In Portland, Oregon[]
Austin Maguire is enjoying a cup of home-made chocolate when his mother bursts into the house, muttering something about killing that bitch. Then she heads down to her secret lab to build a shrink ray. Austin isn’t worried - she always collapses before it’s done and when she wakes up she’s no longer dricking out.[1]
Austin goes to his “job,” which is helping their neighbor, Mrs. Lawrence, with her catering business, and, not incidently, Learning to cook well. He checks on his mother, then logs on to GEO and finds his friend Kara has sent him a quest.[1]