Oblivion

"What am I doing here?" said Jesse, slipping in and out of sanity. "Where's Mom and Dad...I wanna go home." Curled up in the only spot that allowed some light to enter, Jesse's mind would occasionally return to a normal state, remembering his family and the warmth of home only to be held captive again by a force he could not understand. Twenty children, maybe more, meandered about this dark, cold building. Some huddled together trying to keep warm by their own body heat, some cried silently unsure of how they got to this place, or why. And then some... attacked others without warning.

"Jesse?" A familiar voice echoed from the damp walls, but as yet, unseen. "Jesse...is that you man?" Jesse knew that voice, but was wary. "Who's there?" The voice was faint, frightened, but Jesse knew, somehow...this was a friend. "Eric!" Sliding along the wet concrete floor, Jesse inched his way further into the dark corner, squinting his eye's to see into the black. Stopping only inches away from his friend, Jesse sat still, listening. From the abysmal darkness stretched a clammy hand, grasping onto Jesse's arm, tugging him in farther. "It's me man, Eric, calm down dude, we need to find out what the heck is going on with us. We can't stay here Jesse, I don't know how we got here, but we have to leave."

Jesse was in a very confused state; feeling deep anger mixed with thoughts of destruction. "Jesse..." Eric continued, we have to go...now." Jesse wanted to go with his friend, but something held him to the floor. Looking around, Eric could see the other teens were getting more and more restless, taking out their thoughtless acts of aggression on each other, then on themselves. Eric returned to a normal behavior, and somehow remained there, at least for the moment. "Jesse, it was in level five, man...did you get into level 5?" Looking intently at the others in the room, Eric kept a watchful eye, while convincing his friend to leave. "Yeah, I did...level five and more, but...it's just a game." Beginning to sweat profusely, Jesse became agitated, feeling emotions that didn't belong to him. "You're feeling it aren't you?" Eric asked. "I caught only a small amount of that crap, then a bunch of stupid numbers and patterns started showing up on the screen...the weird part is, my sister was watching the same screen but didn't see anything." Jesse, overwhelmed with desperation, reached for his friend, grabbing his wrist in a tight grip. "Eric, we have to call my parents, tell them where we are."

Without warning, a group of boys encircled Jesse and Eric, taunting them, fully intending on destroying them. "Stand up Jesse, here hold this," Eric said, handing his friend a three foot long pipe. "You beat the hell out of anyone who tries to mess with you man, you hear me Jesse?" Eric picked up a piece of wood as a weapon, swinging it wildly at any one who came near, but he knew he could not hold them off for long. "Help me Jesse, Help me." Jesse had slipped back into a stupor, curling into a ball on the damp cold floor. "I have to go home, I want my parents," he mumbled, drifting in and out of a thick fog.

"Larry, we can't give up on this, I have to go into the city and look some more, or at the very least, find Jake and make him tell us where he thinks the kids might be. I can't go back without them." Larry knew this would be another losing battle, but the night had already descended upon them, leaving them with no leads and nowhere to turn...except to a man who claimed to know something.

"Hey," Jake said, standing up with a piece of crumpled paper in his hand. "I've been told that a bunch of run-a-way's are holed up in this abandoned building." Handing the information over to Jim, he continued. "You're only about twenty minutes away, if you go through that back alley over there...behind that hotel." Jake pointed through the dark evening in a direction that looked as uninviting, as would be entering an abandoned building full of kids, infected with an altered conscience. Jim and Larry stared at the note, then at Jake, then down the alley. "Jake...I don't know how to repay you, if in fact our sons are in this building, but if we happen to see you..." Jake waved a hand limply in the air. "I already told you, I had a lot to do with this by pushing the product, so don't thank me, just find your kids."

"Jesse, get up man, they're gonna kill us, we have to fight back." Jesse had fallen into a dream-like state, seeing things that were unfamiliar, then he heard his dad's voice calling to him. But, he could also hear Eric, screaming out obscenities at the attacking horde. "Get away man, I swear, I'll kill you all, stay back," he yelled, swinging the stick wildly. Three young men grabbed him from behind, kicking Jesse as he lay on the floor. Two of the teens held Eric as the other's moved in, "Jesse..." came a voice from outside the building. "Jesse, Eric, where are you?" Jim and Larry had found the building, as indicated on the note. "I don't know Larry, from the looks of this building, it would take someone plumb out of their minds to want to stay here." Before his friend could answer either way, a cacophony of hysterical voices began to erupt from the cave like dwelling.

"Hey Jim, did you hear that?" the two men stopped in mid-stride, listening. "There, there it is again. It sounds like a bunch of wild animals tearing into each other." Jim walked to the edge of the building, leaning the upper half of his body into an entrance. "It's dark as hell in there Larry, but I can hear the yelling." Larry stepped further into the building, almost concealed by its murky surroundings.

"We have to go inside, I'm not sure, but it sounded like my son doing most of the shouting," Larry said, moving deeper into the building. Jim hung back only slightly. "Jim, come on, we have to check this out. What if it's our boys tangled up in this mess...we have to go."

Taking the lead, Larry moved cautiously through the building, guided by the wild voices alone. "I wish we would have at least brought a flashlight," Jim muttered. "Jim..." Larry said. "Look, over there." The two men had entered the heart of the teens lair, appearing just as Eric was about to lose the battle. A larger teenage boy picked up the pipe lying beside Jesse and lifted it over Eric's head, preparing to bring it down in a death blow. "Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Larry said, running into the middle of chaos, throwing boys and some girls in every direction as he went to the rescue of his son. Jim followed up in short distance taking a football tackle approach, plowing his way through everything, and everyone that stood in his way.

"Dad?" Jesse moaned, uncertain if the image in front of him were real or not. "Dad...can we go home now? I don't feel good." Jesse, still in a deep haze, partially stood to his feet, holding on to the arm of his father. "Jesse...son, I'm here now. You're going to be alright. I'll get you home, your mothers waiting for us."

It had become a very long night for Larry and Jim, but a night worth remembering, how a simple game could bring such destruction and mayhem. By the grace of God alone, the two men made it out of the cavernous pit, with the lives of Eric and Jesse, as well as themselves. They had a long walk ahead of them, and it was cold and dark, but they were together.

Jesse recovered slightly, suffering nightmares off and on; waking up in the middle of the night screaming, clutching his pillow, seeing images only he could describe. Eric, knowing where the problem began, took joy in breaking the game disc and then melting it with his father's butane torch. "You'll never mess with my mind again," he said, triumphantly, throwing it in the trash.

Jake finally moved back into his condo, but changed his name and phone number, remaining paranoid at every noise or stranger. He knew the group was still out there, as well as the game. For now, only two young men were pulled away from permanent damage, while a large population was still at large. His real job had just begun; it was time to expose the group.

"Hello...is this Jim?" Jake had written down the address of Larry and Jim while checking out their identifications, gaining access to their phone numbers. "This is Jim, who am I talking with?" it had not been long since finding his son. "Jim...you don't recognize my voice? It's only been three weeks." Jim knew the voice, but could not place it. So much had happened over the last month, and the news was flooded with information on the game 'Oblivion', "enough with the charades, who is this?"

"I can't say that we're friends, but you know me...Jake, my name is..." before he could finish, Jim completed the sentence. "Okay, Jake I remember who you are, but what do you want, as I remember, you were camped out under a bridge, wishing you were back in your condo." Jake chuckled with the scene of being homeless, but there was a correction to be made. "That was an overpass, I was camped under...not a bridge. And by the way, I'm back in my condo." Jim really didn't want to get further involved in anything suggested by Jake. He had his son back, as did Larry. Did he really care about the rest of the world?

Moving into a more private room, Jim had a sneaking suspicion that Jake was not calling to inform him of the luxury of his condo. "Jake, I don't have time for this, what do you want?" Jim asked. "I don't want anything in the truest sense, but, let me rephrase that, I would like to recruit you and, if he is willing, your friend Larry."

"I can't talk for Larry, but what're we talken about here...recruit me for what?" There was a pause, then, Jake said, "I need to expose the group. Do you recall the people I told you and your friend about? The group!" Jim couldn't help but imagine himself being involved in an undercover ring, set out to bust a major assemblage of illicit entrepreneurs. He felt important, if for only a moment. "So, Jake, what you're planning is not going to be easy, and I am curious...why would you call me? I have my son back and, frankly, I don't want anything more to do with all of this."

Jim could hear some voices in the background, thinking Jake might have had a happy hour all to himself. "Jake, you might do well to just leave it alone. You told me yourself that these people are ruthless, and would rather take you down than hold conference." Jim tried to convince Jake of the lunacy in his actions, but he knew Jake was right, he knew these people were unconscionable, and had to be taken down, but by whom; himself and Larry?

"Look Jim, I'm not asking you or your friend to pull a swat maneuver on anybody, but what I am asking is if you two might help me find the major players, and turn them in." Jim's life had settled down to a low growl and the last thing he wanted, was to get involved in a spy adventure. "Jake, I am sorry, but..." Jake expected this response, and had some back up. "Jim, you had a taste of what this group can do, on a smaller scale. Can you imagine what they could do on a larger theater...going beyond a game application?" Sitting in his comfortable recliner, next to a fire, Jim couldn't imagine getting caught up in a clandestine operation that may well take him out of the United States. That thought was, well, unreal.

"Jim, these people have the technology to alter the conscience with radio frequency, or at least if not by frequency, then by some other means that I'm not even aware of. At any rate, they can do what they set out to do, and if I might say so, nobody is exempt, including you or your family. So what do you say Jimmy boy, break loose from your mundane life and help me out here, you'll be alright. Hell, who knows, you might even enjoy it...you know, undercover stuff, like the crap you see only on television or in magazines. It's time to live ole' boy, don't worry, I'll bring you back home in one piece, and don't forget to talk to your friend, Larry." Something stirred in Jim, that awakened when he saved his son from a bunch of violent teens, it was something that lies dormant in most everyone; a need to pursue the unthinkable, to get involved in the things that most people would run from, especially if that thing meant leaving their comfort zone.

"Alright Jake, I'm in, and I'll talk this over with Larry, but I can't promise anything." On the other end of the phone, Jake smiled, knowing he was forming a team of people he could trust, people who would watch his back and not run away at the first mention of danger. He didn't know Jim or Larry well, but he could feel a lasting friendship built on discovering a very destructive power, and putting an end to it.