The Man Who Ended the World by Jason Gurley Read Free Book Online Page B

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    Clarissa says, Let him out. Please? Let him out. Henry, come out!
    Henry looks at the video wall. Can she see me? he says quietly.
    No. There's no external video display, Stacy says.
    Okay, he says. 
    Henry? Clarissa asks. What's going on?
    Clarissa, he says. I'm going to stay for a little while. I promise I'll come back out. 
    He looks around the room for the source of Stacy's voice. You are going to let me out, right? 
    Of course, Stacy says. 
    She's going to let me out in a little bit, okay? Henry says.
    Clarissa looks uncertain. Should I wait? 
    This may take awhile, Stacy says to Henry. 
    She says it might take--
    I heard her, Clarissa says. How long?
    Stacy answers. There is much for Henry to see. Perhaps you should return tomorrow.
    I'm not really comfortable with this, Clarissa says.
    Henry, we should continue, Stacy suggests. 
    I'll come out tomorrow, Henry says. 
    What about your parents?
    Um, he says, uncertainly. I don't know? 
    Clarissa says, You know they'll be upset. They'll call the police.
    What do I do? Henry asks Stacy.
    Who is your best friend? Stacy asks.
    I am, Clarissa answers from outside. 
    Who else? Stacy asks. Clarissa is not the right solution.
    Hey! Clarissa shouts.
    Henry thinks. Well, me and Boyd Trillby are okay friends.
    Stacy says, One moment.
    Her avatar flickers out, leaving the room empty except for Henry and Clarissa on the video wall. 
    Clarissa? he says.
    I think you should come out, Henry, she says. This worries me! What if this is a trap? What if someone in there likes to eat little kids? 
    Are you okay? he asks. 
    Do I sound okay? she shrieks. Come out!
    Stacy's avatar blooms on the wall next to the video. No need to worry about your parents, she says. They have no objections to you spending the night at Boyd's house. 
    How did you -- 
    She interrupts. Henry, we must be going now. Clarissa, I will return him to you tomorrow morning at this time. 
    Clarissa stomps her foot. Hey, I don't --
    The video wall goes dark. At the same moment, a wall across the room separates to reveal an elevator. The inside is padded with blankets. 
    That looks scary, Henry says.
    It's a service elevator, Stacy says. The other elevator is for Mr. Glass, and he will notice if it is used. 
    Mr. Glass the missing man? Henry exclaims.
    But Stacy only says, Henry. Come.
    He steps into the elevator, and the doors hiss shut behind him.
    •   •   •
    Henry? Clarissa says. Henry? Strange robot lady? Hello? 
    She tentatively climbs the garbage pile. The Corsica rests innocently there, its trunk closed, most of its windows punched out. 
    Clarissa knocks on the trunk. Henry? 
    She waves her hands in the air, crossing them in front of her face. Hello? Henry? Hey! Come out!
    But there is only silence.
    Henry is gone.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    The Recluse
     
    In a slip in a marina in Monaco, bobbing gently on the glittering waters of the Mediterranean Sea, is a two hundred thirteen-foot yacht. Its decks have not been walked on since its christening. Its staterooms have never been occupied. Its hull has never passed over a single reef.
    The ship's name is Sea of Glass.
    Steven had it designed and built because that's what tech billionaires did when they made their first billion. They bought big boats. And on their first night of ownership, they threw large parties, attended by large personalities. And if all went well, by the end of the night they were slightly less than billionaires.
    Steven never threw that party. 
    Steven threw up in his bathroom at the very idea of such a party. 
    Then he wiped his mouth, splashed some water on his face, changed out of his board meeting attire and into no clothes at all, and fell asleep on the sofa watching very old reruns of Six Feet Under , which just reminded him of being a teenager.
    He has always struggled with the expectations of being unbelievably rich. It's not something he talks about. The average human being doesn't respond well to the