by Dante Doom
Chapter Twenty-Five
Van groaned as he hobbled towards his cot. Everyone had been so excited that Sang was alive that literally no one was around to help him get to his bed. He could barely walk on account of having been motionless for almost 4 straight days. He felt so sick to his stomach, in fact, that he was regretting every single step that he took. Truthfully, he didn’t mind the fact that everyone was all over Sang—but he couldn’t help wishing there were more help to go around. Sang needed the help, though, he knew... just in case that alien was simply pulling a fast one over on her. They’d have to be thorough in checking to make sure that she wasn’t still near death because of that pod.
“There!” he grunted as he collapsed into his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He’d made it. He couldn’t believe the last few hours of his life. They had passed so quickly, but offered a rush that he’d never experienced before. The thrill of battle, the excitement of being on the literal edge of death... it was all beyond anything he could describe. All of his time gaming had been missing that one crucial part of the real survivalism experience: the fear of actual death. Not character death or a re-set. Any time he’d had to battle a Devil Bear or a Skeletal Fiend, he’d always known that he’d pop up on the other side of the world, with no real lasting consequences other than the loss of gear. While that had created a sense of avoidance in him, it had been nothing like the experience of actually being at risk.
The emotions came in waves, he discovered as he stared up at the ceiling. On one hand, he felt an intense wave of fear and almost existential terror at the thought of being on the brink of death at any minute while inside of the game, but on the other hand, he also felt the elation of accomplishment. He felt the adrenaline involved, and as he reflected on how he had cleverly screwed Trefor over a few times, he realized how fun it had all been. Maybe fun wasn’t the right word. There was something… primal about being locked in a life or death struggle. And while he certainly didn’t like the feeling of being inches away from death at any moment, he also knew that it had all made him feel more alive than anything else he’d experienced in the past.
He hadn’t asked for this kind of thing, and he would never have signed up for this kind of adventure if he’d known that he could be inches away from death... but having come through it, he felt so much stronger.
“Knock, knock,” said Agent Neil as he strolled in. “Don’t mean to interrupt your nap, but we gotta talk business.”
“Pull up a seat,” Van responded, unable to even lean up.
Neil grabbed a chair and slid it next to the bed. He put one foot on the chair and leaned forward. “You did good getting our girl back. Real good.”
“She’s a friend. She came back for me, so there was no way I’d leave her behind.”
“Yeah, well, doesn’t change the fact that you could have,” Neil said. “All those threats were empty; I legally couldn’t shoot you, you know.”
“If I were motivated by your threats, I would have turned on you guys when I had the chance,” Van muttered.
“I can appreciate the fact that you didn’t turn on us. At some point we’re going to need to get a full report out of you, but that’s not why I’m here right now.”
“Is it to kill me?” Van muttered. “Cause I really would prefer it if O’Hara shot me instead. I like her more.”
“Ha. Nah, I ain’t here to kill you,” Neil said as he sat in the chair. “I’m actually here to make good on our deal. The job was to make sure that Sang stayed invested and got through her mission. And much to my surprise, you actually kept your end of the bargain. Now, I’m sure with these startling developments, you want nothing to do with these stupid pods. Draco will probably be on you the moment you get back in-game, and Sivlander’s been deleted, so… you probably don’t want to get back in there. And to make matters worse, since you’ve been swept up in this whole stupid thing, you’re gonna be debriefing with every branch of government for the next five weeks, telling them every detail and getting asked the same asinine questions each time. But I got good news for you. You took care of Sang, you kept the deal, and even she admitted to wanting to make sure you landed on your feet well after all of this, so I’ve got an offer for you.”
“An offer?” Van repeated.
“Yeah, a buddy in the FBI owes me a few favors and he happens to specialize in witness protection. Now, you’re definitely not a wanted man or anything, but he specializes in setting people up in good homes, with good jobs and in nice locations. You keep your name and credentials and stuff, but you get a new lease on life. We throw some money in your bank account, and bam, you’re good to go. Of course, I gotta smuggle you out of here cause the brass would throw a fit if they found out you were part of this and weren’t getting debriefed, but the reality is that Agent Sang’s got enough information for everyone.”
“Why? Why would you make me this offer?” Van asked.
“Honestly? Because of what you did for Sang. She’s alive because of you. O’Hara and I were genuinely surprised when you went back for her instead of trying to log out. And I’ll level with you here: if Sang had died because of this operation, well, it would be me and my partner who would have taken the heat. And that heat would have cooked us both. I owe you.”
“I wasn’t saving her for—”
“I don’t care what your reason was. I reward my friends. So, do you want this? Or what? You want some cash instead? Ask and it’s yours.’”
Van pondered the idea of going somewhere else and starting fresh. A house, a real job, a new location. The ideas and dreams spun before him as he thought about what he wanted. All of his life, he had wanted to become a professional gamer... and now that dream was dead. Draco had killed it when they’d turned out to be evil aliens. He had never even imagined something like that could happen. He had staked his entire life on the possibility of working for them, but now everything he’d thought was real was burning away before him at once. Sivlander was gone, his circle of friends online was gone, and the ten years he’d slaved away to become a pro gamer had vanished in less than four days. His old life was over.
Van felt a few tears well up within his eyes as he realized that he really had nothing left. But he also realized something. Sang had been right, at least on some level. He had been wasting his life. Not because of what his chosen profession was, but because he had been living his life for the future. Everything that he had sacrificed had been in pursuit of some far-off future where his life was guaranteed to be better. But now? Now that future would never come. He paused as he reflected on Trefor’s words. Trefor had been just like him, he realized. The paladin had dreamed of being a part of something better in the future, but he had been willing to give up everything in the short term in order to get there. And one of the things that Trefor had been willing to throw away was the majority of the population... and for what? For some imagined future that wouldn’t happen anyway?
“I… I don’t want your offer,” Van said as he looked up. “There’s nothing out there that will make me happy.”
“Eh? What are you talking about? I’m pretty sure working in Malibu as a mystery diner would make just about anyone happy.”
“I’m tired of looking to the future... of looking for somewhere or some place that can make me happy,” Van said as he looked up at Neil. “I don’t want money, and I don’t want to be sent somewhere else. I want a job.”
“Come again?”
“I want a job working with you guys. This whole Draco thing isn’t going away, and I’ve more than proven myself to you. I know you’re going to have to go back in there, and I know there’s stuff that I can continue to contribute. I’m done waiting for a better future. Give me a job, give me a paycheck, and drop the blackmail routine.”
“Ha. Kid, that’s cute, but you don’t get a job with the CIA just because you want one. You gotta be qualified.”
“Qualified? Qualified! Who in the hell is qualified to play a video game controlled by evil alien overlord
s with plans to destroy and probably enslave humanity? I think I’m probably one of the few people out there who is qualified, just on account of the fact that I can play the video game.”
“But you almost died, remember? Do you want to just rush back into such a dangerous life? I mean, we don’t know what or who Draco is still. They have all the cards in their hands. The people we’re gonna be sending in next are the kinds of people who don’t mind getting shot at for a living. Not pudgy gamers who can’t even be motivated to go jogging in the real world.”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Van replied. “You owe me this.”
“I don’t owe you anything as far as the company is concerned, though!” Neil said, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair. “Man, do you have any idea how much paperwork it involves, to hire a cooperative specialist from the outside?”
“I don’t care, dude. I want in on this. I’m done wasting my life away on things that don’t matter. Today is the only thing that matters. I’m not going to stare into the future any longer. The future doesn’t come, Neil. Today is the place I want to be living.”
“So maybe you should be an inspirational speaker?” Neil suggested, shaking his head. “Okay, the best I can do is recommend you to my superior, but even then, it’s a stretch. I don’t have hiring powers.”
“Do whatever it takes. Or during my debriefing with your superiors, I explain to them how you threatened to kill me multiple times.”
“Damn it. Look, I’ll do what I can, okay? I’ll do my best. But I’ll get fired if I get one more assault complaint against me, so you have to give me time. And if you get a job, we call it even, okay?”
“Sounds fair to me, boss,” Van said with a grin.
“I’m not gonna be your boss, I’m gonna be your friggen coworker,” Neil said as he stood up. “Oh, and Sang’s out of the ER. Turns out they didn’t need to cut her open after all. We ain’t letting her stand up yet, so you should go visit. You owe her one hell of a thank you.”
Van nodded as he felt himself drift off into sleep for a few minutes.
His dreams were vivid and terrifying. He kept revisiting the same moment over and over again—the moment where he realized that he was trapped, and that he could die. He twisted to the left and right, trying to awaken, but he just couldn’t seem to come out of his slumber. The images, the screams, and the feeling of adrenaline surged through him for several hours until finally he awoke, dripping with sweat and feeling exhausted beyond all measure.
“Go figure. I’m traumatized,” he mumbled as he slowly staggered out of bed, ignoring the nurse who’d been quietly tiptoeing around his room, laying out medications on the table.
“Sir you need to stay in bed,” she said.
“Get me a wheelchair; I need to see Sang,” he said as he hobbled forward and put his hands on the dresser. He really hoped one of those pills was Cwake.
The nurse obliged him, despite her scowl, and then wheeled him to Sang’s room. She was sitting up in her bed, drinking a thick, green shake from a straw. The medical machines were gently beeping and she was wearing an oxygen tube around her nose.
“There he is!” Sang said cheerfully.
“You look good,” Van said. “At least for someone with half a dozen tubes sticking out of them.”
“I’m healthier than ever,” Sang said. “They can’t figure out how, but somehow my body has made a full recovery. Even my scar from when I was cut by some glass as a kid is gone.”
“Weird,” Van said. “To think they can heal so well with that technology. And what do they want to use it for? War? Purging mankind? That sucks.”
Sang nodded. “Yeah, but we did good, Van. We did really good.”
“You saved me, you know,” Van said as he rolled up to her. “I owe you my life.”
“In the field, it’s a little different, I think,” Sang said. “You watched my back and I watched yours. No one owes anyone anything.”
“You climbed back into this thing knowing it would kill you. You got kinda lucky with that alien healing stuff,” Van said. “I’d be a dead man without you.”
Sang shrugged. “Well, you’re welcome.”
Van smiled as he sat next to her. “So… what are you going to do next?” he asked.
“I have no idea. This whole thing was way, way beyond my pay-grade. I thought I could handle it, though, up until the last few days. I mean, things really got out of hand. Once the aliens stopped being a theory and started being real… I dunno. It’s too much for me.”
“I think it’s awesome,” Van said. “After all these years, we’ve finally found out that there’s life among the stars. And the best part is that at least some of them are friendly!”
“Why do you assume that?” Sang asked.
“Um, because they want to help us, duh,” Van replied.
“Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’?” Sang asked. “Because this could be the potential situation. What if these Others want to invade Earth for themselves? What if they oppose Draco because they want to eat all the humans instead of just killing them?”
“Oh... I didn’t, uh... I didn’t think of that,” Van said.
“Well, it’s all I’ve been thinking about. That Dragon had no qualms about attacking and killing that Messenger. They have access to technology we can’t even dream of, too. Just because they oppose Draco doesn’t mean they’re coming in peace.”
“Are they coming? I thought they were too far off,” Van asked.
“I don’t know. Once again, there’s too many unknowns. Too many variables. Van, this is the first time we’ve ever had to face real forces from another planet! What are they like? What do they comprehend? The word ‘alien’ usually means entirely foreign. This whole thing is beyond my wildest dreams. I’m not excited like you are. I’m dreading whatever happens next.”
“Don’t be afraid,” Van said. “I’m sure we can kick any alien’s ass if they come against us.”
“I’m not afraid, Van. I’m just dreading the future. You realize what’s at stake here? We’ve uncovered a massive plot—one that Draco has been planning for who knows how long. How long have they been here? What’s their big plan going to look like? With technology so advanced, they can literally induce brain and tissue damage in a pod! How can we even hope to compete with that kind of power?”
Van shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Van… and we can’t just stay out here,” Sang said quietly. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. “As scary as it was. As deadly as it was, we can’t stay out here. We need to go back. There’s still so much work to do. We’ve discovered only a small piece of the puzzle, and... you and I, we work well as a team. We get along... and more importantly, we’re the only ones who have seen this stuff up close. We can’t let Draco win.”
“So, you’re telling me that you want to go back into the game, with me?” Van asked. He was surprised to see that Sang, despite her worries and fears, wasn’t about to give up.
“The doctor says we need time to recover, but yeah. We’re going to have to go back into the game. They’re going to be shutting this whole operation down on account of some fears of our cover being blown, but once we sit in front of the brass and tell them everything we’ve seen, you can bet that they’re going to want to send us back in.”
Van nodded. “And you’re okay with that?”
“I don’t have a choice, Van. Whatever information is in my head won’t stop clawing at me. That Dragon was hatched because of me. I felt some kind of bond to it, I swear. With your skills as a player and my link with the Others, we’re the only ones who are qualified to do this. I can’t do it alone, Van. I need you. I know you’re probably wanting to bail... I know this thing was well beyond what was asked of you, but Van, you’re the only person I can trust to have my back. You don’t owe me a damned thing, but will you join me anyway?”
Van slowly nodded, feeling a few tears well up in his own eyes.
Never before had he been important enough to be asked something like this. The pleading desperation in Sang’s voice indicated that she needed him for more than just help. She needed him to actually win this thing. It meant the world to him.
“I dunno...” Van joked. “I wasn’t planning on sticking around, but… hey, if it’s important to you, I’ll do it. I’ll join you. But you owe me for this.”
“Absolutely!” Sang said, smiling widely and throwing her arms open wide. Van leaned in and they hugged awkwardly. Van chuckled, knowing that she was completely unaware of the fact that he had signed up for this fight several hours ago.
“Van,” Sang said as she finally released him from the hug. “I need to tell you something, too. It’s been on my heart lately and I need you to know what I’ve been thinking.”
“Go for it,” Van said as he leaned back in his chair. It turned out those pills he had taken were the pure opposite of Cwake, and he was feeling euphoric.
“All I could think about as I raced to save you was the fact that you were so happy with your line of work,” she said. “All I could think about was how much I tried to judge you for what you did. Van, I’m sorry that I didn’t take you seriously, all this time. It wasn’t right of me to act as if you were somehow lesser, just because of what you chose to do.”
“Huh... I appreciate it, but ironically, I think your words kind of got me thinking, too,” Van said. “I wasted so much of my life thinking about the future that I never once thought about a better today. I wasted so much… potential.”
“At least you were always thinking about the future,” Sang mumbled. “I was so caught up in achieving success that I didn’t even notice when it had arrived! Then I was just going through the motions.”
“Yeah, I think we can agree that we’re both pretty messed up, can’t we?” Van asked. Sang laughed at that.
“I suppose so,” she said. “But right now, I’m going to make you a promise.”