“And so while we mourn the loss of Riley Grey, we shall carry on knowing that he is in a better place now and is watching over us all in hopes that we might live a happy life in spite of the sorrow his absence might bring us.” When the priest closed his book with a dull thump it seemed to ring with a note of finality to Evan and he couldn’t hold back his tears. As those last words left the man’s lips, Evan felt that the final dregs of hope he held on to with such unreasoning fervor were sucked from his very being. The priest handed Evan the small urn that held his younger brother’s ashes. Seeing something so small holding all that was left of his younger brother made him a little nauseous and he barely had the strength left in him to stand. He stepped forward, going past the priest, and removed the lid from the urn.

Evan stood there at the edge of the cliff they were conducting the funeral on. For what felt like an eternity he just stared blankly at the beautiful landscape spread out before him. He wasn’t in the city right now. He was in a massive wildlife preserve a few hours flight from that bustling metropolis. Riley had always wanted to see a real forest but they never really had the time… If only they had made the time… The memory brought up even more bitter tears to Evan’s eyes. Now he couldn’t even see the landscape through his blurred vision, not that he cared though. He just wanted his brother back. A soft hand pressed itself to Evan’s shoulder and someone pressed a handkerchief to his face, carefully wiping the tears from his eyes. “It’s okay Evan, I’m sure he would have wanted this.”

Evan turned and looked at the figure who just spoke. A tall and modestly sized woman, wearing a dress that was such a deep blue it almost seemed black, stood next to him. Despite the fact she wore a black veil as well to symbolize her grief it was thin enough that he could still see the wrinkles that were just starting to show on her face. She was still beautiful though, and the faint signs of age only served to enhance that beauty. “I could have stopped him though. I could have grounded him or made him do his homework or something though. If I hadn’t just sat on my ass watching TV the whole time I cou-” *Slap* “Don’t you dare blame yourself for Riley’s death! You had nothing to do with what happened and hindsight is useless if you refuse to learn from it!” Evan held a hand to his cheek in shock. The crowd that showed up for the funeral went silent. Suddenly the woman took Evan into her arms as if the embrace was her last chance to hold on to her sanity. Perhaps it was. “I’ve already lost a husband and now I’ve lost a son. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my other son.” Evan couldn’t find the words to reply but almost by instinct, he returned the desperate hug, careful not to drop the urn. His tears once more blurred his vision and he let his emotions spill out. Everyone’s heart ached in sympathy as the young man screamed his sorrows out to the world. Some people yearned to provide comfort to the devastated man, others were impatient to leave, yet none dared to interrupt the fragile moment.

Eventually, though Evan calmed enough to regain his senses and remembered he had a duty to perform. He pulled away from his mother’s arms and saw her face was wet with her own silent tears, completely ruining the carefully applied makeup. As one, mother and son turned back towards the cliff edge. Evan stepped forward, once again standing on the precipice. One more step and he could leave this world. One more step and he could end this heart-wrenching pain. He steeled himself and upturned the urn over the edge of the cliff. The wind suddenly gusted stronger than before, carrying the spilled ashes away from all that watched and scattered them across the forest canopy spread out beneath them. Evan and his mother stood there for a moment longer and watched the last vestiges of a loved one, saying a final goodbye before eventually turning away.

Evan took his time as he walked the 2 miles down the mountain path. Sometimes the occasional hover cart carrying other funeral participants passed him by. A few offered him a ride buy he didn’t respond, lost in his own world as he was, and as if sensing his mood each person quietly left him to his solitude. All too soon it seemed he reached the bottom of the mountain and the sudden change in scenery jarred him from his ruminations. As he took stock of his surroundings he noticed that almost all of the vehicles were gone. They had all been rented vehicles like taxis or buses since public and group transportation was much more efficient nowadays than everyone owning a personal vehicle except for the vehicle that Evan and his mom arrived in together. Miss Grey herself had gone ahead on a hover cart when they had finished performing the last rites while Evan chose to walk so he could take the time to clear his head.

He wasn’t really poor, but neither could he take the time to slack off from work. He didn’t want to go back out into the world and pretend as if nothing happened but he didn’t know what else to do. During his walk he decided that he should take a week or two away from work and spend some time to get his head back on straight instead of going through life as the zombie he was right now. Now that he had a firm plan, at least for the immediate future, Evan walked towards the car with a bit less lethargy than before. As he approached he saw his mom crying with her hands covering her face as a man stood awkwardly next to her. Evan quickened his pace, worried that the man might have hurt her in some way. When he got close enough he raised his voice to sound more confident and serious than he currently felt. “What’s going on here? Mom are you okay?” When the strange man heard Evan speak, he jumped a bit, then as if he suddenly realized what the situation might look like to Evan, quickly took two steps back and raised both his hands in an attempt to pacify Evan. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make her cry. I was just explaining how m-” Evan cut in on what the man was saying. “I wasn’t talking to you. You just stand there and keep quiet while I comfort my mother.” Evan stepped up to his mother and started rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to help her get her sobbing under control. “Shhhh. It’s okay. Tell me what happened.” The man obediently stood where he was and quietly observed the events unfolding before him. Between heaving cries Evan’s mom tried to explain what was going on but what little words she was able to say hardly made any sense. In frustration he turned to the man standing patiently nearby. “Alright, tell me why my mother his crying so hard she can barely speak.” the man nodded before introducing himself. “Yes, allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the developers for the game Dreamscape Online. I was just telling your mother about an offer we would like to make to you and her.” Instead of giving any indication to continue Evan silently stared at the unknown man. After a few seconds the man awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing. “Anyway, my name is Jack Donald. As I’m sure that you are aware, Riley Evan was an avid player of Dreamscape Online before he… uh left. Someone with a lot of influence in the company took a very special interest in him as he played. When she heard that he had passed away she was really upset and was very determined to ensure that his family was properly cared for. Because of the unusual circumstances of Riley’s death, the extreme success we had in our games launch, and because your benefactor wouldn’t stop pestering everyone until they finally gave in to her demands, I am here to inform you that Dreamscape online would like to offer you a lifetime contract. The terms of this contract include a monthly allowance to help improve your living standards and a permanent subscription to Dreamscape Online and all future projects that Tetra Games develop in the future. This will include any equipment and accessories needed to operate the games you choose to participate in.”

Evan gaped at the mountain of goodies that this ‘Jack’ just threw into his face but he quickly gathered his senses before asking an important question. “And what, pray tell, would you require in return?” Jack smiled before responding in a smug yet playful tone. “What we require of you, is that you accept the money and make life for you and your mother easier. Seriously, we don’t want anything from you other than that you live a happier life for Riley. The only bit of fine print that benefits us is an NDA clause that just basically says that if you learn any company secrets or something you keep it to yourself.” Evan paused in thought for a moment and turned to look at his mom. She had calmed down enough to give Evan a quiet nod. Evan turned back towards Jack. “I think we could probably work something out, although I would like to see this contract and look over it with a lawyer before I sign anything.” Jack nodded. “That's pretty reasonable. Here, let me give you my contact information as well. That way you can contact me when you’ve made your decision, not that I think you’ll take much time to make up your mind.” Jack smirked as he brought out his Palm Drive and dragged a data chit containing his contact information into the share folder alongside the digital contract already there. Evan brought his own palm drive out and tapped it with Jack’s. Once a small chime sounded, signifying the exchange was complete, Evan and Jack both put their palm drives away. Jack extended a hand towards Evan and the two of them shook their hands to bid farewell. “It was nice seeing you Evan. If you need anything, I’ll be in town for a few days.” Jack turned and started walking to his car parked a few spots away. Before he could get far though Evan called out to him. “Hang on a sec, you didn’t tell us the name of the person who wanted to help us out.” Jack stopped mid-step before turning back towards Evan, an awkward smile on his face. “Ah, sorry. You see she kinda likes her privacy. Everything she does is very important for our company. If I were to tell you anything about her, it would fall under the NDA clause in that contract you have.” Evan thought for a long moment before finally making his decision. Honestly he felt that getting a lawyer for a contract as straightforward as this would pretty much just be a formality. After a moment of hesitation, Evan quickly opened the digital contract on his palm drive before pressing his thumb to the scanner to sign the contract. He forwarded the signed contract to Jack. “Done.” Jack was surprised at the Evan’s sudden action but took it all in stride and smiled.

“Well, I still can’t tell you everything, but if you want you could probably work out a way to meet up with her.” “How do I go about doing that? I would really love to thank her honestly.” Jack took a moment to figure out how to properly phrase his next sentence. “Well… She spends a large majority of her working hours actually inside the game of Dreamscape Online. If you really want to meet her, you should start playing.” Evan frowned. “That’s all fine and dandy, but you still haven’t told me who I’m looking for. Nor how I am supposed to find her in such a massive game when I have no idea where to look.” Jack let out a short bark of laughter. “Ha! That's easy enough. She has eyes everywhere. If you ever want to have a chat, just ask for Amy. If she feels like talking, she’ll find you quick enough.” Before Evan could ask anymore questions Jack had resumed walking back towards his car. “Oh, one more thing before I go. I put in an order for a Virtual pod for you. It should be delivered today and will probably be ready for setup before you get home. I figured whether you signed the contract or not you should still get something to take your mind off of depression and videogames have always been an excellent way to blow off some steam. See ya later!” With those parting words Jack climbed into his car. As the engine whirred to life and the car lifted off the pavement Jack waved goodbye to Evan and his mother. A long moment of silence passes by as the two of them stand there watching the only other car in the small parking lot drive down the only road leaving the mountain area and heading back towards town. “Thank you Evan. For coming here with me. I don’t know if I could have been able to hold things together as well if I had come here on my own.” Evan gave his mom a light hug before opening the passenger side door for her. “Oh my, such a polite gentleman.” Evan’s mom gave a small smile at her son’s polite gesture. “Only the best for such a lovely woman as the wonderful Lady Katherine Grey. I would be a shameful man to turn down a delightful opportunity to show you the proper respect you so greatly deserve.” Miss. Grey steps into the car and Evan closes the door before getting inside on the navigators side. As he was about to tap in the address for the nearby airstrip where his plane was waiting, Evan’s phone rang.

“Hello?

“Hello. This is is Sheriff Grahl. May I speak with a Mr. Evan Grey?”

“Yea, that’s me. How can I help you?”

“Could I ask you to come down to the police station? We have someone in custody and would like you here so we can confirm a few facts about Riley Grey’s case.”

“... Um… Sure. It’s going to be a few hours though. I’m out of town, but I’m on my way back with my mother. Is that alright?”

“It should be okay. Just be sure to get here before 2 in the afternoon. That should give everyone enough time to get everything done and get home in time for dinner.”

“Okay thank you, sir.”

Miss Grey looked at Evan questioningly. “It’s nothing. That was just the sheriff responsible for the case involving Riley’s de...ath… um… anyways he was asking me to stop by the station the answer a few questions and stuff like that.” Evan noticed the slight twinge of sorrow at the mention of Riley’s death but otherwise, his mom remained calm. They arrived at their plane and spent the next few hours reminiscing about good memories and better times. The talk was bittersweet but helped bring closure to the both of them.

When they landed mother and son hugged and bid farewell to one another. Evan went straight to the station to meet up with Sheriff Grahl. The policeman took him straight down a hallway and led him to an inconspicuous door. He opened the door and led Evan into a small room with a single metal table in the center. On one side there were two empty chairs, but the same couldn’t be said with the single chair on the other side. Sitting casually in the lone chair was a disgustingly smug man with a thick revolting mustache. Upon entering the room, Oscar Maladay turned towards the door and noticed Evan. He merely quirked an eyebrow in confusion before refocusing his attention on the Sheriff who was jest now taking a seat in one of the two chairs on the opposite side of the table.

“Are ye finally gonna ask meh some demned questions or should I just go ahead an’ kill mahself to stop da faking boredom.” As always Oscar’s thick and lazy way of talking tended to grate on the nerves with almost no effort whatsoever. Sheriff Grahl didn’t even blink at the remark. “What were you doing 5 days ago?” Oscar hesitated for a second, caught by surprise at the sudden question when he had just spent hours being completely ignored. “Er… Ermm… I was jest doin sahm servahsen of sahm of da floors. Da usual stuff.” “What hours were you working and what floors were you servicing?” “ahh umm. I tink I wuz jest workin ‘bout 10 ta 5. I normally start at da bottom-a-mah sekshun and work mah way to da top.” Sheriff quickly jotted down some notes on a notepad that he pulled of of somewhere. Evan had no clue where though. “At any point did you enter the residence belonging to Evan and Riley Grey?” Oscar hesitated for a moment before replying. “Uh… umm. Well probahbly. I entered jest ‘bout every room while I worked. Had a short somewhere and needed tah figure out where. Storm wuz comin dat night and I wuz worried it might jest trip da breakers or sometin. I guess I missed it cuz we lost power in one -ah- da rooms dat night.” Evan gritted his teeth. He knew Oscar was lying through his crooked teeth but wasn’t caving into the the stress of the situation easily. In frustration Evan slammed his clenched fists onto the table and yelled, “My brother was in that pod! You killed him you piece of shit!” Oscar, surprised by Evan’s abrupt outburst dropped his facade for a moment. “Holy sheit! I got HIM to?! I wuz only tryin ta break his demned machine! HA!” Oscar froze at his own outburst for a moment before sighing in frustration. “Well fak. I wuz doin pretty good to.” After a moment of silence, Oscars frown turned into a malicious grin. “Still I’m happy that worthless shet is dead anyways. Da worlds a better place widout hi- *CRACK* BLRGHUFUHA!” Before anyone could come close to reacting Evan had risen from his chair and, focusing all of his rage and bloodlust into the action, punched Oscar in the face hard enough to send him tumbling backwards over the chair with a fountain of blood following right behind him after spewing from his horribly broken nose. The blow knocked him out cold.

There was a long moment of silence before it was broken by Sheriff Grahl. “I think it’s about time you head home Mr. Grey. You should probably get a Doctor to take a look at your hand as well. Thank you for your time.” Evan looked down at his hand only to see his index finger and middle finger pointing in unnatural directions. “Yea… You’re probably right.”

Evan stepped inside his lonely apartment, his right hand wrapped in bandages and a splint. Every time he looked down at his hand, he could feel the ache in his fingers and he would clench his other hand as the memory of his encounter with Oscar came flooding back to him. Anger seemed to ebb and flow through him with each pulse of his heart synchronizing with the painfully rhythmic throb in his broken fingers. He walked down the hallway into his living room only to see in addition to his couch and TV there was now a sleek black Virtuo pod set up and ready to go as well. He thought back to the conversation he had with Jack earlier that day and smiled grimly to himself. “You know, I think I could really go for some stress relief right about now.” Evan quickly stripped down and slid into the brand new Virtuo pod, careful not to bang his hand on the sides, before finally closing the lid. “Initiate virtual immersion!” Evans vision turned white before fading to darkness.

“Ahhh it’s good to finally lay down! What a hectic day!” exclaimed Jack as he flopped bonelessly onto the hotel’s bed. A feminine voice emanating from a small laptop on the nightstand spoke up with a perky voice. “Hi, Jack! How did things go with Evan?” Jack groaned something into the bedsheets he was currently lying facedown in. “I’m sorry, what was that? You sound a little bit muffled.” Jack flopped onto his back so Amy could hear him properly. “I said that everything went smoothly. Although I think things would have worked out just fine without you throwing your little hissy fit just to get the company to accept your proposal more quickly.” Jack could almost hear the pouty face she was certainly making through her voice. “I did NOT throw a hissy fit! My actions were perfectly reasonable given the circumstances at the time!” Jack let out a derisive snort of laughter. “Yea right. I don’t think you can say you are being perfectly reasonable if you decide to make the NPCs break into song and dance every time a player turned in a quest. You’re lucky the company was able to pass it off as a lighthearted joke to celebrate their success in the game.” Instead of replying to Jack’s comment, Amy decided to change the subject. “So, when are you going to come back?” Jack shrugged on the bed. “I dunno. A few days probably. I think I’m gonna do a little bit of sightseeing or something. Might as well enjoy myself before I have to go back and put my nose back to the grindstone.” “Sounds like a plan. You going to go to bed?” Jack stretched his arms upwards and let out a satisfied groan. “Awww, yeaah. This bed is pretty comfortable. I should probably sign out of voice chat and get ready for bed before I fall asleep in my clothes. Good night Amy.” “Good night Jack. have fun while you can.” “Don’t worry, I will.”