Shutdown [3]

Faye left the inn after thanking Amos, Kai, and Ilaria for their help, promising to return for a visit once everything was over. She followed Alyx to the side of the road and spotted a bike that almost blended in with the darkened street behind it.

A helmet was held out in front of her. Instead of taking it straightaway, Faye shot a questioning look at Alyx, who simply smiled and replied, "Before we left, I learned that all the teleportation arrays are down, so this is our only option for getting around."

It hadn't been long since Faye had gotten to Bleakacre and the inn, but in that short time, the teleportation arrays had stopped working. The malfunction of the teleportation arrays left many people stranded in the various cities that made up the game map, with no means of travelling anywhere else. 

Alongside the arrays not working, players began to notice that they couldn't log out of the game. 

Panic began to bubble up and was close to erupting. If they couldn't log out of the game, what would that mean for their bodies that were in the game pods in the outside world? What would happen to them if they couldn't leave the game?

They tried to locate the NPCs, but none were to be found anywhere. It was as if they had vanished from the game, leaving no traces behind. 

Even after consulting the game guide or reaching out to customer service, there were no answers. The players could do nothing but remain where they were, waiting for the arrays to come back online or for the chance to log out again.

Faye felt the worry nicking away at the hope that she had gotten from solving the problem of the communication devices. No teleportation arrays meant that there was now no easy way to get back to the bookshop, and they would have to find another way to get there - which would take more time than was necessary.

Time was of the essence, and despite now being able to communicate with the others at the shop, she had no idea what dangers they might be facing. On top of that, she did not know that Ashlyn and Nox had reentered the game world and were stuck outside the shop, unable to get inside. 

No longer hesitating, Faye took the helmet and fastened it under her chin with a determined snap. She got on the bike behind Alyx, who had been waiting for her, and then turned back to look back at the inn. Amos, Kai, and Ilaria were inside, likely getting ready for whatever they might face if the Main Computer couldn't be stopped. Inwardly, she bid them goodbye as Alyx started the bike.

A sense of urgency washed over her, overcoming the worry within and filling her with a sense of purpose. "There's no more time to waste." She muttered as she held on tightly to Alyx's clothes, and he started the bike. The engine roared to life, the vibrations humming through her body as the wheels began to spin.

With the teleportation arrays offline and the danger still at the bookshop, Faye knew they had to fix the devices, and then hurry to help her friends. Before the mention of the arrays not working, she had thought that all of this had to do with the Main Computer, but what if there was someone else behind it? Could the Main Computer be doing all of this on its own, or did it have help from outside of the game?

The answers were out there somewhere, but first, they had to deal with what was happening in the present. 

Through the whistling winds, Alyx told Faye that he lived close to the inn and it wouldn't take long to get there. This proved to be true when, about ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a rundown house, and a quick glance around the street revealed that most of the other houses were in a similar state.

Alyx got down from the bike and stood proudly in front of his home. "It might not look like much, but it serves its purpose." He showed a smile to Faye, then he took the helmet from her hand and placed it in the compartment under the seat. Normally, he would store things in the inventory, but that was also inaccessible at the moment.

Houses in the game were one feature that players could enjoy, and each one came with a password lock. Players could set a password, and share it with their friends if they wished to. It was among the reasons why they enjoyed the game, as they could build, decorate and do with the house whatever they wanted. Materials might have been expensive and often hard to come by, but the quests were enjoyable and kept the players coming back to the game so they could make the home their own. 

Alyx owned a home in the game, and from outside appearances, it seemed that he hadn't been successful with the quests. His friends pitied him and often tried to offer him some of their materials to help with fixing up the place, but he refused each time. 

It didn't matter what the outside looked like; it was what was under the home that mattered, which was what Alyx showed to Faye. Among everyone he had taken to his home, she was the only one who now knew what secrets the seemingly unimpressive house held.