Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  Chapter Twelve

  Phoe woke up in a grassy field on what appeared to be rolling hills. She froze for a minute, as if she thought she would wake up, until she felt a gentle breeze which carried the slight scent of the ocean. Her heart raced as she sat up, still dressed the way she was when the assassins entered the house. Looking around, she saw Peter, Simon, and Alex as well as six of the assassins. She shuffled over to Peter. “Wake up, Peter,” she said quietly.

  Simon was the next to wake up, followed closely by Alex. Then Peter and the men clad in black. Phoe stood on guard in case the men decided that their fight wasn’t over. Once everyone was fully awake, they were all more concerned with where they were than who they were with.

  Simon inhaled deeply. “I recognize that smell. That’s the… Baltic Sea. We’re in… Sweden?”

  Alex shook his head. “No, no, no. That’s impossible. The geography is all wrong for this to be Sweden. There is no smell of the wood producing factories, which would be overwhelming if we were where you think we are. And look behind us. There’s a forest that looks to reach far into the mountains behind it. Sweden’s major export is wood products, so there’s hardly any woodland left that’s as pristine as the one over there. We’d at least see some lumbered-out patches dotting the hills.”

  “How fitting,” Phoe added. “I recently left Sweden—in very disconcerting conditions I might add—and now here I am, possibly back again.”

  Peter approached one of the men clad in black. “I would suggest a truce until we figure out exactly where we are.” The man nodded in agreement.

  Simon brushed himself off and looked in all directions. “Perhaps we should be on our way. If we are indeed in Sweden, then it shouldn’t take long before we happen upon a small province.”

  Alex looked around frantically. “Where’s Symone’s body? What happened to her?”

  Phoe looked at him suspiciously. “Obviously, whoever dropped us way out here decided not to bring along a dead body.” Her eyes narrowed. “Unless you know something that we don’t, Alex.”

  “As a scientist,” said Alex, in a condescending tone, “I will always know something that you do not.”

  “Hamilton Armette is missing as well,” Peter noted. “Maybe he has something to do with this.”

  Simon shook his head. “Perhaps we should find out what this is, before we try to pin it on someone, Phoe. I believe our differences will have to wait. We have to stick together.” He looked at his watch. “It’s only been an hour since these guys ambushed us at the house. How did we get from Modesto to Sweden in an hour?”

  Phoe looked around and smelled the air. “Good question. Another one is why don’t I remember visiting you? And you don’t seem to remember anything about our conversation at the award ceremony.”

  Simon walked up to Phoe and leaned in to whisper. “It’s obvious that our memories are not as bad as we seem to think. I’m sure, as I know you are, that this is all connected to whoever is responsible for taking us to another country. Stay close.”

  Phoe nodded in agreement.

  ***

  Jonathan tried his hand at finding out where his father and his friends were, pushing Kadan out of the way. Kadan let out an impatient huff as he grabbed his ears in frustration. “This is impossible! You know that, right?”

  “We’ll find them,” Jonathan reassured him while trying to hide his concern. “We just haven’t looked in the right place, that’s all.”

  Kadan looked over all of the monitors. “The right place seems to be evading us, my new computer-savvy friend. I’ve tried to match up the video of wherever they are with known areas with rolling hills and grass. A lot of near matches came up, but as for an exact match… we’re screwed!”

  Jonathan examined the monitor displaying where his father and the others seem to have been stranded. “We have to look at this logically, Kadan. Sometimes even analytical thinkers get caught up in believing what appears to be the obvious outcome. My father taught me that. Sometimes what we see is not always the truth.”

  Kadan became more confused by the minute. “Dude! What the hell are you talking about? Is that some kind of new age mumbo-jumbo, ‘cause I don’t understand!”

  Jonathan smiled as he kept his eyes on the monitor. “Watch the monitor and ask yourself one question. Where is the feed coming from? Where’s the camera?”

  Kadan glared intently at the monitor. He forced a small smile. “If it was a satellite picture, then we would see a bird’s eye view!”

  “Exactly!” Jonathan exclaimed. “What else?”

  Kadan squinted his eyes to try to see better. “Whoa.” He had a look of realization. “The images are moving as they move!”

  Jonathan gave Kadan a high five. “Yes! Hell yes! I’m pretty sure that if anyone was there with a camera, my father and Phoe would have noticed by now. That also explains why we can’t find their exact location.”

  Kadan hung on Jonathan’s every word. “Why?”

  Jonathan shook his head, as he silently thanked his father for teaching him everything he knew. “All those brains, Kadan, but only a little bit of common sense.” Sounding like Dad now, he thought.

  “Aw, come on, Jon!” Kadan rebutted. “You don’t have to be mean.”

  Jonathan sighed. “Don’t worry. Most geniuses have something about them that isn’t as advanced as their brain. You got me hands down in the brains department. I could never create a video ga—” He stopped short as he looked at Kadan, hoping he, too, would get it.

  Kadan got it. “Dude! They’re in my game!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Phoe and the rest of her party felt like they had walked for days. In actuality, it had only been a few hours. The sun started to set and Peter was wondering if they would ever find civilization. “I really didn’t bring the right shoes for this excursion.”

  Alex walked close to Simon. “So, tell me, Simon. For someone who was engaged to an amazing woman like Symone Armette, I don’t see any tears. Did you love her?”

  Simon stopped walking and faced Alex. “You’re a smart man, Alex. Do you understand why you will never be on my payroll? It’s your limited thinking. For a scientist, you should have the ability to explore any and all probabilities. You need to expand your mind and see the bigger picture. You are guided by your emotions, which appear to be focused on Symone.

  “You need to remember a few things. Phoe and I have had some rather disturbing experiences of late, which include events in which we were supposedly a part of, but cannot remember. Then Symone gets supposedly shot dead, immediately before we all get whisked away to never-never land.

  “Now—what a surprise—I see that my future brother-in-law is suspiciously absent from our journey down this wondrous rabbit hole. Let’s top off all the mystery with the fact that someone that I have just made the acquaintance of is more concerned with my feelings for my fiancée than our current predicament. In fact, of all the people here, you are the lone soul who seems least affected.”

  Alex looked nervous. “What are you saying?”

  Simon had his trademark smile. “I am saying that I would wager all of my stock in my own company that you not only know what’s going on, but have also had some major hand in this scenario’s inception.”

  Alex huffed and walked faster and away from Simon. Phoe joined Simon’s pace. “I heard it all, Simon. I have to say that I agree with you.”

  “He’s an amateur,” Simon said confidently. “His reactions to my accusations proved that I am on the right track. There is something amiss about this entire situation. Either our protagonists wished to deceive us with sophomoric games, or they didn’t care as long as the outcome remained the same. That means that there are at least two people involved who are used to showing arrogance. Since I am here with you in this little charade, that would leave Symone and Hamilton. Alex has now given me a third party to think about.”

  Phoe had a questioning look. “That’s great and all, but how do you describe what
we saw concerning each other and Symone dropping dead in front of you?”

  “I can’t right now,” Simon said, discouraged. “Of course, that never stopped me from following my gut before.”

  ***

  It was nighttime, and the group continued on their journey.

  They used the light of the moon to make their way and they had passed several small streams to quench their thirst, but there was no sign of food. After another hour of walking and a much-needed break, one of the black-clad men pointed to something up ahead. They could all see a bright flickering light coming from over one hill. Three of the men dressed in black started to run toward the light.

  Phoe tried to prevent anyone else from leaving. “No! This is unfamiliar territory! We have to stick togeth… shit.” She went up to one of the remaining men. “Let me see your weapon!” He slowly pulled out his handgun. It was similar to a 9mm, but had a different feel. She checked the magazine and found several dart-like projectiles instead of bullets. “What the hell are these?” He remained silent. She grabbed his gun and pointed it at him. “Now, talk!”

  He started to laugh. “You’re wasting your time. Those darts are what brought us all here. Shooting me again is pointless.”

  Phoe got right up in his face. “You knew what was going on all along?”

  The man gulped. “No! We didn’t know where it would take the person who got shot with them! We just knew it took them somewhere.”

  “So, you came to keep an eye on us?” Phoe said, accusingly.

  His head lowered as if he was shamed. “No. We’re victims, just like you. We don’t know why… the people in charge did this to us.”

  “You paused!” Phoe yelled. “You were about to reveal who your bosses are! Asshole! What’s in the darts?” He pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to her. She couldn’t see in the darkness, so he handed her a mini-flashlight. “Seriously?” she asked. “You had light, too?” She looked at the dart closely with the help of the light. She saw a hint of the color blue. She grabbed the flashlight.

  Phoe ran up to Alex and grabbed his shirt with one hand. She gritted her teeth in rage. She stuck the end of the flashlight in her mouth and shined it on the dart. She then spit out the flashlight. “Hey, shithead! You know those little blue pills that your buddy Kadan told us about? Are these them?”

  Alex looked completely taken by surprise. “What? Kadan told you about the pills?”

  Phoe lowered her head because she had her answer. She held up the dart, which no one could see in the darkness. “Hey! Everyone! In case you haven’t figured it out yet… we’re inside of Kadan’s stupid game!”

  ***

  Jonathan’s fist pumped the air. “Yes! I knew if anyone would figure it out, it would be Phoe! Besides my father, of course.” His determination increased. “Kadan. I understand what you just told me about the virus being passed on through security systems, but what I don’t get is how it’s supposed to affect people like the pill does.”

  Kadan thought for a moment as he stared at the monitor. “Uh… actually, the virus leaves an external residue. The residue is then absorbed through the epidermis and accepted into the bloodstream, thereby having the same result as the pill.”

  Jonathan couldn’t contain his shock and anger. “Kadan! I’m not a genius, but even I know that by introducing a foreign agent into the bloodstream, it could cause catastrophic results! What the hell, man? Didn’t you ever stop to think about the repercussions to someone with an immune deficiency disorder?”

  Kadan panicked. “I know, man! I know! Don’t you think I knew that?”

  “Then why continue?” Jonathan interrogated.

  Kadan lowered his head in shame. “Alex. It was Alex. He came up with a blank check from some investors and my eyes just saw dollar signs. I… didn’t think—”

  “Damn it!” Jonathan punched the wall, but only succeeded in cracking a bone in his finger. “It’s a really bad day for the human race when I have to be the voice of reason! With everything as it is, I assume that the Armettes are the investors?”

  Kadan nodded silently, hanging his head as a tear rolled down his cheek.

  Jonathan grabbed Kadan by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “We have to help my father and everyone else get out of the game. You have to tell me exactly what my future step-mother wanted in return for her money. Like, what they wanted immediately.”

  “They wanted all the samples before we sent them off for testing and, of course, exclusive rights to my game.” He sighed. “And there’s more bad news, I’m afraid. We can’t stop the game.”

  “What?” Jonathan yelled. “That would have been a great thing to mention earlier. How do they get out then?”

  Kadan gulped and leaned away from Jonathan, as if he expected to get punched. “They have to finish the game. Complete it, you know. Beat it.”

  Jonathan shook his head. “It just keeps getting better. What scenario did you pick for them?”

  Kadan started to sweat despite the cooler temperature of the room. “I didn’t pick it. It’s not up to me. Whoever takes the blue pill with mainframe capabilities creates everything that the characters go through. The mainframe pill gives them control of only themselves at first, then when more people are given the pill, the memory increases and the game gets bigger.”

  “That explains why the six extra men are there; for more memory. A bigger game. Wait! What can someone do who takes a main frame pill without all of the extra people taking a blue pill?”

  “That’s easy,” Kadan responded. “They can change only their appearance until more people take pills. I also think that my game was sent to just about every known hacker for testing.”

  Jonathan stared at the monitor. “That explains a lot. It wasn’t testing. They wanted everyone to have it. If Symone and Hamilton were the only ones who took a mainframe pill that means that they are in complete control once everyone gets infected with the blue pill. That virus can spread worldwide in about two and a half hours. Once the hackers realize what it does… Congratulations, Kadan. You and Alex are probably the most dangerous cyber-terrorists the world has ever known.”

  Kadan rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve been told that before.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Phoe and the others entered some kind of village right out of the history books.

  There were several structures which resembled houses. They were small, yet made of sturdy planked wood. The roofs were rounded with several layers of hay as a cover. Several wooden sticks were woven through the hay for support. The wooden doors were supported by thick tree branches that were rounded and braced against the wall to form a door frame. Piles of cut firewood were stacked in front of each door.

  The flickering light that the group noticed came from a large bonfire in the middle of the housing structures. The fire burned brightly as Phoe, Peter, and Simon started to search the structures. Each one came out with several large coats made crudely out of some kind of animal fur. The coats were distributed to everyone, who quickly put them on.

  Alex looked at the bonfire. “What’s happening to the fire?”

  They all rushed toward the fire. Phoe looked back at Alex. “You scared me for a minute, Alex. There’s nothing wr—”

  Before she had a chance to complete her sentence, the ground gave way beneath the bonfire. Pieces of earth, along with seven startled people, fell into the blackness below.

  ***

  “Oh, come on!” Jonathan shouted, as he noticed the events from the game. “Seriously? What’s with all the drama?”

  “It’s a game, dude,” Kadan replied, while trying to calm Jonathan down. “Haven’t you ever roleplayed before? That’s like par for the course, man. The game has to run its course.”

  Jonathan glared at Kadan. “What happens if they die in the game?”

  Kadan looked away and started to become nervous. “Look, man. I told you the specs. I told you that they’re all tied to the computer and the game.”


  “Just answer the question!” Jonathan huffed.

  “Yeah,” Kadan responded, reluctantly. “If they die in the game… they’re dead for real.” He pointed at the monitor. “Look at them! They’re in the game! Actually in the game! Of course, they’re dead if they die in the game! That’s like saying if you kill me here, I’ll be dead! Dude! I know your mind can’t wrap itself around the fact that this game really exists, but it does! Accept the weird and freaky truth and start helping me deactivate the game so the hackers can’t spread this shit like wildfire!”

  Jonathan tried to calm down. “You know how to stop the game from going viral?”

  “Yeah,” Kadan said, confidently. “All we have to do is create an anti-virus for the game since it reacts the same way a real virus would. Let me work on that while you keep monitoring them. I’ll try to find the manual I made; I hid a hard copy down here somewhere. Who knows? Maybe you can figure a way to interact with the game. We have a little less than two hours to make it happen before the whole world starts playing.”

  ***

  Phoe and company fell about 200 feet that ended in a rude awakening as they splashed into some kind of an underground lake. Two of the assassins started to wildly thrash around. Phoe gained her bearings and treaded water. “Someone… help those assholes, please!” The non-swimmers were soon assisted by the swimmers. Once everyone was relatively safe, everyone stayed near each other in the water.

  The water was chilly, but still warmer than where they just fell from. Soggy pieces of wood from the bonfire floated near Peter. His eyes widened as he looked up to see where they were.

  The area was dark but it looked like they were in some kind of a large reservoir. The ceiling was covered in stalactites and a bluish glow that appeared to emanate from a large alcove about a few hundred feet ahead of them. The water level was even with the floor of the alcove.