Core Punk

by Paul Bellow

“Agreed,” I said.

  “I never should’ve activated the portal,” Orlando said.

  “What?” I turned to him. “You never told me you activated it and let them through.”

  “I went crazy!” he snapped. “You don’t understand.”

  “Missy went nuts too, but she didn’t become psychotic like you…” I glanced around. “Where is Missy, anyway?”

  Scout: Can you hear me?

  Missy: I’m safe, but I hurt my ankle.

  Scout: The baby?!

  Missy: Fine.

  Scout: Get back to the shelter. That’s an order.

  Missy: Be safe.

  Scout: Always

  I sighed in relief, knowing she was okay at least. We still had a tough battle ahead.

  “There are tracks leading off,” Harrison said as the last of the fire wall died down.

  “Which means they’re moving faster than us.” I turned to Merlin. “How fast can you travel overland?”

  “Not fast, but I can come along,” he answered.

  “Good,” I said, turning back to the others. “Let’s get going. It’s a long march to the cave where genius here let the crossworlders through.”

  “Sorry!” Orlando said, raising his hands.

  “We’ll talk about it later,” I said. “For now, we need to go.”

  A healer walked up to Harrison and ran a device over his body.

  “Better?” the woman asked.

  “Yeah,” Harrison said. “Thanks.”

  “Maybe we should stay here,” I said, having second thoughts.

  “I’m with you either way,” Harrison said. “I trust you.”

  After a deep breath, I said, “We’re going after them. We can’t let them get back through the portal and get reinforcements. If nothing else, maybe we can close the damn thing.”

  Merlin rolled forward, following the tracks left by the others. I ordered fifty soldiers to stay behind and fortify the shelter. The shield would recharge and keep them safe, but I wanted to be sure they weren’t attacked through the hole we’d cut on the bottom floor.

  Four hundred and thirty-seven men and women followed Harrison, Orlando, and me behind Merlin. The sight of so many people was still overwhelming in some ways. I’d come so far since starting the stupidest game ever invented. When I found out who was behind it, they would pay. Step after step, I became more determined to avenge everyone.

  During the march, I assigned my new stat and skill points, improving my wisdom stat and leadership skill. The higher I got in the game, the less important my own character became. My skills and stats still played a role in how well I handled the base building mechanics of the game. I had to admit that whoever put that part of the game together had done a good job.

  We stopped when the tracks did, but I didn’t see the cave entrance or any sign of where the crossworlders’ vehicles had gone. I glanced around, paying close attention to the side of the mountain. Harrison and Orlando followed me over with Merlin close behind. As I got closer, I realized they’d blocked off the cave entrance with thick, solid ice.

  “Maybe we should go back and forget about them,” Orlando said.

  I shook my head. “No, we see this through. It’s the only way.”

  “Do you want me to remove the ice barrier, Scout?” Merlin asked.

  I grinned and shook my head again. “You know it. How long will it take?”

  “That depends on the thickness of the ice, and…”

  “Okay, get started,” I interrupted, not wanting to hear his whole spiel.

  I sent orders for the rest of the troops to wait but stay at attention just in case the raiders had set a trap for us. Harrison, Orlando, and I stepped back as Merlin shot at the ice with a thick, red laser beam. The ice melted instantly, causing a wave of water to wash over our feet. I stepped to the side, waving for the others to get out of the way.

  When the water froze again, the whole area would be a mess. Maybe that’s what the raiders had planned? I fidgeted with the safety mechanism on my trusty plasma rifle. The ARGON rifles had turned out to be pretty much useless, and I’d run out of ammo. Orlando kept glancing behind him as if he expected someone to come out at us.

  “Are you doing okay?” I asked, nodding my head toward him.

  He turned and nodded. “Just cold. I hate the cold. Back in the real world…”

  “What?” I asked when he stopped talking.

  “I lived near the equator,” he said. “I hate the cold.”

  Whoever had trapped us in the virtual game had thought about it. An apocalyptic world would’ve been bad enough. When you added cold weather to the equation that forced people to spend most of their time underground, the situation became even worse. As the hole Merlin was melting got larger, I raised my rifle, ready for anything.

  Nothing ran out as Merlin continued melting a hole in the ice and opening the mouth of the cave. I sent him a message to stop when it was big enough for four people to go through side by side. While it would’ve been better to open it all up, I didn’t want to give the cross-world raiders too much time to prepare for us. Another idea hit me.

  “Come on,” I said. “We’re using Merlin as an armored transport, a high-tech Trojan horse.”

  The door on the side of the boring machine slid open. I ordered the rest of the troops to follow us after we’d gone through in Merlin. His metal body would offer us at least some protection. I hoped he wouldn’t get hurt, but we had to keep going. As the machine lurched forward, I grabbed the back of a seat and watched the view screen.

  We rolled through the icy cave entrance and into a huge cavern on the other side. Dozens of bolts of energy slammed into the side of Merlin, but he kept rolling forward on his tracks. Just a little more, I thought as I prepared to open the door and run out to attack.

  “Get a couple grenades ready,” I said.

  Harrison raised his hands. Both already contained a grenade.

  “Great minds think alike,” I said, smiling.

  “I’m glad you two are calm,” Orlando complained. “They’re building something else on the far side of the cavern. It’s not an antenna this time. A weapon maybe?”

  “Where?” I glanced over his shoulder at the view screen and sighed. “That looks nasty.”

  “I don’t think the two of us running out is a good idea,” Harrison said.

  “Merlin, stop right here,” I said.

  “My shell is okay for now, but I can’t keep getting hit,” the machine said.

  “I know, big guy, but we need you for cover.”

  “Whoa,” Harrison said. “What are you doing?”

  I turned to see Orlando with a dozen grenades strapped to his chest. He shrugged.

  “Step aside,” he said. “I’m taking them out.”

  “That’s suicide,” I said.

  “Someone has to do it,” he countered. “I need to atone for my sins. Open the door!”

  Merlin complied. Orlando jumped out, the boring machine still providing him cover. I followed, glancing back at the other troops while sending them an order to stay put. Dozens of plasma bolts continued filling the air around and above us. Had some of them already gone through the portal? Is that why there wasn’t that many shots? What are they thinking?

  “Here I go,” Orlando said.

  I grabbed his arm as Harrison walked out.

  “Don’t do it,” I said. “We’ll find another way.”

  “This is the only way,” he said, tugging free from my grasp.

  Before I could stop him, he ran around Merlin and headed toward the cross-world raiders on the far side of the cavern. I breathed faster, my frosted breath filling the air, as I peered around the big, metal machine. The flashes of light streaking through the air honed-in on him as he kept running at full speed. He reached the machine and detonated himself.

  I caught the brief outline of his Mohawk in the bright explosion that threw him backward. As the flames died down, along with the return fire, I ran around Merlin, cal
ling for the others to follow me. Rifle resting in my arms like well-oiled lover, I ran forward, firing the entire time. The smoke cleared some as I got closer, noticing nobody was firing back.

  “Hold your fire!” I shouted, stopping near Orlando’s body. “I need a healer!”

  Two women rushed forward, pronouncing him dead. I swallowed, fighting against the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Had he volunteered to die because I gave him so much crap? Even if he deserved it, we were all in a terrible situation together. I glanced past him at the machine they’d been building. The chest-high device looked like a weapon.

  Orlando had blown the top off. A tunnel led off behind the machine. Harrison walked up and peered into the dimly lit passage with me.

  “Let’s check it out. I want to see this portal,” I said.

  He stepped forward, almost hitting Orlando’s body. Together, we crept toward the tunnel. I ordered the rest to look for survivors and secure the rest of the cavern. As Harrison and I got further down the tunnel, I noticed a brilliant blue light.

  “Great, there just had to be a light at the end of the tunnel,” Harrison quipped.

  I grinned, gripping my rifle tighter. The tunnel opened into a circular room with smooth, stone walls. I wondered who had carved it out of the rock. A round portal hovered in the center of the room with a bronze-colored metal frame around it. The rippling blue energy mesmerized me as I walked closer. Should we go after the others? Defeat them on their own turf?

  “Hold on,” Harrison said, grabbing my arm. “This thing’s hypnotic.”

  “I know,” I said, struggling to free myself.

  “Time to get out of here!” Skinner yelled behind us.

  He ran past at full speed, heading for the glimmering portal of energy. When he hit it, he got thrown back, almost hitting Harrison and me. His actions broke the spell that had come over me, and I felt angry.

  “Watch it!” I snapped.

  “Doesn’t look like we can access it,” Harrison said. “It’s giving off a negative energy.”

  “No kidding!” I yelled.

  Skinner scrambled to his feet and left the room. Harrison pulled me toward the exit. I fought him the entire way. As he dragged me down the tunnel, my anger faded.

  “I’m okay,” I said. “Let me go.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, stopping.

  He continued gripping my forearm.

  “Yeah,” I said. “That was weird.”

  “Bad mojo,” he muttered. “Come on.”

  He let go. I followed him back into the main cavern. Merlin had drove up. Two of his drones were examining the machine I thought was a weapon.

  “What is it?” I asked as I walked over to Merlin.

  “A weapon,” Merlin replied. “I don’t know the kind, but I want to learn from it.”

  “Learn all you can,” I said. “Do you know why we can’t go through the portal?”

  “You need the technology,” the boring machine replied. “You need to research Advanced Transportation.”

  I nodded, dozens of notifications blinking in my field of vision, all asking for my attention. Being a leader wasn’t easy or fun. At all. I stared at all the men and women who had helped repel the invaders. Thoughts of everyone who had given their life, especially Orlando, hit me.

  “You should be careful,” Merlin said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “You’re pregnant,” he said.

  My eyes widened. I turned to Harrison. His smile put me at ease.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Positive,” Merlin replied. “According to my calculations, there’s a chance Orlando or one of the others who died today might reenter the game through your child. Would you like to know its gender?”

  “No,” I said, glancing up at Harrison. “Do you?”

  “We’ve got enough to worry about right now,” he said.

  “Agreed.” I nodded then took another deep breath. “We’re in a good spot.”

  “You’re telling me,” Harrison said. “Between Merlin, the shield technology, and whatever we can scavenge from the crossworlders, no other shelter can compete. I bet a lot of them even join us. Working together, we can research Advanced Transportation and go through the portal.”

  “I’ve been wondering if Skinner was right,” I added. “Maybe the portal’s a way out.”

  “That doesn’t explain the players on the other side,” Merlin noted.

  “Yeah…”

  Later that night, I assigned five stat points to brawn once again to further increase my health bonus every level. I dumped all my skill points into plasma rifles to get me high enough to get some bonuses. The future looked bright.

  Chapter 28

  A year later, all twelve shelters on the ice world were under my control. I’d changed and grown them to accommodate my population of twelve thousand people. The entire time, I concentrated on keeping my people happy and pouring as many resources as possible into research. Once I’d stopped the warring between shelters, life had gotten better for everyone. Many couldn’t believe what I’d accomplished in only a year, but I wanted to get through the portal.

  I had a small squad of men posted in the cave in the mountains with the portal, waiting for the day I could activate it. They also stood guard, making sure nobody slipped through to our side. Nobody had come through since the crossworlders had left, but I expected them to return. As I sat in my private room, waiting for Harrison to come home for the evening, Adolorn, my daughter, cried. I stood and walked over to her crib, scooping her out.

  “What’s wrong?” I cooed, still wondering if Orlando had returned to the game as my child. “Are you hungry again already?”

  She furrowed her brow then stuck out her tongue and smiled. I laughed. Despite being trapped in a frozen world with mutants running about, we’d made a decent life for ourselves. I felt good at everything I’d accomplished. As I retrieved a bottle of nutrients for Adolorn, the hatch to the room opened. Harrison walked in and stretched while yawning.

  “You’re working too much,” I said. “We can slow down a bit.”

  “Not until we find out how that gate works,” he said. “Are we close?”

  “Very close,” I said. “Another week or two, and they’ll crack it.”

  “I’ve been wondering if we should use the knowledge to destroy it.”

  “No,” I said. “We need to explore and find our way out of here.”

  He stepped over and took Adolorn from my arms.

  “Even with our beautiful baby girl?” he asked.

  “Because of her,” I said.

  Would a baby born inside the virtual game ever be able to escape? The thought hit me like a blast of frigid air. While I’d become the most powerful person on the ice world, uniting everyone behind me, I still had no concrete answers about why we were trapped. Because I’d followed Merlin’s advice and not restored everyone’s memory yet, I didn’t have to explain to most people why we weren’t doing more to get out.

  Those who knew about the real world and us being trapped kept their mouths shut because they knew chaos would break out if everyone knew. I’d felt bad about keeping the information limited to just a few people, but as the months passed, I became more convinced I’d made the right decision. Ignorance was bliss, and I needed happy citizens to keep my empire from falling apart and causing the entire world to descend into chaos and heartache again.

  “Who are we sending through first?” he asked, bouncing our daughter in his arms.

  “I figured it would be us,” I said. “We can leave Adolorn here with Missy.”

  “She’s busy enough with Thomas. He’s growing so fast.”

  I nodded then walked over to the view screen on the wall in front of our bed. With a few taps on the screen, I saw Missy. She smiled and held up Thomas’ small hand to wave it.

  “How are you doing?” I asked.

  “We’re good,” she said. “Tired.” />
  “I know that feeling,” I admitted. “Hold on, there’s a message coming in.”

  Skinner: The portal is activating! What should we do?

  Scout: Keep them contained. We’re on our way.

  I turned to Harrison. “The portal just activated.”

  “Let’s go check it out,” he said.

  “Can you watch Adolorn, Missy?” I asked.

  She nodded, “Mike, take her. Would you?”

  Her husband walked over and took Adolorn from Harrison.

  “We’ll take the shuttle,” I said, walking toward the exit.

  With no wars over the last year, I’d been able to concentrate on researching technology to make our lives better. The shuttle system between the various shelters helped. I’d had them build a separate tunnel to the cave with the portal for easier access. As Harrison and I rode the elevator down to the lowest level of the shelter, I took his hand in mine and squeezed.

  He glanced over, not showing any emotions. I liked how he hid his feelings most of the time. They would eventually come tumbling out, usually after a good workout session in bed. I let go of his hand as the elevator door slid open. We stepped out and walked over to the special shuttle station separate from the other one that led to different shelters.

  Scout: Any updates? What’s happening?

  Skinner: It’s one man. He’s almost dead.

  Scout: Don’t let him die before we get there.

  Skinner: I’m trying! Hurry!

  “I wonder if we should bring some men with us,” Harrison said.

  “Skinner just told me it’s only one person. We should be okay.”

  Once inside the sleek, metal shuttle, we sat down for the short journey to the mountain cave. At the other end of the tunnel, we got out and headed for the portal chamber. Skinner stood near a man lying on the floor, plasma rifle pointed at him.

  “Has he said anything?” I asked as I walked over.

  Dirt covered the man’s face, hands, and clothes. He’d tracked fine, light colored sand into the chamber after coming through the portal.

  “Nothing,” Skinner answered.