Chapter Four
Two weeks crawled by without any word from Zane. With each passing day, Alex grew more anxious. He constantly checked his Elysium Quest account, but there were no new messages.
Where was Zane? Had he forgotten about the deal already? Or worse - had Zane's update gotten Alex's account been blacklisted for messaging a hacker before they could even connect?
But he haven't even installed anything yet. He only gave him his username and his stats in EQ, so there would be no way the gaming company would ban an account that haven't done anything illegal.
With a sigh, Alex cooled off because he was only thinking too much.
While waiting in limbo, Alex did his best to continue on with his exhausting routine. Each day blurred into the next as he bounced between delivery driving, coffee shop shifts, and night classes, all the while caring for his ailing mother.
The grueling schedule allowed little time for gaming or distraction. But late at night when sleep evaded him, Alex would log into EQ, half hoping to find a new message lighting up his inbox. But each time - nothing. Just silence from the shadowy Zane.
On this particular overcast evening, Alex sped through downtown on his scooter, deftly dodging pedestrians and vehicles. He'd lost track of how many orders he'd delivered for Wok This Way that day. His shoulder ached from the heavy bag. But the last pickups had to make it to their destinations before Alex's 6pm class.
After dropping off the final panda express box, Alex checked his watch. 20 minutes to get clear across the city - it would be close. Zipping and swerving through rush hour traffic, he made it to campus with just minutes to spare. But as he rushed toward the lecture hall entrance, a voice stopped him.
"Mr. Jones, do you have a moment?"
Alex inwardly cringed as his professor stepped in front of him - he recognized that tone.
"I just wanted to remind you that this semester's tuition is coming due at the end of next month," the professor said, an edge of warning in his voice. "Will that be a problem?"
"Oh, uh, no problem at all," Alex sputtered. "I'll take care of it on time, definitely."
The professor studied him skeptically. "Good. Because I'd hate for a bright student like you to...lose his place over a minor financial issue."
Alex nodded rapidly. "You don't have to worry, sir. I've got it covered."
"Very well, let's keep it that way." His professor headed off, leaving Alex with a sinking feeling. Tuition was nearly $5,000 this semester - far from a minor issue. not to mention groceries, rent, medications...
Alex took his seat in the lecture hall, but heard none of the medical theories being taught. His leg bounced anxiously below his desk. How was he going to come up with that kind of money in less than two weeks? He needed that update payout now more than ever.
Where was Zane? Why the delay? Alex's palms began to sweat as his mind spun out worst case scenarios. Something had gone wrong, he just knew it. And now, with tuition looming, the vise was tightening. Alex had to find a solution, and fast. Even if it meant taking more drastic measure.
Alex could barely focus as he sat through his remaining lectures. Formulas and diagrams blurred together on the board. His leg bounced anxiously below the desk. When the professor finally dismissed them, Alex hurried out ahead of the other students.
The sun was sinking below Metropolis' skyline as Alex sped through traffic towards home. The blaring of horns and smell of exhaust fumes amplified the pounding headache he could feel coming on.
By the time Alex parked his scooter outside the apartment building, sunlight had faded to dusk. He trudged up the narrow stairwell, fishing his keys from his backpack. As he unlocked the door, all he could think about was collapsing into bed.
But the moment Alex regained himself habit pulled him towards Elysium Quest. As the game loaded, a notification popped up showing one unread message. It was from Zane! Alex's heart leapt as he quickly opened it.
Zane's message was short but surprisingly polite given his shady reputation:
"My apologies for the long delay getting back to you. Had some personal issues to deal with that kept me offline for a bit. But I'm back now and still very interested in your help beta testing the update. Let's meet in-game tomorrow at 10pm if that works for you. I look forward to doing business."
The wave of relief Alex felt was palpable. Zane hadn't forgotten or intentionally ignored him - there was a reasonable explanation for the silence. And more importantly, the job offer still stood. Alex quickly typed out a reply, confirming the meeting time for tomorrow night.
For the first time in weeks, a small weight lifted from Alex's perpetually slumped shoulders. The prospect of a big payday felt real again. He could worry about tuition later - tonight called for proper rest.
After a quick frozen dinner, Alex settled into bed with a novel. He soon dozed off, the book still open on his chest. Deep sleep enveloped him, untroubled by restless dreams. When morning sunlight filtered through the window, Alex awoke feeling truly refreshed for the first time in ages.
The day seemed to pass quickly as anticipation mounted for the evening meeting. At 9:45 pm, Alex logged into EQ donning his VR headset. His avatar spawned in Hyperion Hub, the game's central trading area and meeting point. Other player characters milled about as Alex waited nervously.
Right at 10pm, he received a message from a tall dark armored avatar named Zane419. The infamous hacker had arrived. Alex's heart pounded as he followed Zane into a private chatroom to discuss business. This was Alex's chance to finally turn his situation around. All his hopes now rested on their shady arrangement, but he was willing to do whatever it took. The ends would justify the means when his mother's life hung in the balance.