Digital Heretic (31 page)

Chapter 65

 
It has been an interesting couple of days since Danielle came back online. Days here, years in the Game, with much excitement and activity that have produced very few concrete or dramatic results.

 
Carl appeared out of nowhere, flashing his newly changed eyes and helping Danielle to escape from her dangerous captor. We haven’t been able to learn many details regarding who took her, or for what purpose she was detained, but Carl has been cautiously accepted into the group of other Eternals who surround the leader of the Gamer movement. Danielle seems reluctant to trust Carl with the more intimate details of the group, preferring to exclude him from the most important meetings and missions. 

 
Danielle herself has increased her persona of ‘Fallen,’ rallying cells of Gamers all over the globe, conducting meetings and setting up methods for communicating and assembling should the need arise in times of crisis.

 
Earth itself has been very calm. At any given moment in history, a large portion of Earth’s population is preoccupied with deep concern that some conspiracy or doomsday event approaches. Most often the appointed time arrives, and then passes without incident. Presently, there is no mass anxiety over the world ending. Some find this odd; others find it a pleasant break from the ongoing drama that has become predictable and boring to both Earth inhabitants and viewers alike.

 
Melissa and Danielle continue to fly the skies in secret, still not having shared their incredible abilities with the public. Because of this secrecy, no one else on Earth has exhibited similar talent.

 
Tygon, however, is watching Danielle and Melissa fly every day. There have been reports of a dozen or more young players manifesting a small talent for levitating on Tygon, but these claims remain unsubstantiated.

 
Also on Tygon, Trew and Brandon have been spotted on more than one occasion leaving the VirtDyne building and traveling to meet with powerful and influential world leaders. We have been unable to learn any details of these meetings, but we can confirm that they have taken place.

 
Game viewership continues to increase dramatically as 30
th
anniversary events occur all over Earth at irregular and surprising intervals.

 
It’s a great time to be watching or playing the Game.

Lisa Rohansen reporting

Danielle

 
“
I think it’
s
time we allowed him to come with us to these meetings,” Stephanie says.

 
I sigh and blow a stray lock of my hair upwards, trying to ignore her as I watch it fall back against my forehead.

 
“I agree,” Raphael says.

 
“Well, that’s a real shocker,” I say. “Wait, let me think for a minute and try to remember the last time you two didn’t agree on something.”

 
“You want someone in here that likely won’t agree with us?” Stephanie asks.

 
“On this point? Yes, please.”

 
Raphael smiles and walks to the door, opening it and waving someone in. He stands there for so long I think no one is in the hall. Then I laugh out loud as Carl strolls in, a sour look on his face.

 
“Seriously?” I ask. Raphael nods, so I look at Carl and ask him. “I think we should continue to keep you out of the top secret meetings. Stephanie and Raphael disagree. What do you think?”

 
“I think you’re right,” he says, and begins to walk out the door.

 
“Huh?” I say. “Wait a minute, Goldie, get back in here and tell me why.”

 
He glares at my use of the nickname for the flecks that mark him as an Eternal. I smile sweetly; that’s exactly why I use it. I wave him back in and pat the chair cushion. He comes back in and sits down. I’ve found out over the past couple of years that being an Eternal doesn’t automatically change you into a cheerful and pleasant person. Carl continues to be the arrogant, confident, aggressive killer that he was when his eyes had red flecks. I know that’s often just a front. He is useful, though I will not admit that when he is present.

 
He sits there, looking at me with a combination of amusement and impatience. I sit patiently, staring back. We played this game a lot when we were in the cages; I got pretty good at being silent longer than him. Carl doesn’t seem to be in the mood to lose today, and I’m impatient to get on with more important things, so I finally break the silence. “Why do you think I shouldn’t trust you to come with us?” I ask.

 
“Two reasons.” He holds up three fingers. “Number one,” he lowers one finger, “I hate to agree with those two. Number two,” he lowers another finger, “I enjoy the break when you all leave.” He keeps his hand raised and says nothing. I’m about to correct his math and tell him he’s still holding up a third finger when it dawns on me what finger is extended. I chuckle; the man makes me laugh.

 
I point to the others in the room. “They say I can trust you implicitly. They say that there’s no way you will betray me if your eyes turn back and you become an Infernal again.”

 
“That is correct,” Carl nods. “If I once again become an Infernal, I am not allowed to betray what I experienced or learned as an Eternal.”

 
“There’s no way you can get around that?” I ask.

  “Darlin’
, the rules are set for us. It’s the price we pay for our special skills and perks. Trust me, if there was a way to bend the rules, I would have already bent them the other way.”

 
“Oh, okay,” I say.

 
“So for the record, all three of us agree that Carl is trustworthy,” Stephanie says.

 
I sit and tap my finger against the side of my chair. “Okay,” I say.

  “Okay
, what?” Carl asks.

  “Okay
, you’re in,” I answer. “Why you didn’t tell me this sooner is beyond me. We could use your expertise in these meetings.”

 
“This is the first time you asked me,” he says. “To be clear, I can’t disclose anything I knew as an Infernal. Nothing that is currently happening, at least.”

 
I wave my hand absently, “That’s fine, we don’t need to know any of that for these meetings. Raph, can you push our next visit back a couple hours, please? I want to bring Carl up to speed.”

 
“What kind of trouble are you up to, Danni?” he asks.

 
I smile at him, “All kinds.”

Chapter 66

  “Hello, Father.”

 
“Son.”

 
“How are things?”

 
“They’ve been better.”

 
“But have they been worse?”

 
“Yes, my boy, they have.”

 
“Well that’s something, at least.”

 
“Is everything ready?”

 
“Yes,” Brandon said.

 
“Do you think he’s ready?”

 
“I do, Father. If I had any doubts, I would have waited longer before setting this in motion.”

 
There was a pause on both ends of the line.

 
“Cooper, huh?” Brandon asked. “You really pulled out all the stops.”

 
“He’s the best, that’s for certain.”

 
“I can only imagine the threats or promises you had to make to get him to accept the role,” Brandon said.

 
“Oh Son, you have no idea what’s going on here. After they made the announcement that Trew was the one, they lined up and competed for days to win the spot.”

 
“Really?” Brandon was astounded to hear this.

 
“Then when Cooper himself stepped forward to compete… I was as surprised as the rest when I found out.”

 
“I’m glad it’s Cooper,” Brandon said. “It makes paying the price worth it.”

 
“It’s not worth it, Son,” his father said, “but it’s too late to take it back.”

 
“I know,” Brandon said. “Time’s running out.”

Chapter 67

  I remember following a very good player because he had done extremely well in his last two sessions. This time
he turned out
quickly
to have
a very mediocre life. I remember thinking, ‘This young man is wasting his life. I’ve subscribed to his channel for three weeks now, and it just gets more mundane and boring as time passes.’ One night I came home from work, grabbed a drink to unwind, and decided to tune into his channel one last time before cancelling it the next day. He was a waiter, working at a restaurant day in and day out, spending all of his money on silly things and not getting ahead or accomplishing anything. That final night when I tuned in, he was wiping down dirty tables and setting them with clean silverware while a coworker was talking to him.

 
Out of nowhere, as if he was reading my thoughts, the thirty-two year old waiter said to the girl, ‘This is crazy. I work each night and make just enough money to spend the next day. Is this what my life is?’

 
‘Maybe,’ the girl said cheerfully. She didn’t seem too upset about it, and the young man said as much.

 
‘Why would I be upset?’ she asked. ‘I’m better off than a large percentage of the people who live in this world. If this was my entire life, I could do worse.’

 
‘Well I think it’s a waste,’ the man said. ‘If this is what my entire life will be like, then what’s the point?’

 
‘Maybe it’s not about you,’ she said. ‘What if you were born simply to have a child who would grow up to become a doctor and cure cancer, saving millions of lives?’

 
That made the waiter think. It made
me
think.

 
I didn’t cancel my subscription to that player’s channel. I followed him for his entire play, on the off-chance that he might do something important, or have a child who did something incredible. When his life had played out, he didn’t have a kid that grew up to cure cancer; he didn’t do anything remarkable at all. But he might have, and that’s why I continued to watch.

 
I think that’s why most of us spend so much time watching the Game; there’s a chance that someday we may witness something rare and incredible. Then all that time we invested will have been worth it.

Interview with a Game fan

Shane

 
“
How are thing
s
coming along, Seven?” I ask.

 
Seven just sits there, looking at his computer monitor, deep in thought. I wait patiently for a few moments; he tends to do this when he’s really immersed in a serious challenge. There have been serious

challenges lately. I have set some aggressive goals for my little cadre of pets, and they have done remarkably well.  Finally I grow impatient
; I’m the boss — he can damn well snap out of it. “Seven,” I say.

 
“Yeah,” he mumbles. That gets my attention; I don’t tolerate that level of disrespect. I walk over to his monitor, prepared to teach him some manners. Then I see his screen and stop dead in my tracks. A moment later, I take a gulp of air; apparently I forgot to breathe for a moment.

 
“Beautiful,” I say.

 
“Yeah,” he says.

 
“That’s it, then?” I ask.

 
He slowly pries his eyes away from the monitor and a grin spreads across his face. “That’s it, boss.”

 
I nod and tap his head gently, putting him into the Haze, then leave his cell and walk to my desk in the centre of the room. I pull out my chair and sit down, placing both hands flat on its cool surface. Ten deep, complete, relaxed breaths. There is such power in the simple act of breathing, an often overlooked gift from the beyond. After ten breaths, my focus is clear, I reflect on what has just happened. I smile.

 
For over six thousand years I’ve been trapped here, exiled to this miserable existence by Brandon Strayne. Today, my patience and persistence are rewarded. I have dreamed of this day for millennia.

 
I stand up and take off my lab coat, folding it neatly and draping it over the chair. Then I open the desk drawer, remove the ring of keys, and walk to cell number one. I walk inside and gently tap Number One on his forehead. He blinks as he comes out of the Haze. I nod and walk out of his cell. One follows me, and stands just inside his cell door. I gesture for him to move outside, just past the open doorway.

 
At a leisurely pace, I repeat the process for all thirteen cells, smiling at each of my pets as they wake from their Haze and stand at the threshold of their cell. When they have all been awakened and released, I walk back to the centre of the room and stand there, slowly turning to meet each of their gazes.

 
“The only way to fail is to stop trying. All of you have continued to try, long after normal people would have stopped. I am pleased with your work; today I give you the gift that was promised when you came to live here. Today I grant you permanent sanity.

 
I look around. Some of them are smiling at the announcement; others weep and hold their hands together in gratitude. Others stare silently, not sure what to make of my declaration.

 
“As a further gift to you all,” I say, “I have integrated your genius with your regular consciousness. When you leave here you will retain the incredible talents you have, yet they will no longer overwhelm you and drive you insane.”

 
I stand silently, allowing them time to understand the gift I have just given them. Then I address them again. “You will all notice a blue marking on your right wrist, the infinity symbol. It is the magic contained in that symbol that allows you to remain in your current state. It also allows me to find you, any time I desire, for as long as you shall live on this Earth. I grant you your freedom, but understand that sometime in the future I may call on you for assistance. If that day comes, you will help me. Does anyone disagree with this?” I look around to make certain no one does.

 
“You have thirteen days to travel whereever you would like. When you leave here, grab a duffel bag on the way out. Inside, you will find enough money to take you anywhere. Remember — thirteen days, then find a place of safety. That is all. Once again, thank you for your invaluable assistance. I couldn’t have done this without all of you.” I wave my hand and they begin to file out.

 
I see Seven and get his attention. He walks over to me hesitantly. “Don’t worry, Seven, you may leave as well, if you wish.” I see the struggle in his eyes. He is my favourite; being around me allows him to do things he never imagined. On the other hand, I’m an extremely difficult master.

 
I recognize the power hungry look in his eyes and smile. He’s going to stay with me.

 
“Excellent,” I say. “Grab your duffel bag and meet me at the exit. I have an incredible computer lab to show you.”

 
Seven nods eagerly. “Is it close by, boss?”

 
I shake my head. “No, Seven. We must travel to get to it. Would you like to guess how long it will take us to arrive?”

 
“Thirteen days?” he asks.

 
“Correct.”