by Atkins, Dawn
“So you’ll follow up,” Nigel said. “We have faith in you.”
Follow up? They expected her to get more? That would require actually meeting with Bingham. Her stomach turned over at the thought. To whom much is given, much is expected. That was the gift of the Life, she knew, but at the moment it made her feel tired.
When the meeting started up again, the topic was the upcoming launch party, which Rena couldn’t wait for. The pleasure of going over the plan eased her misery for a moment.
Nearly all Lifers would travel to Phoenix for the first-ever all-Lifer gathering, leaving skeleton crews of new hires behind to run the Lounges. Lifers would be the first to play the new version of the game, enact special Dome battles, join in a toast with Nigel and Naomi, and enjoy pyrotechnics worthy of a rock concert. At midnight, the game would go out to the world online.
Lounges would be dark the next day while Lifers traveled home. They’d arrive to find gamers lined up for blocks, camping on sidewalks to get in before the place filled to the rafters. The media frenzy would be intense.
Lounges would be open twenty-four hours straight to make up for the lost day. Momentum would build, more gamers would purchase EverLife II, and soon the twelve new Lounges would be packed, too. The future looked so bright Rena just grinned.
Next was an update on EverLife II led by the project manager, a bleached-blond guy with a dark soul patch, arty glasses, and skintight jeans. This report wasn’t quite so cheery. Because of high server demand, the K men had been forced to adjust difficulty levels so it would take hard-core players a few weeks to rise to the world-change levels, giving NiGo time to find and purchase more servers. Nigel praised everyone, especially Ji Jin, for the phenomenal work, but faces around the room looked anxious.
After that was a demonstration of the new Scrip Banque led by Leland Thomas. A screen hummed down from the ceiling as Leland stood. He looked awful. His hair stood on end, his dress shirt was wrinkled, and there was a huge coffee stain on his khaki pants.
“As you know, our in-game bank will allow subscribers to use real cash to not only buy and sell EverLife property and inventory items, but to pay their subscription fees. Ease of use and adequate security has been quite the technical challenge, let me tell you.” He managed a chuckle, but he sounded beaten down. “Let’s take it for a drive, shall we?”
He shakily keyed a URL into the browser and hit enter. An EverLife marketplace appeared on the screen behind him. A Paladin in showy armor walked to a kiosk and selected a credit card with which to pay five hundred US dollars for fifteen acres of EverLife land. When Leland clicked the key to implement the exchange, the screen froze, then shattered into pixels.
Red splashed Leland’s pale cheeks.
Arty Glasses jumped up. “Of course, we had to hobble a connection for this demo, but we’ll have the Banque nailed before the launch, not to worry.”
“We have complete confidence in you all,” Nigel said, but Leland’s face remain frozen and Arty Glasses looked sweaty. Tension rolled through the room, showing in every face. What if they didn’t nail it before the launch? Talk about a revenue drop. For the first time, Rena saw the burden of being a manager. You knew what could go wrong and what it would mean.
As they broke for dinner, Maya appeared at her elbow. “How about we catch up?” she asked. “We can head up to my room.”
“Sounds great.” She wanted Maya’s thoughts on the meeting.
A few minutes later, Maya fetched Rena an Electrique in a tall glass.
“Nice room,” Rena said of the pricey Lifer catalog furnishings in Maya’s guest Quarters.
“Not my style, that’s certain,” she said, sitting beside Rena on the sleek white leather sofa. Maya had a waiver that allowed her to keep family heirlooms, so her place in Phoenix was jammed with Dead World antiques.
Maya patted Rena’s leg. “Good job on the Dome report.”
“But Mason sent Girl Power down in flames. I know you like him, and Nigel and Naomi trust him, but I think he’s an asshole.”
“Rena,” Maya said with a tsking sound. “You resent him because he’s not a Lifer. He’s responsible for our financial well-being, so this meeting is a fiscal checkup for him. He has to stay focused.” A smile traced her lips. She really liked the guy. Rena didn’t get that at all.
“More girl gamers will mean more subscriptions. That’s fiscal, isn’t it?”
“In a way. We’ve talked about patience. Changing attitudes takes time.”
“The sooner we start, the faster it happens. Nigel told me to speak up.”
“Nigel is an idealist like you, my love. He looks down from his mountaintop, while the rest of us lead the troops on the ground. It’s dirty and gritty down here and compromises must be made.”
“I thought you believed in Girl Power.”
“I do. Of course. Let’s just get through the launch and get the new Lounges opened up, shall we? Plenty of time for the revolution then.”
“We should act while the hiring is going on, not wait until it’s over.”
“I’m on your side, Rena. Breathe a sec. Drink some Electrique.”
Rena downed the glass. Calm washed through her.
“Better?” Maya asked.
Rena nodded. “I guess, but it doesn’t change the problem.”
“Well, I have news that will make you feel better.” She gave a mysterious smile. “What are your thoughts on the Seattle Lounge?”
“My thoughts? The place is worn down, the equipment’s old, and the neighborhood’s scummy. Like the manager said, it needs help.”
“Maybe you have ideas for fixing it up?”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that you very well could be named the new Seattle GM.”
“You’re kidding.” Seattle had to be the worst Lounge ever. Plus, Rena was far from qualified. She’d only been a manager for a week.
“The new Lounges will be given to experienced GMs, leaving the older ones for new leaders with new energy. You’d be perfect. You’d be the poster girl for your project, for one thing, and, for another…” Her smile went sly. “You know we’re looking for community partners… Your contributor is local, correct?”
“Yes, and…?”
“It’s a family member, right?”
Rena nodded, not liking where this was going. “My father.”
“So, now that you’re back in touch, I’m sure he’d want to be part of something that’s so important to you.”
“You want my father to be a partner?” Sick dread washed through her.
“That’s what Mason was getting at when you gave him your check.”
“I can’t ask for more money.” The idea churned her insides to foam.
“Fund-raising is an indicator of management potential, Rena. Bringing in a community partner would prove your worthiness to manage a Lounge.”
I have to buy my way into the job? The thought stung like a slap. She’d never before been cynical. Had Cassie’s bitterness rubbed off? Or Gage’s suspicions? “I don’t see how I can do that.”
“You always underestimate yourself. Frankly, if you knew your own power you wouldn’t need your Girl Project. Status is all in the mind. Equal is as equal does.”
“What are you saying? You think it’s in Rachel’s mind that the Watchers won’t let her become one? Did I imagine the fact that we only have one woman GM and that girls get the shitty shifts and have to wear those demeaning Card Girl outfits?”
“Calm yourself, please. I’m talking about you, Rena, not anyone else. I’m talking about all you could do if you set your mind to it.”
Rena glared at her, still breathing hard.
“What can we do to help you talk to your father? We have a PowerPoint that has swayed many reluctant donors. He could meet Nigel. You know how impressive Nigel can be. If he’s a gamer, he could play an advance release of EverLife II.”
“My father’s out of town right now.”
“So stay longer in
Seattle.”
“I can’t. I rode up with Gage on his motorcycle.” She was flailing for any way to escape what Maya seemed intent on forcing her to do.
“You did?” Maya’s delicate eyebrows arrowed upward. “Just the two of you?” Her eyes became searchlights, so bright Rena had to blink.
“Yeah. He might transfer to Seattle and he has this cool bike I wanted to drive, so it worked out.” Her story sounded lame and she felt herself blush.
“So he no longer bothers you?” Maya ran her fingers along the back of the sofa, petting it like a cat, thinking and thinking.
“He’s more dedicated now. He listens to me.”
“That’s good, Rena, of course, but remember who’s in charge. Never diminish yourself in a man’s shadow. You’re beyond that weak female nonsense. You’re Astra, remember?”
“I remember.” Though on that sleeping-bag night, Astra had been millions of miles away, diamonds had sparkled high in the sky, and Rena had been just a girl who wanted a guy. Did that make her weak?
“Good. And you’ll think about a meeting with your father?”
“I’ll think about it.” She sighed and started to stand.
Maya tugged her hand to keep her seated. “There’s more I want to say.”
“I should go. The Sacramento GM wants to talk to me. She’s our only female Lounge manager, you realize.”
“Until you take over Seattle.” Maya smiled, then hesitated over what she saw in Rena’s face. “You seem hard, Rena. Are you losing faith?”
“No. Of course not. I don’t know. I’m discouraged, I guess.”
Maya’s gaze roved and strafed, then finally decided on something. “Then I have something that might cheer you up.”
“Yeah? What?”
“News of Cassie. She’s going to rehab.”
“She is? Oh, thank God.”
“Now you can start enjoying your new life, knowing she’s been taken care of, okay?”
“You have no idea how much better this makes me feel.” Rena’s heart surged upward and she felt a thousand pounds lighter. “That’s such good news. I’m so relieved. I’ve been so worried, just holding my breath that she’d reached bottom and would accept help. You know how stubborn she is.” Rena laughed, flooded with happiness.
“Then I’m glad I told you.”
“It helps. I do feel better.” She felt a burst of strength. Yes roared through her. Cassie was safe and Rena was on the proper path.
To become a GM? If she got to manage Seattle, she would make it the best Lounge ever. She could model female leadership, work with the Sacramento manager to pull girls up in the organization, Lounge by Lounge by Lounge.
To get there, she needed her father’s company, Wingate Technology, to invest in the Seattle Lounge. Why not? Bingham pissed away that kind of money before breakfast.
“I’ll do it,” she blurted. “I’ll talk to my father.”
“That’s wonderful, Rena.” Maya squeezed her hand.
That meant seeing Bingham in the flesh. The idea made her shake.
Be strong, she told herself. What had Maya said? You’re beyond that weak female nonsense. She was. Definitely. Cassie had taken charge of her fears and so would Rena. You’re Astra, remember?
If she wanted to survive the challenges ahead, she didn’t dare forget.
Chapter Thirteen
Rena woke to someone banging on her hotel room door. She squinted at her clock. One a.m. Foggy, she stumbled to the peephole and saw Gage swaying in the hall outside her room. What the hell?
When she opened the door, he staggered in, wet and muddy, one fist gripping the neck of a half-gone quart of whiskey, reeking of the dark brew. “Lounge locked me out,” he slurred. “Too wet to sleep outside.”
“You blew Lounge curfew? What were you doing out so late?”
He held up the Jack Daniel’s. “Celebrating.” But his eyes flashed with pain, then went empty. He’d driven his bike drunk in the rain? It was a miracle he hadn’t been killed.
“What the hell happened?”
“Jus’…drunk. Need…sleep.” He said each word distinctly, clearly fighting not to slur, then flopped face-first onto her bed, letting the bottle clunk to the floor, its contents sloshing like a brown ocean.
Gage had come to her for comfort. The reason had to be the star-filled night they’d spent together. She’d made him feel safe, too, she realized, and it made her glad in a deep-down, secret place.
The bed was small, but they’d both fit. Besides, the sad little sofa was useless for sleeping. She had to get him out of his clothes before he filled the bed with wet grit. She tugged off his boots, peeled back his jacket, and somehow managed his belt and jeans, pushing away his fumbling fingers, which were trying to help, but were just annoying her.
She laid his jeans over a chair to dry, but when she lifted his jacket from the floor, a stapled stack of paper fell to the floor. She picked it up. “File Copy, Do Not Remove” was plastered across the top page of what seemed to be a report from the Phoenix NiGo Health Center.
A chill prickled through her, soles to scalp. What was Gage doing with health center records stuffed in his jacket? Had he stolen them? And why?
There was no legit reason for him to even go to the clinic, let alone steal records, and had he been carrying them around since they left town? She sank onto a chair, struggling to breathe. Gage was up to something, as she’d sensed all along. He’d snooped through her computer, she remembered, with some excuse about checking her sex partners. Now she saw that had been a lie. Don’t be so naive. Cassie had accused her of that. Maybe she’d been right.
What was he after? She’d wondered that from the day he arrived.
She made herself stay calm and plan her next steps. First, she had to find out what else he had. His outside jacket pocket held a Baggie with the kind of junk you’d find in the bottom of a purse. The inside pocket had a notepad with pages of weird letters and a Polaroid shot of Rena and Cassie. Where had he gotten this?
In his jeans pockets, she found his cell phone and wallet with his Lifer ID, driver’s license, a credit card, an insurance card, a beat-up snapshot of two teenagers in swimsuits, and some cash.
On his phone, she checked recent calls and found a couple of Seattle numbers. That was it for clues. Now she needed them explained. Holding the report, she shook him hard. “Wake up! Now.”
Gage moaned and shifted in the bed.
She yelled in his ear, “Get the hell up!”
“Wha…?” He rolled over and rose to an elbow, blinking hard.
She shoved the health center pages under his nose. “What the hell are these?”
He ran a hand over his face and widened his eyes as if to clear them. “I wish to hell I knew,” he finally said, falling back onto the pillow.
“You stole these from the health center? Why?”
“Not me. My sister did.” He sounded exhausted.
“Your sister? What the hell are you talking about?”
She watched him struggle up to sit on the edge of the bed, then to shake off the booze like a dog shrugging water from its coat. “Okay,” he finally said. “This will shock the shit…out of you…but it’s…all…true.” He was spacing the words, still trying to control the slurring. “You might as well know now…”
“Just say it,” she snapped, exasperated.
“Sit down, would you?” He reached up, as if to pull her to the bed beside him, but she grabbed a straight chair and sat, needing distance from him. “What’s going on, Gage?”
“The girl I was looking for…L.E. She’s my sister.” He swallowed.
“Your sister?”
“Yeah. Beth. That’s her name most…of the time… I got the job because of her…to find her. I saw her status tattoo…and figured out she worked here. I saw that story, see. Anyway…”
“So you became a Lifer to look for your sister?” This was too bizarre.
“I found out where she’d gone. Here. Seattle.” He too
k a slow breath and seemed to fight the fog in his head. “So I came up to find her.”
“So all that about liking Seattle was a scam?” She felt like a fool for believing anything he’d ever said to her.
“I found her, Rena.” Now his eyes cleared to a white-hot burn. “She’s dead. I saw her body. They killed her.”
“They? Who?”
“NiGo. Exactly who and exactly why I don’t know yet. It had to do with questions she asked… Her boyfriend was sick… Dead now, too…murdered like her maybe.” He ran his fingers through his hair, shook his head, blinked again. “Beth had a…trust fund. Maybe she refused to…give them the money, but they made her somehow…and then killed her… I don’t know.” He waved a hand in the air, loose from the booze.
“You think NiGo killed your sister for her money? That’s insane.”
“See for yourself.” He patted his thigh, then seemed to notice he was in his boxers. “You got my phone?” He nodded at the table where she’d put it and his other things. She gave it to him. Blinking to clear his vision, he pushed buttons, then held out the open phone, his hand unsteady. She saw a dim shot of a dead girl on a table, face waxy, eyes closed, a sheet up to her collarbone.
“She could be anyone.” But the sight stunned her, made her feel queasy and frightened.
“It’s Beth. Believe me. My only picture is from when we were kids.” She remembered the bleached-out photo in his wallet. He took back the phone and clicked to another shot of her bare shoulder. “Status tat. See?”
“Not really.” The slight shadow could be anything.
“It’s there. I saw it. Now look at this.” He showed her a picture of an arm with a streaked bruise. “That’s a needle mark. Beth hated needles. They wanted it to look like an OD… The mortuary tech saw no…um…signs of…addiction.”
“A needle mark? That’s evidence of murder?”
“Her boyfriend got kicked out… Beth took off, too. A bartender—Ruben—knew her. He says Watchers chased her. I think it was for her money.”
His words came more steadily now, as if adrenaline had kicked him from his whiskey stupor. “They drove the boyfriend to a homeless shelter like they did with Cassie. He was sick and drinking too much like Cassie, too. Beth thought the tattoo inks poisoned him, so she took him to a clinic and—”