Ryan sat there, stunned and upset. From anyone else, he could have ignored the advice, but not when it came from Roman Monte. The urge to defend himself withered as he started to think about why he hated magic so much.

Monte clapped, interrupting Ryan's thoughts.

"Now, with that out of the way, I'd like to offer you a replacement for the capsule that's been destroyed- I've already got people retrieving it- as well as a contract for not going to the news or authorities."

Monte waved his Com-Ring and sent a contract over to Ryan's.

The giant tried to play catch up, reeling from the sudden change in topic, as he flicked his hand to open the contract. Ryan read through it in silence before he looked up in shock.

"An employment contract?"

Ryan looked up at the older man. The contract was generous, stipulating that Ryan would receive twenty thousand credits every month, as well as a new prototype capsule. In return, Mon-Tech received permission to analyze Ryan's brainwaves during stressful gameplay.

On top of a fat signing bonus, which the giant suspected was his "hush money."

When Ryan read between the lines, the contract read like part of a volunteer sleep study. After he went through it twice, the giant only found one mysterious clause.

The diver was required to use the prototype capsule and nothing else when accessing the game.

Once Ryan settled on the clause, he asked, "Why give this to me? What is it about the prototype unit that you're trying to test?" To Ryan, it seemed the contract was too good to be true.

Monte smiled mysteriously, "Just what the contract states. Mon-Tech would like to test the prototype capsule and its effects on non-standard divers." The programmer spread his hands as if he had nothing to hide.

"However, to answer your pertinent question, it's because you gained the First Feat," Monte stared into space, reading his AR lenses before he continued, "Rest assured, you aren't the only recipient. This might be "metagaming," strictly speaking, but let me tell you something."

The older man leaned forward again, "The situation in Frontier Online has shifted. You've already lost your lead."

I've lost my lead? In Strength? Ryan wanted to ask the programmer what he meant.

Monte went to speak again when the receptionist rushed over to Ryan.

"The doctor has arrived, sir. If you'll just come in the back with me..." Experienced with lobby work, the attendant carefully omitted "surgeon" to protect the client's privacy. Few of his stuffy clients wanted their business aired to strangers.

Ryan looked between Monte and the attendant, frowning when the programmer took pity on him.

"I won't keep you from your appointment Ryan, nor will I pry into exactly how my capsule was destroyed..." 

The Titan winced, feeling partly responsible for his brother's actions. 

"However, I will leave the prototype in your home for now, in lieu of a vandalism refund." Monte's voice was amused as he watched the young Titan get shoved out of his chair by the receptionist.

Ryan finished standing, stifling grunts of pain before he could respond to the legend. Monte stood from his seat, straightening his light grey suit, and followed Ryan to the office's sliding doors.

"Either way, I have to use the prototype, and I won't see a single credit if I don't accept." The Titan voiced it as an accusation, bristling even as he shuffled after the impatient receptionist.

Monte held up a finger, "Lesson one, Mr. Harringer; if someone intends to use you, make their plans work for you." 

Ryan hesitated, shooting one last glance at the sleeping Ronny before allowing the receptionist to usher him deeper into the building. The doors slid shut on Monte's smiling face.

Once the doors to the inner office closed, Monte slowly walked back to his seat. The programmer glanced at the sleeping teen a couple of meters away before he spoke as if to open air.

"So, what is your prognosis, doctor?" When Monte asked his question, the AR display in his glasses swirled with green light until the light formed a small face.

"He has odd, that's for sure." Where the glasses met the man's head, a small voice like tinkling bells transmitted through his skull.

Monte huffed, "He certainly is odd, I agree. I just don't understand why...wait. You said he has odd?"

"Bingo! Since he started playing Frontier Online, Ryan, or Rydr, exhibits clear signs of P.T.S.D. and O.D.D." 

Monte shifted his glasses to rub his nose as he complained, "I'm a programmer, not a psychologist, Eve. What is O.D.D.?" He understood the trauma disorder just looking at the young Titan's broken body.

Even forwarned by Ryan's school file, Monte was shocked to see the extent of the Titan's disfigurement. 

How did he get injured so badly without outright dying? A Titan's regeneration is strong, strong enough almost to regrow limbs.

Eve interrupted Monte's thoughts as she answered the programmer's question.

"Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or O.D.D., is the irrational childhood behavior characterized by a persistent pattern of hostile, vindictive, and defiant behavior toward authority figures." In the AR display, Eve's childish face frowned as she explained the condition to her creator.

Monte leaped on the non sequitur, "Then why does a grown man exhibit a child's behavioral disorder?" 

Eve frowned harder, biting her lip on Monte's AR screen, "O.D.D. is caused when a child feels they can't escape their abuser because that person is in a position of authority. What's worse is that it's usually a slow buildup. The child wants to trust their tormentor and feels like they should be able to..."

Monte guessed the end, "Until one day the child's trust in other people is completely eroded..."

"Exactly." Eve sighed, "It's apparent that whoever abused Ryan is still doing so, with extreme measures. As a result, Ryan lives in a world where he can't just look a gift horse in the mouth. He wants to vivisect it."

Monte groaned, "So Frontier Online's feat system shoving magic down his throat is no different than Izor doing it."

The programmer shook his head, "Okay, I can understand that, especially after spells were forced on him. However, I watched him play and interact with others," Monte's face twisted in frustration. "And Ryan put on the same face before responding to anything."

"What face is that?" Eve questioned. As powerful as the AI was, she struggled with certain human nuances.

"The face of someone terrified to act like the smartest person in the room. I watched him discard better ideas for the wrong one all night, and-!" Monte's chest heaved with emotion. The idea that someone with Ryan's potential would throw it away on purpose infuriated the genius programmer.

Monte was originally excited to sit across from someone who was potentially his intellectual equal, even if it was in another field of study. The legend was disappointed to find a shell, desperately pretending to be a simple brute. 

"There may be a reason for that. Look at this." Eve summoned Ryan's student record on Monte's screen and zoomed to the bottom. "What is missing here?"

Monte scanned the page, his eyes bulging as he scrolled up and down on the record, "How is this possible? Even with the redacted information...Ryan hasn't received a single commendation for his scientific advances?" The older man narrowed his eyes, tracing the information on the screen.

Where is all of Ryan's work going? 

"That's the least interesting thing I found when I dug deeper into Ryan's files." Eve's face was serious. 

"The least interesting? Intellectual theft on this scale, for projects this dangerous, is less interesting?" Ever the big brain on legs, Monte was incredulous.

Eve nodded grimly, "As far as I can tell, the existence called "Ryan Donovan Harringer" begins and ends at Apostle, nine years ago."

AN:

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Apologies for the short length; I never thought I would have another chapter this short.

If anyone sees a typo, please let me know, and I will fix it ASAP~

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