VR WARS Volume II - Coalition Army

FOR THE FUN OF IT

Deep inside the Nautilus Enterprise facilities, through a maze of corridors that lead to a multitude of different sized laboratories, was a room that resembled a vault that could only be accessed by a few selected individuals. The security that allowed entrance to it was first-rate and also one of a kind developed by the greatest mind of the century. Biometric recognition was only the first step, shortly followed by DNA scans and bionanite authentication. The latter was the first-generation combination of syntactic structures known as nanites symbiotically interacting within biological organisms; in other words, an examination of the nanites living within the bloodstream. These same machines were the offspring of the microsensors fused all over the PXF. They were supposed to replace them in the next generation Virtual Reality simulator, enhancing its abilities to whole new heights. The reasons for all the security were obvious; inside the vault-like room, Von Kluge and his assistant worked on secrets concealed from public knowledge, but above all, they worked nonstop to get everything ready for the big event that was to come.

Upon introducing new data onto the Bermuda System Server through a holographic keyboard, Bryan blinked his eyes in surprise when he finished calculating the total amount of tebibytes the update they’d been working on would require. About twice as much as any previously released content. In essence, it could be said the Bermuda System Server, the body in charge of regulating the Virtual Realm, was about to receive an expansion the likes of which it had never seen since its launch day.

Stretching out his arms and legs, suffering from discomfort after many hours in the same position, Von Kluge stepped out of his workstation to mesmerize the constant flow of incoming data stream from his newly upgraded conception. The long and thick beard on his face in dire need of a shave and the sweaty stains on his garb accumulated after days of constant grind spoke of how harshly they had worked. However, his proud and excited smile at the primary monitor showcased a successful simulation that prevailed over his physical exhaustion. The long-awaited results he had been craving for the better part of his lifetime were finally within his grasp, an achievement well worth the wait. “Is everything ready, Bryan?”

His brilliant protege and colleague fared no better; his long garb had long lost its pure white color that screamed of new, and his expression yelled for rest. Nevertheless, the excitement in him was as intense as his teacher’s. “The preliminary analysis from Xeno looks good. Shall we begin?”

“By all means, let there be light.”

“Xeno will automatically patch up any holes that might’ve missed us after rebooting, so we should be in the clear, not that it would even be necessary,” he reported confidently, looking back on his input. “Beginning transfer of data, now.”

“…Modesty never suited you, Bryan.”

“Not that I wouldn't mind putting a little more work on our beloved AI, in charge of regulating any anomalies in the user interface, Xeno already has her quota doubled, refitting the auxiliary lines to avoid any fluctuations within the mainframe.”

“Yes, Bryan, I’m well aware of what our girl can handle.”

“Putting that aside, I’ve gotta ask…why a prom, sir?”

It was a valid question considering all the effort they had both put into creating the stage that would host the fateful event.

“These kids are putting their studies on hold because their countries failed to contain and adapt to the economic crisis that was more than predictable to happen. It’s not their fault, but they are the ones in danger of being, literally, tossed out. If the announcement I will make in the event can change a single student's life, I believe it is worth it. As for the prom itself, there’s no particular reason for it other than setting a stage…Although, I am kind of fond of them, seeing as I never attended one during my youth days.”

“And what about the other hundreds of thousands of students, sir?”

“I’m not this century’s messiah, nor am I charity incarnated,” the most powerful man in the world said while stretching his tired body with a grim. “I can only help one.”

Regardless of it being the biggest upload to date, the transfer and installation were successful, going without a hitch in the smallest window of time. The loading bar reaching a complete 100% as it did in the many simulations they had run before meant that all of their hard work had paid off. So, as the Bermuda System Server rebooted as it was supposed to do, a clear image was reflected all over the various sized monitors in the room.

“You did it, sir,” announced Bryan as he stared at the beautifully enhanced image being transmitted from the Virtual World. There the vision of his friend and mentor was displayed to them in its absolute splendor.

A gigantic white castle was standing on top of the highest ridges in a majestic green valley with an endless ocean eating away at the cliffs' rocks below. Such was the beauty of this place; it left its creators speechless.

The set on which the famous event would be hosted, as well as the image Von Kluge, had dreamed about for decades, made such an impression on him that left him with watery eyes, “…For the last time, call me Henrich.”

With the view from his dreams built, brick by brick, number by number, Henrich Von Kluge had set in motion merely one of the phases of his final goal. Now he needed a new world to suit his heavenly castle, a kingdom to go with it. But that sight was still lost in the distant future.

April 12th, 2025,

UL Campus Grounds, Lisbon

Conference meeting

The creation of a prom, prior to the coalition phase battles, by the creator of the PXF, came as a surprise to everyone, a pleasant surprise as it provided the students a chance to see their opponents and glance at their qualities as leaders. And it also formulated the idea that the competition was glamorous, contradicting the prime principle of it all. Naturally, the event would take place inside the world created by the PXF. But what kind of place would it be? No one had the slightest idea. The location was meant to be a surprise. Nevertheless, knowing that there were almost no limitations to the power of creativity of this new technology, Angelo was confident it would be a stunning place.

To not undermine anyone, all university leaders enrolling in the competition received an invitation with the possibility of bringing a companion. In total, about eighty people would take part in this event. Each university leader could choose to take a companion or go alone. Yeah, right. Who in their right mind would choose the latter? “Through a ‘noble’ event, it was also a clash between powerhouses, and showing up alone could potentially undermine his position. By following this logic, the pretext to invite a woman to be his date came to be.

The prom was scheduled for the first day of May, and the main competitions would start a few days following that. The morning after finding out the ballroom's details, an emergency meeting was arranged among the Portuguese coalition; its purpose was to dictate a strategy to gather intelligence on their opponents during the event. Forever fans of cunning tactics and overall strategy, Pedro and Rui decided they wouldn't go to such a place merely to enjoy the show; they needed to come out of it with stuffed pockets. Information in this case.

With the headquarters of the coalition located on the UL campus grounds, as well as the majority of their leadership, the core of their country, the capital once more greeted the three commanders for diplomatic talks.

The mood was heavy, with everyone struggling to find the words to describe the shock produced by that bombshell of news, and Angelo was no exception. He had no idea what to say; his mind was still processing the fact that they would get to interact with people that, in the near future, would end up as adversaries, something that terrified him beyond any shadow of a doubt.

“This keeps getting more and more out of hand,” exasperated Rui. “Why a prom, and why now?”

“I’m afraid no one can answer that, but Von Kluge himself,” answered the Supreme Commander of the coalition, Pedro, grabbing a glass of water and taking a small sip. “The problem here lies in a single factor. What’s our course of action for it?”

If you think about it, the timing is ripe. It makes perfect sense to launch something of this magnitude before the battles start. Take it as a sneak peek of a highly anticipated game, for instance. From a business stand alone, I can see multiple advantages, but I doubt that man did it for the money. The more Angelo thought about it, the less it seemed that he would get to an answer to the dilemma they faced. Yet amongst all the bickering, one person’s simple idea put everybody in a state of confusion and skepticism. Not long after the words had spilled out of Katherine’s mouth, the entire conference meeting burst with flames of scorn and dissent. Even Angelo himself had to lower his head to contain his laughter, not at the idea his classmate had proposed, but at the way everyone had reacted to it.

““You’re implying we should go for the fun of it?!”” Some of the UC and UL members repeated, trying to digest what they had just heard.

That’s what you get for getting involved in their politics, Kat…it’s best to stay out of it altogether. He mentally relayed to Katherine with an empathetic look while keeping himself silenced and away from all the commotion. Truth be told, it might be childish, but this is a formal affair, so we might as well go with Kat’s idea. Angelo pondered over it when he looked towards the window to his left. The monsoon weather symbolizing the coming spring poured almost every day. Still, it was cumbersome on that particular day, making it easier for sudden memory fragments to take him on a voyage through time, back to that muddy battlefield of the civil war match against their sister university.

So much had changed since then, and he had a feeling that a lot more changes would happen before that whole ordeal was done.

“How about we go and just have fun, huh?” He repeated the question, still mesmerized over the weather outside. “She’s actually not wrong. What harm can it do?” He concluded, failing to comprehend that he had put himself at the center of everyone’s radar.

“You have got to be joking,” snapped right away, one of his colleagues sitting on the other side of the table. “All of this is like a big joke to you, isn’t it?!”

“Hold on, Rui,” interrupted the Supreme Commander, getting up from his chair to stare Angelo right in the eye. “Are you perhaps meaning that we give them a wrong sense of security?”

Eh? What? Huh…Right! “Bingo! If we act normally and interact with people without showing a hint of ill intent or malice, they will consider us second-class or, most importantly, not a threat. This way, we can scout as much as we want from the shadows without getting noticed,” he lied between his teeth but then gave another thought to the subject, realizing they really had something to work with. “You all know that we already hold a tremendous advantage over the others, don’t you?”

“Your AWP doesn’t do us any g–”

“It’s not his AWP he’s referring to…” Pedro quickly intercepted one of his subordinates before the conversation was cut short by petty insults. “We’re considered one of the weakest countries in this competition, by numbers alone, is that it?”

“Indeed!” Angelo gave him a wry smile. Taking this guy's seat might be more troublesome than I thought.

For a brief moment, everyone contemplated that thought. While it was true that their coalition held small numbers in comparison to most countries in the VR Wars competition, its martial might was a factor to be heavily considered. Angelo firmly believed that his UAT was one of the best in all-out melee brawls, surpassing numbers with quality and tactics with experience. It wasn’t only arrogance or a sense of superiority; it was both. And they had the prestige to back their claim. They accounted for the same group of those few universities which had to fight through the Civil Wars phase, only to use the revolutionary equipment that was the PXF. They had also fought three other universities, all with superior numbers, and made it through the preliminaries phase to where they were now. Despite the harsh criticism by their counterparts, the unquestionable fact was that we were still in the game, standing amongst giants and holding their ground.

“Well, if this is coming from you, then I guess we could give it a shot. It’s not like it will matter in the end. What matters is winning on the field,” concluded Rui, with an arbitrary fact that made Angelo roll his eyes.

“So, it is done. Let’s get to it.”