Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The fluorescent bulbs buzzed. The convenience store was so old. Back in reality now, Seiko was always amazed to find the place hadn't been closed down yet, or just collapsed in on itself. KwikyMart had never been a nice establishment, even when it first opened. Iron gates on the windows. Dust everywhere, and the shop owner only acknowledged your existence if you looked like you were going to steal something. Seiko slowly found himself hypnotized by the humming lights above his head. The memory of what he was doing there faded. He was so tired after their long session in the ether, and so hungry after days without a proper meal. His hands clutched a bag of chips and a case of energy drinks. The Breakfast of champions. Though he wanted to, he couldn't move. His feet were glued to the linoleum by exhaustion. His heavy eyelids drooped as the young man drifted off, standing there in the convenience store. Sleep washed over him like a warm summer tide and in that moment, he could hear someone calling his name.

"Seiko, come on sweetie it's time for bed". The voice was so warm. It was his mother's voice. She used to scoop his little body off the couch when he fell asleep there and would carry him to his room, all the while humming a little tune. He remembered that song, the smell of her sweaters as he clung to her, the feeling that everything was right in the world.

"Mom." Seiko called back in a dreamy haze.

"Mom? No dude, Wake up!" Oaklee shouted.

His body snapped awake as he felt himself falling backward into the shelf lined with junk food. The loud crash drew the attention and anger of the shop owner.

"You break the merchandise, you pay for it!" He shouted.

Seiko was still only half aware of what was happening as the old man behind the counter shouted at him. He stumbled toward the counter, scanning his card on the reader. The man grumbled as he bagged up the items. The Tv behind the clerk was on the news. The headline read "Is the Ether Dangerous?" The young man rolled his eyes as two middle aged men discussed several cases where players had died while playing. The reality of those situations was that they were rarer than fatal shark attacks and that was saying something since most species of sharks had gone extinct a few decades back. Most of the time when a player died, it was due to health complications or them trying to hack the game in some kind of way, but most people understood the risk involved. After all, the Vr headset hijacked your entire nervous system. Seiko left the KwikyMart in a hurry, more than a little frazzled by the whole experience. He'd never been tired enough to pass out like that before.

"You need to sleep. You could've cracked your head open on the floor or something dummy!" Oaklee spoke to him through his headphones.

"I'm good, got my fuel." He held up the bag.

"Your 'fuel' is processed garbage. And you get all aggro on me when you crash off that sugar high."

Seiko just cracked open a can in a show of defiance. The streets were still dark this early in the morning. The city was still asleep. It was the only time he liked to venture out, otherwise things got too... hectic. Just the thought of a bustling street was enough to make him grit his teeth in terror. As they re-entered the apartment, Oaklee interfaced with the holohome system. Her glowing blue form plopped into the one and only chair dramatically. Seiko snacked on his chips while watching a live stream. A group of high level players were broadcasting their attempt on the Ethereal Juggernaut, an extremely difficult raid boss. They were having a hard time Ig past the phase change. He changed the channel to the news. It was his only source of reality at this point. The top story was about some pop star girl that got caught on camera, knocking some guy out cold. Apparently, he was one of those paparazzi people and got more of a close up than he bargained for.

"Carrie Flight has been unavailable for comment. Her agent has told us that she regrets her actions."

He wasn't a particular fan of Flight's music, but she earned some points with him for going all Tyson on one of those creeps.

Meanwhile, Oaklee pulled up several displays in front of her. Maps of the Ether, bits of text, diagrams, and calculations all flashed in front of her as she accessed the data she needed. Her hands moved impossibly fast to sort through the information, ordering it together like pieces of a puzzle. In a matter of seconds, Oaklee had devised her new plan for them. Seiko had relented control of the next mission to her and so she planned to show him just what she was capable of. She stood up and vanished, reappearing right in front of Seiko. A smug look plastered her face.

"Can I help you with something?" Seiko, annoyed, leaned to the side to see past the holographic girl.

"I doubt that you would be able to help me with anything, but your guardian angel- "Oaklee pointed at herself. "-has really outdone herself this time."

"How exactly are you an angel again?"

"I've already saved your life once and now I'm about to get us to level 50."

Seiko shook his head. "We aren't raiding. Working with other players is just a hassle."

"I figured you would say that. So, I came up with a plan that just takes the two of us. Its ok, you can be astonished now." Oaklee held out her arms and puffed out her chest.

Seiko just nodded. His eyes didn't leave the screen. The Ai scowled at him. A surge passed through her into the Tv display, shutting it off.

"Hey! What the hell?!" Seiko shouted.

"Oops. Aw gosh darn, I'm sorry boss. I guess I must be malfunctioning!" Oaklee said sarcastically.

They looked at each other for a moment, one smirking, and the other irritated. Seiko got up, moving for the computer. Oaklee tensed a little but maintained her defiance. Seiko grabbed his headset and put it on.

"Ok then Angel, let's see what you came up with."