His assertiveness took Gary aback. No “ha!” No amused expression. No reply filled with William-wit. It was like he genuinely didn’t know. This willful ignorance infuriated Gary. But all he could manage was a smirk.
“Cut the bullshit, old man! Your game is over.”
“Ha!”
There it was—William for, ‘I’m about to say something that’ll blow your mind.’ This time, however, Gary had made up his mind that he would not be thrown off by anything that escaped his vile mouth.
“He does, actually. I thought he was confused, too, but I checked and…”
William swung around. “How is that possible?!”
His upset tone dropped a speck of panic in Gary’s mind. “Hold on. What’s going on here?”
William turned to face him again. There was a bewilderment in his eyes—the kind that told Gary he didn’t quite know what he was feeling or what to do with it.
Yeah… that’s what it feels like, asshole!
But the bliss ended as soon as it started. Gary tore his eyes away from William to rest his gaze on Amanda. There was no smugness about her, no ‘I-told-you-so’ expression. Concern and sympathy; that’s all she offered.
“How is that possible?”
Amanda shrugged. “I guess even Trans D can be fooled…”
Her words echoed in Gary’s mind, causing him to grab his head with both hands. There was no headache. But his brain got caught up in the vortex of whatever had upset it.
Trans D can be fooled…? Where have I…
“There must be a mistake.”
“Nope. Sorry, dad.”
“Are you…”
Gary shook his head, knocking the lightheadedness away in time to see William storming at Amanda. He wanted to intervene, but by the time he got a better grip on his own mind, William had halted. He swung around to face Gary again. And as if his body and mind were at odds, he turned to Amanda—again.
“Are you enjoying this, my dear?”
Try as he may, he couldn’t hide the surprise—maybe even a tinge of angst—in his voice; it betrayed him only subtly, but shamelessly. Under normal circumstances, which he couldn’t define anymore, Gary would have felt satisfied. His conscience didn’t even scold him for the thought. Yes. He would have reveled seeing the man disguised as a demon in this perfect state of vulnerability. Of course, one’s mind has the uncanny ability to state the obvious to itself and nullify such jollifications: if William didn’t know about the money, he couldn’t have been conspiring with Jennifer.
“Just saying.”
“Unacceptable.”
“Tell that to the AI.”
“What’s going on here?” William turned to Gary. “What is she talking about?”
The raised, smug eyebrow was an involuntary reaction. A mere effect to a most ironic cause. While some part of Gary wanted to burst out in laughter and mock William for his predicament, most of him wanted to cringe, crumble, and scream. He should have listened to Rebecca. He should have listened to Amanda.
“I—” His heart started throbbing, “I have an inheritance. I thought… I thought…”
“What inheritance?!”
“You said I don’t know what I’m giving up. If you weren’t talking about the money… what were you talking about?”
William’s laugh was baleful. “Oh, this is…” a hand rose to his forehead, “you thought you would outsmart me with money?” He walked up to Gary, who instinctively backed away. His back thudded against the hallway wall. “After everything I told you, you thought this was about money?”
“What will I give up?”
“You’re a sorry disappointment, if ever there was one.”
William turned and stormed toward Amanda. “What were you doing with him all this time?!” He stretched out his hand and pointed violently at Gary, “What did you fill his head with?!”
“Hey!”
Gary rushed over, grabbed William’s shirt, and pushed him up against the wall. Dark eyes mirrored each other. He’s seen him before. He knew this man. William laughed at his confused expression.
“Oh… he’s putting two and two together, my dear. This ought to be interesting.”
Gary let William go and took hold of his head, while his knees refused to keep him standing. He felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, Amanda was by his side, concerned as ever. She never asked if he was okay. She never said anything. It’s like her eyes tried having a conversation with him. He squinted, trying his best to decipher their silent exchange. But there was nothing.
“Take it back,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Don’t stay. Please, go back to Val.”
“Well, well… Look at you two, cozying up already. That makes me proud.”
“Stop!” Amanda pleaded.
“I—I don’t understand…”
“At least he’ll have you.”
“No! No… that’s not fair. He didn’t know.”
“Then he shouldn’t have jumped to ridiculous conclusions and made rash decisions. Investigating a matter is important; didn’t we talk about that, Gary? I distinctly remember—”
“You can’t do this!”
“What I can’t do, my dear, is jump out a window and fly. I assure you I am fully capable of granting my young friend’s wish of living the life he’s always wanted.”
“Damn it! He is not your friend, dad! He is your son… have a heart.”
Son…?
His mind absorbed the revelation without putting up a fight. As if it was expecting the news, it calmly let Amanda’s words filter through. Earlier, when he had been downstairs, Gray Eyes called Amanda his sister and William his father. Then, too, his mind had let it slip. It was somewhat alarming the first time—not because it felt like a fact he was unaware of, it was just something he didn’t want to hear or give attention to. Or perhaps… his unconscious mind knew what his conscious mind hadn’t yet remembered.
“I have a heart… why do you think I gave him a choice? I could have just ripped him away from everything he holds dear. It seems, however, it wouldn’t have fazed him either way.”
“You did rip me away, asshole!”
Amanda and William both stared at him. They seemed confused, but William’s confusion was mixed with alarm while Amanda’s was mixed with…
Is she smiling at me?
“Did you hear her?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I heard her!”
Amanda supported him as he rose. “And she’s right. You are a heartless asshole. You think you can play master over people’s lives? You’re wrong!”
William’s focus shifted to Amanda. “You told him?”
“No.”
“How did he know, then?”
“Know what?” Gary asked.
“How did you know I’m your father?”
“I didn’t. I mean, I… I had this feeling since our first conversation.”
“That I was your father?”
“That I knew you.”
“You don’t know me. We’ve never met before the plane.”
“I’ve seen you before.”
Again, their eyes dove deep into each other’s. This time, though, William was a lone explorer as he searched for answers. Gary just stared, his mind—incredibly—filled with calm. There were no thoughts, no sense of confusion or panic, not even anger. There was just Val’s sweet, loving face. If he could just be with her, everything would be perfect. He’d have the courage to face anything William could think of throwing at him.
“That’s not possible.” William persisted.
“Like you not knowing about his fortune?”
William snorted. “When this is over, you and I need to have a conversation. Your undermining is… inconvenient.”
“When this is over,” Amanda approached him, “you and I are done.”
William chuckled. “You two take after each other,” he pointed from Amanda to Gary, “and since you don’t share a
mother… I must take the blame for your arrogance. I must admit, you remind me so much of myself as a youngster.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. Gary stared at her, trying to locate her in his hazy memory as he had located William. But she wasn’t there. She didn’t exist in the abyss of his mind.
“This inheritance, what is it?” William had asked.
“It’s none of your damn business.”
“Young man, do not mistake my tolerance and patience for familial kindness. You exist because of me. But don’t think, for one moment, you being here has anything to do with a biological connection. I can eliminate you just as easily as I would her.” William eyed Amanda.
“Why am I here, then? Really?”
“I am not a fan of repeating myself. And I am not a fan of being made a fool of.”
“Are you threatening your own daughter?”
Gary moved forward, shoving her behind him. William continued eying her over Gary’s shoulder, widening his eyes comically.
“Look who’s earned herself a new guardian angel. That’s fine. I can wait my turn.”
“If you touch her—”
“I’d hate to break your long-lost, brother-sister reunion thingy,” William twirled his hand, “actually… that’s a lie. I don’t like the direction this narrative has taken.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Gary, tell you what… I’m interested in your little secret. So, I’ll let your impulsive decision slip, because I’m a nice guy—in exchange for your secret. And then you can think about that decision with more… discernment.”
“Take it.” Amanda demanded.
“What?” Gary turned to face her.
“He’s giving you a chance. Take it.”
“A chance at what?”
“I’ll share a lesson. Father to son, as it were. Amanda, you should pay attention, too. It seems you’ve forgotten this one.”
“I don’t take advice from—”
“Gary,” Amanda took him by the arm, “please shut up. You’ll make it worse for yourself.”
“NO!” He ripped himself away from her. “Enough! Do you hear me? I’ve had it! I gave you my answer. This pathetic wager is over. OVER!”
“Now how would you know Aadi?”
“Ah, William! I was just thinking of you.”
“I asked you a question.”
“I’ll tell you, eventually… How about we do it over dinner? Tomorrow?”
William looks at Amanda. She’s equally perplexed.
“Excuse me…” William turns to walk away.
“It won’t work.”
William’s body halts. But he doesn’t turn around.
“You never wanted me to cross over to the other side. I messed up everything for you.”
“What the hell are you on about?” William flings around, looking at Gary with bewildered eyes.
“Gary—”
“It’s okay,” Gary holds his hand in the air to shush Amanda. “You can’t do much with a spatula in the wrong pot, can you, old man?”
“I advise you to get to the point before I grow bored with you.”
“What will you do, then? When you get bored? Or should I say, nervous?” Gary makes a fist, examines it, and looks at William. “Poof?” His fingers burst open.
William seems oblivious to Gary’s words as his gaze stays transfixed on his hand.
“Say, dad, did I ever tell you about my grandfather’s dear friend? My memories of the last three years are still… hazy.”
“Your grandfather?”
“Yes. You remember him, I’m sure. Gary Edward Davis. He was an Elite. You got his daughter pregnant just before your mother created Trans D.”
Amanda gasps.
“How…?” William storms at Gary, who doesn’t move an inch.
“She never forgot. Told me all about you, actually.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Amanda,” Gary smiles at her and extends his hand. “We never met, face to face, that is. It’s a pleasure.”
She laughs and wipes a tear from her cheek. “You remembered.” She leaps forward, throwing her hands around his neck. “How?!” She lets go, cupping his face in her hand.
“My grandfather’s friend.” He points to the photo below the one of William’s mother.
“What the hell is this?!”
The hall falls quiet. William looks at the gawking crowd.
“OUT! Everybody, out now!”
They stare.
Gary spots Elizabeth hovering in the doorway beyond. He winks at her. He can’t make out the details of her face, but he’s sure she just rolled her eyes. At that, he lifts his right hand and hovers it over his left breast, tapping twice. She stands still for another moment and then disappears.
“Ladies, gentlemen,” Gary calls out, “The evening has just been canceled. We have a family matter to attend to.”
Murmurs break out.
Gary looks to the doorway again, but no one is there. He takes a deep breath.
He turns to Amanda. “Things didn’t exactly go as planned… Did she really leave me?”
Her gaze drops, and his heart sinks with it. A single tear falls from an eye, but he doesn’t know which one, so he slides both hands over his face.
“Get out NOW!” William’s voice booms when the crowd still hovers.
“Calm down, old man, you’ll burst like a balloon…” Gary says and winks at Amanda.
Finally, the hall is deserted. Hopeful, Gary throws another glance at the doorway. Amanda rests a hand against his back.
“Amanda! What have you done?” William spits.
She shrugs. “Played my part.”
“You betrayed me, your own father! How? How did you tell him?”
“I didn’t. He told me.”
Gary chuckles, “Oh, this is priceless… How does it feel, William, to be in the dark and helpless?”
“That’s impossible! He knew nothing. Nothing!”
“Welcome to my playing field, old man.”
“Yours…?” William laughs. “You can’t distinguish your right hand from your left!”
“That was true. For a while. But let me tell you the story of how I got here in the first place. I feel I owe it to you. Son to father… what do you say?”
“Okay, you’re right. I owe you nothing. I just want to see the look on your face when you find out how you’ve been played. I have this slight wicked streak in me, you see. I think it came from you.”
“I can’t be played. I am the game master. Me!”
“Really? And you came up with that wager all by yourself, did you?”
William’s eyes dart to Amanda.
“Mm… she suggested it, because I told her to.”
“You’re lying!”
“She bonded with you, because I told her to.”
“No.”
“Yes. Remember how she hated you, William? Up until ten, odd years ago? And how, one day, like magic, she approached you and told you she wanted a relationship with her estranged father?”
“What would you know about that?”
“She did it, because I told her to.”
“Bullshit!”
“But this story begins before that. Way, way back before she was born. Hell, it begins before I was born.”
“What does that mean?”
“There were Elites who didn’t agree with the Trans D program. They stood against your mother and her followers.”
“Don’t tell me shit I already know!”
“As you know, my grandfather was one of them. And my mother, thinking you were nothing like your mother, begged you to leave with her and her family. But…” Gary chuckles, “you wouldn’t listen. You enjoyed being a self-entitled jerk.”
“Get to the point.”
“As the narrative goes, the Elites who opposed your mother blended into normal society, accepted their fate when Trans D was finally initiated, or—if they didn’t—were simply eliminated, along with the masses who tried to revolt. And tha
t was that. Except…”
“Except what?!”
“This is fun… I see now why you liked these kinds of conversations. Knowing something I didn’t, dangling bits of information like a dried piece of meat scrap before an emaciated dog.”
“Answer me.”
“Except that’s not what happened.”
“Wh—Of course that’s what happened! No one escaped Trans D.”
“I guess you could say that’s true. Sort of. I mean… they got the chips, of course. That’s how you found my mother, after all… when you learned of her pregnancy.”
“You can’t possibly know about that.”
“Yet, I do.”
“How?”
“My grandfather’s dear friend, Aadi. You knew him, right? You practically grew up with him.”
“No… No, he would never have betrayed my mother.”
“He worked with her from day one… soon realized she wouldn’t stop until she created a perfect system that would plunge humanity into an everlasting broken reality and slavery. And so, every so often, he would throw in malicious coding. Nothing serious… just enough to make it look like the program was running flawless. At the same time, he snuck out Trans D copies and took it to his good friend, Gary Edward Davis.”
William looks on, shaking his head.
“Your mother never bothered to check up on him, because, well… she trusted him too much.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he had a heart.” Amanda says.
William looks at her.
“Because he was a good man.”
“He taught my grandfather everything about the program, especially about the flaws he had built into it. But then he died before he could deliver the final version.”
“Trans D has no flaws!”
“Are you sure…? Is it pure coincidence that I know about all this?”
“Trans D can’t distinguish between itself and a dummy program Aadi worked on with Gary’s grandfather.”
“What?”
“She’s right… They injected themselves with the dummy program and activated it when Trans D was initiated. It mimics Trans D’s suppressing effects and sends out false parameter signals, which Trans D believes is true.”
“Jennifer knew… All these years, she knew who I was? That I was your father?”
“Of course. And so did I.”
Inevitable Truth (Broken Reality A Mystery Thriller Series of Alternate Worlds Book 5) Page 3
