THE MOMENT
Eury wasn't scared; but, she was a little bit nervous. She stood on a hillside overlooking vast empty plain, along with two others. Meredith was there with her, and that's why Eury wasn't scared. Their third wheel was why she was nervous though. If Meredith wasn't there, Eury wouldn't want to be either. Io floated next to them. The A.I. chose to remain in ball form and resembled a pitch-black bowling ball hovering in the air. Eury stood with Meredith between her and Io. The short, bald woman wasn't particularly intimidating at first glance; but by that logic neither was Io.
"Thanks for volunteering," Meredith smiled at Eury. "I know we're missing the first part of the match, but this'll go quickly as soon as Chroma's ready," she reassured the teen. It was an unexpected job and Eury was the first to volunteer. She didn't actually care about the roller derby game that everyone else was focused on. She was more concerned with the wedding, and that had gone off perfectly. She was happy to help the company finish the day strong however she could.
"I am curious about you, though," Meredith turned her attention to the floating orb.
"The game already started and your team is competing, why so curious about this right now?" she asked.
"I have long been curious," Io replied. She had a feminine voice and the orb pulsed with blue light at each syllable. "The timing is most convenient now. I am able to move openly, and Minerva's wedding increased the chances of a successful request from Chroma. I am not needed for the team until the second half."
"Right...," Meredith nodded. Eury had heard that tone from her before, the woman was suspicious. The logic made sense to Eury; but, she trusted Meredith's intuition enough to keep her guard up too. Io was a known villain trying to rewrite the universe. But, thanks to the competition both sides were willing to be civilized for the day. And, Chroma was in such a wonderful mood that she was granting favors left and right to anyone who asked. Io's request needed a little extra prep, and a Mundo was necessary. Meredith was the obvious choice in several ways. Eury was glad for that. She'd volunteered for the job before she realized it was to work with Io.
"Chroma is easily capable, what is delaying the process?" Io asked.
"We're not waiting on Chroma exactly; we're waiting on the support systems. It's not as simple as moving the city, Chroma has no trouble with that. There's a whole tutorial that goes along with it and the nanos are being rewritten for the newcomers."
"I see," Io answered. She glowed with brilliant blue light and spun around once. "This is when the game systems are defined and implemented," she said. "How was this system decided? Do you have multiple options?"
"We have a few stock systems in different genres. You just wanted a demonstration, so one was chosen randomly."
"If the nanos will provide a tutorial, why are you necessary?" Io asked.
"I'm not especially," Meredith shrugged. Chroma Corp. likes to go the extra mile and make them as comfortable as possible. A Mundo can do that pretty well, and we can reassure the people who don't want to participate to send them back to their Earth or anywhere else they want to go."
"Okay, all set. Ready?" Meredith asked Eury and the girl nodded; time was now stopped on that Earth. "3. 2. 1," Meredith counted down, and at "1", a large black hole appeared on the plain below. The hole rose up and left behind a city with towering skyscrapers and dense traffic.
"They can hear you now," Eury gave Meredith a 'thumbs-up' gesture as she opened the flow of time just enough for the new visitors to have thoughts. Then, Meredith began speaking into their mind. She chose to speak aloud too, to give Io the full experience of what was happening.
"Welcome chosen adventurers! You and your city have been selected to participate in a grand adventure in a new world. You will be able to select your character Race and Class momentarily; but, first let me tell you more about this world."
“The welcome is optional hospitality from Chroma Corp. and not necessary?” Io asked.
“A great evil seeks to control the world,” Meredith continued her explanation as she nodded at Io.
“What happens after the introduction and tutorial?” Io asked.
Meredith stopped speaking aloud, but she gestured for Eury to give the explanation while she welcomed the city silently.
“That's when the game starts. They'll all go about it in different ways and it's kind of fun to see how they react to situations,” Eury said.
“That does have some entertainment,” Io said. “I have satisfied my curiosity for now. I will return to my team.” With that, a black portal opened and she disappeared into it. When she was gone Eury and Meredith exchanged shrugs.
“I hope Jubilee and the girls win…,” Eury said. She didn’t know the full details; but, she knew it was important that Io’s team lose the game. Meredith smiled and gave her a thumbs-up too. She was distracted by giving instructions; but, Eury got the gist. She knew everything would be okay.