Chapter 1 - Late

November 14, 2074: 687 days until the release of Awaken Online.

“Hello? Is this thing on?”

The camera tilted erratically and then centered on a young woman in a lab coat. Her hair was brown and cut just above the shoulder. She wore modest eyeglasses and little makeup. She was pretty, in a mousy sort of way. In the background behind the woman lay a mass of machinery and cabling.

“My name is Claire Thompson. This is the first day of the private trials of Awaken Online.” The woman seemed a bit nervous to be on camera and kept adjusting her glasses.

“To be clear, these trials are not part of the regular Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) evaluation process. This trial is being conducted at the request of the board of directors of Cerillion Entertainment. As the board is no doubt aware, the primary goal of this project was to create a virtual reality simulation that draws players in and makes them want to keep playing.

“The AI controller is still in its infancy and we expect it to grow and adapt as the trial progresses. Consequently, the AI controller's primary directive is to encourage players to spend more time playing.

“Our hope is that we can develop a game that is as engaging as possible and that finds a healthy balance between improved realism and the practical game features found in many MMOs.”

Claire hesitated and fidgeted slightly as she considered what to say next.

“The purpose of this private trial is to test new features of the game software, particularly the game's AI controller, ahead of the CPSC submission. We plan to create a benchmark with this trial that we can use to evaluate and respond to the CPSC's questions.”

Claire motioned to the machinery behind her. “This is the hardware for the game's AI controller. Alfred...” Claire paused and blushed slightly. “I’m sorry. I’ve worked with the AI controller for so long that I have started calling him Alfred.”

“Anyway. Alfred is responsible for controlling all of the game's processes from the ground up. For example, he manages the quests, character creation, lore, and NPC interactions.”

“We have also implemented safety protocols to ensure that the game does not harm the users. For example, we have created secondary directives that place limitations on Alfred's ability to interface with the users’ cerebral cortex and the parts of the brain that control memory. Although, keep in mind that the software to access these areas hasn’t been written, and we aren’t certain the headsets are even capable of accessing to the users’ minds to that degree.”

The camera panned to the side as it followed Claire. A series of screens showing small, bare rooms stood behind Claire. Each room held a reclining chair and a coffee table. A solid, black helmet sat on each table and was attached to a six-inch black obelisk.

Claire motioned at the screens, “This private trial will include one hundred test subjects, ages 18-35. Both males and females are equally represented.” People began to enter the rooms as Claire spoke and they took a seat. Some immediately pulled the helmets over their heads without hesitation.

Claire looked back at the screens with an excited grin on her face, “Our test participants have now arrived. It will be fun to see how they react to their first time...”

* * *

October 1, 2076: Release day for Awaken Online.

Jason was hurrying down the tree-lined sidewalk on his way to school. He was late. He was really late.

Jason passed by palatial houses at a brisk jog. He didn't see anyone on the street. This wasn't the sort of neighborhood where people went on long walks. It wasn't a bad neighborhood, quite the opposite in fact. The people that lived in these oversized houses weren't accustomed to walking on the dusty sidewalks with the rest of the masses.

I can't believe I'm going to be late again, he thought morosely.

It wasn't his fault. His parents left that morning on an extended business trip. Of course, they hadn't mentioned the trip the night before.

The kicker was that his parents had deactivated the apartment's network this morning on their way out the door. He could just imagine the two of them, juggling coffee and luggage as they bickered about whether they were going to make their flight on time. Apparently, neither of them had remembered he was still in bed when they effectively shut off all of the electronics in the apartment. Including his alarm.

His parents were both attorneys. They were actually environmental litigators. This meant they suffered the dual curse of always being super busy and never getting paid well. Apparently whales and trees were a bit strapped for cash. This also meant that they were constantly away from home trying cases in other states and were a bit absentminded when it came to everything else.

For as long as Jason could remember, whatever environmental war they were waging at the moment had always taken precedence over everything else. He sometimes wondered how, with their many extended trips, they had managed to raise him until he was old enough to survive on his own. The only advantage of their frequent trips was that he was free to do pretty much anything he wanted while they were gone.

Jason's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a blaring car horn. In his hurry, he had almost stepped off the sidewalk in front of the car.

“Watch it asshole,” yelled a blond-haired teenager driving a little red sports car.

Before he could reply or apologize, the driver sped off down the road. Jason could have sworn that the driver looked familiar, but he didn't have a chance to get a good look at him. The only thing he could make out from this angle was the man's right hand and his rather long middle finger.

Perfect. This day is really starting off on a high note.

As his eyes followed the car racing away, his gaze swept across the profile of his school a few blocks ahead of him. His high school was a two story red brick building. A stone sign sat at the foot of the stairs to the main doorway. Jason couldn't make out the words from this distance. However, he knew that it read “Richmond High, Founded in 1952.”

The lawn at the front of the school was well manicured and dotted with large oaks. This was unusual nowadays. It was now 2076 and urban land was unbelievably expensive. The trees and unused space around Richmond were a sign of both how out-of-touch the school was with modern day and just how much money it could afford to waste.

Under other circumstances, Jason might have stopped to admire the scenery as he drew closer to the school, but he was already in trouble. He had been tardy several times this semester due to situations like the one this morning. He couldn't afford any more absences.

“At least we live within walking distance of the school,” Jason muttered as he continued his jog down the sidewalk.

If he was being honest, he actually lived in a nice neighborhood and his parents made decent money by middle class standards. He even had the privilege of attending a prestigious private school. This was due in large part to his exceptional test scores and a not-so-small scholarship.

He should be happy.

The problem was that he didn't have enough money to be “worthy” of attending Richmond. The other students knew it and made certain he remembered it. Most of them came from old money and would likely never need to work a day in their lives. As a result, it seemed that everyone he encountered at Richmond, including both the students and the faculty, went out of their way to make his life miserable.

Jason walked across the street and onto the grounds. The school also boasted an above-ground parking lot adjacent to the main building. This was another complete waste of space that flaunted the school's budget. Jason could see the little red sports car that had raced past him now sitting unoccupied in one of the “princess spots” close to the building.

There was no one outside of the school as Jason approached the front door. Morning classes had already begun. Jason entered the school and took a deep breath as he approached the administrative office near the front of the building.

I should just explain the situation and get it over with.

He opened the door to the office and stepped through.

Jason was immediately greeted by the scathing gaze of a thin woman standing next to the front desk. She wore horn rimmed glasses and was speaking with a blond-haired student. The woman was dressed in a vomit green cardigan and plaid skirt. A small gold cross hung on her chest. Her lips seemed perpetually pinched in displeasure. As she glanced in Jason's direction, her eyes flashed with thinly veiled disgust.

Oh shit.

The student speaking to Ms. Abrams was apparently the proud owner of a red sports car. Now that he had a chance to get a good look at him, Jason recognized the blond-haired driver as Alex Lane. Alex was stunningly good looking, with an athletic physique, and striking blue eyes. He was also blessed with ample intelligence and had a certain charisma that drew in others like flies to honey. Alex's father was on the board of directors for several Fortune 500 companies. As a result, his family had more money than they knew what to do with.

Alex was also quite possibly the biggest asshole Jason had ever met.

“My apologies Ms. Abrams, my father needed to speak with me this morning. That’s why I was running late. I assure you it won't happen again.” Alex's face was the picture of remorse.

Ms. Abrams' pinched expression loosened, and, for a moment, Jason thought she might actually smile. “It's not a problem Alex, your father is a busy man. Go ahead and make your way to class.”

Alex thanked Ms. Abrams and made his way out the door. As he passed Jason, Alex's angelic expression warped into a smirk. He shouldered past, causing Jason to drop his bag. Alex immediately turned with an angelic expression plastered on his face.

“Oh I'm so sorry,” he said contritely, clearly for Ms. Abrams' benefit. Alex left the office and headed for class.

What an asshole. If only other people could see past the act he puts on.

Jason turned back to Ms. Abrams. Her mouth was again pinched into a thin line and any trace of a smile was now gone. She looked Jason up and down and seemed to be mentally cataloging the defects with his school uniform, including his wrinkled shirt and his disheveled hair.

Jason was not a terrible looking guy, but he wasn't handsome either. He had longish brown hair that sometimes fell in his eyes because he didn't get it cut often. It was also clear from anyone who saw him that he didn't give much attention to his clothing or working out. His uniform hung loosely on his skinny frame. The only thing truly noteworthy about his appearance were his eyes. They were a vivid, crystalline grey and at times almost seemed to darken to black in the right light.

As he stood under Ms. Abrams’ scrutiny, dread curled in his stomach like a nest of snakes. Running into her was the worst thing that could have happened to him this morning.

Ms. Abrams was an alumni of Richmond, having attended the school long before Jason was born. Like most students of the school, she had a respectable pedigree (which meant her family was filthy rich). She was also adamant about maintaining the reputation and standing of Richmond (which meant she hated anyone who wasn't wealthy). Ms. Abrams was vehemently opposed to the “welfare” students, such as himself, who attended the school on scholarship. She had gone out of her way over the last few years to try to have his scholarship revoked or to have him expelled.

Her latest tactic was apparently to have him arrested for truancy.

“Mr. Rhodes. You're over an hour late for class. I suppose you have another inane excuse for your tardiness?” Her tone made it clear that the question was rhetorical.

“I'm certain that you're also aware that this is your tenth tardy for the fall semester?” she continued in a tight tone.

Jason felt his pulse speed up and his mouth go dry as it normally did in stressful situations. It was also at this moment that he realized he didn't have a note from his parents to explain his tardiness.

Why in the hell didn't they tell me they were leaving?

“I-I am sorry Ms. Abrams. My parents left this morning on a trip and they needed to speak with me before they left,” he stuttered slightly, unable to make eye contact with Ms. Abrams.

He didn't expect this fib to work with Ms. Abrams, but he felt certain she would flatly accuse him of lying if he explained that his parents had forgotten he was home when they left this morning.

“And I suppose you have a note to that effect?” Ms. Abrams inquired.

“Um, no actually. I forgot to get them to sign something in their rush to get to the airport. I can probably get them on the phone...”

Ms. Abrams interrupted him, “That will not be necessary. You have been attending this school for three years and in that time I have heard enough of your excuses to last me a lifetime. If you keep this up, I doubt you will make it to graduation.”

Did she just sound a little excited at the prospect of me not graduating?

“Congratulations, you have detention again this afternoon. Be sure that you’re not late for that as well.”

“B-but…”

“That is enough Mr. Rhodes. Get to class.” With that, Ms. Abrams turned and walked towards her office on the other side of the reception area.

Jason stood there for a moment in stunned silence. His face flushed slightly in anger and he clenched his hands.

I hate that woman. Why does she always have it out for me?

He glanced over and saw the secretary, a plump, middle-aged woman, looking at him scornfully. With a sigh, he turned and walked out of the office. Jason started towards his locker to collect his books before making his way to class.

What really sucks is that she just lets Alex do whatever he wants! I bet if my parents were loaded she would let me off the hook too.

As he walked down the hallway, a door opened ahead of him and a girl walked out. The girl was blond, petite, and seemed to almost glow with energy and confidence. Riley wasn't the prettiest girl at school and certainly wasn't teen royalty on campus, but she was probably the kindest person he had ever met. There was just some effervescent quality about her that was difficult to measure or quantify.

“Hello Jason,” she said as she saw him approaching.

Seeing Riley, he could feel his anger start to cool. Stammering slightly, he replied, “H-hi Riley.”

Riley was well known at Richmond. She was also a senior and a member of the lacrosse team. In stark contrast to the other students at Richmond, Riley had always been nice to Jason. It was amazing to him that she somehow managed to turn into a decent person despite her parents' wealth. Over the years, he had bumped into her on occasion and she had always taken the time to inquire about his life and schoolwork.

“How's your day going? Wait...” She gave him a puzzled look, thumbed the device on her wrist, and then looked up at him in surprise. “Wow. It's almost 10:30 am. Are you just now getting to school?”

He sighed, “My parents left town this morning without warning and I had to run here. They deactivated our apartment's network on the way out the door.”

Riley chuckled slightly and covered her mouth, “I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but I can just imagine you waking up in the dark and stumbling around trying to reactivate the system.”

“Well it's not as fun as it sounds, let me tell you,” he said in a dry tone. “On top of that, Ms. Abrams ended up giving me detention again.”

They started walking together down the hallway. Jason reflected on why he was speaking so openly with Riley. Normally, he would be speechless, not just dimwitted. It often seemed like the only person he could talk to freely at Richmond was his friend Frank.

Riley interrupted his wandering thoughts. “Ms. Abrams can be such a bitch,” she said bitterly. Jason wondered what Ms. Abrams had done to her. Riley was usually much more upbeat.

“You don't have to tell me,” Jason replied.

“Where are you headed now?” Riley asked, trying to break his morose mood.

“I have Calculus and then on to English.”

“Calculus, huh? You must be a smart one!” she said with a teasing note in her voice and a grin. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“I don't know about that. I make decent grades and Mr. Fielding is a good teacher.”

Her face seemed to light up. “Speaking of Mr. Fielding, I need to run a note over to him. Since it looks like we're headed in the same direction, do you want to walk together?”

“Sure!” he exclaimed a bit too loudly.

God I'm such an idiot.

Riley gave him another bemused grin and they made their way to his locker. He fumbled a time or two entering his combination and then managed to retrieve his books. A few minutes and some small talk later, they found themselves at the door to his calculus classroom.

He opened the door and stepped in, followed closely by Riley. Mr. Fielding hesitated in the middle of giving an explanation to the class and all of the students turned and stared. Jason wilted in front of their collective scrutiny and his eyes immediately dropped to the floor.

In a low voice, he said, “Um... I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Fielding. My parents left on a last minute trip this morning.”

Riley put her arm around Jason's shoulders and said with a smile, “Jason has had a rough morning. You should take it easy on him Mr. Fielding.” Jason's shoulders felt uncomfortable under Riley's touch and he could feel his face grow hot.

Mr. Fielding cleared his throat. “It's no problem Jason, please take your seat.”

Directing his attention to Riley, Mr. Fielding continued, “And why are you here, Riley?”

“Oh I brought you a note from Mrs. Ergenbright. Here it is!” She handed the note to Mr. Fielding and headed towards the door.

As an afterthought, she turned to Jason who was making his way to his seat. “Take care Jason!” She then stepped out of the door, casting one last smile in his direction.

Jason felt himself blush again, “B-bye Riley.”

As Jason weaved his way between the desks to his seat, he felt a foot connect with his shin and he was sent toppling forward. He face-planted and his head bounced hard off someone's textbook that had been sitting on the floor. He lay there for a moment, groaning slightly.

“You should watch your step Welfare.” A snide voice hissed near his ear. Jason could hear muffled chuckles from the other students.

He turned his head and saw that Alex was looking down at him. A cruel smirk twisted Alex's features as he watched Jason groan.

Jason knew that Alex wasn't a nice person, in spite of the act he put on for others. He didn't normally single out people for his abuse. However, since Jason started at Richmond, Alex had gone out of his way to torment him. He was also responsible for starting the nickname that people now used instead of his real name – “Welfare.”

“Ugh,” Jason huffed as he lifted himself up and made his way to his seat without saying anything to Alex.

Mr. Fielding glanced momentarily at Jason. He frowned for a moment and opened his mouth to say something. His eyes jumped to Alex and his mouth closed. He then turned and resumed jabbering about some figure he had drawn on the whiteboard.

Jason glared at Mr. Fielding's back. It was obvious he tripped me on purpose!

It was typical for the teachers at Richmond to overlook the actions of the wealthier students. Mr. Fielding's reaction wasn't a surprise, but it wasn't any less frustrating. Especially since he could tell that Mr. Fielding had wanted to say something.

Jason gingerly felt around his eye where it had slammed into the textbook. He could already detect faint signs of swelling. He would likely end up with a black eye. His euphoria at talking to Riley was gone. Instead, he felt the usual simmering anger at Alex and the injustice of how he was treated by both the students and teachers at Richmond. His glare turned to the back of Alex's head.

Someday I am going to get him back for this. I don't know how, but I will.

He directed his attention back to Mr. Fielding and the drawing on the whiteboard. Believe it or not, Richmond still used whiteboards. It actually seemed to pride itself on how out of touch it was with modern day and marketed the school as having a “classic ivy league” feel.

Another example of how clueless this school is.

Now that Jason wasn't running to class or falling on his face, the adrenaline started to leave his system and he felt exhausted. It had already been a long morning. Consequently, he zoned out the drone of Mr. Fielding's voice and came to an hour or so later when the class ended.

As he was making his way toward the door to the classroom, Alex came up behind Jason and said in a low tone, “Don't think this is over Welfare. Someone like you shouldn't be talking to Riley. You need to learn your place.” Alex then shoved past him and into the hallway.

Since when has he been so focused on Riley?

Normally, Alex went after the cheerleader type. Judging from his previous girlfriends, he focused on girls with long legs and barely two brain cells to rub together. In the Richmond hierarchy, Riley was a clear cut below him.

Jason's stood alone in the classroom. His hands clenched as he thought about his morning. His parents leaving with no warning, an unwarranted detention, a nosedive into a textbook, and a not-so-thinly veiled threat. In each case, Jason had just stood and accepted the abuse.

He imagined what a stronger and more confident version of himself would have done in those situations. Sometimes he couldn't decide what was worse, that the people at this school could be so cruel, or that he just stood there and took it.