"Rebecca climbs atop a small cement ledge and motions for the camera man to follow her. With careful balance, she comes to a clearing in the trees on the other side, peering through into the streets of Boston.

"Are you getting this?" She asks the camera man, eyes alight with excitement. This was it. This was going to be her big break.

Sure most of her competition was gone, but she would take what she could get and consider it a blessing.

The camera man moves closer and points the broadcast through the opening and onto the streets.

Some sort of Lizard monsters were encircling a man and a woman, small energy daggers gripped in their hands. They snarled and licked their scaly lips.

The man is wearing white military grade cyber armor, with red stripes up and down the side. The woman dons a dark green cloak made for speed.

In a flash too quick for Rebecca's eyes to process, the woman pulls out a pistol and the man withdraws a machine gun. The Lizards barely have time to leap at their prey before becoming the victims themselves and falling into pools of purple blood.

Small experience notifications appear above the corpses.

+125 EXP.

The man and woman cheer and high-five each other.

"As you can see, my precious viewers, people have begun fighting the monsters and are gaining what looks like experience points!""

Being in some sort of makeshift nuclear warhead bunker, the sun wasn't there to greet me as I finally woke from my exhausted sleep. My limbs ached and my neck had a crease in it that made me feel as though I had slept on a cement floor.

I pushed myself up, feeling the cold stone beneath me.

Oh right. I had...

As the night's haze slowly melted away, the events of yesterday started to become clear again. I let the fear and anxiety wash over me, acknowledged that it was there, then grit my teeth and let it pass. It wouldn't go away entirely. It never did. But at least I could function.

"You awake in there?" Rio called from the other room. I could smell bacon cooking and suddenly was very hungry.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" I said, pulling on my jacket and sliding into my shoes. The room that I had slept in appeared to have been some sort of huge closet at one point, but was cleared out and filled with all manner of excess electronics. On my way out, I caught a glimpse of the reflection of myself in an old computer monitor and abruptly stopped.

Was it just me or did my hair seem purplish?

I ran my fingers through it and shrugged it off. The smell of bacon was overpowering my curiosity.

It must just be the lighting in here.

Sure enough, Rio sitting next to a griddle, lowered to just his height. Bacon was sizzling on one side and eggs cooking on the other. He smiled at me with a nod, as I walked over and sat down in a computer chair, rubbing my eyes.

"All of this and a chef too? Where do I find a man like you, Rio?" I teased, finding a plate next to me and holding it out to him.

"Sorry Valys, I'm taken." Rio loaded my plate and smiled. "But I'm also one of a kind." He went back to his half-cooking, half-working on his laptop. Multitasking seemed less of a burden and more of a requirement for him.

I started digging into my meal, not realizing how hungry I was until I felt the warm delicious bacon slide down into my stomach. With each strip I noticed a notification pop-up.

+5 HP

+5 AP

Not a bad boost for some supposedly unhealthy bacon.

I finished the entire meal, and wiped a satisfied mess off of my face, noticing one final notification in my vision before standing and starting my attempt to find Ben.

"Received Stamina, AP, and Damage boost for 24 hours."

"Woah Rio, where did you learn to cook like this?" Meal boosts were common in CCO. It was the normal routine before dungeons and quests to either go to a local pub and eat something for a generic meal boost, or have a friendly player cook something special for you. Cooking was a sub-skill, being associated with the sub-class of Chef.

For the most part I had relied on public pubs for my meals, having no fellow clan-mates who were Chefs. If this was what I had been missing out on though, I would try and recruit one right away.

In fact...

"Hey Rio, I never asked. Why don't you play CCO?"

"You mean why does someone who can't walk not spend 24/7 in a world that would give me that capability?"

Suddenly, I felt very bad for asking. Fortunately he turned and smiled at me.

"Don't worry, it's a valid question. One that I've learned to not get offended by." He turned off the burner and scooped the remaining food onto a plate before rolling over to sit next to me.

"It basically comes down to this," he began, continuing his addiction to multitasking by marking off notifications on his digital smart watch while he spoke. "It took me a long time to get over the fact that I'd never walk again, and to be fair I initially played CCO and was all for it. But then one day I realized something. That it was making me reliant on something that wasn't there. This is my way of being in control and not letting the man who took my legs away from me, rule the rest of my life and force me to live a fake one."

He shook his head. "Now I don't mean that in and derogatory way towards you and Ben playing CCO. I think it's an incredible game and world, It's just something I have to do, no matter how bad I want to play."

"So, I help in other ways." He winked at me and pat my leg before rolling away, eyes returning to his watch.

I sighed. I couldn't imagine what it must be like. Rio, wheelchair and all, was perhaps stronger than both me and Ben.

Speaking of Ben, I stood, brushed the morose thoughts off and went to find him.

I searched through the bunker, or Headquarters as Rio liked to call it, finding computer equipment older than me alongside knock-off Chinese versions of the latest tech. Eventually I ended up in a small room with wooden flooring and a mirror along one side.

Ben was there, stretching out in the warrior pose that I only knew from a yoga class I had taken instead of P.E.

He held the position for a moment, then released and sat down, breathing heavily.

"Morning Valys, sleep well?" he asked.

"No but Rio's breakfast sure took care of that! Did you try any?"

"Incredible, isn't he? It's weird that his food now provides buffs. Perhaps his cooking skill adapted from his real life cooking?"

"I think you're right."

I sat down and pulled out my phone, seeing the dreaded "No Service" indicator at the top.

"Still no word from anyone else in the clan?" Ben asked, walking over and sitting next to me. I shook my head, ignoring the tension between us, unsure as to what it was.

"And Jumba hasn't been online since. I think we need to just worry about it later and get going." I tucked my phone back into my pocket.

"Agreed."

"So we're really doing this." I said, more of a statement than a question. I looked at us in the mirror. Just two kids, fighting for the lives of themselves and everyone they knew. Ben caught my gaze and smiled, lifting a fist up.

I hit it with my fist.

"Let's get going," he said.

~~~

After a few hours of packing, getting ready, and planning our route, I found myself atop Belias once again, this time as myself and not Phoenix. We were out front of the HQ, in the shadows of the alleyway. The sun was setting and the sky was darkening quickly, Rio's idea for as much cover as possible.

"I'm not sure I can do this," I said, as Graz Black climbed up in front of me, tying his packs to some sort of Dragon saddle that he had made. It definitely felt better than sitting on the hard scaled surface, but it was still a work in progress.

Unlike Graz, who needed to Connect in order to summon Belias, I had decided to try this as myself, wondering if I would gain similar experience and skills to those that Phoenix had. Though, now as I looked up at sky and realized how high up I would be, I wasn't so sure it was the best decision.

"You'll be fine," Graz said. "Rather than focusing on how scared you are, try to focus on the feeling of your feet on the ground, and the realization that once it passes, you will be there." He smiled at me over his shoulder and I took comfort in it.

"Alright you two, enough kissing let's get this show on the road," Rio said, rolling up beneath us. I felt my cheeks turn red and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah alright dad," Graz said sarcastically. "Did you upload the route map?"

"Yep! Using CCO's not-so-public API, I was able to authenticate using an old authorization token that was still valid for my character. Anything that I need to send you to your characters, I can do through him even without logging in."

"You're something else, Rio," Graz replied, eyes blue and checking his messages. He nodded in satisfaction and forwarded the message to my inbox. I opened and noted the route we were taking.

A straight flight across the ocean, passing Hawaii close enough to stop if need be but far enough away to not be noticed.

"Bring me back some souvenirs." Rio said with a smirk. "If the estimates of Belias's speed are correct. If so, you'll be in Tokyo in two days. Just be mindful of the fact that you won't have anywhere to land for most of the trip."

"Which is why I packed all the leftovers," Graz pointed out, as he patted one of his bags. "As well as plenty of water."

Two days and we'd be in Tokyo. Two days of flying on the back of a Dragon over the ocean.

My life sure had changed in the past week.

We said our goodbyes and watched as Rio wheeled himself back beyond the sliding door and closed it behind himself. I sighed, making a mental note to make Rio an honorary Revolver-X member. Even if he wasn't technically in the game fighting with them, he was as much a part of what was going to happen as anyone.

The takeoff was easier than expected. Even though I had been Phoenix last time, I still was prepared for what would happen and closed my eyes tightly, feeling the lurch in my stomach as we rocketed into the air. As soon as we reached the desired height and evened out, I noticed a notification pop up in my vision.

Character : Valys

Mount Proficiency : Dragon - Learned!

- Dragons can now be mounted

+ 25% Speed while mounted on a Dragon

I also noticed that in the corner of my vision was a small icon. When I mentally focused on it, a small tool-tip appeared.

[Buff] - Passive Skill : Calm and Collected - ACTIVE

"Oh!"

Now it made sense why I wasn't as freaked out by this flight as I thought I would be. The skill I had learned on myself earlier was activated and keeping me calm. It was a bit freaky that something from a game was able to control my emotions, but also pretty cool and useful to boot. Who wouldn't want the powers that a video game or fictional world had offered them!?

I didn't know how much time had passed by the time I woke up. I reached up to rub my eyes and immediately regretted it, feeling myself slide and almost fall off of the Dragon that I was riding on.

"Morning!" Graz said, looking back at me with a grin full of sunshine. Real sunshine, not the metaphorical one. Somehow I had slept all night.

"Woah, how did I not fall off?" I looked down and noticed that I had been tied in the makeshift saddle with some sort of seat belt. "Oh, nice."

Graz laughed and motioned at my me. "You gonna get that? You've been buzzing for about an hour now."

"Buzzing? What do you.... Oh!"

I reached into my pocket, holding on tightly with my other hand. Being strapped in and all was great, but there was something nerve-wracking about being hands free a thousand feet in the air. I pulled out my phone to a whopping 64 notifications.

All of them from the same person.

[Aya] : Valys why haven't I heard from you lately? Is everything okay?

[Aya] : I just saw the broadcast! Please tell me you're safe!

[Aya] : I don't know what's going on ,but I won't give up!

[Aya] : Valys, this giant hotel and arena just appeared downtown, people are swarming it from all over. There have been riots, looting... I'm scared.

[Aya] : =( Please don't be dead.

Aya! She was alive! I almost leaped for joy, finding myself very grateful that I wasn't able to do so and fling myself off Belias. Oh no, she also thought that I was dead! I lived in Sacramento where there wasn't any CCO server. She must consider me gone just like all the others.

I went to text her back, when I noticed one final text that wasn't from here.

[(11) 4424-9032] : Is this Phoenix? I need help.

Phoenix? How did they know my character name?

They must be from CCO, and the only people who would have access to my phone number were those who knew the password to the emergency clan information drive...

[Valys] : This is Phoenix! Who is this?

I texted back the unknown number. Aya already thought I was dead, and I would text her as soon as I figured out who needed my help.

An answer came back right away.

[(11) 4424-9032] : Holy shit, it really is you! I thought for sure that you would have had a new number by now! It's me, Sixes!

Sixes! She was alive! But why hadn't I seen her online in the clan or party menu!? Valys added the new entry to her contacts as her actual character name. I tried to call her but didn't get a connection signal so just stuck with texting.

[Valys] : Sixes! I'm so glad to hear from you! Where are you? Are you in trouble?"

[SixShot6] : I'm hiding right now, locked in my classroom at school. Some terrifying soldiers are searching the building trying to find me. I don't know how much longer until they get a key or just smash their way in. And I can't leave because there are monsters everywhere.

Monsters?

[Valys] : Sixes, what's your location. We are on our way to Tokyo but we'll make a detour and pick you up.

[SixShot6] : Why are you going to Tokyo? I am in Buenos Aires. What is going on Phoenix?

I looked up from my phone. "Hey, how far away is Buenos Aires? One of our clan mates is in trouble and needs a lift."

Graz thought about it for a moment then answered, "A detour like that will probably add an extra day or two to our trip. I don't have rations for that."

"We don't have much choice, do we?" I pointed out. "We're not going to leave her to die, besides, we need our full 5 clan members for the tournament."

"We'll have to eat and drink less than normal. It will be uncomfortable, but you're right. Let's go save our clan mate."

Graz pressed onto Belias and turned him South, pointed towards Argentina, and its capital, Buenos Aires. I had never been, and hadn't known that Sixes was from South America. In fact, I don't think I'd ever heard her actual voice so there was no accent to pin down either. I returned to my conversation with Sixes, letting her know we were en route.

[Valys] : I'm guessing you haven't watched the news recently. I'll explain it all to you as soon as we get there and kick some ass.

[SixShot6] : Phoenix... I'm scared. I think I'm losing my mind. I keep seeing things from CCO. Nobody is answering their phone except you. I thought I was all alone.

[Valys] : Yeah... Things have gotten interesting around here. But don't worry. You're not alone. You're part of Revolver-X and we don't leave anyone behind.

There was no reply for a long time. Too long.

[Valys] : Sixes, keep messaging me. I need to know you're safe. Keep me updated.

[SixShot6] : Phoenix they are trying to break the door down. I don't have much time. How long until you're here?

Text messages hid all emotion from a conversation, but I knew Sixes would not be as calm as she sounded. We wouldn't be there for hours... How could I help her?

[Valys] : Just hang tight. We are flying as fast as possible.

Think Valys, Think!

[SixShot6] : The door is breaking! There's a hole and I can see them peeking in!

I was starting to panic, even with the calmness bestowed upon me by my Calm and Collected buff. We were going to lose before the tournament even began. Sixes was going to...

Then suddenly I realized something.

[Valys] : Sixes, quick. Open your menu.

[SixShot6] : Open my menu? Phoenix I'm not online, this is real life.

[Valys] : I know, I know. Just trust me. Try to open your menu, just like if you were online.

A moment went by, then she responded.

[SixShot6] : Shit Phoenix, now I know i'm going crazy! What is happening!? Why can I see my stats and menu?

[Valys] : Okay, just take a deep breath and trust me. You're going to highlight the option "Connect" and say it.

[SixShot6] : Connect? What is this? I have never seen this command before.

[Valys] : Just trust me. There's no time. It's the only way for you to survive until we get there.

[SixShot6] : I must be dreaming. This is all just a dream. Or I'm suuuuuper high.

I didn't hear back, and knew that she had Connected.

Then suddenly, a notification appeared in the corner of my vision in the Clan Chat.

I connected to the clan voice comm.

"Sixes, you there?" I asked.

There was a brief silence before I heard her reply, hearing her voice for the first time.

"What took you so long to tell me about this?" she said, her Spanish accent strong but definitely understandable.

I heard a gun shot, followed by a solder yelling.

"Sorry, I guess I hadn't realized that you didn't already know."

Another gun shot, then an explosion.

"Don't worry Sixes, we will be there before you know it."

She laughed, and Graz raised his eyebrows. Being an official clan member now, he could hear all of our conversation in the clan chat

"Take your time boss, take your time."