“Of course, Master Benjamin. Remember. We assess the worth of the information before selling. I dare say, we may be getting more out of this than you are.” I’m not so sure about that, thought Benjamin, who was checking if the name had any relation to him or his sister.“Well?” asked Benjamin. “Master Ollivander was a noteworthy man who climbed to the position of the Elite Four Most Influential Families of this city through his innovation and grit in developing the technology to microchip VR games out of their headsets.Unlike the rest of the Elite Four, his fortune was strictly first-generation and his company, VanderTech, was worth $20 billion when he was still alive.”“VanderTech?! I remember seeing their consoles on E3 when I was four years old! The high-powered devices were as small as buttons!” whistled Johnny.“Is it really the same person?” Benjamin, on the other hand, did not have such childhood luxuries of travelling abroad for gaming events. They didn’t even have a TV talk
“Where we off to, Boss?” asked Johnny.Benjamin downshifted into second gear to blow past a red light. He had been getting much better than his first drive-through, and with the help of a few YouTube videos here and there, soon understood how to use the paddle shifters by the steering wheel.“I’m going to bed” replied Benjamin. “As for you, work resumes by 08;00 AM tomorrow.”“Where?” asked Johnny. “What are you, blind and deaf? We have an office!” stressed Benjamin.“NOT THAT. I meant where am I going to sleep?” asked Johnny.Benjamin braked hard to take a left turn. “What are you talking about? Where have you been sleeping up until now?!” he asked.“On the streets”“Excuse Me? Why?!”“It’s not much of a statement If I’m going back to some fancy hotel with a luxury dinner, now is it?” reasoned Johnny.“What the fuck is wrong with you?”“There are people in third world countries, that are struggling to live and holding on to whatever morsel of life they have left because of these con
“Nope” replied Johnny. But on the next turn, Benjamin made, the siren sounds were resurrected. At the end of this street was a Ford Raptor this time, its siren lights strobing the street pavements.“What the hell?” questioned Benjamin.“Who are these guys? I thought this was the local police.”“Yeah, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Replied Johnny.“Hang on” Benjamin swerved left at the next intersection into a darker alley, and turned off his high beams. He inched the Mclaren closer to a Dumpster to park, but before that, the street was suddenly lit up with a light source more brilliant than a thousand suns. Everything and everywhere was white from the blinding beams.Benjamin squinted his eyes and slammed the gear into reverse, but in his rearview, he saw the Ford Raptor approaching again, its alarm still very much alive. The walls of the street were much too narrow to carry out any evasive manoeuvres. The Raptor stopped, and Benjamin could hear the sound of two car doors crea
“Now, for the second error of conduct-“ stared Thomas. “Driving a general licensed car.”Benjamin turned to him. “What?”“Your car has a general license plate, Mr Benjamin. For someone of your status, that is a most vital error of conduct. You should have a Star Alliance specially-made Vanity plate installed. If you had, it would lead to zero stops from the law in this city.” stated Thomas.“I thought you just said the whole point of Star Alliance was to remain invisible and anonymous to the population at large?!”“I think you’re misunderstanding it, Mr Benjamin. Star Alliance is not made up of the most influential and powerful people on the planet, the most powerful and influential people are Star Alliance. Do you understand?You were selected to join the program because of your potential to become more prominent than you currently are. That importance cannot exude itself when you are driving a commonplace car such as this.” Explained Thomas.“I’m not sure I’m following.”“To keep y
"Destroy any possibility of a union between Claire Black And Mardo Wormwood," said Thomas, handing over the paper to Benjamin. On it were two character profiles, that of Claire and the other of Mario, their pictures printed in Black and White. He recognised the picture of Claire. It was a portrait of her joining Worcester University as a freshman, he had seen it tirelessly above the fireplace in the Black's living room. It was back then, a few months after this picture was taken that she had met him. He didn't know it then, she was a beautiful kid from a rich family and he had dared to dream of a life together, even against JMONEY's constant disapproval. Everything started back then. Mardo looked as heinous as ever. Under each profile were the notes preferences and dislikes of each character. Between their two avatars was a big red cross. Benjamin held onto the paper for a few more seconds but handed it back to Thomas, disapprovingly. "That's for you to keep" eyed Thomas. "Not in
"There is one final thing, Mr Benjamin" stated Thomas. Benjamin groaned with his head buried in the steering wheel. The high beams had all but destroyed his irises from the constant brightness. "In the name of all that is good, what?!" "Have you ever heard of a System?" asked Thomas. Suddenly, Benjamin became alert. His instincts warned of danger ahead in the conversation. Trying to make no sudden movements, he raised his head slowly, and said: "Huh?" Thomas paused as if waiting for some kind of an effect. "A system, Mr Benjamin" he replied. Benjamin shook his head skillfully in the art of acting. "You mean a computer? I don't understand" he said. "Not in the conventional sense, no" replied Thomas seriously. "And, what does this have to do with anything?" asked Benjamin. "Well, the Alliance has information that the Black Family, or one of them, has recently come into the privileges of a 'System'" Benjamin shook his head. "Again, what are you talking about?" "A system is an i
"The Abort feature could also be presented when 1. The User fails to complete some mandatory scenarios. 2. There is an attack in the system and aborting is the only way to save the User's life." replied Payton. "What happens when the System is aborted?" asked Benjamin. He was, of course, referring to the assets said user would've built within the duration. "My money, my company, my employees, my revenge, what happens to all of that?" "Upon activation of Abortion, a special skill is deployed: 'Mind Wipe'. Mindwipe will thoroughly cleanse the user's memories of the System, its skills, its scenarios and its association with everyday events. It is a delicate skill that fills in the Blank nicely such that the user wouldn't suspect anything had been taken from him in the first place." Benjamin swallowed a gulp. The thought was even more terrifying than he had imagined. Going back to a pauper with no memories of glory. All that growth, deleted, gone. He shuddered. "And my money?" "Al
"World Conquest is achieved when all leaders on earth look to the Conqueror favourably, and await his next directive. Every directive on earth, whether of a city, state or country, works to favour him or his intentions. Every currency pair flows through his several personal accounts throughout the globe. The state of each country represents his intentions. He has a supreme say in every decision on the planet. Only then, has he achieved World Conquest"It was an interesting and entertaining concept to hear at least. The way you'd think about what perpetual motion would look like, or free energy across the globe, or World peace everywhere. But factually, it held as much credibility to thought as a children's bedtime story. "That's Impossible," I said. Payton was silent. Seemed he didn't have much to contribute to an argument. But something about that frightened me. "Payton?" "Yes, Master?" "Has anyone, ever, achieved this World Conquest?" Payton went silent once more. Benjamin could