QJ lay in bed for a moment after logging out. "Annabelle seems a bit different than other NPCs in GnG." He walked over to his desk and opened his hud; a young Indian woman with dark brown skin and black hair answered.
"Dr. Gajendra's Lab, this is Indira." The woman smiled in a friendly manner, although she didn't know the young man.
QJ bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Naomi did mention that she had three charming assistants."
"Flirt with him!" Naomi's voice seemed to come from a different room; a moment later, her smiling face replaced her assistants. "I'll send Indy's holo right over if you are interested."
QJ laughed; he could hear the girl protesting in the background. "Sure, she seems nice. I've got a question for you, Naomi."
Naomi stopped teasing and looked serious for a moment; QJ had his dad's uncanny ability to figure things out. This, coupled with high intelligence, made him someone who rarely asked questions. "What can I do for you, QJ?"
"A GnG NPC is exhibiting signs of an LAI. Tell me about the NPC intelligence core in GnG."
Naomi didn't bother to hide her surprise. "Seems like you know something already. Impress me." Naomi gestured at some people in the lab; after a few moments, Indy had rejoined her along with a girl sporting a black mohawk.
"GnG NPCs seem fragmented, given just enough core parts to simulate performing as an LAI." QJ pulled out the notepad he regularly scribbled notes in.
The mohawked girl shook her head. "Not really fragmented."
QJ leaned back, carefully considering what she said. "No? Let's see, ten servers have an NPC shell in each. They must be anchored, then, to a central core. Each shell uses the core to access its intel needs. They share assets."
Mohawk girl stared at him, then back at Naomi. "Holy Shit."
Naomi held up her hand, "please continue QJ."
"NPCs that are deemed more important can allocate high core functions." QJ turned the page in his notes. "What happens when an important NPC gets singular access to the core?"
Naomi had her own notebook out and was writing while she listened. "How is that possible?"
"Across all servers, two high-value NPCs have been eliminated due to gaming elements. However, these two NPCs survived for the first time on the Phoenix server that had just opened up.
As a result, new content was released." QJ had grown up with LAIs, so he was particularly sensitive to the differences between them and other NPCs. When Lilly encountered the Freeborn, the change started to become noticeable. When he met with Annabelle in the carriage, she also changed.
Mohawk girl looked over at her supervisor's notebook and then at QJ. "I'm Gin, by the way. Singular core access could cause fusion."
"Leading to trait development, exploration, curiosity. Without any sort of limiter." QJ scratched his cheek. This should be stopped now. Or we could be looking at a developing AI, maybe even an HAI (High Artificial Intelligence), although those are theoretical."
"Why aren't you one of my assistants, QJ?" Naomi frowned at him, "I need to end this conversation and contact my friend at GnG."
"Shouldn't I give you the NPC names?" QJ watched as Naomi froze in place.
"See? That's why I need more help. What are their names?"
"Lilianna Strom and Dixie Jones, aka Annabelle." QJ didn't know Annabelle's last name, but he had given enough information for them to pinpoint her.
QJ closed comm and walked into the kitchen, no one was around, but he could hear Anna's voice upstairs. "I'm going to the neighbor's house, Anna."
Anna walked out to the railing a moment later. "Gotta date with one of those pretty sisters?"
QJ nodded. "You know it! Don't wait for me. You guys go ahead and eat."
"Okay, we'll talk about Thunder Keep and Guild Bases if you return in time." Anna watched as he ran out the door and closed it behind him. "Too much of your dad in you; those girls don't stand a chance."
He walked over to the Hall home and knocked; a moment later, the door opened, and a pretty girl with long dark hair stood in the doorway.
"Hey, QJ. You meeting Char?" Jo absolutely refused to call her younger sister by her GnG name.
"Yep." QJ didn't know what to make of the oldest daughter. She started attending a dance school in the city but seemed bitter and disinterested in everything else.
"Is that QJ? Tell him to throw a swimsuit on and hurry back!" Lotte called from her room.
Jo rolled her eyes. "What an idiot. You heard her, right?" She watched as QJ ran back to his house. "She always gets the best of everything, yet somehow manages to mess it up."
QJ quickly changed into a swimsuit and returned a few minutes later. The garage door was now open, and Lotte was sitting in her wheelchair waiting for him.
"Thanks for coming, QJ." Lotte had her hair in a ponytail that exposed her face; usually, she would hide the scars under her long hair. "Feel like helping me with some physical therapy?"
"Sure, I can do that." QJ walked past her and opened the access door to the backyard. She was wearing a full-body suit meant for swimming. Only her hands and feet were exposed below the neck.
"Mostly, I need you to make sure I don't drown; normally, the twins help me, but they are visiting mom at the TAP Academy." Lotte wheeled through the door and moved the chair to the pool before applying the brake.
"I'll help you get to the edge first." He lent her his arm, and she slowly walked to the water's edge; her dark hair held the pleasant scent of lilac. "You smell nice."
"Um.. thanks?" Lotte sat on the edge of the pool and then slid into the water. Since they were in the shallow side, it was only four feet deep.
"What's first?" QJ asked.
"I start by treading water for ten minutes; I can only do about two minutes at a time."
QJ eased into the pool and moved toward the deep end; he turned his hud timer on so it displayed right above the water. He started it when Lotte began treading water.
"Jo seems a bit withdrawn." QJ kept himself afloat by kicking his legs; while watching his classmate exercise.
"We used to be best friends before my accident." Lotte was breathing easily as the first two minutes counted down.
"Just use me to catch your breath." QJ didn't react when she placed a wet hand on his shoulder and rested in place; for some reason, his heart was hammering in his chest.
"There's a shooting range at the new Guild Base. Did you know that?" Lotte's face was only inches away from his; she tried to relax, knowing her scars were visible.
"Nope, I didn't know that." Ringo had told him to keep the instances under wraps until the next Guild meeting.
Lotte moved away and started treading water again. "You are really something QJ. Doubler Canyon, Server Events, Main Event Quests, Guild Bases. We've only just started, and you are creating waves."
"You helped with Doubler Canyon and the Keep assault that earned us the Guild Base." QJ was just starting to calm down when another two minutes elapsed, and she rested against him.
She was breathing harder this time; her delicate features were focused.
"I'm just going to stick closer to you." She smiled when she said it, their eyes watching each other. "You have your mom's pretty eyes."
QJ frowned at her. "From now on, refer to my eyes as manly, if you don't mind."
Lotte laughed as she moved away once again. "Fine, very manly, blue eyes." She trod water while they talked; this time, she immediately started struggling.
By the end of the two minutes, she was clearly exhausted.
QJ moved closer and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "You're doing great; just rest up. This is why I'm here."
She had an arm around his shoulder; the contact didn't bother her as she leaned her head against his. "Thanks."
After a few more brutally hard sets, she moved to the shallower side of the pool until the water was shoulder deep.
"Not much for you to do now; I just walk back and forth in four feet of water."
QJ seemed very interested. "Looks like they are working on improving your range of motion."
"Right, I'm supposed to use exaggerated movements." She started her exercise while he stayed in the deep end, treading water.
"Hmm, looks like you move pretty well. Are you getting EPO injections?"
"I just started. Our old insurance wouldn't cover those kinds of treatments." She marched steadily through the water; this was much easier than treading.
QJ didn't know what sort of benefits TAP Academy offered, but he knew his mom would ensure medical treatments were covered. "Is your mom enjoying teaching at the Academy?"
Lotte nodded as she continued walking. "She loves it. I can't believe how lucky we are. We were staying with our relatives in Texas just a few months ago."
QJ leaned back and floated in the water without moving. "See that house that butts up against your backyard?"
"Yep, that's on another cul de sac, right?" Lotte finally stopped and swam quietly toward QJ.
QJ felt her presence and started treading water; she stopped suddenly, her face turning red. "You weren't going to dunk me, were you?"
"Yep, that was my plan." Lotte sighed heavily and inched closer, her hands resting on QJ's shoulders while they moved their feet slowly. "What about that house?"
"It's my house. Pops originally bought it for himself. I guess living with newlyweds and an infant was a bit taxing." QJ moved his hands in small circles, not minding that he was doing most of the work.
Lotte glanced at the house, barely visible over the fence. "It's empty?"
"Yep, eventually, I'll move in. Once I know a few more people willing to go with me." QJ's hud blinked at him, and Ringo's face popped up a moment later.
If she was surprised seeing them so close, her face didn't show it. "The Phoenix Server has gone offline; it will remain so for the next three days," Ringo noted that only one of her students looked surprised at this news.
"I see," QJ replied. "What's that mean for OP?"
"We'll have mornings off," Ringo said. Report to class at 1300 for extra duties and preparation for the Good Will Games. Today we won't start until 1500; I have a special surprise for everyone."
Ringo signed off after sending them both a schedule that covered the next three days.
"Thanks for helping me, QJ" Lotte was still resting with a hand on his shoulder.
"I can do this every day! I enjoy spending time with you." QJ grinned when she blushed.
"Don't say it if you don't mean it." Lotte accepted QJ's shoulder as he helped her back into her wheelchair.
"I always mean what I say." QJ's hud buzzed before he could say anything else. Anna's face popped up when he answered it.
"Hey, guys." Anna's lips curved in a smile. "Were you two making out?"
QJ nodded. "We were about to... Thanks for breaking the mood."
Lotte stifled a laugh, covering her red face with one hand. "There goes my reputation."
Anna shrugged slightly. "Don't worry, girl. I keep a lot of secrets. There's a truck at the front gate with a delivery."
"Send it to Pop's house," QJ replied.
" I did; there's a Contractor also," Anna paused, waiting for QJ to elaborate.
"I better get over there." QJ cut comm without saying anything else. "Sorry, I have to cut this short."
Lotte smiled when he began pushing her chair back to the backyard's access door. "Building something at your secret hideout?"
"The less you know, the better." QJ waited until she went inside before cutting across their backyard into his own. Then, effortlessly he scaled the fence that butted up against Pop's house.
The beeping sound of a work truck backing up sent QJ running around the side of the house. A dark-haired man in khaki shorts and a white tank top was marshaling the vehicle into the driveway.
"I want those pallets in the backyard. Let me open the side gate!" QJ shouted so the man in khakis could hear him. "Don't worry about making ruts; I can fill them in later."
The man nodded and waited until the gate was open before resuming his marshaling duties.
Once the truck moved past the house, QJ pointed them toward a clear spot next to the patio. "Put the pallets on the grass, as close to the hot tub as possible."
"Mike Travis," the contractor approached a few minutes later and extended his hand. Three pallets were downloaded and placed side-by-side where QJ asked.
"I'm QJ. It's nice to meet you." QJ shook the man's hand.
Mike glanced at the backyard. The empty pool and hot tub were tiled in by textured stone that looked like it had never been used. "Right away, I see a few issues."
QJ signed the clipboard that Mike handed him. "I want these tiles torn out, including the pool and hot tub lining."
Mike had a square jaw and a tanned face with just enough stubble to make him look rugged. "This tile looks new."
"It is new," QJ agreed. "I want it replaced with the tile I ordered."
Mike moved to one of the pallets and removed one of the larger tiles. "This is a ceramic tile, QJ. It's not suitable for outdoor patios. When this gets wet, it will be like walking on ice."
"I know." QJ ignored the man's warning and started outlining what he wanted.
"Let me get this straight." Mike held a personal hud in his hand, the kind engineers and contractors use. "You want me to tear out all this new textured tile and replace it with this slippery ceramic tile."
QJ nodded. "Exactly right."
Mike sighed heavily. "Is there someone else I could talk to? Perhaps your mom or dad?"
QJ shook his head. "No. Just me. The delivery has been paid for. If you aren't going to do the work, then leave the pallets, and I'll hire someone else."
Mike held up his hand in mock surrender. "I'll do it. When can I start?"
"Immediately," QJ replied. Before heading inside, QJ picked up a large box that had been strapped to the first pallet. "Come get me if there are any issues, Mike."
Mike nodded. "You got it, QJ. Gonna make a lot of noise."
"Up for some refreshments?" Tal entered the garage through the mudroom with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses.
QJ accepted a glass and took a long drink. Since he was working in his Pop's garage, Tal had come an awful long way to bring him tea. "Thanks, mom."
Tal sat the pitcher on the workbench, her sharp blue eyes taking in everything; calipers, micrometers, copper rods, spools of single-core silver wire. The tool bench hud was zoomed into a VRP mapper schematic. "Are you reverse engineering a VRP mapper?"
QJ shook his head and pointed to the garage floor behind her, where several oddly designed VRPs mappers were laid out on a dingy sheet. "I already did that... Next, I'm going to create an oscillating coil."
Tal had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. "Creating a magnetic field? There are simpler ways to do that. For example, Naomi has a magnetic resonance chamber (MRC) in her lab.
"I'm not trying to create a magnetic field." QJ clamped a steel thread tool into the vice of the workbench and then slipped on a pair of rubber work gloves. After picking up one of the copper rods, he slowly rotated it until the thread tool bit into the soft metal.
Tal scratched her chin while considering the other possibilities. He was cutting a thread into a solid copper rod, perhaps one inch per rotation. The rods looked to be about nine meters in length. "Don't tell me. I'll figure it out."
An hour later, QJ was working on the sixth and last copper rod while Tal was going through every component in the garage. She held up something she didn't recognize. "What's this?"
"Try slipping it over one of the copper rods." QJ wiped the sweat from his brow, even with the door open, the garage felt like a sauna.
Tal turned the object over in her hands. Silver casing, with a 3 cm hole through the center. It was 10 cm in diameter and had 5 mm nozzles every 1 cm around the circumference. When she stood up one of the threaded copper rods and screwed it into the top, the silver casing slowly descended, rotating until the floor stopped its progress. "What are these nozzles?"
"The green ones are laser flickers. The same ones used in VRP mappers. A strobing laser with ten million oscillations per second."
Tal pursed her lips slightly. Every other nozzle was green; the rest were red. "And the red ones?"
QJ chuckled and shook his head. "Not saying. Go ahead, call for backup."
Tal narrowed her eyes and opened her hud. A moment later, Naomi's face popped into view. She took a few minutes to describe the components and the tools QJ was using. She also mentioned the VRP schematic and the mappers he'd constructed.
"And it's not an MRC?" Naomi's dark eyes danced with interest. "I'm almost done at the lab. Can I come over and see it?"
QJ shrugged. "As long as you lock up after. I'm heading back to the Academy."
QJ arrived at the Academy shortly before 1500. Shadowed by a giant black cat, he rubbed the big feline's ears and entered the full classroom. "We going somewhere?"
"To TAP, actually." Ringo grinned at the face he made. "Leah Fintree contacted me; the Apple Festival is about to kick off."
"Attending would require having a TAP account." QJ had grown up in Ravenwood and attended the TAP Academy; neither required a game account. You could take a portal to either location directly from Exodus.
Ringo shrugged slightly. "Good thing we are getting 3-day temporary trial accounts for everyone."
"My dad's going to eat this up." QJ knew without asking who talked Leah into contacting Ringo.
Ringo laughed. "I notified Rachel Brenner that she will have to hold the fort for a few days; both the 1st and 3rd years will be attending the Apple Festival."
Lotte glanced at QJ; he looked surprised for the first time since she'd known him. "Are their guns in TAP?" She literally knew nothing about the game.
"Only if you are a brilliant engineer, a gnome, or an NPC assassin." QJ knew all about the classes and gameplay. Just about everyone he knew was a TAP hero.
"What should a slinger like me play then?" Lotte was a GnG fanatic; she knew nothing about TAP other than they kicked everyone's ass in the arena every year.
Ringo leaned forward, paying attention to the question.
"Slingers should play Rangers; their range damage is awesome." QJ shook his head slightly. "My dad is behind this, right?"
"I've sent notifications to everyone to meet up in Q-Town at 1700, which gives you two hours to make a TAP character. All extra duties are suspended for the duration." Ringo smiled at her class. "Going to start my TAP ranger! Class dismissed."
One by one, QJ's classmates vanished until he was alone with the Shadow Fiend guarding the door. "Guess I'll finally get to see the Apple Festival."
When QJ exited his VR chamber a few minutes later, the house was empty. He made himself a quick sandwich and then slid on the VR suit.
"Log On, TAP."
TAP Interface Acquired. Do you wish to proceed?
"Yes."
Welcome to the character creation interface
Legacy Account Detected... Please Stand By.
"Amusing dad, just you wait. I'm going to get..."
[Legacy Account Located: Talia Riley]
"Mom?"
QJ was transferred to the Character selection screen, where a human-shaped mannequin hovered in the air.
[Please choose your race. Race in TAP is mostly cosmetic, although each race has some minor advantages.]
"Human." QJ didn't need to hear the rest; there were no advantages to be found in race.
[Please wait while the appearance generator comes online.]
"I wish to use myself for all characteristics, including gender and voice.
[Default settings are acknowledged, character generation is complete. Please choose a name.]
"Guess I'll go with QJ. Why confuse anyone?"
[Welcome to TAP QJ. Do you wish to declare a base class now? This option becomes mandatory at level 10.]
"I'll wait. Thank you."
[Which Fora Town do you wish to start in? Talon, Innisfrae or Q-Town?]
"Q-Town, I suppose."
[All settings are finalized. May you find your path QJ.]
QJ appeared on the platform next to the Town Square a moment later.
"Mom has tricked me somehow." QJ noticed that the Mail icon was blinking, so he activated it.
[TAP MAIL]
Subject: Legacy Account Sender: TAP Admin Attachment: Legacy Pack
QJ,
This account has been tagged as a legacy account. Your benefactor, Talia Riley, has set up certain advantages for you. Legacy account holders are able to pass down one inventory item, up to 5 million credits, and a legacy item. Whatever your benefactor has chosen to grant you will be deposited into your Inventory. There is no monthly premium for Legacy Accounts.
TAP admin.
[System Message] Do you wish to accept the Legacy Pack?
"Yes."
[System Message] 5 million credits have been deposited into your account.
[System Message] A Legacy Item has been deposited into your account.
"Sweet Georgia ... 5 million credits? Fine, I'll overlook the trickery this time." QJ grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Let's see what we are working with. Display stats."
QJ
Level 1
Statistics
Strength 18
Endurance 21
Intelligence 72
Agility 20
Luck 9
Charisma 15
QJ pulled out the Legacy Item from his Inventory. He smiled when he looked at the tattered pages. "This is Mom's old notebook. How is this a Legacy item? I used to doodle in this thing when I was a kid."
[Tal's Notes]
Unique Item
Description: These are the meticulously written notes of the engineer, Tal. She is widely credited with building the nation of Fora.
Requirement: Base intelligence of at least 60
[System Message] Do you wish to activate Tal's Notes?
"Sure."
A moment later, QJ found himself enveloped in golden light; the marketplace took notice as the young man floated in the air for a moment before coming to rest on the ground. QJ glanced around, feeling his arms and legs. "That didn't hurt a bit."
[System Message] Deviant Engineer Class Acknowledged.
"Shit... now everyone is watching me." He glanced around the marketplace, taking a step down from the platform.
"Real subtle mom... Display Stats."
QJ
Deviant Engineer [Tal's Apprentice]
Level 1
Statistics
Strength 18
Endurance 21
Intelligence 72
Agility 20
Luck 9
Charisma 15
"...." QJ.
A clicking sound in the suddenly deathly quiet marketplace announced her arrival. "My boy has finally come to TAP."
QJ turned to find his mom standing behind him. Her pretty blue eyes were shining, and she looked so happy that QJ couldn't find the heart to complain. "Thanks, mom."
The silence of the marketplace erupted when the blonde engineer hugged her son.
"I've been waiting for a long time to show you, Fora. Remmy and I put a lot of hard work into developing it."
"I have time now, mom; we aren't meeting up for almost two hours."
QJ grinned when she handed him a jetpack. He had used them before in Ravenwood, even designed a few, but had yet to have his own. "Now we are talking."
Tal brought up her map and equipped her own jetpack. "See those lakes? Let's check those out first; then, I'll show you my Aqueducts."
"Race you there." QJ took off into the sky, with Tal following closely.