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<blockquote data-quote="Dr Midnight" data-source="post: 6886105" data-attributes="member: 69"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Christmas On Cape Cod</strong></p><p></p><p>Two and a half years later, Murray was sitting at a poker table in Monaco. The stakes were high and climbing. A sinister man with a diamond for a glass eye was stroking the fur of the pet hyena beside his chair. A crowd had formed around the table and watched as each of the two players piled more and more chips on the stacks. The dealer tugged on his shirt collar nervously. There was a hush over the entire room as everyone waited to see what would happen next.</p><p></p><p>"Give it up, Mr. Fox," the sinister man said. "You are out of chips. You have nothing more to wager." He grinned.</p><p></p><p>Murray smiled. His face was that of handsome, clean-shaven secret agent Wesley Fox. His flint-gray hair was swept back flat against his head. His tuxedo was spotless and freshly pressed. He smiled when he spoke. "Nonsense, General Malevolienté. I always keep a little... insurance." He opened his jacket and slowly reached inside. The crowd gasped and Malevolienté's men reached inside their own jackets. Murray withdrew his closed fist. His arm hovered over the table and his fist opened. A small airwire flash drive dropped to the velvet.</p><p></p><p>Malevolienté's eye sparkled. "Is that..."</p><p></p><p>"The launch codes," Murray said, lighting a cigarette with Fox's signature devil-may-care flourish. "Are you in?"</p><p></p><p>The general frowned and nodded. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny vial of light green fluid, placing it among his chips. "The antivirus."</p><p></p><p>"Everything's in order, then," Murray smiled. "Dealer? The river card, if you please."</p><p></p><p>The dealer's hand moved toward the last card. No one breathed.</p><p></p><p>"Hi, Grandpa!"</p><p></p><p>Startled, everyone looked to the wall, where Paul and Lily stood. Lily waved. General Malevolienté turned his eyes from Lily to Wesley Fox. "...'Grandpa'?"</p><p></p><p>Murray slapped his forehead. "What the... <em>pause!</em>" Everything froze. "Paul, you can't keep doing this to me!"</p><p></p><p>Paul and Lily walked forward. "Doing what to you, dad? We don't visit you very often, you know. We haven't seen you in years! And hi, by the way."</p><p></p><p>Murray flapped his hand at his son. "All right, all right all right. I'm sorry. That was... that was just a big moment in this particular story, you know? Okay. What is it, my birthday again?"</p><p></p><p>"It's Christmas, Grandpa."</p><p></p><p>"Oh. Well, merry Christmas. <em>Appearance: Self</em>." His familiar elderly form melted into view. He stood and looked around. "Hey, where's Debra?"</p><p></p><p>Paul shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Debra left us back in March, dad. I sent you an email about it."</p><p></p><p>"Oh. I'm sorry... I really don't keep in touch with the outside world anymore. She just left, huh? That's rotten."</p><p></p><p>"We didn't have as much family to visit today and Lily's been asking to visit you for a while, so we thought we'd stop in."</p><p></p><p>Murray blinked at his granddaughter. "What, you miss me or something?"</p><p></p><p>Lily smiled shyly. "I wanted to try the lobster."</p><p></p><p>Murray clapped. "The lobster, that's right! Are you two hungry?" Lily nodded happily, and Paul shrugged. "Let's go then, I know just the place. One moment." He cleared his throat. "<em>Setting: Log cabin, Cape Cod, Christmas day.</em>"</p><p></p><p>The room around them shimmered and reformed into a comfortable, warmly lit log cabin dining room. A twelve foot-tall tree was standing in the corner, hung evenly with lights, and a small radio somewhere was playing familiar carols. A fire burned in the hearth and through the windows, snowflakes skirled slowly into the bay by bluish twilight.</p><p></p><p>"Wowww," Lily said. "This is sooo cool."</p><p></p><p>Murray smiled. "It's got everything, right? Okay, let's get some food. <em>Menu: traditional north Atlantic seafood.</em>" The table glimmered and filled with dish after dish. Lobster of every size and configuration, crab legs, seasoned fish and chips, bowls of varying sorts of chowder, fried clams, oysters, haddock, steamers, scallops, everything looking like a photo in a magazine and positively glistened with butter and herbs. The smell rose to Lily's nostrils and she inhaled with a pleasure that was almost drunken.</p><p></p><p>"Oh my god, it smells so good!"</p><p></p><p>Paul frowned. "Lily, don't say 'oh my god.' It does smell good though."</p><p></p><p>They sat. "Grab what you like and dig in!" Murray said. "Lily, you be sure to try some of this. It's called Lazy Man's Lobster. It's lobster that's already been shelled and simmered in some kinda... saucy stuff." He tapped the edge of a silver tray that was full to the brim with lobster meat, swimming in a rich sherry-butter broth.</p><p></p><p>She reached out and speared a claw with her fork, studied her catch for a moment, and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes went wide. "That is the best thing I ever put in my face." She slid the silver tray over to herself and began gobbling the stuff.</p><p></p><p>Murray laughed and looked to Paul. "What are you having, Paulie?"</p><p></p><p>"Fish and chips," Paul said. "None of this food is real, so I might as well ignore my cholesterol just this once, right?"</p><p></p><p>"That's the spirit! I'm going to have... ...what the hell, a little of everything." Murray began stabbing about the table and hoarding an increasing number of morsels on his plate.</p><p></p><p>The radio softly crooned its holiday classics. Lily stuffed another succulent chunk of Maine lobster in her mouth while admiring the gathering snowflakes on the windowsill. The window reflected the lights of the tree twinkling against the deepening navy of the sky. She asked "is it like this every day, in here?"</p><p></p><p>"Well no," Murray winked. "Sometimes I feel like Mexican."</p><p></p><p>Lily laughed. "Kids at school say you can <em>fly</em> here. Is that true? Jimmy Ralton said he did it with his grandma."</p><p></p><p>"Sure can! The entire world is our playpen. I've had lunch on a cloud. I've gone to the deepest parts of the sea and discovered new creatures. One time, I picked up a mountain. We can do anything here. Would you like to go flying, when we're done with dinner?"</p><p></p><p>Her eyes went wide with glee and her head turned to her father. "Can we, Daddy?"</p><p></p><p>Paul asked "You're sure it's safe, right Dad?"</p><p></p><p>"Of course it's safe, your body isn't even here, as you guys were so fond of reminding me last time. What could happen?"</p><p></p><p>Paul pushed his fish around on his plate. "I don't know, just... asking. I guess it's fine sweetheart."</p><p></p><p>Lily punched her arms up in the air. "Yeahhh! Best Christmas ever!"</p><p></p><p>Murray grinned. "Hey, save room for dessert."</p><p></p><p>"What's for dessert? ...Anything?"</p><p></p><p>"NOW you're getting the hang of it."</p><p></p><p>She thought, scrunching her eyebrows as hard as she could, eyes caroming around the ceiling. "I want... ice cream cake."</p><p></p><p>Paul said "No dessert until you've had some vegetables, Lil. Eat." The girl's lip quivered in an accomplished pout.</p><p></p><p>Murray waved his fork at his son. "Leave her be, Paul, she doesn't need vegetables. Those are just there to make the plates look good."</p><p></p><p>"Don't undermine my authority, Dad. She needs to eat some vegetables."</p><p></p><p>"She doesn't need to eat some vegetables! You said it yourself, the food isn't real!"</p><p></p><p>"Well, maybe I made a mistake then. Kids need rules, and vegetables before dessert is one of the rules."</p><p></p><p>"Dammit Paulie, getting away from rules is what this place is <em>for</em>."</p><p></p><p>Paul dropped his fork on the plate and stood up suddenly. "Getting away from <em>reality</em> and <em>what matters</em> is what this place is for, and I'm beginning to see that now. Lily, it's time to go. We've got Uncle Brad and Aunt Tina to see and then it's home for bed."</p><p></p><p>Quietly, Lily said "We're not gonna fly?"</p><p></p><p>"No honey, we're not going to fly. It's not real. Come on." To Lily's credit, she didn't throw a fit. Her face crumpled and she started sobbing quietly, but she stood and walked to her father, who picked her up.</p><p></p><p>Paul began to request an exit from the program, and stopped himself. "I'm sorry this didn't work out. Merry Christmas, dad."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah yeah, merry Christmas." Murray's son and granddaughter melted from view. He tapped the table with his fingers for a minute. He didn't feel like going back to the Monaco casino. The mood had soured.</p><p></p><p>He stood and walked out onto the beach. The air was cold, but of course the cold didn't harm him. He stood and felt the thick snowflakes land on his skin and listened to the sound of the breaking waves for a time before raising his arms and flying up into the clouds.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dr Midnight, post: 6886105, member: 69"] [CENTER][B]Chapter 2 Christmas On Cape Cod[/B][/CENTER] Two and a half years later, Murray was sitting at a poker table in Monaco. The stakes were high and climbing. A sinister man with a diamond for a glass eye was stroking the fur of the pet hyena beside his chair. A crowd had formed around the table and watched as each of the two players piled more and more chips on the stacks. The dealer tugged on his shirt collar nervously. There was a hush over the entire room as everyone waited to see what would happen next. "Give it up, Mr. Fox," the sinister man said. "You are out of chips. You have nothing more to wager." He grinned. Murray smiled. His face was that of handsome, clean-shaven secret agent Wesley Fox. His flint-gray hair was swept back flat against his head. His tuxedo was spotless and freshly pressed. He smiled when he spoke. "Nonsense, General Malevolienté. I always keep a little... insurance." He opened his jacket and slowly reached inside. The crowd gasped and Malevolienté's men reached inside their own jackets. Murray withdrew his closed fist. His arm hovered over the table and his fist opened. A small airwire flash drive dropped to the velvet. Malevolienté's eye sparkled. "Is that..." "The launch codes," Murray said, lighting a cigarette with Fox's signature devil-may-care flourish. "Are you in?" The general frowned and nodded. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny vial of light green fluid, placing it among his chips. "The antivirus." "Everything's in order, then," Murray smiled. "Dealer? The river card, if you please." The dealer's hand moved toward the last card. No one breathed. "Hi, Grandpa!" Startled, everyone looked to the wall, where Paul and Lily stood. Lily waved. General Malevolienté turned his eyes from Lily to Wesley Fox. "...'Grandpa'?" Murray slapped his forehead. "What the... [I]pause![/I]" Everything froze. "Paul, you can't keep doing this to me!" Paul and Lily walked forward. "Doing what to you, dad? We don't visit you very often, you know. We haven't seen you in years! And hi, by the way." Murray flapped his hand at his son. "All right, all right all right. I'm sorry. That was... that was just a big moment in this particular story, you know? Okay. What is it, my birthday again?" "It's Christmas, Grandpa." "Oh. Well, merry Christmas. [I]Appearance: Self[/I]." His familiar elderly form melted into view. He stood and looked around. "Hey, where's Debra?" Paul shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Debra left us back in March, dad. I sent you an email about it." "Oh. I'm sorry... I really don't keep in touch with the outside world anymore. She just left, huh? That's rotten." "We didn't have as much family to visit today and Lily's been asking to visit you for a while, so we thought we'd stop in." Murray blinked at his granddaughter. "What, you miss me or something?" Lily smiled shyly. "I wanted to try the lobster." Murray clapped. "The lobster, that's right! Are you two hungry?" Lily nodded happily, and Paul shrugged. "Let's go then, I know just the place. One moment." He cleared his throat. "[I]Setting: Log cabin, Cape Cod, Christmas day.[/I]" The room around them shimmered and reformed into a comfortable, warmly lit log cabin dining room. A twelve foot-tall tree was standing in the corner, hung evenly with lights, and a small radio somewhere was playing familiar carols. A fire burned in the hearth and through the windows, snowflakes skirled slowly into the bay by bluish twilight. "Wowww," Lily said. "This is sooo cool." Murray smiled. "It's got everything, right? Okay, let's get some food. [I]Menu: traditional north Atlantic seafood.[/I]" The table glimmered and filled with dish after dish. Lobster of every size and configuration, crab legs, seasoned fish and chips, bowls of varying sorts of chowder, fried clams, oysters, haddock, steamers, scallops, everything looking like a photo in a magazine and positively glistened with butter and herbs. The smell rose to Lily's nostrils and she inhaled with a pleasure that was almost drunken. "Oh my god, it smells so good!" Paul frowned. "Lily, don't say 'oh my god.' It does smell good though." They sat. "Grab what you like and dig in!" Murray said. "Lily, you be sure to try some of this. It's called Lazy Man's Lobster. It's lobster that's already been shelled and simmered in some kinda... saucy stuff." He tapped the edge of a silver tray that was full to the brim with lobster meat, swimming in a rich sherry-butter broth. She reached out and speared a claw with her fork, studied her catch for a moment, and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes went wide. "That is the best thing I ever put in my face." She slid the silver tray over to herself and began gobbling the stuff. Murray laughed and looked to Paul. "What are you having, Paulie?" "Fish and chips," Paul said. "None of this food is real, so I might as well ignore my cholesterol just this once, right?" "That's the spirit! I'm going to have... ...what the hell, a little of everything." Murray began stabbing about the table and hoarding an increasing number of morsels on his plate. The radio softly crooned its holiday classics. Lily stuffed another succulent chunk of Maine lobster in her mouth while admiring the gathering snowflakes on the windowsill. The window reflected the lights of the tree twinkling against the deepening navy of the sky. She asked "is it like this every day, in here?" "Well no," Murray winked. "Sometimes I feel like Mexican." Lily laughed. "Kids at school say you can [I]fly[/I] here. Is that true? Jimmy Ralton said he did it with his grandma." "Sure can! The entire world is our playpen. I've had lunch on a cloud. I've gone to the deepest parts of the sea and discovered new creatures. One time, I picked up a mountain. We can do anything here. Would you like to go flying, when we're done with dinner?" Her eyes went wide with glee and her head turned to her father. "Can we, Daddy?" Paul asked "You're sure it's safe, right Dad?" "Of course it's safe, your body isn't even here, as you guys were so fond of reminding me last time. What could happen?" Paul pushed his fish around on his plate. "I don't know, just... asking. I guess it's fine sweetheart." Lily punched her arms up in the air. "Yeahhh! Best Christmas ever!" Murray grinned. "Hey, save room for dessert." "What's for dessert? ...Anything?" "NOW you're getting the hang of it." She thought, scrunching her eyebrows as hard as she could, eyes caroming around the ceiling. "I want... ice cream cake." Paul said "No dessert until you've had some vegetables, Lil. Eat." The girl's lip quivered in an accomplished pout. Murray waved his fork at his son. "Leave her be, Paul, she doesn't need vegetables. Those are just there to make the plates look good." "Don't undermine my authority, Dad. She needs to eat some vegetables." "She doesn't need to eat some vegetables! You said it yourself, the food isn't real!" "Well, maybe I made a mistake then. Kids need rules, and vegetables before dessert is one of the rules." "Dammit Paulie, getting away from rules is what this place is [I]for[/I]." Paul dropped his fork on the plate and stood up suddenly. "Getting away from [I]reality[/I] and [I]what matters[/I] is what this place is for, and I'm beginning to see that now. Lily, it's time to go. We've got Uncle Brad and Aunt Tina to see and then it's home for bed." Quietly, Lily said "We're not gonna fly?" "No honey, we're not going to fly. It's not real. Come on." To Lily's credit, she didn't throw a fit. Her face crumpled and she started sobbing quietly, but she stood and walked to her father, who picked her up. Paul began to request an exit from the program, and stopped himself. "I'm sorry this didn't work out. Merry Christmas, dad." "Yeah yeah, merry Christmas." Murray's son and granddaughter melted from view. He tapped the table with his fingers for a minute. He didn't feel like going back to the Monaco casino. The mood had soured. He stood and walked out onto the beach. The air was cold, but of course the cold didn't harm him. He stood and felt the thick snowflakes land on his skin and listened to the sound of the breaking waves for a time before raising his arms and flying up into the clouds. [/QUOTE]
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