[THE HAVEN]

An Infinity leaned against the wall, her silver spandex sparkling beneath fluorescent lights. This was Eye. As of yesterday, she was Raid Captain of the Infinities. Dragon promoted her so suddenly; she could hardly believe this was real. It was the role she had always dreamed of.

The role she was made for.

A painted eyeball on her mask fixated upon a rainy window at the end of the hall. It had been nearly three hours since she arrived; this wait was unacceptable. There were more important things to do, like manage an entire guild for example.

She had direct orders from Dragon however - someone had to retrieve this new zero disc. Someone reliable. It seemed like a waste of her talents, but after what happened with the last zero disc, the Infinities weren’t taking chances.

BRRZZZZZZ

The window opened, clearing the way for a spinning slab of neon plastic, hurled like a frisbee from outside. It bounced across floor tiles, skidding to a stop; those things were fortunately more durable than they looked.

Finally! Eye was stoked to get back home to floor thirty seven; floor eleven’s air quality made her quesy.

BRRZZZZZZ

The window snapped shut.

Eye strutted towards the zero disc. There was a premium account on that thing for someone very special. Or at least special to Dragon. Eye couldn’t care less. But if she lost that zero disc, she’d lose a lot more than just her promotion.

She bent down to collect it –

Another hand snatched it away!

It was a yellow hand - an enforcer’s glove. The enforcer twirled it between his fingers. Its glossy sheen glimmered in his visor.

“Lookie what I found,” said the enforcer. “Right time, right place I guess. Ain’t that a coincidence?”

Eye swiped at the disc –

The Enforcer yanked it back.

“Give that to me,” said Eye. “You don’t know what that is. You don’t know who you’re messing with!”

“I sure as shit do!” said the enforcer. “You’re an Infinity; a despicable guild of criminals. And those disks are worth a fortune.”

Eye whipped out a crossbow.

The enforcer whipped out a guitar.

“A guitar?” asked Eye.

The enforcer plucked a light arpeggio.

“Enforcer weapons come in all shapes and sizes,” said the enforcer. “Just like Infinity weapons.”

Eye held her crossbow high.

The enforcer held the zero disc higher.

“Lower that crossbow,” said the enforcer. “It’d be a shame if I accidentally broke this.”

Eye’s crossbow dipped down.

“That’s better,” said the Enforcer.

The enforcer’s guitar strings twanged. An invisible gust of wind picked up around his instrument, rolling trash across the floor.

“Who are you?” asked Eye.

“I’m the enforcer who opened that window for you,” the enforcer said.

The enforcer tapped a hand against the window.

“Our bosses do business together,” the enforcer said. “My boss finally let me in on this little side hustle of his. Too bad he didn’t know I have a little side hustle of my own.”

The enforcer pinched the zero disc between two fingers.

“I was gonna sell this thing,” said the enforcer. “But I’m thinking I might actually use it.”

He tucked the zero disc into his saffron suit.

“Enforcer training makes us powerful,” said the enforcer. “But they ain’t superpowers. Premium accounts on the other hand; that shit’s straight up supernatural.”

The enforcer patted the zero disc in his pocket.

“We ain’t allowed to play Zero Space,” said the enforcer. “Enforcers think it takes your soul. Ain’t that ridiculous? A powerful group like us, held back by ridiculous superstition.”

Eye raised her crossbow, just slightly.

“Imagine how strong we’d be with premium accounts,” said the enforcer. “Immortality, super powers, and enforcer weapons? We’d be –”

Eye fired her crossbow –

The bolt punctured the ground, near the enforcer’s feet.

“That’s a warning shot,” said Eye. “Last chance.”

The enforcer picked his guitar strings, summoning a small whirlwind of dust.

“You ain’t gonna do shit to me,” said the Enforcer. “Our armor can withstand Static monsters. And our weapons are stronger than Level Three’s.”

The enforcer laughed.

“You can’t beat me,” said the enforcer. “Ain’t nobody who can stand up to an enforcer –”

“DECAY SPRAY!”

The grounded crossbow bolt spun like a sprinkler, circulating green acid across the enforcer’s armor. Sizzling sludge dripped from his body, hardly scratching it.

The enforcer made a show of wiping himself down.

“You’re gonna pay for that!” said the Enforcer.

He strummed a power chord –

TWANG

His guitar strings snapped, eroded by acidic fluid.

Eye’s crossbow tipped towards his head.

“Your armor is impenetrable,” said Eye. “But your weapon’s not made of your armor.”

The enforcer froze.

“I won’t kill an enforcer,” said Eye. “But if you steal that zero disc, my leader will hear about this. Then your leader will hear about this. I guarantee, someone will kill you.”

The enforcer un-pocketed the zero disc; his suit had protected it.

“The zero disc,” said Eye. “Now.”

The enforcer grunted, tossing the zero disc to Eye. She snagged it, watching the enforcer high-tail it down the hall.

Eye sighed, tucking the zero disc into her silver spandex. Her second day on the job, and she was already considering updating her resume.

***

Eye strutted into a gym on floor thirty seven. “Infinite Power” said flashing letters on a neon sign above.

She winced whenever she saw that sign; it was a clear nod to their location, even if few enemies could capitalize on it. Most enforcers turned a blind eye to their activities. So did Haven management. And no other guilds dared mess with them. They were the strongest guild nobody knew about, and Eye preferred to keep it that way.

She stepped into the empty gym, seizing a barbell three times her size. A few reps would get her mood back in shape!

One…

Two…

Three…

Four years - that’s how long Eye had served this guild.

She was poached from the Enforcer training program - a breeding ground for budding Infinities. Dragon sought the best of the best, and few were better than Eye. In just four short years, she’d already surpassed her guild peers. First their skill, and now their rank.

She glanced at the zero disc bulging from her spandex pocket. Part of her wished it peeked out even more, like a casual display of power or some subtle humble brag. The ultimate flex with the ultimate prize.

But no one was around to see it. Not Infinities, or even members from other inferior guilds, leeching off their gym facilities. Eye was all alone in here. How odd; it was never so empty at this hour. Or any hour for that matter.

Eye lobbed the barbell to the side, strutting into the back room. She expected to find a crowd of Infinities, grinding away at their computers.

But instead, she found –

Wait…

What?

What happened here?

A pile of bodies stretched out across the room. Silver limbs, demolished furniture, and broken weapons drifted in a lake of blood.

This… this wasn’t possible.

Her entire legion of Infinities.

Wiped out.

No, it couldn’t be. This gym housed almost forty Infinities; Eye counted twenty and a half corpses.

She stalked across the blood-slick floor, trying not to trample silver masks. Several masks were no longer attached to heads; several heads were no longer attached to bodies. Her foot brushed a mask with a painted telescope. Then another with a pair of scissors. And one more with painted fingers.

Piles of computer scrap bordered both sides of the battlefield. Eye shook with rage - her friends were dead, and most of them weren’t coming back.

Whoever did this would suffer.

She paused - ahead was a green duffel bag and what looked to be a red traffic cone, broken in half. That looked like an enforcer weapon. But if an enforcer did this, where was the body?

Could one enforcer really take down this many Infinities?

“Eye!”

Eye jerked her crossbow towards the voice –

An Infinity emerged from beneath a desk. Then two more. Over a dozen Infinities rose from cover, forming a circle around her.

“What happened here?” Eye yelled.

“Premium account user,” said an Infinity. “Stronger than anyone we’ve seen. Had an enforcer weapon. Snuck in here and just started shooting.”

“We tried to stop him,” said another Infinity. “And we did! But we weren’t fast enough.”

Eye surveyed the damage - this was a devastating blow to their operation. Dragon would not be pleased.

She sighed; Eye couldn’t blame herself and Dragon couldn’t blame her either. After all, Dragon put her on zero disc duty. It’s not her fault she was absent.

She gathered up the remaining Infinities and any information she could. That premium account user failed to kill them all, but Eye suspected he’d be back.

Next time, she would be ready!

***

Zydan leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on his desk. As of yesterday, his plan was complete! Well, the first part of it at least. Now he just had to play the waiting game.

That wait however was torturous. If he went Idle for more than thirty minutes, his computer would automatically submit a devastating script - a script to reset Zero Space!

Zydan couldn’t let that happen - by accident, that is. This meant sleeping in his Zero Space headset and shorter bathroom breaks.

In just a few days however, it would all be over. He would take his final step towards freedom. And his first step towards Godhood.

“Zydan,” said a voice behind him. “I gotta hop on your computer.”

Zydan swiveled in his chair. Coder Joe stood at his cubicle entrance.

“What for?” asked Zydan.

“Firmware update,” said Coder Joe.

“You can’t do that remotely?” asked Zydan.

“You’re disconnected from the local dev network,” said Coder Joe. “You should know that; you disconnected it.”

Zydan grinned.

“Indeed I did!” said Zydan. “I assume my father sent you?”

“I wouldn’t come here on my own,” said Coder Joe.

“I knew it,” said Zydan. “You’re here to revert my World-Reset script. You’re the only one on the dev floor that could do such a thing.”

“Look, I’m just following DD’s orders,” said Coder Joe. “I won’t do it without your permission. I don’t want you to murder me.”

“Then don’t follow DD’s orders,” said Zydan. “Follow my orders. I order you not to touch my stuff!”

Coder Joe let out a long exasperated groan.

“I was really trying to not get caught in the middle of this,” said Coder Joe.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you won’t be for much longer,” said Zydan.

Coder Joe’s shoulders tensed.

“I’m leaving,” said Zydan. “Tomorrow.”

Coder Joe froze.

“Wait,” said Coder Joe. “What?”

“I made friends with a very special guild,” said Zydan. “They’re transporting me to another Haven.”

“You’re joking,” said Coder Joe. “This can’t be real.”

“I’m afraid it is,” said Zydan. “I know you’ll all miss me, but I’ve been developing this plan for years. There’s just one last thing I need to do, then I’m home-free. And you’re me-free!”

“Thank God,” said Coder Joe.

“You’re welcome!” said Zydan. “I promise I’ll remove the World Reset script myself before I go. So long as no one gets in my way.”

Coder Joe shoulders un-tensed.

“Can I tell you something, Coder Joe?” asked Zydan. “Seeing as you’re the closest thing I have to a friend here?”

“That’s sad,” said Coder Joe.

“Do you know what the Blue Path is?” asked Zydan.

Coder Joe just shrugged.

“That’s right!” said Zydan. “No one does. It’s a link between servers. A path to Godhood. And I found it! I have complete control over it. No one goes in without my permission. In fact, I just sent a guild through yesterday!”

Coder Joe gave him a funny look.

“I can’t go through yet, because I’ll lose my dev privileges,” said Zydan. “But after tomorrow, there will be no reason to stay a dev. I’ll finally see what’s on the other side. One step closer to my destiny!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Coder Joe.

“Of course you don’t,” said Zydan. “Everyone thinks I’m crazy. But soon, they’ll all worship me as their God and savior!”

Coder Joe shook his head.

“Whatever,” said Coder Joe. “Look, do whatever you want. Run away from the mess you made, like you always do. I’ll be here to clean it all up.”

Coder Joe stomped away.

Zydan scrunched his face. What a poor sport. How dare he talk to a future-God that way –

No.

Zydan wouldn’t let a grumpy-gus like Coder Joe sour his good mood. Nothing could stop him now. Not even the lead engineer of Zero Space!

Zydan’s stomach growled - time for a much-deserved break! He leapt from his chair, parading towards the bathroom.

An enforcer intercepted him, aiming a short-range sniper rifle.

“Head back to your desk,” said the enforcer.

“I have to use the restroom,” said Zydan.

“DD said you’re not to leave the dev floor,” said the enforcer.

“What am I supposed to do?” asked Zydan. “Shit on the floor?”

“As long as it’s the dev floor,” said the enforcer.

Zydan’s fists and butt cheeks clenched. He was tempted to go right then and there, but alas, he was too dignified for that. Maybe he’d unload in Super Duper’s old art cubicle. No one was using that anymore.

Zydan stomped away. “One more day,” he grumbled to himself. One last obstacle to overcome.

Tomorrow, he would execute the final stage of his plan.

Tomorrow, he would kill his father.