A/N: This is my NaNoWriMo challenge for 2020. I hope the story is entertaining for you! If you like what you see, please comment and let me know! This is the only way I have to gauge interest in my scribblings. Enjoy!
~Tyrrlin
The cardboard shipping box stood propped up against the front door. It was a welcome sight as I came home to what would otherwise be another uneventful weekend in an empty house. Owning a one-person repair shop was wonderful, but it could get lonely when all I did was work and go home. Friends and family lived far away and, being an unrepentant total introvert, I rarely went out. My guilty pleasure was computer games, and I finally caved in to the hype that was Fallout. Having played none of the franchise before, I recklessly went for the brand new limited-number Fallout 4 Ultimate Virtual Reality Edition. It was going to be a trial by fire, but what the hell? Go big or go home, I thought, picking up the box and heading inside. For once, I didn't bother to remove my boots as I practically skipped up the stairs into the dining room.
The box sitting on the table tempted me throughout making dinner, just anticipating the fun of a new game made me barely taste the leftovers. I so wanted to try this. I had wanted a Virtual Reality game for some time, and the original Fallout 4 reviews were excellent. Dinner finished, and the dishes washed, the box couldn't wait any longer. I opened it to behold the beautifully designed game chest inside. It was rich with color, portraying a glossy depiction of the iconic armor helmet featured on every Fallout game case. The words Fallout 4: Virtual Reality Edition gleamed in large gold letters across the top. The case was heavy, made of thin metal, and quite sturdy. Plastic shrink wrap soon joined the discarded shipping box on the floor and the top of the game chest opened to reveal its treasures.
An embossed voucher, certifying Special Limited Edition #01 gleamed from the top of the chest. No way, it's the first copy? This must be a mistake. I couldn't believe it, but the proof was right in front of me. Wonder how many copies there were? When I had visited the website to place my order, there was only one item left at the highest option tier. The certificate was beautiful, appearing to be handwritten with a fountain pen using glittery sable ink. I just sat there for a moment, letting the words shimmer in the light. Finally, I carefully lifted the paper, setting it to one side.
Next, I picked up a thin, flexible, hand-shaped device containing silicon-coated wires, supported by a hefty instruction manual. I set them aside. More papers and inset cards followed. Digging further, I uncovered the wireless computer interface dongle and a hinged wooden box. That box contained a sleek black metallic forearm computer sporting a knurled selection knob on its right side. Its edges were chased with gleaming silver piping. The padded armband was adjustable for any size forearm. Hefting it showed it to be lighter than it looked. The screen was a decently readable size, a little larger around than my hand. On top was a vintage design cassette-style ejector port. The underside revealed an extendable wire attachment and ports for the computer interface and power. Definitely got my money's worth, I thought, pleased, running my fingers along the edges of the device before returning to the instruction manual. I took a moment to leaf through the pages. So, what is this and how does it work?
Too excited to do more than skim, I breezed through the initial introduction and background, adjusting my glasses to see better. Okay... set in post nuclear war Boston. Vault-tec... exploring... dialogue... enemies... fighting... sneaking... companions... factions... weapons... armor... blah blah blah... aha!
The armband computer, called a Pip-Boy, was instrumental in gameplay, basically being the interface the player used to interact with the world. Got it. There were simple picture instructions to set it up, which I followed step-by-step. The silicon-sheathed wires attached like adhesive cathodes to the back of each finger and thumb, interfacing with the Pip-Boy computer to allow hand motions to translate into gameplay. Oh, that is cool! Small pin adapters on the inside of the arm band mated with the receivers at the base of the finger wires. I waved my arm and hand in ridiculous motions, the weight of the Pip-Boy present, but not hindering. I can work with this. The computer antenna dongle plugged in easily enough, depressing flush with the outer casing of the Pip-Boy.
Next, power. The cable appeared to be missing. Sorting through the contents revealed nothing more than the pieces already discovered. Instruction book, certificate, random inset cards, hinged Pip-Boy box... no power cable. I pawed through the contents again, accidentally knocking the whole thing to the floor with a noisy clatter. Sighing- of course you knocked everything over -I took a moment to gather everything back up. Maybe the booklet has instructions on how to power this thing. The chest had landed hard on one corner, and when placed back on the table, I noticed the bottom plane of the box had been knocked askew. There was a slight bluish glow emanating from the gap. I grabbed a flat blade screwdriver and a pair of sturdy tweezers, and carefully pried the wooden piece, a false bottom, free. A small vial of brightly glowing blue liquid lay nestled in a padded recess underneath a folded note. With tentative fingers, I reached out and unfolded the note.
Congratulations, Anne!
You are the lucky recipient of our one-of-a-kind prototype Fallout 4 VR Pip-Boy! We want you to have the best gaming experience possible, and this exclusive device can provide it! Our prototype system expands the boundaries of Virtual Reality, giving you a Fallout experience like no other! Unlike lesser devices, this unique schematic requires no outside power to function. Just insert the included vial of QuantumEnergy (TM) into the power port and let your Pip-Boy do the rest! Are you ready for the ultimate adventure?
B.I.R.D.
The ink was the same as the certificate, a glittery black that caught the light in rainbow shimmers. Unfortunately, the letters spelling out "Virtual" had a blot that looked crossed out or written over... almost like the V had an additional stroke added, and the "ir" blotted out. It marred what was otherwise a beautiful handwritten note. And who was B.I.R.D? No further explanation appeared forthcoming. Not sure what to make of it, I set it aside and picked up the vial. It about the size of an "AAA" battery and was warm to the touch. My fingertips tingled when contacting the material. It was sealed at both ends with metallic caps, identical in shape. The vial was full and no air bubbles appeared when shaken gently.
Examination finished, I was none the wiser. I guess they got my name from my shipping address, but why? I knew next to nothing about the Fallout games; why send the "ultimate" in gaming experiences to a complete novice? The notes were hand-written, so someone had obviously made the effort to put together this unique setup and ship it out. Furrowing my brows, I thought, I'm nobody, just a single girl trying to get along. Why me?
Why not? whispered a rebellious voice in my head. After all, you've got nothing else to do this weekend. I tilted the glowing vial back and forth in my fingers, glancing from it to the mysterious letter and back again. The Pip-Boy on my arm caught the light from the liquid, silver piping shimmering faintly in its radiance. I closed my fist with sudden conviction, feeling the tingle intensify against my palm.
"Fine. Let's do this."
Tilting the Pip-Boy towards me, I installed the QuantumEnergy vial, feeling the metal end snick into place, seating itself just like the antenna. The back of the device felt like one solid piece now, no sign remaining of the ports. I took a breath in anticipation.
Nothing happened.
"Really?" I shook my arm experimentally.
Nothing.
I sighed in exasperation and picked up the letter. "...and let your Pip-Boy do the rest," I read aloud. The letter floated down to the table. "Yeah, right." Examining the power port showed only the faint outline of the vial's metal end, installed flush to the unit. Not a hint of blue glow escaped from the perfectly fitted installation. There seemed to be no way to remove it, to my growing frustration.
Angling the Pip-Boy to face me, I tapped the screen. Nope. A sharp jab resulted in the same inert reaction. "Really?!" I cried again, my voice rising in pitch and volume. I tried to twist the dial on the side of the casing. Nothing happened... but it had moved before. Hmm. I twisted harder, wiggling the knurled button, trying to figure out... maybe the battery installation completed a connection?
Click!
Now the dial moved smoothly. Five clicks back and forth, one click for each marking on the casing. Stat – Inv – Data – Map – Radio As I clicked back to "Stat" the Pip-Boy's screen started to glow. Aha!
I held up my left arm to watch the screen brighten moment by moment. The armband felt comfortably warm. The words "Please Stand By" in front of a rotating gear animation appeared in the center, in green 8-bit graphics. As I watched, it glowed brighter and brighter, forcing me to look away and squeeze my eyes closed when Pip-Boy flashed nova-bright, lighting up the entire room in a blue-white incandescence.
Simultaneously, the cathode wires on the back of my hand and fingers burned with sudden scorching pain, the zap of overwhelming energy pulsing throughout my whole body. I tried to scream, but only a tortured whimper escaped the muscles of my throat, locked in electrical stasis. I couldn't move, I couldn't even breathe. My vision behind closed eyelids crackled white and blue to match the dining room's illumination, blinding me to anything outside the immediate pain. A thunderous crack sounded in my ears, or was it my head? I felt myself falling, disintegrating into the blackness of unconsciousness.