I'm Not Ready

Bargain

Riptid3's P.O.V.

Just as my emotional walls started to break, the walls of the dance club broke.

Bursting out of their ships were a bunch of sixers. The worst part is that they were armed with guns. This could get ugly.

A shot blazes past my ear and hits Parzival right in the side.

Shit, why now?!

I pull him behind a piece of the club that has already broken off. Arti was there too. We both selected guns from our arsenal and started nailing sixers left and right. But then somebody had to open their mouth...

"Ty did you hear me-"

"Not right now, Z!" I screeched.

The structure exploded so we had to dash by a wall. Z got hit in the leg. But then he pulls something out of his pocket. It looked like-

A FUCKING RUBIX CUBE?! (Excuse my language but right now I'm very aggravated).

"A Zemeckis Cube. I just bought it."

He throws it up into the air and the sixers freeze. Then everything started going backward.

"It turns back time sixty seconds," he says.

"And you waited until now to use it?!" Arti yells.

We fly over towards a tunnel that leads out of the club. We land and catch our breaths. Can you guess who ruined it?

"Wow, that was awes-"

I spin kicked him straight in the gut before he could continue. I was sick and tired of his shit right now.

"What the hell was that?!" I yell in his face.

"I don't know what you mean.." he trails off.

"You clearly don't get the extremity of this situation. If IOI is after us, they're after the keys."

He still stares at me, completely baffled.

"Ty and I aren't trying to get the egg for the money; we want to prevent some sick freak, like IOI, from getting their hands on it. There could be real life consequences," Ari sighs.

I started tearing up, but I wasn't going to let my shield down. I continued.

"You're clearly stuck in this delusion. You don't live in the real world." I turn away from Z before huffing and turning back. "My dad was perfect until money overtook his mind. He died when I was five. My mom couldn't deal with him being nonexistent, so she took her own life. I've been living without parents since I was five," I explained. Z stared at me still, but with sadness in his eyes. "I can't take this anymore," I say before booking it outside the club.

Once I'm outside, I let a few tears break through my wall. But then I hear pitterpatters coming from my right. I snap my head over there, yet no one showed. I sighed and started walking.

Then someone covered my head with a bag. I couldn't breathe, strangely enough. But then I realize it's because I was being ambushed in reality, not the game.

"Just keep quiet," a deep voice whispers into my ear. I'm then dragged off. I was so overwhelmed at the situation it made my head start to spin.

I couldn't handle it so I let the darkness take me.

*time skip brought to you by Delorian*

Parzival's P.O.V.

The next day, I go to my hideout. I'm still distraught about yesterday. I messed up bad. While I was pondering what I should do, my visor started flashing. It was a message from Sorento.

I sighed and realized I can't ignore this. I put the visor on and touched the prism. I'm suddenly in a very high-class office. Yet, I gaze down at myself and I look like my avatar. I try to touch my arm and it disappears in a cluster of pixels. The pixels return to make my arm again.

This is so weird...

To my right, I suddenly see a spherical object turn counter-clockwise towards me. In the throne lies Sorento. He gets up and casually walks forward.

"Nice rig you got there," I comment to try to lessen the tension.

"Right? It's the newest edition. You could have one too if you come to work at IOI," he says casually. Oh hell no. "You'd also get your very own apartment. You'd get paid 2 million a year, plus an additional 25 million dollars up front if you hand control over the OASIS over to me."

I ponder what he says, but then what Arti says comes back to me. "We want to prevent some sick freak, like IOI, from getting their hands on it. There could be real-life consequences..."

"That's a lot of money. I could really use it," I stop slightly before continuing because Sorento is looking very pleased with what I'm saying. I smirk before continuing. "But I'm going to have to decline."

The team that was behind Sorento leaves as soon as I say that. He sighs before glancing back at me.

"I'm a businessman, Parzival. When I have free time, I crack open a cold one, listen to Duran Durant, and play Robatron. I'm just like you," he says with hope gleaming in his stone cold eyes.

"To be honest, I think you're full of shit. You've got your team in your ear. Well, tell them this. My friends and I aren't letting someone like you take control of the OASIS," I say with confidence. Sorento sighs, yet again, before saying something.

"My team was guessing that you would say no. To be honest, I was hoping you would say no, Wade. Because no one else is going to win this completion except my avatar, Wade." I snapped my eyes to him with a look of pure shock.

What. The. FUCK?!

"Yeah, I know who you are. Wade Watts, born on-" I pull my visor off and I started panicking: heavy breathing, wide eyes, and racing heart. If he knows who I am, he could figure out who my friends are, as well.

"Oh, and I'm not done yet."

What else could he possibly do?!

I put my visor back on.

"I've got one of your friends here with me. I mean, she's still asleep, but I'm sure she's fine. I mean, I wouldn't let any harm come to the one you love..." he draws on with a huge smirk.

Ty!!

I realize who he's held captive and my heart drops to my stomach.

"Also, since I know what unit you live in, I came up with a brilliant idea! You were last seen entering your unit three days ago; you haven't left it since. I figured I could just get rid of you."

"No, please! I'm not there!" I exclaim.

"Bye, Wade."

I'm suddenly back in my hideout. I leave my shit and book it towards my stack. While I was tripping over my own feet to get home, I try and contact my aunt. After about three tries, someone finally answers, but it isn't her; it's her dumbass boyfriend.

"Don't call here ever again," he says with distaste.

"The house is going to blow! Let me talk to Alice!" I yell in a rushed manner.

As soon as I see my stack, it's blown to smithereens.

No, it's all... gone.

With ash dusting my face, I slowly walk my way through the shoving crowds of people, back to my hideout. I sit in the chair with a heavy heart. I pick up my visor and decide to contact my friends.

"Contact Aech, Daito, Sho, and Art3mis. Sorento found out where I live and blew it up. He has Riptid3. If he knows who I am, he could be coming after you-"

A piece of cloth covers my mouth and I start to struggle to breathe. I try and pry the person's hand off but to no avail. I then black out after I run out of energy.

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This is a long chapter. Almost 1,300 words! I hope you guys are liking this and thanks guys for almost 300 reads!