She looked astonished.
"Then what do you care about, Hud?"
"That you can do your job. I wouldn't give a damn if the whole department was gay, if they were as good as you."
She was amazed. That was the level of acceptance and tolerance that she would have hoped for fifty years ago, but had never come. Though it wasn’t from compassion, just Hud’s practical approach.
"Look, what you do in your own time isn't my damn business. We have a job to do, and right now it seems like a pretty damn big job. That is what I care about, and the job after that. So long as you don't bust my balls, I’m not interested in what you do."
“So, what now?”
“Reach out to her, and see if you can get somewhere. In the meantime, Zippo, I need you to get some rock-solid evidence that all of this is bullshit, you hear?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
* * *
25 th July, 2071, 8.08am
The White House
Washington D.C., United American Nations
"This is ridiculous!"
Simmons smashed his fist down on the table and then slid his hands across, launching a glass of water across the room so that it smashed against the far wall.
The news was playing in the background as one of the news agencies interviewed people in the street. The President slumped back down in his chair and watched several more interviews.
"What do you think about the President's decision to fight in Duel Reality?" asked the reporter.
"I wanna see it, sure, but you know, Terminal. That's what it's all about," said one.
The view moved to a different person being interviewed, a mother with a child in her arms.
"The President said he was going to give the people what they wanted. He promised that. But now he's come on TV and gives only half of what we asked for. Well, I'm sorry, Mr President, but that makes you a liar. You promised to give us what we asked for, and you have not made true on that."
Simmons slumped, and his head dropped into his hands. Piper had heard the tail end as she stepped into his office and another interviewee came on.
"Simmons says he is some great war hero, but he won't fight a man who threatens this nation, for real! He has a chance to make us safe, and save this country, like he keeps promising. Either he steps up and goes all the way, or he's just another phony bullshit artist..."
"Off!" Piper yelled.
The President looked up at her. He was in shock.
"What am I to do?" he demanded as he shot up from his chair.
"Mr President, this is a circus, that is all. Don't feel that you have to be pressured into doing anything. Dun has nothing to lose here, but you do. You do not have to lower yourself to this level. You can rise above it. Take the high ground, and stop this insanity before it is too late," she pleaded.
But he was already shaking his head.
"Stop it? You mean back out and look like a pussy?"
His face was red, and he was sweating. He was as angry as he was frustrated.
"Sir, you need to stop this. Stop this before it is too late. We cannot give in to this kind of insanity. You have to end this, now."
* * *
25 th July, 2071, 12.28pm
A F Gardner & Associates Building, New York
Carter finally looked up at the clock. He had been ignoring it as best he could. He had always looked forward to their lunch break, and the games they would get to play, but not this time. He peered up at it to see the seconds were counting down. The hand struck, and he was frozen, unable to think of what to do.
“Turn that up!” a voice called out.
His attention was drawn to a news broadcast that the whole room could see, and the volume rapidly increased. That is when he spotted President Simmons step up at a White House press conference.
“This is it. This is about the duel,” said one of Carter’s colleagues excitedly.
“Quiet!” another yelled.
The President cleared his throat and finally began his address.
“Thank you for all coming here today. These are fascinating and often trying times that we live in today. Technology advances changes the world around us, often more quickly that any of us even realise. I am sure you are all aware of the reason for this press conference. A petition has been called, one in which I am expected to fight President Dun in a virtual contest in the game known as Duel Reality. Now you know me. I am a soldier, and I do not shy away from a fight. I am hereby announcing that I will participate in a duel.”
The press erupted into a barrage of questions. Others clapped. People all around Carter’s officer were going wild with excitement, jumping up and down. Whistles echoed about the room, and cheers rang out. Carter couldn’t believe it. It was the sort of response he’d expect from an offer of free money for all. But then Mason’s state, and the reason why he was in it, constantly preyed on his mind, perhaps that was the reason he was the odd one out and numb to it all.
The President held out his hands to call for silence in the room.
“Please settle down. I have not finished!”
They were soon silenced, everyone desperate to hear what more he had to say.
“While I will participate in this exhibition, because the citizens of the UAN want it. I also have responsibilities to this office, and to the safety and security of this great Alliance of Nations. I will enter into this game, but I will not use the application known as Terminal…It would be…”
The press was silenced, but the sound of the broadcast was drowned out by boos and angry yells in disappointment. Carter had heard enough. He headed for the elevator, as he normally would have done. He needed some fresh air. He was soon on the ground floor and heading for the door. It felt to him that things were spiralling out of control. That is when he looked over to his favourite coffee shop, and noticed it was now adorned with a ‘Terminal’ logo besides their own company’s one.
“No,” he said in disbelief.
Several people were looking in through the window. He rushed across the street to find that one of the small crowd was a teenager. As he grew nearer, he could see that a duel was ongoing.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?”
The boy turned around and scowled at him, but that is when he recognised him.
“You? You were at Luna’s fight with Locke? In Vegas?”
He remembered seeing the video feed as she stopped to talk to him. It was unusual in how long she paused, and also how young he was for such an event.
“Yes…I was.”
His anger turned to surprise. Surprise that anyone even remembered him.
“You were there, too?”
“I was,” he replied with sadness in his voice.
“She was wonderful.”
But Carter’s mind was somewhere else.
“This game, it was never meant to be anything more than a game, you get that, right?”
“I know,” he replied unconvincingly.
"How do you even know Luna Lee?"
"She's a teacher at my school."
Carter calmed his tone, realising he was interrogating the young man more than merely talking to him. He looked around, expecting to see the boy's family or friends nearby, or a teacher at least, but there was nobody that knew him. He was a loner. It was painted all over his face and his body language. Carter suddenly felt sorry for him.
“What’s your name?”
“Rex.”
“I’m Carter.”
“I know. I’ve seen some of your duels.”
“You have?”
“Sure. I like to follow local players. You’re pretty good.”
“Well, thanks. But take it from me. You don’t want anything to do with Terminal. It’s not a game anymore. This is life and death.”
“Luna did it, and she was great."
"She sure was, but you saw the look on her face at the end of it all. And no follow up interviews afterwards. After something that big, people want to hear fr
om her, but she's nowhere to be found. Why do you think that is? What are you even doing here? You are one of her students, so you must be from the other side of the country."
"Rumour is that she is here, in town to fight."
"Here, in New York?"
Rex nodded.
"This is madness, all of it, and Luna got to see it with her own eyes. We never signed up to kill, and be killed. Look, kid, what do you even care about any of this, why are you here?"
"I'm here to play."
"To play?" Carter laughed.
"I've been training my whole life for this, and I am going to be a great fighter like Luna," he insisted.
His passion was undeniable, but Carter couldn't take him seriously.
"What? You'd don't believe me? Let's go in there. Fight me, right now, and I'll show you what I can do."
Carter's mocking look turned to one of concern.
"No, you don't go in there. You promise me you won't go in there," he said with genuine concern in his voice.
"What? Why? I thought you lived for this game. Tell me you wouldn't give up your job today if you could fight professionally in Duel?"
Carter knelt down in front of him so that he was a little below the teenager's eye line.
"Listen to me, kid, and listen good. If you'd asked me that a few days ago, and anytime before then, then I'd have said yes. I'd say I would give anything in this world for that opportunity. It's what I always wanted. But after these past couple of days, no."
"What? I don't get it. How can you not love Duel?"
Carter looked lost.
"Don't take it from me, kid. Your teacher, you trust her, don't you?"
He nodded eagerly.
"Then promise me something. You go and talk to her about Terminal before you ever consider taking part."
"I'm not old enough anyway."
"Come on. It's piss easy to fake an ID. You respect her, and you should. Go and ask her. Ask her about her experience of all of this, and then make a decision. Can you do that for me?"
It clearly wasn't the response he was expecting, but he begrudgingly agreed.
"Hey, look, it's Simmons!" a voice yelled.
All of their attention was drawn to a massive screen projecting on Carter's office building. It was several storeys high for thousands to watch, as many more projections repeated it for those that could not see. A White House official was stepping down from the podium as the President himself got up.
"Hey, look. He's back!" yelled one excitedly.
Carter could already see where this was going, and he didn't like it.
"Do you think the President is really going to fight, for real I mean?" Rex asked.
"That's what worries me," he sighed.
The President took a deep breath and sipped from a glass of water. He seemed either hesitant to say what he wanted to say, or hadn't yet decided what that was going to be.
"Don't do it," whispered Carter.
The President spoke before Rex could enquire.
"Thank you all for being here, and I want to extend a thank you to all those in the United American Nations for their input. As an elected representative, I want to hear what it is that you have to say, but it isn't easy to always hear or accept it. I am sorry for that. I have lived a lifetime in the service of my country, but I must also accept that times are changing. They always are. Earlier this morning I agreed to fight in a Duel Reality game, but without the so-called Terminal application. It was not a popular call, and you have made that quite clear. But I am here to tell you two things. One, I am a fighter, and I do not shy away from a fight. And two, I will fight for this country, just as I expect the men and women of our great armed forces to do. To that end, my duty is not done. You, the citizens of this great Alliance of nations, have had your say. You want me to fight President Dun, perhaps even to the death, and that is precisely what I will do!"
A cheer rang out amongst everyone around Carter. Only he and Rex were still silent, and stunned. Rex had gotten a glimpse into Carter's thoughts, and it had been enough to make him doubt. But for the rest of those around them, they were celebrating jubilantly.
"What does this mean?"
Carter shook his head. "I don't know, Rex. Nobody does. Stay away from this, kid. Please, just stay away."
His shoulders slumped as he slowly walked away in disappointment. Carter felt a little relief that he had managed to dissuade the teenager from pursing his ambitions, although he wondered how much he would listen. Worse than that, though, what would this new turn bring? He looked back to the screen as the President took questions from the press as though he were a boxer promoting his next sporting event.
Chapter 14
Arlington, Virginia, United American Nations
"This won't end well," said Nui.
"What? If that asshole wants to go and fight, let him." Zippo gestured towards Simmons, whose stunning press conference was playing on repeat.
"She's got a point. He expects the rest of us to fight and die for him, why can't he get his hands a little dirty? It's no more danger than we face sometimes," added Hud.
"I get people want to see it and why, but it's what it means on a large scale. If the leaders of nations can be forced to fight it out in barbaric displays anytime the public calls for it, can you imagine the hole we are going to spiral down?"
"I want to ride down that hole," smiled Zippo.
"Of course you would, because you are an anarchist. You only care yourself. You don't care if the rest of the world burns."
Zippo looked angry, unsurprisingly.
"Come on. Let's not be assholes about this," said Hud.
"No, she's right. I don't give a shit about any of this. Only reason I am helping you is to stay alive." Zippo sat back and started munching on a bag of chips.
Hud looked furious with Nui, but she wasn't ready to apologise.
"Look, if this fight goes ahead, it could plunge us into chaos. Now I know it must be appealing for some, but I can't believe a majority want it. I won't believe it. I don't accept that a majority of the population of the UAN is so selfish and sadistic."
"Nope, just a few of us," muttered Zippo snarkily.
"All right, and what do you expect us to do about it?"
"Zippo, you said there were some peculiarities with Incognito, who seems to be fuelling a lot of this frenzy. The Senator as well."
"What about Incognito?"
She was clearly not in a mood to cooperate.
"All right, we don't agree on a lot of things in life, and we will have to get past that. But you think Incognito, if he is indeed one man, is a good man, don't you?"
"Sure."
"Then help me prove it. Things are in motion now that could lead us down a path nobody could ever have imagined."
"You really want me to help Incognito?"
"I don't want you to help whoever that asshole is we've been seeing lately. If this can somehow help the real Incognito, then so be it. What matters is that the President, and the world, knows that this is all based on a lie."
* * *
26 th July, 2071, 5.32pm
The White House
Washington, D.C., United American Nations
"Don't look at me like that."
The President had noticed Piper glaring at him.
"Look, Sir, there has to be another way. Once we go down this road, there will be no going back. You will condemn yourself and every future..."
"Enough!"
She didn't go on, much as she wanted to, and felt she needed to.
"I wish there were another way. But the whole world is calling for this. The people of the UAN want it, and that is what is important.”
“Sir, the citizens of the UAN want a great many things. You can’t always provide them just because they scream for it. What if the petition was for ten thousand credits for every citizen? What if it had been to launch the nuclear arsenal? Can you see how badly this could go?”
“But they didn’t a
sk for any of those things. The people want me to fight, and I am okay with that. I’ve been a fighter my entire life. I’m not gonna stop now.”
Piper sighed, and her head rocked back in frustration. She couldn't find any more words to convince Simmons, but she could already see how badly the situation was going to escalate. It was as if the whole world was going crazy, and she was the only one that could see it. She groaned with annoyance at the situation, but Simmons looked amused by it all.
"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. Now, how long until this freak show kicks off?"
"The show goes live in twenty minutes, Sir. They'll be asking for you any minute."
"We're still doing this right here?"
"Yes, Sir. The Terminal equipment has been brought to the White House, so that our experts and medical professionals can monitor and control the situation. Any time I am unhappy with how it is going, I will get you out of there."
"You will do no such thing. Mic Zenner has promised a fair fight. You are not to interfere, do you hear me?"
"Yes...Sir," she begrudgingly replied.
The console on her arm flashed as a call came in. She went to answer when she noticed the caller ID, and froze. It was Nui.
"What is it?"
"Mmm...nothing, Sir, just an old friend."
She moved off to the door and left the room. Her finger hovered over the cancel button. She had every reason to not answer, and yet in this moment, she could not get any sense out of anyone around her. She felt isolated and alone, and that caused her finger to drift back and answer.
"Piper, please don't hang up," pleaded Nui as she appeared before her.
She didn't know how to respond.
"The President's fight is about to get underway. I'm kinda busy. What do you want?"
"That's what I am calling you for."
Piper's eyes lit up. She had been expecting a personal call, but this was the help she needed more than anything.
"What? Why?"
"The referendum to get the President to fight. Incognito's call for it. It's all crap. You have to stop this before it gets out of hand."
"It’s too late for that. It's already out of hand."
"But it hasn't happened yet, Piper. You still have a chance to stop it."
"Go on."
Revolution Page 16
