Characters: Sophia, Pip, Tony, Neil, Marcus, Gibbers
“It looks like we managed to pinpoint the possible sources of the virus,” Pip said, reaching for a pad of paper. “According to our intel, the virus originated at around 7:03 PM last night. Now, in order for somebody to access our security systems in an attempt to plant a bug or whatever, they would have to be logged into our servers. There were four households with access to our servers at 7:03 last night. Coincidently or not, all four connections are still active. It could mean something.” He began scribbling down the addresses on the paper while he spoke.
Sophia stood over his shoulder, her eyes on the computer screen. “Yeah, or it could just mean those people have no lives. A lot of people play Neverquest for fifteen hours on end.”
“Not anymore,” Tony said. He hanged up the phone that he had glued to his ear and spun around in his chair. “Ever since that virus infiltrated our systems, nobody has been able to access the game. That’s the twelfth phone call I got in the last hour about connection problems. I can’t keep sending people to tech support. They’ll eventually realize it doesn’t exist.”
Sophia’s eyes drifted over to the clock. “It’s almost one o’clock in the afternoon. NQers are going to be waking up soon.”
“Do you want to be the one to tell them that we don’t know what’s wrong with our servers?”
“We might not have to. Pip, is there any way to narrow down the origins of the virus? One of those households must be more suspicious than the others.”
“Well…” Pip reached for his mouse and began scrolling through a list of data. “Based on a head count, one of the four seems to be a LAN party. I doubt that anybody accessing our servers over that kind of open connection would risk a virus for fear of being easily traced.”
“So it must be one of the other three?”
“I’d say.”
“Okay,” Sophia said, snatching the pad away from Pip. She tore off the piece of paper and stuffed it into Marcus’ greasy hand. “Marcus, take Gibbers and check out these places. Call me on my cell if you find anything.”
“Your cell!?” Marcus gasped. “You’re really going to give me your cell number?”
“On second thought, call on the company phone. Good luck.”
Marcus hung his head and walked out the door with Gibbers trotting along merrily behind him.
Sophia turned back around. “Pip, can we still access Neverquest through our own servers?”
“Um, I’m pretty sure we can. The virus doesn’t seem to be capable of blocking our own ports. At least, not yet.”
“Good. Then I want you to get suited up.”
“M-me!?”
“You’re head of operations, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m no field agent!”
“I’ll do it,” Tony said, wiping the doughnut crumbs from his shirt as he rose to his feet. He wobbled towards the gaming sphere corner on the opposite side of the room, where a reclining burgundy chair and fancy Neverquest helmet with a green shield piece awaited him.
“I’ll get the visual on the main screen,” Neil said, typing some buttons into his keyboard. “Where do you want to go in the game?”
“Some place tropical,” Tony said with a rub of his chin. “Maybe with a few margaritas and sweet Hawaiian girls in grass skirts. Or no skirts, it doesn’t bother me.”
“Send him to the place with the highest concentrations of the virus,” Sophia sighed. “We’ll see what he can find.”
“Aye, aye.”
Tony dropped into the chair with a groaning plop and slowly slid the game helmet over his head, buckling it tight.
“Alright…” Neil said. “It seems that the most activity is happening somewhere in Felwinter. That’s a neutral town, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous. But…wouldn’t it make more sense for you to go, Sophia?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s…just that you’re…you know, bigger than us…in the game…theoretically, and…uh…”
“You guys let some punk leak a virus into our systems, aren’t able to trace it until hours after it’s corrupted our servers, and you expect me—the boss’ daughter—to fix your mistake? Please, you’re lucky I don’t can you all now.”
Neil swallowed. “I’m sorry, it was just a suggestion.”
“A stupid suggestion.”
“Yes, ma’am…” Neil clicked the enter button on his keyboard. “We’re set. Are you ready, Tony?”
Tony gave a thumbs-up.
“Here we go then…”
With another click, Tony’s whole world changed. At first he could see only blackness through his helmet, but it soon gave way to an intense white light that grew and grew until it became as large as the sky, until it faded to a pale blue and became the sky. Then the ground began to take shape, as soft sand, and soon the murmurs of a roaring crowd reverberated through his mind. Then, as if coming out of a coma, he blinked rapidly and stared down at the meaty flesh of his own hands in front of his face. He flexed his fingertips and realized they were his own.
“We have visual,” Neil said, from somewhere distantly, and then Tony remembered they were still able to communicate through the helmet.
Sophia and Pip stood in front of a great long computer screen, about as big as a mural wall, and watched the virtual world shift into focus through Tony’s eyes.
“Put him on loudspeaker,” Sophia said with a wave of her hand and Neil did so without question. “Tony, are you there? Are you able to speak?”
“Y-yeah, I’m here,” Tony murmured, somewhat dreamlike because he was speaking in two worlds at once. “It seems like I’m in some sort of competition. …Huh, that’s weird. It kinda looks like the Tournament of Champions.”
“The Tournament of Champions?” Sophia echoed.
“It’s this contest we put in the game,” Pip explained. “Basically, contestants battle each other one-on-one in order to decide who gets to be considered the true champion.”
Sophia turned back to the screen and watched a bunch of butt-naked men run around, screaming for mercy, as twenty or thirty crazed girls chased them down and stomped them into dust. “Um…this doesn’t seem to be a one-on-one battle. Or fair.”
“Well, the town has a tradition of killing all the Men in the arena before the actual tournament begins.”
“What!? You idiot! Tony’s a man! And you just sent him into the arena!”
“I…I… … Well, at least he’s not naked!”
Tony looked down. “Yeah, I am.”
Sophia opened her mouth to say something and then slapped her hand over her eyes. “I really wish we didn’t have visual for that.”
“Tony, you need to get out of there—NOW!” Neil screamed into the loudspeaker.
“Calm down,” Pip said. “It’s just a game, geez. We’ll revive you if anything happens, Tony.”
“Glad to hear it,” Tony muttered. He looked around, but there wasn’t much of anywhere to run. He was in the center of the arena, surrounded by Men and Women alike, and he was standing in foot imprints much bigger than himself. Without thinking, he took off in the only direction he could—the direction with the least number of girls charging through it.
“I really wish…my virtual self was…in better shape than my real self…” he wheezed after he had made it about twenty feet.
Just then, he looked up to see the face of a smirking Necromancer girl looking down at him. She had a staff shaped like a snake and russet hair that rained down her face, but he only saw these things for a moment before her foot covered his entire vision. A blood-chilling scream boomed over the loudspeaker.
“Tooooooooooony!” Neil cried out, dropping to his knees and cursing the heavens.
Sophia stared at him and then at Pip. “You guys take your gaming way too seriously.”
Giantess World
