I frowned, faking disbelief, “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“Do I look like I am?”
“Sorry. It’s just that that kind of money-”
“I need to tell you something,” he leaned closer. “There’re many people for whom Mirror World is much more than a game. And some of them are prepared to pay tenfold more than the sum I’ve just mentioned,” he smiled carnivorously. “There’re some top level players in our alliance. We guard those people closely. No one knows they exist. You might call us conspiracy freaks and you’d be right in your own way. You might say we’ve taken the joke too far. But I believe that given another month, you might catch up with them.”
Yeah right, Mister Snake. He wanted me to be his personal Expert Digger! Bound hand and foot by the promise of a loan? I beg to differ. His pitch was well-rehearsed but not subtle enough.
I decided to check. “I don’t need so much.”
“So much what?” he asked, uncomprehending.
“If you give me everything I need, I won’t need a month to make Expert level.”
I could see dollar signs flash in his eyes. “I’m all ears,” Shantarsky said.
Time to fly the coop, as the saying goes. “I’d like to call my wife,” I said aloud. “She must be worried out of her mind. How long have I been here, actually?”
“Less than twenty-four hours,” Shantarsky said. “No need to indulge in conspiracy theories. The only reason we’ve had you moved here from the communal center was to provide better conditions for your recovery.”
Sure. Those eyes couldn’t lie. Freakin’ snake. Kidnapper. He had no idea he was playing with fire. Either he was so cock sure of himself and his connections or he didn’t expect me to decline his offer. Him blackmailing me! Threatening me with “publicity“! Actually, this could be his cover story: he could always say he’d had me moved to his place out of fear for my well-being. I’d love to know how the center’s security had allowed him to do so... then again, I was working for him, wasn’t I? He must have sent some goons in lab coats to collect his employee, as simple as that. As in, he was worried about me! He must have had his people among the center’s security, too.
Just you wait till Dmitry finds out. Heads will roll, that’s for sure.
They’d try to sweep the whole thing under the carpet, of course. There must have been some very influential people standing behind all of this. They didn’t need unwanted publicity. Kidnapping an innocent player out of a communal module center in broad daylight? Please. Who would trust them after that? So yes, they would definitely try to sweep the whole thing under the carpet. Even if it meant hurting me.
So I’d have to swallow my pride. It wasn’t the right moment to blow the whistle. But still, I’d have to send Dmitry a word somehow.
“I’m going to send somebody to your module now to collect your things,” Shantarsky said. “In the meantime, you can take a look at the contract.”
He rose and walked out of the room.
Once I was alone, I sprang from my bed. No, sprang was probably the wrong word choice. Scrambled was more like it. Wheezing and ouching, I crawled from under the blanket. Why was I so weak? They must have slipped me a Mickey Finn somehow. Then again, this was probably how I was supposed to feel after my Spider Grotto escapades.
I walked over to the window. I was on the third floor. A lawn; some trees; a river or a lake glistening at a distance. I was out of town, that little was clear. The window wasn’t barred. I suppose I had to be grateful for small mercies.
I turned around. What was that over there? Aha, a bathroom. No window.
I went back into the room. The window frames were blocked. If I wanted to get out, I’d have to break the glass. And then what? Jump? I’d only break my legs. No, I couldn’t escape that way.
How about the door?
A burly individual sat in the corridor just outside the door. He glared at me like a python at a rabbit.
“Whassup?” his voice rang with threat. “Go back in.”
“I need to use the bathroom,” I pleaded shyly.
“Use the shithole in your room. Good enough. Now get in and stay in before I tear you a new one. Understood?”
I pulled the door shut. I was trapped. Might Dmitry be looking for me already? He was supposed to have gone on a business trip, wasn’t he? Then again, he’d been planning to return about the same time as I’d finished the instance. In which case he must have already visited my room in the module center. If what Shantarsky had told me was indeed true, I’d been in suspended animation for quite a while. Also, I’d promised my wife to contact her as soon as I logged out, so she must have raised the alarm already.
In which case Dmitry would definitely try and contact Rrhorgus. Flint wouldn’t keep his mouth shut either, I was sure of that. They must have already been looking for me.
Still, time was an issue. I had to do something—but what?
I reached for the chair, about to smash it against the window pane, when the door opened and closed again.
A hulk of a man towered in the doorway.
“Towered” being the operative word. He was a good seven foot tall, built like a professional weight lifter... or a wrestler. No, a weight lifter. He didn’t have the stoop typical of wrestlers and boxers and was much broader in the chest. Bulging with muscle, if you know what I mean.
I sort of deflated. Still, I kept clutching the chair, trying to shield myself with it.
“Excuse me, sir,” the giant boomed, “please leave the chair alone and follow me.”
“Follow you, where?” my voice broke. “My friends are looking for me,” I added, trying to regain face.
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted me. “Keep your cool. I’ve come to take you out of here. Follow me.”
He reopened the door and walked out first. No idea who he was or what his intentions were. I just knew I wasn’t going to stay in this cage of a room for much longer. There was also a slim possibility of me giving him the slip on our way. I just hoped this troll of a man was indeed as muscle-bound as he looked.
I stepped to the door and peeked out. My rescuer’s broad back hovered a few paces in front: he was striding away without even looking back. He didn’t look as if he was escorting me to some torture chamber. He didn’t even seem to care whether I followed him or not.
The sight of the goon by the door gave me hope. He was still sitting there, his arms crossed on his chest. His head hung listlessly to one side. His eyes were closed. Was he asleep?
I must have stopped in my tracks. The giant’s calm voice brought me back to my senses,
“He’ll live. But we need to hurry.”
The elevator dinged. The giant was already inside, holding the door open for me. I looked around, shrugged and followed my surprise escort.
“Did my brother send you?” I asked, hoping against hope.
I watched the floor panel surreptitiously as he pressed the button for level -1. We must have been heading for the underground parking. The floor numbers on the shimmering blue display began to dwindle.
“No, he didn’t,” he said. “But that’s where I’m taking you.”
“But-”
“The person who sent me means you no harm. On the contrary. You’ll see in a moment.”
I drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. The moment the elevator opened, I would dart for freedom. I was still weak but this guy was heavy. And if I ever got out of this mess, I’d make sure nothing like this would ever happen to me again.
The elevator’s display panel finally blinked. The elevator jerked to a halt. I tensed myself and prepared to bolt for it.
Slowly the silvery door slid open. I didn’t bolt. In fact, I froze. A light poke in the back brought me back to my senses.
“Please step out,” the giant boomed.
I did so, but—was this a dream or something? I was facing a wheelchair. Not any old cheap one, either: I’d seen my fair share of wheelchairs over the last few years.
She sat motionless in her wheelchair that next to her looked heavy and unyielding. Her chest barely rose with her each breath.
Then her eyes met mine.
The emerald eyes, heart-wrenchingly alive. I remembered them. I didn’t need words to tune into her sadness. Into her concern. Her warmth. Her regret.
* * *
The car sped along the highway. It whizzed past road posts, trees and the oncoming traffic, ignoring the blurry faces of roadside vendors offering their humble wares: wild mushrooms, hand-picked forest fruit and penny souvenirs.
The distant fields were one boundless sea of green grass. A clumsy tractor raised dust, rattling along the dirt track that ran parallel to the highway.
The car’s interior was neither hot nor cold. The driver, a young guy of about twenty years of age, kept his eyes on the road, checking the mirrors but ignoring me entirely.
I sat in the back seat, rereading a brief printout,
Dear Oleg,
I’m very sorry about what happened to you. It’s the first time in my life I disobeyed my father. For the first time in my life I’m ashamed of what he’s done.
Please forgive us if you can.
This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have stopped and talked to you.
I’m very sorry.
I do hope your daughter gets better soon.
Sincerely,
Isa
I prized myself away from the letter and sucked in a deep breath. I couldn’t think about anything just now. My head was a mess. My heart was heavy. I closed my eyes. I’d have loved to drink myself senseless.
I awoke when someone gently shook my arm.
“Here we are,” the driver said. “This is the place, right?”
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The driver was right. We’d arrived. I could see the familiar poster and the sign above the door. My brother’s office.
“Thanks,” I said, opening the car door.
“It’s not me you should be thanking,” the driver echoed.
For a moment, I watched the dark sedan pull away and disappear round the corner. Then I headed for the door.
The familiar guard posted by the entrance stared at me as if he was looking at a fruitcake. Of course. I was still wearing my hospital duds. My unshaven face was a mess. My hair was standing on end.
Still, he flagged me through. As I walked up the stairs, I hear his voice below,
“He’s here, sir... Yes. Already. He’s coming up.”
My brother met me by his office door. Surprise filled his eyes. He was trying to say something when I interrupted him, “You have some alcohol?”
Then I corrected myself. “Sorry. Not now. First I should call Sveta. Then I’ll get drunk.”
Chapter Twenty
“The administration of the strongest clans of Light,” Dmitry smiled, repeating my words. “They have some imagination. Wish I could say the same about myself.”
I only shrugged as I wrapped myself up in the familiar blanket, then downed the remaining brandy.
I’d stayed on the phone to Sveta for a good forty minutes. I did my best to reassure her, piling lie upon lie. What was the point in upsetting her?
As it turned out, I had been absent for about ten hours. Which was even less than Shantarsky had told me, even though technically his phrase, “less than twenty-four hours“, was correct. I’d gotten away with a dressing-down and a lecture on the importance of being careful.
Then I’d told Dmitry the truth: every word of it. He was furious. He made a few phone calls, including one to the head of the module center security from where I’d been kidnapped. It seemed to have calmed him down a bit.
About twenty minutes ago we’d had dinner and were now working our way through a bottle of Hennessy.
“I found out you were gone about half an hour before you arrived,” Dmitry said. “I was just looking through the logs of your misadventure.”
“Right after you were back from your business trip?”
“Sure,” he nodded. “I was back three hours before you logged out. I had an urgent virtual meeting. My telephone was switched off. Naturally, it took me some time to crawl out of the capsule and take a shower. When I finally switched my cell phone back on, it was flooded with missed calls from your wife and her messages saying you’d gone AWOL ten hours previous.”
“And what about Rrhorgus?”
“He’s been offline for the last forty-eight hours. He doesn’t answer his phone, either.”
“I hope he’s all right,” I said.
He dismissed my suggestion. “Please. Who would do that? Shantarsky? He may be wealthy and connected, but not connected enough to start stirring the shit.”
“Are you sure? What about me, then?”
“You were a different story. He really put his foot in it this time. I seriously didn’t expect him to do something this stupid. Jesus Christ! The ‘administration of the strongest clans of Light’, of all things! One might think you’re some legendary hero! Trust me: you’ve no idea of the kind of money they deal in on a daily basis. For them, you’re nothing. Don’t look at me like that. I mean it. You’re nothing. Sorry. Your Shrewd Operator is one hell of an ability. I’m not questioning that. So Shantarsky, the bastard, probably thought he had his future all sorted out. If you look at it in a different way, there was a certain logic in what he did. He’d never have been able to take you to No-Man’s Lands, but renting you out to some stronger groups among the top clans—surely he could do that. So he’d have had himself an Expert Digger all leveled up—a perfect cash cow, no risks involved. A contract would have chained you better than any slave’s collar. By the way, do you know that Expert level isn’t the limit? The game keeps evolving. New resources are being introduced all the time. You have some space for growth, trust me.”
“If I’m still around.”
He smiled. “Relax. No one’s gonna do that. You are an experienced player now, in all respects. Congrats on your new level, by the way! There’s one thing I agree with Shantarsky on: you found a very elegant solution. Beautiful!”
I waved his compliment away. Still, it felt good. I wasn’t as jittery anymore. Could have been the brandy; could have been my brother’s tone. Or both.
“So what’s gonna happen with Shantarsky now?” I asked.
“Good question. Even though he left someone to guard your room, I don’t think he expected you to escape. And he definitely couldn’t have expected his own daughter to interfere, either. Heh! Who would have thought!”
“D’you know anything about her?”
“Virtually nothing. I heard something about the car crash. Her mother died, the girl lived. If you can call that a life.”
“Do you think she’ll have problems because of me?”
“Nah. From what I hear, he absolutely dotes on her.”
“Is he dangerous?”
“Forget it. He’s small fry in the large scale of things, but he’s still a power to be reckoned with. For the time being, I suggest we leave it as it is. I might do a few things but we can’t confront him openly, that’s for sure. We’re just not in the same league. What a shame. Had it not been for Somov, he’d still be shifting papers in his bank.”
“I think I remember something. Shantarsky was deputy manager when I got my first loan with them.”
“Exactly. It all started when Shantarsky Jr. met Somov’s daughter online.”
“Who’s Somov?” I asked.
“President of Industrial Mega Bank and the leader of the Gold Guild clan. A very big shot. I mean, very.”
“That’s strange. A very big shot like that could have surely found a better match for his daughter.”
Dmitry shrugged. “Apparently he couldn’t. I just can’t work out all the machinations of their soap opera. From what I heard, Somov’s little girl is
as ugly as they come. Did you see Shantarsky Jr. online?”
I nodded.
“That’s exactly what he looks like in real life. Tall, handsome, broad shoulders. Cover boy material.”
“I see.”
“And as for Shantarsky,” he went on, “I don’t think he’ll start making waves. You can forget about him for the time being. Just keep your eyes peeled. He may be small fry but he has teeth too. A piranha is tiny compared to a shark but if it attacks you, you’ll know all about it. So if he does do something, it’ll be on the sly. Publicity is the last thing he needs.”
“I could say the same,” I added. “Actually, my work contract expires today. So I don’t owe him anything, anyway.”
Dmitry nodded. “The loan which you already have, you can still pay it off bit by bit. But I don’t think you can get the big one now. Shantarsky will take care of that. By the same token, you’re an Experienced Digger now. You won’t have problems finding a new job. By then you might decide on a new bank too. Getting a long-term job contract is key.”
He paused. “My wife and I, we’ve visited our bank recently. Because we have a mortgage on all our properties. Apart from our summer cottage, that is, that’s been remortgaged to use as equity for our city apartment.”
I tensed. “What are you driving at?”
“I’m just telling you we’ve been looking at some possible ways to help my niece.”
“But Dmitry-”
“Oh, do shut up,” he said with a good-natured smile. “My Natasha and your Sveta got on like a house on fire. So you and I, we have no say in the matter: our better halves have already sussed it all out. In any case, my mortgages prevent me from becoming your guarantor. So we have some thinking to do in this respect. If push comes to shove, I could raise up to twenty-five grand by selling a few assets. That’s the best I can do.”
“But Dmitry-”
“Dmitry what? What are you trying to say? We’re family. We should stand for our own. Natasha and I, we haven’t been blessed with children. In this respect, Christina is like a- never mind.”
Project Daily Grind (Mirror World Book #1) Page 18