Hunter figured he must’ve become weak in his old age. That could be the only explanation for it. He was weak and senile. That was what it was: he was going senile. He had to be, because after Veil, The Veillusion jumpstarted all their lives, he let Roy convince him that it didn’t make sense for the three of them to live separately. There was too much going on, and they were too old to deal with it all spread out like that. Roy argued that because Suren’s home was larger, it made more sense for Hunter to move in with the two of them. Hunter would have an entire floor of Roy’s wing of the palace all to himself.
Roy knew what Hunter would be concerned about the most, so he was preemptive. He assured Hunter there was an office on that floor that could accommodate everything in Ken’s office. In fact, Hunter could arrange it almost identically. He also assured Hunter that, of course, he would never see Suren. The house was huge. And finally—yes, he could still have all his alcohol delivered straight to the house. Roy was pretty sure those assurances would cover all of Hunter’s bases.
Yes, we’ll keep the Febreze stocked. Plenty of it.
Roy missed one.
“You’re packing?”
“Yes. I’m moving in with Roy.”
“You mean into Suren’s house?”
“No, Pollyanna. I’m moving in with Roy.”
“Ok. Ok.”
“I hear he gave you the Old Tsay House.”
“Yeah, my parents couldn’t handle me living with them any more. Not after everything that’s happened and all the … the attention. It’s too much.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“The house is nice, it just needs a lot of work. It doesn’t look like anyone has been inside it for like a decade.”
“I doubt anyone has. He moved back in with her about that long ago.”
“Yeah it was nice of him, though.”
“Anyway. Pray tell, why oh why has Raggedy Ann come to call on me?”
“What?”
“Oh Mary, how is it that a pygmy like you can be so smart yet still have no clue about anything?”
“Hunter, I have no idea what you’re talking about like eighty percent of the time. I assumed when I first met you that you had Tourette’s or at some point you must’ve had a stroke, and I moved on.”
“Anyway.”
“Right, anyway. So here it is.” She pulled out a small, shiny black box. Inscribed with gold lettering, it read: “KEN/HUNTER.”
“Oh yeah—that.”
“What do you mean, ‘oh yeah—that’? It’s what you asked me for, remember?”
“I know, I know … I just … things have just … it’s complicated.”
“Then your bitter old ass needs to uncomplicate them, because I worked on this for like…”—she paused to do some math—“over seven months. Do you have any idea what else I could’ve been doing?”
“You know I don’t give a fuck. I don’t know why you bother asking.”
“Right—so, you don’t want this?” Peyton jutted the box at him. Her other hand was on her hip.
Hunter stopped pretending like he was focused on packing Ken’s old books. He told himself to remember that he decided Suren was right: it wasn’t what Ken would’ve wanted. Not like that, not for that price. Ken would’ve wanted things to play out to their logical conclusions. They weren’t supposed to interfere; Veil was supposed to be given its full chance.
That was supposed to be like their Prime Directive or some shit: don’t interfere with the lives of the lowly natives. The whole existence of the Ken Clause indicated Ken’s wishes. Hunter decided he couldn’t go against Ken like that. He decided he shouldn’t go against Ken like that. Hunter rose, walked to Peyton, and snatched the box out of her hand.
Oh god, the weight of it. The cold, smooth plastic. The feeling of it in his hand. The texture of the letters she inscribed on its surface, and the feeling of it as his finger pads slid across them when he grabbed the box from her. He missed his box but what he missed more was what Peyton stored inside the one he was holding.
Still, all he had to do was take that thing and throw it against the wall behind Peyton. The smashing and crashing of it would get his point across. He couldn’t take it; he didn’t want it. All Hunter had to do was be his usual dickhead self and tell Peyton he didn’t really give a shit how long or hard she worked on it. He simply changed his mind; there was nothing she could do about it; she would have to accept it.
“Leave it.”
“How do I know you’ll live up to your end of the deal?”
“I will. I’m not a liar. Just leave it.”
“Ok, but … well, the price has gone up.”
“Don’t test me, you muppet. I can see me killing someone.”
“No—no. I mean … all I want is the program you used. The rewriting you did of my program. The algorithm. I’d like to have it. That’s all I want. As a favor really.”
Hunter shook his head and held out the box. Confused, she grabbed it. He took out his cellphone, opened the battery compartment, and removed its internal flash drive. He exchanged the box in Peyton’s hand for the small drive he removed from his phone.
“It’s on there. It’s named Final Cut.”
“Final Cut?”
“Yes, Princess Toadstool. Like the movie. We were huge movie buffs.”
Her expression was blank.
“Whatever. There’s probably a lot of gay porn on there too, so you’ll want to skip over all that. Unless you like gay porn. You look like you like gay porn.”
She groaned and winced at the drive between her fingers with disgust, as if upon hearing that she imagined the drive was caked with his semen.
“Goodbye now, Powerpuff Girl,” Hunter barked and dismissed Peyton with a wave of his hand.
She exited the office and headed down the long hallway, as he trailed close behind. He clutched the box against his chest.
“So, when can I expect you to live up to your end?”
“Soon, I’ll let you know,” he snarled. “Just keep it between us.”
Peyton smirked over her shoulder and antagonized him. “Oh, Suren doesn’t know about it?”
“The bitch isn’t my fucking mother!” Hunter shrieked at the back of her head.
“Ok—ok. Geesh,” she scoffed. What a grumpy old dude.
When she arrived at the door, he lunged to reach around he, and he opened it for her. It wasn’t a chivalrous gesture; he wanted to make sure she made her way through it quickly. If she appeared to be dawdling, he could ever so gently nudge her out. Or kick her in the back of her knees, so she tumbled down the stairs and off the porch. Either-or, really. Hunter wasn’t picky and tried to be a pretty easygoing guy when it came to decisions like that.
He put his hand on Peyton’s shoulder, and as he shoved her out the door, he assured her he’d live up to his part of the deal.
“Like I said, I’ll let you know. It will take a bit of time to push through, but when it does I’ll be in touch. Then the little Gremlin and all her Ewok friends in the Lollipop Guild can get their grubby little fingers on the streaming technology. Don’t call me. I’ll call you. Ok thanks, buh-bye now.”
She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t have a chance. Hunter released her shoulder and slammed the door behind her. She heard him lock all the locks.
I swear to Jin, there is something seriously wrong with that weird, little man.
Hunter squinted through the peephole to verify the leprechaun of a girl was actually leaving him to enjoy his wee pot of gold. Tourette’s? Stroke? She must’ve thought she was pretty damn funny.
Brock would’ve really loved wiseass Peyton, the smart-mouthed little Pikachu.
Hunter turned and instinctually started down the hallway back to Ken’s office. He stopped when he remembered his vCollar and artificial brain were in the bedroom. He turned and headed for the grand staircase in the entryway. With Ken cradled in his arms and pulled tightly against his chest, Hunter ascended the stairs and started to speed
walk as much as he was able.
His chin quivered, and tears blurred his vision. He couldn’t wait to hold him again. The anticipation was so great he damn near screamed as he rushed toward the euphoria that awaited him in the bedroom: his Ken.
24
LOGOS
“This is a special broadcast, and I want to say at the outset what a privilege it is to be able to report for this station and deliver our interview to viewers and Veilers alike all over the world. Tonight I will try to be the world’s eyes and ears for the story that has begged to be told for five and a half years. I am Christiane Amanpour, and I’m honored to have as my guest tonight, Dr. Kenneth Lee Wise. Welcome, Dr. Wise.”
“Thank you Christiane, and please, you should call me Ken.”
“Ken it is. Let’s get down to it shall we? The world has been waiting to hear you speak again since that fateful night when, from this same studio, you and Dr. Hunter Kennerly presented Veil to the world. With what limited time you’ve allowed us, I don’t want to squander any.”
“I understand and thank you for inviting me here for this conversation.”
“Thank you for accepting, it’s truly an honor. Ken, my first question to you would have to be, almost six years into what has since been dubbed the New Veil World, what would you say we have learned? What has been the biggest lesson you’ve seen in our PostVeil world?”
“Well Christiane, let me first say that I will try to avoid the most obvious answers. I’ll try to answer your questions from a distinctly personal place. I have to admit my own perspectives of Veil and the New Veil World will be quite different than the rest of the world’s. Not only for the most obvious reason, but also because I have very, very limited experience with Veil itself.”
“Now Ken, this is something many of us have heard rumored. Personally, I find it extremely intriguing. Extensive research has been unable to come up with instances of Veil encounters with any of the Tsay Trustees, other than Dr. Kennerly’s Veil during the trial of General Eugene Coffman. It was during the course of that trial that Dr. Kennerly allowed himself to be Veiled by Surveillors, because General Coffman disclosed his involvement in the murder of Dr. Jin Tsay by directly admitting it to Dr. Kennerly. However, other than that particular instance, no evidence of participation in Veil has been traced back to any of the four Tsay Trustees.”
“As a habit, I don’t like to speak for the other three Trustees, but I will say that is correct, we all have extraordinarily limited experience with Veil.”
“Extraordinarily is quite the understatement. I can’t help but draw a parallel to the early days of social-networking cloudsites—back then called websites—when it became obvious that the most popular social-networking platforms were ironically designed and developed by some incredibly unsocial personalities. In that regard, Veil seems to share in that same irony.”
“I can’t argue with that. Perhaps for different reasons, perhaps not. It’s hard to say for sure. However, I am pretty certain that, were Jin still alive and had the New Veil World still developed somehow, Jin would’ve been very reluctant to Veil. Jin was very, very private. Not secretive really, just private. Guarded.”
“That’s not surprising, as the world knows so very little about the Great Dr. Jin Tsay, the Father of Veil.”
“That’s true as well and I think that’s something that unfortunately will not change. If it does change, it certainly will not be something forthcoming from the Tsay Trustees. Those of us who knew Jin are extremely protective of him, although he is no longer with us. We’re probably more protective of Jin because he is no longer with us. But, to answer your original question, Christiane…”
“Oh yes, the question. Look at you, doing my job for me. I apologize. So Ken, the main lesson of Veil as you see it, PostVeil and halfway through our Sixth Veil Year? Hard to believe it’s already 6 V.Y., isn’t it?”
“It certainly is, and that’s a very interesting question. If I were to choose one thing, it would have to be how the world has learned, and is still learning, that everyone one has a distinct ability. Every single one of us seems to have a primary, definitive, and identifiable ability.”
“An ability? That would be your choice of what we as a world have learned through Veil? We all have an ability?”
“Yes, definitely and please, let me explain.”
“By all means.”
“In the world you and I were raised in, abilities were valued if they either produced something, or if they generated a profit. If your ability didn’t create something or make money, it was more likely dismissed as merely your personality. Maybe it was disregarded as one of your idiosyncrasies, one of your quirks. It wasn’t seen for what it truly was. While some people can be good at singing, dancing, inventing, writing, fighting, playing an instrument, swimming, debating or say, journalism…”
“Some of us, hopefully.”
“Yes, some … well those are all abilities that created something or could generate a profit for someone. Those kinds of abilities are still highly regarded, as seen by the prevalence of certain Velebrities. I’m sure, being such a highly regarded journalist, there are quite a number of people shadowing you right now to experience this interview for themselves later. Not only because you are interviewing me per say, but also because you are such a highly regarded journalist.”
“A few hundred million shadowers, give or take.”
“Precisely. But there are other abilities out there. Abilities that have always been overlooked and taken for granted. Now that Veil has begun unmasking those abilities, they have begun taking the forefront in society. People’s unique abilities are starting to be experienced by others firsthand and therefore, they are being valued much more.”
“I’m guessing you already have some examples of these abilities?”
“Sure, it’s why I’m here. Someone’s ability might be to love really, really well. To feel love deeper somehow, with every fiber of their being. Their capacity for love could feel more expansive. Compared to others, someone simply may love better. Through Veil, when others are exposed to that greater capacity for love, they will be drawn to it. More and more people will be drawn to it more and more often.
“Another’s ability might be hearing and appreciating music differently than most people. They might hear it differently than a lot of people, and music might sound much richer somehow through their ears. Combine that person’s ability with a particular musician, and it might be the perfect fusion for some Veilers, so they might be disillusioned once the Veil ends, and once they hear music through their own ears. Veilers might feel compelled to Veil that person again and, in essence, keep chasing that musical high.”
“Interesting, because I’ve read accounts of what you’re describing, the other day, in fact.”
“Yes, it’s out there. While I might not participate in Veil, I certainly stay apprised of all Veil’s developments, its permutations, its applications. The phenomenon we’re discussing touches almost every aspect of our lives. Including physical health, Christiane. For instance, there might be a Veiler who is not only able to maintain their health, diet, and exercise but also reach a life balance of those elements, so they are able to feel healthy. They might be able to feel healthier than most people are accustomed to feeling.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but they feel healthier?”
“Very much so, I’ve seen it happen already. Like the adage ‘Healthier Is Happier’. Look at one of the most Veiled and renowned New Veil World Velebrities, Steve Cook. On the surface, Steve appears to be a previously unknown, relatively random fitness expert and model, who just so happens to have an aesthetically pleasing body, which millions of people aspire to or appreciate. So, it would make sense that millions upon millions of people would want to Veil with him to get a chance to see what it’s like to be him, which could be for varying reasons. They could do so to gain firsthand insight into his fitness routine. They might shadow him to understand his diet. Or to experience his weightlifting
approach and form. Or to feel exactly how each of his muscles responds. Or they could do so to experience what it’s like to be that aesthetically pleasing and therefore, garner so much attention and attraction. From both sexes, mind you. Heck, they could shadow him simply for the chance to see him nude, even if through his own eyes. If, of course, Steve allows that to happen. Veilers always have a choice regarding the parts of themselves that they allow their shadowers to experience”
“Oh yes, of course. Certainly. My Veils always end once my interviews end, so I understand what you mean.”
“Precisely, and just like there could be hundreds of reasons why Veilers shadow you, there could be hundreds of reasons why so many people shadow Steve Cook, and most times it would prove to be for a combination of reasons. However, that doesn’t explain away why he’s one of the few who’s risen to the top of the New Veil World. Numbers alone don’t necessarily explain why someone becomes a Velebrity. If you listen closely to what’s being said about the experience of Veiling with him, or if you dissect the data flowing into social-networking and VeilTrackers from the vNet, it quickly becomes quite clear how, through Steve, people have experienced a physically healthy, happy, balanced state of being they’ve been unable or unwilling to attain themselves. Now, there will be people who seek different forms of happiness and health, such as spiritual or sexual, and there are already Velebrities who reflect those things as well. Steve is but one example, but he’s a good example, because you have to look deeper to see what people are truly gaining from repeatedly, sometimes obsessively, Veiling him. While one would hope those shadowers learn from Steve and apply it to themselves, it may or may not always be the case. Being Steve might motivate some, while it might stagnate others.
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