CHAPTER 14 - THE DARKNESS WITHIN

"Can't you go 3 days without seeing my face?".

Sam watched Marie closely. The device used to communicate with Rodney was small, fragile and complicated. If she happened to unleash a miniscule fragment of her rage on it, there was no way it would work again.

"I see your face every day, it means nothing to me."

She replied like she was speaking to a friend. It was a surprise to both the future Rodney and Sam.

The last time they had spoken, which was when the younger Rodney was asleep on Atlantis, the future Rodney had made a statement about being a man who could do anything and she asked him to do a divide by zero. He disconnected immediately. Now, he was pretending as if that conversation never happened and she was letting him go scot free.

"I see you've met Thirty-one.", he turned to the right then he tilted a little to the left, "You should have waited for me to wake up, you're going to acquire a lot of information when I do."

There was nothing where he turned to and Sam was puzzled for a while before he realized that the image was inverted. He had connected the device to the television and his laptop (apparently USB and HDMI were still a thing in the near future) but he wasn't sure about anything else, he was just trying not to destroy anything.

So Andy's Thirty-one.

"That's actually why I'm calling, you were about to wake up, then you said a few strange words and went back to sleep. Is there something we can do to fix this?".

Rodney's eyes became glazed as if he was looking at something far away.

"One moment."

The screen turned blue.

Marie sighed.

"Kat, do you know anything about my memory recovery sequence?".

"Did he forget...".

"Hush, just listen", Sam whispered to Marie with a voice that told her he was trying not to laugh.

"Memory recovery?".

They heard the voice of the woman who reprimanded him a few days back when he forgot to disconnect the audio like he had now. Then footsteps which got louder with each one.

"What about it?".

"When it's triggered and I enter a comatose state, has there ever been a time when I didn't wake up on my own?".

"On your own?".

"What's that tone?".

"You think you wake up on your own?".

"Do you... do something?".

He sounded like he was shrinking into the seat he loved so much.

"IV therapy, a mix of sugars and a few miscellaneous nutrients. Your body burns a lot of energy during the recovery process, you'd die if we didn't give you."

"Die?".

Now he sounded scared and it irritated the woman.

"What?".

"But my father.... I can't control it.... What about if there's no one watching me and it's triggered?".

"Then you'd die in a few hours, obviously."

The woman stated it like it was something a child should know.

"No, I don't want to die because of some stupid memories. Who set this..... No way in hell it's my Dad."

"Unsightly. Then, in that case.... Don't.... leave my side."

"I'm starting to feel like we're listening to something we shouldn't be listening to."

Marie didn't reply and Sam wondered what was wrong. A quick glance told him all he needed to know.

Her face was red.

Seriously?

They heard him groaning, he coughed and his chair creaked. Then the video resumed with a woman behind Rodney. She had yellow eyes and short white hair .

White hair and yellow eyes.

As I suspected.

Kat is Kathryn Reed.

"I suppose I don't need to introduce myself".

"After a lot of thought, I have decided to tell you what to do. As a favor that I expect to be repaid. It's not something I should be telling you."

"You've already said paradoxes don't change anything and if you don't want to tell us for free then I guess we don't need to hear it. We'll just wait until you wake up naturally."

Woah, Marie. Badass.

"What if I said that I would never wake up if you left me alone?".

"At least that'll mean that the Playground won't be created, so that's good."

"It wouldn't change what has already happened."

"But it might prevent it from happening again."

Rodney was getting angry.

"Look do you want it or not?".

"I'll take it but as a favor I expect to be repaid."

Marie replied cooly as if it didn't matter.

Oh my God.... When did she become so good?

"Know your place, I'm the one helping you here."

"No, I don't need your help."

"I don't care if my younger self doesn't wake up."

"Neither do I."

She made a sign to Sam to cut the connection.

Aye Captain.

Sam moved his hands as if he was going to disconnect the wires.

And in 3, 2.....

"Wait."

Damn, it's taking everything I have not to laugh.

"I'll tell you anyway so don't worry about anything."

"As a favor."

Marie repeated.

"Fine."

"Oh....could it be that you actually care if your younger self doesn't wake up?", Marie asked with a smirk, "I thought you said you don't care if he dies."

Rodney looked at her like she was an idiot and told her what she wanted to know.

"He just needs to replace the energy he used up."

Kathryn laughed heartily.

"Give up Rodney, They heard everything we said."

"What?".

"You pressed the wrong button again. I noticed when I came in but I decided to teach you a lesson since you refused to learn."

"Is this how you get revenge for me bailing, this is going to far, Kathy, too far."

"I don't care."

"You....".

Rodney looked really angry now.

"Oh, Shut up. Two days ago you did the same thing. Do you know how much power this thing drains?".

He shrank when she spoke. Then inflated with an egotistical reply.

"Of course I do. I built it myself."

"Then you should at least remember which button does what!".

He shrank again and mumbled a complaint.

"It's your fault that I have buttons of the same colour."

"I couldn't get different colours. You should have just used a touch screen interface like every normal person."

"Pfft, touch screen?", he asked derisively, "You just don't understand the beauty of a button."

"Here we go again."

Kathryn turned away, her face the incarnation of 'I-don't-care'.

"Um..... Thanks for your help, I hope you can sort things out by the next time I call."

Marie disconnected the wires just as Rodney's blood vessels looked like they were about to pop.

"Andy, hurry. Is there a way we can do that with what's available here?".

Marie's face changed immediately the screen went blank. She was really concerned about the kid dying in her arms.

"Well to be frank, No."

"Do you think we can get the equipment in three hours?".

"I suppose if we went to the Zimmerman Manor..... any other way would cause a little bit of a problem. However, time is not on our side."

"Then let's get going, the helicopters should be fast enough to get there in minutes."

"The choppers can't move, they're designed to be small, fast and stealthy. The hydrogen needs to cool before we can take off again. Attempting to fly might get us all killed."

"Then a cab."

"With an unconscious kid?", Sam asked with a raised eyebrow, "That's the same problem as calling for an ambulance. You're not yet his guardian since the paperwork hasn't been finalized yet. How do we explain anything?".

"It will also give away our location to some people you want to avoid. There is one thing that can be done, it isn't advisable but it appears we have no choice. I can prepare.... No, a few sodas should be enough to keep him alive. Any liquid with a high sugar content should work."

"You want to force a drink down his throat?", Marie asked in disbelief.

"He might choke..... But at least there's a great chance that he would survive. We just have to take whatever precautions we can when giving him the drinks."

"I don't like it. He should be taken to a hospital."

"Marie, we can't do anything else."

"Samuel is correct, we are running out of time."

"The barest minimum, nothing more than enough to keep him alive. He does not have to wake up anytime soon, just let him sleep till we can get to the Manor."

"Understood, the process should be over soon. Judging by the sugar content of the average soda, half a litre should be enough to keep him alive.."

The android got to work immediately while Marie held Rodney's head. Sam searched for tips on how to give liquids to an unconscious person. The more he saw, the scarier it got and he shut his laptop just as Andy returned with a bottle of some citrus drink.

Oh God, what are we doing?

Hypoglycemia is so scary.

Marie insisted on doing it herself despite everything the android and Sam said to discourage her.

"Small sips, let gravity do the work while you keep an eye on his chest. If his breathing looks irregular, stop immediately."

This is so wrong.

Sam was the one who was panicked by the procedure even though he insisted that it should be done. He watched as the slowest thirty minutes of his life played out.

Those thirty minutes were also uneventful. Marie performed the task perfectly and Sam started thinking maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Then he noticed how tense she was and he hit himself.

"Rodney should wake in twenty-five to thirty minutes."

"What ?".

"I thought she said only enough to keep him alive."

"I decided that it was not.....".

Sam noticed his hand throbbed with pain and that the robot was on the floor. He took a deep breath.

His laptop made a beeping sound. He walked to it, stepping over the unmoving robot on his way.

"Jay?".

"Yes, I'm alive. Surprised?".

"Not exactly."

Sam reconnected his laptop to the TV. Jay appeared in the labcoat he was wearing on Atlantis. He looked completely unharmed.

"First, Rodney mustn't know that I or any of the others are alive. Next, I'm going to give you important information about the Playground. We don't have the immunity you three have so I decided that I won't risk the lives of my people anymore. I'm sorry that I'm placing such a huge burden on you, please recover my friends."

"Where's this coming from?".

Sam felt something fishy was going on and he turned to Marie. She also looked like she didn't trust him.

"Yeah, you were ready to risk everything before, why the change of heart?".

"That was when the others weren't involved, it's always been about getting my people back but I can't risk the ones left on just a fleeting dream."

Sam was still feeling irritated at the robot, Jay was lucky he wasn't physically there. He took another deep breath.

"What else do you have to say?".

"We would support you in any way we can, however, please do not attempt to communicate with us. Once again, I am sorry for everything."

The screen went blank again.

"Everybody is just doing whatever they want and expecting us to solve their problems. I'm tired of being their plaything."

Sam removed the cable with a violent tug and collapsed in a chair with his eyes closed.

"Why have you been working on this?".

Marie loosened her grip on Rodney as his pulse returned to normal. She turned to Sam and waited for his reply.

"Huh?".

"You could have left anytime. You were the one who said that you would do anything to prolong your lifespan yet you keep risking your life everyday."

Sam was silent. It was something he had been thinking of a lot recently. He had no reason to do anything he had done. He only joined the wild goose chase because....

Because I thought it was fun.

"Maybe I have a crush on you."

He replied with a smile. He suddenly felt like nothing could ruin his day any more.

Yes, I'm going to solve this puzzle and then I'll move on to another. This is just a game. A really hard game but it's also really fun.

Marie looked skeptical but she was relieved that he was back to normal.

"Rodney should wake up any moment now."

Andy's voice reported. He sat up straight and tried to stand but he appeared to be facing difficulties in the simple task.

Rodney eyes slowly opened and his eyes lazily took in his environment.

"Thirty-one, get me something with a lot of glucose, preferably a liquid."

He slowly ordered the robot who was now on his feet but seemed unstable.

"Rodney, just sleep. You don't have to do anything for now."

"No, I... I have to go... I have to, the Playground. I have to go to the Play.....".

He winced then sat up. He held his head in both hands and then his eyes rested on the centre table.

Sam was still struggling to get a grip on the situation when he realized what got Rodney's attention.

Dammit, I forgot to put it back in my bag.

"It's really me from the future. I knew it."

He grabbed the cube and examined it. It was held together by tiny screws. A perfect cube. The insides didn't rattle when he shook it. He dropped it and then received a bottle from Andy.

He drained the bottle in a few seconds. His eyes suddenly acquired a bright sparkle after the drink. He grabbed the second bottle from Andy and finished it twice as fast as he finished the first.

He moved to take the last one but Marie's hand put a stop to his movement.

"I feel thirsty now."

"I thought you might say that, I brought some ice cubes for you to suck on. They'll deceive your body for a bit while the water in the sodas are absorbed."

"I have to get into the Playground."

"How do you intend to do that?".

Sam asked the boy who was starting to move around the room.

"Jay must have sent you with information he obtained from that risky move he played. If I can use this device with it, I should be able to enter the Playground."

"Why do you think you can do it?".

Sam's eyes narrowed in suspicion. But Rodney didn't take it seriously and smirked.

"I'm Rodney Zimmerman! . There's nothing that I can't do! ", he proclaimed with his chest puffed then added a quicker and quieter answer, "And I'm the one who designed the Playground."

"We're still not sure about that."

He turned to Marie with a condescending look.

"You misunderstood me.... I, the present me, designed the Playground a few months ago. I had help from a few others but I designed it."

"What did you make something like that for?", Marie screamed at him.

"Chill, it wasn't made. Just blueprints, 'Kay?".

"You're saying someone stole your work?", Sam asked.

"Probably?".

His uncertainty irritated Marie.

"But you still designed it, why did you do something like that?".

"Huh?", he looked at her like she was an idiot, "Because it was fun. What other reason is there to make a game."

"Then is that why you want to go in?", she asked her voice higher than before, "'To play your game?'".

"Well, that's part of the reason. I also want to get my hands on the thief and beat the shit out of him then make him my pawn. He also achieved a lot of things I wanted to, so... I guess I want to know how he did it."

"Do you feel any remorse for designing it?".

"No, I didn't build it and even if I did, the Playground was designed to let those who wanted to leave out. You know that too. Aren't you just trying to blame someone for something you know that you couldn't change?".

"Rodney!".

"It's time you face the truth. Your brother chose to forget about his life here to stay in the Playground. Why wouldn't he?", Rodney ignored Sam's pleas and continued, "He designed it with me, actually, it was originally his idea."

Marie became silent then she stood up and walked to Rodney. He raised his head but her face was hidden in the shadows of her hair. She knelt and hugged him. He heard soft sounds of grief. Soon, he felt a hot liquid on his shoulder.

He sighed and tried to push her away.

"I don't have time for.....".

She tightened her grip till he suffocated.

"Hey!".

"Thank you, I'm fine now."

"You're clearly not okay. Ugh.... Get off me already, you're ruining my clothes. Argh... Was that snot just now?.... Tell me it's not snot..... It's definitely not snot, right?".

Sam felt an odd sense of déjà-vu and smiled as he watched them with a warm feeling in his chest.

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" Did you think that I would not notice what you had done, Jolly? ".

" No, I just did what I thought was best."

"Follow my orders, I said you must not harm the Savants unnecessarily. I cannot see how that particular game was necessary. Seven hundred and fifty-four dead."

"You don't sound angry about it."

"No, because it's not entirely your fault. In fact, it only proves what I think. It shows me that my path isn't wrong."

"Then the anomaly on the fifth Level?".

"I told you, there are no anomalies in the Playground. Everyone and Everything is perfectly accounted for. Jolly, announce my return. I'll be personally handling the Fifth and Thirteenth Level games and make it known that I'll be giving out special items to exceptional Savants. The tests would be held in thirty-six hours."

"As you wish."

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