Through the Wires

by Amy English

  You ready, Dylan texted. Yep, Emily replied. They set the location for City. Dylan placed his headphones on and laid back on his bean bag. Emily laid back on pillows she stacked for comfort. She stared at the ceiling. This was another adventure. She had to give the game back after they were done. This was possibly her last entry. It was surreal. She wasn’t ready for the journey to end. They had just started discovering new possibilities. She was upset that they had to stop prematurely. That outside forces had interrupted something that was meant to be fun.

  She closed her eyes. The clock counted down. The room went dark and she suddenly emerged on the other side. Emily immediately looked for Dylan. She saw him and walked over to him. He stood on the street. People passing him by. He walked towards Emily and they smiled at each other as they looked around. Emily pointed to a trolley. It was approaching a stop. They ran over and stood in line, then boarded.

  Emily tried interacting with the people. A woman held a baby. Emily reached her hands out and the woman handed her the baby. Emily looked at Dylan. He smiled at her as she looked at the baby. She played with the baby as the trolley rode down the busy street. Dylan pointed to things he noticed as the trolley sped up. Emily enjoyed the ride. She handed the baby back to the woman then stood with Dylan as they waited to be let off. The trolley didn’t appear to be stopping.

  Dylan looked around and saw a pull switch. He pulled the lever, but the trolley went faster. Emily touched Dylan then pointed to the driver. It was a man who glowed brighter than the others. They looked at each other with fear. Dylan could see the eyes of the man as he looked at them in the rear-view mirror. The man’s eyes were like theirs. More real, with what appeared to be pupils.

  He was more defined. He seemed older. His features more pronounced. Dylan looked at Emily. She was terrified. He kissed her and then grabbed her hand and jumped off the trolley. The landed on the ground hard, rolling a few feet but uninjured. Dylan helped Emily up. He could see the trolley was slowing. He signaled to her and the two ran.

  Suddenly the man exited the trolley and gave chase. Emily looked back then stumbled and fell. Dylan helped her up and grabbed her by the hand. They ran side by side, looking for an escape. Somewhere to hide. Dylan felt responsible for Emily. He was the man. He was the protector. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. He held her hand tighter. He could feel her fear. She could feel his fears and she could feel his anger. Emily looked at him. He glanced at her. He nodded. An assurance that he had her back.

  They entered a building and jumped on an elevator. Emily held onto Dylan. He hugged her hoping to ease her fears. He could still feel her stress. He was surprised. He had never felt anything before yet he could feel her trembling. She looked up at him. Their eyes speaking for them. He kissed her once more and she laid her head on his chest. She was overwhelmed. Emily wondered how much more time they had. She wanted to exit. The game was no longer fun. A bad element was determined on ruining their experience. Something devious was persistent in its quest to destroy them. And she wondered if it were the game or an outside force. Was the game designed with elements meant to deliver thrills through fear. It was all so confusing. But she’d had enough.

  The elevator stopped on the top floor. It was the roof. Dylan exited. They were twenty stories up. The people appearing as small strobes of light. Dylan looked over the edge. Emily looked around. She saw a second elevator. She glanced at Dylan but then turned her attention back to the second elevator. Something seemed off. She could feel a vibration. Suddenly the door opened and the man emerged. Emily looked over at Dylan. He was still facing the street. Looking for the man that chased them. Unaware that the man was now on the roof.

  Emily cried out and tried to run to him. Her voice not resonating. The man ran towards Dylan. He ran fast. Emily would not reach him first. She stopped. She tried to scream his name. She opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She felt helpless as the man ran up to Dylan and pushed him over the edge. Emily’s eye’s widened. She stood emotionless. Shocked. She turned and ran to the elevator and began frantically pushing the buttons.

  The man ran towards her. Emily felt her heart pounding. She pushed the close button over and over. The man was approaching quickly. Emily shook her head back and forth. The door was still open. She was gripped with fear. Soon the doors slowly came together as the man neared. He tried to leap in but the doors closed. Emily slowly fell to the floor. Dylan’s fate unknown. He had fallen twenty stories to the ground. In the real world, no one would survive such a fall. She put her head in her hands and wept. She feared the worst.

  Soon the doors opened and she exited the elevator. Standing before her was Dylan. A shocked look on his face. He was scared but otherwise unharmed. Emily embraced him. She could see he was relieved to see her. Dylan had worried that something had happened to her. He never looked back and so he didn’t know if she was ok before the fall.

  The two ran out of the building and quickly entered another one. They hid behind a tall file cabinet and watched out the window as the man looked around for them. He ran past and then back past going in the opposite direction. Emily held Dylan’s hand tight. She could see his breathing had increased. He was just as scared as she was but his presence calmed her. She felt protected. Soon the room went dark.

  Dylan took the headphones off. He sat up. His mind raced. This wasn’t Josh or even Kirby. He was prepared to go to school the next day and confront Kirby. He had it all planned out. What he would say and what he was prepared to do if Kirby tried to get physical. Dylan was prepared for a fight. But this was something else. And now it was time to tell his father. He didn’t have all the details. Someone else had access to the game. Someone was entering with the intention of scaring them. Dylan noted that the fall did not hurt. That he hit the ground and felt pain followed by a weird sensation. A stimulating sensation that didn’t hurt in a sense of what real pain felt like. But the sensation was now gone.

  Dylan walked into his father’s office. Frank could tell by his demeanor that he had something on his mind. “What’s going on son,” his father asked. Dylan sat on the recliner. He held his head down. He had been done wrong. People had access to the game. He feared telling his father he’d taken the other units and given them to Emily and Peter.

  “Dad. I have something to tell you,” he said as he glanced up at him. “What? That you took the other units without my permission,” he said. Dylan looked intensely at him. “How did you know?” he asked. Because I knew it was a matter of time before you would get bored and want your friends to play with you. I trusted you. I knew you would be careful. And I knew eventually you would put them back. But next time ask ok. I would have said yes. I would have allowed it for a little while. Is everything alright?” he asked. “No. It’s not. Someone else has access?” he said.

  Frank didn’t respond right away. He wasn’t sure he understood his son. There were only four units and he had three. The other was locked away in his office safe. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Someone enters and then chases us. As animals in Safari and as a man in City mode. A man. He seemed older than Emily and I. He pushed me off of a tall building on this last entry. I was terrified. And I felt pain when I hit the ground but it quickly went away. I’m sorry dad. I should have told you sooner. But I was afraid you’d take the game. “You’re right. I am taking them. Bring them to me. You should have told me this son. This was an experiment. You were supposed to tell me any problems you ran into. The game isn’t designed for violence. The reason there is no modes where you can fight or go to war.”

  It was a setback. The game was meant as a source of enjoyment. Dylan went to his room and retrieved the units. He felt terrible for not confiding in his father. He handed his father the units. “I’m sorry pop,” he said. Frank shook his head. “I understand. But you and I had a deal. You were supposed to report any issues. You are not in trouble. But I can’t give the units back. There is a glitch. I have to rework them to not allow violence. And at th
e moment, I am unsure how to achieve that.”

  Dylan sat down and gave his father details of every incident. He spent over an hour talking to him. He told him the weaknesses he discovered with the game. He told him that it could be used negatively and how Josh across the street had chased and attacked him. He told his father that he snuck and gave Emily the unit that he had in the basement. Dylan was open and completely forthcoming with everything he had done.

  Frank listened intently. He was in shock at what had happened. He was more shocked when Dylan showed him his finger and then opened and closed his hands demonstrating that movement had returned. Frank looked in wonderment as his sons’ finger moved normally. “Son. Your finger,” he said. Dylan smiled. “It feels different. I have some feeling in it,” he said. Frank got emotional. He had no idea the game could innervate the nerves in a way that would then repair them. He was astounded that his son’s finger had returned to normal. “Son,” he said as he jumped up and hugged him. “Dad. Josh had one. Mrs. Temple took a unit from you,” he said. Frank furrowed his brow. “Damn,” he said, as he turned and rubbed the back of his neck. “She became interested in it and I wondered why. She wanted it for her son. Damn.”

  “You won’t have her fired, will you? Please don’t. I don’t think she meant any harm,” he said. Frank put his hand on Dylan’s shoulder and promised he would not seek to get Ms. Temple fired. But it wasn’t her. He and Peggy had no issues. Someone else had access. Franks mind raced. He suddenly remembered that he had given Mr. Stallings copies of the specs. If someone got their hands on those specs, they could have an engineer reconstruct a unit. “I got to go. I’ll be back,” Frank said, as he grabbed his keys. He needed to get to the lab. He needed to locate the spare Espanys and Espanys AVM consoles.

  But his face bore stress Dylan hadn’t seen in a long time. Frank didn’t really stress out. His calm nature helped calm those around him. It was a trait those that knew him admired and appreciated. He always carried himself as though things would work out. But not this moment. And Dylan felt helpless. If his father was worried, then something was going on.

  Dylan watched his father pull out of the driveway. He worried about his father’s safety. The player who was entering the game could be anyone. Even someone at Silverfish. Dylan looked off. He ran to his room and put his gym shoes on. There was one person who may know how to help. One person he wanted to talk to who was connected to it all. The office. The game. She would know how to help.

  Dylan banged on the Temple home. “Coming,” Peggy shouted, the stress in her voice matching the intensity of his knocks. “Yes. Oh hi Dylan. Something wrong?” she asked. His face looked tense. It was obvious something was wrong. “My father may be in trouble. I think someone at Silverfish is trying to sabotage him,” he said. Peggy gasped. She wasn’t sure what he meant. “Come in,” she said, holding the door open for him.

  “So what’s going on?” she asked. Peggy was in shock. Such accusations about a company with a rock-solid reputation was implausible. Dylan sat with Peggy and told her what had happened. He told her that he originally thought it was Josh. But that he now believed it was either one of the boys he had issues with at school, or someone at Silverfish. Peggy couldn’t believe one of their coworkers would be behind it. They weren’t that kind of company. No one benefitted from sabotaging a creation meant to improve their bottom line. But then something crossed her mind. Something she remembered. She looked off, as her thought went back to that day. A gesture she witnessed during one of their meetings. It was off-putting. It seemed calculating. Scheming. She initially thought it strange but then disregarded it. Now she wondered. It couldn’t be, she thought. “Everything will be fine Dylan. Go home and relax. This is all a misunderstanding. It could be a glitch in the game not someone entering. It’s probably nothing.”

  Frank pulled up to the building. He stopped and looked around. He drove around the block then pulled over to the side. He wondered if there was something more to the game. Maybe this had nothing to do with an outside force at all. It was possible the game was reacting to his son. It was designed to be enhanced by one’s own desire. If Dylan was wanting to be chased or desiring thrills, it could happen. But no matter what the source, this was an unwelcomed addition to the design. He had to get his hands on the specifications and all the consoles.

  He rolled his window down halfway. There was very little activity at Silverfish. The night was dark. Cool. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but otherwise, the place looked deserted. “Mr. Wilson,” the security guard greeted, as he pushed the button to open the gate at the entrance. Frank smiled and drove in. He immediately spotted Jeff Brenner’s car. What is he doing here? he wondered. Jeff was in sales. He was not an engineer or scientist. Sales people never worked after hours. There was no need. They usually pulled strict nine to five hours, five days a week. As he drove past several other cars, he noticed an expensive sports car in Mr. Stallings spot. Somethings up, he thought, as he parked.

  Frank walked inside. It was eerily quiet. He wondered where everyone was. He wondered if there was some last-minute late meeting he missed. He had checked his emails. He didn’t get the memo if there was. As he walked towards the back-conference room, he could hear Jeff talking. “This will change the world as we know it. He will never sign over the patent. The most he will do is sign use of his technology. He wants to be a free lance inventor. He no longer wants to work here. I am telling you… Secure this technology now!” he urged. Just then, the phone rang. Mr. Stallings picked up the conference room line. He held the phone as Jeff looked on. Frank ducked to the side. “Uhuh. Uhuh. Ok. Thanks,” he said then hung up. “He’s here.”

  Frank hurried away. He walked back to his office and opened his safe. The unit was gone. The spare Espanys was gone. Frank left his office and took the stairwell to the second floor. He ran to the laboratory and opened his safe. The new prototype for Espanys AVM was gone. “Dammit,” he mumbled. “Frank!” Mr. Stallings shouted. Frank turned around. “George. Jeff,” he said, looking quickly between them. “What’s going on?” Mr. Stallings asked. “You tell me George. You’re here meeting with the only man in the company who always seemed anxious to shelve every invention I create. And now I see why. So that Silverfish can copy the technology and launch without having to work out rights with me. Am I right?” he said.

  George looked intensely at him. He liked Frank. But he wanted to own the right to Espanys and Espanys AVM. “Of course not. Come on Frank. That’s not how I do business. Let’s go to my office. Talk. Work it out. We will make Espanys live again. Pull it out of archive and tweak it for launching. Of course I can’t do it without you. No one understands the technology. Frank smirked.

  “No one but you. I came here to work at your company for a reason. You were brilliant in Europe. I did mt homework on you. I knew exactly what you had accomplished. There is a reason you don’t tout your accomplishments. You don’t want people to know your brilliance. That way they never see you coming. Am I right?” he said. Mr. Stallings nodded. “Don’t do this. Work with me. You will be a billionaire. This technology will be in every home. You will be richer beyond your dreams.”

  Frank stood staring. “That’s not my dream. My dream is to create. I have no need for money I will never spend in my lifetime. I am a scientist. And I thought you were too. But you have plotted against me. You were plotting the whole time. That why you shelved Espanys. To buy time until your own scientist could recreate it. Admit it. And you used Jeff as a spy. To watch me. Keep up with me. Find out through Zach what I was working on. Is it you?” he asked Jeff. Jeff looked bewildered. “Is what me? I don’t understand,” he said looking at George and then back to Frank.

  “Have you been scaring my kid? A simple question,” he said. Jeff shook his head no. “If you have the spare unit then you had access to play. Have you been logging on and terrifying my kid?” he asked, looking like a man ready to brawl. “Frank come on…Why would I do that. I have five small kids. Are
you kidding me? I would never,” he replied, looking appalled. Frank looked at George.

  “It was you. You recreated Espanys didn’t you. You’re the only one smart enough to figure it out. To build it and play. Jeff couldn’t figure his way out of a paper bag. It was you,” he said.

  George stood motionless. His arrogance showing. He was untouchable. He could control the outcome. He could control the creation date. Say that Frank stole his idea. Claim the rights and launch without him. And Frank had made a huge mistake. Calling him out would not be permitted. “I’ll tell you what. How about you leave. And leave my property here. Silverfish owns any and everything created here. Regardless of rights. Regardless of patents. I own Espanys now. I tried to work with you. But you are set on doing things your way. Yes. I logged in. Yes, I tried to scare them. I wanted them out so I could see the weaknesses and fix them. I am brilliant just like you. I can have this unit repaired and working in no time. Sorry. It would have been great to share in the success with you. Marcus… Can you please escort Mr. Wilson out,” he said.

  Frank turned around. The security guard stood in the doorway. Frank sneered. The reality of what was happening now crystal clear. “I don’t need help. I know my way out,” he said as he walked towards the door. “Funny if you think I was not prepared for this. That you believe I am so consumed with what I do, that I would do it with no protection against such deception. And the worst part of it all is that you threatened my kid. Pushed him off of a building. For that, you will make reparations.”

  George became nervous. He wasn’t sure what Frank meant. He guessed Frank was having his inventions copywritten on his own. Not using their designated lawyer who secured the right for the scientist. A man George had at his disposal and was using to secure some of the work as his own. Providing fake certificates on the items he claimed for himself. A violation of the law and something not impossible to discover. He planned on paying off any disgruntled scientist and throwing his lawyer under the bus if it ever came to light.