OtherLife

by Jason Segel

  Just when I was warming to Todd, he goes and reminds me he’s a psychopath. “The kid’s name is Declan. He’s a friend of mine and you did your best to kill him.” I can still see him stabbing Gorog, Declan’s ogre avatar, even though he knew the real person controlling it could die.

  “Yeah, that’s the kid.” Todd doesn’t bat an eye. “You know, he had a pretty crazy theory about you.”

  “Stop.” I put my hand up. “I’ve heard it a thousand times.”

  Todd looks confused.

  “No, seriously, he has,” Elvis helpfully explains. “It’s kind of a running joke with our crew.”

  “Well, the kid didn’t think it was funny.” Todd refuses to stop. “One day we’d just finished an OtherEarth test. Man, he did not like those. Anyway, the kid’s got tears and snot and all sorts of stuff running down his face and he says, ‘Simon’s going to make you pay for this. You can’t stop him. He’s going to destroy the Company. He’s the One.’ ”

  I want to punch Todd in the face so badly that my right fist is literally throbbing. What kind of animal tortures a thirteen-year-old kid?

  “You know, I always liked Declan,” Todd muses. He can’t see that I’m about to explode. “He was a feisty little turd. And I hope he was right about you. I hope you burn this place to the ground.”

  I get right up in Todd’s face. “And after all the shit you’ve pulled, I hope your friend AJ on the second floor designs a killer experience just for you.”

  Todd seems more annoyed than intimidated. “Gee, that’s not very nice,” he snips. “After I risked everything to bring you here. And to think I was just about to give you an update on your little friend.”

  “Declan is safe now.” I gave him a bag filled with more money than I’d ever seen and told him to take his parents and lie low. “I made sure of that.”

  “Did you?” Todd asks. “You sure he didn’t ditch his parents and come back to New York looking for you?”

  I can feel the blood draining out of my face. That is exactly the sort of thing Declan would do.

  “Where is he?” I spin around. “Is he here somewhere, too?”

  Todd keeps his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt when he shrugs. “Nope,” he replies. “You’ll have to ask Wayne. Gibson’s the only one who knows where the kid’s at now.”

  I glower at Todd. I don’t trust him, but I do believe him. “Why would Wayne have Declan?”

  “My guess is he’s keeping the kid as an insurance policy in case you ever show up again. You mess with him and he’ll mess with Declan.”

  “And why are you telling me all of this?”

  “For the same reason I let you see the lab. This is my insurance policy.”

  “How do you figure?” I ask.

  “I’m betting on you,” Todd says. “And now you owe me one.”

  The sun is rising. We’ve got to get to Wayne and we’re running out of time, but Nasha refuses to act. They may look nothing alike on the outside, but she and her daughter share the ability to drive me completely insane.

  “Absolutely not, Simon.” She’s really putting her foot down now. Literally. The woman’s stomping like an angry bull. “Do you know how close we are to taking down the Company? We’ve got the location of the lab! We know what’s inside it. We tip off the right authorities and it’s game over!”

  “If the lab gets raided, Wayne might hurt Declan. We have to save him first.”

  “But if we go after your friend first, Wayne could get spooked and move the whole lab. And as I think you know, that lab is the key to taking down the whole Company.”

  Now it’s my turn. Immovable object, meet irresistible force. “Declan comes first. You can either offer to help or you can get out of my way. But you’re not going to stop me.”

  “You mean us,” Kat chimes in. “I’m coming with you.” I’d argue if it would make any difference—but it won’t. I sneak a quick peek at her. With that halo of copper curls, she resembles a warrior goddess. Man, I love this girl.

  “We’re all going with Simon.” When Busara steps forward, Elvis joins her.

  It’s going too far now. As much as I appreciate the vote of support, their company is not what I had in mind. “No. You and Elvis have to stay here. If something happens to me and Kat, you guys have to keep up the fight.”

  Elvis catches my eye and subtly raises an eyebrow. He must think I just did him a favor by giving him a few hours alone with Busara. The truth is, Elvis’s romantic troubles are the very least of my worries. I’ve proposed a mission that’s unbelievably dangerous. I wish I could come up with something less risky, but there’s no time to lose. Wayne is the only person who knows where Declan is. And Kat and I know where Wayne lives.

  It’s a trap, of course, and we’re walking right into it. Wayne took Declan because he knew I’d do exactly what I’m about to do. He’ll be expecting us. I’m just hoping he’s feeling cocky enough to spill a few beans when we see him. All I’m after is a single clue, and there are two things I know about Wayne. The first is that he thinks I’m a moron. The second is that the man can’t resist the urge to hear himself talk.

  “We’re just going to have a chat with Wayne,” I tell Nasha. “We won’t say a word about the lab.”

  “This has got to be the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard! You really think I’m going to let you commit suicide?” Nasha’s right about one thing. The odds of us surviving this operation aren’t exactly stellar. She squeezes her eyes shut and rubs her temples as if her brain might explode. “Maybe you don’t understand. We’re trying to save the world here. And you want to risk everything for one kid? Do you know how insane that sounds?”

  Does it? It makes perfect sense to me. “Would it make a difference if Declan were your kid?” I demand.

  “Probably not,” Busara snorts. Her mother stays silent.

  “Look, Nasha, I don’t care if you think it’s crazy. If you want my help, this is how it has to be. Every person counts,” I tell her. “No one gets left behind. No one. The day you start seeing people as expendable—the day you start thinking a single human sacrifice might be worth it—that’s the day you become Wayne Gibson. Declan is a thirteen-year-old boy who saved my ass on multiple occasions. I am not going to let him die.”

  The room is so quiet I can hear my friends breathing. They’re all staring at me like they’re not sure who I am.

  “What?” I bark at Elvis.

  “That was fucking beautiful, man.”

  If he’s screwing with me, he chose a weird time to do it. I roll my eyes and turn back to Nasha. My outburst made an impact on her, but it hasn’t won her over completely.

  “You’re playing right into Wayne’s hands,” she warns me. “He knew exactly what you’d do. That’s why he took the boy. You go after him and he’ll be prepared.”

  “You think I haven’t figured that out?” I ask. “It’s all part of my plan. Now are you going to get out of the way or not?”

  Nasha’s phone rings. I recognize the ring tone. It’s a call from her boss. She holds the phone to her ear without saying a word. Three seconds later, her face is grim as she lowers the phone again. She’s received her orders, and she isn’t happy at all.

  “Let’s go,” Nasha snaps at me. “I’m coming with you.”

  * * *

  —

  There’s a black SUV with tinted windows waiting for us outside the building. Behind the wheel is another of the freakishly bland men who always seem to be at Nasha’s beck and call. I wonder if they grow them all in a lab somewhere. The three of us take our seats in the back, and Nasha picks up a slim black suitcase that’s been left on the floor. Inside are three guns cradled in foam, along with matching silencers, an unmarked syringe and a plastic bag filled with zip ties.

  “Those will come in handy.” I grab the zip ties and shove them into m
y pocket. “You guys really do think of everything.”

  “Yeah, and we think you’re going to need a lot more than zip ties. You two know how to shoot?” Nasha asks us.

  “Yes,” Kat confirms. I’ve only held a real gun once in my life, but I knew exactly what to do with it. I wish someone would tell my dad. Video games are good for something, as it turns out.

  “Sure you do,” Nasha drones. She’s not convinced. “Katherine, after your mother married Wayne, how long did the three of you live in the same house?”

  “Almost a year. But my mom and I lived in that place for ages before he showed up. I know every inch of it by heart.”

  “Do you have any sense of his security arrangements?” Nasha inquires.

  “I watched Wayne install his system,” Kat says. “He’s got the entire place covered. He’ll see us the second we set foot on the property.”

  Nasha leans over Kat to give me a look that screams, What do you think of that you crazy little bastard?

  “It’s okay. We aren’t going to hide. I want him to see us,” I say. “We’ll drive right up to the house and Kat and I will go in through the front door.”

  “You’re going to get shot,” Nasha says. “Wayne’s probably got an arsenal in there.”

  “I don’t think he’ll shoot us. We’ll have tripped his security alarms. I think he’ll try to keep us talking until the police arrive. I’m hoping he’ll let something slip that will help us locate Declan.”

  “Or he could just splatter your brains all over the wall,” Nasha offers.

  “If he wanted to kill us, why did he frame us for the Scott Winston shooting?” I ask. “He doesn’t want us dead. He wants us to rot in jail.”

  “So how are we going to avoid being arrested?” Kat asks.

  “Once we’re inside, do you think you can shut down Wayne’s security system?”

  “Probably,” Kat replies. “But we’ll have already tripped the alarm.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I say. I turn to Nasha. “The house I grew up in is on the other side of the woods from Wayne’s house. You and the driver drop us off at Wayne’s and then wait for us outside my old house. Kat and I will have our chat with Wayne, and as soon as we hear sirens, we’ll head through the woods. With the security system down, they’ll have no way of knowing which way we went.”

  Nasha still isn’t satisfied.

  “Even if you don’t get killed, you figure Wayne’s just going to come right out and tell you everything you need to know?” Nasha scoffs. “This is never going to work.”

  “That’s your opinion,” I say with a shrug. “Seems like your employer has confidence in my abilities. Shall we give the boss a call?”

  In an instant, all expression is wiped from Nasha’s face. She doesn’t offer even the slightest twitch to confirm my hunch.

  “I know I’m right,” I tell her.

  “You don’t know anything,” she says.

  * * *

  —

  I catch a quick nap in the back of the car. It’s seven in the morning by the time we reach Brockenhurst, New Jersey. It’s only when we pass the cute wooden sign that welcomes visitors that I realize I never planned to return. The twee little shops that line Main Street are still shuttered and dark. It’s hard to believe that anyone actually works here. The whole town feels like a Hollywood stage set. If you opened one of the doors and stepped inside, you’d discover it was all just a plywood façade with nothing behind it.

  “Home, sweet home,” Kat jokes. She doesn’t want to be here any more than I do. I take her hand in mine. As much as Brockenhurst unnerves me, I can’t quite hate it. After all, this is where I met her.

  At the far edge of town, just past the town’s only gas station, is a narrow gravel road that leads through Brockenhurst’s last patch of forest. At the end of the drive lies Wayne Gibson’s house. Kat and I know every inch of these woods. When we lived here, this was our own little world. Now, as our driver turns onto the drive, I feel like we’ve crossed into enemy territory. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wayne has a hidden camera positioned on every tree.

  Soon the white cottage appears ahead of us. Less than a year ago, it was little more than a hovel with rotten siding and rusted appliances on the porch. Now the place is storybook cute, with a fresh coat of paint and green shutters. Wayne’s done a lot of work to the house, but it’s still the last place you’d expect to find one of the world’s most powerful men. Half a mile away, on the other side of the forest, lies my old neighborhood, a gated community filled with mansions modeled after French châteaux. There, Wayne could live alongside his peers. Instead he appears to prefer the company of the half-coyote wild dogs that make their home here in the woods.

  The second the car comes to a halt, Kat and I are out of the backseat. There’s not a moment to lose. I half expect to see Wayne appear on the front porch with a shotgun in his hands. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s greeted me in that way. But the cottage door stays closed until we reach it—and find it unlocked. I turn the knob and Kat and I walk right inside. When I was a kid, the front room of the house was filled with shabby furniture and knickknacks. Now the walls are a bare, brilliant white, and a boxy couch sits facing a television set. There’s no other furniture in the room. Wayne must be worth a fortune, and yet he lives like a monk.

  “Come on back, guys,” a voice calls out cheerfully from the kitchen.

  Kat and I separate. While she goes off to work on the security system, I head toward the voice. I find Wayne sitting alone at the kitchen table, a steaming mug in front of him. He’s wearing pale blue pajamas and slippers, and his gray hair is still mussed from sleep. I’ve never seen anyone who looks less dangerous.

  “Little early for a visit,” Wayne notes, taking a sip from his mug. “Worked late last night and didn’t get up at the usual hour. I haven’t even finished my first cup of coffee.” He cranes his head as if to look around me. “Where’s my lovely stepdaughter? Feeling shy? Tell her to come on in and say hello to her stepdad.”

  “I think we’ll both pass,” I say, brandishing my gun with one hand while I pull two zip ties out of my back pocket with the other. “Put your arms behind you.”

  Wayne doesn’t argue. After he sets down his coffee cup and complies, I quickly tie each of his hands to the chair. Then I take my place in front of him.

  “Straight to business, eh? I admire that in a young man.” Wayne gives me a nod of approval. He thinks he’s got me right where he wants me. “Your face sure is looking better than the last time I saw you.”

  I take aim with my gun. Now that I have the weapon pointed at his head, the urge to shoot is overwhelming. I learned to like killing in Otherworld. And there’s no one I’d rather put a few holes in than Wayne.

  “Hold up, son.” Wayne’s still cool as a cucumber. “You might want to think twice about shooting me.”

  “Oh, believe me,” I say. “I’ve thought about this a lot more than twice.”

  “That’s a shame. Maybe you should have spent less time thinking about me and more time worrying about your friend Declan,” Wayne says.

  I was right about everything. This is all going just as I planned.

  “Declan’s safe,” I say, playing dumb. “I made sure of that.”

  “Oh, I know you tried,” says Wayne. “But kids do stupid crap. Your friend heard you were being framed for a murder and tried to come back to save you.”

  “You’re full of shit,” I say, acting as if this is all news to me.

  “Just have a look on my phone.” Wayne nods at a phone that’s been sitting facedown on the table. When I pick it up and turn it over, I see that the home screen is a photo of Declan on a hospital bed.

  “Where is he?” I demand. “Tell me, goddamn it, or I’ll shoot.”

  I think Wayne may have missed his calling. He really would make
an excellent actor. In a flash, his expression shifts from amusement to pity. “You haven’t really thought this through, have you? As long as I have the kid, there’s not much you can do to me. I like to think of Declan as my guardian angel. The boy really cuts down on my security bills, that’s for sure.”

  “Oh, there’s plenty I can do to you,” I tell him, moving my gun so it’s aimed right at his groin.

  “You talking torture?” Wayne laughs. “Son, I was held by the Taliban for six months in 2003. If those evil fuckers couldn’t get a thing out of me, I don’t think a little prick like you stands a chance. But who knows? You go right ahead and do what you like. Just know that I’ll have one of my people do the exact same things to Declan.”

  I lower the gun. “How do I know you haven’t killed him already? How do I know he’s okay?”

  “I guess you’re just going to have to trust me. Declan’s perfectly safe. I’ve got a very nice lady who checks in on him regularly and makes sure he’s having fun.”

  I feel an electric jolt shoot down my spine. That’s the clue I’ve been looking for. As soon as Kat’s finished with the security system, it’s time to go.

  “Well, if you’re not going to tell me where he is, I might as well go ahead and shoot you. I’ll find him one way or the other.”

  Wayne tsk-tsks. I know I’m playing a game here, but his lack of respect is really starting to piss me off. You’d think he’d take me a little more seriously at this point.

  “You won’t take the risk,” he says. “You forget, Mr. Eaton. I’ve been inside your head. I know what that kid means to you. When he and his parents disappeared, I thought I might need to make do with your mother. Can you imagine what kind of pain in the ass that would have been? But then I got lucky. Declan showed up back in town, and kidnapping Irene Eaton was no longer necessary.”