SCENE THREE
Lucid's peripheral vision darkens to a blur as the applause from the crowd rises to a roar. The people on the stage seem to freeze in place as time slows down. This doesn't seem real. What's all that noise?
Then there's a tugging on her arm and it all snaps back to reality.
Jules shouts, "That's you! That's you!"
The usher opens the cordon and motions for Lucid to follow him. As if in a trance, she lets herself be led up onto the stage where she's positioned next to Josh. The audience is an undulating mass of nameless faces until she sees Jules grinning up at her. What have I got us into?
The senator says, "I present to you the teams for the next installment of The Game of Life!"
Vanity and Smugly hold hands and lift their arms above their heads. In her free hand, Vanity holds two fingers up in a victory sign. She twitches Smugly's held-hand to encourage him to do the same. Their fans let out a cheer.
Neighbor's avatar moves behind and between Lucid and Josh. Into their earbuds, she says, "Hold hands and lift your arms." As they do, Neighbor's dress expands and surrounds them with a kaleidoscope of flickering flames.
The guild members cheer.
Senator Trator approaches Vanity and Smugly. While giving them handshakes of congratulations, he mindnets, 'We need to do whatever it takes to keep Global happy.'
Vanity nets back, 'You're the GameMaster. You make the rules.'
'Global can never be happy,' Smugly nets. 'It's part of his disposition.'
The senator frowns at Smugly, throws his hand away as he breaks the handshake, then turns toward the other team.
Neighbor says to Lucid and Josh, "I am very proud to have you on my team. Your credentials are impressive."
Josh squeezes Lucid's hand. "I'm Josh."
Lucid squeezes back. "Lucid." With her other hand, she points toward Jules. "That's my sister, Jules."
Josh's brother turns to Jules. "I'm Hale." He and Jules bump fists.
Lucid can't help but notice the glow in Jules' face as the two teens talk. Well, well. Look who's not crying now.
The senator approaches Neighbor's team. "Welcome to the game! Is there anything you want to tell the audience?" He doesn't give them time to answer. "No? Well, good luck."
As he walks away, Lucid says, "Wait! Yes, I have something to say." She lets go of Josh's hand and steps toward the front of the stage. She stops where she gets a clear line of sight to the other team.
Looking Vanity in the eyes, Lucid says, "You might control the feeds now, but your time of tyranny is about to end."
That gets a big cheer from half the audience, grumbles from the rest.
Vanity scowls. "We will see little girl, we will see." She spins around to face the back curtain and motions to Smugly to follow. There's a comic moment while she fights with the curtain, trying to find the part. Finally, the stage manager helps her find the opening, and she and Smugly go backstage.
The senator says, "And with that, this selection ceremony is done. You're all welcome to stay a while. The band will return. Good night." He walks to the back of the stage where he's escorted away by two bodyguards.
Lucid rejoins Neighbor and Josh. "Sorry. I just, I just wanted to let them know that they're in for a fight."
Neighbor smiles. "Which is exactly why I chose this team."
"You chose us?" Lucid asks. "But what about Voss?"
"Voss doesn't exist. She was a decoy. Global has been known to pull dirty tricks before the game, so I threw him off. Josh, I could protect you well enough. Lucid, you were more vulnerable. We should keep Jules and Hale close too."
Lucid asks, "But why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"For your own safety, I require that the names of the players for the academy be revealed at the last moment. Had you made a different choice with Jammer, the next name on the list would have been selected."
A pair of thirty-somethings in full battlesuits emerge from the backstage curtain. The battlesuits are a dark gray musculature, like something molded from burnt oiled chrome, and cover everything except their heads. No visors.
There's a ripple of recognition through the crowd, and then a few slow claps turn into a roaring din of approval.
The couple waves to the crowd, then hold hands and gives them a bow. More applause.
Hale turns to Jules. "They were in one of the games last year. They won."
As he walks toward her, the battlesuited man says, "Wow, Lucid, you know how to get under that Vanity skin. Well done. I'm Quell." He holds out a fist for a bump, so they do.
"And I'm Whirl." She holds out her fist to the team for another round of bumps.
Neighbor says, "Whirl and Quell will be your advisors." She points to the crowd's recognition. "As you can see, they've had experience in the games before."
Whirl notices Lucid admiring her battlesuit. She flexes, and it flashes a rainbow of colors through the sinews. "Pretty tough, huh? You ready to get yours?"
Lucid smiles. "Can hardly wait!" Bring it on Vanity, you're going down.
Neighbor says, "Can we have Jules and Hale up here?"
The usher opens the cordon so Jules and Hale can make their way up to the stage. With Whirl, Jules, and Lucid on one side of her, and Josh, Hale, and Quell on the other, Neighbor surrounds them all with a huge blossom of virtual multi-colored flames.
The guild crowd roars their approval.
Neighbor mindnets to Whirl and Quell, 'Give them the quick tour of the plaza, then to the academy for their mindnet installs. Tomorrow night will be here before we know it.'
Quell says, "Okay, visors off for this part. We have some basic reality to show you."
Lucid asks, "Are we going back through Lowdown?"
Whirl grins. "Now that you're in the game, you get some special perks."
When their SkyLimo lifts into the air above the ECM building, the two pairs of siblings press their faces to the windows so they can take in the sights. Whirl and Quell sit in the front seats, but do little beyond playing tour guide as the limo flies itself.
After a few twists and turns through the canyons between the downtown skyscrapers, they arrive at the main plaza. It's paved with slabs of high-tech silver-gray, and is ten blocks long and five blocks wide. At the northern edge, one of the long sides runs parallel with the edge of the Topside platform, and overlooks the street that Lucid and Jules crossed earlier, ten stories below.
Global Tower anchors one of the narrow ends of the plaza, stabbing into the night sky. Its flaming red letters at the top are almost lost in the dark clouds.
Smart City Academy, a ten-story circular building surrounding a planted courtyard, anchors the other end of the plaza.
Whirl says, "The entire main plaza is a mixed-reality stage. It's where the opening ceremonies take place, as well as the final fight of the game."
The limo hovers in the air and slowly rotates so they have a three-sixty view. When they face toward the north quadrant of the city again, the limo holds its position.
Near each end of the plaza, a diagonal street on the level ten stories below cuts through the dense array of buildings, creating a swath through the skyscrapers on each side. One cuts to the northeast, and the other cuts to the northwest. At the far ends of the resulting urban canyons, fifty blocks away and fifty stories up, they can barely see a structure that bridges over each street.
Quell says, "You'll notice those canyons are at an angle because the street layouts below are at a diagonal to the city grid. Fifty blocks away there's a major cross-street that cuts across to mark the far leg of the course."
"I studied the brochure," Hale says. "So, the game course is a triangle through the air above the streets below?"
"That's right. The plaza here is the start and end point, then there are the three legs and two turning points. Each location will have their own adventure in the game. Let's head to the academy."
The SkyLimo picks a direction.
Jules asks, "There's a brochure?"
Whirl says, "They sell tickets to the game. Once it's edited, they also sell the replay as a streaming event."
Jules turns away from the window. "I've seen some. Only a few because the rentals are expensive. But they didn't look anything like this."
"Right," Whirl says, "the streams of the game are all shown with the virtual overlay, seen from the players' points of view. Once you're a player in the game, none of this is visible."
Jules considers Whirl's answer for a moment. "What do the ticket buyers get for the live event?"
Whirl touches a section of the control screen for the limo. The windshield illuminates to show a scene in outer space, as seen from a player's viewpoint as they twist and turn to avoid oncoming asteroids. "If they have a mindnet, they get to ride along with the players, in their mind, and experience the game as if they were out there doing it too. The full experience with all the emotions of the player, as if the ticket-holder was actually in the game. For everyone else, watching with a visor, it's just the visual experience. Still fun, but none of the emotions."
"One last thing," Jules says, "if you don't mind all the questions."
"No bother at all."
"If the team is playing for the guild, how is the academy involved? What's the connection?"
"The academy is an incubator for the startups in the city. A small-business sponsor. The guilds for the different technologies are the on-the-street organizers and quality enforcers."
Quell says, "More like quality suggesters."
"Okay, suggesters. The guilds and the academy work together to help local citizens. It was part of the deal worked out with Global. To give small startups a chance instead of everybody being overwhelmed by his monopoly."
Jules asks, "How many guilds are there?"
Whirl thinks for a moment. "Dozens. One for each specialized technology that might compete with Global. There are new ones being formed all the time. There is the news and entertainment feeds system—
"Against ECM?"
"Right. Then there's nanotech, robotics, fintech, energy, healthcare, education, and the smart city to name a few. There's even one dedicated to finding out if there's an intelligence underlying everything in the universe."
Josh scoffs. "Good luck with that one."
The limo spirals down toward the roof of the academy.
Hale turns his attention away from the city. "Do we get mindnets too? Me and Jules?"
Quell says, "Nope. It's a safety measure in case something goes wrong. We may need you to step away from the game."
Lucid keeps her eyes on the city. In case something goes wrong? No wonder we have a designated next of kin.
The SkyLimo touches down on the roof of the academy with a soft bump. The doors slide open and they all get out. Nearby, a glassed-in penthouse contains a small viewing auditorium that looks out over the plaza, along with restrooms and elevators, and a small catering kitchen with a bar.
When they are inside, Lucid asks, "Who is this for?" She points to the rows of seats facing the glass.
Whirl points toward the plaza outside. "If you have guests that you think would enjoy this view, you're welcome to invite them. Up to ten for each player. We get some game reviewers now and then. It's a good view for the beginning and end, but since most of the game is played out in the city, there's not much to actually watch from here without a visor or mindnet."
Quell connects his mindnet to the room's control system and dims the lights with a thought. An augmented reality overlay appears in the glass overlooking the plaza. The four newcomers gawk at the display as several giant monsters appear to be stomping around on the plaza.
Quell uses his mindnet to flip the augmented reality through several different scenes — outer space, inside a volcano, and finally a scene with roving dinosaurs. "Some people dislike wearing visors, so this gives a good approximation. Or, you can just sit up here and use a mindnet if you have one. There's not much point to it, since you can do that anywhere."
As she leads them to the elevator, Whirl says, "Some of the game reviewers come here and do that because there's free food and drinks. Think about who you might want to invite."
Lucid whispers to Jules, "I'd rather invite Jammer and a few of the couriers, but if you want to invite Mom and Dad, it's okay with me. They'd have to ride the bullet train to get here on time."
"Jammer's fine. I really don't want to see them for a while. Are you gonna tell them, you're in the game?"
"I'll wait until it's too late for them to come."
It's a quick ride down to a lower floor where they all disembark into a lobby that opens to a high-tech clinic filled with medical equipment.
Whirl points to two doors at one end of the clinic. "Jules, Hale, restrooms there." She then points to two doors across the room. "Lucid, Josh, there are under-suits waiting for you inside your changing room. Name's on the door. We took the liberty of scanning you for size, so they should be a good fit. I suggest you take a shower first. You're gonna be in a daze for at least eight hours, so make yourselves comfortable. Leave any personal items in the gym bag inside. It will be safe."
Lucid walks past two large reclining chairs, similar to dentist chairs, except done in over-stuffed black leather and stainless steel. With restraints.
Josh slides a hand across one chair. "I've seen these in horror movies."
Lucid laughs. "I was just thinking the exact same thing. Zombies From Inner Space?"
Josh stops short. "You've seen it?"
"About a dozen times. It's a favorite."
"Same here!"
They both exchange grins.
Pausing at the door to her changing room, Lucid watches Josh go into his room and close the door behind him. Interesting. Neighbor did her team-making research, because of course she did.
Once inside her changing room, Lucid undresses and takes a shower. Wow! So nice to have loads of hot water for a change.
After drying, she slips on the under-suit — a one-piece made of a thin black fabric similar to lightweight sweats. It comes with sewn-on gloves and booties. She fingers the fabric. This is nanotech.
When she returns to the clinic, Josh is already climbing into his chair, so Lucid climbs into hers.
Quell and Whirl enter from an adjacent hallway. Whirl says, "We have Jules and Hale set up in a waiting area. They can go down to the commons for food, or up to your apartments for a nap. We've asked them to stay awake as late as possible tonight, then sleep tomorrow. That way, they can stay up for the game tomorrow night."
Lucid asks, "We have an apartment? Apartments?"
Quell nods. "For the duration of the game, and a few days after. Then we have to make room for the next team."
Lucid's face drops. Bummer.
Whirl notices and says, "If what I hear from Neighbor is right, and it likely is, you already have enough endorsement offers to live well. Especially if you win."
Lucid flashes a smile. "Thank you for letting me know." Finally, no more warehouse living!
A pair of self-driving side tables, all in stainless steel, roll themselves into the room and park next to each chair. Each table holds a tumbler-sized metal container.
Whirl says, "What you are about to drink is the latest in live nanotechnology. Drinkable nano that will make its way through your bloodstream to your brain. There it will form a neural lace that creates a brain-computer interface that will connect your minds to the cloud. Once you've taken the drink, you're committed, so this is your last chance to back away."
Josh says, "But I've heard of people who decommission their mindnets and return to normal."
"True, but the installation sequence has to be completed before it can be reversed. Otherwise, there is a high chance for lasting psychological damage from making a half-step, so to speak. Are you both in?"
Josh and Lucid exchange nods.
Neighbor's voice comes in via hidden speakers in the room. "Lucid, I feel obligated to warn you. I've done some more analysis, and the events today with the cancellations of your routes were not random. Remember all that noise in the back-channels? It appears that Global interceded with several of Jammer's clients."
Lucid says, "Jammer said she thought the client response was extreme. But why?"
"To get you to back away. He's not supposed to know who our players will be, so Senator Trator must have tipped him off. I withheld your name as late as I could, but the senator lived up to his name."
Lucid asks, "But why does Global want me to quit?"
"For the same reason I picked you. You have the intuition to see connections across the cloud, and identify the motivations behind other people's actions, right?"
"I guess."
"I've watched you surf the dark cloud. You're really good at it. That's dangerous to Global and the people he controls. And, I think it's fair to say, you can be tenacious when you're onto a good story."
Josh turns toward Lucid, a look of new respect forming in his face.
Lucid almost blushes. "I just want some clarity when things don't seem right."
"So, I have to warn you that this game could get rough. Global is obviously worried that you might reveal connections within the game that could sway the voters our way."
"I still want to try."
"And Josh? This also puts you at a higher risk. Are you still in?"
"Absolutely."
Lucid gives Josh an appreciative smile, and a nod that he returns.
Neighbor says, "Thank you for doing this. I'll do my best to keep Global within the rules."
Lucid asks, "Can you help Jammer? By getting her clients back? I don't want her to suffer because of me."
"I'm already working on it."
"Thanks."
Quell says, "Drink slowly so you don't choke. There's a quick-acting sedative included, so don't fight it."
Lucid tries a small sip. Not bad. She drinks some more.
Josh tries his and grimaces at the taste. "This is awful. It tastes like it's burnt." He drinks some more.
Whirl and Quell wait and watch.
After they both finish, Lucid asks, "Now what?"
Quell says, "Now we wait." He dims the lights with his mindnet. Ambient sounds of a rainforest fill the room. "I like rainforest for this, okay?"
Both Lucid and Josh thumbs up their approval.
"Back in a few hours," Whirl says, "and we'll see you on the other side." She and Quell leave the room.
Josh leans back, places his hands in his lap, closes his eyes and says, "The question is, the other side of what?"
Lucid settles into the plush leather and closes her eyes. "There better not be zombies."
Josh chuckles. "It always starts out so well."
Lucid doesn't hear him because she's already asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~