Chapter 36

Chapter 36



Quest: Ignition

Primary Objective Prevent an outbreak of violence at the Open Forum.

Personal Objective Remain unidentified by other Users (excluding Kinsley, Merchant).

Threat Level: (S)

EXP GAIN (S)

Time Limit: Thirty Minutes.

Reward: Continued access to contingent quests.

Realizing that if anyone saw me clearly reading something invisible it would be an easy giveaway, I immediately let my eyes glaze over, glossing over the text and keeping Swat Guy in my periphery.

Yes, Id lose access to the Cradle of Civilization quest if I failed here, but that barely mattered compared to the collateral. Iris and Ellison were here. I dug out my phone and immediately sent a text.



I started following Swat Guy, staring at my phone, letting the view from my peripheral guide me.



He did a slow pan of his surroundings, lip curled in irritation, and I moved to stay out of his view. It would be bad if he saw me.

Hes pissed. Hasnt slept in days. Probably wrapped the wound himself, so he didnt have to explain how he got it. Not looking for you, most likely looking for any obvious User, but youll be a likely target if he does.

I bumped into an elderly woman wearing an oversized hat, and bent down to pick it up for her, facing away from Swat Guy.

Sorry. I handed her the hat back. There was a creeping feeling along my back, like I could almost feel him, watching me. Then the moment passed.

My phone buzzed.



I turned back around and found Swat Guy was gone.

/////

Watching the quest timer tick down was agonizing. Despite looking everywhere for both Iris and Swat Guy, Id come up completely short. Both Ellison and Iris were great at blending in, but my sister was borderline invisible when she wanted to be, and thats exactly what Id asked her to do.

Twisted Lens had confirmed my suspicions that Swat Guythough given the way he was dressed, a more apt description was probably Unabomber guywas likely here to target Users.

So, I surveyed the existing groups for anyone who looked like a prominent target.

There were a few groups like the Local Recovery Effort, borderline corporate entities geared towards getting both Users and civilians under contract.

Like good hunches? I cocked my head. There was no question he was talking about either a title or a system ability. But should have blocked anything that specifically pointed out Users.

Something like that, Tyler glanced away. You know about the whole User, NPC thing already?

A friend brought me up to speed, yes, I said in a monotone voice, faking irritation. Theres a party, and Im not invited. What of it?

Countless people in that boat. Weve been scouting for members all morning. Average folk and Users. But my, uh thing, doesnt always tell me why someones significant. Tyler gave me a meaningful look.

Ah. I wasnt happy Id been followed, but the alarm bells started to fade. Tyler was a User, and had no other information to go on besides the part where Id been running around like a chicken with my head cut off and scouting other groups.

How do you feel about that? Not being invited to the party? Tyler asked. He pulled out a bag of potato chips.

I felt myself smile, and glanced at the time. Is this an interview?

Twelve minutes.

Were just talking. Tyler said casually, and I didnt need Twisted Lens to immediately flag the sentiment as a lie.

I kept an eye out for Swat Guy. It sucks. Being left behind. But its nothing new, and being bitter about it isnt going to help. Just judging from people I know, more than half of us fall into a non-User camp, right? So theres going to be a new equilibrium, the only question is how it all shakes out.

Thats pragmatic for someone your age. Why didnt you sign with LRE? Tyler asked me.

Because it felt like a trap. The duration of their contract is until the dome comes down. Theyre banking on peoples tendency to hope for the best.

Not you, though? Tyler asked.

Not me. This was taking too long. Im not really looking to sign on with anyone at the moment. There are too many unknowns.

Youre not wrong about them. Tyler glanced over at the stand. They seem sketchy, and I dont like the way theyre restricting merchant access. Thats only going to piss people off eventually.

Not you, though? I reversed his question, and he chuckled.

No sir. Well still give discounts to members, thats only fair. Want to keep things as open as possible.

Gotta keep people happy while theyre toiling in the mines. I prodded him, testing for a reaction.

His face grew dark. Yeah, I heard something about LRE doing that shit. Theres a need for grunt work, sure, but plenty of other openings for civilian help.

Like?

Consulting, management analysis, He smirked at me, when he said the final word.

Im not really looking to sign on with anyone now, I said. Though finding out more about Tylers group had jumped high up on my priority list.

The big man shrugged and handed me a card. It had no number, but an address printed on the front that I recognized as somewhere downtown. Right. I imagine your friend has you sorted. Sorry about the scare. Just being careful.

I inclined my head. I get it. Still, I sat there for a full-minute, watching Tyler and Sara leave before I set out to search for Swat Guy, growing increasingly nervous as the clock ticked down.

It didnt take long.