[2]Chapter Twenty-Three: I Was Struck By Lightning
June 10, 2010
Silver City, NM
“This is crazy. Did you get the email?” Ryan was gushing excitedly.
“I thought they were the evil empire?” Marc responded with a smirk. He had called the other man back soon after he saw the urgent message.
Ryan had been explaining the unexpected email he had received from KamiGames. One that was likely also still sitting unread in Marc’s inbox. After Marc had been accepted into the beta program for Pl@y3r, Ryan seemed to feel left out, so he had also applied and surprisingly was accepted as well.
Marc had a feeling that joining the Beta was a certainty. He later learned that they had only accepted less than a thousand test users out of nearly a hundred thousand applicants. Still, Marc couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all part of some fated plan. He never doubted that the acceptance package would show up on his door. Ryan also getting accepted, however, was a surprise. That guy had the absolute worst luck.
“This is next level!” Ryan was almost screaming now.
As part of the beta program, the next part of the testing would require using the features of the brand-new iPhone 4, announced just a few days before. The email Ryan was referring to, stated that they would be sent a test device as soon as they were available on the market. The software would be pre-installed and had already passed internal QA tests.
Up until now, the beta test had been rather boring. There had been no software testing, but rather endless questionnaires and surveys about fantasy video game elements and how they felt about them. It seems that the actual software required features that were not even available on any of the current top-of-the-line cellphones on the market, so the release of the new iPhone marked the true launch.
Indeed, Marc had seen the videos of the CEO of Apple standing next to Mary as she demonstrated how the new software would work with the new phone during the keynote announcement. It was still disturbing to see her out in the open, but he was biding his time until he tried to track her down to get some answers. More for practical reasons than anything else. His research over the past few weeks had revealed shockingly little information about her CEO persona, other than that she was extremely reclusive and rarely ever seen in public. The iPhone presentation was the first time since the launch announcement that she had done any live appearances.
Ryan was still babbling on the phone. He was very excited about getting the brand new it tech toy on the market, right at launch. It appeared that the past grudges with their previous employer were water under the bridge.
“They call it augmented reality. We use the camera and it will make game elements appear in the air like they are really there. Did you see that demo? It’s amazing! We get to fight in a real RPG in the real world! I’m so psyched for this!”
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool.” Marc tried to inject some enthusiasm into his voice but knew it sounded flat. That said, Ryan apparently wasn’t even listening anymore.
“I can’t wait. Let me know as soon as you get the shipping notification. I checked the Beta message board and someone said they were guaranteed devices on launch, so we should be getting the test units a few days after that at the latest, which should be before the end of June. I don’t think Walmart will even be getting any stock for months.”
“Sure, we can meet up when they arrive. Maybe see if we can find other Betas in the area and make an event out of testing out the software.” Marc suggested.
“Yeah! That’s a great idea. We should totally do that. Let’s all meet at the Lobo. I’ll put up a post and see who else is interested.” Ryan was already going full speed ahead. As deep as Marc’s concerns and suspicions regarding KamiGames were, he couldn’t deny that he was glad to see his friend so excited.
Ryan had come back to Silver City a very different person. It was several years until they met again after the call center in Deming. They had met up by chance when one of Marc’s classmates who had been helping out at the greenhouse asked for a ride back into town.
The man was a Gulf War veteran and had a scheduled checkup at the local VA clinic. Marc offered to wait and give him a ride home after the appointment, so he had been sitting in the waiting room when a man started to argue heatedly at the reception desk.
“This is bullshit! You have my records. Why is it not getting approved?!”
Marc knew that voice but was shocked by the changed figure of the owner.
Ryan was there, but not the same arrogant, brash young man he remembered. This man was in a wheelchair and covered in bandages and casts along his entire right side.
“Ryan?” Marc asked cautiously.
The man tried to swivel his neck but was stopped by his braces. Then he slowly wheeled his chair around. It took a moment for recognition to kick in.
“Marc? Marc Churchill?”
Marc could see a flood of conflicting emotions flash across the other man’s face. Recognition, familiarity, embarrassment, anger, regret, then finally resignation.
“Hey, Marc. Long time no see.” Ryan said sheepishly.
“What… are you doing here?” Marc caught himself.
Ryan understood what Marc was going to ask, but gave him credit for stopping.
“I’m trying to get care, but these incompetent crooks keep denying my requests for surgery. It’s been going on since I got back.”
Anger flashed in Marc. He hadn’t experienced such rage once since his return, but hearing how his former colleague was treated infuriated Marc’s sense of justice.
Health care was never denied to anyone in the other world, for any reason. Sure, the ambient mana and stronger base health of everyone in that world meant that minor illnesses and injuries were practically unheard of, but the idea of withholding healing from someone in need was a monstrous violation of societal norms. People unable to protect themselves or contribute were a mark against the entire society.
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Marc moved to the reception desk and let his anger explode.
“Hey!” He yelled at the bored-looking man sitting at the desk.
“What the hell? How can you treat a veteran like that? Look what defending the country has cost this man! You should be doing everything in your power to make him whole. How can you even think of denying him care? How dare-“
Regular exercise and better eating had helped Marc fill out well, but when the man behind the desk stood up from his chair, Marc felt his fire cool a bit. The man wasn’t Grenn big, but he had a stocky and solid build that would have not looked out of place in any hunter party in Clearwater. His complete lack of a neck made Marc instantly question if this was truly a full-Human.
Still, Marc’s indignation would not be denied, but before he could continue the man spoke up.
“As I have explained to the corporal, elective surgery for non-combat related injuries are restricted and requires approval through the proper procedure. There is nothing we can do here.”
Marc sneered at the man.
“What do you mean elective surgery? Look at this man!”
“His injuries are being treated. However cosmetic surgery can only be approved after all other treatments are completed and must be approved by the appropriate authorities. We are a local clinic. There is nothing I can do here.” Then as though that was the end of the conversation, the man sat back down at his desk.
“Look at this face! What do you mean I have to wait?” Ryan bellowed, pointing to the scars across his cheek.
“Wait, cosmetic surgery?” Marc asked.
“Yeah. They keep saying I have to get all this other stuff sorted before I can get the scars looked at.”
Marc was starting to regret stepping in as his anger cooled.
“What do you mean non-combat related?” He turned back to the receptionist.
The man didn’t even blink, but Ryan coughed nervously behind him.
“Yeah, that part is accurate.”
Marc swiveled back with a look of confusion on his face.
“Yeah. This happened before I could deploy. HMMWV accident. But it happened on base, so Uncle Sam has to fix this all up.” Ryan gestured with his good arm down his body.
Marc blinked a few times.
“Yeah, I guess you guys can work this out. I’ll go wait outside. Seeya around Ryan.” As he was about to step out the door, he faced the two men and addressed them together.
“Thank you both for your service,” then escaped out the front door.
A few minutes later, a chagrined Ryan wheeled out of the entrance.
“Sorry about that. Didn’t expect you to go off like that. But thanks anyway.”
“No worries. Sorry about the accident. Combat or not, it sucks to see you banged up like that.” Marc did feel bad for the man.
They sat there for a few minutes catching up and even exchanged contact information before Marc’s classmate came out from his checkup. Ryan had to wait for the ramp-equipped shuttle that would get him back to his house.
Despite everything, Marc kept in touch with Ryan and even offered to help out with his rehabilitation.
The new Ryan was still confident and a bit pompous but had mellowed out quite a bit. He handled his injuries well enough but also had dark days that Marc was more than familiar with. He soon learned to see through the other man’s bluster and posturing and found he actually enjoyed hanging out with someone. Maybe it’s just that the thought of getting to know other people seemed so tiresome. Ryan might be a devil, but at least he was a familiar one.
----------------------------------------
Marc was the last one to the meetup, where he was immediatly scolded by Ryan.
“You live just down the street! How can you be the last one to arrive? Leeroy came up all the way from Las Cruces.”
“Seriously? That’s more than a hike.” Marc admitted. “Sorry, I’m late. I got stuck at the Cutter’s helping them mend the fences. then I had to go and pick this up.”
Marc waved the large FedEx box.
The other three people in the group all pulled out their boxes. Marc noted that they had all already opened theirs.
Marc had arranged with Cyrus to give them a small room off the main restaurant that was sometimes used for private parties. This should give them enough privacy to speak freely without worrying about violating their Non-Disclosure Agreements.
“Sorry again,” Marc realized how annoying it must have been to wait for him to start talking about the beta.
“Well, now that we are all here, How about we start with introductions?” Ryan was in a good mood. Of course, he was also happy to have a chance to annoy Amy at the bar.
“I’m Ryan. 25 years old, single, I have a place in Bayard.” Then he pointed at the only female in the group.
“Um. I’m Selena. 19. Ummm. Uh I live in Silver City,” said the petite Hispanic girl.
“You a student?” Ryan asked.
“Uh. No. I just work the reception at the Days Inn on 180.”
Before Ryan could continue to interrogate the poor girl Marc nodded at the other member of the group.
“Yeah. I’m Leeroy. I mean… Call me L’ROY. It’s my gamer handle.”
“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea. We should also say our Gamertag and preferred playstyle,” Ryan clearly wanted to take the leadership role for the group, but that was fine with Marc. He wasn’t as interested in the game itself as he was the company that made it.
“The best part of being in a Beta is we get to monopolize the best player names. Who wants to get stuck with Boybandluvr69? I’ll try and stick with my COD tag. It’s SH4D0W, with a “4” for “a” and “0” for “O”. I’m a sniper, so I’ll probably stick with ranged support. Maybe an archer?” Ryan explained proudly. Marc thought he saw Selina roll her eyes, but no one else seemed to notice.
“Okay, what about you Selina?” Ryan was unstoppable now.
“Hmm.” She was definitely trying to see how deep she wanted to stick her foot into this swamp. She quickly gave in, however, and with a sigh, added her details.
“I always play Tanks. From the beta information, I think they are called Shields in Pl@y3r. I favor a DUR/AGI build though. The tag I want is TSUKI.”
“DUR/AGI? What kind of a build is that?” Ryan jumped up, leaning into Selina’s space.
“Hey! Back off you boomer!” She glared at Ryan.
“I’ll have you know, I’m on the regional leaderboard for League! That’s a 65% ratio on 225 games.”
“You’re on the NA leaderboard?” Leeroy seemed impressed.
Marc had to admit he didn’t really understand what was going on now. Luckily Cyrus chose that moment to bring in the food. Marc had ordered a couple of pizzas.
“Oh.” Leeroy looked at the food with a disappointed look.
Marc looked at the last member of the group. Leeroy was older than Selina by maybe a couple of years. He had very dark chocolate skin, with his hair on one side done up in dreads and the other half shaved short. His glasses and well-trimmed beard offset his wild hairstyle and gave him a more scholarly appearance.
“Not a pizza fan?” Marc asked. “We can order something else.”
“Uh, it’s fine. I’m vegan though.” Leeroy spoke quietly with an embarrassed look.
“Vegan? We’re in beef country here!” Ryan was already grabbing a slice of sausage and mushroom.
“No problem. Give me ten minutes.” Cyrus’s voice boomed.
“Cyrus’s pizza dough is vegan,” Marc explained. He had actually given the recipe to the Lobo in exchange for a peek at the seasoning mix Cyrus used for dry rub. The pizza dough was a variation of a common flatbread recipe Marc had picked up in Krrt Anatra, where eggs were a less common food ingredient. Elves were hardly vegetarians, but they preferred to keep their animal and plant ingredients separate.
Marc and Selina were fully distracted by the food, so Marc asked Leeroy about his play style preferences.
“Well, I used to play lots of World of Warcraft. My main was a Dark Elf Dragon Knight, but it was too much pressure to build up my DPS, so I ended up playing my sub more after a while.”
“What was your sub?”
“A Dwarven Healer. Named L’Roy. I figured I’d try to build him if I can.”
Marc smiled at the nostalgic mention of a dwarf healer.
“Good choice. I friend of mine used to play that.”
“What about you?” Leeroy asked. The other two looked up from the food to hear Marc’s introduction.
“Yeah, Right. I’m Marc. That’s with a “c”, not a “k”. I’m 27, and live just up the hill here in Pinos Altos. I’ve been out of gaming for a while. I think we almost have enough to form a standard party with a Shield, Ranged Support, and a Healer Support. I can take the Force position if that’s fine with everyone.” Marc used the name for forward damage dealer instinctively. After all, it was clear that the whole Beta was a farce. Every confirmed aspect of the game so far lined up perfectly with the reality of the other world.
Coincidence is God’s way of remaining Anonymous. The words echoed in his thoughts.
“I don’t know about a handle. All the ones I used to use were pretty cringe inducing. There is something that might work. We’ll see if I can get it during registration.”
As Marc said that, he had no doubt the name he had in mind would be available for him alone to use.