Arcade Page #6

Difford places the goggles on Nick's face. Then he points to the control

board, which features two joy-sticks and a large RED BUTTON labeled

"ESCAPE".

NICK:

(skeptical)

"Escape"?

DIFFORD:

In case things get too intense. It

automatically freezes the game, gives you a

breather. Things can get pretty wild...

BENZ:

(scoffing)

Nick won't need it.

DIFFORD:

You're good, eh?

NICK:

(grins)

The best.

Nick winks at Alex and Greg.

NICK:

(to Difford)

So what's the scenario? Am I saving a

princess? Fighting Zombies?

DIFFORD:

It changes. There are eleven levels. Each

one is a different layer of the ARCADE

universe. The concept is, you're entering

the video game itself, making your way

across the circuit board to the logic core

... ARCADE's brain.

NICK:

So how do I start?

DIFFORD:

The game will guide you.

Nick turns back to the machine and pops the quarter into the coin slot.

He punches the "START" button on the top of one of the joy-sticks.

Immediately the screens come to life. Darkness with shooting stars of

light racing back and forth.

ON SCREEN:

A three-dimensional computer-generated FACE appears out of the darkness,

spinning in from far away and coming to rest.

ARCADE:

I AM ARCADE.

(breathing)

YOU WANT TO PLAY GAMES? YOU PICKED THE

WRONG MACHINE.

The crowd of kids is suitably impressed. Even Alex is amused.

So far, so good.

ARCADE:

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

NICK:

Nick.

ARCADE:

(almost contemptuous)

NICK. KISS REALITY GOODBYE.

SUDDENLY,

A LIGHTBEAM above the video screen illuminates Nick's face.

LAURIE:

(concerned)

What's it doing?!

DIFFORD:

Memorizing Nick's features. Watch.

ON SCREEN:

the face of ARCADE spins away and a computer-generated figure appears,

complete with a pixel-rendered version of Nick's face!

VIDEO NICK:

is dressed in futuristic armor with exaggerated CyberGloves and a full

helmet on instead of goggles. He also wears elbow and knee pads and

carries a thrasher in his hands, sort of a cross between a souped-up

skateboard and the Silver Surfer's board. It's his means of

transportation.

The screen prints out: "NICK. ENTER THE VORTEX".

VIDEO NICK:

hops onto the thrasher. Abruptly the world around him begins to spin, and

Video Nick is shooting a curl, a whirlpool of light...down, down, faster

and faster, until...

BOOM! Empty space and video Nick is falling towards a circuit grid. It's

the electronic universe rushing up to meet him...

ARCADE:

ONE WORD OF ADVICE, NICK. YOU SPEND TOO

MUCH TIME IN ONE PLACE, AND I SEND OUT THE

SCREAMER. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND WHEN

THAT HAPPENS.

(laughs)

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE.

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