Alpha Company (Alpha World Book 3) Read online

  Alpha World

  Book Three:

  Alpha Company

  Daniel Schinhofen

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons,

  places, or events is coincidental.

  © Copyright 2017 by Daniel Schinhofen

  All rights reserved.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter One

  Francis shook hands with the man who was introducing himself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brouch. I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to inform the other testers of the guild I’m part of. Also, for allowing me to hand out the shirts we had made.”

  With a smile Alvin Brouch replied, “It’s wonderful to see our testers wanting to band together. I’m sure that you’ll all shoot right past our expectations of the leveling curve. My secretary did mention there was also another topic you wanted to discuss today?”

  “Yes. I was curious if you had any plans to extend your test period past a single month. If you do, is there any way to sign up for it now? Miss Dorn and I are extremely interested in participating in a longer test period. That would mean there are arrangements we’d need to make tonight, before the medical exams tomorrow.”

  Pushing his glasses a little further up his nose, Alvin looked over the man seated across from him. “Interesting that you should ask that. We have just finalized plans to offer a three-month and a sixth month test immersion to our testers. We were planning to announce it tomorrow during the exams. Giving those people who’re interested a chance to arrange to participate in the longer immersion. I was surprised by the legal packet indicating that you are Miss Dorn’s legal aid and our primary contact point with her.”

  “Yes. As has been stated, she wishes to remain incognito as much as she can. We would both like to sign up for your six-month immersion test now, if it’s at all possible. If not, we’ll wait for the announcement.”

  “It would do something for our PR department to note that a member of the well-known Dorn family is playing our game. Do you think she would agree to doing an endorsement?” Alvin sat back with a poker face, waiting for Francis’s reply.

  “Send an agreement to this email,” Francis said, handing over a card. “One of our lawyers will look it over tonight. If it is acceptable we’ll have a signed copy for you in the morning.”

  “I’ll have it sent out within the hour,” Alvin said with a smile, taking the card. “There is something I’m curious about, if you don’t mind me asking. How did you get onto the immersion test list so quickly? Miss Dorn has been on the list since beta ended, but you were only added when the immersion trial was announced.”

  “It’s all in who you know, Mr. Brouch.” Francis stood up to his full six-and-a-half-foot height. Brushing his golden bangs out of his eyes, he put on his sunglasses, “It has been a pleasure, Mr. Brouch. Thank you for your time.”

  “The pleasure has been all mine, Mr. Bennet. I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night,” Brouch shook hands with Francis and they parted ways.

  The next morning at six, Marysue Dorn and Francis Bennet entered the lobby of Mindblown’s testing building. Behind them came a man with a dolly that had four boxes stacked on it. The receptionist looked up with a frown as they entered. Francis walked over to her as Marysue directed the man with the cart. “Good morning, miss. I have paperwork with me for Mr. Brouch. He should be expecting me, I am Francis Bennet.”

  The woman looked down at the notes on her desk, her professional smile becoming fixed in place. “Of course, Mr. Bennet. I will inform Mr. Brouch that you are here. Are those the gifts for the other testers?”

  “Indeed,” Francis smiled, “I see the tables are set up already. I’ll go get things arranged while we wait.”

  “Of course, sir,” The receptionist pushed her black hair back behind her ear, with a bright smile that was more than just professional. “Would either of you like coffee or anything?”

  “No, we’re fine, thank you,” Francis gave her a polite smile before he went to join Marysue. The man who’d pushed the dolly in was opening the boxes. “We’re good, Joe. You can take off.”

  Joe looked up, “Okay, Francis. I think you’re nuts, you know, telling your dad you’re taking six months off. I heard that argument through the damn wall last night.”

  “Dad will settle him down,” Marysue put in as she dug shirts out of a box and began to set them on the table.

  Joe shook his head, his eyes going from her to Francis. The sheer pity in Joe’s eyes for Francis slid right off Francis, who had been getting that same look for years. “Well, you two have fun then. See you in six.”

  Francis watched his friend and assistant go then turned back to the business at hand. He helped Marysue arrange all the shirts, stacked by size. They each already wore an identical shirt, along with a name tag. Francis’s tag read ‘Gerald’. A number of sharpies and name tags were on the table next to the shirts.

  “That didn’t take long,” Alvin called out as he approached them. “I take it everything is in order?”

  Francis handed the contract to Alvin, “Signed and delivered. Once you sign off on it send a copy back to the law firm noted on the document, please.”

  “Of course,” Alvin said, turning his attention to Marysue. “Miss Dorn, it is a pleasure to have you with us for the long test. I received a call just this morning from your father. He was quite eager to learn more about our technology, it seems some of his charities might be able to benefit from what we can offer. So on behalf of MindBlown Entertainment, you have our thanks.” He extended his hand, his best smile on his face.

  Francis blocked the hand, “Sorry, Mr. Brouch, but Miss Dorn doesn’t shake hands with people.”

  Alvin faltered slightly before he withdrew his hand, “Oh, right. I forgot about her condition. I’m sorry, I was just so happy to have you both here. I’ll just go get these documents taken care of. I’ll see you again for the presentation.” Alvin went away with the contract in hand.

  “It’s not a condition,” Marysue sighed, her voice pitched low. She brushed her blonde hair back from her face. “I just don’t like people, especially fake people. It’s just like in school, everyone wanting to know what I can do for them.”

  Francis nodded, “I know, Mary. I’m here for you and soon we’ll be there for six months, just like you wanted.”

  “I wanted the rest of my life,” she replied, but she gently touched his arm and gave him a blinding smile. “I’ll take what you could get me. Thank you, Francis. You have always looked after me, even when I’ve been a bitch.”

  “Call me Gerald,” Francis said. “Time to get used to our new life for the next six months, right?”

  “Glad mine is easy. Still Mary, same as always,” Marysue replied with a smile.
<
br />   They were chatting about what they were looking forward to when the next person for the testing showed up a few minutes later. Tall, thin, with thick glasses perched on a sharp nose. The man had an odd, jerky way of moving, as though he weren’t used to his own legs. Gerald went to meet him as the man spoke to the receptionist.

  “I’ll just wait over there then,” the man was saying, when he turned to find Gerald beside him. “Can I help you?”

  “I take it you’re a fellow tester?” Gerald asked with his business smile in place.

  “Uh yeah, I’m Kyle Smith.” The man was looking over the shirt Gerald wore. “You one, too?”

  “Indeed.” Gerald gestured over at Marysue, who was by the tables with the t-shirts. “My fellow guild member and I brought gifts for everyone in the immersion test. Why not come on over?”

  The man followed Gerald over to the table. Marysue wasted no time discovering the man’s shirt size. Soon, he had a shirt and name tag. “The shirt is yours to do with as you will, but no more of them will ever be made. It was an idea of mine to drum up recruitment for our guild in Alpha World. Feel free to slap your character name on the tag, we all might as well get used to calling each other by our ‘names’.”

  The man chuckled, “Sure. Call me DrBone, then.” The man proudly wrote his character name on the tag and stuck it on his chest. “I’m gonna drop the shirt in my car. They told us not to bring anything extra with us for the immersion.”

  “Mr. Brouch, the man in charge of this test, has approved everyone having the shirts. I’m sure they’re expecting it,” Gerald told him. “However, it isn’t a horrible idea if that’s what you want to do.”

  “Yeah, my friend will be stopping by to pick up my car when he gets off work. It’ll be fine,” DrBone replied as he headed for the door.

  As he left, three other people came in. Gerald waited until they’d checked in with the receptionist to greet them and tell them about the guild. Many people arrived over the next half hour, often in small groups. All of them took shirts and a few of them promised to meet up in game as soon as they could, eager to join a guild. A little after seven Gerald felt a tap on his shoulder just as he was finishing up with another new recruit. Turning, he found himself staring down at a short raven haired woman. She returned his stare with an amused grin.

  “Gerald. Drumming up minions for us, are you? I’m sure Alburet will be happy,” the diminutive woman said. “Also, I love the defined muscles. Not too bulky or overdone.”

  Gerald chuckled, “You have to be Karen.” He briefly glanced at her short, but athletically toned body, proudly on display in tight clothing.

  “Of course I am,” Karen replied, “I can make you tap out right here if you want me to prove it.”

  Gerald held up his hands, “No. Thank you, no. I recall you saying you own a dojo, so I’ll pass. I’m not nearly the masochist Alburet is. Come on over and meet Marysue.” He led her to the table, where a number of people were hanging out. “Mary, I found Karen.”

  “Yeah, right,” Karen laughed, “I could have had you out cold before you knew I was there. I found him is what he means.” Karen looked Marysue up and down once, nodding in approval. It was obvious that Marysue hit the gym at least a few times a week.

  Marysue grinned, “Yeah, that’s Karen alright. It’s good to meet you in the flesh. You look just like your avatar.”

  “You look a little different, besides the ears and sharper cheekbones. I also see you take care of yourself, which is good. Do you hit the gym with the big guy here? Gerald isn’t quite as big in the shoulders as he is in game, but still impressive. If he wasn’t a taken man I would so try to drag him down for a quick ‘training’ session.” Karen grinned sharply at Gerald.

  “Not going to happen,” Gerald replied smoothly. “She works out with me. It’s best that way. She keeps me from overdoing my weights and I get her to keep going.”

  “Do I get one of these shirts?” Karen asked, finding a medium and pulling it on over her other shirt. She writhed briefly, then slipped her original shirt out from under the new one. “That’s much better.” She was aware of all the men nearby who had been watching with interest as she changed shirts. “Nice to see folks who can admire a woman,” she smirked at the men, who looked away when she met their eyes. “Any sign of Fluff?”

  “Not yet,” Marysue replied, “no one has admitting to being her. She seems painfully shy, though. Are we sure she’s going to be here?”

  “I hope so,” Karen said, looking around the room. “Almost an hour left, though, so there’s time.”

  Marysue introduced Karen to the other players who were near the table that had agreed to join the guild once they got back in game. A barely audible “Excuse me,” caught Karen’s attention. She was surprised to discover someone behind her. The figure was draped in an overly large hoodie, with the hood pulled far forward as they stood hunched over, hands thrust deep into the large front pocket. Marysue looked up as Karen turned.

  “Excuse me,” the soft contralto voice was hard to hear. “Can I get a shirt?” The slight figure shifted from foot to foot nervously. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone else has one and I thought maybe…”

  “Fluffball?” Karen asked the hunched person, who pulled back slightly at the word. “Is that you, Fluff?”

  “Umm… I mean…” a delicate, porcelain white hand came out of the hoodie pocket to stroke at the top of the hoodie. “Umm…”

  “It’s okay, miss,” Marysue cut in softly. “We have enough shirts for everyone. What size do you wear?”

  “Well… I mean… medium… or maybe a large?” The hand vanished back into the pocket at the front of the hoodie and the shoulders hunched more. “I’m causing an issue… I don’t want to be a bother…”

  “Fluff,” Karen said, gently touching the person’s shoulder, “it’s me. Karen. You know me. It’s okay, really.”

  The hood lifted slightly, just enough for eyes to meet. Karen couldn’t suppress a small gasp as she looked at the person before her. Fluff’s eyes shifted quickly from side to side and she dropped her head again, afraid others might see her. “Hello Karen,” Fluff said in her same soft tone. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You’re gorgeous,” Karen breathed almost soundlessly, her eyes wide.

  Fluff shrunk even further into herself, “No. No, I’m not.”

  Marysue gently touched Fluff’s other shoulder, “Why don’t we go look at the shirts and you can pick one, okay?”

  Karen watched them go, still stunned by Fluffball’s extraordinary beauty. Gerald came up beside her. “You okay, Karen? Don’t normally see you at a loss. Was that Fluffball?”

  “Oh, gods, Gerald, she is so beautiful,” Karen said looking up at Gerald. “A perfect, living porcelain doll. How can she not know? What in the hell happened to her that she’s so shy?”

  Gerald’s eyebrow climbed in surprise, “So, pretty?”

  “No, not pretty. She is fucking breathtaking. Look, to make this easy, what is Marysue to you? A nine or a nine point five?”

  “Nine point eight,” Gerald said with a smile, his eyes flowing over Marysue’s face. “The closest anyone will ever be to an angel.”

  “Okay. Using the same scale, Fluff is a twelve,” Karen replied, meeting his incredulous eyes when he turned to dispute her. She held up a hand, “No bullshit, Gerald.”

  Letting out a soft whistle Gerald looked at the hunched figure at the shirt tables with Marysue. “So, why is she so shy? If she’s that beautiful I’d expect her to be strutting around like a goddess.”

  “That was my question,” Karen put in. “I think her eyes caught my attention the most. So innocent and vulnerable. Gods, that pushes all my buttons.” Karen’s gaze was fixed on Fluffball.

  “So, the reason I wanted to talk to you. Um. They’ll be separating the men and women for the exams. I wanted to ask if you would keep an eye on Marysue? If anyone does anything funny, stop them. I’ll pay you.”

  Kare
n shook her head, trying to focus on Gerald’s words, and not the mesmerizing eyes that still floated in her mind. “Huh? Protect Marysue? From what?”

  “For the physical exams before we go in the pods the men and women are going to be in separate rooms. I can’t be there to protect her if anything happens. So I’m asking if you’ll just keep an eye on things and intercede if she asks for help. I’ll pay you for the trouble.” Gerald asked again, clearly edgy about not being able to be there himself.

  “Sure. You don’t have to pay me, though. She’s a friend, like you are, so I’ll watch out for her. Though if anyone lays a hand wrong on Fluff, I might have to break things.” Karen looked back at the hoodie again, “Gah, how did she do this to me with just a glance?”

  “If I could answer that I might know for myself,” Gerald half replied, his eyes on Marysue.

  Karen laughed, “Two moon-struck calves. Well, let’s go have you meet her. Too bad Alburet isn’t here, she always seems a little more at ease around him.”