The Annihilation of Foreverland

them pretty hard. And I crashed all the solar and hydrogen power systems, so everything’s off. Well, everything except the building with a backup generator.”
    “Which one is that?”
    “Guess.”
    The Chimney was pouring smoke.
    “We can stop him,” Danny said. “This is our chance. Maybe our only one.”
    “What about Reed?”
    Danny looked at the tablet. There was no telling how much time the trackers would keep the Investors unconscious. He could always zap them again, assuming the system didn’t lock him out this time.
    They sprinted toward the Haystack.

    The Haystack smelled like sewage and piss.
    Maybe that was how it always smelled during a round, they weren’t used to it. But it was stronger, more pungent. Danny’s eyes watered when they entered. It took a few moments to adjust to the darkness. They went down the aisle , past their empty cells— Reed was crushed.
    “Oh, no.” Danny got there first. “Oh, no, no, NO!”
    Zin was on his knees, working the lock. Danny could tell, even in the dim light, that Reed’s face was blue. His tongue swelled in his mouth.
    “HURRY, ZIN!”
    Zin fumbled with the lock, but it was taking too long. Danny reached for the lucid gear—
    “Don’t take that off!” Zin shouted. “It’s too soon, he might be in there and won’t be able to come back if you take it off.”
    “It doesn’t matter.” His hand brushed Reed’s cheek. It was cold. “He doesn’t… he shouldn’t have died like this.”
    Danny slid the back strap off his head. The needle was wedged firmly in his forehead. It came out like a cork. Watery fluid leaked from the hole.
    The lock clicked.
    Reed’s dead weight threw the door open. Danny caught him before he hit the ground. Zin helped lay him down and started to arrange his hands in a dignified manner.
    “Not in here,” Danny said. “I don’t want him staying in here anymore.”
    His body was limp, but not as difficult to carry as it should’ve been for someone his age. He weighed less than Danny. They stopped outside the door.
    “Let’s take him to the beach,” Danny said.
    Zin shaded his eyes, looked at the sun. “We don’t have time.”
    Danny retrieved the tablet. He was right. There was no telling when someone would recover. Once the island was back to full power, there would be nowhere to hide.
    They left Reed’s body outside the Haystack, hands folded over his chest.
    Eyes closed.

    Dozens of golf carts were parked around the Chimney.
    Danny and Zin hid in the trees, just in case someone was watching. No one was in sight, awake or unconscious. Danny started out first. Zin made a lot of noise.
    He was holding a stick the size of a bat. “Just in case.”
    Together, they crept to the front door. Still no one. Nothing.
    Danny took a deep breath. “We’re in deep, man. There’s no going back, now.”
    “So what are we waiting for?”
    Zin started to inspect the lock. Danny yanked the handle and the door opened. No jokes, this time. They moved cautiously inside. The ground floor was open floor space with bunches of comfortable furniture and tables for informal meetings. Large monitors were mounted on the large cylinder elevator, showing an overhead tour of the island on a continuous loop. It looked like an area to entertain company or tourists. Or potential clients.
    They stepped inside the elevator. There were four buttons.
    “Where’s the fifth floor?” Zin asked.
    “Fifth floor is the Director. No one goes there, he brings them.”
    “Where then?”
    Danny dragged his finger over the tablet, rearranging data and tapping commands. He searched the Chimney for clues. “Most of the power consumption is on the fourth floor.”
    Zin pushed number four. “We have a winner.”
    The doors closed slowly. The floor shifted. The elevator began a slow ascent, the numbers ticking off above the doors.
    Second floor, we have the doctor.
    Third floor, where we wake up.
    The elevator eased to a stop. Number four appeared. The doors jerked a bit, then began to slide open. Zin cocked the stick. Danny stood off to the side. They waited.
    The hallway was reflected on the back silver wall. Empty.
    Tentatively, they looked out.
    One hall. Nothing branching out, just one long hall. Near the end, there was a door on the right, one on the left.
    Someone was on the floor, halfway inside the left door. Legs in the hall.
    “It’s Mr. Lee.”
    Zin gently rolled the old Asian man onto his back. He felt cold. Zin put his fingers on his