The door slid open to reveal the hall and its spasmodic lights. A body was on the floor.
“Miss Malikah, it’s us.” Keenan’s voice chirped in her aurals.
Tension fled Sidrie’s body. She exhaled long and slow. She stood. “Henry, don’t shoot. My men are at the door.”
The building lights flashed on. Someone yelled, “Hell, yeah!” Cheering followed.
A moment later, two dozen heavily armored and armed men of Sidrie’s security company entered. Assault rifles and long pulse guns aimed, they surveyed the room. Once certain all was well, they lowered their weapons.
Sidrie’s aurals beeped. Dr. Redmond.
“We have a problem,” he said. “Void Legion went offline. And DeGens got into the Total Immersion room. They took several players.”
Breathing deep, Sidrie schooled herself to calm, to not curse, her balled fists trembling with exertion. She strode over to Keenan Costace and pulled him to the side. “DeGens infiltrated the Total Immersion room and took several assets. Do not let them get out of the building. Find them. Now.” She turned and headed for the Governor to have words. One way or another he was going to have to do something about the DeGens.
CHAPTER 25
Dre tried to make sense of his circumstances. Not long ago, he was in Ataxia Online. The wounded simurgh on which he rode had crashed on Maelpith Island and sent him flying. He remembered the in-game agony. Some of it was still with him.
In the next moment, he had woken, cold, groggy, disoriented, and under strobe lights. An alarm was blaring. Hands grabbed him, pulled him out of the Total Immersion pod, and hustled him from the room.
Now, a man was helping him down stairs, a man with a black-painted face, dressed in tactical armor. The man had an assault rifle slung over his back. A HK433 if Dre wasn’t mistaken. A dozen men and women, similarly armed and dressed, and roughly ten half-naked alpha testers, were ahead of Dre and the man.
Why were they all doing that weird fucking dance?
Dre tried to clear his head. To think. But thinking was so difficult. The klaxon worsened the effect. It was as if he was in a fog, the world, lethargic. Except for his seemingly drunken companions who capered in the strobe lights. Shivering, he continued down the stairs, his feet moving of their own volition, one after the next, following the lead of the dancers ahead of him.
Time and the number of flights were a foreign thing. He grew weary, his legs wooden. Numb. But the man around whose shoulder his arm was tossed would not allow him to slow down.
Someone else complained. They stopped, the group spread between two landings. A few testers huddled together for warmth. The alarm stopped blaring.
Dre’s head cleared a bit. He took his arm from around the man. Dre shook violently.
“You alright, buddy?” The man’s voice was gruff.
“I-I’m freezing.” Dre’s teeth chattered. “But at least you guys stopped dancing.”
“Dancing?” A pause then a chuckle. “Oh, the strobes. Your vision had to adjust.”
“Who’re you guys?” Dre asked. “Why’d you take us from the pod room?”
“We’re your rescue.”
“Rescue?” His heart leapt. “You’re the police? Someone knew what Equitane’s been up to?” Dre felt like he could hug the man.
“Yeah, someone did.”
Dre frowned at the testers. “There were a lot more of us.”
“I know. We got who we could and split into groups. The important thing now is to get you out of here.” The man gestured with his head for Dre to follow the others.
“But my mother and sister,” Dre pleaded as he reluctantly obeyed.
“One of the other groups probably has them,” the man said unconvincingly.
“Dion, either you shut him up or I will,” said one of the closest policemen. “This fool’s gonna give us away.”
“You heard the man,” Dion said.
Dre lowered his voice. “They weren’t with the players. My mother was–”
“Right now, there’s no going back,” Dion hissed. “Our focus is to get you guys to some place warm and safe. Once we’ve accomplished that, we’ll see what’s what. Now, shut up before you get us all killed.”
Resigned to his current fate, Dre hugged himself against the cold and trudged down the stairs. But he could not stop thinking of his family. They were all he had left.
What if the police were too late in getting to them? Were they alright? Is Sidrie gonna think I violated our agreement? Would she try to get revenge by hurting Kai? Mom? The twins?
On and on, his fears haunted him. He blew into his hands and stopped at the feel of his aether ring. Stroking it, he tried to think of a way out. Maybe it was better if he ran from the police and returned to Sidrie. The more he thought on it, the more that last became the best option.
Once more, they stopped, most of them on the stairs between one landing and the next. Someone touched his hand. A girl tester. Asian. If the emergency lights weren’t playing tricks on him again. He did his best not to let his gaze rove to her bare chest.
“Hey, Frost,” she said in a low voice. “Or Andre, rather, it’s me, Just Blaze.”
Dre’s brows climbed his forehead. Just Blaze certainly wasn’t the girl he’d imagined. Neither were the circumstances of their first meeting. He frowned.
Matching her timbre, he said, “How do you know my real name or that it’s even me?”
“Because you just gave it away?” She shrugged.
“I’m serious,” he said.
“The same way I knew where to find you in-game.”
Grimacing, he shook his head slightly. “Wanna explain?”
She held one finger up for a moment, head tilted slightly to the side. Then she said, “Damn it. They’re on to us.”
Before Dre could question her words or reaction, a deep baritone below them spoke. “Listen up, people. We thought we had more time before Equitane’s security discovered we might be using this stairwell. We don’t. Our best option now is for you guys to hide among the droids stored in the rooms on this floor and the one above. The doors will be open. Pick a room, no more than two of you to a room. We’ll draw away Equitane’s guards and fight them off. We’ll return for you as soon as we’ve cleared a way.”
Dre frowned at the instructions. Something wasn’t right.
Dion opened the door to a hallway behind Dre and Just Blaze. “Half of you come through here. The other half go downstairs.”
Amid fearful murmurs and his own worry, Dre headed into the hall with Just Blaze on his heels. Several other testers followed. Together, they stood there, uncertain of their next move.
“What’re you fools waiting for?” Dion scolded. “Find a room and hide before the lights come back up.”
Just Blaze grabbed Dre’s arm. “Let’s go.” She hurried down the hall.
Still shivering, Dre ambled after her, using her white spandex shorts as a guide. He took a quick glance back at the others heading the opposite direction. Something about the situation left a sour taste in his mouth.
When he caught up to Just Blaze, he said, “This doesn’t make sense.”
“What doesn’t?” Just Blaze stopped at a room, opened the door, and peered inside.
“Their orders. Cops wouldn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. And none of their gear had any police decals. Something’s off.”
“Maybe, it’s a secret op, and they want us out of harm’s way during the firefight. I don’t like this room. Let’s try another.” She continued down the hallway.
“That’s the thing,” Dre said, brow furrowed, cold all but forgotten. “Would a company like Equitane openly attack the police?”
She checked another room. “Judging by how they got some testers, I’d say yes.”
Dre screwed up his face. “At the risk of losing their entire company? The government would crush them. Sidrie didn’t come off as stupid.”
“I doubt they see it as a risk.” At the next room, she said, “This one looks good. MX1s are in here.” She shot him a look. “It seems like Equitane’s willing to do whatever to get us back… in the same way they were willing to do anything to force some of us to alpha test. Also, you said it yourself, our rescuers didn’t have police decals. The guards could claim they figured them for thieves.”
Just Blaze had a point, but Dre still had his doubts. Dre followed her into the room where it was colder than out in the hall. Neat rows of MX1 androids filled the space. Dre was certain they were all decommissioned.
“Let’s say this was a government raid,” Dre continued. “There’d be a search warrant and plenty news media to cover it. That’s how the government always works in the big Corp cases. Which means they’d want everything to be official.” He paused for a second. “What if those men weren’t cops?”
Brows furrowed tight, he added, “Come to think of it, why were they carrying Heckler and Koch HK433s? That’s a very old gun and was never used by the American police. The Next Generation Squad Assault Rifle is standard-issue for the cops. The NGSAR4, to be exact.
“Also, I was the one who asked about police. All Dion answered to was someone knowing about Equitane’s dealings.” He stopped and stared at her bare back, a prickle easing through him. “You said they were on to us before one of them did. How’d you know?” He paused. “Same thing with my name.”
Just Blaze stopped, turned to face him, and sighed. “I was wearing an earpiece. And you’re right, they weren’t cops.”
Dre opened and closed his mouth. Finally, he whispered, “That was your crew?”
“Not exactly. They’re people I know who were trying to save us.”
“How’d they know exactly where to look?”
“We have someone on the inside. And.” She held up her hand. Under the strobes, Dre could just make out a ring. “My Three Ring.”
“What? I don’t understand.” By sheer instinct he touched the Two Ring on his pinky finger.
“Your father had these made.”
“Pops?”
“Alphonso. Yes.”
“How you know him?”
“He was also an alpha tester. But my people discovered he was more than a player. He was one of the main engineers behind Void Legion’s AI, Estela. They led me to him in game, and we became friends. But he soon found out I was a hacker, that I knew about the experiments, the secrets behind much of what BioGen was doing with Void Legion’s tech and Estela.”
“Pops designed the new AI? He worked for BioGen?”
“Yes. And Equitane by extension.”
Dre shook his head, trying to make sense of the news.
Just Blaze continued, “BioGen was using Estela, the game, and TNT, to experiment on players, recording improved skills, physical prowess, and intelligence, and how it translated to real life. For what purpose? We’re not certain. But if the end is a reflection of the means, then it can’t be for anything good. BioGen called them gameborn.”
“Pops would never be involved in anything like that. I’m not listening to this nonsense.” He made to walk away, but she grabbed his wrist.
“At the time, your father didn’t know Equitane’s real purpose as owners of BioGen.” She let go when he glanced down at her hand. “It was by chance that he discovered DeGen children hooked up to the game, immersed into the world for development over years. The first batch were placed in the experiment as teenagers. When the desired results weren’t met, BioGen sought out toddlers and pre-teens, often paying poor and desperate DeGen parents for their children. At other times, they simply took the ones they desired.
“Top players like us are used to test the gameborn. They’re sent to hunt us in-game. Sometimes, we’re recruited through alphas and betas or offered money. When those methods fail, Equitane resorts to other means. Means you know well.”
Dre shook his head. “How’s any of this possible? Someone woulda reported it.”
“Who would report it?” Just Blaze scoffed. “DeGens paid by Equitane? Ones who could finally live a decent life, escape disease, crime, and death? Ones who could now live a cushy life in a higher Ward? There were rumors that some were awarded Citizenship.
“As for complaints… who would listen to DeGens? Does anyone listen now? If you let society and OneWorld tell it, DeGens are the worst of us… disease-carrying monsters… gangsters… criminals… illegal aliens.”
“But they’re other testers like us who aren’t DeGens,” Dre argued. “Regular people. I was a Mid Warder.”
“Most DeGens are regular people,” she snarled. “Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters… hard working people trying to scrape together a living in the worst conditions.”
“But,” he began.
“There are no buts.” She shook her head and scowled. “One thing I learned long ago is that social media has stopped being very social. It’s been used to divide us. The First Ward’s the way it is because of the Corps and the government. Because of the Seven. Trust and believe, there’s as many criminals living in the Upper Wards as down below.”
Just Blaze’s tone carried the fire of conviction that smoldered in the glint of her eyes. “Any time one of you norms has some serious disease and can’t afford healthcare, they send you down to the First Ward. Pregnant Bottom Warders often flee down below to avoid the FPC.” Dre made to speak, but she continued on. “As for you being a Mid Warder… I doubt it was true when they got you to test. Equitane is meticulous. And more ruthless than you got to experience. Most of all, they have the money and power to make trouble disappear.”
“There’s gotta be something, somewhere… someone who knows,” Dre insisted.
“Not people that matter. Which is why Alphonso was trying to expose Equitane. I introduced him to some people who could help. They decided to work together with members of your father’s team that he trusted.
“Using the team’s expertise with Estela, they developed a way into Ataxia and then Void Legion. From the game, we could gain access to BioGen and Equitane’s systems to acquire evidence and release it publicly.
“He was on his way to us with the final ten protocols to bypass Estela’s security as well as other files he downloaded. He didn’t trust sending them over the Grid.
“That’s when he had the accident. We think Equitane killed him. The same way they killed off other team members. Same way they caused your accident.”
Dre felt numb. His mind reeled. Pops was murdered? The crash wasn’t an accident? Dre saw his father’s accident replay, then he saw the drone replay of his own, the wrecked Camry, Mom and Kai unconscious, Mom hooked up to the machines, fighting to survive.
“We know he logged into Ataxia from his Holo Tab just before he died,” Just Blaze said. “We believe he hid the protocols and files somewhere in the game. They’re the keys to everything.”
The strobes stopped flickering. Soft white lights flashed on. Pulse and assault rifle fire echoed.
CHAPTER 26
Hugging himself to keep warm, teeth chattering, Dre sat in the shadow of stacked MX1 boxes. Mist coiled into the air with Dre’s every breath. Soft, white overhead lights bathed the room. Bursts of energy weapons and firearms came and went like specters in the night.
Just Blaze sat not far from him, knees to chest, dainty chin resting on her folded arms. Under the lights, she was quite the picture. She wasn’t anything like he’d imagined, her build more athletic by far. Her skin was lighter than his caramel, more in the area of honey, which made her long black box braids stand out. Her face was small but somehow suited her perfectly. Her slightly angled dark eyes watched him watching her. He averted his gaze.
&
nbsp; Dre considered her story yet again. For perhaps the twentieth time. Did someone in Equitane… No. Did Sidrie have Pops killed? Did she arrange the Camry’s crash? Neither was beyond the woman he’d come to know. Proving either, however, posed a problem.
Despite lacking such evidence, a part of him still wanted the woman dead. It’s the least she deserved. And anyone else involved with the Camry’s crash, with Mom’s current condition.
All the other stuff about gameborn sounded like something from a movie. But then, he’d thought the same about TNT and Total Immersion. The game itself was proof of greater achievements and tech than he imagined.
Still, something bothered him. Something that didn’t quite add up. If Equitane was capable of everything Just Blaze said, then how was it that they hadn’t caught her? The Corp had gone to such great lengths to acquire top players but were willing to allow her to roam freely?
Brow furrowed, he considered conversations with her in game and how she had given him the vaguest of answers at times. Had she been so careful that she’d never given away anything to GMs monitoring chat logs? She claimed to be a hacker. Perhaps, that was the answer. Still, she must have made a mistake at some time.
And why didn’t she tell me about Pops in game? I was honest with her from the start, when this whole time she was hiding things from me.
“Why… why didn’t you tell me all this when we were playing?” he asked.
She looked at him over her arms. “I wasn’t certain how to approach you. Or if you’d even believe me. I tried several times.”
“And you think I believe you now?”
“Maybe you do or you don’t, but there was something your father said to tell you when we met.”
He perked up. She unwrapped her arms and straightened her long legs before crossing them at the ankles. He glanced away from her bare chest, a lump forming in his throat, and focused on her dark eyes as a way to prevent his gaze from wandering.
She held his gaze. “Stand on your own two. Nothing worth doing is easy.”
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