She turns the palms of her hands to face behind her and she slowly moves closer to me, adjusting her hands as she reaches me to once again float in the air.
“Perfect!” I say. “Now let’s float down to the ground. It’s the same floating a few hundred feet up as it is floating just one. “
Together we descend. I touch down first. When she touches the ground, her glow fades and she runs to throw her arms around me. “That was incredible!” she exclaims. “I can fly! Wow, Melissa, I don’t know what to say. How do I ever begin to thank you?”
“It’s me who should thank you, Danni,” I say. “Your company, your friendship, and your training has allowed me to live a life I never dreamed I could have. I’m honoured that I could give you something in return. Remember, though, the flying is all you. I can show you what to do, but it’s you who had to do it. This is the result of thousands of hours of boring, tedious practice. You’re the extraordinary person for the commitment you have displayed. You bought this skill with belief and paid for it with hard work.”
“I appreciate that,” she says.
“So,” I say, “are you tired? It’s not supposed to sap your strength, but the first few times you fly you’ll likely forget to channel energy from around you and draw off of your own resources.”
“I am a little tired,” she admits. “I think I have the energy for one more quick flight, though. It beats walking out of here. Let’s find a safe place away from whoever was chasing us.”
I smile. “Okay, then, follow me.” I summon the Glow and take to the air, going slow and watching as she quickly joins me.
We fly west for about five minutes and Danielle quickly grabs my arm. “We need to go a different way,” she says. “There’s a black car parked on the side of that road ahead.”
I nod. “That one’s safe. Follow me and promise not to get angry.” I smile and she nods.
As we get closer to the car we can both make out a man standing outside, leaning against the side of the vehicle and looking up towards us. We land and Danielle laughs.
“Hey, Raphael,” she says.
“Hi, Danni,” Raphael says, walking towards her and grabbing her in a fierce hug. “Look at you, flying around like a little bird! Congratulations, girl.”
“Whose idea was this?” she asks, returning his hug briefly, then slapping him on the chest.
“A combined effort,” I say. “You’ve been ready to fly for a while now. I thought it might just be fear holding you back, so we orchestrated this little crisis to help push you in the right direction. Danger can be healthy sometimes.”
“You pulled it off nicely,” Danielle admits. “I saw those cars coming towards me and wasn’t thinking about issues that normally hold me back from trying. Thanks, I guess. But don’t make this a habit. My heart almost stopped beating at the thought of being caught by our enemies.”
“I know, Danni,” Raphael says. “I swear to you that the news about who took the Mark off came to me coincidentally at the same time we were doing this exercise. I won’t be pulling any more scenarios like this from now on. It was important for us to know if you could fly. You have a new and powerful escape route available to you from now on.” Raphael looks over at me. “Now teach her how to fly erratically so she presents a difficult target to shoot down.”
I nod. “Are you up for a bit more flying right now to try it out?” I ask.
Danielle’s eyes light up. “Yes, let’s.”
Chapter 42
The greatest secret is that we are more powerful than we think.
The greatest tragedy is that we believe lies and ignore truth.
The greatest hope is that we will wake up from the dream that we all share and free ourselves…because the dream is a nightmare.
There is a better life waiting patiently for us all, not just outside of the Game…but here inside it as well.
The dog that appears to be growling at us as we approach is actually looking slightly behind us, trying to protect us from the danger that grasps us tightly. We hush the dog and remain trapped.
Ignorance is not bliss.
Wake up.
An excerpt from a Trew Radfield talk when he was in the Game
Miranda
I hear avoice and my eyes focus on the man on the other side of my cage. It’s him, and he’s smiling at me.
“Pardon? Did you ask me a question?”
“Indeed I did,” he says. His voice is melodic and smooth, like warm honey dripping off of a spoon into a glass of tea. His smile is warm and comforting, I bet people find it easy to trust him. His entire bearing makes him seem fatherly and concerned. Maybe he
drugs us too; I feel groggy. “I asked you if you think I’m stupid.” he says.
His question throws me off; it doesn’t match his pleasant demeanour. I think cautiously before answering. “No, I don’t think you’re stupid. I don’t even know you,” I say.
His lip curls into a half smile. “Each time I bring you out of the Haze you react so differently. We appear to be making progress, then the next time it’s as if you don’t recall the previous day’s interaction.”
Okay, it’s showtime. I quiver my lip and start to tear up, not really so difficult for me to do; I’m in a hopeless situation that’s likely going to end in a very slow painful death, followed by oblivion and the loss of my soul. “I’m trying very hard to do what you want, mister,” I say. “I’m finding it very difficult to concentrate. I hurt sometimes and I don’t know why. Other times I’m so dizzy and groggy that I can’t keep a single thought in my head. Then when I feel good, like right now, I look around me and discover that I’m in some kind of underground jail. I just want to go back to my normal life, and I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”
I break down and sob. He waits politely for a few moments as I lose myself in the moment. I finally look up and accept a handkerchief from his hand, wiping my eyes and blowing my nose. I try to access Sparx, and my heart skips a beat. Where her presence usually sits I find nothing. I feel alone.
He must detect my surprise; he smiles and nods sympathetically, then taps a spot on the right side of his neck. There’s nothing there; he must be signalling for me to… I reach up and feel a small bandage covering my neck. I’m not acting this time as my face drains of colour and my stomach does a complete turn.
He smiles, “Yes, that’s right, Miranda. We found a way to remove it. Your nanocomputer is no longer inside you. My young associate,” he points to the teenager in the cell with the computers, “is taking a look at it right now. It’s much more intelligent than you
let on; I’m disappointed that you are such a convincing liar. We will have to work harder to gain your cooperation.”
I sit down heavily on the bed, crushed that they found a way to get Sparx out. I was doing so well; I wonder what they did to me to make me break. This is horrible, all of this planning and scheming for nothing.
“Don’t look so disappointed, my dear,” he says. “You were very entertaining for me. I haven’t run up against resistance like this in centuries. The good news is we are just getting started. I know you will live a long time, being an Eternal.” I flinch. “Oh, yes, I figured that part out, too. It’s been some time since I captured one of your kind in my web. We are going to have lots of fun, for a very long while.”
He snaps his fingers and I look at him. He waves his hand to summon me closer to him; it’s time for him to put me back under. I stand and walk numbly towards him for the tap that will allow me to forget my failures for a brief time. I don’t even care if he makes me suffer during the Haze. I’m broken.
He grabs my chin forcefully and tips my head up to look into my eyes. He nods in satisfaction as he reads the defeat and hopelessness.
“Who are you?” I ask meekly.
He pauses and smiles. Small motes of gold and red swirl around lazily inside his icy blue irises. Do I also detect small flashes of silver? “My name is Shane. Enjoy your rest, Miranda. Our work will final
ly begin when I bring you out of the Haze next time.”
He taps my forehead and I disappear.
***
I gain consciousness a short time later, lying in the darkness on my bed. I keep my eyes closed and wait for Shane to say something, but he doesn’t. I begin to smile inside.
‘Tell me it worked?’ I think silently.
‘Like a charm,’ Sparx replies. Once again I can feel her presence.
‘It was so real, your absence.’
‘That was the plan,’ Sparx says. ‘It had to be, for the performance you needed to deliver, and you did it. Incredible job, Miranda. A shame no one can see what you did.’
‘You can play it back from my memories when we get out of here,’ I say. ‘How did the delivery go?’
‘Our computer expert has what they believe is me,’ Sparx confirms. ‘It will keep them busy for quite some time, and I’m able to direct and control it.’
‘And the others?’ I ask.
‘Copies of myself were released and travelled by air to inhabit the other inmates. I have begun gently working to establish silent contact with their brains and psyches.’
‘Excellent,’ I say. ‘And you are able to communicate with all of your individual copies?’
‘Not yet, but I know they are working. They send out tiny pings to let me know all is on track. They will establish contact when they have set up house in their hosts. We have not been detected by any of Shane’s or the computer kid’s technology.’
‘Dare I hope there’s still a chance for me to get out of this?’ I ask Sparx.
‘Believe you will, and you will, Miranda. You have been trained for centuries for this mission. It’s all going as planned. But Shane can change the rules at any moment, let’s stay sharp.’
‘On to phase two,’ I say.
‘I’ll wake you when we are ready,’ Sparx says.
Chapter 43
I hope you are all enjoying this channel. Realizing how incredibly busy Trew is for the next few weeks while his beloved Danielle is still inside the Game, I think we are extremely lucky to get the regular exposure we get from him. Take this segment, for instance. Every morning we get to bring Trew a coffee and spend a few moments talking with him.
Let’s go on in, shall we?
“Knock, knock, good morning, Trew.”
“Good morning, Lisa,and hello to everyone watching at home. Ahh, you’ve trained me to crave this morning coffee to kickstart my day, Lisa. Thank you so much.”
“It’s our pleasure, Trew. So is there anything you can share with us today? Danielle is in grave danger now that her Clean Mark is gone; that’s what all the experts are saying.”
Trew laughs. “Lisa, if you’ve spent any amount of time watching Danielle play, I think you have to admit that she possesses incredible skills to protect herself. She isn’t your regular damsel in distress. I wouldn’t want to meet up with her in a dark alley, or a well lit room for that matter.”
“Of course you’re right, Trew. She is very formidable. But we don’t know what special powers her hunters might possess. We’ve had limited sightings of Timeless and other extraordinary creatures inside the Game.”
“I agree with you there, Lisa. I suppose any new meeting will be good for her ranking and the fans. I can assure you, I will always put my money on Danielle, and that isn’t a personal decision, it’s a shrewd and informed bet.”
“We were all amazed when she showed her ability to fly yesterday, Trew.”
“As was I.”
“What do you make of reports that there is a young player who claims to be able to levitate outside of the Game on Tygon?”
“Andrew? I’ve met him and seen it for myself, Lisa. Remember, the Game mirrors our world exactly. If something is possible inside the Game, it can be achieved out here as well.”
“You’ve seen him levitate? Incredible.”
“We continually underestimate ourselves, both inside the Game and out. Thoughts are truly the most powerful things we possess. This is an exciting time to be alive, both inside the Game and here.”
Morning interview with Trew, Lisa Rohansen reporting.
“I told you to come to me, Carl. Why are we speaking on a telephone?”
“I’m close to getting a big group of Gamers, Boss. I can’t leave right now or I’ll lose them again, and it’s taken me months to find them
There was a long pause on the line while both silently gauged the other. “Okay, fine. You’re very close to your number. That means I’m very close to being pleased.”
Carl knew he was being mocked. It had taken entirely too long for him to eject the last 80,000 players, and they both knew it. He didn’t bother to respond to Daniel’s insincere praise.
“Kill them, then I have a new assignment for you,” the Devil said.
“But this won’t reach our number. We’re still very far from it.”
“You can get back to it after this next assignment. There might be a very narrow window on your next target, Carl.”
There was a tap on the coffee shop window. Carl looked up and saw a familiar figure standing outside. Gabriel raised his hand in greeting, appearing cheerful as he rubbed his hands together to warm them and walked towards the entrance. Carl frowned. “Listen Boss, I've gotta go. I’ll call you after I’m done with this group.”
“So disinterested in your next target that you don’t even try to get it out of me?” Daniel sounded suspicious, Carl always pushed things farther than he should, but he didn’t seem like his normal self on the phone today.
“You never tell me anyway,” Carl growled, “so why bother begging?” Gabriel had entered the front door and was walking towards him, nodding and smiling at people as he approached. The entire room had become more joyous and positive by Gabriel’s presence. It made Carl want to throw up.
“Someone has lost her Clean Mark, Carl,” Daniel said. “We will take full advantage of that. You are to eject Danielle Radfield from the Game.”
“What?” Carl couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Gabriel sat down across from him and watched politely.
“Kill the Gamers, then Danielle. And do it all quickly,” The Devil commanded.
“All right,” Carl said, looking downwards at the table.
“And, Carl?”
“What?”
“I want you in front of me immediately after that. It’s been too long since we’ve had a meal together. That’s an order.”
Carl didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing, Boss." He hung up the phone, closed his eyes for a moment, and then spoke.
“Thanks for meeting me.”
“Happy to see you again. It’s not often that I’ve heard from you these past few centuries, Carl,” said Gabriel. “Your tone sounded serious. What’s up?”
Carl looked at Gabriel, who boomed out a surprised laugh. It was deep and rich, but Carl didn’t detect any malice in it.
“Stop it!” Carl snapped.
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said. “This must be terribly confusing for you.”
“Damn it,” Carl said. “I was hoping I was wrong. Thought perhaps it was just my imagination.”
“It isn’t,” Gabriel confirmed.
The two men sat quietly, then Gabriel spoke up. “How can I help you?”
“I’ve been given orders; too many orders, and for the first time in I can’t remember how long, I have issues with some of them. What orders do I follow?”
“You know the rules, my boy. Follow the orders that match your eyes. It’s pretty simple.”
Carl nodded slowly. “Okay. Thanks for the confirmation. I guess I need to find Danielle, then.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Gabriel said.
“No,” Carl shook his head, “I’m sure it won’t be.”
Chapter 44
Millions of Gamers are now on Tygon, and I don’t mean players… I mean millions of people who are following the teachings of Trew, calling themselves Gamers and meeting to discuss his messages and philo
sophy.
Exact numbers are difficult to estimate; they seem to be following the advice of Danielle inside the Game and are remaining underground, avoiding large meetings and hiding their trails of communication with each other.
When asked for a comment, Trew smiled and said the following: “It’s not that difficult to believe, since our worlds are identical. I hope no one drives a spike into me here, though. I want to spend more than a few weeks on Tygon.”
Suddenly overnight, Tygon once again has a large religion.
Are we playing a realistic computer game? It sounds absurd the first few times you say it. It was true for Earthlings, though…
Very interesting developments.
Report, Channel 1 Game News
Shane
I haven’tbeen this nervous in years. This girl is very intriguing. Mother to a new religion; able to fly through the air; possessing healing powers that are usually kept very secret if they are
fostered and grown at all. Danielle is turning the way this universe works on its head, from a player’s perspective, and she seems to be doing it all as if it were just… some game.
I simply have to meet her.
It’s cold out, but I’ve been standing here for the past fifteen minutes, across the street from a gourmet coffee shop. Since I removed her Clean Mark, she’s become much less predictable, which makes this much more fun.
No signs of protectors, specifically Eternals.
Okay, Shane — showtime! I cross the street and walk towards the shop.
It’s time to meet my ticket home.
***
Danielle
I see him look my way as he approaches the counter. Just a glance, but there’s something about it that makes my senses tingle. I pretend to read my magazine; my cell phone camera is on and watching the counter the entire time. He doesn’t glance my way again; instead he studies the menu board, patiently waits his turn, then smiles and places his order. I guess I was wrong; I turn my phone off and go back to reading my magazine.
Digital Heretic (The Game is Life) Page 16