Melting Frozen Secrets

A tear escaped his sleep-deprived eyes. It evaporated away as soon as it came, turning into thin air just like all of our loved ones eventually.

That, was our first game. Not some online video game.

He remembered the last time we three came here before we had to move to the bigger house after Systema Games hit the sky.

"Do you know what a time capsule is, kids?" Dad had asked, opening up a metal box. Me and Darren had shaken our heads. Dad had shaken his head too, "You dumb little kids," he had chuckled.

"A time capsule is a tiny box where you put little things you love inside and bury it. So that in the future when someone finds it, they'll see things that they thought were long lost," Dad had explained. My baby mind had found that thought amazing, "Wowie."

Dad had laughed and nodded, "Yes Ashe, wowie."

"What if we ourselves open it, Dad? A few years later?" Darren had questioned, not really getting it. Dad had raised his eyebrows and shook his finger at him, "That's against the rules. You're not supposed to open it until something tragic happens and you are forced to."

Darren had nodded his head and we placed little things inside the metal box. A lollipop from my side. Darren had placed his toy car and Dad...he had placed a piece of paper. Our unsuspecting minds had never asked what was in it then and we had forgotten about it as we grew up.

Darren strode inside the typing center and the shopkeeper barely looked up. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"Do you have a shovel or something I can dig with?" Darren asked, already looking around the almost empty store for something.

"Does this look like a gardening store to you?"

"Please," Darren begged someone for the first time in years, "Do you know where I can find one?"

The shopkeeper grunted and pointed to another cabin on the other side of the park. "That's the park security's cabin. Maybe you'll find something there." He bent down and took out a key, "Here, use this to open it. Don't forget to leave it back here."

Darren thanked him profusely and grabbed the key before, like a miracle, he found a single tall shovel rested against the corner of the security cabin of the park with no security.

"You go stand in that corner, Darren!" his father's words echoed inside his head and he went to stand in that corner and dug the spot up.

Clang! The shovel hit metal. The rest, he crouched down and managed with his pale hands. He pulled out the muddy dented box.

But it was locked...and he didn't have the key.

"Ashe! You go stand there!" Dad had said. Darren turned around and his eyes fell on what had been my spot during the game. He dragged the shovel there and dug that place up too.

After a few exhausting minutes, the shovel hit metal again. But this time it was a smaller unlocked box with a key inside.

Darren couldn't believe it. The locked box in his left hand and the key in the other. His face lit up in childish joy as he sat on dad's spot during the game, the spot under a shady tree, and unlocked the metal box.

Once it popped open, he emptied its contents at his feet. Along with it, the piece of paper jumped out. It was the exact color and texture of the pages in those black leather notebooks.

"He knew this all along?" Darren muttered to himself as he rolled the paper open to reveal more writing. How long had Dad been planning all this then?

{The off button of the game is hidden inside the persona the entire game depends upon. Eliminate the persona, you eliminate the game. Use this information wisely. Don't be hasty, Darren. And Ashe, learn to stand up for yourself. I love you both so very much.}

"Why does this sound like he knew he was going to die soon?" Darren picked out from the note his dad had left them. Not wasting any more time, he pocketed the time capsule and returned the shovel and key before heading to the office.

"A persona the entire game depends upon...." he asked himself while he steered the car. The server? But no, the server is non-existent like iCloud...it lies within every single line of code. It was designed to be self dependent. What else, then?

He remembered giving extra attention into the creation of Adrien according to the notes left by his father. Half the books in the store room at the entrance were based on the designs of Adrien.

In brief, he was built with all the basic controls of the game's system. Whatever changes he made to an extent would be reflected in the game. He was the most complicated Artificial Intelligence - In Real Life (AI-IRL) code of them all.

That's when Darren had decided. They didn't have to kill off the entire Death Six, according to Dad's note. Just one boy.

The boy who had somehow walked closest to my heart.

AI-IRL Prototype 3.3.

Also known as, Adrien.

Tasha was waiting for him at the office entrance, and she was fired up.

Darren got out of the car, all confused. Some of the morning employees even turned to stare at their CEO. The moment he met their questioning gazes, they turned away and scuttered away like frightened cats.

"What's going on?" he drawled, looking at Tasha for answers.

"Don't you know yet? It's all over the-" she halted when he came closer and she saw his face. "My God, where the hell were you, Darren? You look like a rotten apple who just came out of the north sewer line!"

"I haven't slept in days..." He mumbled as Tasha beckoned him to follow her to his office.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" He asked as they got inside the elevator.

She simply shot him a stare then glanced at his pocket, "Switch on that phone of yours, then maybe you'll know."

He hastily dug for his phone and switched it on. The moment he did, his phone started ringing with notifications, ricocheting against the metal walls of the elevator. Some of the ruder employees turned around to look.

Stunned, he pulled up his mail and read out yet another article under his breath. "The six teenage boys of the Systema Games case has been marked as a threat to human life after the videos of them slicing a girl's throat recently went viral. It was by some miracle that the girl hadn't died," he read, his voice breaking. Then he skipped to the last paragraph, "...the government has lifted probation?" He looked up at Tasha.

She nodded at the phone, "Read further."

"...after finding out they were actually game robots, the result of a recent technological breakthrough by Systema Games. Instead, the government has issued a destroy order for these robots for the sake of national safety."

"HOW in the world did they find out?" he whisper screamed to not attract attention of the other employees. But he didn't want Tasha to answer before he realized the truth. The traitor in the staff was still on the loose. This was all that unknown person's plan.

In Darren's office, a short guest was waiting.

"Mr King?" he addressed the lawyer in confusion. Mr King's face was red and flaring. He had his usual suitcase clutched in his hands as he strode forward to crane his neck up at the young man.

"You didn't tell me they were robots, you punk!"

"I-"

"No. I don't want to hear it. There is nothing I can do now. You have to destroy those robots. It's a national order."

Darren clenched his teeth. "And what if I don't?"

Mr King looked at him as if he couldn't believe what Darren was saying. Tasha was looking at him the same way too. "Darren..." she tried to say.

Mr King fumed, "If you don't, we will have to shut down the entire Systema Games. Because clearly, it is a threat to society."

That stabbed Darren right in the chest. What if Dad had heard someone saying this about his creations? He had spent years building its foundations and recently found out that he had started designing IRL technologies even before Systema Games made it to to the top. It was his life's dream. And to see a man's entire life's worth degraded to a few rash words from a dumb lawyer hurt. A lot.

"What have I turned dad's company into..." he thought to himself.

"I'm sorry dad, I'm really sorry. I just wish you were here."

..............

Thank you for reading y'all...stay tuned for MASS RELEASE on OCTOBER 5th! I'll be posting at least 3 chapters so don't miss it.

and please vote. Love you.