The Two Lives Of Aaron Wade: The Gamer And The Heir 1 Tragedy I : Aaron Comes Home

As if it was mocking me, the door to the manor opened with a creak. That door has always seemed to be a problem for as long as I could remember, but still it instilled a sense of nostalgia in me. I only spent seven years of my 24 years of life in this house, granted it was the most painful of all my years, but also the sweetest. The manor was old, and the fact that it was able to stay this long without being gobbled up by rich....well richer folks than my grandfather was surprising. It was an amazing piece or architecture.

"Master Enyo!"

Her voice was still as raspy as always. But yet toned like steel and tempered with a doze of motherly love only people who knew her could experience. I turned to look at her, and I almost cried. She looked older, there were more wrinkles around her eyes, and they seemed to have lost their color. This entire tragedy must have been hard on her, after all apart from me; she was the one closest to him.

"Nanny Florence. It's good to see you." I said as I stretched out my hands and hugged her. Her tiny body seemed to sink completely into mine, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was always this small. The last time I was here, my head only came up a little above her's, though that was five years ago and I was all grown up now.

She looked up at me and said: "look at you. All grown up now. If only your grandfather could have hanged on a little longer, he would have been proud of the man you have become. You look just like him, though it's unfortunate that just like him you lack your father's looks. But that doesn't mean you're ugly dear, you just can't compare with your brothers in that department."

To most people who didn't know nanny Florence, everything she just said was grounds to have her arrested for emotional abuse. But this aging lady, with all of her black belts, and PhDs; had a twisted sense of humor. She's a trained bodyguard and my late grandfather's closest confidante. Everything she's learnt was to hurt people to protect her master, even down to her words. too bad it became a complete part of her.

"Do you need me to bring your bags up?" She asked as she took a step back to take a closer look at me.

"I'm a big boy now nanny Florence. I can carry my own bags, you shouldn't stress yourself with menial labor. I've got this."

"Are you saying I'm too old to do my job?"

The sudden change in her tone was all the warning I needed. Five years was too short a time to completely forget what nanny Florence was capable of. And I was antisocial, not stupid or dumb. I knew the wrong b.u.t.tons to push when talking to a woman(sometimes). And a woman like Nanny Florence, did not like being treated like a woman for some reason I just don't understand.

"No that's not what I meant. I just thought that you've been busy getting the manor ready for my arrival, so you might be a little tired."

I couldn't help but swallow. Hours of sparring, which to be honest was just an excuse for nanny Florence to beat the fear of G.o.d into me; suddenly sprang to mind. I better let her do what she wants. That way I can go to bed today without bruises.

"Do you need me to bring your bags up?" she asked again with an all too bright smile.

"yes please." I squeaked.

"Good, now go up to the study. Your grandfather left a message for you young man. And after that head up to his room. As the master of the manor it belongs to you now. No excuses! It's what he would have wanted."

I couldn't say no to her, though it's mainly because saying no would get my bones twisted in rather colorful ways and positions I don't understand, or really want to experience. Also I'm just too tired, emotionally and physically. The long flight from Abuja Nigeria, back to Los Angeles U.S.A did not do my body any good. Not to mention I had to prepare for his funeral, it's going to be a long week.

Going up the stairs and to the east wing, all the way to the attic/study was one nostalgia filled journey.

There were pictures of me, my brother, my father, my elder brothers, and our dead sister. And just one picture of my dead mother, right on the day she gave birth to me. Flashes of painful memories went through my head, as my heart ached. I hurried along and made my way to his study, staying any longer would have just hurt me more than I was ready to experience.

The study was clean, though the curtains were drawn, and the windows closed; which made the room a little stuffy. Florence said he left a message for me, but all I could see was his table, with a note on it. The note said 'sit' with an arrow pointed at the direction of his cozy state of the art office chair.

I remember one time when I was eleven, my grandfather had given me a grand tour of the manor, explaining the history of everything in it. That chair was over two hundred years old, it has been in the Wade family for generations, with each head, pa.s.sing it on to the next, and leaving the duty of customizing and renovating the chair to fit the new head of the family. It was a family heirloom, and If I sit on it.....it means I'm king of the manor.

I sat on it, and almost immediately let out a yelp of pain as a thin needle shot out of the armrest and into my hand. It was just a tiny p.r.i.c.k, but it didn't stop me from cursing at the chair and all of its previous incarnations. Then there was a beep, it became faster and faster in seconds until ma.s.sive steel doors fell over the windows and the door, completely shutting me in.

It seemed to me like my grandfather's study was made into a panic room. Which was why when a hologram of him popped up right in front me, grinning like an old drunk, I jumped back screaming like a girl.

"d.a.m.n it old man! What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?" I yelled at the hologram.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Good to see you again grandson!"

I looked at his smiling visage and sighed. Then I asked. "you're not actually dead are you? You seem a little too conscious for a hologram if you ask me."

"If you're seeing me like this, then I'm really dead. I wouldn't have been activated otherwise."

I shook my head again as I let out an exasperated groan of annoyance.

"You completely mapped your consciousness and uploaded it into a virtual algorithm didn't you. You know d.a.m.n well that s.h.i.+t's illegal. I could go to jail for the rest of my life just talking to you!"

"Bah! Don't be such a pu**y. Why do you think I have six inch doors of Xorimatium lining the entire structure of the attic. No one would find out, besides as soon as I've delivered my message a self destruct sequence would be initiated. I'll die and you'll be safe from any implication."

But he was already dead. This was just a shadow, and watching him, seeing him with that all knowing smile on his face made my tears fall down without restraint. I cried, and I cried some more. I think at this point I really needed someone to hold me, but there was no one. All I could draw comfort from was an echo of the person who was most important to me, life really sucked.

"I'm sorry we had that fight Aaron. I never forgave myself for it." He said to me.

"Me too Baba, and you can call me Enyo. You did like that name a lot better than Aaron." I answered with small laugh.

"That's because your mother gave you that name. It's a testament of your African heritage. Besides it's a powerful name with a powerful meaning. It means blessing."

"You're still a cheesy old man, even as a hologram. What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Yeah let's get down to business. After my burial there's going to be a string of events that would pretty much shake the world. First of all, I'm leaving all of my shares to you....."

"Wait! What shares?"

"Oh right, you don't actually know do you. You always believed I was rich, but you never knew how. I'm the princ.i.p.al or I was the princ.i.p.al share holder of Imperium industries. I own 30% of the d.a.m.n company, and all of it's a.s.sets. Your dad and his witch of a wife own 15, and your elder brothers own 5 each. The rest belongs to the investors and other share holders. Now all that was mine would be yours."

"Oh! Well then continue." I answered nonchalantly, as if I did not just hear I was going to become a billionaire. My grandfather raised any eyebrow and asked.

"You're probably going to panic later right? You always do that. Experience news with a cool head, then do something stupid later when it's properly sunk in."

I shrugged my shoulder in reply. He was right though, I was definitely going to panic later. When I got the news he died, the lawyer who called had said he had left a primary will and a secondary will to be read after his burial. The primary will gave me owners.h.i.+p of the manor, and all it's surrounding land and affiliates. Though I have no idea what affiliates an old ancestral manor would have, but I just took the news in stride. I was grieving then, I still am.

" you're also to a.s.sume an executive position in the company immediately. However you have to work your way up. As the princ.i.p.al share holder, you can become CEO. But the board of directors are filled with your father's cronies. You have to work your way through and past them, make allies, and deliver good results. It's a matter of global security that you become CEO of the company. Your father has been making really questionable decisions lately, trying to. Expand the company's scope of Influence into biological weaponry and cyber warfare as a whole. We've done well with Interstellar travel, entertainment, inventions, and virtual reality gaming. We're not the number 1 company, or number 2,but we're number 3 and that's saying something. Your father has gotten too greedy, and in my quest to stop him, this happened to me."

I felt as if someone just dropped a bomb in my head. I was hoping, desperately that what he just said was a slip of tongue, or just one big joke. It can't be possible.

"Based on the look of shock on your face I know you've realized it. Though I can't really be sure myself. I'll like to believe that I wasn't killed by my own son because of more money than he already has. But at this point I can't write it out as a possibility. Trust no one, except Florence. But that's not the end. After my burial, Lost Descendants will experience an update that would bring every player character down to level zero. Skills won't be reset, and equipment won't be lost, so the higher level players will still have the advantage. Of course without mana I doubt they can use most of their skills. This will allow you to start playing the game, and you should, considering it was designed and built by your mother's grandfather. It's your inheritance, and your mother left something in that game for you, I don't know what, but she said the key would reveal itself when you get strong enough.

But that's just sentimental bulls.h.i.+t. Not that I'm insulting your mother's memory or anything, but let's look at it from a different angle. The department that runs Lost Descendants, has not had a director since your mom pa.s.sed. And right now, that game gives 43% of the revenue Imperium gains annually. It's the most popular game in the world, and control of that department unfortunately falls under your step mothers rule, even though it's a part of your shares. You will have to fight hard to get it back.

Another thing to look out for is the ma.s.sive economical explosion that's sure to happen once that update goes live. Every business, guild, mercenary band and kingdoms would be reset to level 1. Some will even loose everything that they're have struggled to build over the years. But it's also a good chance to start again and gain monopoly over in game resources, and many of the forces would find it easy to keep up since items and money won't be lost. But the landscape will change, there would be new cla.s.ses, new skills, new races, new monsters, dungeons, bosses, and NPCs. It would be like a brand new game.

You need to conquer it, not just to find the inheritance your mother left behind, but to build up your own empire, capable of standing against your father's and your brothers. But you have to keep your ident.i.ty a secret, think of it as being a super hero. By day, you're the young mixed race heir to multi billion dollar company. You drive fancy cars, date hot models and have extravagant vacations. But in the game, you have to be responsible, a leader, the best of the best.

It's like being a super hero with a secret ident.i.ty. And one final thing, there's a rumor going on, that Imperium along with a radical off world terrorist organization has developed an AI virus, capable of corrupting not just a game, but directly possessing, just like demons, the human mind. Placing a lot of people under mind control. I don't need to tell you that's bad for business. Once you get into the company, snoop around, find that virus, and destroy it.

You're going to be making a lot enemies, and friends who you will end up betraying. You're going to have to bang a lot of women, some that would leave your skin crawling, but it's necessary. You're going to lie, steal, cheat, and overall just be your normal spoilt rich kid. But you have to try your best to save the company and our family name. I know I said don't trust anybody, but this doesn't have to be a lonely road, find a girlfriend, get married. Your son would definitely need a mother. Florence will tell you whatever you need to know. I love you Enyo, and I'm sorry for putting this burden all on your head. It's time for you to be a man and stop running away from who you are. Look in the mirror and be proud of yourself, be proud of your name. Aaron Wade."

His hologram burst into a shower of light as the self destruct sequence was carried out. All the while I was standing there with a confused look on my face as I asked out loud.

"What son?"