Chapter 4-2
2001 Words
“Take out the destroyers first,” Zack said. “Watch your sensors for plasma bursts. Alpha formation, go!”
His teammates seamlessly fell into place as they blazed toward the ships. This was a timed mission, so there was no point waiting for the enemy to come to them. They needed to be aggressive and efficient.
Zack called out orders, and his teammates obeyed in a flawless display of teamwork that they had honed through years of playing together. Jenny stayed back and deployed her drones. They weren’t quite as effective against AI players as they were against humans, but even computers couldn’t avoid her traps forever. Soon a large pile of disabled ships floated around the battlefield.
“Pull around,” Zack said. “I’ll take them out.”
Greg and Jenny pulled back to harass the large ships at the outer edge of the fleet. Faz darted forward, picking off smaller ships at the inside one by one. Zack armed his new cannon and destroyed the mass of disabled ships with a single blast.
“Nice cannon,” Greg said with grudging admiration.
“Worth every credit.”
When the explosions died away enough for Zack to see the screen again, his teammates had regrouped on the other side of the enemy fleet. He squinted with concentration, studying the pattern of the enemy’s laser fire. If he timed this just right, he could slip through the center of the fleet without taking damage and assume his place in the formation rather than wasting time by flying around. Taking out every ship in his path would just be a bonus.
He took a deep breath and rested his thumb against the trigger that would engage his thruster. This move would require precision.
Wait.
Wait.
Now!
Zack pressed the trigger.
His screen went black.
“What the hell?” Zack let out a frustrated scream and followed it with a string of profanity.
Pressing the power button on his gaming controller had no effect. He tried to leap to his feet, but his back stuck to the leather and held him in place. He leaned forward, peeling out of the chair, and stood. His pants fell down around his ankles, and the lock on his door clicked shut.
Warning! Minimum Public Decency Requirements Not Met
Warning! Minimum Public Decency Requirements Not MetWarning! Minimum Public Decency Requirements Not MetPlease dress yourself appropriately according to local public decency laws.
Please dress yourself appropriately according to local public decency laws.Enacting blackout protocols.
Enacting blackout protocols.The words echoed through his surround sound system, and DaEvo’s cheerful theme music accompanied them. The windows darkened, and the overhead lights brightened. Zack tried to sprint for the door, tripped on the jeans around his ankles, and fell face-first into a pile of dirty laundry.
The good news was that it broke his fall. The bad news was that it smelled awful.
Zack rolled over, pulled the OptiGlasses out of the pocket, and shoved them onto his face. The public decency warning flashed across the screen. Zack cursed the dating sim as he flicked his eyes to the calling app and dialed Phil. The phone rang once then went to voicemail.
Zack ended the call without leaving a message, untangled himself from his clothes, and stood. DaEvo flashed notifications across his screen.
Minimum Hygiene Levels not Met
Minimum Hygiene Levels not MetMinimum Hygiene Levels not MetPlease take a shower and change into a clean pair of clothes.
Please take a shower and change into a clean pair of clothes.Reward: Access to door
Reward: Access to door“I already did that!”
Your alpha test bug report has been logged.
Your alpha test bug report has been logged.Your alpha test bug report has been logged.Thank you for your help in making DaEvo a success!
Thank you for your help in making DaEvo a success!A ringing in his conduction headphones interrupted Zack before he could do anything further. He answered. “Phil?”
“Dude, where are you?” Faz said.
“I got kicked out.”
“Connection issues?” Greg asked.
Apparently, Faz had made a group call. The sound of laser fire and whine of engines sounded in the background.
“We’re in the middle of the qualifying round!” Jenny’s said. “Get your butt back here!”
“How long ‘til you’re back? Faz asked. “We can cover you until you reboot but make it quick.”
DaEvo flashed a notification across the screen.
Zack glared at it. “Just a second.”
“What do you mean, just a second?” Jenny shrieked. “We don’t have a second. Greg, to your right!”
Greg released a series of muffled grunts punctuated by Faz’s swearing while Zack flipped through DaEvo’s menu of rewards, upgrades, and achievements that he had unlocked.
Rewards, Upgrades, and Achievements
Rewards, Upgrades, and AchievementsRewards, Upgrades, and AchievementsAccess to Front Door—locked. Please meet minimum hygiene and public decency standards
Access to Front Door—locked. Please meet minimum hygiene and public decency standardsElectronics Privileges—unlocked
Electronics Privileges—unlockedEssential Internet Privileges—unlocked
Essential Internet Privileges—unlockedNon-Essential Internet Privileges—locked, time expired
Non-Essential Internet Privileges—locked, time expired“What do you mean my time expired?”
DaEvo flashed another screen.
Non-Essential Internet Privileges earned : 30 minutes
Non-Essential Internet Privileges earned : 30 minutesNon-Essential Internet Privileges spent : 30 minutes
Non-Essential Internet Privileges spent : 30 minutesNon-Essential Internet Privileges remaining: 0 minutes
Non-Essential Internet Privileges remaining: 0 minutesPlease complete more quests to unlock more rewards, upgrades, and achievements.
Please complete more quests to unlock more rewards, upgrades, and achievements.“Star Fury is essential!” Zack yelled.
Your alpha test bug report has been logged.
Your alpha test bug report has been logged.Your alpha test bug report has been logged.Thank you for your help in making DaEvo a success!
Thank you for your help in making DaEvo a success!Faz stopped swearing. “Essential? What are you talking about? When are you coming back?”
Zack swallowed and stared longingly at the sleek surfaces of his screens. They remained dark mirrors, reflecting his sweaty, half-dressed image.
“I don’t think I am.”
“You’re ditching us?” Greg said. “In the middle of the tournament? You’re just leaving?”
“Of all the bilge-sucking, hornswaggling muckspouts—” Jenny continued a tirade of the pirate-based insults favored by the Corsairs.
Zack turned down the volume of the call with a quick swipe of his eyes as he tried to gather his wits enough to explain. “Phil pulled a fast one this morning, and I’m locked out of my account. My console won’t even turn on.”
“So go to a café and reset your password,” Jenny said, abandoning the stream of insults in favor of solving the problem. “If you hurry, you can respawn and join us. The tournament officials lied. This isn’t a three-tier base. This looks more to be seven. Faz, on your left.”
Zack waited for the laser fire to die down before he answered. “Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be that easy. I’m also locked in my apartment.”
“You’re what?” Faz’s voice rose, half in incredulity, half in surprise. And maybe another quarter in pure mirth.
“Forget him and focus,” Jenny said. “This is a timed round, and we’re down a player. Zack, do what you need to do and get back here if you can.”
“I’m trying,” Zack said. “Phil hooked me up to some kind of app that’s restricting all my stuff. Apparently, I have to earn screen time to access my account.”
“Earn screen time? You’re legally an adult. He can’t do that to you,” Greg said.
“Just call tech support and report that your account was hacked and you need back in,” Jenny said.
“And do it real quick,” Faz said.
The sound of laser fire in the background intensified, and Zack winced as Jenny and Greg yelled for Faz to focus.
“Just get back online,” Faz said. “Whatever it takes, get back here.”
Faz hung up, and the room went silent. Zack stared at his screen for a moment, then shook himself out of his shock and looked up the number for Star Fury support. He’d never had to deal with them before. The game had always been perfect.
He dialed the number and paced as the OptiGlasses rang. The qualifying round should last at least thirty minutes if it was seven tiers. Hopefully longer, so he would be able to fix this and get back in time to help his team. DaEvo flashed the public decency warning again, and Zack considered stripping completely nude in protest. It seemed like the only act of defiance he had left.
Detected increased heart rate to a dangerous level.
Detected increased heart rate to a dangerous level.Scanning status.
Scanning status.Accelerated stress…
Accelerated stress…Please assume a reclined position and breathe deeply to ease stress levels.
Please assume a reclined position and breathe deeply to ease stress levels.“You’re the one stressing me out!” Zack shouted, but of course DaEvo had nothing useful to say to that.
The app just kept flashing the warning. Zack gritted his teeth. He would recline when this was fixed and he was safely back in his ship. What did a stupid app know about his health?
“Welcome to the Star Fury support line. Please enable retina scan with your OptiGlasses to confirm your account identity.”
The computerized voice was the same one as his AI co-pilot in the game. Zack sighed and stared straight ahead as his OptiGlasses scanned his eyes.
“Thank you. Please log in to your Star Fury account to allow diagnostic scanning.”
“I’m locked out of my account.”
“Please complete password reset protocol to regain access to your account.”
Zack sighed. He really hated dealing with tech support. “I can’t access password reset.”
“Have you tried turning your device off and back on again?”
Zack ground his teeth. “Yes.”
“Hesitation detected. Are you sure you tried turning your device off and back on again?”
Stupid uppity AI with its stupid condescending suggestions.
“Of course I did!”
“Have you checked to make sure your device is plugged in?”
“I checked everything, okay? It won’t work no matter what I do. Please transfer me to a real person!”
He could practically hear the automated voice sigh.
“Malfunction reported. Please hold for a human representative.”
The Star Fury theme played. And played. Zack paced around the piles of dirty clothes. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything yet. He pulled a piece of pizza from one of the boxes on the floor and gnawed on it while he walked. It was a little stale. Probably time to order a fresh one.
He looked at the door. Was there anything in the apartment solid enough to break it down? At this point, he would rather do that than fulfill any of DaEvo’s stupid hygiene quests to unlock it.
“Star Fury support, Gary speaking. How may I help you?”
Gary sounded almost as robotic as the AI. Zack took a deep breath. Just stay calm and explain the situation. That was all he needed to do.
“Yeah, I’m having trouble accessing my account. This is urgent. I was competing in the tournament when I got kicked off.”
“No need to worry, sir. Just start the program on your game console, and—”
“I can’t.”
- Writer
