508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZpYRRdFVh
CHAPTER FOUR508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHD9DJm2pAm
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqDuezxbd8
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY4seRaH7I
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXbTLfpNBu
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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35uADAld3T
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsk7Y9NN3W
“HOLY SH--” Maverick explodes at something on his phone before glancing at Madeline’s little girl. “Cheerios...”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3Uhnl33kS
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnW6LmCoLA
Madeline gives him a tired thumb’s up as Dr. Fanfare hands her coffee.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa1CpmSVit
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPqDJoZK1y
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?!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ320tV2A45S
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9oDHuhOxk
Viggo raises scratched hands, “That’s a hoax.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlX4NPa3krn
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRnWCw6t3T
“Ooh,” Maverick shows something else to Simone. She gasps and hides a smirk.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zFYYmmWNt
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p5GKeJeRi
“My gosh, Kirby,” Simone points at him. “Keep your pants on.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw7TJSt8EH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRprlJ5ZBkz
Kirby makes abrupt and awkward laughter. Madeline cups Ruthie’s ears.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0Ni9ExwOQ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9RUDMsllk
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? 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGOuiO84eZ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlg558m6oXI
Kirby sucks air through his teeth. Iris becomes concerned when she hears that.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemowpqaIfC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiymkwTGXE
Viggo announces to the room, “I propose we ban phones from all future meetings. Saves us the trouble. What do you think, Dr. Fanfare?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9Wx5kgCbR
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIb9Ux78U7
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?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOA3Ya790y
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbzZvlS0Re
Viggo can only grunt at her wisdom.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPbdqLkyQ1
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfZxQNlfbG
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49O5aMGybq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkmBUDtVgf
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzlw9pqIx0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX97mWVeGx
“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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YzXx0CDnN
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BCfXwY37z
“Skulls,” Simone Chaput insists. “Tiny, tiny skulls and diamonds everywhere.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoeOmyg17j
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBvtEbRBwK
“Nice!” Maverick Clark nods. “Mine’s gonna have bricked gold.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPckvgxrYTG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bRPgYpVyS
“You like teddy bears, Ruth?” Madeline Desjardins asks. “Maybe puppies.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSU5UpJpz8
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0abqWNkPE
“A big puppy bear!” Ruthie smashes small fists together to her mother’s delight.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOqC4vVnLe
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOwImxwETq
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOIjHlq1WK
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquWYvMwOJM
A silver glossy pod rises, spiraling up from the floor, before three others do.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeagBQKExR
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP2o03tzm8
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE288W6UJJ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GOwVcVDOm
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTDPuYAz5S
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP5o4rwa2a
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtpIWOPiWq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJk3uAtxMR
“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?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDIc5bRVpq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7l4wQfh1r
Iris raises a hand.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UmAgP9zlL
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTGOzFtvdS
“No questions I see,” Viggo rushes along.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW5OJ6o6Kn
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgrXGE4y08
Iris slams her table with both palms with angry puckered lips. She addresses the room, “In fact, I do have a question!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBtGXS0gzm
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPAEUhAoxI
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78wqYLuDeM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXPqSbONmq
Iris shouts something back but it’s dismissed. She sits down.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c4DfGJqtQ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWyKb6Ncld
Kirby texts Iris: Huh? What was your question?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25eMscRkGE
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOmQ2ZdaFv
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE45EfBBkVD
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJmM9x7Zap
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?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgoXD4yTeC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvk2duownj
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwszDJYrUBE
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBHXGg3OCH
“Yeah,” Iris agrees. “I’m sitting this one out too.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozUB60dOPY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡost3LnLewJ
Viggo replies, “Iris.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhQB0eqeni
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJi3VFvPkAl
“Miss Frisk,” she happily reminds him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9dC6BVlYn
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZHMHON18u
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcijPXgCAu
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mGBIW2Yge
The room goes still and all eyes rest on Viggo and Madeline.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMA96SO64J
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNHTnXoLXr
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ022wgmw96O
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUm0yAUhqZ
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?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHk5dSdZbiM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfsSQbyRQn
The girl fakes a vomiting sound, to everyone’s scattered laughter.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMtuP3hNS3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4RvsvKXhx
“You can leave now,” Viggo chuckles.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKEFofFAPv
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQvwBRzpVc
“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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz12DmJ45fy
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuH4WWZH9p
The Desjardins leave apologetically before a loud coffee spill.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqccRIK1PyA
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZxGhfPtSa
“Someone will clean that up,” Dr. Fanfare calls after her.
“Come on down,” Viggo tells the rest of the interns.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJX42mSVGF
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBH37txSYn
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Asvw21rjA
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1fw0fGDIV
Wonder how that will go.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfNI0sTAVm
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3HeXwCE2e
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80EFlTQXSk
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg66iVV58m
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtyBHS7XgA
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCsKUcfeKd
Chills crawl down Kirby’s arms to his feet just from thinking about it.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WAR92XLco
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPsf9SMZDx
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVzq93QUAF
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDdgnTkoZw
What!? Kirby wheezes, tensing up.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQnAist8p3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu6NLDIa1w
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. 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldbyrq1w5U
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS811hMZflu
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ344zmQMdsD
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lixq0gT2F
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsecsJcXhQK
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Fk4cg7h76
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzyfWhpylR
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfgFdatV5l
Then with a low whine, MyHAVEN fades in with an eerie glow. It is loading.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2VMJEJm3Y
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpdwJRIQgn
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!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6Zzw455Eg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyofgNaEan2
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJN4fIfyo9H
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8khdCbFCV
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPpaimho4k
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5UdY51d1o
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBkKwCP2I3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtUvLXH4Tv
Soon, he will enter this world of Viggo Hayes’s design.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MKCaYWUMo
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMudc2T6Lv
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsUE80E9VB
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe8pdlVnyt
Darkness splits, doors sliding open and revealing the vast galaxy.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QsSkrwAgi
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPjj91eLAw
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhdTiBj0dS
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXkMLNLl82
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! 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ke0GqmuJE
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaVkvS9HXL
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8HWlGe0Im
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GawmIho4C
Kirby clutches his head with agony. I don’t like this.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWXIPXJGnp
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZaw0DK70P
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyAWgzb6wq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsmJASnPGL
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XrHlRA9A5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWTip42np5
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgmdHONdkm
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRYKQQPTPm
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YBrpOukpg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7zw1De7ku
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcW6YfHL4V0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyz9btWEl5
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwl1Wounci
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKrreLYIQE
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!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOWIVhwZWP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVJsARqT75
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX08zUTYJgU
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVEGvl4g0g
And people wonder why he doesn’t just get hearing aids or cochlear implants.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziCdeLYXgr
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ye1BN3Noh
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5knTqPF0HK
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzyhq49Z4G
MaverickClark: Look at that! This theater’s YUGE!508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2y1iG7vpEi
SimoneChaput: I’m loving the red carpet. Ready for my close-up, fellas.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1H2ogOoT0y
DrFanfare: You look sick, Kirby! 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtatfUrpNtg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInx9SZP0ZJ
He smiles and assures her he’s feeling much better now.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhApol7Jgqx
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CNKGbAEe7
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqYqltwl6m
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvIvF2bXVF
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiXx8B9GfM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrrkL4oCMz
DrFanfare: All that junk food, no side effects. No upset stomach, no acid reflux, no bacne. It’s genius if you ask me. 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsKGBLaLhp
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWOtrlLHA1
It registers on Simone’s face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOktI42AY6
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeZyWQMKRv
SimoneChaput: You’re right... This is a real theater, but better. 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcH9lA6IOX
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoETEPscPp6
Maverick grips Kirby’s shoulder out of morbid fascination. They hug, which seems real and kind of a pleasant tingling.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4lIeeFgQf
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvFlHD7j1M
MaverickClark: Sorry. Now I kinda feel perverse.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTJEZetpao
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGkWYNXYL2
“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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FjdM5czI5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrxunPvPOn
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKQo6FuDjs
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunRTtPXbp5
DrFanfare: I’ve never actually seen the movie, Sky’s Falling, yet. I heard it’s incredible! Have you seen it? 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0tSsQbAiS
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEY1mvgM4K2
Simone and Maverick eagerly admit they haven’t either.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsev1gS4SDo
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTbGabkeS7
SimoneChaput: I’ve been itching for an opportunity though.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbufEXZsZt
MaverickClark: Especially here! And now! I’m so in. 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2BnrVvnIJ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9eSHzz99I
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqd8YpX4qe2
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6E9Q0kUY3
He frowns at a camera slowly tracking him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjoiWqgRGt
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2q11nZCGf
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt802hNV1J
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqZdrUJ9ch
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNnOL6edyK
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJPyD3xEq4
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuo1S9lfLP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8uvn7EBIQ
Fade to black. Credits crawl.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgYg7Pzr0H
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWAs30r1NZ
DrFanfare: Good job, Kirby! I loved it. Whoop, our two hours are just about up. Byebye. See you on the other side, everyone!508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41v127lwoq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVQ5Qt2YmX
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuRAfSxhXV
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUU0UyWzk0x
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJh4zCcYHAO
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JfOnkw7B9
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3ZyJKbkST
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxmnfWj6cP
The popcorn stand catches his eye. He gets that funny feeling.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwRW3imjLe
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNHeCdJ8rZ
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgM38PXYAY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEimjvNAGy
Thought there was something secret here.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MUkDXs44c
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTYHqg3pWZ
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pIOPYbbps
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡailFsue6Il
“HELLO!” Kirby shouts freely.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMGhChADXs
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0yP4RADa4
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. 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfmjTFOGkU
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlC56BBoHwV
To his horror, Kirby looks back. Nothing stirs.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7QNBRW1hd
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JDdBbBJNx
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFZNjqvVH2
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyhUxgRUu1
He scrambles back from Viggo Hayes’s body hung from a red noose. Oh shit.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEJiczfDN0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhojGRcprxC
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMWKyW8j2r
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHaIH54vWS
It’s just someone’s sick prank.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTWki5DLXS
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBO0lpRSLv
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ihrXir1pT
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJVqNxCRhh
Kirby frowns. What’s going on? He’d never put that in his world. One bedbug becomes hundreds skittering and crawling from the darkness.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmJm4QLX5g
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtq6691imOT
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhFb14owqY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rGEMTnafy
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZDufQuAfh
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUHVgeOKag
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJjUmSEiBg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEpXS1Wh12
DomTaylor: “Stop filming. I don’t trust drones.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLr6i6TCbU
ViggoHayes: “Sorry, cap’n.” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjby7WmBWI
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3F83964Zn
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBwWiBLdsf
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlew3OYMZwC
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsY4h3LRGzV
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6s4YzvNMg
DomTaylor: “I’ve handpicked the winners by the way.” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIsqGUBIxV
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaRyiPSou9
This makes Viggo and Kirby pause. He’s talking about the contest.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ589Ta5a4Q4
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17WGmvxKIf
ViggoHayes: “Winners? There should be only one.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzGBWNZ0w5
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.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDe5EwNwWZD
ViggoHayes: “All right. Who are they?”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaq3LSIKFTk
DomTaylor: “Kirby Hayes and Iris Frisk.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsF8pR3e6X
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QfgIqnLak
This makes Viggo and Kirby freeze. But Viggo looks a touch betrayed.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjomPjOmyHZ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfYufZ4hyQ
DomTaylor: “What’s the matter? Thought you’d look more pleased.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvgzrOOzC3
ViggoHayes: “Why are you doing this to me?” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbYfQ9jcr4
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuW0wIG0Aqu
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Qok8yQdpc
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GqA3bRhOQ
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuqnNtTk8c
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec3yZW0Pwl
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrNgGyOx82
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LxfZ9ikLn
Viggo’s jaw smashes the floor. He spits out blood and a tooth.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ha2dD7Hax
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5cXBGdfz5
Ishmael’s howls waver to whines.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡignrGPdzg5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc0UWZXXDK
DomTaylor: “Enough!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz2WDyLdht
ViggoHayes: “You promised you wouldn’t choose them, Dom ...” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdclTjvSPkj
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFXbgQIWBe
Taylor stands to his feet, panting. He glares down at him with distaste.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweD7qhPXDK
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8ku4UPden
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!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDZj2HXmDH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZoa7UfV3u
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiavaUJFLq
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEppSyoNw6
Subtitles inform him of the footsteps behind him. He slowly looks back and goes weak in the knees.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrtyQfzQxe
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLUHIBhRJK
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiOgt6kdcM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxEfdAVkOm
He flinches when the Spook points a gloved finger his way.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnAPPLb27o
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkHkQpCwkD
“Boo.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmqGwVZMaJ
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mhHLP49Qn
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…508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYbBqbpasM
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzBcl3oLzd
He peeks again. The Spook points at him, this time in broad daylight.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69m7jGimJc
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPBbF1WRna
“Sorry you lived. I’ll try harder next time.” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDBYSR3oQH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3FK3AtAiY
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDJ0lfQsS5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5QAXuEXoL
He dies.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BkRUyZG0m
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jVtYHhQ5J
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg5w7vFBQH
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnurbRGSbPi
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jkuA12F7O
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Qq1VmTdYR
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjvlxlIbxY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbD4Uqhfpi
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xRp3wQkP8
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ5lSxrQPM
Kirby realizes Viggo has his hand wrapped around the emergency brake.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbfals4ACa
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCszIeUFpN8
They stare at each other.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSocx7kOdR
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjjF6QjLlV
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!508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8IkmMS11a
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkRejNW54F
The car flips.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfachxvxi2
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaNbQevZLU
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28yPv1DdVC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjzTFW9jwx
Kirby’s face is thrown forward.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmyV2FUptX
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYq1u5TDMcG
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6plHdn1zg
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMFfP30Htg
He dies again.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBz8VAQNiP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiscODlc0za
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZx9t2zo36f
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk79zceGayd
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0XjCJbeWU
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dhoW48q0V
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv6WGHvXiC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbgBsobVu4
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqh3Bw3K6s
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUPY8iX3b7
Kirby grins a bigger one back at him.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNn6aOACMN
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0377CE3Vag
Anonymous: “You’re okay.” 508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFR3c3VJ9D
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8w4KSaJiT6
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbwp4G3J2F
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUi73zCNSm
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dbWAheh7V
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkXclDw2wh
But the Spook emerges. “Your time is coming.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCkS37NOW5
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZY2DH8u0b
Chance tenses up, seeing that sad mask for the first time. The plane smokes something terrible, setting on fire.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvoPnJxWh3
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaWRIP0m7F
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSS1wFFT8B
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNAvub61hX
Their world gets erased with a zip, turning blank. It in fact turns bright white, leaving nothing behind but three avatars.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYWD9RJyAY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmA71Iwj9xS
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!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdorpEtmiG
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmDj94FR5p
Kirby jabs at the Exit button. Like a deflating balloon, it all goes black.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ0ufytqLF
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAthvm0QBMj
The MyHAVEN pod unlocks, opening slightly ajar by itself.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkSOyCirxu
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes6nlcearh
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lttPzb1tB
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQ8jLM2ARv
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNj9xMXyeC
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOXDE7wcsu
His wrist leans into the door, prying it open slightly. His shoulder presses into it. Fucking open.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysUNiMCQed
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDVgMzbtL5
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREZUhJxLPf
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzi1uLwJ6K
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWUrPV5SxY
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxcMmGKgMg
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdcSG3PKFj
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqECLk5dLlg
A shadow lurks through the rosewood study.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlx3HSGPp0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUycJmaIRy
His heart pounds. Please, he thinks. Not like this.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqlWPOnAom
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qVnmYroxO
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?508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4kltiOJvP
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0V4zzp2U3
A haunting face.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lf4r4992l
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZKu5OeQJC
An impossible face, bearded white.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvgnnPlT9G
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXz8nk1Tq0
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.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazkCro8SFv
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQCvhUIYbA
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!”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hm52PoiS0
508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1VHlca4sd
No, Kirby realizes. Professor Dominic Taylor is very much alive.
THE SPOOK IS SAD
Jack Steele Adams
ns216.73.216.197da2
