Chapter 3: The Other Side of the Tracks
A couple days passed, and soon it was Christmas Eve. I had been doing some research on digital civilizations, and apparently there was a lawsuit in 2009 in Texas in which a company was trespassing in a place they had been banned from looking for an escaped employee. Escaped? That didn’t feel like the right word at all, but that’s all I could find. I could not track down the name of the company, and the only reference to them was a small headline that appeared at the bottom of the screen in a Houston local weather forecast. Other than that, my only result was some database company that had absolutely no contact information or images. The two sources were undoubtedly linked, but not sure how they related to digital towns.
Felix showed up at our door early in the morning, about 8:00, with a thermos in one hand and a clipboard in the other. “Ash, mind if I come in? It’s a bit chilly out here.”
“Oh, sure,” I said.
He sat at the dinner table, took off his jacket and hung it up on the chair. “So here’s a list of a few of the films and celebrities Sebastian claims will be at his red carpet event tonight. I’ve seen the theater myself. It’s a grand one, but a few things don’t line up. First off, the release date on this movie here is off by a few days, and I’ve called a few of the names on the list. None of them have even heard of this event! So there’s something going on. It’s tonight, and I really think we should go scope it out.”
Mom stepped into the kitchen and was startled by Felix being there. “Oh, Felix!” She cried.
“Miss Smith,” he replied, tipping his hat.
“I didn’t expect you to be in. I can pour you some coffee if you want, or—“
“No need, I brought my own,” he said, raising the thermos.
“…Alright. Ash, please tell me when you let guests in next time so I don’t almost have a heart attack.”
“Well, I’ll be in my workshop if you need me. I just wanted to discuss a couple things. How’s Alex doing?”
“Pretty great. He’s made something like $5,000 from his client work.”
“That’s fantastic to hear! And how about you, Miss Smith? Anything good lately?”
“Everything’s alright.”
“Well, alright. I’ll be going now. Happy holidays, everyone!”
He slipped on his jacket and headed back outside into the snow. “He’s a charming young man, but I can’t be the only one baffled by him. He’s got to be, what , thirty, and already look where he is in the world.”
“You’re not the only one, and I guarantee it,” I replied.
I headed back up to my room and browsed through the Steam Store again to see if anything else would catch my eye. Nothing I wanted was on sale right now, so I started up Team Fortress 2 and looked for a server.
The cart, packed with its nuclear and incredibly destructive payload, was a few mere meters from its goal, and RED was doing everything in their power from letting BLU give it a final push. A Pyro and a Soldier, on opposing teams, were not about to let the other side win. The RED Pyro was doing their best to stop spies and Medics from gaining ground, and the BLU Soldier had switched from a shotgun to a secondary item that provided their team some additional power.
AshLand97 has killed FNAF_Joke with Reserve Shooter.
TheMaskedMan has killed And_Steven with Beggar’s Bazooka.
Both teams had been locked in stalemate over the last point in Gold Rush for several minutes now, and with just a minute left on the clock, a BLU Medic had a bit of an idea. They found a Heavy Weapons Guy brandishing a brass gatling gun, and charged the man with their Medigun. The two stormed the final point together, mowing down all in their wake.
Sanic and FNAF_Joke have killed And_Steven with the Brass Beast.
Sanic and FNAF_Joke have killed -12_DollarBill with the Brass Beast.
Sanic and FNAF_Joke have killed RaRaRasputin with the Brass Beast.
The Pyro was getting worried. They were covering a lot of ground. It would be tough, but not impossible, to get back what they lost. They quickly circled around, ambushing the two of them from behind, lighting both on fire and pushing the Medic out of the way. Just as the Heavy reached for their sandwich, they were smashed in the head with a melee weapon.
AshLand97 has killed Sanic with the Powerjack.
What luck, the Pyro thought. But their lucky streak was cut a bit short.
TheMaskedMan and FNAF_Joke have killed Ashland97 with the Beggar’s Bazooka.
Before the Pyro could even make it back to the battlefield, the cart was pushed over the edge by the Soldier and Medic, declaring them the victor. Most of both teams were caught in the resulting explosion, but BLU died with valor… or something.
I had to admit, Isaac was getting good at the game. I congratulated him on a job well done and disconnected.
A few hours later, probably 3:00 in the afternoon, Felix called and said I needed to see something. I headed down the street and took a left and there was Felix, standing completely still looking past the train tracks. “It’s… it’s gone,” he said.
He was right. On the other side of the street were the familiar houses with the red roofs and shops. “H…how does a town just up and leave like that? Ash, I need a moment. I guess there is no premiere after all. Happy holidays, Ash. Stay safe.”
And with that, Felix turned back around and headed back towards the capitol. I recognized this part of town. The college was here just a week ago, and the bookstore was right at the other side of the tracks, but I still had no idea what had happened with the Great Unending. I don’t think I’ll ever figure this one out.
Christmas was the next day, and it went quite alright. I got a Wii U and some new shirts, Alex got a new computer mouse and a few hundred dollars (he was trying to save up to purchase a 3D printer, and Mom said she’d help cover the costs) and Mom got herself a new coffeemaker and a picture frame. It was alright. We spent most of the day watching movies, and I invited Nathan, Franklin and George over to play some of the new Super Smash Bros. that had just come out. Felix was up to something, and some of the things Randy and Twitch had unveiled were very concerning, but I don’t think he’s trying to use New Infinity to commit a genocide. He’s too nice and clean, and his town is much too nice and clean for that. Is there something shady about him? Sure, absolutely, but I don’t think that’s what he’s planning.
That said, I wonder how Felix is enjoying his holiday.
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