Speed Run (a X33N and Alien: Isolation fanfiction)

Chapter 1

"Ahhhh!" I screamed as the world in front of me blacked out, and the sound cut off. "What happened?! I swear I didn't do anything!" I said, taking the black VR helmet off to look at the people manning the booth. They and a small crowd were laughing.

"You moved too far and pulled a cable out," The game developer whose name badge read Caden answered. He motioned for me to hand over the helmet and controllers with a meaty hand, still grinning.

I handed him the gear and let him check it over to make sure I hadn't damaged anything. While waiting, I glanced at the screen displaying the game for the crowd and saw the Alien had killed me in that time. "Son of a b*tch!"

Everyone laughed again, but fell silent when an announcer spoke over the PA system, "The panel at the main stage will be starting in ten minutes."

The crowd quickly dispersed as people headed for the far end of the exhibit hall and the main stage. "Did you want another go, X33N?" Michael, the tall blonde who was the game's beta tester asked. He held up the helmet teasingly.

I was tempted, but... "Nah, I'm supposed to meet a friend at the panel. Maybe later," I said, picking up my bag of merchandise. "Great job on those graphics, by the way. That Alien is waaay more terrifying in VR than I thought it would be," I complimented. Caden beamed as I walked away.

The Con crowd got thicker the closer I got to the main stage. I worked my way over to the side of the room and headed for the front. As I walked, I pulled my Visitor id out of its badge holder and put the Guest Pass in front. When I reached the security guard standing by the front row, he took a glance at my badge before waving me on. I slid into one of the reserved seats next to a chick who was glued to her phone. She didn't even acknowledge my presence; so I ignored her too.

The seat on my other side was still empty when the panel started. There were five people on the panel plus the speaker, but the only one I recognized off hand was Sparklez in his signature Maron Music shirt. The topic was content creators adapting to Youtube's latest changes. I quickly zoned out as I waited for Jordan's part. I ended up pulling out my phone as well, though I tried to be more discreet than Miss Twitter, occasionally tuning back in and showing polite interest. I checked the status of a video I'd set to upload, then went on Discord. I answered a few questions about the TrollCraft modpack, teased a few of the regulars, and changed a few names for good measure.

That'll keep them paranoid for a bit, I thought with a smirk, putting my phone away. Jordan was up. The speaker was asking him a few questions about his music channel when a brilliant idea occurred to me. Jordan had a habit of looking out at the crowd instead of at the speaker when answering questions. I took advantage of that and started making some of my best exaggerated faces whenever Jordan looked in my general direction. It was a few minutes before Jordan's eyes finally landed on me. He nearly laughed mid-sentence, but quickly covered it with a cough. He shot me a glare the second the speaker looked away. I grinned innocently and shrugged back at him.

The speaker moved on to the last person on the panel, and I looked around the audience, curious if there was anyone here I knew. Aside from Jordan I knew Meza was here covering the CSGO tournament today for his job; it was always possible I missed someone else.

Scanning the room, I spotted a few groups of Overwatch characters, some Minecraft mobs, a couple superheroes, and a plethora of costumes I didn't recognize. One person in particular caught my attention. She wasn't in costume, unless her blue pinstriped suit was supposed to be one. The brunette was nervously looking around the crowd and fidgeting in her seat. I frowned for a moment, but any thoughts I might have had were interrupted by a raucous round of applause. The panel was over. People stood, and I rose too, barely spotting the lady duck out a side entrance. That's weird. Maybe she's a staffer. A few seconds later a man in a hoodie and baseball cap ducked out the same door. Now that's just...

"Hey, you!" I turned around to find a familiar redhead grinning at me.

"Aureylian, right?" I asked cautiously, hoping I'd remembered her name correctly. I'd only met her once, and that was earlier today when Jordan introduced us and got me my Guest pass.

Aureylian smiled and nodded before motioning for me to follow her. "Come on. Jordan's waiting for us backstage."

We found the buff youtuber messaging someone on his phone, frowning. "Hey Sparklez, purgeturbed about the panel thing?" I asked to break the ice.

He looked up and offered a half smile before putting his phone away. He chuckled and asked, "What was that face, anyways?"

"Honestly, I made so many I'm not sure which one you saw," I replied, laughing. Aureylian shook her head good-naturedly and led the way as we headed towards the guest lounge. "So when's your next event?" I asked, genuinely interested. This was my first time seeing this side of a convention.

"I've got about an hour before my signing. Figured we could get some lunch. They should have the buffet set up in the lounge now."

Jordan's phone beeped, and he checked it again, sighing. "I'll meet you there. One of the videos Nick's editing corrupted. I think I still have the original file..." He trailed off as he walked away.

Aureylian and I chatted a little about different conventions and events we'd been to until we reached the lounge. She left me there to go check on her friends at the Twitch booth real quick. For lunch time, the lounge was surprisingly abandoned. Fine by me; who needs lines? I thought, moving to grab a plate. The burger and salad bar were simple enough, but considering my last meal was five hours ago, I wasn't going to complain. I paused as I finished crafting my meal, realizing my personal trainer would kill me if she saw my plate. I compromised and got an extra helping of salad. That made everything better, right?

I'd just settled into a comfy spot on one of the sofas when I heard the door open behind me. I turned, expecting to see Jordan or Aureylian but was surprised to find the brunette I'd seen in the panel crowd. She looked panicked as she hurriedly pressed the door closed behind her and locked it. She stared at the doorknob as she backed away from it, further into the room. She was so fixated on the door that she hadn't even noticed me.

I quietly stood up when I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway. The lady started visibly shaking when the footsteps slowed to a stop outside the lounge. I crept soundlessly up behind her, an idea forming in my mind. The lady jumped when her pursuer tested the door, and I quickly clamped a hand over her mouth before she could make a sound. "Hey, who's there?" I yelled.

The doorknob instantly stilled, and a moment later I heard the footsteps beat a hasty retreat. Geez, I don't sound that intimidating. The threat gone for now, I turned my attention to the lady who stood frozen against me. What little color had been in her face had drained, and I worried she might faint. I glanced down at her badge to get her name and raised an eyebrow when I saw she had a Guest pass too. "Ok Gwen, why don't you have a seat and breathe for a minute while I call security?" I said, steering her towards an overstuffed armchair.