Warzone has a minion!

Heals provided by the Sheepish Survivor

"New historical game breaks records, hailed as a true masterpiece..."

The young man let out a huff at seeing the headline scroll across the large computer screen; of course, it was breaking every record in the books. The basic requirements for the game alone would cause any normal machine to melt down.

The new era of virtual reality was again putting to rest any naysayers that gaming was a passing trend and pointless pastime. The newest and most secretive game, Operation Archangel Online, was said to be invitation only for experimental public testing. As such, there had been few, if any official reports. What further interested the young man were how few personal reports there were. The one or two that surfaced on message boards were quickly wiped away. In general, the project was shrouded in secrecy, even in the public testing stage.

He couldn't wait.

His VR headset was in place- awaiting any input as he browsed through the streams of information. His interest and passion had all started with a single file; prsnlxpboost.txt, posted on a fairly vague gaming message board. It was a text file of all things, but one that listed ideas and possible implementations in this new game: a revolutionary idea involving brain mapping. He had barely managed to read it before the file was taken offline- his download failing.

As with any science and strategy, he put his findings to the test. On a game fielded by the same company, the precursor to the newly launched one, he logged in after taking a basic firearms instruction course. Somehow, he started the matches with an increased bonus to accuracy and reload speed.

A few more other tests, and the hypothesis had been proven. Now, after all his work, it was time to wait.

He'd be selected of course; there was no doubt in his mind. He was in the top ten players in the region- but not wanting to show his hand too quickly. The key was to be good, but not suspiciously good. Considering how many companies were eager to field competitive games, products, toys, and all sorts of merchandise, succeeding at this game would set him up for life. But, that was only a portion of his motivation. No, his true goal was simple. He would show everyone what it was like to truly be untouchable in a game, and his name be known across every screen and virtual reality suite.

"Congratulations Candidate, you have been selected for the new real-time skirmishing simulator. Good luck!"

He barely had time to register the voice blaring through his headset before the world vanished- similar to a VR suite, but somehow more of a complete disconnect from the real world.

Blinking the stars from his eyes, the young man looked around and gasped- cold air freezing his lungs as snow swirled about on the forested and mountain-heaving landscape. The realism…

The battlefield before him was that of a fake skirmish, a standard battle on the outskirts of some mountain village in a snowy highland. A simple block of text dominated his vision for five seconds:
'The global Artificial Intelligence was launching its first extermination operation, and the casualties were high.'

A linear story to be sure, but the realism blocked out any of that.

There were other beings moving at the bottom of the hill where he stood, darting in and out of the buildings. In the background, the forest and snowy mountains behind the hovel had started to steam with energy pulses and explosions from the battle. What indicated this simulation involved some visible text; above each figure's head.

In bright letters, a username stood, be it human or robot. And strangely enough, they were fighting amongst themselves, no allies or sides, a true free-for-all. The names flashed only when he focused on them- otherwise then vanishing into the background in the hyper realistic simulation.

Poking at his hand, the man marveled as a spider web of circuitry spread across his arm, similar to when he had tried the newer VR suites. This was something else altogether though…

"Welcome to Operation Archangel Online. Eliminate all enemy players to advance to the save point and the next round." A familiar robotic voice droned in his head, ears, and everywhere around him.

As the players fought on the outskirts of the village, amidst rubble in the fields of tall grass, the man slowly picked up an object at his feet; a standard infantry mat-grey rifle.

"Past experience software calculating bonus to player." Bingo.

The young man grinned as a backpack and battle belt materialized in front of him, the voice listing off bonus after bonus. He had been right. And now was the time to show it.

"Basic weapon handling; Ten percent to agility increase." He felt slightly lighter on his feet, the weapon easily manipulated in his hands…

"Basic physical training course completion; Plus fifty percent to stamina." Now, the backpack and weapon somehow felt lighter, and energy filled the young man's frame.

"Expert marksman qualified; Fifteen percent increase in accuracy." A scope appeared on the rifle, and it seemed more natural to aim with the weapon in but an instant.

The world suddenly seemed to move slightly slower as the voice droned a final line.
"Total bonus: real life experience increases reaction time by twenty percent. Good luck new player."

As he shouldered the pack and loaded the gun, he grinned and charged into the virtual battlefield. These foolish players had no sense of strategy or true will to succeed. He had spent thousands, as had others true, but not on virtual training. No, the various camps, the hours of practice, the physical pain of training…All for this.

The first ten players were easy- dispatched from behind a pile of rubble with a grenade he pulled from his belt. They didn't even have a clue what happened to their virtual bodies.

The next five barely got a look at him- robot and armored avatar alike stopping their conflict to confront the new veteran player and failing.

Stepping over their dissolving avatars, the man nodded to the virtual villages who bowed their heads in thanks to the new arrival. "Plus ten points to charisma. Collect morality bonus at end of the game." Everyone discounted saving lives in virtual games, but clearly it paid off.

Standing on a pile of destroyed robotic soldiers, he loaded his rifle with a fresh magazine, seeing five players band together and stand against him in the middle of a street.

They didn't know how to fight. Not in the real world, and not in here. They had no training, no drive other than to be the 'top player.' He had set himself apart from the start- gaining real life experience to bolster his journey. Being just the best wasn't enough. No, he wanted the world to know it.

It was time to show everyone how to truly win: to make every avatar in cyberspace know why his gamertag read 'Warzone.'