CHAPTER TWO
What Viggo calls a private residence is really a smart mansion instead, and it knows that they’re here. The lights outside and inside turn on, a blazing golden in walls of stucco white. The garage door opens folding at their arrival. The black sleek muscle car with the darkest tinted windows growls and takes its sweet time, rolling in.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaasEcaehI
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3PcaDH4ON
Glad to get out of the car in one piece, Kirby grips his tattered jeans in the finest garage he’s ever seen. Viggo has already demanded in the car to return the tux. Viggo’s so wealthy, so filthy rich, that the rest of his garage lights up one at a time, illuminating a spectacular car show with silent fanfare.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBafKdOAZz
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxng9p5fSI
His brother tells him that he’s been shitting cash. You are so disgusting, Kirby almost says as a joke. The garage door closes behind them. The castle is now secured. It isn’t the normal modern home you would see in a magazine. He takes a stroll, realizing this the moment he sees the white opaque glass door. It has no knob or handle.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGQgepVjeh
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCDWghOrF8
There’s one way to open it, one way to close it. Viggo presses both his palms onto the white glass. His psycho orange eyes gaze into the mini camera three times and averts his eyes looking to the left, the right, and then directly. The door slides open, receding into the wall.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrT6HG0E8m
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTzI1TDhVn
Kirby hesitates at the entrance. A house under my brother’s complete control. My arms get sore from just thinking about it. Still, psychosomatic. All in my head.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95qe8GW4mL
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnZW3GpZSz
Don’t worry. No cameras here. Viggo says spinning his keys and enters the foyer.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIvPiOkPpc
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGCLO2jMe2
Kirby’s eyes are glued to the striped skylights that bathe the foyer in white earth glow. So surreal. Plants rustle at the chilly vents, trying to be familiar and earthly. The door remains open behind him as they enter the house. He walks so silently that Viggo notices.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeNVo2v7Pm
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzV1Ary3Ru
Why are you sneaking? Get in. Viggo guffaws and sneers, shaking his head. He kicks off his shoes. Barefoot he struts along the cold red stone floor. I forgot how bad your anxiety can get.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJoe0uxg9r
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo50WL6lkvy
Kirby goes pink in the face. He drops his luggage, freeing up his hands.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkdfOwA37x
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aOvrhgrs7
I walk … the way I walk.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ4IYPoVhc
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIP6GfpZ3Qp
Viggo’s orange eyes close as he refrains from an eye-roll, “Oh.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qbv8sQnAr
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB61cATJfjW
That’s the hallway to my study. Off-limits.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4o4Phlk6E
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuf7vLbIpWm
Kirby gets tense at that phrase. It seems a boring, unpainted, distant area anyway. I bet that’s where he works and keeps all his creative projects and twenty-year plans. Probably a man cave to impress his friends.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPPYcVt8wM
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZFOw857jY
Kirby and Viggo move on to the enormous red room stocked with white furniture and black electronics. Tons of video game consoles and collections. It’s like an entertainment room or a ballroom?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEy76AQXV7d
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoa6bldXo5
Club room, says Viggo. Off-limits.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWg7m6t6Np
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qRgE275HK
Kirby sees a shrine to a movie poster on one wall. It’s not what made Viggo a break-out writer ten years ago but it’s his greatest achievement, almost. It’s Milton, Oscar-nominated but not worthy. It was a phenomenal biopic about the man behind Skyden, Garth Milton the one and only with his large iconic ears, played by Will Smith. And having his brother Viggo Hayes be the screenwriter and co-director nominated for the Oscars? That’s huge. By now, half the world knows the Hayes name.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85OaukSWbx
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsqWap9fld
He swells with pride. He remembers exactly how Viggo sat at the edge of his seat the whole time at the Oscars that night. The anticipation. He also feels sharp pain when Viggo learned on live television that applause and the trophy went to someone else.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYXsDepxpy
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtv8uB95RL
They point to the bar in the nearest corner and share a look. Nothing more needs to be said about that but Viggo adds, Off-limits. Kirby swallows his pride. He has got to be joking! They travel into the open kitchen.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqRsT36aLQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIEpB6o1oe
Before his brother could start, Kirby rifles through the empty cupboards. They’re stocked with nothing. That’s odd? Feeling watched, he matches Viggo’s unblinking stare. Viggo goes pink in the face too.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnKrQe5JQR
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lQr61fyEy
I do eat. It’s a habit of ordering take-out. What the hell do you want? Mexican, Italian, Mongolian, or Greek?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWE07xGNke
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2euDf0u99s
Anything. I’m starving. Kirby approaches the windows, drawn to the backlit aquamarine pool. It even steams. Silhouettes of the palm trees rustle like a small jungle. What shatters the illusion of normalcy is the roaring cloud tapestry for a sky. He stops breathing each time he looks at it.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5D014VgIC
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1UB6irXka
The other side of the sky.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBEFGfj9Yw
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQwvnkm5ga
Kirby sees Viggo on a call. He obsesses on the glaring fact that if he weren’t deaf, he could listen to the kind of man his brother is right now. Even if it is just for something as ordinary as dinner. But he’ll have to find out through other means. He’s accepted that. Charades can be fun, sometimes.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOzJiuyA0D
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uA4Yu5igc
Viggo opens up his laptop as well, to his surprise. He looks too busy and restless or hasn’t yet lost his need for control. He looks like he’s working!712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh989JAxW8f
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4WWBuGXU2
Kirby squints. I see now. Is this my competition?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwDMIZ6syq
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8X7eJ80kH
But I don’t want him to be competition.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5344hH4Kz
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3P6OcdtAF
Kirby snaps out of it and his face lights up. He waits for Viggo to end his call and asks him: Hey, do you remember? We had to be what, like seven and eleven, back in the cornfields of good ol’ Iowa. We made popcorn at the concessions that summer. Man, it was so hot from the sweltering sun and the punishing zings from boiling oil and burning kernels from hell… 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WlAajNkNM
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBefxVv3hns
Why remind me? Viggo pinches the bridge of his nose.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmijVBXnO3T
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnss1ry2WZP
Let me finish. So you remember. Kirby scowls. You should also remember this. We went to the train tracks even after our mom and pop said not to…712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSakjMksam1
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5nIe9MevX
Viggo’s face goes blank so Kirby hurries. But of course, along comes a train.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYA70R1qp4
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIy8L9a7zHY
An enormous, wailing black train. A dragon of midnight fury leaving behind a mountainous trail of volcanic smoke. Pebbles leap up. The tracks rattle.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHANIi4oorH
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHA67hMYbAY
I didn’t hear it, but you did. And I was too far across the bridge too busy gazing down at the river beneath the wooden planks. We were so high up. 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzDRUVpifi
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc04WhpiXV
The river was too far down and too shallow that a jump would mean fatal.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisdKIlz5V8
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvzexH3RLb
I was just lucky to look your way. You weren’t good at sign language. In fact you sucked! They laugh as Viggo starts to clap hands.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWzzUV6wOp
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmiEpOvD5t
I was trying to say “Train!” Viggo pounds the counter several times. “Train!”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyk02xZm1w
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuutUo4r75
You said “Sit! Sit!” They laugh harder.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRklGygX8dt
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Zrhuf7c6W
Seven year old Kirby Hayes sits cross-legged, smiling and waving and signing “Sit!”. Behind him, the monstrous train rams oncoming. Now, the twenty-five year old Kirby would pause the romping suspense to slow motion. The smile on that kid’s face, slowly but surely, falters and drops.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07qOeUyeJo
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNLFLFXzoY
Why are “train” and “sit” the same handshape? AND in the same position? Viggo’s neck starts showing veins. Senseless! Enough of this. Pool is off-limits. It’s Mongolian, and they deliver in twenty minutes. Guest room is that way. He points to the east wing of the house. That wing becomes split-level. I’m going to change. My bedroom is there. Off-limits. He points to the west wing of the house which also is split-level. Viggo feigns a smile.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lBUphdjj2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD3xf9Bsoj
Don’t feel free to look around. Your dinner might get cold.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMoaDexnKO
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHmHi9xgeg
Whatever you say. Kirby walks down the east wing. So much for bonding.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xK1vee4yl
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj99ntbNhb
The television ceiling seems to open up the place like a museum, and the mirror walls help reflect all the color beams. Teasers and tv spots play with dramatic fanfare. Pure octane. His back rumbles with the hallway’s volume from the surround speakers.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK5E04lZjV
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LlVRQJpMt
“DON’T. LOOK. BACK.” A screaming Amy McAdams runs away from someone, anyone, in a flashy chase sequence, and then comes the crashing title, Don’t Look, by everyone’s favorite remake-ruiner Blaine Tabs.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCUXKyG3KQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjPx5r4ink
The mirror walls turn out to be tall storage closets with mirrors as doors. Kirby checks in them. They’re big enough for three people to stand and hide in. What are they even used for? When he learns that each and every one is vacant and unused, he has to wonder.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSabLm3pJW
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErpzDwZb23
But the hall narrows and twists, adding to the number of black doors to his agitation. These doors all happen to be locked, requiring Viggo, except for that laundry room.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YbW8cSx9X
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtefvzkNKTN
The television ceiling strip, along with the ceiling fans, movie trailers, and news channels, is getting addicting to watch. His leaned neck and dropped jaw start to hurt. Oops, drooling. Kirby looks back and thinks he’s seen a shadow.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW85bpePLQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWiF3Ln3XX
Nah. Nothing. Just the fans. What’s worse, he’s lost sight of the living room.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMn5A8dTk2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcqPhBuGdN
Somehow there are two hallways back... His eyes widen. Am I seriously lost in Viggo’s house right now? It doesn’t even look like a house.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7KWneAjCr
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnAeFhObEr
The corridor rumbles with a suspenseful chord heralding another villain or doomsday coming next week. Dun, dun, dun!712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbMeoJrgFC
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz7iZ1Yf9x
One square of the ceiling zapped to jumping static beans. Kirby’s heart does a skip.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yJoOCxlyT
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsb92q80q7
Bzzt. His phone vibrates.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAVeVYmjLl
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdX9SS8tSKa
It’s another text from that private number.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoj7YXtXXEV
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipKuhVjm4k
He asked Chance Gott an hour ago how he found his number.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkLE9PRNFX
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0finl6Ezv1
I work for Skyden as tech support. I hack for a living. That’s why I brought up spooks on the flight. I look for them. Found your number from the manifest. Sorry if it disturbs you, you can ask me to leave you alone. 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvypSakuFq
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE882YO2QIa
If you really are who you say you are. Who else could it be? Um, someone among the paparazzi who’s excellent at extracting inside scoop. Or it still could be the gorgeous one-in-a-trillion potential husband Chance Gott.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ALV4Hcpf5
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS49elkB2ge
Kirby fires back several texts. No, but thanks for explaining. Actually, this is an emergency. I’m lost somewhere in my brother’s house.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGhkgebi5Z
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuLC43clTM
Bzzt. That was fast. You’re lost in a house?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmHTHykWYD
Bzzt. Use your nose.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjP8Y2O0ls
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRupAFBc4io
I’m in the east wing which looks and smells like a shoe store. Do not laugh at me. Kirby sighs wandering upstairs. He sees a darker hallway dead with inactivity.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMC6V3ThXS
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZozS0cJn1
Is someone there?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcl8s1xzajQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqez1I6dKg
Bzzt. His phone lights up in time, so he shines away the dark. No one’s there. Just an ajar door to a dark room. For some reason, he expects to see Viggo. Huh.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwai8XALn8
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixWoGVudqW
He rolls his shoulders to take the edge off and checks the phone.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7UvGbVfgs
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobZgILtwm1
Chance says: Lol! We’re men, we both should know something about architecture.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuovu49wGV2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcY7aoNCS8
The heat ducts and windows are for external walls and cold air vents are for internal, I know that much. Kirby pauses to look. There are none to be found. Due to Skyden’s synthetic environment and perfect weather, there’s not much need for them.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAm1PBseBq
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZfxuQEo6P
I see your point. I’m new here as well.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb95aRpBir
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbelLyNLVL
Kirby thinks of the explosion and the body parts colliding into Skyden. In space, nothing holds death back. That theme’s the point of his movie, that’s why he won the internship, and that’s how he’s here. Kind of creepy.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCsonj0jKZ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWz0S56qpa
He texts Chance a question that’s bothered him for a while. Do you know what happened with that jet?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45wR2aP1J7
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3KJVw4dqM
This time, no reply. Instead, the air vent somewhere whooshes cold wind in his face. Kirby draws closer to the room at the end of the hall. Inside the lights turn on, revealing the guest room. He hops on the king size bed, already cherishing the plush pillows. Ack, thank the Lord. He’s completely dogged tired.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpbccUANQk
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSY8W3W34SA
One entire wall becomes the television. The channel is set to happy teary audience dancing on the Oprah show, but he’s more interested in Iris Frisk’s webcast. Upon finding the keyboard remote, he shuffles through websites and brings up her face full-screen. He double-checks. The phone remains dormant. And no one stands at his doorway to spy on him. Now relax and watch, he tells himself.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqm4HeMdaR
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZC9U0pPdQV
Iris Frisk looks somewhat like Emma Stone with her dark auburn hair, squealing hysterical laughter. She somersaults in her zero-gravity room.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrbeRNzAnN
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5zMSwlLBb
She looks at the camera through her ridiculous reading glasses and snickers with her perfect teeth. English subtitles translate every word: “Hello everybody hello, I’m finally settled here in my dorm room … on Skyden... I sure hope nobody turns this off!”
Her checkered neon yellow sneakers kick off the wall. Her knee-high sock-wearing legs tuck in, transforming her into a drifting crumpled ball of paper that lands in a laundry basket. Her messy red hair gets really ruffled when she emerges. “Score! Just kidding. Even if someone turns off the zero-gravity, it takes time to wind down. That way, nothing breaks. Smart.” Her index finger taps her temple with neon yellow fingertips. She floats mid-air again.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqTtU6DEWY
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgjiKjmRCZ
Kirby starts searching his room for the zero-gravity button. “Hi, I’m Iris Frisk and this is my cat Bunny and this is our webcast. No rimshot this time because actually I’m going to address the recent Skyden tragedy.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzToNos2uZ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWSNoN7pjy
She leaps into her swivel chair as her white hairy cat Bunny sails in the air. “My thoughts and prayers go out to families and friends of the fifty-plus victims. Bunny, get out of my face. Okay here’s what we know and what we don’t.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FlR1aDBT2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZ3blqUWtq
She points to overlaying bold text seeming to shout: WHO DIED?
“Most of you scrambled back to your lives, in record time thanks to our ‘outstanding’ (corrupted) ‘commercial’ (subliminal) ‘media coverage’ (... control). “What you didn’t realize was that unfortunately a lot of celebrities died tonight While it wasn’t the first time, it certainly is the worst. The claimed passengers have become the Buddy Hollys and Aaliyahs of our generation and I have here with me a copy of the manifest. So brace yourselves.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8umrpc7bo
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbSBZCzG95
“We know that, Bunny move it, uh we lost Robyn Byrd. Known for her eleven best-selling romantic detective novels about everyone’s beloved widow Mrs. Harper. We may never know if Mrs. Harper will consider sweetheart Mr. Tuff’s marriage proposal or if she catches and arrests whoever killed her secretive husband. No rumors yet whether or not if someone will pen the last book. Farewell, Byrd. You left us too soon.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCIsO95oMA
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPy3iBAevbJ
Meh, no offense to anyone who knows Robyn Byrd, thinks Kirby. I didn’t really care for the Harper series. Too many adverbs and open-ended chapters. However they had nice book covers with scantily clad men to gaze at. Sometimes her name was one of the highlights for a gay teenager walking through a sleepy bookstore on a summer day. Still tragic to lose her, all around.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuewUZLbh7
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttrFpNAeCv
“We also know that we lost, wow. It’s as if fate went lengths to deliberately upset the fans. Again, brace yourselves. We also lost … Blaine Tabs.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUQ0JcFRcT
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wORBrXNU8
No way. Kirby leans forward, rubbing his goosebumps. Pegasus Studios won’t be the same after this. And if Skyden won’t be the same after this, then neither will the world.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz6KNXmKLQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnRTPmPz60
“That’s right. Famous for slasher remake ruiner Don’t Look and long-awaited sequel Argonauts 3: Nova War, the still-in-production third chapter from a meticulously planned seven-part project supposedly set to release this July. Does this mean the date will be pushed back? Either way, major disappointment and despair for the world over! We weep. I can just see every Facebook wall post, every Tweet hashtag mourning the precious yet mysterious life of Blaine Tabs. Will the Argonauts chain stay afloat without its genius creator? Damn it comic nerds, you better cross your toes, sacrifice lambs at your altars, and pray. Because chances of another Blaine Tabs blockbuster coming by every two years? Too slim at this point, mi amigos. Tsk, too slim.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9lSivqSOZ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzQmeLpF4E
She chomps from her blueberry pie. “Mmm! Bunny, out of my air space.” After having gone down a long list of fifty-plus names and their feats of success, Iris Frisk moves onto the next overlaying bold text seeming to shout: HOW AND WHY?
“Before we get back to what this means for Pegasus Studios’ future, Horizon Airlines claim that nothing was wrong with their planes. There was no misfire or malfunction of any kind. No drunk pilots either. So, was it cyber terrorism and were these people direct targets? Was the jet hacked and then rigged to blow? If so, then how? And why?” Iris ponders pulling a red curl, relieved that it isn’t white or even her natural color, strawberry blond. Her bovine hazel eyes stare listlessly into her desk.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gGNtyO9NQ
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR6meiSFBD
Finally she plucks her cat face to face. “Tell me what you know, Bunny. What do you know?” The white hairy cat shrieks a pitiful mew, as if put on the spot. “Then again, for a tuna dish, you could say practically anything.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuPqo4i7UR
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVeVZjGXDt
Bzzt. Kirby pauses then decides it’s a good time as any for a toke. He pulls out a prescription bottle and a pipe from his luggage. He checks his phone.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuO11RIPPue
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dv32qqDoK
Sorry. First day on the job. What do you want to know... stud muffin? 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5NepvZOUV
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEsqZzIh4f
He blinks, smiling but faltering. Is this really Chance?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tswli7aAO
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO5onvOACN
Cute. :) That is all Kirby can think of to text back.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJuEj7cMfc
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P5KPfD0ZB
Ah, sounds like you got a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? :( 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktLXZ71iet
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6luDZ3h0e6
He breaks into an embarrassed smile. This sounds like inquiring. His smiles falters once again. Or interviewing. Kirby texts: How do I know you are who you say you are? No reply. Kirby scratches his head, stir-crazy.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwdMzgngEY
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bY06VOm1M
Bzzt. It’s a photo! Definitely Chance Gott, and surprise, shirtless in a poorly-lit gym. His v-line, black mesh shorts, and brick biceps are signs that he’s been playing football all his life. Of course, he flexes one arm, his left one, and poses with a low come-hither stare with those arrogant and wild jungle green eyes. His mouth is either snarling or slacking, hungry like a wolf.
Another text: Satisfied?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqq1qvNuc6
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVeUBW8ibk
Kirby lets slip loud laughter. He grabs his mouth, dropping the phone. So that’s what’s under the grey jumpsuit. Snatching it, he starts to worry.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C5QPDT4HB
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq988TBhOIX
Anyone on that flight could have seen them talking. Anyone could have a trove of pictures of Chance Gott to send. Kirby realizes his mind is prepare to wage war with itself over this. How fun is that.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVElbKNMOYt
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7XoKQpDFO
He’ll just have to arrange to meet, so he can stop wondering. But for now…712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡox6CMzX7nT
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jJaIwR8T1
Kirby texts: Was the jet hacked? Do they know who did it?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZb4028jw2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xdVYuRUM4
As far as they can tell, no. Mostly radio silent. They salvaged the wreck and there’s no sign of the system being tampered with. Something detonated inside. A carry-on. I can find out more but knowing this city, someone can leak it any second.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSDw7WqFb1
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ287G3u1R5y
A carry-on. Was this a suicide bomber? 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMClUHQZ30R
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iHf5GfRW3
He waits for a reply.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHjCJnOPBW
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSB0SMCjzE
Viggo pats the wall and gives Kirby something like a heart attack. He’s wearing a different black and orange suit and looking wired awake. Like he doesn’t run on sleep. But Kirby knows otherwise, maybe starting to worry if his brother’s a workaholic.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTk3D6BamK
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrwlIcE9L3
That smells like weed.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDmM5NDsT1
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVrowxPjhP
Kirby blinks. It is. Want some?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9qehlMoNr
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3s9pVLBpR
Mine’s better. They have better strains here. Viggo hands over a steamy plate, looking distracted. I microwaved it. Your dinner got cold.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPDYxeT9Zp
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZUnpna3lE
It hits him. I’m starving! Kirby grabs it and chows down.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin6lSIjuCc
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHrLxTsEoo
What are you watching? His brother looks at the wall and goes pale.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3HjmGWgv3
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ljURY9vT0
That strikes Kirby odd since Iris just got here. You know her, Viggo?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVxqAVlGZa
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebGrcWtC2X
He snarls before composing himself. We dated.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsKi374qhx
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhkW4lxH8U
Kirby doesn’t react other than: I see.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyKE7hdsuR
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Y8VcC6yge
Iris Frisk laughs harder, spinning halfway to the ceiling with Bunny pouncing after her. The phone ringing gets her attention. She flies to it and blurts, “This just in! It is now being reported that body count is sixty and we lost another person of relevance.” She listens. “They’re saying it’s… ”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMxU0EpDBs
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzI9iFwpFD
Kirby and Viggo stare, hanging on every word. “Dr. Taylor.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJXWMHqvyR
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uAFBEsNdJ
Iris sits upright. She turns off the zero gravity. It winds down, and her cat lands like a plane. She looks devastated but determined, an inner strength forged from fire with Viggo? Kirby sobers. “He was a great man known for his classics and discovering the world’s modern writers and actors. What a tremendous, earth-shattering loss. Dr. Taylor was an overactive board member of Pegasus Studios who co-founded the contest with Viggo Hayes.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Yk84J7wvI
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliWSMKuWev
The Hayes brothers stare ahead.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJQwxI1eSK
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0tB4gZ5L9
It shows on her face how the future goes somewhat blank. She processes it. “Excuse me. Dr. Taylor was supposed to be my mentor this year. Ours. Kirby Hayes and the interns, myself included, would have met with him tomorrow. For some of us, that dream is surely crushed. But his death begs the question: Why did he leave? And who will replace him? Reporters must be swarming around the Hayes brothers by now. This is field day for the press, and one hell of a storm coming your way, Hayes.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlkwkEkNcS
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7D6Z6v2DC
“Oh shit,” says Viggo. Chills trickle down Kirby’s spine. But there’s no time for that.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZDrSngEYv
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0E6SeHeyo
Viggo goes to an app that blacks out and locks down the entire residence. His phone lights up their faces and he snaps his fingers. Kirby, focus. Let me take care of this. I know how to handle the sharks. Pay attention. Don’t talk to them. When they approach you, you say ‘I have no comment at this time.’ Got that?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kCvtrEhvw
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K6TfczXFI
Kirby nods but that’s not enough.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhz00gFxF0
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9CEteT1jr
No! Say it to me. 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQnGR2NoSO
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHaHeDNejp
Kirby says: ‘I have no comment at this time.’712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdEl1AlD1E
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriwQmNS0et
Perfect, that’s half the battle. Viggo’s eyes are darting everywhere. He paces the floor in the dark. Kirby could hardly make out what he’s saying. No talking with anyone, I mean anyone. Don’t be careless with public posts and private texts. Eyes are on us that much harder. You’re here for one thing, your internship. Okay! Okay?712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ak7WIbfc6
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWhX6CSlhy
Kirby nods, having a hard time following. It’s too dark to see.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cHagFdte7
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4OBdgPh3u
Viggo grabs his wrist. Okay?!712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgL2lb0ABJc
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoBt0LmG3P
Kirby stares wild-eyed. His face turns ugly in the small glow. He jerks back his wrist. Touch me again, I’ll break your face.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscnJfgA2bL
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQDt0NHT44
A crazy smile ignites on Viggo’s face. He looks excited.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4k7GUaVDm
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaDTr73qIA
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiktaqDmfoO
The murmurs are restless.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHRSTkgk8S
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCP74mbaP9y
The rest of Skyden stare at their television screens in their rooms, on their phones, and all over the skyscrapers. The murmurs spread like fire to kerosene. Breaking news on CNN and Fox of Dr. Taylor’s passing. Hushed rumors spread like a thunderstorm, a pulse of irrevocable and irreparable plague.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkL7zARzyYx
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIHT7b7Tg1
They talk, talk, talk. All about Dr. Taylor.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiu3bXuWBvE
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VbN0ivBx0
On the ledge of one of the roofs, a masked person kneels. The brown mask is a wooden drama mask with two faces: an upside down smile on the top and an afflicted frown on the bottom. If rotated 180 degrees, it is a placid smile. But right now, the mood is a pained, twisted, and agonizing sorrow.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ2qU21Wvb
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArCrZHCrC3
Two rivers of black ink stain the mask, streamed down from eye squints.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHF3S6Z3Sh
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZK8PEfmMC
Next to the Spook’s thick black dusty boots is a music player. In front of a glorious rectangle of bokeh light, a black-gloved finger presses play. Suddenly, opera wails full volume with awe and horror! The Spook stands before an enormous rainbow-burst television screen on a building under the gloomy mist of Earth’s endless clouds. Inspired by the crying crescendo, the grieving Spook raises both claws. They ball into shaking fists.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh12MCSEV4V
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaeAhwOdIi
“BREAKING NEWS!” The television shouts with alarm. That gets the Spook’s attention. As the opera plays on, the reporter booms the city at a rapid pace, “The shocking leak regarding the suicide note that was found at Dr. Taylor’s residence is in fact not a hoax. Confirmed by the FBI. Dr. Taylor’s last words are... ”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwCIdgY7si
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAallH2zqmY
“God help me!” The Spook says with a guttural garble. It’s like a small electric guitar solo or a razor whine. A horrible sad face looks down at the little people in the streets. Both black gloved hands grip shoulders of a husky jacket in a frantic hug.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuh4yGE9ChM
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYC53tTXagY
“‘God help me,’” reads the reporter with a flat face.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdUtzauzG2
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkPlhtB0Kn
“No, with feeling, idiot. It’s ‘GOD!! HELP ME!! This can’t BE my life.’”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4w8rt48m9
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvIKUJqgWJ
“‘This can’t be my life.’” The reporter hems her throat and struggles to say it word for word, “‘It is too stagnant. It is too complacent.’” The music swells to such perfect pitch that the Spook has to howl off the rooftops, “Too stagnant! Too complacent! Too old! Something HAS to explode! Might as well make it me." 712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQgxV5onxO
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzObjtU6twn
“‘Something has to explode. Might as well make it … me.’ You can find the rest of the manifesto online. It alludes that the explosion was orchestrated by none other than beloved, legendary, and now mass bomber Dr. Taylor?”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJpJzyDhbf
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikWe8z4bQu
The Spook turns off the music then claps. “Don’t quit your day job.”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnhnCqaT5a
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkPHn3uQEP
The reporter continues with several guest speakers as the gloved fingers clamp to the side of the building, clearly with magnet clips built in. The Spook scales down, hanging above the vivid city of Skyden.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy2MWaCqft
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQlvh6LsNx
Halfway down twenty floors, the Spook remembers something and halts, hanging from one hand.712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdQEOyELPG
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjCqP1UFJc
The other gloved hand brings out a smartphone and a Twitter account with zero followers. The sad Spook’s mask tilts as an overwhelmed dog would, completely on the verge of tears. The right hand thumbs in a message. “Hashtag. Day. One. Frown…”712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRPKoTaRzl
712Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6QpdAlfdp
#dayone :(
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns3.147.80.203da2
