Mai approached the shattered remains of the Ghost factory’s gates. Even after two days the air was still filled with the smell of molten metal. No bodies littered the ground, but she could see bloodstains marking where the guards had fallen.

Holding her arms out wide, she stopped at a shouted order. It came from within the compound, as the wall surrounding the gate was similarly destroyed. Defenders raced forward to take shelter behind the now considerably lower wall.

“What do you want?” Yelled one of them from the wall.

“I want to parley. I want to speak to your commander,” Mai replied, keeping her hands well away from her body. She didn’t want to give them the slightest excuse.

She’d put the last two days to good use, creating yet more missions which pitted the factions against each other, compounding the losses they suffered whilst continuing to expand her faction’s reach.

The Ghosts had been particularly hard hit, losing all of their farms to her people as well as the other factions. Buildings around her spoke of the other battles that had been fought. The loss of the crystals had also hit them hard, seriously cutting into their faction earnings.

“He’s busy. Come back,” a soldier stepped out from behind the gate. As with any of the outsiders, she was unable to read their SASS, just like the first time she’d tried to in the sewers. The first time she’d realised that something was wrong.

He was low ranking, clearly new to the faction. Clearly didn’t know who she was or what she represented.

“Tell him that Mai Xiao wants to parley, boy,” that hit home his face flushing, weapon arm rising slightly only to stop when he saw her snarl and set her legs in anticipation of action. It didn’t matter that there were any number of guns trained on her, it was clear she was willing to die if it meant she killed him too.

Giving a jerky nod, he stepped back in to cover. Mai relaxed, sitting down, and crossing her legs in the lotus position outwardly serene. Everything was an act. She knew she was taking a risk and it had taken many hours of shouting back and forth before she convinced the others that this was the best option.

She’d told them it was because she wanted the Ghosts to join their faction in the long run, using their skills to strengthen their own force, but really she wanted to speak to the Ghosts commander. He was currently the highest ranking player in the Nether City, despite his recent losses and if anyone was going to know what was so different about her, it would be him.

“Advance, keep your hands out wide, and clear of weapons,” the young soldier had been replaced by a grizzled veteran, a man in his late fifties, a local. She quickly SASSed him and was surprised at the extent of his skills.

Seems that the Ghosts are better at using the locals than the rebels are, she thought as she saw his rank tab indicated that he was a captain.

She complied with the order, smiling slightly as she spotted the number of guards waiting for her. Stopping, she raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question.

“This way please commander,” she hadn’t expected the title but realised that it suited her. She was indeed a Faction Commander, even if she hadn’t considered the title previously. Still, if it helped garner respect and deference from her enemies, she’d use it.

Dakota would never let me hear the end of it if I started having my people address me as commander, she thought.

Walking through the base she was impressed with the repair work which had been carried out. The Ghosts might have been hurting but it was clear that they took far more pride in their compound than Yen Ching ever had. Aside from the walls, she could barely see any signs of damage.

Even the mecha bay and academy have been removed, her respect for the Ghosts rose once again. They’d cleared the area of the destroyed weapons, filling it with a small protein and lichen Agri farm, providing at least some food for their workers and guards.

“Mai Xiao, the living legend,” the Ghost commander strode out from a small building, hand outstretched. She took it, accepting his hard grip, feeling the calluses on his palms. This was an officer who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

“General Ayres,” she bowed over their handshake, giving him the respect he deserved. “Thank you for taking the time to speak to me.”

“How could I pass up on the chance to meet my nemesis?” His smile was open and honest. Although his eyes narrowed at his words, there didn’t seem to be any hard feelings over past events.

Her surprise must have shown, for he gave a low chuckle.

“Come now, I know when I’ve been outclassed and have nothing but respect for you in that matter. You suckered punched us, and I sent my people into a masterful trap. That battle will go down into living history as an example of both what not to do, and what to do.”

“Thank you for being so gracious,” she straightened from her bow and let go of his hand. “I was wondering if we could talk in private. Just you and I?”

Ayres sucked on his teeth for a couple of seconds as he considered her request, then gave a quick nod, indicating she should enter the building he’d just come out of.

“Apologies for the conditions. I used to have my office in the academy, but until I get something better suited to the task I’m using this.”

Her respect for him climbed again. She couldn’t imagine Yen Ching having ever put his base’s needs before his own. The room was tiny, barely big enough for a desk and a table with four chairs.

“Please, have a seat,” he motioned her towards the table. She took the seat furthest from the door, facing it. He smiled as he saw her positioning.

“Wise not to trust us. I’d get a lot of kudos if I killed you. But rest easy, I won’t break a parley. Unlike some of the other factions, we follow an honour code. How might I help you?”

Mai braced herself, mouth going dry as she realised that she might finally find out what made her so different.

“Why am I different? I know I’m an NPC. But what makes me so special?” She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, but it was difficult.

Ayres let out a long and slow whistle, face paling.

“Now I know why you wanted to meet in secret. Why should I tell you?”

“Because I want to propose an alliance. I’ll supply you with bio-boost to help you get back on your feet. You’ll ally with us, and you’ll tell me what’s so different about me, and keep it a secret until I’m ready to tell others.”

Opening her pack, she placed a bottle of bio-boost onto the table between them.

“First taste is free,” she joked as she pushed it towards him. “Free of poison in case you’re wondering.”

“I take it this is one of the bottles from the famous supply crate heist?” he took the bottle but didn’t drink.

“It is. So, do we have a deal?” she offered her hand across the table.

“We have a deal,” he took it, and they shook firmly once. “But you’re not going to like what you hear. You’re what’s called a Mega Minion. A super NPC. I take it you’re familiar with the term NPC?”

She nodded, racing through emotions, the one at the forefront being fear. Fear of what he was going to say and fear as to what it would mean.

“The developers have created this world to be permanent. It covers the whole breadth of gaming. People come here to live second lives as cooks, gangers, police, and even cleaners. Others come for combat, fighting against the rebels, fighting for the rebels. Every game mode you can think of is available. Capture the flag, domination, king of the hill, seek and destroy, assassinations, bank robberies, white collar crime, street racing, free running, martial arts tournaments, real-time strategy, resource management. Everything. Minions make up the vast majority of the population by a factor of something like five thousand to one.”

He paused to make sure that she was following his words, his brow creasing in what she thought was concern.

“Only things were getting too easy for regular players, they started asking for minions which would give more of a challenge. Mega minions. The Culling is an esports event, the top one hundred players winning so much money that even the one hundredth player won’t need to work for at least ten years.”

Esport? The culling was a fucking esport? Mai felt the room spin as what she had seen to be a last, desperate choice, was merely a game that no-one bar the players actually had any choice about joining.

Her fingers throbbed from where they had grabbed the edge of the table, her fingers white with the pressure Forcing herself to let go of the table, she started to jig her leg to expend the energy she felt.

“The Mega Minions were introduced to be part of the Culling in the latest update and just before the Culling started. To make things harder. Only the developers rushed things and slipped up somewhere. Mega Minions such as yourself started to develop a form of free will, going against their programming. You were never meant to come down here, you were never even meant to survive the culling if I’m honest.”

“Wait, there are others, like me?” Mai grasped at that, unable to comprehend the fact that she’d only come into being just before she entered the Culling. Had been indentured purely so that she would have some sort of back story.

Ayres nodded, bringing up a list and flicked it over to her retinal monitor, one name stood out immediately.

“Dakota’s a Mega Minion?”

“Looks like. They certainly didn’t expect you guys to bloody well team up. No-one did. But she’s not as …” he appeared to struggle for the correct word, then shrugged and just blurted “glitched as you. Although she has free will, she seems to be a Mega Minion’s Mega Minion.”

Mai closed her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. For all her worries it seemed as though Dakota was truly a friend. Granted there might be some programming behind her motive, but since she was glitched, it could also be argued that she had attached herself to Mai because she somehow spotted a kindred spirit. In exactly the same way Mai had befriended her.

“So why are there so many bounties on my head?”

“Well, players will be players. Some say that this is a good thing for the game, and gaming as a whole. Others just want to kill you for the sake of being able to say that they killed you. Others, a bunch of fucking weirdos if you’ll excuse my Common, think that you’re a threat to not only the game but to society as a whole.”

“Oh, I’m a threat to the game alright. People out there? Not so sure, I find what I’m having to do here hard enough. It’s not as though I actually enjoy killing people. Not minions anyway.”

Ayres barked a hard laugh. He acknowledged her point with a quick salute.

“I can understand why you might feel that way. Not sure how I’d react if I found out that I wasn’t a player.”

“How do you know you’re not? How do you know you’re not logging out of this game and entering another game in which you’re a minion?”

“Now we’re entering a philosophical territory that I can’t even get my head around” Ayres said with a shrug.” I suppose it’s possible I’m in a game, within a game, within a game and so on. But I suppose what truly matters to you, is that I’m playing this game, and you’re living that game. I have to confess, it feels strange to have a genuine, unscripted, conversation with someone who’s not hu… not a player.”

“Human, you were about to say not human,” snarled Mai, slightly rising from her chair before sitting down. She felt pain in her fingers again and snarled as she pushed her chair away from the table, folding her arms to keep her hands under control.

“I apologise. Sincerely, this is new ground for all of us.

Mai sniffed, but accepted the apology. Pushing what she had learned to the back of her mind for the moment, she started to lay out the plans for their alliance, much to Ayre’s obvious relief.