The IndieVibe X2 cabin hissed open.
A guy with curly brown hair in a black tee stepped into the Twitch stream.
Young, early twenties, high cheekbones, blue eyes, looking shy and a bit nervous.
Chat in Ethan "Piggie" Vance's and Octane's streams went wild, fans from all over hyping him up.
"Whoa, pro-level players are always so young!"
"Gotta be, with those lightning reflexes."
'Swoon!'
"Damn, dude's kinda cute."
"Not as wild as Speed King, though. Total contrast."
'That's the vibe!'
'Screen-licking intensifies!'
'…'
Meanwhile, in a sleek downtown Seattle apartment!
Zoey Parker and Gus Harper were glued to the stream.
Zoey was curled up on the right side of the couch, legs tucked under a cozy blanket, munching potato chips and sipping soda, totally chill.
Gus sprawled on the left, one hand behind his head, the other cracking sunflower seeds, eyes on the screen.
It was Saturday night, post-dinner. They'd played some cards to unwind.
As 8 PM hit, Zoey suggested catching the APEX Legends launch stream.
As WindyPeak's president, she had to check the game's vibe!
Sure, that's what she said.
Really, she was itching to see what streamers thought of the monetization model.
Zoey knew how much clout streamers had.
But watching? She got chills.
This game was fun as hell.
She'd played PUBG, so the contrast was stark.
APEX was on another level.
The "skills in an FPS" debate? Dead. Gus's design was tight.
The skills amped up battlefield chaos without stealing the gunplay's soul.
Yup.
Zoey's jinx struck again.
She remembered her meeting quip:
"What if Smite flipped FPS and MOBA?"
"That twist might just work."
She wanted to slap herself.
Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut?
Good thing APEX was free-to-play!
If they'd gone with Gus's old tiered sales pitch, she'd be swimming in cash again.
Thankfully, Max Wheeler's "no pay-to-win, quality cosmetics only" model saved her.
So clever, no big streamer had even peeked at the store yet.
If this kept up…
Zoey sighed, relieved.
Her dream of critical acclaim without commercial overload was in reach!
So, she kicked back, enjoying the stream.
"Whoa, he's a total cutie!" Zoey said, eyeing Octane on the projector.
She sneaked a glance at Gus, fishing for a reaction.
Crack.
Gus didn't blink, just nodded, munching seeds: "Yup."
Ugh!
Wrong move, Gus!
Zoey pouted, mentally calling him a blockhead.
One more shot!
She rolled her eyes: "His aim's so crisp, even a non-gamer like me's turning fangirl."
"Hm," Gus nodded, still cracking seeds.
"That smoke-and-pull play after Gibraltar's ult? Chef's kiss."
"He read the chaos, saw the squad was short, and pounced. Sharp."
"Aim's top-tier, stim timing's smooth."
"Decisive, confident, bold—guy's got heart."
"The wall jump and mid-air Kraber shot? That takes guts."
Gus nodded, impressed: "Kid's got a future."
Zoey's face twisted.
Seriously? An analysis?
That's not what she meant!
This guy's hopeless!
"You're killing me, dude," she muttered, crunching chips hard.
"He's cute, okay? Cute."
"Pretty cute, yeah," Gus said, cracking seeds.
Zoey clenched her fists, resisting the urge to yeet a chip at him.
Fine!
Time for the big guns!
She huffed, glaring at the screen: "He's so hot, I wanna smooch him!"
Gus raised an eyebrow: "Adorable. I'd say the same."
Zoey: …
Rustle.
She scooted to the couch's far end, as far from Gus as possible.
This guy's wild.
No words.
Gus caught her suspicious squint and chuckled: "Kidding, chill."
Zoey's face soured, shaking her head: "Sure, buddy. I don't buy it…"
But!
Mid-banter, Octane smiled shyly on-screen, then, with family help, slid into a wheelchair.
His pant legs hung empty. He rolled closer to the camera: "This good?"
Silence hit the stream.
Zoey's expression froze.
Octane nodded: "Yup, lost my legs in an accident."
Chat flooded with support, empathy, encouragement.
He continued: "Today, I streamed to chase the 30-kill Champion title."
"And to thank WindyPeak and Sam."
"I know you're watching, Sam. Thanks, bro."
Octane flashed a thumbs-up—BT's iconic gesture from Titanfall.
Gus returned it, smiling.
Zoey gasped, staring at Gus: "You… he… what?!"
Gus grinned: "Fate's a wild ride…"
It started months ago, when APEX kicked off!
Max Wheeler had just greenlit the project.
Gus reached out to Octane, the Titanfall parkour trial world record holder.
Why? His ID matched the APEX Legend, Speed King.
In Gus's past life, Speed King was Octane.
A cool coincidence. Gus wanted to name the Legend after him, keeping the original vibe, hyping WindyPeak's player focus, and boosting APEX's buzz.
Three birds, one stone.
But!
Contacting Octane revealed a heavier story.
Like Speed King, Octane lost both legs in an accident.
The IndieVibe X2 cabin was his escape.
Its neural link and sensory tech let him run again in-game, like a dream.
To chase that freedom, Octane cranked the X2's pain setting to max, grenade-jumping like a maniac in Titanfall's trials.
He said WindyPeak's games gave him rebirth.
That grind earned him a world record, plus fans' respect.
Gus was quiet for a long time after hearing it.
Next day?
Octane got an APEX Legend file from WindyPeak:
Name: Octane
Age: 22
Occupation: Extreme Athlete
Backstory:
Octane, an extreme athlete, pulled off a legendary stunt—grenade-jumping to the finish line in a real Pilot proving ground, setting an untouchable world record.
It cost him 20 hours in surgery and both legs.
His stunt career tanked, and depression crept in.
But then, an invite came.
Sam, a top-tier hunter, saw his grit and offered cutting-edge cybernetic legs to chase the ultimate rush.
Past stunts? Child's play. For real adrenaline, APEX's arena was his calling.
Now, Octane's back, ready to dominate with the wildest, most death-defying moves!
APEX Legend Bio: Speed King Octane
Yup!
After Octane's story, Gus tweaked Speed King's bio, giving it Octane's soul!
Sure, APEX came from another life.
But using it to lift a player up? That's gaming's heart.
"Hell yeah, this is SICK!" Octane had shouted, reading the bio.
If his body allowed, he'd have jumped from his wheelchair and spun.
Octane was floored!
He never dreamed Gus would craft an APEX Legend just for him!
Even now, on stream, Octane's excitement spilled over as he shared the tale!
Chat went nuts:
'Holy crap, that's dope!'
'Sam's a wild genius, making a Legend for a player!'
'That heart hits hard!'
'Sam's design is fire—Octane owns in APEX!'
'Cause it's Octane playing him! XD'
"Gus can be a nutcase, but this is wholesome…"
"He always respects the players."
'Mind blown.'
"This must've hyped Octane up so much!"
"No wonder he's cracked—his Legend's custom-made."
'Scalp tingling!'
'Four words: Gus, you're the man!'
'…'
Fans worldwide were shook!
Octane's grit and WindyPeak's move hit deep!
Octane grabbed carbon-fiber prosthetics from his family, showing them off: "Sam even hooked me up with these!"
Sleek black with gold accents, futuristic vibes, lightweight as hell.
On the right calf? Gus's signature:
To my boldest hunter—Sam
With help, Octane strapped them on and stood tall before the world!
"Still getting used to 'em," he said.
"But one day, I'll hit the real battlefield like Speed King, pulling the wildest moves, owning life!"
Buzz!
The stream exploded!
'OHHHH!'
'That's badass!'
"Gus is a legend! (Fire emojis)"
"Octane's dope, Sam's dope, APEX's dope!"
'Sam's the most epic designer ever!'
"I'm tearing up, y'all…"
"Gus's move is next-level. Marketing or not, it's fire."
"Octane got a custom Legend, new legs, a streaming gig, and mad respect. If that's marketing, it's—"
'God-tier!'
'Straight fire!'
'More! Keep it coming!'
'…'
Chat was electric, cheering the wild fate tying Octane and APEX.
Zoey stared at Gus, eyes sparkling.
She was moved, admiring Gus's heart!
His charm was blinding, pulling her in.
Lost in thought, Gus turned: "So, Zoey, my idea's pretty slick, right?"
His smug grin made her laugh.
She flashed two thumbs-up, wiggling her toes for two more: "Hell yeah! Four-way thumbs-up!"
Gus's eyes widened: "Four likes at once? I'm honored!"
Zoey giggled, nudging him with her foot: "You're gonna make me broke with these feels…"
But!
Mid-joke, Piggie's voice boomed on stream: "Man, that got me misty-eyed."
"WindyPeak's got soul."
"Gotta check the store. What can I buy?"
"My aim's trash, but my wallet's got game."
"Let's show some love…"