“Don’t you have to ask Haus about that, seems like he’s calling all the shots.”
“Haus is nothing, you idiot! I set up the whole scenario. I pretended to be Haus. I have your girlfriend right now, and she is going to die if you don’t give me the gold and the rig!”
Andy acted surprised. “I’m confused, you’re Haus, and you have Mia, where? In New Urbes?”
“No, you fool, have you not paid attention? Not in the sim, out in the real world.”
“Oh, sorry Graybeard I don’t get there often. Well as much as I’d like to stay and chat I need to get out of here. I’m sure that rig will be back to pick you up. Victor Sierras, mount up.”
“Yes, Mr. Crawley,” came the reply from the team members, anxious to get to the protection of the armored vehicles.
“I’m gonna kill her; you hear me, Crawley! She’s fucking dead. I might even have fun doing it, then I’m coming for you Crawley just like I did Harvey. No one fucks with Graybeard!”
“You know Mia, and I are on the outs, right? I was just playing along cause it was part of the adventure,” Andy said. He backed up to the Humvee passenger door, his rifle trained on the Outfit boss. As he stepped up into the rig, he scratched his chin before slamming the door shut.
“Some win, others, like you, lose.”
“You’re gonna pay; it’s not a damn game. I’m going to kill her!”
Both rigs drove off kicking up dust into Graybeard’s face. It took all of Andy’s willpower just to drive away, leaving Graybeard there. He had to remind himself that what he was seeing was only a digital replication of the person he lusted to confront.
Andy played his part as well as he could. Earlier during the call from Calum, the FBI Agent asked him to do what he could to continue to do things that kept graybeard in the DZ. It would be a plus if Andy could get Graybeard to admit that he had planned and carried out the murder of Harvey, the kidnapping of Mia and the extortion that followed.
Graybeard looked at his frightened crew. They were stranded, no rig and no weapons. They would not even be able to defend themselves. Listening to the shrieks and screeching growing louder and closer as the things moved with the shadows in the buildings all around them Graybeard thought only of revenge. He would not have it in this dimension but would in another. He would perish in this sim but could live on in another. Killing Crawley and his girlfriend in that other dimension would go in his win column, and winning was what counted. He would teach the young Mr. Crawley that much, that arrogant asshole Hatch as well.
The sound of a vehicle racing up made him and the rest of his crew standing in the waning light look up. Their rig had returned! But instead of Carl, it was two of the Crewmen. They pointed their weapons at the group.
“Haus says any of you that want to become Crewmen, seeing as the Day Breakers is no more can jump in and join us, as prospects. Those that don’t can stay here with Graybeard. You got five seconds to decide. Leave your colors on the street if you’re a coming,” the passenger said.
Without hesitation, the three healthy Day Breakers dropped their vests and helped the injured fourth out of his as they jumped into the rig. In less than the five seconds allotted, the rig disappeared into the waning light.
***
Graybeard stood by himself in the dust thrown from the tires as the truck raced away. The sun was on the horizon, the DEVO’s in their stilted gait moved forward towards him with the advancing shadows of the buildings. The sunlight where he stood would soon be overtaken by the darkness and then the creatures.
Graybeard seethed as he spoke out loud. “They all think this is a game. I’ll win because I will take the fight to them, they will all rue the day they fucked with Graybeard.”
“Mr. Lindel?”
The boss of the decimated Day Breakers spun around, shocked to hear his real name spoken in the sim. He was even more shocked to see an Asian man in a dark suit standing in the street in front of him. Graybeard watched as some DEVO’s paced back in forth in the lobby of Heritage Square, while others hurled rocks at them from the approaching shadows, the suited man paid them no mind. In the distance, the sound of the infiltration rigs .50 calibers going off along with exploding Mark-19 rounds carried over the intermittent shrieks and calls.
“Who are you? What are you doing here dressed like that? You pay a fee to watch me get eaten? How do you know my name?”
“I’m Agent Wu, from the FBI’s Metaverse Crimes Team. You are under arrest.”
“You think you can arrest me here? You’ve been in-world too long son,” Graybeard said, thinking the man was some other type of adventurer.
“Yes.”
The grizzled muscular man looked around, where was the man’s car, how did he get here? Professor Jerry Lindel, AKA Graybeard, laughed at the silliness. In a few minutes or less, the DEVO’s would be on him, on the Asian man as well. He planned to shoot himself in the head. He would retain some experience points, but with his knowledge and expertise, he would regain his former greatness in another sim. But before doing that he was going to kill the girlfriend, then Crawley, then Hatch IRL.
Graybeard smiled at Wu. He thought he might kill him just for one more experience point allocation, after all, he was going to need them in his next life. In a flash, his large knife was in his hand. He started toward the man, who remained motionless. Before he took his second step the street all around him, including the creatures moving in their slow, stiff walk toward him disappeared, a blue haze now replaced all those visuals.
The SecondSkin hood being yanked from his head surprised Lindel more than the blue haze. Most remarkable, the same man wearing the same dark suit from the Dead Zone stood just outside his rented H-Pod. Lindel stared at Wu, disbelieving what was happening even as two other agents grabbed him from under the arms and pulled him from the exoskeleton then the pod.
Lindel was at a loss not only for words; he became confused about where he was. Seeing Wu in both dimensions simultaneously played on his mind. Soon, the infinitely depressing thoughts of being in a place where he had so little control took over.
The real world, an actual physical dimension had come crashing into his digital one, smashing it into nothingness. He was no longer Graybeard, the powerful Outfit boss. He was Jerry Lindel, a fifty-two-year-old retired college professor facing federal charges and life in prison.
Decisions that days ago were so easy to make in the context of the reality he chose to occupy now in retrospect were mistakes and costly ones. Unlike a Digital Adventures simulation where he could try again, and again he would get no do-over.
That was a reality from which there was no escape.
The End
I hope you enjoyed my little tale. Please don’t forget to give this book a quick review. Even just a two word, “Liked it” or “Hated it” review helps so much. Positive or negative, I am grateful for all feedback from my readers. Thanks again!
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About the Author
A career Law Enforcement Officer who, over a thirty-year period, held positions as a Police Officer, K-9 Officer, Hostage Negotiator, Police Supervisor, Command Level Officer, Federal and Military Trainer and a Police Chief. William Kurth is a recognized expert in police policy, tactics, and small arms. He has participated in, supervised or commanded over 500 tactical operations, including high-risk warrant services, barricaded subjects, hostage rescues and other critical incidents.
Following other passions, William instructs skiing full time in the
winter and writes during the warmer months. A Board Member of the Practical Defensive Arts Association William works with instructors and students in implementing self-defense courses both for the individual and corporations. William lives in “The Land of Enchantment,” known as the State of New Mexico with his wife and daughters and two Maltese-Shitzu's, Phineas and Ferb.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Dead Zone
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
About the Author
METAVERSE GAMES: OMNIBUS Page 37
