I'm Not Ready

The Chase

Riptid3's P.O.V.

Extra Life.

That son of a bitch! The Curator saved him! And I thought he hated Wade since he bothers him so much...

Eh, whatevs

I hop out of the van to take a breath of relief. I lean on my knees with a smile on my face. I laugh to myself and then stand up. I gaze at the graffiti on the walls as I lose myself in my thoughts.

Wade can't be stopped now. He will have total control of the OASIS.

I hop back in the van since Aech said we're going for Sam. I sit down as Wade plays adventure. We stop at Riverside and I hear Aech and Daito talking.

"Is that her?"

"Red hair, IOI uniform, doesn't know what planet she's on? That's her."

I smile in relief as Daito gets her. I hop out after him and hug Sam with tears in my eyes. I open my eyes since they started to sting.

Then I see a drone. It's lights flash red as it scans the van. The lights turn green soon after. The drone turns back and I'm able to see the tag on the back of it: IOI.

I dash back into the van with Arti and everyone looks up at me. I glance at Wade for a split second and see him looking like he's still playing Adventure.

"Guys, we gotta move."

"Why?" Aech asks me in disbelief.

"IOI found us. We have to move if we don't wanna die."

Everyone's eyes go wide and Aech books it into her seat.

"Hold onto something!" She takes off as soon as the last syllable leaves her mouth. I manage to grab onto a bar thats on the wall of the van. I ease myself towards the back windows and do my damndest to look out of them. I see multiple black cars and people leaning out the windows with guns.

Great!

"They've got guns, Aech!"

"Why am I not surprised?!" She makes a sharp left turn which sends Daito, Arti, and Sho to the floor. Wade looks like he's holding something and is having issues. I raise one of my eyebrows but redirect my attention to the assholes behind us. We're fubbernucked if we don't lose them soon.

This lasts for a few more minutes until Wade suddenly removes his visor. He glances at Aech in pure confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying to get away from people, what else does it look like?!"

He sighs before responding. "Take us to the Stacks!"

"That's not too far from here!"

"Good, and try to keep the ride stable!" He slides his visor on and continues whatever the hell he was doing beforehand. I rush up to Aech and see the Stacks dead ahead. Then I hear a bang. The car jerks and I run to the back windows. I am greeted with Sorrento holding a gun and driving a car! I black out for a minute because the thought that goes through my head isn't pleasant.

I might actually die!

I'm brought back when the van stops. I bring my gaze back up to the window and see a bunch of people standing between us and Sorrento. The people stand their ground, and that shocks me. That is, until Nolan pulls out his handy dandy pistol. He points it at anyone who tries to stop him, which is typical Nolan behavior.

As he gets closer to the van I step away from the windows and go hug Arti out of fear. Wade's hand's glow gold which mesmerized me me. Sorrento points his gun at us but his eyes trail on Wade and I know why.

Wade has full control of the OASIS and that's what Nolan wants. The gold glow is the egg.

Before Nolan can fire, police cars pull up behind the large crowd. They shout their usual, "Put your hands in the air! Drop your weapon!"  lingo and I breathe a sigh of relief. I let go of Arti and collapse to the floor. I'm suddenly pulled up into another hug and I immediately know it's Wade. I cling onto his shirt and start crying.

God, I think I've cried more today than I have in my entire lifespan!

Someone knocks on the van and I release Wade. I see someone who I haven't seen in decades.

"Ogden Morrow?!"

He smiles. "The one and only!"

We all hop out of the van and are eventually separated. Aech talks to the cops, I lose track of Daito and Sho, while Arti, Wade, I are pulled away by Morrow. Wade is talking with Morrow about hell knows what and I'm talking to Arti.

"So... what happens now?" Arti inquires.

"You're asking ME that?! You're the one that always thinks ahead!" I exclaim and she bursts into laughter. I join in soon after.

"*sigh* I knew you'd say that," she says with a giggle.

We're soon interrupted by Wade and Morrow.

"Well that was quick," Arti points out.

"Yeah, what's up?" I question.

"Well...we need your signature," Morrow says while holding out a paper and pen. "Both of your signatures as a matter of fact."

"What? Why?" I say.

"I decided I didn't want to control the OASIS by myself. I wanted it control it with my five best friends as well," Wade says with a grin on his face.

I smile in disbelief and sign the paper, Arti soon after me. At the end of the day, all six of us have signed the paper, which signifies that we have the control of the OASIS.

We did make a few changes in the next couple of weeks, however. We decided that we I'll close the OASIS on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that users can spend more time in reality. May that be with their family, their friends, or their significant other, the choice is up to them.

As for living situations, Ari has her own apartment below Wade and I's apartment. And no, she's not alone. She has a dog and a special boy I've heard/seen *wink wonk*. Daito and Sho stick together, as usual. They're also in the same apartment complex as us. Aech is ALSO in the same damn complex as the rest of the "High Six". The complex isn't too far from where we work, so that's quite nice.

As for IOI, I don't remember what happened to Nolan, but I don't give a fuck. All the loyalty centers were shut down because we prevented IOI from accessing the OASIS. Everyone who was in them got to go free. IOI now isn't trying to kill humanity, which everyone can be satisfied

Although I love spending time in the OASIS, reality is still the best. You don't need an avatar to cover up who you are. You're amazing just the way you are. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. The real you is the best you.
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The epilogue is the only chapter left!