Day 44

[from CC BattleGrid]

It took Corey a little while to fully awaken from the anaesthetic. Almost as soon as his brain realized that he was fully conscious again, he quickly turned to look at his left arm. Running almost from his elbow to his wrist was a long metal plate fused into the back of his arm, with an OLED touch-screen and six small slots built into it. This was a Chip-Based Cybernetic System, or CC System, the must-have augmentation for anyone. Corey had just turned thirteen, the minimum age at which one was allowed to get a CC System installed, and getting the system was his birthday present. He'd wanted one ever since his older sister Alexa had had one installed, and seeing it finally bolted to his arm filled him with joy.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "My very own CC System!"

"Indeed it is," said Dr. Gibson, the man who had performed the installation. "I should warn you, once the anaesthetic wears off your arm will probably ache for a few days, but after that you shouldn't experience any problems with it."

There was only one thing really concerned Corey. "How soon can I battle with it?" he asked. Like his older sister, and many kids his age, Corey was obsessed with the popular game CC BattleGrid. He'd never been able to play it before, for obvious reasons, but with the CC System now installed in his arm, he was eager to get started.

Dr. Gibson chuckled. "You can start playing CC BattleGrid right away, as well as any other CC System apps you might want to use. Of course, first you'll be wanting this as well." He handed over a small headset, with a built-in holographic projector that projected a display in front of the user's eyes. This was the holovisor, the crucial second part of the CC System. It linked wirelessly to the wearer's System, displaying all kinds of audio-visual feedback. In a BattleGrid game, the holovisor not only displayed the user's remaining health, but also produced a wide range of virtual-reality special effects to create an unparalleled sense of immersion. It was this that made the game so immensely popular.

Corey sat up on the edge of the bed and put on the holovisor. It had already been linked to his CC System, and as he put it on it whirred into life, the CC System logo suddenly superimposed over Corey's view of the world. It faded away after a moment, leaving only a 24-hour clock and battery indicator in the bottom-right of his field of vision. The holovisor's technology truly was incredible; he almost couldn't tell that he was wearing it at all.

"Well, that should be everything," said Dr. Gibson. "If you have any problems, or any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me. It's unlikely your body will try to reject the system, but if it does, then the sooner we can catch that, the sooner we can fix it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," said Corey, nodding.

"Alright then," said Corey's father, who had brought him along, "let's be heading home, huh? I'm sure your sister will be waiting to congratulate you… and to battle you, probably, knowing you two."

"Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to my first battle!" exclaimed Corey. "Thanks, Dr. Gibson!"

"No problem, kid!" said Dr. Gibson. "You be safe now, okay?"

"I will!" said Corey. "See ya!"

***

Sure enough, when Corey and his father arrived home, Alexa was in the living room waiting for them. "Hey, so you got your System installed!" she said, as she spotted the gleaming metal panel on Corey's arm. "Let me have a look!"

Alexa headed over to examine Corey's System. It wasn't much different from hers, apart from the colour; Alexa's was a shining purple while Corey's was a plain metallic grey. "Cool, isn't it?" said Corey.

"Sure is, kiddo," said Alexa. "You're ready to become a proper CC BattleGrid player now. Speaking of which, I said I'd give you your first battle, didn't I? Unless you got so anxious to try it out that you decided to battle someone at the Installation Facility?"

A small part of Corey was suddenly annoyed that he hadn't done just that, but outwardly he chuckled. "Nope!" he said. "I wanted to wait until I got home, so I could face you like I promised! Besides, I don't even have any Chips yet!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Alexa. "Here, I'll give you this old starter pack of mine to get you on your way. I don't really need it any more, I got hundreds of Chips now."

Alexa handed over a small case containing twenty-five Battle Chips, the regulation amount for battling. "Thanks, sis," said Corey, flicking through them quickly. They all seemed like fairly low-powered Chips, but it was only a starter pack, after all. He'd earn more powerful Chips once he started battling.

"Alright, I hope you're ready, kiddo," said Alexa. "You know the rules of BattleGrid, right?"

"Of course I do!" said Corey. "I've been watching you battle for months now!"

Alexa chuckled. "Alright then. Let BattleGrid commence!"