by Alexie Aaron
“Could Jake have fallen into a buggy area and can’t get out?” Mia asked.
The men looked at each other.
“I mean, in a game, he would just be another avatar, wouldn’t he? When I OOB, I’m an avatar of myself, sort of. The only difference between Jake and I is that the game’s generated avatars will regenerate. We would just die.”
“Depends on the rules of the game,” Cid said. “Jake is already dead. I have no idea how you would do inside a computer game.”
“She would be a hell of an asset,” Ted said. “Mia’s fighting skills and ability to transform would make her an awesome avatar.”
“Could I enter the game and search for Jake?” she asked her husband.
“I don’t know how,” Ted admitted.
“Jake entered the game electrically,” Cid said. “Murphy could do it. You would have to go through a…”
“Vortex,” Mia finished. “Excuse me,” she said, leaving the table in a hurry.
They heard her pound up the steps and then back down. She arrived with the box. She sat down, opened it, and took out Billy’s lighter and pulled it apart. Inside was a flash drive. “It’s a prototype of what you guys use now. All of Billy’s best codes are contained on this. Could the code that opened up the demon line be adapted to open up a pathway into this computer game?”
“The girl is a genius,” Mike said, looking at Mia differently.
“I’ll have to look at it,” Ted said.
“If anyone can figure it out, you can, Teddy Bear,” Mia said confidently. “I’ll show you which one it is and tell you where you need to change. We don’t need a demon vortex opening up along with a missing team member,” she said.
“So if I’m able to do this…”
“I’ll OOB and go in and search for Jake,” Mia said.
“But, doll,” Mike said, “you have to play according to the rules of the game.”
“He means, you will be a playable avatar,” Ted said.
“You could play me and talk to me like you do with the earcom.”
“We could adapt the game so she could hear you. We could control her movements, like jump, fight, run, yadda yadda, but she also could move independently of us too,” Cid explained.
“She’s not going alone,” Murphy said. “I’ll go with her.”
“Can you guys play us?” Mia asked.
Ted sat and thought. Mike and Burt talked it over between them. Cid scratched some code out on a napkin.
“We could do it, but, pumpkin, if we kill you in the game, you may stay dead.”
“Or I could go back to the save point. You have to write the code, BatWayne.”
“Can you help me with that, LilBear?” he asked her.
“I’m a bit rusty, but I’ll try,” she said.
“So you and Murphy will enter a game, Cid and Ted have yet to play, all to save Jake?” Burt asked.
“He’s a PEEP,” Mia said. “He’s just as valuable as Murphy or me.”
Mike sat back and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m against this. Mia, he’s dead and Murphy’s dead. You’re not. Losing you would crush us all.”
Mia’s eyes watered. She got up and walked over to her friend. “Sometimes you have to have a little more faith in me. I’m amazing.”
“And full of herself,” Burt said, laughing. “I’m in.”
“I’m in,” Cid said.
“I’m in,” Ted said, confident of his programing abilities.
“I’m with Mia,” Murphy said.
They all turned to Mike. He looked at Mia. “First a tattoo, and now you’re into videogames. I sense an intervention in your future, doll. I’m in.”
Burt called Audrey and updated her on the problem. She insisted on coming out. She couldn’t help with code or playing the games, but she could feed them and make sure the coffee was flowing. Burt told her that tomorrow would be soon enough. He expected that it would take a while for the nerds and Mia to figure out how to program a portal for Mia and Murphy to enter through.
Mia sat down with Ted and Cid. She pulled up Billy’s program. “You have to stop here. This is where he jumped out of inner space and into the demon spur line, in my opinion.
Cid was working on adapting the game. “Mia, Ted and I will have control over you and Murphy to a point. You will be able to venture off the grid on your own, but you’ll have our mad skills in battle.”
“I’m sure that will take some getting used to, but I trust you,” she said.
“You do, don’t you?” Cid said.
“Anyone with a body like that…”
“Bad Mia!” Ted and Murphy chorused.
Burt and Mike made up beds in the two guestrooms. They would need to both spell the gamers and get a full night’s rest. Mike was rusty at playing games, but Burt was up to the task.
Mia took her weapons and headed to the hillside to work with Murphy under the light of the full moon. They worked on speed. Murphy would have to rise to Mia’s OOB intensity, and Mia would have to concentrate on adjusting to the weight of armor. She was the most vulnerable. After a few hours of practice, Mia called it quits. She dragged herself to bed after taking a long hot shower.
Ted wrote code. Cid practiced his gaming skills, and he read up on the real Angkor Wat, knowing that the programmers would have incorporated the myths into the game. Ted swore and got up, frustrated. “I’ve got to wake LilBear,” he said. “Cid, how could she have sat back and let me be this genius when, all along, she was probably as good as I am.”
“Mia had her reasons for staying away from coding. She doesn’t like it. She did it to survive. It afforded her a cot and food and then, probably, a way of fitting in. Her strengths aren’t in that machine; they’re in her ability to love and to forgive. She knows this. Go ahead and wake her, but I’d do it gently. She and Murph were battling for a few hours. I’m going to get some sleep. All of this can wait until morning. Jake will just have to hole up somewhere until we can find him.”
Mia felt hands on her. She woke ready to fight off whomever had ventured in.
“Mia, it’s Ted,” he said softly.
“Sorry, I was having a nightmare,” she said, opening her arms to her husband.
“You’re fully dressed,” he said, amused.
“Um, I’m in a house full of nerds. I have to protect myself,” she said.
Ted unbuttoned her flannel, cowboy pajama top. It was one of his castoffs from his youth. Mia loved to wear his old clothes. He didn’t understand it. They were just pajamas. To Mia, they were part of him. He eased off the bottoms and heard her sigh. They made gentle love. When he was over her, he noticed the tattoo glowed. The turquoise and cobalt blue of the birds seemed to be moving with them.
“Ted, your tattoo, it’s moving,” Mia said, reaching for it.
“Yours too,” he said, breathless as his ardor increased.
They let their bodies guide them, and soon they felt joined. It was as if the marks linked them, binding them together, forever.
Chapter Fourteen
Cid came down into the office to see Ted and Mia on the computers. Mia would occasionally look over at Ted and point out something. He smiled and nodded.
“When I do that, I get my hand swatted,” Cid said.
“You don’t have boobs,” Ted said.
Cid leaned in and was amazed at the amount of working code Ted had established. “How long have you guys been working?”
“A few hours. I wanted to sleep longer, but Ted had an insight and dragged me out of bed.”
“That explains the cowboy pajamas. I’m going to have to insist that you change. You’re ruining my childhood memories,” Cid said.
Mia got up. “Come here,” she ordered and patted her chair.
Cid sat down. Mia pointed out what she had been doing and showed him the errors in her coding. “Fix these. I’m going to shower and change.”
“Mia, don’t be long,” Ted said.
Mia kissed the top of his head. “I�
�ll do my best,” she said and left.
“She’s different,” Cid said. “Where is the bite?”
“Mia knows how serious this is. Plus, she’s worked with programmers before. I think it’s all coming back to her. Unfortunately, it’s bringing back the nightmares too.”
“Poor kid. We really didn’t have it as hard as we thought we did,” Cid said.
“Mia would say that we had a different path, not easier, just different.”
“You have to get some sleep. If we break through, then you’re going to have to be physically capable of getting Mia through this game alive.”
“I will when she comes back. She’s too distracting.”
“Where is the portal going to be?”
“That old monitor over there,” Ted said, pointing to the antiquated piece of equipment. Mia thinks that Billy’s code would work best with a device of that same era.”
“She’s right.”
They heard a car and saw that Audrey had arrived. Cid ran out to help her in with the multitude of boxes of donuts and bags of food. The groceries he took into the kitchen while Audrey brought the snacks into the office.
“Hello, Ted,” she said excitedly. “This is so cool.”
Ted smiled. There wasn’t anything that Audrey didn’t think was exciting and cool. “It’s a work in progress. Thank you for coming over.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Burt gave me an outline of what you’re going to attempt to do. Very gutsy.”
“Very Mia,” Ted said.
As if on cue, Mia walked in the door carrying coffee supplies. She set her stuff down and hugged Audrey. “Now we’re complete,” Mia said. “I want to show you something, and then, Ted, you’re out of here and into bed. Cid said you could use his apartment. This way, we can get you if we have an emergency.”
Mia took Audrey through to the workshop. She pulled off her sweatshirt and then her t-shirt.
“It’s beautiful. I’m not a tattoo lover, but that’s a nice one. So you let Ted mark you?”
“Everybody else has, but this one was done with my permission,” Mia said proudly. “It’s the exact twin to the one he carries.”
“So instead of you being his chattel, you are each other’s. That’s brilliant.”
“Ted’s idea. Wyatt said that the tattoo would not adhere if we were not truly in love with each other.”
Audrey smiled and her eyes teared up. “So are we at the end of the hurting?”
“I believe so. I can’t explain it, but last night, something happened that was magical.”
“Sex is always magical to you, sweetie.”
“No,” Mia said, letting a giggle escape her. “It was as if the tattoos bonded us together, forever.”
“Wow.”
Mia pulled on her clothing and put her hair up.
“How did Ted take the Sariel mark?” Audrey asked.
“A lot better than Wyatt did. I may have to ask Sariel to remove it before I make restitution.”
“Restitution?”
Mia explained the whole thing to Audrey. Audrey seemed outraged that Mia would still be responsible for the hackers’ stealing.
“In all the entity realms, there are different codes of conduct. Honor must be established. Between the groups, there may not be any honor, but within the group, there is. I hope to satisfy my debt or be told how to do so, and then I will ask them to release Lobo, Billy and Yann so I can cross them over.”
“That’s pretty ambitious.”
“I know, but I have to try. But first I have to get Jake back.”
“Murphy is going with you?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Audrey, just in case this goes pear-shaped, will you watch over Brian and Ted for me?”
“You know I will.”
“Good,” Mia said. “Come on, I have to surgically remove my husband from the keyboard.”
~
The breakthrough happened an hour after Ted returned rested. Mia had to pull Murphy away, as the portal was sucking him in. The PEEPs celebrated with food and caffeine. Cid brought Mia into the barn and over to Murphy’s area, away from the distraction of the others. Mia sat down and listened to Cid about Ta Prohm, which was where he believed Jake may have fallen through a hole or been trapped.
“In this game, there are coded messages left on the walls or the ground. I’m hoping Jake left some. I have no idea what all of that is going to look like to you and Murphy, but let Ted and I take you as far as we can. Don’t fight Ted, Mia. He is the best gamer I’ve seen. There will be other players’ avatars you may run into. Try not to get distracted. The clothing…”
“Yes,” Mia said, giving him her full attention.
“The clothing, or skins, are how we arm our avatars.”
“I thought arm as in weapons.”
“Yes and armor. Some armor is rather… Well, let’s put it this way, the gamer world is presently very male dominated so…”
“Be prepared for a little T and A,” Mia finished.
“Also, Ted took the precaution of locking you and Murphy down to us. Once your avatar hits the game, you’re going to be fought over.”
“Why?”
“Mia, you’re a babe, and in there, you’re going to be… hot?”
Mia laughed. “Okay, you may want to warn Murphy about that. I don’t want him lip locking on me. Honestly, I thought we had made an agreement.”
“Don’t worry, Mia, I’m going to control Murphy.”
“Good luck with that,” Mia said.
“You’re going to do a lot of killing. You’re not killing anything that is living. It’s just code. Fighting in the game will be different. Let Ted show you how and listen to him or whomever steps in when he has to rest or pee.”
“K.”
“Mia, I know you’ve asked Audrey to watch over Brian and Ted. I believe in you, but if you don’t come back, I’ll make sure Ted survives this.”
“Thank you, Cid. I’m going to wait for him. If I die, I’ll be waiting for Ted before I cross over.”
“I’m surprised.”
Mia put her hand on her chest. “This may seem silly to you, but I bonded myself to Ted forever, not just till death do you part. I know the activity in which I participate will probably take me first, but I want Ted to enjoy his human existence, have another wife, more children, but when he dies, he’ll be mine again. This isn’t just a mark; it is a promise. I always keep my promises.”
Cid’s nose burned. He didn’t want to show weakness right now. His eyes teared up. “Mia, before you go… I read the diary. I do want you to know that Neal loved you. He asked his father well before you became pregnant if he could marry you. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and Ted, whom I love as a brother, is so fortunate that you were able to put all that behind you, so you could open your heart up to him.”
Mia moved into Cid’s arms and clung to him. “I’m scared, Cid. I’ve never had so much to lose before.”
Cid held her and whispered, “You have me and Murphy at your side, Mia. You have the hearts of all the PEEPs with you. And you have Ted. I know Lobo was great, but he didn’t have the experience Ted has developed. Ted’s better, and Ted will bring you home if things get too much. Jake has had his time on this earth and a little bit more. He will understand.”
Mia nodded and wiped her face with her sweatshirt sleeve.
There was a commotion at the far end of the building. Ted was opening the barn door, and a decommissioned ambulance backed in.
“Ted’s taking no chances, Mia,” Cid said.
“Who?”
“Where’s my girl?” Tauni Cerise called as she hopped out of the passenger side.
Mia ran over and hugged the woman.
“Did you think I was going to leave your health and welfare up to these PEEPs?”
A tall older gentleman got out of the vehicle.
“This is my father, Laran Cerise. He’s a neurologist. I told
him what you were up to, and he’d like a chance to monitor you, Mia.”
Mia reached out her hand, and the man drew her into a hug. “Where I come from, a hug is better,” he said.
He released her, and she walked over to Ted. “You’re amazing.”
“I know. There’s more, come.”
Mia took his hand, and he led her to a raised bed that had clear, curved Plexiglas around it. “We can keep you warm in here. I built most of it when you were driving Mike to the hospital.”
“Cid said you were banging around on something,” Mia said. “Thank you.”
“I’m not a flower-giving kind of guy,” he said, taking both of her hands in his. “I want you to know how sorry I am for being afraid, jealous and temperamental.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry, Ted. All of that makes up you. I’m reactionary, jealous and insecure, but you seem to live with it.”
“Superheroes are supposed to be flawed, Mia,” Ted said.
“Yes, they are. I hope Jake appreciates how deep we’re mired into Gerald for all this.”
“No, Laran is footing the bill. You’re a unique individual. You will be known as Subject AA324 in his research.”
“Tauni?”
“Sabine.”
“Mia, we have this wonderfully large family. All I had to do was reach out to them. We may have thought we were all alone once upon a time, but those times are gone.”
Mia nodded. “Well, I better pee because Tauni is catheter happy.”
“Ouch.”
Mia commiserated, “It’s uncomfortable, but not as bad as it is for you males.”
“Did Cid talk to you about being an avatar?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Ted,” Mia said, drawing him away from the others. “Did you feel something different last night?”
“Yes, Mia. I felt like we were becoming part of one another.”
“I felt that too. Are you okay with that?”
Ted lifted her up and held her tight to his chest. “Yes, Mia, I am.”
“Cool beans,” Mia said, kissing her husband. “It’s funny, but I finally feel like I’m married.”
“I think so too. We have had all these ceremonies but never connected as we did last night. I think, finally, we understand what it is to be husband and wife,” Ted said.