The Game - 1. Chapter 1

It is never good news when the telephone rings in the middle of the night. Simon reached for it, rubbing his eyes and staring blearily at the clock. It was three am.

“Simon, we’ve got a problem.”

“Honey, my whole life is a problem at the moment. What’s so important you have to wake me at this ungodly hour?”

“It’s Adam... he’s gone.”

“What do you mean ‘gone’?”

“I mean gone as in vanished, disappeared, not here any more.”

“Tell me.”

“He rang me this afternoon. Said he thought his phone might be tapped, and he might have been followed home. I told him to stay put and lock the door and I would go there straight from work tonight. When I did there was no one there. I have tried telephoning his mobile for two hours and there is no answer. I have checked all the safe houses and his friends and no one has seen or heard from him since before I spoke to him today.”

“Is there any sign of a struggle at his house?”

“No, but there is a half eaten sandwich and coffee. He left in the middle of it.”

“Not good news. This would not be a good time to lose one of the main players.”

“Is that all you’re thinking about... the game? Are you not the slightest bit concerned that something bad might have happened to Adam?”

“Of course I am concerned. For the game and for Adam. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay put.”

“Si there’s another thing.”

“Oh great... more bad news?”

“Could be.”

“Go on.”

“Adam had a message last night.”

“Last night. Why the fuck didn’t he tell me?”

“Because it freaked him out.”

“What did it say?”

“It said that the final move is in his hands and he has to lose his mind or his life before he can take it.”

“Great. So we’ve not only lost a player but the one we need to make the end move.”

“Again you seem to be missing a point. I was more concerned about the other part of the message and I think Adam might have been too.”

“But if anyone was listening in to him then that is not the part THEY are going to be most interested in.”

“True. Although I don’t think that anyone else would have been able to intercept it. It came through....er ... a closed line.”

“Given, but if they are tapping the phone they may have been bugging the house and they may have heard him telling you.”

“Nope that was closed line too.”

“Any chance that someone has been hacking the closed line?”

“Not that I am aware of. I have never met or heard of anyone who can do it, not ours.”

“Alright. I’m on my way. I’ll bring Jac, if there are any tracers, or hackers he’ll pick it up.”

“Si...”

“What?”

“I’m scared.”

“Why scared? I told you I’m on my way.”

“Not for me. What if ‘they’ have him? What would they do to him?”

“They won’t hurt him Annie. He’s too important, to them as well as us. They just want to keep him away from us, keep him from playing his part. They will just hold him somewhere.”

“But....”

“Don’t worry. Adam’s safety is not the issue. The fact that we can’t win the game without him is.”

“I am beginning to wish I had never got involved with the game in the first place.”

“Well you did, and there is nothing you can do about it now but play it through to the end.”

“Adam was never meant to get involved in this.”

“Again, that may well be the case but he is involved and he also has to play it through to the end.”

“I know, that’s what scares me.”