by Jason Segel
We weave through the maze of capsules. Construction has apparently been moving ahead at full speed. The labyrinth has doubled in size since the last time I was here. And more of them are in use. Hundreds of the hexagonal windows glow with the strange orange light.
“This is Katherine’s,” Martin says, stopping at one of the windows.
I press my nose to the glass. “It’s empty,” I say. “Where is she?”
“She’s in one of the visiting rooms,” Martin says. “There’s someone with her now. As soon as they leave, I’ll take you up to her. I thought you’d prefer to see her face to face. And just so you know, I made Todd leave your Otherworld avatar in the same cage with Katherine’s. After you talk to the boss, you can put on a disk and join her there.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask.
“Because I’m not a bad guy,” Martin tells me. “You two are sweet together.”
We hear the sound of wheels on the concrete floor. Someone is pushing a gurney our way. “That’s our latest patient,” says Martin. “Would you like to meet him?”
I nod, but he hesitates.
“You know what?” He points at the zip tie around my wrists. “It’s probably best if the staff doesn’t see you like this. I’ll remove your restraints if you promise to behave.”
“And if I don’t?” I ask.
He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head like he’s lecturing a naughty toddler. “If you don’t behave, you’ll never get to see Katherine Foley again. Here or in Otherworld. Do you understand?”
I nod again, but I’m gonna play it by ear. My fingers tighten into fists as Martin removes the zip tie. I have to force them to open again.
The nurse turns the corner. It’s not the same woman who helped me. God only knows what happened to her. My eyes lock with the nurse’s. There’s a flicker of life in them. She’s never seen me before, and she knows there must be a reason I’m here. Then I glance down at the body she’s carting. It’s Marlow Holm.
“Shit,” I mutter. His entire body is black and blue.
“I know.” Martin winces at the sight. “The kid’s pretty banged up. He and his mother were in a car accident this morning. It was a terrible tragedy. She worked for the Company. They say she was brilliant.”
“Mrs. Holm is dead?” Just as Marlow predicted. They made it happen.
“You knew Madeline Holm?” Martin asks casually. You’d think we were making cocktail party chitchat.
“I went to school with her son.”
“Of course! I can’t believe I almost forgot,” Martin says. “Yes, she passed away. But her son survived, and now he’s here with us. Don’t you see? Marlow is a member of the Company family, and he’ll be part of the beta test, too. That’s how passionately we believe in the importance of this project. The accident that brought Marlow to us was tragic. None of us enjoy seeing seventeen-year-olds with broken bodies. But if Marlow dies in our care, he’ll die a hero. His life will not have been wasted.”
I meet Martin’s beady little eyes. “Don’t feed me your bullshit,” I say as calmly as I can. “You and I both know Marlow wasn’t in an accident. The Company did this to him.”
The nurse gasps, and Martin recoils as if I’ve raised my fists. “Excuse us for a moment,” he tells the nurse. She stares at him like a deer watching an eighteen-wheeler barrel toward it. “Now, please.” The words break the spell and she bolts.
Martin’s good humor has disappeared by the time he turns back to me. “I thought you were going to behave!” he says through clenched teeth.
I’ve never known how to behave. I should keep my mouth shut, but I can’t let Martin convince himself that he’s anything but a murderer. “Marlow was in the same accident that nearly killed my best friend. He wasn’t supposed to survive it—but he did. So the Company staged another accident.”
“You know what? Todd was right. You are a little bastard,” Martin snaps. “I’ve been trying to explain my work to you, and you’re spouting stupid conspiracy theories—”
“It’s not a theory,” I say. “Marlow wasn’t in an accident. And he’s not in a coma now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Martin scoffs.
Before he has a chance to stop me, I step forward and slide the IV needle out of Marlow’s arm. Then I pull the visor off his face. Marlow’s eyes are open—wide open—and he’s terrified.
“Have you gone completely insane?” Martin whispers angrily. “Nurse!” he calls out. “Nurse, come back, there’s a problem with the…”
And he stops. He sees it too. Marlow’s lips are moving.
“God,” Martin groans.
“You sure you want to call on God right now?” I demand. “ ’Cause I have a feeling he’s not too happy with you. This is the truth, Martin: The people you have stored in these capsules aren’t vegetables. They may be injured, but they don’t have locked-in syndrome or anything like it. There are drugs mixed in with the IV fluid that are keeping them comatose. And maybe some of these people were in accidents, but I know of at least four kids my age who are here because the Company wants them to be here.”
Martin rubs his eyes, and I wonder if I’ve managed to surprise him. Then he sighs and picks up the needle that’s dangling from the end of the IV’s thin plastic tubing. He places it on Marlow’s chest, then looks up at me.
“I know,” he says. His anger is gone. He sounds beaten. “I wish like hell that I didn’t, but I do.”
Marlow’s lips stop moving and a thin trickle of drool escapes from the side of his open mouth as Martin takes the visor out of my hand and places it back on Marlow’s face.
“How can you stand back and let this happen?” I ask.
“You’re young and idealistic, Simon. When you get older, you’ll realize there are no easy choices. I stand back and let it happen because I honestly believe that this technology is going to make billions of lives better. What would you do in my shoes? Would you let a few dozen people die if it meant making the world a better place?”
“Is that what you think you’re doing? Improving the world?”
“Nurse!” Martin calls out again, and this time I hear footsteps hurrying toward us. I have a few more things I’d like to get off my chest, but Martin stops me. “Be careful what you say in front of her,” he warns. “I know what it’s like to have people’s deaths on my conscience. I’ve learned to live with it. Do you think you could too?”
This time, I have no answer to offer.
“Come on, then,” Martin says as the nurse returns. He smiles at me as if bygones are bygones. “Let’s go see your girlfriend. Promise you’ll be on your best behavior? No more yanking out IVs?”
I keep my mouth shut and nod.
“Good boy,” Martin says.
He guides me through the maze and up the stairs toward the visiting rooms off the lobby. I pause when we reach the top to watch the nurse connect Marlow’s body to the tubes and wires that will keep it alive inside his new capsule. Martin waits patiently. When I’m ready, I follow him down the hallway until we arrive at the last visiting room. There’s a blinking green light on the biometric scanner beside it.
“Kat’s ready for us,” Martin announces.
“You’re sure her stepfather is gone?” Even now, I have zero desire to be in Wayne Gibson’s company.
Martin shoots me a strange look. “You mean Mr. Gibson?”
“You said she had a visitor. Who else would it be?” I ask Martin. Her mom’s in a loony bin, and Kat has no other family. “I saw him here the last time I visited.”
“I’m sure you did,” Martin responds as if I’m a moron. “He works here.”
No. Fucking. Way. “He what?”
Martin snorts. “And I thought you had everything figured out, boy genius. Wayne Gibson runs this facility. He’s our boss.”
“What about Milo?” I ask while my mind reels.
“Milo’s on sabbatical,” Martin says.
He places his palm against the scanner’s screen,
and there’s no time for a response. The door in front of us opens with a swoosh. It must be the same room I was in before. There’s an OUT OF ORDER sign taped to the bathroom door. My eyes pass over a cabinet with a drawer jutting out. The medical equipment inside grabs Martin’s attention and he heads over to investigate.
And then I see Kat, tucked between the sheets. I’m by her side in an instant, her hand in mine and my face buried in her hair. I know there’s a very good chance that this is the last time I will see her alive in the real world. Martin promised that Kat and I could be together in Otherworld, but I doubt he’s run that one by his boss.
The boss. Wayne Gibson. Wayne fucking Gibson. I’m still finding it hard to wrap my head around that one. I almost wonder if Martin is messing with me. But now that I think about it, Wayne Gibson makes sense. Did he have Kat in his crosshairs before he married her mother—or did Kat accidentally get in his way? That’s what I’d really like to know. If only I could see him now. If only I could go back to the day when he and I stood face to face on Kat’s front porch. I would do things to Wayne Gibson that would shock Ragnar and all the bloodthirsty psychos in Nastrond. I would take my time with his body, ripping it apart bit by—
“Simon?” It’s Martin’s voice. He’s come to Kat’s bedside.
I look up at him and he flinches. I’m glad. The rage rushing through me must show on my face. Martin did this to Kat, and when I’m done with Wayne, I’ll come for him next.
“You need to say goodbye now,” Martin tells me. “It’s time to go.”
“No,” I say. “I’m not leaving her.”
Martin rolls his eyes. “Do I need to call security?” he asks.
“Go ahead. Call them,” I say. “I will kill every person who comes into this room.”
“Sure you will,” Martin says with a smirk. He can laugh all he likes. I know it’s true, and I know I can do it. Otherworld trained me well.
Martin lifts his arm, bringing the tiny computer that’s strapped to his wrist closer to his lips. I rise too. Martin won’t be calling anyone. When they find his body, I’ll make sure that arm is rammed somewhere special. He happens to glance up as I lunge across the bed. His eyes go wide as my fingers wrap around his scrawny neck. I’ve barely begun to squeeze when Martin’s eyelids flutter shut and his body goes limp. Suddenly the full weight of his body is in my hand. My grip is unprepared for the burden, and he slips through my fingers and crashes to the floor.
I rush over to the other side of the bed. For a few magical seconds, I honestly believe I’ve acquired superhuman powers. Then I spot the girl crawling out from beneath Kat’s bed. There’s a smile on her lips and a syringe in her hand, and I know my days as a superhero are over.
“Busara? What are you doing here?” I whisper.
“Taking a risk,” she tells me, sounding giddy with excitement. “I grabbed Marlow’s projector from your locker at school, but when I got back to Elmer’s, your body was gone. I figured the facility was the only place you could be, so I made an appointment to visit Kat.” She points at the steel door that leads to the capsule maze. “I was planning to go through there and look for you, but then you spared me the trouble and came to me.”
I glance down at Martin. “How did you just…”
“I found a syringe from the drawer and filled it with fluid from Kat’s IV. Gave Martin a taste of his own medicine. Pretty clever, right?”
She called him Martin, I realize. “How do you know his name?” I ask, prodding the engineer’s body with my toe. I must sound suspicious. Probably because I am. Busara’s still got a way to go before she earns my trust.
“Geez, Simon. He used to work for my dad, remember? Stop thinking I’ve turned to the dark side. Give me a chance, will you?”
I’ll give her a chance. But only because I don’t have a choice.
“Are you sure you’re strong enough for all this?” I ask. “I mean, your heart…”
“Is still beating as far as I can tell,” Busara says. “And we’ve got to get out of here. Martin won’t be unconscious for long. I’m parked outside.”
“What about Kat?” I ask. “We have to take her, too. And Gorog—what about him?”
Busara’s smile fades. “Simon…” She’s going to tell me it’s impossible.
“I am not leaving the facility without Kat,” I insist. “I am not going to let them put her back in one of those capsules so she can die in a video game.”
“Do you think Kat wants to be taken out of Otherworld?” Busara asks. “She’s obviously on a mission of her own. Do you think she wants it to end? Maybe you should ask her before you rip off her disk.”
“I don’t care what she wants; I will not let her die!”
“Calm down,” Busara says. “As long as you’re free, Kat’s not going to die.”
“What makes you so sure?” I demand.
“Because you know about the disks. And the Company will want to find you before you can cause problems. Kat’s their bait,” Busara tells me. “If she’s here, the Company knows you’ll eventually come back to the facility.”
I hate to admit it, but she makes an excellent point. Right now, the best way to protect Kat may be to abandon her here. But there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen.
“I want to get you out of here so you can go back to Otherworld and get Kat through the exit,” Busara is saying. “Then we’ll figure out what to do with the projector.”
“I can’t go back to Otherworld. I don’t have a disk and visor anymore,” I tell her. “The Company took mine when they found my body at Elmer’s.”
Busara reaches into the pocket of her jacket and pulls out a well-worn set of gear. “Use these. They’re all I have left. They might not be pretty, but they work. The disk isn’t connected to mine, though. I won’t know where you are in Otherworld, so I won’t be able to help you. Now get out of here, and find a safe place to hide your body.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Help me drag Martin to the bathroom,” I tell Busara. “No one’s going in there. It’s been out of order for days. Tie him up and then head out to your car and wait for a signal. Don’t leave the parking lot until you get one.”
“What are you going to do?” Busara asks. “Where are you going to go?”
“Nowhere,” I tell her. If Busara could fit under Kat’s bed, I figure I can too. “I’m going to stay right here.”
“Simon.” The whisper comes from above. I’d know the voice anywhere.
My eyes are still closed, but I’m where I need to be. I can feel lips pressing against mine. I reach out and find the girl they belong to. The body beneath my fingertips is soft and warm. An electric current courses over my skin. Every cell is tingling. Maybe none of this is real, but I’ve never felt so alive.
“Kat.” My head is in her lap. Her hair has fallen across my face. Once more, her lips press against mine.
When she pulls back, I sit up and open my eyes so I can find her lips again. But the sight of her smile stops me short. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it. I never want to look away.
“You came after me, just like you promised,” she says.
“Of course I did. I’d go anywhere for you.”
Kat takes my hand. “I’m sorry. I should have told you everything from the start,” she says, her eyes on my fingers. “I was trying to protect you. I thought if I could just—”
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “We’re in this together now.”
“I know,” she says. “If it makes any difference, it feels like you’ve been with me the entire time.”
She sighs and her breath turns into a frozen cloud that hovers between us for a moment. We’re no longer in Moloch’s tower. Around us, I can see ragged rock walls and a cavern that’s bathed in an ethereal blue light. What look like strands of stars are suspended from the ceiling. They blink in strange patterns that pass from one strand to the next as if they’re creatures speaking in code. And they are, I realize.
“They’re ali
ve,” I say.
“Yes,” Kat confirms. “The Children cultivate them.”
“Where are we?” I ask her.
“Beneath the ice fields,” she tells me. “This is where the Children hide. They brought us here,” Kat says.
“Why are they helping us?”
“Because they want us to help them. We know we don’t belong here. The guests with headsets think this is a game—that the Children only exist for their amusement. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen while I’ve been here.”
“I think I probably would,” I say. “How did you figure out that the Children are different?”
“I was traveling through the wasteland outside the White City when I came across a caravan of trucks. Moloch’s soldiers were rounding up all the Children they could find. I knew the minute I saw them that the Children weren’t part of the original game. So I snuck into one of the trucks and spoke with them. One told me they were being taken to a realm where guests hunt them for sport. I could see how terrified they were. That’s when I figured out they were real.”
“God, that’s horrible.”
“That’s what I thought. So I killed all the NPC soldiers and set the Children free. I guess word got out after that. The Children have been helping me ever since.”
“How did you end up getting caught?”
Kat laughs. “I didn’t. I heard a rumor that Moloch was looking for a guest who wasn’t supposed to be in the game. I thought that was probably you, so I let him find me. His tower wasn’t as impregnable as he thought. I could have escaped at any time. The Children and I were just waiting for you to arrive. As soon as you’re ready, the Children will escort us to the glacier to see their father. Do you remember the giant red avatar? It belongs to—”
“Milo Yolkin. How did you find out in here?”
She grins. “I’m a badass. How’d you find out?”
“I just sort of stumbled into it, really. But that’s beside the point. We might need to kill him if he tries to keep us from going through the exit,” I tell her. “Are you ready for that?”
“We can’t kill him,” Kat says. “Milo’s the only one who can save us.”
