Awaken Online: Timeless, page 1
Awaken Online
Book 7: Timeless
______________
Travis Bagwell
Copyright © 2023 by Travis Bagwell
All rights reserved.
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To my wife, I’ll always love you.
Past, present, and future.
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Contents
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Unfrozen
Chapter 2 - Unpredictable
Chapter 3 - Fustercluck
Chapter 4 - Rest Break
Chapter 5 - Bail-Out
Chapter 6 - Kidnapping
Chapter 7 - New Girl
Chapter 8 - Misleading
Chapter 9 - Discussion
Chapter 10 - Supervisors
Chapter 11 - Rainmaker
Chapter 12 - Angel Investors
Chapter 13 - Start-Up
Chapter 14 - Raising Capital
Chapter 15 - Accounts Payable
Chapter 16 - Market Penetration
Chapter 17 - Bait and Switch
Chapter 18 - Terminated
Chapter 19 - Graveyard Shift
Chapter 20 - Silver Mining
Chapter 21 - Burden of Proof
Chapter 22 - Return to Sender
Chapter 23 - Indentured
Chapter 24 - Pharma
Chapter 25 - Horizontal Integration
Chapter 26 - Entertainment Expense
Chapter 27 - Affiliate Marketing
Chapter 28 - Nine-to-Five
Chapter 29 - Pitch
Chapter 30 - Diversification
Chapter 31 - Trade Secrets
Chapter 32 - Herding Cats
Chapter 33 - Exit Strategy
Chapter 34 - Blindsided
Chapter 35 - Loopholes
Chapter 36 - Nepotism
Chapter 37 - Work-Life Balance
Chapter 38 - Security Breach
Chapter 39 - Plan B
Chapter 40 - Loyalty
Chapter 41 - Networking
Chapter 42 - Executive Decision
Chapter 43 - Schmoozing
Chapter 44 - Old and Cold
Chapter 45 - Strategic Alliance
Chapter 46 - Diamond Hands
Chapter 47 - Employee Retention
Chapter 48 - Failure to Launch
Chapter 49 - Bail Out
Chapter 50 - A/B Testing
Chapter 51 - Action Plan
Chapter 52 - Boil the Ocean
Chapter 53 - Paradigm Shift
Chapter 54 - Shitstorm
Chapter 55 - Term Sheet
Chapter 56 - Closing Arguments
Chapter 57 - Shindig
Chapter 58 - White Knight
Chapter 59 - Whipsaw
Chapter 60 - Performance Review
Epilogue
Foreword
We’re back! And this is going to be a fun one…
I had originally intended to write this book as a side novel for the earth avatar. However, in the process of starting that book, I realized that it wasn’t working well as a standalone. So, I decided to integrate that narrative into the main storyline. This burned an extra month or two, thus explaining the slightly longer delay since my last release. However, I think merging the two stories worked out pretty well… although, admittedly, I’m just a tiny bit biased.
Anyway, before we get started, here’s a recap of where we left off in Armageddon. There are a few moving pieces that are relevant in this book, so hopefully this helps bring you all up to speed. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this short and easy to digest:
At the beginning of Armageddon, Gloria enters Awaken Online and initiates an Armageddon event in game with the help of
When the avatars reach the location, something weird is happening to the surroundings – the world has been terraformed and earth elementals are appearing. They are then confronted by
The club is in ruins and the group is separated into two teams: Jason/Alexion and Finn/Eliza. They are forced through a series of “games” where the members of
The group then confronts Smiles and the fight eventually devolves into a 1v1 between Jason and Smiles. The leader of
Gloria begins to lose and flees underground where she discovers the relic she’s been searching for. Jason follows and arrives in time to see Ella (the poison-based dark mage from Hellion) – who is really Gloria’s daughter, Sophie – confront her mother. Ella sacrifices herself to try to stop Gloria, killing them both, but it’s too late. The orb crashes to the ground and its power is unleashed.
A wave of earth mana stretches across the game world, terraforming the world and bringing back the former races and avatars, who quickly begin retaking control of their cities. Meanwhile, Jason and his companions are stuck on the other side of the continent, an army of players still arrayed before them. And that’s where the book ends… and this one begins!
With that all out of the way, enjoy! This is probably one of my crazier stories… so, uh, I apologize in advance? Either way, I can’t wait to hear what you all think!
Prologue
February 4, 2076: 240 Days Before the Release of Awaken Online.
Don’t make sales, make customers.
One of Arcadia Landrey’s professors had told her that the first day of her MBA program. And the advice had stuck. Making a sale wasn’t about selling a product. It was about telling a story – one good enough that the person kept coming back.
The real trick was figuring out what kind of story to tell.
As she surveyed the boardroom, Cady saw a group of old rich guys – and more than a few soon-to-be-old-rich-guys. These men didn’t care about diversity or climate impact or employee empowerment. And in their heart of hearts… they also didn’t care about the money. They cared about what that money bought. Power. Respect. Attention.
It was the suit Bran Sinclair was wearing. The way he’d positioned himself at the head of the table. Hell, it was the number of people lining this conference table. Twenty executives for one pitch? That was meant to send a message. A power play. As good as Bran pulling out his dick and slapping it down on the table – daring anyone else to see if they were able to measure up.
It might not be terribly original, but cliches existed for a reason.
“Well, we’re here,” Bran offered – barely concealed boredom flitting across his face, his attention drifting back to the Core on his wrist. “What does your consulting firm have for us today? Something worth the price tag, I hope.”
Cady just smiled. There was no room for feeble emotions like frustration or disgust here. This was her battlefield.
“Indeed, we do,” she said.
She rose, letting the silence stretch.
“You have a problem,” Cady rose, pacing around the table. “You’re in the transportation business. You ship approximately 90% of the goods in the U.S. Nearly 70% worldwide. You’re currently grossing well over a trillion dollars a year. Yet growth has stalled year over year.”
She watched those men. “Why?”
More silence, Cady stalking behind them.
“We need to claim a larger market share—”
“Ennh. Wrong answer,” Cady interjected, patting the man on the shoulder as she passed.
“Shipping costs have gone up as oil reserves are further depleted. If we explored alternative energy sources, focused on vertical integration to streamline—”
“Nope. Wrong again,” Cady shot down another of Bran’s cronies.
“Licensing fees to Cerillion for their driverless tech are bleeding us dry—"
“Which isn’t a new problem, is it?” Cady insisted, the man’s jaw snapping shut.
“C’mon. Anyone?” she demanded. “Really?”
No one offered an answer. They looked frustrated, all these powerful men being lectured by a mere consultant. But her goal wasn’t these cronies and yes men. Bran was paying attention now. This was a story about power, after all.
“Hmph,” she murmured. “The answer seems obvious.
“You’re in the transportation business. So, find something new to transport.”
Angry murmurs and sputtering met those words, but Cady just raised a delicately manicu
“As you said, we already claim a considerable portion of the world’s market share. What else are we supposed to transport exactly? We’ve effectively monopolized shipping, rail, drone, and local delivery services,” another man spoke up, earning nods from around the table.
“That’s why you hired me. To think outside the box,” Cady shot back with a smile.
She waved at the walls and they rippled, the screens responding. Images appeared. Showing the stock prices and financial statements for several companies. They weren’t energy related. They didn’t have anything to do with wheels, ships, boxes, or drones.
“What is this?” another man murmured.
“Your future,” Cady answered, meeting Bran’s eyes. He was intrigued now.
“You were all right – at least, in part. Your company ships most of the world’s goods. The rest of the market share is largely out of your reach and even if you improved your costs, that’s just helping you tread water more efficiently, isn’t it?” She met each of her detractors’ eyes in turn. “No, what you need is to shake things up. Grab the world by the balls and squeeze. And these days, that means you need to control information.”
“We’re a shipping company—”
“Really? Thanks for letting me know,” Cady shot back dryly. Never let the other side control the narrative. “But you can certainly ship more than physical goods. The most important commodity in today’s world isn’t goods or services. It’s attention. Your competitors understand that. George Lane understands that.”
Her eyes were on Bran again – noticing the grimace on his lips.
“And with the rise of VR technology, this is even more true now,” Cady continued. “Cerillion is at the cusp of transforming the digital world and are already making waves about the launch of their new VR tech and game software later this year. What if you could own the shipping lanes before boats were invented? Roads before cars came into vogue?”
“So… buy up telecommunications companies?” another man asked incredulously.
“That won’t work,” another piped up. “The US government is sensitive to private companies monopolizing telecommunications networks – as are many foreign governments. You all remember that fiasco surrounding net neutrality, don’t you? This is one issue where everyone tends to agree.” More nods from around the table. Must be nice to have an on-call echo chamber.
“There are risks,” Cady acknowledged. “However, the only way to grow is to expand. A point I’m sure all of you gentlemen understand.” Now they looked uncomfortable. It might have been the hand gestures she’d used.
“However, the trouble isn’t politicians. They can be bought. As I’m sure you’re all well aware,” she added, with another knowing glance at Bran. “What you need is to distract the regular joe on the streets. Avoid causing a stir that’ll shine a spotlight on those politicians and exert public pressure. In short, you need a smoke screen—"
Another swipe of her hand and the displays changed, now showing the logos of the world’s largest social media companies. “You need to take control of the narrative. Divert attention. The traditional approach would be to acquire any one of these companies. Make a public offering. Or make several. Maybe even propose a few inflammatory changes to how they conduct their business. Overhaul content moderation. Threaten to fire staff… or just go ahead and fire them all.”
“You’re suggesting creating chaos,” another man gasped.
“Our stock… the legal fees alone—"
“My family is from the country and we have a saying. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs,” Cady shot back with a grin.
Silence reigned now. The others were just staring like she’d grown a second head.
“But there’s also another option. A cheaper one,” Cady suggested, her smile widening. Another wave and Cerillion Entertainment’s logo was emblazoned across the screens. “As I said, George Lane is poised to introduce a revolutionary new game that will finally take advantage of his VR technology. But with great change comes great handwringing. There’s a sizable segment of the population that’s nervous about this shift and already complaining about safety.
“What if you could undermine that launch? Use your rival’s product to disguise your own acquisitions? And by the time they recover… well, you’ll control the highways and shipping lanes. They’ll be beholden to you. George Lane will be groveling at your feet, begging you not to throttle bandwidth to his new game. In fact, here are our income projections—”
The screens shifted once more. Numbers scrawling. Big numbers.
She could see it in Bran’s eyes – that moment when she’d won. That moment when she’d sold him a story of power. It was one thing to have the attention of the world – to make regular people bow and fawn. It was another entirely to have the world’s elites groveling at your feet. That was the true attention this man craved.
“We’ll think it over,” he said finally.
“I’m sure you will,” Cady replied smoothly.
Then she pivoted and walked out of the room without another word. As soon as she left, she could hear the shouting start – the dull roar audible even through the room’s impressive soundproofing. It seemed she’d made an impression. Cady couldn’t help the smile drifting across her face. She loved this feeling. The rush of victory—
Her Core chimed at that moment.
Frowning, she tapped at the device.
The sender information that popped up soon blunted the flood of endorphins rushing through Cady’s body, a pit forming in her stomach. It was from her “mother” – who should have known better than to message her. Cady had been quite clear the last time they’d spoken. How long ago was it now? Nearly ten years? More? Should she even read it?
Yet she did. Some part of herself was still curious. Still conditioned to self-flagellate.
And as Cady read the message, an unusual, uncomfortable emotion flitted through her mind. One she wasn’t accustomed to feeling. One she’d thought she’d given up and put behind her. A mixture of dread and fear and… guilt.
There was an accident. It’s your sister.
***
February 5, 2076: 239 Days Before the Release of Awaken Online.
Somewhere in Texas
Cady’s heels tapped along the cheap linoleum tile lining the hospital corridor. This place was a shithole. Broken ceiling tiles. Empty, dark rooms – moans coming from those shadows. Flashing lights and call buttons that went unanswered. The hospital was understaffed, but that was to be expected of a backwater town in the middle of the barren, sun-blighted land of Texas. With global temperatures continuing to rise, the state had just had its first record 200 days with the temperature above 100 degrees. Water had to be shipped in from out of state, or purchased from large desalination facilities off the Gulf Coast for a not-so-small fortune.
Yet another reason she’d gotten out and never looked back.
She soon found her destination. Another dark room. The faint beep of a machine breathing life into a haggard-looking, middle-aged woman. One only a few years older than herself, although the gap in age looked much wider. Her sister. Tara Kincaid. Time hadn’t been kind to her. Her skin was weathered and sallow. Contaminated water, poor food, and UV damage, most likely.
Their parents hadn’t had the money to spring for the protective clothing needed to endure the sun here. Or to buy bottled water instead of relying on the sewage that flowed from their sinks. Or, wonder of wonders, eat a gods-damned vegetable. In fact, they probably still insisted that none of this was real. Climate change was a hoax, after all. It’d always been this hot. The sun had always blistered people’s skin in minutes.
Denial at its finest. Some people were exceptional liars – especially when it came to lying to themselves. Although, they preferred to call it “faith” down here.
Still, Cady had to resist the urge to say a silent prayer as she watched her sister lying on that bed, her eyes squeezed closed and her breathing labored. That training was just ingrained, an instinct even after so many years. Or maybe it was that irritating feeling that’d followed her here, even now writhing in her gut – twisting and coiling. That familiar guilt. At what, she wasn’t quite sure—
