Chapter 62
James laid down in his immersion pod, doing his best to keep his breathing under control. He was still dressed as he had been during the day, save for his AR glasses, which he’d set carefully on the table beside his bed. He fingered the coin in his pocket, feeling the smooth metal. On the ground, next to his pod, Dagger sat impossibly still, the robot watching him patiently.
“Here goes nothing,” James said, more to himself than the dog. Dagger was intelligent, and definitely had an AI with a unique personality within it, but it was still just a robot. Robots didn’t have anxiety. They couldn’t feel worried, or afraid. Something James envied in that moment.
He leaned his back into the cushioned headrest of the pod, and a moment later the lid slid shut, as the warm liquid began to flow all around him. James tried to breath normally as he felt himself becoming immersed in the fluid, closing his eyes as he willed his mind to relax. Then he felt the familiar sensation of falling, as darkness took hold for a just a moment.
He opened his eyes, knowing he was no longer in his body, and blinked. He’d expected to see his normal options, to be in his body as he initially was whenever he logged into a game. He wasn’t in his room within the Zone, he wasn’t in the selection space either. He was hovering in darkness, with a blinking message before him.
Zone Under Maintenance
Transferring to Dungeon Core Online
James blinked again, as he felt his mind tug from his floating body. Another blink, and he was in DCO. Sensations and smells rushed towards him as he ‘awoke’ in the tent he’d fallen asleep in. The tent he shared with Rue.
“Huh,” he said as he came to. It wasn’t that he hadn’t planned on diving right into DCO. After all, one of the perks of being a dungeon core was that he gained access to the game an hour before, and after, the game was normally open to the public. Giving him nine hours of real-world time, nine days of game time, within the game, whereas the general populace only got seven.
“Huh?” Rue asked. She was standing beside his bed, holding a tray of pancakes and orange juice. He eyed the meal, noting it was exactly the same meal that Dagger had cooked for him. Pretty much confirming Rue had been spying on him the moment he’d left DCO. At least, until he’d ‘disappeared’ as she put it, into his parent’s workshop for a couple hours.
“The game,” James rubbed at his temple, “I was forcibly put into the game, rather than given the choice.”
“That’s, different.” Rue held the plate out to him, which he took. The smell of freshly melted butter mixed wonderfully with the sweet vanilla of the syrup. As he took a bite, he marveled at the hint of cinnamon that danced across his tongue, engaged in a veritable waltz with the sweetness of the syrup, the fluffy, just right pancake of their dance floor.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I know they said they were closing the Zone,” James said between mouthfuls, “but I didn’t think that was supposed to start until 11pm.”
“Could be an effort to ensure everyone is logged and in place when the event goes live.” Rue offered, making no attempt to hide the look of satisfaction on her face as James devoured his meal.
“Makes sense,” he said, washing down the food with the orange juice. It was fresher, crisper, tangier, than what he’d had in the real world. “Especially considering there are people who have never placed DCO being forced into the game. Gives them time to create their characters and generate in before the event goes live.”
“Still,” he continued, “I figured there would have been a message about it, right? And what about people in different time zones, who have already been immersed for a few hours? When exactly did they close down the Zone, and force people into DCO?”
Rue shrugged, but he hadn’t expected an answer from her. Actually, he’d been speaking aloud, half wondering if Steve was spying on them, waiting for the opportune moment to pop in and magically answer his question. The developer liked to do that at times, after all. Part of his ‘all knowing’ persona he liked to give off.
James looked around, waiting, but nothing happened. After another moment, he sighed, stood and looked at Rue. Emotion welled within him, and before he realized it, she was in his arms. He wrapped her tightly in a hug, reveling in the feel of her body against his. She was warm, she felt real. She was real. He breathed in, noting the sweet floral scent that seemed to radiate from her. He let go of the embrace just enough to let her look up at him, as he looked down into her eyes. Love shown there, combined with a dash of worry. Reasonable, considering his sudden embrace.
“I love you,” James said, smiling down at her, taking strength from her. Very soon, he’d have to leave her again. He needed to commit every bit of her to his memory.
“I love you too silly,” she stood up on her tiptoes, her lips finding his. They kissed for a long moment, as her arms draped around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him even deeper. There was undeniable passion there, a hunger, and yet also, tenderness. James let his eyes close as he lost himself in the moment. The world could wait, for just this moment.
He had twenty-four hours in immersion, before the planned time for their mission to begin. Twenty-four hours in game, one-hour real world, to send messages, and double check everything was alright. James could afford to spend some time with Rue. Could afford these last luxuries, last pleasant memories, before he went off to war. Time was a thief, but for the moment, James would do all he could to steal a few moments from it.
The sound of a clearing throat came all too soon. He pulled himself slowly away from Rue’s lips, his gaze looking over her head, in the direction of the sound. Steve stood there, grinning at him, his eyes shadowed and dark. At his side, Fel leaned against the inside of the tent, her fiery red hair in stark contrast to her in-game Angelkin appearance.
His alone time with Rue was up. Apparently, time didn’t appreciate his antics, nor did it care about his wishes. Time, after all, stopped for no one.