Virtual Prophet (9 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Five days have passed on Tygon as fans continue to stare at static on their viewers. Trew has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged the masses to use what he calls ‘the very real power of thought’ to influence events and bring the feeds back up.

Initial reaction to Trew’s mandate brought skepticism, but ejected Gamers around the globe got behind their leader and began to rally others to the cause.

Round the clock rallies, meditation sessions, and inspirational gatherings are occurring simultaneously all around the world in hopes that thoughts truly are real, and the combined will and intent of billions can do the impossible; bring the Game feeds back online...”

             
              Game Channel 72

“What if the Game feeds don’t come back online?”

Trew looked up from the report he was reading and looked at Michelle.

“It’s only been a few days, Michelle. Don’t give up so easily.  I have a feeling they’ll come back online in just a few days.”

“Why do you say that?” Lilith asked.

Trew shook his head. “I just have a hunch, is all,” he looked back down at the report.

“I hope you’re right, Trew,” Lilith said. “The world has become dependent on the Game. There’s no telling how much damage a prolonged blackout would do to the economy.”

Trew held the report up and waved it gently. “I’m reading about the current state of the economy right now, Lilith.”

“And?” she asked.

He laughed and let the report fall gently onto the table. “Business is booming,” he said. “People love to try to fill in the gaps, and the Game has certainly created a very large gap in everyone’s lives since the Day occurred.”

“Numbers are u
p
?
”
Michelle was surprised to hear such a thing.

“Across the board,” Trew nodded. “Michelle, how many have been ejected from the Game since the Day?”

Michelle typed a command into her tablet. “Two hundred eighty million,” she said.

“Adding the Gamers that were ejected before that... we are getting close to four hundred million, are my numbers correct?”

Michelle nodded.

“Okay, then,” Trew said. “That means one hundred million more to be ejected to reach the magic number.”

“What magic number?” Lilith asked.

Trew stood up and stretched, raising his arms over his head and groaning loudly as he turned his neck from side to side. “Brandon instructed the Timeless to eject half a billion players from the Game.”

“What? Why would he want to do that?”

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Trew said. “I can even guess at a few of them. The more I sit in his place, the more reasons that I can come up with for doing something like that.”

“What’s your best guess, then?” Cooper asked. He’d been sitting silently in the corner for so long that Trew had almost forgotten he was present.

“He wanted them out here for me,” Trew said.

The group quietly considered the idea for a few moments, and then they began to nod in agreement.

“They followed you devoutly inside the Game,” Cooper said, “and the hundred million Gamers are absolutely following you on Tygon.”

“Perhaps the others being ejected have had experiences since the Day that will help them to believe my message better than they could before the event occurred.”

“Interesting thought,” Cooper said.

“Thank you,” Trew smiled.

“So when do we worry that the feeds won’t come back up?” Michelle asked.

“Even if they never come back up, I’ll keep you on the payroll, Michelle,” Trew flashed her a grin.

“I’m not so worried about that,” she said.

“I know,” Trew gave Cooper a signal and moved towards the door. Cooper nodded as he stood up and followed.

“If kids start dying on their tables, then we can get worried.” Trew paused with his hand on the door knob. “Otherwise, we get ready for when the feeds come back on, because it’s going to be a scramble like we’ve never experienced in the history of the Game.”

Before Trew could exit the room, the phone rang. He paused while Michelle answered it and spoke with the person on the other end.

“Just a minute, I’ll tell him,” she looked towards Trew with a slight frown on her face.

“That’s security,” she said. “Seems they’ve found a young kid sitting in your penthouse apartment. They have no idea how he got through security, but he’s smiling away and asking to see you. He had no weapons on him.”

Trew’s eyes narrowed in concern at the announcement. He looked at Cooper who shrugged his shoulders and quickly looked away, not quite quick enough to hide the grin forming on his face.

“How old is the kid?” Trew asked.

“He’s claiming to be thirteen,” Michelle said.

“Tell security I’ll be right there, and not to let him out of their sight for a second!”

Cooper looked back at the doorway and swore softly under his breath, then sprinted quickly to catch up with Trew, who was already halfway to the elevator

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Happy birthday, sleepyhead!”

Danni opened her eyes and raised her head. The morning light was just beginning to peek over the horizon, spilling softly over her campsite. She scanned the area to make sure everything was in order. Her campfire had died; white ash rested like a small round cat’s blanket surrounded by rough stones. Danni felt a light pressure and added warmth against her right leg. She reached down to gently pat the body of her constant companion, a large, dark brown German Shepherd that had joined her on her quest.

“Good morning, Zeus,” she said, feeling his body nuzzle into hers at the mention of his name. “Some guard dog you turn out to be, letting dangerous strangers come into camp unannounced.”

She looked across the firepit at the newcomer. The old man rummaged through a wool knapsack in search of something.

“You’ve been gone a while,” she said. “Find anything interesting?”

The old man looked up and grinned. “I found you a birthday present,” he returned to his task of searching the overflowing bag. “I hope I remembered to bring it with me. I had to make a hasty exit from the last town I passed through; people aren’t getting any nicer to strangers over time, I can tell you that for certain.”

Danni didn’t bother to ask him what town he was talking about. She’d learned that the only information he shared about his trips away from her was the information he decided to give. Danni had learned a lot on this adventure with the old man. When she’d left with him to find Shane, she had been sixty-three. It hadn’t turned out to be the short adventure she’d envisioned.

“You sure it’s my birthday?” Danni sat up in her sleeping bag, feeling the bumps and small stones that lay beneath her despite a thorough cleaning of the area before she’d put her bed down for the night.

“Absolutely,” he confirmed. “Here it is!” he pulled a small package out of the bag wrapped in what looked like an old magazine cover with a piece of bailer twine encircling it and tied in a bow. He hefted the package in his hand, gently tossing it a few inches into the air and letting it land lightly in his palm. He walked over to her and extended his hand ceremoniously, making an extravagant flourish as he bowed to her. His garbage bag outfit crinkled noisily and the red pop bottle cap gloves clinked with a special music of their own as they opened to reveal Danni’s gift.

“Thank you,” she took the small package and turned it over in her hands. “How old am I today? The number in my head must be incorrect.”

The old man blinked a couple of times, and he leaned forward to peer into her eyes intently. He smiled and nodded, stepping back and chuckling to himself. “You’re playing with me, girl. You know exactly how old you are.”

Danni nodded. “Sixty-seven.” She held the gift up and raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Is it a map telling me where to find Shane? You must know that after almost four years on the road with you, that’s the only gift I want.”

The old man shrugged, and waved his hands for her to open the little package. Only on rare occasions would he respond to complaints of being so long on the road. “There are many things in life that cannot be rushed, young lady,” was his common response, and Danni had almost stopped mentioning it. Almost. She’d learned how this game of life seemed to work best; to struggle and fight for an outcome was to deny the outcome from occurring. In every aspect of her experience, Danni knew that the best way to achieve anything was through acceptance — specifically, acceptance that the thing you wanted would either happen... or it wouldn’t. Countless were the times that Danni had finally accepted the futileness of a situation and then, suddenly as if by magic, the exact situation she had made peace with never attaining would suddenly manifest.

Danni knew that the best way — perhaps the only way — to find Shane was to accept that she might never find him. She couldn’t do it, though. With every fibre of her being, she held onto the goal of confronting Shane and forcing him to fix the power issue in the world.

The old man seemed content to watch her struggle, sometimes talking about it and coaching her, or saying nothing and smiling quietly, and yet other times leaving her to walk the road alone until he would reappear unannounced, as he’d done today.

Danni sighed and examined her present. She untied the string and gently unfolded the crude wrapping paper until she’d exposed the gift contained.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. Lifting the delicate silver chain into the air she inspected the oval-shaped, blue cut stone the size of her thumbnail. It was set in an ornate silver pendant.

“Is it sapphire?” she asked, admiring the gem as it caught and reflected the morning rays of sunlight.

“No,” the old man snorted as if Danni had said something funny. “Sapphire is too easy to find, and serves no real purpose for you at this time, girl. It’s taken me two years to find this stone for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” he smiled. “It’s called Kyanite.”

“Kyanite,” Danni repeated. She had an interest in gemstones and believed in their ability to help a person amplify energies. “I don’t recall learning about Kyanite.”

“Gemstones are funny like that,” the old man admitted. “There are so many and their properties vary and sometimes overlap. I have a theory that some gemstones hide and make their appearance when they are most needed to assist a person in their journey.”

Danni nodded. She didn’t need to clarify what he meant by ‘journey.’ She knew that he was referring to the journey that every person took — the journey of a lifetime. “What does it do?”

“It does many things, but I thought three of its properties would suit you.” The old man held up three fingers and began to tick them off as he talked.

“One, it will align all of your Chakras and help you refocus and gain your spiritual energy.”

Danni nodded quietly.

“Two, it will help to strengthen your abilities. You haven’t flown in years; I can’t remember the last time you healed or recharged yourself with Reiki energy. You’ve stopped working out from a psychic point of view.” His mouth turned upwards into a faint grin. “Psychically, you’re getting flabby!”

Danni made a wry face, but nodded in agreement.

“Three,” he continued, “Kyanite helps to quiet the mind, dissolving emotional, mental, or spiritual confusion, and letting go of anxiety.” He stopped talking and looked at her with a pleasant expression, allowing Danni to receive his subtle message.

Danni knew that she needed to let go of her anxiety and accept that she would find Shane if and when the time was right.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “It’s the nicest thing anyone has given me... this year. Come to think of it, no one else has even bothered to even wish me a happy birthday!”

The old man chuckled and sat down by the cold firepit, pulling his bag close. He reached into it and produced two energy bars, handing one to Danni and opening the other. They sat eating their bars, Danni broke off a small piece and fed it to Zeus, who lifted his head from the old man’s feet to accept the treat.

“That dog loves you,” Danni said.

“
All dogs love me!” he exclaimed. “Kids seem fond of me as well. I’m sure the two are related. Filthy little beasts... all of them.”

Danni laughed at his mock gruffness. All it took for the old man to become a kid himself was the eager presence of an animal or child. Within minutes he would be the silliest of the bunch, entertaining either barking dogs or laughing children at every opportunity.

They sat in content silence for some time, both lost in their own thoughts as the morning sun rose on a new day.

Finally the old man spoke up, startling Danni from her thoughts.

“We’re close,” he looked at his bar with interest and attacked it, ripping another small piece off and chewing slowly.

Danni looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “You said that two years ago.”

He looked at her and winked slyly. “We’re closer than that,” he said with a grin.

“Dare I ask how close?”

“Not a good question, girl,” he reached down to scratch Zeus behind his ears. “Won’t be much longer, though. So begin to prepare yourself.”

“For what?”

He looked back up at her and his gaze was serious. “For everything, girl. I already told you that boy is not stable. Be ready for everything.”