32 Episode 7-Ender's Game (6)

Ender Wiggin's parents (technically mine) went to meet Colonel Hyrum Graff. Peter taunted me, saying that I would go to the Belt (presumably a prison in space) because of what I did to Stilson. After a moment, my "father" called me into the room they were speaking in.

"Ender," said my father, "you better come in here."

Valentine and Peter continued to snipe at each other as I approached.

(I don't know what Ender said to Graff. I read the novel, but I don't remember all of it.)

I followed my "father" into the parlor, and I saw Colonel rise from his seat as he saw me. I saw my "mother," who was twisting the wedding band on her finger.

"Andrew," she said, "I never thought you were the kind to get in a fight."

"The Stilson boy is in the hospital," my father explained. "You really did a number on him. With your shoe, Ender. That wasn't exactly fair."

I looked at Colonel Graff.

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is enhancing your memory!]

All of sudden, a paragraph entered my mind: "Ender shook his head. He had expected someone from the school to come about Stilson, not an officer of the fleet. This was more serious than he thought. And yet he couldn't think what else he could have done."

After that memory resurfaced, Colonel Graff continued with his dialogue: "Do you have any explanation for your behavior, young man?"

I shook my head. I didn't know what to say yet.

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" wishes to see your cunning explanation.]

"We're willing to consider extenuating circumstances," the officer continued. "But I must tell you, it doesn't look good. Kicking him in the groin, kicking him repeatedly in the face and body when he was down - it sounds like you really enjoyed it."

"I didn't enjoy it," I said in a quiet voice.

[Constellation "Savior of Corruption" doubts the words of Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura."]

"Then why did you do it?"

I had to pick my words carefully. I didn't remember Ender's dialogue. Still, I had to say something.

"Because... He cornered after I had my monitor taken, and he surrounded me with his gang. I was afraid, sir."

"So? This excuses anything?"

"No."

"Tell me why you kept on kicking him. You had already won."

I had to answer carefully. I wasn't Ender Wiggin. I was Ethan Nakamura.

(How should I answer this?)

I thought about this quandary, but found my answer soon enough. Who was I as a person? There was only one answer: I was a vengeful one.

"It was revenge. It began as that, but I knew that he set himself on top of the hierarchy. By knocking him down, I made his friends too afraid to corner me again. I did this to be left alone, and to avoid future conflicts."

I finally admitted it. I beat Stilson because I needed to, but I also beat him because I saw the bullies of MY past. I did it out of cheap spite, but I did it nonetheless. Shortly after I admitted my sin, a blooming anger swelled within my chest.

"You took away the monitor," I said, "I had to take care of myself, didn't I?"

[You have received points for sticking to the original dialogue!]

[Points will be converted to Star Stream coins upon exit!]

[10 points = 1 coin]

[Current points: 5]

I looked away from the system messages that only I could see.

"Ender, you should have asked for a grown-up for help," my father said.

As my father said that, Colonel Graff walked towards me and held out his hand.

"My name is Graff, Ender. Colonel Hyrum Graff. I'm director of primary training at Battle School in the Belt. I've come to invite you to enter the school."

I stood the silently after his declaration. Soon, my father began to intercede.

"But the monitor-"

"The final step in your testing was to see what would happen when the monitor came off. We don't always do it that way, but in your case-"

"And he passed?" My mother said incredulously. "Putting the Stilson boy in the hospital? What would you have done if Andrew had killed him, given him a medal?"

"It isn't what he did, Mrs. Wiggin. It's why," Colonel Graff stated. He handed her a folder filled with a myriad of papers. "Here are the requisitions. Your son has been cleared by the I.F. Selective Service. Of course, we already have your consent, granted in writing at the time conception was confirmed, or he could not have been born. He has been ours from then, if he qualified."

Slight anger flared through my chest again. I forgot this part, but this chapter practically shows that the I.F. own Ender Wiggin like a piece of property; and that he isn't viewed as a human being in terms of liberty.

"It's not very kind of you, to let us think you didn't want him, and then take him after all," my father said in a trembling voice.

"And this charade about the Stilson boy," my mother said.

"It wasn't a charade, Mrs. Wiggin," Colonel Graff said. "Until we knew what Ender's motivation was, we couldn't be sure he wasn't another- we had to know what the action meant. Or at least what Ender believed it meant."

"Must you call him that stupid nickname?" My mother said while crying.

"That's the name he calls himself," Colonel Graff said.

"What are you going to do, Colonel Graff?" my father asked. "Walk out the door with him now?"

"That depends," said Graff.

"On what?"

"On whether Ender wants to come."

My mother's weeping turned to bitter laughter and said, "Oh, so it's voluntary after all, how sweet!"

"For the two of you, the choice was made when Ender was conceived. But for Ender, the choice has not been made at all. Conscripts make good cannon fodder, but for officers we need volunteers."

"Officers?" I said in my young voice. When I spoke, everyone in the room fell silent.

"Yes," said Colonel Graff, "Battle School is training future starship captains and commodores of flotilas and admirals of the fleet."

"Let's not have any deception here!" My father said angrily. "How many of the boys at Battle School actually end up in the command of ships?!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Wiggin, that is classified information. But I can say that none of our boys who makes it through the first year has ever failed to receive a commission as an officer. And none has retired from a position of lower rank than chief executive officer of an interplanetary vessel. Even in the domestic defense forces within our own solar system, there's honor to be had."

"How many make it through the first year?" asked Ender.

"All who want to," said Colonel Graff.

To be truthful, I always thought about joining the military when I was a young child. Originally, I wanted to join the Army corps, outgrew that phase, but then wanted to join the Marine corps and become a sniper. Sadly, my mother didn't want that for me.

It was time to rectify this mistake. If I went to Battle School, I would be able to grow as a strategist and tactician, and possess this knowledge when I exited the "Ender's Game" simulation. I would be able to guide George Machen properly, and become a king that can create abstract plans, instead of relying on brute strength alone. Strength and power are important factors, but proper planning always plays a part.

My thoughts were interrupted when Colonel Graff said, "I think that Ender and I should have a private conversation."

"No," my father said.

"I won't take him without letting you speak to him again," Graff affirmed. "And you really can't stop me."

After that veiled threat, my father glared at Graff for a moment, and my mother squeezed my hand. They both left. Soon, I listened to Graff's monologue, which consisted of several pages of text within the actual novel.

[Constellation "Egyptian Thought" is satisfied with the exposition.]

[Constellation "Prisoner of the Golden Headband" is satisfied with the exposition.]

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" is satisfied with the exposition.]

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" now understands the importance of Character "Ender Wiggin."]

It was true, what Secretive Plotter said. The I.F. saw Ender as a Messiah of sorts, a savior that could beat the Formics in interstellar battles. They wanted Ender to be half Peter and half Valentine; Peter, who was too ruthless, and Valentine, who was too empathetic. They wanted a balance of that, and that came in the form of Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, who was deemed a "Third."

They wanted to exploit the fact that Ender was a Third, someone who shouldn't have existed in the first place due to regulations on having too many children. They made him realize that he was a source of tension in the Wiggin family; Peter hated Ender because Ender represented the proof of why he couldn't enter Battle School.

Regarding Ender's parents, Graff stated that their love for him was ambiguous; Ender was viewed as a source of pride for circumventing the regulations on childbirth; conversely, he was also viewed as a form of public shame because he was a hindrance to their assimilation in mainstream society.

The only person who truly loved Ender with all of their heart was Valentine Wiggin. After Graff finished his explanation, he expected my answer. What was the dialogue?

[Your exclusive attribute has been activated!]

[Fragment of the 4th Wall whispers into your mind!]

[I ' m af raid, b ut I'll g o wi th you.]

The line was broken, but I understood enough.

"I'm afraid, but I'll go with you," I said.

[You have gained points for following the exact dialogue!]

After that, Graff told me that I could get out of this, until the point I went with him in his car. I couldn't back down, though. This was Ender's Game, a story forged from hardship and pain. This wasn't a story where Ender could be happy; a joyous, convenient ending didn't exist in this story, nor in reality.

There was only one path that he would take, which would be the only path I would tread as a result. It would be the hardest, most arduous path, which would result in the deaths of many - human and Formic alike. The death toll would range in the hundreds, potentially thousands for the former, while it would range in the billions for the latter.

I agreed to come with Graff, and I followed him out of my home, which wasn't mine in the first place. My "father," my "mother," and my "brother" all bid me farewell, but it didn't register.

As Graff and I entered his car, there was only one bid of goodbye that I heard; it sounded so anguished, as if someone was about to lose something precious. I looked up, and saw it was Valentine Wiggin, still in the form of Abigail Breslin.

She said this to me, as I stared at her: "Come back to me! I love you forever!"

I didn't know how to respond.

[Constellation "Defender of Virginia" says to acknowledge the farewell, even if it's a simulation.]

I wasn't Valentine's actual brother. The relationship they built over a six-year time span didn't exist for me, who only came a few days ago. In the end, I could only nod towards her. After that, I fully entered Graff's car, and we rode away, without looking back.

For some reason, though.... I felt my heart ache just a bit. Hearing the sincerity and desperation behind Valentine's voice couldn't help but affect me. This was very different from the novel. When I read it, I was protected in a way. "Ender's Game" was story, locked in-between white pages and black text. This time though.... I was in the novel itself.

(Why is it easier for me to accept an apocalypse than some simulated love?)

I reflected on myself, which just reminded me of why I was so peculiar. My thoughts drifted to Valentine shortly, and I saw a new, foreboding message.

[You are experiencing flashbacks to feel immersed in the simulation!]

All of sudden, I saw images of Valentine; when she was overjoyed, when she was sad, or when she was angry because of Peter. I saw her beautiful smile, her overjoyed smile, and her smile filled with melancholy. I remembered whenever she would hug me, or when she would comfort me whenever Peter would hurt me and when-

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is preserving your will!]

[Fragment of the 4th Wall is preserving your ego!]

[The effects of immersion have been broken by an unforeseen force!]

Just as sudden as those false memories came, they faded away. I breathed out.

(Thank you, Fragment of the 4th Wall....)

I realized the insidious nature of this simulation. Unless someone had a strong mental barrier, they were bound to be overtaken by this story, and eventually become a part of it. I was too blinded by the rewards to consider all of the consequences.

(I was too reckless, just like a true teenager,) I thought angrily.

If those flashbacks continued, then the story would consume me. I truly wondered if I could make it to the end.