THE GAME
by Wyndewalker

"C'mon, Toby. Hurry," Sara gasped. Clinging to Toby's hand she dragged him into the underbrush. The once calming sounds of the jungle stabbed at Sara's mind dragging her towards the edge. A shrieking howl ruptured the night air. Sara froze, her eyes wide, searching, probing the darkness for their hunter. The triger's voice sounded again, closer. Sara's breath came in uneven gasps.

"Sara," Toby whimpered, pressed against her side. Gathering him into her arms Sara plunged on. Her heart pounding Sara's mind raced incoherently. The surrounding branches grabbed at their clothes. Vines tangled around Sara's feet, tripping her. Trapping her and Toby for the triger's feasting.

"What're you doing," Angela said coming up behind Mikhail. Startled Mikhail flushed a deep red as he turned from the console to face her.

"Sara is taking run through Game. I vas monitoring her."

Displeased Angela checked the various meters and readouts. Her frown deepened to a glower, "Did you have Dr. Ortiz's permission to let Sara run a level 8 Game?"

"Um, vell," Mikhail tried to think of an excuse, drawing a blank under the glare of Angela's anger.

"I didn't think so."

Fingers flying over the keyboard Angela pushed Mikhail aside. Gasping she froze in shock, staring at the monitor. Slowly turning to Mikhail, Angela whispered, "What have you done?"

Mikhail shivered, "I don't understand."

Grabbing the front of his shirt with both hands Angela lifted Mikhail out of his chair, "You put Sara in a level 8 Game with her dead little brother."

"Please put Mikhail down, Angie-la," Dr. Ortiz's soft accented voice filled the room. Mikhail's feet hit the floor with a dull thump. Pushing his wire-rimmed glasses farther up his nose Dr. Ortiz stepped into the observation room, "Now, what is this about Sara's brother? Please explain, Angie-la."

Glaring at Mikhail she faced Dr. Ortiz, "Mikhail allowed Sara to run a level 8 Game. It's a no-win situation because the computer won't let you rescue a legally dead person. Sara's trying to save her younger brother who died while she was trying to save him four years ago."

"Oh, dear," said Dr. Ortiz, "You'd better stop the Game."

Moving back to the console Angela typed in the code sequence to stop the Game. Blinking she stared at the screen not wanting to believe what she saw. Touching a button Angela said, "Computer, voice override. 1-5-Beta-Xray."

"Voice override code is rejected."

The computer's bland voice belied the dangerous meaning of its words. Coming to stand next to Angela, Dr. Ortiz spoke, "Computer, emergency voice override of level 8 Game Delta 3, code Theta-Omega-6-2-7-Alpha. Do you comply?"

"Voice override code is rejected."

"Madre de Dios. Mikhail, go, make sure no one else has entered the Game."

Backing out of the room, Mikhail turned and dashed down the hall. Stumbling to a halt by the emergency ladder Mikhail checked to make sure no one was coming up it. Loosely wrapping his hands around the sides Mikhail slid down the ladder. His feet hit the concrete floor running. The four students preparing themselves in the antechamber to enter the Game heard Mikhail before they saw him.

"Stop! No one start Game. Stay out ov Game," Mikhail shouted bursting into the antechamber. The students gaped at the normally quiet Russian.

"What's going on, Mickey," Faruq said his Arabic accent barely noticeable. The others clustered about, faces openly worried and curious.

Panting from exertion, Mikhail took a deep breath before speaking, "Has anyone entered the Game since Sara?"

"Yes, MacKieran did. About five minutes ago," Suki answered, her Asian features drawn together in a worried frown.

"Do you know vhat level he set Game at?"

Suki shrugged, "He let the computer set the Game."

Straightening suddenly Mikhail stared at Suki, his eyes looking through her, "Sara did that," he muttered.

"What're you talking about, Mickey? What's going on," Faruq demanded.

"The computer has malfunctioned locking the Game."

"What," Chu'mana's shrill voice grated on everyone's nerves.

"Calm down, Chu'mana," Thor growled effectively shutting her up, "If computer has locked Game what has happened to Sara and MacKieran?"

Mikhail shook his head, hands raised in a gesture of helplessness, "As far as Dr. Ortiz can tell Sara is in no-vin situation, locked into Game. I do not know about MacKieran."

An ear piercing wail shattered the air. Red lights began blinking furiously like evil red eyes.

"Sweet Lord. General quarters, everyone. I doubt this is drill," Thor bellowed, "Mikhail, go see if you can help Dr. Ortiz."

They dispersed quickly, hurrying to their assigned sections of the school. No one noticed when Chu'mana slipped into a seldom used hallway.


MacKieran pressed his body closer to the cliff face, praying for the hundredth time that the roaring wind wouldn't pull him from the rock. Glancing up, he spotted the woman and child ahead of him, clinging to the cliff. Grabbing another handhold MacKieran pulled himself farther up. Icy fingers ripped at his clothes. Tiny pebbles caught in the maelstrom wind slashed at MacKieran's unprotected face and hands.

With each foot that he gained climbing the cliff the wind became fiercer. Its' howling fury deafened MacKieran. Struggling to make himself heard above its' shrieking he shouted, "'Old on, Miss. I'm coming."

Reaching the ledge MacKieran pushed his red hair out of his eyes. Lifting his head MacKieran's shocked gaze met Sara's. His grip slipped on the ledge. Scrambling to reestablish his hold MacKieran loosened the stones beneath him. Unable to hold on MacKieran began to fall.

"No," Sara screamed. Throwing herself at the edge Sara grabbed for MacKieran. Their combined weights were too much for the ledge. It crumbled beneath them, pitching MacKieran, Sara and Toby in to the abyss waiting below.

"Great Lord. They just died, Dr. Ortiz," Mikhail said from his position at the Game monitor.

"Computer, emergency voice override code Theta-Omega-6-2-7-Alpha. Do you comply?"

"Voice override code is rejected."

"It is too late. The Game has begun again," Mikhail sighed.

Dr. Ortiz cursed softly under his breath, "Angie-la, any luck in finding who has caused this?"

"I'm not sure," Angela mumbled around the pen in her mouth. Fingers moving over the keyboard Angela absorbed the information with lightning speed as it flew over the screen. She nodded her head absently as she mentally processed the words. Freezing, the pen tumbled from her mouth, her fingers stilled on the keys. The picture fluctuated on the screen, spikes like a heartbeat monitor dashed across it.

"Vhat is that," Mikhail whispered.

"That is a major intrusion."

"Can you trace it, Angie-la," Dr. Ortiz asked leaning over Angela's shoulder.

"I think so. It'll take me a few minutes You should call Thor and Faruq, Dr. Ortiz. When I find the intrusion someone's gonna have to go get whoever it is," Angela spoke as she typed, "I have a bad feeling a virus deliberately introduced by this person is what brought the Game down."

Turning away from Angela, Dr. Ortiz picked up a small rectangular gray box with a yellow number pad and a light blue stripe just above it. Typing in a seven digit code, like a telephone number, he waited until the blue holograph screen appeared. Faruq's hawkish features, tinted blue, were outlined, "Yes, Dr. Ortiz."

"Come up here right away. Bring Thor with you, please."

"Yes, sir."

The screen receded into the holocom. Dr. Ortiz began pacing the floor. His loafers clicked against the floor with each step. Mikhail's chair rattled softly as his leg twitched nervously.

"Mikhail," Angela said glancing quickly in his direction.

"Yes?"

"Please stop that."

"Sorry."

Silence fell over the room shrouding it. The quiet dampened the ticking of Angela's typing; softened the hum of machinery. Mikhail's breathing sounded unnaturally harsh to his ears against the overwhelming silence. Dr. Ortiz and Mikhail turned gratefully when Thor and Faruq entered breaking the silence. Angela ignored them continuing to root out the source of the virus intrusion.

"You require our assistance, sir," Thor said closing the door behind them.

"We have discovered why the Game has locked," Dr. Ortiz folded his arms over his chest, "An unknown person has set loose a virus..."

"A virus keyed to Sara," Angela said turning from the console to face them. Thor and Faruq's jaws dropped. Mikhail made a strangled sound deep in his throat.

"What do you mean, Angie-la?" Dr. Ortiz asked his face pale, a hand pressed against the wall to steady himself.

"Someone working from a spliced-line terminal in tunnel d, section 4 inserted a dormant virus into the Game keyed to Sara. When she entered the Game she unknowingly activated the virus and was locked into the Game. However, the virus has mutated. Anyone entering the Game after Sara would be locked in as well. That is how MacKieran got involved."

"Dr. Ortiz," Faruq spoke quietly, his obsidian eyes wide, "Chu'mana never logged in at her emergency station."

Sara finished strapping Toby into the chair before joining MacKieran in the cockpit of the minisub. MacKieran didn't take his eyes off the controls as Sara secured herself in the chair next to him.

"Ye've secured the lad?"

"Toby's safe for now. What's the situation?" Sara asked typing commands on the high-tech sub's board. A holomap of their underwater coarse appeared.

"As far as I can tell, we were land side and are returning to 'Asbrook Farming colony on Tyber's reef. We passed through Sardek territory an' I do na think they were happy about it. A Marauder-class sub has been deployed after us."
MacKieran's lilting Irish accent did more to steady Sara's nerves than any sedatab would. Three blinking lights appeared on the holomap. The colony, their sub, and the Sardek sub. Zeroing in on the Sardek sub Sara brought up its stats on the screen.

"That Marauder is loaded to the teeth with weaponry and coming on fast, Mac."

"Well, sweet Sara, looks like we're in for a ride."

"A dead-end ride," Sara said despair filling her voice, the triger's voice filling her mind.

Taking his hand from the control yoke MacKieran reached across the space between them to grasp her trembling hand, "Everythin'll be fine, lass. Nuthin' to worry about.."

Her pale brown hair swung gently, framing Sara's ghostly white face. Her dark blue eyes holes in her face, "MacKieran, we can't win. Toby's dead. He died four years ago."

The sub jerked slightly as MacKieran lost control of the yoke for a moment. Regaining control he noticed the Marauder was closer. Pouring on the power the minisub sped forward. "What're you talking about, girl? The lads in his chair."

"I wish with all my heart that was the real Toby but he's only a Game simulation. He was killed in a fire. I...I tried to save him but the building collapsed as I was going in for him. If I'd gotten there a few minutes earlier..."

"No," the force of MacKieran's voice startled Sara, "If you'd been a few minutes earlier, most likely you'd both 'ave died. So if this means I'm to spend eternity with you in the Game, why not. Nothings more pleasurable than spending eternity with woman I love."

Sara sat watching MacKieran remembering all the time she'd spent with him over the past three years. His pale green eyes sparkling with laughter and mischief. The time she messed up cutting his shoulder-length hair and he'd worn a baseball cap for the next week to hide it. His strong arms comforting her when she was sure she had failed something, when her parents had died. Through it all MacKieran had been there, loving her. Softly she said, "I love you, too."

MacKieran smiled, "You know, lass, just because we're in the Game does na mean we have to make it easy and just give up. Bring up the holomap and plot the quickest course with the most turns."

Bringing up the map again Sara quickly fed coordinates into the computer. The colony was three leagues away and the Marauder was thirty meters behind. Between them and the colony lay a long stretch of canyons and tall rock spires.
"I'm switching you over to sensor feed. These canyons and spires should slow down that Marauder," Sara said typing the commands into the computer. MacKieran's screen blinked from visual to sensor feed instantly. The luminous glow of the blue screen and white grid shimmered over MacKieran's face.

"'Tis like playing a video game," MacKieran grinned his eyes following the red dot that indicated their minisub. Slinging around a sharp turn he narrowly missed a loose boulder. Adrenaline surged through him, raising the hair on his arms and neck. His grip tightened on the steering yoke feeling the subs' every vibration.

"Watch it, Mac. Game over is extremely painful," Sara said. A blip on the sensor screens caught her attention, "Blast it! The Marauder is firing at us."

A shudder rippled through the minisub as the canyon wall exploded just behind them. Rechecking the distance between them, the colony and the Marauder Sara wanted to pound the keyboard. It was hopeless to try and beat the Game; all they were doing was prolonging the inevitable.

"Switch me to visuals, Sara," MacKieran said, his voice soft.

"Are you kidding, Mac? Sensor-feed is a hundred times better."

"For flat running, lass. I've got a few tricks that are best done with visual. Please switch me over."

Reluctant Sara keyed in the command, "Visuals activated. The colony is still a league away."

A new light, blinking as it sped towards them, appeared on Sara's holomap. Rock exploded just behind them. Small pebbles pinged against the subs' outer shell.

"Mac, they're firing again. Switch back to sensor, please."

Panic filled Sara; she could feel the abyss looming nearer. The soft voice of insanity dragging her closer.

"Get a hold a yourself, Sara. We're going to make it. I promise, lass," MacKieran soothed, fighting the yoke as they crossed a thermal. Tilting the yoke the sub darted into a narrow canyon. MacKieran eased up on the throttle letting the Marauder close in.

"What are you doing, Mac? Have you gone crazy?" Sara's voice rose an octave. "Trust me, Sara. Trust me."

The Marauder was ten meters behind. Pushing down on the throttle, MacKieran poured on the power. The canyon came to an end with a choice of two directions. MacKieran turned the minisub to the left. Yanking hard on the yoke he pulled up before it could slam into the dead-end wall. The Marauder unable to maneuver so quickly slammed into the wall exploding on impact. A few minutes later the colony computer took over piloting the sub as they slipped into the entry tube.

"Told ya I'd get us through, lass," MacKieran grinned. Sara threw herself into his arms.

Dr. Ortiz, Thor and Faruq made their way into the tunnels, stopping only to get two stunsticks. Silent as ghosts they arrived at tunnel d, section 4. Motioning to Faruq, Dr. Ortiz indicated he should block off the other end of the tunnel. Faruq slipped away disappearing into another tunnel. A minute later the blue band on the holocom blipped indicating Faruq was ready. Thor stepped into the tunnel, Dr. Ortiz right behind him.

"It's over, Chu'mana," Thor said his voice rumbling deep in his chest. Chu'mana whirled to face them, her eyes bright almost rabid. The click of Faruq's heel against the floor drew her attention. Realizing she was trapped she grabbed the portable terminal ripping it from the power line she'd spliced into. A shower of sparks erupted blinding everyone for a brief moment. The power lines sizzled as they melted together under a power surge.

Thor grabbed Chu'mana as she tried to run past him. He easily fended off her flailing fists and feet. She sagged against Thor, defeated.

"Why, Chu'mana? I don't understand," Dr. Ortiz asked reproachfully.

"It was an accident," she cried, "I never meant to hurt MacKieran. I love him. I told her that. I told her he's mine. She wouldn't listen. She deserves what she gets. MacKieran is mine. I fixed her, but I never meant to hurt MacKieran. It's her fault; it's all Sara's fault."

Chu'mana struggled against Thor's tight hold. Twisting and pulling she tried to loosen his grip as she sobbed hysterically.

"Dr. Ortiz," Angela's voice floated up from the holocom in his hand. Raising it, Dr. Ortiz regarded Angela's image with an upraised eyebrow.

"Dr. Ortiz, that power surge in the mainframe...it...sir, the surge killed Sara and MacKieran. Mikhail says they completed their missions just as they died."

Shutting off the holocom Dr. Ortiz watched Chu'mana with cool detachment, "Let the punishment fit the crime. You, Chu'mana Reed, are charged with (1) Illegally tampering with a government program; (2) the premeditated murder of Sara Vitnor; and (3) the murder of MacKieran O'Flynn. In twenty-four hours you will be locked into the Game. Your mission will be to rescue Sara and MacKieran from death."

The End