There they were, those two eccentric fellows standing––no, sitting in the middle of a hostile army having lunch? What the–– "Ow!" I exclaimed far too loudly as a heavy impact on my arm broke my wonderment. "Shhh!" exclaimed the old gamer quietly, but forcefully. "What do you think you're doing?!” he asked frustrated. “I––I––“ I started nervously. “I wanted to check on the brothers. Just in case you know...but I––" "Never mind them!" chastised the old man. "We have a job to do and they are perfectly capable of doing theirs." "Sure," I protested, "but––". "No buts kid, come on let's go. And give me that!" The old gamer snatched my variscope and pushed me forward. A helicopter flew by below and promptly crashed into an adjacent building raining fire and debris down onto the security force. Of course, seventeen stories up without my variscope I could only see the explosion and the smoke.

"Go!" implored the game master in a harsh whisper shoving me forward again. "I need to ponder this incident," he proclaimed his eyes twinkling. I started forward, but not too fast. When he thought I wasn't looking I caught him sneaking a peak down below through the variscope. "Ah ha!" I proclaimed a little too loudly making my way back to him. "Shh!," he said holding back a smile. "I see I wasn't the only one interested in what’s below," I teased. "Never you mind that child. Didn’t I tell you to go? You know, when I was young––" "Yes yes," I interrupted him. "When you were young, children did what they were told,” I said. " Well guess what," I continued, "I'm not a child and you may be an elder, but you're sure not acting like one. Come on!"

I pushed the frustrating old fool forward until he stopped fighting me. I also snatched back my variscope. "Do you know what the hell is going on down there?" I asked as we crept through the empty corridor. "I've never seen anything like that. Bullets, energy blasts, and those two lounging like they’re having a smoke.” ”I understand it a little," said the old gamer as we worked to catch up with Kestra, our navigator. "But honestly," he said, "those two have been around a lot longer than me and know things I do not." I kept my silence contemplating how a couple of blokes who looked no older than forty-five could possibly have “been around” longer than my 148 year old companion. People didn't even live that long before his time.

"What took you so long?" whispered Kestra harshly when we finally caught up. "Enjoying the view," said the old man. "Enjoying the––this isn't a game Patnic!" proclaimed Kestra. The game master raised is eyebrow. Kestra rolled her eyes and continued moving. The old gamer winked at me. I smiled. Had I known that that would be the last wink I would ever see from him, I may have let us stay a little longer by the window.