Game: A Thriller by Anders de La Motte

Author:Anders de La Motte [Motte, Anders de La]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781476712888
Amazon: 1476712883
Barnesnoble: 1476712883
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Published: 2013-12-03T06:00:00+00:00

12

BEING GAME

“LOOK, IT’S LIKE this, my friend. The Game requires a hell of a lot of money to function.” Erman counted quickly on his fingers. “The Ants, the phones, the server farms, and last but not least the functionaries, the people who are employed to keep the whole thing on the rails. Then there’s all the money that’s constantly being paid out to the Players, and the rewards for anyone who does particularly well. There are quite a few fixed costs each month, but I’ve done some calculations and they pretty much cover those with what they take from the live betting. The really big cash cow, the golden goose that gives the owners their profit—are the people who commission the assignments.”

HP nodded as if he understood, but in truth he was feeling completely lost.

“Basically, various customers turn to the Game to get things done, if you follow me?

“Things that can’t be done any other way,” Erman went on, almost manic now.

HP was still looking blank.

“Illegal stuff, get it?!”

He drummed his index finger impatiently on the tabletop.

Yes, HP thought he was starting to get it . . .

“You mean you can call and order something to be done, and the Game fixes it?” he said cautiously.

“Something like that.” Erman nodded eagerly.

“This part is top secret and is only handled by the Game Master’s closest circle. I don’t know all the details, but I think it goes something like this: a customer wants something done, but without there being any trail back to him. It could be information, business secrets, or something more medieval, like messing with someone you’ve had an argument with. The Game has the ability to do all that, although obviously it comes with a serious price tag. Maybe there’s an Ant who can dig up what’s needed, or they can send a Player to get the job done if it’s something more risky. The Game can be used for absolutely anything.”

His face had been getting redder and redder, and somewhere at the back of HP’s mind a little alarm bell started to ring.

“So, for example, that lawyer you told me about. At a guess, he’s managed to seriously upset someone, but instead of contacting the Law Society, that person contacted the Game. And in a flash the Game Master conjures up a wheel wrench and a Player desperate for cred who hates Sture Square lawyers. The customer gets his revenge documented on video, and if you screwed up and got caught and were stupid enough to break rule number one, there wouldn’t be much to tell—at least nothing that anyone would believe. It’s just like Verbal says in The Usual Suspects:

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. You’re just an ordinary nobody, with no connection whatsoever with the person who actually commissioned the assignment. Lee Harvey fucking Oswald, man! You have to admit, it’s a stroke of genius, but at the same time it’s pretty fucking creepy!”

Erman flew up and started pacing around the little kitchen impatiently.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.