The car that Cane had picked out for Danny seemed… not perfect, just not awful either. It looked to be a muscle car, its hood slightly longer than its trunk, with two rectangular holes coming out from the trunk.

  Its edges were straight and flat. Its color was a gradient of dark grey and black. Its tires were medium-sized—not too great but not too bad either. Danny decided to take a look at its stats page.

  Max Speed: 170 miles per hour.

  Acceleration: 0 to 50 miles per hour in 4 point 5 seconds.

  Durability: 85%.

  Armor: 4 out of 5.

  Danny didn’t fully understand the statistics, but it looked like Cane had done what he had asked. The purchase button appeared beneath the car, along with its price.

  “Twenty-five drive coins, leaving five to spare. Not bad, Cane,” Danny said.

  “I am glad you are satisfied with my assistance,” Cane replied.

  “I am. Without you, I don’t think I would have been able to find this car. Well, at least not for a while,” Danny said. He clicked the purchase button.

  The purchase button disappeared, and the car in front of him turned into a more solid color. Before, it had looked slightly pale, almost faded, but now it seemed as though it had been brought back to life.

  A message was announced: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST VEHICLE PURCHASE!!!

  A digital screen popped up, but Danny wasn’t the one who made it happen.

  “It must have been the game,” Danny said.

  A new tab was created called Vehicles. Under the tab was a page, and on this page was a miniature version of the muscle car Danny had just purchased.

  “Cool,” Danny said. He clicked the miniature muscle car, unsure of what would happen.

  The muscle car in front of him jerked up as though it had just been dropped down.

  “What the hell?” Danny asked, confused. “It didn’t do anything.”

  Danny kept pressing the miniature car, hoping for a different outcome, but the muscle car in front of him just kept jerking up.

  “Having fun?” Cane asked, in a tone that almost sounded like he was mocking Danny.

  “It’s this stupid car. It’s not doing anything,” Danny complained.

  “That is incorrect. It’s just not doing what you might be expecting it to do,” Cane said.

  “What are you talking about?” Danny asked.

  “Before I answer your question, would you mind touching the car in front of you?” Cane requested.

  The request sounded strange to Danny, but he complied. Danny approached the car and rubbed his hand against it. His hands felt cold as they touched the hood of the car, just as they would when touching the metal surface of a car in the real world.

  “Now try touching another car.”

  Danny did as Cane said. He approached the nearest vehicle in front of him—a jeep—and placed his hand on it, or at least he tried to.

  As soon as Danny’s hand made contact with the jeep, it passed through, making Danny stumble and fall. Half of his arm seemed to phase through the jeep.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “What the…?” Danny said, confused. He got up, removed his hand from the ghost car, and placed it again, bewildered by what was occurring.

  “Think of the place as a garage. The cars you purchase end up here, and the cars you don’t remain inaccessible holograms. Sometimes they can get mixed up; that’s what that page is for. Instead of endlessly scrolling for the vehicle you’ve already bought, all you need to do is click on their miniature versions, and it will appear in front of you,” Cane explained.

  Danny rubbed the back of his head, thinking about how he had stupidly pressed the miniature car over and over again. Now he felt quite embarrassed.

  “I must have looked like a real idiot,” Danny said.

  “Perhaps, but fret not, Danny. I am here,” Cane said.

  Danny smiled a little, relieved that someone was there to help him, even if that someone wasn’t really a person. It made him wonder how other Overdrive Racers got by. Figuring things out by themselves must be a real problem for a lot of them.

  “This garage also acts as a repair spot. Over time, when you race, your vehicle will get damaged. You can choose to keep racing with those damages, but eventually, your vehicle will reach a point where racing with it is impossible. With the right currencies, you can pay for repairs that could take days, weeks, or even months to fix. So I advise you to make enough Drive Coins to purchase other vehicles,” Cane finished.

  That was quite a lot of info dump for Danny, but it was useful nonetheless.

  “Okay, that makes sense. If one of my vehicles breaks down and it takes some time to fix it, I could manage with another vehicle when an incoming race comes up,” Danny said.

  “It seems you understand perfectly,” Cane said.

  “So, what happens now? I’ve purchased the vehicle, but nothing’s happening,” Danny asked.

  “That’s simple. All you have to do is close the screen. An Overdrive Racer must have at least one vehicle to enter Overdrive Online, and you just purchased your first. When you close the screen, the game will recognize the car in your garage inventory and transport you into the main server,” Cane explained.

  “Okay,” Danny said.

  All Danny had to do was think the screen away, but he hadn’t yet.

  “Danny, did you find my explanation confusing? If so, I can try to make it simpler,” Cane asked.

  “No, Cane. I got your explanation. It’s just…” Danny let out a huge sigh. “I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember. I’m scared and excited at the same time. Normally I’d be thinking something like, What if it’s not everything I was hoping for? or What if I fail at this? But I know what happens if I fail—I DIE!”

  “You know those gangsters I told you about when we first met? Well, winning the Qualification Race didn’t get rid of them. It just bought me some time to make their money through this game. So it’s no longer just fun and games—it’s a race against time for my life. And I know that when I close this screen, all of that struggle starts. That’s why I haven’t closed the screen yet.”

  Danny waited for a reply from Cane but didn’t get any.

  “Cane? Cane?” Danny called out for him, but still no answer. Danny went into a panic.

  “Oh, crap! Did I break him?”

  “Apologies. I was analyzing the best way to respond to your emotional crisis,” Cane said.

  Right. He’s a machine, after all, Danny thought.

  Danny felt quite silly, realizing he was unloading all of this stuff to something that wasn’t even a person.

  “Well, did you come up with anything good?” Danny asked.

  “I believe I have, although I’m not a hundred percent sure it will work,” Cane said. “Danny, I cannot guarantee that Overdrive Online will be all you hoped it would be—nothing in life ever is. I also cannot guarantee you will be able to make the money you owe the gangsters. The amount seems quite large, and it would take a lot of hard work and dedication to make such an amount. But what I can guarantee is that if you do nothing or procrastinate, your situation will not change. Closing that screen gives you a chance to be free of your problems, and that alone is a blessing.

  "Another thing I can guarantee is that I will be with you and help you in whatever way I can. You are not alone. I will do everything I can to make sure you succeed in Overdrive Online. It is my primary function, after all,” Cane said.

  Danny scoffed, but it wasn’t a scoff of doubt. It was a scoff of relief.

  “Was I able to ease your turmoil?” Cane asked.

  “Yeah. Yeah, you did. Thank you, Cane,” Danny said, with a slightly cheerful tone.

  “I’m glad I could help. So, are you ready to close the screen now?” Cane asked.

  Danny looked at the blue digital screen and clenched his fists.

  “I am,” Danny answered.

  He used his mind to close the screen. As he did, his body began dispersing into colorful rays of light. What Cane had said was happening—he was being transported into the main server.

  In a different area, rays of light joined together to assemble Danny. He had his eyes closed but immediately opened them as soon as the process was over. When he did, he found something truly incredible.

  A city of bright neon lights with no moon or stars but illuminated by the buildings themselves. He found other people in this city who wore a variety of costumes. Cowboys, bikers, and even robots appeared to walk among him, paying no attention as they passed by.

  Danny grinned—a wide, genuine grin.

  “This is it. This is really it,” Danny said.

  “Danny, welcome… to Overdrive Online,” Cane said.