Episode Five: Trapped

    William stared for a moment at the fallen clothes.  He rejected the first thought that popped into his mind out and instead let himself wonder why the clothes hadn't vanished with Dean.  He decided he needed to look over the program's code and see if he could make the cloths disappear when the person left..  He began trying to remember exactly how he had written the code and how best to change it, but that first terrible realization wouldn't go away. 
    He grabbed the phone off his belt and made a call to the portal.  After a few rings no one had answered.  He tried to think of explanations for them not answering besides the obvious horrible one. Perhaps coming out of virtual reality had strange side effects and Elizabeth was focused on helping Dean.  Or maybe Dean was excitedly telling Elizabeth about what had happened.  Or the plan Dean had mentioned was some secret surprise that they were currently occupied with.
    In the more unruly sections of his mind where he was unable to control himself, things were becoming blatantly clear.  Dean hated Mr. Lombardi for retaining control of the technology they developed.  Dean had secretly loaded with the computer with Miss Stratford without telling him.  Both Dean and Elizabeth had been acting strangely tense earlier in the portal.  Dean had made sure that there was no other way out before having Elizabeth take him out of the Endless Frontier. 
    After about thirty rings the phone slipped from his fingers and landed, still calling, amid the grass.  He began walking over the hill toward the lodge, not really sure what he was going to tell Mr. Lombardi.  At the top of the hill he could see Mr. Lombardi pushing a canoe across the sand toward the lake.   Five more canoes were still on a rack behind the lodge.  The two story lodge was made of bare logs and had a wrap around porch and balcony.  A brick chimney came up out of the wooden shingled roof.
    Mr. Lombardi had returned from the shore and was working on getting a second canoe off the rack when William reached him.
    “Back in the real world this kind of work would made my back hurt for a month, but here the work feels good,” said Mr. Lombardi before William could bring himself to say anything.    Troy realized something was wrong when Mr. Kilgore didn't give any response, he just stood there awkwardly.
    “Where is Mr. Senoma?” said Troy.
    “He had Elizabeth take him out of the program,” said William.  “I called the portal, but they didn't answer.  Either something went terribly wrong when he tried to leave,  or they've trapped us intentionally.”
    There was a long pause where neither of them said anything. “Say that again,” said Troy.
    “Mr. Senoma left us here.  And no one answered when I called the portal.”
    “Did he tell you why he was leaving?”
    “No not really.  It was really strange he told Elizabeth the plan would work and to take him out.  I don't know what he meant by the plan.  But I'm worried because right after you left he asked me if there was any other way out.”
    “And what did you tell him.  Is there another way out?”
    “No sir.”
    There was another long pause.  Mr. Lombardi pulled out his cell phone and pushed the button to call the portal.  William sat down wearily on the grass. Troy paced around, waiting for someone to answer.   After a long time Troy slowly closed the phone.
    “Let's go inside and find somewhere more comfortable to talk.”  Mr. Lombardi helped William to his feet.
    They sat in plush chairs in the large lobby area of the lodge.  On one side of the room was a huge stone fireplace with wood already prepared on the hearth to start a fire.  There was a bar with a kitchen behind it various stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls.
    “How likely is it that something is wrong with the phone?” asked Troy.
    “Almost none.  I've run simulations before and used the phones.  They've never had problems before.”
    “Is there anyway to use the phone to call somewhere other than the portal?”
    “Only if someone on the outside connects the line for you.”
    “When I came to the portal this morning I told my personal secretary I was taking the day off.  In a few days they will probably report that I am missing, but I rode a buss so there is no way the police will be able to follow my tracks and save us.  I was too worried about keeping this a secret.  Will they be able to find you?”
    “I work by myself.  The only one who will notice I am missing is Sarah, a good friend of mine.  But she is more likely to thing I'm on a sudden business trip than to call the police.  My car is still at my apartment, Dean picked me up today.  I guess if we are still here in two weeks the landlord will wonder why I haven't payed my rent.  He might call the police.  But even then they'd search my main office, not this place.  Dean rented it, I'm not even aware of what the address is.”
    Troy slammed his fist into the arm of the chair. “Blasted secrecy.  I never expected someone on the inside of the project to try and steal it all.  What does the man want?  I've given him plenty of money for his work.”
    “A few weeks ago he told me he didn't like you. You are funding the project and we were work under you because of that you own the technology we've developed.  He was afraid that you would take it and not let him continue to develop his breakthrough in science.  I didn't think he would do anything like this though.”
    Mr. Lombardi got up and made is way over to the kitchen area.  “Let's just wait for a while and see if Dean gets us out of here.  Maybe this is just an honest mistake. Will I find any food in this place?”  He didn't wait for an answer but began opening cupboards.
    Mr. Kilgore didn't say anything he just sat thinking.  Troy returned with a chocolate bar and sandwich for each of them.
    “Well we don't have to worry about going hungry anytime soon.  There's lots of food here.  But since you made this place, you probably already knew that.”
    “There is one thing that might get us out,” said William, “but I don't think we should try it unless we really get desperate.”
    “What is that?” asked Troy.
    “We could die—if we were to die, here in the virtual world, and if the experience of dying didn't shut down our brains, the program automatically bring us out of the Endless Frontier and we would wake up in the real world.  But that is Dean's area of expertise.  If did trap us in here intentionally it most likely means he knows we couldn't get out that way.”