Copyright 2012-2016 by Mike Hayes – Makers of the Moon
Chapter 4
May 25, 2026, 7:41 pm
Guild Anti-Matters HQ
Danny Merit’s garage
Albuquerque, New Mexico
As Rudy was pacing back and forth, working the voice channel with the Guilds, a crack of light appeared at the side door. A thin feminine hand with a dozen rings poked through. The hand grasped the edge of the door, and started to open it. Three long steps over, and Rudy grabbed the door and stopped it. He stood quietly for a few seconds, thinking. Then shouted loudly. “Just a minute! One of the girls is here for the porn shoot! Gotta see if she’s hot!”
Rudy let the door open a bit, saying, “Well, hello, darling —”
Inches away, the outraged woman’s face clenched her teeth and spit out, “This is official government business, young man! I am Officer Malinche Mendoza. Mr. Merit, you have been auto diagnosed as currently suffering from Extreme Gamer Addiction. Your case is my case. You did not make your required weekly Gamer Rehab after school therapy. Let me in, and we’ll talk about how to handle this matter.”
She put both her hands on the doorknob and pulled. Rudy just smiled, easily holding the door with one hand. The door didn’t move.
He had a blank expression, somewhat puzzled. “Who? Dan Merit?”
With a strained, worried expression she said, “Yes, of course. Don’t try to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, Mr. Merit.”
Rudy protested. “What? I’m not Dan. This is his house. I’m just a friend.”
She paused. “We’ve been trying to contact him with Urgent and Urgent Extreme Spam, and he has not responded.” She looked down, puzzled and annoyed at the extremely loud Alert messages from the handheld lying in the dirt. “We used Supervisor Overrides, and Goodly Spam as you well know. This house has a higher data rate than anything within a mile. I was dispatched here, saw the sign in front pointing to this side door for the Guild, and —”
Rudy stepped outside, holding the door and carefully shutting it. “Officer! First let me apologize. I’m Rudy, a friend of Dan’s. I thought it was my fiancée at the door. My joke about the porn shoot – It’s just a private joke. I’m so embarrassed. I’m truly sorry. You’re here on business. That’s no joking matter.” He looked at her apologetically, shamefully. Eyes downcast, he spoke again.
“We’re just playing. We’re online, gaming Last Bot. Can you just wait a little while? Dan should be back shortly. He went into the house for a moment.” Then Rudy looked startled. “You know, I have heard him talk about you. You the one that’s been trying to help him, aren’t you? Help with those severe pains from his three day gaming sessions?”
She nodded, encouraged. Her eyes lit up, and she blurted out — “We certainly can help with that. Here’s a starter bottle for his prescription for painkillers.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a handful of pill bottles, all blue and white striped. “He needs to start today. And with the standard prescription for MEGA afflicted mood disorder.” She showed Rudy the larger bottle.
“He’ll be happy all day, even without the gaming that he’s addicted to. Now where is he?”
Rudy looked at her sadly. “Well, he was here. But it was just too much. He started shaking uncontrollably, and went upstairs to rest.” Rudy looked around as if to insure no one was listening, then whispered. “I think he’d been up all night playing.” Rudy frowned and shook his head. The lady shook her head, and replied —
“Extreme Gamer Addiction is a serious condition. Why, just last week at the Wai Tai Shanghai Internet Café, a boy died in convulsions after three days nonstop gaming. And in Chicago, a boy had to be taken to the emergency room after forty hours of continuous gaming. EGA’s causes those afflicted to —”
“He died? You mean, like dead died? Not just died in game?” But did he win, lady? Let’s hear the important part. Did he win?
She nodded, victorious, and pushed the narrative as she’d been trained. “Dead. Dead as a doornail.” That reminded her, and she focused on the door again. Then she looked at the size of Rudy’s arm holding it shut.
Not going to tell me if he won? “That’s terrible. I’ll tell Dan when he comes down, that you want to talk to him. Will that do?” Rudy smiled graciously. Mendoza’s mouth curled into a thin grimace, but she finally nodded. Rudy stepped back in, and started to close the door, but the woman put her foot in the door.
Rudy was taken aback. “We’re just gaming.” Shakedown time?
She scribbled something on a business card and handed it to him, saying, “I’m on the verge of losing my house. During the day I teach school. MEGA’s just part time.” Rudy looked at the card, then back at her.
She snarled, “I can go easy on Dan Merit. Or hard. The way MEGACON works, they only pay (heavy emphasis on the ‘pays’) when I sign up a MEGA for treatment.” The threat wasn’t even subtle. She looked at him and waited, expectantly.
He nodded again, “Thanks. I know Danny’s been talking about joining the Army after high school.”
The Army recruited from the Last Bot players. Nazi, you know you’ll be in trouble if you harassed a top gamer headed for the Drone Corps. What would it take to convince you to slack off? You do look like someone who does it for cash.
Rudy pulled a few bills out, just a couple million, and held it out. “Here, take this.” She snatched them, then eyed the bills hungrily. She looked at him and nodded. “That’s a start.”
He closed the door, feeling miserable, disgusted and dirty. Then he locked it, shaking his head. Close. Too close. And there went all my money for the week. But we’re square with the Nazi, at least for a while. And it looked like she’d work with us. Could be worse.