Андерс де ла Мотт – The Complete Game Trilogy: Game, Buzz, Bubble (страница 9)
A quick check of his watch. 18:43. He was two minutes early.
He wasn’t used to wearing a watch.
When he’d received his instructions and realized that he’d need a watch, he’d spent at least half an hour hunting through his boxes. Eventually he had managed to dig out a shabby old Casio which had to be at least ten years old, but somehow it was still working. He had called the speaking clock and to his surprise the number still worked: ‘At the third stroke it will be eighteen forty-five precisely …’
The flashing LED light on the mobile interrupted his thoughts. He opened the new message expectantly.
Welcome to your second assignment, HP!
Today’s mission, if you choose to accept it,
is worth 400 points.
Do you want to continue?
He clicked Yes at once.
Four hundred points, almost three thousand kronor, and a serious jump from the swamp at the bottom of the list of hundred-pointers.
Excellent!
Take the lift up to the book shop.
Don’t forget to carry the phone with the camera facing out.
Press the button below when you’re in position.
An icon marked ‘Ready’ appeared at the bottom of the screen.
HP discovered that the palms of his hands were already clammy with excitement. This was seriously fucking cool!
He was a secret agent, a man on a mission. ‘Pettersson, Henrik Pettersson.’
He opened the doors, went down the escalator, cruised through the mere mortals looking at espresso machines and ridiculously overpriced chocolate, turned the corner to the lobby where the lifts were and pressed the up button. A couple of minutes later he got out on floor 3, turning his face away from the security camera out of habit and gliding in among the bookcases.
He clicked on ‘Ready’.
The reply came at once.
Follow the White Rabbit!
At first he just stared uncomprehendingly at the screen, then after a couple of seconds the penny dropped.
Of course! A bit cheesy, maybe, but still pretty cool! Whoever it was who designed the assignments, at least they seemed to have a sense of humour …
Grinning, he started searching the bookcases, running his fingers along the books until he found the one he was looking for.
HP frowned. He knew the department store inside out, it was unbeatable for distracted tourists, or if you just wanted to kill a couple of hours people-watching. He was one hundred per cent sure there were only four floors. A quick glance at the Casio told him he had three minutes to solve the mystery.
The staircase was opposite the lifts, and once again he kept clear of the eye in the sky, just in case. Marble and brass, smart as anything. Trip trap, trip trap. ‘Clever billy goat Gruff, trip-trapping over the troll’s bridge …’ he giggled.
Yes, he was right. The fourth floor was the top one, at least for mere mortals.
The sign made that very clear. But behind a locked door the stairs carried on at least one more floor up.
He fumbled with the plastic card, pressed it against the card-reader beside the door and heard a bleep. But the door remained locked. Then he saw the little sticker.
‘Card + code’ it said, and his mood fell like a stone.
What fucking code?
After a couple of moments thought he tried tapping 1855 into the keypad, but it protested instantly with an angry double bleep. He glanced anxiously around but everything was okay. The floor seemed completely deserted.
So what now?
He released the mobile from his belt, but the screen was blank. No help from the phone, then.
Unless … It had to be worth a try.
He pressed the card to the reader once more and tapped in the number 128, then added a zero after a moment’s hesitation.
A simple single bleep, then the lock clicked.
With his heart pounding he opened the door and carried on up to the fifth floor.
A metal door and another card-reader confronted him there.
A quick glance over his shoulder, a bleep from the reader and then he was in. His senses were on high alert, he could taste the adrenalin in his mouth. All that was missing were some dramatic strings, otherwise it was perfect!
A narrow corridor with a sloping ceiling, flickering lights and a series of more metal doors along one side. Much less stylish than on the floors below. So what happened next?
Just as he finished the thought the mobile started flashing again – almost as if it were reading his mind. Kind of spooky!
He pulled the mobile free from his belt and was about to read the message when a voice made him jump and he dropped the phone on the concrete floor.
‘
Christ, it startled him! He must have been standing right under one of the loudspeakers. Almost time to change his underwear.
Muttering, he picked up the mobile and checked the message.
Third door on the left.
The white rabbit worked for the third time and suddenly he was standing in a bare concrete room full of humming boxes, cable runs and other equipment. There was a smell of electricity and warm metal.
Far wall, black box,
press Ready when you’re in position.
There were loads of boxes, but as luck would have it there was only one black one. An old thing made of Bakelite that stuck out badly among all the other anonymous grey metal boxes. Two plastic-covered buttons on the front, one blue, one red.
He pressed Ready.
Well done, HP!
For tonight’s assignment you get to choose between the buttons. When the countdown reaches zero I want you to press one of them.
If you choose the blue, everything will carry on as usual, you will get your money and further tasks of the more basic sort. A steady, secure income, spiced with just enough excitement.
But if you choose the red button the clock will stop on your old life and you will enter an entirely new experience, the like of which you have never even dared to dream of.
The risks are greater here, but so too are the rewards, of course. Only a very small number of people are qualified for this level. The question is: have you got what it takes?
The choice is yours, neither of the options is wrong, and regardless of which choice you make, you will have passed this evening’s assignment.
Do you understand?
He clicked Yes.
Excellent, HP!
Think carefully and then make your decision.
You have twenty-five seconds as of now.
Good luck!