The Game Read Online Free PDF Page B

road she never intended to
travel.
    Behind her, his gravelly voice, though quiet,
still penetrates her core; it’s as if he’s speaking directly into
her ear. He says, “It’s so exciting, don’t you think? I’m confident
this is going to work this time.”
    Georgia holds her doubts secret.
* * *
    At first, nothing appears to happen. The sphere
remains dim—humming and vibrating but barely glowing. He examines
the plastic assault rifle to make sure he didn’t miss another
button somewhere. He’s about to press the start button again when
something flashes across the sphere’s surface.
Initialization Complete
Polarity Achieved
Pull Trigger to Begin Simulation
    Paul pulls the trigger.
    He jerks involuntarily. “What the hell?” he
yells. If felt as if his upper body had just received an electric
shock. It only lasted a second, but it was enough to illicit that
involuntary curse—something he rarely did.
    Above him, the words disappear, replaced by the
number ten—which changes to nine, then eight. He half-expects
another jolt of electricity, but thankfully, there is no
more.
    The numbers fall steadily before him, and by
the time the countdown reaches five, he’s counting along—having
already forgotten the shock.
* * *
    Out on the simulation field, yellow lights
begin to spin, throwing splashes of yellow light on nearby
surfaces. A voice announces through the intercom, “Initialization
complete—polarity achieved. Beginning simulation in
ten—nine—eight.”
    Everyone in the room, including Georgia, leans
toward the glass to get a better view of Rob. He’s hard to look at,
but she can’t seem to turn her eyes away.
    He leans against the same gurney that brought
him out here, although modifications allow it to stand nearly
upright. Now he pushes away and takes a few tentative steps. He
appears to test his footing but Georgia and the others know that
it’s not really Rob.
    Rob takes another step—then another. His left
leg, the artificial one, contacts the ground with a heavy
thud.
    Beside her, Potter can’t contain his glee,
“This is so exciting!”
* * *
    What in the world? He’s moving—he’s
walking, but he’s not the one doing it. He attempts to turn his
head and survey the rest of his surroundings, but his neck muscles
won’t obey. He fights desperately for control, but that part of him
is disconnected from his consciousness.
    “ Oh my, God,” he screams. “I’m a
puppet!” The worst part is he has no idea who’s controlling
him.
* * *
    “ Oh, wow.” Paul can’t believe the
clarity—how real everything looks. He takes a few tentative steps
forward and the sphere glides beneath his feet, turning with each
step. He takes a few more steps to orient himself.
    He’s standing in a small dirt yard. Around him
is what appears to be a plywood city. He can’t tell how large, but
judging by the one alley he can see down, the buildings stretch for
at least a hundred yards. He moves toward the alley’s entrance. He
puts his right hand against the rough plywood and is surprised when
he feels pressure along his palm—as if there is actually wood there
to touch.
* * *
    “ What’s he doing?” Potter
asks.
    “ He’s testing his surroundings.
Remember, the boy isn’t interacting with physical wood. To him,
even though it may look real enough, his subconscious still knows
he’s seeing an illusion.”
    “ But he can feel the
wood?”
    “ Yes. All the sensory perceptions
feed from here and are relayed through the conductors built into
the fabric. When the computer announced established polarity,
that’s just another way of saying that their consciousness’ are
connected—so what he feels here…” she points to Rob below them,
“…the boy feels there.” Wherever there is, she
thinks.
    An alarm begins to blare out in the simulation
course and the yellow lights change to red. A computerized voice
announces, “Eliminate enemy targets.”
    “ This is where it gets weird,”
Potter says.