Player vs Player: Ultimate Video Game Mayhem

Investigation

By now it was like a ghost town. The parking lot was deserted, an eerie sight to ever see a parking lot in Denver completely empty.

The maddenning silence was consumed by an engine's whine as a purple highlighted Sports Motorcycle slowed to a halt in front of the Convention Center.

It's rider removed her helmet and dismounted the vehicle, taking in the unnatural surroundings.

A beautiful young woman, brushing her ash blonde hair behind her ear as she approached the scene.

Natalie had seen the news broadcast and rushed from her family's home the moment she heard three names spoken, listed among the missing.

Her footsteps echoed, a highly rare sound in the busy city, as she entered the abandoned building.

It was instantly clear something terrible had occured, tables overturned or outright crushed and various debris scattered everywhere.

She took her phone from the pocket of her half-zipped, shadow grey denim jacket and opened her latest text conversation, re-reading the last message she received.

[We're up next, send good luck vibes!]

Ryan had been slow to respond, as he said he would be and typically was during the Tournament, but after his report that he and his teammates were taking the stage, he stopped responding entirely.

Each time she sent an unanswered text her worry grew, and the news report solidified that worry. She flipped on her phone's flashlight to scan the environment.

As soon as the light clicked on, the scene became 10 times more grim. Dried stains of dark crimson splattered everywhere. Blood, and a lot of it.

She gazed around, awestruck by the scale of the catastrophe. So many people hospitalized, and not one mention of what had caused it all.

It all reeked of a corporate cover up, courtesy of the same company that financed and arranged the Convention to begin with.

As she treked into the darkened space, she began to hear faint voices echoing through the void.

She moved more carefully, keeping as quiet as possible, and clicked off her light, pocketing her phone.

"....time is kind of a factor here." The words become clear, a conversation forming.

"I'm doing my best, this wiring is deeply rooted, highly complex." A second voice responded, sounding very stressed.

Natalie took cover behind a column as the scene became visible in the limited light.

Damon Valence paced impatiently as his Head of Research and metaphorical right hand worked on one of their VR Units.

Lance was struggling to disconnect the shattered remains of a small device from the back of the machine.

Pieces of what she assumed to be the same device were collected into a box sitting beside Lance.

Even without Valence's anxious demeanor it was clear they were attempting to remove all traces of the device before it was found.

"You're certain there's enough left for you to work with?" Damon questioned, "We need to find whoever did this before the Press start asking questions we can't safely dismiss."

"I'm certain. I'm seeing a receiver here, thankfully intact. I can easily trace the signal." Lance responded, finally working the device loose.

He then delicately connected a cable to the device, connecting the other end to a tablet he claimed from his coat pocket.