The police took nearly an hours to clear the front of the IGC HQ. It wasn't them who brought Chad Mortimer out, but the paramedics. The Boardgame Billionaire was sequestered away in an ambulance.
The rest of the police force deescalated the rowdy crowd. The protestors dispersed pretty easily after Chad's defeat. A few furries were arrested for their raid into the headquarters. They seemed content with it, and happily took the fall so that their brethren could escape. One such furry was Natsuki. She sat in the back of a police cruiser, still with her furry accessories on. Officers remained nearby to keep her detained.
Elroy meandered his way out of the headquarters. A plethora of interview requests were shouted his way beyond the police border, but he diverted over to the cruiser.
"May I please speak with her?" he asked an officer politely.
The officer obliged and opened the door. Natsuki saw him coming, and without missing a beat, greeted with deuces, "The man, the myth, the legend. 'Sup!"
"Are you okay?" Elroy asked.
"Rosey, khotya vy!" Natsuki snapped at the police. They were unfazed, and she snorted. She leaned sideways to look up at Elroy with her adorable eyes, "How did things go on your end?"
"Dimitri accepted how things turned out. Says there are more important things to focus on than the Mortimer family dispute. And I agree," Elroy favored his cane.
Natsuki perked up and wiggled her animatronic eyebrows, "Like bailing me out?"
"Pretty much," Dimitri appeared from behind his father. He handed some paperwork to one of the officers and they took some time to read. Dimitri kept it simple, "The IGC aren't pressin' charges for the event."
"Really?" Natsuki's tail wagged. The officers confirmed it and had her step out. They used the electronic key to disengage the bracelet cuff.
"It's the council's way of apologizin' for allowin' Chad Mortimer to change and break Chanterelle's coding. To save face, they're countin' all transgressions today as part of the gambit. They already got their hands full with the legalities and embarrassment brought on by Gamer," Dimitri explained. He appeared apologetic, and far more reserved.
"Arigatō! I need to go check on the pack. I'll see you guys later!" Natsuki jumped forward and bowed. She dashed after the officers who released the other furries.
"She's a hotshot in real life, too," Elroy chuckled. Father and son walked together along the sidewalk. They put distance between them and the rest of the world. They drowned out the sounds with reminiscence and connection.
"I opened the arcade again. Did you hear?" Elroy asked.
Dimitri leaned away, surprised, "No, I didn'. The one in Paulownia Mall?"
"Yes, indeed. On top of that, I got your favorite arcade cabinet fixed up. I'd been scratching my noggin trying to figure out what to do for your birthday. I thought I could buy you something nice, but then it dawned on me. I could skip the buy part."
Dimitri winced, "You remembered my birthday..."
"How about we..."
"Breaking news!" the broadcast channels dominated the airwaves. Qathy appeared on screen, with Martha and the helicopter reporters sharing a split screen with her. Qathy expressed tempered excitement, "A new Total High Score, after almost two years, has officially been set. With the new record, it is also the first time in history that a convicted criminal has achieved the Wish. We go live to the IGC Meeting Summit to witness this historic moment."
The channel switched to a feed that showed the dark room where the council sat at their crescent table. Nathaniel stood in the center presentation, next to a metallic device that looked like a platform to stand on. Once the broadcast switched to them, the council summit commenced.
"Is he ready?" the elderly head councilor asked. He abandoned his begrudgement of Gamer for a more professional tone.
"Yes, sir. I'll display him now," Nathaniel used a remote to activate the platform.
It was a display hologram, and it portrayed Gamer as he was in the video game. However, the council and the rest of the world were mooned. Gamer had faced away from the display window Nathaniel set up for him. His ass cheeks shined like two polished bald men's heads side-by-side. The surprise disgusted or amused the masses. Gamer spoke to somebody offscreen, "I doubt they'd show all of me. They'll stay focused on my handsome mug, and I can continue furiously beating my dick while making the wish. It's fine."
Nathaniel cleared his throat, "It is, in fact, not fine."
Gamer owled his head around with bugged eyes. The council yelled and berated him, so Gamer sighed and slid his jeans back up. He bowed awkwardly, "Sorry."
"You are, by all accounts, the most unbearable person I have ever known!" a councilor with a gumshoe accent complained.
"Cool, great, yeah. Maybe knock next time. What you see is what you deserve," Gamer chastised with a grin.
"Regardless of his behavior, he has reached the prestigious and fair Total High Score," a female African councilor remained poised and professional. "With the power vested in the council, we grant any who reach this ultimate state of gaming one wish. The Wish can be anything; even the impossible is possible thanks to our resources. With that said, and for all to witness, please state your wish."
"Awarding a cheater – preposterous!" one councilor, and a few naysayers, showed poor sportsmanship. The council slipped into making verbal jabs at one another. Only a select few accepted the results. Every player in the world could read the writing on the wall; things were going to change forever. Gamer flipped everything on its head. Each player who helped him up to that point waited to hear what a wish for resurrection would entail.
Samira watched on in fevered anticipation. She rocked back and forth in her chair, hugging her knees, and holding back the tears, "Finally...finally..."
Gamer said, "I wish for my sister, Samira Oraby, to be free and taken care of."
Samira gasped and froze, and represented the majority of all who watched. His wish forced the council members to hold their tongues. The ushered silence added extra weight to the wish.
"Now, I know I said I'd resurrect myself and defy your judgment, but I thought about it some more. While in eternal gamenation, I committed even more crimes, like with AI, changing the code, and extending my streak of cheats. Not to mention the mess I made here in your beehive. Knowing you dickweeds, you'd slap me with eternal gamenation ten times over the moment I took a real breath. And as cute as a meta commentary about new game plus that'd be, I don't want to," Gamer broke it down.
The council shifted in their seats. Their silence spoke volumes. Gamer grinned, "I want my sister's health to be handled by the best. She's lively, and suffers with a condition that restricts her mobility. So help her. On top of that, I want her to receive a stipend to properly engage in gaming. She's always watching; with a healthier life, I'd like to see her play, too. I'll need somebody by my side while I continue existing in eternal gamenation."
"You do realize that this is your only means of escaping eternal gamenation. Otherwise, once you die in the game, you will cease to exist," the head councilor wanted to confirm the sacrifice.
Gamer played it cool, "Ye."
Elroy laughed heartily, while Dimitri could do nothing but gawk. Natsuki, Talis, and Nuckolls admired Gamer's sacrifice, while the pack of furries cried at the sentimentality. Samira wept into her arms – struck by both pain and love, "Brother..."
The council quietly reserved themselves, and agreed with nods. The head councilor finalized, "It shall be done. Your sister shall receive the financial and medical needs for a successful life, or at least one close enough for somebody with her condition. If you have any questions or clarifications, you can direct them at Game Master Nathaniel."
Nathaniel, vibing with the heart-touching moment, gave a deep bow, "With all said and done, as a developer who enjoyed your playthrough, I personally want to say one thing. Thank you for playing our game, and congratulations."
"What can I say; I'm a people pleaser," Gamer grinned and shrugged. "Now, are we done here?"
Gamer unbuttoned his pants, and half the council groaned. The head councilor nodded to Nathaniel, and the Game Master cut the feed. He happily tucked his hands behind his back and remained reserved as the council chamber filled up with pointless complaints, snide remarks, and redefined admiration. Similarly, the world was split into different camps, for or against Gamer.
It was true chaos.