Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The pounding at Ray's door reverberated in his ears, jolting him awake at the ungodly hour of 10am on a Saturday. Groggily, he called out, "Who is it?"
"This is the FBI! Open up!"
Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Ray scrambled out of bed, his mind racing after only four hours of sleep. Spotting his screwdriver on the desk, he hastily retrieved it and crouched by his computer.
"Ray Han! We know you're in there. Open up now!" came the authoritative voice again.
"I'll be right there! Let me put on some clothes!" Ray yelled, his heart pounding as he frantically disassembled his hard drive. Desperate to destroy the evidence, he tossed the drive from his dorm window, watching as it plummeted to the ground.
What were they after? Ray wondered, My collection of educational Japanese videos? My brief forays in peaceful internet activism?
Dressed and out of options, Ray opened the door to find two men—one in a suit, the other in khakis and an FBI jacket. Before he could demand a warrant, the suited man spoke.
"Relax, Ray. You're not in trouble. We need your help."
Feeling a mix of confusion and suspicion, Ray replied, "Of course, how can I help you?"
"Are you Ray Han, also known as RayOfHope?" the man asked, his piercing gaze never leaving Ray's face.
Ray stared at him awkwardly, RayOfHope was his tag for videogames, he was pretty sure he didn’t do anything questionable using that handle.
After a pause, Ray finally said, "Don't I get a lawyer? I plead the fifth."
Annoyed, the suited man raised his hands in exasperation and snapped at his FBI partner, "Why can't we approach these gamers like normal people? Maybe they'd be less inclined to run!"
The FBI agent grunted, "We don't have time. Hurry up. The clock is ticking." He glanced at his watch, frowning.
The suited man, Tom Matterhorn of the CIA, extended his hand to Ray. "My apologies. We started off on the wrong foot. We have an opportunity of a lifetime for you."
"Sorry, but you guys don't pay enough. FANNG all in comp for a first year developer is 200 grand. And I like my life, thank you very much" Ray responded, skepticism still lingering.
Matterhorn replied with a more serious tone, "Imagine being part of a groundbreaking project, like a space MMO with cutting-edge virtual reality technology. Think about commanding spaceships, wielding laser weapons, and wearing power armor."
He continued, "We're offering you the chance to be a trailblazer in this new world, getting in at the ground level. We've chosen you because of your exceptional skills in gaming. Your ability to create innovative strategies in RPGs and build powerful decks in card games has caught our attention. We need individuals like you who can learn quickly and push the boundaries of our systems during testing."
Ray weighed his options. Lately, many of the video games he was once passionate about had lost their appeal, and StarComerad still remained in alpha after all this time. The situation seemed suspicious, but the presence of the FBI agent lent it an air of legitimacy.
Ray reached out and shook Matterhorn's hand firmly and amicably. Looking into the agent's eyes, he said, "You had me at internet spaceships."
---
Ray was given a series of non-disclosure forms to sign, mostly standard except for the fact that breaking the agreement could result in prison time. He signed them with a sense of skepticism, doubting that such a penalty would hold up in court.
Afterward, they climbed into an unmarked black SUV. Matterhorn motioned for Ray to sit backseat, and the spook climbed in after Ray.
"Can you tell me more about this new MMO? Like its name and who created it?" Ray asked, eager to understand what he was getting involved in.
Matterhorn replied, "Its name is Reality, and it was created by aliens. I lied – there is no MMO."
Ray immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to open the car door, but it was locked.
"Put your seatbelt back on and let me finish!" Matterhorn yelled. The FBI agent brandished his gun, a clear warning. Ray complied and resigned himself to his fate.
"You might find this hard to believe, but I have proof if you just let me finish. Aliens have contacted Earth. They're part of an alien trading company called the HiYuDan Trading Company, and they want to build some sort of highway in our system.
The aliens have a first contact procedure to assist new races. Earth was given three things: immunity for approximately seven years, a powerful friendly AI, and thousands of alien technology items called Badges.
Badges enable the use of Cards, and the aliens are obsessed with a game called 'Descendants of the Stars.' The badges are incredible, indecipherable technology. The aliens who demonstrated their badges showed us magical powers, vast fleets controlled by a single pilot, and wealth beyond the resources of a single planet.
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The AI, who named itself 'Abraham,' was given direct access to the internet and tasked with formulating a plan for humanity. It only took a few hours before Abraham commandeered every spare computing resource on the planet. The AI realized that our video games are remarkably similar to the system the badges use, so it selected people like you, who are highly skilled at learning and advancing in games. We need people who can catch up to the galactic standard within seven years and defend Earth.
Only 84,000 badges are available, proportional to Earth's population. You're one of the 80,000 American citizens chosen to receive one. All we ask is that you remain loyal to your people and help save us from disaster."
Matterhorn stopped the car on the side of the street and produced a rounded black badge. It flicked on, and holographic projections filled the air above it, showing their current location on Earth and various information about temperature, time, and future natural disasters nearby. Apparently a hurricane was due in about two years.
The beautiful and seemingly impossible hologram convinced Ray that Matterhorn was likely telling the truth about the aliens. There was no way government bureaucracy could have created something so amazing.
"Aliens," Ray gasped, trying to process the situation. After a moment, he remembered something important.
"Wait! Let me call Fidelity. I'm 100% long in stocks, and I need to pull out!" Ray scrambled to find his phone, unfortunately it had already been confiscated.
The FBI agent grunted behind him, "No insider trading under my watch, white-collar scum!"
Ray groaned and buried his head in his knees, mourning the soon-to-be ruin of his fifth margin account.
"Relax, kid," the agent replied, "In a few years, all Earth money will be worthless. Heck, even gold will be so common that people will build houses out of it."
Ray dramatically grasped his heart, another stab of imaginary pain. Despite his dismay, Ray smiled at the thought of gaining a head start in this new reality, potentially amassing a fortune and retiring earlier than he'd initially planned.
"So what's the deal? I work for you for seven years, save Earth, and retire as a superstar?" Ray asked.
Matterhorn grunted, "Something like that. But We can't really control you – the vastness of space quickly shot down that idea. While we will have some military personnel and government employees take up a badge, we really need people to explore the galaxy and level up quickly.
As part of the first contact procedures, new badgeholders cannot die or be imprisoned against their will until immunity is over. Instead your badge will be stripped away from you, and you'll be deported back to Earth unless you buy something called 'life insurance.' That should probably be your first goal, so Earth doesn't lose any more badgeholders than necessary."
Ray slumped back into his chair, finding it difficult to take everything in. It all sounded incredibly exciting – real spaceships and battles. But reality was different from a video game; there would be no comforting screen separating him from a developer's twisted fantasy.
Hold on a minute...
"So are all the badges going to Americans? What about other countries?" Ray inquired.
Matterhorn responded sheepishly, "Haha... well, that's your second mission: figuring out how to bring back more badges to Earth so we can distribute some to cooperative countries."
Ray grinned, "So the US finally stopped tiptoeing around and decided to pursue world conquest? I like it."
---
Ray was desperate for more information, however Matterhorn didn't have much for him. In fact, no human had much knowledge about the situation. The aliens had initiated first contact a mere two weeks prior, and the clock was ticking.
The fact that the Abraham AI program was able to complete a plan and search for humans in under two days shocked the highest powers especially since it was only a Grade D’ AI. It took them even more time to comprehend the plan, but as tests with Abraham continued, it became evident that alien technology dwarfed our own and trusting Abraham was their only option.
The decision to make the badges exclusively American was imposed by the US government. However, Matterhorn mentioned that a few exceptional British and Israeli government candidates were included as a gesture of goodwill. Still, even with this limitation, Abraham's projections indicated that early badgeholders would likely start sending badges back to Earth within the first year.
News about the alien contact had started to emerge, but it was mostly dismissed as hoaxes for now. The CIA, however, was working tirelessly to bring all the chosen candidates to Langley before the end of the day. The President intended to address the nation and the world in just two days and wanted to ensure that every single badge was off Earth and in mostly loyal hands by then.
Ray asked if he could contact Abraham, but Matterhorn declined, cryptically stating that everything would be explained in something called "The Tutorial." Instead, Matterhorn focused on getting Ray to talk about his family and his favorite aspects of Earth, in a last minute effort to encourage Ray to save the Earth.
Save the Earth… something Ray never imagined himself doing. Just a short while ago he was just a college student skipping class and praying that he would be able to get an internship this summer. But it must have been the youthful confidence, and promise of internet spaceships that kept Ray asking questions.
Matterhorn reassured Ray that all his earthly affairs would be handled. While Ray would still be able to send messages to close family members, his primary focus needed to be on progressing in this new endeavor.
The journey to Langley took only a few hours, and they parked directly outside the main entrance of the CIA headquarters. As Matterhorn and Ray exited the car and walked together, they noticed numerous other agents and young people in their early twenties emerging from similar vehicles. It was clear that something monumental was happening.
Upon entering the CIA headquarters, Matterhorn received a tablet and proceeded to guide Ray through a series of meetings. Most of them emphasized the gravity of the mission they were about to undertake. If things went awry, Earth could face extinction, or even worse, enslavement.
In a brief, unexpected encounter, the President personally visited two, highlighting the importance of this task and demonstrating the American government's commitment to it.
The meetings carried on late into the night, but the influx of new information kept Ray invigorated and alert. Eventually, Matterhorn's tablet sounded an alarm, prompting him to announce, "Time to go.” And he ushered Ray through a series of armed checkpoints.
Numerous pairs of CIA officers and badgeholders filled the hallway, making their way downstairs to the heart of the complex.
Matterhorn handed Ray his badge, directing him to wear it on his shoulder with a Velcro strap. As they descended the stairs, Matterhorn spoke solemnly, "Ray, everyone you've met today, including me, would have volunteered in a heartbeat to join this mission. But we all gave up our spots because we understood the stakes and how crucial this is."
Ray, visibly affected by the day's events, looked back with determination. "Mr. Matterhorn, I promise I will do everything I can to save Earth."
In a discreet gesture, Matterhorn slipped a piece of paper into Ray's pocket. They arrived at a doorway bathed in blue light, where it was impossible to see what lay beyond. One by one, badgeholders stepped through the portal while their counterparts left.
As Ray's turn approached, he realized this was his last chance to bid Earth farewell. Although he had only just met Matterhorn, he sensed they would be working together in the future. Ray shared a brief, heartfelt hug with Matterhorn before stepping into the doorway, eager to discover what awaited him on the other side.