Back | Next
Contents

Chapter 14

Contrary to Lynn’s fears, her mom was absolutely thrilled to have all of her friends over for food and games. Her mom even poo-pooed the idea of ordering pizza and launched into a cooking extravaganza while Lynn took a shower and got ready. After all, Matilda said, they needed to eat healthy, hearty food to give them energy for their competition the next day.

Far from reassuring Lynn, her mother’s enthusiasm made her even more nervous.

“Just please promise me you won’t say anything embarrassing, okay?” Lynn pleaded while she helped her mom get out dishes and cups.

“Oh, come on. I wouldn’t do that. What are you afraid I’d say, anyway?”

“I don’t know, that I had a stuffed unicorn in third grade that I insisted on taking to school with me—”

“Oh, I remember that! Mr. Rainbow Sparkles. You were so adorable—”

“Or that I’m descended from a long line of Lakota chieftains—”

“But you are and that’s nothing to be ashamed of—”

“I know that, Mom. But it’s still not something you blurt out at a party. Just promise you won’t talk me up, okay? And definitely don’t say anything about WarMonger or Larry Coughlin, remember?”

“I remember, honey. Don’t worry. I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

“Thank you. Now, what time is it? I think they’re going to be here soon.”

“You go wait in the living room, dear,” Matilda insisted as she bustled around the kitchen. “I’m almost done with the food. I hope your friends are hungry because I made enough for a small army.”

“Come on, Mom. They’re guys. When are guys not hungry? Plus, we spent the day running around killing monsters. I’m pretty sure we’re all starving.” So saying, she snagged a floret of steamed broccoli covered in melted cheese and popped it into her mouth, then groaned in pleasure.

“Hey, keep your thieving hands to yourself, young lady. Now, shoo! I’ll finish up here.” Matilda flapped her hands at her daughter and Lynn turned away with a theatrical sigh of longing.

Lynn wandered into the living room, wishing she could stay in the kitchen and hide instead. Her nerves were already on high alert with that night-before-a-big-competition anxiety, so dealing with social worries on top of that was like throwing oil on a fire. Fortunately for her, Edgar was the first to arrive and the others piled in soon after, so there was minimal standing around in awkward silence.

Despite having already met most of them before, her mom made her introduce everybody. It was a surreal moment, introducing her friends to her mom. In the real, friends. Multiple of them. And they were at her house. Enjoying themselves.

So, weird.

The food was consumed in short order. There were leftovers but only just. The guys had brought their own offerings as well, so there was plenty of soda, chips, cookies and more to go around. Lynn nibbled on some Doritos, for old time’s sake, but was surprised at her own lack of appetite for the junk food. The guys more than made up for it. Lynn was pretty sure there was no junk food ever made that her friends wouldn’t eat.

After food, Matilda insisted on games. Real games. With boards and cards and little playing pieces. Dan was fascinated and rifled through them like they were ancient artifacts from an alien civilization, which made both Lynn and her mom laugh. Ronnie was inclined to be skeptical. Lynn was worried he would turn up his nose at playing and sour the evening but then Dan threw down the gauntlet and it was on.

They had too many people for Monopoly, which made Lynn sad but they scrounged up enough pieces to pair off and do a few rounds of Battleship. Mack turned out to be a natural and trounced poor Edgar, while Ronnie beat Dan only by a hair and Lynn handily sunk her mom’s ships while hers hid in the most unexpected places. Then they tried out a fandom-themed trivia game. Unsurprisingly Dan beat them all, while Mack came in a close second and Lynn and her mom came dead last.

Next they turned to cards. Matilda taught the guys a few different traditional games—games Lynn had played with her parents when she was young. Spades was okay. Rummy was summarily rejected. Nertz was fun for a while but it was so chaotic with six that soon Matilda called it quits and got up to disappear into the kitchen. She came back with five metal spoons.

“Uh, what do we need spoons for, Mrs. Raven?” Edgar asked.

Dan punched the air with a fist.

“Yes! Please tell me we’re going to duel each other with spoons? Please? Please?”

“Calm down, boys,” Matilda said with a laugh. “I was saving my best game for last.”

“Just as long as it has nothing to do with the Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon,” Mack said, looking askance at the spoons.

“What?” everyone said in unison.

“Obscure Internet reference?”

“All right,” Matilda said after a moment’s puzzled look. “If we’re done complaining and making jokes, this is how you play.”

She directed them to sit on the floor in a circle, then set the spoons in a carefully arranged pile in the middle. As she dealt out four cards to each person, she explained that the purpose of the game was to get four of a kind and then grab a spoon.

“But,” she added, “As soon as one person takes a spoon, the rest are fair game and you grab one as fast as you can. There is one less spoon than people, so every round one person won’t get one and that person is given a letter. Once you get S-P-O-O-N, you are eliminated from the game. We keep playing until one person emerges the victor!”

Dan rubbed his hands together excitedly and Lynn couldn’t help but chuckle at the maniacal glint in his eyes.

“So,” Matilda continued, “there’s a couple general strategies. One is to focus on getting four of a kind as fast as possible as cards are passed around the circle. You can keep any card as long as you discard a card at the same time so you only have four in your hand. Another strategy is to completely ignore the cards and just pass them on when they come to you, keeping your eyes on the spoons and waiting for someone else to make a move. Or you could try to keep an eye on your cards and the spoons at the same time. Each strategy has its pros and cons. Right, now, any questions?”

There were none and so with Matilda as the dealer, they began the first round.

Lynn opted for the “watch both” strategy, mostly because she suspected the guys would lock their eyes on the spoons and do nothing else, leaving her or Matilda to get four of a kind. She also wasn’t planning on being as ruthlessly competitive as she could have been. She didn’t see it as going easy on the guys. More that she was the host of the evening and wanted them to have a good time.

No sooner had she decided on her strategy than two queens showed up in a row. She added them to the queen already in her hand and soon after that the fourth queen came her way. Glancing up, she could see that Dan and Ronnie had their eyes fixed on the spoons. No chance for a sneak grab, then, a method where you slowly and silently removed a spoon from the pile and then kept playing as normal, waiting for someone else to realize one of the spoons was gone and start a free for all.

So, instead, she lunged for a spoon.

There were shrieks and yells of surprise as the expected scuffle ensued. Lynn just barely missed colliding with Ronnie, whose hand shot out like a snake as soon as she leaned forward. Dan and Mack somehow managed to grab the same spoon but Mack easily emerged triumphant since he had the spoon end instead of the handle where there was little purchase. Edgar hesitated diving in, perhaps worried he would injure someone and so Dan and Matilda scooped up the last two spoons in a flash, leaving poor Edgar blinking in a stunned sort of way.

“No worries, Edgar,” Lynn reassured him as Matilda put an “S” under his name on their score pad. “It can take you by surprise the first time. You just have to grab a spoon right off the bat and don’t worry about knocking a few heads.” She grinned at him and he smiled back sheepishly.

The next round Lynn was the dealer but before she could get four of a kind, Dan managed to sneak a spoon and Ronnie’s burst of movement tipped her off. The battle that followed left Matilda spoonless, which she laughed off.

“Whew! I’d forgotten how this game gets your blood pumping,” she said. “Too bad we’re not playing Ultimate Spoons. That version really makes you work up a sweat.”

“What’s Ultimate Spoons?” Dan asked, an indecently eager glint in his eyes.

“It’s where, at the beginning of each round, you chuck the spoons toward the opposite side of the room. Then everyone has to literally race to grab a spoon. No sneaky maneuvers in that version,” Matilda said, grinning.

Of course, Dan immediately insisted they switch to Ultimate Spoons but he was quickly shot down by everyone else.

The game continued, round after round and it became clear that they were all closely matched. Spoons was a risky game to play at a table, as it was a borderline contact sport. When Lynn was younger, her father had accidentally broken a chair in his vigorous leap for a spoon. Since then, they’d always played on the floor.

Even so, injuries were common and almost expected. The guys found this out after Mack got a welt on his hand from having a spoon ripped from his grasp by Ronnie and Edgar managed to bang heads first with Dan, then Mack. Mack was the first of their group to be eliminated. Edgar dropped next, then Lynn’s mom. At one point Dan thought he saw Ronnie twitch and so jumped in to grab a spoon, only to find out after the dust settled that nobody actually had four of a kind. That got him a penalty letter and left him one letter away from being eliminated.

With only three people left, they could no longer ignore their cards. The air thrummed with energy as the three of them sat, leaning in, poised like crouching tigers ready to pounce. Lynn settled into a zen state where she let her eyes unfocus and became aware of every tiny movement around her. She didn’t try to stare at the spoons but rather kept watch for movement at the corners of her eyes, even as a sliver of her brain paid attention to her cards and the rhythmic passing of each around the circle.

One seven. Two sevens. Three sevens. Four.

Fast as lightning she grabbed a spoon. Ronnie got the other, leaving Dan in the dust, eliminated with all five letters under his name.

Lynn adjusted her seat so she was sitting across from Ronnie. Feeling daring, she looked up and met his eyes. They burned with determination and, to Lynn’s surprise, delight. She gave him a nod, one opponent to another. Surprise flitted across his face, then he slowly nodded in return. Well, who’da thunk it. Ronnie knew how to not be a jerk after all.

With just two people left, strategy was limited. It usually came down to whoever got four of a kind first, which often favored the dealer, since they saw the cards first. But anything could happen. Lynn and Ronnie were neck to neck, each with three letters. To keep it fair, the single remaining spoon was placed perpendicular between them.

All levity had left the room and everyone else was silent, eyes locked on the last two contestants. It was Lynn’s deal and she couldn’t help the wolfish grin that lifted her lips. Adrenaline hummed through her as she began to pick up one card at a time, glance at it, then pass it to Ronnie.

Before she knew it, she’d gathered four twos. But she kept her cool, not letting any triumph show on her face—Ronnie was watching her. Almost casually, her hand flicked out and she grabbed the head of the spoon. Ronnie was a split second behind and managed to catch the spoon handle but Lynn gave a quick jerk and claimed the spoon for herself.

Yes! One more win, that was all she needed.

The next round was Ronnie’s deal and Lynn barely looked at her cards. Instead she watched Ronnie like a hawk, looking for any tell. But he played it just as cool as she had and she was a split second too slow to steal the spoon when she saw his hand start in its direction.

Now they both had four letters. The next person to get a spoon would be the winner.

Lynn had the deal but she was distracted by the silent intensity of the competition and got caught up in second guessing her tactics. Should she focus on her cards? Or on Ronnie? She settled on her cards, focusing on fives when two of them came up in quick succession. But then she picked up a King and added that to the one in her hand, hoping to double her chances of getting four since she could either go with fives or Kings.

All of a sudden, she saw Ronnie lunge forward and her body reacted on instinct, whipping out to grab the spoon between them. She felt a thrill of triumph as she held the spoon skyward like a sword of legend and the room erupted in cheers. All except Ronnie. He just sat there, a supremely satisfied smirk on his face. The others noticed his silence too and as the cheers died down Lynn felt a cold trickle of doubt.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Ronnie tipped his hand forward, revealing the four cards he held.

Two ones, a nine and a Jack.

Lynn sucked in a breath, then burst out laughing. “You bastard! You tricked me!”

The room erupted again with laughter and cheers.

“Oooh!”

“Slick move, Ronnie!”

“Oh, man, I did not see that coming.”

Despite a brief wash of disappointment, Lynn couldn’t help laughing and shaking her head in chagrin. She totally should have seen that coming. But she hadn’t and Ronnie had won fair and square. Not really thinking about it, she held up a hand toward him for a high five.

“Good job, man.”

Ronnie froze, his triumphant look sliding into uncertainty. Lynn became intensely self-conscious when he didn’t immediately return her gesture but she kept her hand where it was and lifted her eyebrows in silent invitation. His nostrils flared as he drew in a breath, then he lifted his own hand and gave her a high five.

“Good game,” he said and looked away.

Dan, Mack and Edgar descended on him and started talking excitedly, allowing Lynn to slip away to the kitchen with the pile of spoons. Once she was alone, she relaxed, going over the exchange in her mind as she put away the spoons. She shrugged and her grin returned. It had been a good game. She was just relieved he hadn’t been a jerk about winning.

Next time, she would get him. She would show him who was the real Spoon Master.

“All right, boys,” Matilda said as Lynn returned to the living room, “it’s getting late and you all have your competition bright and early tomorrow morning. I would say we should catch an air taxi together but I doubt we’d all fit in the same one with all your parents and siblings who will want to come and support you.”

There was a beat of awkward silence. Then Dan piped up.

“My parents think I’m going to a robotics day camp. If they knew I was competing in a gaming tournament they would flip out and probably lock me in my room.”

At Matilda’s horrified look, he simply shrugged.

“My mom doesn’t approve of ‘wasting time’ on gaming either,” Mack said, pulling at a what might charitably be called the beginnings of another beard. “I told her we formed a fitness group.”

“Well, that’s true, at least,” Lynn said with a snort. “We do an insane amount of running around and sweating.”

“My mom wants to come but she has to work,” Edgar said hesitantly. “My sisters and brothers would probably love to come, too, but…well…we can’t afford fare for all of them.”

Ronnie didn’t say anything but it didn’t take a genius to guess that his father would want nothing to do with any “wimpy” augmented reality game and the “sissies” who played it.

Matilda looked around at all of them, brows drawn together in distress. Then she put her hands on her hips.

“Edgar, how many siblings do you have?”

“Five,” he replied, slowly. “Why?”

“Perfect,” Matilda said, clapping her hands together. “I’m going to reserve a twelve-seater for all of us tomorrow. That means we have one extra seat. Does anyone have a friend or a sibling who might like to come? I’m happy to keep an eye on any younger kids if they need supervision.”

Lynn’s friends looked at each other in uncertainty. Then Dan slowly raised his hand.

“My older sister won’t be leaving to go back to university until Monday. She’d probably like to come if I asked her. She can keep a secret,” he finished, eyes dropping to the floor.

“Wonderful. Now I want all of you boys to send Lynn your home address…or wherever you’d like to meet us,” she amended with a little smile at Dan. “I’ll work up an itinerary for picking everyone up in time to get us to Des Moines and Lynn will forward it to each of you. Understood?”

A rustle of “Yes, ma’ams” echoed through the room and Lynn hid a smile. It was just like her mom to adopt the guys and they seemed to sense that it would be futile to argue.

“All right, then, get moving, all of you. You need to go home and get some rest.”

Edgar tried to protest that he could stay and help clean up but Matilda shooed him out the door with the rest of the guys, insisting he needed his sleep. Lynn hesitated, then followed them out, calling to her mom that she was going to see them to the door of the apartment building.

The guys joked and chatted on the elevator down while Lynn stood quietly in the corner, steeling herself for something she really didn’t want to do. She followed them to the door of the building and before Ronnie could exist with the others, she called out.

“Hey, uh, Ronnie? Could I have a quick word? About tomorrow?” She jerked her head toward the lobby.

Ronnie eyed her but then told the rest of the guys to go on without him and waited while they filed out the door. Lynn took a deep breath, settling her nerves. Time for another attempt at Operation What the Heck is Ronnie’s Problem.

“Thanks for hanging out tonight. It was fun.”

Silence. Finally, Ronnie shrugged and looked at the wall as he spoke. “Yeah. Sure.”

Okaaay.

“Um, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

A grunt.

“We’ll probably be up against some big, new monster, so we’ll have to stick together and use our heads.”

Shrug.

Lynn sighed internally.

“We’ll all be relying on you to lead us, Ronnie.”

That made his head come up and he squinted at her suspiciously, as if trying to figure out if she was joking.

“I’m serious. Our team has come a long way and I think we can do well tomorrow. But only if we work together and support each other. I don’t want to be team captain, Ronnie. I really, really don’t.” Ronnie snorted but Lynn plowed on. “All I want is to kill stuff and win this competition. I’m pretty sure that’s what you want too, so let’s do our best to work together.”

“I will if you will,” Ronnie replied, a note of sarcasm in his voice.

Lynn’s nostril flared. Remember: mature, professional, respectful. She took a calming breath and nodded.

“I’ll do my very best. See you tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah…see you tomorrow.” He jerked his chin at her in a quasi-nod, then turned and pushed his way out the apartment building’s doors.

Well, that had gone pretty well, considering. Now if they could all manage to keep their heads and not get into any arguments tomorrow, they should be fine.

Probably.


Lynn and her mom were on their way out of the apartment building at the crack of dawn the next morning when they were stopped by a shout from behind.

“Lynn! Mrs. Raven! A moment, if you would?”

They turned to find Mr. Thomas hobbling toward them, leaning heavily on his cane.

“I suppose the sleeplessness of great age comes in handy at times,” he puffed as he approached. “I was just out having a turn in the halls. My stiff hip has been bothering me and giving it some gentle exercise helps to loosen it up. I was hoping to catch you today, Lynn. Your competition is coming up, is it not?”

“It’s today. That’s where we’re headed now.”

“Ah! Then I’m so glad I caught you,” he said. “I wanted to give you something.” He stuck a hand into the pocket of his gray cardigan and drew out a Kennedy half dollar on a silver chain. The coin had an oblique dent in it, as if something heavy had glanced off it. “This coin is the reason I stand before you today. Or at least, why I can still walk on both legs. I might have survived a bullet to the thigh, who knows. Field medicine was spotty, deep in the jungle.”

Lynn’s eyes widened at his words as he held the coin up by the chain. It swung gently back and forth, catching the light.

“I gave it to a…a friend, many years ago,” he continued, quietly. “It protected me and I hoped it would protect him. He died peacefully of old age, so perhaps it did its job. Who can say? In any case, I think it would make better use of itself in your young and adventurous hands than collecting dust on my dresser.” His eyes misted over as he held it out.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t take it, Mr. Thomas.”

“Please, call me Jerald. And yes, you can, young lady.” Stepping forward, he grasped one of her hands with his old, bony fingers and pressed the coin into her palm.

Lynn looked uncertainly at her mom.

Matilda gave her an encouraging smile, then spoke to their neighbor. “It’s a wonderful gift, thank you, Mr. Thomas. It would take a lot to keep my daughter out of trouble, but every little bit helps.”

The elderly man chuckled. “Ah, yes. I was not so dissimilar, when I was her age. Do not worry, Mrs. Raven, she is a capable young woman. I am sure she will do great things.”

“That’s what worries me,” Matilda muttered. They all laughed.

“Thanks for the gift, Mr.—I mean Jerald,” Lynn said as she slid the coin and chain into one of the discreet pockets of her high-performance outfit. It clinked against her dad’s little pocketknife that was already in there. “Sorry but we have to get going. Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck!”

Mr. Thomas waved.

“No need, Lynn. I do believe one such as you makes their own luck.”

Lynn grinned. “I mean, I do try.”

“Goodbye, then, Lynn. And may the monsters tremble in fear at your coming!”

“Oh, you can bet they will,” Lynn said with a wink. Then she waved and followed her mom out the door.


The air taxi ride to Des Moines was noisy with Edgar’s five younger siblings crowded in with all the rest of them. They ranged from seven to sixteen and spent most of the trip arguing over the qualities of their favorite pro ARS player and what toys they would buy when their big brother won five million dollars. Their antics made Lynn smile to herself. She was grateful for the distraction; it helped keep the nerves at bay.

They arrived at the address given by the TD Hunter competition packet and were surprised to find it was simply a transfer point. Shuttle buses were there waiting for them and other incoming contestants. A TD Hunter staff member in a headset and polo shirt with the TD Counterforce logo splashed across the right breast welcomed them at the door. Lynn’s group climbed onto the shuttle bus and were joined by several other gaggles of people.

Once the shuttle was full, the TD Hunter representative pushed a button to close the doors and the self-driving vehicle started off.

But it only got a few dozen feet, not even out of the bus lane, before it jerked to a halt, throwing everyone forward. Lynn grabbed onto Edgar for balance as the shuttle lurched forward, then jerked to a halt again.

As soon as the TD Hunter representative regained his feet he rushed up to the front of the shuttle and slapped a big red button on the dash. The faint vibration of the electric engine vanished and everyone righted themselves. Exclamations and chatter broke out but Lynn’s eyes were on the staff member. His lips were moving quickly and Lynn suspected he was having a “What the heck do I do now?” conversation with his superior, whoever that was.

“Sorry, everyone! Nothing to be alarmed about,” he said, turning and raising his hands in a placating gesture. “There seems to have been a brief malfunction in the shuttle’s navigation commands. We’re getting our engineers over to check it out right away and we’ll go ahead and hop over to a different shuttle. If you could please all stand and disembark in an orderly fashion. Thank you!”

Lynn and Edgar exchanged dubious looks but then turned to help Matilda herd Edgar’s siblings down the center aisle and out the door along with the rest of the passengers. Another shuttle pulled up behind the first and they all climbed aboard and settled in.

Once the new shuttle had started off without mishap, the TD Hunter representative called for quiet and the chatter of voices quickly subsided. Lynn hugged her TD Counterforce backpack full of equipment to her chest as she listened to the man introduce himself.

“Good morning and welcome, contestants! Again, apologies for the earlier inconvenience, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. My name is Jarrod and I’m part of the TD Hunter game staff here to guide you through your Hunter Strike Team qualifying tournament. The U.S. Army Reserve has kindly lent us part of their training facility for our event.”

One of Lynn’s eyebrows rose. U.S. Army Reserve base. That was interesting. She wondered if the location had anything to do with Mr. Krator’s unnamed “investors,” or with how many former military guys seemed to be part of the TD Hunter development and tactical support team. She supposed that when it came to technology with military applications, nobody would be very surprised to find the U.S. Military’s fingers in it somehow.

“Since we’ll be on a military base,” Jarrod continued, “we need to stick together and pay special attention to all rules and posted notices. You’ll be given a contestant badge—or visitor badge for your plus two—when you are dropped off and go through processing. Then we’ll gather in the TD Hunter tournament HQ for orientation and finalizing your team registration details. There will be complimentary food and water provided at HQ and everyone but the contestants will remain in the building for the duration of the tournament. Don’t worry, though, you’ll be able to watch the whole event live through your AR interface and for anyone who doesn’t have one we have extras available. The feed will be streaming live from the various contestants’ own AR interfaces, as well as camera drones we have monitoring the tournament from the air.

“We have about a ten minute drive to the base, so sit back and relax and we’ll have you ready to rock and roll in no time.”

Lynn glanced at the others on her team and saw variations on the nervousness she was feeling herself. Only Edgar looked calm but that was probably because he was distracted by his two youngest siblings who thought it was the height of hilarity to run up and down the middle of the shuttle at top speed. Matilda got up to help enforce the peace and Lynn lost interest, looking instead out the window at the passing scenery.

Des Moines looked more or less identical to Cedar Rapids, except with more traffic on the roads and in the air. As they headed west, they passed through suburbs, then into a commercial area full of packing plants and finally past the Des Moines airport. The traffic thinned out and changed from mostly robo-cars and automated buses to huge self-driving freight trucks and old-fashioned gas-guzzler pickups with their windows rolled down so their drivers could enjoy the cool of the morning.

Their destination was several minutes south of the airport. The olive drab and blue sign for the Army Reserve Base came into view, accompanied by a trio of flag poles. A high fence surrounded the grounds and the shuttle had to pass through a checkpoint to enter. The guard on duty climbed onto the shuttle and did a quick scan of everyone’s irises, checking identities against the official pictures and details that came up on his handheld display.

Once they were waved through, the shuttle moved into the maze of low buildings, some of them red brick, some of them gray concrete. Everywhere they looked things were neat and tidy.

The emerald green grass was perfectly trimmed and trees and ornamental shrubbery were well-landscaped. There were various people in uniforms walking here and there, some alone, some in small groups. Lynn pressed her nose to the window of the shuttle, watching them. She wondered what it would be like to be in the military, to have your day from dawn to dusk dictated to you, your life spent following someone else’s orders. The simplicity and structure of it probably had its perks but it didn’t appeal to her. She’d rather decide what to do on her own.

The shuttle pulled up alongside a large, two-story metal building. Lynn couldn’t quite see the sign on the outside of it declaring what it was but it looked like it might be some sort of training facility. Jarrod organized them into a single file line to disembark and they were met outside by another smiling TD Hunter staff member who led them past a guard in uniform and into the building. The inside was brightly lit with linoleum floors and white walls covered in various notices, inspirational quotes and patriotic images from flags to individual unit insignia. It was quiet inside except for the subdued chatter of their group and they followed Jarrod past several offices to a set of double doors that opened up into a large, carpeted room that had probably served as a conference room before it had been transformed into a gamer’s lounge.

Sweet.

Along the walls by the door were the registration tables where members of the TD Hunter staff were busy checking in contestants and handing out visitor badges. To the right a little eating area was set up with rows of tables beside a large spread of food. The sight made Lynn’s eyes go wide. The people from TD Hunter had gone all out, providing a full buffet breakfast complete with fresh fruit, eggs-to-order, bacon, pastries and steaming coffee on the end. If Lynn’s stomach hadn’t been so busy tying itself in knots, she would have been on it in a flash, especially the bacon. She hoped there would be some left over after the competition, though she wasn’t too optimistic, judging by the way Edgar’s brothers and sisters were eyeing it like hungry wolves.

In the middle of the room was a scattering of comfortable-looking chairs and couches, while the far end of the room had been set up with rows of chairs before a small stage. Above the stage was a huge screen, easily ten feet wide and taller than a man. Currently it showed the TD Counterforce logo but Lynn was sure it would soon be displaying the official tournament stream complete with professional commentary.

“Contestants over here to registration, please,” Jarrod said, gesturing. “Friends and family members, you’re right next door at the visitor table to get your badges. After that please help yourself to the food and once all the contestants have checked in, we’ll begin our orientation.”

Lynn followed Ronnie and the others to the contestant check-in. Once in line she took a good look around, trying to get the measure of her competition. She didn’t see Elena, Connor, or their three stooges anywhere, so they must have been running late. Of the people in line around her, though, it looked like the TD Hunter players were a diverse group of all ages, backgrounds and looks.

Teen to middle aged made up the majority but there were several groups of older men and women chatting together amiably, clearly ready to show the young whippersnappers that age and treachery could beat youth and enthusiasm any day. Some of the players were silent, taking in their surroundings like Lynn. Some were joking and cutting up with each other. Others looked ready to toss their cookies. She sympathized with them, though now that things were moving forward and she had something to occupy her mind, she felt her nervousness slowly turning into anticipation.

“Hey, guys, come here for a second.” Edgar’s voice drew Lynn’s attention and she turned to find him gathering the guys in close as he bent to talk.

“So, I know we never really agreed on a team name.” He glanced sideways at Ronnie as he said this and Ronnie’s lips thinned. They had all listed “Baconville Bashers” on their registration form as a placeholder, intending to come up with a better name later and update it at the tournament. Ronnie had obviously been hoping they would forget about it.

“Anyway, that new item Lynn achieved yesterday got me thinking and I had an idea this morning. Why don’t we name our team ‘Skadi’s Wolves’?” He didn’t look at her as he said it but Lynn could feel everyone else’s eyes flick to her, then away.

“Huh,” Dan said, expression distant as he thought it over. “It’s unique and creative without being over the top. I still think wolves are cliche but they’re a good cliche…it’s definitely better than Baconville Bashers…I say we go for it.”

“I think it’s awesome,” Mack said, nodding.

“Absolutely not,” Ronnie hissed.

Lynn sighed. Ronnie was nothing if not predictable.

“It’s stupid. Skadi is some weird, barely pronounceable name and nobody is intimidated by wolves—”

“But they’re intimidated by bacon?” Edgar challenged.

Mack snorted.

“That’s beside the point!” Ronnie said. “Baconville Bashers is a perfectly respectable name and we’ve been using it for years. There’s no reason to change it. Besides, I’m the team captain, so I get to decide.”

“No, actually, you don’t,” Dan said, brows drawn down as he eyed his friend. “We’ve always been in this together. Ever since we were kids. Remember? This is a team. Not a dictatorship.”

Ronnie crossed his arms.

“Exactly, it’s been this way since we were kids, so we shouldn’t go changing things now.”

“But we’re different, now,” Dan said, gesturing to Lynn. “We’ve grown, we’ve changed and we’re all better for it. I like Skadi’s Wolves better than Baconville Bashers. It’s way cooler. I think we should vote.”

“What? No! That’s not—”

“All in favor of Skadi’s Wolves, raise your hands,” Dan said, lifting his into the air. Edgar’s hand went up, followed by Mack’s.

Lynn sighed internally. She really, really hoped this didn’t ruin all the progress she’d made with Ronnie and launch him back into full on Jerkitude Mode. That would cost them the competition, she was sure of it. She didn’t like Baconville Bashers but she was perfectly willing to go with it to keep the peace. At this point, though, there was going to be a disagreement either way, so…she raised her hand.

Ronnie glared around at them, jaw working.

“Remember,” Lynn said quietly, looking at Ronnie with a carefully neutral face. “We’re here to win. That’s it. Our name doesn’t matter, as long as we win. And to win, we have to work together. We can all be wolves, or we can all be bacon. I don’t care. But let’s be wolves—or bacon—that kicks butt and leaves the rest of these wannabe pros in the dust, okay?”

The look on Ronnie’s face didn’t change but Lynn kept her expression calm and gave him a slow nod of encouragement.

Come on, Ronnie. Come on…

“Fine! But only—”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Grand Rapids Losers,” said a voice behind them.

“Oh, hey, Elena,” Lynn said, spinning smoothly as all her mental systems went to code red. She pasted a pleasant look on her face and firmly controlled the urge to deck the pop-girl right in the nose. It would be fun but unproductive. “I’m glad you made it. We were worried you’d be so caught up in your morning beauty routine that you’d miss the shuttles.”

Elena huffed.

“We didn’t need to use some dirty shuttle. My daddy’s air limo brought us straight here. So much more comfortable. A full bar, too. Not that you would know the first thing about traveling in style.” She smiled nastily.

Lynn heard an angry mutter behind her but she waved frantically with one of her hands behind her back, hoping the guys would get the message and let her handle this.

“You seem real concerned about how you got here,” Lynn said, raising an eyebrow. “If I were you, I’d worry more about what you’ll do now that you are here. Last time I looked, you didn’t know the first thing about gaming, much less leading a winning team. Let me guess, Connor is going to do all the actual work while you hide behind him and look pretty for the cameras? How did you get a professional like Connor on your joke of a team anyway? He could easily be leading a top tier team of his own. Did you pay him, or sleep with him?”

“I am perfectly capable of leading a team,” Elena hissed and by the ugly fury on her face, Lynn knew she’d hit the mark. The pop-girl leaned in close, stabbing a finger toward Lynn. “My team is the best there is and we look good on camera. Everyone is going to adore us. You pitiful losers look like a bunch of worthless dweebs who can’t even afford matching outfits. What a joke.” She leaned back and crossed her arms, vicious satisfaction glinting in her eyes.

Lynn glanced behind her casually, taking in her teammates. It was true, they didn’t match. The guys just wore whatever comfortable, loose pants and T-shirts they had available. Most of their clothes had gaming-related graphics on them. She was the only one with remotely performance-grade clothes. Elena’s team, in contrast, were dressed in matching black uniforms edged in yellow and brown, their school colors. The clothes were tight, sleek and obviously competition smart clothes like Lynn’s.

“All the pretty clothes money can buy won’t make you a winner, Elena. But I wouldn’t worry your empty little head over it.” Lynn shifted her gaze to the embarrassed-looking Connor and smiled. “Be sure to keep her at the rear where her ignorant flailing won’t lose you any points. She’ll be nice and safe there, don’t you think? I doubt her daddy will be as free with his sponsorship money if his precious little princess gets hurt.”

Connor looked away. Lynn grinned. Divide and conquer tactics were so much fun.

“Oh, by the way, Elena. Where is your daddy? Was he too busy to come support you on your big day?” She stuck out her lower lip. “Poor little Elena. Daddy doesn’t actually care, does he—”

“What’s going on here, Lynn?” Matilda asked, appearing between their two groups as if by magic. Lynn glanced over to see Edgar’s siblings sitting at the tables digging into plates piled high with bacon and eggs. Her mother must have been keeping an eye on their team while corralling the youngsters.

“Oh, nothing, Mom. Just chatting with some friends.” She smiled pleasantly at Elena, whose face was turning an alarming shade of puce.

“How nice, honey. Are these friends from school?”

“Yup. They’re new to gaming but this community is open to everyone, no matter how little experience they have.” She spread her smile extra wide, showing off her canines.

“That’s wonderful to hear! Good luck to you all, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

Elena mouthed wordlessly for a moment, then stomped away, pulling Connor and the others with her.

Excellent, Lynn thought. Skadi’s Wolves: 1. Conniving Harpy: 0.

“Is everything all right, here?” Matilda asked more quietly, eyeing their group.

“Yeah, we’re fine, Mom. Go on back to the others. I think the littlest one is trying to drink straight from the coffee machine.”

“What?” Matilda spun around and hurried back to the food table to rescue Edgar’s eight-year-old brother from himself.

“That was awesome, Lynn,” Dan whispered, voice full of glee. “You totally owned her!”

“Yeah, how did you do that?” Mack asked. “I always freeze up when Elena is around.”

Lynn shrugged and gestured toward the registration table, which they had almost reached. Honestly, she had no idea. She’d reacted on instinct, letting the sharp, angry, predator side of her take over as soon as she heard Elena’s voice. That was her Larry side. The side that knew to look for weaknesses and go for the throat. Larry Coughlin was used to coming up with intimidating cut downs and ominous one-liners on a moment’s notice. Putting Elena in her place had felt easy in comparison.

She ignored the inconvenient sliver of guilt that pricked her conscience. Baiting Elena with her father’s absence was low, even for her. Calling the pop-girl on her own contemptible actions was one thing. But implying her father hadn’t come because he didn’t love her…

No. Elena deserved it and had only herself to blame. Use dirty tactics and get dirty tactics in return.

“Next!” called the staff member at the check-in table and Lynn returned her attention to the matter at hand as Ronnie stepped forward.

Changing a team name right before the competition, while not encouraged, was also not against the rules. Plus, with qualifying tournaments going on all over the world, their little shindig in Des Moines, Iowa, was hardly in the spotlight. Nobody would notice the name change.

They got through their check-in without further incident. The TD Hunter staff member confirmed their identities, had them e-sign a few waivers, then checked their AR interfaces and batons to make sure all were serviceable and up to regulation standards.

Once Lynn and her team had left the check-in table, Elena hurried past with her pretty boys in tow. They were the very last to check in. Everyone else had drifted to the far end of the room, filling up the chairs in front of the stage. Lynn slipped off for a quick bathroom break—who knew when she would get the chance again—and then joined her team and their family members in front of the stage.

“Goood morning, everyone!” said a bright-eyed lady who hopped onto the stage and spread her hands in welcome. The beaded braids of her hair were pulled back into a ponytail that bounced as she began to energetically pace back and forth across the stage. “My name is Trinity and I’ll be taking care of you today so you can sit back, relax and cheer for your loved ones as they battle the deadly TransDimensional Monsters trying to take over our planet. In just a few minutes, our staff members will be leading the contestants away to the staging area where they’ll get their mission briefing. The rest of you will get to enjoy the tournament stream here on the big screen”—she gestured behind her—“or on your own interfaces. If you don’t have an interface, grab one of our staff members wearing the TD Counterforce polos and they’ll get you a spare to borrow for the morning. If you’re using your own interface, then navigate to the TD Hunter website and select USA, then Iowa, to get plugged in to the stream for the Des Moines tournament.

“Now, while we enjoy watching the contestants, please remember we are on U.S. military property that the Army Reserve has generously lent us for our uses today. Please do not leave this room for any reason. If there is a medical emergency, let one of our staff know immediately. The competition will be starting in…” she glanced at her watch, “thirty-eight minutes. Contestants, please say your goodbyes to your friends and family and line up in front of the doors and we’ll get this show on the road!”

Lynn got up and swung off her compact TD Counterforce backpack to get out her batons and slide them into her thigh pockets. Then she replaced her backpack and hurried over to the guys. She’d considered leaving the backpack behind. But she’d been training with it on all summer long, so it shouldn’t slow her down. Plus, none of her teammates had a hydration system built into their backpacks, so if they shared, nobody would have to lug around a heavy water bottle.

She joined her team as their family members crowded around. Edgar’s little brother gave each one of them a huge hug, which made Lynn smile. Dan’s older sister, a more reserved and dignified version of himself, gave them all an encouraging nod. Matilda, being the mom that she was, also gave everyone a big hug, saving Lynn for last.

“I’m so, so proud of you, sweetie,” she said into Lynn’s ear as she wrapped Lynn in her arms.

“W—why?” Lynn asked in surprise, voice catching on the word.

Matilda held Lynn at arm’s length. Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

“Oh, just for being your determined, smart, beautiful self. You chose something you wanted to fight for and you’ve been fighting for it tooth and nail ever since, just like…just like your dad.” Her mom sniffed and took a shuddering breath, then smiled bravely. “More importantly, you haven’t let your fears hold you back. Not many people can say that. You’re going to do great out there, honey. And I’ll be right here, cheering for you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Lynn said. There was a lot more she wanted to say but one look into Matilda’s dark brown eyes and Lynn realized her mom already knew it all.

“Come on, Lynn, or we’re gonna get left behind,” Ronnie called.

Lynn gave her mom’s hands a squeeze, then hurried after the guys, taking her place at the very end of the line at the door.

“Everybody here? All right, follow me please,” said a staff member over the chatter. The contestants quieted down as the line began to move, and Lynn felt her heartbeat quicken. She’d faced plenty of tense gaming situations before, from fiercely competitive team deathmatches to one-on-one hunt and kill scenarios. But that had all been in virtual.

This was a whole other animal—thrilling and terrifying in equal measures.

They were led back into the hallway but took a different direction than before and so exited the building on the opposite side. They filed across an asphalt parking lot filled with military vehicles, then came to an open gate along a high chain link fence. A uniformed guard stood at the gate and he nodded at the TD Hunter staff member as he passed. Lynn didn’t think anything of it until she noticed the guard also nodded at the other two staff members that escorted the contestants but not at any of the contestants, as if he knew the TD Hunter staff.

She didn’t get a chance to think about it further, though. Once they were through the gate they headed straight for a low concrete building painted army green. Lynn looked around and caught sight of other buildings past the green one. They were a variety of shapes and sizes, with boring plain walls and few windows, almost like a collection of warehouses or storage buildings. Soon she lost sight of them as the line approached the building’s door. She looked back right before entering the dark interior and noticed that the guard had closed the gate behind them.

Inside, the building was pitch black for a moment after the bright sun outside and she instinctively put out a hand as her eyes adjusted and the tint disappeared from the AR glasses. Her hand suddenly met a warm body and she stopped before running into Edgar. In the brief moment as they waited for the line to start moving again, Edgar’s hand found hers in the dark and gave it a squeeze. It seemed like he lingered a moment before letting go but maybe she imagined it. She was glad of the dark in any case and took a deep breath to ease the sudden tightness in her throat. Within seconds, the line was moving again and Lynn could make out a short entrance hall around them that led up to a plain door.

When she passed through the door, Lynn’s eyes widened. The room looked straight out of the TD Hunter game cut scenes.

A long row of terminals and tables full of readout screens snaked around the edge of the room, while a single giant screen dominated the far wall. There were no overhead lights on but the myriad of screens gave off enough light to see by. The room was full of TD Hunter staff.

They seemed to be an even mix of programmer types who were gathered around the screens and muscular men and women with the kind of severe hairstyles that screamed military. All of them wore TD Counterforce polos, though, so Lynn wasn’t sure if the military types were part of the gaming staff or if they were on loan from the Army Reserve to help run the competition.

The group of contestants was led into the large open area in the middle of the room. Lynn stuck with her team at the back and they all huddled around Ronnie, who looked as wide-eyed as the rest of them. Once everyone had assembled, a tall man with forearms the size of most people’s thighs stepped up in front of the crowd and came to a parade rest, eyes silently surveying the group.

The contestants swiftly quieted under the man’s imposing gaze.

Once it seemed he had everyone’s attention, the man spoke in a deep voice. “Welcome, Hunters. I’m glad to see you all here today—”

Shock zinged through Lynn as she instantly recognized that voice. Fallu? What in the nine circles of hell was Fallu doing here?

“—My name is Steve Riker. I’m a member of TD Hunter’s Tactical Support group and I’m running your qualification tournament today. We’ve got a few safety matters to go over first, then we’ll get on to your mission briefing. That means you shut up and listen up, because I ain’t gonna say this stuff twice.”

Lynn could almost feel the tension in the room increase as dozens of eyes locked onto Steve.

“Item number one: this is a military base. Our game will be contained within the urban combat training area, which is bordered by a fence. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to leave the training area, or enter any of the training buildings.

“Item number two: our staff here will be getting a temporary direct feed from all of your AR interfaces to monitor the game and keep everyone safe. It’s visual only, not audio-visual. Team captains, heads up: our stream managers will be splicing footage from your feed to add to the tournament live stream. There will also be camera drones monitoring the game. So, don’t do anything stupid. No cutting up. No playing around. No foul play. Focus on the mission. If anyone gets hurt, we’ll know right away and deploy a medical team to your location.”

Lynn looked over at Edgar, who stood beside her and they shared a raised eyebrow. Hopefully they weren’t expecting anyone to get hurt, though of course it was still necessary to have emergency procedures ready. The worst she expected were bruises on her shoulders and back from all the rolling they’d have to do on asphalt. Hopefully no one would trip while trying to dodge and sprain their ankle.

“Item number three: there’s a chance some of you might become dizzy or disoriented during the game. That is a normal reaction. Some people are sensitive to the intense AR stimulus you’ll be experiencing. If anyone needs a quick breather, you can notify the game’s service AI and receive a two-minute, penalty-free exit from combat mode. This is for a medical emergency only. Exiting combat mode for any other reason during the game is considered a forfeit and you’ll be treated as killed in action. Let me repeat: leaving combat mode for any other reason will get you dead. Understood?”

Steve paused and was rewarded with a scattering of “yeses” and “yups.”

“I said, is that understood?” Steve barked.

“Yes, sir!” the group of contestants responded more or less in unison.

“Good. Now, please don’t abuse the medical exemption, people. We’re all adults here. We’re watching you and we can tell if you try to use it to get out of a sticky situation. So don’t.”

Steve paused again to sweep his stern gaze slowly over the contestants. His face was lit from the side by a nearby monitor and the effect made him seem all the more intimidating.

“Right. Now that we’ve got the safety brief out of the way, let’s talk game details. This tournament is to evaluate your suitability for Hunter Strike Team status. Competition teams get special privileges and abilities that you’ll need to take out the top level TDMs and bosses during the international matches. It takes skill. It takes teamwork. It takes maturity and responsibility. If you and your teammates can’t prove you’ve got your act together, then you get cut. Simple as that.

“We’ll be evaluating you on your teamwork and tactics. That gets weighed against the points you gain through your individual ratings. Things like overall kills and kill to damage ratio. There’s no first place, second place, here. All teams that meet the minimum threshold will qualify as Hunter Strike Teams.

“Now, once you’re in position, you’ll get one hour, I repeat, sixty minutes, to complete the mission. At that point, the game will be concluded and we’ll gather back here to debrief and hear the results. Get it?”

“Got it!” echoed the contestants.

“Good,” Steve said and smiled. “Now, eyes forward. First Sergeant Bryce of the TransDimensional Counterforce will be giving you your mission briefing up on the big screen.”

Steve stepped off to the side and patriotic music filled the room as the TD Counterforce logo appeared on screen, then faded to reveal the now-familiar visage of First Sergeant Bryce. The uniformed man stood at parade rest with his hands behind his back. Next to him was a large, square screen that resembled the combat display inside the TD Hunter app.

“Morning, Hunters! I hope you’re all ready for some serious action, because we’ve got a critical situation developing at this Army Reserve Base.”

“Oh, great, a custom cut scene,” Ronnie said grumpily.

Cut scenes were as old as decent graphics. But as CGI costs had dropped and AIs had learned the business of gaming, it was more and more common to have a myriad of customized scenes for each different scenario in game. Some gamers loved them, but most were bored stiff by unskippable info dumps that interrupted their game play. This cut scene, though, might contain information vital to victory, so she ignored Ronnie’s moaning and focused on the screen.

“Sensors have detected an unusual spike in TDM activity right in the middle of their training area and it’s getting worse by the minute.”

An overhead map of the base appeared on the display beside First Sergeant Bryce. He leaned over to gesture in a circle with his finger, leaving behind a red line around what Lynn assumed was the fenced-in training area. She stared hard at it, committing as many details to memory as she could before it disappeared again and the first sergeant kept talking.

“Your target for today is an entity called Mishipeshu,” the first sergeant continued. “Mishipeshu, or the Water Panther, has attracted a whole host of TDMs to this location and they’re wreaking havoc on the base’s systems as well as threatening the health of our military personnel.”

As the first sergeant continued, the display cycled through images of monsters taken from the TDM Index. Most of them Lynn and her team had faced before and the rest were monsters they’d studied from the index, though admittedly the tactical details for some of them had been sparse.

“Mishipeshu is a Bravo, much tougher than anything your teams have faced before,” the first sergeant barked. “Other than that, there is very little intel. The mass of protective TDMs as well as Mishipeshu itself preclude the use of drones or other technology to approach the area. Your mission is to penetrate the mass of protective TDMs and terminate Mishipeshu with extreme prejudice.

“We’ve evacuated the area for now but it’s up to you and your teams to eliminate this threat so our troops can get back to work stemming this tide of alien entities.

“Remember: This is about completing the mission, whatever it takes, whatever the cost. There is no time for caution. Taking out Mishipeshu is the only objective, not racking up kills. Hit them fast, hit them hard and by God, make them wish they’d never dared cross over to our dimension!

“Good luck, Hunters. Watch out for each other and I’ll see you on the other side. First Sergeant Bryce, out.”

The big screen switched to the standard background with the TD Counterforce logo and there was a moment of silence as everyone digested the briefing. The nervous anticipation she’d been able to ignore while First Sergeant Bryce had been talking now flooded her system. She felt her hands twitch at the rush of adrenaline and she itched to be holding Wrath and Abomination in her hands. She would feel better once she could start killing things.

“All right, people!” Steve barked, moving out in front of their group again. “Get together in your teams and get ready. You’ve got ten minutes, then we’re moving out to your starting positions. Anyone with last minute questions, send your team captain forward to see me. Bathrooms are behind you to your right if anyone needs them.”

“Hey, guys, I need to go,” Mack said. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Really?” Ronnie growled. “Hurry up, Mack. You’d better not make us late.”

“I won’t!” Mack promised as he hurried off toward the bathrooms.

Lynn didn’t pay much attention to him, she was too busy standing on tip-toe, trying to count the number of huddled, five-person teams.

“Need a little extra height?” Edgar murmured behind her. She couldn’t see his face very well in the dimness but she could hear the teasing note in his voice. She elbowed him in the side.

“Shut up and make yourself useful, Mr. Hulk. Start counting and tell me how many teams there are.”

They both counted silently for a minute, then looked at each other.

“Looks like eleven teams,” Edgar said.

“Hmm, I didn’t count that many but then maybe I just couldn’t see them all the way down here.” Lynn stuck out her tongue.

“Five minutes, Hunters! Then we move out!” Steve called.

Another minute passed and Lynn reached up to fidget with the coin Mr. Thomas had given her that was now around her neck. She hated waiting, it gave her time to worry about things. Finally, she tucked the coin back underneath her skin-tight shirt and looked around. “Where is Mack? Shouldn’t he be back by now?” Lynn turned toward the bathrooms, then took a step back as three uncomfortably familiar faces loomed up in front of her.

The three stooges.

Lynn tensed, ready for a fight, but they merely brushed roughly past her, grinning the whole while. Lynn turned to watch them disappear into the crowd, not daring to take her eyes off them. Once they were gone, she turned back toward the rear of the room, only to see Mack stumble out of the men’s bathroom clutching his backpack to his chest.

“Guys, something is wrong, come on.” Lynn grabbed Edgar’s arm and trotted over to Mack, who was leaning against the wall. The rest of the team followed and they all crowded around him.

“What’s wrong, Mack?” Ronnie asked.

“I—I’m s-sorry. I—I—”

“Calm down, man. It’s okay,” Edgar said. “Just tell us what’s wrong.”

“T-those guys. The ones from Elena’s team. They jumped me in the bathroom.”

“What?” Lynn hissed. “Those bastards! Are you hurt?”

“N-no. They didn’t attack me. They grabbed my backpack and b-broke my AR glasses. They even managed to snap my batons in half, both of them.” Mack reached into his backpack and lifted out half of an electric blue baton to show them. “I’m so sorry,” he moaned. “It happened so fast. Now I won’t be able to play and our team won’t qualify and everything is ruined—”

“Calm down, Mack,” Edgar said, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, we’ll figure something out—”

“What are you talking about, Edgar?” Ronnie said, grabbing his head and pulling on his hair. His tone sounding borderline hysterical. “Figure what out? We’re ruined! Those be motinų paleistuvių sūnūs—” he descended into a vicious litany of Lithuanian curses but Lynn barely heard him. Ice cold dread had filled her at Mack’s words but her mind remained clear. It was busy whirring, plotting…

“Two minutes, Hunters! Get ready to move out!”

“Give me that.” Lynn snatched the backpack out of Mack’s hands, then turned and hurried across the room, slipping through the crowd as quickly as she could. Coming out the other side, she pulled up short, barely avoiding colliding with Steve. The big man turned and looked down.

“Lynn!” he said as surprise and delight lit up his face. “Good to see you in the flesh at last.” He held out a hand but then seemed to register her expression. “What’s wrong?”

She plunged her hand into the backpack and drew out several pieces of broken baton and one half of a pair of glasses.

“Someone just, um, accidentally broke my teammate’s batons and his AR glasses.”

Both of Steve’s eyebrows arched upward toward his buzz-cut hairline.

“Accidentally, huh? And who was the person or persons who accidentally broke them?”

Lynn hesitated. She wanted so badly to get Elena and her bullies kicked out of the tournament. But there wouldn’t have been any cameras in the bathroom and it was her word against theirs. She didn’t want to cast a shadow on her own team for “unfounded accusations.”

“No time, Fallu. I don’t suppose there might be any spares around? They were handing out spare AR glasses back at the lounge area. Anything.”

She trailed off, her heart pounding painfully against her breastbone as she stared up hopefully at Steve’s unreadable face.

He stared down at her for several seconds and for a moment Lynn thought he was mad at her. But then she noticed the tiny movement of the muscles in his throat and realized he was subvocalizing to someone. There was another pause and he cocked his head as if listening. Then he nodded.

“Don’t worry, snake,” he said. “Gotcha covered.” He turned as another staff member came trotting up, holding two batons and a pair of AR glasses. The man handed them off to Steve, who gave them to Lynn. “Prepared for all emergencies. Have your team member get those on quick. He’ll need to sync them to his LINC ASAP. We’re moving out now.”

“Thanks, Fallu. See you in WarMonger.”

“No worries,” Steve said and winked at her. Then he looked up and spoke, his loud voice cutting across the chatter in drill-sergeant worthy fashion. “All right, people! Buckle up, it’s showtime.”

Lynn hurried back to her team as the room began to empty.

“Here, put these on and get them synced,” she said, shoving the new items into Mack’s hands, then turning to follow the crowd out the door.

“Whoa! Where did you get them?” Mack asked behind her.

“I know people. No time. Get them synced. Sync while we walk.”

Edgar caught up to her and slapped her on the back.

“Of course you do. Cuz you’re a gangsta like that, aren’tcha?”

“We’re going to have to watch our backs,” Ronnie said, coming up on her other side. “If they tried to sabotage us once, they’ll try it again.”

“But there will be camera drones all over the place out there,” Dan pointed out, crowding in behind Ronnie as they moved to pass through the short hall and out the door.

“That just means they’ll have to be more sneaky,” Ronnie said.

“We’ll stay sharp,” Lynn promised, finally pulling her batons free of their pockets and gripping their handles tightly. She squinted as they all spilled out into the bright morning sunshine and her AR glasses tinted to shade her eyes.

They’d be ready all right. And if Elena tried anything “untoward” again, Lynn would be waiting with two not-so-deadly weapons and one heck of a grudge.


Back | Next
Framed