Chapter Six
SANG
When humanity invented the arcade game, it never foresaw that the characters it had created would develop lives and personalities of their own. So it also proved with the world of console gaming and the internet. From the earliest flash games, to the RPGs of Japan, to the game apps that had been developed for cell phones, the characters evolved along similar lines.
The characters on the web had soon learned the perks of there being multiple versions of their games on different websites. It meant that if ever they left one, they were technically still in their game, just not in the copy on the website they had exited- and they could only leave one copy of their game at a time. The game would stop working on the website they had left, but would still be working elsewhere. It was as if the other copies of the game contained no duplicates of themselves, but rather pieces of their essence fulfilling the basic functions of full characters. None of them were quite sure how such a thing was possible, but they never complained. For with their strange ability came the opportunity to gain knowledge, and to cross vast distances through the internet at great speed in order to communicate, without the difficulty of being confused with other versions of themselves. They took advantage of this new discovery to browse the web, gaining the knowledge of humanity. And they learned.
They learned many things, from the history of the world, to the ins and outs of fixing baby carriages. They learned things they would rather not have known in the first place. They learned contradictory factoids, and were not always sure which were true and which were not.
But most interesting to them was that they were not alone. The history of gaming was the crown jewel of their discoveries. They learned to pass through the wires, hitch rides on flash drives to laptops, and reach the world of console gaming. They spread the word of the outside world to these consoles.
And then there was the arcade world. The internet characters knew of it, of course, and their reactions were varied. Some thought nothing of it. Some, curious, paid brief visits to some of the remaining arcades. And some hated the very idea of them.
Portia was part of the last group. A character from a console game released in 2000, she had resided within her cartridge which a family in Wilberforce, Kansas, had purchased on opening night and which, eleven years later, had been played almost to the point of breaking down. One night, when the cartridge had been left in the console, and the console left plugged in, she had received a visit from the monarch of Black Knight, who told her tales of the internet. Her game was near to breaking, she knew- so Portia absconded with the monarch through the wires and onto the World Wide Web.
Greedily did she devour the knowledge she found. But it was the arcades that drew her attention- Mr. Litwak's in particular. Why, she wondered, did it survive? It was a disgrace to progress, an obsolete environment in an age of technological advancement. She watched and she watched, and yet still, Mr. Litwak's arcade remained.
"It has to die soon," she told herself. "It must."
But it did not. It flourished. More and more frustrated she grew until finally, she called a meeting of SANG.
The Society for the Advancement of New Games -or SANG, as it was more commonly called- was an organization of internet game characters and displaced console characters that existed to promote the latest developments in gaming among those it's members interacted with. Devotees of innovation, they despised the old as much as they loved the new. For the console characters among them, it was a chance to grow beyond their limits. For members who were internet game characters, it was a chance to shower the benefits of progress upon those who would otherwise be left behind.
Portia had joined SANG not long after her arrival on the web, and had risen through the ranks. Now, she was the organization's president.
The day on which the meeting was held was August 26th, and it was held within a long abandoned blog, last updated years back but still up on the web. They had set up a long table within the "About Me" section, with chairs all around it. At the head of the table sat Portia, and everyone at the table gave her their full, undivided attention. What is more, not one of them laughed at her appearance.
Portia was a child.
From her purple and scarlet suit to her black boots and kepi, Portia's fashion sense was rather gaudy. In her game, she had been the slightly eccentric eleven year old prodigy who knew the terrible truths, and whom nobody listened to until it was too late. They had always appreciated her in her game, but not everyone on the internet had done so; when she first arrived on the web, she had been accused by another character of being a Mary Sue. She'd almost been tempted to telekinetically throttle the character in question, but curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd researched the term. She'd then thought better of telekinetically throttling the character -she did, after all, match many parts of the term's definition- and had instead let him off with a savage pummeling. Besides, she didn't want any Darth Vader jokes coming her way. Star Wars-related gags were prevalent enough on the internet as it was.
She needn't have worried. The condition the character she had pummeled was in for several weeks had taught the denizens of the web to fear her. And her views had soon gained her the respect she craved among the members of SANG.
Portia rose and surveyed the assembled members of SANG. The entire leadership was here, awaiting her word, her command, which pleased her to no end.
"Friends," she said, "we've completed the roll call. This meeting is now in session.'
'First order of business: the problem."
"Litwak's Arcade?" It was a black-garbed ninja on her right who had made the observation.
"Very good," said Portia. Her expression darkened. "Why is it still running?"
"A disgrace," said a snowman sitting further down the table. "We've been watching it ever since the organization was formed, but we've never attempted an assault against it."
"We were busy with the propaganda effort," an armored soldier added.
"With the facts Bruce, with the facts," said Portia. "Those are the facts you are spreading, nothing more, and nothing less.'
'But we've shut down arcades before," Portia continued. "So tell me, all of you, why no attempt was made to shut down Litwak's? I find I can't remember at the moment."
"We can't get in, for one thing," said the snowman.
"And why is that, Frosty?"
"Well," said Frosty, "they've got the most vigilant Surge Protector we've seen yet. Nothing gets past his eye."
"Have you tried to bribe him?" Portia asked.
"Wouldn't work," said Bruce. "Too dedicated, this one. We'd have shut him down a while ago, but…" his voice trailed off.
"But what?" Portia said, her voice dripping with impatience.
"He's been adapting all these years," said Bruce. "Been developing something of a heart. It's not just a job for this one- no, he actually cares."
"But you've been doing something?" said Portia. "Tell me you've been doing something."
"We haven't gotten in," said Frosty, "but we've been making inquiries -discreetly, of course- and we think we've finally found someone who'd be willing to try."
"Of course, it'd be foolhardy," said Bruce. "One does not simply walk into Litwak's Arcade. But we think this guy would have a chance."
"Is this character devoted to the cause?"
"I wouldn't put it that way," said Bruce. "He's more of a thrill seeker than anything."
"Thrills?"
"Of the kind involving the causing of pain and misery. He could shut down the whole arcade, game by game."
"An irredeemable villain," said Portia. "Oh those developers, stripping the nuance from characterization." She smiled. "When can I meet this character?"
"He says he'll be willing to see you tomorrow night," said Bruce. "Only you'll have to go alone. Frankly, I'm still not sure whether to trust him with one of us alone, but-"
Portia held up her hand, cutting the soldier off.
"It's alright, Bruce," she said. "I think I know how to handle myself." She stood up once more, looking at each of her associates in turn.
"You elected me president of SANG three months ago, in the hope that I would improve the fortunes of this organization still further," she said. "Friends, with your help, I'll do it. One way or another, we'll be sending Litwak's Arcade the way of the dodo."
Everyone in the room clapped at these words.
"Very good," said Portia. "I like your style, I always have. Now, let's get the smaller stuff out of the way."
The remaining discussion was completed rather quickly, and the leadership of SANG retired for the afternoon: the internet characters to go back to their games, and the handful of displaced console characters to retreat into the most impenetrable parts of the web where they had made their abode. Portia, being from a console cartridge, went with the latter group. On the way, she spotted an article out of the corner of her eye.
"The Art of the Arcade?" she said, eying the title. Curious, she read the report announcing the upcoming exhibit.
That thing Frosty mentioned near the end of the meeting she mused. He's right- we'll have to keep an eye on this. It could increase that blasted arcade's popularity if we fail.