Chapter 01 - The Beginning

"VICKY!... VICKY!" a male voice could be heard in the darkness.

"Leo!" Vicky mumbled and opened her eyes. Everything around her was a blur, she looked around and realized she was on the passenger seat of an overturned car. She crawled out looking around her, the neon lights from the buildings, playing videos to brighten the streets at night were dazzling. As her vision started to clear, she saw Leo on his knees, almost passed out, he had blood on the right side of his forehead. A soldier had his arm around Leo's neck, and a pistol to his head.

"Vicky," Leo said in a faint voice, and then a gunshot.

"NOOO!...." Vicky screamed waking up. She was in her room, sleeping on her table. The night light was focused on her desk, and a lava lamp was lit near the bed. "It's just a dream Vicky… It's just a dream," Vicky mumbled to herself. She walked near the bed, and her phone started ringing. Mia, her best friend was calling her.

"Hello!" Vicky said answering the call.

"Vicky! I need your help. Mia got stuck in the game," a young female voice on the phone said, the voice was anxious, and had an urgent tone.

"Ray!? What?! What do you mean Mia got stuck in the game?" Vicky asked, sitting on her bed.

"I… I don't know. We were just playing and having fun and then she got stuck," Rachel said in a rush.

"Rachel! Calm down, tell me what happened." Vicky said walking to another room. The room had a pod standing vertically, with enough space for one person inside.

"We were just riding our bikes and being us. She went for the night races, and the cops came. I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen," Rachel said sobbing.

"We're gonna get her back Ray. I just need you to get into the game, and show me everything that happened, okay?" Vicky asked, and switched on her pod, which lit up.

"Ok. Give me a few minutes," Rachel said.

"I'll meet you in the game then," Vicky said, and kept the phone.

Vicky pressed a button on the pod, and the glass opened, moving to the left. Vicky got into the pod, and pressed another button on the inside, the glass closed, and Vicky closed her eyes.

Everything was dark, Vicky opened her eyes. The whole environment had changed. She was no longer in her house, but she was now in a room made of metal. She was lying on a bed, and sat up.

Vicky's whole appearance was different. Her black hair was now blue, her eyes were white, and she had a scar on her left eye. She was wearing a black face mask, which had blue lights on the sides. She was dressed in a tight black leather jumpsuit, and a long leather overcoat with a hood, and black leather boots.

Her weapons were two pistols strapped to her hip holster, alongside a glowing blue sword on her back. She also had a circle boomerang on her hip, with sharp edges, alongside two karambit pocket knives.

"Icicle welcome back," a guy in a burning, black outfit said, standing in front of Vicky.

"Not now Blaze," Vicky said, and got up from the bed.

"It's urgent," Blaze said.

"Well, I need to find Dia," Vicky said, walking out of the room.

"What? Why?... Never mind… Crystal is missing," Blaze said, walking behind Vicky.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Vicky asked.

"She said she couldn't log out and then suddenly poof and she disappeared," Blaze said, making an explosion like action with his hands.

"What do you mean she disappeared?" Vicky asked stopping and looking at Blaze.

"I think they got her. It seems like the typical way of when they capture someone," Blaze said.

"Well then we need to find Dia, she'll be in trouble next," Vicky said.

"She said she was logging out," Blaze said.

"Yes, but then she logged back in," Vicky said, walking towards another spare room.

"We need to be careful Vicky, they managed to get Leo," Blaze said keeping his hand on Vicky shoulder.

"I know. That's why we should be careful," Vicky said looking at Blaze and continued walking into the room. "No more real names Blaze."

"Hey! I'm here let's go," Rachel said looking at Blaze and Vicky. Rachel's in-game name was Dia, just like Vicky's was Icicle and Mia's was Crystal.

Rachel's outfit was a shiny pink leather jacket and trousers, with pink boots.

"Dia wait! Blaze said Crystal went missing," Vicky said.

"How? I thought I told you to stay with her," Dia said looking at Blaze.

"I was with her, and then she just disappeared, like food in a person's mouth… after you swallow it of course," Blaze said.

"What?" Vicky asked looking at Blaze in confusion. "Let's just focus on getting Crystal back," she said nodding at Blaze.

"Follow me. I'll show you where we went." Dia said.