In the later part of the 21st century, humanity was on the verge of transcendence. Nanotechnology had kept all of the promises made to us in the beginning. Resources were plentiful, and the planet’s environment was stabilized. Exoplanets had been constructed and terraformed from materials mined in the asteroid belt, so the population had managed to spread out. Technology had progressed so far that people didn’t need to work, fight, or struggle. All of mankind’s needs were met. Mankind was at peace.

“God, everything is so boring.” I felt the words escape my mouth, but they lacked any kind of real force. Like everything else in life, my boredom was unremarkable and dull. I sat at my desk, staring at the screen in front of me. I had just finished catching up on my favorite TV shows, and immediately the lack of stimulus was overpowering. My name is Victor Reynolds, and at 27 I was done with life. The nanotech industry had slowly ballooned into every other industry, pushing out conventional developers and suppliers. With the appropriate coding and available raw materials, bots could make pretty much anything. Almost nobody worked anymore, except for coders and entertainers. There was nothing for anyone to do anymore, other than consume. And I had done my share of consuming. I needed something more. I’d seen all the shows, all the movies. Heard all the music, and played all the games. As I stood up to get a drink, an alert flashed across my screen.

Check this out, Victor!

Breaking News! Game Company ENIGMA LLC Announces new Project: Archetype Online full immersion digital media. More information to follow as this story develops.

Full immersion? A couple of companies had attempted it. Haptic feedback, neural interfaces, and direct optic scanning had all been a bust. But ENIGMA was the company that pioneered the Nano boom. If there was anyone that could pull off true VR, it was them.

I forgot about my drink as I sat down. My fingers flew across the interface before me as I began hunting for more information. There wasn’t a lot. ENIGMA had announced the project only that morning, and already there were thousands of theories across hundreds of forums and message boards. Aside from the project’s name, nothing else had been released about the game, but that was enough to fuel all kinds of rumors. I decided to do a bit of research and see what could be seen.

According to Webster, an Archetype was defined as “a perfect example” or, “an inherited idea or mode of thought”. Given ENIGMA’s tendency toward fantasy and role-playing games, it seemed simple enough what they were shooting toward. If one were to base their assumptions on the first definition anyway. Archetypes could be another way games describe classes in their games. If you go after the second definition though, that could lead to an entirely different game setup.

I didn’t have enough information-no one did really-but I was certain of one thing above all others. I was going to get into that game.

After exhausting myself on research prospects, I went straight to the source. ENIGMA sent out a weekly newsletter, but the only information in that was propaganda at best. So I made another plan. Five years ago I finished my degree in Nano process engineering and bio-coding. I applied for a job.

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Okay Vic, what do you got?”

“Should we really be using our real names over the insecure lines?”

“C’mon Vic. No one uses actual landlines anymore. No one is listening in.”

“If nobody uses them, then why do the lines still have power, Slick? And if you say my name one more time, I’m going to hang up and keep all of this info for myself. You have no idea what kind of stuff I’ve been finding. You play by my rules, or you can find a new source. And trust me, I’ve got the goods now.”

“Jeeze Vi- I mean, Archon. You’re getting more paranoid by the minute. You better have something really worth it.”

“Trust me Slick. This goes beyond anything you’ve found leaking out onto the net. The biggest news since the release announcement.”

“Quit teasing me and spill.”

“Pay up first. I’m taking a big risk. And you better be careful with this info. I could lose a lot more than my job over this.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve authorized the delivery. A rig should be at your door in ten minutes.”

Slick, real name David Estomin, was a contact I had made just after I started working at ENIGMA. He worked at Unification Dynamics, the company that had been contracted to design and build the system that would allow for direct-to-brain virtual input. The system design was complicated, and as a result expensive. My programmer's salary was a far sight short of the mark if I wanted to be ready for the game. I made small talk with Slick until the door let me know the delivery was ready.

I opened the door just in time to see the swarm of ‘bots retreat, leaving behind a shiny new game rig. Before I set it up, I went back to my ancient landline.

“It’s here. Okay, this is what I got. There are three different processes going on biologically during the initial startup, but after the first session, only two are active. The actual gameplay programming that I’ve seen seems straightforward. Typical role-playing hack and slash. Magic, sword fights, the whole subroutine. I’m .on the bio code staff, so I can’t say much more about it.”

“Okay, well how about that? What exactly are these bots going to be doing while swimming around in my noggin?”

“Well, the primary process is neural mapping. Total cognitive duplication. The secondary process is a physical map. It traces nerve patterns, muscle density, tendon attachment, and fat distribution. They even calibrate reflex response. That’s the one that gets shut off later.”

“Sounds like they’re going for a straight body character builder, rather than customization. Interesting. What’s the last thing?”

“Some kind of personality thing. I guess it’s supposed to help the AI track your character choices or something. The higher-ups have been kind of hush-hush about that. Only you hardware guys have more info on the game system. What’s this thing called anyway?”

“Chill out Archon. According to the suits, it’s called the Unifying Game Immersion System, but everyone in the shop just calls it the Halo.”

It was easy to see where the name came from. The apparatus was heavier than I expected. Shining silver, there was an access post that would line up with the nano port every citizen over the age of thirteen had in their temple. It looked like it would rest on top of the head, much like a halo would. Obviously, the ring itself held whatever processors and hardware necessary to run the game, in addition to the reservoirs that would contain the nanomachines that interact with the user's brain.

“Anyway, when can we try this out, huh Archon? Now we’ve got the hardware and some hints at the software, when can we load it up and get going?”

“Well, the tests and initial setup are supposed to be pretty quick. But the servers and support systems won't be online for another few days. We’re only just ahead of the launch here Slick. But having the tests early, and the hardware before the actual release, we’ll have at least a few hours head start in the game of basically anyone else. And a few hours of real-time is meant to be quite a lot in the game. There's apparently something they can do, since the game is all in your head, it makes time go quicker in the game.”

“Okay, so, we do the tests tonight, yeah? And then, as soon as the servers go live, we log on immediately. Get logged in first? We might even get an achievement or something.”

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“Sounds like a plan Slick.” Even as I spoke, I felt a brief pang of guilt. I knew that the servers went live that morning. All the infrastructure was in place. “I’m going to hang up and start on the tests. Talk to you in the morning.”

I hung up and turned to my screen. The installation software for the Unifying Game Immersion System was just finishing, and I opened the flashing icon.

“Time to get these tests over with.”

Begin communication

HESTIA: Data received, software and hardware obtained. Subjects 2-5 briefed on mission parameters. Subject 1 continues to voice concerns over the potential discovery of the exploit. Further information on the exploit can be found in the preceding communication.

KRONOS: Understood. Inform Subject 1 that the exploit is unknown to system administrators, and that further concerns are pointless. The mission will proceed on schedule. Have all Subjects completed phase 1?

HESTIA: Affirmative. Subjects 1-5 have completed phase one trials. Request designation of Subjects 1-5.

KRONOS: Subjects are permitted to select appropriate designations from related media at personal discretion. Hereafter only initiate communication to deliver predetermined status reports.

End communication.

I secured the Halo and initiated the system. A loading bar appeared on my screen, and I felt the cool rush of nanites as they entered my brain. The screen lit up with a bunch of diagnostic information as the nanites worked their way through my system. As the loading bar finished, a new screen popped into view.

Hello, and Welcome to the diagnostic and personality profile generator for Archetype Online, ENIGMA LLCs new Fully Immersive Virtual Entertainment Software. Please input the basic information below.

User Name: Victor Reynolds

Age: 22 (Error: Sensors indicate this answer is incorrect. Your decision to lie about your age has been noted)

Screen Name: Archon

The following questions will be used to generate your character's starting scores. You may answer the questions however you desire, but the system will monitor for truthfulness.

I was taken aback for a moment. The system was monitoring my answers for truthfulness? So I couldn’t play someone with a positive alignment unless I was a good person already? Sounded like the game was going to be really limiting in some respects. At the same time, I saw the appeal. This way, we wouldn’t have to deal with meta trolls who leveraged their position as a paladin or cleric to extort or otherwise take advantage of the other players. I dug into the questions, determined to be completely honest with the rest.

About an hour later, after answering questions that measured my skill in everything from mathematics, to morals, to conflict resolution, I was presented with a preliminary character sheet for my character.

Player: Archon

Level: 0

Archetype: N/A

Race: N/A

Class: N/A

Stats:

Str: 10

Dex: 11

Con: 10

Int: 13

Cha: 12

Luc: 14

Wil: 18

Please note that your Archetype and Race can change your starting values once gameplay has begun. These scores cannot be reset. In order to receive new scores, or to create a new character, your original character must permanently die. The diagnostic programs will now be deleted from your system.

Based on what I knew about fantasy games and the little I could glean about the game from my secretive employer, I seemed to have the beginnings of a spellcaster build. It was a shame, I typically preferred to play warrior-type characters.  In the system, a score of 10 was considered average for human beings. The first few stats were self-explanatory, but I had to pull up my notes to remind myself about the others.

Strength was directly tied to physical damage and carrying weight. Dexterity was tied to speed and evasion. Constitution was a player's hit points and resistance to poison or disease. Intelligence was a character’s ability to learn spells and make decisions. A character's Charisma score affected communication skills, as well as attractiveness. Luck has a classically vague description about impacting everything to varying degrees. Will, the last stat, was more confusing by far. Will referred to a character’s willpower, and aside from determining mana, seemed to engage some kind of social scoring system. Players with high Will scores would get their way more often, and players with low Will scores would be little more than doormats.

My physical skills were no surprise. Having average strength and constitution was fair. I wasn’t a bodybuilder, but I was no wimp. Having slightly above-average dexterity was a mild surprise, but I had an idea that my years of game playing may have played a part. Having an Intelligence of 13 was nice, as it meant I was capable of a good amount of spell casting. My years in college must have bumped that score up. My Charisma confused me. I wasn’t particularly attractive, and I didn’t get out much. The high score must have been a result of the personality questions. I had no idea what the system used to determine Luck or Willpower, but it must have been faulty. Having a decent Luck stat was understandable I suppose, but an 18 in Will? That was practically superhuman.

Oh well, I thought, guess I’ll take what I can get.

My palms were sweating as I moved my cursor to initialize the game software. The official launch wasn’t until the morning, but that was because the Halo wasn’t being released until then. All of the game systems were up and running. I felt another stab of guilt as I readied myself. Slick was going to be pissed by how behind he was in the morning. I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and initialized the game.

I felt the nano flood my brain as the game started. Then I waited. And waited. And waited.

Frustrated, I opened my eyes.

On my screen, there was a message waiting for me.

Thank you for playing Archetype Online. You are now online. You have 3:59:48 until you can log in again.

I watched the number tick down for a few minutes, thinking. It could be some kind of glitch. Maybe the system messed up because I was trying to log in pre-launch. Maybe it was an initial set-up period. Either way, it looked like I was locked out for the next four hours. It was close to one in the morning now. The official launch was set for 9 am. Might as well get some sleep, and hope that by the morning, whatever was going on fixed itself.

I was woken up by pounding on my door. I cracked my eyes open and looked at my clock display. It was 5 am. Who the hell was pounding on my door at five in the morning? I got up and stumbled my way to my front door, squinting my eyes as the automatic lights kicked on. I waved my hand at the sensor, to dim the lights.

This didn’t help because the moment my door opened, I had several extremely bright flashlights shoved in my face. Oh, and those flashlights were attached to guns.

It was several hours later, and I was still more confused than anything. I had been yelled at by men with guns, then by men in suits, then left alone for a really long time. Now I was cuffed to a table in a small room in the basement of ENIGMA. Across from me sat a man in a very nice business suit.

“Please, Mr. Reynolds, you must understand where we are coming from. You illegally obtained proprietary equipment, then used your position in our company to illegally enter our server. Now, we can forgive these acts as those of a desperate man, but we need to know who you’re working with.”

“For the last time, I’m not working WITH anybody. I just wanted to get a head start on the game!”

“Don’t be foolish Mr. Reynolds. Our records indicate a total of six imprints all logging in within a period of two minutes. Now, yours is the only signature we’ve been able to identify so far, but it’s only a matter of time before we identify your accomplices. It will go better for you if you tell us now what it is your group is trying to accomplish inside the game. What have you done so far?”

“You don’t understand! I haven’t even been in the game yet! I tried to log in but just got some stupid message saying I had to wait four hours. I don’t have any accomplices, and I don’t know anything about other people logging into the game.”

“Don’t play coy with me, Mr. Reynolds. You worked on the Archetype project. You know about the profile system and the diagnostic functions. And we have the logs. You entered the game at approximately 1 am this morning, along with five other anomalous profiles. We also have preliminary data that shows all six profiles being awarded third-tier Archetypes, something that should not have been possible. Now, what is the goal of your group, and how-” There was a buzz from outside the room and the man in the suit got up from the table to open the door.

Outside was one of the tactical guys that had pulled me out of my apartment at gunpoint. They were arguing quietly but I could make out a few things.

“-logs indicate-”

“-no trace of-”

“-logged in.”

“What do you mean he’s still logged in?” This last part was loud enough for me to hear clearly. The man in the suit was clearly upset. He came back to the table in a completely different mindset.

“I apologize for my earlier animosity Victor-may I call you Victor?”

“I prefer Vic. Now, can we talk about what's going on?”

“Of course Vince. You work for ENIGMA as a Nano engineer. My department and I wrongly inferred that you were the source of a data leak that occurred recently. Your work has been reviewed, and it’s plain from our records as well as your behavior that you did not access any restricted information. That, in addition to the fact that you did not log out at the four-hour mark, as the other five signatures did, leads me to believe you.”

“I don’t understand. I already told you that I didn’t log in. I haven’t been inside the game at all.”

“On the contrary Mr. Reynolds. You’ve been in the game for a little over five hours. You just don’t know it yet.”