainly have questions."
Rick suddenly saw a big flaw in this idea. "But wait a minute! How are we supposed to help them? We don't live near them! It's not like we can just move in with them! Besides, me and Leander are only level 3, so if Silver Lupus sends anyone – and we don't know that he will – we may not even be able to protect them."
"Well," Sam replied, "you and Leander will need to get to level 4 quickly then. That way, you'll be able to go to the Unlimited Neutral Field. It's there where they are most vulnerable after all. In the meantime, a person will be assigned as a tag-team partner to each of our new members at all times. We'll go on a rotation until the thirty days are up and they are no longer threatened by the Judgment Blow.
"Be warned though," she said to Rick, Lisa, and Leander, "if your tag-team partner is out of our Legion, you won't be able to decline duels. Plus, because of the distance between the two of you in the real world, you'll be separated from each other when the duel starts; possibly on completely opposite sides. You'll need to move fast to reach your partner."
She looked to Sarah and Jayne. "Likewise, you'll need to be patient and smart. Hold things down until your partner gets there, but don't take stupid risks and don't panic. Your new Legion-mates know what they're doing."
The girls nodded, wide-eyed at the way Sam took control and issued orders. Rick could certainly understand what they were going through. Listening to Sam, though Sam was only thirteen years old, was like listening to a wizened grandmother sometimes.
"But," Sam interjected, a grin spreading across her face, "before all that, maybe we should see what you're made of. Did you pair up like I asked?"
Both girls nodded.
"Good. Please reconnect your neurolinkers to the global net and when they do, Lisa If you would?"
It was only then that Rick remembered that he and Lisa were still part of a tag-team.
"Uh, wait a sec!" Rick sputtered.
"Too late!" Lisa smirked. "Burst Link!"
The sound of metal grinding metal filled Rick's ears and his world shifted.