Page 5 of 3013: SAVIOR
The Artane brothers had been instrumental when it had come to his cybernetic implants and bionic leg. They had worked closely with the medical team that had been in charge of his surgeries, upgrading and fixing the implants when the first round failed. Although he had felt like he’d been turned into a fucking cyborg when he’d woken up, at least he’d still been alive.
But his recovery hadn’t been easy.
No longer being on a Strike Force Team hadn’t been as difficult to come to terms with as he’d assumed it would be. Finding out that his team had been sacrificed to save Regent Marks’ son had destroyed his faith in the Alliance. His injuries had allowed him to retire in peace, but having so much free time wasn’t something he was used to.
He didn’t know what he wanted to do with this next phase of his life, though.
Zack was sure the Artanes were about to offer him a job on Evo, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to work at the floating amusement park. Saying he hated crowds was the understatement of the year. He fucking loathed them with a fiery passion. Being surrounded by so many people on the daily would be a personal hell for him. He wasn’t much of a gamer either, but working private security would be suitable considering his background and experience.
Living somewhere besides Earth did have its appeal, though. He’d always wanted to freely travel and visit new places. He’d thought he would get a chance to do that when he’d become a strike force officer but had been disappointed when he’d been stationed on Earth. Over the years, he’d rarely ever made it off planet. Living on Evo would be like being able to explore different worlds without the endless space travel.
The only problem was most of it wasn’t real.
Zack rubbed at the scar that ran from his cheek down to his jaw on the left side of his face. That particular mark had been there before the events in Light City had occurred. He’d been told the scar made him look fierce, but he’d never bothered getting it removed since it actually worked in his favor and kept people from getting too close.
“Since you didn’t bring me here to fight zombies, what is this section? Monsters? Aliens?”
“Nope, no monsters…yet. We’re still drafting the designs for those, but there are aliens in the south end of the city between the zombie section and the area we like to call Final Destination.”
“What is that?”
“It’s the largest section on the island where players have to avoid being killed by random accidents and natural disasters while going on a treasure hunt. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, and there are ample warning signs. It’s actually quite fun, but it sucks having to start back at the beginning.”
Zack gaped at him.
The whole thing sounded pretty fucking mental to him. He reached up to adjust the gray skull cap he wore on his head. Since he was no longer in the military, he’d been letting his black hair grow out, but that wasn’t why he was wearing the cap. The sight of the metal plate on the side of his head usually freaked people out or interested them a little too much. Because of that, it was simply easier to keep it hidden from view.
“What kind of fucked up hell island is this?”
“Don’t worry, hell is actually located on another island.”
“That…is not something you should be saying so calmly. Really, Nico. You are seriously making me regret coming here.”
“It’s not all bad,” Nico assured with a little chuckle. “There are also clues and treasure hidden around the whole island for a geocaching game. And the section next to where we are is actually a dating site. It has all the locations and activities people enjoy when they are starting a relationship, like museums, a carnival, and other things they can do together. It’s also where people can sign up to have old-fashioned weddings and other events like that.”
“And that isn’t considered bad?” Zack scoffed. “Fucking hell, get me off this rock.”
Nico snorted in amusement. “Relax, we aren’t in that section. This one is something I’m sure you will enjoy.” He spread his arms wide and grinned. “This is the superhero game.”
That sparked Zack’s interest.
During his rehab, he had watched countless superhero vids with Nico. He was pretty damn sure those old vids and comics were where the Alliance scientists had gotten the idea for the enhancement drugs all elites were given. While all elites were stronger and faster than regular civilians, only a select few developed an additional ability. He wasn’t one of those people, but he’d always enjoyed the idea of having an extraordinary power that he could use to help people.
“So, exactly how does it work? Do we get to select what type of ability we have? And can we choose whether to be a hero or a villain?”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea. At the moment, this game is programmed so that the superheroes are fighting against a secret organization that uses robots they created to kidnap people with abilities to experiment on. There is also a faction of the government that is rounding up superheroes for their own nefarious purposes, so it’s hard to figure out who is friend or foe. Players can select an ability from a list or get one at random. But I really like the heroes versus villain option.”
“All of this is a program?”
“Most of the buildings are real, but the majority of the high rises are mere images past the first few floors. There are some exceptions like the central terminal, the hotel, and other key locations. Most of the people are images as well. This island is completely covered with sensors and holo tech to fill in what you see and simulate whatever the game requires.”
“So, it’s like a giant outdoor holo room,” Zack surmised as he glanced around.
“Actually, that’s exactly what it is. The protective barrier around this island also acts as a domed projection screen, so that is why the sky looks like Earth. Everything is a mix of reality and illusions.”
“This all just seems like a really bad idea.”
“Don’t worry. Everything is programmed not to cause any real damage.”