Chapter 7：The beginning of the end.

After class on Monday, Eric invited Jade to go play games at a nearby sports center after he finished at work, saying, "it'll be good to get some exercise!" He added with a wink, "and this is more the kind of thing that most guys invite each other to do."

Jade accepted, but warned his friend, "my coordination isn't very good."

Eric rolled his eyes and declared, "even more reason for you to go and practice activities that use it then."

--

After Jade's shift, he barely noticed the system's quest that told him to meet Eric, but hurried to the sports center.

Jade was unsurprised when Eric handily trounced him at several games. The only one that Jade won was a round of laser tag, where they wore sensor jackets and dodged and climbed around various obstacles to shoot each other.

When they finished that one, Eric regarded him with amazement and said, "wow, you're really good at this."

Jade shrugged. "It's more about calculating the angles than having to hit a moving target," he explained.

Eric objected, "I was moving!"

Jade laughed and replied, "not as much as you could have moved if we were playing that kind of game in VR? We're trapped in a small room. I don't really understand why we're playing it this way? VR would be much more realistic."

Eric reminded him dryly, "because this way you're moving your whole body, not just your brain."

"Well, full motion consoles then," Jade argued.

Eric just laughed.

--

When they left the sports center Eric said, "I'll walk you home."

Jade rolled his eyes and replied, "I can navigate the bus system safely home by myself." The system was still putting it up as his current quest every evening.

Eric clutched his chest in mock agony and said sadly, "Jade is tired of me already."

Jade asked curiously, "what are you doing? I never said that."

Eric laughed. "Nevermind," he said with a grin. "Let's walk anyway."

"Ok," Jade agreed.

--

Jade was talking about how he wanted to go to Australia and take one of the Antarctic tours that used the southern continent as a base, when the sound of an engine winding up on the corner ahead reached them.

Eric frowned and pulled Jade farther from the road, but they didn't stop walking. Eric commented, "I don't see how you can even think of affording that when you're still in school and working at a convenience store. I couldn't afford that, and my parents are paying my rent for me."

Jade explained, "I don't buy all the stuff you do, I don't eat out, or get coffee…"

In front of them a car came around the curve sideways, Jade could tell it wasn't going to miss them, but this wasn't the game, and he just couldn't move fast enough.

Eric reacted faster, grabbing Jade's elbow and swinging him flat against the wall. With his back against the wall, Jade was able to lift Eric into the air just as the car hit. The last thing Jade saw before he was back in the system, was Eric's horrified expression.

--

Eric watched in horror as Jade was crushed into the wall by the car's engine. He didn't want to, didn't want to but there was nothing he could do as gravity forced him downward and added his own weight to Jade's damaged body. In some horrible molasses of slow motion, the car bounced away from them and spun, until it bounced off the wall again a few feet farther on.

Something spanged away from the wreckage and hit Eric's head. Time stopped for him for an unknown space of emptiness. When Eric regained some fragment of awareness, he cracked his eyes open and lay frozen in horror. The drones had come, and with tiny arms tipped in a variety of tools, they were disassembling Jade.

Fluids oozed out of the remains, but Eric could tell that it was more transparent than it should have been. A ragged squeak escaped him, and one of the drones turned in his direction. Eric squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to all the gods he'd never believed in.

The next time he opened his eyes, they were loading him into an ambulance. They told him reassuringly that he had had a close call, but he'd be fine. Eric summoned all his courage and whispered, "what about Jade?"

When they asked with confusion, "what do you mean?" Eric just closed his eyes again.

--

Jade woke in his room, and cringed. He'd never died in front of someone that he was close to before. It was awhile before he summoned the courage to ask the system the date and time. Only a day had passed.

Eric wasn't at class. Jade took notes for him as usual, and when the class ended he tried calling. The call went straight to the messaging system.

--

Emily had finally recovered from her cold, and she took over the cleaning chores at the convenience store. Jade stood blankly behind the counter, attending his duties by rote.

When his current customer slapped the counter and demanded, "earth to Jade!" Jade finally focused on her face.

"Harmony," he said with relief. Her bright riding gear and silver braids looked the same as always.

She reached across the counter suddenly and laid her hand against his cheek. "Who else? What's wrong Jade," she questioned worriedly.

Jade opened his mouth to answer, but shut it without saying anything. His eyes slid warily to Emily. Things he might have told Harmony if they'd been alone, he found he couldn't say.

"Tell me later," Harmony said firmly. She withdrew her hand and pulled down her goggles. As she dropped her hoverboard in front of the door, she called out, "I'll be waiting!"

Jade smiled for the first time since he'd awakened.