The old man walked calmly to stand beside her, while the other stopped a respectable distance away and stood facing her with an amused look on his face.
“I hear birthday wishes are in order,” he said with a smile. “You look very good for your age, Danielle. It’s a shame the old man didn’t teach you how to halt the aging process altogether; you could look even better.”
“That’s not the purpose of my life, Shane,” she said. “I don’t want to be Timeless; I just want to show the average person that they can live longer, happier, healthier lives.”
Shane grinned and his eyes looked at her with a mixture of cruel amusement and mocking humour. “Happy, Danielle? I think anyone who has followed your life wouldn’t rush to the front of the line to get the small amount of happiness that has trickled your way.”
Danielle smiled in return. “I don’t expect a monster like you to understand what happiness truly is, Shane. I would guess that for all your millennia of living, you haven’t experienced a fraction of the happiness I’ve enjoyed in my short life.”
“Agree to disagree.” Shane waved a hand. “Your friend here,” he indicated the old man with a nod of his head, “tells me that you’ve been searching for me for some time. He claims that you walked the entire way here?”
“That’s right,” Danielle confirmed. “It was his condition for finding you.”
“I’m amazed that you made it almost to my doorstep undetected,” he said. “It’s definitely because you didn’t use any significant energy. Good plan, old fella.”
The old man nodded curtly at Shane’s comment, but remained silent.
“Must have been some tough times during the walk, though,” Shane said. “Specifically, walking across the ocean.”
“What do you mean?” Danielle asked, shooting a glance at the old man who suddenly seemed intent on examining his gloves.
“You walked across the Atlantic Ocean to get to me,” Shane said.
“What? There’s no way that’s true...” but somehow, she knew that it was.
She looked at the old man. “How?” she asked.
“Tricky,” he admitted, “but possible. Anything’s possible, Danni, you know that better than anyone. I’ve had lots of experience doing things that are impossible. This wasn’t even one of the more difficult feats I’ve pulled off.”
“So you’re here,” Shane said. “What do you want?”
“I want you to turn it back on,” Danielle said.
Shane considered her for a moment, then smiled.
“What if I say no?” he asked. “Then you’ll try to fight me? Force me to do what you want?”
“No,” Danielle shook her head calmly. “If you refuse, then I will kill you.”
Shane gauged the seriousness of her comment, then nodded. “I’m afraid the old man has lied to you if he led you to believe you could kill me, Danielle. You made this trip for no reason. I hope it didn’t take up much of your time.”
Danielle wasn’t sure what to do. If he refused to do as she asked, then she would fail. Standing across from him, in this open field on a green peaceful morning surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of nature all around her, Danielle couldn’t remember why she had agreed to come on this journey at all.
“There is one certain way for you to die, Shane.”
Danielle and Shane both looked at the old man. He was now sitting on a large tree stump, although Danielle couldn’t remember it being there a few moments ago. His legs swung lazily back and forth, the loose tongues of his laceless boots making a gentle clicking sound as the flapped upwards and then down. He looked calm and peaceful, sure of himself in a way that was strangely threatening.
“The Game stops, you die,” the old man winked at Shane knowingly, then his eyes flicked quickly to look at Danielle. “The power has been off for ten years, boy, and I’m sure you’ve had some very fun times during this little episode. Enough is enough, however. It’s time to restart the system and get power flowing into the world again. If you’re not prepared to do that — right here, right now — then it’s Game Over.”
Shane looked from the old man to Danielle. He understood the mistake he’d made. He thought Danielle was coming to force him to do something that she couldn’t possibly accomplish. Now he knew that the old man was threatening to kill Danielle and end the Game if Shane did not comply.
“That kills you, too,” Shane said. He knew he was trapped and he was stalling in hopes of finding a way out of the mess he’d willingly walked into.
“After all these years you don’t really know anything about me, Shane,” the old man said. “There are lots of places I can go. But for you, this is it.”
Shane laughed. “This isn’t it for me. I would go home.”
“Oh, my poor boy.” The old man shook his head sadly. “It seems you have not been kept up to date on events in all realities. There is no other place for you to return to.”
Danielle nodded, wondering how Shane could not know his body was dead on Tygon after all this time. She didn’t understand that the two men were talking about an entirely different reality called the Dream.
Shane’s jaw ticked methodically as he considered the situation. Danielle could almost hear his mind working despite the twenty-foot gap between them.
“I never said I’d kill the girl,” Shane said.
“I never expected you would,” the old man replied.
Danielle turned her head to look at the old man. Had he just implied that he was going to kill her if Shane didn’t agree to restore power to the world? Why would he make such a threat? She wondered. Shane doesn’t care if I live or die? Why would he?
The old man kept his unflinching stare on Shane, even though Shane wasn’t returning the look. Instead, Shane looked at Danielle with a frown on his face.
“What is it that you’re not telling me?” Danielle asked. “I didn’t come all this way for you to threaten my life, old man.”
“Hush, girl,” the old man said softly. “I’m getting you what you came for.”
Danielle began to say something, but she decided not to interrupt whatever seemed to be going on. She could ask questions later, unless the old man attacked her, then she would do her best to defend herself.
“Time’s running out, Shane,” the old man said. “Give me your answer. Do you turn the power back on? Or does the Game end now?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Okay,” Brandon entered the room and dropped down onto the couch beside Trew. “I think it’s go time. Let’s get me hooked up and into the Game.”
Trew looked at Brandon curiously. “Seriously? The feeds are about to come back on?”
The boy they had come to know as Brandon had taken on a very businesslike air. Some of his old mannerisms had begun to show through this young body in the past three days, and it was clear that he wasn’t kidding around.
“I can feel something,” he said. “My best guess is that the time is close.”
Trew reached for his phone on the table and sent a broadcast message to Danielle’s team, instructing them to make their way to the command centre. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked as he stood up.
Brandon shook his head and walked to the door, opening it and waiting for Trew to join him. “No need to come with me. I’m not a frightened child who needs an adult’s hand as I make my way into the Game for the first time.” They began to walk towards the elevator. “You need to get to the Command Centre. It’s gonna be crazy for the first few hours while everyone tries to piece together what’s going on with all the players of interest. Ten years have passed inside the Game since fans were able to view it. They’ll be shocked and surprised at the changes that have occurred.”
“Viewership will swell,” Trew said.
Brandon laughed and entered the elevator as the door opened. “That’s an understatement. I would guess that every pair of eyes on Tygon will be watching the Game. You will have the one thing I dreamed of for years... total focus on t
he Game.”
Trew’s hand hovered over the elevator button as the implications of Brandon’s statement sunk in. “That’s what you wanted all along, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Brandon looked both old and young as he winked at Trew knowingly. “It’s definitely part of the master plan, young man,” he said. “Double your money if you guess which channel almost everyone will be watching when they tune back in.”
Trew didn’t need to answer. He knew as well as Brandon did that the world would be tuning in to watch Danni.
===
Shane looked back and forth between Danielle and the old man. They all knew how he would respond, but it was obvious from the look on his face that he wasn’t pleased about it.
Finally his eyes became calm, his posture relaxed, and he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “All right,” he said. “I’ll restore things to how they were before. Things were getting boring this way, anyhow.”
“That’s a good lad,” the old man said. He stood up on the stump and clapped his hands three times slowly. “Doing the right thing is never easy, especially for you, Shane.”
Shane smiled. He raised his hand as if to snap his fingers, then paused and cocked his head as if a thought had just occurred to him. “I must insist on one condition.”
The old man chuckled. “There will be no conditions; you’re in no position to make bargains.”
Shane lowered his hand to his chest, wiping it smoothly against the breast of his shirt. “I’ve stated I will comply. If you won’t agree to my condition, then you can end the Game right now and the blame for it will fall on your shoulders, not mine.”
The old man pursed his lips in annoyance; he knew Shane was right. By agreeing to restore power, Shane would not technically be to blame if the Game ended. Both the old man and Shane understood the ramifications for causing the Game to end, and neither wanted to be blamed for causing that to happen from a universal perspective. “So you take defeat and manage to slide in a small victory before you concede?” the old man said. “Name your condition, and I will consider it.”
“It’s a small demand,” Shane said, “and it will be simple for you both to agree to.”
“What is it?” Danielle asked.
“Neither of you can reveal what I’ve done.”
The old man laughed, slapping his knee with one hand and waving the index finger of his other in Shane’s direction. “That is clever! Absolutely brilliant, boy!” he sat back down and laughed loudly again.
“I’m glad you like it,” Shane said.
“It’s not really that big of a deal,” Danielle couldn’t understand why Shane had asked for something so trivial and the old man thought it was so clever.
“So you agree to my condition?” Shane smiled sweetly.
“Yes.”
“I do too,” the old man said.
Shane nodded and snapped his fingers and announced, “Then it’s done.”
“Just like that?” Danielle asked.
“Just like that.”
Danielle shook her head. “I’ve travelled this world on foot for seven years to find you.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that already,” Shane said.
“Faced countless dangers.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Taken lives, and saved others.”
“All right.”
“I can’t remember the number of times I almost died trying to find you.”
“Eight,” the old man offered helpfully.
Danielle ignored him. “And now, after we finally find you, a short conversation is all it takes to persuade you to reverse what is likely the most devastating event in the last hundred years?”
“Thank you,” Shane nodded.
“I expected more.”
“What more could you have wanted?” Shane asked. “You got what you came for.”
“I expected a fight.”
Shane looked at the old man and shook his head. “Why do they always want to fight?”
“She did sacrifice considerable time and effort,” the old man said.
“Fine,” Shane sighed and untucked his shirt. “Since it’s your birthday. Show me what you got.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Danielle said. “If we fight, I intend to kill you.”
“I understand.”
“You’re underestimating me, Shane.”
“Likely,” Shane rolled his head from side to side and then nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, pumpkin.”
Danielle returned his nod and slowly reached behind her back.
===
“It’s live!” Michelle yelled. The command centre erupted into loud cheers and celebration.
Trew gazed at the main viewer and immediately saw Danni. “Quiet down and let’s figure this out as quickly as we can!” he shouted.
The room became quiet and all attention centred on the viewscreen.
“What’s she doing?” someone asked.
“Who’s that?” another voice inquired. “Standing across from her?”
“It looks as if she’s going to fight him.”
“Who is it?” Michelle looked at Trew.
Before Trew could guess, they heard Danni speak. “You’re underestimating me, Shane.”
“Oh, no,” Lilith said.
“Likely,” Shane rolled his head from side to side and then he nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, pumpkin.”
No one moved in the Command Centre as Danni slowly reached behind her back.
===
Brandon lay on the table and smiled confidently. The static on the viewscreen in his room had just disappeared, and clear images were being received from inside the Game. He saw Danielle standing across from Shane and he chuckled. It looked like fans would return to viewing the Game with a bang.
“Are you ready?” the doctor asked. Only Trew, Cooper, and Sylvia knew who he really was, but the doctor and nurses guessed that he must be someone important to get a private luxury room like this.
Brandon watched the scene in the Game unfold for a moment, then he looked at the doctor. “Yes, I’m ready to get in there, Doc,” he said.
The doctor nodded and began to lower the mask over Brandon’s face. Before he settled it into place, Brandon spoke one more time.
“Please deliver a message to Trew for me once I’m in?” he asked.
“Of course,” the doctor said.
“Tell him to keep a very close eye on Melissa.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Brandon smiled. “Then let’s play,” he said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“We are halfway through day seven of the blackout and there’s nothing new for us to report. Despite the outpouring of positive thoughts and intentions being focused by most of the adult population, Game feeds are still down. People are not giving up, however, as efforts across the planet increase in the hopes of... One moment please, I’m getting new information here...
“The feeds are coming back up! I repeat, the Game feeds are coming online all over the world at this very instant!
“I’m sure no one is watching me any longer...Barry? Can we stop transmission, please? I want to see Danielle’s feed immediately!”
Lisa Rohansen - reporting day seven of the Game Blackout on Tygon.
Danielle - 70
As I slowly reach for the first of four knives sheathed behind my back, my primary thought is that I likely shouldn’t be doing this.
I got what I came for; there’s no real purpose in fighting one of the most powerful beings on the planet. The odds are good that he will kill me, but for some reason I don’t seem to care at this moment.
I’ve gone through so much, travelled such a long distance, and seen horrible painful things that are all because of this creature’s actions. Thousands of thoughts rush through my mind in the brief seconds that it takes to put my hand on the handle of the throwing knife, but one thought is foremost in my brain: Seventy years is good enough. Let’s see if I can make this monster pay for some of
the crimes he’s committed over the millennia.
I see him smirk and my mind is made up; my hand grips the throwing knife comfortably, and quicker than most eyes could follow, I pull the blade from its sheath and whip it forward as hard as I can. No more time for thought... there is only action.
My first blade streaks in a straight line towards his left side. He begins moving to the right, but my next blade is already sailing in that direction, cutting off escape. Quicker than thought he begins to prepare himself to rush towards me, but my third blade is now in the air and halfway towards him following the straight path, making an advance to me impossible.
With knives flying at him from all directions, there is only one way he can go, and he launches himself upwards like a lightning bolt leaving the ground.
He gets three feet into the air before I close the distance and intercept him. I have become fast, and my arm encircles his neck as I begin to turn and twist it in a way that will break his spine as close to instantly as exists in this fast-paced dance. With my other hand I begin to plunge my fourth knife straight towards his exposed eye, just in case he manages to break my wrenching grip.
Shane grunts in surprise as all three knives whistle by below us and we drop to the ground with heavy force. His neck is strong, and instead of resisting my attempt to bend his neck and break it, he allows his body to move with the motion which reduces the force exerted and allows him to break my grip. I grin as my knife continues on course for his exposed eye, but my triumph fades as he gently bats the blade away to the side with the momentum of his right hand.
I land on top of him as we hit the ground with a heavy thud, both of us still and panting from the exertion that has taken place in the span of less than five seconds.
He shoves me with a powerful heave of his arms and I am sent rolling a few feet away from him. I stop my spinning and spring up to stand on my feet in a battle stance, knife at the ready to either defend or attack as required by his next move.
Virtual Prophet (The Game is Life) Page 11
