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CHAPTER FOUR498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mr3JQOlSO
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Kirby Hayes stares right at his older brother with a growing fire, an unquenchable thrill, until Ishmael the German Shepherd woofs. They have made it off the planet. They have lost a fistfight with each other. They have stopped and survived a disastrous car wreck together. They’ve ping-ponged their first scandal, leaving Kirby banged up for the wear. And it’s just day one. But Viggo is the one who has somehow made it out on top, unscathed, above the law, and absolutely dominating Skyden. How his brother’s achieved it, Kirby has only begun to imagine. Money? Politics? Loyalty?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyWfr094Ob
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Iris Frisk’s wondering the same thing, seeing Viggo prowl like a bristling animal. The interns watch him toss a manila folder in a trash can and snaps a lighter. He sets the trash can on fire and says, “New curriculum.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDHdhZoanX
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“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjRHrLsgfx
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Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsrp5llKqq
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Simone snatches Maverick’s phone, eyes widening at the news, and screams. She grips her mouth, “You guys just came out from that wreck?! How are either of you even alive?!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDThMU2YEs
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Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt959MrTL8P
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“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCKnJn6Vy2
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“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDXE4FZOFs
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Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEFA6hLwgJ
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Simone and Maverick go seriously quiet at something else. No longer laughing. Viggo demands the phone to be handed over. They get jittery but he insists nothing would happen to it. Viggo blinks at the latest news, processing it as calmly as he could. He hands it back to Maverick and shoots Kirby a glare. He signs too casually: Nice. Playing the deaf card, you little bitch. Does it feel good making your brother look like an audist in front of the world? 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cWduVDa03
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Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw2u04QdGv
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Viggo announces to the room, “I propose we ban phones from all future meetings. Saves us the trouble. What do you think, Dr. Fanfare?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjviIqxmSC
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July stammers for a minute, studying the interns before asking Viggo, “Oh, have a little pity, will you?” She gestures to the others with timidity. “It’s only the first meeting. Perhaps we can let them off with a warning. For now?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRmEE2eUhz
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Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicuUAcSCSo
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“Here’s a pro tip. If you really want to be a successful writer,” says Viggo with rambling hands, “or actor or producer or insert job title here, there’s something else you got to be. You have got to be a business. An icon. You and your name must be a brand.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTE4Zd9UaY7
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Kirby imagines it. His name pops up in his mind as some kind of a summer fuchsia splash, a super fun and mini-sized invitation to a beach party at sunset. He remembers seeing Viggo’s as neon orange and black metallic with a razor sharp edge.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rq6ViYwUq
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“Branding is psychology and sociology behind marketing magic. I mean real subliminal stuff. If people can recall your image, people can recall your message. That fits the profile Pegasus Studios always looks for. This is your mission and your first assignment: look like a superstar. Today.”
The interns gab about how awesome their brands are going to be.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclD0VdNe7I
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“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkafu4nZuiA
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“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Sce4PbjVL
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“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhFMF0OLjD
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“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tFNesKhnM
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Walking over to one of the globes, Viggo opens a latch. To everyone’s amazement, he presses a button. Hollow clanking roars through the walls. Kirby could sense that. The rumbling grows nearer. The interns look wildly about to see where it’s coming from. Paranoid of the superimposing compass for a domed ceiling, Madeline holds Ruthie’s hand as they huddle.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhQlLncAdw
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A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcCsXADUCQ
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They’re humongous dragon eggs, Kirby thinks. Might have come from an Apple lab. The pods emit a spreading chilly fog and then beam a celestial white light show. The name MyHAVEN is impressed into their shells along with their barcode version indicating the latest of its kind. Ruthie, Simone and Maverick make oohing and ahhing noises. Kirby stands on his toes to peek inside them.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgGo887i6h
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There’s roomy black chairs with gel support and wired black sunglasses that’s hooked up to the machine. Rainbow striped lights scroll down the inner walls. If they were a game console, Kirby is sure they’re the coolest he’s ever seen. Gnarly.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsUL1oWTT8
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“The most effective marketing tool for the best of the best,” Viggo explains. He gazes into the wide eyes of his interns, obscuring a fox-like smile. “As you’ll come to know, nothing seems as real … as virtual reality. That is why it sells.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMl4IauIywA
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“Last month, Professor Taylor purchased these four MyHAVEN pods and had them installed here for your internship. Twenty grand per model, but they came in a bundle deal for seventy five k instead of eighty k. I know, I know, it’s pretty cool. Any questions?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6q5UzFbiqP
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Iris raises a hand.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JlKZQ7ZGA
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“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs1ReuTrpA
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Iris slams her table with both palms with angry puckered lips. She addresses the room, “In fact, I do have a question!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYN3UWnnGex
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They burst into laughter. She asks the question but Kirby misses it in a blink. Don’t panic. He looks to his brother to see what he says. Maybe he can still figure it out. Viggo makes an obviously annoyed eyeroll. He does respond to her but not with one word in sign language. Kirby’s mouth slacks as nothing comes to mind. Is it worth the trouble?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSls2Nb8JD
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Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzJjjKwozB
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Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3t1piZrMH
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Frustrated, she texts back: Why would Prof Taylor go thru what he did after a big investment on us? V says it’s an inappropriate topic. We’re not in a class in criminal justice. He says fame can be nasty, that it’s not all glitz and fun for everyone. Whatever.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzER1ZJlJct
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Viggo claps. “You should register with MyHAVEN and when you’re done, type my first name in the search bar. Viggo. My profile and logo will pull up; you should be able to see it. Take your time. It’s a real mind trip. It’s up there at Inception level. I am going to set each pod at a two-hour tour limit. After that, the meeting is officially over and you are all free to go. So ! Are you ready to see... what real branding looks like?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNjIz4TK30
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“Can I do this another time? Or never?” Madeline declines as she goes through her bulky bag. She brings out a book for her daughter and a binder for herself. Viggo looks at one spot, getting peeved. “I don’t feel comfortable, I guess, going ‘under’ or going into people’s heads. And I-I’m not taking my eyes off my Ruthie here.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KEooMXIPi
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“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ244IC9Mb3K
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Viggo replies, “Iris.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0O2UAPiWtB
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“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyozmBv3ks
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“Miss Frisk, we’ll talk in a minute,” Viggo says, gritting his teeth and cringing. “Miss Desjardins, since this is the first meeting, you get a warning.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpDEZV7AP7
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The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0bZDsXwed
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“As cute as she is, and we all love her, you can’t bring her to the meetings.” Madeline nods painfully. “We need your focus.” She nods again, even harder. “Have you looked at daycares or babysitters? I know of quite a few.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNBq2RSfyO
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Madeline sips from her venti mocha and gulps. She stammers, “Um yes, I have, Mr. Hayes. We should find at least one that we like by today, I’m sure? Right, Ruthie?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmxMdWXbjf
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The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeSAnNwb28
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“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpPdMPkqSz
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“Okay,” Madeline says, putting her books back into her bag. She looks put on the spot, humiliated, like a pathetic struggling single mother. Kirby feels bad. Viggo’s clearly being discriminative with her. She gets out of her seat, taking Ruthie’s hand. “Come on.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHUJNQd2Ql
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The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7vJJLszWz
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“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QX5XuemaR
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Fantastic. Simone and Maverick leap from their seats and hurry down the steps while Kirby and Iris amble on. The pods hiss, spraying them with faint mist. Viggo assures them that the worst thing that could happen is falling asleep. Kirby doesn’t believe him. But what real choice does he have? Viggo decides for the group that Simone Chaput, Maverick Clark, Kirby Hayes, and Dr. Fanfare are the four participants while he and Miss Frisk will have their moment of privacy.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYw1LP9GZv
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Wonder how that will go.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl1Ir7u6aG
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The four step into their egg. Kirby feels already relaxed, body-hugged by his gel recliner. Bathed in rainbow lights, his breathing turns shallow. What if something goes wrong? Something won’t, but what if it does?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijqoWLpkqD
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His heart starts pounding. Anxiety’s back. He can just see it. The pod spirals down, the floor swallows him up, and this ends up his weird flickering coffin. Trapped under the floorboards deep; hearing nothing; not knowing when to scream. Should he just climb out now? Before it’s too late?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSqzNRPxpH
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Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRtNMf9WRA
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Viggo sets each pod’s timer at two hours except for Kirby’s. He says: I hope your bladder is okay. I’m setting yours up to four hours.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYpW1Gk1g7
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What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9Pu2t1Wgx
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Relax! Viggo pushes him back down in his seat. I’ll join you after everyone has gone. Got to look like I am in charge, right little bro? I have a lot to show you. You’re going to have fun, I promise. You know how I keep my promises. 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNToqteukxO
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Kirby feels sick to the stomach. He checks his phone. It is roughly 9:30 AM right now. He imagines that the interns would be gone by 11:30 before he would by 1:30 PM. Somewhat late to lunch, but he won’t miss it. Four hours don’t sound that bad, he thinks it over.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CFJJGfSF2
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He could barely shrug and nod. Good enough for Viggo who does a small wave and returns to Iris and Ishmael before the egg closes and locks. It seals shut.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty5kZ8znVc
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Kirby runs his fingers over the lines, almost not feeling them at all. He locates several vents and breathes easier. Just keep cool. Nothing will go wrong. The rainbow lights cut to a dull gray. He fits the black sunglasses over his worried, shifty eyes. All he sees is a warm fuzzy black screen with incredibly high resolution.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEXzTDJRVx
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Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtggRKCThi
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He takes a few minutes to register, typing his username as Kirby-Hayes. The egg does a full body scan, firing like a child’s laser gun. As it zaps, he shouts “Whoa!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a0o5Jg0zz
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An avatar that is an exact replica of him appears before his eyes. He marvels at his twin who acts too freely to be a mirror. Kirby adjusts his avatar’s clothes to a sharp tux resembling his brother’s. Call me lazy. Instead of orange, he goes for ghostly fuchsia. That’s enough decorating, he’s decided.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUrt51J9DF
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He types in Viggo’s name which brings up at the top of the list, just above Viggo Mortensen. It’s not in alphabetical order, but ranked by popular searches. Of course, I shouldn’t be this surprised but for some reason, I am.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjXBn4Emcd
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MyHAVEN cuts to the same warm black screen with a gray side menu on the right. He sees that there’s options to choose from like going to his Profile or to Exit entirely. It is loading. He sees the empty horizontal bar fill up with billowing smoke.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOwZNX4B5g
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Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9GG5gFyr0
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Oh god. Is this such a good idea? Kirby holds his breath, assuring himself that it’s only in his head, that it should be safe.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfa6fkG7CIB
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Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLElLLB9UOo
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Trillions of stars, all around him and underneath, welcome him with nothing propping him up. Oh my god, it’s loud with heart-stopping howls. His legs scramble through nothing and start kicking frantically. It’s no use. He falls.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2AO855I0E
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He spears headfirst to the bright nearby Moon. Hundreds of craters and thick moon dust await him one mile below. Heavy layers of wind collide with his body and rise. Whoosh-slap, whoosh-slap, whoosh-slap! 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWHaRazMLJ
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When the interns skydive in formation with him, cheering and laughing, he realizes he can hear their echoing voices among the other unearthly noise. There’s a deep background of sounds, and he’s deaf to none of it.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfb5tdTDR4B
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Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWOGZjwDxF
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He struggles with the explosive wind to lean his body in closer to the interns, preferring to be closer to them. It’s different from seeing them together in a hallway or in a rosewood study. This time, they’re skydiving.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwR1JcMkR5d
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Despite that they’re falling to the Moon, there is at least unlimited air. He gasps it all in and breathes out. This is okay. This is epic, this is soothing, and this comes with a youthful essence. He tells himself as outrageous as it is, it’s still a lucid dream.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQsEvkmIbw
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This is Viggo’s dream, Kirby starts to understand. This is what his mind looks like. The Moon approaches dangerously near. His heart wants to leap out of his chest right now.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72HEQ65Uo3
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Kirby notices a gleaming multiplex theater smack dab in the middle of the white desert. He careens there, somersaults, and lands softly with a thump in a dune. He bounces off and hops, startled from the feeling of how the ground hit his feet. Too real, he thinks with terror, smelling the bitter gunpowder. This is too real for me. I want out.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡps5RhnFQnV
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Simone Chaput lands, showing off her dark black skin in her blue filigree dress. She wears a silver wig straight and long enough to rustle at her eyebrows and naked shoulders. Her heels stomp, sporting two diamond human skulls that cradle her toes.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5IAVB4zp4
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Maverick Clark lands, showing off the world’s tallest punk hair. He rocks his erectile crest back and forth like a pink cockatoo and riffs at his invisible wailing electric guitar. He’s dressed from head to toe in heavy black clothes and boots with pink earphones that blink eyes and grin at other people like cartoon characters.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNAR3yc2xU
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Dr. Fanfare lands and bounces besides Kirby. Her white grandma hair is tethered back in a loose bun. She dusts her same vest and blazer from before, coughing up a storm and laughing. “Now I can finally say that I’ve been to the Moon! Yahtzee!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YPDc3EoFE
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But Kirby is hardly happy or can stay coherent. He gets dizzy. People are chattering and overlapping too loudly, and the multiplex theater is playing deafening music. What a migraine. Kirby’s head feels like it’s about to burst. He finds the Mute button to toggle. Sweet, sweet silence! He sighs orgasmically. The pain and nausea cease altogether.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzp00fPuyC
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And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8NBT1aJ1W
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English subtitles spell out for him like magic, translating every word they say. He smiles. That’s perfect. This is good. I’m liking this already.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGpzISDtB0
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MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqRA3YIgmd
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BKbd3puxq
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynWWtCXeOB
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfnLKLq5ce
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxNNJTS4VP
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzWUO2T6Rl
Entering the busy multiplex theater is overwhelming. First, the reflection of the lunar scape in the glass door startles him. As Kirby’s hands wrap around the cold steel bar that is surely a door handle, his dress shoes scrape against the ridges of the metal door frame. He knows he is not here. He knows he has never been here. That doesn’t matter. Here feels like a physical place, and it feels wrong.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlsWYX3xF5
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwo2QrJ2e4g
The rich aroma of buttered popcorn and kettle corn hit them like a wall. Crowds of moviegoers pack the place, standing in lines for twenty-dollar tickets to virtually real Pegasus films and all kinds of candies and sodas sold.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6YmwE9ud0
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkZVmgTXGC
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO84SAHTao
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS2B6CbVtC
It registers on Simone’s face.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJFWiFKpfq
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec7LSQllXh
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ80gi8hXxs
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DUMKLcpjz
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiC0cMrywm
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxubH4eujY
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnzEArX0RR
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHHgcknFfp
“You should be,” Kirby mouths, getting them to laugh. He tries tapping his knuckles hard against the wall. It’s solid, and damn, it kind of smarts. Actually, it does hurt. He checks his avatar’s knuckles but sees no cuts or blood.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ng81TrL9O
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXjJsXTwcf
They approach an enormous banner, a poster, and a cardboard cutout of Sky’s Falling! It is decked out with a square version of Skyden, bombing and falling in pieces. It is an exaggerated, horrific doomsday for those onboard hurtling towards planet Earth.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL7WCHNJuM
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Isbt252J0
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqD1En7h7Gg
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p99SMhfGe
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Pw0fOPxmS
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRuyorC4Xw
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vWkURUQFS
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccuB4DswlG
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwFwt3qWRv
Kirby blushes, not knowing what to say other than he hopes they’re left at least entertained. He hasn’t even begun to fathom how his screenplay would play out in virtual reality. That’s beyond 3D, that’s like 5D, isn’t it? He wonders. Huh.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YJgbonQuQ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQc61xwQriJ
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwkoZ6t3p3
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo3v6L2qpg
They spend twenty dollars and two hours through Kirby’s movie. He could hide and beam the entire time, proud of his only accomplishment. Even though he didn’t touch the movie or influence the final cut in any way like his brother had, Kirby has still locked down the credit of being the sole writer. It says “Written by Kirby Hayes. Directed by Viggo Hayes.” Kirby thinks it sounds better that way instead of “Written and Directed by the Hayes Brothers”. Everyone will start believing that Viggo will have relinquished some creative control when it’s far from the truth. Though the Hayes brothers thing still may be in their near future.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYyzEdp28Z
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAuMvnXdiF
Kirby ignores the dread of how much heartache he’s going to get from Viggo. He focuses instead on other moviegoers. The way their faces light up and their mouths collectively gasp remind him why he’s come here. I am going to get in Pegasus Studios. Kirby makes fists. I have to.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboRYVNI1C5
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjo2G2Xm3o
The audience screams at last at the menacing part when the satellite city rips apart. Boom, boom, boom, a succession of flying bodies and metal scraps! Spinning debris fling down to Earth. They storm through the skies exactly the way they arrived to Viggo Hayes’s moon theater. They fall towards the tumbling ocean blue.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvUZvC7aCl
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BxIGLBOk7
Fade to black. Credits crawl.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYv2BN4hpm
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkglIlFEOzV
DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzNrv8rSlR
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsBnzglLSv
As Simone and Maverick dote him shamelessly, they murmur dazed farewells and log out with Dr. Fanfare. Kirby stays behind and can’t stop grinning like a fool. Even Simone would want to work with him now. This is a dream come true, a dream within a dream.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtIVXLJiWF
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAULkR6aeaV
He wanders through his brother’s world, the idle halls of his brother’s owned theater. Kirby can’t help but respect him. He sits back on a bench to rest his eyes for a second. Oh wait. He starts to remember. I could fall asleep right now. No wonder the others sounded so drowsy.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9OXuDkB3Q
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQxuoFaumG
Man, I have another two hours left to wait around for Viggo. I can’t simply leave either. He’d be livid from looking for me for too long. Kirby gets back on his feet, looking around the theater for a good distraction.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmj12QMNtS
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUobs4NIk1t
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKHudcsTTs
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJr8qs6YUeV
Kirby makes it behind the counter, inspecting the area for something abnormal. So far, it’s a boring and greasy workplace. He becomes irritated with crunching over kernels. They stick to the soles of his shoes. Hmph, nothing.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrxUQcHTzV
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCOfirOROF
Thought there was something secret here.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGWTfeEZck
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRGJUDAzrQ
Another door catches Kirby’s eye. It would lead to the back of the theater. Tucking his hands into his skin-tight dress pants, he follows the empty hallway farther into what seems like a dark warehouse or a garage. The air gets colder. Moon sand is blown inside.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv6A8heAY5
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssrSfKfb7i
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbnzp02Toe
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHvTp9zIn1
The subtitles notify him that the shout echoes a dozen times before fading to a sad droning whisper. He pauses. That is a particularly creepy detail for Viggo to add in his world. What is this place? He looks among the shadows.
A distant thud echoes. 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2IyiWA1od
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGXPLSaddP
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJojjFgO7jK
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDXIQvpQ3C
This place is still otherwise empty. His hand presses against his chest, calming his blipping heart. Okay, I think I’m getting out of here. He turns face and bumps into dangling feet.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq2Mqs0tDM
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXLoVfR959
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoo65Dx8MQ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzn9bgiytll
His brother’s psycho orange eyes bulge, jaw open and aghast. Drool drips from his perfect white teeth. There’s not a finger twitch or a muscle clench, but the body looks real. And dead. The suit blinks orange like a Halloween tree. Kirby could die himself right now from the fright. It’s just an avatar, he tells himself.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDbira5Zz2
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUII8KV2gIV
It’s just someone’s sick prank.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEGR7N7X5U
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrb5J2Gnxg
He gasps at the sight of a single bedbug on the cement floor. Okay, now he is sure something’s terribly wrong. Viggo hates bedbugs.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU8UVFHi9x
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFHAPo9v8Y
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyee4AQXA39
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFDBv5UYPJ
Oh! He pulls back. Hordes of bedbugs stampede and flood toward him, becoming thousands and counting, drawn magnetically to the smell of his blood. That’s awful. He can’t get away from them. They smother his shoes, covering them completely from sight. Kirby moans and leaps back, stomping on them. But they continue to smother. He itches at his neck like a madman. Too disgusting. Too real.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uqvC53xN6
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrYhWCXUPV
A bright light bursts. A video plays, projected on one wall. It is dated earlier this year. What’s this? It’s the rosewood study, Kirby recognizes. He’s still there.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o3nEmVlJw
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1qui7GOLM
Professor Taylor watches him from afar with furious, fearful eyes. He’s bearded with white hair, like a sea captain who’s now a dead one.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcWXX1EZ6w
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6NTF8u0Bk
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WvkQxukZ1
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKjeI5hG9q
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr3YMY0XEH
Viggo Hayes steers the camera until it lands across Professor Taylor’s large desk. Ishmael lopes over with protruding wet nostrils and sniffs. Kirby moans again at the swarming bedbugs that now creep up his legs. It’s not real. But his gut tells him that something about this video is real, and it’s something he shouldn’t be seeing. He searches for what that is.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YlO4KorOF
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2pjTHuV1j
The bugs reach his inner thighs. This is so wrong, he whimpers, but the bugs are nothing. Nothing! He clamps down his lips, watching the video.
Professor Taylor rifles through his manila folder.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC764M4Gpv
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88UJmWodBx
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fVD94rhJY
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpoafcVdaw
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnIQYltsGq
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqXaIWjlWW
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0cwJ135jg
DomTaylor: “Oh, there’s one, publicly. The other’s a runner-up; her name won’t be announced but she’ll be one of the interns.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJEj5nQfxr
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMP8aAZkhw
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEo67j7fH6
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVekY5ymVjb
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsKVcITCpR
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezvGRnlw5f
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVKxi6FsxI
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GObwNi1Mg
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMDhW8znbh
Viggo’s forgotten he’s filming himself as his face contorts into something ugly. He suddenly tackles Professor Taylor to the floor. Ishmael goes insane and hysterical, barking nonstop, but cannot break them up. The men wrestle onto the floor, banging and slamming into the furniture. The camera falls next to the floor.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekqqvKWiZS
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVyuLZrA8q
Each man throws wild punches at their faces and unprotected areas, but Taylor’s the one who quickly makes it on top. The camera’s kicked away.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYu4xWHZHP
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKQgQbtVBP
Kirby can’t believe his eyes. Ishmael fills the office with his mournful cries and howls. Using both hands and all of his weight, Professor Taylor chokes Viggo who digs his nails deeper into Taylor’s long gash of a cheek scar. The man screams out before a beefy fist clocks Viggo hard.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9x4xYvSjj
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsLnhFAvaF
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡig20uLxAjA
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEydhuKAph
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXi1ZkDnnoW
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MrJjASHdn
DomTaylor: “Enough!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5nVNjS8Hq
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3b1k5A9d8y
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRBCBk4JS6
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY1t9KUq06
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQSxyfsrGn
DomTaylor: “That was before I saw their work. I would be one stupid son of a bitch to turn them away. When I look at them, I don’t see interns. I see cash cows. Golden goose eggs. You and your personal feelings have gotten in my way for the last time!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHLYlwuOrQ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdClHRAQIfi
The video is put on pause. It glitches. Kirby shakes the bedbugs off his face, trying to make sense of it. That’d be inspiring and uplifting for him if it weren’t for the fact that they got violent over it. I didn’t know Viggo would get that upset. And why ... is there a video playing of it?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmO7OKkyhFE
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYdtxRoTDj
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRspVdSz5D
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QwLoNax57
The Spook trudges out of the dark, out of the steamy home of scattering bedbugs, with a wooden sad mask. Kirby is rooted to the spot as it all comes together. It’s the same person he’s seen on the road this morning. Their near death experience, these bugs, and that video have everything to do with that weirdo.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGPPxF2Dq7
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Z6oreQ3Uq
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI85GiEHXU5
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MtiTzsPEt
“Boo.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TwijAso5m
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAOVRhpuvM
Kirby squeezes his eyes. It’s just virtual. It’s MyHAVEN. It’s just a bad dream. I am untouchable. Seeing nothing, I’m feeling nothing. His breathing starts to regulate, calming down back to normal. Deny, deny, deny. It’s purely psychological…498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLK7HZaiSD1
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZLvf5tcwd
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsx1V8Hlxq
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlz77QHcDA
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH42jDiUTVC
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJm1IIIezk
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of a railroad, Kirby feels the pebbles jump and nip at his skin. Oh no. He realizes it too late when the train rams into his spine, two hundred tons ripping through his puny body, severing him in half.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mUAzNHEsm
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPk9lvhhUG
He dies.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv6Hm7WrnO
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUnh6DWx7C
This numb brutality snaps him awake in mid-air. The sky, the road, the grass, they all rush by in a savage whirl. Kirby’s back in the car now with Viggo’s dead body, spinning about in slow motion.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqloXKMYnb
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOODOdpmNlN
His brother flails about like a dead-eyed mannequin. There is no sense of control. Only weightlessness and the promise of weight being delivered. Only suspension and the promise of a delayed end. He lets out the longest scream in his life.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXabOCQHe74
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkQo5rTKgr
Kirby’s head slams into the ceiling when the roof of the car hits the ground. A sharp spasm jolts through his boiling neck and spine. He coughs out liters of blood, watching Viggo fly out of a window. His leg gets torn on the frayed window, being left behind a wobbling carved piece of flesh.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSpqKUmfTH
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2DyQQJqCD
Bits of glass and drops of blood rain into the deep pores and wrinkles of his face. The car tumbles across the ground, turning over and over. He wakes up again in mid-air. Viggo’s back inside the car. So is he.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12L89Lphjm
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Nx4mo7fGx
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUspHTB84k0
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJU0TirUw2H
They stare at each other.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Yg3ALXjED
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cDqBMaWjJ
The Spook means to torture him for as long as the timer on his pod keeps ticking. A two-hour night terror. He looks at his right where the side menu should have been but is missing. Somehow the Spook has blocked him. Overriding him. Viggo nods at him this time. Kirby croaks out a no… ! The car smashes through the parked police cars. The Spook watches them from behind their seats as bedbugs crawl all over them. Wait, wait, no!498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwYHnRm5Jz
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nw9zt0YaQ
The car flips.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsC2rZPlbX
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6Gs3yz01o
He braces himself as the car slams into a guardrail. They are showered in sparks as blunt as hail. Viggo’s torn asunder, scattering apart in all directions with glass. Strings and gobs of milky blood stretch out thinly, a strange crimson.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJt7ADMDVJQ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RnE7BuHTA
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIhkzGs47e
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11h3XzJaI6
His skull shatters grisly upon impact, skin shuddering and splattering along the gritty asphalt. He feels his arms snap. He feels how his clavicle cracks. His neck is bent out of shape. His body is mangled all wrong, and he can feel every dislocated joint. He learns the mesh of road and bone. He tries also to become numb to it.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVelHDI9jng
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcLXJhp09R
He dies again.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqSNUbIeIA
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDtg7LS7R0
His eyes are squeezing shut when the engine sputters to life. His seat rattles. His skin crawls. His hair rises. Deja vu. Kirby braves opening his eyes back on the plane.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQSxtwpc7j
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4C3WZtFxs
His knees shake freely and out of control, no longer knocking into anyone. It is an evacuated plane, but it’s surely the same plane that blows up.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMR0bcwbdc
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY4ZpedjsU
No way. Kirby yanks at his seat belt but it does not budge. He pulls with everything he has, yelling to suppress the raw burn in his hands. The plane starts moving. No, he thinks sobbing like an useless thing. Trapped.
He sees someone familiar rush at him, fumbling with his seat belt. His jungle green eyes grow feral. Kirby is startled to see Chance again. That handsome face he hasn’t seen in forever hollers at him to snap out of it. The man brings out a long military knife and starts sawing crazily through the thick restraints.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxFICkJrjW
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbFjEl5w5x
When Kirby’s finally freed, they claw at their shirts, embracing so tightly that they feel each other’s heartbeats. Chance smiles at his smile.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmfYEIyaRL
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGzUZs7bNr
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmruTSwfjz
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7HXySIBYJ
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFVd3PL73j
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFWdqMVqlA
Kirby nods. Despite the recent nightmare, he’s now convinced that this is still nothing. It’s just for two hours, even less. He can do this, now that his hero Chance Gott is really here.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3d6H1z4UA
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNMr3eTv4P
They run out of the plane on wobbly legs. They make their way into a seemingly empty airport. They look wildly around. No passengers, no reporters, and no dead bodies. There’s no one.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlks5A95JKa
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIk0D058BZI
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZGZAzZ1KM
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIv7dXActm
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvECT1ySscQ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV5de2ZZmq
Kirby grips Chance’s arm. He brings out a keyboard and clacks away, piling up strings of coding and symbols. Line after line, formulas and their functions go way over Kirby’s head but they bring immediate changes to the environment.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE25bvbm5o
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vHh7eJVEh
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWacmAkyyZ
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCuRI9g3z8
Kirby sees the side menu light up again at his right. He’s no longer blocked. He should be able to escape now. His fingers are ready to jab at the Exit button but hesitate. However, Chance roars at him. “Go! Now!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XQ2g20Ejp
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0lRIWd5LJ
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeA0AGaVxiH
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8UNGGJc5f
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEFE9R2YIW
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcB5IMHaNF7
Kirby pants heavily. He’s all numb and can’t keep his eyes open. His heart is pounding at its hardest, as if he’s done a triathlon. His hair and his clothes are drenched in cold sweat. His trembling fingers reach out of the egg. Doesn’t anyone see me?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatXcVMkGV5
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB0MIXVCoY
He can’t see either. He rests for another minute, panting. However, the silence doesn’t mean no one’s there. He knows that. Come on, Kirby begs of himself. Wake up.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1tGVZFLwi
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROHWmxJmrl
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6DhhzIrio
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGq2hQeAxg
The door opens to a dark room. The sun has gone down, leaving Skyden a pitch-black one-o-clock in the afternoon. How long was I under? His phone tells him that only four hours have passed, like Viggo’s said.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIVeNXqH2h
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLbVe2OtQA
Kirby sighs with relief, drooling on the floor. It occurs to him that Skyden orbits the earth twice in one day. Two sunrises, two sunsets. Noontime here is always as dark as nighttime.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJkHcBZp6P
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM6lYxi8Nh
Kirby climbs out of the pod and his shoulder crashes onto the floor. He moans softly. Not so numb anymore. That hurts. The room starts spinning back and forth, leaving him dizzy and blind. He blinks as much as he can.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5RtCDmMGx
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp2lkxaCsd
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxpllzS094
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhMz3xunoP
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsGWYRDbGX
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBk60bnw2GX
The silhouette passes some windows, walking briskly for someone who’s seen Kirby. Unless he hasn’t. Kirby remains still, holding in his ragged breaths as best as he could. It is a man or a woman walking by with a familiar face. Who is it?498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdDeic4QHg
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxGyO8osaw
A haunting face.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsVxytvfln
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZACP9Zyl2D
An impossible face, bearded white.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAkArBihPq
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPe4wZ3llH
The ghost of Professor Taylor passes a dim lamp. His furious, fearful eyes glare. Taylor roams around his study in the darkness before slipping through the back door. Kirby squints, rubbing at his eyes.498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡal6s1SRkjW
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX07mY81GNe
His brother saunters out of Taylor’s office, chasing after who left. Viggo looks terrorized as he kicks a giant hole in the wall. He screams, “Fuck!”498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmnxDTB5y3
498Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4DX4mfuAv
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns216.73.216.222da2
