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CHAPTER FOUR472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbS4OdqpCD
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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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLY5BUuisR
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05PvE0w3If
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“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6uccje6PC
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Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HDSl9wx9U
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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?!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3hmVe1pXR
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Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKlD44aaC7
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“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpX24IBZdl
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“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVTwnmLdpY
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Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGYgk3ZFrc
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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? 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeChCVUsDOG
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Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZBdZq6BZf
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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?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kTdxHB8jB
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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?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgp9TInsXh
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Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoj8P8cAg1C
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHujZtmhHZ
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVBvJcNgKB
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQD9XyANtcS
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“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOHDsYMybV
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“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeypJUu0d8G
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“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenA3obrJZj
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“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi1MUxNC6Z
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEVP5nUFHC
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A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WkaWyjDOY
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZv44ncGgTZ
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpDhdFKh0X
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9Zk0IyphL
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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?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV86Rv6vbBe
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Iris raises a hand.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXbnAY4XLk
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“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSvlQwyMlz
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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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFHShyUZp2
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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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDNqT5R4ot
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Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr8GiUtlsR
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Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCNKctHR69
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaXW7q2Odd
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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?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu02FuDP5lq
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2g78KVlHNa
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“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1ZQfXxdJu
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Viggo replies, “Iris.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWvVNV07FH
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“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP8lsokpbN
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIib8iv22P6
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The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvApxfjSES
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc8yVrNWky
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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?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LP5nCaGEr
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The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3TyeCbu2l
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“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcDl2eSXnI
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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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkzviqjd0J
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The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxYWrhrV2H
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“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuM13tDmkO
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLY1cSNSsD
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Wonder how that will go.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMi697jpJQ
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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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNJwwrPHi0
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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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2VuZGKrtD
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Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYyucm7UEC
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonVOseVOqp
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What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuJqPgllgk
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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. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuzOg4idUR
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIUhh9oDkw
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7SWRDPoPz
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Y4lrLeXvE
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Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDFaddiMe9
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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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhMzsLoRaj
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUsBJXMRA4
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtRotj5lzr
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3zyia6uoD
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Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFioPVCfWc
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5Ffdb1mvh
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Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZ8t4NtV1D
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQDXFXOFfs
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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! 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q9ylcaWSz
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtbDDcXyga
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Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfwuZyQJPO
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lqSXACp6r
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHVS1uO37Q
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ts2ZKHfS4
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGUIYe5P8L
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTQpcqc0Hh
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAoV9HZsQb
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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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxpNClnhdY
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlUA85N927
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And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDqXoHaa6A
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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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33KCOI96Cq
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MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV01lbPqpGW
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdycZy47rE
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC27AMHQkgn
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkOcGQXMoS
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3XdMxg6ej
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8vCBBbEil
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVorziIVc7h
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bZfKydgbs
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ku9HltA6z
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Wt4foUYEk
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg6fYGZDWU
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ330OGBgq26
It registers on Simone’s face.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxquS5S2Lo
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyN7FLy9XJ
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iazUxuQgh
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7caAn6GrZg
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRHuFRZT22
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKTizBq4dw
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbqW0earCT
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcoNoQL5j9
“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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmSocGPv2W
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOuZDTN7ra
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtQTqKCOXl
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrA0mNkj3cj
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QhI5gCQjb
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmyTkhZINC
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAQuAhfkON
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDm8ddpjgJA
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj17QJVCDjh
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1l8LyFVFh
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kNL7H9yZx
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuMRLGJw3A
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBDCpAnymZ
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53dB3DRH3J
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedWPW8AG6J
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotiYQ4fYmF
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZI7NeA9nXH
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjjvWVumz3
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeV6nOPnjp
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJB5PdTZGU
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZqm0CAVmg
Fade to black. Credits crawl.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm40gPaMT67
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0Y6HNgBvA
DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLZdtT0zTE
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFPG3SvnnI
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFrTROYjk4
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbq5NxQSwJ
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eWbkZevgZ
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLNp2gq4g7
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DN2hkJSFM
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyK5cmxfJaN
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAspPaAFCc
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EW0HobG1T
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxgqYNWwY2
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGaPXvon9j
Thought there was something secret here.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDqK2E8Lcp
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRq2xvAyzK
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlv2EYendR3
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX92e0EVVI
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrnJmF80Eo
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k3V5dvqC6
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. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABLarNzdRl
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWZKXUY8jw
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1dD78xeSZ
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitaD9InfCy
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3P75kdnso
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2flxXObKFl
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1WWGeZy38
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU8bBdtVqE
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qFl4sda6i
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBJ8dS1t8G
It’s just someone’s sick prank.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbvih7HaWq
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm07oeiRQn4
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgaE5X5EM2
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2nn9zgcj6
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93SnT6G9eH
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TsUjfkE82
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABNS1TPC24
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j6tGOv2Wy
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkR4pks9ru
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUDvxG5byn
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUjQ5PHYcB
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QsQtnItwS
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdP1rhWd8Cx
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSUdxFc299
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDK89FOgeZ
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjapNQ6Pxn4
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP9Yks0fSN
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtm0q7BbKA
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIMn6WcDKa
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZS4m27cM7
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qBo0ytw8a
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEHnuaV3oE
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMqKUwv6rl
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpXa2z91mK
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.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHz0rJl2bT
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNconrEI2Oi
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKun8HtgQL9
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeICjaAZ4T
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkLIH8eNzh
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNjFeZ9Mlw
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvpeoIwHsr
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yj76dZYxi
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqCH1F8OHs
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8a1hk3I2A
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tgeaT7H6o
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwavx9udY0
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1sEYFw9Jz
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYsvCuK5LF
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1SM688R0I
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08dxOXnthu
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7E4bNg7XWW
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQ5MOniFaY
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Edvyl5lmJ
DomTaylor: “Enough!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jUjxWP4Tj
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfsHhu6o1u
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQgZcIPJSr
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNifjcup9f
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFxzsaGAXM
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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kSf17QCMa
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xvX3xIiEx
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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGyAxdE8gz
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuJLf5gVo3
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoLExkkXFt
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3tfifwi4q
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2j6oJ3Hy6w
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ywdoLdHGW
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVUiz1WEru
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZSd1Sovvs
“Boo.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO7dI5xvvb
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrR3sRmq8Q
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…472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ae5DyeWgB
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBj2C4TzWc
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfLlHi8uN2
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJWDNtUNIW
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQiGx3w1ie
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AcFhmZ0Gd
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ni4eBRfmu
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OvpMB9Woa
He dies.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77iWCBmhiI
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglQhjVA1cM
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7bC9XtGNP
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNciCyQXGqs
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNAk84qkby
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxmYrIAnAm
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B4zRRc1VK
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv7x7GHhqT
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmo4vdvOwDj
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hMyBp8TW6
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWotpIemVT8
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cZ314v4v6
They stare at each other.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXi5DndBtk
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE93cumMNK
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!472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDyQjQSmFS
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp5aYxUhOP
The car flips.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBQVecVAlm
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXY6iuyw4b
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqWJKpsALL
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwiGGHkOnL
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtQm9sOBV3
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQS65z8C3v6
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPDsLqEhVm
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizrxRUgPxd
He dies again.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNPfgJ73BB
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynCMct1E16
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBH9mk4R6w
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzS9Zmt7lED
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2Ceqkw2cQ
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3prwRW0zp
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7mm9JrUQV
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7G7G2vQKxs
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49tRgiHiHI
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcARC3IuZ8
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjkNx38abl
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkXv0ZLOGW
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1m0DCABtW
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc1ldqTS1q
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwjvC04YTu
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUb8DrDuDP9
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzGQI52CpE
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JdJhJPUYP
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYv4IiqAWv
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMiOKIY3eQ
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uEaXRhM1m
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IQiQwVkqN
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlTUyRSHyr
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RgfRyA77r
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb8LeB32M3
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa8X1iKh2y
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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXBp3zXT76
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA1w6Bd1Z9
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucxcndoFyU
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn70fbin1EK
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA6NfsLNqp
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDaMNdvmTY
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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzprWp5ULh
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhORYvgQpL
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVAKE4UtHv
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6bh29cqSS
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeM9By0VNfS
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIayU5YHNV0
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjIY5RTY1A
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuJbNRvf7T
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMbw9CmWZW
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMFh4cPbmv
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlzlI6TQZ1
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBcj5xBKHX
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOTYCQ7HSD
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QXiPQQmLA
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKzJSKNcHe
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7245mNuVu
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?472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nIG3kF2m5
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmnKEcC2vG
A haunting face.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEt0paUyak
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQGa69pfQG
An impossible face, bearded white.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5cxWcj2kA
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8FjQp63yA
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.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJcmfPivqD
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueiQSfehOQ
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!”472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnewn9h0lA
472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQoYo0imCw
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns18.117.8.233da2
