The Most Dangerous Game
Chapter 4
Sharpe limped into the trophy room in his home with the doctor right behind him.
"Mr. Sharpe, you must lay down. Your injuries are quite serious. If we had not been tracking you and knew exactly where you were when you pressed the emergency button we would not be having this conversation. The young lady's thrust barely missed the artery in your leg. If the blade had gone just a fraction of an inch to the left….."
The doctor paused for a moment as Sharpe held onto a chair for a moment.
Sharpe snarled back at him.
"IF she had gone a little bit to the right she would have changed my voice permanently."
The doctor shrugged his shoulders.
"You wanted everything to be as real as possible so you hired those two men to help you set it up. Consider yourself lucky; think of those two young people."
Sharpe waved him off.
"Later doctor, after my trophies are ready I will call you if I need you. Until then leave me alone."
The doctor caught the tone of Sharpe's voice and knew if he pressed his case he just might end up running through the jungle. He turned and left the room as Sharpe hobbled to his chair that had been set up in the trophy room. One of his men stepped into the room and stood beside a curtain that now covered the center of the trophy area. Sharpe winced at the pain of his wounds. The girl had come very close to turning him from a nice baritone to a good soprano. But she had paid the price as the boy had. He looked up at his man.
"Is everything completed?"
The man nodded.
"Yes sir, we were able to obtain a set of their mission clothes. I think you will be pleased."
The man turned and pulled the curtain back. The center of the trophy area had been redone. A large wooden dais with an enclove dominated the center. Mounted on the dais were the boy and the girl. They were in fighting poses with fierce expressions on their faces. Along the wall behind them were of some of the weapons they had fashioned.
Sharpe sighed and settled himself into his chair. They were magnificent. The girl's complexion was flawless and her hair was perfectly modeled over her shoulder and even their clothes matched everything he could ever remember about them.
"Magnificent!" He muttered.
The man flipped a switch and special lighting came on to focus on the two figures mounted in immortality to the vanity of the man sitting in front of them. Sharpe sat for a few moments marveling at his trophies. He was still the greatest hunter. He had been triumphant in hunting the most dangerous of the most dangerous game.
"Now it will be time to invite others to try my little game. It will be by invitation only and cost very much. But I have a feeling that I will be able to sell the chances very dearly. Of course the participants will have to be willing to pay the price, so to speak, just in case. I nearly paid that same price."
He spun his chair around to view the other figures standing in the room. A short man was working with some controls.
"Ahhhhhh, Dr. Finn. I must say that your creations were quite capable."
Dr. Finn put a control box down.
"Thank you Mr. Sharpe, with your help I have been able to take my robotics several leaps ahead and actually build near replicas of who ever I wished. Then with the technology that you were able to steal from Dr. Drakken, I was able to use some of his synthodrone technology."
Sharpe nodded.
"Yes Dr. Finn, but the real genius of the operation was the improvements of Dr. Nevious' technology. What do you think Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable?"
Sharpe and Dr. Finn looked along the back wall of the room where Kim and Ron stood rigid. Dr. Finn pressed a button and the two figures started to move. Kim snarled.
"Do you think you will be able to get away with this…?"
Dr. Finn pressed another control and the two figures froze again. Sharpe stood up and limped over to the two figures of Kim and Ron.
"Your figures move and act just like the real things. They even have the same athletic and physical prowess."
Finn shrugged his shoulders.
"A simple matter of just studying the subjects. The unique thing the entire system is as the unit's receive injuries, they act as an actual human body would. The pain and use of the body is transferred back to the host."
Sharpe waved his hand. The other man in the room walked over pushing a wheelchair. He helped Sharpe get up and climb into it. Sharpe settled into the chair.
"Now Jason, let us go visit the true characters of this little show."
Wade had immersed himself in his work deeper than he ever had before. He had not taken time for a slurpster in over three hours. But nothing would keep him from doing what he needed to do and that was finding Kim and Ron. If he found their bodies then so be it. But there were something nagging in his mind, mainly the fact that Hana steadfastly insisted that Ron was on a mission and would be home. Wade knew that there was something special between Ron and Hana. It was almost like they had some kind of special connection beyond being brother and sister.
Wade had hacked a couple of satellites over the area and was trying to do a visual scan but the clouds had hampered his search. The clouds were gone now and he was checking all the scans of the area. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for but he knew he would know it when he saw it. Just then his phone rang. In the past he would let it ring and let the voice mail take it but he saw who was calling. It was Monique, while he didn't have the crush on her like before and he still kept his distance, he still considered her a good friend and she was Kim's best friend. He pressed the switch to answer the phone.
"Hi Monique, you okay?"
Monique's sorrowful voice came over the phone line.
"No boy, I am not okay. Not at all. Everyone is saying my girl and my boy are dead and I need to accept that. But I just can't. I just can't believe something like that could happen to them."
Wade sighed.
"I know what you mean."
Wade could almost her Monique smile as she spoke.
"I hear you are working some extra hours. You aren't giving up are you?"
Wade stopped typing and rubbed his eyes.
"No, at least not yet. How are things out there in the world?"
Monique groaned.
"It's crazy. They are setting up a memorial service on Friday. Coco is closing all Club Banana stores in Kim's honor. Of course he is not above making a buck off of them. He is running specials on their mission clothes. We already have piles of orders. We even got some super rush order from some dude from some island. He just had to have a full set of their outfits in their sizes. We had to set up a special flight to carry it out there. Some Sharpe dude owns the island over there near where Kim and Ron disappeared. That's really weird."
Wade sat up quickly. He remembered the name, Alan Sharpe. He owned an island in the area and happened to be the one that reported finding the torn clothing. Wade started to hack back into the nearest satellite to scan the island.
"Monique, how did they make the order?"
She ruffled some papers on the desk in the store.
"They tried to make an order on the website but we could not guarantee delivery fast enough so some guy called the store. He was willing to pay whatever it cost to get it there fast."
Wade continued typing.
"Monique, I am hacking the store system. I'm not going to cause any trouble. I just want to find that guys ISP."
The tone of Monique's voice changed.
"You know something don't you boy. Tell me NOW!"
Wade's fingers shook and he found the info he wanted.
"Listen, something tells me that the two of them are okay. Now, this guy makes a strange order and he just happens to be the one who supposedly found the remains of their clothes. Listen, try and find out as much as you can about them. Call them to make sure they got the package, try and keep them on the phone as long as possible."
Wade found a scan of the island and started a program that would look the island over for anything that might show Kim and Ron were there. The program had not run long when it sent Wade a message. Wade zoomed in on the area and let out a whoop. He listened as Monique started talking with someone on the island. He found the ISP and ran a trace, it matched the phone trace. He sat back flexing his fingers. It was time to REALLY get to work.
Sharpe sat in the wheelchair as his man pushed him down the hall to the elevator. Rolling to the back of the elevator cab he waited until his man pressed the button for the next floor. As the doors shut he glanced over to his man.
"How are our subjects doing?"
The man shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll let the doctor tell you. He can explain better than I can."
The doors opened in front of a heavy steel door. Sharpe rolled up to a datapad beside the door and punched in a code. The door hissed as it slid back into the wall. Jason wheeled Sharpe into the room. Before him were two large chairs with two figures strapped to them. Heavy visors lay across their eyes. Only by looking closely could Sharpe tell that they were still breathing.
"How are Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable?"
Dr. Nevius turned to face Sharpe.
"For now they are resting. I have them in another reality at the moment, sort of a holding space in the form of a hospital room. Their minds need time to recover, as well as their bodies. Much like you, they are experiencing actual pain similar to the wounds that they received. However, they wounds were much more severe and they have suffered some rather severe mental trauma. I believe that they should be allowed to regain consciousness outside of the game and let them recover."
Sharpe shook his head and gestured to the two of them.
"I don't know. Just how long can you keep them like this?"
Nevius thought for a moment.
"We can keep them hydrated with no problem. However, actual nourishment would be a problem. Besides, you can't keep them here forever."
Sharpe sat in thought.
"I KNOW THAT! But the world thinks they are dead so they have to stay dead. There is no way they can ever leave here alive.
Nevius shook his head.
"I will not be party to murder."
Sharpe thought for a moment.
"It could still work. There are only about two or three people I would trust to join in my little game here, the same ones who have played before. After that we can just dispose of them or do a real hunt."
Nevius stood up.
"Mr. Sharpe I will NOT be a party to this any more. You said that they had agreed to this but I found out mid-way through what you were doing. Those two young people went through hell and…"
Sharpe turned to Dr. Nevius and silenced him with a stare.
"Doctor, how long has it been since you have had a walk in woods?"
Nevius swallowed and went back to his work. Sharpe sat back in his chair for a moment then motioned for his man to take him back to the main section of the house. Nevius turned to check on the two young people held immobile in the chairs. He never noticed the activity lights of network router start to rapidly blink.
Kim curled up on the bed she was supposedly lying in. They had lost and that nutcase had killed them or had he? She really didn't know if she was really dead or alive but she remembered the pain she felt as Ron died in her arms. She remembered the pain of the barrel of the rifle being pressed into her forehead, and she remembered the sound of the gunshot.
At that point she found herself here. It seemed so real. If she was alive, then maybe just maybe Ron was too. It was just like the time they were in that Everlot game. But this was just too real. She really felt the pain of the bullets. Whimpering she lay down on her bed. All she could do was wait.
"KIM?"
Kim snapped her eyes open to see Wade standing in front of her. The sheer joy of seeing her was on his face.
"KIM…I can't believe it…you are alive."
Kim jumped out of bed and dove to hug Wade but ended up on the floor as she passed right through him.
"Ouch!"
Kim rubbed her nose as she sat up on the floor. Wade shimmered in front of her.
"Sorry about that Kim. I'm really not here, but there is someone else I can bring in."
The far wall disappeared to reveal Ron standing there.
"KP!"
"RON!"
They both launched themselves at each other and enveloped the other in a fierce hug. Wade waited at the pair shared a few kisses and low whispers. Both of them turned to Wade. Ron put his arm around Kim.
"Now what?"
Wade smiled as the room started to vanish.
"How about some payback?"
Kim cracked her knuckles and Ron moved into a fighting pose.
"Time to go monkey."
Sharpe was sitting in front of his trophies with a phone stuck to his ear.
"Caleb, oh yes I have the new system running and I have two subjects that I think will give you a good game…..no, no…. they are not just your common sailor or any other who just washed up on my shore. Have you been watching the news lately? Yes, I understand you are watching their funeral right now. What would you say if I would tell you that their demise is a little early? What am I talking about? How would you like to be the one to hunt them down? No, I have not been drinking and I am quite serious. I…"
Sharpe was startled when he felt the entire house shake as if something had lifted it and then dropped it a couple of inches.
"Uhhh.. Caleb…let me get back to you."
The phone on the table started to ring. Sharpe rolled himself over to it and picked up it.
"Yes, what is it."
He went rigid at the voice.
"Mr. Sharpe, this is Dr. Nevius, we have a problem. Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable have been able to release themselves."
Sharpe screamed into the phone.
"That was not supposed to happen! Just…"
The phone at the other end rumbled like someone had snatched the phone from Dr. Nevius. What came next made Sharpe feel like ice was forming on his back. It was a female voice, the girl's voice.
"Hello Mr. Sharpe. This is Kim. The game is not quite over; it's time for the second part. You are about to play a new part in "The Most Dangerous Game" when you mess with Team Possible."
The phone rumbled again as someone else took the phone. Sharpe thought the young man had something to say to him when there was a loud crackling over the speaker and the phone went dead. Sharpe had heard the sound before when a friend had dropped his phone and accidentally run over it. Someone had just crushed the phone in the lab. Sharpe started to smile. They were in the lab. That was a solid six inch thick steel door. Nothing short of artillery round could get through. The house shook again from another loud explosion. Jason ran into the room.
"Mr. Sharpe. They are free they got out!"
Sharpe looked at Jason like he was crazy.
"Out, they are in the lab, how can they get through the door?"
Jason's complexion was white.
"Door, what door? It's not there anymore."
There were sounds of fighting on the floor below. Sharpe screamed at him.
"What do you mean it's not there any more, it weighs a thousand pounds or more?"
Jason shrugged as he walked over to a gun cabinet and remove an assault rifle. Reaching into the bottom of the cabinet he pulled several magazines out, placed one in the weapon and stuffed the rest in pouch on his belt.
"Well tell that to the young man. He tore it out of the wall and threw it down the hall."
Sharpe blanched.
"That's impossible."
Another voice came from the door Jason had just come in. The voice made the pain in his groin multiplied greatly. He unconsciously pressed his legs together as his mouth went dry.
"No, that's Kim Possible."
Sharpe and Jason turned to see the girl standing in the door with her arms crossed. The boy…well the boy was there but he was like something Sharpe had never seen. He was surrounded by a blue aura as his eye glowed blue. He also floated off the ground.
Jason spun, leveled the assault rifle and pulled the trigger. The two teens disappeared in a cloud of drywall dust and wood chips. When the magazine was empty, Jason and Sharpe stood staring at the empty space where they had been standing. Jason ejected the empty magazine and put another in the rifle as he charged out the door. Sharpe rolled over to the cabinet and pulled out a submachine pistol. He put on magazine in and charged the weapon. Putting several magazines in his pockets he rolled himself out of the door as he yelled orders.
Sharpe limped into the trophy room. The sunlight flickered as it filtered through the smoke outside the window to the room. He flopped down into his seat and closed his eyes. His entire compound was destroyed. Those two demons of destruction had laid waste to anything and everything in front of them. The girl went through his best men like there were kindergartners and not highly paid guards. The boy was the true terror. Sometimes he would be glowing blue sometimes not. Sharpe personally launched a LAW rocket at him only to watch him catch it out of the air and snap it in half with his bare hands. They had disappeared into the jungle after nearly destroying everything. How he would cover up this he didn't know. Maybe he could tell everyone that the two went insane after they were found alive in the jungle. It had to work.
One thing he had to get rid of was his treasure, the monument to his greatness. He would move his special trophy to the room that only he and Jason knew about. There was time. Now he wanted to be sure his trophy had survived the day. He turned the chair around and said a small prayer when he pressed the lighting switch. The lights came on and illuminated his trophy. He smiled and settled back into his chair. They were unharmed. He would get Jason to move them in the next few hours. Now he needed to get to work covering all this up. He turned his chair around and wondered where the two had disappeared to. The muscles of his stomach curdled when a voice came to his ears.
"Now that we are alone, we can finish our little game."
He turned around to see a pair of gleaming green eyes and a pair of gleaming brown eyes coming toward him.
"Yes, you are going to learn the most dangerous game is screwing with Team Possible."
Jason searched with two of the other men trying to find the two young people. Not that he really wanted to find them. He had seen the two of them do too many things that normal people can't do. One of men yelled out and Jason jogged over to where the man was pointing into some of the bushes near the compound. Jason looked into the bushed to see the dummies of the two young people that had been mounted in the trophy room. Jason thought for a moment. He had just left the main house and the trophy room. The two figures were still there. If the dummies were here then who or what was in the trophy room? At that moment loud scream reverberated from the main house. Jason could tell it was from Sharpe. He yelled for the other to follow him as he ran for the main house. When he looked back the other men were running in the other direction.
Kim snuggled down into Ron's arms in the Global Justice hoverjet. GJ forces raided the island within a few hours of Wade setting them free. The news channels from around the world could only be described as going completely insane. The full story was starting to hit the airwaves fueled by clips of the action that Wade had found in the archives. Dr. Nevius and Dr. Finn were in special custody along with all of their equipment. Dr. Director had instructed the crew of the hoverjet that the two young people would have priority clearance for anything they wanted or needed, the first being direct lines to talk to their parents. There had been tears of joy aplenty during those calls.
Now, they were cuddled together in one of the acceleration lounges on the hovercraft. They would be back in Middleton within a few hours. Right now they simply held on to each other. No words needed to be said. They would deal with the situation as they always had and always would. Together, forever.
So ends my story. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please leave a review.
This is the Captain
Roger and out
Right hand salute