by David Clark
They took several pictures together and posted them on social media. Almost immediately, Christopher liked each photo. Robert had no doubt he was playing the game and watching social media updates to see what the group was up to. So, Robert made a suggestion to the others and they all agreed. They grabbed their coffee and headed back to Mission Park. After a brief search, they found a free table and crowded on the same side. Michelle took out her phone and held it out in front of the group as far as her arm could reach.
A box popped up on the screen with Christopher smiling inside. In unison, they greeted him, “Hi, Christopher.”
“Hey guys, how is it going?”
Michelle decided to be the spokesperson of the group, “We are doing good. We are in Mission Park enjoying the sun and some coffee. What have you been up to?”
“Been playing a little, looking for new victims”—cough-- “I mean opponents.”
“Finding anyone more fun to kill than Michelle?” Doug took a personal shot with that question and Michelle smirked.
“Nah, no one will ever be as fun as her. I have never heard a game controller smashing into sheetrock before until that time I killed her.”
“Hey, you two, that was a onetime thing, and I have mellowed out since then.” Michelle said with a pout planted on her face. “Well we were thinking about you and wanted to call and tell you hi.”
“Thanks guys, it is nice to be thought about. Have fun.” With that Christopher closed things on his side.
The quick disconnect took several of the group by surprise, but he was a deliberate no-nonsense person. Robert realized he probably felt we called to say hi and once we did, that was the end of the conversation.
Doug said, “He must have some bad players on the hook and wants to get back at trying for one hundred kills in a game.” The others smirked and laughed at the comment because they each know it was a good possibility with him.
They spent another twenty minutes together finishing their coffee and talking about all things in life before bidding each other goodbye and going their separate ways. They knew they would talk later via social media and all meet again soon in the digital world dominated by the SanSquad.
6
Several weeks passed since the day in the park and the games continued as usual with one exception. They saw Christopher online, but he ignored their invites. When he did join them, he was not the fixture he used to be or as talkative during the games. Instead, he became business-like and left the banter to the others in the lobby. On social media he was active, but not super responsive to messages from anyone in the group.
Wondering if there is something wrong, the group elected Michelle to talk to him and ask if everything is okay. Later that afternoon, Michelle reached out to Christopher to talk, and he did not reply. By the end of the night, with no reply from Christopher, she let the others know she had not heard back from him.
When Robert saw the message from Michelle, he jumped into the game for a minute to see if he was on and, as he expected, he was. He selected to join the same lobby, but was only in there for a second or two before someone removed him. He tried again but received a message the host blocked him. A fact he found somewhat odd. He did not know who the host was, it may be a closed game. Robert thought if Christopher had seen him though he would have asked the host to let him stay. Hell, maybe this group was better competition. He heard the shower water turn off and logged out of the game before Amy caught him.
The next day Robert checked in with Michelle again. She still had not received a reply from Christopher yet. She knew he saw the message; she could see that in the indicator next to it, but she had grown concerned that Christopher was ignoring them. Robert tried to reassure her and agreed to message him, but first he checked to see if Christopher is online. As he expected, Christopher was online in the game. Robert tried to join his lobby and was allowed in. He heard Christopher’s voice through his headset, but before Robert could say “hi”, someone kicked him out again. He attempted to get back in and was blocked! He looked up and down his friends list for any of the SanSquad and saw Doug on and joined his lobby.
Robert told Doug about Christopher in the other group and how he believed he was the one who kept kicking him out of the lobby. That prompted an uncharacteristic “fuck him” from Doug. Robert didn’t believe Christopher had meant any ill by it but decided to move on. That happened in friendships in the real world and online. People come in and out of your life, some flashed through and are barely memorable, some made a significant impact before moving on, and others stuck around forever. You never know who was which type when you first met them.
Over the next hour, most of the SanSquad joined Doug’s game, and they picked up where they left off beating all comers. Though not as convincingly as they did when Christopher was on their team. After several games, Robert received a private message from UDiedPlaying. He waited until the next match, his most dominating performance of the day (twenty-two kills!). before he checked the message.
Hey Robert,
Sorry about earlier. An old friend was running that game. He has a close group he plays with and invited me in. I will be back soon. Tell the group I said hi.
Robert relayed the message to the gang, but it was met with a mixed reaction. Some were happy and looking forward to him returning, but Mary and Doug were less accepting. Mary brought up all the attempts to contact him over the last few days and he couldn’t just say, “Hi guys, I am playing with an old friend. Talk soon,” or something to that affect. Robert realized she had a point but tried to calm everyone down.
A few matches later, Christopher finally joined the lobby. “Hi guys, did you miss me?”
Michelle greeted him with a faux disappointment, “Dang it! He is back. I won’t be the best player in the group anymore.”
“What? You guys let her beat you while I was gone. I thought I trained you all better than that.”
Jill tried to correct the misconception set by Michelle. “Did you become gullible while you were away? She couldn’t beat a spider with the world’s biggest shoe!”
“Gee, thanks Jill, I am not that bad. I have beat you a few times.”
You could almost hear Christopher smile through the game. “There is the group I missed. Let’s get this on!”
The gang was back together, any questions of ill will had disappeared in just moments. In the game, things picked up where they left off. Those on the opposite team from Christopher were doing anything they could to avoid him. Christopher was a silent killing machine, taking people out one at a time, repeatedly with no reaction. If it wasn’t for the conversations after the game, you wouldn’t know that he took great pleasure in being the dominant force. He was our leader and mentor in the game, and we were his obedient students.
Robert thought about the list of tasks he needed to complete before Amy returned home from her girl’s night out and decided he needed to call it a night. “I got to go guys. I need to clean the kitchen before Amy gets back. I made mess earlier cooking for myself.”
“Wait!” Christopher yelled.
Robert delayed bringing up the menu and shutting down until he found out what Christopher wanted.
“I feel bad for not being around for a while. I want to make it up to everyone.”
Michelle still acting as spokesperson for the group, said, “Aww, that is sweet, but unnecessary. We understand about your old friend.”
“Michelle, I am serious. I want to make it up. Why don’t you guys come over one day? You can all check out my place and we can play in the same room on my video wall. It will be great!”
Robert, remembering Christopher’s physical and medical condition, was worried that would be a big imposition on him. “Christopher, it isn’t necessary. We don’t want to make you go through any special effort or anything. Like Michelle said, we understand. We have all been there before.”
“It’s no problem at all. We can order pizzas; there is plenty of room. What do you all think?”
>
Doug was first to respond, “Sure, I am in. I loved the pictures of your place and have been curious to see it in person.”
“Great!”
Michelle jumped in too, “Count on me as well.”
Jill and Mary both agreed they would come.
“What about the rest of you guys? Do you want to come?”
Robert thought about it for a moment and then agreed to come over, “Sure, just let me know when.”
“Kevin and Bob, what about you guys?”
In unison, “Sure.”
“Great. I will send out a time, date, and address. We’ll have a great time. I can even show you the latest project I am building in the back.”
Robert asked, “What are you building back there now?”
“It’s a secret. You can all see it when you are here. You will love it.”
Mary gushed over the idea of a surprise, “Oh I love surprises! They make me all giddy and warm inside.”
Christopher replied with a full belly-laugh, “Then this is right up your alley.”
Robert noticed the mess in the kitchen out of the corner of this eye and said. “Guys, I have to go. Let me know when and where and I will be there. Night all!”
With that he pulled up the menu and turned the game off, moving his attention to that mess in the kitchen. He wondered; how did one person make that big of a mess ? I would have a better chance of beating Christopher than I do at cleaning this kitchen to a shine, he thought. If only I had a grenade like I do in the game. He laughed, thinking about the explanation: “I’m sorry Amy, I don’t know what happened. I was in here fixing something to eat and I dropped a grenade. On the plus side, we don’t need to clean the kitchen…. there is no kitchen!” That would be a direct path to the single life.
7
Robert was late. Well, late was not the right word, he was extremely late. He was due at Christopher’s over twenty minutes ago. The directions Christopher gave him confused his GPS. It told him to turn after he had already passed the road. With each passing minute, he heard his phone periodically chime. Presumably messages from his friends asking where the hell he was.
He finally rounded the corner and pulled into what used to be a parking in front of the warehouse. The rest of the gang was outside directing him into a spot. Robert knew he needed to prepare himself for the ribbing of a lifetime.
“Hey Robert, we were about to send out a search party for you.”
“Yeah--yeah, Doug. The GPS had me turning into a few buildings and off a few overpasses.”
“Oh sure, blame the technology. You said the other day it was a direct shot up the I-5 for you.” Michelle reminded him.
“So why are you guys still standing out here? Why didn’t you go in?”
“Just waiting on the last of our team. Let’s go in.” With that, the seven of them approached the door. They paused for a second, looking back and forth at one another. Kevin flinched. “Oh, all right, Jesus. I will press the doorbell.” Kevin reached out and pressed the doorbell. They didn’t hear anything and wondered if it worked.
He was about to press it a second time when Christopher’s voice blasted from an overhead speaker. “Hey guys. I was wondering when you would come in. I saw you all standing around on the security cams I have covering the entire property. Come on in.” The door in front of them clicked and released open like it was spring loaded.
Feeling embarrassed, they single-filed in through the door and were taken aback by what their eyes saw. The pictures did not do Christopher’s converted warehouse justice. The foyer was amazing by itself. The hardwood floor had a glossy finish so deep you can see your own reflection. The walls were covered sections of corrugated metal panels framed in reclaimed wood, creating an industrial feel. The lack of a ceiling and exposed rafters and polished stainless steel air conditioning ducts created an open feeling. Pendant-style lights hung from the rafters down to ten feet off the floor. To the left there was an odd square structure framed in I-beams and covered in a chain-link fence. It took only a few moments before an elevator car came into view, descending the structure, carrying Christopher and his wheelchair.
“Hey guys, welcome to my home.” The elevator car settled on the floor and the doors opened automatically. Christopher rolled out. His appearance surprised Robert. He expected Christopher to look frailer because of his condition; other than the wheelchair he was the picture of health.
“Wow, Christopher! This is some place.” Michelle looked around in awe.
“Thanks, but this is just the front door. Take the stairs and meet me up there for the real show.” They headed for the stairs while Christopher rode back to the second floor.
As they climbed the floating stairs encased in a glass wall, the colossal size of where Christopher lived became clear. The stairs opened into a modern kitchen. Everything, not only the appliances, were stainless steel. The walls, cabinets, and countertops were all simple brushed stainless steel surfaces with rounded corners. There was not a square corner in the place. A bumper lined the bottom of the cabinets, just like Christopher said. The floor was some kind synthetic high gloss material that felt soft under their feet. Another detail that matched how Christopher described it.
The entire floor plan was open and clean. None of the rooms had ceilings. Like the foyer, they were open to the rafters of the warehouse. To the right was his living room or, better described as, his game room. Racks upon racks of servers and other machines created a noticeable hum. There was a custom-built console in the center of the room, also in the industrial style, that contained every game console known to exist and a projector that displayed the games up on a twelve-foot-wide screen on the wall only ten feet away.
“So, guys, now that you have seen the meat of it, what do you think?”, Christopher asked while rolling off the elevator.
Robert said with wide-eyes, “This is awesome! I love the look and the openness. I have never seen an all-stainless kitchen; I like it. What is the floor?”
“The floor is cork with a synthetic polymer surface that reacts to points of force and provides a cushion to soften the impact. They use it on high-end indoor tracks and basketball courts. Hard enough to bounce a ball on, but reactive enough to minimize injury.”
As he said that, Christopher threw his cell phone down on the floor catching everyone by surprise. “Oh, don’t worry. It is not broken. Kevin, can you pick that up for me?”
Kevin picked it up and handed it to Christopher, who held it up to show that not only was it not cracked, but it still worked.
“My father’s work crew colored and textured it to look like various surfaces. That hardwood you saw downstairs is this same substance. The tile floor you see in the living room over there, which also extends into my bedroom and bathroom, is the same substance. Just colored and textured to resemble another type of floor. The best part about them is the sound absorption. Without them this place would be an echo chamber, but I can watch TV or play a game using the surround-sound and hear a full rich sound.”
Robert was impressed and slightly jealous; he would love to live in a place like this. He couldn’t imagine many who wouldn’t. Everywhere he looked was another area that grabbed his attention.
“Christopher, how much of the actual warehouse do you use? It looked huge from the outside and I didn’t expect a two-story living setup.”
“About a quarter. I have a small garage behind the living area and the rest of the space is for me to do with what I want.”
Michelle refocused her attention from exploring the space, back to the conversation with the group, “Oh, your project space. You were going to show us what you are working on.”
“Of course. I will give you all an up-close look at it later, but now help yourselves to some pizza on the island in the kitchen. There are all different drinks in the refrigerator and let’s have fun!” With that, Christopher pressed the on button on the custom center-console and screen divided into eight boxes was projected on to the wall. The game l
ogin screen was displayed in each box. Robert checked to make sure his mouth was not hanging open; if he wasn’t jealous before, he was now. This will be a fun afternoon.
8
Now this was how you play as a team, everyone in the same room and able to communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Robert worked closely with a few over the course of the afternoon to set up attacks resulting in ruckus cheers, high-fives, and their version of a touchdown dance. In one round, Kevin took out every member of the opposing team by himself. To celebrate, he ran a complete lap around the room screaming and spiked the controller into the soft cushion of the recliner he was sitting in.
Their opponents had no idea they were playing a team that sat together in the same room. It took Robert a few games to get used to all the information in front of him. A few times he found himself looking at someone else’s screen and paid the ultimate price for his lack of attention in the game. Eventually he realized how to use it to his advance and glanced at the other screens to get a wider view of the around him. This actually saved him once, he was in the prone position working from a sniper spot and happened catch the sight of someone coming into the building he was in on Jill’s screen.
The others seemed quite used to this setup. They worked together calling out targets to each other with a natural ease. Supposedly this is everyone’s first time visiting Christopher, but they seem too comfortable; like they had done this before.
During one of the intermissions between games, Robert threw the question out to the group. “All right, what gives? You guys have all been here before, right?”
The entire group looked at him with a stunned look on their faces, but only Mary addressed the question. “Robert, what do you mean?”
“Watching you guys play. You are all so comfortable working together with multiple screens. I get lost and confused.”
“You are an only child, aren’t you?”
