Kitabı oku: «Game of Tag. Fantasy», sayfa 4

CHAPTER 2

VLADIVOSTOK, AUGUST 15, 2057, 20:30 OLEG KOSHEVOI STR, 27, CAFE-BAR “HAMMER AND SICKLE”

In the darkened room there were wooden tables and leather sofas. On the walls were old black-and-white photographs of the 20—50s of the twentieth century. On the shelves were odd-shaped smoking pipes, mouthpieces, hookahs and even one “bong.”

This is the only café for smokers in the city. Here you could order any kinds of hookahs, a large range of cigars and cigarettes. The owner did his best in order to get permission to breach the law on prohibition.

The café was open around the clock; in fact, it was a real smoking den. For regular customers, the barman was always glad to offer something in addition to the main menu, some special product.

On the far wall was a huge monitor, on which music and promotional clips were most often being played. Today customers were interested in news and interactive, entertaining shows for two hours.

The main and only news was the lottery of Art. soul Holding group Corporation for the first Russian game “Ouiet Running’, or “Tikhii beg’.

And now, for two hours, they had been showing various interviews with the winners of different countries. In China there were five lucky ones, from Germany there were only two, the United States – one, Australia – one, India – three, Kazakhstan – one, Israel – two, Serbia – one, the United Arab Emirates – one, Japan – two, Russia – one. And all these people of different ages and religions were giving interviews telling how they got the ticket, how happy they were, and on which things they would spend their money.

Bar visitors, having already taken a certain quantity of their favourite smoking poison, had been watching everything happening on the screen quite sluggishly. They were a little interested in these upstarts and rich people from other countries.

They were rather disappointed that the game was invented in Russia, but only one Russian player, a native of the Caucasus, Mamed Zakuranzhaev, a rather sociable young guy, clean-shaven and in a classic, fashionable suit, was giving interviews. He was cheerfully telling about his parents, who presented a ticket to him for graduation. Then about the fact that he was a sprinter athlete for short and long distances and that he was going to get into the Russian national team. And if he had to run in this game, then he would overtake all.

The screen image changed to an urgent release, and the newscaster of the evening news in a blue dress began to speak:

“The President’s Press Secretary of the holding Art. soul Holding group Anatoly Lekhtman said that there would be the twenty-one winners in the lottery.”

“And twenty-one players, not twenty, as previously stated, will take part in the opening of the so-expected game Ouiet Running or “Tikhii beg’.

“We came to the conclusion that the even number would not bring a drive and strain, and at the very last moment opened access for one more participant. Seventeen seconds later, Sergey Kravtsov, a citizen of Russia, became the twenty-first participant.”

At that moment, there were loud cheers in the bar: “Hurray!”, “This is our countryman!”, “I know him!”, “Our breakthrough!” – and enthusiastic applause.

The barman had a call, after which he announced that he was treating all comers to the light beer absolutely for free! Then all the visitors shouted “Hurray!” three times and kept watching the news, that suddenly became interesting, and discussing whether it was a planned step or just an eventuality.

On the screen of the monitor, the newscaster continued: “We have just got a photo of the winner and try to contact him.” In the studio, as well as in the millions of rooms, the dial tone of waiting was heard.

In the studio background was the picture of a short-cut young boy with an outstanding right ear, a thin neck, thick brows, an eagle nose and piercing blue eyes.

“Yes.”

“Hello, Sergey Nikolaevich! Anna Kamysh from the ‘Evening News’ is on the line.”

“Hello!” – came a calm male voice. “How can I help?”

“Sergey, as it was announced, you are the twenty-first winner of the lottery. Do you confirm or disprove this information?”

There was a deep sigh, and then a sad response:

“Confirmed.”

“Could you please tell our viewers the story of how it happened?”

“Anna, I am sorry, I have not fully realized what is going on. And unfortunately, I cannot talk; I am busy solving current challenges. I will give an interview to your channel as soon as I make a final decision on participating in the game.

“Sergei, please, wait, you mean you may decline participation?”

“It will depend on many factors, for now, I am not sure of a positive resolution of the situation. You will learn about this first, please, contact me tomorrow morning,” engaged tone went off.

It would not be enough to say that it made a splash. Company’s sites were loaded with comments of users and viewers. Some frankly was calling Sergey a fool and douche, who missed the opportunity of giving an early start where he could earn one million dollars just by playing the game.

Others were looking for the reason for this behaviour and discussing that maybe the guy was scared or disabled, for they did not show a video call, but only a phone call.

The situation was gaining momentum and by 1:00 a.m. spread on an international level. Most of the appeals to the holding were due to the fact that this “winner’ is a front man of the company or that everyone dreams of being in his shoes, but he is still thinking.

There was a chaos in the company’s offices not only in Russia but also in other countries. People demanded to give out more lotteries, so that everyone who had not experienced the fate could do it. They have to break up a demonstration with water from fire trucks, police forces and even with the National Guard.

The game began to bring not only profit but also losses. They could not afford to let this tendency grow.

But the most annoying factor for the residents of the big cities was that no official spokesman made a statement or explanation of the situation. It seemed that the entire gaming world was frozen in anticipation of tomorrow.

While in the main holding office the employees were placing bets between themselves on the decision of “this dark horse’.

AUGUST 15, 2057 22:30, MOSCOW CENTRAL OFFICE OF ART. SOUL HOLDING GROUP COMPANY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE GAME WITH FULL IMMERSION “OUIET RUNNING” DEVELOPMENT

AOUA FLASH DIVISION

The meeting was personally attended by Aleksey Kim, the company’s chief engineer, the Head of the largest and most profitable directorate in the corporation.

He was listlessly following up the conclusions of his subordinates. He was slowly sipping an expensive cognac from the glass, frowned, and kept silence. Without a jacket and tie, he almost slouched in a huge leather armchair. It seemed to everyone that he had almost felt asleep.

An entire team of specialists in various areas had already managed to analyze the available data. And now the team was reporting.

“There is an unsolvable task for us. Because the system does not register the twenty-first player as an anomaly or an error. We have analyzed terabytes of data. The first IIN also perceives its DNA as the part of the subsystem. This player is unique, his DNA and parts of the ‘primary broth’ of our IIN number 0 are identical by ninety-nine point nine percent.”

Aleksey Kim was a big fan of his game. He had studied all the data, starting from the technical information and the power supply cables conductivity to the main super system block up to the scheme and locations, peoples and nationalities in the game itself. He was aware of everything that one of the managers was telling him, as well. He just could not find the reason for this, like all those present. And if there is no solution, then there is needed to leave everything as it is and move on. The solution will come later.

The Head of the Planning Department made a move and went to the table with drinks.

“Can anyone explain clearly what is happening with the participation of this bastard in my game?” Aleksey was speaking very quietly, but he was heard by all the thirty employees.

Everyone knew that the quieter their boss starts speaking, the darker clouds are piling up.

“What does he want?”

“He says that his disabled grandfather and minor brother need care. It is obligatory to provide everything they need: food, security, medicine and other things in his absence,” said Maria Samsonova, the Head of Advertising and Information Interaction Department. “Only if meeting his conditions on a contractual basis, he agrees to participate.”

It was chilly in the hall because of nanofresheners and climate control systems, but almost everyone had wet hands. Everyone understood that the third person in the holding was not the person to whom any demands could be addressed.

“I think this is feasible. Analysts say that the broadcast ratings will be higher due to this guy’s participation.”

The Russian-speaking segment is really excited, according to the most negative current assessments, the efficiency and sales growth will be increased by thirty-seven percent. Besides, considering that the launch is planned to be in four days, the profit will be more than one hundred and fifty billion in the first half of the year. I suppose we can allocate two thousand for security and other social expenses.”

“Well, since everything is so radiant and we shall all get big bonuses, then you will pay all the expenses out of your pocket, and as the Head of the Planning Department, you should understand that these are small expenses and they are only for the benefit. Do you agree, Maksim Stanislavovich? And I hope you will not stop searching for a solution in respect of the twenty-first player?”

Silence held in the room. It seems it was heard the cactus growing in a tub.

“Yes, I agree. And the work will be continued.”

“That is excellent. Maria, please contact this player and tell him that we agree. Maksim Stanislavovich will you give the account for writing-off funds. Now, what is new about the launch?”

“Everything is ready, as it was indicated in the order: The room on the fourth floor is completely isolated and all AOUA Robes are also installed. Tomorrow we can start gathering players.”

“Then everyone is free, the meeting is over. All reports should be mailed to me.”

In the high-rise building there was a car parking on the two lower floors, then there was a technical floor where were all service pipes of the sewerage, heating, ventilation etc. Even lower there were two floors of laboratories and a compartment with generators.

Then there was the minus third floor with living rooms, a sports hall and even a swimming pool.

On the minus the fourth floor was a huge hall; the height of the ceilings was almost seven meters. In the hall centre in two rows were placed twenty-one AOUA Robes. They looked like pentagonal sarcophagi, adjusted to the structure of a human body, of silver colour and with transparent walls. All additional system cables were connected from the bottom, so there were no hanging wires or cable stretched on the floor. There was a soft light from the floor lamps. The robes were flashing with green glows.

Each such sarcophagus-robe had a cost from five thousand to seven hundred thousand dollars, depending on the configuration.

The most expensive ones were not just equipped with healing effects but were also able of restoring the intervertebral fluid, healing the final stages of cancer, blood diseases, and certain genetic diseases.

And all this treatment had to be carried out not in the wards of hospitals or hospices, but while you having a good time with your friends involved into a new online game, comprehending the world of magic and sword.

In addition to health effects, there were additional functions, and the more expensive the configuration was, the more advantages the player had. For example, without interrupting the game, you could buy something on the Internet from the online store for a virtual gold. The guarantor of such purchase was the holding. More than ten million contracts with online stores around the world had already been concluded. Everyone knew that this was only the first step towards the complete conversion of paper money and bank cards into virtual money.

You could also print game items on the 3D-printer and use them in everyday life. Any liked decoration, weapon or statuette – whatever you desire. The printer was located behind the back of the robes and looked more like a backpack than a printer. Video, photo, online communication in any social network without exiting the game – all this was available in all robes.

The robes of the cheapest price category were mass-produced and sold.

In a couple of years, it was planned to increase the budget only of the game division to 17 trillion per quarter.

And this is only the money that was planned to receive from the start-ups associated with the game.

Also, there were developments in military equipment. Specialists changed II on military attack jets, submarines, air defence, and all equipment with chipping for AOUA FLASH technology.

The defence of the twelve most powerful and wealthy countries in the world was rapidly changing.

Slowing spoiling of goods and restoring already spoiled goods, being the most popular features of the new technology, led to a large-scale global reduction of hunger. The fifth world countries began to receive “restored’ products, which did not differ from the “first produced’.

Transportation of fast-spoiling food products: meat, milk, fruit, etc. was cheaper and it did not require the use of expensive and harmful chemicals.

“Cosmos – the next step!” was a new slogan of NASA and ROSNANO. Since, starting from the delivery of products to the stations, the aqua robs themselves, with their health effects, allowed carrying out long flights without harming the astronauts’ health. At the same time, being in the aqua robe, the pilots could continue training or calculations in the “zero reality’ of a highly classified virtual location.

Also, the principle of accumulation and storage of energy had changed. At the near-orbital stations, new batteries were also extensively installed based on this technology. They ensured the solar energy storage, as well as the ultraviolet radiation and even the energy generated by the engines of the stations themselves.

When it was announced that the asteroid approaching Jupiter was successfully defeated by a new beam method, the earthmen felt much safer. Now, from now on, all threats from outer space could be prevented even when approaching the orbits of other planets in the solar system.

Investment had started running into African countries. More than two hundred and fifty projects on extraction and delivery of water for the population had been launched. The food and medical equipment based on “aquaflash’ were absolutely free. Local specialists were being trained. Even the leading positions were taken by the local residents.

In Cuba, the Dome of Peace was constructed and installed. The incredible sized solar batteries were equitably installed in the hemisphere. Inside this sphere, all the latest technologies were offered absolutely free. During the first week of the Dome of Peace functioning, almost half a million people took part in medical examinations, and eighty percent received real aid after the examination.

All this was happening so rapidly that not all news companies had time to report.

The world kept changing at a great speed of an arrow, pushed out twenty years ago. This flight just started, and it seemed impossible to stop it.

The intergalactic scales continued to tilt towards the technology development, giving birth to more and more paths. The development of the spiritual principles was more and more decreasing.

The harmony of birth was broken. Children of the sixth generation began to come to the world. They were technical and scientific geniuses. The birth of spiritual leaders and deeply religious people stopped.

The universe impoverished and became richer because of its tilt to the one side of its own creation.

AUGUST 17, 2057, 11:30, MOSCOW CENTRAL OFFICE OF ART. SOUL HOLDING GROUP CONFERENCE ROOM

AOUA FLASH DIVISION

The complex of high-rise holding buildings is located in the business part of the metropolis centre. In the closed territory, there are the company’s own cars, parking lots, cafes, shops, spa-salons, gyms, hotels. It is a unique city built within the larger city for all employees from senior management to security and skinner groups.

Special corporate apartments from the thirteenth floor and above enjoyed incredible popularity and could not but cause enjoyment, because they were provided for free to all employees and their families.

In the closed zone, a secular commune was flourishing where everyone knew all about the neighbour up to his vacation plans.

All were friends and celebrated holidays together. Basically, the friendship was divided by the company departments: if you held a position in the technical department, then your friends, respectively, were from the same department. But if you moved into senior position, then not only your apartments but also friends, as well as habits, changed.

A tough corporate spirit, friendship between colleagues and their families were implanted from the first minute of hiring.

This was one of the holding working conditions. All employees’ accounts were also monitored by the ISA (Internal Security Agencies). If an employee was missing or receiving an inexplicable amount of money, he was monitored and invited for the “interview’ to find out the reason. If it was not found, the employee signed the application for voluntary resignation and was deprived of his job. After this, most often the life of such an employee ended in suicide.

Security cameras were installed along the closed perimeter. All the rooms in offices, entrances, parking lots were being viewed, except for residential ones. The law on private life did not allow the use of information obtained this way.

But “local’ residents were already accustomed to such security measures and treated it with humour. And after all, the missing children, pets, cell phones and even keys were found very quickly: it was enough to send the request to a special number, and either you were reported on the location of the object or person, or the thing that interested you, was delivered to your home.

At the end of the contract, depending on the length of service, a commission bonus was presented in the form of a percentage of the total wages amount for the whole period of work. For example, if you had worked at the company for five years and the total amount of earned money had been $ 360,000, then in case of your resignation, the amount of 110,000 would be transferred to your account.

Under such conditions and numerous bonuses, surely, scientists, trainers, technicians, security officers and other people from around the world were eager to work for this holding.

Passing an interview for any position in Art. soul Holding group was one of the paragraphs in the resume, and if you passed it successfully, then the resume was not required anymore. Since there was enough only to provide the positive recommendation from your current boss and you were immediately offered an appropriate post in any other company, even of a closed type. The holding had a colossal sphere of influence, a stable reputation and shares that were valued higher than the securities of some countries in the world.

It was one of the hotels exactly of this complex where all the participants of the game were settled in.

The next morning after the flight there was a short excursion, where all got acquainted with each other and were handed out the special brochures with the rules of the game.

They were interviewed by the Usage Service to fill out several questionnaires and for the identification of their needs, preferences in clothes and food, daily routine.

As participants were provided with everything due to their commissions for online broadcasts on television and Internet channels, they set themselves the amount for personal expenses.

Also, a contract was signed with each one in the presence of lawyers, exactly the same as with each subsequent player, on confidentiality of the user’s information, about the guarantee of money transfers, on mutual duties and rights.

The only exception in the rules was made only for this one, the twenty-first player. Their continuous ninety-day adventure in the game will be broadcasted. They agree to full access to the video. Naturally, since the virtual reality is as close to life as possible, during personal hygiene or intimacy, players before the start will have to pronounce the coders – special words to cancel the broadcast on the air, and at the end of the action, the words-encoders should also be pronounced to resume the online broadcast.

The total time for personal needs, the words are negotiated and established with each player individually and are classified information.

After the completion of some formalities, the participants and their representatives were gathered in the conference hall on the fifth floor of the central office.

The hall was intended for the media and held up to five hundred people.

At the long table in front of the audience were seated some representatives of technical personnel, PR specialists, psychologists, representatives of the testing department and secretaries of the general management.

Roma sat on a soft comfortable chair in a white shirt and trousers and looked over a brochure about the rules of the game.

The brochure had the form of a small interactive book with the size of an ordinary notebook. The only difference was that each page was a moving picture.

Each one told the story of races, states, continents, creatures. Separately there were stories about Gods, children of Gods, apostates, schools of light and darkness.

Naturally, each story was shown in the form of a small epic mini-movie with the participation of NPCs. All this was accompanied by the characteristic music of world stars, the effects of the presence and even the effect of smells.

If you saw a hologram about the islands, then the page began to emit the smell of the ocean, a salty breeze with tropical flowers.

The pages were made of the finest liquid crystal material, coated with AQUA FLASH. It was very exciting because the sound was fed to special mini-headphones. These headphones, each in the form of a small silver drop, were attached to the inside of the ear shell.

It was enough to touch the image of a drop on the title page of the brochure, so that the music appeared, and if desired, it could be turned off just as well.

The volume level was pleasant for the perception of information without harm to the membranes. Another novelty and a gift from the holding.

Roma watched, listened and thought about the fact that he envied someone for the first time in his life. That’s right, his gut told him.

Yes, he will become one of the first players, certainly, he will be in the first hundred thousand, but Sergey has got the chance to become one of the first and get something unique and inaccessible in the game easy and simple, he will become a discoverer, standard bearer, hero and even God.

Such adventures, world fame, such a pleasure will not be substituted by any extreme and the most expensive trips to any country in the world. He sat, sighed heavily, sniffled and was plagued with envy.

He looked up and saw Sergey, who was approaching him. He walked and smiled from ear to ear. And Roma wanted to knock his teeth out, but even if he had got into a fight, he could not have beaten him, for he was much smaller.

“Where are you walking about?”

“I came out into the corridor, my grandfather called. It is quieter there, and here is a three-ring circus.”

“And how are they?”

“Grandfather says that everything is fine. Tomorrow he already has procedures, and Yurka will have classes with the teachers.

Yes, there to the south, of course, is not what we have in Vladivostok.”

“Have you already reviewed the rules of the game?”

“No, hell with all these rules!”

“Excuse me?”

Roma was indignant! “How can you blow your life every time so finely?”

“This game is virtual, and as close to life as possible, you will stay there for ninety days. You will be beaten, you will freeze, starve, and all the wonders of adventure in the unknown world! Hell with all these rules? Are you serious? Do you mean it?”

“Listen here, Roma, I’m not going to look for mishmash. I’ll sit out ninety days quietly in my palace, as they call it, and I’ll kick off this game quietly, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.”

“It’s not funny, Sergey, you know that your palace is, most likely, a kind of settlement and it will be safe for you only twenty-four hours, and then all the evil spirits around you will start hunting.”

“Yes, yes, I was at the presentation and heard what this is.”

“Listen, will be dinner soon?”

“You’re a chimp.”

“Roma, I got a ten tone, my grandfather will get some treatment, kiddo will study, and I’ll stay in the game and return to Vladivostok, to the port. So they will give me money for a ninety-day online series with my participation. I also have money for the apartment repairs. Therefore, this virtual glory has not yet risen across my throat.” Sergey sincerely, so childishly smiled. “Let’s go to the restaurant.”

“You will eat later. And now we shall listen to, comprehend and develop the strategy of the game. And if you perform some trick there in the game, you can not come back: I’ll hire a killer for you. Got it?”

“Okay. Give me this nonsense, and you listen to what they are broadcasting at the stage.”

Sergey took the brochure and began to watch the cinema carefully, trying to remember the names of numerous Gods, their pantheons, the history of wars, unions, the names of terrible monsters and the methods of their maximum bloody murders. He had little idea of what it means to play with a complete immersion. He did not have his “coffin’, as it was called by the old generation of gamers. A couple of times he tried to play with Roma, but he did not like it: somehow, he was unconvincing, as it turned out.

In an hour, all participants were invited to a festive dinner.

This is a small cafe with glass walls, a lovely white-green interior.

Sergey sat down at the table near the flower pillar. So at least you do not feel yourself on the stage and you can eat calmly.

He had no time to meet anyone, except for Maga, also a representative of Russia. Then they have made a small talk, their rooms are nearby in the hotel.

Now he could look at everyone. At the next table, the Chinese settled. Two young girls, two guys and one very fat aged woman. They did not communicate with anyone; except “Good afternoon, Sir”, “Thank you!” it seems that no one heard them.

The same headphones that were distributed to listen to advertisements etc., turned out to be a very good online translator. Someone could speak with you in any language of the world, but the headphones translated everything. They said the same thing would happen in the game, just without headphones, but under the control of the II number one.

There next sit Hindus, two funny chubby Hindus and a very small girl.

“Hi! Can I sit with you?” Without waiting for an answer, a girl sat down at the table.

“Hi. I’m Sergey.”

“Oh, I know your name; you’re the twenty-first participant.”

“Well, yes, exactly.”

“My name is Yana. I represent Australia. However, my father and his family came from the USSR. So I’m Russian too.”

“Nice! But I can not say that you are Russian, does not look like.”

“And? So my mom is Australian, she even has an aboriginal ancestors. Have you chosen a character?”

Roma for last forty minutes did nothing but binding about the fact that he should not tell nothing about the character or the strategy to anyone before the start of the game. Since all these lovely people are rivals to five percent of the shares of the largest and the most expensive company in the world, the mil for which Sergey can study himself, pay for the studies of his brother and live well for fifteen years.

Sergey was not going to win anything like that, but he did not want to lay the cards on the table beforehand. And then a friend advised to become a knight of the brightest and strongest God, as it gave more bonuses and, accordingly, points on the characteristics, but he did not really like the plan. Sergey had his opinion, and he did not share it with anyone.

He does not need to get used to pretend, because even Roma sees him as a yap. The yap, who for the year of study independently mastered the material of three years’ course, and could afford himself not to attend lectures, and immediately pass the tests and exams. At the same time, he managed to work, read new works of scientists, articles. He was able to do housework, prepare for the lessons with his younger brother and to drive grandfather to hospitals. And the fact that people considered him illiterate, silly and dullish, just removed from him the excess burden of responsibility: “a fool’s bolt is soon shot’.

“Yana, you are nice and cute, hazel-eyed foreigner, but my character – is my character. Meet me in the game, and you’ll see.”

“It’s not likely.”

“What is not likely?”

“We are the first in an unknown world. There are no maps even for the developers. We’ll be cartographers. We don’t know how far we’re going to be apart. Some say that we will be separated by a distance equal to that separating by our countries.”

“Well, it’s just rumors.”

“I’m going to be a witch. So if you hear about the coolest witch, know: It’s me”, – she smiled cutely.

“Well, you’re going to be a witch. You’re so subfuscous and curly, just like a witch.”

“You haven’t seen me fly on a broom. Ha ha. It’s a nice place to be left alone.”

“Not counting another nineteen participants and waiters.”

“I say that our representatives are somewhere, but not with us,” she sang, copying the melody of the old song. “We have two hours of rest. Maybe we’ll get to know the other guys.”