Game Breaker Page 5

  Breccan felt himself blushing. He wondered if the cheeks of his avatar were heating up or if he was actually blushing in the chair inside the windowless building.

  “Oh, you found a cute one, Brin,” Tiga replied with a wink at Breccan. “You know what they say. You can make any shell you want, but the soul shines through the eyes.” She lifted her long lips in a horse-like smile. “Hey, pumpkin. You can come with us to the Equus. You’ll see what a good time is really about. What do you say? You can braid my mane,” she said with an inviting shake of her head.

  “I, uh, I think I’ll have to pass,” Breccan said.

  “You don’t want to be all alone on your first adventure in the Edge,” Brin said. “We can show you around, help you get to know the place.”

  Bullshark spoke up. “He’s not alone. He’s with me.”

  Both of the horse avatars turned at the sound of his voice. Brin immediately burst out laughing. “You’re showing him around? Come on, Bullshark. You want to give him a fighting chance, don’t you?”

  Several others in the elevator laughed at her words. Instead of the embarrassment Breccan expected, his cousin merely grinned and said, “I don’t remember you complaining when I showed you around for your first time here, Brin. Remember?” he asked, leaving the question hanging.

  Brin and Tiga exchanged a look. Brin was the one who appeared embarrassed, if a horse face could show embarrassment.

  Someone on the other side of the elevator called out, “You were bad enough to drive her to the Equus!”

  “Who says that wasn’t my goal?” Bullshark replied. “Horses are hot.”

  The ensuing laughter broke the tension.

  “So who’s your new boy?” Brin asked Bullshark.

  “This is Game Breaker,” Bullshark announced proudly. “I’m taking him to the Hedron.”

  “With a name like Game Breaker, we’re all in trouble,” said a woman with snakes for hair.

  “He’s going to get his face broken,” the man next to her in a purple suit and with orange-tinted skin said.

  Breccan rolled his eyes, but actually found himself enjoying the ribbing. Perhaps he should have chosen a different name, but it was too late. He was going to have to deal with the consequences. He didn’t imagine his time at the Edge was going to be long, so it really wouldn’t matter.

  The next level appeared with rolling green hills, what looked like a never-ending sky, and a huge mansion styled to look like a barn, completely with a hay maze, wagons, and real horses galloping in the fields. Brin and Tiga touched the glass. Breccan wasn’t surprised to see that they had hooves instead of hands at the end of their fur-covered arms.

  “Good luck, Game Breaker,” Tiga called over her shoulder. “You know where to find us if you get bored of Bullshark.”

  “Thanks,” Breccan replied.

  His gaze lingered on the limitless sky as the elevator slid up. The knowledge that the next floor was just above them warred with the illusion. He wondered how the Edge designers pulled it off.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Several avatars put their hands to the glass as the next level appeared. At first the view was dark, but as the elevator rose, Breccan’s gaze reached over the lip of what turned out to be an enormous arena. Dozens of octagon cages were filled with fighters and the stands surrounding them held avatars that cheered or booed the opponents.

  “This is our stop,” Bullshark said.

  Breccan allowed himself to be led out of the elevator.

  “Good luck, Game Breaker,” the woman with snake hair called out.

  “Thanks,” Breccan replied self-consciously before following his cousin.

  Other avatars filed out. Many were bulked up like Murphy’s avatar or stalked slender and lethal like hunting cats toward the waiting arena. The light-lined walkway led to a giant arch where hundreds of avatars waited to enter. Each one held out an arm to be scanned by the Techsecs who looked identical to the one in the elevator.

  “Why do they scan everyone?” Breccan asked.

  “In case someone is using an outlawed avatar,” Bullshark replied. “If you use illegal upgrades or are caught buying weapons from the Dark Web, your avatar will be outlawed, which means if it’s used again, your pass to the Edge will be terminated.”

  It was easy to see by Bullshark’s expression what his cousin thought about being banned.

  Breccan asked, “Can you ever get back in?”

  Bullshark nodded. “You have to work it off in the Midlevels.” He leaned close to Breccan and whispered, “Trust me; no one wants to work the Midlevels if they don’t have to.”

  “Come on, Bullshark,” a man with a second set of arms and glowing yellow eyes said. “You were working there last week.”

  Bullshark glared at the avatar. “That’s because you cheated in our last round, Panin.”

  The man grinned, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth. “I don’t deny it; I’m just smart enough not to get caught.”

  “Whatever,” Bullshark replied.

  Panin turned back around. Bullshark took something from one of the pockets of his vest and casually slipped it into a pouch on the avatar’s belt. To Breccan’s surprise, Panin didn’t even notice.

  They followed the avatar to the Techsecs. Breccan was behind him until Bullshark grabbed his arm. At his cousin’s motion, Breccan held back and let a few other avatars pass. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Panin held out one of his four arms.

  The device the Techsec held beeped and the man motioned for Panin to go through. The moment the avatar stepped into the arch, a siren sounded. Panin turned as if ready to run, but a surge of blue electricity trapped him motionless.

  “Contraband,” one of the Techsecs said. His aura turned red and he advanced on the avatar.

  “I don’t have any contraband,” Panin protested as he was held by the electric web.

  “Cheaters never prosper,” Bullshark called out.

  Panin’s gaze flickered to Breccan’s cousin and his eyes widened.

  “You!” he shouted. “You’ll pay for this!”

  “Your avatar is now categorized as outlawed,” the Techsec said in a monotone voice without any indication that he heard Panin’s threats.

  “But I’ve been upgrading this avatar for over a year,” Panin protested. “I didn’t break the rules!”

  “This time,” Bullshark muttered.

  The Techsec lifted another device toward the avatar.

  “No!” Panin yelled.

  The avatars around Breccan watched with impassive expressions as if they saw similar occurrences every day. But Breccan’s heart slowed when the Techsec fastened the device around the avatar’s wrist. Panin let out a yell of what sounded like true heartbreak. The Techsec put a hand to the arch and the blue electric web went out. Panin fell to the ground in a dejected heap. Two other Techsecs stepped forward and grabbed him by the arms. They half-dragged, half-escorted him from the Hedron.

  “You’ll pay for this, Bullshark,” Panin threatened when he was forced past them.

  “You’ll pay for this,” Bullshark replied in a whiney imitation of the avatar’s voice. The glee on his face was unmistakable.

  “Forward.”

  Bullshark caught Breccan’s stare.

  “What?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “He was really mad,” Breccan replied.

  Bullshark grinned. “The fact that he’ll come back with a level one avatar makes it worth it.” His smile fell slightly at the worried look on Breccan’s face. “Trust me. It’s fine. It happens all the time. He’ll get over it.”

  Breccan wasn’t so sure. Things might be different in the Edge, but the look of pure hatred on Panin’s face wasn’t something he would easily forget.

  “Forward,” a voice repeated.

  “Breccan, go,” Bullshark said.

  Breccan glanced up and saw that the Techsecs were waiting for him. He crossed to them and held out his arm nervously.

  “Left arm,” the Te
chsec instructed.

  Breccan realized he had held out his right without thinking. No wonder the Ready Room had created him with it; old habits were hard to lose.

  He switched to his left arm and felt a slight tingle run up it as the scanner crossed the blue numbers. A beep sounded and the scanner turned green. It hadn’t happened to anyone else. For a moment, Breccan worried that he was about to be hauled off like Panin.

  “Welcome to the Hedron,” the Techsec said in a monotone voice that sounded dry instead of welcoming. He put a band around Breccan’s wrist that looked a lot like the one Panin had bemoaned except it glowed green instead of red.

  “Uh, thank you,” Breccan replied.

  He glanced back at Bullshark.

  His cousin’s avatar motioned. “Go through. You’re good.”

  Breccan did as he was told.

  When Bullshark made it under the archway without setting it off, Breccan caught his cousin’s sigh of relief.

  “How did you make it through when Panin didn’t? Wouldn’t you have been caught carrying that thing?” Breccan whispered.

  “Quiet!” Bullshark replied. He glanced behind them to ensure the Techsecs were far enough away, then said, “I make sure nothing illegal is active until we reach the arena. Only a newb or a dolt gets caught at the arch.” He lifted a shoulder. “I can’t help it if Panin had an active nullifier on him.”

  “You put it there,” Breccan pointed out.

  Bullshark grinned. “That’s beside the point. Also, I’m pretty sure Panin used a nullifier on me during our last match, which is why my blade couldn’t touch him. You heard him out there. He admitted to cheating.” His brow furrowed. “Now if I can figure out how he did it without getting caught, that’d be really helpful.”

  Breccan tuned out most of his cousin’s last words. His attention was captured by the arena before them. The view from the elevator had been deceptive. The dozens of octagon cages turned out to line only one side of the Hedron. When they stepped into the arena, Breccan’s entire world spun.

  He found himself looking up and down to different flat surfaces lined with even more battle cages. The spectators and combatants stood on the floor as if they were level, but from Breccan’s point of view, they should have been sideways. More floors angled away from those and contained other avatars that looked as though they stood perpendicular to his position. His brain refused to make sense of it.

  Bullshark grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “Don’t think about it too hard. You’ll get the hang of it. Just start walking.”

  Too overwhelmed to argue, Breccan followed his cousin toward the first angled floor. Putting his left foot on the tilted surface felt strange, but the moment his right foot followed, the world appeared to tilt until he felt as though the floor on which he stood was horizontal and the one they had left was angled.

  He glanced back hoping to figure it out, but Bullshark pulled him forward.

  “Come on. We’ll be late,” his cousin said.

  Breccan allowed himself to be led to a thick blue table where a man with a turban on his head and a third eye in the middle of the turban handed out tiny objects to the avatars with such speed Breccan could barely follow his hands.

  “Where to, Nostradamus?” Bullshark asked.

  The man smiled and handed the avatar a small card.

  “Good luck, Bullshark Venom,” he said without slowing from his task. Other avatars took their cards and continued on.

  Breccan’s cousin glanced at his card and swallowed. “Machination and Tumbler. Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

  He glanced back at Breccan as if just remembering him. “And for Game Breaker?”

  The card appeared in Breccan’s hand before he realized he had reached for it.

  The man’s third eye lingered on Breccan’s green wristband even as he continued to hand out the cards. “A newb, huh?” Nostradamus said. “We don’t get many of those these days. Good luck.”

  “Thank you,” Breccan replied.

  “Hopefully he won’t need it,” Bullshark said.

  “Oh, he’ll need it,” Nostradamus replied.

  “What? Why?” his cousin asked. He looked at Breccan. “Who are you fighting?”

  Breccan held up his card. The name ‘Avit Torpedo’ was written in glowing purple ink on the simple white piece of paper.

  “Seriously?” Bullshark said. He shook his head and looked back at Nostradamus. “Why are they giving a newb a Battle Boss?”

  “I don’t write the fight cards; I just hand them out,” Nostradamus said in a cadenced singsong as though he repeated the words often.

  Bullshark shook his head. “This is ridiculous. It’s not fair.”

  Nostradamus gave out more cards as he said, “I don’t write the fight cards; I just hand them out.”

  His matching tone, inflection, and the way he tilted his head the exact same way caught Breccan’s attention.

  “Good luck, Laser Joan,” Nostradamus said.

  The girl with purple hair and green cat eyes took the card he held out and continued past without replying.

  The man with the turban didn’t appeared bothered by her lack of interaction.

  “Good luck, Jack of Aces,” Nostradamus said.

  “I don’t need your luck,” the man with a hook instead of a left hand replied.

  “Oh, you’ll need it,” Nostradamus replied.

  Breccan’s mouth fell open.

  “Let’s go,” Bullshark said.

  “He’s not real?” Breccan asked as they walked away.

  “Of course not,” his cousin replied. “Come on.”

  Breccan looked back at the man behind the blue table.

  “But he acts so real,” he protested.

  Bullshark shook his head. “He’s a PC, a Programmed Character. You’ll get used to it. His banter is preprogrammed by the designers to make being here feel more realistic. You’ll get to where you can spot a PC in seconds.” He winked at Breccan. “Sometimes it’s fun to ask them stupid questions. You never know what they’ve been programmed to say.” He looked back at Nostradamus. “I proposed to him once just to see his reaction.”

  Breccan chuckled. “What did he say?”

  “He accepted,” Bullshark replied with a weird tone to his cousin’s voice. “I think we’re engaged.”

  “Nice,” Breccan said with a grin. “When’s the wedding?”

  Bullshark shoved his shoulder. Breccan barely missed running into to the side of an avatar with a shark head and beefy arms.

  “Watch it,” the man growled.

  Breccan and Bullshark both gave the man a wide berth.

  “He should be called Bullshark,” Breccan pointed out.

  His cousin’s avatar nodded. “No kidding. I once saw him tear an avatar in half with those teeth. He’s not messing around.”

  Breccan stared after the hulking man as he made his way toward the fighting rings. “What happens when an avatar is killed?”

  “You wake up in your chair and can’t go back to the Edge until the next night,” Bullshark told him. “It sucks if it happens at the beginning of a match because your opponents automatically get a win.” His voice lowered and he ducked his head for only Breccan to hear. “Sometimes if you have two or three in your lineup, other fighters on your list will do what they can to give your first opponent an advantage so they can take the victory without fighting. If you ask me, it defeats the purpose of the Hedron.”

  “What defeats the purpose of the Hedron?” a familiar voice asked.

  Bullshark and Breccan turned to see that Minx’s avatar had caught up to them.

  “Hey, Black Jack,” Bullshark said to the pirate. “Did you get your lineup?”

  “Yeah,” she replied in a rough imitation of a pirate’s deep voice. “I’ve got Rue The Day and Snarlfist.”

  “Nice,” Bullshark replied. “Don’t forget—”

  “I know,” Black Jack said, cutting him off. “Watch for Snarlfist’s tentacle tail.
I was there when she swiped your legs out last time, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Bullshark replied sheepishly.

  Minx’s avatar tipped his head at Breccan. “Who do you got?”

  Breccan flipped his card over.

  Black Jack’s eyes widened. “Seriously? A Battle Boss on your first match? What gives?”

  Breccan shrugged. “I guess I’ll do my best?” he replied with a hopeful tone.

  Black Jack and Bullshark laughed.

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” Black Jack said. The blue square around the numbers on his forearm lit up. The avatar grinned at Breccan. “That’s my cue. Catch you guys on the flip side.”

  They watched the pirate avatar saunter through the crowd.

  “Watch for the tail!” Bullshark shouted.

  Black Jack lifted a hand in acknowledgement but didn’t look back at them.

  Bullshark’s forearm lit up, followed by Breccan’s.

  Minx’s reaction and Bullshark’s nonchalant attitude made Breccan regret agreeing to fight. He then realized he hadn’t actually been asked in the first place. The thought that Jonny was responsible for his present situation wasn’t lost on him, but it was too late to back out now.

  “How do I know where to go?” Breccan asked.

  “It’s all numbered,” Bullshark said. He pointed at the letter and number after the name Avit Torpedo. “See? E is the wall and five is the cage. It’s easy, but you’d better hurry up. Battle Bosses don’t wait long to declare a victory on an absent competitor. I’ve got to catch my own fights. See you at home.”

  Breccan watched his cousin jog off through the crowd. Uneasiness filled him at the fact that Jonny hadn’t mentioned finding him after the fight. They all assumed he would lose.

  Determined not to make a fool of himself if at all possible, Breccan followed his cousin’s directions through the crowd. It was easier crossing to the next wall than the first one had been. The moment both feet were together, he felt as though the world turned and floor D was level. He hurried to the next floor and tried to ignore the trepidation building in his chest.

  Techsecs were interspersed among the crowd of avatars waiting for their turn to fight or watching those locked in battle. Breccan gave the same wide berth to the security officers that the other avatars did. He didn’t know if bumping one by accident would cause his avatar to get ejected. It felt ridiculous, but he was actually a little proud of the character he had created. He opened and closed his right hand again just to remind himself how good it felt to have it there.