Continue Online (Book 1, Memories) (11 page)

“
Is
that a mage?” I squinted at the tiny projection showing what my
niece was doing in-game. The display showed some weird cat guy
dodging around the screen while Beth’s character chanted a
whole number of things with flashy effects.

“
I
don’t know, Grant. I guess? She’s always with Sir Fuzzy
over there and doing something. Seems like a waste to me.”

“
She’s
doing a music thing too,” I remembered the event that Beth had
mentioned. The one she missed while being logged out and doing
whatever it is teenage girls did when they weren’t monster
slaying.

“
I
figured there was something. She’s been humming to herself half
the time when she’s not plugged in. Thank god for time
restrictions or I’d never know.”

I
shook my head slowly. ARC was addictive. Adults at least had to earn
money and pay bills in order to stay online. Kids with unlimited
access would be even worse. My sister was smart enough to keep the
restrictions active.

Thank
goodness food inside the machine wasn’t real. Stuff could go
down a virtual gullet all day and never remove actual hunger.

“
So
you going to play?” Liz was scowling at the visual display. She
jerked to the side and muttered under her breath as a charging animal
went by. Moments later the fuzzy form of whatever cat man Beth had
hooked up with flew in and tackled the beast.

“
If
I won what I think I did, sure.”

“
But
you’d never buy it for yourself.” My sister shook her
head and frowned.

“
You
know me. I don’t really buy myself things. Not since…”

“
Right.
She-who-shall-not-be-named. How were things with Elane? Didn't you
date her for a while?” Elane had been a bad idea by Liz. I
wasn’t emotionally stable, and barely into my twelve step
program. Putting us together had been explosive all around. She had
her own issues.

“
We
didn’t work out,” I said.

Liz
looked over and frowned by chewing at her lip. That was the same
habit she had since childhood. Normally the cue meant she was trying
not to say something on the tip of her tongue.

“
How
about you and Jake? He only rated a fine on the performance meter.”
I turned the conversation away from my woes and back to Liz. She was
wearing a tee shirt and pajama bottoms which meant there would be no
further social interaction with people outside the family.

“
We
won’t work out.” There was no heartbreak in her tone. I
hadn’t even had a chance to harass the guy with a baseball bat.

“
Already?”

“
Mind
your business, little brother,” She said.

“
Uh
huh.” Turnabout was never fair play, according to the sibling
rule book. As the slightly younger brother, I would never win. Still,
it felt nice to talk to someone outside of work.

“
You
headed home soon?”

“
I
should.” I flicked my wrist and looked at the default time
display. We had been logged in for two hours. With the perception
dilation inside Beth had been playing for at least eight. Time enough
for sunset to start outside in the real world.

“
Come
on then, a coffee before you go. We can chat about our terrible love
lives.” Liz gestured towards the stairs up.

“
I’m
always up for a good pity party with family.” That was a lie.
My father was made of stone and had little sympathy. Mom was equally
flustered and spouted the same five lines whenever confronted.

I
switched the headset to my other arm and gestured to the ARC.

“
Has
she done anything,” word choice was paramount. Harassing my
sister was one thing, broaching family issues was another, “to
worry you, in the game or real life?”

“
Not
that I’ve seen. Why?” We paused the escape from Beth's
room.

“
Here.”
I looped back the ARC’s feed and tried not to feel like this
action involved betraying my niece. Then again, we were, in theory,
the adults and she was still growing up, even if she turned eighteen
last year. She had to be of legal age to play Continue, but that said
nothing about her mentality. Moments later I flickered across the
event message then zoomed in on the ARC display using Parental
controls and memory files.

“
Mh.”
Liz showed reluctance to comment.

“
She
said it’s the autopilot, I guess it takes over when Beth's out
here.” I tried not to downplay or act panicked. My sister had
more than once suggested I mind my own business over the years.

“
Beth
explained that to me,” My sister wasn’t stupid, she
didn't know because she didn’t play the game. Liz tended to
stick to television shows and artwork for a hobby. As a result, there
was only one actual ARC in the house.

“
I
guess the computer takes note of how you play and acts that out while
on autopilot.” I said.

“
I’ll
keep an eye on it, but it’s probably nothing. Beth’s
killed herself in-game more times than I can count, doing stupid
daredevil moves. It’s probably related to that.” Liz
chewed on the inside of her lip. It was a familiar action that I had
mirrored many times since we were born.

I
could only shrug.

“
I’m
only letting you know. If it becomes serious, and you want my help,
I’m only a drive away.” I said.

“
Okay
,
Grant.”

“
And
I have…” A tender subject, like all the others relating
to my life a few years ago. “Experience with this stuff.”

“
I
remember. You forget who was there for the court appointments, who
drove you to the meetings, who had to come over to your house and
clean it up. I was there, Grant, don’t act like I wasn’t.”
She managed not to sound extremely upset. As her twin, the annoyance
was clear to me. Remembering the past made me cringe. My sister had
helped me recover from the lowest point of my life.

“
You
helped get me back on my feet.” She also helped me find a new
job and suggested a place to live. Somewhere hours away from my old
house and the memories, but close enough that family was near. “And
I love you for it, Liz, but I-”

Jesus,
I was tearing up.

“
I
lived it. I don’t want her to ever be there. So if you need
me-” Talking was clearly difficult. My jaw started to clench
almost instantly.

“S
hut
up, Grant. I know.” My sister wasn’t good with these raw
emotions. Dad had taught us to how to clear a yard and dedicated work
ethics. She, we, weren't raised to deal with anything like social
interaction.

“
Right.”
I tried to wipe my face with the free arm and brush away the forming
mess my face had become. “How about that coffee.”

“
Come
on.” Liz led the way, giving me time to get my game face back
on. I made my way up the stairs to the kitchen, same floor as her
bedroom and the front room.

“
One
coffee, sugar, and single creamer. Cool it down a little.” Liz
spoke words into a device on the counter. Further down the line a
machine started up as a whir of liquid poured into a cup.
“
Still
going to your meetings?”

“
I
check in with my sponsor weekly,” I said while nodding along.

“
And
the counselor?” Her worry was obvious even while we calmly
sipped coffee.

“
Every
two weeks.”

“
Think
you’ll be able to do all that, work, and still play a game?”

“
My
boss suggested I take some vacation time. I guess I’ve been
working too hard. Even Hal Pal voiced his concerns.” An AI
voicing concern about me overworking made her laugh.

“
But
you don’t actually know if you got this game.” Her tone
turned vaguely questioning at the end.

“
Not
really. It could be a virtual gopher for all I know. Or maybe a cat.
I could name him Sniffles the Second.” My smirk would be pretty
clear through the coffee's slight steam. “I’ll overfeed
him and load up dresses to claw at.”

“
God.
I hope it’s not a cat. I hate cats.” She closed her eyes
in mock prayer.

“
It’s
probably not a cat,” I muttered. “Probably.” A cat
might be amusing. I could link the virtual pet with Beth’s ARC
and let it meow like crazy whenever Liz got too close.

“
Well,
finish your coffee, and find out.”

Liz
made me chuckle. She was barely older, a little taller, and as messed
up as I was, but for different reasons. Being twins meant we knew
where the emotional buttons were far more than most. I had been there
when her husband ran off and Beth was only a year old.

We
parted with a hug.

I
advised Hal Pal to get us home and spent more time flipping through
public videos. Beth had alluded to a lot of customization to the
personal interface. Instead of looking for direct footage, I tried to
sift through lesser sites. There were a few clips of shaky cams plus
deleted comments with messages of web forum bans.

General
information spoke about a few skills. The press release had stated
all sorts of abilities from the game could be used in real life. Beth
had mentioned her singing and Liz vouched for excessive humming.

What
could I do skill wise? Dance?

I
laughed out loud in the van, imagining dancing enemies into
submission. Classic dance moves from Thriller might help me blend in
with zombie hordes. I could Walk Like an Egyptian through tombs to
avoid traps.

Hal
Pal asked me what was so alarmingly humorous. Explaining why I found
dancing in a video game against monsters so amusing didn’t
register on Hal Pal’s programming. He pleasantly acknowledged
my explanation and informed me how much time was remaining until
arriving home. I checked in with my sponsor and informed her work was
giving me a vacation. Her response was vaguely positive and also held
an edge of warning. Free time was dangerous for anyone who might
relapse. We kept our conversation short as always.

Then
I was home, hopping through the living room and into my bedroom. Hal
Pal didn’t even get a goodbye or orders to take care of our
inventory. The AI would do it anyway.

I
stared at the ARC and took a few breaths. Why was this so exciting?
Maybe it was because it was the newest thing to happen in years. An
entire world. Worlds even, according to the slip up during the press
release. For the sake of argument, and prevent a total letdown, I
tried to access the gift wrapped item from my external Atrium view.
It failed to unwrap. Fully diving into this was my only solution.