Walking in Two Worlds

by Wab Kinew

  Alpha jumped from the helicopter and landed on the shores of the lake in a kneeling position. As he stood slowly, somehow taller than before, Bugz tried for a second time to summon the plant life. But this time, Alpha anticipated the maneuver and fired napalm across the forest canopy, which disintegrated on impact. Birds scattered into the sky, melting to the ground while still attempting flight. They fell like a dark and disturbing rain. Animals scurried and ran for their lives but most moved too slowly. Alpha kept firing on the forest creatures and they burned alive. They roared and bit at their own backs and hind legs in futile attempts to stop the damage.

  Bugz howled.

  Mishi-pizhiw roared from the depths of Lake of the Torches with demon-red eyes aglow, contrasting brilliantly against the torrential downpour and the darkness around him. He spewed a stream of fire down on the Clan:LESS horde. But they matched him move for move. They raised clear Gorilla Glass shields and hunkered down to wait out the attack. Alpha ran to his troops and slid down under the shields.

  “Assemble the gun!” he yelled over the voice-com as he planted his energy cannon firmly into the sand beside him.

  Soldiers scrambled around him, some raising shields to protect their workspace. They affixed five additional energy cannons to the first in a shape reminiscent of a revolver’s chambers, and connected other pieces of machinery and stabilizing structures. They quickly built a huge rapid-fire cannon.

  Two dozen more helicopter gunships descended from the clouds. They encircled Mishi-pizhiw and opened fire, concentrating their barrage on the horned serpent’s head. He banked from side to side, trying to dodge their guns, but with the ships raining bullets down from every direction, he could do nothing but plunge back into the waters.

  Bugz used the momentary distraction to duck back behind the boulders. She closed her eyes and summoned backup. Soon, the lake rippled with waves as a phalanx of diamondback sturgeon sped quickly to the shore. The first three of these humongous bottom-feeders plowed into the closest Clan:LESS soldiers. Shield or not, the impact was deadly. Gamertags rose to the heavens.

  Another wave of sturgeon attacked, but this time the massive mega–Gatling gun was operational. It whirred to life and pitched a rapid, repeating stream of energy bolts directly at the sturgeon bearing down on the Clan:LESS warriors, destroying the gigantic fish.

  The skies opened, revealing a new moon and starry night. From this hole in the sky, a fleet of twenty Thunderbirds descended. They screamed as they dive-bombed the helicopter gunships. With the element of surprise on her side, the lead Thunderbird sent one chopper spiraling down to the earth with several well-timed thunderbolts. The aircraft exploded on impact. The gamertags of all those aboard escaped the wreckage. The remaining helicopters regrouped and launched a counteroffensive against the birds. They succeeded in knocking two birds from the sky, evening the odds slightly. Another Thunderbird broke from the pack and swooped down to retrieve Bugz from her hiding place.

  With shoulders slumped, Bugz slunk away from the fighting. She knew the horde had found the nest under Lake of the Torches without her noticing. Bugz could feel the balance of power across the ’Verse shifting away from her.

  CHAPTER 41

  The Thunderbird carried Bugz in a long looping arc over the lake waters before swinging back toward the battle. As she did, the immense carnage of the scene below came into view.

  Dozens of sturgeon floated in the water, each white belly turned to the sky announcing the defeat of an underwater dinosaur. Bugz thought of each one, the time she’d spent creating them; now they’d died without attention or ceremony.

  Above this scene of decimation, a desperate dogfight raged in the sky. The Thunderbirds were engaged in an all-out battle with the helicopter corps. Bugz yelled at the Thunderbirds to focus on one helicopter. She held on to the back of her bird’s neck with a death grip as the thunder-being fired several bolts at the target. Another Thunderbird turned and fired at the same chopper. The combined lightning fire overwhelmed the helicopter’s evasive maneuvers, and it exploded into a shower of flames, pieces of the wreckage crashing into the shallows. The explosion attracted the attention of the horde.

  “Get them!” Alpha shouted. He pointed to the sky.

  His soldiers obliged, opening fire on the Thunderbirds. Rapid pulses of energy tore through one and sent her in a death spiral toward the lake. She crashed into the waves and sank below. The Clan:LESS gunners took down another and another. For a second, the tableau of the battle showed eight massive and beautiful Thunderbirds falling, their black-and-blue eagle-shaped bodies careening out of control as gunfire and laser beams crisscrossed their doomed trajectories. They crashed to the earth with finality. The way of life that Bugz had recreated in the ’Verse was disappearing before her eyes.

  As the horde shot at the last of the Thunderbirds, one flew close to the bird carrying Bugz and glided next to them in silence for a moment. The Thunderbird smiled at Bugz, a pure smile, eyes given over to it. Bugz shook her head.

  The smiling Thunderbird banked away and descended on a kamikaze mission to take out the mega–Gatling gun. Another Thunderbird recognized the plan and followed suit. As the birds approached their destinies, their bodies were lit up with energy fire. The Thunderbirds were terminated while still in the air, but momentum carried their bodies forward, crashing them into the mega–Gatling gun and shattering it to pieces. The impact threw the gunners and Alpha backward. The Thunderbirds’ sacrifice gave the lone surviving bird, carrying Bugz, a chance to escape. Still, the helicopters closed in.

  CHAPTER 42

  Feng finally logged into the Floraverse, his aunt having filled the earlier part of his day with chores. The eyes of Feng’s ’Versona, run by his bot up until this point, twinkled with a higher degree of awareness as they came under Feng’s control. From his post amid his clanmates, Feng scanned the battlefield: dozens of expired sturgeon in the water, Thunderbirds piled on the shore, a burning forest, animal skeletons all around, scores of bodies of former Clan:LESS soldiers. Smoke rose from the rubble. As he turned, he could make out Bugz’s figure on the back of the Thunderbird the gunships chased. They fired repeatedly and did immense damage to the bird’s wings. The Thunderbird finally crashed to the earth and sent Bugz sprawling to the ground. She slid face-first through the sand.

  Mishi-pizhiw rose again from the lake and snapped at the gunships. They dodged him once or twice, but with the mega–Gatling gun now out of commission, the creature had the upper hand. He snatched the first chopper like a cat grabbing a bird. Mishi-pizhiw tossed the crumpled mess at the horde and gamertags popped out of the wreckage. He made short work of the remaining helicopters as well, but a new group of gunners moved into position, reassembled the mega–Gatling gun and targeted him.

  “Fire!” Alpha shouted.

  They unloaded the gun on Mishi-pizhiw and he dove back into the waters.

  “The girl!” Alpha shouted again.

  Bugz lay still in the sand. Feng couldn’t tell if she’d been knocked out or had simply quit. The gunners took aim at her motionless figure. Adrenaline roared through Feng’s body. As the gun glowed, preparing to fire, Feng broke rank. He turned and ran toward the gunners, shoulder-checking them as hard as he could. A few stumbled to the ground, dislodging the gun from its support structure in the process. It fired randomly into the sky.

  “Traitor!” Alpha pulled a laser gun and fired at Feng, who now sprinted away down the beach.

  The entire Clan:LESS horde gave chase.

  Mishi-pizhiw jumped from the lake and assumed his land form. He picked Feng up by his neck like a puppy and tossed him onto his own back. The giant panther sprinted down the beach toward Bugz, who stirred to life and hopped back on the Thunderbird. But the Thunderbird was near death. She jumped into the air only to stumble back to the beach. She couldn’t take flight. Time and time again she leapt, but never found lift—and the e
nemy was closing in. Mishi-pizhiw quickly overtook the Thunderbird and tossed both the bird and Bugz onto his back. The panther made three giant leaps, leaving massive pawprints in the beach as he went, and ran for the hills.

  The Clan:LESS horde broke off their pursuit, though Feng could still hear them cursing him over voice-com and see Alpha’s livestream in his heads-up display. He watched as Alpha ordered all the Clan:LESS boats to assemble in the center of Lake of the Torches. Once the flotilla gathered, he regaled his crew with tales of their victory.

  “Best part is, she won’t be coming back anytime soon,” Alpha shouted. “Not only did we find her power source, but, after today’s battle, it’s ours. We control the most powerful resource in the ’Verse! We must always win!”

  His troops roared in approval. Feng cut the feed.

  Miles away, on the back of a still sprinting Mishi-pizhiw, Feng smoothed the feathers of the catastrophically injured Thunderbird. Bugz looked on with tears in her eyes. Of all of Bugz’s creations, Feng realized, the bird and the cat were all that remained. He didn’t have much left either, not after deserting his clan.

  They fled through the ’Verse, alone, with only each other.

  CHAPTER 43

  With a moan, Waawaate turned to face Bugz, who sat in a chair next to his hospital bed. A heart monitor beeped. An IV dripped. A fan on one of the electrical components whirred dimly in the background. His illness seemed to be progressing rapidly, and Bugz could read the signs on his face. Chapped lips, pale skin. He smiled. As weak as he looked, his eyes still twinkled. He’d gone home a few days after his collapse and diagnosis, but returned to the hospital after passing out again. The internet’s most dire predictions about his condition ran through Bugz’s head over and over again.

  “Hey.” Bugz made note of Waawaate’s raspy voice as he spoke. “Do you think you could get me a pop from the vending machine downstairs?”

  “Umm, are you allowed to have that?” Bugz asked.

  “It’s not going to kill me.”

  “Don’t talk like that.”

  “I never knew you to be superstitious, Bugz. Well, get me a diet pop then. Seriously, diabetes is the least of my worries right now.”

  “Waawaate, I was watching videos on cancer, and you have to eat right too…”

  “I will. I just want a pop, okay? I’ll get right back to the straight and narrow after.” Waawaate grinned, flashing Bugz a glimpse of his charm. She relented with a nod and left to fill his order, scanning her phone the entire time. She bumped into Feng and together they carried two sodas to Waawaate’s room.

  Pushing the door open, Bugz froze momentarily when she saw the visitors. Stormy, seated on the end of Waawaate’s bed, turned and flashed Bugz a huge smile. Chalice sat in the chair Bugz had occupied a few minutes ago.

  “Hey, Bugz!” Stormy beamed, all of her perfect white teeth visible. “I figured we’d see you here. I’m really sorry for how things went down last time. Really sorry.”

  Waawaate looked on with a faint smile.

  “Me too, Bugz.” Chalice cleared her throat. “That wasn’t the real me. I get carried away sometimes, and I’m sorry for what I said to you. You too, Feng.”

  “Did my brother ask you to say that?” Bugz claimed the chair on the far side of the hospital bed. Feng chose to remain standing. She handed a soda to Waawaate, who handed it back and nodded for her to open it. The bottle made the sound of an eager release.

  “No, I didn’t ask them,” Waawaate said after taking a sip of his drink. “But I’m glad they did. Thanks, girls.”

  “Alright, well, thanks then,” Bugz said nervously. She held her phone up to examine her reflection and fiddled with her hair quickly. Nonchalantly, she checked the appearance of the other two young women in the Floraverse. They’d upgraded. But they’d bought their new skins from influencers again. Some boys might like them, but a real gamer would give them no cred for using those. She glanced at Feng. His expression was serious.

  “Just with everything going on, with our hero here down but not out”—Stormy smiled at Waawaate—“it really puts things into perspective. I hope we can be friends again.”

  “Friends?” Bugz felt lighter for hearing Stormy describe their relationship as such. She’d always assumed any conversation between them was only a transaction. My friend Stormy. Bugz tried the phrase on in her head.

  “Let’s be friends!” Chalice said with forced exuberance. The young women and Waawaate laughed. Feng looked on skeptically. Stormy pulled out her phone and smiled as she saw Bugz’s ’Versona through her screen. She turned to Chalice and they looked at each other through their own devices.

  “Damn girl,” Stormy exclaimed. “Twinsies!”

  “Twinning is winning!” Chalice fired back.

  Bugz’s mom and dad walked in with Liumei and exchanged pleasantries with the visitors. They asked about Stormy’s parents, grandparents, and second cousins, as is the Anishinaabe custom. She assured them of everyone’s health. They asked Chalice who her mom and dad were again, as is the Anishinaabe custom with people less familiar to you. They nodded, and a few seconds later explained how they all formed an extended family. “So I guess that makes you and Bugz cousins,” Bugz’s father concluded. “How do you like that, Chalice?” Chalice flashed an uncomfortable smile.

  “That means you and Waawaate are cousins, girl!” Stormy said with a huge grin. “So hands off!” The room laughed. “Omigod, I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Holiday. I don’t know why I said that. I’m totally not like that!” Stormy flashed a mischievous glance at Waawaate.

  After a few no-kissing-cousins jokes, the room settled down. Frank and Summer became serious. “Excuse us, kids. Can we take some time alone with Waawaate?” Summer asked. “We need to discuss a few things.”

  “Sure, can we come back up later?” Stormy asked, and received a nod from Summer. “Alright then, maybe we’ll just go wait downstairs.” She led Chalice out of the room.

  Bugz looked to her parents and found silence. They wanted her to leave too. She glanced at Feng and he followed her out of the room.

  CHAPTER 44

  As Bugz and Feng waited for the elevator, he looked at her and shook his head. “Bugz, those girls are fake.”

  “We’re all fake.” Bugz showed him a screen cap of her ’Versona.

  “Not like them. Be careful…” The sliding elevator doors interrupted him, opening to reveal Stormy and Chalice. They broke out giggling.

  “We must be lost,” Chalice said.

  “No problem, we’ll show you out,” Feng said.

  Chalice and Stormy exchanged glances. Bugz buried her face in her phone. From the elevator, they walked out to the front steps and onto the asphalt loop the ambulances used to access the hospital’s ER. The warm air of the summer evening felt good on Bugz’s skin. The two girls traded pulls from a vape pen and blew the smoke high into the air above them.

  “Mine’s better, I look like a dragon,” Stormy said of her cloud, smiling.

  “You look like a dinosaur,” Chalice teased.

  “Is that an ‘old’ joke? The reason I’m a grade ahead of you is cause you failed, missy. We are the same age!”

  “I didn’t fail…I just didn’t get all the credits I should’ve.”

  Stormy laughed.

  Feng crossed the street and sat on a nearby picnic table. Bugz followed him; Stormy and Chalice too. Feng immediately dove into the Floraverse and swiped through updates. Bugz grimaced as she did the same. Chalice pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages.

  “Oh shoot, I forgot my phone,” Stormy said. “Must be upstairs.” She led Chalice back into the hospital.

  “Things are getting pretty bad for us in the ’Verse,” Bugz said. “I can’t turn this thing around without Mishi-pizhiw’s nest.” Bugz noticed a scowl on Feng’s face. “Wh
at’s up?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, obviously something’s bothering you.”

  “I’m just reading through my messages. And they’re nothing but hate mail from all my clanmates.” Feng swiped quickly through the feed. “Former clanmates, I guess.” He shook his head. “They all think I’m a traitor. Some are even talking about doxing me. Here, look.”

  As Feng’s fingers swiped through his inbox, Bugz scanned a series of insults, memes, and outright hate speech, all of it way too familiar to her.

  “That’s really bad.” Bugz thought of biting her tongue but decided not to. “But you know what? That’s exactly the type of thing your friends do to me. Just be glad they didn’t make any deep fakes of you.”

  Feng scrunched up his nose.

  “I told you. Neo-alt-right losers.”

  “They’re still my bros.”

  “What? Look at that one right there. That’s racist.” Bugz pointed out a particularly offensive meme Feng had received.

  “Well, some of them haven’t done anything. Like the ones I’m really close with. Behemoth, Joe…” Feng seemed to search for a third name to add to his list.

  “But they’re not stopping it either, are they?” Bugz said quietly, sensing that she’d pushed Feng toward his limit.

  “Those guys got my back.” Feng continued shaking his head as his lips pursed tightly. “Had my back.”

  Bugz nodded. “I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there. You feel a knot in the pit of your stomach, knowing that people are talking about you. You want to reply to every single message, don’t you? Argue every single point?”

  “Yeah…”

  “But you also know it’s pointless, right? There’s no argument you can make that will win a meme war.”