by Terry Schott
“I have come to offer you a solution. To offer all of you a way out.”
“What kind of solution?”
She smiled. “The same thing that I was offered all those years ago.”
For the first time in decades, the Toad disappeared. Cecil Williams looked at the Prophet and felt something he had never thought to experience again in this lifetime.
Hope.
27
The old Game might be winding down, but there are new and exciting developments on the horizon to make even the most conservative fan excited.
Earlier today, Trew Strayne announced that two new Games will be initiated to replace the old one. We aren’t certain of the details, but whispers from inside sources indicate that this will be the most exciting thing to happen since, well, perhaps ever.
-Clive Buchanan - Game Central news
“How is this going to work?” Danni walked up behind Trew and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her head into his shoulder.
Trew stared at the large board propped against the boardroom wall, his gaze resting first on one Game outline, then moving to look at the second. “I think we release one at a time, but still close together. No more than two months apart.”
“Is the senator on board?”
“Yes, and he has managed to recruit thousands of seniors to play.”
“We need hundreds of thousands.”
“They will come.” He pointed to the Game outline on the right. “It’s the beginning of something new, Danni. A new movement.”
“We do have experience building movements.” She smiled at memories of building the Gamer movement on Earth.
“It will take some time to build the numbers. Many will watch the early adopters and join them if things look favourable.”
“That’s true. Remember all those first meetings with only two or three people in a room?”
“I sure do.” Trew grinned. “Those were fun times, weren’t they?”
“Not really.” Danni leaned her head against her husband’s. “I recall a young, impatient Trew being very disheartened by the dismal turnouts. I think you even threatened to give up.”
“Maybe once or twice. Things grew, though. Plus I had my favourite girl with me every step of the way. I had nowhere to go because I was already exactly where I needed to be whenever I was with you.”
Danni smiled, but after a moment, it faded. “Have you decided if you are going in?”
“I’ve decided. I won’t be going into either Game, babe.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“If you want to, then I support the decision one hundred percent.”
He turned in his chair to face her. “Listen to me.” He reached out and took her hand. “I love you. More than anyone in any reality could ever love another.” He kissed her hand and then pressed it against his face. “I miss the Game, the adventure. But I have been doing a lot of thinking about this, and I’ve come to a pretty clear conclusion.”
“What’s that?” Her head was tingling at the base of her skull from his touch.
“Here. Now. This is the adventure that I want most to be a part of at this moment in time.”
“You were never happy behind a desk.”
Trew laughed. “That was an excuse and nothing more. I’m the most powerful man in the world and can pretty much do whatever I want as long as results keep coming in. When have you ever known me to spend more than a few hours per week behind a desk?”
“Never.”
“Exactly. There will be lots of work and excitement outside the Game. My talents are put to better use out here. Brandon built and implemented the first Game and it lasted for forty years. These new games will be our legacy to the planet. Whether the outcome is good or bad, this next chapter in the history of the world will be written by us. I think that serious responsibility requires me to be present during the implementation, don’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
“I want to watch our baby girl grow up and live her life. I don’t know what I was thinking to even consider missing that.”
“You enjoy the newness of situations.”
“Maybe, but I forgot something important and it took some time for me to remember it. Every situation can be new, if looked at properly. People spend their lives searching for something, not realizing that they don’t have to look for it. It’s always right there in front of them. Every second of every day is filled with brand new events and situations.”
“Well, if you’re certain.”
“I am.”
“You can always change your mind.”
“Thank you.” Trew smiled. “But I won’t. This is not only the right decision,”—he hugged her and kissed her on the cheek—“it’s the only decision.”
28
“Hello everyone, I’m Lisa Rohansen. Thank you for joining us tonight for this very special interview with Trew Strayne and his wife, the beautiful Prophet, Danielle. Hello to the both of you.”
Husband and wife smiled as they answered in unison. “Hello, Lisa.”
“I would like to get straight to it if neither of you mind.”
“By all means,” Trew said. “I know the world has been waiting patiently to hear from us. Fire away.”
“Thank you, Trew.” Lisa turned to look into the camera. “Thousands of network employees have spent days going through the questions that have been submitted for tonight’s event. Many of you sent us very similar questions. We have done our best to make certain that the most important details and facts will be discussed during this interview.”
“I would like to point out,” Danni said, “that there are also many questions which we simply cannot answer at this time. As the new games go online and we begin to see how they are working—and not working—adjustments will be continually implemented. Some of you may remember the birth of the original Game. It was full of learning opportunities, taking months and even years to become the smoothly operating program that we all enjoy today. We ask that you be patient with us in this new endeavour, and forgive us if there are some questions asked tonight which we don’t answer.”
“Fair enough.” Lisa looked at her list of questions. Trew and Danni had been instrumental in developing the order and script for tonight. It would look unscripted to the viewers, but nothing had been left to chance. “What are the two new games, and how will they look compared to the current Game?”
“In order to distinguish them,” Trew said, “the games will be given names. I will let Danni tell you about the first one.”
“Thanks, hun. The first game will be called Sojourn.” She smiled. “This will be a completely interactive process from a creation standpoint, which means that many details do not yet exist in the world or game play. Players will build the game world so it will go from very simple at first, to complex as time passes.”
“Who will the players be?” Lisa asked.
“The elderly of our world.”
“The elderly want to play?”
“Indeed they do.” Danni’s purple robes shimmered beneath the bright lights as she leaned back in her chair.
“This is a big announcement.” Lisa scribbled something down on her notepad. “What type of game would interest an aging population who has no experience playing any type of game in their past?”
“Sojourn will be an opportunity for a second life. Players will enter adolescent avatars, selecting to start between the ages of seventeen and twenty-two. Then they will integrate into Sojourn society and live a lifetime in the new reality.”
“Enter adolescent bodies? They won’t be born and grow from babies like players do in the current Game?”
“That’s correct,” Trew said. “They will also remember Tygon and the lifetime spent here.”
Lisa’s eyes widened.
Danielle laughed. “Trew and the Game Masters have been busy during these past ten years, Lisa. We have learned how to change the way things are done inside the Game, and we intend to i
mplement the improvements in Sojourn.”
“Will Sojourn be played on Earth?” Lisa asked.
Trew nodded. “Both games will be played on the Earth platform.”
“At the same time?”
“That’s right. We have developed a way for two realities to exist in the same place, at the same time, but slightly out of sync with each other. Each virtual reality will have its own unique vibrational frequency which will enable us to run both simulations at once. This will mean more channels for fans to follow, but other than that, the two realities will never cross over or contact.”
“Amazing,” Lisa whispered. “Simply incredible.”
“There will be many more surprises as we move forward and begin to introduce the new games,” Trew said. “Here’s another: the time difference will change.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“We think so. Instead of a decade inside the game passing while one week passes here, we will stretch it out.”
“To what?”
“That hasn’t been finalized yet. The time difference has always been a hotly debated topic which I don’t expect to change with this announcement. I can tell you that it will be slower; closer to ours. Current estimates indicate that a year on Sojourn will be more like a month on Tygon.”
“One year will pass here and twelve will pass inside the new game?”
“Something like that.”
“Okay.” Danielle moved forward to the edge of her seat. “Let’s not bore the regular fans and overwhelm the techies in the audience with data and features from the new games. This interview was intended to be a basic introduction in order to let fans know we have exciting new plans that will keep them entertained for years to come.”
Lisa looked at her watch. “You’re right, Danni. We only have a few more minutes. What can you tell us about the second game?”
“Ah, yes,” Trew said. “The second game will be named Atonement.”
“That’s an intriguing name. What made you decide to call it that?”
Trew placed his hand on top of Danielle’s. “Our society does not like to admit it, but the Game has taken a terrible toll on our youth. Most children fail out of the Game before reaching graduation and are discarded, sent to facilities where they suffer for the rest of their often short lives.”
“I think that assessment is a bit harsh.” Lisa’s tone was defensive.
“We all know deep down that it is not,” Danielle said. “I was one of those unlucky souls, before the Mainframe gave me a chance to re-enter the Game. Everyone expected me to play poorly and go back to the camps, but I surprised the world and fared better than most would have guessed.”
“That’s an understatement.” Pride could be heard in Trew’s voice.
“As a result of Tygon’s ‘failed student’ policies, there are fifty-year-olds who have been slaves for their entire lives. There are not many, simply because the work is so difficult that many don’t live that long. Whatever days they do have are filled with misery, pain, hunger, and suffering. Not just one or two, but millions. Billions. There is no excuse for what we have done to these poor souls. We as a society have stood by in silence as horrible suffering is inflicted daily upon our own children.”
Danielle looked at the camera, her eyes filled with conviction. “Reparations will be made for this heinous mistake. Atonement will be given.”
“Officially,” Trew said. “They are called Caste, but many know them by the term ‘the fallen’. These children will be given the same thing that Danni was. An opportunity to play the new game. A chance to regain what we took from them.” He looked into the camera. “A chance for a better life.”
29
This is a stupid plan.
Carl floated in the air thousands of feet above the city with arms crossed. The morning sun shone on his face, but he didn’t notice. “If we experience loss of contact”—the tone of his voice was mocking—“then stay at your appointed place and float above it for one hour at midday every ten days until someone finds you.” As the sun reached its apex, he pressed a button on his watch and continued to wait.
After what felt like eternity, he looked at his watch. Only ten minutes have passed. He growled and threw his head back. “Stupidest idea ever!”
“Maybe not the smartest,” a cheerful voice said from behind him, “but it’s worked before, and it was the only way I could hope to find you.”
Carl took a deep breath and covered his eyes with one hand. “Please tell me you just got here. Even if you’ve been watching me do this for months, lie to me and say you are just arriving now. If you’ve been playing with me, I swear I’m gonna have to destroy things. A lot of things.”
The chuckling voice drifted in front of Carl. He opened his eyes and saw Brandon—Azriel—suspended in the air, the platinum motes in his eyes swirling. “I don’t need to torture you like that, brother. There are too many exciting things happening to resort to shenanigans of the easy sort.”
“Exciting? I must be seeing a different series of events than you are.”
Brandon laughed. “Come on, let’s land and have a chat.”
They touched down in a clearing outside of the city. When they landed, Brandon came forward and the two hugged. Carl closed his eyes in relief. “Took ya long enough to find me, boss man.”
“Not for me, but it was still trickier than I was expecting. I eventually realized that Angelica had changed her spot in the sequence.”
“She did?” Carl’s eyes narrowed.
“Yep.”
Carl swore. Brandon nodded at his friend’s selection of words. “You transform swearing into an art form, Carl. Truly, you’re an artist with a poet’s flair.”
Carl ignored the compliment. “Is that why we’re all—”
“Here.” Brandon looked around them. “That’s my guess, yeah.”
Carl swore again and Brandon laughed at the visual his friend’s profanity created.
“Ha ha, I don’t think that is even possible, but I’d pay good money to see the attempt.”
“Stop it. You’ll make me laugh. I’m in no mood to laugh. Have you found the others?”
“No sir. Yours was the first city I encountered. Got here last night and waited 'til the sun was right to come looking.”
“Four years, Brandon. That’s how long we’ve been here.”
“Whew!” Brandon slapped Carl on the back. “That’s awesome. I was afraid you were gonna say it was a hundred or more. Four years? That’s nothing!”
“It’s enough.” Carl’s flat expression matched the menace in his voice, but Brandon ignored both.
“I could leave you here while I go get the rest. Take my time, see the sights. I might be able to stretch it out and give you another couple years if that works better.”
Carl sighed.
“Okay, then.” Brandon’s eyes twinkled. “I’m sure you must have caused some interesting trouble while you were waiting. Let’s go into the city for a few hours. You can buy me dinner and share the highlights.”
“There are no highlights.”
Brandon stopped in his tracks and whipped around to look at Carl. “You’re playing with me, right?”
Carl’s mouth clamped tighter and he looked away.
“Wow. This is a surprise. After four years there should be some dead people, buildings destroyed, heck, even a small warping of history or two.”
“Have you seen anything on this planet?”
“Huh? I just told you I got here last night. What do you mean ‘this planet’?”
“Words wouldn’t do it justice. Come on, I’ll show you.”
***
They hid on top of a building and looked down at the inhabitants passing by on the streets below. Brandon watched them for a few minutes and then let out a curse under his breath.
“You swearing skills are considerable as well, boss.”
“I use fewer words, but with more flavour. Those”—Brandon pointed to the crowd below—“are n
ot human.”
“That’s right.”
“The sound coming out of their mouths is nothing I recognize.”
Carl gave a slow clap. “Again, you are bang on the money.”
Brandon shook his head. “I thought you were out of time. The cities confirmed that when I finally got here on my tenth attempt, but there was no way I could have guessed you weren’t even on Earth.”
“Something wrong with the program?”
“I have no idea. This is a new one, even for me.”
“Suggestions?”
“It’s a good guess the others are scattered around the planet. We find them as soon as possible.”
“Then what?”
“Then we hope the Artifact is located where it should be and we get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t you want to stay and play a while?”
“I don’t think so.” Brandon looked back at the figures on the ground. “Four years have passed for you, but for me it was less than a day.”
“That’s a good time conversion. We could stay here for a long time and only miss a few days or weeks on Earth.”
“That’s true.” Brandon considered the argument. “Do you want to stay for a bit?”
“In four years, I haven’t figured out the language. Not even a bit, and I’m usually good with that kind of stuff. Plus, these creatures are difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re dangerous.”
“Dangerous? For you?” Brandon laughed. “Now I’ve heard it all.”
“I don’t know what their deal is, but a couple of 'em cornered me and almost ripped me apart. Hitting them was like striking stone, not that it damaged my hands, but I couldn’t hurt them either. I thought I was a goner. They beat me to a pretty good pulp. If they hadn’t put me down to examine me, I would have been torn to pieces for sure.” No need to tell him it was two small children.
“Okay, that settles it. We find the others and then go find the Artifact.”
“Good.” Four years of hiding from these maniacs is long enough.
“I take it that finding a place to eat in the city is out?”
