After receiving Gabe Newell's message, Will Carlo didn't waste much time.
Technically, it was still working hours inside Microsoft headquarters, but his responsibilities for the day were already finished. The final builds of Fist Knight, SPAZEN, and Renzoku had passed their checks, his engineering team wasn't reporting anything critical, and everyone around the Xbox division already knew that Will wasn't exactly the kind of employee whose productivity could be measured by how long he remained sitting at his desk.
So he simply grabbed his jacket, left the building and walked toward the parking area.
Several minutes later, the engine of an expensive sports car roared to life.
Will grinned.
Being one of Microsoft's highest-ranked young Xbox engineers had some advantages.
The location Gabe sent wasn't particularly far from the Microsoft campus, although it was distant enough that nobody casually leaving work would simply stumble into them. It was a relatively modest café hidden among several ordinary commercial buildings, the kind of place nobody would associate with one of the most important technology executives in America. More importantly, the café provided several small private rooms for customers who wanted meetings away from the main dining area.
Perfect for Gabe.
And apparently perfect for whatever strange conversation he wanted to have with Will.
Will arrived not long afterward, parked the car and entered. One employee quietly directed him toward the private section, where he found Gabe already sitting comfortably with his laptop open, typing something while drinking coffee.
Will opened the door and immediately dropped into the chair across from him. "Okay, Gabe. What do you want me to do now?"
Gabe slowly looked up.
Then sighed.
"Hello to you too, brat."
Will raised an eyebrow.
"You just arrived," Gabe continued. "Relax. Eat something. Coffee here is actually pretty decent, and I'm paying."
Will leaned back. "You're paying?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you say that first?"
Gabe laughed. "Unbelievable."
Will immediately ordered tiramisu and a cappuccino before finally relaxing into his seat. Gabe watched him with an amused smile.
Even now, there were moments when Gabe found the entire situation difficult to believe.
To almost everyone at Microsoft, Will Carlo was simply an absurdly talented young engineer who had somehow climbed through the Xbox division at ridiculous speed. He was barely into his twenties, yet he understood hardware, operating systems, game development and software engineering well enough that even considerably older engineers regularly listened when he spoke.
But Gabe knew where that talent had started.
Almost ten years earlier.
Back then, Will had been nothing more than a twelve-year-old orphan with an old computer, too much curiosity and absolutely no understanding that certain things were supposed to be difficult.
Somehow, the kid had gotten his hands on Windows 3.0.
And then became annoyed that the software had restrictions attached to it.
So Will did what any completely unreasonable twelve-year-old apparently did.
He started tearing it apart.
Not physically.
The software.
He examined files, experimented with installation behavior, bypassed protections, modified components and eventually managed to create a version of Windows 3.0 on his own machine that effectively ignored the licensing restrictions entirely.
It wasn't something he distributed.
It wasn't some enormous piracy operation.
It barely even worked outside his own customized computer.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was that a twelve-year-old child had looked at Microsoft's software and decided:
"I don't like this restriction."
Then removed it.
Gabe had still been working at Microsoft when he discovered it.
At first, he assumed an experienced programmer had been responsible.
Then he met Will.
A skinny twelve-year-old boy staring at him like he didn't understand why everyone found the situation unusual.
Gabe still remembered the conversation.
"You did this?"
"Yeah."
"Who taught you?"
"Nobody."
"You understand that you're not supposed to modify Windows like this?"
Will had shrugged.
"Then why can I?"
That answer had nearly killed him.
Instead of reporting the boy or trying to scare him, Gabe became fascinated.
He kept visiting.
He brought programming books.
Then better computers.
Then development tools.
Then deliberately difficult problems just to see whether Will could solve them.
Usually, Will did.
Sometimes not immediately.
But the irritating kid never knew when to quit.
Eventually, their relationship became something much more personal.
Will had nobody.
Gabe increasingly treated him like family.
The arrangement was kept extremely private, partly because Gabe didn't want Microsoft's corporate world digging through the boy's life and partly because Will himself hated receiving attention simply for being talented.
Gabe effectively became his guardian.
Then his mentor.
And, eventually, something close enough to a father that neither of them particularly bothered arguing about the terminology anymore.
Will still called him "old man" whenever he wanted something.
Gabe still called him "brat."
That was enough.
More importantly, Gabe was also the person who introduced Will to ZAGE.
At first, Will had been interested purely because of the technology.
Then Gabe showed him the games.
That was the mistake.
Will became a gamer almost immediately.
Not simply someone who played games occasionally, either.
He became obsessed with understanding why they worked.
Why one control scheme felt better than another.
Why certain games loaded faster.
Why one engine rendered environments differently.
Why developers chose one mechanic instead of another.
Eventually, he discovered the person behind an absurd amount of that technology.
Zaboru Renkonan.
And that was when Gabe created a monster.
Will practically worshipped the man's engineering philosophy.
Not literally, obviously.
But close enough that Gabe occasionally regretted introducing him.
By the time Will became old enough to enter the technology industry properly, he was already capable of choosing from several comfortable careers.
Instead, he wanted something harder.
Microsoft's Xbox project.
Partly because it genuinely interested him.
Partly because Microsoft was attempting to challenge ZAGE directly.
And partly because Gabe, who had long since left Microsoft and eventually became one of ZAGE USA's most important executives, wanted somebody he trusted inside the company.
Calling Will a spy was perhaps overly dramatic.
He wasn't sneaking into offices at midnight stealing documents.
He wasn't copying secret source code.
He wasn't transmitting classified hardware blueprints.
Gabe didn't need anything that stupid.
Mostly, he wanted information.
What direction was Microsoft moving?
How confident were they?
What did they think about ZAGE?
What kind of internal reactions did ZEPS receive?
What strategic assumptions were Xbox executives making?
And, perhaps most importantly...
What was Microsoft planning to do next?
Gabe had never particularly liked Microsoft after leaving.
Will knew this perfectly well.
So when Gabe suggested he join Xbox, Will's answer had basically been:
"Sounds fun."
The funniest part was that Will wasn't pretending to be talented.
He genuinely became one of Microsoft's best young engineers.
He genuinely contributed to Xbox.
He genuinely helped with their games.
Fist Knight in particular had several systems that existed because of Will's direct involvement.
For him, working inside Microsoft wasn't merely espionage.
It was training.
Experience.
A chance to understand how another enormous technology company operated from the inside.
And eventually...
He wanted ZAGE.
His tiramisu finally arrived.
Will immediately took a bite.
Gabe closed his laptop. "So. They really believe ZAGE won't release anything for ZEPS 4 this month?"
Will nodded while eating. "Pretty much. Their logic actually makes sense. ZAGE already released Trails in the Sky the 3rd and Medal of Honor 2 for ZEPS 3, and there hasn't been a single ZEPS 4 trailer this month. Seamus thinks tomorrow is safe."
Gabe slowly smiled.
Will noticed immediately.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You're doing that smile."
"What smile?"
"The asshole smile."
Gabe laughed.
Will narrowed his eyes. "You told Zaboru, didn't you?"
Gabe took another sip of coffee.
That was enough of an answer.
Will stared at him.
"Old man."
"Technically, I simply mentioned that Microsoft appeared extremely confident about March 27."
"And?"
"And Zaboru became interested."
Will covered his face.
"Of course he fucking did."
Gabe chuckled. "Apparently he thinks releasing something right before Microsoft's games arrive would ruin the surprise."
Will slowly lowered his hands. "Wait."
Gabe's grin widened.
Will stared at him.
"You're not saying ZAGE is releasing a game tomorrow."
"No."
Will relaxed slightly.
"Good."
Gabe continued, "I said nothing about a trailer."
Will froze.
Then started laughing.
"Oh, that fucking bastard."
Gabe laughed with him.
This was precisely why ZAGE hadn't released any ZEPS 4 trailers throughout March.
It wasn't because they had nothing ready.
It wasn't because the company's entire focus had shifted toward ZEPS 3.
Zaboru had simply learned that Microsoft was planning a relatively important three-game release and decided the timing was amusing.
So instead of showing anything early...
ZAGE waited.
And now Microsoft had spent the previous week advertising Fist Knight, SPAZEN and Renzoku while confidently believing they had finally found an uncontested release window.
Will shook his head. "Seamus is going to lose his mind."
"I know."
"You're enjoying this way too much."
"Yes."
Will took another bite of tiramisu. "Honestly, I'm not even mad. I want to see what trailer they're releasing."
Gabe stared at him.
"You're supposed to be working for Xbox."
"Technically."
"Will."
"What? I helped make those games good. That's my responsibility. I'm not responsible for Microsoft's emotional health."
Gabe burst out laughing.
After the laughter settled, he leaned back in his chair. "Anyway, continue what you're doing for now. Don't suddenly behave differently. Microsoft trusts you, and you're learning a lot there."
Will nodded. "Yeah."
"And don't underestimate them either."
"I don't."
Gabe became slightly more serious. "Good. Zaboru doesn't either. Microsoft may be behind ZAGE in gaming, but they're still Microsoft. Money, engineers, operating systems, infrastructure... if they stay committed to Xbox, they'll eventually become dangerous."
Will nodded again.
He knew that firsthand.
For all the jokes he made about Microsoft's corporate culture, there were genuinely brilliant people inside the company.
Xbox itself was improving quickly.
HORI had proven they could produce a strong flagship title.
The three games launching tomorrow were significantly more confident than the original launch lineup.
And Project 8 was only beginning.
That was another reason Will remained interested in working there.
He wanted to see how far Microsoft could go.
Then Gabe casually added, "Besides, you won't be there forever."
Will immediately looked up.
Gabe smiled.
"Don't worry. You'll eventually work with your idol."
Will's eyes practically lit up.
"So when the hell do I meet him?"
Gabe sighed.
"Every time I mention Zaboru, you become twelve again."
"You promised me!"
"I know."
"When?"
"Zaboru is extremely busy. His wife just gave birth to twins earlier this month, so he's staying in Japan for a while. He isn't exactly looking for excuses to fly across the Pacific right now."
Will sighed dramatically. "You always say he's busy."
"Because he's Zaboru Renkonan."
"That isn't an excuse."
"It absolutely is."
Will crossed his arms.
Gabe chuckled. "Relax. The next time he's properly in the United States and schedules time with ZAGE USA, I'll introduce you."
"You swear?"
"Yes."
Will stared suspiciously.
Gabe sighed. "Yes, brat. I swear."
Will finally grinned.
"Good."
He returned to the tiramisu before muttering, "I genuinely want to work at ZAGE eventually, though."
"I know."
"Microsoft is too corporate."
"You say this while driving a sports car bought using Microsoft money."
Will paused.
"That's unrelated."
Gabe laughed.
Will continued, "Seriously. Xbox has talented people, but everything has ten approvals, fifteen meetings, marketing people, finance people, executives asking questions they don't understand... sometimes I just want to build something."
"You think ZAGE doesn't have bureaucracy?"
"Obviously it does. It's enormous."
"Then?"
Will smiled slightly.
"ZAGE's developers actually run the asylum."
Gabe couldn't argue with that.
Will continued, "Zaboru is insane CEO, but he's an insane engineer as well."
"And," Will added, "I want a real development position when I'm done here. Don't throw me into some boring infrastructure department."
Gabe raised an eyebrow. "You realize you're one of the best systems engineers your age?"
"Yes."
"And you're demanding a game-development chair?"
"Yes."
"You greedy brat."
Will grinned. "Promise me."
Gabe laughed. "With your skills? Fine. When the time comes, you'll get your chance. But that depends on you continuing to prove yourself."
Will pointed at himself. "Have you met me?"
"Unfortunately."
"Then we're good."
Gabe shook his head. "For now, keep working at Microsoft."
Will sighed dramatically.
"All right, old man."
The conversation gradually became less serious after that. Will explained more about the three Xbox releases arriving tomorrow: how Fist Knight's transformation mechanic had evolved during development, how SPAZEN had been adjusted after Halo's release, and how Microsoft's Japanese ambitions had influenced Renzoku.
Gabe listened carefully.
Not because he intended to steal anything.
He simply wanted to understand.
And occasionally tease Will for how many mechanics his teams had "referenced" from ZAGE.
By the time their coffee was nearly finished, the two were arguing about whether Fist Knight's transformation system was sufficiently different from Bloody Roar.
Neither noticed how strange the situation would have looked to an outsider.
One of Microsoft's most talented young Xbox engineers was casually eating tiramisu with the CTO of ZAGE USA.
Discussing Microsoft's newest games.
Talking about Zaboru Renkonan.
And joking like family.
But perhaps the strangest truth was much simpler.
Will Carlo hadn't become one of Xbox's most promising developers by accident.
Long before Microsoft ever recruited him...
Long before Xbox existed...
Long before most people even knew his name...
He had already been raised and trained by one of America's greatest software engineers.
Gabe Newell's prodigy.
To be continued.
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