by Jason Segel
“He created the disk to help his daughter. He figured out how to download memories because his life was in danger,” I argue, feeling offended on James’s behalf.
“Yeah,” Todd says. “His daughter. His life.”
I see his point. “James never meant to do any harm.”
“I’m sure he didn’t,” Todd says. “But the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Todd stops and his spine stiffens. The elevator has been called down to the ground floor. My heart literally skips a beat.
“Fuck,” Todd mutters. “We’ve got visitors.” Last time we were here, Todd had a plan ready in case someone showed up. This morning it’s clear that he doesn’t. I quickly scan the room around us. There’s literally nowhere to hide—not even a desk to crawl under.
“What should I do?” I ask.
“Lie down.” Todd points to the chair beside Nasha’s. “Close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you to.”
“What about Nasha?” I ask.
“She has to stay where she is,” Todd tells me. “We can’t interrupt the download.”
I follow Todd’s order and lie down on the white leather chair. My heart is racing. When I hear the elevator come to a stop on our floor, it nearly bursts out of my chest.
There’s a ding and the doors open with a whoosh.
“There he is,” says an all-too-familiar voice. “It’s not even eight o’clock and he’s already hard at work. Son, you are a genuine asset to this organization.”
“Thank you, sir.” Todd’s voice cracks. Something is very wrong and he knows it. “Hello, AJ. How nice to see you in my part of the building.” AJ’s presence can’t be a good sign. He’s the guy who develops Wayne’s custom experiences.
“Hello, Todd,” says a voice I’ve never heard before.
“I see you got your robot sidekick with you this morning, Todd,” Wayne says. He must be referring to me. “You boys sure are inseparable.”
Todd tries to laugh and fails miserably. “That’s how they learn, sir.”
“Of course,” Wayne replies. “And who do we have here? Looks like a lady, if I’m not mistaken.”
“I made a few tweaks to the machinery, sir. I needed to give it a test run, so I found a volunteer.”
I cringe on the inside. If that’s the best Todd could come up with, we’re both dead.
“Well, how about that?” Wayne drawls. “What do you suppose the odds are? You need a volunteer and the kind soul who offers to help you out just happens to be Nasha Ogubu.”
Yep. We’re screwed.
“I’m sorry, sir.” Todd’s backpedaling furiously. He didn’t expect Wayne to recognize her. “She made me bring her here. She wanted her memories downloaded. I’ll go ahead and stop—”
“No need to do that,” Wayne says. “Let it run. A copy of Mrs. Ogubu’s memories will come in handy, I’d imagine. Now do me a favor, son, and wake up your robot friend for me.”
There’s a long, terrifying pause before Todd says, “Simon. Open your eyes and sit up.”
I obey, doing my best not to show my panic. Wayne is standing with his hands in his pockets. AJ is by his side. Like Todd, AJ is slim and youthful, though he’s dressed more like a man Wayne’s age in pressed pants and a checked oxford. He’s holding a disk and a pair of black glasses in his right hand. One of Wayne’s tough guys has come with them. Dressed in what can only be called badass black, he’s casually crossing the room toward Todd.
“What would you like Simon to do?” Todd croaks, keeping an eye on the man coming his way.
“Nothing. I just want your friend to see what I’m going to have done to you.” Wayne nods to the ninja. In a flash, the man takes Todd by the head and rams a thin steel blade under the base of his skull. Todd’s eyes roll back and his knees buckle. The man releases him and he falls to the ground. Todd’s eyes are still open as a small pool of blood forms a halo around his head.
“Really is a shame,” Wayne says, looking down at the corpse. “That boy was a hard worker. Too bad he turned out to be a traitor.”
I don’t say a word in response. I try not to show any emotion at all.
“Oh, come on!” Wayne smiles broadly as if it’s all a big joke. “Isn’t the robot act getting old? Stand up, Mr. Eaton.”
He knows. My only hope is to play for time. Nasha said the authorities would be arriving at nine. That can’t be too far away. I silently watch as Wayne’s smile transforms into a scowl. He glances at the ninja, who steps forward and points his blade at the back of my skull. I feel something drip onto my shirt. I know without looking that it was a drop of Todd’s blood.
“Now, Mr. Eaton,” he demands. “The three of us are taking a little trip downstairs.”
The ninja stays with Nasha while Wayne and AJ escort me down to the glass room on the first floor. Wayne holds the door open for me and the three of us go inside. AJ hands me the disk and glasses and waits for me to put them on. He gives me a smile before he leaves. I watch as he makes his way down the stairs toward one of the leather armchairs in the lobby. Whatever’s about to happen, AJ intends to watch.
“You just keep going around sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, don’t you?” I turn my attention back to Wayne. There’s a single stool inside the otherwise empty room, and he’s taken it. He’s wearing a pair of OtherEarth glasses, too, and pointing a gun he didn’t have before.
“Sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong? How do you expect me to take you seriously when you talk like a Scooby-Doo villain? And that”—I gesture toward his gun—“that isn’t a real weapon.”
“You’re wearing a disk, son. This may be a fake gun that fires fake bullets, but it will kill you just as quickly as any other gun would,” Wayne informs me. “And this way we won’t leave a huge mess in the conference room if I’m forced to use it.”
“Gee, you’re awfully squeamish for someone who murdered thirty people earlier today.”
“Their deaths were unfortunate but necessary,” Wayne says. “It’s a shame the operation was not a success.”
“Why were you trying to kill Scott Winston anyway?” The only way to survive this is to keep Wayne talking until the authorities arrive at nine.
“Killing Winston was the only option I had left. I offered him a trial of OtherEarth and he turned me down. I invited him to visit the lab, but he wouldn’t come. The man has been releasing dangerous technology into the world, and I’m afraid the only way to stop him was to kill him.”
“You really think Winston deserves to die?”
“His company created software that blurs the line between real and fake. He was going to make the technology available to every criminal, terrorist and anarchist on Earth. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
“I still don’t understand what good would killing him do.”
Wayne’s wide grin is that of a man who’s thought things through. “The number two honcho at Winston’s corporation is a big OtherEarth fan. And he’s got some interesting proclivities that I’m pretty sure he’d rather not be made public. Once Winston’s gone, the number two guy takes over as CEO. I don’t think I’ll have much trouble getting him to see my point of view. If I do have any trouble, he’ll end up in one of the capsules upstairs.”
“What exactly is your point of view?” I ask. “I heard you used to run Cyber Command. Your job was defending the country, and now you’re setting off bombs and assassinating CEOs.”
Wayne leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “My point of view is that I see the chaos that lies in humanity’s future unless someone takes decisive action. I didn’t notice anyone else stepping forward. You see, I’ve figured out who this country’s real enemies are—and they’re not Russian kids hacking government servers. I spent my whole government career going after bad guys who were just using tools that bigger bad guys were making. Th
ese men like Scott Winston who’ve been willing to fuck up the world just to make a few bucks? I’m taking them down one by one. I started with Milo Yolkin.”
I’m not buying this shit for a second. “So you really think you’re the good guy in all of this? You beta tested disks on helpless hospital patients. You used my friend, a thirteen-year-old boy, as a guinea pig.”
“It’s awful. I agree. I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths if the disk weren’t so important. I figured if I was going to fight the tool makers, I was going to need the ultimate tool. The moment Milo Yolkin showed me the disk, I knew it was exactly what I’d been looking for. But I had to figure out how best to use it. Some people were harmed in the process, it’s true. But the world will be better off because of their sacrifices.”
“So other people get to make all the sacrifices, and you’re the one who ends up in charge of the ultimate tool. Is that right?”
“Someone had to take charge,” Wayne says. “I’m not perfect, but my motives are purer than most. I have no interest in hoarding money. I’m a champion of law and order.”
“Are you kidding? Have you seen all the OtherEarth gamers out on the streets tonight? They’re tearing the city apart!”
“Yep,” Wayne says smugly. “I imagine the game will probably be banned. Regulators will get more involved in the industry. Other corporations will think twice about introducing augmented reality products in the future.”
“If OtherEarth gets banned, the Company will go under financially.”
Wayne chuckles. “I don’t think so. There’s very strong demand for our custom product. We’ve been getting calls from all over the world. Oligarchs. Prime ministers. Despots and dictators. They all want what we’re offering. We’ve also acquired a very important new investor. Her resources are practically unlimited, and they’ve been put at our disposal.”
I know what he’s getting at. “You’re talking about Abigail Prince.”
“Never meant to add Ms. Prince to the collection. That was just a little piece of good fortune that practically fell right into my lap. Not only has she brought an end to the Company’s financial problems, she’s brought you and me together again. I’ll admit—you’ve had me a little worried, Mr. Eaton. Now I can put all those worries to rest.”
“By killing me,” I say.
“Well, here’s the deal, son,” Wayne tells me. “I’m going to give you one last chance, just for sport. See if you’re everything they say you are. I had AJ put together a special experience just for you. If, at any point, you attempt to remove your disk or glasses, I’ll shoot you. If you can’t handle your custom experience, you can ask me to put you out of your misery, and I’ll gladly comply. But—if you manage to make it through to the end, I’ll allow you to live.”
I laugh. “I don’t believe you.”
Wayne holds up a hand as if taking an oath. “You’ve got my word of honor. Now—what do you say we get started?”
I glance downstairs into the lobby. A few more people have joined AJ. The lab’s employees are arriving for work. I don’t know how long it will be before the police arrive. No more than half an hour, I’d estimate. Whatever horrors Wayne has in store for me, I can survive for thirty minutes.
Wayne signals to AJ, who taps a device in his hand. Nothing changes. Wayne’s still sitting on his stool in the corner. I watch as he lifts a finger and twirls it, as if to tell me turn around. I don’t want to. Then I hear someone clear their throat impatiently behind me.
I take a peek over my shoulder. There’s an operating table in the center of the room, and Kat is lying on top of it. Thick leather straps hold down her arms and her legs. There’s a gag in her mouth. A vein throbs in the center of her forehead, and her eyes are wide with panic. Her midsection has been prepped as if for an operation. I spin around.
A man in a doctor’s coat stands next to a rolling cart on which an assortment of surgical instruments is displayed. The man is thin and pale, with dark hair and old-fashioned wire-rimmed glasses. Perfectly calm and composed, he practically radiates evil. “Shall we begin? This is a timed experience. You really don’t want to waste another minute.” He picks up a large scalpel and tries to hand it to me. When I don’t take it, his eyes close and open in a slow, lizardlike blink and he places it back down on the tray.
“In twenty-nine minutes, this room will fill with a poisonous gas that will kill the three of us. The disk you are wearing will ensure that you die a very real and extremely painful death. However, there is a key that will allow us to escape. This young woman has swallowed it. If we want to retrieve the key, one of us must cut her open to find it.”
“No,” I say. “Not going to happen.” Game or no game, there is no way I’m going to do anything like that.
It seems the man was expecting that response. “There is always a chance, however slim, that your friend will survive the operation,” he tells me. “However, if you do not start within the next nine minutes, I will be forced to perform the procedure myself. Unlike you, I do not care how much the girl suffers—or whether she lives or dies.”
“I’ll kill you if you touch her,” I growl.
“Not if I shoot you first,” Wayne says behind me.
I spin around to face him. “You sick bastard.”
“Don’t look at me,” Wayne says humbly. “AJ deserves all the credit. He spent time digging through your memories and came up with this experience all by himself. The kid’s a goddamned genius.”
“It’s my job to inform you that you are wasting valuable time.” I turn back to find the man in the lab coat checking his watch. “You only have eight minutes left to decide.”
There’s no chance of anyone arriving to rescue me within the next eight minutes. I can stall until then, but I’ll eventually have to act.
It’s not real, I tell myself. The girl on the table isn’t Kat.
I take a step toward her. She’s looking up at me with terrified eyes. I tug at the straps on her arms and legs. They’re locked down. There’s no way to remove them. The panic building, I reach for the gag. As I do, my hand brushes her cheek. It’s soft and hot and wet with her tears.
“Are you certain that’s wise?” the man in the lab coat inquires.
I don’t give a shit. I pull out the gag.
“Simon!” Kat gasps, and I have to clutch the side of the table to avoid falling to the ground. “Please, Simon, don’t hurt me!” It’s her voice. Those are her lips. But the words don’t belong to the girl I love.
“I like the real Kat so much better, don’t you?” someone says. I look up to see the Kishka leaning against the glass wall near Wayne. “This one’s like someone’s idea of a girl. In my experience, real-life ladies aren’t that helpless.” The Kishka looks completely unperturbed by the scene. My mouth must drop open, because he puts a finger to his lips. “Probably best if they don’t know I’m here,” he tells me.
My eyes pass from him to Wayne and then back to Kat. I’d swear on my life that they were all flesh and blood. I can see the red, raw marks that the restraints are leaving on Kat’s wrists. I watch as tears stream from her eyes and her chest heaves with each breath.
“You know what’s real and what isn’t. You always have.” The Kishka sticks his thumb out at Wayne. “He can make as many copies as he likes. They won’t fool you unless you let them. That’s not your girlfriend. The man in the coat isn’t real. Look at them. You can see the difference.”
I can now. They’re empty. There’s nothing inside them.
And you? I think.
“I’m part of you. I’m as real as it comes.”
You’re inside my head.
“I’m inside every cell of you.”
What am I supposed to do?
“What would you do if those glasses weren’t on your face?” he asks. “Do that. It’s how you’ve survived so far. You haven’t
let the bastards change you.”
“Your time is running out,” the man in the white coat interrupts, as if on cue. “What are you going to do?”
The Kishka is gone, and the panic has faded. There are only two real things left in this room. Me and the man holding a fake gun. Now that I’ve realized that, I know this is what I’ve always wanted. I’m alone in a room with Wayne Gibson. He raises the gun as I take a step toward him.
“Sounds like you’ve got a big decision to make,” he says. “Better get cracking before it’s too late.”
I smile at him and keep walking in his direction. For the first time in a long time, I feel fucking great. Wayne, on the other hand, looks concerned. He rises from his seat, holding his gun out in front of him.
“Another step and I’ll shoot,” he informs me.
“You do what you gotta do,” I tell him. I’m in control of this experience now.
Wayne’s back is pressed up against the glass wall when he shoots. I feel a blast of pain in my heart. It’s not real, I tell myself, and the pain quickly begins to fade. Wayne is staring at the hole in my chest as it seals and disappears. Within a second, even the tear in the fabric of my shirt is gone. I know what is real. I am, but the bullets are not. As thrilled as I am to have figured it out, I still feel a little bit pissed at myself. I’ve seen The Matrix at least twenty-five times. I should have tried this shit ages ago.
“You missed,” I say. I’m almost in arm’s reach when Wayne fires three more times. I hear the shots, but the pain I feel lasts only a moment before it goes away. I reach Wayne before he can fire a fifth bullet. I grab him by the throat with one hand and wrench his gun away with the other. I feel stronger, more powerful than ever before. Wayne’s eyes roll back in his head as I begin to squeeze the life out of him.
Beyond the glass walls of the conference room, in the lobby downstairs, the lab employees are watching in awe. Most don’t seem to know if this is all part of the experience. AJ’s the only one who knows for certain that it’s not. I see him begin to inch toward the exit, careful to avoid causing a panic among his colleagues. He’s almost to the door when I see him lurch forward and fall flat on his face. Every head in the room turns in the direction of the elevator. Nasha emerges, a gun in her hand. The soundproof walls of the conference room prevent me from hearing anything, but I see her shout something at the lab employees in the lobby. They back up against one of the walls—all but AJ, whose left femur appears to have been shattered.
