Before New Game, Part 3

November 14th, 2000 AD

54 Years BNG

The guard almost didn’t look human. The journalist couldn’t put her finger on it, but she’d seen some tough bouncers before and nothing came close to this. Still, she didn’t allow herself to be afraid to talk to the rippled behemoth.

“…Is he ready to see me now?”

“This is as ready as you’ll get from him. Please ma’am, enter whenever you like.”

“Okay…” Swallowing her fear, she reminded herself she was still in a theme park in Kansas, and she was about to meet her generation’s childhood hero. She convinced herself she didn’t have anything to worry about.

She gently pushed open the door to his private office.

“…Mr. Kidney, sir? It’s Laura Saur. From the Times.”

He set down a rotary phone as she entered, but the three-pronged game controller remained in his hand. Sitting with his back turned to her in the dark room illuminated only by the brightly-lit TV he was facing, the disturbingly young-looking old man greeted her joyfully despite his preoccupation with a video game that he refused to give up.

“So nice to see you! I do hope you don’t mind me doing this while we talk, I’ve been trying to beat this one since it came out…”

She awkwardly giggled as the man grappled with the controller, loudly dueling some weird polygonal monster with his virtual sword. It was a strange sight to see someone his age be so engaged in something she’d convinced herself she’d outgrown, but then again, he did look more youthful than even her youngest uncle.

“So… may I begin the interview?”

“Go right ahead.” He slammed the B button.

“So… Mr. Kidney.”

“Call me Walter.”

“W-Walter. I… want to get right into this. Can you… tell us about your plans for this park in the new century? There’s… a few instances of it across the world now, but do you plan on spawning even more?”

“Yes, absolutely! Why, one day, I hope to expand even to the stars.”

She chuckled, but was a little afraid when his response was a disturbing shoulder twitch like she’d just insulted his mother.

“And… What drove you to have such lofty aspirations? Any American would love to be as ambitious as you, I’m sure…” She complimented, subconsciously trying to save herself.

“There are dreamers, and there are sleepers.” He recited, though he was very happy to get to do so. “The strong, they will last forever. The weak… they’ll eventually just disappear.”

“Do you mean to say you were always like this?”

“I’d like to think so, yes. But I do believe… or I’d like to… that anyone can dream as big as me.”

“You… must admit though, you have been blessed. How do you still look so young? Is it surgery? I’ve got to say I’m jealous.”

“Oh, nothing much… good luck, I suppose.”

“Uh… huh. Well, it is impressive. You’re… so young-looking, it’s like you could live another hundred years…” she awkwardly giggled. “Do you… plan to retire, or will you be doing this until the day you die?”

Laura jumped a little as he dropped his controller.

“…Mr. Kidney, sir? Are… are you okay, sir?”

The sound of a giant, pulsating grandfather clock rang from the his CRT.

“…Get out.”

Pulled from the room by the bodyguard, Ms. Saur panted, confused as the door shut behind her.

“What- what was that about?”

The guard looked at her with a cold face of strictness.

“Death is not a permitted topic.”