Chapter 2
Lynn had stayed up way too late the night before carefully rehearsing what she was going to say to her mother. She was fully prepared. Well, after a few false starts…
“Mom, I have been extended the great honor of being a beta tester for a new game, TransDimensional Hunter!”
“Is this a fishing thing?”
“What? Why would it be about fish?”
“Betta are a type of fish…”
No, no, no.
“Mother, I have been extended the great honor of being a beta tester for a new game, TransDimensional Hunter!”
“Is this for your Latin club at school?”
“No, Mom, it’s a gaming thing. In virtual, you know?”
Ugh.
That morning at the breakfast table, Lynn was trying to work up the courage to start the conversation when…
“What do you need?” Matilda asked, pausing with her cup of orange juice halfway to her mouth, giving her daughter a pointed look. She was getting ready for bed as usual and coffee wasn’t on the menu.
“Mom, I have been…what?” Lynn said, finally registering what her mom had said.
“You either need something from me, or you did something and you’re trying to figure out damage control,” Matilda said tiredly. “Money?”
“No!” Lynn said. “I know we don’t have much. When is the last time I asked for money?”
“Too long ago,” Matilda said with a thoughtful frown. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you buy your own clothes and shoes. I’ve been minding my own business and not asking who has been giving it to you…for now. So, what is it? School trip?”
“I’ve been asked to be a beta tester,” Lynn said in a rush.
“Is that a school thing?” her mom asked. “One of the new standardized tests?”
“No, Mom,” Lynn said, trying not to sigh. “It’s a gaming term, what they call people who test out new games.”
“Do you have to buy anything for it?” Matilda asked, ever money-conscious.
“Nope, that’s what’s so cool.” Lynn said, leaning forward. “There’s no money about it. There’s a new game releasing in June, an AR FPS—I mean, an augmented reality first-person-shooter game. It’s a huge honor being asked to beta. And they’re giving me new AR glasses and LINC because I need them to do the testing.”
“So…it’s a good thing?” her mother said.
“Yes, Mom” Lynn replied. “It’s a really good thing. Like…I don’t know, being chosen to work on a groundbreaking new procedure or something.”
“And they are giving you new equipment?” her mom asked carefully. “Are you sure this isn’t a scam?”
“Given who contacted me, yes, I’m sure,” Lynn said. “Believe me, I was skeptical at first too. Companies don’t usually give beta testers much more than a cheap T-shirt, if that.”
“Who contacted you?” Matilda asked. Her brow was furrowed and she’d put down her cup of orange juice to give Lynn her full attention.
“Robert Krator!” Lynn said excitedly. At her mother’s complete lack of response, she sighed. “Means nothing to you, right?”
“Nope, sorry, sweetie,” Matilda said.
“He’s super big in gaming. Like, a world-famous developer,” Lynn said.
“And he was talking to you?” Matilda said, looking more and more wary. “Personally?”
“He recruited me personally for the beta test,” Lynn said. “We talked in game for about twenty minutes. It was awesome! He said he hoped to meet me some day!”
“Meet whyyy?” Matilda asked, drawing out the last syllable.
“Because he’s designed some of my favorite games of all time?” Lynn said, trying to divine where the conversation was going.
“Okay, well…I’m just worried about an older man contacting you online and—”
“Good grief—really, Mom?” Lynn said. “We’re talking about Robert Krator, here, okay? How do I get you to understand? Billionaire game developer? Elon Musk of gaming? Not some creepy pedophile. Everybody in gaming knows who he is. I only needed to talk to you about it because there are some licensing agreements and non-disclosures stuff you’ll need to sign, since I’m underage. And there should be a delivery sometime in the next few days. Hopefully we don’t have to sign for it, I know you don’t like getting woken up for deliveries. Oh, and I’m going to have to, ugh, go outside. Because it’s an augmented reality game and everything.”
Matilda looked a little shell-shocked at the gush of information, but her eyebrow raised at the mention of the outdoors.
“Where outside?” she asked.
“Wherever the game takes me?” Lynn said and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Haven’t seen the game, yet.”
“Well, you’ll need to be careful, honey,” Matilda said, frowning again. “I know I said you should get out more and I am excited you got asked to, um, beta? But wandering around the city by yourself is not what I had in mind. I don’t want you out after dark and you need to stay here around the apartment complex.”
“Mom, I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m almost seventeen. And besides, I have to test this thing to destruction,” Lynn insisted. “Find out everything about it. Every weakness, every bug. That’s why they’re giving me all this stuff for free. I’m not going to be able to do that by staying in the complex.”
“Look, sweetie, I understand this is important to you. But even if you are almost seventeen, you’re not an adult and I’m still responsible for your safety. I don’t want you wandering around all by yourself at night. That should be understandable.”
Lynn sighed. This was going to be more trouble than she’d thought.
“Okay, well, what if I’ve got someone with me?”
“Someone like Mack from school?” Matilda asked.
Lynn shrugged. That was not who she’d been thinking of. She had no intention of telling any of her gaming group that she’d been personally picked by Robert Krator to beta the biggest game of the decade that they’d been rejected from.
“Well, I’d definitely feel better about you being out and about with a friend, but if something happened, I don’t think Mack would be much of a help, do you?”
“Not really, no,” Lynn said, her lips quirking. She thought for a moment, then decided to go ahead and throw it out there. “What about Edgar? He’s eighteen already, so I’d technically be with an adult.”
“Hmm.” Matilda looked seriously at her daughter and Lynn forced herself to calmly meet her mother’s gaze. Her mom knew all about Edgar’s “incident.” Everyone had gossiped about it for weeks after the fact. Some of the parents had taken it as an excuse to warn their kids away from Edgar. Lynn’s mom had been of the opinion that anyone who stood up to bullies ought to be commended, though she did caution Lynn to “be careful” around her friend.
“That would…probably be all right,” Matilda said slowly. “But I’d really prefer if you went with a group, not just you and a boy by yourself.”
Lynn resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“We’re just friends, Mom.”
“Ahh, famous last words of every teenage girl ever,” Matilda said, a little smile forming on her lips as she picked up her orange juice to finish it.
“Ew, Mom, gross! These are my gaming friends we’re talking about.”
Her mom shrugged, still smiling.
“Well, what about, um, what’s her name—Kayla? She’s nice.”
“Uh-uh, no way. We haven’t been friends since her mom got remarried to that rich guy and she started hanging with the pop-girl crowd at school. There’s no way she’d be caught dead with me. It might ruin her precious image.”
“Oh.” Matilda’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t realize when they moved out of the apartment next door that you all, um, went your separate ways. I knew she still went to the same school.”
“Yeah. We hung out for a little at school, until she ghosted me without a word of explanation. That’s when I really got into gaming.”
“Yes, I remember. You were, what, thirteen? I knew you were going through a lot at school with puberty and everything. Goodness, that seems so long ago.”
“Not long enough,” Lynn muttered.
“All right, well, maybe you can make some new friends around the complex. Other people playing this kind of game. Can’t you partner with someone?”
“Not with it being in beta,” Lynn said. “It’s not even out, yet. But, I dunno, maybe I can get somebody to just walk with me.”
“What’s it called again?” Matilda asked.
“TransDimensional Hunter,” Lynn said. “TD Hunter for short.”
“Oh!” Matilda exclaimed. “You should have said that earlier. I’ve heard all about that one. Some of the nurses who are into augmented games have been talking about it. They’ve been seeing ads for it everywhere. Good grief, even I’ve seen ads for it and I don’t even play games. They’re not sure if they want to play it or not, though. It sounds, um, violent.”
“It’s an FPS, remember?” Lynn said. “First person shooter? They’ve tried those before with augmented reality and it hasn’t really caught on. It looks too weird jumping around like an insane frog, waving your hands at nothing. Mr. Krator is staking a lot on the assumption that he can make it work.”
“Hm, I suppose. But everybody loves watching augmented reality sports. Your school has a team or two, doesn’t it? I’ll admit, I’ve never watched a school game before, but even I enjoy watching some of the pro matches. It’s almost like watching a live movie.”
Lynn snorted and shook her head. AR sports were wildly popular because they not only appealed to the ingrained spectator-sport culture of America but they upped the entertainment factor to a level that could compete with even the most in-demand stream channels. The games were half showmanship, half competition, similar to the old-style WWE wrestling her dad had liked to watch when she was a little girl. More and more schools were adding ARS teams to their sports offerings and there were many pro teams that made millions in sponsorships and ad revenue from their streams.
The games they played were based off traditional sports, things like soccer, football and rugby, but they built in fantastical AR elements that added combat and obstacle-course aspects to the game. Every match had a fresh theme and new graphics, so fans never got bored of watching, regardless if their team won or lost.
And the ARS players were no less fit than traditional athletes. The only difference was that they had to learn a whole new level of rules and tactics surrounding the augmented pieces on the field. That twelve-foot troll might not really exist, but if you ran through its leg on the field or got batted by its six-foot club, you were penalized like you’d really been hit, not to mention losing health and performance points for your team.
Lynn herself didn’t watch much of it—she was too busy making sweet money killing people and dominating the boards in WarMonger. Plus, the kids on the ARS teams at school were just as annoying and stuck up as your typical jock and they looked down on gamers and geeks as if they didn’t owe the gaming subculture for their popularity in the first place. Even so, many of the kids at school were obsessed with it and gamers like Lynn had the rise of ARS to thank for normalizing AR and VR gaming in ways that they never had been before.
“Yeah, okay,” Lynn said as her mom yawned hugely and got up to wash out her cup, “but everyone watching AR sports can see the augmented reality, same as the players. It’s completely different playing in your own little AR world out on the street where bystanders have no idea what you’re doing.”
“True, but everyone would assume you’re playing a game, right? What else would you be doing?”
“I mean, I dunno. But that’s not the point.”
Matilda dried off the clean cup and put it up in the cupboard, then turned sleepy, red eyes on her daughter.
“So, if you don’t want to go outside, you don’t want to play with your friends and you don’t want to look like an insane frog, remind me why you want to play?”
That was a very good question, one which Lynn had no answer for both because she wasn’t sure how to explain it and because it would blow her “Larry Coughlin” cover. Time for some misdirection.
“Mom, can we talk about this when you’re not sleep deprived?” Lynn asked, finishing up her own breakfast of cereal topped with yogurt.
“Good idea, honey. Have fun at school.” Her mom yawned again and headed to her bedroom.
Win some, lose some, Lynn thought. At least she hadn’t freaked out. Much.
When Lynn got home from school, her mom was sitting bleary-eyed on the couch cradling a cup of coffee. She pointed at a medium-sized shipping box on the floor.
“I guess we can’t talk about it, now, either,” Matilda said drily. “Because now I’m really sleep deprived.”
“It’s already here?” Lynn said. “Wow. I was just talking to Mr. Krator last night, I had no idea it would come so quick. But…wait a sec, why did it wake you up? Was there something wrong with our delivery dock?” Lynn glanced at their living room window where all their drone deliveries got dropped off, but the dock looked perfectly normal.
“Nope. Get this, it was hand-delivered. Can you believe it? I had to sign for it, and I haven’t been able to get back to sleep since,” Matilda said, using her foot to push the box closer to Lynn. “What did they send you to play this game, anyway? Solid gold AR glasses or something?”
Lynn gave a helpless shrug.
“I guess they really wanted to make sure it was going to the right person?”
“Well, go ahead and open it, then.”
With nerves buzzing excitedly, Lynn grabbed a knife from the kitchen and sliced open the box. It was absolutely packed. Lynn felt like there was enough swag in it to outfit a retail store. Not only was there a T-shirt with the stylized “TD Counterforce” emblazoned across it but also a nice polo, like the kind competitors wore at tournaments to show off their sponsors. Lynn looked inside at their tags and her eyebrows rose when she realized they were both made of programmable smart fabric. She assumed she’d be able to customize them from the TD Hunter app once she got it set up. There was also an omnicap—a hat of flex fabric that could be adjusted to any form the wearer preferred, useful if she decided to wear a hat—a handful of pens, a heavy enamel pin, two miniature “TransDimensional Monster” figurines in fancy collector’s edition boxes and a very nice-looking travel mug. Lynn turned it over to check the bottom and sure enough, there was the Everheat logo. She didn’t drink coffee herself, but her mom often talked wistfully about the self-heating mugs that never let your coffee grow cold.
Next, Lynn found a sleek set of the very expensive Duralink earbuds with a card attached to their carry case. In large words it read, “Critical for TransDimensional Hunting! Do not set aside!” Lynn carefully put it and all the swag on the coffee table, then lifted out the compact backpack that had been underneath.
Matilda, who was watching in interest, whistled.
“That looks like some sort of military-grade equipment. Are you sure this is for a game and not some top-secret spy outfit?” she joked.
“Yeah, right, Mom,” Lynn said. But silently, she agreed. The backpack’s material felt thick and high quality, not the cheap stuff you’d think they’d use for giveaways. It even had a built-in hydration system, which would come in handy if she spent much time playing out in the summer heat. The backpack was black with red paneling and piping and on the back was a large embroidery patch of the TD Counterforce logo.
The logo was a circle with a black background, bordered in a double ring of red. In the center was the Earth crossed by a sword and some scifi laser-looking gun, with a lightning bolt striking down through the middle. Curved around the top edge of the circle between the two rings were the words “TransDimensional Counterforce.” On the bottom curve was a motto in Latin: Quod Nos Tueri.
Altogether, it looked more like something a government or military branch would use than a gaming logo. But maybe that was the point? The in-game storyline, impossible to miss with all the advertising, was that the world was being invaded by invisible transdimensional beings who were preparing to wipe out civilization. The TD Hunters were being recruited to fight them as a sort of “gaming paramilitary force.” Thus, the military look to everything made sense.
Underneath the backpack, she finally came to the new LINC and AR glasses. She took out the box for the LINC first and opened it. She’d expected the ring config to be a plain plastic band, or maybe something with the TD Hunter logo on it. But this ring had some weight to it, like it was made from tougher stuff. The material was black, so black it seemed to drink in the light and instead of being a uniform band, it widened at the top to form a flat circle, like an old-fashioned signet ring. On the flat top was the stylized monogram “LL.”
“Holy cow,” Matilda said. “Is that your new LINC? It looks so…professional. Is this normal for beta testing?”
“No,” Lynn said faintly, turning the ring over in her hand. “This is definitely not normal. But Mr. Krator did say he had lots of funding for this project. So, maybe its normal for this game?”
“What does the ‘LL’ stand for?” her mom asked.
Lynn shrugged. She didn’t know, not really. But something Mr. Krator had said the night before echoed in her mind.
“Lynn Raven” is special in a very important way, not just “Larry Coughlin.” Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Was this his doing? Could it possibly stand for Lynn-Larry, perhaps to remind her that both were important? No, that was silly. That would have to mean he’d had this ring custom printed for her in, what, a few hours? There was no way.
Putting it from her mind, she slipped the ring onto her pointer finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly.
“Open the glasses,” her mom prompted, leaning forward.
Lynn opened the second small box, revealing a pair of streamlined tactical sunglasses. She lifted them out and unfolded them. The frame was black with a few red accents and the lenses were a shimmering, iridescent blue. Almost hesitantly, Lynn lifted them and slid them onto her face. Like the ring, the glasses fit perfectly, hugging her head snugly with extra long arms that curved around toward the back of her head so there was no danger of them falling off. The lenses extended down a little and curved around the sides of her face the same way sports sunglasses did to provide full coverage.
“Wow, you look pretty cool, honey!” Matilda said.
“Yeah, right, Mom.”
“No, really. You do. I bet you’d look even better with the shirt and backpack on too.”
Lynn shrugged, grinning despite herself.
“Maybe but they’d also stick out. I’ll probably wait to wear them until after the game releases.”
“Whatever for, sweetie? You should be proud of your accomplishments.”
Lynn took off the glasses and shook her head, amused at how scandalized her mother sounded.
“I am. But I also know better than to paint a target on my back. What if someone from school sees me? I’d never hear the end of it.”
“Good grief,” Matilda said, sighing as she rose from the couch. “Teenagers. Well, I’m going to try to get a few more hours of sleep before I have to get up and make dinner. Please stay inside the complex for now. If you decide you want to go farther out than the immediate neighborhood, find out if you can get together with your friends and we’ll talk about it. Oh, and don’t stay out after dark, though I suppose the lighted areas inside the complex should be safe enough if you stay close—”
“Okay, Mom, okay. I know the drill. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t go anywhere with strangers. Don’t follow the big bad wolf into the forest…”
“I’m serious, Lynn,” Matilda said.
“I really will be fine, Mom,” Lynn said. “When have I ever gotten into trouble before?”
“Well, there was that time you put dish soap in the dishwasher and flooded the kitchen with suds…”
“I was eleven, Mom! Can’t you drop that already?”
“I’m just teasing, sweetie. You’ve never spent much time outside,” Matilda pointed out. “And these kinds of games can distract you from your surroundings. Just…be safe.”
“I promise, I will,” Lynn said. “Now, can I go dig into this game?”
“Go,” Matilda said, then kissed her on the head. “And don’t forget to have fun.”
Lynn put the swag and packaging back in the shipping box and took it all into her room. Then she plopped down on her bed, slipped the AR glasses on and felt the rim for the power button. She found it and immediately, the darkened lenses lightened, adjusting to the indoor dimness.
GREETINGS, HUNTER.
“Whoa!” Lynn said, jumping as the words appeared superimposed on her vision.
FOR EASE OF COMMUNICATION, PLEASE INSERT YOUR EARBUDS appeared next.
“Okaaay.” Lynn dug in the shipping box, found the earbud case and pulled out the specially molded inserts. Like everything else, they fit perfectly, their material expanding automatically to create a proper seal in her ear.
“Much better. Thank you.”
“Uh, hello?” Lynn said, feeling a little creeped out by the voice that greeted her.
“Apologies, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hugo, the service AI for this application. If you would please state your first and last name for voice print verification to unlock your official TransDimensional Counterforce profile.”
“Um, Lynn Raven.”
“Thank you. It is an honor to meet you, Ms. Raven.”
“Er, thanks?”
She should have known such a high-budget game would have the very best service AI interface. She interacted with plenty of AIs every day at school. They ran all the day-to-day systems and delivered most of the standardized classroom material so the teachers could focus on working one-on-one with the students. In fact, most of her friends had fully integrated smart homes with service AIs that ran everything from climate control to ordering groceries and a lot of them also had personal AIs that helped them keep track of school assignments, extracurricular activities, chores, you name it. Lynn could have had a personal AI herself, if she’d wanted one. But the models she could afford were annoyingly standard and Lynn had always preferred doing things for herself anyway—a preference heavily influenced by her mother.
But for all the AIs Lynn had encountered, she’d never talked to one that sounded so…normal. Well, normal in a very British butler sort of way.
She wasn’t sure about this…
“If you would prefer, Ms. Raven, you always have the option of switching to self-navigation mode”—Okay, definitely creepy. Was this thing reading her mind?—“but I would not recommend it. This is one of the most advanced applications ever to be released and there are many moving parts. I would be honored if you would allow me to assist you in acclimating to the application as you begin your beta testing.”
“Uhh, sure,” Lynn said slowly. He—it—Hugo—had a good point. “But just call me Lynn, okay?”
“Very well, Miss Lynn. There is one small matter to which we must attend before we can begin. I understand it will be tedious, but by international law, I must read to you—and acquire your verbal agreement to—the non-disclosure and end-user license agreement for this application.”
“Can’t I read them myself?”
“Unfortunately, no. In a situation of this import where we are breaking the bounds of next-generation augmented reality technology, it is essential that no part of either agreement be, shall we say, glossed over.”
A situation of this import? Breaking the bounds of next-generation augmented reality technology? Lynn felt a tingle of excitement—and nervousness—at the thought.
“Okay, sure.”
“If you would be so kind as to locate your parent or guardian? They also must agree.”
“Uh, right. Gimme a second.”
Her mother was going to looove this.
Fortunately, it wasn’t as painful as she’d expected and the AI—okay, Hugo—managed to get through both agreements via her new LINC’s minuscule speakers in record time. The legalese was fairly short, clear and to the point, though there were a few places that made Lynn’s brow furrow. Places like neither Tsunami Entertainment Inc. nor its subsidiaries are liable for any injuries sustained while playing…including but not limited to…brain damage, partial or full paralysis and death…
Then again, Lynn had never played augmented reality games before and those did seem like things that could happen in a game played in the real, so maybe that language was standard? After all, no company wanted to get sued because some careless idiot went and got themselves killed while playing their game. At least Matilda, despite her dislike of AIs, was amused by Hugo’s mannerisms, even if she did raise silent eyebrows at his initial introduction.
Once all the legal formalities had been taken care of and Lynn’s mom had retreated to her room to get some sleep, Lynn went back to sit down on her bed next to the box of stuff.
“Okay, um, Hugo? What next?”
“That is entirely up to you, Miss Lynn. Where would you like me to begin? Equipment overview and usage? Application introduction and tutorial?”
“Better start with equipment stuff.”
“As you wish. We shall begin with your AR interface. You are wearing an Elite Series pair of Overlay’s KR2040 full-spectrum augmented reality glasses.”
Lynn’s eyes widened. Overlay was the top AR manufacturer out there and their interfaces were coveted by all serious gamers. KR2040 was the current year’s model just released a month ago. Tommy Jones might not even have a pair yet.
“They include all the latest augmented reality advances,” Hugo continued, “including 32K resolution, retinal or lens projection based on your preference and full manipulation access. For all functions, you may choose between voice control, display control with eye-tracking, or forward manual control. Do you have any questions?”
“Wow. Uh, okay, what do you mean retinal or lens projection?” Lynn asked.
“You can either choose to have all visuals projected onto the glasses themselves, as you see here—” a military-looking heads up display suddenly appeared on the lenses of her glasses, disorienting her for a moment before her eyes refocused so close to her face. As with most AR glasses she’d tried, she felt like she was looking cross eyed. “—or the visuals can be projected onto your retina, as you see here.”
The display shifted and her eyes felt instantly better. She could see everything perfectly, overlaid on her view of her bedroom door and wall in translucent green lines. Instead of ending at the edges of her AR glasses lenses, the lines extended into the very corners of her vision, immersing her completely in the feel that she was looking through some high-tech robot helmet or something.
“Cool! Definitely gonna use retinal projection.”
“Very good,” Hugo said. “Any other questions?”
“Um, how do I control stuff?”
“First and foremost, I am always available, you have only to ask. You do not even need to speak out loud. Your earbuds can pick up subvocal vibrations.”
“Hm. Okay. Not really sure how to do that, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I know all about eye-tracking. Those cheap AR glasses that come with built-in overlay advertisements drive me nuts. What was the last one, um, forward control?”
“The retinal system can not only track your eye movements but your hand movements as well,” Hugo explained. “Instead of needing to project a visible-to-all display in front of you for you to manipulate—though that option is available should you wish it—the display is already projected onto your retina and will synchronize with any manual input it detects. And might I add that all three control systems are seamlessly integrated. There is no need to ‘switch’ back and forth between them, simply use whatever method you prefer in each individual situation and my system will detect and adapt as necessary.”
“Okay. Awesome. It’ll probably take some getting used to, but that sounds really cool.” So cool, in fact, that Lynn was itching to try it out. She knew she would be clumsy at first—that was normal for any gamer breaking in a new control system—but once she got good at it, it would make for an amazing gaming experience. But first things first.
“Tell me about my LINC,” she said. “The old one I have is pretty clunky. I don’t usually use an AR interface so I make do with one-handed manipulation on the projected display.”
“That is a limitation long in your past,” the AI assured her. Was that a hint of smugness in Hugo’s tone? “Your LINC is custom made by Tsunami Entertainment and includes all the latest advances. It is, of course, fully integrated with your AR interface and earbuds, so as long as you are wearing either, all control is seamless. If, however, you are not wearing either, it is equipped with both forward and rear projection and so can display a two-handed keyboard below your hands if desired, or a standard one-handed keyboard above.”
“Sweet. I probably won’t wear the glasses everywhere, but if these earbuds stay this comfortable, I’ll probably leave them in all day. I can’t even tell there’s something in my ear!”
“That is the idea, Miss Lynn.”
“Did you just make a joke, Hugo?” Lynn asked with a grin.
“I never joke about something as important as properly performing hardware.”
“Uh-huh.” Lynn was starting to like this AI. Most standard service AIs were annoying as heck with their stiff mannerisms and standard responses. This one was refreshingly natural. Plus, its blend of proper professionalism and subtle humor suited her. “Okay, I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I get used to the setup, so for now let’s move on to the game.”
“Of course, Miss Lynn.”
“I thought I told you to call me Lynn?”
“You did indeed, Miss Lynn.”
“Sooo, why are you calling me ‘Miss’ Lynn?”
“Because that is the polite form of address for a young, unmarried female.”
Hm. That was interesting. It seemed Hugo’s programming gave him leeway in interpreting commands. Lynn had the strange impulse to test her theory.
“So, can you not be polite? Or does that go against your programming?”
“I can do whatever you require that is within my scope of expertise, Miss Lynn. Would you rather I not be polite? I could call you ‘useless meatsack,’ if you prefer.”
Lynn spluttered, the laugh coming so unexpectedly that if she’d been eating or drinking, she would have surely choked. Was this AI joking, or was it serious? She couldn’t tell. Despite the urge to further explore the depths of its self-learning personality, she forced herself to refocus on her current task: beta testing.
“Uh, no. Miss Lynn is fine for now. So, game stuff?”
“Of course, Miss Lynn. For your in-app identification, would you prefer your name be used or should I display your beta tester designation instead? Keep in mind that this can be changed at any time before the official game launch.”
“Beta tester designation, definitely. What is it, by the way?”
“BetaTester124.”
“Hm, so I’m the hundred and twenty-fourth beta tester to be invited to the game?”
“That is correct.”
“Wow.” That seemed weird. Big games usually had hundreds and hundreds of beta testers playing it for three or more months before it was released. But this one was set to release in barely a month and the beta had only gone live—at least publicly—a few weeks ago. The developers must have been pretty confident in their product to skimp on testing time and numbers. Or maybe those investors Mr. Krator had mentioned were impatient to make their money back. She didn’t know much about that side of game development. That was more Ronnie’s wheelhouse. He was always talking about the latest gaming industry gossip, new expansion leaks, company buyouts, stuff like that.
“I have already updated your Hunter profile from your Tsunami Entertainment membership data. Be sure to go into your LINC settings soon to authorize your new equipment for full integration into your cloud account, at which point your biometric identification will become active across all devices. Your LINC also comes with a personal AI, which you may set up at any time.”
Lynn shook her head, smiling to herself. If whatever AI came with her LINC was anywhere near as realistic as Hugo, she wasn’t sure she could handle more than one. She’d control her LINC functions herself, like she always did.
“Would you like to customize your skin at this time, Miss Lynn? This will change the way others perceive your appearance while using the app.”
“Er, what does it look like right now?”
A life-sized image of herself appeared before her, looking for all the world like her twin standing right there on her bedroom floor. In the image, though, she was dressed in a basic skin-tight suit of black with red and blue accents and the TD Counterforce logo emblazoned on the breast. On her head was a tactical headset that was a more military-looking version of her actual AR glasses and there was a short laser-gun strapped to her thigh. In her hand she held a long knife that looked similar to a kukri, but the blade was embellished with a geometric cutout design. Lynn recognized the blade type from her research into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that Larry Coughlin had “fought” in.
“As you advance in experience and acquire new equipment,” Hugo said, “there will be more customizations available. Do you wish to change anything at this time?”
“Uhh, no. Remind me after I’ve leveled up some and we’ll see about it then.” Basic was fine with her. She was no fashion diva, no matter what she let Ronnie think.
“Very good, Miss Lynn. Now, would you like to begin by reviewing the history of TransDimensional Monsters and the TD Counterforce,” Hugo asked, “or would you prefer to begin with the app tutorial?”
“I’m ready to play the game. Let’s get straight to it,” Lynn said, leaning forward as an excited tingle ran up her spine.
Hugo didn’t reply. Instead, some rousing game music began to play as a vid screen expanded on her display. First the TD Counterforce logo appeared on a black background, then the scene shifted to what looked like a tactical war-room complete with complicated-looking technical readouts, satellite maps and more. Front and center was a sleek desk behind which sat an older man with buzz-cut hair and a military-style uniform, though it didn’t fit the look of any real branch that Lynn was aware of. The man in the video leaned forward, hands folded on the desk, an intense look in his eyes.
“Welcome to the TransDimensional Counterforce, Hunter. My name is General Wilson Carville, and I want to personally thank you on behalf of humanity everywhere for volunteering as a part of this global paramilitary operation. Our mission is of utmost importance, and I hope you will take advantage of all the resources we have to offer to ensure your success. The world is counting on you, Hunter. Good luck.”
The scene changed, this time showing a middle-aged man standing in front of a tactical readout. His face looked hardened and weathered by experience and he was obviously in top physical condition judging by the tight fit of his combat fatigues over powerfully muscled chest and arms.
“Good to see a new recruit, Hunter. I’m First Sergeant Kane Bryce and I’ll be briefing you on the situation. I’m not one for fancy speeches, so let’s get right to it.”
The first sergeant flicked his hand to bring up a projected screen that began playing various scenes as he continued speaking.
“Interdimensional beings made of exotic particles are invading the Earth and wreaking havoc on human society across the globe. They’re damaging critical systems both military and civilian, disrupting electrical systems including the mesh web, and they have been linked to several major disasters. The most powerful will even go after humans. At their current rate of increase, our analysts project they could reach critical numbers within a year, at which point they’ll pose a major threat to humanity’s survival.
“So far, these TransDimensional Monsters—or TDMs as we call them—seem only vaguely aware of our presence. They’re drawn to human technology and infrastructure, which they seem to feed off of. All attempts to make contact and communicate have failed. Fortunately, these TDMs are invisible to the naked eye, which has kept mass panic from spreading through the civilian population. But it does make it difficult to detect and track them. They operate on a particle level with which we’ve only recently developed the technology to interact. An international joint military project has successfully created a battle system capable of finding and destroying the TDMs. But these entities are so numerous and widespread that we need millions of volunteers all over the world if we hope to save humanity before we’re overwhelmed.
“Since this mission is beyond the capabilities of any country’s military, we’ve developed a highly advanced, AI-driven program that enables ordinary citizens such as yourself to take up arms and join the fight. You’re now on the front line of Earth’s defenses, Hunter. Your first mission is to learn the TD Counterforce battle system and begin training against the lowest-class TDMs in and around your own community. As you gain skill and experience, you’ll advance to higher levels and better weaponry to take on tougher monsters. Train hard and stay vigilant, Hunter. These entities have been known to interfere with Hunter equipment running the TD Counterforce battle system and the strongest ones can cause physical damage to humans. Pay attention to your training and all safety recommendations of your service AI. Your AI will explain all the pertinent details of your new battle system and our Tactical Support team is a ping away if you have any trouble.
“Good luck, Hunter. The world is depending on you. Remember: If you can see them, they can see you.
“First Sergeant Bryce, out.”
The briefing video disappeared from Lynn’s display and Hugo’s formal voice returned to her ear as he began to explain the game mechanics.
“The TD Hunter battle system works by detecting and locking on to the exotic particles that make up the interdimensional entities, allowing you to attack and destroy them. When a TDM is destroyed, it has the potential to leave behind any of three materials, based on its type: ichor, globes and plates. These items are essential to your mission so take care to collect them.”
As Hugo’s explanation continued, a life-size image of a lizardlike monster with long claws appeared squatting on her bedroom floor. Following the narration of its “destruction,” the monster’s image exploded in a shower of sparks and three items outlined in blinking halos appeared on the floor.
“Ichor is their lifeblood and is converted into the power needed to fuel your battle systems and weapons. Globes affect TDM detection. They can either be used to cloak your own presence, or increase your detection capability of monsters in your area. Plates serve as armor against attacks. Each attack they intercept lowers their effectiveness until they eventually break and must be replaced. All TDM types yield ichor. Armored TDMs yield plates. TDMs with stealth capabilities yield globes. Some higher-class TDMs yield both plates and globes.
“While this new battlefront may seem daunting, you as a Hunter have one critical advantage: sound. Each TDM type gives off a distinctive pulse pattern that your battle system converts into sound waves. Even when other detection systems fall short, sound is often a dead give-away. Learning the various sounds of the TDMs, especially ones with cloaking abilities such as ghosts and Ghasts, is vital to your survival and ultimate victory.
“For organizational purposes, all TDM types have been ranked into classes,” Hugo continued and Lynn’s display shifted again, showing a row of five monsters, each one larger and more lethal-looking than the last. “Delta Class consists of the weakest and the most numerous entities, while Charlie, Bravo and Alpha Classes contain successively stronger and more dangerous monsters. Sierra Class are the most lethal entities and are considered ‘bosses’ that require large teams of high-level Hunters to defeat.
“All Hunters, take note! As long as your battle system is up and running, any entity of a similar or lower level to yours can detect you. Except for entities with special detection abilities, higher-class entities will generally ignore lower level players and lower level players are unable to detect them in turn. However, if you can see them, they can see you. And many will attack you on sight and often by surprise. The key to survival is constant vigilance!”
The line of five monsters, whose lifelike images had been slowly rotating, suddenly spun toward Lynn and leaped at her with claws and teeth extended. She jerked reflexively, almost falling backward onto her bedspread. Just as the monstrous images appeared to reach her, they dissipated into smoke and Hugo’s voice continued. Lynn straightened, heart racing from the sudden shot of adrenaline.
“So remember, if you wish to explore, train, or in any other way interact with the many functions of your Hunter application without being disturbed, be sure to exit combat mode to shut down your battle system.”
Lynn made a mental note of that. Many games had a pause function, or automatically paused whenever you opened a menu or navigated away from the main screen. But since this was augmented reality and “in the real” she supposed it made sense there would be no pause button.
“Lastly but most importantly, some TDMs are still unknown in the wild. Our battle system is constantly logging new information, including the capabilities of unknown TDMs. If you see something that looks like sparkling gas, that is an unknown TDM. The TD Counterforce is continually seeking better and more efficient ways to wipe out this global threat, and so we offer high bonuses, extra experience points and achievements as awards for detecting unknown TDMs. However, other than their classification, you will have no data about these unknowns, their attack capabilities, or their weaknesses prior to engaging. So, proceed with caution!
“If you detect an unknown entity, your battle system will immediately start a series of analysis tests. The only way to receive full credit for detecting an unknown is to engage it in battle and destroy it, which allows the system to analyze its parts and determine its composition and abilities. After analysis the system will assign a name to the entity and place the finder’s Hunter designation in the metadata. For example…”
As Hugo began reading out a list of stats, a miniature image of a monster with dozens of huge tentacles materialized before her, along with an analysis breakdown that hovered next to it. Each characteristic highlighted itself briefly while Hugo described it.
“Scylla—Sierra Class-1. Attacks: Pummel, Crush, Plasma Jet. Defenses: Armor +2. Detection: Level 40. Stealth: +2. Special abilities: Regeneration, Blink (Short Range Teleport). Detected in the wild: 3/5/2040, 1417 GMT, AlphaTester1, AlphaTester2, AlphaTester3, AlphaTester4, AlphaTester5, AlphaTester6, AlphaTester7, AlphaTester8, AlphaTester9.”
The image of the monster and its stats remained as Hugo continued.
“As a beta tester for this new battle system, you should expect to encounter unknowns in the wild and are advised to use extreme caution. The aforementioned TDM, originally an unknown, required a team of highly experienced alpha testers to defeat.
“In addition to using special caution when engaging unknowns, please note that Bravo and Alpha Class TDMs will push the boundaries of Hunter resilience and must be engaged with the support of other Hunters. Therefore, unless you are part of a beta or alpha tester group, do not approach these classes during beta. Disregard for this warning will result in your death.
“This concludes your introductory briefing. Thank you for volunteering to defend the planet, Hunter! Good luck and safe hunting!”
As Hugo fell silent, Lynn pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. Her first thought was that this game was taking itself too seriously. In one respect, the realism was cool. It built up the tension and feeling of danger, which wasn’t something a lot of games could achieve for a serious gamer like her who’d seen all the scary monsters you could imagine.
But in another respect, all the warnings were pretty eye-roll worthy. Maybe they hadn’t gotten the programming for the higher classes ironed out yet and this was the developers’ way of discouraging beta testers from breaking the game to tiny little bits before they were ready. It could also have something to do with the interface being AR instead of VR. Whatever the case, it certainly underscored her feelings so far: this game was like no other ever released.
She couldn’t wait to try it out.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a block of text that appeared on her display, replacing the image of the tentacled monster. The text glowed brightly in the silence as Lynn began to read.
Notice to beta testers: Sierra Class entities are set to release in a later expansion. Any encounter with a Sierra Class entity is to be considered a system glitch. If you make contact with a Sierra Class entity, please exit combat mode to prevent further system errors and contact Tactical Support immediately. Any attempt to engage with a Sierra Class entity will result in immediate system failure. Thank you for your cooperation while we fine tune our system.
Hm, interesting. Lynn knew from her few beta testing experiences that games were usually rife with minor glitches and had a fair number of major glitches as well, which was the whole reason for beta testing. But she found it interesting that they put in a disclaimer about a specific glitch. Maybe they were actively fixing it and didn’t want testers to freak out while they were still working on it?
“This marks the end of the TD Counterforce introductory briefing,” Hugo said, politely intruding on Lynn’s thoughts. “Do you have any questions or would you like me to repeat any part of the briefing?”
“No, I’m good,” Lynn said. “But as some beta feedback, that was a huge info dump for an introduction, which surprises me because Mr. Krator’s games aren’t usually like that. Usually you just jump right in with maybe a brief demo round before they dump you into the thick of things. It was interesting, I guess, but I’m betting a lot of players won’t bother sitting through it.”
“Your feedback is duly noted, Miss Lynn. Shall we proceed to the training portion of this tutorial?”
“Yeah, go for it.” Finally.
“Before we proceed, you must first retrieve your batons for syncing.”
“My what?”
“Your batons, the programmable, multi-use weapons you will be using as a Hunter to attack the ravening hordes of TransDimensional Monsters.”
“Oh! You mean those electric blue things you see in all the ads? Do you mean I get to have weapons that look as cool as that?”
“Each level achieved has access to more advanced weaponry, Miss Lynn. So, eventually, yes.”
“Sweet. But I don’t remember seeing anything like that in the shipping box.”
“Perhaps you might check it again more thoroughly?”
Lynn turned and rummaged through the box. Finding nothing, she pulled out the TD Counterforce backpack and began digging through its zippered compartments. In the largest she finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a pair of electric blue foot-long rods, each with a molded handle on one end.
“The color isn’t very tactical, even if it is cool,” Lynn commented, turning it over in her hand. The baton’s material had a little give, like compact foam, and it was slightly flexible, not hard and stiff like a police baton would be.
“I believe the idea is to avoid harassment by law enforcement officials for the suspected possession of a lethal weapon,” Hugo offered, his tone very dry.
Lynn shrugged. It made sense. She wrapped her fingers around the handle of one of the batons and held it up, testing the weight. Despite looking vaguely like a child’s baseball bat, it had a good balance and a bit of heft.
“So…is this the config for the starter level? What am I supposed to do with them? Bludgeon the imaginary monsters?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Hugo said, sounding completely serious. “This is, however, only the default form which the batons revert to when you are not in combat mode or engaged in a training simulation, such as at present. For the first nine Hunter Levels you will be utilizing only a single, one-handed weapon. Once you have advanced enough in your training to achieve Level 10, your second weapon slot will open and you can begin using dual weapons or two-handed weapons.”
Lynn grinned. Two-handed weapons? That sounded like fun. Nice incentive to get to Level 10 as fast as possible.
“Now, Miss Lynn, if you would place your thumb on the end of one of the baton handles, it will be unlocked and synced to your Hunter profile so that it can be activated.”
Turning the baton over in her hands, she found the small indentation on the end of the handle and pressed her thumb into it. Some text popped into view on her display.
Hunter weapon successfully registered and ready for programming. Please choose your starting configuration.
Two images appeared before her, both slowly rotating. They were mirrors of the kukri-style long knife and the laser gun she’d seen on her skin and according to the display they were called the Nano Blade and Disruptor Pistol. Being more comfortable with using firearms in virtual, she lifted her left hand and touched the image of the Disruptor Pistol. The baton in her right hand buzzed slightly in response and before her eyes the material shifted, reconfiguring into an exact replica of the gun, albeit an electric blue one.
Yup, very cool. This game was going to make some serious profit in peripheral gear. She wondered if these beginner batons could transform into every weapon the game had been programmed with, or if there was going to be upgrade gear available to purchase. If she stuck with the game, she might have to splurge a little depending on what they had available.
Lynn touched the image of the Nano Blade and watched in fascination as her pistol elongated and reformed into a wickedly curved, fourteen-inch blade with a geometric cutout design spanning its length. Through each transformation, the handle beneath her fingers remained the same, indicating she could easily switch configs mid-game, maybe even mid-battle, as long as she anticipated the few seconds of lag it took for the weapon to shift.
“Hey, Hugo. How do I switch weapons on the fly? Most games have some sort of short-cut button you can push.”
“Indeed, Miss Lynn, though you can also use your weapon icon or a voice command. The manual control is a pressure ring around the top of the handle, within reach of your thumb. You have two weapon configuration slots and can switch between them at will. For additional weapons, you will need to access your weapon settings and select a new weapon.”
“Okay, good to know.” She carefully tested the knife’s edge and found it was as blunt as blunt could be. Oh well. You couldn’t have everything in life. “This thing is pretty awesome, though,” she said as she waved it around experimentally.
“I am so glad you approve, Miss Lynn.”
Lynn’s brow furrowed.
“Are you being sarcastic, Hugo? I didn’t think service AIs could be sarcastic.”
“Whatever gave you that impression, Miss Lynn?”
“Is that an answer to my question, or a response to my comment about AIs?”
“Yes.”
She laughed and decided to drop it.
“Okay, so how does this all work?”
“Allow me to demonstrate. If you will observe your display…”
The two weapon images shrank to one tiny icon of a gun, zooming to the bottom of her view to join a whole line of other icons, no doubt for different functions of the game. In the top left corner of her display, a satellite view of her local area appeared. As she watched, the area around her apartment complex began to populate with red dots. The dots were more or less in a circle covering the parking lot and apartment buildings immediately surrounding her own building. The dots weren’t spaced out regularly, though. Some seemed to group in certain places and a line of them stretched behind the apartment building bordering the greenway woods between their complex and the complex next door. Lynn guessed the edge of the circle was the range of the app’s radar.
As she examined the spread of dots, her earbuds started to pick up a weird beep, bloop, beep, beep sound, sort of like a robot. If robots could sound really creepy, anyway. It also sounded like it was coming from over by her desk. She looked in that direction, her head automatically turning to track the sound—
And nearly jumped out of her skin.
There, squatting in mid-air over her desk, was a runty little demon-looking thing. The CGI for it was phenomenal. It would have looked real, if it hadn’t been randomly floating a foot above the surface of her desk. Lynn realized she’d instinctively raised her Nano Blade to put it between her and the creature. She forced herself to relax.
This AR stuff was way more intense than WarMonger.
“The red dots you see on your overhead indicate TDMs in your immediate area,” Hugo explained, not commenting on her startled reaction. “You can zoom in and out on the map, either manually or with a verbal command.”
“Okay, zoom in on our apartment,” Lynn said.
The satellite view shifted, showing a basic outline of the building. Weirdly, there were no red dots within the apartment’s outline, just one lone blue dot on the side of the building where her and her mom’s apartment was located.
“The blue dot on your overhead indicates this TDM is a training simulation. You may tap its image, verbally state ‘target,’ or simply focus your gaze on it to engage it with your battle system. You do not need to target an enemy in order to attack it, but targeting improves accuracy with ranged attacks and provides you additional information about the target.”
Lynn concentrated on the runty little monster with its batlike ears, reddish gray skin, curved claws and big bug eyes. Her AR glasses tracked her eye movement and automatically outlined the monster’s image in a red halo. A readout appeared along the right side of her display and Hugo began reciting the selected monster’s stats.
“Imp—Delta Class-1. Attacks: Slash. Defenses: None. Detection: Level 1. Stealth: None. Unique behavior: Imps are non-aggressive and will move away from the Hunter until violent contact is made. Detected in the wild: 1/05/2040, 0920 GMT, AlphaTester4.”
“Great. So, it’s puny and non-aggressive. What next?” Lynn asked.
“Before you engage with a TDM, it is wise to take stock of your situation and resources,” Hugo said, continuing the tutorial. The series of icons at the bottom of her screen flashed, one at a time, as he ran through their explanations.
“This bar is your health. Constant walking and movement regenerates health at medium levels, while stationary rest regenerates it at very low levels. Health can also be recovered using Oneg healing capsules, which will be accessible at higher Hunter Levels. This bar is your power level, which is consumed at a low rate to fuel all game systems and is replenished by collecting ichor. This icon is your armor slot, where you may equip plates for defense. These are your stealth and detection slots, where you may equip globes either for cloaking, or to increase the range and strength of your detection system. This is necessary to detect TDMs who have stealth capabilities of their own.”
Lynn made note of each icon, assuming she could select them by touch, voice, or visual tracking same as with the other controls. Next, Hugo moved onto weapons. As he began, the small icon of a gun flashed and her two weapon images reappeared, each blinking briefly as Hugo explained their capabilities.
“This is your weapon selection icon. All Hunter weapons are divided into classes, either ranged or melee, and each class has its own strengths depending on your preferred fighting style. There is no ammunition or reloading. Power-using weapons are limited by your power level, so be sure to collect all available ichor and keep an eye on your status bar. All Hunters begin with the basic weapon in the Pistol and Blade classes. The Disruptor Pistol is a ranged weapon which does only basic damage and uses low amounts of power, while the Nano Blade is a non-powered hand-to-hand weapon that does slightly more damage. You currently have the Nano Blade equipped. Would you like to change your weapon selection?”
Lynn’s first instinct was to switch to her ranged weapon. It was a safe choice, something she was used to from years of playing WarMonger and other shooting-heavy games. Plus, it meant she could stay well away from that creepy little demon. But that thought made her shake her head. If she was going to do well at this game, she needed to learn all the weapons and fighting styles inside-out, like she had in WarMonger. Being a top-tier player didn’t come without significant work. She might as well start with the hardest to use weapon while she was still in training mode.
“I’ll stick with the Nano Blade,” she said.
“An excellent choice, Miss Lynn.”
“What are these three empty slots below it, though?” she asked, pointing.
“Those are your augment slots. While there is a limited number of weapon classes, every weapon can be enhanced with various equipment augments which are randomly dropped by TDMs. While some augments are standard, others are entirely unique. Each Hunter also has three personal augment slots and such augments dropped by TDMs can enhance your health, power, defense, detection and stealth abilities.”
“Sweeet,” Lynn said. Now this was more like it. She was all about killing monsters for loot. “Okay, so how do I kill this thing?”
“You must approach the enemy and attack it with your weapon, Miss Lynn. Any slash or stab is sufficient as long as it comes into contact with the TDM.”
Lynn sighed.
“And this is why I prefer games in virtual. I guess I gotta get up.”
“Yes, that would be the logical next step,” Hugo said, absolutely deadpan.
“You know, maybe I should ping Mr. Krator and tell him his AI has got a smart mouth.”
“I have it on good authority that Mr. Krator is well aware of my programming, considering he did most of it himself. But if you wish to log that as official beta feedback, I would be happy to—”
“Oh, shut up, Hugo,” Lynn said, one side of her mouth crooking up as she slid off the bed and faced the imp. For a moment she simply stood there, hesitating. This felt sooo weird. “Well, here goes nothing,” she finally muttered and took a few tentative steps toward her target. But as she moved, the imp moved too, backing away.
“Remember, imps avoid contact unless first attacked,” Hugo intoned. “The most effective tactic is to approach at speed.”
Lynn made a face but bent her knees and lunged forward at the imp while slashing with her Nano Blade. She ran into her body-mold chair mid-lunge but still managed to get in a strike at the imp, whose outline flashed red when her Nano Blade passed through it. The handle of her weapon also vibrated slightly as it made contact. The next second, though, the monster was lunging back at her, teeth bared and claws extended in a vicious swipe. Lynn backpedaled and her display flashed red around the edges.
“Warning, damage sustained,” Hugo informed her. “Keep attacking until your target dissipates.”
Trying to back up without stumbling over furniture, Lynn kept slashing at the imp. Now that it was on the attack, it made no effort to evade, just kept clawing furiously at her which prompted more red flashes of her display. But after three more solid hits with her Nano Blade, the little CGI demon suddenly burst into sparkling light that quickly dissipated to reveal what looked like a puddle of purple goo on her floor.
“Congratulations, Miss Lynn! You have successfully destroyed your first TransDimensional Monster! Now select the puddle of ichor to collect it.”
Lynn groaned. She was panting a little at her exertion and the unexpected rush of adrenaline.
“Do I have to actually bend over and touch the floor? All this jumping around is bad enough as it is.”
“Physical contact with the floor is unnecessary. All collectable items have a six-foot sensory range. Standing near it will be sufficient.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Lynn muttered as she reached out with her left hand and touched where the puddle showed up in her display. The puddle flashed and disappeared and her power level bar went up a bit.
“Excellent. You have now completed the training tutorial and are ready to face the real invaders of our planet. Additional resources such as combat strategies and TDM stats are available for your perusal through the menu icon. You may exit combat mode by voice command, your menu options, or by simply removing your AR glasses. If you do exit combat mode, any damage inflicted on an enemy which has not yet been destroyed is thereby nullified.”
Smart, Lynn thought. That discouraged players from hopping in and out of combat mode to avoid taking damage in a fight.
“One final word of advice,” Hugo said. “Pay attention to your audio feed and beware of ghosts! Good luck, Miss Lynn, and happy hunting.”
“Thanks, Hugo. I think I’ll take a bit of a breather and poke around while I decide where to head first.”
“Very good, Miss Lynn. Remember that I am always available should you have any specific inquiries.”
The AI fell silent and Lynn sat back down on her bed, taking a moment to study the icons on her display as her breathing leveled out. Her health bar was still full—apparently the damage done by the imp was training damage only—and the little monster-shaped icon on the top right still had a zero beside it.
A sudden, intense thrill shot through her and she smiled to herself. Pretty soon, that icon would show dozens, then hundreds of kills. And she couldn’t wait to see how many she could rack up. WarMonger was extremely satisfying in its own way, mostly knowing she was pitting her skills against other real people and beating the crap out of them. This TD Hunter game was an entirely different animal and she was pleasantly surprised at how excited she was to dig in.
Before she went rushing headlong into things, though, she reached up and tapped the menu icon to see what it had to offer. It listed “Inventory,” “Game Options,” “Tactical Support,” “Additional Resources,” and “Exit Combat Mode.” Under “Additional Resources,” she found “TDM Index,” “Weapons List,” “Achievement Log,” “Training Simulations,” and “Community Forum.”
She selected the TDM index and was presented with rows of miniature monster icons. She found she could scroll by flicking a finger up or down and began to explore.
There were about a dozen “known” Delta Class monsters, the lowest class of TDMs. More slots below them were grayed out, presumably leaving space for any unknowns discovered in Delta Class. She tapped on the icon for “Imp” and saw that it had all the stats she’d seen before as well as an expandable section going into more detail about the creature’s behavior, various attack suggestions and more. One suggestion was to circle around the imp and ambush it from behind, which should buy you enough time to finish it off before it reoriented and attacked. Apparently each TDM had a certain detection range, smaller or bigger depending on their class, type and special abilities. As long as you stayed outside their range, they ignored you.
Good to know.
At the bottom of the section on the imp was a link promoting “additional tactical information” which, when she tapped on it, zoomed her over to a new display under the “Tactical Support” heading. Here there was a general summary detailing what had so far been determined about the TDMs’ purpose. The lower-class entities appeared to be mostly gatherers of the EM particles the TDMs were believed to feed off. They kept some for their own uses and transferred the rest to higher-class entities using an as yet unclear network. As they gathered more and more, they would “promote” to higher classes. Some TDMs seemed to be primarily concentrated on “defense” and these types stayed put until a Hunter came within range, while “patrol” TDMs like ghosts were constantly on the move, looking for a target.
Lynn closed the additional information screen and went back to perusing the monster index. Scrolling down, she noticed that there were fewer known Charlie Class monsters and just as many that were greyed out. Some of the grayed-out entities had a number above them. She checked one of those and it was listed as “observed” but with very little information. Most of the info slots were simply question marks. Some of the Charlie Class monsters looked like they were promotions of known Delta Class entities. There were estimates about some of the unknowns based on their known Delta Class counterpart. A few were marked as “probable promotion of still unidentified Delta Class.”
The Bravo and Alpha Class sections were even less populated, also mostly promotions and almost all of them were grayed out with minimal information.
Sierra Class was interesting. It had the most entries by far, dozens of different entities all with individual names, as opposed to names of a monster “type.” A lot of the names she recognized from other games she’d played, or movies and TV shows she’d watched, as names of various demons, devils and evil gods from myth. Shiva, Kali, Tiamat, Hannya and stuff like that. Unfortunately for her curiosity, every single one was grayed out. When she tapped on one of them, there was almost no information listed and even the few populated sections such as the location where it had been “observed” and stats on “Detection” and “Attacks” simply read “RESTRICTED INTELLIGENCE” in large block letters.
“Uh, Hugo?”
“Yes, Miss Lynn?”
“What’s with this whole ‘restricted intelligence’ thing?”
“You are not high enough level to warrant access to that particular information.”
“Huh. Okay. I guess it’s good to have something to work toward, right?”
“Indeed, Miss Lynn.”
Well, she wasn’t going to make any progress sitting on her bed. Time to get out there and get her feet wet. But where to start? Lynn turned her attention to her satellite overhead. The map was quite detailed. She could zoom in and identify individual vehicles in the parking lot—what few there were, anyway. Most parking lots across the country had been significantly downsized since she was a little girl. They’d been replaced by green spaces, electric car charging stations, or pick-up-drop-off points for the rideshare robo-cars, while parking garages had been repurposed into airbus platforms. For the few gas-guzzling “dumb” car holdouts or those who refused to buy into the rideshare system, there were still a few spaces for individually owned cars. Lynn spotted a red dot between an electric two-seater and an ancient-looking sedan near the apartment’s front entrance. She’d start there.
Before she left she looked out her window. One of the dots on her overhead looked like it should have been in line-of-sight, but she could see nothing out of the ordinary from her fifth-story window. Certainly no lurking CGI monsters. Out of curiosity, she reached up and tapped the dot in question and was rewarded by a flashed message of “This TDM is out of visual detection range.”
Too bad. That meant she couldn’t snipe targets from the coolness and safety of her bedroom. It wasn’t that hot, being only late May, but still…the outside was the outside. Shaking her head, she told herself to get over it and went to put on her shoes. She had some serious leveling up to do and only so much daylight left to do it in.
“Okay, Hugo. Let’s go kill some monsters.”
“Excellent idea, Miss Lynn. I am sure they are quivering in their boots at the mere thought of your coming wrath.”
“Uh-huh. Right. Don’t give me a reason to look for your mute button, Mr. Smart Aleck.”
“That would be entirely unnecessary, Miss Lynn. Any time you wish to switch from audio to text mode you have but to ask.”
Lynn rolled her eyes.
“Never mind. Let’s go.”