by Darr, Brian
“So is this where you tell me it’s one big coincidence?” The Coach asked. The Guide stayed quiet, a look of determination on his face. Everything in his eyes was telling Iris to leave and it enraged him that she stayed, well within distance of The Mortician. “Empty your pockets,” The Coach demanded. The Guide tried to fight and resist, but next thing he knew, The Mortician was patting him down. The Mortician looked up with a smile and his hand emerged with Rainbow in hand. “Coincidence?” The Coach asked again, with a laugh.
“Run,” The Guide said. “Run or they will kill us both.”
“Not if you give up The Troll,” The Coach said.
“Why do you even need him at this point?” Iris asked. You got your flash drive. You win.”
“Because the world needs to see him fail. They don’t care about this,” he said, flashing Rainbow around like it was nothing. “Until they see his corpse, they will believe he’s rebelling against us and getting away with it.”
Suddenly, The Guide brought his head back and cracked The Coach in the center of his face. He slipped out of his grip and made a grab for Rainbow, but The Coach saw it coming and pulled away. The Guide hurried back to where Iris stood and grabbed her arm. They turned to run, but The Coach shouted, bringing them to a halt. “I’ll destroy this now if you move!”
His voice echoed in the field and then everything was quiet. The Guide and Iris turned and faced The Coach, who held Rainbow between his thumb and forefinger. “If I do it, your chance is gone forever, and I will see to it that The Moderator punishes many innocent people for what happened here today.”
“What do you want with us?” The Guide asked, defeated. Iris found his hand and suddenly their fingers were interlocked.
The Coach stepped forward, a sadistic smile on his bloodied face. “This isn’t over until we have The Troll, and you’re going to be our bait.”
Chapter 2
The Troll reached for the soda can at his feet but couldn’t find the energy. The Acrobat and Troll’s boredom had reached a new low and the activity of the day had been to roll a can from cell to cell, attempting to avoid hitting the bars as it moved back and forth. The Troll couldn’t do it anymore and The Acrobat was seemingly bored.
They’d tried every way possible to cure boredom and between it all, they spent most of their time trying to persuade each other to submit. The Acrobat would tell The Troll that he needed to just let them out before they starve to death and swear he wouldn’t hurt him. The Troll refused to believe it. He wanted to, but bought his time by waiting him out. The time was drawing near that they really would die if The Troll didn’t open the door between them.
They’d argued, talked about life, tried to catch bugs and birds, but at the end of the day, The Troll couldn’t trust that if the door were opened, The Acrobat wouldn’t kill him or bring him to The Moderator to be killed.
The Troll wondered if The Acrobat genuinely liked him. Their first night together, they'd discovered passing the time with word games was effective. The Acrobat listened as The Troll told him about all his online exploits, the people he'd fooled, the games he'd played.
The Acrobat told him of his time at the circus, how he'd gotten there, what his family was like, the electricity in the air when you're swinging from a bar in front of a crowd of a thousand people, the smell of cotton candy and popcorn in the air, the heat of flames below and the blaring of music upon a safe landing while the crowd went wild.
They laughed, they got to know each other, they argued. And after a few days together, they finally grew bored. They were close to a breaking point. The Troll had to make a move fast or they both would die.
After a long silence and both men staring at the can at The Troll’s feet, The Acrobat finally spoke, his voice dry. “If you won’t come out, at the very least, let me go. Have some mercy.”
“How would I do that?” The Troll asked.
“Just slide me the keys. When I'm free, I'll give them back to you and leave.”
“If you’re free, you’ll just tell them where I am, or kill me yourself.”
“I’m not going to kill you Troll.”
“You can’t just go back,” The Troll said. “You’re in this too. They’ll want to know where you were and what you did.”
“I will talk to The Moderator for you. I’ll tell them you tried to help us until the end.”
“I’m not opening the door and I’m not sliding you the keys.”
“Then we both die here.”
The words hung in the air and The Troll seriously considered. Stalling forever would inevitably kill them. The only way through the door was to find a way to trust The Acrobat. He’d considered sneaking through while The Acrobat slept, but The Acrobat knew he would and slept light, waking up at every noise. They would either leave together or not at all, and if they left together, The Troll didn’t know if he’d leave the building at all.
They spent the next hour in silence and The Troll reflected on the events since The Chameleon entered his life. For the first time since it all began, he began wondering why he of all people really stood out. He’d always assumed there were plenty of Trolls on the boards but he’d never known he was the best of them. Iris had been wrong about him though. She knew that now. What she’d needed all along was someone like The Guide. He hoped they’d live and find a way to be content with whatever happened. Vegas would never happen. It had never been in the cards. Not for him or anyone else, but they were survivors. They had that stubborn way about them—the same stubborn he’d fooled them into thinking he had. If he ever got out of the cell, he wondered if he could ever re-establish his persona. Would the users on the boards know he was the same troll picked to restore life before Psi? If so, his trolling days would be over. They likely already were.
As his eyelids grew heavy, he wondered if this would be the time he wouldn’t wake up. It would happen eventually. Maybe in a week. Maybe two. One day, he just wouldn’t wake up. It wasn’t such a bad way to go. He’d probably never know it when it happened, but he wasn’t prepared. What he wanted was a cake, or an apple, or a glass of water…
He began to close his eyes, but was shaken awake by a flicker of light that suddenly turned into a screen that covered the wall. Outside, screens lit up in the sky and all over in the distance. The Moderator was transmitting a signal and apparently the message was something for everyone to see. The sky filled with screens and the countdown to broadcast began.
He turned to The Acrobat with a raised eyebrow and The Acrobat struggled to his feet, equally curious.
The Moderator suddenly appeared on the screen, a pleased smile plastered to his face.
“Hello world,” he said with a pleasant smile. His neck twitched and he took a deep breath. “As you know, at the trial of The criminal known as The Surfer, I was challenged by a faceless enemy known as Iris. This Iris made the claim that Psi was unpopular with the masses and that any chosen citizen would prove this by using what we have called Rainbow to where it can destroy Psi forever. The claim came with a strong assumption. The assumption was that people would gather together and the population would collectively bring Rainbow to its destination and destroy Psi. Of course, we at Circular Prime see a better world—a world without crime—restrictions that have created peace and deprived society of material things that at one time became gods to everyone.
I am not a fool though. Understandably, some of these things are missed. Surely, you must remember going to movies and watching television and buying CDs and driving cars and flying in planes. I apologize to those of you who reflect on these memories fondly, but I want to remind you that it was conveniences—shortcuts in life—that led people to consume until consumption became more important than relationships. One thing I have never forbidden has been relationships.
We all lost something when Psi created order. It was necessary to…reboot so to speak. If I could have found a way for Psi to act more immediately, I would have. I lost my wife…my daughter…”
&nbs
p; The Troll frowned, studying The Moderator’s face as he spoke, trying to find in his eyes a tear, or any kind of sadness.
“I wish things had been different, but we needed order and we needed it fast. Psi allowed me to see the habits of the population that are invisible when you live among each other. You wouldn’t believe how many of you were living amongst active serial killers, child molesters, rapists, common criminals… They were everywhere, and no one was safe. I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that you are all safe now. With Psi, I was granted the ability to see horrendous motives and I have been able to monitor and prevent awful things from happening before they happen. For these criminals, there was no judge or jury, no politics or paperwork. A man kills another man, and I shut him down. It's that simple, and it has deterred violence for quite some time. How long has it been since you've needed to lock your doors?
This ability has come at a great cost, but one day when the population has reached its new high, and it is filled with decent people who love one another and not the newest computer or automobile, you will all fully understand what my motivation has always been.”
His smile faded and suddenly The Moderator was serious.
“However…,” he continued, “…let’s talk about The Troll and the journey he was tasked with. The Troll proved to me that the population was not against Psi. The first thing he did was give Rainbow to someone else to carry out his responsibility like a coward. This candidate has been captured along with the criminal known as Iris. They are being held in Heritage Square in what was once Illinois and will be executed tomorrow at sun up for their crimes and Rainbow will be destroyed as a symbol to you—that the sun will never set without Psi.
That leaves one loose end: The Troll.
He has committed crimes of which he will need to pay for. We would like to have him in Heritage Square tomorrow morning as well. The captures, and my dear friends, credited with the capture of Iris and a man who goes by the name Guide, are The Coach and The Mortician. The Pilot also had a large hand in the search and seizure. I will allow them the opportunity to punish them by whatever means they choose. The event will not be televised due to the possible nature of the punishment.
I would like The Troll to be alongside these criminals. I’m sure he is watching right now…”
The Troll’s face was blank. At the bounty hunter dinner, he declined to speak out against The Moderator, but suddenly he wished he had. It might have been his one chance to expose him in some way—to troll the man who wanted him dead.
“…Troll…you have until tomorrow morning to reveal yourself. It is my understanding that you have stolen a transmitter from Circular Prime. You may use this transmitter to give your location up. If you do not surrender to the world before Iris and Guide are executed, I will use Psi to deactivate ten percent of the population and if that happens, their blood is on your hands.
I apologize to those of you who this will impact, but the only way to maintain the peace we’ve sacrificed so much for is to be firm and enforce zero tolerance for those who try to take it away. I do hope I will not be forced to take such actions and I ask of you Troll: Reveal yourself. When you surrendered Rainbow to another, you failed the challenge. You have until sun up.”
The broadcast ended and The Troll stared at where the screen had been for a long moment, his mouth wide open. He turned to The Acrobat, who was seemingly distraught by it. Their eyes met.
“Looks like you have some choices to make,” The Acrobat said. “You’d be wise to transmit at this point.”
“Yeah…” The Troll said, but remained in his own head, trying to digest everything he’d heard. “We have to go,” he finally said.
“What’s that mean?”
“If I transmit, they will kill Iris and The Guide and all those other people.”
“Not if you turn yourself in.”
“But then what?” The Troll asked. “They’d still kill Iris and The Guide. They’d probably kill me. I…” he trailed off, uncertain of what to do.
“Do you think you have another option?”
“I want Rainbow back. I want to try again.”
“Not an option.”
“I failed because I gave up Rainbow. What if we get it back?”
“What do you mean we? There’s no ‘we’ Troll.”
“Yeah, there is. Because you don’t like when The Moderator punishes people like this. You don’t want him to kill one in ten of what’s left.”
“What is this to you? How is it that you’ve never cared about this and now suddenly you do?”
“For the same reason that a decent guy like you can live in Chicago,” The Troll said, “Among The Moderator and all those other guys. Because you detached yourself from what you all did. You justified it by looking at how the world improved and disowned the fact that you killed billions of people.”
“I didn’t kill anyone.”
“You see? Exactly!” The Troll said. “You disown it because you didn’t push the button, but where was your opposing voice when The Moderator did it? I don’t speak out against it because I didn’t commit the crime. We’re all safe as long as we’re not the ones with our fingers on the buttons. We can say “I didn’t do it” all day long, but we didn’t stop it either.”
“You have no idea what you’re saying Troll.”
“When Psi first took over, I was as pissed off as everyone else. I was a troll before Psi and I initially trolled it too. I was one post into ripping into The Moderator’s character when my screen went blank and my head suddenly felt a stinging burning sensation. I thought I was going to die and I might have been moments away, but suddenly it stopped. My computer came back on and the words “Too far…Never again…” were displayed on my screen. They were then deleted and never came back. I was warned, and so I never did it again and adapted like everyone else. And yeah, I saw the good that came of it all, but we’ve all forgotten what it was like at first and how much pain it caused, and the good that came out of it was just an unintended effect and we used that effect to stand up for The Moderator and call it noble because to call it anything else meant we would just be killed by him. And I don’t regret that I never spoke out again because I wouldn’t have lived another day if I had, but we can’t pretend like he’s a great man and that he’s doing what he does to keep the peace. He’s going to kill ten percent of the world and this time, it will be on our heads Acrobat. This time, in this moment, there are two people in the world that can stop this from happening. He will be the one that pushes the button, but if we don't do anything, it's our fault too”
“I agree,” The Acrobat said. “All you have to do is transmit.”
“And tomorrow when I’m dead, he’ll find a new reason to kill a bunch of people. And next week. And a month later. And you will be eating well and you will know you could have stopped it.”
“There is no way to stop it.”
“Maybe not, but that’s not good enough right now.”
“What are you proposing Troll?”
“We get to Heritage Square, help Iris and The Guide get away with Rainbow, and I’ll turn myself in. Maybe he won’t kill all those people and maybe they can get to Vegas. I don’t know, but here’s the deal Acrobat…I’m opening this door and I’m walking through your cell. I really hope you don’t kill me and I really hope you don’t take me and turn me in. I can’t fight you. I already know that. But I’m begging you to just get me there. Let me try to reason with the Moderator.”
They stared at each other for a long time, The Acrobat contemplating his words. Finally, The Acrobat took a step back, allowing The Troll the space he needed to unlock the cell door between them. The Troll never took his eyes off The Acrobat as he stepped forward and slowly turned the key.
The door slowly swung open and The Troll stepped into their cell. The Acrobat stood still, waiting for him to open the last door to freedom.
“Are you going to help me?” The Troll asked.
“If you’re w
illing to prevent The Moderator from killing all those people, I can help you do it. As for your friends and Rainbow and the journey, I can’t help you. Anything beyond turning yourself in would be suicide.”
The Troll unlocked the cell door and both men walked outside. The Acrobat closed his eyes, taking in the sunlight with relief. The Troll watched him, enjoying a breeze on his face, his mind spinning as he tried to decide just how far he wanted to go.
Chapter 3
Heritage Square was a small town bordering the Mississippi River. It was built to have the appearance of the olden days, when there still existed blacksmiths and wagons that delivered the mail. In the center of the town was a large fountain, surrounded by brick walkways and abandoned souvenir and candy shops circling it.
As the sun set, the fountain lit up and Iris took a moment to realize just how beautiful it was. In the distance, from where she was bound to the statue, she could see the large Sugar Creek Covered Bridge which crossed into the next state, teasing her by being so close. The Guide had wanted to make it to the river and here they were, but unable to move another step.
Her hands were bound to the statue in the center of the fountain and her legs were submerged no farther than her knees, but as the night fell, the water grew colder and she began to shiver. “We could die overnight,” she said.
Behind her, The Guide took a deep breath, contemplating how he could make her feel better, but she was right. Their position was uncomfortable, and they were exposed to the world. Any number of things could go wrong. “It might be best if we do,” The Guide said. “They don’t have anything better planned for us.”
“This can’t be it,” Iris said, grinding her teeth.