Wednesday, 4/17/2216, Part 1

“Ok, now you can craft silver bullets.” I told Ontivia as we sat around the crackling fire. Our campsite was well fortified but we had already lost the other campers. The sun was setting and there was no time to waste.

“How?” She asked, squinting curiously at the silver ingot she was holding.

“Take the ingot and close the bullet mold around it, it’ll go right to your bag.”

“Oh ok.”

“Quickly, quickly, I think it’s werewolves tonight.”

A long sad howl confirmed my fears.

“Fuck, here they come.” I yelled. I hopped up and made my way to the barricade as I scarfed down cold beans out of the can. This would probably be the end for us. “Remember to eat.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ontivia said as she loaded her pistol. She walked over to me to peak out of a gap in the barricade. “I see one.”

“Where?”

“Right—“

Suddenly three snarling werewolves hopped over the opposite edge of our barricade.

“Fuck!” Ontivia screamed as she shot wildly at them. I started shooting too, but as soon as I had turned to face them, there were more behind us.

One dropped, then another, but it wasn’t enough.

I felt a buzz as a werewolf buried its teeth in my neck.

My eyes open on the couch. Ontivia comes to a second later, laughing.

“Wow, survival is fun, what’s the campaign like?”

“It’s actually so dope! It follows the lost campers from Camp Terror 2. You remember?” She clearly didn’t, so I elaborated. “The ones across the lake, with the lights? Right before the demon.”

“Ohhhh, oh yeah. That’s cool how they tied it in.”

“Yeah, you can play some if you want.”

“No, no, I’m ok for now.” She leaned back on the couch and I did the same. For all my anxiety this was turning out great. I hadn’t had a friend stay with me since college and this experience was reminding me why I am so nostalgic for those years.

“Have you been playing anything recently?” I asked.

“No, not really.” She looked around my apartment, not at anything in particular, just a motion you do to emphasize your speech. “What have you been up to lately?”

“He’s been loading shock and passing out on the carpet.” An angry voice said from behind us.

“Ami!” I yelped. So much for keeping it low.

“What, don’t you want to be honest with your friend?” She asked, spitting out the last word. I knew I should’ve turned off interactive mode, but after she promised not to be mean to Ontivia I had reluctantly allowed her to stay. I did turn off the cat ears though.

“Of c-course I do,” I stammered, trying and failing to gauge Ontivia’s reaction out of the corner of my eye. I guess I really do have a huge blind spot there. I gave up and turned to face her.

“It’s… yeah… I do load some every now and then.”

Instead of the concern or disgust I had expected, she just looked at me curiously.

“What is it like?” She asked.

Ahaa, take that Ami, my friends are open minded and reasonable! Ontivia! What a lovely person.

“It’s… It’s kind of like a dream,” I start slow, before picking up steam. It turns out it’s something I wanted to talk about. “Like a dream if even the scariest dream you’ve ever had felt happy and you were totally awake for it. It feeds you pieces of your subconscious but coated in positive emotions. It… well… it’s nice.”

“Hmmm,” she hummed, “It sounds nice.”

“It, uhhhh, it is. I have some if you want to try it.”

“Nah, I don’t think so.” I hadn’t realized I was hopeful until my offer was refused. “Someone I knew really messed themselves up with that.”

She noticed my expression and added “Not that you will, of course. I don’t think you’d be crazy with it.”

“He is.” Ami chimed in, unhelpfully.

“Go away!” I yelled. She shrugged and floated into the bedroom.

“Damn, well, be careful. You know in the 60’s they used to give it to trade unionists and dissidents.”

“What, really?” I hadn’t heard this.

“Yeah, it was part of some program to try and create controlled opposition, as if they don’t have enough. It all got leaked in the 80’s and was a pretty big scandal.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say.

“Yeah, then they suicided the journalist who put the story out, if you know what I mean. It was a whole thing.”

“Oh.” I should change the subject. “How did you get into politics?”

“How did you not?” She laughed. “No, most people don’t. My parents lost their jobs when I was in high school, after the Competitive Economy Bill passed—”

“I lost my job too.” I cut in, immediately regretting drawing attention to our age difference. She mercifully chose not to comment on it.

“Yeah, it was tough for a lot of people. Anyway, I remember moving out of our apartment and just thinking to myself ‘this is bullshit’. I guess it started there.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, no,” damn, can I not be an asshole for 5 minutes? “It’s uhhh, nice that you’re so passionate.”

“Thank you!” She said, smiling. “That book was actually a huge help for me. You know, your— the one I gave you.”

“Oh, yeah. I started reading it,” I said, semi truthfully. “It was… interesting for sure.”

“Right? The idea that having a permanent unemployed underclass doesn’t have to be the way society is structured was honestly revolutionary for me. In hindsight it’s so obvious but I needed a push.”

I decided to ask a dangerous question. I had to know for sure.

“So, umm, what do you think about HU?”

She sat there, smile still frozen in place, but it was only the fossilized remains of happiness. Her eyes narrowed slightly, cautiously. Then she shook her head and the life returned.

“Funny story actually… you off?”

“What?”

“Are you off?” She repeated the question.

“Yes, I never once recorded you, I wouldn’t do that.”

“Double check.”

“Yes T, I’m off.”

“The house?”

“Doesn’t record.”

“Ok.”

“Ok.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes I’m sure!” I laughed, but it was an anxious laugh.

“Ok. Actually, I’m a member.”

I winced. I had suspected as much but it still pained me to have it confirmed. I would need to be careful not to let anything slip around Seitaro.

“I kind of thought so.” I admitted. “Then that thing in Queens…?”

“I wasn’t there when it happened, but some of my friends were.”

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Yikes. I see why she was upset at Battleground.

“Yeah, I’m just blessed that I wasn’t there. There are still things I need to do.” She looked me in the eyes with an intensity that made me look away. “I need someone who’s employed who can get SEC records.”

“I-I’m not authorized for that but I know someone who might be.”

“Thanks so much Kriss, you’re doing me a huge favor. Also you work at Caliber right? Have you heard anything about empty missiles and drones?” She put her hand on my shoulder as she spoke. “If you have records of those that would really help.”

“I… w-well, I… wait what?” The thought that was dawning on me made me nauseous. “No, I—”

“Get your hands off him you spider!” Ami yelled, swooping back in from the kitchen. “I really will call the cops!”

I was still dumbstruck. “We… I… you… but, T… What?”

“We have to act quickly,” Ontivia said, taking her hand off my shoulder. “They’re going to force us into war with Mars to depopulate the planet and preserve capitalism.”

“What… we…” I babbled stupidly, before whispering, “were you using me?”

“No, Kriss, it’s not like that! They're killing us! We just need to clear our name.”

“You were using me!” I screamed, suddenly animated. I couldn’t process the full scope of what was happening but I knew that when I did it would hurt.

“It’s not just because of your job,” She said, changing tact “it’s because of your dad too.”

“Don’t you talk about… What?”

“The book, he wrote it.”

“No, no, no. No!”

“He—“

“Shut the fuck up you fucking terrorist! I… he… fuck you!” I yelled as I ran out the door, tears streaming down my face.