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CHAPTER FOUR484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyukCfNaxSv
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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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fsuM0GieP
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45yt9RTESY
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“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQjPeq9xQk
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Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa39i2VzkHU
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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?!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7u1hFO5GM
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Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCxoVUkbwE
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“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b7VYIxO9U
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“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmGBneKx4P
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Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gQqPcm8rD
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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? 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdtPxdX7VH
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Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTenpDIuCku
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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?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0nm9R2EWg
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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?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrUHXoake6
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Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRiVOOmxno
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5XyWkN4Bl
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJse51YrAR9
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSE80F09dRJ
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“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4VUuJtG31
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“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUzfKK14gn
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“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtcQFugW2Q
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“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOUBhQESKt
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf7mF7V3hN
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A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEzEodG3tF
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOEumfi3ik
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ1wNXk5Kf
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec8VgWexnz
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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?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQP86tv6Pdq
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Iris raises a hand.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtrnixIhXg
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“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTQs9k4Mgo
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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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJh3sgZgrAB
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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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f29WtfRXt
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Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhnRgayr1l
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Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhCUh63OkU
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zZw3zXAiN
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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?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRF5sZERicQ
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCylCSrrN4
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“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aFfqETXhU
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Viggo replies, “Iris.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmajEDipZ9
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“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxe0Rz1j5nJ
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRixS3we9S6
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The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3Bza0aHAv
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsjr6arupV
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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?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBN6Us07cB
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The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBUTYq1w5g
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“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYQ7ib8MYu
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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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xvOPkXtry
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The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTtPJuJf6n
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“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9cWSctjgx
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1zJYJYDzp
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Wonder how that will go.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xBbw1xblj
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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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqGRsvw29j
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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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKwLEwZLR2
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Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKiw1UQoEE
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiyuTDe4nM
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What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcNfYiXQUi
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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. 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrKGDrrRaI
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGFONddPvV
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3THIBmoC8
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkF8EIade1E
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Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡag1l7mknXm
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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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e3C95QNI8
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcp7arFaEd
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuQqJXD7Lv
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugzcgwuNPX
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Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡab4scr7D1P
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsRe3ANQCg
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Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQcHdDBkXB
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVuECUpiRL
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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! 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz9EcAEOC9
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNT4duhoGPL
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Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBKhqRE97z
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLTg5yftiq
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5CZm5nheX
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXDKBAwKQZ
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSXiKJkOm7
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVS9lSq2KU
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPJAIsZScf
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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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqLKfnbbet
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1oesnXjKm
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And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOnOGCwPXs
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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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zgCpk1mwo
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MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5ULjPKYTc
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqpObOg7mT
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lAWqh2R1M
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpPFeu8CLv
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzySAI4VQ4b
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuProNJ46KG
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl8KZEphZ8
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBAz6OMRu7
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpizVdjLNio
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6jkJkMT86
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFARzA2cibv
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoru9ci65K
It registers on Simone’s face.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0bWZHE6fO
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwy4aQuFRS
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiZX3RMoU5
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGTGNGsLDh
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5TGxchQF1
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgKr64us6b
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzfyCdXemh
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dNLvU4o7z
“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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUz77o0NaQ
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NV6f58kIZ
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKJKr1dkO4
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhau6Wn3IX
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQwnVzFnuh
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDe3ut57lk
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKOcXuRmcx
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UB08I40OK
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyK3OUxK0mC
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3usdlm8a3
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNQtFYCoCC
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJX4HcqkmM
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fYocQBST8
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6uCWvqyPN
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy059uuQbGt
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DxJkPBkhB
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgJ5KtfvBw
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGdXjfYJg4
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumEfDpFyK6
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoYFt4oWYW
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQbtV8zEMP
Fade to black. Credits crawl.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAePrU7XIc
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJig1TzSu9C
DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuKVPiLfKX
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdEBxTESbV
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9wCclun9U
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVMHvk1j2Y
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWILXQZgSV
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4sJofjjDj
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5iTx2iqBx
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXx8dNyMOf
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlwhHdW3Bx
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2RrLxndy4
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aJBGFp1EQ
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYlSg07Ler
Thought there was something secret here.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2nHHwRBFT
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEtNrJ8GZk
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EAHM7r1cQ
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLXVXwPUWX
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGDZGZmnOD
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrVY4YgqC4
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. 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GtNa3YJAe
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKX7DJ7MgrG
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QPYsVU2zf
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BmiXGa77f
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gLmNgnV5d
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDbbfIqVLY
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UbVtVzhFQ
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRUS6rAHcm
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3A7cr5W3b
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpVnGjwUyA
It’s just someone’s sick prank.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy9vPq5TTl
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBMMDIBWvf
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZvJK9kfh0
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLJrpz83AG
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHeiHj9WMW
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglVaP75OA2
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCsJ7oZxYT
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlevdOVVqV
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DE35t3XnP
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRoDxa8VRM
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ472whVSCxw
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFs3zq2CvpW
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0JqmcfpHN
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqn0cEYYSU
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfLY3IeoPI
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡya86RrBG2s
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpgORA3p4Y
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOn0QyBbuY
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84Yc1Gb3oh
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjRGoifqkL
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhWY7jYqY6
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehTW1gK8c1
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dMtP5OwqJ
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4hs86TDcj
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.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhMMKUQzfH
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuy8Z0xwSP
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKPrLoSoUR
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvrv7Hp3me
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2OBFFabfu
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBnOGwx6xF
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt4L7T5rCj
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoHzIdbvxl
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uRgf9AeLG
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvoIAjaZsF
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnfb2mRe39
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgWqHathMU
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkdArZnfJJ
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZrqeul53X
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3JoZ9QJ0m
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxAzYowtkL
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlozmqGljmf
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxPXANW6Us
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuRM1px7mt
DomTaylor: “Enough!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZGgcuFHdT
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEpFeHtlmg
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN80YuMdc4
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdh01XQFsRb
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBnw13gmLG
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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddfeglUyCU
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUpWH9FkS3
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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneKLwEuTep
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHXgxhKZj3
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa1qhuUioS
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYm6u49xG7
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVgFEZE1eX
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa11mzMGXca
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgVF6kGtEi
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkA2aXNvBC
“Boo.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIzXz90i4g
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EiHqSmVdF
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…484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4SmvrGlsk
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs9q5mGJUG
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCztnjCyDr
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXqvlY3RPR
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYYcfmEmiy
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlolOARJH3Y
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLohdLDWkuY
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURhLRoGlG4
He dies.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefX7XXE98z
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7OPO29zGW
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrKnIk3a9r
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AcBHUtxIa
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73Ry5Pi7BG
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SZxz8evpP
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCeUQxeQpB
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMd0q2T38B2
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFx3Ur5JoT2
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrYGZzxDjj
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv787pRw2m
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY2sqPFP4N
They stare at each other.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUrwuvpb6p
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxOOJFZl55
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!484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtG8LhYS8K
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6mg90YCVZ
The car flips.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnZxdms4Mi
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyj4355mzEZ
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfRhuTArcG
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDesiymFKSN
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gvgmiPzkM
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWfOwK7BFB
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogp0eMYBVF
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4m9hwmgSO
He dies again.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHODjcXC1o
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0jxWO4Ojq
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAAKLNxEOJ
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiV27yQpsjP
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5xKabSC23
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJe5Auj3iGz
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UKfFNT82X
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx84FbaHQCq
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtIl9dwD61
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNt10VLc44n
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt00oZpC4fy
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sVVA0mau2
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hHEkvOHjW
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPIwfuAfC8
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9LQUhmCM6
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEqMEcKqzB
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmp3ql6Yhqk
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB71KNvrefX
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4hcLdF2Gj
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY5rzZQuaw
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRuCj5RwzG
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXBqeB266r
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLRQxcUwq5
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKqykSBnxI
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBYptL9ei8
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAXtCwMFVm
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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSMF5zQ0fH
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowqhZkJdSS
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpGbUOdNSB
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5boyo0FriP
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeolFgNJGtK
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAANeHAJBVw
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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYO9JFs3Gdz
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDPTQCKYWM
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvoY3mccYT
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ak3SR0B8K
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXcN4CYWIr
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYU7hEXIOi
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuGlYjzj5a
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXPNl0IXsv
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp02lUuuXN
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdBDHYJmPy
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZPwOAInpz
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHpjBPOWpT
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjzimFOZDa
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTFWqvsMFv
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjmriIiuWS
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetdyOi7p32
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?484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7GI3ybIUK
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEa1lbWjsK
A haunting face.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelM4fuL6lH
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczjXWrgtH5
An impossible face, bearded white.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13dIIUOmEf
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmc83rNOgE
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.484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfk0q2ZZNWT
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSebPNZnDdb
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!”484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwFf9R5gCg
484Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrmhxs4mKp
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns18.226.4.129da2
