Her Younger Millionaire

Chapter 3

… NFL.EXE …

“Hey Aiden,” Dylan called. Aiden walked into the room.

“What?”

“Somebody sent me this game, it’s called NFL.Exe.” Dylan said. Aiden pulled up another swivel chair.

“Cool. Let’s play it.” Aiden said. Dylan nodded his head and put the disk into the computer. The game came on.

“Fu*k yeah. NFL!” Aiden shouted. And the original NFL screen came on.

“Aw sh*t. It’s only the first game. This is a load of bull!” Dylan said. Then suddenly, a bloody screen flashed. Aiden screamed.

“WHAT THE FU*K!?” Dylan smacked him.

“Stop fu*king screaming in my ear, dumbass.” Then, the starting menu came up, but it was blood red and it showed Five Hawks, Red Necks, and surprisingly, Black Sox.

“What? That’s the NFL 3 menu. And why is Durant playable?” Aiden asked.

“It’s Black Sox, smart one. And he and Red Necks are locked, so pick Five Hawks. ” Dylan answered. Aiden rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I’m clicking.” Aiden told him as he clicked Five Hawks, and the whole screen turned black.

“What?” Dylan said. A horrible laugh came from the game.

“OH MY FU*KING GOD IT’S JORDAN¹!”Aiden screamed.”WHY IS HE IN NFL!?”

“I DON’T KNOOOOW!!” Dylan shouted back. The screen showed ‘Hill: Act 1’. And it went to the normal game

“Okay. No reason to be scaredy-cats. We are professional gamers. WE ARE PROFESSIONAL FU*KING GAMERS!” Dylan yelled at the screen.

*****

The cat sidled its way under the couch, hiding from the noise. Aiden and his brother continued to play. The game was actually a SIM for futures trading which the O’Brien brothers had perfected and they used it to buy and sell on the world market. They used the game but they did it mathematically; just in a way that made it more interesting and fun. Of course if their parents knew the methods they used to buy and sell their family fortune they might have been a bit concerned. Not that the boys were careless; their methods were scientifically sound. It just looked suspect. It was unorthodox; but it had made them a lot of money.

“What are you calling your giant cat by the way?” Dylan asked with a side eye at the furry animal.

“Well…you know how Bruce was proposing that game on predicting the future using the whole robotics thing?”

“The Terminator thing?”

“Yeah. It has potential.”

“What’s that got to do with gigantor over there?”

“He was all over it when we were beta testing; almost made me lose, slathering all over the screen while we played.”

“And…”

“And…Bruce tells him, ‘come with me if you want to live’ in that Arnie voice and the cat actually moved.”

“Okay.”

“So we calling it John.”

“John? Who the fu*k names a cat John.”

“As in John Connor?”

Dylan stared in incomprehension for maybe five seconds then burst out laughing, “That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, but it works.”

“Yeah. I guess,” Dylan said with a shrug. “Don’t name pets with my boyfriend.”

“Hey, I was sitting here minding my business. Bruce came to me.”

*****

Tina stared at the Jack Russell cross that was currently scampering on the floor of her living room then, with brows arched high, she looked at Jennifer who had not stopped smiling since she brought the little dog to her home.

“You found him where?” She asked slowly as Jennifer crouched down to stroke him gently, chuckling as he tried to lick her hand.

“One of Dai’s neighbors had a litter and, well, I just fell in love with him,” she glanced up at Tina who was watching her with a half-amused expression. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

“Yes,” Tina admitted and could not stop herself from bending to gently scratch the pup behind the ears as he wagged his tail at her feet. “But, Jennifer…”

“Please Tina,” she implored with wide eyes and a smile that Tina found she could not resist (although she wouldn’t admit she didn’t try very hard in the first place). “You know I can’t keep him with me with all the traveling I do.”

The brunette cast a glance at the dog that was happy enough to run around chasing its tail and searching for non existent treasure under the couch. Maybe, like her, it would do Tina good to have a companion.

“Tina…?”

She sighed softly, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’ll need a collar – and a name.”

Jennifer let out a little squeak of delight, jumping up and enveloping Tina in one of her tight, yet comforting, hugs that she returned – (this was another thing she won’t admit to liking). “Thank you,” she breathed by her neck and Tina patted her back lightly.

When Jennifer let her go, she picked up the puppy in serious consideration. “What do you make of Caesar?” Tina scrunched up her nose and Jennifer giggled. “Perhaps not. Mmmm, what else?”

She tossed out a few more names, all of which Tina rejected either by laughing at them or pulling a face of horror. Somewhat exasperated at how difficult naming a dog was, she glanced towards Tina’s bookcase to find inspiration and a name caught her eye.

“How does Arnie sound? Short for Terminator.”

Tina considered it before giving a confirming nod and Jennifer cooed the name to the pup who yapped at the sound.

“I think he approves,” she grinned at her and Tina shook her head in mock disbelief, failing to stop her lips from curling up at the other woman’s joy.

Yes, she had certainly done her some good.

*****

Aiden read through the literature Bruce had left behind. It was a completely original game he’d created based on the Terminator series and it was supposed to be a predictor of futures disguised as gaming. Only about ten people in the world were privy to the real purpose of the game and about five of them were his friends. They played a lot at the Leaky Cauldron, placing bets on who would be the most accurate; and who would win. This new one though, promised to be a doozy. It even took his mind off his latest phone call with his mother, which consisted of a lot of worried rhetoric about his sexuality and why he couldn’t keep a girlfriend. He could keep a girlfriend. He just didn’t want to.

In order to form a more perfect world, the Intelligence only had to look through the vast archives of recorded history to know what had to be done. There were more than enough ways to have the vermin extinguish themselves, also offered up in those archives.

Would you like to play a game?

The vermin would fight back, but just as the rats had been drowned for carrying fleas, the Intelligence would win. It was prepared for anything. It had seen too many fictional accounts of the destruction rained down on those that rose above the vermin.

Skynet would win.

“What can I get you sir?” the waiter asked. He was at his favorite coffee shop; the only one brave – or stupid – enough to sit outside in the biting January cold.

“Café latte please. With a slice of cinnamon pie.” His eyes were still mostly on the game instructions.

“Well, fancy meeting you here. Are you following me?”

Aiden looked up to see Tina, all bundled up in a fur coat and leather boots; looking like sin on legs. Short yet shapely curvaceous legs on prominent display in her boots and tight leather pants.

“You a stripper?” he asked without thinking about it.

“I beg your pardon?”