The Game (32 page)
The big event ended with me standing up to say a few humble words. I’m not sure exactly what I said; there’s a lot of times when I feel like I’m just the medium for some greater message that needs an outlet to voice it. At the end of my little talk, which lasted about twenty minutes, the crowd went wild, cheering and applauding. It’s quite a rush to look out and see a large crowd of people who feel the same way about life, death, and everything in between as I do.
And that’s it. Suddenly I’m standing here kissing Danielle, playfully smacking her bottom as she giggles and moves away from me to catch a limo to the hotel. Stephanie accompanies her; each of us are with an Eternal at these events, just to be safe.
“Okay, let’s get this little meet and greet over with, Raphael. I love to mingle, but I’m so tired. Is it possible to wrap this up in less than an hour?”
Raphael nods, “That should be no problem, Trew. Consider it my birthday present to you if we get you out in time.”
I smile and walk towards the elevator. People are all around us, gathered in small groups and talking. Some of them nod in my direction but they keep a respectful distance.
As I get to the elevator I look glance backwards at Raph. The crowd has gotten thicker and Raphael has fallen behind. He moves smoothly through the groups of people, gently touching them so that they move out of the way as he walks towards me. He looks up and smiles at me; I smile back. The elevator door opens and I get on, still looking at him. Raphael looks past me and his eyes blaze gold. His smile fades and as the crowd unintentionally slows him down, he yells out my name. The elevator door starts to close and I reach for the button to stop it, but a hand grabs mine in an iron grip, preventing me from doing so. I realize I’m not alone in the elevator, and as the door closes I lock eyes with a face I recognize. His eyes flash red and my legs turn to water.
I can’t believe how calm I sound as I greet him. “Hello, Carl. Fancy meeting you here.”
****
The room becomes instantly silent. Everyone takes their seat, every eye glued to the main viewer where Trew and Carl stand looking at each other in the elevator.
Michelle folds her arms to stop from shaking.
All eyes want to go to Brandon, but no one can look away from the screen.
“Sir,” Michelle says.
Brandon’s mind is racing as he watches the viewer. “I see. Please be quiet.”
“Is this the robbery? He was supposed to be robbed at 40.” Michelle asks, her voice quavering with concern.
“This isn’t the robbery we purchased,” Brandon said. “Now be quiet. Let me think. Everyone watch as if nothing in the world is more important to you.”
“Nothing is,” Nadine says in a quiet whisper.
****
Trew - 40
He stands looking at me, like he’s the cat and I’m the mouse. I remain calm; I won’t give him the satisfaction of losing my composure. Time is standing still.
Finally he speaks. “Look, kid, I’m not a real talker, and I get off at the next floor anyway.”
Can it be just a bad coincidence that we are on this elevator together? Is it possible I can swim with a great white shark and walk away? I just nod at him.
“You turn around, the elevator gets to the next floor, and I walk off. Calm and quiet. Okay?”
I swallow and nod, slowly turning around with my back to him. Everything inside of me screams not to, but what choice do I have?
He presses the button and the elevator starts to move. All too soon it’s coming to a stop. There is a ding to announce the door will open, and he whispers hotly in my ear.
“I’m sorry, Trew. This is too much even for a guy like me. But hey, we all have our bosses, right? And like you have convinced so many people, it’s all just a Game, right?”
I nod quietly. He puts an hand on my shoulder to move past me. As he does I feel something hard hit me in the side, then a hotness starts to envelop me.
I see Carl walk past me, his eyes full of pity. Really? Can that be right?
Then I fall to the ground. I gasp for breath and suddenly I feel like I’m melting from the inside out.
I see a light in the distance, beautiful and warm. It seems to be calling to me…
I try to move towards it…
Epilogue
I really have had a great life. I think a large reason for it being so amazing is that I viewed it as good. I know there are times in my life that were tough, challenging, and even painful. Other people would likely have lived my moments and decided that it was terrible, then they would have let that bitterness and resentment shape how they viewed upcoming events as they occurred. I chose to be more positive, and I think it helped.
Each day in each person’s life is filled with some good, some bad, and lots of filler. I think the secret to a happy life is to focus on the good, forget the bad, and move calmly through the filler without getting too bored.
My advice to everyone would be this:
When you encounter the happy, live in that moment for as long as you can. Smile and tuck it away in your memory to be looked at whenever needed.
When you encounter the bad, don’t live in the moment. Let it pass as quickly as it can, don’t focus on it, and whatever you do, don’t grab onto it and tuck it away in your memory.
When you find yourself travelling through the filler, search earnestly for the happy moments. Realize that it is in the filler moments where both the happy and the bad float around, waiting to be noticed by whoever choses to focus on them.
If that advice is too complicated to follow… just smile and laugh as much as you possibly can.
Trew Radfield - Excerpt from interview during his 40th birthday Celebration
No one moved in Zack’s command centre. No one spoke.
“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Michelle said.
“I know,” Brandon whispered.
“He was supposed to live for another thirty years, at least.”
“Yes,” Brandon agreed.
“He was supposed to…” someone said.
“Supposed to what?” Brandon asked.
“Lead the movement along.”
“Lead the movement to where?” Brandon asked.
“Well…” Michelle said.
“Who the hell knows? Because there was never a movement built into our plan. In our plan he was supposed to become a world leader and help shape policies that would feed his country and lead them into a winning war.”
“Yes,” Michelle agreed.
“None of it happened. We couldn’t stop it, we couldn’t guide it. We had nothing to do with any of it,” Brandon said. “She ruined everything.”
Moments of silence passed.
“Where did he end up? In the rankings?” Brandon closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Just getting that now, sir.”
Brandon sat patiently. His last look at the rankings placed Trew at just around 1,000. He’d done well to climb his way up, but there was no chance for success now. Brandon was confident when they had more time. But Zack's time was up.
“Number one, sir.”
Brandon looked at Michelle to make sure he’d heard correctly. She was smiling as she held up the tablet to show the newest and final ranking for Zack.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Brandon said, sighing with relief. So much depended on Zack finishing number one; now, against all odds, he’d done it.
The room erupted in cheering. Putting aside the drama of what had just occurred, this was first and foremost a Game, with big stakes riding on what they had just pulled off.
After a few moments of congratulating everyone, Brandon stood up and walked towards the door. “Okay, everyone, I’m going to check in on our boy. They will have started the exit process and he will be coming out in a couple of days. I want to make a statement to the press and make sure he’s doing well.”
“Sir!”
Brandon turned to look at Michelle. She was looking at the viewer again, her hand over her mouth.
“What is it?”
“They just found Trew, sir. Raphael is there. Look.”
Brandon looked at the viewer and his heart turned to ice. Raphael was holding the murder weapon in his hand. It was a Sever Spike.
Zack wouldn’t be waking up.
****
Well after midnight, Brandon was alone in an elevator travelling to the lowest level of the complex. He nodded to the security officers as he exited and walked slowly towards the door at the far end of the hall.
Brandon had spent the last several hours in front of the cameras, smiling and doing interview after interview in celebration of Zack’s historical finish to his last play. During the chaos surrounding Trew’s assassination, Raphael had hidden the Sever Spike, not that most viewers would have recognized it, but his quick thinking had allowed Brandon to keep Zack’s permanent death a secret for a while longer. Tygon was celebrating like never before, they could wait a few days to hear the sad news. They would release a statement that Zack had experienced complications while coming out of stasis and died peacefully. Let the world have its day or two of happiness; it was all for the good of the Game.
Brandon nodded grimly to the nurses and doctors as they passed by. There were no happy faces on this level; they all knew the truth. Zack lay in the room at the end of the hall, his body kept alive by machines, for the moment, at least. Brandon had come to take care of this himself; he knew Zack would want it this way.
Entering the room, Brandon discovered that Zack had a visitor. He was standing at Zack’s side, holding his hand and looking down at him with compassion. The 6 foot 4 inch tall man was dressed in an expensive tailored suit, his gold cuff links twinkling in the dim light. His golden hair hung slightly forward. When he turned to greet Brandon, it was impossible to miss the green eyes with twinkling gold flecks in them.
Brandon entered the room and stood across from the man, saying nothing as he looked down at Zack’s body, its chest moving up and down rhythmically to the pace of the machine forcing him to breathe.
“You seem to be standing over dying people a lot lately,” Brandon said.
“Indeed,” the man said.
They stood quietly for a time.
“He played a hell of a Game,” the man said.
“He certainly did,” Brandon said proudly. “He was from the right stock. Orphans always seem to do well.”
“Yes, they do. Terrible ending for him, though. Any idea who’s responsible?”
“Carl mentioned a boss that he answered to, but that doesn’t really narrow it down. It could be any of a number of groups,” Brandon said.
Silent moments passed. Finally Brandon asked, “Can you help him?”
The man shook his head sadly. “I cannot. I thought perhaps… but no, I cannot.” The man gently brushed a lock of hair from Zack’s forehead. “I must leave. I can’t be here long.”
Brandon nodded. “I know. I’m surprised you even came. I thank you for trying.”
“My pleasure.” The man came around to the other side of the bed and embraced Brandon in a hug. Brandon resisted for a second, then gave in and hugged the man tightly.
“Well, there we go,” the man smiled. “That alone was worth the trip.”
Brandon smiled. “It was good to see you.”
The man walked towards the door, Brandon looked down at Zack.
“Brandon?” The man paused at the door. “Don’t unplug him.”
Brandon’s face was puzzled. “Why not? He’s gone.”
“I know,” the man nodded. “But I was told that if I couldn’t help him to give you that message. Don’t unplug him.”
Brandon nodded.
The man smiled one more time as he started to walk out the door. “I’ll see you again soon, son.”
Brandon didn’t bother to look up as he replied. “I know, father. Time’s running out.”
End of Book One…
/ THE GAME /
/ THE GAME /
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