The Troll (9 page)

“
It’s
okay…really,” The Troll said. What he wanted to tell The
Moderator was that his apology was stupid, considering it’s far
more disrespectful to murder an innocent person than it was to taunt
during dinner.

“
It’s
not okay. You know Troll, I’m aware of how unfair this is for
you. A lot of people died at my hands once because the world was out
of control and someone needed to wipe it out and start again. I used
to have nightmares for all the innocent people who died because of
what I did, but when I saw the world at peace…orderly and not
so materialistic—though they were forced—I realized very
quickly that I did the right thing. In fifty…a hundred years,
Psi will have just been a turning point that led us to the right
place, and while tragic, many sacrifices had to be made to get on
that path. Your death is to serve as an example to the rebels out
there who challenge us—who try to convince the world that we’re
doing the wrong thing. Fear creates order,
and
these rebels clearly do not fear us…do not respect us.”

“
But
why not pick a rebel? Why me?”

“
If
you ever meet Iris, you should ask, because I’d like to know
the same thing. She is responsible for what’s happening. There
is a way out though Troll. That’s why I wanted to talk to
you.”

The
Troll’s eyes lit up. “Okay…I’ll do it. I
don’t care what it is.”

“
Do
you know what this is?” The Moderator asked. He held up a small
device that looked like what people once used as web-cams.

“
It
looks like those things they have on all the towers.”

“
That’s
right. We need these to transmit and receive signals. This
is
how we give you music and televise events and messages. Most only
receive. The rebels have gotten a hold of a few that transmit in the
past, but as far as we know, they no longer have that capability. I’m
going to give you one though.”

“
Why?”
The Troll asked, taking the transmitter in his hand delicately.

“
There
may be people in this world that are hoping you pass this challenge.
They believe you’re on their side, and though misdirected, they
hope you can break Psi. Of course, you and I know that would be a bad
thing, right?”

“
Yeah,
of course.”

“
There’s
a way we can accept Iris’s challenge, save your life, and
diminish the hopes of the rebels who want to fight us to bring the
world back into chaos and anarchy. There’s a way we can assure
that Psi lives on forever.”

“
Name
it and I’ll do it.”

“
Walk
a couple hours or so. My men have been instructed not to touch you
today. That gives you some time to prepare for this. Get near a
tower, transmit, and denounce
the
revolution. Tell the world you believe in Psi. Destroy the Rainbow
live for all to see.”

“
Really?
That’s it?”

“
If
you do that, we will bring you back to Circular Prime and you will be
a part of our community. You can spend the rest of your days on the
Boards if you wish. We’d only ask that you never speak out
against us. We would expect your loyalty. All you have to do is use
your power of persuasion to convince the world that the idea was
foolish…that you love the world as it is…and destroy
the only hope they have in front of their very eyes. You’ll be
a hero Troll, and you’ll eat and sleep like a king for the rest
of your life.”

“
Holy
shit…” The Troll said. His world had suddenly turned
right-side up and hope was restored. Not just hope, but glory. In
less than a minute, he was told that not only would he live…he’d
live in Chicago. “Yeah, I’ll do it. I’ll do it
now.”

“
Wait
a couple hours. Let this thing begin at the very least.”

“
Of
course,” Troll said, eagerly.

“
If
you don’t do it by midnight, I’ll understand there was a
setback, but at that point, my men will come after you. If at any
point in time you want to call it off, just transmit and do as I’ve
instructed.
Understand?”

The
Troll nodded with a smile.

“
Perception
is everything,” The Moderator said. “If you so much as
give one of my friends a paper-cut, the world will doubt us. No
matter what happens, see to it that Circular Prime doesn't lose the
reputation we've built for ourselves.”

The
Troll was too busy nodding in agreement to fully understand.

Moments
later, The Moderator walked him to the starting line. The Mentalist
approached without a word and held a machine that looked like a
supermarket scanner. He held it to The Troll’s head for twenty
seconds until it beeped. Then he walked away.

“
You
no longer have Psi,” The Moderator said.

The
Troll closed his eyes, feeling empty without Psi. He felt no
different physically. He scanned the faces of those who were
present—all ten bounty hunters watched; all likely knew they
weren't to kill The Troll, but most seemed as if they still wanted
to.

“
Whenever
you’re ready Troll,” The Moderator said.

Just
like that, he was off. He took a step. And then another. Soon, the
gate was at a distance. When it was, The Troll allowed himself to
breath, and the air felt great.

The
Troll only walked for an hour, long enough to put a little distance
between himself and the city. He could still see the skyscrapers on
the horizon. He sat on the ground and looked toward Chicago. The
whole charade was silly. Even without ten people hunting him for
sport, he would never reach Vegas on foot. He’d weighed his
options just for something to think about. The Moderator and The
Surfer each said he would be a hero to their cause if he played
along, but The Troll ultimately had to decide, and the decision had
been made easy.

There
was still a bit of a nagging feeling eating at him. The Surfer didn’t
seem to think much of The Troll, but all he wanted was the world
restored in the name of freedom. Before Psi, every news station in
every city, every hour of the day, reported constant stories of
murder and mayhem, war and hatred, abuse and revenge. It was
sickening, but most people believed they were removed from it—that
it couldn’t happen to them.

When
The Troll’s parents were attacked and murdered for the money in
their pockets outside their home one night, The Troll searched for a
reason other than a simple mugging, but that was the reality he was
forced to live with. The world was filled with bad people and good
people were always victimized by them. When Psi took over everyone’s
brains, it seemed like an attack, but within 2 months, there was
order. No one could get away with anything, and since people would
still kill only to be zapped and killed by The Moderator within
moments, The Troll realized that all the lives lost were in the name
of a better world—much like the story in the old Bible where
God wiped out the world with a flood. Poison had spread all over and
to get rid of it, many lives were lost, but the poison disappeared
with it.

The
Surfer just saw things differently. The Troll didn’t fault him,
but he couldn’t get in line with his way of thinking. In
addition, the only guaranteed way to live a long life was to transmit
the signal and destroy Rainbow. Even without the temptation of
becoming a citizen of Circular Prime, the only sensible thing to do
was transmit. He hated to disappoint The Surfer and his followers,
and especially the sexy Wigeon, but anyone in his shoes would do the
same.

In
the distance, he saw a tower. The remainder of this journey would be
easy—a short walk—half a mile at the most, turn on the
transmitter, make a statement, and live in paradise. He smiled to
himself as he pulled himself to his feet and started the last of his
trek, only thinking about what his new life would entail. Good food,
prestige, and endless amounts of message board fun. He decided he
would take things up a notch. He would be invincible, able to poke
and prod away at the posters and tear their opinions into shreds.
He’d antagonize them, make them cry, make them type in all
caps, and he’d eat roast duck and laugh gleefully.

He
ascended a hill and looked up at the tower. All that was left to do
was transmit. He pulled the Rainbow from one pocket and turned it in
his hands. He held the key to ending Psi and was moments away from
destroying it. Never in The Troll’s life would he have ever
believed himself to do something so significant.

He
reached in his inner pocket for the transmitter.

“
Hey,”
a voice said.

The
Troll turned, afraid to find one of the bounty hunters there—afraid
The Pilot wasn’t going to follow the rules and would just kill
him instead. Or maybe it was The Poet, ready for revenge. Instead, he
came face to face with a man he’d never seen before—a man
who clearly wasn’t part of Circular Prime.

“
I’m
The Guide. I assume Surfer told you to find me.”

“
Yeah…”
The Troll said, letting the transmitter fall back into his pocket. At
the moment, he wouldn’t be able to destroy Rainbow and the
thought made him clam up, displeased to be set back. Especially by
someone that might not be so easy to get rid of.

“
Good
job coming this far,” The Guide said with a smile. “If
you give me Rainbow, I’ll take it from here.”

Part
2

Chapter 1

When
The Troll didn’t easily hand over Rainbow, The Guide convinced
him to start walking to put as much distance between them and the
bounty hunters as possible.

The
first thing the men at Circular Prime were going to do was follow the
paths, and The Guide didn’t want them to be discovered within
moments of their departure. “We need to go in the direction
that seems as if there is no path,” The Guide said, and they
went on their way through what were once fields, far away from the
streets.

When
they were on their way and The Troll was able to think about his
dilemma and come up with an approach, he finally said, “I don’t
want any help doing this.”

The
Guide was taken aback and they walked side by side in silence for
half an hour before he finally responded. “I think you will see
is that there is going to be strength in numbers, assuming they don’t
have Psi.”

“
I
know, but I want to do this alone.”

“
Why
not give me The Rainbow? We can split up and throw them off. If you
do happen to get caught, I’ll get there.”

“
That’s
convenient for you,” The Troll said. “I get killed. You
don’t.”

“
You’re
holding the single most valuable item that the
resistance
could possibly have. The fact that you have it outside of Chicago is
a
miracle. You know what
The Moderator is banking on?” The Guide asked. “He’s
banking on you failing. I watched the dinner and they don’t
think you have a shot. On the surface, it would seem that way, but
you have help. They wouldn’t have sent you out with the memory
stick if they believed you’d get to Vegas, so you need to be
thinking strategy to defy those odds, because once we shut down Psi,
they can’t touch you. That’s your way out.”

The
Troll hadn’t truly considered the possibility of success until
that moment. Having The Guide with him gave him a sort of strength he
didn’t expect, but if he wasn’t there, The Troll would
have already transmitted and destroyed Rainbow. Getting the job done
would be as easy as ditching The Guide at some point, maybe in his
sleep, and transmitting when he was alone. But what if he really got
to Vegas?

He
dismissed the thought. His mind was made up. He wanted to be part of
Circular Prime. He wanted his old life back. He resented that he was
picked for the journey.

“
I
take it you know Iris?” The Troll asked.

“
I
don’t know Iris. If I knew Iris, I would have been picked for
this.”

“
You
actually want to do this?”

“
Of
course I do,” The Guide said. “Years of trying to find a
way just to get into Chicago have failed us, and this opportunity
just fell in your lap. I would kill to be in your
shoes.”

“
But
if they kill you, what good is it? Especially since they’ll
destroy Rainbow?”

“
Rainbow
isn’t the only egg in our basket,” The Guide said. “The
Moderator used technology against us, and he won, but if history
proves anything, it’s that there’s always a better
mousetrap being made. We just have to find the hole in their plan and
break through.”