Trepidation
Vince looked over the city of Mac Anu from his rooftop perch. The sun sank into the distance, and a bright crescent moon bathed the city in an eerie glow.
He sighed and examined his fingernails. Webster was late. A sudden click of armor on a stone floor alerted Vince. He peeked over the side of the roof to see Webster standing in the moonlight, and looking around.
"You're behind schedule!" Vince yelled from the roof. Webster looked up and put a finger to his lips.
"Oh, whatever."
Vince rolled his eyes and jumped down onto the stone balcony. Webster gave him a piercing stare.
"Well, did you do it?" Webster asked sternly. Vince wandered gingerly over to Webster and patted his back enthusiastically.
"Worry not, Admin-man. The dirty deed is done." Vince winked at him. Webster didn't look relieved in the slightest.
"I'm not sure if it is. How can we trust you?" Webster glared at him. Vince sighed and walked over to the balcony railing. He leaned on it with both hands, staring into the empty city.
"Why does no one trust me? It's awfully depressing, you know." He turned around and looked at Webster. "It's like stabbing my self-esteem." Vince gestured with his sword, pretending to gouge himself. Webster still stood in the same place, his eyes fixated on Vince. He squinted at him.
"Nobody trusts you because you're not honorable and you're a liar." Webster spat. Vince laughed out loud.
"And this is coming from a man who wants two people eliminated from The World, and from real life. Honorable? Ha! Don't make me laugh, Webster." Vince grinned at him.
"I could delete your PC at anytime." Webster threatened. Vince's eyes widened in mock fear.
"Oh no! Have mercy, Mr. Admin!" Vince stuck out his tongue at Webster. "But you won't. You know I've got lots of friends, Webster. Talented ones. They could really make a mess of you."
Webster's face turned red, visible even in the poor light.
"Fine. You win." He grunted. "And the virus? You know where it is?"
Vince nodded. "Yep! Delta Great Forbidden Sky Palace." Webster's face twisted with anger.
"That keyword doesn't exist anymore, you fool!" Webster retorted angrily. Vince grinned again.
"Oh, does it now?" Vince turned around and stretched his arms upward.
"That keyword will be valid as of 12:30 tomorrow, Pacific Coast time." Vince turned around and shook his finger at Webster.
"Parenthetically, that's not a very nice way to talk to a person who's doing you a favor, you know." Webster glared at him again. Then he nodded.
"Pacific Coast time, huh? That's in seven hours. Will you be accompanying us? There was an item or something you wanted from it, right?" Webster looked at an old grandfather clock inside a nearby window. Vince nodded happily.
"Don't worry, you'll find me. I'll be lurking around." Vince informed him cheerily. Webster turned to Vince again.
"Well, destroying the virus is our first priority. If you're lying about those two PCs, I can always get some schmuck to do it for me." Webster nodded to himself.
"Yeah, maybe I'll get a promotion out of this." He looked enthralled at the thought.
"Uh-huh." Vince agreed, clearly disinterested in whatever Webster was rambling about.
"Well, I'm going. I need to get some sleep." Webster told Vince. Before he left however, he suddenly felt compelled to ask Vince something.
"Where do you live, anyway? You're almost online 24-7. Don't you ever sleep? Don't you have a life?" Vince shrugged and grinned.
"Life? What is this life you speak of? Do other people have them? I want one!" He pouted.
Webster rolled his eyes. "I knew better not to ask." He muttered to himself as he logged out. Vince laughed again and jumped back onto the rooftop. He scanned the dark city with his sharp eyes and then sat down on the shingles.
"Well, this is just peachy." He giggled. "It boggles the mind to imagine what could become of all this." With this said, he nodded to himself and logged out.
* * * *
Daniel Wells sat up from his seat and stretched his arms. Then he took a few steps to his giant window overlooking a giant courtyard and ran a hand through his short black hair.
His skin was pale, and his clothes looked rather expensive, save the fact they were completely wrinkled. His narrow eyes conveyed a gentle, yet strange feel about them. The room he had his computer in seemed to also serve as a library. Large bookcases reaching the top of the vaulted ceilings were filled to the brim with books on philosophy, medical science and law. These books however, were covered with a layer of dust, and the only corner of the room that had seemed to be used very often was the computer.
There was a knock on the hardwood door. Daniel turned around.
"Come in." He called. The door squeaked open. An old man in a suit came in with a stack of letters in his arms.
"The mail's arrived, Master Wells." The old man stacked the papers on the table. Daniel sighed and walked over to the feeble butler.
"Aldan, I must insist that you stop calling me 'Master Wells.' Call me Daniel. Or even Dan, if you wish." Daniel told him.
Aldan smiled. "As you wish." Daniel searched through mail. He tossed the majority of it in the small wire trashcan next to the table one by one.
"Junk… Junk… Bill... Junk." Daniel sighed and looked at Aldan.
"You would think that these colleges would stop sending me all this junk, Alden. I'm tired of all this." Daniel dumped all the letters in the garbage, save the bills. Alden raised his eyebrows.
"Well, you are technically a genius, Master Daniel. What were your IQ results again? 155?"
"That's 165." Daniel corrected. "But still, I've dropped out of Harvard, for God's sake. What makes these schools think I'd want to go to their campus? I'm sick of it."
"Well, your parent's wish was for you to become a doctor. Or a lawyer, perhaps. They worked all their lives to make a fortune so you could never have to worry about money." Aldan informed Daniel. Daniel frowned at him.
"And look where it got them. Dead in a plane crash, ... never enjoying life. Only… this." Daniel pointed at the piles of papers that covered the table. Aldan glanced at the computer, which was still online.
"And you enjoy life, Master Daniel? You're nineteen years old…. but, you rarely leave this room. Is that enjoying life?" He queried.
"Do I enjoy life? Yes. Yes, I do." Daniel retorted. "More than they did."
Aldan sighed heavily and made his way out of the room.
"Well, I must insist that you get some sleep, Master Daniel. You're been playing that game non-stop." Aldan informed Daniel as he closed the door.
"Don't worry, Aldan. I'm fine." Daniel replied as the door snapped shut. Daniel paused for a moment, and then walked over to the table. He shoved papers off the top, creating a waterfall of bills to the floor. At last, he found what was he was looking for. In his hands, he stared at an old photo of a man and woman standing together on a sunny beach. Between them stood a little skinny boy, hugging their legs and smiling gleefully. For ten minutes, he stared at it. Then, with anger clouding his mind, Daniel tore the picture up, and the little pieces of torn paper slowly floated to his feet.