The Immortality Game

Kostya looked back and forth from the hulking Bunny to Tyoma. To Tyoma he said, “You all right?”

Tyoma nodded and connected to Kostya via wireless. «Let the thug take me up. You hang around with your car until I call you, okay?»

«Sure, I guess. I don’t like this. And there’s something you need to know about this guy you just called a thug.»

«What’s that?»

Bunny scooped Tyoma up like he weighed nothing and plodded toward the lift.

«He’s you,» Kostya said.

Tyoma chuckled, though he wasn’t sure he should at such a lame attempt at a joke. Bunny had trouble maneuvering them into the lift but finally got inside. The guard grimaced at the small space remaining before jamming himself in. There was no way Kostya could fit.

“Take us to the top,” the guard said, and the lift door slid shut.

«It’s no joke, Tyoma,» Kostya said, continuing the conversation via wireless. «Someone used your injector card on this man. It’s hard to believe after all the test failures, but it worked this time.»

«No way,» was all Tyoma could think to say.

«This Bunny character seems to be a mute, so that’s why you—the other you, I mean—are staying quiet. Just play along. Call him Bunny if you ever need to.»

Tyoma’s mind spun. This was too much to grasp. They had tested the hell out of the injector cards and there was just no way he could believe it had worked on this man. It’s not even a clone of me! There’s no possible way it should work. Only once had a test appeared to work, but that chimp had shown signs of mental instability, so they had written the test off as a failure.

The way Bunny was holding him in the lift, they were practically cheek to cheek. Tyoma examined Bunny the best he could. Bunny met his eyes and quirked his eyebrows.

“Watch it there!” said the guard. “You’re squashing me!”

Could that truly be me in there? Tyoma thought. Am I gazing into my own eyes? This is surreal. I thought this day couldn’t get any weirder.

Bunny smiled at him.

Too bad ‘my’ breath stinks.

The lift slid to a halt and the door opened to show the same small vestibule Tyoma had visited earlier. The guard grunted and swore and finally managed to extricate himself from the lift. Bunny hugged Tyoma tighter and followed.

“Too bad we couldn’t bring the chair,” the guard said. “You can set him down once we get inside.”

The guard spread his arms to be scanned by the surveillance system. “We got an injured prisoner here. You’ll have to scan them together. Here, Bunny, just hold him up.”

The scanner was finally satisfied and the inner steel doors slid upward to reveal a room packed with armed men. The evil face of Viktor was easy for Tyoma to pick out.

“Hurry, get in here and let the door shut,” Viktor said. “You didn’t need to bring him.”

“Sorry, boss,” the guard said. “You said to keep watch on him.”

“Put him there,” Viktor said, pointing to the armchair Tyoma had used before. It was currently occupied by a tired-looking man with dirty-blond hair. “Get up, Tavik.”

The blond man groaned and clambered up out of the chair, snatching up an odd-looking rifle that was leaning against one arm.

Bunny trundled over and carefully set Tyoma down in the chair.

“I think that’s about all of us,” Viktor said. “Now we wait and watch the show.”

Tyoma noticed the displays that lit up the windows that used to show the cityscape. The biggest display showed an empty corridor lined with doors and a lift at one end. Other smaller displays showed other levels. Most, like the first, showed nothing of interest. Three displays had movement, and when Tyoma examined them he saw they were casino levels. People—wealthy-looking people—were filing out the doors toward tube lifts that Tyoma guessed went to the hotel towers.

«Tyoma, you there?»

«Dr. Saenz? It’s good to hear your voice again.»

«If I’ve traced you correctly, you are at the top of the pyramid, right?»

«Yes. I’m surrounded by gangsters.»

«Are you the only innocent in the room?»

«Innocent?»

«If I have to hurt people there, I’d rather it be those who deserve it.»

«I’ve, uh, well it’s hard to explain. There are two of us.»

«I have your coordinates. Where is the other person?»

«He’s kneeling right next to me, on my left.»

«Whatever happens, make sure your friend stays next to you. Don’t move unless you must, and leave your wireless active.»