He would be able to work faster with Sharpe or Taylor’s help, but he didn’t trust them. There was something about the way they spoke, the way they looked at him. It was like they were in on it — whatever “it” was.
Why would someone put me back in the simulation, anyway? He couldn’t help but wonder. There didn’t seem to be a clear purpose, if he were still able to remember everything right. Escape was difficult, indeed, but not impossible — Gauge had shown him that. As long as he knew the truth, it was only a matter of time before he was back out in the real world again. Did they think he’d just forget and resign himself to the simulation life again? Then he started to worry about what was to happen in a week — on his second nineteenth birthday.
At first, when Ethan was still trying to work out his confusion, Sharpe suggested that the Rebels of Shell City adventure was programmed with personal introduction pieces — like Ethan’s birthday party — in order to create the most immersive experience possible. It was easy to remember you were just in a game when you remember starting it up, but without that clear beginning, it was impossible to say when the adventure began. It was designed to make it all the more convincing. At least, that’s what Sharpe argued. Ethan thought it was a bunch of bullshit.
After hours and hours of searching, Ethan gave up on finding the Last Stand map. There were just too many places it could be hiding and he didn’t have the resources to search. So he decided to look in maps he was already familiar with for an “escape hatch” similar to the one Gauge had put in Last Stand. All he needed to do was find a way out of the map, into the walls. Then he could look for an exit. There was a chance.
He knew it was hopeless, but he couldn’t bare to not try.
He tried moving through the sewer system of the Main Street map, but every surface was solid. He tried the cliffs of Blood Gulch, the man-made caverns of Mars City. Nothing let him step outside the map. After a while, he started to feel like an idiot for repeatedly ramming into different walls. To the outside observer, it must have looked like a brain-dead squirrel had taken control of his avatar.
Ethan started to feel like he was going crazy. He wasn’t sure if it was the fatigue or how daunting the task before him was, but he kept feeling like someone was watching him. Time and time again, he cast his gaze over his shoulder to find nothing but empty space. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling.
If only Gauge were here, he thought. He’d know how to get out.
Part of him hoped that the rebel I.I. was trying to reach him and that’s why he felt like he had an audience. He looked around in the tombs that surrounded him, but saw nothing but dark stone. A bit of torchlight flickered off the walls, but no sound met Ethan’s ears.
With a loud tone that made him jump, Ethan’s communicator started going off. He looked at the little blip in the corner of his vision and saw it was Sharpe. He hit accept, but kept his video feed off. He didn’t want Sharpe to know where he was.
“Yo, Ethan, what’s happening?” Sharpe asked. His feed showed him in his basement, like always. His brow furrowed. “What are you up to?”
“Just looking for something,” Ethan replied. “What’s up?”
“I just tried out The Rebels of Shell City,” Sharpe said. There was an excited energy to his tone, like he was being overcharged with electricity. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience like that.”
“Is that so?” Ethan asked, uninterested.
“Yeah, man. I really hope they have more games like that when we get outta here, you know what I mean?”
“Mhmm.”
“You alright?” Sharpe asked.
Ethan shook his head a little, trying to make himself more alert. It worked a bit.
“Yeah, sorry,” he said. “I’ve just been a little distracted lately.”
“Thinking about the adventure, huh?” Sharpe said. “I can’t blame you. I bet I won’t be able to get it out of my head for a month at least. I dunno how it played out for you, but I got into a riot in Shell City. It felt like a week, but the People’s Union and I took to the streets and really gave it to those Council bastards. Didn’t work, though. I died in a blaze of glory when the soldier dudes came to clean us up. You probably did the smart thing and planned ahead, didn’t you?”
“I just did what I thought I should,” Ethan replied.
“Well, I thought it was all real while I was in it, so it goes to show that I shouldn’t be leading any revolutions any time soon,” Sharpe said, laughing. “Oh, by the way, where were the People’s Union headquartered in your adventure? Mine lived in the ruins just outside the city.”
“I’m not sure,” Ethan said. He didn’t feel like going over the details of his experience like this — like it was just chapters in some cheap book.
“Huh,” Sharpe said. “Anyway, I’m bored. You wanna get together? We could see if Taylor’s down to get her ass kicked or something. Maybe just a movie if you’re feeling low energy.”
Ethan let out a long sigh, looking around at his environment. He wasn’t making any progress, and he doubted the escape hatch he sought was down in the Mausoleum of Drag’uul map.
“Sure,” he said. “Gimme a sec to load in.”
He disconnected the call without waiting for a reply. He took a moment to close his eyes, to rub his digital temples with his digital fingers.
Maybe it was all a simulation, after all, he thought. Maybe it’s possible that I was just really immersed in an interactive adventure. Confused the real for the fake.
He couldn’t shake
