Olympus: It's Not Just a Game

Chapter 38

She stepped out of the office. Mrs. Morrison and Mr. Huber looked uncomfortably at each other. "This might take some time," Mr. Morrison said. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get some work done."

Wheeler coughed, self-consciously. "Dad, would you mind if I went out to say hello to Mr. Chapman?"

Mr. Morrison looked up from his printouts. "Sure, whatever," he grunted. Wheeler rolled across the floor and struggled with the weight of the door. This office certainly wasn't handicapped accessible, he thought to himself. Nevertheless, he managed to push the door open and roll through it. He noticed Ms. Simmons, the secretary, holding a huddled conference with two of the top programmers in a cubicle off the right. She glanced up, startled, as he came out the door. They suddenly felt silent.

Wheeler felt an explanation was in order. "Hi," he said nervously. "I'm just going over to see Mr. Chapman."

"I see," the secretary answered cautiously. She waited until he rolled out of sight before resuming their whispered discussion.

Tom Chapman was more friendly. "Hey, kid!" he said warmly. "Boy, have you grown! How tall are you now?"

"Standing up?" asked Wheeler, with a trace of self-pity.

Tom winced. He was a genuinely kind person, and he hated to see anyone hurt. "Sorry about that accident, kid," he replied. "But you can't let it get you down." He groped for something to change the conversation. "Want to see what we're working on?"

"Sure," Wheeler answered.

"It's really cool," Tom grinned. "Check it out." He typed furiously, then hit the "Enter" key. The oversized screen on his desk turned a rich, purplish hue.

Wheeler looked at it quizzically. "Cool," he said. "I guess. Nice color."

"Oh, man!" Tom said. "Murphy's Law! You know how these things are. They never work when somebody's watching." He tried again. Now the color began to swirl and take shape. Bubbles slowly rose up the screen. A brilliantly colored fish wandered into view and then darted away again. Then the view shifted, and they were diving toward the floor of an ocean. Slender spires appeared in the depths: towers and battlements of a sunken city.

A voice came from the speakers on either side of the screen. "At the dawn of the world," it intoned, "the race of Man was nobler. Giants and heroes raised a mighty city that ruled the Earth, and dared to challenge Heaven. These godlike men aroused the wrath of Heaven, and their city was plunged into the depths! Turn back the hands of time, and come—to Atlantis!"

Everything shook and the water surged. The city began to move, slowly at first, but then it rocketed toward the surface. The indigo gave way to royal blue, and then to paler shades. It exploded through the surface of the sea, catching the blinding light of the sun on gleaming marble and unstained gold. Birds materialized out of thin air and the streets were filled with people. A gong boomed from a temple on the highest peak. The viewpoint shifted, panning in on the temple until it filled the screen. It stopped in front of a huge bronze altar filled with flame.

Wheeler was impressed. Tom Chapman grinned. "What do you think? Very cool, huh?"

"Wow!" he answered. "But I'm confused. I thought you were doing the Olympus software."

"One's good, two's better," Tom answered casually. "We got a big contract from a guy who's spending millions to launch this new game."