BY RIGO TESORO
STAFF WRITER
“I don’t care what that means, just get me out of here.”
“I can’t just throw the lever, James, the whole thing will explode!”
James thought a moment. A disturbingly long moment.
“OK, OK, what are the options then? Is the entire thing electrified? Can we just short circuit it?” Will hadn’t thought of that.
“No. … Not yet.”
James just shook his head. “That’s a little cryptic, Will.”
“What’s cryptic about it? There’s wires all over the darn thing.”
“It’s the ‘not yet’ part,” frowned James. “Well, you have to try something. It’s just a game of Operation. It’s a kids’ game, for Pete’s sake.”
“Classic James, taking metaphor to the extreme whenever it’s least important,” muttered Will.
“It’s not metaphor, Will, and you know it. We designed this thing to be deceptively simple. Child’s play, I think you called it. Now I’m trapped in here. So let’s just figure this out already.”
“So there’s an unfinished game of Operation and a massive switch that you say will explode the whole thing, whatever the ‘thing’ is. Now what?”
“Um, that was you who said that.”
Will suddenly started doubting his sanity as he plunged into the game.
“Well, now you’ve done it. We’re both trapped in here…”
“Done what?”
A giant ka-chunk rattled the blank room.
“What was that?!”
“That thing you did.”
“Ah yes, I understand now. The what’s-its-name,” Will grumbled sarcastically.
“I like to call it the hoobie doobie, or the wing wang. Either way, we have about thirty seconds before the aeon flux capacitor overheats,” smiled James.
“So if we throw the lever, the—” (Will made exaggerated air quotes here) “— hoobie doobie… will explode. What would happen if we pushed the switch in the other direction?”
“It’s too late for all that. So, let’s go out with a bang, buddy.”
“Wh— Did you plan this all along?!” shouted Will.
James just smiled. Again.