Trew and Brandon both glared at Cooper, who shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, it sounds bad, but that’s what you’re facing. Sorry to rain on your parade, boys. But keep your eyes on the train that’s about to run you over.”
“We’re working on it, Cooper,” Brandon said.
“I know, I know,” Cooper said. “Just wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed any new developments. I want you to succeed.”
The car slowed to a stop and the men looked out. Coloured lights flashed through the windows, there were police cars parked in front of Andrew’s house. An ambulance was at the front door, and the paramedics were wheeling out a stretcher with someone on it. The person on it was fully draped in a white cover; it was clear they were dead.
The three men swore at the same time. “Maybe it’s a parent, or something,” Cooper said.
“Here’s hoping,” Brandon said as he opened the car door and got out.
Chapter 59
Tragic news today.
Young player Andrew Young, recently in the news for showing the ability to levitate on Tygon, was discovered dead in his room late last night. Official autopsy results report that he died as a result of ingesting restricted chemicals. It’s uncertain which chemicals they were or exactly how much he ingested. This is sad news for the Gamer community; Andrew quickly became a celebrity within the movement when he developed the ability to levitate.
I had the opportunity to meet Andrew and report on his talent. It was a shock to everyone to hear about his untimely demise. We extend our sympathy to his parents.
In Gaming news, the Danielle channel remains without signal. Viewers are hopeful that a connection will soon be reestablished.
We will bring you details on any and all Game-related news as it becomes available.
Lisa Johansen reporting
“The news is wrong,” Michelle said. “Andrew was murdered.”
“Any ideas on who did this?” Trew asked.
“There are rumblings,” Brandon said, “in many circles.”
“And…?” Trew asked.
“Factions and leaders, whom I believed safely under control, are thinking that this might be the time to once again make a challenge to my authority,” Brandon said.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Lilith said.
“It’s more annoyance than threat,” Brandon said, “a distraction that I don’t particularly have the time or patience for at the moment, which may lead me to react forcefully.”
“Violence?” Trew asked.
Brandon laughed. “I’m too civilized to resort to violence, initially at least. I control the money, the media, the police, and the Game.” Brandon straightened his tie and picked up his tablet. “No, I will find out who is making the most noise and make an example out of them. Somewhere on Tygon, a very rich and powerful business person will be entering the labour camps by the end of today, without enough money or support to even get a ride to the gates.”
“That sounds a bit over the top, Brandon,” Lilith said.
Brandon didn’t respond. “Michelle, I want someone scouring the feeds to see if there is anyone else who might be a flier inside the Game. We know how things work; once something is accomplished once, more
start to appear. There must be a couple of people levitating around the world. Have them found, and bring me the names of the avatars and the kids who are playing them.”
“Earth doesn’t know fliers exist yet,” Trew said. “Isn’t that required?”
“Usually, yes. But let’s err on the side of caution.”
“What about Tygon?” Nadine asked.
“Yes,” Brandon said. “Definitely Tygon. We might actually see more fliers here than in the Game.”
“Brandon,” Lilith said. “I think you might be going too far with your strategy to ruin a business leader.”
Brandon turned his head to look at her. “It will be Jeremy Conrad,” he said.
Lilith looked at him.
“Don’t look so stern, Lilith. The man tried to have you killed years ago for speaking out about the camps. We all know it was him; he’s been living on borrowed time as it is. This will send a message, and pay an old debt.”
“This isn’t some game, Brandon,” Lilith said.
Trew and Brandon laughed at the same moment, then gave each other a sly glance. “That’s exactly what it is, Lilith. You think the only game takes place on these screens? With children? If there’s any lesson to be learned, to be fully understood, it’s that life is a Game.”
“That’s not how most people see it, Brandon,” Lilith said.
“That’s not my fault,” Brandon said. “I’ve done everything I can to show them the truth. If people want to sleep and pretend reality is something different than what it is, then they will.” He stood up and walked towards Danielle’s blank screen. “It’s all a dream, all a Game. It must be, since the Game is modelled after Tygon.”
“Do you know that for certain?” Lilith asked.
Brandon shrugged. “Who knows anything for certain? In the Game, Trew read a book written by a lonely old man and believed it. He shared his belief with others and in a short time they also began to believe. He shared his belief through words. I showed our world the same message, I simply used a different medium: the Game.”
Brandon tapped the monitor. His knuckles produced a sharp echo in the silence of the room. A picture appeared suddenly on the monitor; a view from Danielle’s first person perspective, squinting her eyes as bright light exploded into view, then she began to climb out of what appeared to be a pile of rubble.
As Danielle pushed another handful of stones away from the hole she was climbing out of, everyone in the command centre began to move.
Brandon looked at one of the young men sitting at the table. Their eyes met and Brandon spoke loud enough to be heard over the sudden noise. “Jeremy Conrad,” he said.
The young man nodded, stood up, and walked out of the office.
***
Melissa was tired. She’d been flying seven to ten hours a day for the past month, looking for any signs of Danielle, but finding none. Raphael had taught her to sense energy signatures; she wasn’t as good as Raphael was, but apparently she had the talent.
As the days passed, her optimistic hope had slowly turned to despair. After weeks of searching, flying over new areas, then reviewing areas she’d examined before, Melissa now feared that there was no way they would ever find Danni.
It was mid-morning and Melissa was ready to grab a bite to eat and a nice warm drink. Aerial searching had become dull, cold work. She began to head towards the nearest village, but a glint of light in the distance caught her attention.
Melissa quickly flew upwards, then rotated slowly in a complete circle, scanning as far as her eyes could see. A hundred kilometers distant, she spotted a flash of intense colour. Melissa decided to go check it out.
Lowering her goggles, she started towards the source, increasing her speed as she went. Raphael had taught her how to draw power from her surroundings; “zero point energy” he called it. She could draw free energy seemingly from nowhere, instead of depleting her own sources. This allowed her to go faster and farther. Thanks to his training, she could fly all day and not get overly tired.
As she got closer, Melissa saw a large hole in the ground. Lying beside the hole were two people who appeared to be unconscious. Melissa landed about twenty-five feet away and ran the remaining distance on foot. She knelt over the body she recognized, putting her head close enough to feel breath on her cheek. She checked for a pulse and found it. Everything appeared normal.
Melissa jumped into the air and floated upwards about twenty feet, activating her headset and placing a call to Raphael.
“Any luck?” Raphael asked on the other end of the line.
“Yes,” Melissa said. “I’ve got her! She’s unconscious, but her pulse and breathing are normal.”
“You’ve got her?” Raphael sounded surprised and relieved. He also sounde
d worried.
“Yes, Raph. Can you get a fix on my signal?”
“Hold on a sec. No, not quite. Go a bit higher.”
“Okay,” Melissa slowly began to rise up into the air. She was about fifty feet up when Raph stopped her. “Got you. Okay, I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Call Stephanie and tell her to lock onto you as well.”
Raphael disconnected the call and Melissa dialed Stephanie.
Chapter 60
I have always been fascinated by knowledge, specifically how some of it is accepted, some of it is rejected, and other portions are allowed to be considered further.
Many believe this is not terribly interesting. They say, ‘If something works, then it is accepted; if it doesn’t, then it is not accepted.’ This is definitely not the case. A plant exists today that can be processed and refined to provide us with a myriad of benefits. The leaves and seeds bestow incredible health, allowing our bodies to fight disease and maintain optimum function. The oils pressed from the plant can be made into an efficient and clean burning fuel to replace our current system of poisonous and polluting fuels. The fibers from the plant can be formed into compounds, which are then used to make a material that is stronger than most of our current metals. All of these benefits and more can be obtained by using this plant. The other amazing fact is that processing it is very inexpensive.
A person can learn to tap into unseen energy and focus it on human cells, resulting in healing a person of most sickness and disease, at no cost to anyone.
These are just two examples of knowledge that our race gained, tested, confirmed, and then denied so that the majority would never know or believe such things.
I have spent my life studying knowledge, and throughout our long and rich history there are thousands of examples like this. Our race
has ignored discoveries that could help us to evolve and grow. Every day we continue to ignore these types of miracles.
Imagine if the very first cave man to discover fire had looked around and simply stamped it out before anyone else could see what he had.
Perhaps he did; perhaps it happened many times, until the truth could no longer be hidden.
Or perhaps there were fires all around early people and it never occurred to them how to use it to their advantage. Then one woman or man came along and thought differently than the others. They held raw food over the fire and the others laughed and mocked her.
This is the history I follow. It is both interesting and challenging to piece together.
Challenging because those who do not want advancement most often destroy record of the advancement, many times, until the advancement can no longer be denied.
Cara Halm, Historian of Advancement
Shane
This new computer fascinates me.
Looking at the monitor, I watch it floating lazily inside its host. At the current magnification, it looks like a regular cell as it rides the river of lifegiving blood towards its new destination. It reminds me of a similar event that occurred more than two thousand years ago with a man who designed a similar machine.
The current microcomputer is composed of silica and metals; the ancient one was made from modified tree cells and strings of mysterious single stranded proteins that the inventor had just discovered. He called them rNA. Both the old and the new are made from the same thing… atoms.
His creation was too advanced for its time, a dangerous, microscopic sentient life form. It had to be destroyed, along with him and his entire country. That’s how Atlantis ceased to exist. I annihilated all of it, then let it sink below the surface of the ocean.
I watch this little supercomputer float around and my instincts tell me that I should do the same thing now, destroy this whole damned continent and bury it.
But what if it can help get me out of this damned Game? I’m not as nice as I was back then; it’s time to be a bit more selfish and take care of myself.
I look away from the monitor towards the boy sitting at his computer. “What have you got for me, Seven?” I ask.
“I’m able to hack into its basic command structure,” he says from inside his cell, “but I’ve had no success tapping into higher command functions.”
“You’ve been at it for quite some time,” I say. “This is disappointing to me, Seven.”
He looks frightened, which is appropriate, because we both know I’m likely going to hurt him. “I’m sorry, boss,” he says. “This is the most sophisticated piece of electronics I have ever seen. If I make one wrong step, the thing disintegrates. We’ve already lost two of the copies that it sent to the other inmates.”
“I know this, Seven,” I say.
“I’m sorry, boss,” he whimpers again. “I’m afraid that they’re all linked together. It makes sense that they are, since they’re so small and apparently governed by quantum mechanics.”
I sigh and nod. It looks like I’m expecting too much from my young friend. “You are very useful, Seven. It is for that reason alone that I will accept this failure. I agree, if they are all subject to quantum entanglement, then tampering with one might cause us to lose the one in the field that does work properly.”
He sounds relieved. “Shall I go ahead and bring up that feed on the monitor?”
“Yes.” I say.
He types in some commands, and images appear on the screen. It’s exactly like watching the feeds from a command centre on Tygon. Her vitals are displayed on the bottom right side of the screen; the sound and my view is from a first person perspective — and it’s all being recorded.
“It looks like they’ve been rescued,” I say. Raphael is talking to Danielle, hugging her and making sure she’s unharmed. I can see Stephanie and the young flying girl in the background.
“Her vitals look good,” Seven says.
Danielle walks over to the car and gets in next to another figure.
“Who is that?” I ask.
The face of the person inside the car is familiar. Very familiar.
“This could be a problem,” I say.
Seven finally recognizes the other occupant in the car. “Isn’t that Three?” he asks.
“Yes, it would appear that it is.”
Chapter 61
In case you’re one of the few who stepped away from your viewers for a brief rest, get back to it now! Danielle has returned to the Game, and she has company.
Early updates tell us that Carl, the infernal who killed Trew and… well, I don’t have to give any of you his resume, do I? Carl is with her!
If you subscribe to Melissa’s channel, then you were fortunate enough to witness Danielle climbing out of a hole in the desert, Carl by her side.
We don’t have much to report, but this is news — big news!
Okay, back to the view screen for me, too. This is so exciting!
Lisa Rohansen reporting
Danielle
“That’s it?” Raphael asks.
They brought us back to the estate, cleaned us up, and had a doctor give me a complete checkup to make sure I was okay. Carl came with us. Raphael looked at his eyes, and just nodded. I tried to talk a couple of times, but Raphael said to save it, that we would do a full debrief once the doctor said I was in good health. I’m not sure if Carl got medical attention. After they said I was fine, we all assembled in the main room. Then I began to tell my story. Every
once in a while, Stephanie or Raphael would interrupt with additional questions.
“What do you mean, that’s it?” I ask.
“He’s wondering if you left anything out,” Carl says. He sits in the corner, I think it might take a few tries before he feels comfortable around the Eternals. He’s used to walking in and making threats, inviting violence or delivering terrible news. To be actually sitting here ‘on our side’ now seems to be a bit strange to him. I know it’s a lot strange for the rest of us. The Eternals don’t seem too fazed by it, though. They’ve always said that the Timeless are all Brothers and Sisters; each of them has been on
both sides of the field before. I’m not so sure how it works; I’ll have to trust them. This new one, Miranda, makes me more nervous than Carl. She actually sits among us with red eyes, yet they don’t seem worried about her either.
“Not much happened, if that’s the entire story.” Raphael admits. “You were gone for over a month, Danni. Captured by one of the most dangerous creatures on this planet — no offense, Carl.”
“None taken,” Carl says. “He always made me look like a Boy Scout, but that just gave me a goal to shoot for.” His grin is old Carl to the core. I smile.
“And he did nothing to you?” Raphael shakes his head.
“He did stuff to Carl,” I say.
Stephanie stands up and pours a drink of water and a glass of Scotch. She carries both over to Carl, who takes the scotch and waves away the water. He takes a drink and sighs.
“What’s your take on it, Carl?” Raphael asks.
“I’m not sure why he took her,” Carl says. “He said he wanted information from her. Before she got there he told me I was to kill her when he was done, but that was a lie. He knew all along I had changed.”
“Yes, somehow the leaders know when it happens,” Raphael confirmed. “I tried to hide it too, but Daniel kicked me from the lair very quickly. Not even a hug and a handshake.”
Carl laughed. “He’s not the touchy feely type, that’s for sure. I’ve been running through the whole experience in my head, and the only explanation that fits is that he wanted me to break Danielle out.”
Carl talks about the torture, how it wasn’t horrible for him, but for a person like me it would have been devastating. Then Shane promised I would get exactly the treatment he’d delivered to Carl and told him when it would happen. Carl also talks about his digging, and us being left alone until he just happened to finish his work.
“So he took the two of you and locked you up together, just so you could escape?” Stephanie asks.
Digital Heretic (The Game is Life) Page 23