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<center>[![narrow cityscapeRZ.jpg](http://s18.postimg.org/jee3m5bnt/narrow_cityscape_RZ.jpg)](http://postimg.org/image/sm6c2uipx/)</center>


*Chapter Zero* - Alone In The Game
--------------------

<div class="text-justify">For a second the rhythmic thumping, that was playing an aggressive, A-tonal, techno track inside his skull, made K-Rox think that he had somehow managed to fall asleep on a nightclub floor. The temporary hallucination soon gave way to the horrible reality of the situation; he had a headache.</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">Why the hell did he have a headache; was his nanoswarm faulty? K-Rox reflexively flicked his eyeballs briefly upwards, behind closed lids. Nothing. Not even the offline symbol.</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Stormy waves of memory came crashing down on his brain, having a similar effect to the pounding techno, that had only temporarily subsided as he rembered that he'd slept in the game again. Of course, no neural implants, no nanoswarm, they were still there of course. However as far as his swarm was concerned, it was the early 21st century on earth, when they definitely didn't have advanced, semi-autonomous, swarm cloud, nanobiology. Which probably went some way to explaining why his tongue felt like it had been drained of all moisture by some sick individual with a tongue moisture fetish.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The memories from last night started to take on a less nauseous form, allowing K-Rox to examine them. He remembered being in a bar. Why had he been there? Ah yes! To meet an R-Gamer. He had some crazy idea that he was going to win Empires by setting up an international, blockchain-based, brothel.
</div>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
The R-Gamer had wanted K-Rox's help in working out the legalities, and how feasible such a plan was in....Shit. What year was it? 2012, no 2013, yeah, that was it. What was the R-Gamer's name? Ugh, he couldn't remember, so where was he....?
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Thailand, that was it, specifically Koh Samui; Randy! Yes RandroidZ_86, *"Call me Randy!"*
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
What a douche...he wasn't a serious gamer, he just wanted to feel the decadence of the 20th century, or maybe the danger. K-Rox didn't know any more, so many of these guys would come into Empires and freak out at the silence in their heads. It often caused them to do crazy shit, usually, it was shit that had nothing to do with the game.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
This time around K-Rox had entered the Empires game in 2010, which meant he'd been there for 3 subjective years. Lately he was finding it hard to work out how much objectively real time he was spending in the game. He had gone against all guidlines, and he had even been sleeping in the game. 
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Some of his colleagues had thought that he was sleeping in Empires in order to increase his reality rewards. The truth was that K-Rox didn't know why he had been doing it, he felt like he was looking for something, but didn't know what. He had got in the habit of just wandering around the game from city to city for subjective years at a time. The only reason he had taken the booking with Randy, was because it paid so well, he wasn't interested in *helping* at the moment.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox paused mid thought, his hangover had taken on a new shape.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Gone was the angry head pounding, to be replaced by a feeling of internally floating on a very stormy sea. He dreaded opening his eyes, but he new he was definitely going to be sick; he had to move.
</div>

<p></p>


*Burst out of hut...sun beating hard...eyes blinking...stagger...kneel on sand... Stomach churning, wretching, simultaneously gasping for air ....*

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Despite the foul taste in his mouth, and the acidic burn at the back of his throat, K-Rox felt much better after ejecting the contents of his stomach, however he new from experience his bonhomie wouldn't last.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox had chosen the location for his beach hut, because of the Shangri-La, it was the most popular bar on Koh Samui, so it was a great place for a *helper* like him to meet R-Gamers. But also because lately K-Rox had developed an aversion to being alone. As a *grey*, he was well used to spending subjective years by himself; however solitude hadn't felt so appealing of late.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
By day the Shangri-La was a hangout bar, wher Djs played mellow beats all afternoon, this would attract the hippies and the yogis; then later the surfer and traveler types, some were R-Gamers. most were not. The bar itself was a large bamboo square, with around a fifty metre perimeter. The sections around the edges had been partitioned off into "private" open air booths.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
As you made your way in past these booths, you were greeted with a vast open area, dotted with tables, drum circles, and independent vendors selling beads, shawls and other trinkets. The vendors usually gathered together in the southeast corner, creating a kind of unofficial market.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The actual bar itself, was a large, raised square dead centre of the complex, surrounded by bar stools and snack tables. At night the place became a buzzing club; all of the seating would be cleared from the inner square, and the bar served as the Dj booth, with drinks being served on the outskirts from the terraces.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The inner terrace was split up into various sections, serving as mini bar areas; K-Rox chose one that was furthest away from the smell of fried fish emanating from one of the barbecue pits on the east side of the bar. 
</div>

<p></p>

<center>"Hello Mr K-Rox"</center>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Usually you could tell you were talking to a bot by looking at its eyes. A blue glow meant it was artificially sentient, and green meant it had attained full sentience, therefore was a full citizen. The only way to tell bots apart from humans in the Empires game, was by talking to them. All service bots new your name regardless of whether you had met them before or not. K-Rox looked up at the bot waitress, she was standing with the sun behind her, causing him to blink painfully.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Oh, yeah...um, I'll have a Bloody Mary please."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Randy had introduced K-Rox to Bloody Marys as a hangover cure, four mornings ago, after their first night on the island. His contract with Randy had come to an end the previous day, and he'd wanted to go out and have a goodbye drink. K-Rox would have usually declined. He tried to avoid hanging out with clients any longer than necessary, but Randy paid better than the average customer, and was probably the sort of guy to play the game again.
</div>

<p></p>


*Where was that Bloody Mary?*


<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>K-Rox leaned back in his low, bamboo chair and closed his eyes, a move he instantly regretted as he was hit by more stormy waves of nausea. 
</div>

<p></p>


*Where was that damn Bloody Mary?!*


<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
He snapped his eyes open to a shapely silohuette standing in front of him, she didn't look like the waitress; K-Rox shielded his eyes and leaned forwards. As his eyes adjusted, K-Rox could just about make out that the girl standing in front of him had long red hair, that she kept in two thick plats on each side of her head.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Oh, I'm sorry."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
She moved to K-Rox's left so that he could see her, she was human basic, attractive, her body didn't look like a standard avatar. He got the impression that she may look like that in the *real*; or was that just wishful thinking? She wore a white smock, the kind that he had seen in Principia lately. Which in itself, was odd, as Empires had a strict authenticity policy when it came to details like fashion.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"My name's Jemima, I hope you don't mind, the barman told me who you were, I hope you don't mind?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
She was obviously a fellow *helper*, and possibly a *grey* as well, K-Rox had a few nerdy groupies who seemed to follow his every recorded move. They weren't usually so attractive though.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Um, yeah sure, take a seat; how can I help you?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
He gestured at the chair next to him, and she sat down.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Thanks."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Being a *grey* meant that whether he was in the game or not, K-Rox often let his avatar's facial expressions mirror his own. So even without an empLink, Jemima could tell what he was thinking.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Hey, don't worry; I'm not a weird stalker or anything like that, I'm a Youtuber, and I'm interested in your work. I've kind of got a weird niche fascination, and thought you know..."
</div>


<div class="text-justify">
She trailed off, K-Rox realised he was still frowning, he relaxed and leaned back in his seat.</center>
</div>


<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Sorry, it's OK, I'm not feeling the best this morning."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"It's 2 O'Clock in the afternoon."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Well I'm not feeling the best this afternoon. Where the hell is that bot waitress?"
</div></center>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
It was very unusual for a drink to take more than a minute, the second you spoke your order to the waitress the program new what you wanted. Any delay was for authenticity's sake. Apparently you feel more like you're in the 21st century if you don't get a drink the instant you order it. This was taking it too far though.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Jemima acknowledged K-Rox's question with a polite, I-have-no-idea smile, before speaking again.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"So I understand you specialise in the graphene blockchain, in particular Steem?"
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Yeah; so?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox prepared to get defensive, for every groupie that found him cool, he had fifty detractors that enjoyed ridiculing his work. Jemima must have picked up on this.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"No, I didn't mean...I'm just fascinated that's all, I'm trying to work out if there is an alien connection. That's my specialist, I'm an alienologist."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
This knowledge caused K-Rox to relax slightly, alienology was perhaps the only niche that was looked down more than his own weird obsession with Steemit. The whole area had sprung up shortly after the Youtube files were found around six objective years previously.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
At the time people had gone batshit crazy, the Youtube files were huge, and were probably the largest uncorrupted data files dating back to before the time of the *Great Confusion*, which followed the mass deletion.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The discovery of the files immediately supported a whole new area of research; and with it a new cult, the Youtubers. The problem with the files, was that it was very difficult to tell truth apart from fiction; apparently the humans of the late twentieth and early twenty first century, were really into elaborate hoaxes. Telling apart the hoaxes from the real news stories was the job of the Youtubers.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
A particular branch of Youtube research, was *alienology*. Seeing as there was absolutely no evidence for it; the general consensus was that earth had not been visited by aliens in the Great Confusion. However there were many Youtubers who claimed there was in fact enough evidence within the files to prove we had; and thus was born alienology.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Jemima leaned forward and lowered her voice; he had to strain forward to hear her, they had a speaker in their section, and the Dj seemed to be stepping up the tempo.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"I've found a file, it's a short video file, just over four minutes long; it looks like it's a Steemit broadcast."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox tensed, Steemit videos were rare, and if she was trying to get his attention, she now had it.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Really; what's on it?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Well that's it, it really isn't clear, but it seems to be talking of a coming alien invasion, one that will revolutionise human technology forever. Usually I wouldn't have taken much notice of it; I see a lot of videos like this, however the way this guy was talking, it was different. He mentions tech that we have today, that they didn't have then and he seems to preempt Artificial Sentience."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox turned away from Jemima, as he noticed the waitress approaching their table, *sans Bloody Mary*, K-Rox frowned; was there a bug? Or was it some sick experiment in authenticity to allow him to suffer this pointless hangover any longer than actually necessary?
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"I'm sorry Mr K-Rox, but you are going to have to leave, there's a game-wide shutdown due to happen in six point four, game subjective minutes. We are performing a complete system evac."
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"What? Why There was no mention of this."</center>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox was annoyed, if he'd known about the shutdown, he would have flown back to London last night, now when he reentered the game, he'd have to come back here.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"It's unscheduled sir; emergency maintenance, you can leave via the monolith."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
As she spoke these last words, she pointed down the beach, K-Rox turned in time with her gesture, and saw a huge grey, trapezoid shaped building, that had not been there ten minutes earlier. Long ant-like lines of humans and bots had already started filing into the many opening entrances. K-Rox turned to ask Jemima where she was transporting to, but she'd gone.
</div>
<p></p>
<center>http://s6.postimg.org/7e162qm9d/Monolith_queue_RZ.jpg</center>
<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
He looked around puzzled, he couldn't see her heading to the monolith, where else would she go? The waitress had started to make her way to the other sections on the terrace; K-Rox stopped her.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Excuse me; did you see which way my friend went?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
The bot waitress wore a bemused look for a moment.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"I'm sorry sir, which friend would that be?"</center>
</div>


<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
<center>"The one I was just sitting here talking to, Jemima."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The waitress cocked her head to one side, as if trying to identify a sound she had suddenly heard in the distance.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"I'm sorry, I didn't see you talking to anyone, and there is no Jemima on the Thailand manifest; or in fact on the entire Empires manifest. However I do have a note for you sir"</center>
</div>


<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"A note?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Yes sir, it has just this second arrived; I'm afraid there is no time to deliver it to you in an authentic manner here it is."</center>
</div>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
She held out her hand and a small square of paper materialised in her palm. K-Rox looked at it with curiosity, in all the time he had been a helper in  the Empires game, nobody had ever communicated with him via a paper note.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Who's it from?"</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"I don't know sir, it's encrypted, only you can read it."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox took the note from the bot's hand.
</div>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
<center>"Now sir, if you please, I must insist you make your way to the monolith immediately, game shutdown is imminent."</center>
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
The appropriately named monolith was about 200 yards down the beach, as K-Rox walked towards the building, he unfolded the note and read it.
</div>

<p></p>


>*Hey Kay, it's me, I need to see you pretty urgently*
>
>*Zee*


<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
K-Rox folded the note and put it in his pocket. It was from his friend Ziper24, he was a freelancer. they had met in Principia about a subjective year previously, and had become great friends. Though why he would send him a paper note in the Empires game, instead of just pinging him at his Principia address, or leave a neural for him, K-Rox didn't know.
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
Ziper was the master of understatement, so pretty urgently actually meant, *I need to speak to you yesterday, there's a major whalefuck emergency going on.*
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
As he neared the massive grey building on the beach, K-Rox slowed and filed behind a line of people heading for a corner door. As he stepped into the building he spoke the words:
</div>

<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
<center>"StayTel; Principia, Level 1, Main Ring, South"</center>
</div>


<p></p>

<div class="text-justify">
He walked through the door and down the short corridor beyond, K-Rox wondered about his meeting with Jemima. Why hadn't the bot waitress noticed her? He decided it must be a bug, and made a mental note to go through all his actions once he was out of the game. They met in a public place, so her record would be there along with his; he had to find out more about the video file.
</div>

<p></p>


<div class="text-justify">
First though he had to get in touch with Ziper; K-Rox stepped through a door at the other end of the corridor, and emerged in front of the south side, Empires entrance. It was one of many, set in big thick black, kilometer high, columns, curving away as far as the unaugmented eye could see. In between each column, were thick, slate grey walls, embossed in stunningly high black and gold letters, spelling out the word:
</div>




###  ***Empires.***

*Cryptogee*

All art by @nekromarinist

#### NEXT WEEK, K-ROX DISCOVERS THAT AN OLD FOE IS AT LARGE AND SOMEBODY WANTS TO PAY HIM A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO FIND A GHOST