Bubble(38)

W-what, why  …  well  …  er.

He carried on rubbing his face, harder and harder. Digging his fingers in until his skin stung.

From the start? he finally managed to say towards the floor. Were you involved right from the start? he said in a slightly clearer voice as he straightened up.

Manga took a deep breath.

Ive been involved longer than you. Considerably longer, in fact  …

So you were the one who dragged me into it  … ?

Manga shook his head.

No, to be honest, it wasnt me. I didnt know you were involved until you showed up in the shop that time and pulled your phone out. Not even then, in fact, because I thought youd just found it by accident, that some other Player had lost it. Then when I did realize that you were involved  …

He held his hands out.

B-but I dont under  …  HP cleared his throat and tried again.

From the corner of his eye he could see Nora watching him.

H-how did you get involved? What do you do? Are you a Player, or an Ant? Youve got to tell  …

Later, HP, right now we dont have much time. The whole citys looking for you, the cops, the Ants, everyone  …

Manga turned towards Jeff.

Can you keep an eye out in the tunnel?

Sure.

All I can tell you right now is that Ive tried to help you  …  Manga went on once the door had closed behind Jeff.

Help?! HP could feel the blood rushing to his head. For fucks sake, you could have told me you were involved, and explained how lethal it all was. Told me to stop! Shit  …  youre supposed to be my best friend!

Yeah, right, like that would have worked  …

Manga shook his head.

Besides, you know what happens if you break rule number one  …  You werent the only one who received a warning shot.

Nora reappeared with more water, a glass each this time.

The arson attack on the shop, remember? Manga added when HP didnt seem to get it. That was aimed at me, not you. A little reminder from the Game Master about what would happen if I didnt stick to the rules. It probably wasnt even meant to start a real fire. They just wanted me to realize what was at stake.
 
 

 

Nora accidentally tipped one of the glasses and spilled some water on HPs trousers, but he hardly noticed.

His brain was still searching for solid ground.

S-so  …  how much of all this has been real? he stammered.

How do you mean?

I mean  …  Well, what the hell do you think I mean?! Everything Ive been through, the fire in my flat, the bomb on the E4, the server farm I blew up out in Kista, running away, all that crap in Dubai, and everything that happened with ArgosEye. How much of that was real? Properly real, I mean?

All of it, of course  …

Manga took a sip of water.

But maybe not real in the way you thought  …  he added, shifting slightly on his chair. You could say that you never really left the Game  …  That youve actually been working for them the whole time. Or, well  …  For us  …

HP put his glass down and covered his face with his hands.

Manga was still talking, but his voice suddenly sounded tinny and distant, as if he were in a different room.

The situation was unreal, dreamlike to the point where he ought to be pinching holes in his arms.

Working for them  …

His brain was stuttering, trying desperately to keep to the facts: hed blown up their server farm, escaped from their conspiracy to frame him for murder, and sunk their business partners at ArgosEye with all hands  …

Unless he was wrong?

Had he actually been  …

Working for them?

He stared at Manga. Boring, dependable, balding Mangalito. The coward. His old friend, his BFF.

The world lurched.

For a brief moment he was back in the eighties, sitting on the sofa in front of the television, with yellow cheese-puff fingers and eyes wide open. On the screen the shower door had just opened and Bobby Ewing was looking out.

Working for  …

Us  …

What the fuck am I doing here, Manga? he whispered.

Give us a couple more minutes, please, Jonsson!

The chauffeur got in and closed the car door without a word.

Now do you understand why Im so keen to get hold of that gun? Tage Sammer said in a low voice.

She nodded.

I think I do, anyway.

Good. Id appreciate it if you could empty your fathers safe deposit box as soon as possible and hand the entire contents over to me. Can I ask that of you, Rebecca? You have my word that the gun will disappear, that neither it nor the passports will ever crop up anywhere that they could be misused.

She thought for a few seconds.

The gun isnt in the safe deposit box any more  …

What?

I moved it to another one the day I found it, I opened a box in my own name.

Ah, I see. Good thinking, Rebecca!

I have the passports at home. Ill go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning. Ill call you as soon as Im done.

Excellent, Rebecca, you never let me down! If only more of my colleagues were like you!

He patted her knee and she found she was grateful for the slightest touch.

No problem, Uncle Tage, she mumbled.

Back to Fredhäll, please, Jonsson, he said, tapping on the chauffeurs shoulder. Miss Normén needs to get to bed, shes had a rather trying day  …

Okay, HP, let me explain, Manga began. Youre here for the reasons Nora has already given you. Were going to close down the Fortress, and stop PayTag and the Game Master from gaining an unlimited monopoly on peoples pasts.

Er, hang on a minute  …

Manga held up his hand and stopped him.

I know youve got loads of questions, HP  …  He looked at his watch. But times marching on. I had to come up with somewhere to meet at short notice, a place they wouldnt think of.

He gestured towards the roof with his hand.

This is one of the Games own meeting points, which is why its free from prying eyes and ears. But we cant stay here long. We hadnt exactly counted on you passing out  …

He glanced at his watch again.

I signed up a long time ago. I had friends who were already involved in the Game, and I pretty much got an invitation to help out. Just like with you, it started off small, a cool thing to do. As time passed I got more involved, and I liked the feeling of being part of something bigger, something that most people knew nothing about.

HP nodded reluctantly.

Im listening.

The big thing we found out early on was that through the Game it was actually possible to influence events, make a difference. Shine a light on things other people would rather conceal. Secrets that those in power want to hide. Investigations that have been buried, reports that have been swept under the carpet or silenced. Lots of little tasks all slotted together, then we could tip off the media or post what wed found out on various whistleblower websites. We did a lot of that at the start  …

But?

Manga glanced at Nora.

My friends and I only saw a fraction of what was going on. Thats always been the case.

The whole Game is divided into small cells, so that the Game Master is basically the only person who can see the whole picture. As time went on, it became clearer that he was changing direction. The Game was getting more and more closely managed, as the Players choices became fewer and the tasks increasingly murky. Gradually the rest of us lost whatever influence we had, and everything started to pass through the Game Master. It was becoming more and more obvious that he was exploiting the Game to gain power for himself. Then when PayTag  …

Where do I fit into the picture?! HP interrupted.

Manga looked clearly disconcerted by the unexpected question, and it took him a moment to collect his thoughts.

Well, to get straight to the point, you could probably say that most of what youve accomplished has been within the boundaries of the Game. Serving the Game Masters purposes, so to speak  …

Manga smiled uncertainly at HP as if he were waiting for a reaction.

B-but I blew up the server farm. I gave them one fuck of a serious kick in the balls, shut them down for months, emptied their bank account, sank ArgosEye  …  Didnt I? he added when Manga didnt reply.

He could hear how hollow his voice sounded.

Like I said, Ive been trying to help you, I was actually trying to get you out, Manga mumbled.

But after the fires  …  He exchanged a quick look with Nora. After the fires I agreed to help. The Game Master promised to let you go when it was all finished.

He looked down at the floor.

They emptied the building in Kista the day after you and Rehyman were there. Moved to another, more secure site. You blew up an empty building, thats all. I wanted to explain everything to you a thousand times, but as long as they were watching you it was impossible  …

HP took another deep, stuttering breath.

So the whole thing was planned, they just let me get away with the money? But why?

The Game needed an attack, something that could never be traced, to tie in with the EU summit. The money was your reward for surviving your own End Game and, just as they expected, you took the money and fled the field. No witnesses, no trail  …

He shook his head slowly.

So far everything had gone exactly as the Game Master had promised. Both you and Becca were out.
 
 

 

What about later  –  Dubai, ArgosEye?

Manga grimaced.

Obviously I should have realized that the Game Master is the one who sets the rules. That hes the one who decides when the Game begins and ends. Evidently you were too valuable an asset for them to just let you go. I was away and heard by chance that you were involved again, but by then there wasnt much I could do. I asked a friend to keep an eye on you and send me reports about what was happening  …