Chapter 18
A small smile formed on Hades face, the mysterious man leaning back slowly in his chair. As he did, he grabbed the white mask once more, holding it up to his face, looking through the eyeholes towards James. It was, disturbing, to say the least.
“So young,” Hades said from behind the mask, “and yet, already willing to carry such a burden.” He laughed then; the sound distorted as it passed through the mask. “Perhaps you’ll be able to accomplish that which I couldn’t at your age.” He lowered the mask back on the desk with a shrug, “or, at the very least, find fulfillment in knowing that you at least tried.”
James didn’t know what Hades was referencing, and at the moment, he didn’t care. There were more pressing matters at hand.
“Because of who you are, or, more accurately, who you are connected with, and your location, you are the only one who has any hope of stopping this plan, for a few reasons.”
Hades held up a single gloved finger. “First, your connections. When it comes to connections, you young man, have more in the right places than anyone else at this moment. Not only do you have personal access to both Rue, and Steve, but you’ve powerful allies including Xander’s children, and that dangerously brilliant spitfire Felecia.” James couldn’t help but wince at the last part. He’d made the mistake of calling Fel, Felecia, once. And it hadn’t gone over well.
“Not to mention,” Hades continued, “your parents. All of whom, are in positions to aid you, and by working together, maybe, just maybe, you can devise a strategy to at, the very least, postpone this mass extinction event.”
“What about Xander?” James dared to ask. “He’s the head developer on DCO. Wouldn’t he have the most connections in this matter? He even told me once he’d been pretty close to my father, at some distant point in the pass.”
A small flicker crossed Hades’ face, impossible to read due to his constantly changing features. Then, he sighed. “Xander cannot help anyone, anymore. Even if he wished it.”
“What do you mean?” James pressed. He knew the developer was reportedly locked away, but if Hades could get to James, surely the mysterious man had a way to get to Xander? Or was that just James being hopeful, looking for an out. Xander had been nothing but a nightmare to James, and yet, from all he’d learned about the former pro-gamer turned developer, Xander had ultimately loved DCO more than anyone. His rage, his actions, had been a result of his passion, fueled by a feeling his precious project had been taken away from him, and that he was no longer the one with the final say for his baby.
“Ask Steve,” Hades said softly, “he knows.” His voice dropped even lower, “he was there, after all.”
Before James could press that line of questioning, Hades held up a second finger.
“The second factor that has put you in this unique position, is your physical location.”
James raised an eyebrow, “my physical location?”
“Indeed. As you know, you were moved to your current location so your parents could be closer to their work.”
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“Yeah. They’d gotten their dream position; with all the funding and freedom they could need…” His parents had told him as much when they’d mentioned the move. Even still, they’d told him they didn’t need to move, if he didn’t want to. Even with their dream before them, they’d offered to put James first. He’d of course told them to take the job, and they’d moved. Now that he had an inkling of what the dream job entailed, he had to wonder if they regretted that move as much as he was beginning to.
“Exactly. Your parents work, their factory, the location where so many critical parts to this nefarious plan exist within the mountains you see daily. An old military complex, built during the Cold War, now turned into an extremely secure facility for use by the Government and the elite. It’s there that the infrastructure linked to their robotic bodies exists, the capsules that will be used to transfer the consciousness of the Elite to their eternal bodies. Additionally, Ruby Zephire’s body is there, displayed as proof of concept. And finally, the infrastructure that maintains the server for DCO on this continent.”
That…was a lot. “All of that is in a single place? Doesn’t that seem a bit…shortsighted?”
“It’s easier to protect fewer locations,” Hades said, “especially with the levels of surveillance and information gathering at the hands of the government. Furthermore, the location was built to withstand the crude nuclear weapons of the mid-1900s. They expanded it deeper into the mountain, of course, making it even more secure and durable. And, obviously, keeping it all safe within a mountain, protected from outside attacks, as well as things like the weather and climate changes, makes it the perfect location. Not to mention… considering it exists within the mountain itself, it’s impossible for outside surveillance efforts to glimpse even a fraction of what exists within that facility.”
“If you say so,” James said. Part of him believed Hades. Hell, such things were pretty commonplace in some of the more conspiracy prone locations of the internet. But that was what also made him a bit concerned. Surely, if it were all as hush hush as Hades put it, the Government wouldn’t let the information exist out for public dissemination. Even as conspiracy theories, would they?
“I can provide you with schematics, maps, and detailed information after our conversation,” Hades said with a shrug, “or you can ask your parents during your call with them in the morning that you’ve got planned.” The way Hades said it so casually, confirming again just how much he’d been spying on James, made James’s skin crawl. This man’s information gathering skills were beyond creepy.
“Do I want to ask how you have that information?”
“The information on the facility I gathered when I managed to finally crack their defenses and accessed the heart of all of their data. The very system that gave me the final pieces needed to unravel the full extent of their plans. The latter part, which I’m assuming you’re really referencing…” Hades shrugged, “nothing is secret to the eyes of the Government. Just consider yourself lucky I’ve been surveilling you through their back doors and scrubbing some of the more damning things you’ve let slip.”
“Enough about that though,” Hades held up his third finger. “The final reason you are the only one capable of handling this situation,” he said ominously, “is due to your status as the top Dungeon Core. It gives you unprecedented access to the other players of the game. Furthermore, with all of the attention on you, especially during the upcoming event, it will give you the perfect smokescreen, in order to put things into motion. If you pull it off, you’ll be able to move forward fast enough that the government cannot stop you. If you fail though,” Hades shrugged again, in a very uncaring way. “You’ll likely cease to exist, as will those who worked with you, but… at least you’ll have gone out trying to change the world to the very end.”
“While I’m sure that’s meant to sound noble,” James said, fighting the panic within, “I think I’d much rather succeed, if at all possible.”
“A wise choice.” Hades said, “though, that’s also the sentiment I believe most have, when they attempt to stop evil. And who knows how many have failed, and had their existences erased from the history books. Afterall, only the victors are ever around, to tell the truth of any given conflict. Let’s hope your truth will be the one that gets recorded.”