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  "You've gotta be kidding me," I said with a wistful glance at the Pleasure Gardens.

  Black Hat Alert:

  The Pagans have broken the armistice!

  Izzy and I traded hardened expressions.

  "So much for kidding," she muttered.

  "They're making a move," I said, "and I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

  We drew our legendary weapons and answered the calling horns.

  1600 Call to Arms

  Galloping hooves came up behind us as we sprinted. Nap time was over and Bandit was as sharp as ever.

  "Hold on."

  I took Izzy's hand and reached my other towards the converging mount. The mountain bongo lowered her head and I grabbed a stout horn as she passed, swinging up and over her body. I was accustomed to the maneuver and stuck the landing perfectly. Izzy wasn't so graceful. She straddled Bandit on her stomach, legs on one side and head on the other. With me still holding her hand behind her back, she looked hogtied.

  I laughed and spanked her ass. "Iz, I'm sorry our date in the Pleasure Gardens was ruined, but now's not really the time."

  She grumbled and pulled a leg around to sit up. "You wish."

  We weaved through collected legionnaires to the wall. Bandit lowered her head and trotted right into and up the watchtower's steps, extra-wide for the purpose of funneling a defending army. We emerged a hundred feet up. Commander Gladius greeted us decked out in his premium armor and golden helm, red body shield and flaming sword in hand. We dismounted.

  "Talon, the horde is wheeling out trebuchets from the forest. They must've cleared an area behind the tree line to build them under cover."

  I squinted across the tended land. The goblin army held their distance at an arrow's flight away. The dense newbie forest at their back didn't appear thinned out from our high vantage. The last goblin assault had utilized siege towers that would've been easier to spot, but these trebuchets had low clearance, remaining close to the ground while unsprung. I wondered how Dune had missed it, but with a dragon handy I blamed myself. It was an oversight not to scout the horde's rear.

  One of the catapults swung its arm around and volleyed another flaming boulder into the sky. We ducked as it arced over us and landed just behind in the Circus. The crater shape of the low-walled arena served to contain the debris. The fiery wreckage tumbled around the stands like a roulette ball. Luckily, the venue was empty.

  Damn, my dream was dying before my eyes. Even worse? Everybody was right. The pagan faction lacked central leadership and was too disjointed to conform to a lasting peace.

  "They're not charging the wall," I noted, scanning for the next threat.

  "That would be suicide with their numbers," pointed out Gladius.

  "Still," said Izzy, "they're sure doubling down on shock and awe."

  The commander nodded resolutely. "With days of preparation and unknown resources, we could be in for quite the pummeling. It'd be wise to cripple their artillery posthaste."

  "You're right," I said. "Unable to enter the city, they're attempting to draw us out to them. But they made a mistake by indiscriminately bombarding Black Hat territory: our faction no longer has an armistice to respect."

  A towering figure in lacquered white plate armor charged onto the battlements. Lash held a rectangular black body shield but kept her bench-sized cleaver strapped to her back. Her barbarian and healer were in tow.

  "Finally," said the gruff woman, "we can stop sitting on our hands like schoolgirls."

  "What's wrong with schoolgirls?" asked Kyle, wheezing to the top of the steps behind them.

  I gritted my teeth. "You're gonna hate to hear this, Lash, but I need Bravo Team camping on Hadrian. This front is likely a diversion."

  "Some diversion," muttered Gladius as another building went up in flames.

  Lash sucked her teeth. "You serious? This is a clear violation of the sanctity of Stronghold and our seat of power. Let me take my gloves off."

  "Your job is more important than bashing heads, Lash. You're not army, you're spec ops. This is the role you wanted. Besides, if I'm right we have more trouble on the way. You'll have your hands full soon enough, and I need someone in control of the home front."

  She dipped her head sharply. "Roger that. We'll be on the Whisperer so tight he won't be able to pee his pants without my say so. What are you doing?"

  "Isn't it obvious?"

  Izzy hung her hands on her hips and sighed. "Oh great, he loves this part."

  I grinned and clamped a hand on the mountain bongo's horn. The blue gemstone on her forehead glowed as I activated my legendary dragonrun ability. The already-large beast exploded to a massive size, transforming into a vicious dragon within the span of seconds. I hopped onto her back, she screeched loud and long, and we launched into the sky.

  "I don't get it," blurted Christian as he absently stared at the video of the Phoenix X launch site exploding for the tenth time.

  Tad leaned on his crutch behind the seated CEO. What they had witnessed wasn't a simple bid for the acquisition of Kablammy Games. This wasn't a corporate bully flexing market muscle. It was espionage and sabotage and... Where exactly was this leading?

  Christian's lips trembled as he spoke. "Money is what drives the tech industry, not... not religious fervor."

  Again, for all his good intentions, the CEO failed to understand the social ramifications of his technology. He wondered how anyone could be against his gift to the world.

  Pete was now in attendance, having logged out of Haven to address the emergency. He stood there in his bicycle pants, scratching his red stubble and pondering the situation with a frown. "I've mentioned this possibility in the past," he reminded his friend. The statement was said plainly, without the hint of I-told-you-so one might expect under present circumstances. "There are those who might see these human advances as profane."

  "Plebeians."

  Pete sighed patiently. "Don't be cruel, Christian. Might I remind you of my personal thoughts about the afterlife?"

  The tech titan shook his head. "I'm sorry, Pete, but you're a reasonable objector. Live and let live. To each his own. I can't believe someone would go to all this effort to protect a traditional Heaven."

  Tad took in a sharp breath. "You might be right in this case."

  The two men looked to him.

  The young programmer threw up appeasing palms. "I'm not saying I have answers, but this explosion is most definitely a coordinated strike. Consider the unaddressed PM that delivered it. The placement of Larry as a mole in the building, and the later use of a Trojan to co-opt his persona. We're looking at a degree of sophistication I don't see coming from the religious zealot subset."

  Christian Everett nodded. "That's what I'm saying. Follow the money."

  Pete frowned. "Following Larry will be difficult. His employer swept him out of reach, thousands of miles away."

  "If they didn't have him killed," groused Tad.

  Christian almost chided him for the dramatic remark, but he could no longer discount that possibility.

  Tad pulled his phone from his pocket. "Hrm, you don't get Wi-Fi in your office?"

  Christian turned his head abruptly. "Of course I do."

  "I'm not getting a signal. No bars either."

  The two others produced their phones with similar results. Pete picked up the hard line. "I can't dial out. I'll get Emilio in IT." The community manager left the office with a worrying hop in his step.

  "Our cell signals are being jammed," said Tad.

  "You don't know that."

  "This is sophisticated..."

  Christian huffed.

  Tad leaned into his crutch. "Okay, let's back this up. InLink wipes all metadata from images and videos, after taking it for themselves of course. We can't trace the video or the message. But what about the motive? Why would anyone want to stall the Haven launch?"

  The CEO pressed his lips together. "The launch of the simulation or the satellite?"

 
; "Aren't they the same thing?"

  Christian jumped to his feet. "Yes and no."

  "Huh?"

  "Okay, the official launch of Haven is a transition of sorts—private-facing to public—but for all intents and purposes things continue as before. Sure, Haven has the increased burden of huge zone unlocks and open player demand, but for the most part the afterlife is business as usual. But the satellite launch is a change to the operational structure. It's a turnover of sorts, from Haven as a private asset to something akin to a public utility. That's why Kablammy lobbied so hard for Universal Interstellar Rights."

  Tad followed along out loud. "So you're saying once the satellites launch Haven into orbit, the assets will be in the public domain?"

  "That's exactly what I'm saying. Practical reality still dictates the need for a corporate sponsor—a gateway for new player entry, asset updates, Everchat, and other interfaces—but the digital world and player consciousnesses are no longer part of the holdings."

  Tad swallowed. "So this is about ownership."

  "That's right," asserted Christian. "Follow the money."

  1610 Gears of War

  Powerful wings drove us toward the goblin horde like a bullet. A trebuchet arm swung around and fire launched skyward. Bandit dove sharply to avoid the projectile. I glanced backward and grimaced, but I didn't have time to track the boulder all the way to its target. We banked over the crowing army.

  "Now, girl."

  Bandit opened powerful jaws. A stream of light plowed into the field before us, dragging through ranks of soldiers like a laser until it brushed over a loaded trebuchet. Wood erupted into splinters. The burning projectile careened off the unbalanced structure and crushed the ogre about to fire it.

  Crown Unlocked: Combustion Engine

  Blow up an enemy siege engine.

  1000 XP awarded

  Bandit swallowed her strike as we rocketed to the next live catapult. The operators attempted to launch it in time but dragon breath was faster. It wasn't until both siege engines were disintegrated that the goblins began to understand the full might they were facing. As we swooped around for a second pass, the horde refocused their output from the city to us.

  Reams of arrows loosed. I pulled my head in and hugged the saddle. Steel glanced off the dragon's armored belly, shielding me from harm. Bandit snarled aggressively.

  "Ignore them," I prodded. "We're here to neutralize their range."

  Instead of taking the bait, we demolished three more trebuchets. When the last of them was a smoking heap, I surveyed the battlefield.

  Besides the back line of siege engines, I didn't note any particular organization. Trolls and ogres were spattered with their kobold handlers. Goblins made up the bulk of the army, with packs of wild imps bolstering their numbers. Armor was haphazard to nonexistent, but there was enough steel to equip every soldier with a blade.

  We veered around as I searched for the head of the snake. General Azzyrk rode a giant purple lizard so he was usually easy to spot. Unfortunately, the horde was hiding their true numbers and resources within the forest.

  I directed Bandit over the tree line. The canopy was dense, allowing only occasional windows into the troop makeup beneath. Further in were small sections of razed wood where the horde had reaped their supplies. But Azzyrk was strategic enough to take advantage of the resources he didn't need for cover, leaving enough room ahead for his army to hide in.

  Combined with my previous knowledge of the pagans, what I saw in the open tended lands, and what I guessed to be in the forest, I put the enemy numbers at about three hundred, possibly more. We easily had twice as many combat-ready fighters in Stronghold, including the player population. The little gray imps were balanced by the more monstrous baddies, but we had strength, equipment, fortifications, and notable badasses on our side. Not to mention a dragon.

  That said, even legendary creatures had their limits, and Bandit's dragon breath had reached it. Even if I pushed her, burning down the forest with blind strikes wouldn't do. We weren't in enough trouble for such self-destructive tactics.

  I opened a chat window for the faction's brigade.

  Talon: What's the status in the city?

  One by one, my appointed leaders responded.

  Lash: Hadrian's quieter than usual.

  Trafford: Oldtown's ready if they come in.

  Kyle: Tower defenses are online.

  Izzy: No trouble at the wall.

  I nodded to myself as I waited.

  Talon: Errol? Report.

  No answer.

  Talon: Errol, do you copy?

  Talon: Can any pirates please give me a status update?

  Grom: Sure thing, boss. The brothel's all clear.

  Talon: Brothel?!?

  Grom: Aye, matey, but I'm currently inspecting everyone's lady parts to be sure. I can go into more detail if ye like. I ain't shy.

  I hissed.

  Talon: Errol!

  Errol: Sorry, Talon. I was in the middle o' an update. ...An' then I just wanted to hear more 'bout Grom's status. Ye need any help, man?

  Grom: Now that you mention it...

  Talon: Focus, people!

  Errol: Sorry, me boys get carried away sometimes. Both river gates be secured an' well defended.

  Talon: Okay. Stay on top of the situation.

  Grom: That's the plan, sir!

  I scowled. Despite the usual hijinks, all was calm on the home front. The ravenous army below was still unsettling. I decided to take a chance to end this stalemate.

  DEVELOPER CONSOLE

  >> city watch_

  My unique access gave me unprecedented power over the city's NPC army, and while they weren't meant for personal faction use, the current threat fell under their sole mission statement: the defense and sanctity of Stronghold. I opened the gates and sent out one hundred well-equipped legionnaires.

  Tad Lonnerman avidly watched coffee drip into the large glass pot. It seemed like nobody made old-fashioned coffee instead of using the new machine with those prepackaged cups. Tad refused to touch the stuff. He really didn't mind the wait. Watching the black stuff slowly fill the pot was strangely cathartic. Especially, it turned out, after watching a launchpad explode.

  A slightly chubby woman strolled into the office kitchen. "Now, now, Tad," she said in a melodic voice more grating than musical, "it's cleaner and less wasteful to make a cup at a time with the new machine."

  "Cleaner for who? Not the environment, I imagine."

  Abbie blinked large lashes. "Just because the spokeswoman says the cups aren't recyclable doesn't mean you can't throw them in the recycle bin all the same."

  "That's not how it works."

  Tad pulled the dirty filter as the brew finished and tossed it in the trash. A quick splash in the sink rinsed some stray liquid from his hands.

  "Now, now, Tad, you know you're not supposed to dump coffee grounds down the sink."

  Tad rolled his eyes and wondered what the opposite of cathartic was. "Is everything okay, Abbie?"

  "Everything's peachy. I was looking for Christian. You know, the president of this company." She laughed at her own joke just long enough for it to register. "Have you seen him?"

  "He said something about double-checking the alternate launch site for Phoenix Y. Maybe he left the building?"

  Pete wandered into the kitchen with tensed lips. "Ah, Abbie, I've been trying to get ahold of you. Have you gotten my emails?"

  Abbie shrugged with her entire body and raised her voice an octave. "I'm sorry, Pete. It's been a madhouse in here."

  "Yes, well, our network's down. Have you seen Emilio anywhere?"

  She pouted. "Come to think of it, he said he had a family emergency and had to leave early."

  "But he's our only IT employee on the skeleton crew. We have a serious emergency that needs addressing."

  "Well, Kablammy places a high priority on work-life balance. You know what we always say: Family comes first."

  Pete frowned.
"I don't think you've ever said that before in your life."

  Her face went straight. "Stop being a drag, Pete." Abbie moved to the office fridge and grabbed a can of Diet Coke.

  Pete's eyes fell on Tad. "It can't be helped, I suppose. I'll need to go to the first floor, go outside if necessary."

  "We really can't reach anybody?" Tad asked.

  "All communication outside the office is down, even the internet. After what happened, we need certain... assurances. Christian approved me to recruit an outside security team."

  Abbie's eyes went wide. "Security? Are we in danger here?"

  "No," assured Pete. "Nothing like that, but you can never be too safe."

  A woman Tad didn't recognize peeked into the kitchen. "You ready to do this?"

  Abbie jumped. "Excuse me!" she chimed. "How did you get in?"

  Pete cleared his throat. "Abbie, you remember Steph. She used to work on the community team."

  "Of course I remember," she said flatly. "She quit."

  "Christian's been cooking up a special response to recent events." Voices from the hallway confirmed Steph had more people in tow.

  Abbie was so frazzled she smacked her lips a couple of times. "Now, now, Pete, you can't just call whoever you want willy-nilly and invite them to the inner chamber."

  "Don't worry, we're only using people I personally trust. I'm afraid they won't be able to help with our larger emergencies, but they can help us get a handle on Haven. I contacted them this morning as soon as the core guys noted suspicious network activity sourcing from Hadrian."

  The head of HR huffed. "They'll be required to sign NDAs before they start."