“They did until they saw you. What did they say? Anything would be better than giving a ninja cockroach one of the 100,000 spots!”
Rolling his eyes, St3alth turned back to me. “You think you’re ready for the interview?”
“More than ready,” I replied. “Destiny and I have practiced interview questions for more hours than I care to remember.”
“Can I go on a date with her?” St3alth asked, again.
“No for the thousandth time! She’s an AI… And way too classy for you.”
“What Lucius said,” Destiny replied.
“Fine. Then let’s continue. Let’s head to the lounge and try 3 vs 5. If there are any girl players, I call first go!”
“To kill them, or flirt with them?” Chewme asked.
“To fight them first. Then after they are impressed…”
“I don’t think girls find guys that kill them attractive,” I said.
“I’m looking for a special kind of girl. Don’t step all over my dreams.”
“Some dreams can get you prison time,” Destiny teased.
I teleported to the lounge, ending the conversation.
Chapter 2 – Letter
I received the letter. It was a real physical letter, one of only a few I had received in my entire life. The drone had dropped it off just like any other delivery, but there was nothing ordinary about it.
Physical letters became almost obsolete in the last couple hundred years because there was no longer any need for them. But some occasions called for something a little special. Or it could be because it was from the government and they still had some archaic practices.
Why bother with a letter normally when you had direct access to all of your family and friends regardless of where they were in the world through the Metaverse? Just port over to them anywhere and hang out with them virtually. All it took was to will it and your AI and MR Tech would take care of the rest.
I rubbed the envelope gently between my fingers as I walked the last couple hundred meters through this long, above-ground tunnel to the transportation hub. Its texture fascinated me for some reason.
If the people around me knew what I was about to do, the majority of them would think I had overdosed on game violence and the unfiltered Metaverse.
Looking up, dozens of small drones shot past overhead in their own network of traffic. Above them was a dome stretching down the wide tunnel. It was entirely covered in holograms. The hub limited advertisements by law to preset locations that wouldn’t dangerously distract pedestrians as they traveled. There were holographic pillars every twenty meters or so to the sides of the walkway that allowed a single holographic commercial at a time. Like the incredibly attractive, bigger than life woman that was levitating on a mag-hover mattress while snoozing in her car.
Arrows along the ground directed me and those around me in designated traffic lanes. How people were augmenting themselves was always interesting.
A girl to my right was going the same direction and walked a few meters ahead. She wore a tight-fitting padded jacket that showed off her figure, with a leather studded skirt and a long, blond, fluffy tail. It was more cat than dog.
Coming from the other direction to the right was a space rogue, with a below the knee duster and a cybernetic eye. His image shimmered periodically to mimic stealth armor that had yet to be activated.
An Undead Deathlord, with abnormally pale skin and emerald silver platemail, was in front of me moving down the tunnel to the central hub.
A hooded figure with two triggerless six-shooters holstered at the hip passed in the other direction. He was a ballistic mage that used magic instead of gunpowder or magnets to propel the bullets from his guns.
There were creatures you could see in the holographic forest that the local high school students created in art class. Bears, deer, dragons, minotaurs… You know, the kind that you find in every forest.
“Are you worried?” Destiny asked. She had appeared in a small messaging window near the top left-hand corner of my peripheral, her large green eyes wincing.
No one else was able to hear her, for she was tied directly into my MR gear. She had mid-back length blond hair and captivating features.
I had chosen a female AI on purpose. One of her jobs was to help me stay disciplined by being the voice in my head to help guide me, as annoying as that could be. Her gender and look were chosen because it was harder to say no to a beautiful girl. It might sound ridiculous, but it worked.
“You know what I’m about to do. It won’t be easy.”
“That may be true, but it will be worth it.”
“You’re right.” I sighed.
“Of course I’m right. If you don’t take my advice you are an idiot.”
Her direct response caught me off guard. Glancing up, I saw she was staring at me intently. She couldn’t keep the grin from her face for long.
I chuckled. She had been my AI for a decade, over half of my life, and had mastered how to manipulate my sense of humor.
Normally Destiny would appear to me as a hologram, but it was a normal courtesy to keep your bots from manifesting in a busy public place like this. Having her appear where only I could see her was a very real option, but with so many people it would be difficult to keep track of her. She was more accessible now in my quick chat.
“Father even came home early from work when he got the news. I can count on one finger how many times that has happened. Not that it changed his mind about gaming.”
“Your dad is a great man. He works hard, provides for his family, and has much success. He may have his own ideas about what he wants his son to become, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to spend time with you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m not going to miss you reminding me.”
“How can you say that? I thought you loved my rebukes!” She stuck out her tongue.
Destiny was the only person that called my father dad. He had created her specifically for me. Few of the AI on the market could compete with her capabilities. Having a genius father had its perks, but as long as I could remember he spent most of his time working. Destiny was good company and designed to teach me to become the best in whatever I so desired. Still, she wasn’t my father.
More than that, because I had such an amazing AI, I was expected to make something of myself. When I had decided to become an ultra-user and pursue professional gaming, he hadn’t hidden his disappointment. He wanted me to become a creator like him, to develop AIs or for the Metaverse. It was true that at first, I had started gaming mostly out of spite, but very quickly I fell in love with competing against others from all over the world.
An alien from a game I couldn’t place passed by. Its eyes at the end of burnt orange antennas followed me.
Creepy. Its mouth was as wide as a person’s body and had multiple limbs.
Real alien avatars weren’t popular right now, because of intergalactic tensions. The exception was the Jinhwa. They were basically cyborgs that were always trying to make some coin from their advanced technology. I’d see at least one of their shops in a few moments.
My own outfit mimicked black Kevlar body armor that was tight-fitting, showing off a well-defined athletic body. It was simple and the only extravagance was a large Guild Nexus logo at the center of my chest, with many graphics from my sponsors around it and on my back. This was the new modest. My real frame was thinner, but there was little extravagance besides thicker muscles.
What I really wore under the augmentation was a dull silver long-sleeved shirt and darker athletic pants; comfy and a good contrast that didn’t interfere with the lighting for my outfit augmentation.
I unapologetically wore a strap around my head with a small but obvious processing unit just above each ear that stretched out into my peripheral vision. The light projector was barely noticeable but streamed directly into both eyes giving me full access to both augmented and virtual sectors of the Metaverse.