Episode Sixteen: Disagreement and Division

    While they were pushing the canoes into the lake Jim happened to see a pebble with a thin white band around it.  He paused for a moment, pocketed it, then continued.  Only a few minutes earlier Troy had shook him awake at the origin.  His limbs and head were slightly sore from sleeping on the stone.  He had quickly guessed that he was Troy Lombardi the famous billionaire, but he had been surprised at the man.  Troy had been just as confused as he about how and why they awoke at the origin.  He expected a confident man who never let himself loose control, but Troy just seemed weary.
    After a short conversation they agreed that Dean had probably done something to them and sent them back to the origin.  It was an odd conclusion because they had no idea why Dean would act that way.  Troy said he expected Dean to kill them any minute.  Jim wondered if Dean knew about the horizon and sent them back to the origin to prevent them from finding it.
    When William told them that Dean had been to the lodge Jim wished he had been able to see him.  There was still a part of him that wanted to believe Dean  was somehow innocent.  He felt that if he could just talk to him, maybe he could persuade him to give it all up.  Another, more cynical, part of his mind reminded him that that is exactly what he had tried to do when Dean turned on him.
    The lake was perfectly still.  The only ripples came from their paddling.   When William judged they were far enough away he turned and stopped his canoe with a few powerful strokes.
    “Dean reset the program because he wanted to talk to me.  He can't get the program to work on any other computer because I altered the one we are running on now.  He offered to set me free, if I will help him with the computer.  I told him, no.”
    “What!” cried Troy,  “you should have agreed.  If you can get back into the real world you'd have a real chance at escape!  You fool we never really had that big of a chance to escape and now that Dean reset the program we have to start all over,  we don't even know how big the memory of the computer is.  It could take us years to fill it up.”
    “Dean doesn't know it, but he actually helped us.  At first I thought he just drugged me to pull me out of the program so he could put me back at the Origin where he reach me, but he reset everything; He had to to put the cameras in.  That is why he drugged both of you.”
    Troy looked ready to give a heated reply, but Jim spoke first.
    “How does that help us?”
    “When the program resets it opens up a new file.  The old one is still there in the memory, unless Dean deleted it manually.  I don't think he even knows it is there.  Now the horizon is close to us again, we didn't lose anything at all.  In fact we gained this entire valley. But—well, it isn't quite as good as it sounds.  If I won't help him Dean wants to have another computer expert examine the computer.  But he can't have us lying around.  If I don't help he said he'd kill us to get us out of the way.  He said I have a week to change my mind.”
    For the past few weeks Jim the idea of death had flirted in and out of Jim's mind.  He almost couldn't grasp the idea that Dean might kill him, but his brotherly vision of Dean was overshadowed now by one of a thief who had taken everything from him.  Hearing a specific date of when Dean would complete the theft and take their lives kindled a new fear in Jim's heart.  The threat of death by Dean's hand had never felt real when it was ambiguously in the future.
    “All the more reason to agree to help him,” said Troy,  If you stay here it will be suicide.  More than suicide: murder.  Your life isn't the only one at stake.  Lets go back to the lodge and speak to Dean right now.  The sooner the better.  You'll probably have a chance to bolt within a week, there is no reason to stay here chasing the horizon.”
    “I'm sorry Mr. Lombardi.  I won't help him.  I still believe we have a chance of getting out on our own.”
    “Suppose we do try.  We'll give it a good effort.  And if we fail and Dean gives you the chance to leave again will you agree then?”
    “I don't know.”
    “For heaven's sake why not?”
    “Suppose I can't escape.  Suppose I let Dean scare me into helping him.  How many people we end up trapped like us.  Every night I lie awake and think of the horrible things Dean might do.  I was so relieved when I found out that he hasn't figured out how to work it yet.  I pray he never finds out, and I cannot help him.  I would rather the three of us die, than hundreds suffer because of me.”
    Troy obviously disagreed and for a moment Jim thought he would launch into argument again.  Instead he thrust his paddle deep in the water and moved away, heading north toward the waterfall.  He never looked back.
    William slouched on the small seat as he watched Troy paddle away from them.  He dropped his face in his hands and cried.  Jim wished he could give him an encouraging pat on the back, but the canoes prevented that.  When a few minutes had passed and William regained control of himself Jim spoke.
    “You are a good man, William.  If we die, It won't be your fault.  I would rather die here with you as a good friend than wait in here for years wondering what had become of you in Dean's control.  Even if you agreed to help him, Dean wouldn't really let you go free.  He would just lock you up somewhere else.  You did the right thing.”
    “Thanks.  We better get going.  We only have a week, every minute counts.”
    “Well,  it looks like Troy is headed north again.  I guess I'll go east again.  Maybe it'll be easier this time.  Less trees would be nice.”
    “I don't want to go alone again.  Why don't you come with me.  I tried to sail the boat by myself, but it didn't work very well.  I think we could go faster together on the boat than by ourselves.”
    Jim smiled, “Sounds great to me.”