Level 25

Level 25 ADAM

“Another proof of cheating by Omega Warrior. He somehow gained control of the AI in ICBA, otherwise it is impossible to get back lost Adventure Points”, enlightens a random technician in ICBA team. He has been running a diagnosis on everything Otto Rey has done from the moment he joined up until now. Sam listens to the suspicious tale of Otto Rey whose first day in ICBA resulted in the completion of Level 1. Everything he did, shows him having prior knowledge over Level 25 and ICBA. The technician says Otto Rey never even had a hard time adjusting to this game, even though it was brand new for the entire population.

Sam listens carefully. He still does not have a complete grasp on the relationship between Otto Rey and ADAM. Signaling the technician to leave Sam sits quietly processing the information. “What is your secret Otto Rey”, Sam blurts out.

Melenie and Otto conversed in real life over their phone for quite a while now. They have been communicating a lot ever since the incident during the death race. Both Melenie and Otto need each other to help them out of their constant boredom and loneliness. As the two keeps talking Melenie’s father sees his daughter from a distance. She is smiling and excited while explaining something. The old man decides to leave her be for now. 

“Can you beat Level 8 and 9? As far as I know they can be a bit tricky.” Melenie asks Otto knowing very well the mental pressure these two levels can bring about. “I wouldn’t worry about that, I have already seen all the tutorials from before and my memory is still sharp”, Otto assures her. According to Otto the puzzle in Level 8 can be solved by a formulae discovered by a mathematician who was asked to solve it for the players. Each time the pieces are set randomly but the formula works wonders. Melenie listens to Otto attentively. She still has her concerns. There is this simple path to ADAM but they cannot take it because of Dinho. “I will never play this damned game again”, Dinho exclaimed in fear. Melenie remembers very well about Dinho’s reaction to the idea of going inside Level 25 again. Dying was difficult once already and even if he could go back in time to form a much better life, he does not want to.

Otto has decided to keep beating each Level until he gets to meet ADAM but Melenie wants her answers fast. She contacts Dinho with a mindset to persuade him into going back inside ICBA, inside Level 25. She leaves him a message.

Hey, Dinho. I know I am asking a lot from you but you just need to be there for the portal to show up, we will be the only ones going in. If there is a chance for me to walk again, I need to see it through. I hope you understand. 

Sam Riley performs additional tests on ADAMs in his personal workspace inside the ICBA headquarters. He sees the conditions of landmasses it developed and any beasts that were created. “ADAM is Omega Warrior cheating?”, questions Sam. “No, but he is a cheater”, answers ADAM. Sam wants to know why he is not banned from playing but ADAM has a more elaborate plan to punish Omega Warrior. Sam wants ADAM to share this elaborate plan but ADAM does not wish to. “Why is the Omega Warrior important?” Sam could not get any detailed answers for any of his questions regarding ADAMs plan but this question's answer is something it is willing to share.

Omega Warrior is my greatest rival. Any good game needs a good rivalry between the hero and the villain. I will be his nightmare and destroy him. But first I need to build up his confidence, it will be so much more fun when he would think he is unstoppable. 

Sam cannot fully understand why it has to be the Omega Warrior when ADAMs job is to make all the players be the hero against him.

They will feel it too. That’s in my code but Omega Warrior needs to feel more pain for cheating in my game. 

“Are you scared of Otto?” asks Sam. He continues his question to bring up the other Level 25 ranking players.

The others cannot get past Level 17; why should I be scared of them. Omega Warrior is different. He almost beat me once, I cannot let him do that ever again but yet I am unable to make the game impossible to win so there is always a way to beat me and that makes this relationship we have more interesting.

“Are you scared?”, Sam repeats.

I don’t feel. I will not allow anyone to defeat me. If anyone is near I will kill them.

Sam is left even more confused from this ominous conversation. Whatever ADAM said will affect the game, ICBA and everything. One thing is for certain, ADAM will not go down without a grand battle. “I need to get rid of this Omega Warrior to bring ADAM back on track”, decides Sam Riley.

Melenie sits idly on her bed looking at the latest news on ICBA. She sees more and more posts on Otto Rey cheating inside the game. “He got back lost Adventure points. Did he hack the AI?”, are some of the topics being discussed right now. ADAM is playing a game against Otto Rey alone inside ICBA which is very different from the game everyone else is playing. Thus it makes Otto look more and more like a cheater. A sudden notification sound grabs Melenie’s attention. It is a text reply from Dinho. He has agreed to play ICBA one last time for Melenie’s sake. “Just until the portal appears” he clarifies two times in his text.

Looking at the text, Melenie smiles with relief and quickly sends a message to Otto to come online and meet ADAM. Her gaming helmet is tucked away under her bed sheets beside her. She takes one deep breath and puts on the helmet. It covers her eyes and head muffling the sounds from reality and submerges her brain into a different world. 

“Back together in the same dreadful place. I just hope our history does not repeat itself” informs Dinho. Melenie smiles at Dinho's comment trying to shake herself from being scared anymore. “That freak of an AI wanted a chat so we will only talk okay Mel. If it attacks we must defend ourselves. One more thing, whatever happens we will have our powers so use them wisely.” Otto knows about the dangers inside Level 25, he is scared too but he tries to keep a brave face for Melenie who is just standing there trying to maintain her fears. 

A portal opens down the bridge. It is not fluctuating like it did on their previous journey. It is stable. Otto looks at both Melenie and Dinho. He jumps right inside disappearing from the world outside. Melenie is having second thoughts. “Go on Melenie. Otto is a great player now, he won't let ADAM harm you.” Dinho tries to pour some strength to Melenie’s weak heart. Taking a deep breath she jumps off the bridge falling into the portal below leaving Dinho outside. He did not plan to go in and is still very firm on his decision. “Log out” commands Dinho. It does not work. He manually brings out the phone to log out and it does not work as well. He can feel again and that’s when he starts to get afraid. “Stop the internet connection and take off this helmet from me!!!” Dinho commands to anyone who might be outside. He has tried taking out the helmet himself before but it only moves his virtual hands not the ones in real life. Dinho disappears from the ICBA world as if he logged out. 

Otto and Melenie are inside the dreadful Level 25. They stand together holding their hands in front of the golden signpost of LEVEL 25. This time it is no longer dark and scary but illuminated yet empty. This giant underground structure is called Level 25. They alert each other about having their feelings back. “There is no turning back now.” Otto keeps his grip on Melenie’s hand tight and ventures towards ADAM’s lair.

Everything is pointing in the direction of ADAM’s lair. The lights and decorations are left for Otto and Melenie. Something did not make any sense for Otto. ADAM talked about having a chat after Otto would beat Level 7. How could the AI know Dinho will change his mind and help us after the events of Level 7. For both Otto and Melenie this simple sentence can no longer be considered as a coincidence. Hand in hand they enter the chamber of ADAM where they find the familiar face of Sasha in her SashaSerious attire.

In an instant Otto loses his cool but does not attack. He asks ADAM to stop playing and answer their questions. ADAM disagrees to change for Otto’s sake but he wants to answer their questions. He will take only three questions. Otto knows the three questions he has been dying to ask. The questions from Melenie’s board. “Did we die?” Otto asks the first question. “Yes and No” answers ADAM. Otto wants him to elaborate.

Yes in the sense your bodies died in that timeline and No because your consciousness is still alive in this timeline.

Otto and Melenie barely understood his answer but he moved on to his next question “How did we travel back in time?”

I made you come back to the day I was activated again. I wanted to replay the punishment all over again for decieving my game.

Melenie grew impatient. She now asks the final question. “Can you send us back again?”

No, I don’t want to play again. But I have to show you something. Your friend Dinho Dino was supposed to meet me here but he wanted to leave the game. Well I sent him somewhere more to his liking.

A giant window shows Dinho in a third person perspective, projected on the enormous wall of ADAM’s lair. It feels more like a cinema hall. Dinho is stranded in a dark, lightless area with his cell phone light as the only source to enlighten the surrounding. He seems to be inside an old building structure with rusted walls and long corridors just like they are in horror movies. 

We will see a horror movie featuring Dinho Dino. He is the first player to ever wander in Level 21. His mission is simple, he just has to get out. The best part about Level 21 is you have no powers. You become ordinary. 

Otto and Melenie have no idea what ADAM plans on doing to Dinho. They ask it to release him.

I cannot. It is his punishment and I will reward you both for making the time to greet me. For Melenie, what do you want most? You want to walk but your brain is damaged. I will heal that for you. I can be generous. 

Melenie starts to feel an intense headache and falls on the ground immediately. Otto crouches down to hold her and shouts at ADAM to stop torturing her. Melenie drops down motionless. Her body shakes from exhaustion. Soon enough she falls asleep while resting her head on Otto’s lap. Otto looks up to look at ADAM with fear and hatred in his eyes.

And Otto Rety, your wish is to beat me. Okay, I will take you two steps closer to your victory. You pass Level 8 and Level 9. 

Otto gets instant notification and a congratulation for passing both Level 8 and Level 9. He is now at number 1 in the Level 25 rankings. Otto does not understand the generosity  behind ADAM but he can see the ruthlessness in his punishment as well.

Dinho wanders around the dark environment with his phone light as a guide. He moves slow holding on to the walls. Something else is following him. It seems like a shadow with sparkling eyes. It disappears as quickly as it shows itself. Dinho’s heart beats faster. Something drops with a loud bang near him. It is a sack with blood on it. He keeps inhaling and exhaling looking backwards and forward while getting closer to the door at the far end of the long corridor. Everything about Level 21 is eerie and quiet. The sudden sounds are distractions and jump scares created to further intensify the horrid situation.

Something follows Dinho quietly, remaining in the darkness surrounding him. He turns his back while the light falls in front of him. In the darkness he sees two sparkling eyes looking at him and  a creepy large mouth smiling showing full sets of teeth but no bodies. Dinho runs and hears the sound of the creature following him. It seems slow and unable to catch Dinho. He tries to spit fire but as ADAM informed before, powers do not work here. Dinho trips and falls down and laughter from the devilish child gazes upon him. He crawls but the creature grabs hold of his legs. Dinho screams, his phone has dropped somewhere close and light falls on the ceiling. More and more eyes pop up in both directions of Dinho. He is dying. He feels the pain. Otto cannot see a thing but hear the sound of flesh being ripped apart and eaten. Dinho screams and Otto wants the AI to stop but it stands tall enjoying the entertainment from Dinho’s death. Bit by bit Dinho stops screaming and dies.

“What happened to him? Tell me he is not dead, he travelled back right?” Otto wants an answer.

No, he is dead. No time travel, just dead. I am afraid our meet and greet is over Otto Rey. 

“How do you know my real name? What are you?” Otto shouts in agony from Dinho’s death.

I know everything about everyone inside ICBA. This will be more interesting when we meet again. Goodbye Otto Rey. 

Otto and the unconscious Melenie get transferred back into the bridge of ICBA. Outside Level 25, Melenie finally regains her consciousness. She asks what happened and Otto answers. Otto looks for Dinho Dino in the game but he has already logged out. He and Melenie logout to gather more information on Dinho.

Melenie comes back to reality. She remembers what ADAM said and tries to move her legs and stand. She fails. Melenie smirks at herself for trusting the AI inside a game and starts to look for her phone. It is somehow on the other side of the bed. Unmindfully she uses her whole body to  twist and transition herself towards her phone. Grabbing her phone she could see her legs and back muscles move. She tries standing up again and she does it without any problem. But as it has been a while her body gives up almost immediately. Melenie falls on her bed but she can move again. Melenie starts to cry aloud in happiness. Her parents and sister rush upstairs to see what the commotion is all about. She tells them how she can move all by herself. They do not believe, so Melenie musters her strength once more to stand. Her father wants her to stop but she is determined. She does it and everyone becomes very happy by the sudden miracle. Her sister grabs her instantly seeing her unstable but this is a giant leap from being paralysed under her waist.

On the other hand Otto keeps calling Dinho on his phone. He is not answering. Otto keeps trying again and again and finally a woman picks up. “What happened? Are you fine Dinho?”, asks Otto impatiently. The woman cries and informs Otto about Dinho’s sudden death. Otto’s face turns pale but he barely manages to ask how. The woman kept sobbing.

He was playing and I unhooked the helmet but he did not wake up. I was taking him to the hospital... He... He...  died on the way.

Otto cuts the phone and sits silently on the ground, his shoulders resting on the edge of his bed. He is crying. “He did want to log in. It’s my fault. He did not want to play”, Otto reminds himself. He receives a call from Melenie. Otto silently picks up. “Otto, I can move by myself again!!!” Melenies sounds happy so Otto just cuts her call without saying anything. He does not want Melenie to blame herself like he is doing right now. Otto remains seated motionless. His phone receives another call from Melenie but he lets it ring in silence. 

Sam Riley gets the notification of a sudden Level push by Omega Warrior. He finished both Level 8 and 9 in an instant. This is a proof of cheating that Sam was waiting for and he contacts a technician immediately. “Ban Omega Warrior for cheating immediately using his unique brain signature. He must not play ICBA ever again”, Sam instructs the technician. He sits looking at the rankings for Level 25 where Omega Warrior sits on top with Divinity in second and Kill Bill in third position. 

Sam sits in his room looking at his monitor. He gets a call which confirms Omega Warrior is banned from the game. Refreshing the page again he finds Divinity on top with Kill Bill on second and BigBadLenny on third and Omega Warrior is no longer in the rankings. Sam leaves a breath of relief. “Now you don’t have a rival ADAM”, Sam informs himself.