Hey guys! I hope you guys all had a Happy New Year and Christmas. I did so I hope you did too! I've had a busy couple of weeks so far since I started the new semester but I like all of my teachers and I got the best grade on the first AP History test! Hell yeah! Fuck you guys haha it was 100 questions and I got a fucking 100! So I got to rub it in my friends face who kicks my ass in Pre-Cal...Also I took my AP English mock exam and I think I did really good on it! Now this week I have a history and government Saturday study session to go to and then I have the ACT the next week and then I have fucking HOSA competition that next week! What the hell!? Anyway please review and comment on the story like you have been doing because I listen to all of the feedback. it really does help. I don't know if this chapter will be long or short but whatever! Finally thanks so much for reading and here is the chapter!
Ch. 14
(Thorn's POV)
Today was the day. The day that an employee from Zaskar was, I don't know what the boss said...examining us? Why in the hell was this even happening? I really don't think we need some guy from the company checking us out. What's he going to do anyway? Fucking lecture us on what a VRMMORPG is!? Jesus...I would be more pissed than I am right now but Mr. Harrison said that he was sending an employee to every single group, not just us. So it isn't like he was singling us out or anything. That makes me feel a little better about the situation...
I stared into the mirror with a scowl on my face. I just wasn't in the mood for anything. Sugu peered into the door with that cute little smile she gives me whenever she wants me to buy her something. Her bright eyes gave me a look as she revealed her whole body in the doorway.
"You know, you really need to cheer up Thorn. It won't be that bad."
She said with a reassuring smile. I looked away from her and shrugged my shoulders, not saying anything.
"Oh come on big guy...I'm sure the employee will only be here for a couple of days and leave. So don't be all grumpy okay?"
She wrapped her smooth arms around my chest and pulled me against her as a light pink tint appeared on my cheeks. I couldn't help but smile at her sweetness as I crossed my arms and rubbed her soft-lotioned hands. I nodded my head towards the room Arkady stayed at and smirked.
"Well at least I'm taking it better than Arkady. When I told him about it, he looked really calm as he politely told me to leave the room before he lost his shit. When I left the room and closed the door, I could hear him probably cussing in Russian and getting out the vodka he and Sinon had bought at the supermarket the other day. You know, Russians don't like other people getting in their business. But neither do I and I'm mad about it!"
I huffed. Sugu sighed and moved her arms up and down my chest as she tried to comfort me. She was really good at that. I was already starting to forget the whole damn Zaskar situation before Asuna came into the bathroom door. Her auburn-colored hair was messy as she stared at us through her sleep-like eyes. Her hair wasn't messy in the sense that it was "Bed head". More like "sex head". Trust me, there's a difference! I grinned at her and put my hands on my hips.
"What were you and Kazuto doing last night? And did yal do it as soon as you got here yesterday!?"
I asked in shock. Asuna went red but smiled anyways.
"It's none of your business and you two did the same!"
"Hey! That's...100% accurate..."
Sugu trailed off. The older girl in front of us rolled her eyes and flicked her hair before making her way to the kitchen. We watched as she slowly got out the ingredients for an omelet. The awesome thing about Asuna staying over was that she always, and I mean always, made breakfast for us. Kazuto told me one day that in Sword Art Online, she mastered her cooking skill and it never left her when she woke up in the real world. Suguha is learning...but she has a lot of work to do. Maybe in the game she can master her skill and then bring that over to reality. I only know how to barbecue and grill stuff since every guy down South needs to know how to do that for their girl. I wouldn't mind learning some new things from Sugu though...
Ring!
Oh shit! Is that the guy!? It's too early! Hell no! I'm not even fucking ready! Go away! No I'm being rude...No! I don't care! Go away! Wait, they can't hear my thoughts...
Ring!
"I guess I'll answer the door..."
Arkady muttered to himself as he stepped out of his room and opened the front door. His eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face.
"Sinon!"
He cheered as he wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around. She giggled as he set her down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Sorry I came so early. I didn't want to be late when meeting that employee. So uh...I guess you guys are still getting ready. Wait, did you guys just wake up? It's fucking noon!"
"We're teens! What did you expect!?"
Asuna screamed as she turned on the stove. She opened the fridge and took out the carton of eggs. True to her cooking skills, she cracked two eggs with one hand and poured the eggs in the pan. She took a deep breath as she took a second carton of eggs out of the refrigerator.
"...Nonetheless, guess I'll be making an extra omelet."
She whispered to herself. Sinon's face shined with hunger as she sat down at the kitchen counter. Arkady stretched his muscled limbs, his bones making a crack as they popped. Judging by his shirtless form, he had probably just woken up as well. He got out of the bed so fast to answer the door that his blanket had wrapped around his neck and looked like a long scarf. I don't think he even cared as he took a seat next to his girlfriend at the counter. I looked at Sugu to tell her something but realized that she had left to go get ready. I could see the ends of her long dark hair as she walked into her room, gave me a wink, and closed it to change into something. I chuckled and looked back in the mirror, combing my brown hair to the side. Kazuto walked in a second later with a huge grin on his face. I laughed and bumped fists with him which basically meant, "dude, you were so in there last night". The feeling was mutual since I got some as well. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised that Kazuto hasn't gotten mad at me for loving on his sister. Or was she his cousin? I can never remember...
"Dude I got three rounds in last night. It's probably because I haven't seen her in like a week."
He told me as he started to apply deodorant to himself.
"That happens...It just builds up and up and up-"
"Shut the fuck up Thorn."
He said as I laughed. Deeming myself ready, I went into mine and Sugu's room to put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and an awesome pair of tennis shoes. By this time, Asuna had made three omelets already! So I, very sneakily, stole one of them from the side of the stove and begin eating the delicious breakfast on the couch as I turned on the TV.
BREAKING NEWS!
"Breaking news today as we are seeing an increase in the amount of amuspheres being purchased in the United States as well as around the world! Fox news reports that the reason behind this is the number of VRMMORPGs that are being created at a faster rate than ever before. Most notably is the group led by Thorn Royer, an employee of Zaskar. Mr. Royer and his team are developing a game that not only spreads to the USA and Japan, but also in Europe, Oceania, and Africa. Because we could not get an interview with Thorn at this moment, we did actually get with the CEO of Zaskar to hear his thoughts about the video game phenomenon..."
"Holy shit..."
I whispered to myself before I turned to the others at the counter.
"Guys! They're talking about us on Fox!"
"On Fox?"
Arkady asked with a tilt to the head. I face-palmed and laughed.
"It's like the number one news outlet in America so get your asses over here and watch my boss talk good about us!"
I yelled at them. Slowly but surely they all rounded up in front of the tv and watched as the news reporter asked Mr. Harrison some questions.
"Can we confirm that this project that Thorn, your employee, is doing would be the largest digital game ever?"
She asked as she leaned the microphone to my boss's mouth. He nodded and grinned.
"Yes ma'am, this will be the largest collaboration of memory and design as we work to create this masterpiece."
"And have you seen the game for yourself? How much progress have they achieved so far?"
She asked him. He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled like it was no big deal. That just showed how professional he was in a tight spot, at least that's how I saw it. Everyone around me didn't seem to really care.
"Well to tell you the truth Brooke, I haven't even seen the game yet to be honest. I get a report of how much data they use every single day if they work on the game any. Now, I have spoken with Thorn on many occasions and he has told me that the game is virtually almost finished. All they need to do is add some more cool stuff in there and tweak out some bugs that may have formed in development. Now the cool thing about this is that we have a team of culturally-diverse teens. The group represents America, Russia, Japan, Britain, and France. They are in Japan right now working on it but when they are done, they will come back here to deliver the game. They don't know this yet, but I'm gonna pay them all a lot of money for making this game. You heard me guys if you're watching!"
He said towards the screen. I smirked and shook my head while everyone else cheered. Money always seems to make everyone happy...
"...I'm sure they're happy about that..."
The reporter said with a cute laugh as she ran a hand through her long blonde hair. Kazuto just had to point at the screen and yell, "you know it bitch".
"And do you think the game will be a success?"
"Oh yes! I know it will. Just look at all of the people buying amuspheres around the world! And thanks to you guys at Fox and CNN, that number will increase ten fold when they hear about Zaskar's latest new hit that will come out soon!"
I guess he just unintentionally gave us a due date...
"Awesome! I can't wait to try it out for myself actually! Well that's all we have time for right now. Back to you Megyn."
"Thanks Brooke. How about that? I might check that out myself...Hmm...Coming up! With ISIS and North Korea defeated, what is next for America? More to come after this..."
The anchor said as the show went to commercial. I pressed the "mute" button and we all just sat there in a silent pause before cheering. That definitely got my mood up from this dumb Zaskar employee business. Oh crap, I just reminded myself about that...Ugh...Let's see, it's one in the afternoon so I think the guy or girl will be here soon. Man, what do I have to be worried about? It's not like he's going to be a bitch right? He is a Zaskar employee like me so maybe he will be cool. Hopefully...
"Thorn?"
"Yeah!?"
I asked as I jumped. Sugu giggled and flicked my forehead as a tease.
"You need to get out of space bro. Anyway, I was going to tell you that I was going to go to the room to change into a cute outfit. I don't want to look ugly for the employee. You pulled me away from putting it on when you turned on the news and told everyone to watch it."
She whispered to me as she stood up. I grabbed her ankle gently and she glanced down at me.
"Not too cute Suguha. I don't need any competition."
I told her with an icy glare. My glare softened into a soft one as I laughed and gave her a hug. So she went and changed into a nice-looking shirt and a skirt that matched it. She looked good in everything so I wasn't worried that she would embarrass me or anything. If any, I would be the one messing stuff up because of my curse! That curse being that I AM NOT good under pressure. The only time I triumphed in pressure was when we fought Kayaba; and that was only because Sugu was hurt and my manly protection mode kicked in. Now that I remember that, I looked like such a badass...Hmmm...I shook my head from the thought and blinked my eyes as I looked around the room. Arkady finally got a shirt on even though Sinon kept feeling under it, Asuna insisted on making sure the kitchen was extra clean, and Kazuto just stared at her backside every time she bended over to pick something up or wipe the counter.
"Man I know I should be doing something but I really don't feel like it. What's your say on the situation?"
My girlfriend next to me asked me as she nudged my arm. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned my cheek on hers.
"Same. I'm just lazy is all..."
"Well you're not the only one. Now it seems all of my energy goes into developing the game. I love designing all of it though. People said I'm a good artist and now I get to prove myself with this game. But over the past few days and even weeks, I've noticed that the game is missing something."
She said to herself and me. I looked up at her slightly and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
I asked her.
"Well...I don't know. I just feel like there is nothing to make the game more exciting. I know we will constantly update the quests that are in the game but the game can't just be all about quests. It has to have some other stuff too but I can't think of anything right now. Ugh, my brain hurts Thorn! Make it feel better."
She whined softly. I smiled with reddened cheeks and pressed my lips to hers. That was the only thing I could think of to do. When I pulled away, she opened her eyes slowly and glazed her tongue over her pink lips.
"Better?"
I asked her. She smiled and nodded.
"Yep, hehe. Thorn, when do you think the employee will-"
Ring!
Oh shit! He was here! Sugu stopped mid-sentence and sighed.
"...I haven't even met him yet and he's already interrupting me..."
She muttered with annoyance. I chuckled and got off the couch. I felt a pang of nervousness in my chest as I walked over to the door. My hand wrapped itself around the doorknob and I took a deep breath before opening it to see the new employee from Zaskar.
(Burke's POV)
My plane landed in the U.S-Japanese base located in Yokosuka, Japan under the cover of the Navy. Luckily, no threats have shown themselves in controlled airspaces in quite a while but we cannot be too careful. When I finally got out of the plane and stretched my aching limbs, I grabbed my gear and my luggage. Of course I had to listen to my mission once again and be briefed on every single thing I needed to know. Again, I needed to KNOW what I had to do, and the United States government always made sure to make the details of my task stick in my head. Once I was done with that business, I could finally start the operation. The Japanese soldiers who were there waved me over and escorted me to a standard black car in which I placed all my equipment and clothes in. Getting in the backseat, I noticed that a man was sitting on the far seat. He looked like the typical Japanese business man, except that he wore glasses and his hair was styled to the side in a wave. He nodded his head at the seat next to him and I nodded as I sat in the seat.
"Hello, I am Kikuoka Seijirō. I am a member of the Second Separated Advanced Network Division, Technology Bureau, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications or 'Virtual Division' if you want to use a shorter word for it."
He told me as he shook my hand.
"Oh I see..."
I said. So he worked on Virtual Reality for a living...
"Originally I was a Lieutenant Colonel working at the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). I volunteered to join what I do now as soon as the SAO incident started. As of now, I've been investigating new cases of Virtual reality abuse and I have been helping the surviving victims from the incident."
"Thank you for your service."
I said as I gained a lot more respect for the man sitting next to me as I introduced myself. He smiled and nodded as he said the same to me. The car ride from Yokosuka to Tokyo was probably about an hour or more long so we had time to talk. During the whole time, he informed me of what has been happening in the area as of late. He took out a tablet from his bag and swiped it before looking at me again.
"You need to be alert at all times. Laughing Coffin has been reported to us as being in the area so if you see any suspicious activity around where you will be staying please report it immediately to me. I will do anything I can but remember that I cannot just send a whole entire army into a neighborhood in Tokyo. It's just too immaterial. I assume you have been briefed so I don't think I have to explain it again..."
He said as he closed the tablet. I looked out the window and my eyes widened when I saw that we were already in Tokyo. Is it just me or did time go by really fast? I looked back at Seijirō to see him smirking at me. I gave him a look as we pulled in front of the house. The house was bigger than I thought it would be and I was satisfied to find that it would certainly meet my needs.
"Before you go, I just wanted to tell you that I know these kids and they have helped me with some projects that I needed help on. Do not underestimate them as some group of bratty kids. They know what they're talking about, they're smart, and they're tough. I am almost sure you won't have too much of a problem with them. Oh! And do remember to keep the act up the whole time. Being a Marine, this won't be difficult. Good luck!"
He yelled as he closed the car door and left me standing on the front lawn with my bag of clothes and bag of weapons. I picked them both up and looked at the house. Even though he said all of those things, why did he say "good luck"? I took a deep breath before slowly walking to the front door. I sighed and put a smile on my young face as I rang the doorbell. I could hear some shuffling from inside before the door opened. I just remember thinking in my head before that door opened.
'Oh Brother...'
And that is the end of the chapter! Remember Seijiro guys? He was the guy that got Kirito in Gun Gale Online. Remember!? Yes!? Good! Okay gosh my bad for the delay. I fell asleep as soon as I got home and then I was like "crap" when I woke up because I had to finish this haha but I finally did and I think I did okay. Please review and comment on the chapter because we love the feedback you give such has too much briefing. I took that into account as I was writing. Thanks to the reviewer who gave me that advice. Finally, thanks so much for reading and we will see you next time!
