Game Breaker Read online

“How did you get over there?” Uncle Jix mused aloud. He shook his head. “No matter. I’ll be over to get you. Hold tight.”

  “And be careful!” Breccan’s mother called out before Uncle Jix hung up the phone.

  Breccan waited in the shadows. He used the hem of his shirt to dab the worst of the blood from his face, but he couldn’t get it all. Gratitude filled him when the car pulled silently to the curb and the seat beside his uncle was empty. He pushed the button and the door slid open. Breccan climbed inside without a word.

  “Home,” Uncle Jix said.

  The car beeped as it backed up and then maneuvered into the street.

  Uncle Jix handed Breccan a box of tissues. “Better clean up before your mother sees you. She was beside herself when I told her she couldn’t come along.”

  Breccan glanced at his uncle as he pulled several of the tissues from the box. “What did you tell her?”

  He stared quietly out the window for a moment before he sighed and glanced at his nephew. “That boys will be boys and you don’t need her fussing over you all the time.”

  Breccan stared at him. “You said that?”

  Uncle Jix nodded with a hint of red to his cheeks. “Yes. She didn’t take it well.”

  Breccan stifled a smile. “I can imagine.”

  Uncle Jix looked at the window again for a moment before he said, “Breccan, I thought it would be easier on both of you to move you in. I didn’t consider how the change from country life to the city was going to be for you. Would you rather go back home?”

  Breccan’s heart tightened. He swallowed against the knot that was trying to form in his throat and said in a quiet voice, “No, Uncle.”

  “You sure?” Uncle Jix glanced at him. “I know it hasn’t been easy. Losing your dad and now Garrick.” He cleared his throat and then said, “I understand if it’s better for you to go back.”

  Breccan shook his head. “Mom needs to be here. She’s busy. I know she likes working with Aunt Jenny. It’s good for her.”

  Uncle Jix was silent for a moment before he replied, “It takes a man to tolerate something he might not want for the good of another person.”

  The fact that his uncle referred to him as a man filled Breccan with pride.

  He was about to thank him when Jix continued with, “But if you do something as stupid as run off after some backpack thieves ever again, you’re out of here. I don’t need your life to be another concern of mine, especially if you have no sense better than to wander around Two Point One like some dolt in need of a throat cutting.” Uncle Jix raised his voice. “You hear me?”

  Breccan nodded and looked at the floor. A glance at his hand showed slivers along the palm. He closed it again and ignored the pain.

  CHAPTER TWO

  His mother ran out of the house the moment the car pulled up.

  “Let me look at you,” she demanded.

  Aunt Jenny followed closely behind her sister wiping her hands on her vast apron.

  Breccan climbed out of the car after Uncle Jix and allowed his mother to inspect him like one of the mannequins she helped Aunt Jenny make. She lifted his chin and stared at his forehead.

  “It’s already beginning to swell,” she said. “And look at that eye. You’re going to have to go to school like that!”

  Aunt Jenny made a disapproving noise. “Come on, Breccan. I’ve got a vegetable mash in the freezer that will calm the bruising.”

  Breccan followed his aunt inside while his mother trailed behind them with a tirade of, “I can’t believe you didn’t call me. You have a cellphone! All you need to do is let me know where you are. I was worried sick! You heard your uncle. I couldn’t stop pacing!”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Breccan said for the twentieth time.

  Aunt Jenny led him to the kitchen and motioned for him to take a chair. The scents from the pan on the stove did little to cheer Breccan up. He was struggling to get used to his aunt’s cooking; by his cousin’s disgusted reactions that matched the way he felt, it was going to take a lifetime.

  “Here.” Aunt Jenny handed him a plastic bag filled with an orange paste.

  He studied it with uncertainty.

  “Put it on your head,” she chided, pressing it there herself. “Do you want a weasel egg? Because that’s where you’re heading.”

  “Uh, no,” Breccan replied without bothering to point out that weasels didn’t lay eggs.

  His aunt shook her head and went back to the stove where she proceeded to chop up something yellow and pungent.

  Breccan turned to find his mother watching him from the doorway.

  “Sorry, Mom,” he said again. He hated repeating himself so many times, but her expression filled him with guilt. She truly had been afraid, and it was all his fault. “I need to think before I make stupid decisions,” he admitted.

  That brought the ghost of a familiar smile to her lips. “If you thought about your decisions, they wouldn’t be stupid.”

  Breccan lowered his gaze. “I know.”

  His mother sighed. “I can’t help worrying about you. You know what Doctor—”

  “I don’t care what that shrink says, and I’m not going back,” Breccan replied.

  His mother’s eyes widened.

  Breccan regretted his sharp tone. He sighed and said, “Sorry, Mom. I’ve got a headache. Do you have anything that’ll help?”

  Relief filled his mother’s face at the chance to do something. “I do,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

  The moment she left, Jonny slid into the kitchen.

  “Whoa,” he said when he looked at Breccan. “You really did lose a fight.” He grinned. “What hit you? I’m guessing anything with two fists instead of one.”

  Breccan rolled his eyes at his cousin. “Nice.”

  Jonny took the chair across from Breccan. “Thanks. Anyway, we need to get going.”

  “Where?” Breccan asked in surprise.

  Jonny’s green eyes glittered when he said, “The Edge.”

  Jonny’s mother spun around from her place at the stove. “You don’t need to take him there tonight, Jonny. Look at him. He needs to rest.”

  Jonny’s voice took on a pleading tone when he replied, “But Brec’s been here for nearly a week and he hasn’t gone to the Edge once. You know that’s social suicide, Mom! I promised him.” He glanced at Breccan. “Right?”

  Breccan nodded even though Jonny had done no such thing. He was as anxious as his cousin to get away from the house; he didn’t care where that meant they were going. “He did. I’m excited to see it.”

  Jonny threw him an exasperated look. “You don’t see it, Brec. You live it.” He shook his head. “You’ll understand when we get there. Are you ready?”

  “I’ve got options for you,” Breccan’s mother called from the hallway. “There’s two pills, a liquid capsule, and something for the other end that supposedly works in reverse, although I have no idea what that means.”

  Breccan rose from the table. “Let’s go.”

  Jonny grinned and led the way to the front door.

  “I’m off to the Zone,” Uncle Jix called over his shoulder as he followed them outside. “See you in the morning!”

  “Bye, dear,” Aunt Jenny yelled from the kitchen. “Maisy and I will be heading out shortly. I’ll save you some lasagna!”

  “Please don’t,” Uncle Jix replied before he shut the door. He shot a grin at the two boys as they made their way down the short steps. “Anyone up for a burger?”

  “No, thanks, Dad,” Jonny told him. “We’ve got to get going. Minx and Murphy are already waiting.” He held up his right arm. The panel at the base of his wrist glowed white with dark writing. “See?”

  “Fine,” his father said. “Have fun, but don’t forget to be home for breakfast before school. You know what your mother says when you don’t eat.”

  Jonny sighed and mimicked, “I won’t let my children be skin and bones. You eat every last bit of that egg stew or you’re going t
o die of starvation like some homeless child and people will wonder why your mother didn’t feed you. I won’t let anyone ask why my children didn’t get fed!”

  Uncle Jix chuckled. “That’s a pretty good imitation.” He winked. “Don’t let your mother hear you.”

  “I won’t,” Jonny promised.

  They watched the man climb back into the car. At his command, the door slid shut and the vehicle drove down the street.

  “Does he like working two jobs?” Breccan asked.

  Jonny glanced at him as if the question was strange. “Everyone in Holram does it. They might as well, right? What else are they going to do with their nights?”

  Breccan didn’t suggest sleep. He already stood out as some strange foreigner and didn’t want to sound stupid. Instead, he went with an uncertain, “I guess.”

  His thoughts were taken to the rows upon rows of buildings they had passed in Section Two on their way into the city a week ago. There were no windows on the black-walled structures, and the parking lot had been empty in the middle of the day, a strange occurrence in Holram.

  “That’s because it’s the second part of everyone’s job here,” his mother had explained. “Most people work during the day at their regular jobs, and then plug into the Zone at night. It’s very modern.” The excitement in her gaze said that she was anxious to be a part of it.

  “Does it hurt?” Breccan had asked.

  “Heavens, no,” his mother had replied. “It’s just like the linkup you use for school. Same port and everything.”

  “But people in Kirik Reservoir say plugging in too often can be dangerous,” Breccan pointed out. “They say it can cause blindness.”

  His mother had sighed. “There’s a lot of superstitions in older towns like that, Breccan. You can’t believe everything you hear. Plugging in lets one part of your brain rest while the other part is working. It’s one way of utilizing the part of our brain that isn’t strained during the day. You just have to make sure you take a break every seven days for your entire brain to sleep.” She waved a hand at the buildings. “It’s all regulated. Besides,” she had concluded with a wink. “It’s about time I got paid for this brain, right?”

  “I guess,” Breccan had replied because it was expected of him.

  For the youth, it was different. While their parents plugged into the Zone to earn the double salary necessary for a place in the city, the teenagers had their own type of plugging in Breccan had never experienced before.

  “Welcome to the Edge,” Jonny said with a dramatic wave of his hand.

  Breccan felt a rush of disappointment as he followed Jonny’s gaze to the building that matched every other structure lining the dark street. “Another building without windows?”

  Jonny grinned. “Just wait, Brec. You’re in for a treat.”

  A form rushed them in the darkness. It bowled Jonny over before the boy could react. Breccan raised his fist, ready to defend his cousin, but both boys started laughing.

  “You should have seen your face!” the newcomer said. He rose back to his feet.

  “I should have punched you, Murph,” Jonny replied without any bite to the threat as he looked up at the other boy.

  “I should punch you both.”

  Breccan spun around at the sound of a girl’s voice.

  She stood behind them with her arms crossed in front of her chest and an annoyed expression on her face. She was a head shorter than the two boys, but by her expression, she felt like she could take them both on, and by their reaction, she probably had done it before.

  “Come on, Minx. He deserves it after our last match in the Hedron,” Murphy said with a whiney note to his voice.

  The girl thought about that for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, he does. That last shot was all luck.”

  Murphy grinned and stuck out his hand to help Jonny up. “See, I told you!”

  Jonny grabbed his friend’s hand and rose. “You turned your back. Who does that?” he argued.

  “I thought it was over!” Murphy replied. “You heard the bell!”

  Jonny shook his head. “Like I told you. There was no bell. Right, Minx?”

  Minx lifted her hands in defeat. “You guys can watch the replays. I’m not getting in the middle of this again.” She glanced at Breccan and her eyebrows rose. “Who’s this?”

  Jonny grinned. “This is Breccan. He’s the cousin I told you about.”

  Murphy gave Breccan a once-over, then glanced at Jonny. “He’s missing an arm.”

  Jonny stared at him. “You can’t just say that!”

  “But it’s true!” Murphy replied.

  Jonny grimaced. “I told you he got hurt in the explosion when his twin brother was killed.”

  Murphy stared unabashedly at Breccan. “But you didn’t say he lost his entire arm!”

  “I shouldn’t have to!” Jonny shouted.

  Minx shook her head and shot Breccan an apologetic look. “Don’t mind Murph. He’s a little light in the brains department, if you know what I mean.”

  Murphy glared at her. “I’ll show you light in the brains department.”

  He swung at her head.

  Breccan wasn’t sure if the punch was meant to be pretend or if the girl was able to block it, but the years he and Garrick had spent training against each other and their friends paid off.

  Breccan stepped in front of Minx and used his momentum to turn Murphy’s punch away, he then slipped his left arm between Murphy’s arm and his body, and used the angle of his elbow to throw Murphy over his back and to the pavement. A second later found him staring down into the boy’s wide eyes with his fist raised. Murphy cringed with his hands up, his face pale in shock.

  “Whoa!” Minx said.

  “Brec, wait!” Jonny shouted.

  Breccan’s head jerked up at the sound of his name. He stared at Jonny until recognition sunk in. He looked from his cousin back to the boy on the pavement.

  “Don’t hit girls,” Breccan said.

  “Yeah, whatever you say!” Murphy replied quickly.

  Breccan glared at him for another second before he stuck out his hand.

  Murphy took it hesitantly and let Breccan pull him to his feet.

  Murphy stared from Breccan to Jonny.

  Breccan waited for the angry assault he knew was going to come. He had no doubt Murphy would call him some ugly name related to his missing arm and tell him to get away. He would lose any chance at friendship thanks to the temper he hadn’t been able to control since the accident, and he had no doubt embarrassed and disappointed Jonny as well. He waited with his hand in his pocket and tried to ignore how good his racing heart felt. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Jonny’s gaze.

  Murphy broke the silence first. “That was….”

  “Murph,” Jonny began with a worried tone.

  “Amazing!” Murphy finished.

  Breccan stared at him.

  Murphy grinned. “I’ve never seen anything like that! One minute, I was on my feet trying to teach Minx a lesson. I wasn’t really going to hit her, by the way. She’d beat the slag out of me.”

  He winked at Minx. The girl glared back.

  Murphy ignored her and continued with, “Then you stepped in and I was on my back thinking I was about to die. It was incredible!”

  “It was?” Breccan asked.

  Murphy laughed. “Yeah, me on the ground and you with your one arm ready to teach me some chivalry. Get that!” He turned his grin on Jonny. “Me, chivalrous! Can you imagine?”

  “I can’t,” Jonny said dryly.

  “Me, either,” Minx replied. She shot Breccan a look. “And I can fend for myself, thank you very much.”

  Breccan lowered his gaze. “I don’t know what came over me. Sorry about that.”

  “About what?” Murphy cut in. “That was magnificent! I can’t wait to see what happens to you in the Hedron!”

  Breccan glanced at Jonny. “What’s the Hedron?”

  The three friends exchanged know
ing looks.

  “You’ll see when we get there. Come on!” Jonny replied. He led the way toward the stairs.

  “Where’d you learn to fight like that?” Murphy asked with awe still in his voice.

  Breccan was glad it was dark to hide the way his cheeks still burned with embarrassment at taking down one of his cousin’s best friends. “Nidalin combat training,” he muttered.

  “What’s that?” Minx asked.

  Breccan glanced behind him at the girl.

  “It’s a form of martial arts made by mixing together a bunch of styles.” He lifted a shoulder. “Our teacher called it street hash because she taught us what we’d need to know to survive in the streets.” Breccan wanted to say that Garrick had been the best grappler of their group, but the thought of talking about his brother to people that hadn’t known him made the hollow feeling in Breccan’s chest return. He swallowed his words and fell silent.

  “Effective,” Murphy replied. “Especially since we were in a street.”

  Jonny shook his head and led the way into the dark building. At first glance, the place wasn’t anything extraordinary. Brick walls with faded gray paint met a tile floor that may have been polished once but had long since forgotten the feeling of cleanliness. The hallway they walked was empty and silence came from the closed doors they passed. Each room had a name that appeared unrelated to the others.

  Jonny stopped at a door with a piece of old white tape on it bearing the words ‘Lobo Four.’

  “This is us,” he said.

  Breccan didn’t know what to expect when his cousin pushed the door open, but the sight of about a dozen teenagers sitting in ratty old chairs wasn’t it. Their eyes were closed and each one wore a headset with a cord that ran to the back of the room.

  “Are they plugged in?” Breccan asked.

  Murphy shot him a look. “Are you for real?”

  Jonny glared at his friend. “Give him a break. This is Brec’s first time.” The redhead nodded. “Yeah, they’re plugged in.” He eyed Breccan uncertainly. “You do have a port, right?”

  “Of course,” Breccan said. He put his hand to the back of his head and felt the implant at the base of his skull. He barely remembered getting it. Everyone in Kirik Reservoir received an implant when they were old enough. “It’s how we went to school.”