Interlude-Brandon (The Game is Life) Page 5

  “What are they saying about his chances, Wesley? A normal child lives inside the facility for eight years, and many burn out before graduation. Does anyone think he will make it the thirteen?”

  “Most believe that he will do more than just make it, sir,” Wesley said. “They know it’s a longer shot than normal, but those who know the system are saying he could be another Cooper.”

  “Another Cooper…” the Administrator said. “That would be something.”

  ===

  “Wow, look who’s come to watch us get accepted into the Facility!” Tony nudged Brandon lightly in the ribs and pointed.

  Brandon glanced towards the front of the room where the instructors were sitting. Cooper and the rest of the A Hand were entering the room, smiling and waving as the newest group of facility applicants began to cheer and shout out calls of adoration. The chief instructor stood and approached the men to welcome them. Cooper leaned forward and whispered something to the instructor, causing him to smile and nod his head.

  The five members of the Hand sat down in the chairs provided, and the chief instructor walked towards the front of the stage to begin the ceremony.

  “It’s been an exciting two weeks for all of us during these trials. I hope each one of you is happy to be sitting here instead of back in your home Centres.” Some of the children called out in agreement. Everyone remaining was relieved to have made it through the trials. The kids who didn’t make it could try out one more time next year, but they would lose a year in the game facility and never be as skilled as the ones who had made the cut today.

  “Normal procedure during this ceremony is to call you up from rank twenty to one and give you your player pin. Before we get to that, we have a special treat for you all. We're fortunate today to have some very special guests with us. The Right Hand of the ‘A’s’ join us to celebrate your acceptance into the facility.” Again there was more cheering and applause. This was an exciting bonus for the children that they would never forget. Word of this honour would make its way around the rest of the facility, helping to increase their reputation among the entire gaming community.

  “Before we get started, Cooper has asked to address you all. Cooper, if you would do us the honour?”

  Cooper stood up and sauntered to the front of the stage. He smiled and looked out over the students, pausing periodically to make eye contact with some of them. His eyes met Brandon’s and his grin became more sly. Brandon returned his smile and nodded slightly.

  “I still remember my entrance ceremony,” Cooper began. “The General wasn’t as busy back then as he is today, and he was our guest speaker. He didn’t stay long, or say much, but what he did say still occupies my thoughts, whether I’m out on a secret mission, or training other soldiers to fight for our country.”

  Cooper paused and the entire room seemed very quiet. “Don’t save your best effort for later, because later never arrives.”

  Cooper walked back and forth across the stage as he continued to speak. “Today there are thirty children who might have been better than all of you at playing the Games. We will never know if that’s true, because they weren’t better than you yesterday, or the day before.” He pointed to the doorway and shook his finger. “Out there are kids who have more practice, and training, and experience than you at the games you will now learn to play, but that doesn’t matter. Any of you can beat them, on the right day, at the right moment, under the right set of conditions.

  “Some of you are afraid to be number one too soon. Some of you didn’t do your very best at each moment of competing. I know why you did it. You’re planning strategies… you’re afraid of having others come for you before you’re ready to compete with them. There are many reasons, and although I understand these reasons, I do not accept them.”

  Cooper stopped walking and looked directly at Brandon. “If you were a member of my Hand, I would kick you from my squad and send you home.” Brandon felt the force of those words as if he was being hit in the stomach. “You’re playing games to learn how to play the real game; the game of life. Life wants your best effort every second, not some of the time… all the time. If I were to do less than my best for even one moment, then my brothers or sisters could die.”

  Cooper began to move along the stage again. “Many are afraid that if they use up everything they have now, then they won’t have anything to use in the next game. I am here to tell you, kids, that you will always have more. The more you use, the more you make. I know most of you won’t believe me, but it’s true.”

  Cooper walked back to the middle of the stage and saluted the crowd. “I look forward to serving with some of you, and I’m honoured to know you all. Don’t save your best effort for later, because later never arrives.”

  Cooper walked back to his seat and sat down. The crowd erupted in loud applause and shouting. Cooper smiled and nodded his head in thanks, graciously indicating his teammates, who also waved to the crowd. Brandon stood and applauded with the rest. Cooper glanced at Brandon and made eye contact with him, raising his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

  Brandon smiled and nodded back, thinking to himself, Message received, Cooper.

  Cooper nodded in satisfaction.

  Chapter 13

  Brandon was standing in the bathroom again, not twitching a muscle as the three black rats waited for him to move and give up his position.

  “They stay longer each time we are here,” the sloth said. Brandon smiled slowly and looked to his right. The sloth sat in its tree surrounded by the golden tinged rain forest .

  While you take longer to arrive each time we are here, Brandon thought. I didn’t think you would appear this time.

  The sloth chuckled softly. “I’m getting tired of this dream, Brandon. How many times have we sat here and waited for the rats to depart?”

  Twelve, Brandon thought.

  “I marvel at your patience,” the sloth said. “Oh, wait — I use the wrong word. I marvel at your laziness. Yes, that is a more fitting word for this situation,” the sloth nodded.

  What do you mean, laziness? You told me to stand still the first time I came here.

  “Yes, that is what I told you to do… the first time,” the sloth said. “When you find yourself somewhere new and you don’t know what’s going on, the best thing to do is to stand still and try to figure out what’s going on. I also recommend trying something, eventually. I would have tried something long ago,” the sloth grinned at Brandon. “I’m a sloth, and this process has been too long and slow even for me.”

  Brandon felt his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. What should I do, then?

  “Ahh, excellent!” the Sloth said. “I expect you to ask for help. When you find yourself in a new and possibly dangerous situation, first stand still, and next look for help. You may not always find it, but you should always look for it. The main reason for being stuck in one place is because we don’t even bother to look for a different or better place to go.”

  That makes sense.

  “Thank you,” the sloth said. “You are lucky to be learning such lessons so early in your life. Now listen closely to what I tell you, Brandon. We are about to move to the next part of this dream.”

  Brandon listened while the sloth told him what to do. It wasn’t truly listening, it was more like feeling and seeing what was to be done. He nodded and smiled confidently when the sloth finished communicating with him.

  Brandon closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and took one step forward and clapped his hands together. As his hands met, a boom like a tremendous thunderclap filled the room, shaking the ground and walls. In perfect unison, the rats turned their heads to focus on Brandon. Their empty eye sockets appeared to glitter with blackness, and the corners of their mouths turned upwards in evil smiles.

  In the blink of an eye they launched themselves towards Brandon, their jaws opening wide to tear the boy’s flesh from his bones.

  Brandon was faster. Their feet had barely left the ground wh
en they froze, floating in midair. The rats began to scream in frustration, their teeth gnashing and paws reaching for their prey. Brandon smiled. His hands were shoulder width apart, his fingers stiff with tension as he used his will to hold the rats in place. Slowly he began to bring his hands together, curling his fingers so that one hand cupped the other. As his hands moved together the rats came closer to each other. They began to press into one another and then squeeze against each other. Sensing what was happening, the rats began to scream in fear as they were crushed together until they were nothing but a tight, dead ball of disgusting fur.

  Brandon released his concentration and the small ball of dead rats fell to the ground with a dull thud. Brandon sank to one knee; the effort had clearly weakened him.

  “Very well done, Brandon.” The sloth said. “Better than I would have guessed. Perhaps all that waiting helped you to store enough energy for the task.”

  “Stop it,” Brandon laughed. He could talk out loud now that the rats were gone.

  “How do you feel? Could you do it again if you had to?”

  “Right now?” Brandon asked. He thought about it for a moment and stood up straight. “Yes, I think I could.”

  “Excellent,” the sloth said. “Show me.” The floor began to swirl again, and three more rats appeared.

  This time Brandon reacted quickly. He repeated the entire process, and in seconds the three rats were dead.

  “Good,” the sloth said. “Now get ready, third time’s the charm.”

  Three more rats appeared and were dead before they were even fully emerged from their holes. Brandon sank heavily to the ground. The effort had drained a significant amount of his energy. “I think that’s all I can do right now,” he said. “If you bring more they will have to eat me.”

  “That will be enough for this session,” the sloth said. “When you leave this place try to remember what it felt like, to stop them and crush them. Think about it for a few minutes right away, and then again during the day.”

  “Okay,” Brandon said.

  “We will see you soon, Brandon,” the sloth said. “Your next visit will be more fun.”

  “What do you mean, we?” Brandon asked. The rain forest began to fade. Behind the sloth, Brandon thought he could see a giant owl launch itself into the air and fly away.

  Brandon woke up and stretched. He could still feel the power in his hands and body. If three ugly black rats suddenly jumped out at him now, Brandon was sure that he could grab them with invisible hands and crush them.

  He quickly shook his head. That was only possible in his dream, wasn’t it?

  Chapter 14

  “If I could have everyone’s attention, please,” the head instructor said. He stood on the stage of the main gathering hall, the only room in the Game Facility large enough to accommodate the entire population. It was uncommon for unscheduled assemblies to occur, and everyone was excited to know the reason for it.

  “The General is here. It’s been some time since his last visit and I know that we are all excited to have him back. The General has come to make a very special announcement, so please join me in welcoming him to the stage.”

  The crowd launched into loud, animated cheering. Everyone loved the General. When these children had lost their parents, the world had abandoned them. It was the General who’d built facilities all over the country to take them in. It was the General who made certain they were fed and clothed and educated. It was the General who followed their progress, and wished each child a happy birthday with a personally handwritten card, or note, or video message on their special day. All the children of the Centres loved the General. He was their father, and they were fiercely loyal to him.

  None of them realized that they were, in fact, carefully cultivated slaves. The Centres were a massive psychological experiment in control and manipulation. The General had spent billions of credits on every detail of the child rearing process to ensure that his military machine and agenda were provided with the best possible human resources. Teams of top psychologists from around the world had designed the Centres to raise and develop their wards. The children were conditioned to compete, excel, and worship the General. He was in the business of finding and training loyal soldiers who would live and die for him without thought for themselves, and the Children’s Centres had proven extremely effective at delivering this goal.

  The General walked onto the stage, smiling and pumping his fists with excitement. These were his children, and his smile conveyed the pride he felt at being in their midst. He moved to the edge of the stage and touched hands with the children as they pushed forward in an attempt to make physical contact with their hero. After a few moments, he went back to the microphone and smiled as the cheering continued. Finally, he raised his hands and the cheering quickly subsided.

  “You are the best of my children,” he said. This statement caused another round of cheering, and it took several minutes before they calmed down enough so that he could continue. The General smiled and waved during the applause, letting them build into a frenzy of excitement and adoration.

  “I know, a parent isn’t supposed to have favourites,” the General said when they quieted down. “The cold hard truth is that when a Gamer turns eighteen, the world becomes a much better place for having the protection that you all bring to it.”

  Again the crowd of over 1500 gamers roared with pride and excitement. The General navigated the stage and worked the crowd until it quieted down.

  “I’m here to share some very exciting news with you all today,” he said. The crowd became silent; the few who continued to talk were hissed at by their neighbours. No one wanted to miss the General’s announcement.

  “I’m here to announce something truly exciting,” the General said. “The face of Gaming is about to change forever, and you will be the first to lead the way.”

  The General waved his arm and the huge curtain on the wall opened to reveal a massive view screen. The lights dimmed and a program began to play. In the video, the General appeared and began to speak. Over the next fifteen minutes, the video told the crowd about virtual reality and how it worked. Then it cut to a scene of a young person putting on a headset and being immersed in a virtual reality simulation. The video was professionally produced; it was both informative and exciting. When the screen went blank and the lights came up, the room was completely silent.

  The General looked out over his audience and smiled inwardly. He could see the hunger in the children’s eyes. They had been introduced to the future of playing games, and they wanted to play. “Some of you will be playing in virtual reality before the year is over,” he said.

  The crowd cheered loudly. The General grinned.

  Standing in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by kids much larger than himself, Brandon stood quietly. No matter what it took, he knew that he would be one of those kids.

  Deep down, Brandon knew this was his destiny.

  Chapter 15

  “There must be a way to immerse an individual into VR without putting them onto a table and inducing a coma,” the General said.

  “Why?” Thorn asked.

  “It’s too… invasive,” the General said. “Why not just put a helmet on and sit still in a chair? I’ve seen prototypes like that.”

  “Failed prototypes,” Thorn said. “The reason is complicated, General, but valid. The subconscious mind is more complex and aware than we realize. If you are able to move around, even in the slightest capacity, the subconscious part of the brain detects it and prevents a successful virtual reality experience.”

  The General looked at Thorn, his jaw twitching slowly. “Have you ever experienced it?” he asked. “Have you gone into the VR simulation?”

  Thorn flashed the General a sly smile. “Maybe I’m in a simulation right now,” he said.

  The General laughed, and then stopped as he considered what Thorn was implying. His face became thoughtful; what if life itself was nothing more than a computer generated
reality? As the implications of the thought sank in, the General scowled, causing Thorn to laugh.

  “I’m just fooling with you, General. Of course we aren’t in a simulation right now; that would be too incredible to believe. To answer your question, I have entered the VR matrix multiple times.”

  “I wish I could experience it,” the General said. He looked like a young boy daydreaming about a far off fantasy world.

  “I could arrange it,” Thorn suggested.

  “Absolutely not!” the General snapped. “Such a thing would be out of the question. If I were to die, or be harmed, or lost… this world needs me here.”

  “Perhaps we can come up with a method for using a headset,” Thorn said.

  “You said it’s impossible.”

  “I said we can’t do it that way at the present time, General. I agree with you that it would be better if we could use a headset and avoid the complicated process we currently employ. Thanks to you, I now have the funds and resources to work on developing better methods to put a subject into VR.”

  “Let me know when you succeed,” the General said. “I want to try it out. This whole idea is fascinating to me, Mr. Thorn, I’d really love to give it a spin.”

  “You know,” Thorn said, “I would be willing to let you call me Samson, if you feel this whole ‘General’ and “Mr. Thorn’ name calling is too formal…”

  The General made a sour face, but then smiled at Thorn. “I would like that, Mr. Thorn, but I’m afraid our country needs the General more than they do Donovan. The decisions and choices that I must make daily are too much of a burden for a simple man. If I was Donovan during those times, I don’t think I’d still be here. The General is a strong and capable creature. As much as I would like to be Donovan, I must remain the General.”