DCO- Dungeon Core Online

Chapter 17

It wasn’t impossible. That though was the main driving factor to the cold numbness that once again threatened to overcome him. Sure, society as a whole seemed to be at the peak at the moment. Humans had been moved into city areas, with terraforming done by the government to create idealistic environments for everyone to live in. With most everything automated, people were able to go about their daily lives in perfect bliss and harmony. And then, at night, they could immerse themselves, and enjoy the virtual world, living their best lives. Humanity had peaked.

But, there were shadows to that happiness. The surveillance, for one, that everyone merely accepted. Then of course, the existence of the enforcers, the bogeymen of the government, who stepped in when the normal, automated enforcement tools weren’t enough to keep order. While the world seemed at its brightest, the shadows, without a doubt, housed the darkest of truths. And this, what Hades was saying, was the darkest of them all.

“How?” James managed to ask, after taking a slow drink. He hardly tasted the liquor now. “How will they accomplish it? How long have they been planning something like this?”

“That’s where your parents, as well as Rue’s father, come in.” Hades said calmly. “As is the nature of the world, those with brilliance, are oft abused. Their creations, their dreams, stolen or manipulated, to meet the needs, or wants, of the few. It’s a tale as old as time. It happened to Tesla, it happened to Einstein, Oppenheimer, Galson, and so forth.”

James recognized…two of those names. But it was still enough to drive home what Hades was getting at. His parents weren’t evil. Neither was Rue’s father. But their experiments, their brilliance, their passions, were being used in ways they never intended. It reminded him of what Z had said, about his own medical research. And how the government had burned his life, literally and metaphorically, to the ground to get its hands on it, and solely it.

“Are my parents alright?” James asked immediately. “And Rue’s father?”

“For now, they are.” Hades replied. “They’re smart. Smart enough to play along, smart enough to know the dangers of going against what they’ve been asked to do. And, wise enough to know that to do so, would put not only themselves in danger, but the ones they love the most.” He cleared his throat. “Part of why the Government actually took interest in protecting you from Cyb3ru5, it would seem, was to keep their leverage over your parents. It’s a part of why the operation was mobilized so quickly, and why your friends, Matthew and Rachel, Xander’s children, were able to get authorization to bring Agent R into the mix as your protector. The government needed your parents cooperation, and that gave your parents, a bit of leverage, albeit slight, to ensure your safety, and other such concessions.”

“That,” it clicked in James’s mind then, “that’s why they were able to have me placed as a Dungeon Core, isn’t it? Why they managed to set Rue up as my companion, when she wasn’t truly an AI.”

“A proposal that was favorable for the government, and would see additional protection placed on yourself, and Ruby, yes.”

“Ruby? You mean…” James paused; he’d heard that name before. And then it hit. She’d said Rue was short for Ruby, when she’d introduced herself to Z. James had thought she’d just been playing the part of her Cleric of Blood Vampire character…but was Ruby truly her first name, with Rue merely being her chosen nickname? Another mental note for James to bring up, if he could remember, once all this was done.

“Yes, Ruby Zephire, the girl you know as Rue.” The man across the desk took a sip, “the one who proved the Sleeping-Beauty pod technology would work. And has continued to work. Dr. Zephire, Rue’s father, wanted his daughter to be a part of DCO. It was a integral part in keeping her safe. He, nor your parents, knew the full extent of things, but they could see the writing on the walls. DCO, was the best way to keep you kids safe. Only, ironically,” Hades let out a dark laugh, “they didn’t realize how important DCO truly was. It is, after all, meant to be the endgame. The final piece of the puzzle.”

James raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward, listening intently. He was trying his hardest to not interrupt, trying not to get off topic. But there was so much he wanted to ask. So much he wanted to know. Was everything Hades was telling him true? How did this man, by himself, uncover so much? What resources did he have at his disposal.

“The beginning of the plan started with Dr. Zephire’s work. The ability, the proof to the hypothesis, of being able to successfully, permanently, upload a conscious being to the virtual world. Before, such efforts had…met with mixed success. A shattering of the mind, fragmentation, and of course, the inability to prove if it were truly the same person, or merely a copy. Rue is the proof of concept, the ‘living’ evidence that his process worked, with a singular flaw.”

James felt his stomach drop. There was a flaw? Was Rue in danger? His mouth went dry as he inadvertently spoke up. “What flaw?”

“The need for the body to remain alive, of course.” Hades answered calmly. “Even if its existing in a stasis of sorts, supported through various applications of cryogenics and nanotherapy, the body itself, is still needed as the failsafe. And, considering how, well, fragile such things can be, it was seen as a potentially devastating flaw.”

It only took James a moment to figure out the next piece in the puzzle. If the human body was the flaw, obviously, given what he knew, given who was involved, the logical step was to replace the need for a human body. And what better way than with a robot. And, a fact he’d always been proud of, was the fact that now, he realized, had embroiled him in this whole situation. His parents were the best in their field, the greatest minds in robotics to ever exist.

“I see you put it together. It seems you inherited a bit of your parents’ gifts, though you’ve had much less time to truly come into them.” Hades chuckled and took a drink. “In order to truly execute their plan, to ensure they were truly immortal, those in power would need a perfect, surefire, way to keep themselves going. They didn’t wish to be confined to a virtual world while their bodies slept in a pod. It left them vulnerable. But, if Dr. Zephire’s technology could be used, to transfer their minds permanently not into a virtual world, but into an artificial mind…within a perfect, robotic body, then, truly, they could have their wishes. Of course, it would take time for such a thing. And funding. Though, considering the gift your parents recently gave to you, I’m sure you know they have reached that point, and they’ve served their purpose.”

“You know about Dagger?” James asked incredulously.

“I know everything.” Hades replied mysteriously. “I’ve told you time and time again, my business is information. And when it comes to knowledge, mine reigns supreme.” He chuckled, “and of course, I’ve done no small bit of investigating you, even after your aid with Cyb3ru5. Considering I’m sharing this information with you, I needed to make sure I could trust you, or more importantly, ensure I didn’t trip any of the government’s traps when I contacted you. I’ve survived this long, as I’ve stated, by being extremely paranoid, and thorough.”

James felt violated. There was no other way to put it. This man had just revealed he’d been spying on James, and considering how much information he had, James didn’t like how much access into his life Hades somehow had.

“Personal space aside,” Hades waved a hand, “your parents have created bodies capable of acting as surrogate bodies for the human mind. These robots, through their efforts, not only look human, but they can taste, they can feel. They are the ideal vessels, un-aging and extremely durable, perfect for the wants and needs of those in power.”

“Why not put everyone in such bodies? They gave everyone immersion pods. Why not give everyone such bodies?” James interrupted. The moment he spoke though, he felt stupid. Even more than that, as he said the words, everything clicked into place.

“Why would they give humanity bodies with which they could rise up against the powers that be? After all, much of the Government’s power remains due to their ability to threaten, and control, the masses. If the people don’t need you for resources, don’t need you to survive, well, you quickly lose your power. And I think you’ve realized it yourself now, the pods, were all a part of this plan.” Ice clinked in Hade’s glass as he took a final drink, emptying it of the amber liquor. “The government sent out pods to all of humanity, to ensure when the time came, they could trap all of humanity within the virtual world. Within, more importantly, a single virtual world. And then, they waited until your parents’ research, and their projects, were complete. At which point in time, obviously, they’d be able to set things in motion, and signal the end of all of mankind.”

“That’s…why they’ve authorized the 48-hour immersion.” James said slowly. “Why they’ve initiated the special Dungeon Wars event. It’s to ensure everyone is logged in, everyone is immersed, so they can trap everyone all at once.”

“That’s correct,” Hades said, a sad smile on his face. “Which means, if you wish to do anything with this knowledge, if you wish to attempt to stop this, well, the clock is quite literally, ticking away.” Hades folded his hands together on the desk, and looked deeply into James’s eyes. “So, James. If there were a slim chance, to save mankind from this plan, would you take it? Would you take a risk, to save the many? Or would you rather do nothing, and spend an eternity in the world of DCO, safe and sound?”

James was quiet for a long moment. That was honestly his dream. To spend all of his life within DCO. To spend it, uninterrupted, unmolested, merely having fun and living his best life alongside Rue, Steve, and all the others. The real world, well, it wasn’t really life to him anymore. All he cared about, save his parents honestly, existed within DCO. And yet, there was a part of him that knew full well, now that Hades had told him all of this, that he didn’t really have a choice. What type of monster would he be, if he held onto this information, and did nothing with it. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, if he did nothing. Especially if, as he felt Hades was implying, there was a small chance he could save the others. Save the world. James sighed, hating himself for what he was about to say. All he wanted, damnit, was to live a normal, happy life. Not to act like some storybook hero.

“As much as I feel I’m going to regret saying this,” James said, the words slow, spoken through gritted teeth. “If you’re saying there is a chance to stop this, to save the world,” he sighed, heavily, “I want to hear it.”