Chapter 18: Victory

Alex sat up from the cosy pod, he was forcefully logged out, an as he had nothing better to do, he may as well do something useful.

Idle hands something, something, something, or something along those lines.

Alex made his way down the flight of well hoovered stairs, onto the immaculate carpet, this was his kingdom, his castle, filth would not be tolerated.

But as he ran his hands over the banisters, he felt the unpleasant sensation of dust under his fingertips.

Alex didn't like being a clean freak, in fact he hated it, but whenever he left something unclean, it bugged him, it would eat away at his concentration till he couldn't think of anything else, and then he would just feel dirty till he got around to cleaning it.

He moved quickly to the kitchen and grabbed a cloth from under the sink and began to wipe over all of the surfaces in the house, making sure not a speck of dust was missed.

after ten minutes of dusting, the house was dust free, he looked at the house in its spotless glory, marvelling at his own efficiency, a pleased expression on his face.

Thirty years ago, his house would have been seen as a rarity, fought over by small families, snatched up as soon as it was sold, now, it was a cheap place that almost anyone could afford as long as they had a job, after all, everyone had moved into Babylon, the afront to God.

who would want to live by abandoned cities and derelict towns, with no services for miles, when you could have all you wanted stacked neatly on top of each other.

It just wasn't for Alex though, too much noise, and living in a massive tower just felt weird, unnatural, as if it shouldn't exist.

well, no need to ponder it so much, he was here now, and he was happy.

As Alex's train of thought came to an end, a small ping came from a small device, almost like a smart watch with no screen.

With a quick press, a screen flashed in front of Alex, illuminating the room around him, Alex had to shield his eyes from the harsh glare.

"Shit" he muttered, squinting through the bright light, "brightness down, brightness down"

immediately the harsh glow lessened, and Alex's vison was restored after much blinking.

"Ah, fuck, why did I flash bang myself?"

Alex rubbed his eyes before looking at the holographic screen.

[Your character in 'Adventure awaits' has awoken, you can now log back in]

With a wide smile on his face, Alex began to climb the stairs, to once more dive into that beautiful world, but another ping from his wrist stopped him.

[You have one unread message from 'Don't ignore', would you like to read it]

Alex gave a little scowl, and then opened the email.

"Alex, we need to talk"

Alex let out a long sigh, he hated when he did this, and Alex hated talking to him even more, not like he had a choice though.

With heavy footsteps, he made his way upstairs to the futuristic pod, a sight that moments ago would have filled Alex with joy, now soured his mood and made him depressed.

Slipping silently into the comfortable interior, Alex mentally prepared himself for what was to come, as that was all he could do.

Alex activated the pod and let the horrible feeling of logging in engulf him.

The familiar site of a crowded street met Alex's eye, avatars of all shapes and sizes roamed around the streets.

The world of 'Chatter' was a diverse and interesting thing, a place where people of all backgrounds and ethnicities could mingle freely, no matter the true distance the pods where from each other, but Alex was not there to enjoy the company of strangers and friends.

he made his way to a building that was somewhere between an airport and a supermarket.

"What can I help you with today" A smiling woman politely asked from behind a desk.

"Private room #12865 please" Alex replied flippantly.

"Understood"

A tube rose from the ground, intricate, circuit like patterns coursing and pulsing over its exterior.

"Please enter the warp tube and you will be transported to your destination"

Alex made his way to the tube the same way a convict would to the chair.

The world dissolved around him, slowly breaking away bit by bit, breaking apart piece by piece.

People say your workplace can tell someone a lot about yourself, whether it be a recreation of a bomb site, or the image of perfection, there would tell-tale signs of what they liked, what they hated, what made them tick. Through the space a person worked, you can get small hints on who they really are.

Most people could probably tell the man Alex was going to see was from his workspace, the virtual room Alex stood in now.

The room was devoid of all decorations, while shelves did hang on the walls, they only contained what was needed, not a family photo or pot plant could be seen, the colour of the room was a dull beige, and the desk was simplistic, only having the bare necessities with neither decoration nor craftmanship in any inch.

Behind the desk sat a man as bland and boring as the room he inhabited, his hair was short cut and styled in a modest way, his suit was a dull grey that seemed to suck the colour out of everything around him, his face was clean shaven and spotless, the only thing noticeable about him was his eyes, piercing blue eyes that seemed to look down on you at all times and stare right into your soul.

Silence filled the room, only broken by the soft scratching of a pen as the man continued with his work, not even sparring a glance for Alex.

Couldn't he even act like he wanted Alex to be there?

"I thought I said I wanted to talk to you, not whatever the hell you're cosplaying this week" the man said in a cold manner.

Alex flinched; he had forgotten to switch off his avatar, he hurriedly went to change it, pulling up a screen as fast as he could, but the man spoke again, making Alex freeze.

"Stop" The man said in a low, commanding tone, "you wouldn't get the chance to change your clothes in real life, why should it be different here? Honestly, I thought I raised you better than that"

"Sorry dad" Alex muttered in a defeated tone while staring at the floor, dismissing the screen but not letting his eyes off the ground.

"Have you found something of interesting on the carpet?" Alex's father asked, now staring directly at Alex, "Perhaps your unsatisfied with the colour? But despite that, isn't it polite to look someone in the eyes when you talk to them"

"Yes dad" Alex muttered, raising his gaze from the floor, locking eyes with his father despite wanting to turn away.

Alex's father raised his gaze to just above Alex's head, where his username hung, prompting him to raise an eyebrow.

"Still holding on to your childhood delusions?"

Something in Alex snapped at those words, what delusions? Is it wrong that I have someone I look up too? Is it wrong to have a passion?

But now was not the time to have an outburst, so Alex just let his anger, felling the crushing weight of the atmosphere in the room once more.

"Really, when will you grow up?"

Why did he say that without an ounce of concern? Shouldn't a parent say that with care and concern, not like they are saying an especially vulgar slur?

"People your age should be getting a job, honestly, your hopeless"

Who was the one who ruined my last job, who did everything within their power to get me fired?"

"I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago"

"Huh?" Alex gave a start of shock, unsure what his dad would pull.

"Don't use such a vulgar phrase, speak properly, not in caveman grunts"

"Yes dad"

"Anyway, as I was saying, we are planning to cut your allowance, you've been living off of this family for two long, you have three months till we cut it, I have found some job offers that would suit you, pick one"

This was what the straw that broke the camel's back.

"I HAD A JOB" Alex yelled.

"That was not a job"

"I got paid, didn't I?" Alex let out, "I made ends meet, I was stable"

"You will pick one of the jobs I have picked for you" Alex's dad continued, his tone icy, "and you shall work, you shall earn your rent, and you will stop leaching off of this family, do I make myself clear"

"AND WHO'S FAULT IS IT THAT I'M LIKE THAT"

"There you go again, blaming other people for your own mistakes" Alex's father let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "if it wasn't for your mother, I would have done this a long time ago, now you will do, as, you, are, told"

"I'm twenty-one, I don't need to listen to you like I'm a fucking child"

"You say that" Alex's dad responded in a calm tone, "but who is the one that is paying your bills"

Alex had no response, so he fell into silence.

"Exactly, Now, you will pick a job, you will go to the interview, and you will become employed, otherwise, I shall cut your time down to two months, and if you refuse again, I will not support you any longer"

Alex nodded his head, all his defiance leaving him, an air of defeat.

"Good" Alex's dad remarked with a wave of his hand, "you can go now"

Alex turned on his heels and logged off, throwing a quick glance at his father, only to see that he had gone back to his work, as if their conversation had never happened.

It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with his dad's flippant attitude.

When he returned to reality, he sat in the pod for a minute, not doing anything, just staring at the ceiling.

Maybe he was right, I have been doing nothing for half a year, maybe harsh words were what he needed.

He didn't need to look at the list of jobs his dad had sent him, all low-ranking positions in one of the companies his father's partners or friends owned, where he would rise through the ranks quickly through no effort of his own and live the rest of his days just like his father did, boring and uneventful.

Maybe he was just being resentful, that was probably why he was so reluctant to take a job.

He'd worry about it later; it can be tomorrow Alex's problem.

For now, he wanted to hop back into the virtual world and forget all about the conversation with his dad.

Once the initial unpleasant feeling of logging in disappeared, Alex began to feel a light prodding on his side.

With some effort, Alex pried open his drowsy eyes, to find a featureless white mask blocking his vison, two crimson eyes staring out at him through small slits, giving Alex an expectant look.

Turns out Nicolas was crouching over him, prodding him with a long stick.

"You finally awake" Nicollas asked in the same way you would talk to someone that had just woken from a coma.

Alex lifted one of his gangly arms, and grabbed Nicolas by the head, roughly shoving him to the side and sitting up straight.

he looked around for a minute, still the same, quarry like clearing, the smouldering corpse of the wolf boss still in the same place it was when it fainted, and for some reason a pack of angry wolves, giving him and Nicolas threatening growls.

"So" Alex said in a low tone, "I was out for thirty minutes, the fuck could happen in that time"

"I'll be honest" Nicolas said in a flat tone, "I was hoping you would tell me"

"You're going to have to tell have to tell me what happened while I was out"

"Where to start" Nicolas said in contemplation.