Rabbits(72)

“No, really, I’m good,” I said, sitting up.

I took a look around. They’d laid me down on one of the wooden benches. Sidney and Chloe knelt on the floor in front of me.

“Sidney checked it out,” Chloe said. “From the sixth floor to the penthouse, there’s nothing but endless rows of stacked servers.”

“That’s a lot of computing power,” I said.

I was having a hard time focusing on Chloe’s words. I was still coming to terms with what had just happened. Did I really just meet a man named Crow? Was Emily Connors there? As I continued to gather my senses, I looked past the two reception desks, through the windows, and into the courtyard. There was a circular fountain out there that I couldn’t remember seeing earlier. Surrounding the fountain was a group of large stone birds, all staring up at the sky, wings spread, waiting to take flight. I found myself wondering what had been going on in the mind of the sculptor. Why were those birds poised to escape such a beautiful place?

“Hey,” Chloe said softly, snapping me out of my reverie. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good,” I said.

“You don’t look so good,” Sidney said.



* * *



—

“That’s an insane amount of computing power for gaming,” Chloe said as the three of us stepped outside.

“What do you think is going on up there?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Sidney said. “Floors one through five are dedicated to Byzantine Game Engine personnel. The elevator won’t stop at any of those floors, and security says they don’t have access. There’s no way we’re getting in there.”

“Security doesn’t have access?” I asked.

Sidney shrugged. “That’s what they told me.”

“Do you know a man named Crow who works here?”

Sidney shook her head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Do you think you could check?” I asked.

“Sure. Is that his last name? Like the bird?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’ll look into it,” Sidney said and then glanced over at Chloe. “You should probably go home and get some rest.”

“Could you maybe call your boss and try to get access to the rest of the floors?” I asked.

“I don’t have a boss.”

“So who do you call if you need something from the top?”

“Lawyers. I’m going to put in a formal request to stop my creative team from delivering assets until I see what the hell they’re doing with the Byzantine Game Engine.”

“Do you think that’s going to work?” Chloe asked.

Sidney shrugged. “I have no idea, but it’s worth a shot. I don’t want anybody else having seizures, dying, or passing out.” She turned back to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded.



* * *



—

In the Uber on our way back to my place, I stared at a series of stuffed animals glued to the dashboard of the older model Prius. I was trying to ascertain the species of each of the animals while simultaneously trying to work out a way to tell Chloe what had happened with Crow. But how was I supposed to talk about what had happened without including the part about my returning to that penthouse to discover everything had miraculously changed? And of course, I’d also have to include the fact that my close childhood friend Emily Connors had shown up for some reason.

I was tired. My head was filled with static and fuzz, and sitting there, in the back of a car with Chloe, I was starting to question whether or not I believed any of that stuff had actually happened. The stuffed animals were some kind of generic Pokémonlike creatures. I couldn’t decide if they were mice or rabbits. The one in the middle had big green eyes and long reddish ears and had come partly unglued from the dashboard. It appeared slightly off-balance, and every time we went over a bump, it shook and swayed like a haunted bobblehead.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Chloe asked. She could tell something was bothering me.

“You were there,” I said. “I just kind of passed out.”

Chloe grabbed my hand and squeezed.

“Can you believe all of those servers?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I know,” Chloe said, shaking her head. “Whatever they’re doing up there, they’re doing it with a shit ton of computer power.”



* * *



—

The car dropped us off at my place, and I took a long shower.

After I’d finished washing my hair, I stood there with the window open and listened to the sound of the rain outside as it merged with the steady splash of the water hitting the tiles. I went back over what Crow had said about my parents and the Meechum Radiants—about his army of operatives working to butterfly-effect the world—but my mind kept going back to Emily Connors. What the hell was she doing there?

Had she really been there?

Was it possible Chloe was right about what she’d said earlier?

Was I losing it?

Had I imagined the whole thing?



* * *



—

After I’d used up what had to be most of the building’s hot water supply, I dried off, slipped on my most comfortable jeans and a promotional T-shirt from a newish HBO Max sci-fi show I’d never seen, and sat down next to Chloe on the couch. She turned and smiled, and I felt my body relax. We still hadn’t spoken about our make-out session the other night.