Power Up, page 2
“Bring it back,” he repeated more firmly, his eyes locked on hers. She had tried arguing with him before when he got like this. It rarely ended well for her. This wasn’t part of the demonstration, and for good reason.
Jas glanced over at Miles. He looked nervous. Actually, he looked more than nervous. He looked guilty. Like someone about to commit a crime.
All eyes were on Jas again, but this time she didn’t have reason and scientific method to calm her nerves. Quite the opposite. All their experiments had ended the same way. Statistically speaking, there was a high probability the board members were about to witness something that would require several rounds of therapy to forget.
“Start the transmission,” she said meekly. She was barely audible over the hum of the equipment.
“You sure?” Miles replied. It sounded like concern, but Jas knew exactly what it was. He wanted to make it clear that he was only following orders. That what was about to happen was on her, not him.
This was it, her last chance to turn back. Jas glanced over to James, hoping he might change his mind. He nodded for her to proceed, his eyes steely and impassive.
“Begin transmission,” she said, accepting what was about to happen.
Miles did as asked, and green grid lines appeared on the mouse on the screen. The blue light in the glass box shifted to green, and shone as brilliantly before, almost blinding the board members. Jas instinctively pulled her protective goggles down over her eyes, but it wasn’t the light she was protecting her eyes from. She didn’t want the board to see her closing her eyes.
The mouse briefly appeared back in the glass room in one entire piece, which was a first. For a fleeting moment Jas let herself believe this might be it, their one in a million chance. It was dashed by the earsplitting screams of a small rodent being forcibly turned inside out. That was quickly followed by an even worse smell. When the green light finally died down, it revealed red smears on the inside of the glass, with a handful of larger chunks. Jas noticed a fully intact, pink tail, which was the largest piece they’d successfully transmitted. She chalked that up as a minor victory, but it was highly doubtful the mouse would describe anything that had just happened as successful.
“Dear god, you killed it,” bellowed Moustache, in a very déjà vu kind of way.
“Yes, this time, your statement is accurate. The mouse is indeed dead,” Jas said with a sigh. She avoided making eye contact with James, but she could feel his glare burning into her. She was starting to envy the mouse.
James attempted to turn things around. “As you can see, right now it’s a one-way trip, but we’re working hard on the return journey. All the more reason why continued funding is so important.”
“But that mouse…” started the wispy lady.
“Has made a noble sacrifice in the name of science, like so many of its kind. You don’t get to live on the cutting edge without a few bumps and bruises along the way.”
His point was punctuated by a wet plop as the tail rolled off the table and onto the floor.
Even Moustache was speechless, and James saw his opportunity. “Now please, let’s continue this conversation upstairs and leave the technicians to troubleshoot.”
He ushered the still-stunned board members from the room and threw a glance at Jas to let her know how much trouble she was in.
When the lift doors shut, Jas finally exhaled and fought the urge to vomit. She only held on because there was already enough mess to clean up. She glanced over at Miles, who looked considerably less traumatized. He grinned. “I think that went pretty well until the end.”
“Until the end? You mean the part where we exploded a living creature inside a transparent box, in front of the entire board of directors?”
“Yeah. That part wasn’t great, but they seemed happy about everything else,” Miles replied with a shrug.
An idiot. She was working with an idiot. He wasn’t qualified to operate a laser printer, yet they let him play with high-powered lasers that could make your insides become your outsides.
It was times like this she really missed Professor Jasper. He was the brilliant mind that had guided them through every bump in the road. After their initial rocky start, he was the one with the tremendous breakthrough, the simplification of the formula that allowed seamless scanning and transfer. He’d flipped their world upside down and then vanished. No-one had seen or heard from him since.
Which left her stuck with Miles.
“Run a full diagnostic. James is going to want to know what happened here, and we better have a damn good answer.”
“Already running,” he replied, in a demonstration of almost competence. It was telling that the part of the process he had the most practice with was determining what went wrong.
Why couldn’t Miles have done something right this one time?
Jas paused. Perhaps some good might come of this after all. If she could prove unequivocally that this was Miles’ fault, then maybe, just maybe, she could break the spell and get James to fire him. She’d settle for no assistant over this walking catastrophe. At least then she’d have one less thing to worry about.
***
James closed the door behind the last board member and slumped into a chair. Those people were exhausting. How did anyone get to such a powerful position whilst simultaneously being too afraid to take any kind of risk? It was an utter mystery. He promised he’d never end up like that, terrified of every new technology that dared to peek its head over the horizon.
He didn’t need them for much longer. If his silent partners came good on their promise, he wouldn’t need anyone. He’d have more than enough money to run whatever experiments he wanted. There were only a few more kinks to iron out, and then he would be free of performing like a trained monkey.
Right on cue, his phone rang. Not his normal phone, the one he’d been given. No-one but them had the number, and he only had one instruction. Answer when it rang, no matter what.
He cleared his throat and accepted the call. Before he could speak, the heavily synthesized voice on the other end said, “State your timeline.”
Straight to business, as always. Whoever they were, they certainly weren’t a fan of small talk.
James cleared his throat. “We’re close. Very close. We need another couple of weeks to….”
“You have 48 hours.”
“But 48 hours will not be…”
There was a sound as the other end disconnected.
He had two days.
A volatile mixture of emotions competed for his attention. Anger, frustration, panic, and regret. He’d sacrificed too much for this to go wrong now. He would be ready in time, no matter what it took.
James was walking back through the lobby when he noticed the solitary light coming from the offices. He knew who it belonged to. He strolled down the hallway and knocked on the door.
A woman’s voice said, “Who is it?”
“It’s James.”
The door swung open to reveal a bedraggled woman in a gaming t-shirt that seriously needed a wash. She brushed her strawberry-blonde hair out of her face and said, “I know what you’re going to say.”
He smiled. “I’m going to say it anyway. Go home, Sarah!”
“I can’t. Not now. I’ve almost cracked the problem.”
“Look, I’ve been working hard to change the corporate culture around here. The industry still jokes that DAS will only employ insomniacs. It’s not helping when everyone sees you here at 11pm. I know you’re working through some personal stuff, but trust me, this isn’t the answer. If the CEO is saying you work too much, you might have a problem.”
She laughed. “Point taken. I promise I’ll leave as soon as…”
“Now Sarah. Whatever you’re working on will still be here tomorrow.”
She hung her head, defeated. “You’re right. I’m going.”
He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all going to be ok. You know where I am if you ever need to talk. I worry about you. I don’t want you to burn out. You’re one of our most important team members.”
“Thanks, James. I really appreciate your support through all this. Most CEOs wouldn’t even know my name, let alone care that I’m working late.”
“Well, I care, Sarah, I really do. Now GO HOME!” He emphasized the last two words playfully.
“I will. Promise. I’m shutting down now.”
James nodded and left. He made a note to have a chat with his head of security. They were under strict instructions to let him know if an employee was still in the building after 10pm. Things could have gone horribly wrong. Now wasn’t the time for rookie mistakes.
He made his way back to the lift. He still had employees to kick out before the real work could begin.
Level 2: Collateral Damage
The knight and the ninja stood facing each other, the stone walls of the castle courtyard boxing them in and preventing escape. There was a moment of silence before a voice loudly proclaimed “Fight!”
The ninja darted forwards, sword flashing, as the knight hunkered behind his shield. The clangs of steel on steel echoed through the castle hall as sparks flew, scattering across the stone floors. The ninja took a step back, before somersaulting over the knight, throwing a fistful of shurikens, into his back before he could bring his shield around.
“Did you see that!” said Carlos excitedly.
Marcus grunted in acknowledgement. He was too busy staring at his phone, willing it to spring to life with light or sound. He ignored the spindly crack in the corner of the screen, a constant reminder of the time he’d lost his temper. He couldn’t afford to lose it again, both emotionally and financially.
Carlos sighed beside him. “Mate, I don’t think you’re taking this epic battle as seriously as you should be. Staring at your phone won’t make Sarah text you. It’s time to move on.”
Marcus fixed Carlos with one of his angrier scowls. As soon as he did, Carlos launched into a combo attack, his hands a blur on the controller. The ninja sliced away at the knight’s health bar. Marcus took the first two hits before slamming the ninja with the shield, leaving Carlos stunned and vulnerable. The knight backed away, shield raised.
“Why didn’t you attack?” said Carlos incredulously, as the ninja shook off the stun.
“Wasn’t the right time. It would have left me vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable to what, a rare victory? You ran away!”
“I created space,” said Marcus defensively.
“Listen to yourself. You’ve gone soft. You can’t run from every fight. Eventually, the fight will come to you. You can’t parry your way through life. Sometimes you have to attack.” The ninja sprinted up the wall, faking a strike. Marcus tried another shield slam, but his timing was off and the ninja crashing into him. With practised ease the ninja grabbed the knight and flipped the armoured foe over his shoulder. The knight landed with a clatter, but before he could get back up the ninja plunged his sword through the knight’s visor, dropping his health to zero.
The loud voice informed Marcus that he was defeated. Defeated was exactly the right word for how he felt.
He muttered, “I know what you’re doing. You’re preying on my vulnerable state.”
“Perhaps I wouldn’t do that if it was less effective,” said Carlos. “My next question is, when’s this going to stop working?”
“It’s only been a couple of months.”
“Exactly. You’ve had loads of time. The battle’s over, and you’re still waiting for an attack to parry.”
“I miss her.” Marcus’ voice wobbled.
Carlos rolled his eyes. “Not this again. Pull yourself together, man. You saved the world, for goodness’ sake.”
“I did that with parrying!”
“I think it’s safe to call that an exceptional situation.”
Marcus slumped deeper into the couch. “I just wish I knew why she left.”
“We’ve talked about this. She left because you can’t relax. You spend all day worrying about stuff that’s never going to happen. She’s not a damsel in distress, she can handle her own business,” said Carlos.
“I didn’t want to lose her!”
“Yeah? How’d that work out for you?”
Marcus opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. After a moment he said, “So how do I fix it?”
“You don’t. The war’s lost. Stop licking your wounds and find something or someone else to care about.”
Marcus glared at Carlos. “I seem to recall the last time we had this conversation, you promised to stop being so blunt and try to sugarcoat things.”
“That was me sugarcoating it…”
“Sometimes I think you’re trying to start a fight,” said Marcus.
“What was I just saying? You always wait for someone else to start the fight. You need to stick up for yourself.”
“You know how I feel about her.”
“I know because you won’t shut up about it!”
Marcus narrowed his gaze. “You could always find a new place to live.”
“And leave you alone in this bachelor palace?” Carlos gestured to the pile of dirty dishes that was defying the laws of physics by remaining upright. It could only maintain its tremendous height because of the stack of empty pizza boxes surrounding its base, providing a sturdy foundation. The tinfoil takeaway cartons added the aroma of chicken korma and vindaloo to complete the pungent picture.
“You live here too, you know. I’m not your maid,” said Marcus.
“Good thing too, cause I’d totally fire you for this.”
Marcus wanted to stay mad, to have a target for his anger, but Carlos flashed his stupid grin. It was annoyingly effective at making Marcus chuckle, and once that happened, he usually forgot what they were arguing about. Deep down, he knew Carlos was trying to help, even if he was absolutely terrible at it.
Noises from the television drew their attention. The ninja struck a celebratory pose, sheathing his samurai sword. Carlos tutted. “This is all nonsense. A real ninja wouldn’t have such an unwieldy weapon. A long sword would be far too cumbersome for stealthy assassinations. He’d likely carry a dagger, or possibly a kunai.”
Marcus rolled his eyes. “Seriously, you get your yellow-belt and suddenly you’re a master of ninja strategy?”
“I can’t help it if I’m keen to expand my horizons.”
“I know, but with the Taekwondo, and the parkour, and the archery training, don’t you think you’ve taken things a little far?”
Carlos bristled. “What? No way! It’s all a bit of fun…”
Marcus hesitated. He didn’t want to bounce from one familiar argument to another. Carlos had been trying to re-live the game ever since they’d been booted back to the real world, but reality couldn’t compete. No amount of parkour training would let him double jump.
A new message appeared on the game:
50 consecutive victories. You have received a bonus of 50 power points. Only 2450 more required to unlock your next outfit. Purchase 2,500 power points for only £4.99
Carlos scoffed. “Bloody DAS and their micro transactions. I’ll tell them where they can shove their power points!”
“They wouldn’t do it if customers didn’t buy them.”
“You’re only sticking up for them because Sarah works there,” Carlos said, almost as if he was trying to start a new fight.
Marcus fought the urge to jump to Sarah’s defence. He knew Carlos would point out that she could fight her own battles. Instead, Marcus took a deep breath and said, “She doesn’t have much of a choice. They bought up all the local game companies.”
“That’s no excuse. I’d rather be unemployed than work for the DAS-holes.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You are unemployed.”
“Yeah, well, someone has to keep you company. It wasn’t like I was going to keep working for the bastards at Master Systems after everything that happened.” He pressed continue and queued up the next round. “You ready for another thrashing?”
“Not right now. I think fifty losses in a row is quite enough for one night.”
Marcus tossed his controller onto the table, scattering a pile of envelopes with FINAL NOTICE in large red font. Who knew living in a tree house would be so expensive? Especially one that had appeared out of thin air. Apparently, the miracle of its creation wasn’t impressive enough for the man from the council. The only thing that had impressed him was that it was still standing. Apparently, it didn’t adhere to a single building standard. That was some kind of record. Impressively dangerous was how he’d described it in his report. There were some other big D words. Deathtrap, derelict, and destined to collapse, to name a few.
Dumbass was one that Marcus added himself. He should have abandoned the place a long time ago, but the lack of a job made paying rent somewhere else a challenge. It turned out uppercutting your boss into a building didn’t do much for your references. That only left one other option, and he’d rather live in a splinter-infested pile of kindling than move back in with his mum.
There was another reason he stayed, one he kept to himself. The place reminded him of Sarah. They’d shared a moment of happiness here, with the added bonus that she’d been able to actually pay the bills. She’d done so without protest, even while Carlos repeatedly referred to it as blood money.
Marcus thought back to the final fight that had pushed her over the edge and out the door. The memory stung. Marcus glanced at his phone again out of sheer instinct. Carlos said, “Seriously, stop!”
The laughter broke the tension, and Marcus felt the anger fade, if only for a moment. A smile flickered at the edge of his mouth. “I’ll do you a deal. I will stop checking my phone if you put clothes on.”
“A dressing gown is clothes!”
“It most certainly is not. Please put something on. Anything. I’ll give you my phone for the rest of the night if you do. I’ll even play one more round.”
Carlos leapt to his feet, revealing far too much of himself in the process. “Deal!” He held out his hand.
