Chapter 10
“All right, team. That’s the plan. Any questions?” Connor asked.
Lynn surreptitiously glanced at her teammates, noting their mixed expressions of determination and trepidation behind their AR glasses. The woods around them were damp and the late morning sky was overcast, but the rain had stopped sometime in the night, and it was above freezing, so their boss assault was going forward as planned. Lynn appreciated the fresh, crisp air. It filled her with invigorating energy and made her more optimistic, despite her doubts about attacking a boss.
Alone.
She’d already voiced her objections in as strenuous yet professional a way as possible: they shouldn’t ignore the tactical warnings about taking on bosses alone; they stood to lose more than they gained if they got wiped out; there were less risky ways to accelerate their leveling.
She didn’t, of course, mention the vague, amorphous wariness at the back of her mind, almost in the primal part of her brain, that told her going after a boss was dangerous. Not game dangerous, but actually dangerous. That was just a case of “boss battle” jitters enhanced by the realism of TD Hunter with its cutting-edge graphics and game algorithm.
Connor had listened to her concerns in silence, then rejected them with a professional, if cold, dismissal.
So, no, there were no more questions. At least they’d agreed on the decision to not livestream the battle just in case things didn’t go as planned. They could always send select clips to Mrs. Pearson later if they wanted.
“Great. Remember what Lynn said about her new augment’s capabilities and keep your ears alert for my commands.”
They all nodded.
“Okay. Form up and move out.”
Lynn didn’t glance at Connor as she entered combat mode and started south. She fell in behind Edgar, who led the way, with Dan and the rest behind her in a single-file line. Her team captain hadn’t uttered a word about what had happened last night.
Lynn wondered if that would last once they were alone.
Not that she intended to be alone with Connor anymore. She was onto his game now, and the only question was if he could be trusted to leave her be and simply do his job as their captain, or if he would keep trying to manipulate her.
None of that mattered at the moment, though. Now was the time for action, for battle, and for a glorious slaughter. These monsters had no business being in the woods behind her school, even if they were just part of an incredibly lifelike video game.
After yesterday’s craziness, she was going to enjoy letting it all go and focusing on what made her soul happy.
“No surrender, no, trigger fingers go, living the dangerous life . . . ” she sang to herself, eyes scanning her overhead map. She’d kept Abomination in her left hand since that was where she trained most with it but had switched out Wrath for Skadi’s Bastion. The omnipolymer of the baton didn’t have enough mass to simulate a full-sized replica of a kite shield, and that would have been awkward to carry around. Instead, the baton morphed into a small, electric-blue buckler. It was compact enough to maneuver with, but sturdy enough she wouldn’t squash it when she rolled. The omnipolymer was tough stuff anyway. It had some give to keep from shattering or snapping, and it could reform to fix any dents or dings.
Lynn missed the weight of Wrath in her hand, and she chafed at the idea of taking on a defensive role, but she did agree with Connor’s strategy. Using the heightened stealth Skadi’s Bastion gave the entire team, they hoped to sneak through the scattered TDMs north of their objective and get as close as possible to the boss before switching to assault formation. Lynn had briefly tested Bastion out on the TDMs in the sports fields behind the school, and with it equipped, she was practically invisible to Delta Class monsters. Charlie Class had to get within ten feet or so before reacting to her presence, though Bravo Class still seemed to sense her a good twenty to thirty feet out. That was far better than before and should enable them to get close to the boss without alerting its minions too early. If they moved quickly, the algorithm wouldn’t have time to do a major reshuffle to block their advance.
It was honestly the qualifiers all over again, except this time they were stronger, better equipped, and better informed.
Also, alone.
“Miss Lynn, while I do not expect you to pay any attention, just like the last fifty-three times I have reminded you of this warning, TD Counterforce tactical wisdom strongly discourages tackling Bravo, Alpha, and Sierra Class bosses without backup. These entities pose significant risks to Hunters lacking sufficient firepower and experience, and it is my responsibility to urge you to reconsider this mission.”
“I don’t know why you’re telling me this, Hugo. Connor is team captain, he calls the shots,” Lynn said, even though her gut agreed with the AI.
“I assure you, I have been repeating myself to the entire team. They have all muted me.”
“Wait, I can do that?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” the AI said, and Lynn could just imagine the long-suffering sigh a human might have exhaled at that point.
Lynn grinned to herself but didn’t say any more. Sure, Hugo was annoying sometimes. But she’d rather know what the game’s built-in warnings were. They were all part of the pattern, indicating not only what the game designers intended, but more importantly, what they didn’t intend.
And right now, Skadi’s Wolves were definitely on the “didn’t intend” side of things.
They made good progress through the woods, though they had to weave back and forth to avoid TDMs in their path. Fortunately, with the extra cloaking from Bastion, they managed to sneak past even the frequent broods of Creepers clustered here and there like landmines, waiting for unsuspecting Hunters to stumble upon them.
They didn’t technically have to worry about making noise, but they still didn’t talk out loud, and kept their subvocalization chatter to a strict minimum. Even Dan was subdued and kept a lid on his usual quips. Lynn moved through the undergrowth as stealthily as their current pace allowed. It was good practice even if sound discipline wasn’t necessary.
Before long, the crimson clusters and rings of TDMs were visible on their overhead, and Connor called a halt. Lynn eyed a group of Namahags about twenty feet to their left. She made note of their numbers and position, then scanned the area in front of them, eyeing the first of many concentrated lines of Managal and Rakshar blocking their path forward. She even spotted a few Manticar prowling between the lines, like giant grotesque lions awaiting a scent of their prey.
“Right. Here’s where we transition to phase two,” Connor said. “Just like when we fought that boss in Des Moines—”
“Mishipeshu,” Lynn offered, eyes still fixed on their enemies.
There was a pause, and Lynn felt Connor’s eyes on her back.
“Yes, Mishipeshu,” he continued. “We go in at speed, break through their outer circles, and continue toward the objective until we’re within firing range. At that point, Nguyen, Rios, and Johnston will switch to their highest-powered weapons and pour fire into the boss while Raven and I hold off the hoards as best we can. If we hold our ground and keep our heads, our energy and health should hold out long enough to take out the boss, then we blink out.
“Remember to keep a close eye on your levels and shout out if you need a transfer. Resupply as much as possible on the move. Lynn and I will try and keep everyone fueled up while we’re holding the line. Everyone got that?”
The team acknowledged, then shuffled into a tight spearhead formation with Edgar at the tip.
“Make ’em run home crying to their mommies, Edgar,” Lynn said, and shifted Abomination to give her teammate a slap on the lower back—the place she could easily reach since her head barely came to his shoulder.
“Plannin’ on it,” Edgar said around a piece of gum. He glanced back at her and gave her a grin full of feral delight. Lynn wondered how he always managed to war-holler with such enthusiasm when he regularly had gum in his mouth. Somehow, he made it work.
At least he wouldn’t have bad breath if he ever choked on his gum and they needed to administer CPR. Small mercies, right?
Lynn shook her head and settled into a ready stance, waiting for Connor’s signal to start trotting forward. Once again, she missed the presence of Wrath. But she was also excited to try out her new face-basher on any big fuglies unfortunate enough to rush them.
“I do not suppose there is any point warning you again at this juncture,” Hugo asked, tone dry.
“Nope. You could wish me luck, though.”
“Luck does not exist, Miss Lynn.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” she subvocalized. “But that’s not the point. The point is you care enough to wish me the best and all that jazz.”
“Very well, if it makes you feel better: good luck.”
“Aw, thanks Hugo. I never knew you cared so much.”
“Technically, I am not capable of ‘caring’ in the manner you imply. I am simply following instructions.”
Lynn rolled her eyes. “I know that, pea-brain. You’re supposed to play along and pretend. It’s what humans do for each other.”
“Should I point out that I am not a human? Or is this another part where I am supposed to play along?”
“Don’t worry, Hugo,” Lynn said with a snort. “No one is in danger of mistaking you for a human.”
“What an immense relief.”
Lynn grinned.
“Okay, everyone ready? Let’s go!” Connor called out. Edgar broke into a trot and the rest of the team followed close behind.
They hit the first line of TDMs like a silent battering ram. Okay, so not that silent. Edgar came at them Cho-hoo-HOO-ing for all he was worth, and his undulating cry made the adrenaline thrum through Lynn’s veins and made her wish she had her own war cry.
Their combined firepower took out the Managal and Rakshar directly in front of them and they barely slowed punching through the first line. In seconds they were on the second rank, and with these TDMs they made brief contact before blasting them to showers of light and rushing on. Lynn tried to ignore the shuddering roar behind them to their left. Several Manticar had spotted them and were hot on their tail, so they had to keep moving. If they got bogged down before they reached the boss, it would turn into an eternal slog they might never break through—if they even survived the mob that would descend on them.
They punched through the third and fourth ranks, slowing a bit more each time as they paused to dodge strikes and swipe up ichor and Oneg on the run. Lynn and Dan had to swap places when two Manticar bounded up behind them, stinger tails thrashing. The first time she raised her forearm above her head, she swore she could feel the thump-thump-thump of three stingers slamming down, and she silently thanked whoever had designed the Skadi set to include Bastion. She’d long ago given up wondering at the occasional warmth and vibrations she felt in the handles of her weapons when attacking particularly large or high-class TDMs. She assumed it was special effects programmed into the game to enhance the realism. But the distinctness of what she now felt across the breadth of her shield made her wonder all over again.
There was no time to dwell on it, though. Bastion enabled her to stay on guard at the back of her group, but she was still hard-pressed to deal with two Manticars lunging at her simultaneously as she backed up, following Dan and Connor.
“A little help here!” she yelled, too out of breath to subvocalize.
“Got it!” Dan replied. She heard the game sound effects of his armor-piercing rifle go off right behind her head. Between Abomination and Dan’s rifle, the Manticar were soon taken care of, despite their furious lunging and snarling.
Yet there was no respite, and once the big monsters were gone, lumbering Rakshar and Namahags stomped forward to fill the gap. Dan and Lynn turned and booked it with the rest of the team, since the heavies had no ranged attack to send potshots at their rear, and the hordes of Spithra were concentrated on the outer rings they’d already passed.
Suddenly, the sky brightened and Lynn realized they’d reached the edge of the large circular clearing around the node hub. For a fleeting moment, she felt a surge of triumph. Then a shriek like a falling missile reached her ears.
“Dan! Tengu!”
“Got it! Cover me!”
They were still running, and Dan struggled to aim vertically on the move, trying to track the TDM equivalent of a Kamikaze dive bomber. He stopped for a second to take his shot, which was fine for him, but not so fine for the Tengu, and not at all fine for Lynn. Three Rakshar rushed her and she swung Bastion at the nearest one on her left. Her shield connected with a faint vibration, and to her utter shock and delight, the seven-foot-tall CGI monster bounced off it. True, she only knocked it back a few feet, but it also seemed to stun the monster for a few seconds. It was long enough, anyway, for her to pour fire into the right-most Rakshar and send it up in sparks while blocking the massive, clawed hand of the middle monster who was doing its level best to take her head off.
“Get your butt moving Dan!” she yelled as she backed up, fighting off more Rakshar that rushed to replace each one she dispatched.
“Little busy,” he yelled back. She could just hear the shriek of a second Tengu above the roar of the Rakshar.
“I don’t care if it’s a flaming chicken the size of a house!” Lynn hollered back. “Move your sorry butt! We’re getting left behind!”
Lynn saw Dan’s blue dot finally move on her overhead map, and after ducking under one Rakshar swipe and jumping back from another, she spun and booked it. Monsters had come between them and the rest of the team twenty feet ahead, and she knew they had to rejoin immediately or die in detail. Connor’s voice bellowed over their channel, directing Mack and Edgar who were clearly struggling. She overtook Dan in seconds and raised both shield and gun, blasting away but not slowing in the slightest as she bore down on the towering TDMs between them and their team.
“Stay right behind me, Dan, don’t you dare fall behind!”
“Got it!”
At the last minute she braced herself, more out of instinct than anything else, and shoulder checked the Managal blocking her way on the left while shooting at the Rakshar on her right. The Managal skittered back a few feet, enough for her and Dan to slip past without slowing. They were taking some damage, but with Bastion’s defense buffs, the glancing blows on their flanks had minimal effects. Running straight through the insubstantial TDMs would have caused far greater damage, more so to Dan than her because of her Skadi’s Glory armor.
Lynn repeated her shoulder check exercise twice more at full speed, knocking aside the monsters she couldn’t kill in time before she and Dan reached their teammates. One final line of monsters stood between them and the boss, which was camped out at the base of the node tower. Lynn looked up to note the tower’s position, praying she wouldn’t run headfirst into its one hundred percent solid frame in the heat of battle.
“We have to punch through this last line, now!” Connor yelled. “Nguyen, Rios, Johnston, make a hole. Raven you’re with me.”
Lynn turned to face their rear, shield up, gun blazing, backing up step by step as the others advanced behind her. Sparks rained down all around them, but more TDMs just kept coming. Hugo obediently recited her armor, energy, and health levels to her at set increments, saving her the need to glance away from her targets. Her levels were dropping, but slowly enough that she wasn’t in immediate danger.
Finally, Edgar yelled in triumph and Connor bellowed, “Charge!”
Lynn spun and dashed after her team, slipping through the gap they’d made just before the TDMs filled it once again.
The sight that met them almost stopped her in her tracks.
A blob of twinkling mist rose above their heads, menacing yet mysterious in its formlessness.
Of course, Lynn thought. Bosses were unique. Mishipeshu had been a known boss, specially set up, she assumed, for the qualifiers. But they were the first to confront this boss. Until they killed it—or until Hugo had long enough to analyze it—it would remain amorphous and its defensive and offensive abilities would be unknown.
While Connor yelled at the three others to begin their attack, she spun again and started blasting away at the monsters closing in at their rear.
“Hugo, how long will it take you to identify that unknown?” she gasped.
“I have already begun my analysis, but not for several minutes, at least.”
Lynn didn’t know if they would last that long. She was already down almost fifty percent across the board, and the others couldn’t be much better off. It wasn’t quite the desperate straits they’d been in at the qualifiers where they’d known it was a suicide mission from the start. But it certainly didn’t look good either. Not to mention how creepy it felt to have her back to that unknown blob. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she felt the overwhelming urge to turn and face the largest and most dangerous enemy among them.
But she knew what her job was, and she couldn’t abandon it, even if she would rather be attacking the boss.
She and Connor stood side by side, backs angled toward each other, as they poured fire into the approaching monsters. Soon they were within swinging range, and she switched Abomination out for Wrath, which did much higher damage, to start mowing them down as they piled on. Not a single TDM tried to flank her or get any closer to the massive boss behind them, but she’d expected this, based on the patterns she’d already observed. For whatever reason, the TDMs were just as eager to avoid the boss as they were to crush their enemies. Probably for the best, since the game would be nearly unbeatable with hoards of gigantic monsters who also had good tactics.
A handful of seconds crawled by in endless agony, and then Dan and Mack were yelling for Oneg resupply. Without taking her eyes off her targets, Lynn transferred everything she’d accumulated over to Dan while Connor took care of Mack. But then their normal battle shouts, energized by adrenaline, rose to an alarmed pitch.
“Mack is down! Mack is down!”
For a second Lynn thought Mack had simply hit zero health and was out of the game. But the fear in Dan’s voice made her spin, heedless of the TDMs bearing down on her.
At first she couldn’t see Mack. Then she noticed that Dan and Edgar were attacking the sparkling mist furiously, not with measured strikes like they’d trained, but in a frenzy as if it were an actual threat.
Then she saw Mack inside the mist, laid out in the grass near the base of the node tower.
And the mist was moving toward them.
Hugo was yelling something in her ear, but the first command her brain gave her was to ignore all else as she leapt forward at the amorphous unknown, Bastion braced in front of her. She knew when she hit it, because she felt it. She felt herself slow for just a moment, though the massive cloud of sparkling mist didn’t bounce back. Then the strange resistance disappeared and she stumbled forward onto the grass, her vision partially obscured by swirling white smoke.
A wave of dizziness washed over her, but she braced herself and stood, focusing on Mack’s inert form before her.
“—leave combat mode! I repeat, leave combat mode!”
Hugo’s voice finally percolated through her single-minded focus. She hesitated as part of her said they could still win this, could still regroup and finish off the boss before their health was drained.
But then she noticed that Mack wasn’t just lying on the grass. He was convulsing.
“EVERYBODY STOP FIGHTING, NOW!” Lynn screamed, dropping her weapons in the grass and lunging forward to fall to her knees beside Mack. Hugo obviously decided that was enough of a command for him, and the sparkling mist around her vanished along with all the other combat indicators on her display. Lynn barely noticed; she was too busy trying to remember what her mom had taught her to do for seizure victims.
“Turn him on his side, Miss Lynn,” Hugo instructed calmly. “That will help keep his airway clear. That’s it. Now cushion his head on your leg but don’t try to hold him down, let him move freely. I have already alerted emergency services, help is on the way.”
Lynn did as instructed, but something felt wrong. She was still dizzy, and both Dan and Edgar were bent over, hands on knees, retching. Her brain was screaming at her to move, now.
So she did. Mack was still jerking, but she didn’t slow as she scrambled to her feet, grabbed him under the armpits, and hauled him backward with all her strength. Fortunately, he was a skinny guy and not much taller than her. Ten feet back, she passed Edgar, who shook his head like a drunken man and stumbled over to help. Between the two of them, they soon had Mack a good thirty yards away from the tower. Dan came staggering after them, while Connor, who was further back, looked on in confusion.
“What’s wrong with Rios?” he asked. “Did he hit his head?”
Mack had stopped shaking once Lynn had gotten him out of the sparkling mist—not that Lynn could still see the unknown, but she swore she could sense it. Which was crazy. And impossible.
“I don’t know,” she said, gasping for breath. “But he was having a seizure. We need to get him to a hospital, ASAP!”
“Emergency services are on their way, Miss Lynn. They’ve sent an air ambulance from St. Sebastian’s, it should arrive within ten minutes. I’ve informed the others of this as well.”
Lynn looked around, still panting. They weren’t safe, not yet. She didn’t know why, she just knew they weren’t.
“Edgar, help me carry Mack into the tree line,” she said.
“What?” Connor said. “Why? We should stay here in the open where the ambulance can get to us.”
“We’re not safe out in the open.” Lynn grunted as she grabbed Mack under the armpits again.
“L-let me, carry him,” Edgar said, words slurring.
“It’s fine, Edgar, we can do it together. Take his feet.” Lynn didn’t say that she was worried Edgar might drop their friend in his current state. He was steadier, now, but he still reminded her of how she’d felt after spending several minutes inside Mishipeshu’s insubstantial form. And Edgar hadn’t even been inside the mist, just at the edge of it.
What had it done to Mack, and why hadn’t she been similarly affected?
And why was she even asking herself these ludicrous questions?
By the time they reached the edge of the trees, Lynn was out of breath again, but she no longer felt a panicked urgency to run. Dan and Connor had followed, so she didn’t need to yell at them like a crazy person to get away from the node tower. They laid Mack down and Lynn hurriedly bent over him, feeling for a pulse. She found a strong one in his neck, though his breathing seemed shallow and his hands were cold.
“Less than five minutes, Miss Lynn,” came Hugo’s reassuring voice in her ear.
“Can you—tell them—where we are?” she panted.
“Already done.”
Lynn squeezed Mack’s hand, silently begging him to be okay. Dan crouched on the opposite side, holding Mack’s other hand and looking stricken. Edgar hovered anxiously, seeming none the worse for wear, but obviously just as distressed as the rest of them. Connor stood apart, arms crossed, eyes unfocused and moving back and forth as he did something or other on his AR interface.
Lynn felt a sudden stab of fury. What could he possibly be doing? He wasn’t even pretending to be concerned. This was his fault. Their team was his responsibility, and he was acting bored like this was all just some inconvenient interruption to their training schedule.
It’s my fault too.
The thought tortured Lynn, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She wasn’t team captain, but she’d still let Connor lead them into danger. She’d ignored her instincts. She’d let someone else take responsibility over her friends. Her people. And look what had happened!
She had no more time for self-flagellation because the deep, pulsing whirr of the air ambulance reached them over the trees. Moments later it appeared and swerved in their direction, its pilot AI searching for the closest yet safest place to land.
The next thirty minutes were a blur. Before she knew it, they were landing on the roof of her mom’s hospital where Mack was rushed away on a gurney, while a different EMT led them in to get checked, despite their protestations of health.
At some point her mother appeared, face a mask of worry that only eased after she’d hugged Lynn tight and looked her over, reassuring herself Lynn was in one piece.
They were subjected to more poking and prodding than any of them wanted, but finally they were cleared and released to wait anxiously for word about Mack.
Connor, conveniently, had disappeared. Lynn couldn’t even remember when it’d happened. He was just . . . not there anymore. Lynn couldn’t sit, so she paced the waiting room while Edgar and Dan slumped miserably down into chairs. Matilda sat as well and reassured them that Mack was probably fine. The wait was likely because of the dozens of tests they would be running to ascertain the reason for the seizure and to rule out concussion, etc., etc.
After an hour with still no word, Matilda offered to take them each home, but they all refused. Edgar explained his mom was working and he’d already planned to spend the whole day hunting, while Dan muttered some excuse about his parents being away at a conference. When Matilda was out of earshot, Dan confided in Lynn that the “guardian of the minor” contact information he’d given the nurse when they’d been checked in had actually been a dummy account that he’d set up to run interference—though his parents really were at a conference, so there wasn’t anything they could have done anyway.
Eventually Matilda’s patience ran out, and she went off to inquire about Mack through her own channels. She reappeared soon after looking annoyed and ushered them to a different floor where Mack’s room was. They found him sitting up in bed, looking pale but in good shape despite the wires and monitors he was hooked up to. Mrs. Rios gave them all the stink eye when they walked in, though she reserved an especially hostile look for Lynn. Her demeanor eased when she greeted Matilda, and to Lynn’s relief, her mom gently took both Mack’s parents by the arms and said something that made them walk out of the room with her, talking in low voices as they went.
Lynn and her friends didn’t waste their opportunity but rushed to crowd around Mack’s bed.
“Are you all right?”
“What happened?”
“Did they figure out what caused it?”
Mack grinned weakly and Lynn made a shushing noise so they could hear what he was going to say.
“I’m okay, I guess. I have no idea what happened, and neither do the doctors.”
Dan groaned.
“Seriously? They’re doctors! They’re supposed to know this stuff.”
“I know, right?” Mack agreed, then sighed. “I think they put me in every brain-scanning machine in this entire building. So far, they’ve just said they aren’t sure what caused the seizure, but that they want me to stay the night for monitoring.”
“Well, that’s helpful,” Edgar muttered.
“But no news is good news, right?” Mack said, shrugging.
“Yeah, except when you drop dead because they don’t know what’s going on!” Dan threw up his hands, then paced to the window and back again. “Are you sure they don’t even have any guesses? Like, was it your AR glasses or something? Remember back at the qualifiers they said something about the excessive light or something causing dizziness and seizures in weak-minded people?”
“Don’t be an idiot, Dan,” Lynn said, and elbowed her friend in the ribs. “Weak-minded people? That’s not what they said and you know it. Stop exaggerating because you’re so worked up. Steve gave us a safety brief and mentioned some people might be sensitive to the intense AR stimulus of the game and become dizzy and disoriented. They didn’t say anything about seizures. That’s probably what happened to me, jumping inside that boss. It was the dizziness and probably heat exhaustion that made me fall and crack my head on the asphalt. That’s not what happened to Mack, so it’s probably unrelated to the game.”
Her teammates exchanged worried looks.
“I don’t know ’bout you, Dan, but I felt hella dizzy and nauseous near that thing. If that was AR stimulus or whatnot, how come it hasn’t bothered me before now?”
“Beats me.” Dan shrugged. “But I felt the same way and felt better as soon as we moved away. Maybe the extra strong stimulus has to do with much bigger TDMs, like the bosses? Something about their exponential mass increase or whatever?”
“Maybe I’m more sensitive to it than you all?” Mack posited, looking guilty, as if his sensitivity was a personal failing. “None of us got near Mishipeshu, just Lynn. So, if it’s only bosses that trigger it, maybe being inside it was intense enough stimulus to trigger something and I’m just . . . well, not as tough as you all.”
“Shut up, Mack. That’s nonsense.” Lynn gave him the same stern glare she’d received many times from her mother, then continued. “This is all new, untested technology. I know from listening to my mom that people’s neurological reactions to things can be hugely different. So, stop feeling guilty and just focus on getting better, okay?”
Both Dan and Edgar nodded in agreement and gave Mack encouraging smiles. Edgar opened his mouth to say something more, but just then someone barged into the hospital room, almost slamming against the door in their haste to turn the corner and get into the room.
“I came as soon as I heard—”
The voice cut off abruptly as everyone in the room froze, including the newcomer.
“Uh,” Mack said, “hey, Ronnie.”
“What are you doing here,” Edgar asked, voice unusually cool.
“I came to see Mack, obviously,” Ronnie snapped back. “What happened? Is he okay? Are—are you all—is everyone okay?” Ronnie’s eyes darted around their group, even briefly landing on Lynn, though he looked away quickly.
Past anger and hurt twisted in Lynn’s chest, but she bit her tongue, knowing she was on edge with everything that had happened—including Connor’s behavior.
“We’re all fine, even Mack,” Dan said, then gave a stiff shrug. “They aren’t sure what happened. We were trying to kill a Bravo Class boss and Mack just collapsed and started twitching. They’re gonna keep him for a few days for observation.”
“I didn’t lose my powers of speech, you know,” Mack grumped, shooting a frown at Dan. “And I’m fine, Ronnie, just kinda embarrassed to cause trouble.”
Lynn was about to scold him for putting himself down again, but to her utter astonishment, Ronnie beat her to it.
“Don’t be an idiot, Mack. I’m sure it’s not your fault. It’s probably all that scumbag’s doing, Mr. Perfect. Where is he, anyway?” Ronnie shot a withering glare around the room, as if expecting Connor to jump out from behind a curtain.
“Coward disappeared first chance he got,” Edgar rumbled, his voice full of disdain in case anyone missed his furrowed brows or downturned lips.
“Figures,” Ronnie muttered, then fell silent. He stared at the foot of Mack’s hospital bed, avoiding all their eyes and not moving to either join them or leave the room.
Lynn felt an uncharacteristic urge to defend Connor, then was immediately disgusted at herself. She didn’t even like Connor, not after he’d shown his true colors. She just felt an instinctive hostility toward Ronnie because of everything unresolved between them. She’d tried to forgive him, but seeing him again it was clear she’d not forgiven, just forgotten as best she could.
And why should she forgive him? He’d been a complete and total jerkhole. Renewed anger swelled in her, and she glared at Ronnie where he stood still staring at the floor, shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets.
“Hey, Ronnie,” Mack said quietly, and Ronnie raised his head, expression guarded. Mack gave a lopsided smile. “Thanks for coming, man.”
Just like that, Lynn realized what she’d been missing.
Ronnie was here.
Connor was not.
When trouble came, Connor had slunk off like a rat, but Ronnie had run toward them as fast as he could. Maybe Ronnie would never like her specifically. Maybe they would never be friends like he and Dan and Mack were. But maybe she didn’t need him to be. Because unlike Connor, Ronnie clearly had a heart, even if he was an idiot sometimes and let himself be led astray.
All Connor seemed to have was cold, calculating ambition.
And yet . . . Ronnie was still a jerkface, and had still caused this whole team shuffling mess in the first place with his blind pride and insecurity.
So what was she supposed to do?
Follow a competent captain ready to sacrifice them on the altar of fame and fortune?
Or follow a captain with questionable judgment and a terrible personality?
Mack said a few more words to Ronnie, but Lynn was oblivious to it as she stared into nothing, struggling with her conundrum. Because she could only see one way out of it, and she did not like it at all. But what choice did she have? More importantly, was she willing to suffer the consequences of avoiding the right choice?
“Look, Ronnie,” Edgar said into another awkward moment of silence, “we’re grateful you came’n all, but shouldn’t you be getting back to your team?” Those who didn’t know Edgar wouldn’t have thought anything of his words, but Lynn recognized the cold anger under her friend’s placid gaze.
“Yeah . . . uh . . . right . . . ” Ronnie trailed off, looking anywhere but at them. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and kicked angrily at the leg of the chair next to him. “They’re, uh, doing a photoshoot. They don’t need me for that.”
Don’t need him, or Elena told him to get lost? Lynn wondered. She sighed, mentally rolled her eyes, and made her decision in the form of sending a ping to Edgar.
HEY, I THINK RONNIE IS TRYING. FRIENDSHIPS MATTER. LET’S TRY TO SAVE THIS ONE.
Edgar’s eyes flicked her way, and his expression softened. A few tense thumps of Lynn’s heartbeat later, he finally gave a minuscule nod.
“Hey, you’ve got better things to do than pose for some dumb pictures,” Edgar said, jerking his chin at Ronnie in that way guys did when they were acknowledging each other. “Why don’t you hang out with us for now?”
“Really?” The plaintive hope in Ronnie’s voice made Lynn’s heart squeeze. Dan’s face lit up with the biggest smile she’d seen in weeks, and Mack nodded vigorously. Ronnie coughed and shrugged only his shoulders like some kind of scarecrow, hands still in his pockets. “I mean, yeah, uh, of course. Sure.” With that brilliant and inspiring declaration, he stepped to the side and plopped himself down in a chair, looking around at them expectantly.
Lynn opened her mouth to say something only slightly sarcastic, when a ping from their team chat popped up on her display.
SKADI’S WOLVES: I FOUND AN ALTERNATE. MEET ME IN THE PARK BY HOSPITAL IN THIRTY. WE HAVE MORE TRAINING TO DO TODAY.
“What??” Dan yelled, and Ronnie jumped.
“Da frick,” Edgar muttered, brows drawing together.
“What is it?” Ronnie asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Connor’s pulling some hinky shit,” Edgar growled, looking up at Lynn.
Lynn knew her jaw was clenched and her eyes were hard, but Edgar matched her expression for expression. She nodded.
“Ronnie, stay here with Mack, will you? We have a . . . situation to deal with.”
But Ronnie jumped eagerly to his feet.
“No, Dan can stay, I’ll go with you.”
Lynn looked at him levelly, and for once he met her eyes.
“Ronnie, I think Mack needs you more here. Will you please stay?”
Surprise flitted across his face, followed by an annoyed expression and pursed lips. But finally, he nodded and sat down.
“Come on, team,” Lynn said, looking around the room. “Let’s go have a talk with our captain, shall we?”
The last thing she heard as they left the room was Mack excitedly asking if Ronnie wanted to hear an update about his girlfriend in Japan.
* * *
The park in question was across the busy downtown street from St. Sebastian’s. It was small, but well tended, with many trees, flowerbeds, and bushes divided by paved walking paths. Of course, being the beginning of December, everything was brown and bare. The cold wind whistled down between the skyscrapers and whirled around them, making Lynn wish she had a coat despite her high-performance uniform. The smart fabric worked by trapping heat generated, and since she wasn’t generating much heat standing around in the cold, the warmth being wicked away via her hands and face was enough to chill her.
On their way down to the park, they had passed her mom still talking quietly with Mr. and Mrs. Rios outside Mack’s room. At Matilda’s questioning look, Lynn had smiled innocently and mouthed, “Be right back.” Once in the elevators, she’d shot her mom a ping:
HEADED OUTSIDE FOR SOME AIR. RONNIE WITH MACK. PLEASE BE NICE TO RONNIE. I THINK HE NEEDS IT.
Considering the last thing her mom had heard about Ronnie had been extremely negative, Lynn hadn’t wanted to risk Matilda pulling him aside and berating him just when they were making a little progress.
“Oh, you’re early. Good. We can get right to work, then.”
Connor’s voice came from behind and they turned to see him approaching, followed by a brown-haired guy about Connor’s age with a similar height and build.
“This is Paul, our alternate, one of my former ARS teammates. I’ve already brought him up to speed and he was helpful enough to be available on short notice—”
“Stop right there,” Lynn said, holding up a hand, palm out. “No offense to Paul or anything, but are you serious, Connor? Mack is in the hospital. They still don’t know what happened or what caused his seizures. Why in the world are we out here talking about alternates?”
Connor stopped a pace away from their group and raised an eyebrow.
“I should think that would be obvious.” When he was met with stony silence, he continued. “We’re here exactly because Rios is in the hospital. There’s no telling how long before they clear him to play again. Today didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, and we have a lot of ground to catch—”
“Listen to yourself, Connor,” Lynn said, her thoughts going icy with anger. “Just listen to yourself. Mack was hurt. He’s our friend. We should be up there showing him our support and watching over him, not down here talking about replacing him.”
“I didn’t say anything about replacing him,” Connor said smoothly. “And I’m sure Rios wouldn’t want to hold the team back while he’s recovering.”
“Maybe,” Lynn said, crossing her arms and glaring at Connor, “but that’s only a part of the problem. The bigger issue is how you’ve handled this entire thing. You’ve shown almost no concern about Mack, nor did you offer to help him in any way. You didn’t take leadership during the crisis, and as soon as you possibly could, you left all of us at the hospital, your team, who you still had no idea if we were okay or not, and ran off to find an alternate. Your priorities are screwed up, Connor, and it shows.”
A flash of something went through Connor’s eyes, and Lynn thought maybe she’d finally gotten through his carefully composed exterior. But the arrogant, cold look that followed dashed all her hopes.
“Pardon me, your royal highness, for not running around screaming like a chicken with my head cut off the moment one of you stubbed a toe. I’ve been competing much longer than any of you, and in competitions we don’t have time for emotion or kumbaya circles. The odds are stacked against us, and if we want any hope of winning this thing, we can’t waste a single minute on pointless gestures. You might not like my leadership style, but I get results, and that is why I’m team captain.”
“Captain of a bunch of emotionless robots, maybe!” Lynn snapped. “Leading a team isn’t just about results, you moron. It’s about camaraderie and trust! How can we expect to win if we can’t depend on each other when shit hits the fan?”
“Good grief,” Connor said, and rolled his eyes. “You’re as bad as Elena. Worse, really. She at least understood how to shut up and listen when it mattered, even if she was a useless player.”
Lynn reared back, not in hurt but shock at the absurd comparison. Connor must have misinterpreted her expression, though, because he stepped forward and bore down, a sneer lifting one side of his lips.
“That’s right, Lynn,” he hissed. “I’m in charge, and you need to shut up and listen. If you weren’t so argumentative all the time, I wouldn’t have to be doing this, but you obviously don’t get it. You want to talk about camaraderie and trust? Well, you’re a giant distraction, flaunting your body every chance you get and acting all coy like you don’t know what effect you have on people.” He leered down at her, eyes raking her ample chest. “I thought I could trust you to be reasonable, but you led me on like a little hussy and ruined everything. Elena may be as shallow and boring as a mud puddle, but at least she knows how to put out and do what she’s told.”
Lynn shook her head. Connor was well and truly deranged, and she’d heard enough. She took another step back, but Connor grabbed her wrist and squeezed it painfully, holding her in place.
“Ow! That hurts, you moron. Let go!”
“You don’t get it, do you, Lynn? I’m the team captain, and I’m done being nice. Unless you want to get kicked off the team, you’ll do as I say and start showing some—”
But Lynn was done being nice, too, and she aimed a knee at Connor’s crotch. Unfortunately, Connor wasn’t as dumb as he sounded with his crazed spiel, and he dodged back out of range, then used his grip on her wrist as leverage to spin her around and yank her against his chest, pinning her with one arm while the other gripped her opposite shoulder.
“You all saw that, didn’t you? She attacked me. I can report that and get her banned from TD Hunter—”
“Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Her.”
Lynn’s gaze flew up in alarm. Oh no. No, no, no. Not good. Edgar’s entire body had gone rigid and his eyes were blazing, locked on Connor like a heat-seeking missile.
“Edgar, calm down,” Lynn said in the most level voice she could manage while also trying to wiggle out of Connor’s grasp. But his arm was like an iron band. So she tried elbowing him in the side. He blocked the elbow, barely, then grabbed her free arm and gripped it painfully tight, digging in his nails.
“Connor, you idiot,” she gasped, trying not to show how much he was hurting her. “Let me go, or Edgar is going to beat the shit out of you.”
“He can try all he wants, I’ll just get him banned too.”
“Dan! Grab Edgar and whatever you do, don’t let go!”
Dan’s eyes were wide as he looked back and forth between her and Edgar, but at her yell he jerked into action.
“No, no, Danny boy. Let little Edgar be. If he wants to go all psycho on me, let him. It would just give me the excuse I need to replace him with someone who doesn’t look and act like a big, dumb gorilla.”
Paul, for his part, just stood there, arms hanging in readiness but not moving to interfere. He seemed mildly interested instead of alarmed.
Connor planned this, Lynn realized, and started struggling even harder. Then she remembered her stompy boots and lifted one leg to bring her heel smashing down on Connor’s foot.
Connor screamed and called her an incredibly lewd, nasty name, and Edgar jerked forward.
“Leave her alone, you bully!”
“Edgar, no!”
But it was too late. Edgar barreled forward like a freight train, shaking off Dan like a rag doll. All Lynn’s panicked mind could think to do was raise both feet, putting all her bodyweight on Connor’s grip. He lurched forward at the sudden weight and released her. She hit the grass and rolled, rolled, rolled out of the way.
By the time she was back on her feet, Edgar and Connor were going at it full tilt. Connor had both hands up and his stance was balanced, like he’d been trained in some form of martial art. Edgar was oblivious to everything and everyone but the tunnel-vision lock he had on the person who had attacked his friend. He rushed Connor again, and Connor got in two solid punches, one to the stomach and the other to the kidney as he ducked under Edgar’s wild haymaker. But Edgar was an unmovable mountain. He acted like he didn’t even feel Connor’s blows.
“Edgar! Stop! Dan, help me,” Lynn yelled. She danced around the two, looking for a way to grab Edgar’s arm without getting knocked out cold.
Edgar swung his bulk back around and aimed himself at Connor again. This time Connor’s swift punch got Edgar right in the face, and Lynn heard a crunch. But Edgar didn’t even slow. Before Connor could dodge out of the way, Edgar had tackled him to the ground. Lynn dashed over and grabbed Edgar’s shoulders, trying to haul him back. Good grief, he weighed a ton! Edgar’s muscular bulk didn’t budge a single inch, and he kept punching Connor underneath him as Connor held both arms over his face and screamed.
Then Paul was there, trying to yank Edgar off. Lynn was on the other guy in a flash, shoving him away to make sure he didn’t hurt Edgar further. Then both she and Dan got hold of Edgar’s arms and hauled with all their might. Between the two of them, they tilted Edgar back enough that Connor managed to scramble out from under him and to his feet.
Edgar roared in wordless anger and lunged after Connor. For a moment, it seemed like he didn’t even register that his friends were there in front of him, as if he was going to barrel them over and go after Connor again like a relentless wolverine. Blood streamed from his nose and it looked crooked, probably broken, but Edgar didn’t seem to notice.
Not knowing what else to do, Lynn threw her arms around Edgar’s waist and hugged him as tight as she could.
“Calm down, Edgar! I’m fine, I’m right here. Calm down!”
Her voice was muffled against Edgar’s heaving chest, but something she’d done must have gotten through, because he rocked back on his heels and she felt an immense tension leave him in a rush. His shoulders sagged and his arms wrapped gently around her, holding her like he was afraid she might break.
“L-Lynn? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine Edgar, really. Now, uh, can you let go? We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Edgar’s grip tightened momentarily in a hug, then he let go and stepped back. He raised a hand to pinch his nose and winced. Lynn turned to see Connor leaning over, hands on knees, coughing. His face looked puffy, he had a fat lip, and there was a split over one eyebrow that leaked blood.
“Y-you’re going to jail, Johnston. I’m filing charges, and they’re going to lock you up for this. That was attempted murder. You’ll be in there for years.”
Lynn didn’t want to leave Edgar’s side, but she couldn’t stay still either, not with the blood boiling in her veins. She marched right up to Connor who took a step back, alarm crossing his face. But she simply stopped in front of him with her hands on her hips.
“Attempted murder? Give me a break, you pathetic, spineless, backstabbing mouth breather. You attacked me first and provoked this whole thing. We all saw it, and we have video evidence. Not a single judge will do a darn thing about your stupid accusations, so you’d better keep them to yourself unless you want me to file charges against you for sexual assault.” Her voice lowered, going deadly, ice cold.
“You know what you did last night, Bancroft. And you know who has the benefit of the doubt in a he-said-she-said situation. Besides, I have a witness.” She smiled at him, baring all her teeth, and Connor backed up, his face twisting in ugly rage. A wild light shone from his eyes, shattering the cold, calculating demeanor he always cloaked himself in and showing the rot that was underneath.
“This isn’t over, you little whore. Just because you dragged yourself off your couch and got into shape doesn’t mean you’re not still a pathetic loser. The only reason you have followers is because you put your body on display, and I promise you, guys get bored of that real quick. Give it a few months and everyone will forget about you. Competing is my life and I have the victories to back it up. I will not lose, so you’d better watch your back.”
“Whatever, Connor,” Lynn said, rolling her eyes. “You’re like a cancerous polyp on the anus of humanity. Just get lost, and don’t come back.”
Connor backed up, Paul following. They kept their eyes on Lynn until they reached one of the paved paths, at which point they turned and hurried off. Lynn watched them carefully until they disappeared across the street.
“Hey Hugo.”
“Yes, Miss Lynn?”
“You got all that, right?”
“In perfect, high-definition clarity, absolutely.”
“Can you patch me through to Steve, like, right now? I need to tell him something real quick, then we have to get Edgar back to the hospital.”
“I shall do my best, Miss Lynn,” Hugo said.
Despite his tempered promise, the next thing Lynn knew, Steve’s voice was in her ear. She didn’t have time to wonder about Hugo’s summoning capabilities but focused on the situation at hand.
“What’s up, kid?”
“I know you’re not in the legal department, but we have, um, a bit of a situation here, and I only have a few seconds, so I wanted to ask a quick favor.”
“Shoot,” Steve said, not sounding the least bit surprised or skeptical.
“We need Connor taken off our team roster, like, now. Whatever access or privileges he had as team captain need to go away. If you need to verify with the rest of the team, maybe send them pings? They’ll agree right away, we’re just, ah, a bit busy at the moment. Also, um . . . you might be getting a complaint from Connor soon, and possibly some accusations. I promise I can explain everything, just not right now, ’kay?”
To her utter surprise, Steve chuckled.
“Sounds like you’ve been channeling a bit of Larry today, kid. This is totally off the record, but I’m proud of you.”
Lynn blinked.
“Uh, right. Okay. So, you’ll let legal know?”
“We’ve got your back, RavenStriker. Now, go get your friend taken care of.”
That made Lynn’s brow wrinkle. How had Steve known about Edgar? She hadn’t told him. Or was he talking about Mack? She shook her head and filed the question away for later.
“RavenStriker, out.”
“TD Hunter Tactical, out.”