by S. K. Holder
Connor couldn’t help but imagine his uncle showing him around Tridan Entertainment with Luke at his side. The one person he could share this with was probably half way home by now, a fiery ball of rage. ‘So what’s it like to work here?’
‘Fantastic. Fun. Hours are long and you may have to pull some overnighters. Sleeping bags at dawn.’ He chuckled at his own joke. ‘But hey, it’s all worth it. You’ll get all the company perks once you’ve completed your internship. Maybe even before then.’
‘Does Tridan hire the interns?’ It occurred to him that Kane must have offered Luke an internship too and he had turned it down. What an idiot!
‘Once they’ve finished college, Uni, whatever it is. Grades have to be good though. You’re related to the top boss, so you’re likely to get in on a “who you know basis.”’ He winked and grinned.
Connor scowled. Ted was nothing but a big suck-up. He probably thought showing the boss’s nephew around would net him a big promotion or a bonus in his salary at the end of the month. If an internship at Tridan Entertainment meant hanging around with creeps like Ted, then Luke might not have been a complete idiot after all for turning one down.
Ted continued the tour.
Several cylindrical cubicles spurted up from the floor like steel candles.
Connor caught sight of an office with a glass exterior. It housed a thirteen-foot flat screen.
Ted took a key card covered in sticky tape from his pocket and swiped it through a slot at the side of the office door. The door glided open. They went in.
Connor stared at the blue arrows darting across the screen and at the wide shelf and the row of stools positioned beneath it. It wasn’t an exact replica of the control room he had seen aboard the Citizen airship, but it wasn’t a bad attempt. For a start, the screen was much smaller and it didn’t have any floating holographic displays, but the general structure − the shell of it – was there.
‘This is Vega,’ said Ted, ‘our supercomputer. Don’t get too excited. It doesn’t make tea and biscuits, but if you’re into computers, you won’t get one better than this. Is your brother into gaming?’
‘Big time,’ said Connor.
Ted gripped his waist, squinting. ‘Which ones?’
Connor felt as if Ted was vetting him. He couldn’t figure out for what. ‘A lot. I can’t remember them all.’
‘And you’re not big on gaming?’
‘I would be, but I have a lot of homework.’ It was true. He had a mountain of homework he thought he should get around to doing.
Ted licked his top lip and pushed up his sleeves. He tapped one of the keypads. A written passage, framed in a border, appeared on the screen. ‘Here’s one you might like. It’s got an aged 15 plus rating.’
A girl dressed all in black loomed over the border with a curved blade in her hand. Spiky-scaled lizards clung to the left and right borders of the frame.
‘This one’s new,’ said Ted. ‘The Plague of Pyridian. Fingers crossed, we’ll release it next month. You have to stay on top of the game. That’s our motto here, or one of many. Another one is get in the game or get out. You okay?’
Damp patches of sweat had erupted on Connor’s shirt and he felt as if his heart was beating on the other side of his chest. ‘It’s hot in here.’
Ted glanced at an air vent on the wall. He frowned. ‘Air conditioning’s on. Sure you’re not coming down with something? A case of nerves? It’s a bit of overwhelming I guess. Once you settle in‒’
‘What’s this one about?’ said Connor, keen to stop Ted’s jabbering. He planted himself on one of the stools.
‘Space, airships, aliens. You know the sort of thing. What I particularly like about this one is the dunes interspersed with…’
‘Nice graphics,’ Connor murmured, hardly listening to Ted at all. It had never occurred to him that his getting sucked into the game had something to do with Tridan Entertainment. In his mind, the game used magic to transport him to Narrigh. He had never thought outside the game and into the company who created it.
Ted gave a little laugh and shook his head. ‘It’s not just about eye-catching graphics, is it? There’s a lot more to it than that. This floor, when it’s finished, will be one of Pyridian’s Teleport Stations. It’s a fantastic game, not as fantastic as The Quest of Narrigh...’
Connor snapped out of his thoughts. Ted had been waffling again. He had so much on his mind, he found it hard to keep up with what the games developer was saying. ‘So what’s the computer a replica of?’
Ted scratched a cluster of pimples on his arm. ‘It’s not a replica of anything. It’s a supercomputer. All the computers in Tridan Entertainment are hooked up to this one. You can access any of them from here, pretty much do whatever you want on them.’
‘Could you hack into someone’s gaming account and take control of the game?’
‘Odd question,’ said Ted, straight-faced. ‘I wouldn’t call it hacking. Obligatory authorisation is required in all cases, but yes, you can take full control of a game being played on another computer linked to this machine. Don’t know why you’d want to though.’
Connor could think of one big reason. Okay, so they didn’t have a teleportation platform in their home and as far as he could make out Luke’s laptop was a regular computer, but his brother had never had any problems with it ‒ not that is ‒ until he installed the game.
He tapped the bottom of the screen. If only he knew how to work the supercomputer. ‘Can you give me a demonstration?’
Ted gave a short cough. ‘We don’t give those sorts of demonstrations to visitors I’m afraid. Anyway, it’s not my gig.’
‘Whose gig is it?’
‘Professor Hatleman, one of our techno Docs. Unfortunately, he’s not here.’
‘This Vega computer, can it do anything that a regular computer can’t do? Something specific?’
‘Not that I know of. I mean it’s faster, can hold more data and it’s more secure. Who knows, maybe in the future it can teleport me the hell out of this place ‒ no just kidding.’
‘Are there any toilets down here?’
‘Sure. There’s a restroom at the back. I’ll have some hot snacks sent down. You must be hungry, eh? You can leave your things here. I’ll keep an eye on them. Toilets are to the right.’
Connor wanted the opportunity to look around by himself. Unfortunately, once he had left the office, there wasn’t much to see. He couldn’t open any of the cubicles he had seen dotted about. He discovered a food vending machine, a disconnected phone on the wall, some seating areas, toilets and a cafeteria.
He stepped into the men’s toilets. They had gleaming white and chrome fixtures. The basins and urinals looked as if they had never seen a drop of water. He washed his hands, and then took a paper towel and wiped it over his face.
Hadn’t the Maker given him the answer when he had met him in the Kingdom of Baruch’s Royal Halls? He said he had created the world of Narrigh, which would mean he was here in Tridan Entertainment. Except he wouldn’t go by the name of the Maker. He would be using a different name.
When he returned to the Vega control room, he found Ted standing outside with his gift bags swinging from his hands and his rucksack hanging over his shoulder.
Ted thrust the bags at him. ‘Sorry, we have to go. I’ve been called to an emergency meeting. Let’s take the stairs. I’ll finish the tour some other time. How about Saturday? It’s quieter here. You can bring Luke.’
‘Who creates the games?’ said Connor, juggling the bags in his hands. ‘Like The Quest of Narrigh, who came up with the idea?’
‘The Quest of Narrigh,’ Ted pinched his forehead and frowned. ‘Good question. Everyone’s always brainstorming in this place. It’s hard to work out who came up with what. We have some freelance workers devoted to churning out scripts, but that doesn’t come under the umbrella of games developer. Games development is about code and function-’
‘Can I meet them?’
Ted to
ok a quick look over his shoulder and ushered him over to an emergency exit. He pushed the panic bar on the door to open it. ‘I don’t know any of them personally.’ He prodded Connor in the back to spur him up the stairs. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Ted marched him up two flights of steps and out of a door that took him into a skinny side street. ‘Nice meeting you,’ he said. ‘Turn left at the top for the station.’ And then he disappeared back through the door, slamming it behind him.
Connor caught the train home. When he left the station he checked his watch. It was almost lunchtime. He hadn’t planned to be away for so long. He needed to go home to drop off his Tridan Entertainment gift bags before going to school. They were too big to fit in his rucksack.
When he arrived home, he went into the kitchen. He took a can of coke from the refrigerator and made some toast. He sat at the kitchen table and pulled out the laptop. A plastic film covered it. Luke’s football sticker had gone. Perplexed, Connor peeled off the plastic film. He opened up the laptop and pressed the power button.
He clicked on the START menu button on the screen. There were no additional programs, no online-role playing games, nothing he hadn’t seen on a regular computer. Ted was the only person who could have taken Luke’s laptop and replaced it with a brand new one of the same make. Connor knew he had stolen it while he was in the basement’s restroom. He also knew that he had to get it back.
SEVEN
Connor swept through Tridan Entertainment’s revolving doors. He strode across the lobby, confident no one would question him. His uncle was the C.E.O. He had looked the initials up online before boarding the train. It stood for Chief Executive Officer, the equivalent of a V.I.P. in his eyes. He met the same receptionist at the desk. This time she didn’t greet him with a wary expression. He stood out less dressed in a t-shirt, jacket and jeans.
‘I’m here to see Ted Carthy,’ he said. ‘He’s expecting me. It’s regarding a problem with my laptop. If he says he can’t see me, tell him I’ll discuss the problem with my uncle. He’ll know what I mean.’
He gazed at a steel shield suspended from the ceiling, inscribed with the Tridan Entertainment logo, while the receptionist looked up Ted’s extension number on her computer. In less than a minute, she had picked up the phone. She nodded at the visitor’s book. ‘You’ll need to sign in again. I have a visitor here to see you Mr Carthy.’ She then repeated what Connor had told her.
Connor didn’t bother to sign in again. He hadn’t signed out on his first visit. Besides, they probably had some sort of unrestricted access cards for employee relatives. He would have to speak to his uncle about it.
After a short pause, she hung up. ‘He won’t be long,’ she said. ‘Do you want to take a seat?’
He sat on a circular chair in the centre of the lobby drumming his leg. He couldn’t help getting worked up. He should have known Ted was up to something the moment he had introduced himself. It occurred to him that Ted had been loitering by the 25th floor lift waiting for him to show up. He had given the games developer the perfect opportunity to steal the laptop. He had all but handed it to him.
Ten minutes later, Ted came steaming towards him, his face a blotchy red hue. The circles under his eyes looked as if they had darkened in the few short hours since Connor had last seen him. He had a huge coffee stain on his shirt. His face was so pinched he appeared to be drowning in a sea of his own hair. He barely acknowledged Connor before turning on his heel again and heading back towards the lifts. Connor followed him without a word.
They boarded the lift. They were hemmed in on all sides with Tridan employees who looked eager for their day to begin and in some cases end.
Ted cupped his hands to his mouth and stared ahead at the lift doors.
Connor’s anger gave way to nerves. What if Kane got in? He didn’t want to meet with him again so soon. When it came down to it, he wasn’t comfortable talking to his uncle. He recalled their meeting that morning and got an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. In time, he hoped the feeling would disappear. You couldn’t build a relationship overnight. He knew that much. It must have been awkward for Kane too. He hadn’t been expecting him. He just wished he had told him something about his dad. It wasn’t too much to ask.
The lift stopped at every floor except the seventh. They stepped out of the lift onto the eleventh floor and started up the corridor.
‘Why did you steal my laptop?’ asked Conner. ‘You know I could have called the police or my uncle.’ Calling anyone would have been the dumbest move ever, but Ted didn’t know it wasn’t his laptop, that he had only met his uncle for the first time that morning and that he was supposed to be in school.
Ted put his fingers over his mouth, his hand trembling. ‘I had to run some checks on it, okay?’ His face burned red. ‘And you don’t have to threaten me.’
‘What sort of checks?’
‘Keep your voice down.’
Connor followed Ted into an office. The games developer had written his name on a white board on the door and the words, ‘I’ve booked this room for the whole day. Any problems talk to Lepton. Losers.’
The blinds were shut. A blazing light shone down from the ceiling. The room had one desk swamped with papers, magazines, empty cups, half-devoured food, balled-up plastic wrappers, a laptop and a phone. The room smelled of stale sweat and coffee − like Ted.
Ted cleared the polystyrene plates and coffee cups from one of the three chairs in the room. ‘Take a seat.’ He flopped into the chair behind the desk.
Connor remained by the door. ‘I’m good thanks. Did my uncle tell you to take back the laptop?’ Despite his reservations, he trusted Ted would tell him the truth.
‘Why would he ask me to do that?’ Ted’s eyes jerked in their sockets. ‘I don’t answer to Mr Brailey. Not directly. He’s up here.’ He raised a hand to his forehead as if he were giving a smart salute. ‘And I’m…roundabout here somewhere.’ He made a circling motion around his belly button. ‘We don’t run into each other that often.’
‘Where’s my laptop? And you better not have deleted any of my files.’
Ted produced Luke’s laptop from a drawer. He placed it on the desk. ‘Don’t worry, I haven’t messed it up.’
‘You better not have.’ He had no way of checking. Luke would have changed his password. He wouldn’t be able to access any of his files. For the sake of appearances, he scooped up the laptop and flipped it open. He pressed the power button. The machine failed to come on.
‘Battery’s dead. You’ll just have to take my word for it. And isn’t it your brother’s laptop?’
‘We share it,’ said Connor, caught off guard, but quick to retort. He slammed the cover shut. He then went into his bag and pulled out the laptop Ted had given him in place of Luke’s. He was hesitant to give it up. He had always wanted his very own computer. But he couldn’t just demand Luke’s back and expect to get another one for free. ‘Here, you can have this back. What was wrong with Luke’s?’
‘I don’t know. My manager told me to run some checks on it. I didn’t ask why. I assumed it was because of suspicious activity on your brother’s Tridan account or some kind of security breach hack. I didn’t ask. You don’t ask Steve Lepton questions.’
‘How did you know the laptop was here?’
‘Because when your brother visited this morning, Steve had gone into Mr Brailey’s office and saw it lying on the desk. He asked me to get it back for him.’
Steve Lepton couldn’t have known I had the laptop, thought Connor. He didn’t see anyone go into Kane’s office after Luke had left. Ted couldn’t have been certain he had the laptop on him either when he left his uncle’s office. ‘But it’s Luke’s – and mine.’
‘Actually, it belongs to the company. I guess Mr Brailey got his hands on one and gave it to Luke as a gift. They were never supposed to leave here. None from that batch anyway.’ He sighed and rubbed his nose. ‘Listen kid, I just follow orders. There are so many strange things go
ing on around here, you can’t afford not to.’
‘Like what?’
Ted leaned back in his chair, gazing at him. ‘I’m not saying this has anything to do with your uncle, you understand that?’
‘You don’t have to worry. I won’t tell him. We’re not that close.’
‘Two Tridan employees have gone missing. My friend Howard Collins and Beth Crosswell, one of the game level designers.’
Connor wondered if Howard Collins was the same Howard who had died in Narrigh’s Bluewood Forest; the one who claimed to have come from Earth.
Ted took a sip of black coffee. He winced. ‘I work long hours. I thought I was seeing things. I saw it happen to Beth Crosswell. I went to her office one night and well ‒ what I thought I saw is going to sound crazy,’ he paused.
Connor moved further into the room. ‘You can say it. I’ve seen a lot of crazy things myself.’
Ted nodded. ‘That so? Let me tell you what I saw. A flash of purple light coming off her laptop and then,’ he clapped his hands together. ‘She was gone. Steve had been doing something with the laptop, modifying it somehow. He had a box of them on his desk. Every so often, I would catch him taking one apart and putting it back together again. Not something you would do if you weren’t skilled in hardware engineering.’
Ted certainly looked as if he had been working long hours. He had crumbs in his beard. His hair was greasy and uncombed. He had sweat stains under his armpits.
Connor had no idea why the games developer was confiding in him, instead of the police or his work colleagues. ‘So you think Luke’s laptop was among the ones Steve Lepton was working on?’
Ted nodded. ‘Same make. Same model. I took down the serial numbers. Steve wanted me to get them all back. I told him what had happened to Beth. He told me I was overworked and was probably seeing things.’ He eased a crumpled newspaper clipping from under a stack of papers. ‘Take a look at this.’
