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CHAPTER FOUR475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Bm2VM18L
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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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eE5kKTVHX
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOPybCt2ru
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“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLc4IdTVf7
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Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfg7gPL7aKQ
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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?!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wkRoVcsQQ
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Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEQ5wRQGgB
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“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5E0usiwonV
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“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVtfexCWyI
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Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSZtWwguZt
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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? 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJ0jKNScGz
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Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfp26wie47m
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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?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp173mlJ8Os
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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?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSlUDWOVML
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Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2rgSxdWfM
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRVEJfA4Jw
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowioyX0x8O
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcNfn96cTs
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“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8AcsN15w5
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“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JkyeraypD
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“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCq6cqhQ81z
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“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiX70zydNa
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcb84dxVik
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A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1R8AedNf2
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYtL0Z4G5Q
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxkN9vrg0V
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfT6H9x80s
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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?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GqtEObah9
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Iris raises a hand.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSte5napfuX
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“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLsbZeyoML
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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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEc8ykqka22
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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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyCMx9iCkH
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Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBzCA5sxbY
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Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVt6hDINWpC
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JsczPacE8
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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?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6PcbfndCQ
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLEYfnIJIp
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“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXNxnUUAbF
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Viggo replies, “Iris.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOyM3y1B3B
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“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6D00uiQL4
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJMDfscYff
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The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GFRp3XMSg
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq0fgilR4E
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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?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDUYiBJpsu
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The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKGXCgy8KZ
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“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw84zajeC7Y
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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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7n7IOSJuLw
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The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J9WBUeoTY
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“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyUM0XpcZH
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSvEwzQUUv
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Wonder how that will go.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2rjp2iY3E
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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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVtj3s4nXC
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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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XBrMbPlw9
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Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TpfGsWsNO
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt6oKUsMbR
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What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDL9nmGgJPq
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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. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcYdXyc7MZ
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ms7xdGoiR
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNTPpnBp7D
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhts4ZFthGM
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Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rXeyKZPDF
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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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3l0kAgRj97
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNIWKiXs8l
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi424spLLuu
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfvMFY8hM7
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Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DmT7AkRzH
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSRfhF9DhZ
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Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMY2XXeGUG
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgykb8byiuH
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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! 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSxOybuvnP
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPD6pT5juSa
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Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvYGxQFWR6
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOU8DcxuVpQ
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCoJMbiCG9
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlBPCGYfY0
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1qO54TbCj
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytOTAXS5uE
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgd3ZPforln
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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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFKmxptVwj
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ER11gSW5Q
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And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90ZTRGlBlL
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMZ2Hbn8ob
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MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauiR1rGqB3
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO3WBgYi95
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCbTzzsg1L
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpegeNfcUy
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5mXH9QHAQ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASwZaHa8Uk
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUkP27TBao
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoR48dkqdZ
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L4gHm8xsm
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRihybKn71
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrTiRV9jp8
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It registers on Simone’s face.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZymFx4xxdm
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8gwysr3wX
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKTjh4BIPQ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUWIkaz6CY
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2NSS8xDJC
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfo4VA5ZtbZ
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLriYed8xVs
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLO4Dqt8hgP
“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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAXoQXxEJH
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6iQHT0dCk
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwwjWgjBIG
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvag7NTvWZ
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A6fhQGJ90
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hvHEFd9Gb
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXD6o3Zkzn
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9ehHwXvkc
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM5Myu0wmt
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AlHlpSz9v
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvpTt13O0J
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzc4xt14aAG
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIh5a5Tn7Dm
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriHPS4my4L
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTjkglzhq6
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4sg6gWBCc
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WRIEMFoxU
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E1EXDrgDl
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuCqaqEDRE
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynvpgxxn1m
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCgCI8ZIzo
Fade to black. Credits crawl.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AdWCCVND5
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DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kyMH4IhxH
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7thwW3kq9E
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBsAIMTdcg
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk420wnFimi
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7glJKoJuNF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2kvcYqGpu
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenN0s8zSXl
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWZXrdiysm
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfGuwmXeJy
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXHQnk0EWh
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ems9Fg2qL
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkJVgIPfaU
Thought there was something secret here.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KOEhE3oUh
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxrrBXJf1v
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmC7IPYX1I
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtscemmPu84
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLPUrbuzwQ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeu71QXupI
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. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhVTyi5fLB
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5pOp7AKRp
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7tZGZNI4d
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9UNbMFobi
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJN6SdP2IU
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsyT7T4DiJ
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SxF1hL6Ly
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6bl1rrp2S
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46UABfTikP
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlWHwdHnGw
It’s just someone’s sick prank.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ru8qhj5GC
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7h9wbtOgL
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cRLswhd4l
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WL7IoYDeV
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxSZyBoQ7e
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrOoC2M5VT
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYs1djIN77
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFEMjXht18
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ165qbJDuF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJanMS6Cfow
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGs6YBtGDr
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplJ0DgvlGw
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpwmpw4TTV
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9v985xM2Wt
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqwu29BnYN
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K3BVJuAz4
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SzpwZgaFx
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpEMDREp6H
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYiMYrRC8w
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW012fZbqMp
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFMcqQnMwo
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMkNK8kF0V
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqghzRCBdr6
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJka7G1mUHo
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.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmUfnsXYls
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XZ4V1uUwY
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3pshNAuLu
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHp3X1J7gmm
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSAmRWMRQR
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM9gWHND8B
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuV59fwSJOU
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3hfmqgb7E
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho9BQMKbeL
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPUUN1idLH
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOo7Yii4OZ
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xdQAfn1Oq
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ317N5ofNAl
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdb8BnGwXI9
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xQbl8C6z0
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPGHIJXD4P
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMba2dwvUxp
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zzBTyZ4XE
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPXtYKtC2M
DomTaylor: “Enough!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyTklcCkJw
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALI3929VYw
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaimJw2v4Q
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4B74RGvkN
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHZTp6mCjU
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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKak9tU5CoY
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2e8w5jfmR
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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lQgu4yC63
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzPQeehKxG
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29JqpG6ltz
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcze7Ed8G1H
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JyWAW3Dgv
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT58f4eYRRf
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1CxwK7j24
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjrfKc4RQp
“Boo.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQ9AioKHQ9
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFvBWDT6C2
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…475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfPU4Oyhgz
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7qHow56lS
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODSdUJZniT
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfx50QPopE
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmWa1fgIq3
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNspalzQQd
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNczE6aXrSS
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZHtsPEz54
He dies.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRXSTcxrZT
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ412ouboj7z
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1woVtUiGVW
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvmBLE7n7Z
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjLopX9pIU
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkGiuF87e0
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kKzfY0i5h
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4739nRUOb
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmla5YEedfs
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZPK24MojH
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI09FN9g8IS
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIscDG3utFJ
They stare at each other.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQfpVykW2m
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspeOUzGENJ
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!475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlaLGpFhpX
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡan65OTCM1O
The car flips.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMru431NYr
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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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fonVK6tdQ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgWEfQ734N
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HaEB2wfSQ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrP2a6K5oz
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqWbnIyVbO
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He dies again.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMv3GiJUYDX
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbvdH1stug
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWrzA4EfjF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuLaUUOYLC
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzv1VD9MFZ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaPtJkdKqR
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVcxE8X37V
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszAbGVnBnc
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZnWbVDdbO
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNZGwjYb00
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvMdNEoawZ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0dGNXetJe
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaMxtUPo2o
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzMHKckFKl
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcynjwpnzoy
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3tcQt3oWY
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYf3Hpnwxc
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQBUJEXykp
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH4as7KpWu
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7UlHAqc8U
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoNsBKcDQu
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7aL5XbLii
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrS018LNYcf
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TPMJWBsg7
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkR2mAJCgoF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pTm7ZS4Gk
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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY7P0PI1lU
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4PleUfkHJ
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvcRuwFNb7
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JMeaEpavc
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzZm3jelZq
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLTeGrWwHp
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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4N8DzSToxE
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iMOciuetC
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtHuN5QYDF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGYAUctvhj
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqYfBt1pG9
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGIwYnyy6v
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ54KgXi1ZN
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX7VVWZagt
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPWxt3jY4h
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ztYZLa9qD
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvggEOkF1hN
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8yAB0HWfi
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PLobL7Cvr
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluYpz8EWwF
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4sgnlX6TK
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQQKbO6bw3
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?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDBHafzdZj
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM1QXDhnaL
A haunting face.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGu1Hr8bDV
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pflPJDW64
An impossible face, bearded white.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6xFG9bGWw
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGomI804Ez
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQETv6zSeyk
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cN6tuLji7
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!”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeti9OgzMef
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVF4h0kzSvW
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns3.139.86.227da2
