The Devil In White: An AA Online Novel

Amelia's alarm had been chiming for some time, and she finally rolled out of bed. She had things to do. Brush her teeth, shower, get dressed, catch the finals and then head out to class as was her normal routine. She had accomplished all but watching the finals when her apartment terminal chimed. She sighed, moving her chair away from her terminal where she had just started loading the results of the League Finals and put her wet hair in a hurried ponytail. Her terminal sounded again, notifying her that whoever had entered her complex to see her was now at the door. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, mom."

She pressed the access key and looked up expecting to see one or both of her parents back from vacation early to surprise her. It wouldn't be the first time they'd dropped in unannounced. Instead, she found two men in business suits waiting patiently for her. For a crazy moment, she expected them to produce their wrist VI's, Virtual Interfaces, to tell her that they were with some branch of the local law enforcement. Instead, the shorter one with asian features smiled at her and gave her a heavily accented greeting. The accent was german, making her smile briefly because it had been somewhat unexpected but sounded nice.

"Hello. We were hoping to speak with Miss Amelia Patrick? Is she available?" He asked politely. He leaned, a little inappropriately Amelia thought, in the doorway and peered into her apartment as if he were trying to size up whether she was alone or not.

"The security isn't so shoddy as to allow home invasion in this district, mister," Amelia said coldly as the smile evaporated from her face. She was proud of herself, considering it was all she could do not to slam the door control in his face and hide under her bathroom sink. She couldn't remember if she had set the security to call for help with a button press or if she would have to grab her mobile terminal and find the number to call herself.

For a moment his face froze as if he were trying to process her words. When he apparently understood he chuckled politely. "No, no, we are representatives from Centra Holdings, LTD. My associate doesn't speak English, which is fine, he has a translation app on his implant if it becomes necessary to communicate but mostly he is here to make sure I don't get into trouble on my own. It is company policy to have two people for quality control."

What sort of trouble can you get into in Illinois? Champaign-Urbana, Illinois even. The crime rate was non-existent and even after a hundred years of proud history, it was still largely a campus town.

"Uh-huh. As in the Corporation that owns Awakened Aspirations?" Amelia inquired.

"Yes. We were hoping you could spare some of your time, Amelia was it?" He asked politely again, trying to decide if she was the one he was sent to meet or not.

"Uh-huh. Can I see your ID apps and maybe you could tell me WHY I get visits so early in the morning?" She really wished her hair was dry and she wasn't wearing jeans and a simple T-shirt. She looked down at herself, disgusted to see that she was wearing one of her coolest and rattiest shirts that had a logo from one of her favorite RPG's in the early '30s.

Both men, the one who was speaking to her and after a short delay the second, showed her their work permits implanted on their arms. When that was taken care of the talker, as Amelia was going to now think of him since he hadn't offered a name(despite the fact that she could see it on his work app), he started speaking again. "I was asked to invite you to speak with our founder and CEO Catherine Waide this afternoon."

Catherine Waide, self-built billionaire and CEO of the private limited share company Centra Holdings. Yep, she would totally want to see Amelia. Amelia was tired, and even though it was early and she hadn't had any aggravations during the day yet she felt her temper slipping.

"Yes. I am sure that she has much to talk about with me." Amelia nodded slowly, masking the condescension from her voice.

"Oh?" The man replied. "That makes this easier then. Do you think you can come now?"

"Sure? Let me grab my backpack. You can give me a lift to campus after we're done can't you?" This was a prank. She wasn't sure who had set this up. She didn't have many friends but her dad did have a lot of buddies in Centra Holdings, and he did always joke about how she played the game so much that one of these days they'd just come for her. She'd play along. After a brief thought, she also set her terminal to an alarm that would call the police if she didn't de-activate it in an hour. No sense being crazy.

Pleasant surprise played across his face. "We will do our utmost to accommodate you. Our semester schedule for you has your first class at 11:30 AM Central Standard Time. Since it is now only 8:00 AM we should get you to your meeting and then to campus at your d.e.s.i.r.ed convenience."

"Breakfast on the way then? I didn't have any yet." Amelia muttered, she was already in her room getting her backpack.

The talker turned to his companion and uttered something in either Japanese or Korean, Amelia spoke neither so she didn't know. It sounded eastern-ish at the least. It could have been Chinese or something else she supposed. He turned back to her and replied, "yes, your meeting with Catherine Waide will be catered with a light breakfast and coffee."

"Super," Amelia replied, stepping out into the hallway and locking her apartment behind her.

It wasn't until they had exited the silent electric limo and were on an airfield on the outskirts of Champaign that Amelia thought this might not be her dad playing around. On the runway was one of the new CLiners. A sleek jet that went from what she could remember, faster than 600 mph on electric hydrobats. Amelia paled when she saw it, and worse, saw that its stairway ramp was attached and ready.

She slipped out of the limo and the talker and his silent buddy stood by the limo smiling, making no attempt to follow her. It was only about 8:30, and the sun wasn't hot, but it strobed down on her from above and she felt dizzy as she walked over to the ramp. A steward or waiter or… butler stood at the top of the ramp, smiling down at her and kindly extending a hand in invitation. When she reached the top of the ramp he took her bookbag and, with his white gloves, hung the cheap 12$ bag on a rack that was probably made from a material that cost 12 times as much.

"This way, please. You'll be pleased to note that while fast, the plane is not a labyrinth nor a long journey." His attempt at levity did nothing to bring a smile to Amelia's face. At this point, she was trying really hard not to throw up on his very expensive shoes in this very expensive plane.

He led her to the middle of the plane where a conference-style area was set. Several flight chairs were gathered around a central table area, all facing in the round style. On the furthest end was an older woman who was well dressed and drinking tea. Though her hair was white, her blue eyes sparkled with health and she set down her cup as Amelia approached.

"I would rise to greet you, but I'm getting old and a bit senile so I will just tell you instead that I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Patrick." Catherine Waide said gently. She motioned to the chair across from her and then asked politely. "How would you like your eggs?"

"Eggs?" Amelia asked, slowly sinking into the chair that sat across a table from one of the ric.h.e.s.t women on the planet. Catherine Waide was a self-made businesswoman who had single-handedly revived the NeuraDive Game era. It was safe to say without her thoroughness, tenacity, and financial backing that VRMMO's would have died long before the 23rd Century.

"Oh dear. Do you not eat eggs? Well then bring us some ham, bacon, and some of those lovely croissants would you please?" She nodded to the man who had greeted her who inclined his head and retreated.

Suddenly out of place in her thrifty and college stylish clothes, Amelia sheepishly admitted, "honestly I just usually eat a food pill in the morning and for lunch. It's a busy day."

"Yes," Catherine agreed. "Classes in the morning, a strict exercise routine in the afternoons, evening classes… and your nights! I envy the young." She chuckled lightly and brought her tea back up from it's placeholder. Amelia wondered how the heck Catherine seemed to know her schedule. "Now I find myself dozing lightly at the meetings all hours of the day. Still, I keep informed. Take for example, you dear. I can see from your face you have no idea why I am here. Mr. Mitsugi was supposed to take care of that."

"I uhh, thought this was a joke played by my dad… and I just went along with it." Amelia admitted slowly, wishing she had any saliva in her mouth. Her tongue was suddenly incredibly dry. "Can I just say, since I am totally freaked out and going to make a fool of myself anyway, I am a huge fan of Awakened Aspiration and the things you did with the quest and skill engine were, are, beyond amazing…"

Catherine stared at her over her tea and then started laughing. It was a rich sound like she actually enjoyed what Amelia had said, and Amelia, in turn, found some of her trepidation and fear melting away at the sound. Some, but a very, very small amount. "Thank you, in truth, I have always loved the side-project that has become my legacy. I am very proud of all the accomplishments and its reception. I just wish I could convince those lawyers to let me peek in on all the players!" She turned her head and smiled as if imparting a great secret.

Side-project? Had she really just told Amelia that AA was a side-project? Amelia knew from the media that Catherine Waide was considered widely as eccentric, but this was beyond even her wildest expectations. The famous billionaire, philanthropist, gaming CEO was beyond a recluse. She was a literal hermit. She never made appearances in commercials, campaigns, in-game, on advertis.e.m.e.nts, or even to the slough of media streaming agencies that would have loved to have an interview with her. To be sitting with her was surreal.

"I'll never put on that visor again, but what I wouldn't give to just surf around and watch all those players have adventures." She sighed wistfully, and after a moment her vision lost it's far away gaze and came to a sharpness that startled Amelia. "Which is why I have asked your indulgence in meeting with this old, old woman."

"You… want to watch me have adventures?" Amelia drawled slowly.

"Oh that would be lovely, but no, that's not necessary. Instead, I want to talk to you about the Far North Continent expansion campaign." She smiled. "I saw Mr. Verdios' video! Then I watched Hunter, and if you don't me saying so she is a personal favorite of mine. Then, out of the blue, I couldn't help noticing some old nostalgic faces…" Her smile faded. "Naturally I am getting old Amelia, and this must seem like a lot of cloak and dagger nonsense to you." She set her tea down again and gestured mildly, "why is this old woman coming to see me? What does she want? What did I get myself into? Is she going to roll me up in a carpet and drop me in a dumpster?"

Amelia didn't nod yes or shake her head no and was saved from having to respond immediately when a very competent catering staff entered the cabin and began depositing a buffet-style food arrangement on the table in front of them. While they were setting up she helped herself to a little bacon, some toast, and croissant that had been buttered and looked delicious so she wouldn't appear rude. Truth be told she helped herself to buy time to think and ended up pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was.

"Smart. That's what I like about you. You would be welcome to work with me when you graduate, or before if you like. Oh stop it Catherine, that sounds like bribery," Catherine said cutting herself off short. She waved a hand again and resumed speaking once the caterers had left. "So instead of being that sneaky old codger with an agenda, I will tell you everything I know, everything I hope, and everything I fear." She sipped her tea, looking at Amelia over the cup edge, and her eyes were very sharp indeed. "Then, you will tell me if you would be so kind, your thoughts on the matter."

Amelia was trying to find the bacon on her plate, but her fingers kept slipping. She felt out of place here, and that this conversation was beyond her. So far she had neither heads nor tails what was required of her and wanted nothing more than to leave. She would go to class, and jump into the game later tonight and put this behind her.

"I am a Last Sojourn survivor," Catherine said gently.

Amelia stilled.

"You know of it?" Catherine prompted, her voice still gentle.

"Yes, it's a part of virtual theory history. VRMMO's and diving in particular almost died out as a result." Amelia supplied vaguely. She knew more than that but was afraid to go on. Last Sojourn survivors had been protected by an international act that prohibited general lines of inquiry toward the participants. It was a fancy way of saying it was illegal for LS survivors to be questioned about their experiences. She knew quite a bit more about it. What diver didn't know the famous history of that game that ended more than 50 years ago?

"Slang is a wonderful thing. Do you know what they called that game?"

"The death game," Amelia whispered.

"Do you know why?" Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't fault you for not. Everyone is so s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the issue of net neutrality and the expansion of ideas and technology, so on and so forth ad nauseam."

"Because it was the first incident of world affecting cyber terrorism. Lots of people died." Amelia whispered again. She knew more than that of course, it was a matter of history. It was the game that had claimed the lives of more than 90,000 civilians. It had ruined the VR industry for years.

In the 22nd century, fossil fuels had been low. War over resources was commonplace even among the so-called richer nations. Technology had exploded outward in response, but it had also been the cause of global paranoia. Factions in the middle-east who had always been at odds with Western nations had increased their attempts at legitimizing their struggle. What they found as other sources of energy were discovered, was that those nations cared about them even less without their deep petroleum capital. Protests increased, often such forms of protest involved violence. Last Sojourn had been included in the first attack via technology, and one of the most devastating. Nations had reeled, political structures shifted, and the VR industry had all but shut down solely because technology had become a little too integrated, a little too personal.

"In 2156, the first global initiative for the neural chipping interface movement began." Catherine lectured. "It proposed the implementation of a chip that allowed human beings wifi over local networks or if you were wealthier, satellite. This chip would monitor vital signs, allow access to the extranet, and was even used to track purchasing, spending, and citizenship rights. It was all very nice. I mean, you had to volunteer for the chip. It wasn't a mandatory governmental control chip! No! That wasn't what it was for, or at least that's what they said. People wanted their privacy and their personal freedom but they also wanted total security. It was just to make life better. If you were feeling bad, the chip would give you warnings and directions to the nearest hospital." Catherine smiled as if remembering. "It was so easy to do searches. You'd think to yourself, 'I want to go to the movies, I wonder what the times for the movie I want to watch are.' Suddenly a screen would pop up in your vision that would tell you the movie times. It was fantastic! You know they used to have glasses like your sunglasses that were designed to do the same thing? You had to use verbal commands of course…"

Amelia nodded. The chipping had been a huge success, and to some degrees, the same technology was used today. Only now it wasn't implanted in the brain.

"Several years later," Catherine continued. "I think it was 2174, a student in a Tokyo University thought to himself, the framework is there… why not create a 3rd party system that will allow the feed of data to the chip, creating instant, easy, and accessible VR?" She chuckled. "Instead of looking up movie times and being directed, you would just see the movie you wanted to see with your own eyes."

"Then someone took it a step further and made the dive gear. It used the same principle to produce an online, interactive, and social fantasy game. A game where your brain controlled your movements, actions, speech, and everything else you could think of through a 3rd party device that was passed through the chip." Amelia filled in.

"Yes. The shining light of technology." Catherine's smile soured. "I remember where I was. I was in the Orion Plaza in Sojourn when we realized something was wrong. It wasn't a malfunction with the game per se… but a problem with the chip itself."

"A terrorist organization that called itself ISMA had implanted an algorithm in the ch.i.p.s that caused them to melt when users took specific actions. That was just for the dive gear of course. It was a mutating virus and I doubt that the terrorists had ever even thought about VR. In the real world, it fed false information. Sometimes it would report health critical conditions when none existed, fed incorrect medication allergy information to hospitals, and the list went on and on. It was a virus that spread quickly and killed people who were interfacing in certain ways. When it reached the systems of Last Sojourn it simply told the system that when players died in the game or logged out without victory being achieved, the chip should allow external power, or barring that, to generate an intense charge and set itself to melt. Because of the old helmet style, it was impossible to circ.u.mvent. You couldn't cut it off, the chip would melt. You couldn't cut power, the chip would melt. If you removed the helmet the chip would melt. They couldn't shut the servers off…" Amelia trailed off. Given her field of study in college, this particular topic was very well known to her.

"The chip would melt. Yes." Catherine nodded, continuing. "It was worse than that though. You young people always have ingenious ideas. Surely you have thought about it. What would you have done?"

"I would have rewritten the game software to simply log the player out after a short duration. Five minutes? Ten?" Amelia offered. "Or I would have turned all the players invincible and incapable of death."

"This is where our pesky survivor's act comes in I'm afraid." Catherine shook her head. "No one is able to harass the survivors about what happened. History doesn't tell you that they tried everything they could think of and more. They tried that, and the players still died when they removed the helmet. In fact, your invincible idea was used and people died when they transitioned from player to invincible object. The only thing that they could do was keep the server running. It was a huge game you see. It was a hard game, already incredibly long, but there was always going to be an expansion. The expansion was never implemented of course because of the attack. So, if some player managed to beat the game the system was designed to congratulate the players of the world on their victory, and then shut off to await the expansion. It wasn't supposed to be that way, there was no way a player could clear the game before the developers updated the servers. Since the catastrophe though, they would never do so. So, there was only the hope that despite the fact that every time a player died in the game and it became more frightening, some players would continue toward the goal. The players were moved to hospitals and given secure extranet line access, power grids that would never fail, nutritional supplements that would keep their bodies alive for as long as possible."

"...and one day approximately 10,000 of those 100,000 beta-players woke up." Amelia finished.

"Yes, we did," Catherine said quietly. She was silent for another moment, and Amelia detected the slightest of tremors in the older woman's hands as she cupped her tea. "Did you ever wonder why?"

"Someone beat the game obviously," Amelia replied. "In 2194 the game ended, just a few years after it went live and a few years after the Dive gear was even created… in…?"

"2192, yes. Did you ever wonder why you never heard who?" Catherine asked. "I mean, they would be heroes, even in the gaming community. This many years later in 2246 people would still be holding them up, wouldn't they? People love heroes." Her eyes sparkled.

"I never wondered, no," Amelia admitted. "It was a long time ago."

"It was because they were killed defeating the final world-boss," Catherine said flatly. She reached for her tea and took a sip, watching Amelia and gauging her reaction.