HC:Pacifist | Ch. 21 - Under the Bus (Patreon)

At the mention of the word 'betrayal,' Loki's eyes hardened. There was nothing that Loki hated more than others doing to him what he was so good at doing to others. He tolerated no rivalry. He had no mercy for backstabbers.

"What do you mean?" asked Loki through clenched teeth.

"Sir, this whole thing with the Slayer has raised suspicions with me."

"Go on," said Loki while quickly drumming his fingers on the desk. The echoes of the drumming resounded in the gigantic space.

"Well... I found it very suspicious that Roth could take all that beating and not show it on his face. I also looked up what you mentioned about disabling the pained facial expression in the settings. This option is so obscure that it is only known to the top players who do PvP in tournaments. To my knowledge, I don't remember Roth ever attending a championship or tournament. I don't see how he would know about this. Especially in the middle of so much pain, after years away from an AVR game, how could anyone have the presence of mind to think of selecting that option?"

Loki's face darkened. Gary continued with the speech he had rehearsed many times. The secret to a good lie was to mix it with the truth. He had to make the facts fit his narrative.

"Even if he did select that option, he couldn't have done so the first couple of times we hit him. Only someone with an extraordinary will could keep his composure like that. We both know that the Slayer is nothing but a coward, sir. All it would take was a paper cut to make him squirm like vermin." Gary paused, expectantly trying to assess whether Loki was buying his lie or not. His next question showed that he did.

"So... Shirley?" The name was said with such hatred that Gary wondered if Shirley had felt a shiver down her spine across the door that separated them.

"Yes, sir. I think she and Roth are lovers. They must have kept in touch throughout all these years, and she must have told him about our plan. She found a way to get someone else, a lookalike, to enter the game simultaneously, as Roth started the game elsewhere."

"Lovers, you say?"

"Yes, sir. She has always had a soft spot for Roth. You can ask the others on the team." They would corroborate. He had spun the lie with the help of Wilson and Xana.

"Why did Roth even enter the capsule, then?" Gary knew that Loki would dissect these events, and if he weren't careful, it wouldn't just be Shirley who would end up burned.

"We thought the best way to get Roth into the pod without raising his suspicions was to send only one of us. Xana and I thought that Wilson was the better choice. But Shirley kept insisting that she'd do it. I didn't think much of it then, but looking back, that was somewhat suspicious." Gary allowed the implications to sink in. He hadn't mentioned Brian's name on purpose. He knew that didn't go unnoticed by Loki.

"So you think that she just accepted that she wouldn't be able to avoid the scrutiny of the rest of the group? That there was no choice but to go with part of the plan?"

"Yes. They must have known they couldn't avoid you for long, even if they ran for it."

Gary noticed how Loki allowed himself the smallest of grins. He basked in the fear of others and drew pleasure from knowing that others were this afraid of him and his goons.

"So, you think she hired a lookalike, a phony, an impostor to fool the rest of us?"

"That's my theory, sir."

"Ahaha. I have to give it to the girl. It's brilliant. By trapping him inside the game, she kept him away from me. Had he gone anywhere else, I would have already ended his life. What I don't get is, why didn't they call the authorities?"

"I think it's because even if they did, the only ones implicated in the matter would be the rest of the squad, sir. You would still go after them," suggested Gary. "Besides, how would she get the money you promised if she called the police? But that's just my theory, sir. I am not sure."

"Hmmm... I will look into Shirley's financials." Gary knew that he would do it for the whole squad. That is why Gary insisted that Brian be the one finding a lookalike and that the money used to pay the actor came out of Brian's account. Thinking of Brian, he gulped. They had been friends for years. He had just picked two of his closest friends and thrown them under the evil bus called Loki. Gary felt little in his heart. Perhaps it was because of the medication.

"Does that mean, Captain Gary, that the Slayer is out there safe and sound? Happily playing video games?" The word captain had been said sarcastically. Loki partially blamed Gary for letting this happen under his nose.

"Yes, sir."

"You fool! You are an idiot! Don't you know what that brute did to me? I can't walk because of him. He almost beat me dead, and you just let him out of prison and are letting him have fun?" Gary dropped to his knees. He knew he wasn't dead already because he had pointed out a traitor to Loki. Just as Loki despised traitors, he equally valued loyalty.

"I am willing to do anything you ask of me, sir. Please. Let my squad do right by you. Tell us what to do. Should we go take the Slayer off the pod?"

"Wait... it can't be..." Loki opened the computer before him and started to type away as he furiously looked up the relevant information. "The new patch has come out. Nooooooo!" roared Loki.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't follow."

"You imbecile. We can't take Roth off the pod anymore. Do you think that hacking a pod from the Nexus Company was easy? It would be easier to hack into a missile silo. We can't keep using the same hack repeatedly without them realizing it. Each program is custom-made and tailored. The more you use a hack, the more ripples it creates. This hack was specifically designed for the previous patch, not the current one."

"What does that mean, sir?"

"If we touch that pod too much, we risk being found. If that happens, I can't kill the Slayer as many times as I have dreamed." Gary gulped. He was screwed, then. "If we turn it off and on again, the pod will update, and we risk being found. He also now knows what's coming to him. We can not force him to create a new account or to start where we tell him to. He'll probably try to run for it, and I'll be forced to kill him too quickly. No. I've waited long for this revenge and have gone to great lengths to ensure he suffers as long as possible. In the game, I can hurt him as much as I want."

"So, what should we do, sir?"

Loki waited for a moment. He seemed to relax.

"Despite everything, he is still trapped in a game where every little hit causes pain. I think I can live with that for now. He has always been the kind of player who wreaks havoc wherever he goes. I'm sure we will get wind of him eventually. You all have known him all your lives. Keep looking for him. He'll show up. I'm willing to wait." As an afterthought, Loki added, "For now, at least."

"Go. Wait outside the door. In case your squad has left, get them back here. No one leaves this floor until I've given them permission to."

Gary cursed. He wasn't sure if his heart could take the wait. If Loki found one hole in his story, all of them were done for. Gary tried his best to remain calm. If it were not for all the medicine he had taken before coming here, he would have passed out already.

"Of course, sir." Gary left and closed the door behind him.

"Zin?" Loki never left the pod unless Zin was also coming out. After what had happened with Roth, Loki had become especially mindful of his safety. His gaming pod had been custom-made and was one of the safest places to be in the world. They could bombard the skyscraper with nukes, which wouldn't dent his bunker-like pod. Still, more than the assurance of metal or his force field, Loki was relaxed because of this man, Zin. What Loki paid this man to ensure his safety was enough to buy a city every month. But Zin was worth the money. He was one of the most dangerous and talented men in the world. Whenever Loki wanted to come to the real world, he PMed Zin inside the game, and he came running to be here to watch over his master. As soon as he was summoned, he stepped out of the shadows.

"Look into this," said Loki. That was all he needed to ensure that traitors would never see the light of day again.

"I already have."

"And?"

"The boy, Brian, has made a transfer amounting to half a million to an amateur actor whose build resembles the Slayer. He was seen exiting the building a few moments ago."

"And the girl?"

"We found that a few days ago, she researched plane tickets and ways to get out of the country. She has also tried to get a hold of a fake passport."

"Hardly the behavior of innocents. Get rid of both." Loki paused. Should he get rid of everyone, just in case? After all, they used to be friends with the Slayer. What guarantee did Loki have that they would not turn on him too? No. It was more advantageous to keep at least some of them for now. They were the only ones kidnapping Roth and sticking him in that pod. They were valuable disposable scapegoats that he did well to keep.

"I'll meet you inside the game." Zin disappeared.

Loki clicked a button, and his wheelchair descended into a vaulted, titanium-reinforced room where his gaming pod was. There was no need to see what happened next. Zin would take care of it. As his body was brought into the pod, Loki felt the comfort of the state-of-the-art interface. This is where he ran his true empire. The immensity of it wasn't just the companies, buildings, and estates he owned in the real world. That was just the tip of the iceberg. His true empire was in the world of AstroTerra.

As he connected to the game, his avatar materialized where he had been when he logged out. It was an abandoned observatory. It was built before the Rain of Fire. Now it was all covered in mold and blackish goo. This observatory was deep into the [Dark Abyss] territory. He'd been exploring this area for several days. Around him, many players who belonged to the Pegasus guild were digging, searching, and reading. Whatever books or logs were found, they were immediately brought to Loki. Since he had logged out, several new items had been brought here for him to examine. He picked one of them and started to appraise it. One player rushed in and called out for him.

"Sir!"

"What is it? Did you find it?"

"Yes! It's deep underground. We found a secret chamber."

Finally, thought Loki. Finally, he could begin taking over the world.

"Show it to me."

Ch. 20 - Plan B

INDEX

Ch. 22 - Little Foxie