Chapter 27 - Catching Up

Jessica stopped by the penthouse to find Vince.

She wore casual attire like most Future Tech employees. People see her black hair and Asian features under an oversized beanie.

A futuristic sliding door made out of a peculiar material slid open for the young American-Korean lady as the security AI recognized Jessica.

The security AI had been developed by Price and his cybersecurity department in collaboration with Patel and the AI engineers.

The tiny cameras on the new Future Tech product line, such as the mobile phones and laptops, were embedded within the futuristic material used in upgrading the penthouse.

"Vince, you have a guest waiting in the living room. Should I serve some beverages to Jessica?" an AI assistant asked Vince.

"If you will, please. "Tell Jessica I'll be out shortly, Aiya," Vince replied.

Aiya was an AI bot assistant that Vince had been working on with the Hive Mind robotics division.

Vince named his humanoid assistant bot Aiya, rhyming with Leah, the name of his incredible mother.

Aiya's intelligence level could only perform simple tasks, limited by the processing power provided by AIM cores.

The humanoid bot could perform more complex tasks and calculations if connected to a local Hive Mind network.

Aiya was wearing a blue female butler suit designed by a talented artist in Future Studios.

The outfit itself looked otherwordly and incomparable to any clothing in 2012.

"Vince will be out in a moment, Jessica. Would you like something to eat while waiting?" Aiya asked.

"No need for food, Aiya, but thanks, though," Jessica replied.

Vince and Patel programmed the butler AI package to talk courteously, and it was only natural to reply to it in kind.

Vince arrived in the living room wearing semi-casual clothing but was similar in design to Aiya's.

It was black-themed instead of blue but still resonated with a futuristic vibe.

"You're looking fabulous today, Vince. What are you and Aiya wearing?" Jessica asked curiously.

"These are designs from the unreleased Future Tech fashion collection. It uses the new fabric that the material science division recently developed." Vince replied.

Jessica approached Vince to touch the fabric.

"Wow! It's so soft to the touch. Does it get cold when you go out at night?" Jessica asked.

"The material itself has an adaptive temperature function, but it only works where you wear it," Vince replied.

"I want a set of the collection, Vince! So unfair!" Jessica angrily said.

"Alright, Alright. You can meet up with Aiya later to get your measurements. Sheesh." Vince replied.

"What did you stop by for in the first place, though?" Vince asked.

"The War Online new expansion event is starting in a few hours. So we should gather the gang and play tonight." Jessica replied.

"I forgot the expansion release was tonight. Thanks for the reminder. Alright, let's head to the Future Tech LAN center on the 10th floor." Vince stated.

"Aiya, please get in touch with Kyle, Rick, and Sarah to meet us at the LAN center," Vince asked.

"Certainly," Aiya replied and then bowed.

Jessica and Vince took the private elevator from the penthouse to the 10th floor.

On the way, they were joined by Kyle, who also had access to the private elevator.

Kyle was also wearing typical casual attire, with his brown hair covered by a Prime Alliance cap.

Kyle's Hispanic features showed more as puberty kicked in, such as a burgeoning beard starting to grow.

"Hey, guys! Good seeing you both. You guys excited for the game event?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah! I deliberately ghosted the Future Studios story campaign meetings to enjoy the expansion at release." Vince replied.

"I like the drip, Vince. What's with the fabric?" Kyle asked.

"It's an unreleased Future Tech product. You'll get a set of the collection too, don't worry." Vince replied.

The three arrived at the Future Tech LAN center, where employees could relax and enjoy video games.

Rick and Sarah were already there raiding with their guild.

Rick was growing taller every day, and his blonde hair and typical caucasian features made him look like a runway model.

Sarah was similar as she was Rick's twin but boasted womanly features instead.

"Good to see you both taking work seriously." Vince sarcastically said.

"Shush! Stop talking. We almost have the boss dead to rights, but one mistake can wipe our ten-man squad." Sarah replied.

Rick didn't say anything and focused on tanking the boss.

Vince, Jessica, and Kyle chose a Future Tech gaming computer near Sarah and Rick.

They started logging in to War Online and setting up their main characters.

"Yes! That's how we do it! Fuck you, Bahamut! Eat shit!" Rick started shouting.

"Rick, look at this staff that dropped for me. It's legendary tier!" Sarah shouted in reply.

"That's so unfair. I only got an Epic tier weapon as a drop." Rick sadly replied.

"Let's group up before the event starts." Jessica declared.

Jessica invited each of them to a party in War Online.

The new expansion to War Online featured a new continent with different factions vying for control over it.

The expansion release event started, and all players who opted into the event were transported to an enormous city square.

It was medieval-themed but featured the unique aesthetic famously used by War Online.

"Welcome, brave champions! My name is Gilvantis, the emperor of this continent. I thank you all for heeding my call for brave warriors to purge these lands of my enemies and restore the empire to its former glory." the NPC said.

The expansion started with an intricate cut-scene that slowly integrated players into the new continent.

Future Studios designed the primary campaign with the assistance of the creative AI suite developed by Future Tech.

Vince and his friends enjoyed the opening event for a few hours, testing the new skills, traits, and weapons.

"This bandit champion is strong!" Jessica declared.

Rick was focused on tanking the boss while Sarah supported him with heals and buffs.

"Jessica, don't worry. I think our damage is enough to kill the boss before it phases again." Kyle replied.

Vince stayed out of the way and utilized the new rifle, doing tons of damage from afar.

[I've been busy with work for a while. It's good just to relax and have fun with the gang while catching up on life.] Vince thought.

Stats last time checked:

15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)

$2 Billion in Future Tech

3800+ employees (Future Studios, Hive Mind AI, ARM, BitCash, Future Security)

Five company collaborators

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings

(I decided to add more descriptive prose to the characters in-scene.. Please suggest more things I can work on to make this novel better. Thank you)