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Henderson, Nevada - Friday Night
The meteor storm rages fiercely above Curtis’ bunker. The sound of rumbling thunder and shaking matches the somber mood.
Jin wouldn’t leave Becky’s side. Rick and Curtis had to convince him to let them remove the meteorite from his shoulder. Curtis projected streams of bullet removal surgeries and suturing to Rick as he did his best to act like a surgeon. After they stitched up Jin, Curtis gave him a tincture of specially formulated THC oil. A few drops under the tongue once an hour eases his pain.
Jin sits at Becky’s side holding her hand. He can’t bear to pull himself away. Curtis sits at his desk in front of a thin screen covered wall in his cushy executive chair. He spins around to face Jin.
“Don’t worry about the rumbling. We’ve got twenty feet of cement reinforced with re-bar above and all around us. We’re safe unless we get a direct hit like Baltimore. If that happens, we’re all toast.”
Jin doesn’t respond.
“I feel safe for the first time in days. Thanks, Curtis,” Rick says.
Curtis smiles awkwardly.
The Colony-Revolution Coup stream plays in a window on the thin screen. “Can you turn up the audio on the game?” asks Rick. “Let’s see how they did.”
Ceylon Junglefoul and Torpedo stand in front of several trophies. “We’ve witnessed incredible game play today, overcoming unexpected obstacles and challenges. The players and teams did a fantastic job,” announces Junglefoul.
“That’s right! I’ve never seen a new game live up to the hype, but Colony-Revolution Coup really rocked our socks. There was loads of hackin’ an cracklin’ all day. An’ there were surprises, weren’t there? It looked like Lucid Gaze had the upper hand until those Elf butt boys turned the game on its head, they did.”
“That’s right, Torpedo. It was Team Elk Bucks who set the tone late in the game with a unique strategy to defeat the cities. Other teams followed suit using Elk Buck tactics to gain control of most cities allowing hundreds of thousands of ants to flood the colonies of Nod, New Zion, Ambrosia, and Empyrean. The strange standoff at Edendale continues,” reports Ceylon.
“I reckon nary an ant got into that colony,” says Torpedo
“There was strong resistance at New Arcadia, but even there ten thousand ants accessed the upper levels,” Ceylon continues.
“Colonies were defeated, and the count is in. The team that crackled their way to victory with the highest percentage of ants in their colony is Team Elk Bucks! Said it right didn’t I, mate? Always new surprises! Get up here, boys!” shouts Torpedo.
The Steve Jobs wannabe and his teammates run up to accept the grand prize as electronic confetti and recorded applause fill the stream. Ceylon and Torpedo stand on either side of the grinning gamers and hand the team a big check and a huge trophy.
“Congratulations, Elk Bucks! That concludes the first Colony-Revolution Coup tournament. Watch for more exciting game streams right here. I’m Ceylon Junglefoul your lively host along with—”
“Torpedo, KA-BOOM!”
“We’ll see you right here, next time, for more exciting game streams.”
Curtis salutes the screen with his Gulp cup. “We made a great team,” he says in a sorrowful tone.
Jin lifts his head slowly. “Becky would be pleased. We saved hundreds of thousands of lives today. She’d be happy to know we helped save so many souls.”
Aman appears in a window on the screen. He immediately starts talking rapidly. “Hello. I hope it’s an OK time for a quick call. Not too late, is it? You can call me any seven days. I am so sorry to hear the news. Such terrible, terrible news. My deepest and most sincere condolences for our dear Becky. So, so sorry. Oh my, it’s a tragedy. And Jin, sorry to hear of your injury. I hope you are feeling better already. But Jin, Curtis, and Rick, you are safe. So happy you are safe. And that jet. Oh, wow! What an escape! Oh my! So, daring. Very fortunate indeed. It’s like that movie, Wingmen of the Four Wars. Did you see that one?”
No one in the bunker responds to Aman’s quick rant. “Oh, maybe too soon for movie talk. My cousins and my entire staff are so sad to hear the news of Becky’s passing. So sorry. But you guys are safe. Yes, yes. So happy you’re safe.”
“We wouldn’t have made it without you, Aman. Thanks to you and your team for the help,” says Rick.
“Find a safe place and keep your head down till the storms are over,” says Curtis.
“We will. We’re moving to a sub-basement in my cousin’s building. It’s a good spot. A good, good spot. The storms are getting worse. It’s a worldwide disaster. Terrible, truly terrible. We’ll keep in touch as long as the trans-ocean fiber optic network stays up. Call anytime, any seven days, twenty-four-seven.”
“If we lose the network, you can try to reach me over ham radio. My call sign is N7CPZ. We can use satellites to link up. I’ll be on unless the satellites go down or my antenna gets blasted.”
“Great idea Curt-tis. I don’t have a radio, but we’ll try to get one. Be safe, friends.”
“Take care, Aman,” Rick and Curtis say in unison. Aman waves. The screen goes blank.
Rick walks to the bunker’s kitchen and back. “I hate to say this under the circumstances, but I’ll be heading out in the morning. You guys can come with me. My Uncles mine has more room than this bunker.”
Curtis looks to Jin. Jin stares at Becky’s body and shakes his head.
“Thanks for the offer. Jin and I will stay here,” says Curtis.
“We understand. You’re so close. You need to get to your family,” Jin says.
“I can help you with Becky before I go.”
“No, I’ll take care of her,” says Jin.
“We’ll take care of her. You can take the Vette. I prepped it earlier today. It’ll get you home fast,” says Curtis.
“Thanks, Curtis. Are you sure? That Vette is vintage. It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve only driven it a couple times.” Curtis looks at Jin. “I don’t need it anymore. It’s all yours.”
“Curtis, where’s your toilet?” Jin asks.
“Turn left at the end of the bunker. First door on the right. Are you all right to walk?”
“I’m good.”
Jin walks to the end of the bunker, which is a large aluminum tube buried in cement connected to another long tube. Once in the bathroom, he stares blankly at the mirror viewing his dismal image before splashing water on his tear-streaked face. Gritty dust makes tears hard to wash away.
Jin explores his pockets still stuffed with pastries from the Fairchild Express store. He pulls out the cellophane-wrapped Twinkie. It’s nearly flattened, cream filling smears the inside of the wrapping. “Beck, you crushed my Twinkie. Now I’m crushed. Oh, Becky. What will I do without you?” New tears flow.
