476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNqwUiVukV
CHAPTER FOUR476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uAkBwjqx6
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdCzB9wZiM
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlzqdOQaMA
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvSBNja9yj
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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2TC8J34VQ
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP96eeaGo5
“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrpSFMlS4H
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmm5J13CLj
Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9hja3hrVH
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxfzF4127H
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?!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOYqmjSGl3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaS8ttwFZHN
Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwXSj9VSo3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HbnzbjUvQ
“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHRjemwFv5
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAU5wAJaX4
“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwbmpagYEW
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqITYkRIqDe
Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MEgXEjyG3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRV3lp0BDi
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? 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9sDFxo48B
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIITuu9XEiR
Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFF24VoHJNL
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtMB9BNNTH
Viggo announces to the room, “I propose we ban phones from all future meetings. Saves us the trouble. What do you think, Dr. Fanfare?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQPG5Fh6Qb
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoV57W2fIm4
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?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIy4ioUJh1u
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUOTDTEiUC
Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYl67rUtxP
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjCLFdtUXa
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwX2NN8fde
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dJFYTE5rc
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1UONXchx1
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uYh8NROZQ
“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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WxtannmJY
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUfcE2fiSt
“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQIYzBwWsq
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2uBTq6JA8
“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCtaVf7xET
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHztw7sRrvq
“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4fMatABOn
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0T94wQLhr
“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMQMyTKuaM
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg1oenlf3M
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjbVkuRmgs
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4SSLC8GWN
A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqBTTF34PT
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiIb18VjV9
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15xAjjEBBF
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBUduzG6mm
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZv9pP2thh
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpBXzmSGE5
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8xwrwJXwb
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yH3DbzxWU
“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?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRe8yCZ5hl
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorc9Sj17a7
Iris raises a hand.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuh33nMRL3L
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLBsWCFKaq
“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPVXrf5So1
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZV0OkWQeo
Iris slams her table with both palms with angry puckered lips. She addresses the room, “In fact, I do have a question!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtDpeLlVAy
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5KetghdXq
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqbEBgCo0M
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7A2OI5YMRL
Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36KDAbCUet
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSUPYoqjpK
Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSpTpYczwB
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi5yodAMt7
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHDJQiNl6m
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAggKeHvg6w
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?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7x34SjyhR
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHU6ouvVbP5
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhLRPzuECb
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JUNjXXkrL
“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzXLU7AY1p
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2xq3S8Uq8
Viggo replies, “Iris.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMidzFK7ZWT
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNCsKFv6rJ
“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bceB33QFa
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYDgG5V59r
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5oWdeBkeu
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCpFKMBOHq
The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNutov21whB
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA15wZloZQH
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubtjSKGj15
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjIkqI9XK7
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?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnhGW9LOEV
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRNJ7o3QpM
The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgOSkfpPR9
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ychhnTqa4
“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgLfZKhQtY
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjOTFAltlL
“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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMqGyY3UCu
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VwGfMIZKS
The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8nJLSf0Pq
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOmIQpuCNV
“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeK9CNOxZN
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DyXK4JBmF
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2kcagKwuX
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7R5bvOoCID
Wonder how that will go.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qi1SsQ05m
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdDBKVuYvy
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3VLrFQHaF
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVp6qt9wcT
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQohURw9vp
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFk9OCYtsgG
Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYhhXgCmmE
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7xY3HbQpU
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPAKmEg9z9
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtRIbBj0wl
What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGqjlXlN5o
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5aNvxnPBv
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. 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mYSb4VR4D
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPLyE074yn
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw7RD95EZD
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgVvq2cN18
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaR1SyIf2H
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvUsouI2CX
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3z286M4OO
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10yMmOEyWl
Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBrMk1KhGz
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPsuruvZet
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!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZCRND6BJh
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrimagwu6j
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRGPzuRZw5
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNk8BRvzygT
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0z492CVkjN
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGn89rCL36
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecZPBnvwHa
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG0iQzi8Te
Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVhLaUTDdq
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZBk9mWx30
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOejrYIzKbM
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAKlobvE52
Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs3ThTPiWT
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipXwV2rdYH
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnkYFoDLaa
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMb4zinlUKm
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! 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjuMALegk3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JB6nsiSH2
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JtJYzXBwy
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafvTlhfG7t
Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaesal49rC
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsqFcuPbkx
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GrciAuQon
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSm696AmUm
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowBK3fXyni
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSOeEq9hPx
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCyLFKsizL
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmse1x9th1
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoj8zBQadn
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqVPQjONlZ
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXhxg8QJmP
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwbUI4Zd1l
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQruL59qlcO
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDzqf5tJs4
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!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSrM5Pd6HX
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61ou935fu6
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWI2Hoh4Cqa
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmWlLMknKr
And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYwGQGfMNU
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4qhhnwEUk
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnC2txII7k
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS9IaE4sRT
MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY2FChmVsg
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoHC0gV20H
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gKT20rRn9
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL3sxUYKrL
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGrVQPyJCw
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mwcacZnPk
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSArJu3e5PX
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUta6enQBaB
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF10raw7Ix
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4IhvKf0Tk
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61HRDEHgyp
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAS5CzkJNj
It registers on Simone’s face.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71GbHe13b1
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqx1B2xfbX
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Q8yqkyE1L
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2wGUnM3vH
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeJ0dFEaBn
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj46bXwyR8
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CXwBWWxWF
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUPZT46mlv
“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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZjEjD9xiu
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHJpP1irRn
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOa3otb2kIV
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgX4czenbkG
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQq9v8rWW4
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y11bh35Wn
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5qgCv5omv
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMICruVFMjm
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfixlVg3rA8
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErbFZ4In4a
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTgav6cWZZ
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzdgWLPfja
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLx0AKrmzB
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGrpkEqcML
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZF81GI04D
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNdtKBk069
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCGDNHmlnX
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKazof5Vho
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaghqynv6j
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIVvte3mzE
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvwFx6G6jA
Fade to black. Credits crawl.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rd12RBCLk
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4rkCchXNJ
DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3Hwlafasx
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvUUz5km6n
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWuPUDUl5J
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvGIIgXOPs
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvhiMPu7yu
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fAFFFBWFI
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsWGZhCx5O
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcUP4xGWaa
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTxbdqpdy9
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9xACjcDwj
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNPiA0OEzO
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNsTZNfpF8
Thought there was something secret here.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5nzg60ph4
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5PGNgn448
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxAbuvxK0t
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gkkJcSqxf
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnb9U5Jk1m
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEi4w0HfUt3
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. 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaYfhPpQpe
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBFpO8fp2p
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCtaGubH9X
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2jMJYXvxt
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TSCqSqNxW
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjcwE2x3Mx
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TSs8E1weO
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQB4j9WXCg
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBksHp5lTZ
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNKN2Blc9o
It’s just someone’s sick prank.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡua9Fqzd4nV
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAv1KTRAS3
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRbkpe0QNe
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEYJIHK6nJ
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwdJCr1E0U
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovwR56SRaj
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGUs1RqmNW
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY9vJLw4IN
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaCur6zjQ5
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpyTjWrlyi
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP40W75Xfdn
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmO0Ip72Gi
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAvPa8ord2
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kAznCqLRh
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRahfb60Wd
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqMjr2THSR
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwrvMS6tYO
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelXIhrFezC
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAc7EHDkmK
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLakNY7TrZ
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMNUyR3dxQ
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcstPGApYRW
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5G0dDu9ad
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVm8zKbd3st
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.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhTd6SO7Hy
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTn8E759o6
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSbvyg04gG
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmk8iIsQNc
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqPzME6bue
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTOLKU0NP6
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ljn5u0YGz
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkte1BXC45
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DkXV6ExH8
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJn5VnC7ZqV
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8uqoh00Dp
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtzAud2EqX
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubbtOXdwCx
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOkFDn7d9O
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzBwSMDZrT
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sqEKUmeWB
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuLUQMZmol
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46s2mpVXnw
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXgJhtKGKT
DomTaylor: “Enough!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtz8eb71Xl
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeIvq9spB4
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XGBumc2Ci
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu8af1eLha
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIRYKdem7D
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!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIWQJjzBpI
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cUdfKc6uZ
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs66nVq3opI
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡII9EmP5gxE
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DiVta7wHQ
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7LBrog93h
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RjFK3B1C8
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzz5CIrq0c2
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryu5G9CEP0
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpHNN7cJvc
“Boo.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66TCtUvJgc
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i5Ckf3Cx1
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…476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1oDqhXovq
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPgn2qbZNd
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZLqSJvPW8
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFnFXrm8tF
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgO46VH1i55
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1m9yJJt4J
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzzzstdIe3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAvMKeMBkK
He dies.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aIR9IHHNX
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhsFIsAgkX
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmxtOIKsqf
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDsxQCi6Y5
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7Bq7c7Txh
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDOQ066T8a
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt169T7bHaR
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnp6vtVeWF
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDvvwPYWhU
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb69KQn1QNd
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgH0hvA2bxB
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJqH20CzvA
They stare at each other.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCi8iHaWe4
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLInqvaDrwY
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!476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqsdFOfiaT
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOjncNejdK
The car flips.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGS9Q9Kvrkp
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA65hHRCs9
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqiQEcjcL8
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFX9bHgFp8
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZKLGjB81E
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatPVH8X7ER
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86rCf9KcQ3
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJYjqhWotD
He dies again.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfTCSVNA8d
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3koswZs1h3
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAoJNITZ0p
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDf3sS8UR7s
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfio6GqtEn
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWsBJxozVO
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgGgogik3L
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6nVgKz2lc
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFx3wULzGz0
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTAPQbsyCp
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3CGF3SRjQ
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1FuPRHT9r
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Tbky7Vhsc
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtBofHxTFE
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkgo6kOn5g
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcflixe2kA
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZbAVSXkSw
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEBFzbBwrD
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yKPgMj6dg
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIuXthqU9Y
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJrQ3peZMk
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUGhtTyofJ
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRwpaugUlq
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jmEasSJnk
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDI1XNb6h5
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBPT4zVfxk
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!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dze1LOQV5
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnKJxs6PQi
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLAvcaDpLE
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaSkeA3P2j
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwun2LaRURO
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxf3NFKZLo
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOahIcHTJYV
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMn66IkU6i0
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrkX2tOkZt
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvv1hU5yn7
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH4xWUw1tK
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINOlEQBKhg
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYF6HUZkJJA
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ayoyV98eo
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyI9uoCrrt
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfBSXGmCro
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQrTPRI5hC
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlkicLAAJ3
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROKJqeajpA
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFTZiSV4Lq
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfXXWFekme
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhoHZE9qVj
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?476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn4vW0un4A
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOwIaAkFvo
A haunting face.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpkv22W7j6
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm10VqkBdZ6
An impossible face, bearded white.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoXmiW3uUH
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjdiaRvtYL
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.476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEilw8hmfz
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpA0OMmhjJ
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!”476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiaivN3cmS
476Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6sG29LXxu
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns18.119.132.29da2
