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CHAPTER FOUR451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNRM76zRg4
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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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQ7hSPTrjr
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7Tl1M5JLA
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“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW20WR7Wcm7
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Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YUuyARz85
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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?!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KGNuSIw0K
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Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCxXuBI09Z
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“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTsWK25naO
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“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa1ru4G6lj
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Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PtuLREFXa
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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? 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSAqbV1KCf
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Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6L98AajFa
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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?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9ou5frMzi
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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?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHU4H5QGm2t
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Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2kedIgqIv
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4nUTLgm83
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxtTWL3aSr
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5Ojc6mcCf
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“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTu7bfT2lHm
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“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlamVsMdwGd
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“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR73W6Rdt3
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“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHs5RCUNDiH
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJrTqkKuko
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A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnimLplqkM
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFpbk5W14q
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjGwfykWPI
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXhCBuygBd
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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?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuaVQbSpS3
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Iris raises a hand.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bc2Zk1QLY
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“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGnpS0UZxm
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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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBy6gLnUHe
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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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLYexWWhKy
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Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFklYjVL6Pp
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Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjuFufnDxP
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJ39a6f70X
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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?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiN5MaPxdZ
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokhKsYvUsT
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“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLLgUYKkwc
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Viggo replies, “Iris.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2R094sufJ9
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“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfq2iObwW4y
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDqXw97BH1
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The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XOTVS2tmb
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN9hJLYWzB
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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?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCkEPEwrCr
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The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaydp7Bg1i1
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“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7xaa0Ia9p
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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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUXVn11NYR
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The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRv8VPK4Y5
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“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aFV3CVtes
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmduwJSthjh
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Wonder how that will go.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlrsbkflNX
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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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19InDFMLa6
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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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo77fy25Bs
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Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhHHarGW5S
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXew9Yt5Pr
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What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOcCD43oOp
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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. 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYy2Y9Emfl
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgsh6CVgX5
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6HdUeNRvG
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRDXhEW0HT
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Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClNP1jqHyN
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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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw1auHhGHI
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7nWy8hj0d
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB7SKx4u4a
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYfBBDpKuP
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Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGK3BzVcTs
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aGMnJ1mfg
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Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySn4Ws6K1E
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9xuFVdZCo
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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! 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ViidBAqSD
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8b52dxl9S
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Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7P63qGs6cQ
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWQ7xI2R9y
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanzjO32dWK
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkGnEWn500
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC84JTzrVtD
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMctKQI6l1
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa2gFfLOG1
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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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Hj8AdsobD
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEEhPTe2Bq
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And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1I5TczHLY
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUHOw01QlX
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MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebrZJcXf6r
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCkIXzyJ77
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxIkdmV3OF
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He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBwCKWuwrp
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomk5PrIp2s
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlulDaVvXZ
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DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9diJ4LCOw
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It registers on Simone’s face.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUpNHHskBk
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SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRa8QJRoIuZ
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Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZE3rUns7f
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MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTclOoQLu88
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“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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyKlyJrh39
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU81J7rZ7wD
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DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7GeOHpVnx
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Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf5Okyh5qT
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SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5mOILV7tV
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop17gYNBSh
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMV25mfuEd0
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He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhT23A7ez8
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU84WKsuWeF
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx99frg9zHe
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuX7ZLmkuAu
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Fade to black. Credits crawl.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrOK8nI2o9
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DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YmBejm59Z
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoT6ZdnU9f
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyXXpqwTaY
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCm0AObrjc
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The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVrXdNXg0G
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpckjT1FEkJ
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Thought there was something secret here.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2ih9RaJG6
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjwYInedpx
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“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr4Y1cVQqk
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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. 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc7z2C6HpB
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To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3J6HnPo2x
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgncjz1htM
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He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCbDJXg9zr
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI20sykaXl0
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It’s just someone’s sick prank.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoS5b9iTWNv
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXgGhL0cQq
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Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXdV0epQEZ
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4iszBntZr
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7DswEdRcB
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDu5YAaTZg
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DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcHUmGPsLm
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrup6jJryF9
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFYMmAgLUX
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJuNUKqDdT
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIEsJQAGtT
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DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenfRUldkgH
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This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA0ZbgbYrZ
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ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAWAEmqbwT
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.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcf58bQaqlU
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrAhB132IL
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUFAIDzbeA
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This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeHyCr0HcI
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DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8xjZjz9Sm
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF914AJZ4RO
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKavH0IAqwi
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMZ2Dxd0Ud
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDW6cKXn3w
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpX0RiqQuhu
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Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcFt1tAcUV
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Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UmeUrqbg0
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DomTaylor: “Enough!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVBnJklZ6U
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nOH2LS94E
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Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncegEUBY8A
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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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5GO9awV92
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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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABKt1P4F7t
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Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3ccFTh4wl
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHhfev6eLp
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He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIypeiVdyf
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“Boo.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5IKtYtCEz
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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…451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2G8tVpStNZ
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He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3JKyZ8Svg
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“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nm5nPJ7ej
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmw5u44NjaN
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He dies.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrqzRjpLJ8
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzirV6d0Jk
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFRfYHOCyk
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtvxQFDEqI
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUivqbKhmv
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Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwORwr2OxB
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They stare at each other.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiHBL7LFou
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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!451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaAPED1a2e
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The car flips.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1uyygYGsL
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He braces himself as the car slams into a guardrail. They are showered in sparks as blunt as hail. Viggo’s torn asunder, scattering apart in all directions with glass. Strings and gobs of milky blood stretch out thinly, a strange crimson.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqg1TYYBT5
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Kirby’s face is thrown forward.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lwkcmNnN3
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ12rXlOhj2
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He dies again.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlex856Zbet
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7d9q3mVAt0
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uHGrWKqdt
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlijB811m0a
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQe2W7O5INq
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Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqLrhM7CR4
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Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gFumo6M8M
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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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnXq53UAcY
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSHt4Yuajm
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQP95GaMOT
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGOQOem5RC
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpOFs5RZVn
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuJtdM0VGh
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfIwYYmD7q
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLwKGlWFXB
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh4OmyyAa2
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdNdvopZce
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtezvSlSh8
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcum0KgqJc
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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoLDrUM40j
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIoQjrqWVY
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWow0HMN5tw
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jW2hwkTgn
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHgn8ubxcA
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmgM1oMsP4
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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1hysyWB3w
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglwOzrnx8h
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6bjAiiRVu
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RRW7ZQ3kl
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08GXLfqPfw
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnu6oEgpXd
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9EA79WxBo
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HbyTtg29a
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMiiep3Myv
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNisUfWYU1h
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8N4YtzRPF
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A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtmGzmofLj
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His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Jt4v9GinF
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUjL6hjjUC
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?451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogFniiqml2
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf8rppCTT0
A haunting face.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPliRGDaKhn
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An impossible face, bearded white.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLrXxYvhbw
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBXeyc9iOy
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.451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNuoa9Rmuj
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlUMRFSYbz
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!”451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaiUygRugz
451Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7m0E7ZiCdB
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns 15.158.61.6da2
