**Chapter 1: The First Quest**
Eddie Ramirez's fingers hovered over the keyboard of his battered PC, its fans wheezing like asthmatic dragons. The apartment smelled of burnt coffee and solder fumes, the floor littered with half-dismantled laptops and crumpled energy drink cans. A flickering desk lamp cast long shadows over the **"For Rent"** notices piled beside his bed—reminders that his $12/hour IT gig wouldn't cover next month's bills.
He glanced at the cracked screen of his phone, its wallpaper a faded photo of 15-year-old Eddie and Maya Patel grinning outside their high school's computer lab. Back when upgrading a PC meant pooling allowance money for a used hard drive. Back when Maya's laughter didn't carry that brittle edge of worry.
**"Another day, another busted Chromebook,"** Eddie muttered, jabbing a screwdriver into the stubborn device. The client—a frazzled single mom—had paid him $40 in wrinkled fives. Barely enough for ramen and a new thermal paste tube.
As he worked, the desk vibrated. Maya's name flashed on his phone.
**Maya:** *U alive?*
**Eddie:** *Define alive.*
**Maya:** *Diner. 15 mins. I'm buying.*
Eddie hesitated, eyeing the mountain of unpaid work. But Maya's texts were landmines—ignore one, and she'd storm into his apartment with a six-pack and a lecture about "human interaction."
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The diner's bell jingled as Eddie slunk into their usual booth. Maya was already there, her Docs propped on the vinyl seat and her nose buried in a robotics textbook. At 25, she still dressed like the punk-rock coding prodigy he'd met in freshman year—ripped jeans, chipped black nail polish, hair streaked with electric blue.
"You look like death microwaved," she said without looking up.
"Missed you too."
Maya slid a grilled cheese across the table. "Eat. Then explain why you ghosted me for two weeks."
Eddie picked at the sandwich. "Got a side gig. Some… experimental system optimization."
"Experimental?" Maya's eyes narrowed. "You're not mining crypto again, are you? Last time you melted Mrs. Kowalski's router—"
"It's not crypto!" Heat crept up his neck. "It's… I don't know yet. Found something on the dark web. A program called Quantum Ascendant."
Maya froze. "Are you *trying* to get hacked? Dark web crap's how you end up with ransomware in your—"
**"Irrelevant,"** a voice echoed in Eddie's skull.
He jerked, sloshing coffee across the table.
"Eddie?" Maya reached for him. "You okay?"
**"Hostile third-party detected,"** the voice intoned. **"Initiating biometric scan… Maya Patel. Trust level: 94%. Security clearance granted."**
A holographic screen flickered to life above the salt shaker:
**QUANTUM ASCENDANT SYSTEM**
**User:** Eddie Ramirez (Tier 0 Initiate)
**Current Mission:** Upgrade RAM to 16GB
**Reward:** Quantum Memory Module
**Deadline:** 7 Days
Maya gaped. "Is this… AR? How are you projecting—"
"It's not me!" Eddie hissed. "It's the program. It's been talking to me since last night!"
**"Correction,"** the AI said. **"I am Q-137, your ascension guide. Maya Patel has been granted observer privileges due to high compatibility scores."**
Maya leaned closer, her shoulder brushing Eddie's. "Compatibility with *what*?"
**"Irrelevant,"** Q snapped. **"Eddie, your current RAM is insufficient for Tier 1 protocols. Acquire 16GB immediately."**
Eddie laughed bitterly. "With what money? I'm broke!"
**"Secondary objective unlocked: Financial Optimization."**
The hologram updated:
**Available Assets:**
- Salvageable Tech: $87.50 (estimated)
- Maya Patel's Emergency Fund: $320 (access via Persuasion Check)
"Hey!" Maya recoiled. "How does it know about my savings?"
Eddie buried his face in his hands. "This is insane."
"Insane?" Maya grabbed his wrist, her touch sending an unexpected jolt through him. "This is revolutionary! That hologram isn't using any projector I've ever seen. The latency's zero. The particle resolution—"
**"Admirable analysis,"** Q interrupted. **"But time is limited. Proceed to the junkyard. A discarded server rack contains usable DDR4 modules."**
---
The junkyard reeked of ozone and decay. Eddie wrenched open a corroded server cabinet, its guts spilling out in tangles of copper and silicon. Maya knelt beside him, her flashlight revealing a glint of undamaged RAM.
"Jackpot," she breathed. "Samsung DDR4-3200. Two sticks!"
Eddie's hands shook as he pried them free. "These'd sell for $80 online."
**"Irrelevant,"** Q said. **"Install immediately."**
Back in Eddie's apartment, the RAM slotted into his motherboard with a click. The system booted—and reality *flexed*.
**"Quest Complete. Quantum Memory Module activated."**
The hologram exploded with data:
**Eddie Ramirez - Tier 1 Initiate**
- **RAM:** ∞/∞ (Quantum-Entangled Memory)
- **Processing Power:** 3.2 GHz → 4.5 GHz (Overclocked)
- **System Symbiosis:** Level 1 (1 Allied Unit Allowed)
Maya stared at Eddie's PC, where the RAM sticks now glowed with otherworldly light. "They're… singing. Can't you hear it?"
**"Warning,"** Q intoned. **"Maya Patel exhibits precursor symptoms of Quantum Sensitivity. Advise immediate bonding."**
Eddie's interface updated:
**Party Invitation:**
- Grant Maya Patel System Access? (Y/N)
- **Benefits:** Shared upgrades, cooperative quests
- **Risks:** Unknown
Maya's hand found his, warm and steady. "Do it."
"What if it's dangerous?"
Her smile was all sharp edges and wild hope. "Since when do we play safe?"
Eddie hit **Yes**.
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