Lost in the Game

by Christopher Keene

  David’s projection shook his head with a large grin. “Next time you see Windsor, tell him he’s freakin’ genius for me, would you Noah?”

  I nodded. “I think he already knows, but I’ll be sure to reaffirm that for him.”

  It took us less time to fly over than when traveling by boat, as we had no need to take a loop around the island before coming in to dock. Less than an hour after we had taken our DSD, we arrived at the boulders surrounding the near side of the island. As we flew over, I was pleased to have kept my promise that we wouldn’t set a foot on it.

  “Alright, just because no one can hear us talking doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to hear the whir of the drones,” Brock said. “I suggest we still keep our distance from any of the guards we see.”

  “Obviously,” Chloe murmured. “I’m more worried about how we’re planning on getting in. The laboratory looked pretty well boarded up.”

  “It also looked pretty neglected. And I swore I saw a shattered window that wasn’t boarded. We should be able to get in through that if we’re lucky.”

  My party nodded and we followed the map to the place Brock had marked out as the lab’s location. Although it was nearer to the back of the island, it didn’t take us long to soar over the hills toward where the red x marked the spot.

  “Look down there,” Brock called.

  I peered down and nodded. There were a few soldiers squatting down around a campfire in a clearing surrounded by large tents. One man seemed to have drawn the short straw for the first shift, for he appeared to be starting a patrol.

  “So, unlike in the morning, the shifts are only one at a time during the night.” I nodded to myself and continued. “Brock, you’re the best Range Niche. Could you keep an eye on him and report on his whereabouts?”

  There was silence as though he wanted to refute me.

  “You’ve got a point, but I get to swap out with David after the first hour. Fair?”

  David stuck out his bottom lip. “I’d be okay with that.”

  “Okay, swap out every twenty minutes,” I said.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon then, Dave,” Brock said.

  David gave a salute and Brock shot off to follow the guard from a distance. The three of us shot straight toward the black laboratory, flying up the hill to get a better look at the place. Up close, we saw the lab was a smaller version of the circular black Research Center dungeon with boarded-up windows. According to the map Windsor had given us of the lab, it resembled that dungeon in other ways, particularly the underground bunker that had been hidden beneath it.

  David and Chloe circled the building. Knowing how tiny the drones were, I wondered if they were small enough to get in. I sought out the broken window I had seen through the binoculars when we were up on the ridge. The cliff had been behind the lab and to the left, so I flew around the back of the building, trying to find the opening that I had spotted.

  It was small, but I found what I had been looking for: a single board that hung by a single nail at the back of the facility. I could only assume that none of the guards thought someone could fit through it, and so just left it as it was, relying on their watch to make sure no one came near.

  “David, Chloe, here!” I hissed, although I knew the guards wouldn’t have been able to hear us even if I had yelled.

  I heard the slight whirring from the drones as their projections hovered around the building toward where I was pointing to the lower slit.

  “I’m going in,” I said and focused on the slit in the boards.

  Although my drone simply flew through the opening, from the way the Dream Engine made us feel like we were still in our bodies, it felt like I was walking through a wall. It was dark inside, but like regular vision, the camera’s focus had adapted to the darkness. I had read in the manual that there was a light, but thought I shouldn’t risk it until we were inside the lower floors.

  Better say something. What’s obvious to me might not be obvious to the others.

  “Don’t use your light until we’re on the lower floor. We don’t want to risk the guards seeing the light through the windows.”

  “Good idea,” I heard Brock say.

  “Obvious idea,” Chloe said as she walked through the wall. She was followed by David, who looked like he had just dodged a bullet.

  I nodded. “Alright, spread out and try to find a way down.”

  Our ghosts moved around the small room, trying to find anything that could open a path to the floor beneath us. The circular walls were stripped to the outer metal, the desks were covered in dust and plastic sheets, and there was no sign of any working electronics. If this seemed similar to the first stage of the Research Center, it didn’t escape my attention either. The only difference was that this time we didn’t have Dice with us to provide a keycard. Worse still, even if we did find some lever that we could pull to allow us to go down, we couldn’t have pulled it even if we wanted to.

  Chloe proved David and me to be the simple-brained morons that we were by not looking for some button or lever, but by checking the cracked floor itself. Remembering how the dungeon had worked, and realizing that we wouldn’t have been able to do anything physically, Chloe scanned the floor for unevenness.

  Her hands ran over the floor. “Brock, you read that Timor Leste guidebook cover to cover, right?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Is Jaco Island near a convergent tectonic plate?”

  “It might be. Why do you ask?”

  “This lab is both at the top of a hill and at the base of a cliff, and it was abandoned twenty years ago, so there’s a good chance there’s a— There! Hah!”

  I turned to see a pleased look on her face. Just like in the Research Center, where there had been a pizza-slice opening, there was a tiny crack in the floor. There was a clear shadow there.

  “Brock, how far away is the guard from the lab?” I asked.

  “He’s still talking to the other soldiers. He hasn’t started up the hill yet.”

  “I’m going to turn my light on for a second to see if we can get through this crack. Tell us if it catches anyone’s attention.”

  “Will do.”

  Chloe looked at me. “Are you sure you want to risk it?”

  “If I point it at the floor, hopefully it won’t shine out the window too much. I just need to see if the drones will fit.”

  On the right side of my vision was the image of a flashlight. I focused on it until a bright light covered the cracks in the floor. The one Chloe pointed to left a darker shadow, and when I moved over it, I swore I saw something in the room below. I quickly turned my focus on the light to turn it off again.

  “Brock?”

  There was silence for second before he came back. “I—I don’t think they noticed.”

  My relief was palpable—or maybe digital—and I leaned to where I could see the gap and focus on it, praying that the drone was small enough to fit through. As I hovered down into the gap, I felt my vision shift, vibrate, and then shake before I hurtled out into the space below. Although I didn’t have a mouth, I felt the illusion that I was blowing a sigh through my lips as I hovered down into the next room.

  “Okay, I’m through, but it was a close shave.”

  “I’m coming through next,” Chloe announced without hesitation.

  “Okay, just go with the rattling. I don’t know if I was lucky or these things are tougher than they look.” I thought for second before saying, “David, you stay up there so you can swap with Brock.”

  “Oh, man!”

  Brock’s voice then cut in. “It might be best to do that now, actually. The guy’s started up the hill toward the lab and I don’t like the idea of him spotting us trading places when he gets here.”

  “Alright, alright.”

  They went silent. With a sudden vibration to her projection, Chloe rattled through the tiny gap in the floor and out into the room I was in.

  “Wow,
it’s even darker down here,” she said, her avatar squinting. “Do you think it’s safe to use the lights down here?”

  “I don’t see why not . . . unless David warns us that he’s coming in.”

  “Hang on.” It was barely a minute before David replied, “Okay, you’re good.”

  Two bright white lights filled the room as we focused on our flashlights. Once again, it was similar to the second room beneath Research Center’s entrance in its shape. However, what it contained was another story entirely. A row of tables lined the middle, and the walls were covered with large devices that I could only assume were used to synthesize compound for Malcolm’s drugs. There were also large vats on the side of the room that, by the way the light refracted off them, were filled with some kind of liquid.

  “Finally,” I said. “Something that actually looks like a laboratory.”

  “I’m heading down as well,” Brock said.

  I heard David scoff over our comms.

  “What was that, Dave?”

  “Nothing, I’m just annoyed I’m missing out on all the cool stuff.”

  Chloe turned and her drone’s light hit on an open hallway at the back of the lab. Although I doubted it would look like the grated opening to the Research Center, it was set in the same place as the room with the Blade-Tails.

  “There, that should lead us farther in.”

  I grinned. “Alright, David, keep an eye open for those soldiers, and Brock . . .”

  I hesitated before telling him not to come down. Brock had more cause to explore this place than I did.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Ah . . . I’ll see you down here, buddy.”

  “But you told me—” David seemed too frustrated for words, for he just ended with a, “That’s it! In twenty minutes, we’re swapping again, and I get to have a look.”

  I didn’t have the heart to remind David that Brock couldn’t swap with him once he was down here. Suddenly, Brock’s ghost appeared in the room with us, sticking out a bottom lip as though thinking this wasn’t a fair deal.

  I nodded. “Just so long as no one spots you.”

  “Obviously!” David replied.

  Chapter 23: The Alpha Testers

  Most of the equipment in the lab had already been taken; the cupboards were all open and raided. Not only were there areas covered with less dust than the rest of the place—revealing the outlines of removed equipment—but there were also tubes hanging from the ceiling that looked to have been connected to them. I swear the place would have been scoured to the foundation, but it seemed they had their own specialist to take what they needed.

  Most likely by Sonics men trying to see if there was any residual data. It makes sense that there isn’t a single leaf of paper left in this place. Really makes me question why we’re here. If they’ve found Wona’s secret bunker, there would be nothing here that could lead us to where Lucas is.

  Chloe was already heading down the dark corridor, as though thinking she would find Lucas waiting for her at the back of the facility. I didn’t take Chloe as that optimistic, and put it down to her simply looking for the next clue. After all, if Lucas didn’t think we could find out where he was by sending us here, what was the point in leaving clues?

  Assuming he even left us those clues.

  I was about head down the corridor after Chloe when this thought made me stop in mid-flight. A slight niggle at the back of my head made me feel like I had missed something and it was going to bite me on the backside very shortly. I even went so far as to look down to make sure we weren’t leaving tracks on the dusty floor before realizing that was impossible.

  Calm down. You’re just paranoid.

  “David, how’re we looking?” I asked.

  “He’s just circling the place and smoking.”

  “Okay, we’re heading deeper in. Tell us if he tries to come in or goes off to swap with another guard so you can swap with Brock again.”

  “Will do.”

  Brock followed Chloe into the darkness, and I took up the rear. I saw Chloe’s light shifting around in the room ahead. As the drone was placed at the top of her head, the light came from her forehead and made her look like she was wearing a miner’s helmet.

  “Anything through there?” I asked.

  “Just a wide-open space. There are a bunch of empty chairs here, but that’s about it.”

  Brock moved through and I followed in after, seeing that Chloe had been right. The chairs were upholstered like Wona recliners. I also recognized the room. I looked up at the ceiling to see that the cables had been pulled out, but the holding structures were still there.

  “This is where he tested the drug.”

  Brock frowned and looked around. “But he used cages and chimpanzees. Why would there be chairs here?”

  “I don’t know.” I pulled up the vertical map of the place. “There’s only one more floor below this one; it’s the secret bunker Windsor told me about.”

  “It looks more like a corridor,” Chloe said, looking around to see if she could find its entrance. “And the entrance should be behind this wall . . . but how to get in without being able to move anything . . .”

  She raised her hands up and shook her head. I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. If the room was hidden enough that the Sonics specialist hadn’t been able to find it, it must have been in a place our drones couldn’t pass through. It would have been sealed up tight . . .

  I stopped as a thought struck me and looked up. But if there was something living down there, it would need to get air somehow.

  “Everyone, look around the walls and ceiling for an air vent.”

  “Good thinking,” Brock said. He began shifting his light around the walls of the room we were in.

  Chloe followed suit. “Not so obvious this time, Noah. Well done.”

  If we could fit through the tiny gap in the floor, then we might be able to fit through a vent, but I was running entirely on guesswork and grabbing at any opportunity I could think of at this point. However, as though one idea fueled another, I turned and made my way back to the lab.

  Using chemicals might have created gases that would’ve had to be released. Considering there are no windows down here, it only makes sense that there would be ventilation in the laboratory.

  As though picking up on my epiphany, the others followed on my heels. Sure enough, right above one of the open cupboards was a metal grating. I went to go through the small slits in it, but they were much too thin and my drone simply bounced off with a metallic ping.

  “Crap. We can’t get into the vent, so that idea is a bust,” I muttered.

  Brock shook his head. “No . . . We just need something that will help us expand the opening.”

  Chloe’s eyes went wide. “You mean one of us sacrifices our drone in the hope that will melt the metal?” She shook her head. “The chances of—”

  “Have you got a better idea?” Brock asked.

  Chloe looked down in thought but then shook her head.

  “Then which of us should sacrifice our drone?” I asked.

  “I’ll do it!” David called. “If it gets me down there so I can have a look, I’ll give it a go. Besides, the guard went for a walk. Probably wants to swap shifts.”

  “David . . .” Chloe trailed off, but I knew what she was thinking.

  I was the best at thinking around corners and discovering areas, Brock knew more about Wona and the betas than any of us, and Chloe wanted to find her brother. Unlike in our games, on this mission David was the only one who was expendable. He also had the least at stake, although we were all risking our lives.

  “Okay,” I said. “Who knows, David? If there’s a grate on the other end of this vent I might be following you soon enough.”

  Chloe’s eyes caught mine. “Let’s hope not.”

  It didn’t take David long to get to us, although from his momentary silence when he passed through the crack, I swore w
e had lost him then and there.

  “I’m good, I’m good.” I then saw his avatar pass through and look around. “Whoa, creepy!”

  “And there’s nothing but chairs down that hallway, trust me,” Chloe called and waved him over. “Come on, the vent’s up here. Do your exploding act so we can get through.”

  David skulked over. “And here I was thinking I was making a noble sacrifice.”

  I scoffed. “With how much these drones are worth, the only thing being sacrificed is the number of zeros in Windsor’s bank account.”

  David flew over to us and studied the vent. “Wow, I see what you mean. This thing is narrow. So, how do I hit the self-destruct button?”

  “It’s set to go when the drone either ceases functioning during use or when the user wakes up involuntarily,” Brock recited.

  “Like if they were defeated in battle?” David asked.

  Brock grinned. “Something like that. Considering you can’t just force yourself to wake up, my suggestion would be to try and jam your propellers into the vent’s opening. That way you’ll also be in the right place when the explosion goes off.”

  “Sounds good.” David wound up and yelled, “Kamikaze!” as he flew headfirst into the tiny slit.

  At first he bounced off like I did, but adjusting his angle, he managed to get one of his propellers hooked inside the vent. He made humorous, “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” sounds as though he was spinning with his drone after it had been caught. It took a moment for it to stop spinning and then, with a sharp zipping sound, something ignited inside the drone and sparks flew from it. Just as Brock had predicted, the propeller not only melted it in the right spot, but from the way the drone was still hooked to the slit, the force of the explosion seemed to wrench the metal downward and outward as well.

  “Yes!” Brock and I shouted.

  “Good one, David,” Chloe echoed as she entered the widened—and now blackened—opening of the vent.

  We flew in after her, following the light of her torch as she zipped around the corner and down in the same direction as the corridor we had explored. Eventually, we came to a part of the air duct that went vertically straight down. Unlike the last vent, however, this one had a larger, angular opening which allowed us to move through easily. I flew through last, but had already heard Chloe gasp through my comms.