Chapter 39
et
on the Moon
For the first ti, the background music in the ga was different. It had lyrics and there was an actual singing voice.
Everythings Alright.
That voice and those words, it felt as though it was sung from the bottom of Rivers heart.
While accompanied by the sad lody, Dr Neil and the players could do nothing, only helplessly watching as River was gradually removed from Johnnys life.
At the steps of the school, where Johnny thought their first eting to be.
The platypus and River were both gone, all that remained was the book she had been reading, the book about lighthouses.
From the door beyond the steps, Joey appeared, alive and well.
He rrily hopped down the steps to join Johnny and Nicholas as they chatted about transforming robots and adventures in space.
The copy of Rivers favorite book, The Emperors New Clothes, was shown covered in dust.
At the cinema where Johnny and River had their first movie date, it was instead he and his brother walking in happily.
Scene after painful scene was shown, while the beats remained the sa, the presence of River was replaced with the existence of Joey.
And at the sa ti, Johnnys ambition of becoming an astronaut is constantly hinted at, by losing River and gaining Joey, the trajectory of Johnnys life has changed dramatically.
The racecourse where Johnny and River rode horses together is empty. The surroundings of the lighthouse nad Anya is overgrown with weeds. There is no trace of the wedding, or the rabbit killed nearby.
Johnny beca a studious young man, working hard while continuously sending applications to NASA.
And eventually, he received a reply and an offer letter.
His goal was within reach, going to the moon is only a matter of ti now.
What Eva did was technically working. The contract would be fulfilled.
But the players and audiences were silent.
Yes, Johnny would soon be able to go to the moon, just as he stated. Eva and Neil were about to complete their mission.
But why is there such a sour feeling in the air? Why does the heart feel hollow?
Is this what Johnny would really want? To reach the moon, but without River? Does it even make sense anymore?
In the reconstructed mories of Johnny, they have arrived at the space agency.
Dong Zhen and all the other players who reached that point were now just chanically on autopilot. The earlier experience still left them reeling and filled with emotions that were difficult to express.
Uncomfortable, might be the right word here. They were very uncomfortable. They just witnessed an entire life get rearranged.
But since they were all so invested, they would only continue the wild ride.
As Eva and Neil explored the space agency, Eva began looking for sothing.
[ Its not here ]
[ Uh, what? ]
[ Lets just go ]
The two doctors continued to communicate as they explored the levels, and Dong Zhen seed to pick up what the ga was hinting at.
Hang on lads!!! The lady seems to know sothing we dont! Shes looking for sothing Or soone!
While the characters made a stop in a waiting room, Dong Zhen made a bold guess, one that he hoped was true after thinking about Evas actions and words.
But he didnt have the ti to voice his opinions in the stream, as the atmosphere of the ga made an abrupt shift.
The sad background music fell silent, letting the sound of Johnnys heartbeat dominate the scene.
Then uplifting music began to play.
A girl with red hair tied in a ponytail strolled into the room.
[ Ah, and heres our other new recruit. River, right? ] said the unnad NASA director.
He left the two to socialize and get to know each other.
[ Hello, Im John ]
Johnny introduced himself first, just like before.
At the sa ti, the final mory fragnt was collected by Eva and Neil.
[ Whew ] Eva let out a sigh of relief as soon as the scene concluded.
[ I almost thought she wasn ]
[ What the fuck, Eva?! But you deleted her! ]
[ No, I told you, I just moved her. What she does with her life here is still up to her ]
[ But this new world Its based on public data and Johnnys own beliefs. And since Rivers data as an individual is not recorded in the public domain ]
[ It all cos from Johnny ] Neil finished, after coming to understand her aning.
Despite having his entire life changed, despite having never crossed paths with River in this generated world. The mory of River and his promise to her still remained deep within.
[ What if you forget Or get lost? ]
[ Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! ]
Yes. They will et on the moon one day.
The tears Dong Zhen had been holding back for a while started flowing again.
The music Johnny wrote for River made an appearance again, but the na was no longer For River.
It has a new, more aningful na, To the Moon.
In the hall, River was among the audience, murmuring her liking of the na while watching Johnny play the song.
Years sped by in the simulated mories.
Johnny and River went through the rigorous astronaut training program together.
Finally, the rocket is up and running according to schedule.
To watch the final events unfold, Neil and Eva invited the nanny and the dical doctor inside the simulation.
As the sun set, crowds of people gathered on the bridge overlooking the river and the location of the rocket. They were here to witness the launch.
With a mighty rumble that echoed far and wide, the rocket took off.
And at the sa ti, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.
A very dull, tired heartbeat.
The heartbeat of Johnny, who grew weaker and weaker as the seconds drew by.
He is about to leave this world.
To the Moon plays again in the background as the rocket continues its journey upwards.
The simulation begins to falter as Johnnys vital signs begin to fade.
Inside the rocket, Johnny and River look into each others eyes.
They held hands, one last ti.
[ Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! ]
As the rocket grew closer and closer to the beautiful moon, the screen plunged into darkness.
Then, mories of Johnnys past flash by like brilliant lanterns in the night sky.
Seeing these mories of Johnny and River brought waves of heavy emotions crashing into the players and viewers.
Finally, Dong Zhen could no longer compose himself. He covered his face in one hand and ugly cried into the napkin he grabbed from the side.
Chat did not let this go, even if they were ugly crying too.
[ Hurry up! The macho man is shedding tears for the second ti! ][ This damn ga making
cry! ][ I cant see the screen, who installed the waterfall in my room? ][ What if you get lost? Then well just et up on the moon, silly! ]
Along with the gas final credits, the final scenes of the ga roll by.
In Dong Zhens stream chat, people started to cool down and regain their bearings.
At that mont, the people who were subrged in the overwhelming atmosphere and imrsion of the story suddenly rembered sothing
That this ga was a submission for the sci-fi ga design contest!
But everyone was so focused on the story of Johnny and River, that they forgot about this aspect.
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