Chapter 13 : Easy as pie

Quota 0/270 - On hold : 11 days left to start the quota (Only 2 days left to meet Mister T. deadline)

In summary, it wasn't as simple as it seemed. Victor had no idea how to proceed since the motorcycle had no pedals like his bicycle used to. He hadn't even managed to start it. He was just standing still beside it while giving Shirley a helpless look, hoping she'd come to help him.

But Shirley had a different plan. She asked the carrier to load both motorcycles onto his truck and take them to a different address. She realized that Victor had never handled a motorcycle before and wanted to address that.

Instead of exploring the city outskirts that day, they were going to take their motorcycle tests. Shirley was curious to see if she would pass herself.

They climbed into the carrier's truck, and it took them about an hour to reach their destination. Their destination was on the outskirts of the city. The three of them got out of the truck and unloaded the two motorcycles. They had arrived in front of a sort of track a few hundred meters long, with a small sign at the entrance:

"**Private Zone. Get your license in less than a day with our professional courses!**"

The carrier had left on Shirley's orders, as if she expected them to leave with their licenses. For now, they simply pushed their motorcycles toward their new instructor a few steps away.

He was an old man in his sixties, with black hair sprinkled with white. He had two motorcycles next to him that he usually used to teach beginners. He was thus a bit surprised to see them arrive with their massive bikes. He wasn't the biggest expert on models, but he knew theirs were too powerful and radical to use for beginners.

"**Good day to both of you, I'm Jackson and I'll be your teacher for the day. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. If not, we can start right away,**" he announced before turning to the two bikes he had prepared for them.

"**You should really learn on these models. They're light and manageable, ideal for people just starting.**"

It was a valid point which Shirley dismissed. They had all afternoon to teach Victor how to ride, and she was determined to return home by bike.

She thought it would be best to teach him on the bike that he would be using later. She answered to the man's suggestion with her signature smile:

"**Don't worry, sir, he's quick to learn and catches on fast. He should be flying on his bike in just these few hours !**"

She might have been overly optimistic. The man sighed in defeat before starting to give them instructions.

Shirley didn't need them since she knew how to ride a motorcycle despite not having a license, but the information was crucial for Victor.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't understand a word the instructor was saying. 

Shirley warned the instructor about Victor's condition, and they started a mime class.

In summary, Victor had to learn to switch from bicycles to racing motorcycles in one afternoon by following mime lessons from an old man.

The project seemed doomed from the start, but Victor managed quite well. He fell every few meters at first, but his biggest challenge was mastering the clutch. After an afternoon of falls, Victor was ready to face the real road.

He now had only two main issues with his motorcycle. The first was its unreasonable power. It had so much horsepower that it would rear up if he used too much throttle. Doing a wheelie was cool for the show, but Victor didn't have the skills to be confident once it was happening. The second problem was its weight. It was heavier than a standard motorcycle because of its engine, and Victor often found himself on the ground when he was trying to stop. He never really got hurt, but he never went over 20 miles per hour, or as Victor would say as a true Frenchman, 30 kilometers per hour.

The instructor didn't really think Victor was ready, but he believed they wouldn't have any problems getting home if they went slowly. He gave each of them a motorcycle license before bidding them farewell and riding off on his own.

Now, it was just the two young people and their two overpowering motorcycles. Victor checked the time on his phone.

6:30 PM

"It's going to be tough to make it to the hotel by 7 PM," he whispered while looking apprehensively at Shirley. She was wearing her signature comforting smile, though it wasn't really comforting Victor. He had the unsettling feeling that she would prioritize punctuality over obeying the law and, in this case, speed limits. Victor was already uneasy about it if he was a car passenger but driving a motorcycle himself was only intensifying his anxiety. He may have lacked confidence, but the thought of speeding on this bike, which was a bit too eager to start some wheelie, was worrying to say the least.

Nevertheless, Victor resigned himself to his fate. He mounted his motorcycle and followed Shirley. She abided by the speed limits until they reached the highway. Once on it, she gradually began to accelerate. She didn't exceed 150 miles per hour, but Victor already found it difficult to keep up with her pace. He might have managed if he had been alone on a straight road, but his instructor had never really taught him how to manage interlane traffic at high speeds. 

Well, the old man hadn't taught him beyond 20 miles per hour, so he was doing pretty well all things considered. And by pretty well, I mean he was still alive, which is not bad, right?

After the most stressful minutes of his life and a few close calls, they finally exited the highway. Victor didn't know why, but he felt thrilled by the speed. "Maybe I'm a speed freak," he thought before catching himself. "I'm not crazy ! It's this woman trying to corrupt my mind and lure me to the dark side of the law. But I, Victor, will never follow you into this madness !" he declared inwardly as he handed his helmet to the valet who had come down the steps.

He checked the time on his phone.

6:55 PM

Five minutes early. It turns out, there was no need to rush. They could have driven at 140 miles per hour and still arrived on time. Victor stopped thinking about it and walked with Shirley into the hotel.

They headed straight to the restaurant where Olivia and the mysterious man were waiting. They had already ordered drinks and seemed to be patiently awaiting their arrival. The patrons inside the restaurant were paying either with strangely colored coins or regular money, but Victor had neither. He was already pleased with the hotel's hospitality and wouldn't push their generosity. They took their seats at the table. When the man had said this morning that he wanted to talk, Victor had imagined a speech or something motivational for the troops, but that was not the case at all.

The man didn't speak during the first part of the meal, allowing Shirley to tell Olivia about their little motorcycle trip. He only started talking when they got to dessert. Like a squad leader, he began giving everyone directions:

"On site, Olivia will handle our safety while Shirley will be our driver, and Victor will sort out the items he thinks are most valuable. Olivia, I want you to walk at the back of the group to protect our rear and be ready to respond if something approaches from the sides. I'll take care of carrying the ammo bags, supplies, and any other essentials we might need once inside. Shirley, I need you to be ready at a moment's notice to pull us out of any misstep in a flash. I've made three copies of the keys to the vehicle we'll use for this mission, so any of us can get out even if something happens to Shirley. Lastly, Victor, I need you to choose, without hesitation, the items that will bring us the most value once we're inside."

(I've removed the ** since Olivia will translate all the sentences for Victor whenever they are together.)

'Why do I feel like he's gearing up for war?'

This feeling was growing stronger after each one of the man's sentences.

After answering their few questions, mostly technical ones from Olivia, the man wished them a good night and asked them to be at the restaurant by 8 am the next day. He left the restaurant to go who knows where, and Victor went on to finish his dessert.

They were supposed to meet someone named Dine tomorrow to get the location of where they needed to go on Staten Island. During their conversation, Victor also learned that the company was usually sending a notification to its members whenever a new site was available. Interested parties just had to go to the announced branch to get the location. It was usually a "first come, first served" rule, but the person who had assembled the team seemed confident that no one would take the house away from them.

Perhaps she had contacts within the company, or maybe Victor was overthinking it.

He had returned to his room after talking with Shirley all evening. She spoke about her travels but mainly about the cars, bikes and other random vehicles that she had in her garage. He was now lying on his bed, still digesting because he had eaten too much, and pondering philosophical questions.

'It might be a good idea to use this time to listen to the voice in my head. It's been a while since I've heard its soothing sound,' he thought as he got comfortable in his bed.

'Is there anyone around here ?' he muttered to himself, as if he was trying to talk with his inner self.

Of course, I'm always here!

'How are you doing, little voice?'

I'm doing very well, host, and you?

'I'm okay, I'm okay. Tell me, little voice, what exactly can you do ?'

Just think very hard about the word "command" and you will discover all my capabilities!

Victor said the magic word out loud and a holographic screen appeared before his eyes.

'Can others see it ?' he asked, worried.

Of course! But you don't need to display this screen to use my features. Once you know what I am capable of, you just have to say the keywords to get everything you dream of !

Victor wasn't sure he was reassured by the end of the sentence, but he wasn't opposed to the idea of being able to buy a motorcycle like Shirley's with the system.

He turned his attention back to the holographic screen. It had a bluish tint and floated a few centimeters above the bed.

There seemed to be several major categories in the system's functions. First was the scan function that Victor had already used once, which allowed him to know how many objects were left inside the house. Just below was a function modestly titled "System Commands" that Victor couldn't understand.

'What is the System Commands category for ?'

The system commands cannot be used here. You will get more and more information once you are in the appropriate place, host !

'I guess it's a function that only works near the house we are trying to search, like the scan.'

Victor went onto the other categories. The next on the list was the store function.

As soon as he had thought of the keyword, a new screen appeared. This screen was listing all the items that the system was selling, but it seemed to be out of stock as there were only two items in the catalog: a lamp that the system labeled as "professional" despite looking outdated to Victor, and a shovel.

'Aren't you selling anything else, Mr. Dream Seller? Not even a powerful bike ?'

Not for now! But rest assured, my catalog will expand after you have met a quota !

'This system seems like a big sales pitch.'

I can hear you, host !

"Whatever. After all, it's your fault you're not selling practical stuff."

Victor thought about closing the store, and the holographic screen disappeared.

He continued to browse the main screen.

The last category was ominously named "Monsters."

Before asking any questions to the system, he thought of the keyword and a new window appeared. Like the store, the screen was composed only of question marks except for two names noted in bright red.

Coil-head

Jester

'Since when have I encountered monsters? Maybe my inner self wasn't hiding its ugliness behind a sheet but was actually in fact a monster.'

The system's voice echoed in his head to interrupt his thoughts.

I have searched your memory. You have encountered a Coil-head on your second day of work and a Jester on your third. Don't worry, host ! Except under exceptional circumstances, you are safe once you have left the property of the house you have just searched !

The system might have managed to comfort him if it wasn't for its answer to his very next question.

'Were they harmless ?'

They are the ones who prevent the most people from completing their quotas. But you made it out host !

Victor was not feeling very pleased.

'Can you show me a picture so I can see what they look like ?'

Here's a Coil-head.

An image appeared before his eyes. It was the statue over two meters tall that he had seen on the second day.

'So it wasn't a modern art statue ?'

A second image appeared a few seconds later.

Jester.

It was a small music box with a handle on the side. The system, hearing Victor's barrage of questions, gave him more information.

Once it starts winding its music, you have 15 minutes to leave the building. If you don't leave on time, you can say goodbye to your day and probably your quota !

'I didn't know it was so dangerous ! They really seem good at making people fail their quotas, those two rascals !'

He took a few seconds to calm down before asking the system:

'How does a Coil-head work ?'

It moves towards you as long as you're not looking at it. You can put a door between you and it, but remember, it will find a way to open it after a few minutes ! And of course, if it catches you, it's the end of your day !

'I should buy a shovel to defend myself next time I encounter one of the two. By the way, how am I supposed to pay for a shovel ?'

The total from what you've sold at each quota allows you to buy items from the store. For example, you sold for the last quota 251. With the 60 given by the system and a bonus of 27 for selling beyond the quota, you currently have 338.

'Is that enough to buy a shovel?' he asked the system.

A shovel costs 30 each, so you can buy 11. They will appear instantly at your side, but it won't be the case for every item.

'Is there a way to convert this currency into real money?'

The system's voice, cold and devoid of emotion, replied instantly.

No. Items purchased from the system also sell for 0 to the company.

'Sad, it might have allowed me to become a pro at buying and reselling.' he lamented as he bought 11 shovels.

Thank you for your purchase, host!

He placed one under his bed, one in the bathroom, and one under his pillow. He left the others beside him under the comforter to have one on hand in case a music box decided to show up.

Victor had not yet unlocked the other functions of the system, so he made the screen in front of him disappear with a thought before falling asleep surrounded by his harem of shovels.

'Goodnight, system.'

Goodnight, host !

'Maybe I really am going crazy,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

While Victor slept, a discussion took place above his head. The mysterious man had come to see the manager with a question that was troubling his mind.

"Can you vouch for Mr. de Lafayette's ability to see the objects that matter to the company ?"

The manager laughed upon hearing his question.

"Me? Absolutely not ! But someone do.

- Who is that ?

- Mr. T. vouches for the boy's abilities, and we both know he rarely speaks with us mere mortals."