"True…" Peter said. "That is a large enough amount. Tax free, too, right?"
"Definitely," Cindy said. "Tell you what… why don't you just try it out? Get into one of the red marked pods; those are for the new players. Just hop into one of those and see if you like it or not."
Peter glanced over at the red pods that were sitting by the entrance. They were all open and waiting for new players.
"I can leave if I want to, right?" Peter asked.
"Of course," Cindy said. "Just hop in and give it a go. If you don't like how things are working out, if you don't care for orientation, you are absolutely free to leave."
Peter sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll stay. But just to see how I like it. I really don't care for the destruction of earth thing at all, though. But hey, a job's a job, right?"
Van watched with curiosity as Peter walked over to a red pod and climbed in. Cindy closed it over him.
"What a prick," Cindy said. "Runner! I need a runner!"
A young woman came running in from the mess hall – it was the woman who'd said she would marry Van.
"Ma'am?" Number 88 asked.
"Go fetch one of the Conversion programs. Get the strongest one we have. This guy is gonna take a long time to break," Cindy instructed. "Whatever basic program's in there isn't going to cut it."
"All glory to Draco!" the messenger replied as she ran off.
"Draco can go to hell," Cindy murmured as she pulled out a cigarette and began to light it. She glanced over at Van then, who'd watching the whole thing. "Something wrong with your pod, scrub?"
"No, ma'am, was just curious about that Peter guy," Van replied.
"Yeah, this is the basic treatment for new people who are joining our high level operations," Cindy replied. "This kind of guy would never make it into a facility like this with that kind of attitude, but for some reason, Draco decided to host a contest to give away five slots."
"Wait a minute," Van said. "You mean to tell me that that guy won a contest?"
Cindy looked at him blankly. "Yeah, didn't you hear about the big tournament they ran?"
"No," Van lied. He had another way to piss Cindy off even more. "So let me get this straight… this complete and total stranger wins a one-way ticket to the most powerful simulation system in the world, and what did he have to do for it?"
"He survived some kind of tournament; it was really intense, from what I heard," Cindy said.
"That's it? He won a tournament?" Van chuckled a little at her. "And you don't find that a little unfair?"
"A little, but whatever… I'm sure Draco has a good reason for bringing him in."
"You'd have to hope, right?" Van asked. "I mean, first they change up the big event, and now they're letting total scrubs in here? I really hope they know what they're doing."
Cindy paused at Van's comment. The words were sinking in deep, and he could see the dissatisfaction on her face. "Yeah, I guess. No, I'm sure… sure they're doing fine." She let out a sigh as the messenger came back in from another room. Van wasn't sure what was inside the door she'd come from, but he assumed there was a reason Cindy didn't tell him about it. The words Authorized Personnel Only were printed on the door.
"Thank you," Cindy said as she took a small data stick from the messenger. It was the exact kind of data stick that Sang had given Van. He took in a deep breath as he watched her walk up to the pod where Peter was resting. She placed her hand atop the pod and waited a few seconds.
"Authorization confirmed; maintenance mode activated," the pod stated. A few holes and slots opened up on the exterior of the pod. Cindy plugged the USB drive into a slot and pushed a few holographic buttons on the pod's interface.
"And that should do it. Sweet dreams, Peter," Cindy said as she chuckled to herself. She placed her hand back on the pod, instructing it to deactivate from its maintenance mode. The pod hissed a little as it sealed itself back up.
Van glanced at Cindy's hand. He would need her authorization in order to get his own pod open. This was not going to be easy in the least. There were two ways he could get the data stick into his pod, he realized – he could convince her to work with him, or he could knock her unconscious and drag her over, forcing her hand against the pod. Both solutions were equally implausible. Still… maybe he had a way to convince her. It would take a lot more time, however. Of course, with his current situation, time was all he had.
"Get your ass in there," Cindy said as she finished up her work on Peter's pod. "I’m tired of looking at you."
"Ha, like you have the authority to tell me what to do," Van said as he walked over to the mess hall. "I'll go in whenever I like."
Cindy opened her mouth to argue with him, but said nothing. Van grinned at her smugly. He was a VIP, wasn't he? If Draco had marked him as important, then he could take full advantage of this status and drive Cindy up the wall with it. He chuckled a little. Hopefully, this would work.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Van stood in front of the Emperor. He was inside of the castle where the feast had been held and the entire place was a wreck. His character’s stats were different, as well. He glanced at his character sheet.
He'd been able to retain his old character, but been given all sorts of incredible powers and developer tools. He could change reality as he saw fit. The power was kind of intoxicating, in fact, but he would have to use restraint. If he got too carried away, he'd lose sight of his objective.
"I see that you have settled into your new pod," the Emperor said. "I am glad to know that you were able to reach your new home without incident. I feared the government would try to kill you for abandoning them."
"Well, they didn't like it," Van replied, "but they didn't have much of a choice, either."
"Hahaaha," the Emperor laughed. "It is now time for you to embrace your destiny, Van. We must go to the mothership and make preparations for building an entirely new world."
"Right," Van said as he grimaced a little. "About that..."
"What is it?" the Emperor asked with a little growl. "Your tone indicates hesitancy."
"Look, I'm all about joining you and assisting you with conquering the world, I really am," Van said, "but something came up when I left the pod. Apparently, I got a call from my father when I was in the game. My mother had a terrible stroke and is in the hospital. They don't think she's going to make it."
"Such a shame," the Emperor said without a shred of empathy in his voice. "I ordered my own parents to end their lives for the good of the nation a long time ago. Ha… to watch them comply without a moment's hesitation. They bore the same expressions as when they ended my brother's life for being too 'free-willed.'"
Van balked at the Emperor's comment. He had no idea how to respond to the Emperor's words. "Uh… right, well, on earth we have close emotional connections to our parents. So… I really want to say goodbye to her before she dies."
"I see," the Emperor said. "So you logged into the game to ask for permission to visit her."
"Yes, sir," Van replied. "I know it wasn't what we agreed to and you have every right to say no, but I thought I'd try."
The Emperor shifted a little upon his throne. Van could see that he was thinking about something. "And if I allow you to visit your parents, you will return?"
"I'm in your base already, aren't I? The deal isn't changing, but I just really want to see her." Van was counting on the Emperor's unfamiliarity with human emotions to make up for the fact that he was a terrible actor. He wasn't even able to get up any fake tears.
"Very well," the Emperor said. "If we are to build a relationship, we will have to learn to trust each other. You may visit your matriarch and say your goodbyes."
"And another thing," Van asked, "can you just make them bring a car to me? I really don't want to go with your Draco stooges."