Patch 17 (Realm of Arkon) Read Online Free Page A

billion. Roughly ten million daily connections, if memory serves me right."
    "And yet, your own character is a measly level thirty five. Arkon is a world of possibilities. Wizards, warriors, elves and fairies. It offers the chance to become truly epic and achieve things you could only dream of in this world," Ivan peered at me with his eyes of cold gray steel, expecting a response.
    I fell back in my chair and fired back without thinking:
    "You know that I'm an artist, so I can spot fake from a mile away. My level thirty five warrior is there for work purposes—to roam around the different zones, check out the fruits of my labor. And when you know that it was all drawn by you... They can scream all they want about immersion and realism, but I think it's all crap. There's a disconnect between what the brain says and what the hands feel. For instance, you know the establishment near the Square of Heroes in Vaedarr, The Black Violet ?" Ivan gave a confirming grunt, and I continued. "I was there only once. Picked up a girl for the night. And yeah, it feels good and all, but you can still sense that you're having sex with a rubber doll. Albeit an animated rubber doll. The tactile sensations aren't the same. Lilies may smell like lilies, but there's something off about them. I don't know how else to explain it. The point is," I produced another cigarette from the pack, "I think I want a normal life. To find a woman, settle down and start a family. And that's not an option in the game," I spread my arms.
    "I didn't peg you for an aesthete, brother," Ivan smiled, "carping on lilies... I'll have you know that those who spend a lot of time online have a totally different perception of the world; for them, lilies are lilies. And the women are real. The analysts forecast that in another six months RP-17 will enter a whole new level of control. He's always learning, improving the degree of sensory authenticity so that even nitpickers like you wouldn't be able to tell the virtual world apart from the real one. Not that it would do you any good—there are plenty of women, but none of them can give you kids, that's just a fact. But I digress," he shrugged and creased his brow. "The truth is that things are dire."
    "What the hell is going on?!" I couldn't take it anymore. "What's with all these spy games?"
    "Remember the two girls from our PR division that disappeared? Monica Reed and Sarah Price?" He took out another cigarette from the pack. "Well, both of them had attended receptions at Cheney's mansion on several occasions." Ivan took a deep drag. "The cops only care so much about these things, but you know that the company can't afford to sit back. Any potential leaks must be plugged, and here you've got two employees with a level three clearance drop off the grid. When we started looking into everyone that was present at those parties, we dug up information on a project called Paradise—some kind of recreation zone in Arkon that's been placed outside the AI's control."
    "But that's impossible," I objected. "Nothing can happen in Arkon without 17 knowing about it. He's a veritable demiurge—all changes to the system must be approved by him, and you can't change his settings without a shareholders' council and at least seventy five percent of votes." I looked at my frowning friend. "You read the news, don't you, Ivan? Arkon holds only forty one percent of the shares."
    "I don't give a crap what's possible and what isn't." Ivan leaned forward, "Not when Hayes calls me into his office and orders me to stop digging, and then one of my guys brings me this," he slipped a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket, took something out and put it on the table, then pushed it toward me.
    Resting on the table in front of me was a typical cheap video player of Chinese manufacturing, barely the size of a cigarette pack.
    "What's this?" I inquired.
    Ivan fell back in his chair and crossed his arms, then nodded at the player.
    "Turn it on and see."
    I