A Deal Is Struck With A Snake

"Spare me the audacity. You think you have any power to demand anything of me?"

"I'm not trying to demand anything ma'am... It's more of a request."

"Go on then... I'll at least hear you out and decide for myself whether I should agree to it or not."

In that same virtual office, Doctor Katherine's eyebrow twitched as she waited for Cole to spit out whatever it was, he was trying to ask.

As much as Cole despised himself for even considering accepting her offer, there really wasn't any choice available to him.

He stood to lose with one option, but also stood to suffer an even greater loss with the other.

But with the first choice, there was a silver lining.

Only if he could get Doctor Katherine's agreement.

"My sister. I would like her found and provided for... I don't expect anything extravagant, just enough to support her until I'm released... I'll do whatever it is you want if you can give me that much."

"Hmm... I did read in your file you had a younger sister... Annabelle her name was, correct?"

"Yes, that's her."

Cole flinched, his heart balking at the mention of her name.

Doctor Katherine eyed him, weighing up and considering the pros and cons of agreeing to the request.

Really though, in the scheme of things, it's no skin off my back... It's not as if the company would go broke from doing so... Doctor Katherine thought.

Money wasn't an issue.

Obviously.

Running a business, there were expectations that in addition to the usual expenditure required to run it, there would also be additional costs associated with unexpected issues that arose.

Manpower wasn't a problem either. That could always be gathered or cast aside, whichever suited the application need.

It all boiled down to whether Doctor Katherine wanted to.

"Fine. I can assure you that I'll have someone approach her and sort out some kind of recompense whilst you operate for us."

"Thank you. I'm relieved."

It wasn't an obstacle in the slightest, simply another discussion over points of the contract that could be conceded.

Normal business talks.

"All that awaits is your signature. Once that's complete, I'll endeavor to uphold my end of the bargain and I expect full cooperation from yourself."

Snapping her fingers once more, the document appeared in front of Cole.

Without hesitation, he pressed a thumb to the signature section and signed off with a fingerprint.

Since this was a virtual world, it wasn't a legitimate fingerprint impression.

But much like the identifying feature of a person that a fingerprint was, unable to be copied whatsoever and unique to the individual they belong to, so was the mind.

Cole was effectively signing off with a mental impression that could not be fabricated or copied.

"Fantastic. It's a pleasure to be working with you Cole."

Smiling satisfactorily, Doctor Katherine collected the paperwork and filed it away in a drawer.

Gratified at finally making some further headway, she was satisfied there would be no further obstacle hindering her progress.

She was even feeling generous enough to call him by his name again!

A fact which was not lost on him.

"So... What was in that contract... That's all true ma'am?"

Still uncertain, Cole wasn't so daft as to believe everything she offered.

As far as he was concerned, she was a snake. One that if you tugged upon the tail of, would rear its head and sink its venomous fangs into you without hesitation.

All he could do was hope that the one thing he wished for, would be followed through with.

"Oh yes, absolutely. If you succeed, then all currency you have obtained up until that point will be yours. We have no need for financial imbursement of course. Also, the rest of your sentence will be commuted and you will be released. Quite generous don't you think?"

Cole gulped. It was almost too good to be true.

All of that money?

He would be able to provide a very luxurious and comfortable lifestyle with that, for himself and his sister.

No longer would they be struggling to survive day to day, wondering where their next meal was coming from.

They wouldn't have to scrounge for change, to afford the bare minimum they needed for the most basic of necessities.

Most importantly, they would be safe.

In addition, having his sentence completely reduced and being able to leave was a blessing.

He wouldn't mentally wither away inside a fake, false world.

But instead, be able to return to his physical body and breathe real air once again.

"My body..."

Cole mumbled to himself.

Just thinking about his body aging whilst he was trapped, horrified him.

Within the virtual world, his appearance was unchanging, because it was a direct reflection of how he perceived himself in the real world.

As if he were staring into a mirror. As if time had frozen him in place.

But out there, things were vastly different.

The world continued to turn, unrelenting it spun, refusing to wait for anyone.

So, time continued its unstoppable momentum forward, bringing with it the aging process that affects everything and everyone.

It was unsurprising then that people within the community would decide to abandon their physical bodies and reside completely within the virtual world.

"What're you mumbling about?"

Doctor Katherine cut through his morbid thoughts and brought him back to his current 'reality'.

"Nothing... I was just wondering what exactly I'm supposed to be doing? There wasn't anything mentioned specifically on those papers ma'am. Just a vaguely implying something about a game?"

Best not go down that path and incur her wrath again.

"I'm glad you asked Cole. Well, you used to be quite the player, weren't you? Winning several championships in this day and age is no easy feat."

"... You're right... I did manage to do well in a number of first-person shooter games. That was a long time ago though. I haven't approached a full-dive headset since I left home until I was sent here of course."

So that's what this is all about. She wants me to enter into a competition involving the use of guns... Some kind of war game for sure, Cole Thought.

"But even if I entered into a wargame, or whatever it is you want, it doesn't mean I'm going to do well. In all honesty, I'll probably be decimated! My skills would have perished over time, the longer I stayed away..."

"Skills can always be reclaimed or improved upon. That rings true no matter whether the occasion is reality or virtual. All it takes is practice and determination. What you're lacking in practice, but the determination should already be there... For obvious reasons."

"Even so... Technology and variety change over time. The games I used to play are surely redundant now and have been replaced by more modern, sophisticated, and impressive ones."

"Have you always been this negative Cole? Because I'm going to get an aneurism if we continue like this."

Cole shut his mouth. It was not worth pressing the point any further if it only backfired and caused him more problems.

He had enough to deal with already, anymore on his already piled high plate would be ridiculous.

Being bitten by the viper was not worth the pain it brought.

"Haa... Listen carefully and don't interrupt me, because I'm only going to explain this once."

Rubbing her temples, Doctor Katherine eyed him off.

She was about to set him straight.

"The game you're going to be entering isn't a first-person shooter or anything remotely similar to that. It's a large, open-world Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game-"

"You've got to be joking."

Unable to restrain himself, Cole cut through her explanation.

This was absurd.

He was already set up and doomed for failure from the very beginning.

"What the hell did I just say?"

Sharper than a knife's edge, she cut back at him.

"I'm sorry... But I only played first-person shooters. Nothing else. I have none, absolutely zero, experience of playing a game like that."

Bowing down under her fierce gaze and apologizing, Cole explained how he honestly felt about the proposal.

It wasn't that he disliked those games.

It wasn't that he was averse to playing them either.

He just had never been allowed to do so.

His parents had strictly enforced the one type of game he was good at, what he excelled at, and what brought in the money for them.

Under their guidance, he had risen through the ranks of the mediocre and became a leading champion on various shooting games.

At his peak, he was recognized worldwide and was entering numerous championships, either through team play or solo playing, becoming a household name.

The result of which brought a steady stream of finances to the family, as each win or placement resulted in a cash prize.

Such was E-sports in this day and age.

However, he never saw a single cent from his earnings. The entire fund had been controlled by his parents, who managed the account.

"No matter what genre the game is, you will do well. There's already been countless research on this. Mentally, how your mind is wired, your mechanical reasoning and problem-solving abilities are beyond the average. Added to that, whilst you've been in our care I've had the pleasure of mapping your neural network and identifying that you are more than suited for this task. I do not doubt that regardless of the game, you will excel." She informed him.

"Well... If you're so sure... Then I guess I have no choice."

"You lost that option when you agreed to the terms and conditions."

Cole winced. She was right, after all, he had decided to comply with the requirements of the job.

"So, what's this game that I'll be diving into?"

There was only one last thing that he needed an answer for.

May as well bite the bullet and resign himself to it.

She smiled at him, one devoid of any comfort, however.

"Primordial Fracture Online."