by Justin Sloan
The tree line provided ample cover, but still I waited until we had made it past the next ridge and found ourselves near a small stream. She lowered herself to a rock up against the side of a fallen tree, at a spot where the roots faced us. The other side had been covered in dirt that formed a path where we’d just come. Sun glistened on the stream, and it all felt so peaceful, even the light mist of rain that started to fall a moment later. It was hard to tell if this was part of how the simulation was supposed to run, or if it was some interference after the fact.
My brain said to stand there looking at the beauty of this place, to try to find my inner peace. But I was beyond that. The situation was beyond that. I started swearing and punching the air in frustration, then collapsed to my knees. Rivera was looking at me with a somber look, met my gaze, and nodded.
“What… the hell… happened back there?” I asked, pounding my fist into the dirt one last time, because I needed it. Vaguely, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was in awe of how real the dirt felt, how it gave way the right amount as dirt would. But when you’ve just seen your whole side in a war wiped out, nothing else seems as important.
She stood, stretched, and took a moment to stare at the ground. “We were hacked.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
“Don’t snap at me! You think I took pleasure in watching us get destroyed like that? You think I’m here reveling in the fact that this is totally and unbelievably beyond fucked up?”
I bit my tongue, turned and was about to kick a tree, when I thought better of it. “Of course not, I’m sorry. Look, I’m not supposed to be doing this. I was off living another life, making games and—”
“Holy shit, you’re…” She took a step toward me, her head cocked.
“Yeah, Ryan Ellis. Co-creator of Game of Shadows, which was the inspiration for this hell hole we now find ourselves in.”
“I was going to say that Marine Major whose wife was killed by a drunk driver,” she said, brow furrowing. “But all that other stuff, now that you mention it, feels pretty damn relevant. Yeah. So explain how it is someone was able to hack the system? You must deal with situations like that on a daily basis.”
“Not the exact same, and we have a team that handles those types of threats.” I ran a hand over my shaved head, realizing only then that I’d lost my helmet. “Honestly, the only way I can see it making sense is if someone was on the inside.”
That got me thinking. As far as I knew, the general would have had his team of Marines working the penetration tests, looking for ways in. They were good. Damn good. But something on this level? I had to believe the World Council would’ve put red and blue teams on it, setting up defenses along with their own tests.
Even if it had been one of them, they’d set up redundancies, checks against each other. Hell, they got off on stumping each other and trying to ensure the guy or gal next to them couldn’t find a way in. I knew, as I’d been part of the Marine Corps red team in my younger days, before I went MECEP to get my officer’s commission.
“Wait, you just said inspiration for this hell hole?” she asked.
“My buddy, Dave, did the actual work. He was involved in its creation, apparently. Didn’t tell me a damn thing about it until after the fact but… Oh!” I turned to her. “You know, he could’ve used similar programming as Game of Shadows. So, therefore, anyone involved in Game of Shadows development, or with access to the inside, could be behind this.”
“And since the Eastern Ascent Company was granted access…”
“That idiot. That careless, stupid, piece of cow-shit-licking idiot.” My face fell into my hands and I took deep breaths, trying to comprehend how he, always in people’s faces about being careful, could have let this happen. Of course, it had made sense from a business perspective to let the countries that made up the Eastern Ascent Company handle their own localization and distribution, but we hadn’t been at war at the time.
Someone must’ve found out that Game of Shadows was being referenced in the making of this new simulation, and put two and two together. I couldn’t rule out an inside job, but this meant the group of suspects had just widened considerably. Hell, it could’ve been that our sister companies there sold us out, and now the enemy had full reign.
“You don’t think…” I started, trying to figure it out, “I mean, if they can do whatever they want now, don’t you think they would just kill us off without bothering to have their soldiers do it?”
“Not necessarily,” she replied. “For one, I don’t know how much proof the Americas have of the hack. The other side could claim it was a glitch and that they still won. If the World Council agrees… the Americas lose.”
“No,” I said, but had already considered this and knew it was likely true. I just didn’t want to hear it from her.
She nodded.
“So where does that leave us?” I asked.
For a moment we stood there, staring at each other in thought as the wind blew through the leaves. They rustled as real as if I were still back in Albany. Another sound accompanied the rustling, I realized. And then I processed it as not rustling after all, but rumbling. Rumbling and thudding.
Mechs! I’d come across my share of them in Game of Shadows, enough to be very certain that’s what was coming for us.
I dove, taking Rivera with me, so that we were pressed up against the roots of the overturned tree. They came overhead, along the path and in the sky. How the hell did they have this kind of tech, when we were supposed to be going in with just us and our rifles? Rivera’s breathing was heavy beside me, so I turned to check on her. Her wide, caramel eyes stared at me, her hands clutching her rifle tight to her chest and resting on her bent knees. For a moment, I was allowing my eyes to move from hers to her lips, and a memory flashed of a time with Donica during an earthquake. The two of us had been like this in the doorway, both scared out of our minds as the apartment shook. It had been intense, and led to some of the most passionate lovemaking we’d ever experienced.
Was the worry of this moment what brought me back there? The way this woman’s lips formed a slight pout in much the same way? I looked away, hating myself for even looking at another woman. Not just a woman, but a simulation of one—heaven knows I didn’t still have this exact same body they’d sent me in here with. Although I was starting to think I’d get back to the gym if I ever made it out of here. I hadn’t had abs like this since my mid-twenties.
Maybe I was trying to distract myself from what was happening right above us. I pushed back deeper against the roots, ignoring the centipede that had worked its way out and was crawling an inch from my face.
I searched my outfit for something useful, and found a pair of shades. Just like the ones I’d brought on my last deployment. Nothing fancy, but they were mirrored, and that gave me an idea.
The sun was coming in from the right, so I moved the sunglasses at an angle to avoid any glare cast above us, and then held them out far enough to catch a reflection. Sure enough, three mech suits were walking by, followed by a tank. I saw a jet fly overhead, and then angled back to see a handful of enemy soldiers marching.
“They’re on the search,” I whispered, very quietly into Rivera’s ear. “We need to stay put until we’re sure they’re gone.”
She stifled a deep breath, worried it would make too much noise, and nodded. When she breathed again, she turned to me and leaned in close. “Can’t they see us? I mean, it’s televised, right?”
Her whisper so close was a tickling breath in my ear, one that sent a chill down my spine. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to stay in the zone, and shook my head.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Part of the rules,” I replied. “While it’s televised for the wider audience, each command is allowed to see only what their side sees.”
“So our side knows we’re still alive, but the enemy might not?”
I nodded. “They’re under surveillance, not allowed any viewing equipment. Not allowed out
side influence, or they forfeit for cheating. Basically, since our side hasn’t surrendered yet, they’re counting on us. The enemy knows this, so knows there must still be some of us alive, but they won’t know how many or where.”
“Using mechs and all that isn’t cheating?” she asked, voice rising higher than she should’ve allowed.
I held up a finger, then checked with my shades again. No sign of them up there. My body rebelled with tightness as I moved forward to get a better view—not something I’d expected from a simulation—but I was relieved to see they were gone. The rumbling and thuds were still audible in the distance, and far away tree branches rustled with their movement.
“I think they still can’t call it cheating, because they haven’t found a way to link the hack to the enemy. If their whole team is being watched and nothing’s out of the ordinary, what can they do?”
She frowned, but nodded. “Seriously, what can we do? As in, what’s our play here? You’re the ranking officer and all.”
I recognized that with a low growl in the back of my throat, but knew she was right. “First, we need to get a good vantage point, see what we’re really dealing with here. Stall, I guess, hoping that if they have someone hacking on their behalf, maybe someone will figure out how to help us.”
“Won’t save all those people,” she said.
“It won’t.” I stood there, staring off as the sounds of the enemy vanished, and then bent my head forward and closed my eyes.
“What’re you doing?” she asked.
“A moment of silence for the fallen.”
When she didn’t respond, I assumed she was doing the same. After another couple of moments, I looked up and saw her waiting. I spun toward the nearest hill. It was one of many, so might not be the main target of the enemy in their search. As far as they were concerned, I could’ve gone any direction. There was no reason that hill would be any more dangerous than the others, and we needed a starting point. We moved off for it.
“We’re going to find a way out of this,” she said, breaking the silence of our march.
“I hope you’re right.”
She frowned, then shook her head. “No, you’ll see. If we’re good people, the right type for the job, I’m sure of it. And I know I’m good people. Are you?”
“You’re saying that, if we’re good people, we’ll win this war?”
By the look in her eyes, I could almost believe she was one hundred percent serious when she said, “Yes.”
My laugh came out short and crisp. “Okay, sure.”
“So, are you? Good?”
I thought about it, then said, “As far as I know. I’ve certainly tried to be.”
“Right. Well, I’m sure we’ll know by the end of this.”
My glance over was full of skepticism and questions, and I turned to ask her what she meant when a red ball rolled past. I was about to dive, thinking it was a grenade, when a young boy appeared. The boy ran past, laughing as he kicked the ball, then darted up to it and kicked again. When he turned to kick it a third time, he noticed us and froze.
Since there were only supposed to be soldiers in here, I froze, too.
8
“What are you doing here, kid?” I asked.
He frowned, then pointed and said, “My village… that way.”
As little sense as this made, I had to see what this was. When Rivera touched my arm and gave me a skeptical look, I returned it with a slight nod. I knew it could be a trap, but at the same time, why? Why not just send soldiers after me, if the enemy knew where I was? They had the mechs, even had the jets. Hell, it was a simulated world, so they might as well all stand in one corner and napalm the hell out of the rest of it.
But this didn’t fit with what I’d seen of the enemy so far. And now that I was following the kid, Rivera at my side, I noticed something else about him. He looked very familiar, though I wasn’t sure why until he turned to me and said, “Are you here to give heart, or take it?”
At first the question threw me for a loop. But then, as if trying to be obvious, he pulled out a red cape that had been bunched up in his pocket and put it on. He wore white pants and a blue vest over a white shirt—very fantasy-game looking—and with the red cape and the way his hair was messed up, I gasped.
“Oliver?” I asked.
He blinked. “Yes… but how did you know that?”
“Lucky guess,” I replied, grinning. “And to give heart, for sure.”
Oliver beamed and kept walking, leading us on.
“What just happened?” Rivera asked, though she seemed amused by the situation.
“If he hadn’t asked, and if not for the cape, I wouldn’t have known, but… Ni No Kuni.”
“Konnichiwa to you, too.” She held out her hands in a way that showed she needed more than that.
“Right.” I lowered my voice, not wanting Oliver to hear. “It was a game. Really cute, a fun one that this old company named Studio Gibli was involved with. My brother’s friend, Chad, lent it to him one summer, and I can’t even count the hours I spent up late at night—”
“Ellis, the point.”
“Right. Um, you can call me Ryan. Point is, the boy in the game, that’s him. Only, that was an animated, video game version of course. The heart stuff is from early in the game.”
“And you don’t think this is a trap?” The look she gave me said she thought I was an idiot.
I quickly explained to her my reasoning, that the enemy could just napalm us if they wanted to, and she nodded, scorn vanishing. “You might be right.”
“It’s happened once or twice.”
“Just up here,” the boy said, and we reached a winding path that led around and up the hill. At first it was a pleasant stroll, and the boy started talking about how he’d been here for a while and was on a quest to save his mom. It was all very gut-wrenching, or would’ve been if I hadn’t known that he was basically a sim talking about some of the plot from the game.
“Do you know your mom?” Oliver asked me.
“I… actually, I’ve been meaning to call her.” This lie came to my head, an excuse I’d heard on an old show about dementia and my dad dying, but neither were true. Instead I sighed and came out with the truth. “We just don’t speak much lately, not since…”
I glanced over at Rivera, who caught on and offered me a sympathetic nod. The boy looked between us and said, “Oh, that’s okay. I get it.” Turning to Rivera, he added, “And you?”
She gave him a sad smile and pointed heavenward. “Wherever they go when they pass on.”
“Ah, I’m… sorry.” Suddenly his face brightened. “You can join me, on my search. Maybe we can bring your mom back.”
“It’s a thing from the game,” I whispered into Rivera’s ear, and she blinked.
“I… no, I think she’s happier now,” Rivera told Oliver. “I’ve said my goodbyes, made my peace.”
He looked let down, but then nodded. “I get that, sure.”
All this talk had me thinking. My poor mother had lost a daughter-in-law when my wife passed away, and they had gotten along quite well, as far as I knew. Now I was so distant, she might as well have lost a son, too. If I didn’t play my cards right in here, she might. And the part about my dad wasn’t so far off—he just wasn’t around. Always off getting drunk or worse, so the guy wasn’t really part of either of our lives.
I resolved right there to call my mom the first chance I got.
A rumbling sounded, and a moment later a jet flew by overhead and to the south. We all turned and ducked, watching it go.
“There’s trouble out there,” Oliver said. “Right?”
“There is,” I replied.
He motioned me forward, then Rivera. “If you can keep a secret, I’ll let you know… I have a book of magic. I can use spells to fight, if it comes to that.”
“We couldn’t think of putting you in danger,” I said, seeing him as a boy and not so much the badass character from the game.
“If it comes to it, count on me,” he said, and I could already imagine him waving his wand around, casting his magic. In a place like this, it might work.
Voices came from our left, followed by the sound of breaking branches and snapping twigs. The boy turned, hopeful, but then his expression shifted to one of worry and he motioned us back, away from the path.
“What?” Rivera asked. She put her hand to her rifle, slung over her shoulder.
“No,” he hissed, and motioned again.
“He’s right,” I hissed back. “Better not to cause trouble for the village, if possible.”
It was my instinct speaking, but as we moved, I realized it was something else, too. Not just my instinct for life, but for games. In certain games, moral choices could affect the outcome as much as physical victories. If this was me being tested, or somehow the simulation had adapted to take on some sort of game-like aspects, it would be prudent to see if this could play out without violence.
We moved off the path and into an area thick with vines, thin trees jutting out from the side of the hill. If all of this was designed, someone had done a damn good job. My bet though, was that they simply took parts of pre-existing games and simulations and adapted them, maybe even had a computer take them and work on its own model. Rivera stood close by, her breath on my neck. I glanced over to see her tensing, slowly taking her rifle from her shoulder to avoid making a sound.
A group of foreign fighters approached, moving along the path. If they glanced our way, we were ready to fight. With the kid there, I hoped it didn’t come to that. I didn’t care how many times I’d seen him kick ass on my screen back home. Here, standing next to me, he was a very real-seeming kid. My mind simply couldn’t separate that from the fact that it was a simulation.
The kid took a small stick from his cape and raised an eyebrow as he looked to me for the go-ahead to attack, but I shook my head.