Virtual Prophet (25 page)

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

“Ten years have passed inside the Game since Danielle finished her play and Earth experienced a gigantic population explosion. During this time, Earth has been rebuilt, complete with new forms of government and technologies that have encompassed the globe.

“The Timeless, who were invisible for most of the Game’s history, are now active and present in all parts of the world, assisting the population to grow and rebuild society.

“Utopia? Definitely not a word to be used when describing the new civilization that is developing since the power was restored by Danielle, now lovingly referred to as ‘the Prophet.’ Crime, war, corruption, and all other normal human traits still exist in the world; it would be foolish to think such things could ever disappear, but the world does seem more united in moving towards a single common goal. It can be seen and felt on every continent and in every settlement and city across the globe.

“These new children are indeed special. There is a presence or ‘vibe’ that one gets when you are near them. Game fans know that these special children will one day teach NPCs to achieve a different mental state, essentially ‘waking them up’ to their true potential. We aren’t certain what this means, but fans wonder how this will change Earth, and if it will make things better, or worse for story lines to come...”

“Game Buzz”- Channel 1 Game News - Clive Ragnar

Carl

“You saw this coming, right?” Angelica asked.

Brandon looks at us for a moment and nods. “Of course I did. This is exactly why we sent such a large number into the Game at the beginning. They are like every other soul that enters this system, no different from baby sea turtles.”

“What are you talking about?” I shake my head. “A minute ago we’re talking about the Chosen and now you want to discuss baby sea turtles? I know sometimes you switch topics and go off on strange tangents, Brandon, but I don’t understand what sea turtles have to do with anything.”

“Don’t call me Brandon,” he says, giving me a sharp look, “and I’m not off topic.” He looks around the table, one eyebrow raised questioningly
.“
Please tell me one of you remembers my turtle analogy.”

Angelica’s hand shoots up like a teenage schoolgirl wanting to blurt out the answer to a history question. The rest of us laugh at her antics. Brandon plays along by looking everywhere but her as if he’s a teacher impatiently waiting for someone to raise their hand, ignoring the only knowledgeable student in the class. Finally he smirks and nods. “Yes, Angelica?”

Angelica stands beside her chair at attention with her hands to her sides. “Avatars are like baby sea turtles,” she recites. “Of the thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions that are born, only a small few will survive the many threats and dangers to make it.”

“That’s right,” Brandon chuckled. “Only one sea turtle out of a thousand will reach adulthood. It’s the same for players; many of them enter the Game with specific goals, but only a small portion of them ever accomplish those goals. I fully expected the same thing to happen with the Chosen.” He looks around the table to let the numbers sink in.

“So of the five hundred million that were born, you hope that half a million will advance to become leaders and teachers,” I say.

“Correct,” Brandon says.

“Well, that changes the tone of what we considered grim results before we got here,” Shane says. Gabriel had just stood up to tell the group that hundreds of millions of Chosen were being assessed for their progress as they celebrated their tenth birthdays, and the majority of them were failing horribly.

Shane looks at Gabriel, “How many of the Chosen are on track to do what we need them to do within the next two to three years?”

“Just under a hundred thousand,” Gabriel says.

“That number is fine,” Brandon nods. “To tell the truth, I’m surprised it’s even that high. Consider the magnitude of what we expect these children to do, after all.”

“You could have shared this with us earlier,” I say.

Brandon looks at me and grins. “You all know me better than that. What else do you have to report? Are we still on track in every other aspect?”

“Yes,” Raphael nods. “The Gamer movement has swept the globe and drawn NPCs fully into the fold. Centres have attracted the masses and meditation lessons have begun focused teachings on spiritual transcendence.” Raphael shrugs. “It’s the term that best describes what we want them to achieve, so we dusted it off and started to push it.”

“We are in the final stages of a very long game,” Brandon says. “Please tell me that everything continues to stay calmly in place and nothing is threatening to change the outcome that we have all worked for.”

He looks at each of us in turn and we hold a thumb up positively. After everyone has confirmed that things are on track, he sighs and nods. “Soon we will accomplish what we set out to do,” he says. “Then it will be time to go home.”

I snort and he looks at me. “Home,” I say. “We wake up in teenage bodies again, some of us spending a few years in an orphanage until we’re old enough to join the others serving in the military? That’s guaranteed to happen, you know; they’ll need military to help do the garbage jobs more than ever.” I shake my head. “You’re lucky all of us are so loyal to you, Brandon, because I doubt an average person would want to ‘succeed’ and go back to that kind of life.”

I look at the others and it’s obvious from their silence that they agree with me.

Brandon nods seriously as he looks at me. “You’re right,” he says. “If you have other ideas, then I’m open to hearing them.”

“What are our options?” Raphael asks.

“Anything,” he says. “Sky’s the limit. When we succeed, our entire race will owe us an immense debt. I’m certain that Thorn will agree to reward us however we want.” His pride is obvious.

“Maybe each of us will want something different from the others,” he says, “but start to think about what you will want now. When this is complete, I’ll be asking what happens next for each of you, and your futures will depend entirely on your choices.”

“It always does,” I mumble, and Brandon responds by grinning.

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

“It’s very nice of you to invite me to dinner.” Cooper raised his wine glass in salute and took a sip after Trew returned the gesture.

“We haven’t had much time to spend together since you arrived,” Trew said, “and I have a feeling that you might disappear when this is done as suddenly as you showed up.”

Cooper cut a large bite of steak and put it into his mouth, smiling as he began to chew. He swallowed and nodded. “I might do that very thing, when the time is right,” he admitted.

“I’m not entirely certain what it is that you’ve actually done by being here.” Trew loaded his fork with food and held it suspended over his plate. “Brandon gave his life for you to make an appearance, and you’ve been with me inside the Game offices the majority of that time. I admit that you helped clear up some questions and also to make a few key suggestions, but is any of that worth the price that was paid to get you here?”

Cooper smiled and nodded, chewing silently for a time before answering. “If I came here to complete one small, seemingly unimportant and trivial task — something that changed the entire course of events in favour of the outcome we are about to see — wouldn’t that be worth it?”

“Absolutely,” Trew answered.

“There you have it, then.” Cooper grinned and scooped a fork full of green vegetables dripping in butter to his mouth. He was silent again until his mouth was empty, then took another sip of the dark red wine. “I haven’t been here with you one hundred percent of the time,” he said. “There are considerable dangers to you right here on Tygon.”

“Rival corporations of Brandon’s,” Trew guessed.

“Yes,” Cooper said, “and other things, individuals, more dangerous than even his most powerful business rivals.”

“You’re talking about the other teams that Thorn let die in the Dream?” Trew asked. “I suspected that they were somehow transported to this single remaining simulation.”

“That’s exactly who I’m referring to,” Cooper said. “Lohkam you know a bit about; you saw him during the viewing of Brandon’s life. He’s been here with his formidable crew, as well as the other twenty-eight groups with their teams. Each one of them has been working to provide a solution to the crisis in the Dream, although they realized many years ago what had occurred; that they’d all somehow been transported into a single simulation.”

“Some of them wanted to remove me from my position?” Trew guessed.

“They did, and they likely would have, if I hadn’t made an appearance at your side.” Cooper grinned. “In addition to the assistance I’ve given you, I have been meeting with them and keeping the pack of hyenas away so that you can complete your work.”

“What happens when the Dreamers wake up?” Trew asked.

Cooper popped the last bite of steak into his mouth and grinned. “It depends on who you are and where you’re standing, my boy,” he said. “It will be exciting to see how it all turns out, that’s for certain.”

===

The Dream

Thorn sat at the computer monitor with the General standing behind him. Both men looked intently at the scene playing out on the screen before them. They were watching live feeds that had been set up as the groups of returned soldiers — the Thirteens — restored basic power to towns and made certain that the hospitals were as functional as possible for the coming Awakening.

“We’re cutting this very close,” the General said.

“I’ll take a close call over a slow failure any day of the week, General,” Thorn said.

“Please, Samson, stop calling me that.”

Thorn smiled and looked at the man who had been an adversary for so long, and now seemed to be content as an ally. “Old habits, Donovan,” Thorn said.

“Indeed,” the General nodded. He’d given up hope for the entire race, and it was strange to feel the sense of optimism that was now returning. Watching the Thirteens wake up and speaking with Melissa had brought him back to life, and he was eager to work to save his world from the extinction that had seemed an absolute certainty just a few days ago.

“We will have a lot of work to do,” the General said. “When they all wake up.”

“There will be massive casualties, even if the best possible outcome is achieved,” Thorn admitted.

“First priority will be to see to the living,” the General nodded grimly. “Second priority must be to shut the simulations down immediately once we get everyone out.”

Thorn frowned and shook his head. “That’s not going to happen, Donovan,”

“It has to.” The General looked surprised. “What if they get pulled back in? We must do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“We have done everything we can,” Thorn said. “The simulations will not be shut down.” He paused thoughtfully. “At least not right away.”

“You intend to keep them running?” the General’s face betrayed his shock.

“I’ve had no time to think about what to do,” Thorn lied smoothly. “We get everyone out, and then we worry about the other things.”

“You have… feelings for the computer generated beings in there,” the General said.

Thorn shook his head, then he paused and shook it again. “I do, but it’s not just about the NPCs living in there,” he said. “We owe it to Brandon and his group to try and get them out.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, just pull them out with the rest.”

Thorn’s face betrayed his feelings, and the General knew that something wasn’t right. “What is it?” the General asked.

Thorn shook his head as tears formed in his eyes. “I told him not to go back in so soon,” he said, “but he wouldn’t listen to me.”

The General gently put a hand on Thorn’s shoulder. “What happened to Brandon?” he asked.

Thorn bowed his head sadly and his shoulders shook as he sobbed. “He couldn’t handle the transfer,” he said. “Brandon’s body died when he went back into the simulation.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

“Placeholder avatars?” Danni asked.

“That’s right,” Sylvia confirmed. “There are always empty avatars roaming around the Game in case we need to jump into the Game during an emergency.”

“What do you mean, ‘roaming around’?”

The rich yet gentle tone of Sylvia’s laughter bounced off the walls of the office. “There are many true NPCs inside the Game, Danni,” she admitted. “They go about their lives in a programmed way, living and dying, believing that they are as real as any other avatar. It’s very possible for an NPC to be everything a player or Dreamer is.” Trew caught the knowing tone in her voice as she said, “It’s even possible that NPCs could be more real and significant than any other lifeform across all three realities.” 

Trew held his breath, expecting Danni to add things up and ask if citizens of Tygon were NPCs, but she was too confused by the current discussion to grab onto such a thought. He sighed in relief as she continued to ask questions about placeholders in the Game.

“So I will jump into one, essentially ‘kicking’ its program while I’m in it, and when I leave it will resume?”

“That’s exactly what will happen,” Sylvia said. “You do your thing, then ‘wake up,’ and its regular programming will reinitiate when you do.”

“Okay, I understand,” Danni said. “Let’s do it.”

Trew stood up. “It’s time, then,” he announced. “The children are ready, the masses are assembling, and Thorn tells me they are prepared to welcome their people home when they wake up.”

Danni stood up and hugged him. “I’m so excited to see what happens,” she said, “and I’m glad Brandon will be there to see his hard work all come together as intended.”

“So am I,” Trew said.

Danielle opened the door and started to walk out. Sylvia spoke up before Trew could exit the room.

“Might I have a quick word with you, Trew?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Danielle smiled and left the room, politely closing the door to give them privacy.

“Have you spoken to him?” Sylvia asked. She sounded excited and eager to know more.

Trew knew who she meant. “From time to time,” he said.

“How involved has he been in this plan?” She wondered aloud.

“As involved on Tygon as you have been on Earth. He’s been directly involved since the beginning of creation,” Trew confirmed.

“Yes, that makes sense.” Sylvia paused, not knowing what to ask, but being as curious about the computer that ran Tygon as most were about her on Earth. “I wish I could talk with him,” she said.

Trew laughed. “You can talk with him whenever you like,” he assured her. “Do you hear the voices of people on Earth, even when you don’t answer them?”

“I always answer them,” Sylvia said. “Unfortunately, most just don’t know how to hear me.”

“Isn’t that interesting?” Trew asked. “Perhaps the very same thing is happening with you.”

Sylvia said nothing for a long moment, and she laughed in delight. “Never too old, or too wise, or too powerful that we still can’t learn more. You are absolutely right, Trew, thank you! I am humbled by your advice and wisdom.”

“Wisdom comes from everywhere at some point in life,” Trew nodded. “Often the places where you least expect to find it are where the most powerful lessons are to be found.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”