The Great Game

My apologies for not updating yesterday. I’m still not back in the routine yet, and simply forgot all about it. Today so far has been a welter of communications issues, but I seem to have some semi-stable net access back! If you’re reading this, it clearly updated OK

If you’re new to the Great Game, please have a quick look at the blurb to your left, where you’ll find a short catch-up introduction.

Finally, I found what I was hunting for. Some 90 minutes earlier, there was a burst where the EMF sensors, gravity meter and particle radiation filter all went absolutely mad. I cross-checked with Overlook, and sure enough, it was exactly the same time as the visual feed switched from an impossible scene of ordinary daily life to an accurate depiction of the devastated empty territory.

I started at it for a long moment, then forced myself to get it together.

First things first. I put a call through to Travis, and it didn’t take long for him to answer.

“Sir.”

“What is it, Taylor? Any luck?”

“Actually, yes. There was some odd wavering in the local magnetic field when the Infected were talking to me, and some strange problem with subatomic particles throughout, but the main payload is a crazy burst of sensor readings that correspond with the Overlook feed returning to true.”

“Good work. I’ll have someone slurp the information up and get it straight to our analysts.”

“I’ll head back, then,” I said.

“Ah, no, don’t do that.” Travis paused for a moment. “I want you to have a closer look at the riot zone. See if the Infected were up to anything. Go over it carefully, will you? I’ll let you know if we find anything in your data.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“Well, yes. But there are floodlights, and the buildings have power. I’ll get the streetlights turned back on. The ones that survived, anyway. Or there’s always morning if you’re scared of the dark.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “But…”

“Good man,” Travis said. “Examine the area throughly, then give me a call once you’ve prepared a report. You used the goose fat?”

“Yes. B…”

“Good evening, Taylor.”

The line clicked shut. I leaned back in my chair, muttering irritably. After spending half a day trussed up like a Thanksgiving Turkey, I wanted a solid meal, followed by a long hot bath, several whiskies, and a good night’s sleep.I did not want a handful of stims and long night poring over the riot zone.

I started blankly at the data for a while, scuffing one foot on the concrete. I was a long way from convinced that Travis actually cared about an inspection of the riot zone. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was just a way of keeping me here whilst he sent orders to have me killed.

I  froze.

Surely he wouldn’t have me shot. Why would he have waited this long? He could have killed me when I was tied down, and sent someone else to check the data. Unless…

I shook my head stubbornly, and told myself I was being paranoid. I even tried to make myself believe it — with a degree of success.

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Today’s photo is 11-22-06 Bath by artbandito