"You were right!" came a voice from the center of the group. The players began to shift and step out of the way to allow a young man armed with a bow to step forward. The name Fredlin hovered above his head. "There was an explosion today. In San Francisco. Six gas mains exploded at the same time, except the news is saying it's some kind of an accident. But it wasn't – you guys said that this was going to happen and that it was an attack!"
There was a commotion amongst the group. A few were surprised, but the rest seemed to take the news in stride.
"I had a friend out there!" Fredlin said. "A good friend. I haven't heard from her since she suddenly disconnected a few hours ago. Now, I don't know if she's dead, but I'm worried sick about her. You knew the truth about Draco and you tried to warn us. If that's not reason enough to join, then I don't know what is."
"Yeah!" cried someone else. "My brother died in one of those tubes. And if you're saying that Draco is responsible for that, then I'm gonna make those bastards pay."
The threat elicited cheers from the entire crowd. Sang was surprised to see such a high level of enthusiasm from them, too. This group was definitely comprised of a different caliber of player – perhaps that Reddit article was responsible for it.
"Good," Van said, "then you must know that we are a unit. We work together as a team, to ensure that we will all get out of this alive. The clock is ticking. Draco has started pushing their plan forward, and it's only a matter of time before they begin to enact a series of nuclear meltdowns. We have allies, but… but Draco's roots run deep. The boots on the ground in the real world are susceptible to spies, espionage, and sabotage. Already, this operation has hit a lot of internal resistances. Two key men were hospitalized the night after they agreed to support this operation."
Sang winced at the admission. Van was being polite when he said they'd been hospitalized. The truth was that Frederick Yuri, her commanding officer, had been poisoned and was now in a coma. The chances of his survival were slim. The other man, a major general in the army, hadn't been as fortunate, and had died the day he'd been admitted into the hospital. One after another, key members of the task force had been injured or attacked. Some had just disappeared. Draco had people everywhere.
"So, the truth is, it's up to us. The Iron Dragons are growing rapidly, despite the fact that the media has called our claims a hoax. Even though the message boards are making jokes about us and we're even the butt of most jokes in the streamer community, we are getting stronger. Together, we can stop Draco. We can stop these terrorists from inflicting mass destruction!"
This elicited more cheers from the group. They clapped and whistled at Van, and he glanced back at Sang and shrugged at her with a weary smile. The whole speech, the bravado, the confidence and swagger… it was all nothing more than an act. He was getting closer to oblivion with each step.
Sang grimaced as she strolled up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "My name is Sang, and I'm Van's second-in-command. These four behind us are your commanding officers. Each of you will be assigned to a squad. We play every day, for as long as we can. Don't get yourselves killed, but try to log as much time as you can. Understood?"
The crowd gave enthusiastic shouts about never sleeping again. Sang smiled. One thing she could never get over was how excitable the gamer crowd was. No matter the circumstances, these players were hearty and ready for action. It was refreshing to see they had high spirits, too.
The leaders of the Iron Dragons walked forward and began to sort through the players. The boot camp for newcomers was short, but strenuous.
Van turned to Sang. "Come on," he said with another sigh, "let's go meet Jet. He should be at the rendezvous point by now."
Sang nodded and the two silently began to walk toward the door leading out of the castle. As they walked, Fredlin came bounding after them.
"Wait!" Fredlin called.
"Yes?" Sang asked as she crossed her arms. There were too many things to be doing to waste time talking to a recruit – especially before he'd had a chance to be inducted properly.
"Let me come with you guys," Fredlin said. "I'm not here to follow around a bunch of lackeys. Van, your words spoke to me! Let me serve by your side."
Van grimaced at the comment about his officers. "Look, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but those guys aren't lackeys. They are my finest warriors, and good allies. If you want my respect, you're going to have to be a team player and follow their lead."
"No way," Fredlin said as he crossed his arms. "I served eight years in the Marine Corps, and after that I worked as a firefighter. I've been playing this game since beta and the only reason I refused to go pro was because I didn't want to turn my hobby into a job. I'm probably more qualified than anyone else in this building to fight alongside you."
Sang shrugged at Van. Those were some good credentials. Van, however, had a different idea. "You say you were in the marines?" Van asked sharply. "Then your dumb ass should know to respect the chain of command. You think bragging about going pro is going to impress me? Let's see how tough you are when we're in a zone where death is on the table. Let's see how big and tough your persona is when you know that an axe to the head will kill you in the real world."
Fredlin didn't back down. "Chain of command is important, I get it, but do we really have time to be messing around with things like rank? I mean, that Capello guy sounds like he's just a kid. I'm not trying to throw my weight around, but I want to get to the action. My friend, Savorn, is probably dead, and I want revenge."
"A burning desire for revenge is gonna slip you up," Van said, pressing his face close to Fredlin's. The two were fiercely glaring at one another now, and Sang had never seen this level of anger in Van before. She considered stepping in between them, but decided against it. Van seemed to be handling it well enough.
"I'm not an idiot, Van," Fredlin said. "But I came here to get stuff done. Now, you can let me follow you and utilize an excellent resource, or you can waste our time by making me follow a teenager's orders. I'm not threatening to leave because I'm not a diva, but I damn well want to do something important."
"I can't control you," Van said as he waved his hand dismissively. "If you want to tag along after me, that's fine, but you're either walking ten steps ahead or behind. I won't have you listening in to my conversations with Sang."
Fredlin grinned. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down, I promise!"
Sang chuckled as the soldier drew his bow and rushed forward to investigate the perimeter. "Looks like you got yourself a new friend."
"Whatever," Van said as he trudged forward. All energy seemed to fade from him as he walked.
"You've got to snap out of this funk, Van."
"Funk? Funk? Sang, do I need to remind you that within less than two weeks of us having started this operation, there has been nothing but chaos? Everything is riding on our unit. I'm not in a funk – I'm just trying to focus," Van snapped.
"I get it," Sang said, "but you look like you're going to just fall over at any minute. Find your center, man."
"My center?" Van shouted. "I don't have a center, okay? You realize that, when everything is said and done, the only world I have ever cared about will be destroyed? My life is effectively ending by doing this job. And of course, yes, I'm going to stay in the game; of course I’m going to fight for humanity's survival! I'm not a psychopath. But you've got to realize something. When the walls come tumbling down like a proverbial Jericho, I will be the one left with nothing!"
Sang didn't quite know how to respond, but she knew she had to say something. "I know it's wearing away at you, Van, but you've got to realize that you do have a life outside of this game. I mean, not right now, of course, but once this is over you will be recognized as a hero."