Continue Online (Book 1, Memories) by Stephan Morse Read Free Book Online Page B

Why
not? There’s so much you can do with them.”
    “ I
just-” haven’t felt the need or desire? Haven’t
felt right playing games in general? Felt like I was tainting a
promise made years ago? “I recently won something from work.
And it got me thinking.”
    “ What
did you win?” She asked.
    “ I’m
not sure yet, it’s on my home ARC, but I think it’s a
copy of Continue Online.” My eyebrows lifted and I gave a
partial shrug.
    “ Oh
my god, Uncle, really? Are you finally going to play?” Beth was
nearly hopping around the room now.
    “ If
that’s what the prize is, sure. You know I’d never buy it
for myself.”
    “ Mom
said the same thing. We were going to get you a copy for Christmas
this year.” Christmas wasn’t too far away. It would have
been a perfect present.
    “ Is
it really that good?” I asked.
    My
niece blubbered with her words for a moment before righting herself.
    “ Yes.”
She managed to get a single word out before laughter overtook her.
“You’ve never seen it in person?”
    “ No.
Only the online ads and a few reviews.” All my knowledge of the
game came from working on peoples ARCs and the few videos I had
watched in the van.
    “ Do
you have one of those Second Player helms?” Beth ran over and
looked up at me. She took after her father in terms of height. He'd
been on the short side.
    “ I
do, I think. Hal normally makes sure we have at least one.” I
said.
    “ Get
it, and meet me downstairs.”
    “ If
you say so, munchkin.” My niece was so excited that the
nickname went by unremarked. I went out to the van and slid open the
back. Hal Pal was on standby, but I could see the light signaling
mild awareness.
    “ Hal,
be a Pal and check out one VRH Two for temporary personal use.”
I felt clever for using the old commercial jingle from when Hal Pal's
were first released.
    Hal
Pal blinked then reached out one arm to undo security locks on our
panel of parts and plugins. Out came a full helmet that used to only
be found on motorcycle riders. A burnished red color line ran
vertically as mild decoration.
    “ Yes,
User Legate. Please remember to file a feedback form upon return.”
Hal Pal carefully handed over the device. Trillium and The ARC
Project both demanded feedback forms when employees used new
equipment.
    I
took the VRH Two and braced myself for the deceptive weight. The
thing was heavy as a bowling ball but once on and logged in it would
be strangely comfortable. The other reviewers stated there was no
neck pain.
    I
had only used it once. And that was a job to fix one person’s
program. It was also one of the most awkward things my job had ever
subjected me to. The client's program hadn’t worked right, but
it was only in a specific spot, with a specific, ugh, movement.
Turned out the program hadn’t been intended to bend that way.
Part of me was convinced the guy got off on getting me to ride along.
    I
tried not to shudder at the memory and trudged inside. My footsteps
would drown out any other noises in the house. Soundproofing had
become nearly standard for most modern houses. This one was from the
late eighties and probably missed some of the neater materials on the
market.
    “ It’s
okay, Uncle Grant. You can’t hear anything from here.”
Beth was already sitting on the edge of her ARC. Her feet almost
didn't touch the floor.
    “ I’m
sure that’s why she gave you the far bedroom.”
    “ Only
a few more years and I’ll be done with college, then I can move
out.” Beth shrugged and tried to sound positive. I remembered
moving out myself. It involved a lot of drinking and roommates who
were questionable on a good day.
    Good
times.
    “ So
how are we doing this?” I rolled the Second Player helm around
and tried to remember how it was used. There, a plug to go into one
of the ARC's ports. From there we would have a wireless connection.
    “ I’ll
dive into the game, you can watch as a secondary,” She said.
    “ I
thought they were trying to