Book Three Chapter One Hundred and One: End.exe

Book Three Chapter One Hundred and One: End.exe

Qube had braced herself for the next round of interrogations, but instead the outsiders nodded and put down their slates.

Well conduct the analysis portion back in thank you for your time today, everyone, Major General Coyle caught herself and nodded at the party. Its been enlightening. Well be in touch.

Brigadier Kennedy leant back in his chair, massaging his neck. Finally. My heads killing me.

Why do you think they tested these sets on grunts? Thompson asked, rubbing his eyes. No offence, kid, he said to Alex.

If youll just follow the instructions appearing before you, youll be able to log off, Alex said frigidly. Ill be joining you shortly.

One by one, the outsiders vanished.

Is Alex a grunt? Qube asked the Chosen One. The Hero grinned, as Alex grew even frostier.

No, Alex replied coldly. Were separate from them.

Are you, though? the Chosen One asked teasingly. With the removal of the outsiders, a lot of his tension also left, and he sagged in his chair.

I think that went remarkably well, Alex said, ignoring the Hero. The wars far from over, but weve completed the first skirmish.

Again, mate, you gotta stop using idioms, the Chosen One said wearily. Theyre gonna think theyre going into an actual war.

Im familiar with a variation on that saying, Sencha Bard said.

Qube was not. But she was preoccupied with the odd, loose feeling that comes after a period of prolonged concentration.

We did it, she said faintly. Were going to the Devs realm. Were going to get to explore, and research, and help others.

She started laughing, unable to stop herself. She covered her face, muffling her uncontrolled laughter until it almost sounded like sobbing.

Alex abruptly stood up, snapping her out of it. Ive got to go to the rest of the meeting, he said. He hesitated, then turned to the Chosen One. After having so many avatars active in one space, well want to run diagnostics. See how the system handled it in the backend. Ill tell them to start the process, although with me in the meeting it might be delayed. Say, half an hour to an hour?

Noted, the Chosen One said. He gave Alex a genuine smile. Thanks.

Dont mention it, Alex said, waving a hand as he turned away. Say your goodbyes. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at the party, all still seated at the table.

And say your hellos, to what the future holds, he said, and vanished.

The Chosen One looked at where his friend had disappeared from. That line probably sounded a lot cooler in their head, he observed.

"Speaking from experience?" Sencha Bard asked politely.

The Hero merely grinned in response.

"What did that mean?" Qube asked.

"We're family, all right. I want you each to know that I'm really proud of you," he said, unexpectedly serious. "It's been a wild journey, but" he broke off, swallowing hard.

"It sounds like you're trying to say goodbye," Qube said. She didnt remember moving, but she was standing in front of the Chosen One, looking at her best friend. She didnt have any plans for how she could keep them safe in the future, or any plans for the third or fourth steps in this strange negotiation dance with the outsiders.

She wasnt dwelling in the future, or the past. She was just being herself, as hard as she could be.

"We'll still see each other. After all, I am the official liaison," the Hero said with false pride. He dropped the attitude a second later. "But it won't be the same."

"It could be," Qube said quietly, knowing even as she spoke that it wasnt what she wanted.

The Chosen One reached out, and pulled her into a hug.

"It can't," he said, his voice rough. He pushed her away.

I know, she replied, stepping back.

The space between them had never seemed so large.

Qube took a deep breath. Then several more.

This was it. This was the start of the next step. She didnt know who shed be afterwards, so she could only be herself right now.

"Well," she said, not knowing what she was going to say next, but determined to keep talking. "In that case, you'll be our guiding light in the Devs' realm. I expect you to take your role seriously! We'll be relying on you."

Yes. This felt right. She was still herself, even through all this madness.

"And you'll be the Chosen One of emergents!" The Chosen One sounded extraordinarily pleased by this role reversal. The strain on his face eased, and the distance between them shrank.

"I'll make sure to be worthy of the title," Qube said, a small smile peeking out. This was her friend. This was her life. And she was going to live it.

"Nah, you gotta be a true Chosen One. That means chaos and breaking things! You must make your teacher proud!" The Chosen One lit up.

Qube puffed out her cheeks in fake indignation, before a sly expression took its place.

"Then you have to have learned from your teacher," she said triumphantly. "On how to be the best guiding light possible!"

Joy filled her. This was it.

"Hm, yeah, I'll definitely take your examples on board. So I just gotta yell at and kick powerful people, steal a bunch of stuff, and when the going gets tough, bust out a tee-hee." The Hero grinned at her.

"Wha that's not what I taught you at all! Qube cried. No! You have to be Good and kind and understanding! Not that! Chosen One, stop laughing. Chosen One!"

This was the next step in her glorious adventure.

The End