CHAPTER 40 - OLYMPIC CHAMPION

Ather Linx was a devoted fan of Subnautica even bigger fan than Joseph.

So when he saw Joseph's latest post on Twitter offering $10,000 dollars to anyone who could rescue the woman in Escape Pod No. 2, his eyes lit up. Help save Pod No. 2 and earn a quick ten grand? Count him in!

...Well, in theory.

Ather was very self-aware, he knew he wasn't skilled enough to pull it off. But just as he was about to give up, an idea struck him like lightning.

He had a sister. Not just any sister, Brooks Linx, the Olympic gold medalist swimmer!

"Sis! I need your help!"

Ather was lounging at home on vacation when she heard her brother's urgent voice.

"What's the matter? Why the rush?"

"Help me in a game, Subnautica!" Ather said excitedly.

Brooks blinked. As a full time athlete, she barely had time to touch her phone, let alone game. She'd vaguely heard of Subnautica, a massive VR hit, but that was about it.

"You want me to play a game for you? Are you serious? I'm terrible with this stuff!"

"No! This game is your domain!" Ather declared solemnly.

"...What?"

With a sigh, Brooks finally gave in. She put on the full body VR suit and stepped onto the immersion platform.

The moment she entered the game, her jaw dropped.

"Wait, what?! This is a game? It looks so real!"

Before she could finish processing, her in game escape pod began plummeting toward the ocean.

"I'M FALLING? What do I do?! Ather! Save meeeeee-!!"

Her screams echoed through the room.

Ather rolled his eyes. "This... Has she never seen anything bigger than a pool?"

Finally splashing into the sea, Brooks was once again stunned, this time by the breathtaking alien ocean before her, and the aurora blazing across the distant sky.

"...This can't be real. Is this really just a game?"

She was utterly captivated.

"Alright, alright! Don't turn into old lady!" Ather teased from beside her. "Start swimming!"

Once the initial shock wore off, Brook's instincts kicked in. She dove into the water with a joyful splash.

"WOW WOW WOW!" she cried out. The game's water simulation was unbelievably realistic, the pressure, resistance, and how it wrapped around her body... it was nearly identical to the real thing.

She was a professional swimmer, she could tell the difference. But here, it felt like she wasn't in a simulation at all.

She tested every stroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. Each movement flowed perfectly.

"This game... I could actually train in here! It's even better than the pool. The scenery alone makes it worthwhile!"

She was so impressed that she even had the wild thought. Maybe the national swimming team could use this as a training tool. It'd be a hundred times more fun than staring at a tiled pool wall.

But before she could get carried away, Ather's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Sis! Don't just swim around! Help me with something!"

"Oh! Right, what is it?"

Ather explained the mission.

At that moment, a chilling announcement came from Cortana, the desperate cries of the woman in Escape Pod No. 2.

"That's it!" Ather said quickly. "I need you to save her!"

"No problem!" Brook said, brimming with confidence, and sprinted through the water toward the crash site.

She was fast. In no time, she spotted the No. 2 pod on the beach.

"This is easy!" she grinned.

But just as she was about to reach it, her brother's panicked voice called out.

"Oh crap, I forgot to warn you, there's a monster near that pod!"

"Huh?"

A shadow surged from the sand. A massive, snarling sea beast lunged straight at her.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!"

Her scream could've shattered glass.

Back in the real world, Brook glared at her brother with a deathly stare.

"You bastard! Could've said that earlier."

"...I forgot." Ather whimpered, cradling a fresh red handprint on his cheek.

"How the heck is anyone supposed to save her with that thing guarding the pod?"

"You have to make a pistol using sulfur from the Jetflower Reef," Ather explained. "Only then can you kill the monster."

"...Kill the monster?"

Brook's face twitched.

Swimming was her forte. Fighting monsters? Not so much.

But when she looked at her little brother's hopeful eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

"...Alright. I'll try."

With her swimming skills, she breezed through the early challenges, dodging self destructing fish and gathering the needed sulfur.

Eventually, she crafted the pistol.

But then came the real test, the sea monster.

Her plan was simple, keep her distance and shoot from afar. But aiming was another story.

She fired ten times and hit only once. It wasn't enough. The monster didn't die, and instead, it charged at her with renewed rage.

Even she couldn't outswim that.

She died. Again. And again. And again.

After the sixth try, she didn't even scream anymore. She just slumped to the floor of the VR platform.

"Bro..." she said weakly. "Are you sure this woman can be saved?"

Ather nodded hesitantly. "That's what the New World devs said... But maybe it's just too hard..."

He couldn't bear to see his sister eaten by a crocodile anymore. Even if there was no pain in VR, the trauma was real.

Brook was just about to quit when, suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

"Wait!"

She bolted upright.

"You're right, I can't shoot that crocodile. But I know someone who can!"

"Who?" Ather asked.

"Rick Holsher!"

"The Olympic 50 meter rifle champion?!"

"Yes! I have his contact info, and he's actually in the area today!"

She grabbed her brother in excitement. "We're saved!!!"

"No way!"

"Way. I'll call him right now, we are saving that woman today!"

---BREAK---

That evening, in a private box at the high end Restaurant, Tony and Natalie were having dinner.

The place was packed, but the two of them had splurged on a large VIP room with a $3,000 dollars minimum. Not that money was an issue anymore.

They'd spent the whole day browsing houses and visiting car dealerships, but, thanks to Natalie's frugal streak, they hadn't bought a single thing.

Tony was a bit frustrated. All the excitement of newfound wealth, and they hadn't spent a dime.

Still, the food made up for it.

He'd ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu, and the flavors did not disappoint.

Just as he was about to dig into the food, Natalie let out a gasp, nearly dropping her phone.

"Tony! Someone actually saved the woman in Escape Pod No. 2!!!"

1101 Words.