The team filed into their new briefing room, a space that looked 'top secret'. Sleek monitors lined the walls, and the conference table looked like it could double as a landing pad for a small spacecraft.
Ned strode to the head of the table, trying to channel his inner super-spy. Earlier, he had changed into a suit that made him feel like he was cosplaying as James Bond's more attractive cousin. Though, the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he had forgotten to remove the price tag from his sleeve.
"Right then, team," he began, yanking off the tag with as much dignity as he could muster. "Welcome to our first official world saving meeting. Refreshments are in the corner, and please try not to spill anything. The janitorial staff is getting tired of having to incinerate the napkins."
Atara leaned back in her chair, eyeing Ned skeptically. "So, 'Agent xXx_SpyGod69_xXx', now that we know this whole thing wasn't just an elaborate prank, what's our next move?"
Ned cleared his throat, suddenly feeling the weight of his role now that they acknowledged him a bit. "Well, first things first. I owe you all an apology."
The room fell silent, all eyes on him. Even the potted plant in the corner seemed to lean in attentively.
"I've been... less than honest with you," Ned continued. "Partly because I didn't know what the agency's plans were, and partly because, well, I'm an idiot."
Ursula snorted. "No arguments here."
Ned shot her a look that was half grateful, half exasperated. "Thanks for the support, Ursula. But, I mean it, I'm really an idiot."
"Now you are sounding a bit weird." Atara retorted. "Is something else going on that we still don't know about?"
"Apparently, there is." Ned's reply rustled a few nerves. To think after being lied to by the agency, they still weren't let in on the entire truth was annoying. They had all the right to be pissed, and it could be seen in the way their boobs heaved.
Ned sighed. "I'm sure I am not supposed to be saying this, but we've been through enough to allow a bit of transparency between us at least."
"I'm not the real Agent xXx_SpyGod69_xXx." He finally said, waiting to see their reaction. But there was none. Honestly, they didn't know how to feel after what he had just disclosed.
Moments ago, he had been confirmed as the real agent xXx_SpyGod69_xXx by the director himself. And just when they were getting used to being around greatness, he tells them he wasn't him.
"So, who are you?" Zeta asked the exact question on everyone's mind.
Ned took in a deep breath, "I'm Ned Wyatt, an elite gamer from Kyoto, and the agent xXx_SpyGod69_xXx, is my avatar."
"I know it all sounds weird, but this," he gestured around with a wave of his hand. "...is nothing but a massively multiplayer online role-playing game called 'Deadlock'."
There was dead silence.
Ned waited for a response, half expecting them to tell him he was delusional or going nuts, but what came next was something he least expected.
"Wait a minute, Ned Wyatt, as in the video game guru? The brain behind the greatest spy of all time?" Atara asked, both palms covering her mouth in shock.
"Huh? You know me? But how?" Ned was lost for words.
"I know you? Dude, 'WE' worship you, all of us. All gaming enthusiast, especially Deadlock players." Atara proclaimed.
"Wait, wait, wait," Ned let out an exasperated laugh, taking a few steps back. "There must be a misunderstanding somewhere. If this is a game, which as a matter of fact is, how do you lovely goddesses know you are in a game and how do you know someone outside the ga..."
Before he could finish his sentence, realization dawned on him. "Sweet mother of pearls! You all are indeed goddesses!"
The room echoed with a collective facepalm. "What an idiot. We are in the same situation as you. We are transmigrants like you." Raine who had been mostly quiet, chimed in.
"Oh, right," Ned said. "Wait, what?"
"Damn, you are hopeless." Ursula snorted. "Besides, what made you tell us this."
Ned, cleared his throat. "Well, you all deserve better. You're not washouts or rejects. You're some of the most talented, resourceful people I've ever met. And I'm sorry it took me so long to see that."
Paige, usually so quiet, spoke up. "And why that, what changed?"
Ned grinned. "You did. We did. That night at the safe house, when everything went sideways? You all stepped up. You didn't hesitate, didn't falter. You were... amazing."
A warmth spread through the room, and as absurd as it might sound, every boob in the room wiggled, as if making their presence known.
But, Zeta broke the moment, pushing her glasses up her nose with a smirk. "Okay, okay, enough with the mushy stuff. We are all transmigrants, that much is clear. And if I was to guess, we were brought here for a purpose, perhaps the whole saving the world thing, 'game world' I mean. Or something completely unknown to us."
Ned clapped his hands together. "Right! Assuming that was true, our esteemed Director informed us that we're facing a threat of unprecedented proportions. Something so dire, so earth-shattering, that only a team of transmigrants, in other words, real people, can solve."
He paused for dramatic effect, then deflated slightly. "Unfortunately, that's about all the information I have. Apparently, 'need to know basis' is still a thing, even when the fate of this in-game world is supposedly at stake."
Atara leaned forward. "So we're flying blind into a potential apocalypse?"
"So it seems!" Ned beamed. "Now, I may not know much about being a super-spy in person, but I do remember one very important thing from my gaming days."
"How to survive on nothing but energy drinks and regret?" Ursula quipped, revealing her meticulous investigation into the life of the infamous gamer – Ned Wyatt.
"Close, but no. I remember that the key to any successful mission is preparation. So, that's what we're going to do. We're going to prepare for every possible scenario, no matter how ridiculous."
'Not that I've ever prepared before a game.' Ned thought.
With that, Ned turned to the high-tech whiteboard behind him. He uncapped a marker with a flourish, nearly stabbing himself in the eye in the process.
"Alright, team. Let's brainstorm. What are some potential in-game world-ending scenarios that requires real players?"
For a moment, there was silence. Then, like a dam bursting, ideas started flowing.
"Alien invasion!"
"Sentient AI uprising!"
"Mutant hamsters with a grudge against humanity!"
Ned scribbled furiously, his handwriting deteriorating into what looked like drunken hieroglyphics. "Excellent! Keep 'em coming!"
As the list grew more outlandish with scenarios like zombie apocalypse, Ned felt a sense of connection. These were gamers like him, thinking outside the box so far they couldn't even see the cardboard anymore.
Hours passed in a blur of increasingly bizarre scenarios and even more improbable solutions. By the time they finished, the whiteboard looked like the fever dream of a mad man.
Ned stepped back, admiring their work. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. If the world-ending threat isn't on this list, it doesn't exist."
Paige raised a tentative hand. "Um, Ned? How exactly is planning for a 'volcanic eruption of weaponized glitter' going to help us?"
Ned grinned. "Ah, but don't you see? It's not about the specific scenarios. It's about training our minds to expect the unexpected. To be ready for anything. Gamer style."
"Now," Ned said, clapping his hands together, "who's ready for a gamer's little get together at the gym? Now that I know you all are not none playable characters, I really have to examine the pros and cons of each of your avatars."
He had a dirty look on his face, that was met with murderous stares.
As the team filed out, chattering excitedly, Ned felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Atara, a soft blush on her face.
"Hey," she said quietly. "That stuff you said earlier, about us being amazing? Right back at you, oh fearless leader."
Ned smiled, trying hard to keep his dirty eyes off her boobs for the sake of being polite. "Thanks, Atara. Now, let's go break some laws in the name of national security, shall we?"
"Sure, but one last thing," She said, her tone surprisingly lowered to a whisper. She turned to look at the others who were ahead of them.
"Um, can... can I get your autograph?" She asked, pulling the neck of her bustier down to allow him a close peak at her exposed booby.
"On here, if you don't mind." She added, her face red as roses and struggling to make eye contacts with him.
'Wherever greatness goes, good things follow!' Ned thought, pulling his dirtiest smirk ever.
***