Digital Heretic (8 page)

Chapter 19

  It’s always been said that the Game mirrors our world exactly. When miracles happen in the Game, fans say in passing that the same types of things might be possible on Tygon.

 
Today a miracle has occurred on Tygon. We received the official news less than an hour ago that our beloved Zack has returned to the land of the living. Initial reports from his treating physician and Brandon Strain confirm that the impossible has happened; Zack was brain dead and taken off life support, then he suddenly took a breath on his own and came back to life. 

 
Rumours that this is merely an elaborate publicity stunt are just that — rumours. We have authentic and compelling evidence from multiple sources that Zack was dead, yet he has come back to life.

 
We expect to hear from Zack himself in the next few minutes, but wehave been informed that he no longer answers to the name Zack; instead, he now wishes to be called Trew.

 
I would like to be one of the first people to publicly welcome you to Tygon, Trew. I have a feeling that this is going to be a big moment in the history of both the Game and Tygon in general.

 
Inside the Game, we have just witnessed the spectacle of a girl who has learned to fly. The 30
th
anniversary celebrations of the Game have certainly not disappointed us.

Lisa Rohansen - Channel 42

 
Brandon held th
e
door open for Trew and followed him into the vehicle. Flashes from the papparazzi’s cameras were erupting all around them. Reporters were pressing against the car in their frenzy to get one more view of Trew. 

  “
Well, that went fairly well,” Trew said.

  “
It went incredibly well,” Brandon agreed. “It was like watching Trew stand in front of his followers inside the Game. Are you certain there’s not anyone else inside that head of yours?”

  “I’m
all here, Brandon.” Trew tapped the side of his head with a smile. “George is in here, too, and the others. I’m glad to have access to them all. It turns out most of my lives in the Game weren’t just random experiences.”

  “That’s
what we realized as well,” Brandon said. “Once we saw what George had accomplished, we started to view all of your past lives, looking for patterns or signs that they might have all been leading you to where you stand today. Now that we know what to look for, many of your lives — or at the very least, key moments in them — helped you gain experience for where you stand today.”

  “
How come you didn’t communicate with me inside the Game?” Trew asked.

  “
Because Sylvia prevented it. What makes you guess that I even could have? Before your last play, we spoke about it possibly happening, but at that time we weren’t able to.”

  “
Once I realized Sylvia was able to do it, I guessed that you could as well. How did she prevent it?” Trew asked.

  “
Are we always going to answer one question and then ask another?” Brandon asked.

  “
It would seem that way,” Trew grinned. “I’m still waiting for an answer to the last one.”

  “
Once you chose prayer, she was able to somehow block you from accessing my method.”

  “
Meditating,” Trew said.

  “
Exactly.”

  “
Who have you been speaking with in the Game on a regular basis?” 

  “
Stephanie and Raphael,” Brandon said. “Them, and a couple of others.”

 
Trew looked out the window as they drove. “Danni meditates.”

  “
Yes,” Brandon said.

  “
Can you think of a way to stop her from dying, Brandon?”

 
Brandon looked at Trew strangely. Trew felt Brandon wanted to tell him something; instead he shook his head negatively. Trew didn’t feel like he’d received an answer, but his thoughts had already moved on.

 
“Listen,” Trew said, “I’ve got a bunch of ideas, and I know time is running out, so I’ll be flying through some and going even faster with others. You’ve had thirty years to reach your goal, Brandon, and you haven’t accomplished it. Will you help me?”

  “
I will help you in any way that I can,” Brandon said. “I will also be continuing on my path to stop this from happening; we can work on our goals together or separately, whichever you like.”

  “
I think it will be some of both. Here’s what I want by the time the car stops: a video crew to follow me around and film me. Add a new channel so fans can watch me. Donate all the money it generates to charity, or hold on to it and we will dish it out later.”

  “
Done,” Brandon said, as he began to type on his tablet.

  “
I want access to Sylvia. At your terminal is fine, but I will need alone time with her.”

  “That’s
not likely to happen,” Brandon said.

 
Trew didn’t even stop to discuss the issue, but moved forward as if all his demands would be met. Trew had an air of authority about him; it reminded Brandon of himself. “Third, I want to talk to her.”

  “Okay,
fine, we can get you access to Sylvia. Just bear with me for a few moments. I’m not used to sharing such responsibility with others,” Brandon said.

  “
I meant Danni
,
” Trew said.

  “
That won’t be allowed,” Brandon said.

  “
Allowed by whom
?
” Trew asked. “I don’t care if it’s allowed or not, it’s going to happen. I know neither of us wants a billion-plus people to die, but it appears that’s the game we’re playing. We have significant experience playing games, Brandon, so you do your part and I’ll do mine. How does that sound?”

  “
Sounds fine to me,” Brandon said. “Let’s get down to it, then. We have about three more weeks, if Danielle lives to a normal age of 80.”

  “
We have a bit longer, but let’s not waste any time,” Trew said.

  “
What makes you think we have longer?”

 
Trew smiled confidently. “She didn’t have many credits, but she spent some of them to make certain she would live to be 140. I believe Sylvia will allow her to live that long.”

  “
I don’t share your confidence,” Brandon said.

  “That’s okay,”
Trew assured him, “The sun will still come up tomorrow regardless of your confidence in it happening or not. She will be healthy and spry till 140. We just have to make certain no one kills her before she dies of old age.”

Chapter 20

 
The time difference between Tygon and the Game can be confusing. 

 
Fans sometimes come to me and say they are disappointed that events in the Game go by so quickly. I smile and ask them questions, soon discovering that they are complaining about missing portions of a compelling play. 

 
Time really does fly when you’re having fun, but the purpose of the Game is first and foremost to be a learning medium for students. An accelerated timeline is necessary to allow the kids to live multiple lifetimes, and a lot of time was spent developing an ideal ratio for real time to Game time. 

 
I can sympathize with the fans about great plays going by too quickly, but from a Patron’s point of view, when our players are in the Game, we are glued to our monitors with no time for much of anything else in our lives. I personally wish time wasn’t so compressed; I would get more sleep. 

 
I think after thirty years, we are all somewhat used to the way of things. I prefer this type of stress to having no Game at all, and think most would agree with me on that point.

Interview with Brandon Strayne - Channel 133 Game update

Trew

 
“Hi, Angelica,”Tre
w
said. “Brandon tells me you were a key member of my team. Thank you so much for all you did for me during my play.”

 
Angelica gave Trew a hug. “It was no problem, Trew. I’m glad you made it out safe and sound. We’ll have to get together sometime and compare notes on being the best. I think you ended up much better than I did.”

 
Trew saw the haunted look behind her smile, and recalled some of the events that occurred during her final play — very entertaining, but traumatic for anyone to have to live through, and then live with afterwards. His play was arguably more painful, but not to Trew. In his honest opinion, it had been a fairytale life with only a couple of bad hiccups. Overall, it was one of the greatest lives he could imagine. Leaving it so soon was the saddest part for him, but he had to put that out of his mind for now. There would be time to grieve over that later, once Danni was in his arms again.

 
Brandon motioned towards the desk and an array of headsets on stands. Each was labelled with a name, many of which Trew recognized; there were a few that he didn’t. “This is where Angelica did most of her work,” Brandon said, “Viewing the players you see labelled here in real time.”

 
Trew nodded. Brandon had told him how regular fans were unknowingly watching the Game on a time delay, and disclosed his advantage of being able to view the Game in real time. 

 
Trew walked to the chair and sat down. He picked up the headset labelled ‘Raphael’ and raised it above his head. There were dials and switches to adjust; he’d met with Hack, who had showed him how the controls worked. “Okay, let me take this for a test drive. Come back in about 20 minutes?”

 
Angelica looked at Brandon with interest. She’d never seen anyone speak to him in this way; respectful but authoritative. At

Vi
rtDyne, as well as on most of Tygon, Brandon was king; he took orders from no one, regardless of how pleasantly those orders were delivered. Her mouth opened in surprise when Brandon simply nodded and raised his hand to the doorway, indicating that Angelica should follow him into the next room. She followed in stunned silence.

 
The door closed and Trew put the headset on and activated it. He spent the next twenty minutes Firsting Raphael, as close to his love as he could manage for now.

***

  There were two comfortable chairs in the next room. Brandon sat in one, waiting for Angelica to join him. She stood for a few moments, searching Brandon’s eyes, then shrugged and took a seat in the empty chair across from him.

  “
So how’s the kid doing?” she asked.

  “He’s
doing very well. The doctors say he should still be weak and bedridden, but he’s as healthy and energetic as you or I.”

  “
Miraculous.” 

  “
In every sense of the word,” Brandon agreed.

  “He’s
not even the same boy I interviewed a few weeks ago. He’s more like the forty year old man who built a worldwide organization and attracted millions of loyal followers. He’s more like… you
,
Brandon.”

  “
No,” Brandon shook his head. “He’s better than me. But yes, I agree with your assessment.”

  “
So he’s in charge now?” Angelica asked.

  “
Of course not,” Brandon said. “This is still my world, dear. But Trew does remind me of a young Brandon Strayne. I respect him, and it’s clear that he can help us all in many ways.” Brandon’s face became serious, almost emotional. “It’s good to have him with us at this stage of the Game. No one lives forever; I believe he will

take over when I am gone. It’s what I was grooming him for, and he’s progressed perfectly
.”

  “
Well, that’s great,” Angelica said. “He’s here, you’re here, Danielle’s team is formidable… it’s the perfect time for me to leave, and get back to where I need to be.”

 
Brandon nodded. He knew this was coming, and how passionate she would be about it, so he proceeded as gently as he could. “I need you here, still.”

 
Angelica sat up straight and took in a breath to speak, but Brandon stopped her. “Danielle is still in there, A. She’s even more vulnerable than she was before. And it’s all on the line with her.”

 
“What does that even mean?” Angelica asked. “I’ve been kept in the dark so long I wonder if you even have a plan, Brandon. I can’t wait any longer; the others are barely hanging on without me. You know what happens if things go wrong.”

 
“I know,” Brandon said. “Here’s the thing, Angelica. If Danielle doesn’t live at least another eight or nine weeks inside the Game, then it won’t matter what happens to the others.”

  Angelica’s head
shook quickly from side to side in her confusion. Her mind was sharp, and Brandon had just raised two or three critical questions. “She can’t live inside the Game another eight or nine weeks. She won’t make it out if she stays in that long.”

 
“She’s not going to make it out anyway,” Brandon said. “It’s time to give you a little more information on what comes next.”

 
Brandon told Angelica the truth: the Game was about to end, and Danielle’s death would be the trigger. Angelica was stunned.

 
“So Danielle’s going to die, then billions of kids are going to die…? Tygon will be thrown into chaos as parents realize their kids are all gone, lying dead on their Game tables. Minutes later, the entire Tygon economy will crumble to dust and blow away because this planet’s entire well-being depends on the Game… thanks to
you
. Not long after those two kickers, things will seriously start to get bad. Does that sound about right?”

 
“In a nutshell,” Brandon said.

 
“And you’re not going to do anything about it?” she asked.

  “I
’m doing things about it.”

  “But are
you doing enough?” she asked. “Please tell me you have this figured out. Assure me that this isn’t going to happen. If you’re telling me a joke, then now is the time to deliver the punchline and make me laugh, Brandon.”

 
“It’s no joke, A,” Brandon said.

 
Angelica sat back, staring up at the ceiling. Her arms flopped to the sides of the chair, the tips of her delicately painted nails almost touching the floor. “Why not just give up now and be done with it?” she asked the ceiling. “Save us all some time and stress.”

 
Brandon chuckled hollowly. “That’s not how we work, Angelica. That’s not how you work, either. We do our best, because sometimes the phone rings just before the switch is thrown and the prisoner about to be executed on death row is saved. We keep moving forward because as long as we do, there’s a chance.”

 
“A chance for what?” Angelica asked. “From what you’re telling me, it will take a miracle to survive this. No, it will take more than a miracle, Brandon.”

 
“Likely,” Brandon said. “But you may have noticed that miracles are occurring, here as well as in the Game.” He pointed to the other room where Trew sat. “Perhaps if we hang on for just a few more weeks, then ‘more than a miracle’ will make its appearance.”

 
Angelica blew at a stray lock of hair, blinking as it floated to settle in front of her eye. She tapped a finger on the arm of her chair, watching Brandon as thoughts raced through her head. 

 
Then she nodded and sat forward. “Okay, then. What do you want me to do?”

 
Brandon flashed a confident smile. “I’m glad you asked, Angelica. I have a very interesting task for you…”