New Project's

On the 4th of June 1988, Alex was up bright and early, following his usual morning routine. He had a busy day ahead of him at the Blue Star Interactive headquarters in Brooklyn, where he would be spending most of his time.

His main goal for the day was to resolve some issues with the DOOM team and discuss upcoming projects with his colleagues, including two new game ideas that he and Michael's team would be working on.

In total, the gaming studio would now have five different titles in production, but it was manageable as the projects didn't require too many people. Alex started his day with some exercise before dedicating an hour and a half to writing for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

He was fully immersed in the process and lost track of time until he finished.

Meanwhile, Harry had woken up and headed to the bathroom, noticing that the living room light was already on.

He wasn't surprised by his nephew's early morning habits and continued on to take a shower. As Alex finished his writing and stretched his arms, he saw that it was now six-thirty in the morning.

Just as he shut off his computer, Harry walked into the living room. "Early bird today, I see," he greeted Alex with a smile.

"Same to you. Any plans for the day?" Alex replied, also curious about why Harry was up so early on a weekend. Usually, he wouldn't wake up until 8 o'clock on weekends.

"Actually, your uncle thinks it's important for me to start waking up at 4 in the morning," Harry explained with a sigh.

As the president of the production studio, he always had to be on top of things, similar to a CEO of a corporation. "Being an early riser is essential if you want to be prepared for anything."

"Well, it looks like you failed at that, considering you're here now," Alex quipped with a grin.

Alex had developed a routine of waking up early every day, and he took great pride in this habit. But when his uncle Harry caught him in the act, he quickly realized that he was not the only one who was an early riser.

"I was actually up at four o'clock, going through some documents in my room," Harry explained to Alex, noticing the smug expression on his nephew's face.

Alex's pride immediately turned to shame as he realized that he was not the only one with disciplined habits. "Oh, really?" he responded, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I guess I still have a lot to learn as an adult."

Harry took this opportunity to impart some valuable advice to Alex about the importance of discipline and responsibility. Little did he know, Alex had already acquired a wealth of knowledge far beyond his years.

But despite his wisdom, Alex still a 12-year-old boy at heart. This was evident in his decision to use his future knowledge to create a video game.

"Thanks for the advice," Alex replied sarcastically as he headed off to get dressed. He was about to leave for Brooklyn to visit the headquarters of Blue Star Interactive, where he would spend quality time with his family and friends.

After getting dressed, Alex visited his uncle's apartment, where he found his aunt Helena already up and holding her son Benjamin.

"Looks like you're up early as always, Alex," Helena greeted him with a warm smile. "How was your morning?"

"It was alright. It seems like you two are early birds as well," Alex replied, joining them in the living room.

Helena chuckled. "Yes, Benjamin doesn't seem to want to sleep tonight. Isn't that right, little one?"

She cooed at her son, who responded with an adorable smile. "Can I hold him for a bit?" Alex asked, eager to spend time with his cousin. "Of course," Helena handed Ben over to Alex and excused herself to use the restroom.

"Sure," Alex said, wrapping his arms around Ben as Helena excused herself to use the restroom. He gently rocked his cousin back and forth as he moved around the living room. Just then, Daniel walked in, dressed in a suit, and saw Alex holding Ben.

"Oh, good morning, Alex," Daniel began, but Alex quickly made a hushing gesture with his finger. "He just fell asleep," Alex whispered, and Daniel nodded in understanding as he approached Alex cautiously. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping baby, Alex carefully handed Ben over to Daniel, who took him into his own arms.

Daniel then made his way towards his room to put Ben to bed.

At the same time, Helena emerged from the restroom and saw her husband holding their son as he made his way to their room. She, too, made sure to move quietly so as not to wake him.

Meanwhile, Alex was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone. It had become a routine for him since he was the only other person besides his aunt who knew how to cook a decent breakfast. Harry and Daniel were used to having all their meals prepared for them and were not to be trusted in the kitchen, except for boiling water for tea or coffee.

As Alex cooked a classic English breakfast for the family, back at Blue Star Interactive headquarters in Brooklyn, Gray woke up to find Marvin already in the kitchen having breakfast.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Marvin teased, sipping on a hot cup of coffee. "Where's my breakfast? And why are you up so early? You're usually still asleep by now."

"Did you forget it's Saturday and the beginning of a new month?" Marvin asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee from the kettle.

"Barbecue," Gray finished with a smirk. It had become a studio policy at Blue Star Interactive to have a weekend barbecue at the end of every month.

As a way for employees to connect and unwind. While it also served as a platform for discussing projects and exchanging ideas, this aspect was not mandatory and could be done at any time.

"I'll grab my dad's car. Do you have the list of items we need to pick up?" Gray inquired as he grabbed a plate and began serving the pancakes Marvin had prepared.

"Yeah, I have it. By the way, you know how to make mashed potatoes, right?" Marvin asked. "No, but Mark should know," Gray replied as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Great. And let's make sure Fred stays away from the grill this time," Marvin added, recalling the incident they had last time, with Fred over cooking most of the grilled meat.

Gray nodded in agreement without hesitation, as he took a bite of his pancake. Meanwhile, Daniel dropped off Alex at Star Horizon Office Building, before he depart to work. After chatting with, everyone for a while as he dropped off Alex.

Alex had taken the opportunity to meet and chat with their new guest. As he gazed at the unusually tall Asian girl in front of him, he greeted her, "Hi, I'm Alex. I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

Ji-woo smiled and replied, "I'm Ji-woo. It's nice to meet you too, Alex." Ji-woo was pleasantly surprised by Alex's traditional bow as a greeting, as she hadn't experienced this kind of greeting since arriving. Returning the gesture, she felt a warmth in her heart.

After getting to know Ji-woo and her circumstances, Alex couldn't help but feel that his parents may have been a bit too hasty in taking her in. Despite his two older siblings vouching for her, he couldn't be entirely certain of her story. However, with his understanding of Korean customs, he found her tale a little believable.

As he conversed with Ji-woo, Alex was impressed by her intelligence and demeanor, and they quickly clicked. Later, he sat down with Duke to discuss the complexities of developing a search engine for their company, Blue Space.

During their two-hour conversation, they delved into the intricate coding involved. Alex was surprised when Duke brought up the idea of linking computers through an information system for content sharing over the internet.

Alex realized that his older brother had already thought about the concept of the World Wide Web, which would not come into existence for another three years. However, Alex was not particularly interested in pursuing this idea at the moment.

They did, however, discuss what would be required to make it a reality.

After their discussion, Alex understood that Duke was not as enthusiastic about creating the World Wide Web as he initially thought. In fact, Duke even mentioned the possibility of selling off their idea.

Alex then spent the next few hours getting to know the newly hired staff of the company. He was impressed by their progress in just a few months, with over two thousand five hundred orders per day. Alex was pleased with the growth of the business, especially after their ongoing advertising campaign.

As Alex observed the rapid growth of their business, he realized it was already one p.m., marking the end of the workday for everyone.

Alex felt a bit uneasy upon realizing that Star Horizon needed to start operating around the clock. He couldn't help but think about the discussions his parents had been having about this possibility. However, he wasn't sure when it would actually happen.

"Alex, it's time to go. We'll drop you off first," his father, Oliver, suddenly called out to him. Alex was busy going over orders with his colleague John, but he knew he had to leave soon.

"Just give me a second," he replied before bidding farewell to John and his coworkers who were also wrapping up for the day.

Walking over to Oliver, Alex couldn't help but smile as his father playfully ruffled his hair. "You need a haircut," Oliver commented as they walked out of the office.

"And we need a second car," Alex responded casually, shrugging off his father's hand.

"Really? You don't say," Oliver chuckled, thinking about the fact that with the addition of Ji-woo, they would need more space in the car. A second car was a necessity, and it wasn't like they were lacking the funds for it.

The two of them walked out to the car, and Alex hopped into the back of their Toyota Land Cruiser. The whole family then drove home, with Alex squeezed into the back seat. Before they dropped him off at Blue Star Interactive headquarters, Alex said his goodbyes to his family.

"Alright, I'll see you all later," he said, waving as he got out of the back of the car. With a determined look on his face, he headed into the building. As soon as he walked through the doorway, Alex spotted a group of Michael's team members bustling around in the kitchen. They were all hard at work preparing the meats for the highly anticipated barbecue that was planned for later in the day.

"Hey boss, look who finally decided to join us. How's it going?" Luke, one of the members, greeted Alex with a smirk.

Taking a moment to exchange pleasantries with everyone in the kitchen, Alex then made his way out to the backyard where he found various groups of people mingling and getting ready for the barbecue. After saying hello to familiar faces, he joined his own teams who were already hard at work preparing for the event.

Soon, Alex, Michael and Mark made their way upstairs to the meeting room where they would discuss important matters. "Alright, we all know why we're here today. Let's not waste any more time," Alex spoke in a serious tone, his expression reflecting the gravity of the situation.

Michael's second team was currently working on episodes two and three of the popular Castle Wolfenstein series. With those projects coming to an end, they were in need of a new project to work on.

The same went for his team, who had split into two from the main Mortal Kombat team. And with the delay of DOOM, Mark's team were also in need of a new project.

Both Michael and Mark nodded in agreement to Alex's words. "So, what kind of project are you guys thinking of?" Alex asked, directing his attention between the two of them.

"I've got nothing," Michael shrugged, leaning back in his seat. After discussing with his team, they were unable to come to a consensus on a new concept for a game.

"We have a few ideas, but we're still trying to decide on the best one," Mark chimed in, adjusting his glasses. "

Alex eagerly awaited to hear what Mark and his team had come up with after a full day of discussions yesterday. However, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that Michael and his second team hadn't presented anything yet.

It wasn't too concerning though, as the second team was scheduled to take a two-week break starting today, since they had just completed their work on Castle Wolfenstein. Hence, it wasn't urgent for them to come up with ideas for a new project, immediately.

"Alright, let's hear it then," Alex said, giving a nod to indicate his readiness. "We were thinking of creating a game similar to Contra and Double Dragon," said Mark, and both Alex and Michael nodded in agreement. They were all fans of these games and knew how successful they were.

This idea was why had brought out, Alex had brought up the concept of Battle Toads. At last week's family gathering, mentioning the popularity of such games. However, Michael and Mark had shown little interest in the concept.

"Go on," Michael urged, being a big fan of both Contra and Double Dragon games and having spent countless hours playing them on his Nintendo Entertainment System.

"Well, since our studio focuses is on single-player games, we were thinking of a game about a lone ninja," explained Mark. As soon as Alex heard this, his mind automatically went to Ninja Gaiden, which was set to release in America for the arcade market in the next five months.

He couldn't help but shake his head mentally at the thought, knowing that there wasn't enough time for Mark's team to work on a similar game before Ninja Gaiden's release.

However, he continued to listen to Mark's description of the game, which seemed to have elements similar to Ninja Gaiden.

This didn't come as a surprise to Alex, as Mark was a big fan of Japanese culture and movies.

"Alright, it's a great concept for a game. What's the second idea?" Alex finally asked, wanting to hear more about the second game idea Mark and his team had come up with.

However, Mark could sense that Alex wasn't as enthusiastic as Michael, who was sitting next to him, brimming with excitement. When was describing the idea of the game, as he wondered what Alex, had in mind when he gave them this task.

"Uh, well...um," Mark cleared his throat, noticing the lack of enthusiasm in Alex's tone. " Well, the second one his a racing game. " Mark said, simply a little embarrassed as he was really biting on Alex taking an interest in his first suggestion.

" Alright, you and your team decide between the two, and I'll draft up the story for it. " Alex finally, said wondering which of the two Mark would choose.

Anyway, it was just a matter of who could release their game sooner, and which one was better. Hence, Alex was to concerned if Mark chose to go with their first concept, which compared to the racing game Alex, prepared the first option.