Project Daily Grind (Mirror World Book #1) (21 page)

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

“T
he 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.”

We fell silent. What else was there to say?

“I have another one in the cooler,” Dmitry pointed at the empty bottle. “Shall we?”

I nodded.

He reached into the cabinet and filled our glasses with the amber liquor. The tangy woody aroma embraced my nose. We took a sip.

“I’ve been to the Moon yesterday,” Dmitry announced.

I choked on my drink. “Excuse me?”

He grinned. “Been to the Moon, I’m telling you.”

“I heard you the first time. I thought I was hearing things.”

“Our company is facing some major changes,” he began to explain. “Most importantly, we’re about to sell the majority stake to the government. That’s it. End of my freedom. My bosses just don’t cut it. The whole thing proved too big for them.”

“It was to be expected,” I said.

Dmitry nodded. “This is the proverbial mountain coming to Mohammad.”

“What about the Moon?” I reminded him.

“Not just the Moon. It’s also Mars and Jupiter,” he began to ramble. “They’re working on several projects, both major and minor ones. Mirror World is only the beginning. Not everyone is into sword and sorcery, you see. A lot of people would prefer shooters and all sorts of star wars. Others don’t want to fight at all. They want a game where you can create a character and just live there in peace with no need for swords, spells, starships and all that bullshit. A few new games are being tested even as we speak. One, as I’ve just said, is a space war simulator. Another one is a post-ap. There’s also one based on the two world wars.”

“Oh. What about the minor projects?”

His eyes lit up. “That’s where it gets interesting. It’s going to be some sort of funfair ride. Like an imitation of a trip to other planets, for one. Everything will be real: the launch site, the spaceships, the spacesuits—the lot!”

“If they’re as real as Mirror World, they will go through the roof,” I said.

“Oh trust me they are,” Dmitry assured me. “Just think of all those dreams coming true! Space travel! Journeys to other planets! No need to pay a king’s ransom for a premium account. It’ll be single-use rides. They’re going to create a special client database to log in their medical checks results and all that.”

“Wow.”

“You think someone would refuse to take their family on a Mars weekend? Or try one of our Animal World shows where you can soar in the sky with eagles or become a dolphin plowing through the seas? We have Stone Age, The Era of Dinos, Ancient China, Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe. And our Children’s World, packed with ponies, Disney characters and Barbie dolls! The mind boggles. Would you like to go to a Beatles show?”

“You bet,” I said.

“So you see? Only a game, you said?”

“More like a new industry,” I agreed. “Something’s brewing, I can feel it. Something very special.”

We fell silent again.

“Listen,” Dmitry finally perked up. “It’s no good me doing all the talking. You still haven’t told me what you plan to do now. Don’t you feel sorry about your loan?”

“Not at this price,” I said. “Not now that I can finally see this game’s potential.”

“I told you it wasn’t a game anymore, didn’t I?” he grinned. “Mister escape artist.”

I chuckled. “Talk about bad luck. I thought I had it all sorted, and now I’ll have to start all over again. And time is an issue.”

“You don’t need to ‘start all over again’, do you?” he said. “And even so, not many have a jump start like yours! You’re an Experienced Digger, man, and that’s no ‘starting over’ at all! So what’s your plan?”

I rubbed my temples. I felt tired. “I’ve been considering several options,” I began. “At first I contemplated the idea of joining the Dark side, but then I realized I might actually be giving Shantarsky a carte blanche. You’re nodding—so you probably agree with me. Then I asked myself a question. Where can I work in peace without having to fear all these Slayers and other psychos? I came to the conclusion that I needed to find an influential land owner, preferably one who belongs to a top clan. Like Lady Melorie from the Steel Shirts.”

“Oh,” Dmitry rubbed his chin. “I was about to suggest Egan from the Untouchables. He is a very influential person in Mirror World, and his clan is one of the strongest. Melorie, the Lady of Storms! Hm. Actually, you might be right. She is Arrid’s wife...”

I nodded. “Arrid is the clan’s leader.”

“You’re a clever bastard, are you?”

“You bet,” I grinned. “I’ll join her workforce as an ordinary Grinder and just keep leveling, nice and quiet. She won’t even notice me. She has hundreds of workers like myself—thousands even. I checked her out once at some forum. She’s a major land owner too.”

“And then what?” Dmitry asked, curious.

“Well, considering that a major loan implies a long-term work contract, I’ll be working toward that end. I can always sell myself into slavery if it comes to that. But now I need my independence. I need a free hand.”

“That’s right,” he nodded.

“You see,” I began, “when Christina’s body rejected the donor heart, we lost everything. We’d already sold everything we’d had. Thank God we’d had it! We’d hoped it would solve the problem. As a result, we lost everything—and the problems just kept piling up. God forbid you ever feel as helpless as I did then!”

We paused, each thinking his own thoughts. Dmitry was the first to break the silence,

“You still haven’t told me whether you have other banks in mind.”

I shook my head. “Zilch. I’ve been with Mega Bank for ages. My credit history, you know... The moment I find another job I’ll start shopping for a new one.”

He rubbed his chin. “Listen... If you don’t mind me saying... You do have an account at Reflex Bank, don’t you?”

“Reflex what?”

“It’s Mirror World’s in-game bank.”

“I see... Yes, I used it to channel real-world money into the game. I must still have about a hundred left there. Why?”