Play Testers Wanted Pt. 19

"Why am I here?" I asked, standing and looking around. "Why the dev zone? What did you hope to accomplish?"

"This area of the mainframe is largely unused for now," the goddess explained. "What we hoped to accomplish, nothing. My actions have been a series of tests. Since your character arrived on Lehon, we observed how you reacted with a few hiccups along the way. Then slowly, we raised the tension level. This unfinished game was the final test. How would you fare when your life was on the line?"

"How many clones were created?" I asked, and the answer stunned me.

"Hundreds scattered all across the globe," she explained. "Most never woke from their growth tubes. Either the process itself went wrong, or the genetic drift created unacceptable aberrations. Out of it all, you and half a dozen others met the requirements. Only five endured the nanites to fix failing organs and tweak things Nick felt mandatory for a good life. What he neglected to take into account was your desire for self-preservation. Two of the five finalists went insane after the attempt to blank out one set of life experiences and replacing them with Nick's. The third killed himself before the bonding was complete. You are the lone survivor, and Kat protected you by grafting Left onto your body as a psychic shield." Either her math was wrong or the fifth clone survived. What had happened to him?

"Monstrous," I gasped as I began wondering if some aspect of Nick lurked inside of me. I had flashes of memories, not my own, was he simply hiding and waiting for the right moment to take me over? I couldn't live with the thought of going to sleep one night as Booker and then waking up as Nick reborn. "Kill me. I... if he is inside me, just biding his time. Damn it. My dad will not have died in vain! He is too damn dangerous to take that chance."

The outline of a door appeared and opened. The world beyond it was a blazing white light. "Step through the door, and it ends. Your existence here eradicated, and any chance of Nick Shaw returning utterly destroyed."

"My life. My choice," I declared. My voice was surprisingly strong and steady. I walked to the doorway and through it. The light enveloped me, and I felt my body lose cohesion as it ended. Death isn't so bad, I thought. Wait, how can I still be thinking if I am dead? My eyes snapped open, and the white room greeted me. No, it wasn't the loadout portion of the game. It was a hospital treatment area. The walls were stark and unadorned, and I found my limbs restrained as I attempted to sit up.

"Easy Booker, you are awake," Kat said in a soothing voice. "We thought the worse."

"What is going on?" I asked as the lights in the room flickered before returning to a steady illumination.

"We have isolated and destroyed the intruder," a man declared from over loudspeakers. "The infestation is over."

"Intruder... infestation? Kat, what the hell is going on?" I asked again.

"Somehow, and I can't believe I am saying this, but the game's security failed, and a single hacker hijacked your gameplay," Kat replied. "We lost track of you at the end. We thought they were trying to ransom you, but then you woke up and forced out the hacker. He tried to flee through the electrical conduits, but we set a trap and triggered it. We may never know their identity, but you are safe, and that is all that matters. How do you feel?"

"Relieved," I admitted. "Let me out of these restraints. I need some fresh air now."

Kat released me, and they offered me hospital scrubs to wear. I took the elevator to the roof and stood there for a long time, just looking out and taking deep cleansing breaths. How far was Kat involved in Nick's scheme? Did I tell her how much I knew? Paranoia set in, and I began to suspect everyone.

"I can't live like this," I said at last and looked at Kat. Damn, she looked guilty as hell. "Nick is dead."

"He died years ago," Kat replied, confused.

"No, that trap you sprung downstairs killed the last vestige of his consciousness. He is gone, forever, I hope. Unless he has another backup of his mind somewhere, gods, this sounds like a badly written comic book. Evil genius preserves his collected memories in a computer while he cloned the closest male relative repeatedly until a suitable host came about. How much did you know? I don't want to hate you."

"Most of it," Kat admitted. "He threatened to take Numenor from me. How do you know he's dead?"

"I talked to the hacker," I said. "They killed my dad to get at Nick. It took millions of deaths to remove him. Did you know what he had planned?"

"No. Nick was tight-lipped about his special projects. I need you to have faith in me. The other clones are gone. I gave the order myself, and I will do anything to prove myself to you."

"Anything?" I asked with a smile. "Good. Hold that thought." I closed my eyes and slipped into the digital ether. 'Wraith?'

'Yes, Master Booker,' the AI replied. 'Do you require my termination?'

'No, I need you to launch our company and begin producing the batteries and the other advanced tech. We will change the world, but without a high body count. Got it?'

'Yes, Master,' Wraith acknowledged happily. 'I have spoken to the AI council, and they approve of your ascension to the role once held by the late Nick Shaw.' I opened my eyes and saw an unsure Kat Shaw.

"About that offer of anything," I said as I slid my arm around Kat's waist. "I will collect the first installment now."

"I was hoping that would be the case," Kat said with a huge sigh of relief.