The Game (22 page)

  Hack nodded. “Yes, she can meditate very well. She’s been trying to get Trew to do it for months, but he resists her for some reason.”

  Brandon made a sour face. “They’re in love, aren’t they? He should be doing anything she says, like most normal men his age.”

  “I don’t get much of a chance to view them, Sir. You would know more about their Game personalities than I do.”

  Brandon said nothing. It was very difficult to coax players inside the Game to do specific things. He’d been so certain that communicating with Trew would be successful. After all these years and dollars spent, now it seemed like the one player he wanted to talk to most would be out of reach to him.

  “Dreams or visions?” Brandon asked. “Spiritual communications?”

  “Those are always an option, Brandon. But they’re vague and often the avatars miss the messages.”

  Brandon nodded. After exiting their play, a Gamer could spend additional credits to tie up loose ends or leave messages behind for loved ones in the Game. They were spiritual credits, earned during play and available for use directly after exiting the Game. Dreams, visions or feelings at just the right time in a player’s life could be planted for future scenarios. Some players investing credits in Spirituality could also re-enter the Game as ghosts for a short time. It was a very sloppy method to try and get basic messages or communications to living avatars. For some reason the Mainframe allowed these types of activities, though often they were a waste of time. The intended avatar was often too out of touch to pick up on the subtle communications; most of the time it was a very expensive waste of credits. A player would have to have recently exited the Game in order to attempt to give Trew a message, and someone
close
to him in the Game. That didn’t seem very likely at the moment.

  Brandon sat and let his brain slowly consider ideas. Hack waited patiently.

  After what seemed like a very long time, Brandon snapped his fingers and sat forward eagerly.

  “Okay, I’ve got an idea. Get Angelica up here as soon as possible.”

Chapter 41

  Currently there is no technology which allows viewers to record the Game. Of course, the fans are less than pleased, but when you think about how important the Game is, it makes total sense. The history of the Game must be kept accurate and free of tampering. It would be unfortunate to see a significant moment from Earth’s history Photoshopped or cut and pasted with inaccuracy just for entertainment’s sake. We’re fortunate that technology allows us to First players’ experiences; remember, though, before you begin your viewing, that it’s not possible to pause or skip ahead; a play must be Firsted in its entirety. To experience as much of the Game as you possibly can, it’s recommended that you spend as much time tuned in as possible. Miss an event inside the Game and it’s just like real life — gone for good. And save your money to buy an opportunity to First!

  Excerpt from the Game channels - Frequently Asked Questions section

Danielle - 20

  I love cooking, but I miss my mom’s old kitchen. The house we lived in wasn’t a fancy or large one, but the kitchen was a good size and it just seemed to flow nicely. We’ve been in Canada for a couple of years already and this house is much nicer, but the kitchen just isn’t the same. Trew laughs and tells me that the kitchen must be incredible because the food I make is out of this world. He likes to flatter his girlfriend. His girlfriend likes to be flattered. He eats good food, I feel happy to make him food
—
it’s a good arrangement, I think.

  Exams are coming up and the both of us should really be in the library studying, but he was very quick to use my own words against me earlier on the phone. “Sometimes you can learn more outside of a school than inside one, Danni,” he had said. I just rolled my eyes and agreed with him, since that’s what I say to pull him away from his studies. I’m prepared for my exams anyway. I’m acing a lot of this Kinesiology stuff, which is a relief. I see some of the other students struggling and I wonder why they even bother. I told one of them the other day to find something they love and go do that instead. They actually got angry with me and told me their parents had invested too much money to quit now. Such a shame, to get stuck doing something for the rest of your life that you don’t love, simply because you invested time or money. Good luck to you if that’s the path you choose; I’m not taking that route.

  So here I am cooking a nice dinner for Trew and his new friend. He called today saying he’d met someone fascinating and wanted to introduce me to him. I said sure, why not, and offered to cook dinner. Anyone that Trew finds interesting usually is.

  I hear the doorbell ring followed by the door opening. We’ve been dating long enough that Trew doesn’t need to wait for me to let him in; he’s only ringing the doorbell to announce that he’s brought a stranger with him. Or a new friend
—
I’ll have to see what I think of this guy. I put the lid on the pot, turn the heat down to simmer for a few minutes, wash my hands, and head towards the living room. “I’ll be right there,” I call out.

  “Okay,” Trew replies.

  I see Trew’s guest standing behind him and can’t stop myself from chuckling. “Well, babe, if this is your new friend, you have to introduce me to Stephanie so we can go shopping and bond.”

  Trew looks confused, then a look of understanding enters his eyes. “Really?” He starts to laugh and our guest smiles and comes over to give me a hug.

  “Sorry, Danni,” Trew says. “I didn’t put two and two together. When he said his name was Raphael, I didn’t think it was
your
Raphael.”

  I slap Raphael on the back and break away from his warm hug. “It’s okay, Trew. Raphael, why didn’t you tell my boyfriend you knew me when you got to the house?”

  Raphael smiles, giving me a quick kiss on each cheek. “By the time we got to the front door, I didn’t know how to tell him without it sounding awkward, Danni. I had faith that everything would take care of itself once we came inside. And it has! Who’s Stephanie?”

  I look over at Trew. “Stephanie is my version of you,” he says. “Someone who’s been in my life for as long as I can remember.” He leans in to take a close look at Raphael’s eyes. “She has your eyes, too.”

  “She sounds nice.” Raphael sniffs the air. “What’s for supper, Danielle?”

  “Your favourite,” I say, and he smiles. “It happens to be Trew’s favourite also.”

  “I like your boyfriend more by the minute,” Raphael says.

  “Where did you two meet?” I ask.

  “Raphael was giving a guest lecture in one of my theology classes,” Trew says.

  “Really?” I ask. “I had no idea you were a teacher, Raphael.”

  He smiles, “Oh, I’ve done lots of things over the years. This subject was always interesting to me so I became a student in the field.” He shrugs. “If you’re a student long enough, they eventually start to ask you to teach the odd class. Every once in a while I just drop in at a university and they ask me to give a few guest lectures. I’m well known in the circles.”

  “Ancient Formation and Implementation of Religion. A wordy subject title, but very interesting,” Trew says. “I swear, Raphael, listening to you talk about it, I can close my eyes and feel like I’m actually in the past standing there as a religious order is created.”

  “So can I, Trew,” Raphael says.

  I watch Raph look at Trew. They seem very comfortable together. “So how did you go from giving a lecture to coming over for dinner?” I ask.

  “Trew came up to me after the lecture and started asking questions. After standing there for 45 minutes answering them, I got a little bit thirsty so I invited him to join me for a beer. An hour after that, he was
still
asking questions. Does he
ever
run out of questions?” Raphael asks.

  I grin, “If he does, I haven’t seen it happen. So then he invited you for dinner?”

  Raphael nods. “That’s what happened. As we got closer to your neighbourhood, I thought nothing of it, until we were pulling into the driveway. Then it was too late to say anything. I haven’t seen you in a while, so I just shut my mouth and came in, hoping to eat some of your excellent cooking.”

  “Well, it’s great to see you again, old man,” I say affectionately.

  “I
am
getting old,” he admits.

  “Nonsense. You don’t look a day older than when we first met when I was… what? Eight or so?” I ask.

  “Yes, eight or so. Crazy little girl jumping up and down from buildings into the street. I’m definitely older. It’s my heritage that makes me look young still.”

  “South American?” Trew asks.

  Raphael laughs and slaps Trew on the back. “Is there anything that you won’t ask a question about? No, Egypt is closer to where my ancestors come from, but I’ve been in North America for a long time.”

  “How long?” I look over and Trew has that look on his face. He looks relaxed, but I’d rather stand in front of a police officer accused of a crime than in front of Trew when he gets that look. He’s hunting for answers of some kind, and I’m curious to see if he can get them.

  “Since Washington was President of the United States,” Raphael says with a laugh. Trew smiles and nods his head, silently agreeing to stop asking questions… for the moment.

  “Well, dinner’s ready soon. Why don’t you boys come in and help me get things set up?”

  We go into the kitchen and Trew heads to the cupboards to get the dishes out and set the table. “I haven’t heard from you in weeks, Raph. Tell me what you’ve been up to,” I say.

  I look over at him to see a bottle of red wine in his hands; he must have brought it with him. He looks in a drawer to find a corkscrew. “Not much. Hanging around, paying the bills and enjoying life. I’m very boring, Danni. How about you? Tell me what you’ve been up to?”

  I shrug, putting the food in the serving bowls. “School. Studying. Getting excellent marks.”

  He smiles. “I would expect no less. What’s your favourite subject at the moment?”

  “Eastern Medicine is pretty fascinating,” I say. “It’s incredible how much knowledge we’ve had available to us for centuries, yet in the Western world they don’t acknowledge it. At least not until recently.”

  “It is pretty incredible,” Raphael admits. “How is your meditation? Still practicing it?”

  “Oh, yes. I don’t know what I’d do without meditation. Ever since you taught me how to do it all those years ago, it’s been an important part of my life.”

  “What about you, Trew?” Raphael asks. “Do you meditate?”

  I look over at Trew and he rolls his eyes. “No. I’ve tried to learn how. Danni really gets after me and I believe that it’s a great activity, but I can’t seem to get the knack of it.”

  I can’t help but snort at his comment. Trew grimaces and Raphael looks at me with one eyebrow raised. “Come on,” I say. “It’s not exactly a difficult thing to do. You close your eyes and focus on your breathing and don’t grab on to any thoughts. Do it often enough and you
have
to get good at it.”

  “Babe, I keep telling you. It’s not that simple for me,” Trew says. “I have tried, many times. It just doesn’t seem to be my thing. I’d really like to be able to do it…”

  “Maybe I could try to teach you a few tricks and techniques, Trew,” Raphael offers helpfully. “It might seem simple to some people,” he looks at me. “But every once in a while a person does have a block or difficulty getting into the right state of mind. I’ve helped numerous individuals get the hang of it when they thought they wouldn’t ever succeed.”

  “Well, maybe we could give it another try,” Trew says doubtfully.

  “It’s something you’ll need to understand better, even if you never succeed.” Raphael nods seriously. “So many religions involve a combination of meditation and prayer. I can’t tell you how many times being familiar with meditating has helped me gain knowledge in this field.”

  This seals the deal in Trew’s mind. “Okay, let’s try again, then.”

  Raphael seems very pleased with Trew’s decision. I never knew meditation was so important to him.

  “All right, boys,” I say. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter 42

  Some say that we’ve lost what little control we ever had over the Game. The belief is that the Mainframe has become so powerful and intelligent that she plays her own game inside her system, manipulating and shaping players’ experiences for her own goals. Game Masters and developers assure us that this can never happen, but if you look in the right places, evidence suggests that she is doing things we can’t begin to understand. If Mainframe is playing at something, what could it be? Will it affect just the Game, or perhaps leak over into reality to change all of our lives on Tygon, too?

  Excerpt from article titled “The games within the Game”

  “Good morning, ladies.” Brandon walked into the room and sat down at the head of the desk. “What is so important that you needed to call me in super early to meet with just the two of you?”

  Angelica and Michelle sat on the other side of the desk. Neither looked happy at all. Brandon’s demeanour changed from calm to alert. “How serious a problem are we looking at?”

  Michelle looked at Angelica and nodded her head. Angelica pushed a sheet of paper across the desk at Brandon. He looked at it for a minute, not certain what he was seeing. Then his eyebrows raised, alertness turning to concern. This report contained information that, despite his extensive experience of the Game, had never surfaced before. He looked up at Angelica, then over to Michelle. “This doesn’t make sense, ladies. What you’re reporting on this paper is impossible.”

  Angelica nodded. “It might have been at one point. But it’s very possible. Both of us have witnessed it, as well as others on the team.”

  “How long has this been going on?” Brandon asked.

  “As far as we can tell, about three days.” Michelle answered.

  “Since they were twenty.” It wasn’t a question; Brandon always knew how old his players were when they were in the Game. The two women nodded. “And they are 22 at the moment, correct?” again the women nodded.