THE MOMENT
"Oh yeah...," the blonde girl tapped her dad's arm to get his attention. The family of three was walking a dusty road through a bazaar with the daughter between her parents. They were browsing to buy, but the market resembled a junkyard someone tried to organize. Vehicle parts and shells were grouped by color, size, and shape. And there were a dozen or so others digging through the pieces and purchasing them with golden cubes. He looked down at her.
"Huh?" he asked. She grinned once she had his attention and grabbed his wrist.
"Found you!" she said.
[Winner: 23] The message immediately appeared in each of their views, for a moment, then faded. He sighed, but nodded.
"Damn, you remembered..," he said. "Nice job," he added and glanced up at Jenny. She'd watched the exchange, and her brown eyes cooled into a stern look as soon as they met his.
"Is that ALL the games you have in play?" she asked. They'd completed one part of a major mission, and the second part was intended to be a celebration. They were enjoying a last day together before things returned to normal. But it would only complicate matters if any game agreements were left open. It wasn't an look she used often, and that gave it more weight. She was dead serious about him following this particular rule, in contrast to her more flexible attitude. He knew 23 might remember they were still technically playing Hide and Seek, so he set up another game to leave open. Despite being in her presence, their game only ended when the hider was recognized as 'Found'.
Games ran on nanos, and nanos contained quantum information. The reality they were currently in was going to be rewritten after they completed the final step. They'd forget, and only knew now because of the Moment they were in. But, if a game was left open, it would ensure the players found a way to continue it, even across realities. He created a simple no-stakes game with himself, and that, theoretically, would've been enough to remind him of everything that they'd gone through. Except, now he couldn't go through with it, because Jenny said so.
"Eh, yeah," he nodded honestly as he dissolved his own private game. He'd forfeited, but the game was with himself.
[Winner: Aury] appeared when he surrendered, then vanished.
"Thank you," Jenny smiled.
"Hey, how do teams work?" 23 asked. She had never been to that world before, and had no idea how to play the game there. She knew vehicles were the dominant species and had an instinctive hatred towards humans, but hadn't dug much further than the Server info. She'd been scanning the various car bodies as they walked, looking for something that appealed to her personally. None of them looked brand new, but they all showed some investment of effort. Hollowed-out wagon shells with flames and skulls painted on them sat next to spiked trucks and armored vans. She hadn't found anything appealing yet, but she also realized she didn't know how much of a say she had. "Are we all in one car, or are we each making our own?"
"Demolition Derby's like AlterNet Derby, just with cars," Aurelio replied. "You're in charge of your character."
"Go take a look around," Jenny encouraged her daughter. She'd noticed the girl's eyes darting around without any interest in anything she was seeing. "You have time, we're not in a rush."
"Okay!" 23 didn't hesitate and dashed away immediately in search of something cute.
"So.. that's it?" Aurelio asked once they were alone. Jenny knew the most about what was going on, and 23 almost as much. He'd managed to piece a lot of it together with their help, but he wanted to be sure he understood; even if he knew he'd forget. "The last quest is just to play for a couple of hours? Is it always here, on this Earth?" he asked. Despite the reality-shaping situation they were in, it wasn't the first time it'd happened.
"No, but I thought this one would be more fun with you here," Jenny replied. Her tone sank sullen for a moment. “It’s always Dread when you’re not here,” she sighed. Dread was her best friend, and Jenny revealed a secret that pushed her away. “At least she helped us unite the Uni-court and create the Sixth Heart," she shrugged, trying to shed the regret. The Sixth Heart was a brilliant, prismatic heart-shaped jewel currently sitting in Jenny's inventory. It was created when five legendary magical women's souls were willingly united. "All we gotta do is fill it with 'the laughter of family fun' and job done."
"So... you want to get it over with... faster?" Aurelio asked, and Jenny laughed. She shook her head as she leaned closer and rubbed against his shoulder.
"That would be your interpretation," she grinned."I just want 23 to have a lot of fun."
"So, what's the plan? War-rig Raid? Caravan protection? Tank hunt?" There was a wide variety of quests available, but he started suggesting his favorite, objective-based ideas first.
"No quests," Jenny shook her head. "That's another reason we're here. We can't risk filling the Sixth Heart while we're still on a quest. We'll go out and hunt vehicles for fun without tying it to any sort of progress."
"Well, the Sixth Heart...," Aurelio commented, and Jenny just rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean...," she laughed. "But, I've decided what we're going to do," she nodded upward at one of the digital noticeboards announcing a migration. It showed a sleek, wide vehicle rotating, and surrounded by information about the vehicle, suggesting it was one of many.
"That convoy of Impalas looks like it'd be fun to pick off."