The Last of Us (5)

“Okay, we’re off!” Tyler said as he pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Conor, like a kid in a candy store shook with exuberance as they left their home.

“Now, do we need to go over everything again?” Tyler asked his brother.

Conor, at first, paused for a long period of time. He was trying to remember. He was trying so hard. But he just couldn’t get to his thoughts. His mind was racing. He was so excited to finally get the opportunity to play!

“Okay, so it looks like I have to go over things again.” Tyler sighed. “Like how many times do I have to do this? Do you even read the manual?”

Conor shook his head no.

Tyler continued. “Okay. When we get there, act professional. None of the silly stuff you normally do. We have to repress our views and opinions. We have no idea what The Developer is truly like, alright? We’ve seen him on TV. He’s kind of a dick. Some would even say he’s brought this on himself. But we can help them. We really can. And if that means we have to come across as normal… or whatever it is he’s looking for… than that’s what we’ll do. Got it?”

Conor motioned for a yes, but then paused. “So no cheat codes?”

“No. I didn’t even pack them.” Tyler replied.

“What about my Game Shark?”

“Dummy, do you see a giant stuffed animal in the back of the car?”

Conor, just to make sure, turned to look.

“Well, no.” He noted.

“Okay then. That would be a no.”

“What about passwords? I wrote a bunch of passwords on my leg so I would just need to roll up my-”

“No.”

“Memory cards?”

“No.”

“DLC?”

“No.”

“Wireless online options?”

“No.”

“What’s the rating? E for Everyone? T for Teen?”

“A for Adult.”

“Shit, really?”

“Yes, and don’t swear.”

“Sorry.”

“Bro, how did you not know all of this? Haven’t you seen the henchmen and women in there? You’ve been watching a lot more than I have.”

“Yes.”

“And do they swear?”

“Yes.”

“And what about the bosses?”

“Oh, they swear a lot. There’s this one, Bronson Box, funny name by the way, but he swears up a storm. And Jack Harmen, one of the Mega Bosses from way back when-”

Tyler stopped Conor with a hand gesture.

“Look, brother,” He started, “I might not have watched as much as you, but I remember all of it. I’m aware of the bosses, henchmen and goombas. I’m aware of who started the infection, who’s infected and who is trying to fight back. Okay? But if we’re going to do this, if we’re actually going to step up and help out, than that means it’s you and I, brothers until the end, side by side the entire way…”

You can see Conor’s lime green eyes getting wider and wider with excitement and happiness, until…

“But for now, we’ve got a long drive ahead. And I just don’t want to deal with all of your, um… how do I say this nicely, charisma at this moment. Is that cool?”

Conor seemed disappointed, but obviously his big heart and unconditional love for his older brother always won out. “I understand.”

Tyler, finally, cracked a happy appearance. “Good. And don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to display that charisma.”

This response sat well with Player Two.

GO TO #22.

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