by Jason Segel
“And free,” Kat notes bitterly. “Bird didn’t need monitors to spy on and punish the Children of Albion. She cleaned things up on her own.”
“You’re so cute,” Daisy laughs. “She didn’t do it on her own. She had powerful magic to help her. I had technology. Take a step back and you’ll see they’re the same.”
Maybe she’s right. Perhaps the means by which she and Bird control their realms are the same. But the results definitely are not.
“So you want us to introduce you to James Ogubu so you can ask him about the tech. And in return you will make life easier for the Children?”
“Of course!” Daisy replies. “That seems a fair trade for everlasting life, doesn’t it?”
“What do you think?” I ask Kat.
Kat clearly doesn’t want to be anywhere near Daisy Bristol. “I think it’s what James would want us to do,” she says through gritted teeth.
Daisy sits primly across from me in the vehicle. Kat is by her side. The two of them couldn’t be more different. My fierce, wild-haired girlfriend with her camouflage jumpsuit and ever-present quiver—and the little blond doll in her flowered dress. If the two came to blows, everyone would put their money on Kat. Except, perhaps, for Kat. I can see she takes Daisy very seriously. She’s nervous about the trip.
Daisy, on the other hand, doesn’t seem worried at all. Which is odd, since she’s wearing a disk. Unless Wayne lied to her, she must know that any injuries she suffers on our journey could prove fatal. James Ogubu spent an eternity holed up in an apartment in the White City because he couldn’t risk his avatar. And yet Daisy walks around like she’s completely invincible.
We take the pod back downstairs to the basement. There, a new vehicle is waiting—one large enough to carry the three of us and our new companions. Two large NPCs will be joining us, each one the size of a bear and armed with enough ammunition to take over a small country. Otherworld NPCs aren’t supposed to leave the realm in which they were generated. I wonder how Daisy found her way around the rules.
The shimmering silver vehicle is the shape of an elongated bullet, with two seats facing forward and four plush chairs in the back. The NPCs take their places at the front of the vehicle. The rest of us claim seats in the back. Within minutes, we’ve left the steel forest of Imperium behind and sped into a neighboring realm. I have no idea what it might once have been. Under the Empress’s control, it’s an endless orchard. We speed past trees, their branches drooping with fruit I don’t recognize. It’s stunningly beautiful for the first few minutes. Then the monotony begins to gnaw at me. No matter where I look, I see the same thing.
“Which realm is this?” I ask.
“Summerland. It was my first big project,” Daisy tells us. “When I arrived, it was still a war zone. Land mines made the terrain unpassable. The inhabitants were sick and starving. Now look at it! This place is heaven! When other realms saw what I’d accomplished here, they welcomed my soldiers with open arms.”
“Must have been a lot of work to turn a war zone into a farm,” Kat says. “How many enslaved Children did it take to do it?”
Daisy’s getting tired of Kat’s comments. “There’s a difference between being enslaved and being asked to work hard to improve your own life.”
“So you asked them to work, did you?” Kat says. She points up ahead to a group of Children who are plucking fruit from the trees. “Those Children can just stop whenever they like?”
“Slow down,” Daisy orders the vehicle. Our speed is reduced to a crawl as we pass the orchard’s workers. They freeze and watch us, clearly frightened of what might happen next. There must be fifty of them here, all dressed in identical uniforms that have been altered to fit their unique bodies.
“Do these look like unhappy creatures to you?” Daisy demands.
It’s such a bizarre question that I can’t figure out how to answer it. I’m starting to think that Daisy might not be able to tell the difference. The Children here are fit and strong. Their clothes are clean and well made. They have all the basic requirements of life—except for the one thing that actually makes life worth living.
“You’re insane,” Kat says. It’s not an insult—just a statement of fact.
“Stop!” Daisy shouts at the vehicle, which immediately puts on the brakes. “Open.”
The door opens, and the Children outside stand at attention. No one moves a muscle as Daisy steps out into the grove. They don’t know what to expect from her. At this point, neither do I.
“Hello!” she calls out in a cheerful voice. “How are the citizens of Summerland today?”
The crowd remains silent, but a current seems to pass through it. Something is very wrong here. Daisy’s chosen the wrong moment to stop. But she can’t see that. She may be able to build mechanical creatures, but the ones composed of flesh and blood seem to make no sense to her.
“Has it been so long since I’ve visited this land?” I think she was expecting far more fawning. “Do you not recognize your Empress?”
One of the Children steps forward—a small, bald female with dark green veins that spread down her muscular limbs like vines. “We know who you are, Your Highness. Do you know us?”
The Empress glances over her shoulder at Kat and me and scrunches up her face and mouths, So cute!
“She really is batshit crazy,” Kat says as soon as Daisy has turned away.
“Yup,” I agree.
“You are my beloved subjects, descendants of the Children who worked with me to bring this realm back to life.”
The small green Child isn’t done. “Last week, my brother was gathering fruit from the treetops when he fell from his ladder,” she says. “He was badly injured, unable to work. We sent word that he would not be able to make his quota. We begged you to make an exception. The next day, one of your mechanical beasts came for him. We have not seen him since. Why didn’t you answer us?”
Daisy’s face is a blank. This little detour isn’t going as she’d planned, and she can’t figure out what to do. “I must have been away from the realm at the time,” she tells the Child. “The systems here are all automated. I did not personally order your brother’s punishment.”
“Where has he been taken? May we please have him back?”
Daisy shrugs her shoulders. “The punishments have been clearly posted for all Otherworld residents to read. Those who are unable to contribute labor for a significant period of time are relocated to the Ice Fields.”
Relocated. An injured Child would stand no chance of survival on the Ice Fields. She might as well have put a bullet through his head.
The meaning of the Empress’s words has not been lost on the Children. A murmur spreads among them. Then a second female breaks through the crowd and rushes at Daisy before anyone can stop her. She’s wielding a pair of pruning shears with sharp, daggerlike points. With one lightning-fast move, the Child lifts the shears into the air and then brings the point down hard right where Daisy’s heart should be. A split second later, the Child’s head explodes. One of the NPCs has taken out the assassin. The Empress, for her part, appears completely unharmed. Something has protected her.
Kat rushes over to the body of the fallen Child, but nothing can be done. As the body waters the ground with its blood, the remaining Children scatter, rushing away from the scene through the trees.
The NPCs start to take off in pursuit, but Daisy stops them and waves for them to come back. “Don’t bother,” she calls out. “Let’s get to Albion. We’ve wasted enough time already.”
Kat stands up from the Child’s lifeless body. Her face is cold. “She should have killed you.”
Daisy smirks. She thinks Kat wants to know how she did it, and she’s proud of herself.
“Electrical body armor.” She pulls a thin, virtually transparent layer of fabric away from her skin. “Next best thing to eter
nal life. I’d love to design something like this for use back on Earth, but we’re not quite there with the tech yet.”
I glance over at Kat. I can’t read her mind, but I’d bet a million dollars she’s trying to come up with a way past that armor.
“What?” Daisy laughs. “You didn’t really think I trusted you guys with my avatar, did you?”
* * *
—
With our vehicle careening across realms at top speed, the rest of the journey takes less than an hour. What I see through the windows looks much the same—until Albion appears in front of us. With its tangle of trees and dense foliage, the realm resembles a briar patch in the middle of Daisy’s carefully tended garden.
“Not much curb appeal. I really do wish the Bird creature could convince her followers to tidy the place up a bit,” Daisy says with a sigh. “I’m sure some of them would rather not live like savages.”
I feel our vehicle begin to slow. It almost seems to be straining against some invisible force. Before we reach the border of Albion, it comes to a complete stop and the doors slide open.
“Albion’s no-technology rule applies to vehicles too?” Kat asks.
“Apparently,” Daisy reports. “The Bird’s a real hardass about it, from what I’ve heard. Nothing is easy in Albion.”
One of the NPC soldiers exits the vehicle first. Daisy follows with the second soldier right behind her. Kat and I take up the rear.
As the first NPC soldier attempts to cross into Albion, he bounces off an invisible barrier.
“Your Taser,” Daisy says. “Leave it here.”
The NPC drops the Taser at the border and passes through with a massive machete still strapped to his back. Daisy attempts to follow him and bumps up against the same barrier.
“Damn it,” she mutters. “Let’s try that again.” The second time, she’s allowed through. Nothing about her appears to have changed, but I think I know what the difference is. She had to deactivate her body armor.
Kat and I make it through with no problems. My dagger and her arrows are acceptable in Albion. We step through the thick line of foliage that forms the realm’s border and discover ourselves in the Albion from Max Prince’s play-through. The trees around us are gnarled, their bark black. Golden flecks of sunlight sprinkle the ground, which is carpeted with multicolored leaves. This part of the realm has been allowed to return to its natural state. I remember the terrifying wildlife that once lived in these woods, and I wonder if the bear, deer and wolves have made a comeback too.
I hear hooves in the distance, and my adrenaline surges. It sounds like horses, but in Otherworld you never know what you’re going to get. Even the horses here are probably best avoided. Soon the three largest stallions I’ve ever seen appear with Children atop them.
“State your business,” orders one of the Children, a giant covered in luminous golden fur.
“I am the Empress of Imperium,” Daisy replies boldly. “I have come to visit one of your residents.”
“You must leave at once,” the Child orders. “We are a free realm. We do not welcome those who enslave our kind.”
Daisy looks over at me, raises an eyebrow and clears her throat. I guess that means it’s my job to state our case. I reluctantly step forward. “My name is Simon Eaton. My companion is Kat Foley. We were both here the day Bird saved this realm. We’ve come to visit her, as well as our friends Declan and James. The Empress would like a word with one of them. We would not have agreed to escort the Empress if she hadn’t promised to improve the lives of the Children in return. Bird will vouch for us.”
The Child’s eyes flick back and forth between Kat and me. “You are the Ones?” he asks skeptically.
Kat catches my eye. “OMG, does this mean I get to be a One, too?” she teases me.
“You can be the only One as far as I’m concerned,” I tell her.
“Yeah, thanks, but no thanks,” Kat says. “I already have enough stress in my life.”
The Child on horseback doesn’t seem amused by the banter. “So are you the Ones or not?” he demands.
“I guess so,” I tell him. “But we really prefer Kat and Simon.”
“Climb on, Kat and Simon,” the Child says, reaching down from his saddle to help us up. The beast he’s riding is big enough for the three of us.
“No,” I hear Daisy say haughtily. “I’m afraid I need to have my own horse.”
The sound of the Children laughing is loud enough to launch a flock of crows from the branches overhead. I look back to see Daisy reluctantly pulled up onto a horse, sandwiched between a Child and an NPC.
* * *
—
My ass is completely numb by the time the trees clear and a village appears. If my internal compass is accurate, it must have been built in the location of the castle where Kat and I found the dragon’s skeleton. In fact, I have a hunch that the stones from the old building were used to construct the village’s houses. They’re small structures with thatched roofs and brightly painted doors.
“Oooh, this is so adorable!” Daisy exclaims. “I’m going to have one of these built as soon as I’m back in Imperium.”
“How Marie Antoinette of you,” Kat mutters.
The Children who are out on the street have stopped to watch us pass. They or their ancestors must have arrived here from countless other realms. You can see evidence of every creature in Otherworld in their faces and bodies. Several little ones, whom I take to be children, race behind us. Their parents’ DNA has blended together beautifully.
Soon, the horses come to a halt in front of one of the houses. It’s the same size as all the others—the home of an average villager. As I slide off the back of our mount, the door opens, and a female appears before us.
Bird has grown old, though I’m not sure how I know that. Her hair hasn’t grayed as a human’s would. She doesn’t appear to be stooped or frail. But her face feels wiser and her eyes have seen more than the rest of ours have. She steps forward and embraces Kat and me in turn.
“I was told you were coming. We’ve all been waiting.” Her eyes shoot toward Daisy and the two NPC soldiers. There’s no surprise. “I see you’ve brought company.”
“Bird, meet the Empress of Imperium. Empress, this is Bird,” I say.
Daisy slips off her horse and walks toward Bird with her hand held out. Bird doesn’t take it. Either she doesn’t want to shake the Empress of Imperium’s hand or she isn’t familiar with the custom.
“I love what you’ve done with the place,” the Empress says, letting her hand fall. “From the outside, the realm looks like a jungle, but this is very attractive. And you did it without the help of technology? It must have been very time consuming.”
“Yes,” Bird says. “But those who choose to come here are willing to work. I don’t need to force them.”
Daisy sniffs haughtily but doesn’t bite back.
“We sent James Ogubu to you earlier today. Now the Empress has come to meet him,” I explain. “She’s a really big fan.”
Bird’s eyes linger on my face. She knows there’s far more to the story. “If that’s the case, she may come inside. Her guards may not.”
The two guards stand rigidly by Daisy’s side. They give no indication that they either heard or understood.
The Empress frowns. “I’m afraid I can’t leave them.” Without her body armor, she’s utterly defenseless. I’m not sure that her guards have caught on.
“It’s okay,” says a voice. A tall dark man emerges from the dwelling. I’ve never seen him wearing anything but the same jeans and button-down. Now James Ogubu is dressed in beige linen pants and a matching shirt. The outfit would look like a potato sack on most people, but James appears regal as always. “I will speak to her.”
Daisy heads straight for him, her hand outstretched. “James Ogubu,” she gushe
s like the ultimate fangirl. “Such an honor to meet you. My name is Daisy Bristol. I’ve been trying to reach you for ages.”
“By laying siege to the city in which I was living?” James notes as Daisy’s eyes take him in. She’s inspecting his avatar like she’s buying a new car. “You have an interesting way of making new friends, Ms. Bristol.”
“My apologies,” Daisy says with a toothy smile. “I suppose I might have been a little too eager. I’m sure you don’t remember who I am back on Earth. I worked for a company called Skin Job that was recently purchased by the Company—”
“Skin Job?” James inquires.
“We made lifelike robotic companions,” she explains, eager to get to the main topic. “Now the Company is using our tech for other purposes.”
“I can only imagine,” James drones.
“I’m such a big fan of your work that the only thing I asked for as a signing bonus was access to Otherworld. And—”
James cuts her off. “I’m sorry, Ms. Bristol. What is it that you want from me?”
“What you have!” Daisy gestures toward his avatar. “I want my memories and personality and everything else uploaded into an avatar. I want to live on here in Otherworld after my real-world body perishes. I want immortality.”
James’s eyes scan her avatar. “Am I correct in assuming that you are currently using a disk?”
“Yes, I’ve been told that it’s the same disk Milo Yolkin once used,” she brags, as though it’s some kind of badge of honor that she’s got the disk that Milo died wearing.
“Have you ever wondered why you haven’t encountered any other people here using disks?” James asks her. “Headsets are in short supply, but there must be quite a few disks still floating around the Company. Didn’t Wayne tell you why no one else uses them?”
“Of course he did!” Daisy says with a laugh. “He doesn’t want me to die in here! I’m critical to his success. He made it perfectly clear that I can be injured or killed in Otherworld, so I fixed the problem.”
