- Chapter Two -
I could barely sleep that night. Anticipation kept me up until well after midnight thinking about all of the possibilities and experiences we'll be having. Being transported basically to a new world, discovering new adventures and seeing things I've never seen before. I was already hooked on it and I still had 12 hours until I could experience it, so I forced myself to sleep.
It didn't last long. One of my daughters woke me and my wife up at 7 that next morning and for the first time, I wasn't pissed about it. My wife on the other hand was still hesitant. I reassured her nothing about the console could harm us. There are apparently very strict safety guidelines the manufacturer had to meet before it could be publicly sold. And the fact that she could use any computer to get in touch with me while I was playing helped ease her mind, A LITTLE. Either way, her only wish was that Eddie and I would start the game at our house so she could keep an eye on us. I agreed, of course.
Eddie showed up at 11 to eat some burgers I made on the grill, but mostly because there was live coverage on tv about the game and a plethora of game talk shows were doing nothing but talking about SAO leading up to it's release.
"The developer apparently changed everything for the new release, so none of the maps should be the same as the beta." Eddie said before chomping down his last bite of burger.
"That's fair." I replied, but I could see the frustration on Eddie's face.
"Do you know how much grinding I had to do to memorize those damn maps!? I think it's bullshit!" He retorted, clearly aggravated that ALL of the work he and the other beta testers did was basically for nothing. "I can't be too mad though." He continued, "The way the developer made it sound, it's gonna be worth it."
I nodded. "Yeah, cuz you'll have me to come save your ass now." I joked, causing us both to bust out laughing.
"It's 12:45!" I heard my wife yell from inside. Eddie and I looked at each other with ear to ear grins. "Alright, thanks babe!" I yelled back. "One more joe before we log on?" I asked Eddie, pointing towards the cigarettes.
"Might as well. No telling how long we're going to be on for." Eddie replied.
Somehow, this cigarette tasted better than the last. Like it was telling me what I'm going to be missing while I'm in there playing SAO. Yes, I have a very bad addiction to cigarettes and redbull. Sue me.
We each put out our cigarettes and headed inside. "Some people are saying that Japanese billionaire, Akihiko Kayaba, the man who developed the Nervegear and Sword Art Online will be playing today as well." A voice said on the tv. "No shit! Kayaba is playing too!?" Eddie said excitedly. "He probably won't be playing on the American server though." I replied. "Yeah, that'd still be cool as fuck to meet him though." "Eddie! Language!" My wife yelled from across the room, pointing towards my three kids sitting at the table eating. "Sorry…"
It's now 12:59. All game tv stations were freaking out at this point. The game of the century was less than a minute away from releasing. Me and Eddie were now set up in my living room. He was on the couch putting his headgear on and laying back and I opted for the recliner. It's directly below an AC vent, so I get a little extra comfort. "30 seconds guys!" My wife yelled, pointing at the tv. Eddie and I looked at each other. "I'll see you on the other side." I said, smiling and pointing a finger towards him. We both laughed and laid our heads back. My wife came and gave me a kiss. "I love you babe." I said, holding her hand. "I love you too." She replied, and pointed to the tv. 10 seconds.
This is it. The moment I've been waiting MONTHS for. Just then, as if in unison we both yelled, "LINK START!"