"STATUS REPORT"
A voice resounded within a spacious hall full of Hi-Tech mainframe computers in holographic controls, separated from each other by booths. A large screen is found on one end of the room, it occupied the entire width of the room, thus giving anyone enough view of whatever is being projected there through the many consoles inside the hall too.
By the entrance, a man with slicked back hair and wickedly blue eyes can be found standing in all of his glory. He reaches a hand to the railings leading to a short flight of stairs down to the floor where the computers and their operators are found to be busily working on their part of the system. Each of them is clad in a complete white suit and a specially made pair of goggles that help them in their jobs, though it makes them look like a typical brainwashed citizen in a dystopian novel.
Axel smiled inwardly, the kind of which can't be discerned to either evil, or pure joy for his project has finally launched. He looked to his left, and connected his eyes to a set of yellow ones which belonged to one Jaymes Carter. The man in question is one of Axel's favorites because of how easy it was for him to have the engineer wrapped around his finger. Afterall, one fell swoop and he can put an end to everything that this man possesses. He has an ultimate hold against him through the people he cherish, his family members.
Though Axel believes that personal attachments are a hindrance to success, he was somewhat glad that Carter stayed in contact with his kin, because he was able to use those poor souls against the engineer to do his bidding.
"E-Everything is in working order, sir." Jaymes said in a nervous tone, carefully approaching his employer which made the latter momentarily close his eyes and think about his success. Finally, after nearly a decade of work, his dreams has finally come true. His vision has finally become a reality. Fantasy Burst Online is no longer unreachable.
"Perfect." he responded shortly after, lifting his chin from Jaymes' location and shifting his vision towards the giant screen across the hall. It was black and turned off earlier, but it will soon zoom to life upon his command. "Pull up the scene, I want to view the world of Arkadia"
"Copy that, Grandmaster." says an Operator in a monotone, then glided his fingers across his monitor to command it to display what was asked of him. Axel's eyes went wide in amazement as he first saw the lush green forest, the flowers, the tall, concrete buildings, then the people; The joyful players of the world he created to perfection.
He saw hundreds, if not thousands of people interacting with each other in the heart of Arkadia's civilization. They were almost like ants that Axel can easily crush under the weight of his fingers, but he knew the time isn't right just yet. He wasn't able to contain his smile though, especially when he caught glimpse of terror that washed over Jaymes' face after the camera moved away from Arkadia and stopped right above the Tower of Steel, the tallest infrastructure in the middle of the starting city.
Only if Matthew was here to see his company turn into something more brilliant that he could have ever imagined.
Axel thought to himself, then lifted his hand into the air, right above his chest and sighed. At the same time, he crumpled his fingers together into a fist, the tips of which gradually turned pale after he forced them tightly together, drawing blood from his palm. The lush red liquid ran down his palm and his wrist, but the man didn't care about whether it was painful or will stain his suit; he was too engrossed in his view of victory to think about all of that.
He can no longer wait to make this world crumble. A magnificent world falling into destruction. Oh, how fun would that be.
"Let's continue watching them for now. I'm sure the Council will be overjoyed seeing this progress." He said afterwards, twirling to his feet and leaving the platform to join the rest of the luxurious Council members for dinner.
•◦⚜◦•
**Clang. Clang. Clang.**
The sound of a hammer pounding against steel filled my senses with vigor as I continued to tinker away with a broken object sprawled on the table in front of me. Wires of different sizes and colors were found connected to certain power conductors and similar sensor modules fixed onto a wooden box now worn down by time. Tools and differing sizes of cutting pliers were situated to my left, while an old motorcycle helmet is set down on my right. I fashioned it like a head gear, although it's still a work in progress because I'm not yet sure how to make it work without frying my brain after putting it on.
As a child, my father has always shown me many things about the technicalities of videogames and consoles that they once used to play those games. He had always told me stories about his work, though he never really showed me any of it, because he said that I was too young to handle the truth of his labour.
While I never understood his reasoning for keeping his work ethics a secret to me and Ashley, I commend him for providing to us while he could, only that it didn't last long since he and mom fell into a car accident seven years ago. Since then, I knew I had to learn how to do things not only for me, but for my younger sibling as well. Being the eldest child of only fourteen was a tough time for me, especially since no one wanted to take me in for work because of certain laws for child labor. It was only Mr Owens who decided to hire me first as a janitor, then he promoted me into the position of a cashier in night shifts.
**Clang!**
I lifted the hammer one last time as I fastened the item I have in my hand to the wooden box, now connected through its wires. I will put back the plastic case on top of the equipment afterwards, the kind of which has been fashioned to have two similar knobs, a power supply socket, and a switch on it. This object has been an item that Dad always worked on when I was just a kid. He said he was making it so that Ashley and I can play it, but how exactly will a weird console in a wooden box like this work? Let alone have anything on its drive for us to play?
I've only decided to tinker away with this because I was planning on selling it out for some cash. I can't possibly sell it when it doesn't even look usable, so I've been trying to fix it for almost a month now. Mr Owens was kind enough to provide me with some components I required to repair it, something I've been trying to pay back to him in installments using my monthly salary.
"Hey, dinner's ready."
A voice echoed from the doorway behind me. It was Ashley, peering over the opened door to look at what I was doing, a look of curiosity on her face. Since Ashley comes home from school earlier than I do, she usually takes care of our meals while I take care of our finances. That's just how we live in peace.
I put on the best smile I could muster as I lifted my head to look at my sister as well, her black hair tickling her shoulders, just as I remembered it did with mom all those years ago.
"Sure. Give me a sec. I'm just going to clean up my mess here." I responded to her in kind.
"Okay, but be quick. I'm really hungry." Ashley said, holding her tummy and rubbing her palm over it to make her point, which in turn made me chuckle. I nodded to her as she makes her way back to the house. Meanwhile, I stood up from my seat and stretched both arms out. I yawned, and began to make quick work of the items I had sprawled all over my workbench, making sure to put tools where my tools belong, and the parts exactly where they've been taken from too. I sweated it out just by sorting out my things, but since I had no work to fill in today, this was my only means of exercise once school is done.
Tristan. My friend's silly face suddenly entered my mind which made me feel conscious about him. I wonder how his day went? I remember him saying how wonderful the game's world looked, even going so far as making a bold statement of wanting to live there for real. I remember smiling at him because I didn't know how to react to his story without feeling envious about his wealth. It was a moment I truly wished I was born in a more minted environment instead of what I had to experience through my childhood, but I knew better than to be vocal about it with Tristan.
It felt bitter in my mouth, but I don't want to ruin our friendship with a petty reason such as being jealous of him and his privileges.
I heaved a sigh, looking up to the sky with a low-spirited look on my face. I've never really stopped being resentful about the life Tristan have, and the kind of which I have been cursed with. Sure, I love spending time with my sister and having to do things around the house together is an enjoyable bonding time for us both, but it will still feel different if we were born in a different scenario; if our parents never perished from that incident, or if they were here to provide for us. Surely then, I won't have to feel this way about a genuine relationship I shared with a kind man like Tristan Gunther.
"Heeey Steven!" Ashley's voice brought me back to the surface of my sea of thoughts. I realized I had been standing there for a couple of minutes now, but I at least managed to finish my work in time.
"Yeah, I'm coming!" I replied to her in a moderate tone as well. I guess I will just have to listen to Tristan talk about the game again tomorrow.