Jim's PoV

Jim was replaying the confrontation with Scarlet in his mind while he was back in his jail cell. Did he do the right thing by asking Davis to not turn her in? Jim doubted that using a looting system for MMOs like dragon killing points (DKP) was going to stop her. He wouldn't be the one to suffer the consequences should she turn on him, and so far she was definitely untrustworthy. Why was he feeling so guilty?

Jim thought over the events in his mind and compared them to his fights with the pawn shop thugs. He felt no guilt putting the thugs from the pawn shop down, multiple times too. A smile creeped onto his face. Actually he got a sense of pride from beating those hooligans up. But it was not the same for Scarlet.

Jim's mind remembered three silhouettes outside his window. He had asked her for his stay to be peaceful. Assassins make things peaceful all in the same way. He knew he was being flippant and just wanted to be able to continue his work uninterrupted, but only now did he realize what he asked for and who he asked it from.

Scarlet was a killer. When he first saw her, Jim just classified assassin as a type of fighting style, just like so many games. But then there came the mindset with the profession. She was ruthless.

When he saw her after a failed attempt at killing him, Jim figured he could give her a few rewards here and there and then she would be useful to him. Even if she was not helpful, Scarlet was no threat to him.

Jim was still wrestling with the fact that all the people of his game world were real. Yet he flippantly sent a killer after those men. The only things that were running through his mind was how he thought the hot assassin lady was a cool character and how she could be useful. Jim thought it was really interesting how a nameless NPC in a red dress in the original game ended up as an assassin.

But he remembered the three men sneaking closer to the window with weapons in hand. Did she get to live and the men get to die just because he thought she was a cool character? If he had woken up and it was those three men trying to kill him, would he have shown mercy? He wasn't sure.

Either way she was a wild card. Jim sighed as he glanced at the time again. Still another two hours till 10PM. After their conversation Davis and Maria had left shortly after. Jim stuck around the house because something might happen to his body in prison and he didn't want to have to leave his body in a ditch.

After some vigorous puppy petting Jim returned to his room in hopes that Charlotte might be early. He should have known better. At 10PM on the dot she came in to bail him out. Woman of her word right there.

***

Charlotte's PoV

Turns out Jim was a first time offender so the bail wasn't too much. Charlotte nodded along as the officer reminded her that he needed to show up to court on a particular day or else she would not get her money back. Tired, she just nodded and went through the motions.

Finally Jim was brought out and she blinked. What she had at first thought was one of those funny shirts with muscles drawn on quickly became evident that was not the case.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. She saw him on Monday and he didn't look like that. It was Friday night, it hadn't even been a week. Jim now looked like he hadn't missed a day at the gym in his entire life. How had he done it? Angrily she felt self conscious, the last couple months she didn't have the time to work out like she used to. It seemed like every time she moved up the ladder at work the less time she had.

Jim gave her a happy wave as he was uncuffed. The officer in a bored voice said "Do you understand that you need to show up on your appointed court date?"

Jim nodded at the man saying "Sure sure. Can I get my stuff back?"

In a monotone the officer said "Follow me."

They both fell in line behind him and she angrily whispered to him. "What are you up to Jim? How did you fight like that and are those fake?"

She gestured to his chest area. Charlotte gulped. It was massive, and his arms barely fit out of the sleeves of his shirt.

Jim smirked and said "A lady never tells her secrets!"

Charlotte cocked her hand back to wack him on the back of the head, when she reconsidered because she was in a sea of police officers.

Irritated Charlotte said "When we get out of here, I want some answers Jim."

Finally they came to a desk and the officer handed the clerk some paperwork. Turning around he said "He will take care of you. Try to stay out of trouble."

After a minute the clerk came out with a plastic bin and started naming off items.

"One backpack, one wallet, one set of keys. One pocket knife."

The list went on till she heard "One sci fi helmet prop. One laptop. And finally whatever this is. Please sign here."

Jim packed up everything in his pockets and backpack and they headed outside. She could only roll her eyes as she saw the goods that he had stolen from 3D Tech were given back to him.

Once they were outside she demanded "What's going on Jim?"

He looked at her for a few seconds and then he started waving his hand around in the air. To her surprise two sparkling red vials appeared.

Panicked, she said "Seriously? You're going to pull out drugs right in front of a police station? How dumb are you?"

He blinked and said "Uhh, yeah I guess they are drugs."

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Charlotte walked over quickly to her car and Jim followed. Once they were a couple miles away she asked "Seriously? That's what this is all about? Drugs? Oh please tell me you're not a drug dealer."

As she asked, he gulped down one of the red vials. She shuddered. This was a bad idea.

Her mind started going to a negative place when he said "It's not like that. Kind of. Wow these do work here! The bruises are gone!"

She looked over and Jim was lifting his shirt up looking at his abs. Charlotte gulped. He was chiseled. Chiding herself she tried to keep her eyes strictly on the road. Jim then handed her one of the vials and said "Do you have any ailments? Any pain at all? I want to test something."

Calming herself she said "Jim, I'm not into drugs. I can't."

Jim said dismissively "If I'm right, this is the most powerful healing medicine in the world. And the supply is limited too. Actually do me a favor, can you pull over really quick? I want to test something out."

Charlotte asked "What are you going to do?"

Jim replied "I don't think I want to tell you. You would probably argue with me."

Jim leaned over to the backseat and pulled something out of his bag.

Charlotte pulled over to a well lit parking lot and parked the car. Jim got out and she followed. Jim looked like he was psyching himself up for something and she nervously watched.

Jim then stilled with a look of seriousness and said "I need to heal something I can't fake. Go big or go home."

He pulled out a blade, put his hand with fingers splayed out on the asphalt, and then cut off his left pinky finger in one fluid motion. Charlotte was shocked! Jim was crazy! They had to get the finger on ice and rush him to the hospital! Charlotte pulled out her phone but Jim interrupted her saying, "Five minutes."

"What?"

Jim said "Please. Just give me five minutes before you call anyone."

Mesmerized, she watched him pull out the other of those sparkling red vials and he drank it, then he watched his finger expectantly. Jim was nuts. He was absolutely crazy. But then something started to wiggle where the missing finger was. In a horrified fascination she couldn't look away.

Jim was obviously in pain but he just gritted his teeth. Then over a few seconds a new finger grew out of nothing. Was he playing a trick on her?

Charlotte's analytical mind said that if it was a trick, the finger that he cut off would be fake.

Charlotte grabbed the old finger and expected to feel a rubbery fake, but her stomach churned as she felt the texture and the warmth of the digit. It was oozing blood too. Shaking her head she put the finger back down carefully and looked at the new finger that had grown in its place.

The size of the finger was right, but the skin color was off. It was that final fact that made her believe.

"What was that Jim?"

"Like I told you, probably the most powerful healing item on Earth. I'd still like to try one on someone else to be sure. You have any aches and pains?"

In a daze Charlotte shook her head, but then stopped. She looked at Jim and asked "It can cure anything?"

Jim nodded and said "I think so, minus death. Why, you want one?"

Charlotte nodded. Jim did that hand wavy thing and another one appeared. Jim again said "These things are in limited supply, so use it wisely. Also, please tell me the results."

She nodded and took the intricately carved glass vial. Then Jim asked "You wouldn't happen to know how to go about selling millions of silver coins would you? I think they are worth around 300 million dollars."

Millions of silver coins? 300 million dollars? Charlotte was a second away from telling him no one had that much silver. Then she looked at the severed finger and back to the new one. Finally she looked Jim in his eyes and said "If this really works, I will figure it out personally."

Jim did a fist pump and said "Quest complete!"

She rolled her eyes. Jim was still Jim. A complete nerd. Charlotte drove him back to the pawn shop. Luckily his vehicle hadn't been towed yet.

Glancing down at her watch it was getting close to midnight. Looking at her phone she wondered if she was going crazy. Was she really going to believe that there was some magical drug that could cure anything? Charlotte remembered feeling the warmth and texture of the cut finger. It was real.

Charlotte picked up her phone and called her brother.

"What's up sis? It's kind of late."

Hesitantly Charlotte said "Remember when I said I was working on something that I couldn't talk about? Something that might help Adam?"

Her brother responded slowly "Yes. What's going on sis?"

She didn't want to lie to her brother, but if she told him what she really saw he might balk. Honestly she was still in half disbelief. And she knew Adam didn't have much time left. The doctors said they had done all they could. Charlotte said "Well the bio lab that's a part of our company came up with something. It works. It works and I have a sample on me right now."

Charlotte could hear him swallowing back his sobs and he asked "Are you sure sis? He's been getting worse. Please don't say you're joking."

An hour later she was pouring the contents of the vial into a little boy's mouth while his parents held each other and watched anxiously. Charlotte prayed that she hadn't made a mistake. The ten year old boy smiled and said weakly "That tastes like strawberries Aunt Charlotte!"

Charlotte looked sadly back as she watched his eyes that could not see her. Poor Adam had lost the genetic lottery big time. Not only was he born blind but he had also had a frailness to him. His muscles were not developing properly and he had been bound to a wheelchair for the past couple years. It wasn't that long ago that the doctors only gave him another few months to live.

Adam was the reason she had got into her current field. She had hoped that technology could give him a new set of eyes, that had been her drive for the past several years. Her brother and his wife were heartbroken when they learned their only child was so damaged. But still they loved the boy, and so did she.

The next couple hours could only be described as a miracle. Watching his eyes light up for the first time was a blessing. She had dedicated years of her life in the attempt to give this boy a chance to see the world, yet all that and more was accomplished on what seemed like a whim. Not only could Adam see for the first time, but he was out of his wheelchair as well!

She pulled out her phone and sent Jim a brief text saying that the restorative worked and that she would be looking into how to sell silver in bulk. At this point 3D Tech and all their damn reports could rot in hell for all she cared.

Afterwards she sent a number of people some pointed emails saying that she quit her job and that she would not be showing up again. Then she turned her phone off for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Charlotte would deal with the fall out later. Tonight was for celebration.

***

Jim's PoV

He got the text from Charlotte that the potion worked! Fantastic news. Operation: Spam The Rich People was a go! 3D Tech really should have kept their personal information more secure. Their wealthy investor contact information was unencrypted and all helpfully in the same location. What made it even better was the list had never even been updated to show only current investors. Anyone that had put in a substantial amount of money in the past 10 years was on the list.

Jim tagged each and every one of those accounts with his freshly created new business email. Then he set up a fake phone number that would be forwarded to his real phone. Hopefully it would give him some anonymity if a wealthy person took offense to getting email spammed.

Well, actually probably their assistants, people that wealthy didn't read emails. But all he really needed to do was find just one super wealthy rich guy that was close to the end. Finding the right person would enable him to buy the intellectual property for the helmet.

And Charlotte was going to work on his silver problem too! It was nice having multiple options to try to solve his problem. Jim was almost thankful for going to jail, it really turned out well for him.