Sue’s expression freezes, her mouth set in a grim line, her eyes ablaze.
I got you now, Sanjay thinks, and she tries not to smirk. “So what about these privileges, Sue? Sounds like something I ought to know about.”
Sue casts a sideways glance at the rest of the group, then she takes a breath as if she’s making an effort to keep her cool. “Eileen gave us the same access privileges as an Agrippine developer. We can do things that an ordinary player cannot. We can interact with this scenario at the level of the code.”
“Seriously?” Sanjay asks. “You’re a bunch of code monkeys? I thought you guys were an elite—the best players. Marcus said—”
“Never mind what Marcus said,” Sue snaps. “We are the best players, but that’s not the point. The deal is this—we play as hard as we can, pushing our skills to the limit, and that helps to test the scenario. In return, we get to build our own custom mods and see how they run. That’s the beauty of this scenario—it isn’t finished yet, so we can come up with anything we want. And if our mods make it into the final version, we’ll get full credit.”
Sanjay looks slowly around the group and sees the truth of Sue’s words reflected in their eyes. If only I’d known, she thinks. There must’ve been a better way. But it’s too late for regrets. Too late to change the path she’s taken. She wanted to be on the program, and now she’s here. But she still has to prove what she can do. She still needs to show her worth. She turns back to Sue. “So, if I perform well today, I’ll get this special access. Is that how it works?”
Sue raises an eyebrow. “Sanjay, from the moment you accepted my link, you got those privileges. As of now, you’re on the program. It’s only for a trial run, but you need to be real careful. Everything we do in the Beta Program is tracked and logged, and not just by the Trust. Agrippine get the logs, so they’ll monitor your every move today. Got it?”
“I’ve got it,” Sanjay says. “And I’ll take it seriously. I understand now, and I’ll do my best. Really.”
Sue narrows her eyes, studying Sanjay’s expression. She purses her lips, thinking.
Dragging it out, Sanjay thinks. Trying to make me squirm. She forces a sincere smile. “By the way, Sue, I wanted to thank you—for giving me the opportunity. It means a lot.”
Sue sniffs. “All right. I guess we cleared a few things up. Are you ready to listen now?”
“Sure,” Sanjay replies, then she dips her chin and looks up at Sue in earnest expectation.
“Good. I’m glad you feel that way, Sanjay because you’re going to play an important part. While the rest of us approach the rope bridge, you’ll circle around to the east and find an optimal position with a clear line of sight to the bridge. Your stats show you’re a good sniper, so we’ll be relying on you to take out as many of the opposition as possible before we attempt a crossing.”
“OK,” Sanjay says. “You want me to go out on my own, or are you sending someone with me?”
“From what I hear, you don’t need anyone to help you,” Sue says. “But we’ll be covering all the bases.” She nods toward one of the men in the group. “Alain is a sharpshooter, so he’ll be approaching the bridge from the west. Between the pair of you, you should be able to take out the enemy’s first line of defense. And when I determine that the risk is acceptable, the rest of us will move over the bridge as quickly as possible. Sanjay and Alain—you’ll follow us as quickly as you can, and protect us from the rear. Make sense?”
And this time, Sanjay joins in the nods and murmurs of approval.
Sue smiles. “OK, everyone, you have your instructions. Move out.”
CHAPTER 39
HANK AND NOAH BREEZE IN through the main door of the tech block, and Noah heads straight across the lobby. “Cybersecurity is in the basement. We should take the stairs—it’ll be quicker.”
“Wait,” Hank says, and he stops to check his phone. “Looks like my class is on this floor. Room twenty.”
“What?” Noah stands at his side and takes a look at his own phone. “You’re right. Where the hell’s that?”
“Excuse me, guys,” someone calls, and Hank and Noah turn as one.
A young man is watching them from behind the reception desk, an amused grin on his face. “The layout in here is pretty much the same as the Learning Hub,” he says. “The main corridor is a circular route, so you can go either way, but it’s marginally quicker through that door.” He gestures toward a door on the left of the main entrance. “Room twenty is that way, and since it looks like you’re in a hurry, you’ll find the even numbers on the inside wall, facing the atrium.”
“Right, thanks.” Hank hesitates. He’s never seen the man behind the desk, but there’s something odd about him, something familiar. Could this guy be the man Hank overheard in the garden?
“Before you say anything,” the man says, “yes, Aaron Osborne is my kid brother, and guess what, we look kind of similar.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Hank says. “I knew there was something.”
The man shrugs. “The big difference between me and my brother is, he’s a dumb jerk and I’m not. Now, I thought you guys were headed for room twenty.”
“Yeah,” Noah says. “Thanks, er…”
“I’m Mark Osborne,” he says, and he gives them a wicked grin. “And don’t ever call me Aaron by mistake, or we can’t be friends, all right?”
“Got it. No problem.” Noah heads for the door, and Hank gives Mark a wave and then follows along.
They hurry through the door and into the corridor. “He seems OK,” Hank says. “Not like his brother at all.”
“Yeah,” Noah says distractedly. He breaks into a jog. “Man, we’re going to be late.”
Hank matches Noah’s pace, and in seconds they arrive at the correct room.
“At least the door’s still open,” Hank says, “so they can’t have started yet.”
Noah gives a noncommittal grunt, but he follows Hank’s lead and they walk straight in.
Inside, only a few of the students are already sitting down; everyone else is gathered in a crowd at the front of the room. Noah takes a seat, but Hank spots Seb standing at the back of the throng, and he goes to stand at his side. “Hi, Seb.”
“Hi, Hank. You all right?”
“Yeah,” Hank says. “Listen, sorry about…earlier.”
Seb shrugs. “Forget it. Doesn’t matter.” He looks back into the crowd.
Hank follows his gaze, but there are too many people in the way, and he can’t see what’s happening at the front. “What’s going on?”
“I was late getting here, but everyone said we’re meant to come down and say hi to the teacher. I guess this class is kind of informal.”
Hank raises his eyebrows. “Wow. Different to the last one.”
Seb gives Hank an injured look. “You know, if you’d stayed around, you’d have found out that it wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah, Noah told me.” He gives Seb an uncertain smile. “Guess the joke was on me, huh?”
“You could say that,” Seb says, and he returns Hank’s smile.
Hank stands awkwardly for a moment, but then the crowd parts and he sees a familiar figure standing in a relaxed pose at the front: Stewart Headingley-Clarke.
I should’ve known, Hank thinks. That guy stirs things up wherever he goes. But when Stewart looks up and meets Hank’s gaze, they share a smile.
“Excuse me, everyone,” Stewart says, and he makes his way through the throng of students, his hand extended for a shake. “Hank! Good to see you.”
Hank shakes Stewart’s hand. “Hi, Stewart. I wondered if you’d be here.”
“Oh yes, I’m like the proverbial bad penny.” Stewart studies Hank’s expression. “But you—you’ve come a long way.”
“I guess so. Same distance as Seb here. And the other kids from the States.”
Stewart fixes Hank with a look. “No, that’s not what I meant. And you know it.”
Hank hesitates and looks away, but
only for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Good.” Stewart nods thoughtfully. “We’re going to get started in a minute, but first, tell me about Mervin. How’s he holding up? How does he feel about his only son hopping over the Atlantic?”
“Dad’s doing real good thanks. In fact, he was the one who encouraged me to come here.”
“That’s excellent news. He’s a good man. I hope I’ll get to catch up with him sometime.” Stewart turns to Seb. “And it’s nice to see you again, Sebastian.”
“Thanks. But it’s Seb. No one calls me Sebastian. Not even my mom, and she chose it.”
“Ah yes,” Stewart says. “I should’ve remembered that. We’d better get your name fixed in the records, or it will follow you around for the full five years.” He claps his hands together. “OK, let’s get started.” He steps back and addresses the room. “Sorry, but it’s going to take too long to meet you all individually. If I didn’t get around to you, please come down at the end of the session and say hello. In the meantime, take a seat and I’ll talk you through today’s exercise. After a brief introduction, we’ll dive into a scenario. All right? Good. As soon as you’re all settled, we’ll begin.”
An excited murmur runs through the room and the students make their way to the seats, with one or two jostling through the crowd as they rush to grab places in the front row. Hank and Seb follow along, taking their time. The seats are arranged in rows facing into the room, and since the front rows are full, Hank and Seb take seats at the back.
Stewart stands at the front, waiting for quiet, and it doesn’t take long for the room to fall silent. “For those of you who don’t know me, I am Colonel Stewart Headingley-Clarke, and I have two roles at the Downlode Trust. I am the head of operations for the Trust, but more importantly, as far as you’re concerned, I’m currently this center’s lecturer in cybersecurity, so I’ll be leading you for those sessions.” He pauses and scans the faces of his audience. “In a moment, we’ll be running through a demonstration scenario. And since this is just an introductory session, we won’t be needing any VR chairs, so we’re going to do the exercise right here, rather than in the cybersecurity labs downstairs. You should all have been issued with a headset, so please take them out and put them on.”
Seb starts rummaging in his bag.
“What headset?” Hank asks him. “I didn’t get a headset, did you?”
“Sure.” Seb produces a black plastic case from his bag. “It was waiting for me up in my room. I tried it out last night.”
“Aw, man,” Hank moans. “I didn’t see anything like that.”
Seb grimaces. “You’d better tell, Stewart. Raise your hand or something.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” But Hank’s mind goes back to the metal case he found on his desk. Could it contain a headset? “Wait a minute. There was something.” He picks up his bag. “I’m sure I brought it along. I was going to ask you about it.”
Hank searches through his bag, muttering, “Where is the damned thing?” And then his fingers meet the cold metal case, and he takes it out and shows it to Seb.
“Holy shit!” Seb breathes. “You kept that quiet. Why didn’t you tell me, Hank?”
“I really didn’t know what it was. I just found it in my room, but I guess it might have a headset inside.”
“What are you talking about? Of course it’s a headset.” Seb stares at the gleaming case, a glitter of envy in his eyes. “How come yours is different?”
Hank moves his lips soundlessly. It’s happening again. Someone, somewhere has picked him out, made him different from the other students, and it’s just not fair. First the phone, and now this. How’s he ever going to fit in?
“What are you waiting for?” Seb asks. “Open it, for Christ’s sake. Let me see what you got.”
“Keep your voice down,” Hank says. He looks around in case anyone is watching him, but they’re all too wrapped up with their own headsets to worry about anybody else. Except for one person. Stewart is watching him carefully. He locks eyes with Hank for a moment, then he gives Hank a nod before looking away.
What the hell does that mean? Hank asks himself. Is that his way of saying he gave me this? Or does it just mean that he knows about it?
Seb is on the edge of his seat. “Hank, open it up already before I do it for you.”
“How? It’s sealed tight. I can’t figure it out.”
“Seriously? Use wiper, you idiot.”
He stares at the case, and an unsettling sensation stirs in the back of his mind. He can’t see the WPR interface, but it’s there, like a splinter beneath his skin. The hairs on the back of his neck tingle as a thrill of suppressed excitement runs through him. I’ve got this! He lets the technology do its subtle work, and he knows what to do. The case is sealed but he can change that with a single thought: Unlock. A tiny click, and a thin crack appears in the metal. Then, with an almost inaudible whir, the top half of the case glides upward, revealing a glittering headset nestling in a pocket cut into the white foam padding. “Oh my God!” Hank whispers. “That’s freaking awesome.” His fingers tremble slightly as he takes up the headset and extends its arms. It’s a beautiful piece of engineering, sculpted from the same brushed metal as the case. Its tinted lenses reflect a rainbow of colors as he turns the headset from side to side, and he notices something engraved into the glass: a couple of words in miniscule letters. Must be the model or something, Hank thinks, but when he holds the headset up and looks closer, he sees a much more familiar set of words: Hank Settler.
“Put it on,” Seb says. “You’ve got to.”
Hank hesitates, but not for long. He drops the metal case into his bag then slides the headset on. It fits perfectly. The headset’s cool metal arms are the perfect length, and the whole thing is almost weightless; it’s practically a part of him.
Seb is watching him, open-mouthed, and Hank flashes him a grin. “Go on, Seb. Put yours on too.”
“Wow! Yeah. I almost forgot.” Seb puts on his headset and strikes a pose. “How do I look?”
“Very cool. Very cool indeed.”
Seb’s grin is impossibly wide. “Hell! This sucker may not be as swanky as yours, but it’s the best goddamned thing I ever tried. It’s like it was made for me. And it’s working already.”
“Really?” Hank looks ahead. “I don’t think mine is switched—” he stops in mid-sentence as a user interface springs to life in front of him. A dizzying array of panels slide across his field of vision, leaving faint trails of light in their wake. And for a heartbeat, Hank has the unnerving sensation he’s falling forward.
“This is weird,” Seb says. “It’s like when you’re in a rail car, and another train goes by, and you think you’re moving but you’re not.”
Hank exhales loudly. “I know exactly what you mean. This feels different to the set I tried back in Austin.”
“Maybe it’s more powerful or something. Or maybe it’s because—”
But Seb stops talking when Stewart raises his voice to be heard over the hubbub: “OK, everyone. I want you to locate your main menu and look for the item labeled simulations. You’ll see that I’ve made a scenario available to you. It’s all been carefully configured for this brief introduction, so as soon as you find it, select the scenario and log in. But don’t go anywhere. That’s very important. When I can see that you’re all integrated into the scenario, I’ll join you and we’ll run through a few key points.”
Hank quickly finds the menu, and when he sees the scenario on offer, he turns to Seb. “Hey, did you try this one before?”
“Jungle combat? No way. Is it good?”
“It’s awesome. Just like being there. It has mosquitoes, and you can feel those suckers land on your skin.”
“Mosquitoes?” Seb asks. “That’s…that’s pretty strange, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it,” Hank says. He looks down to the front where Stewart is already taking a seat. “We’d better log in. I’ll see you in a second.
”
“Yeah.” Seb sits back and takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly.
He’s probably nervous, Hank thinks. This is probably his first time with a headset. He nudges Seb’s arm. “Hey, just let it happen. It’ll all be fine. You’ll do great.”
Seb nods. “Sure. No sweat. See you on the flipside.”
“Definitely.” Hank sits back in his seat, and his stomach flutters. This has got to be better than Austin, he thinks. At least this time, Garrick and Osborne aren’t in the room, so with any luck they won’t be in the scenario. Hank lets his muscles relax and allows the command to drift into his mind: Log in.
Immediately, the integration process kicks in, faster than any sync he’s ever known. The room fades away, plunging Hank into pitch black darkness. A thrill runs through him, tingling across his skin, prickling his fingertips. A hollow roar assails his ears, growing louder, driving every thought from his mind. And as the sound fills his mind, the last thing Hank hears is a chorus of urgent voices: calling out, shouting.
Something is wrong.
CHAPTER 40
SANJAY HUNKERS DOWN behind a fallen tree, leaning her back against the moss-covered trunk, then she flips through her tactical map. Good. The rest of the team are in position, so she concentrates on her target indicators. And she grins. She’s close enough to the bridge, and her system is picking up three possible targets on the far side of the gorge. It looks as though Sue was right; the opposing players have set up an ambush, with at least three soldiers positioned to set up a field of fire across the narrow rope bridge. Now all she has to do is take them out—preferably before Alain can even make a shot. She doesn’t want any arguments over who gets credit for the kills. And she knows just the way to do it.
Sanjay presses her lips together, suppressing her smile. All I have to do is fire up AGILE, and I’ll be able to execute all three targets in a heartbeat. She takes a steadying breath, savoring the moment, then focuses every ounce of her energy on a single command: Activate AGILE.
The Trust (The Downlode Heroes Book 2) Page 30