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  "Get outta there, Bandit!" I screamed. "Fire in the hole!"

  1630 Watch Dogs

  Lash flinched as the brickwork rumbled. The explosion was large enough to rattle the jail yard half a city away. It had come from the east wall, the source of the latest horns. What was going on out there?

  The knight scowled. Either that frat boy Kyle had really outdone himself this time or this siege was better planned than she'd anticipated.

  Lash waited for the relevant citywide notification reporting a breach of the wall. No news came. She hated being kept in the dark, but no news was good news. She was satisfied, at least, that the gate had held.

  Meanwhile, the knight was doing her part. The jail yard was secure. Twice as many olive-green city-watch tunics populated the yard since housing their VIP. Lash completed her rounds and marched downstairs, zoning into the dungeon, the silence of the new area taking over.

  Lash hissed at the tranquility. She wanted to be on the battle lines, though she acknowledged the wisdom of watching Hadrian. She didn't trust the smooth talker.

  Glinda waited by the stairwell. A quick glance down the hall confirmed everything was business as usual. Conan was posted outside Hadrian's locked cell, pacing and flexing at no one in particular. She understood his restlessness. If only wiping the floor with the prisoner could be a permanent solution.

  "No way that twerp gets past the big guy," said Glinda, displaying more bravado in her soft voice than usual.

  That was odd. It's not that the healer wasn't brave—she'd proven invaluable in countless battles—but she didn't often boast so confidently. That was Lash's job. Then again, locked dungeon doors and muscly barbarians afforded a certain degree of surety.

  "First sign of trouble," reminded Lash.

  "You'll know about it," returned Glinda. "Don't forget there's an angel in there watching him."

  The knight twisted rose-colored lips. "If we're being honest, that thing scares me most of all. Haven's so-called security measures have done more to jack this place up than help. Forget the angel. If something happens, I'm counting on you and Coco."

  Lash's eyes trailed to one of the open cells in the hallway. It was pitch black within, but that hardly meant it was empty. Her thief could hide in shadows with the best of them.

  Crux was their insurance policy, a bonus ally Hadrian would be unaware of if something went down. He was a pacifist and wouldn't directly fight, but sometimes a little distraction was all a girl needed.

  The knight hefted her cleaver and headed back to the staircase, eager to listen for more city-rattling sounds of battle. As her armored foot clanked on the first step, two figures zoned into the dungeon ahead of her. They wore shining silver plate that put hers to shame.

  "Clear the area!" they commanded in unison. Before Lash could respond, the troops aggressively advanced.

  "So this is about ownership," asserted Christian.

  They'd regrouped at his desk to meld minds. This time Christian had allowed the hobbled Tad to take the Aeron chair. The CEO stood behind him, hands on the back of the seat, summing up their present theory.

  "Kablammy fails to launch, our debts catch up to us, we flounder, and someone swoops in to save the day."

  Tad snorted. "More like save their bank account. At least this means the bad guys have to unmask themselves."

  "Indeed, but it would be too late to save Haven. The cost of their 'help' would be the totality of our assets, if not buying the company outright." Christian capped off the statement with an unsettling grunt.

  Tad couldn't begin to imagine scraping up a tech empire that started with a single man in a garage; it was even harder to conceive of losing it all. One thing was sure, a tech company interested in acquiring Haven would be the best equipped to carry out a sophisticated sabotage operation. "So if we're agreed that the religious dogma is misdirection, we need to keep looking at companies capable of this. Kablammy's competition or contractors we've worked with."

  The CEO lightly pounded his fist on the chair's back. "The Trojan is the key. If we find the entry point for the virus they uploaded, we can find them."

  "It's a given that a mole infiltrated the building. Larry used Saint Loras to build Hadrian's power and sow discord in the beta. Could he have uploaded the virus before he was fired?"

  "I've considered that," said Christian. "While anything's possible, there's no evidence the Trojan was in the system before Larry was fired."

  "And no contractors have been in the building since then?"

  "No, not—" Christian paused as his brain allocated processing power to the alarming thought. "Some contractors participated remotely through InLink."

  Tad spun back to the monitor and opened the digital collaboration portal. "This is what I've been looking at. Which companies?" Tad brought up a text file on the second monitor. It listed potential bad actors with priority based on knowledge, access, and what they stood to gain.

  Abbie rushed into the office, breathing heavily. Tad and Christian focused on her, important news apparent in her face. "Sorry," she huffed, "I had to leave the building and walk a bit to get coverage. A tower must be down because the whole block is out."

  Tad remembered the favor Pete had asked of her. "Did you get in touch with the security people?"

  "I did." Her hands hung limp on her hips. "They transferred me to someone named Tony?" She eyed the two men for confirmation.

  "I don't know him," said the CEO. "Pete handled that end. He's currently occupied in the Bosom ramping up the Defenders."

  "I've been meaning to ask you about them," she chided.

  Tad cleared his throat. "Guys, what's the word on our security team?"

  Abbie waved her hand. "Sorry about that, force of habit. You know me." She giggled. "They're sending a team as soon as possible, but said it would take at least thirty minutes to coordinate. He didn't mention if that included transit time or not."

  The three of them blinked emptily at each other.

  "Well," started Christian, "that's not too bad. We can wait out half an hour by ourselves, right?"

  Abbie rested a nervous hand on top of Christian's. The back of the Aeron chair was right next to Tad's head, and he swore he detected a peculiar energy between them.

  The HR director noticed his inquisitive stare and quickly pulled her hand away. "Maybe we should consider relocating," she suggested. "The building is experiencing problems, we're understaffed... we need a breather. Why don't we all grab lunch at that upscale oyster place in your building? You always tell me how easy the walk is."

  Tad scrunched his brow. "I thought you lived in Mount Baker? The house is famous."

  Abbie tensed.

  "You know," the programmer continued, making air quotes. "The Titan of the Mount."

  Christian's face went grave at the mention of his old nickname. The CEO wandered to a door in his office's side wall. "I... need to run some logistics on the servers. I'll be a minute." He disappeared inside and shut the door.

  "Nice going," muttered Abbie.

  Tad blinked. "What did I say?"

  "Nobody calls him that anymore, and we certainly don't talk about the house in Mount Baker. That old house was his family home, a reminder of happier times. He lives in a loft now with hardly any pictures or reminders of his wife and kids. All that stuff stays at the old house, exactly as it was years ago."

  "Wait, you're saying he keeps the old place like some kind of shrine to his past life?"

  She shrugged. "He's an eccentric billionaire who's rich enough for the concession. Cut him some slack."

  Tad wordlessly studied the closed door of the server room.

  "That's it," Abbie sighed. "I told myself I wouldn't, but I need another Diet Coke." With renewed breath, she hurried from the office and left him to his thoughts.

  1640 Undying

  Izzy: Talon, are you okay?

  I blinked. It hurt to blink. The skin of my face was raw and there was too much light everywhere. Why was there dirt in m
y mouth?

  I shook awake as it came to me. The Rough Riders. The superbore.

  ...The explosion.

  A large reptilian face nuzzled my shoulder. Even without seeing clearly, I knew it was Bandit. I recognized that smell anywhere. I sat up and rubbed her neck. The girl was bleeding. I was too.

  I pulled two health flasks from my inventory and spread the love. The daze instantly evaporated and I became the spitting image of vigor.

  I couldn't say the same for the Rough Riders. Their bodies littered the tended land, many of them in crumpled pieces. The superbore, having been successfully dislodged from the gate, had exploded against Stronghold's stone wall. The blast radiated outward, sending bodies and debris down the eastern road. A large crater was torn in the ground, but the stone was too thick to crumble. The wall had absorbed and redirected the force away from the gate. The wooden doors had held.

  The bandit army, however, still loomed at a healthy distance. A hundred of mixed company, humans and goblins. They were hardly a worry. Without additional siege weapons they couldn't breach the gate. Without horses to hasten their advance, Izzy and the reinforcing contingent of archers would mow them down before they scaled the wall. The hesitance on the horizon was apparent.

  As for me? I was more determined than ever. This sideshow had to stop. I climbed up Bandit's shoulder and took to the saddle. She stomped forward and lifted off the ground. We flew straight over the city this time, back toward the horde.

  The dev menu provided a rough status of how the legion was doing. Still outnumbered, of course, but they had cut the ratio below three-to-one. That was steady progress, and worth the minimal losses to our side.

  We swooped over the west gate and scoured the battlefield. The visceral action below told a slightly different story than the numbers alone. Goblins and imps were spilling from the forest, revealing more than I had estimated. Credit where it was due: the pagan army was fighting hard. They substituted organization with grit. This was all-or-nothing for them.

  I was forced to consider tactics in a new light. Over two hundred pagans here and a hundred bandits to the east—that was overwhelming for the eighty remaining legionnaires without support. I could send out the other hundred soldiers, of course, or rally the player population, but I didn't want to risk the resources and didn't have the time.

  There was another way.

  I'd already seen how the horde reacted when the head of the snake was severed. It was their titan last time, Orik, but now I would make do with Azzyrk. Kill him and the rest was a formality. I opened the dev menu and recalled the legion back to the city.

  The soldiers methodically broke away, relying on their shield walls and backing toward the gate. Bandit dove and raked the line to stall pursuit. A swooping dragon could accomplish just about anything, but it took several passes to ward off the entire front line of the horde. Each time we rose back into the sky and readied another pass, I scanned the rear of the army. Finally, I spied the general mounted atop his purple lizard.

  Lash: We've got company in the dungeon, Talon.

  Talon: Hold them off.

  We rocketed over the invaders toward their leader. General Azzyrk locked eyes with me. He had a fierce countenance, stern features that commanded authority, a curled nose, earlobes that ended in points, and bone piercings in his cheeks. Red war paint striped his eyes and chest. That kind of presentation might be a hit with the errant folk, but it would do little against dragon teeth. Bandit's wings beat furiously closer.

  Lash: This group is trouble, boss. I can't tell if they're players or NPCs, but they're powerful.

  Talon: Who are they?

  Lash: They won't say. They want to take Hadrian.

  I bit down. Bandit was seconds away from Azzyrk. The general grinned sardonically and retreated into tree cover. The action wasn't panicked, it was casual. Planned, even.

  Lash: Boss?

  We sped low, just over the ground. Azzyrk was using the forest for protection. Without dragon breath, we'd need to land to engage him. A quick study of the surroundings revealed glints of metal in the trees. The general was laying a trap.

  Trap or not, I welcomed the challenge. The conditions weren't ideal, but it wouldn't be the first time I powered through to victory. This was our chance to finally teach Azzyrk a lesson. This was my moment...

  Any other moment.

  I gritted my teeth and broke off the attack vector. Bandit pulled up over the forest canopy and we veered back toward Stronghold. The west gate was open, the legion safely returning. The horde below spat and cawed.

  It pained me to back away from a fight, but the city was my priority.

  Talon: Hold your ground, Bravo Team. Alpha Team is en route.

  Christian returned to Tad's side sooner than expected. Perhaps Abbie had overreacted. Still, he was suddenly uncomfortable in the CEO's presence and desperately wanted to move onto a new subject.

  "So what's the deal with this so-called security team we contacted?"

  Christian kept his eyes on the monitor. "We haven't worked with them before but they're reputable and capable. All my billionaire friends recommend them."

  Tad stifled a chuckle. "I mean, do you think they're really necessary?"

  "I don't know. The idea was theoretical two days ago. Now they can't be here soon enough."

  "But they're gonna have guns, right?"

  "Better safe than sorry," said Christian. "It's the same reason I'm enforcing a skeleton crew. The core team, systems programmers, IT."

  "Don't forget Abbie," Tad said with distaste. "What would we ever do without HR?"

  "That's unkind," chided the CEO with a frown. "I've known her since our university days."

  Tad immediately felt bad for the dumb joke. His face reddened at a new possibility. "Don't tell me you two were college sweethearts or something."

  He laughed lightly. "Nothing like that, Tad. And I understand the HR jokes, but Abbie has done a lot for Kablammy. It's not easy to wrangle a conglomerate into one of the highest-rated work-life balances in the industry. She's published two white papers on the subject. She's either worked with or is being recruited by Facebook, Instaface, Facespace, InLink, Linkagram, and Instabook. Abbie is, quite frankly, a hot commodity."

  Before Tad could apologize, the HR director returned with her ambrosia of the gods in a can. Thankfully, Christian was good-humored about the subject. "Plus," he added loudly with a wink, "if I didn't have HR onsite, Kablammy could be sued for having a hostile workplace environment."

  Abbie chuckled and splayed her arms up. "Job security," she chimed. "Why, am I in trouble?"

  Christian shook his head. "Certainly not. You've got a great head on your shoulders, just not when it comes to computers."

  "No way! I'm a techie. Look at these cool thumb drives I just bought." She pulled a USB drive from her pocket that was shaped like a brown poop emoji.

  Christian wasn't having it. "Abbie, you call tech support every time you're prompted for a password."

  Tad laughed along with them, happy that Christian's mood was beginning to lighten.

  Abbie dramatically rolled her eyes. "I'm not that bad, you guys. Besides, that's what IT's for." Her tone soured. "When Emilio's around, anyway."

  Tad leaned back in his chair and scratched the top of his leg just under the cast. "I've hung out with Emilio a few times. It doesn't seem like him to disappear."

  "I agree," said Abbie, "but an emergency's an emergency." Her eyes went wide. "Ooh! What if the emergency was something to do with the satellite?"

  "Don't get carried away," tempered Christian. "I trust my skeleton crew."

  Abbie sucked her teeth. "Even that new team Peter's bringing in the game?"

  Christian smiled and pushed away from the back of Tad's chair. "I'm sorry for leaving you out of the loop, Abbie. There are extenuating circumstances. The Defenders have all worked with Pete before in some capacity. He vouches for them."

  Tad frowned. "But Larry was on his team too."
He suddenly thought of the list he'd been compiling. He went back over Kablammy's InLink connections. "Wait a minute, wasn't Saint Loras driven by that outside contractor from time to time? Where's that focus testing company?" Tad rapped his finger near the top of his collected suspects. "Boost Systems."

  "Don't jump to conclusions," cautioned the CEO. "Larry, the human, was the problem. After he was fired, Loras was a manifestation of the Trojan. There's no reason to suspect Boost Systems just because they interacted with the avatar. Besides, Pete's good friends with the team. He thinks very highly of focus testing."

  Abbie set down her soda can. "I knew something was bugging me about her. Steph's a Boost employee now."

  "We need to talk to Pete," said Tad, pushing to his feet with a grimace. Walking with a crutch wasn't so bad, once you got used to it, but standing after a long sit was the worst.

  Christian swallowed uncomfortably. "It... it might be worth mentioning to him, but he's in Haven, interrogating Hadrian with the Defenders."

  "And what if the Defenders are the problem?" posed Tad.

  "I'm sure it's nothing. He vouched for them."

  Tad reached for his phone. "I'll Everchat him then. Just to put it out there."

  Christian thankfully didnn't object. But the gears of his mind were already two steps ahead. "You do make a good point, Abbie. We've relied on personal connections, but we haven't properly vetted our employees based on work history. There could be something there." With the Aeron chair free, the CEO took over and opened the employee database. The skeleton crew was flagged, as well as a list of contractors that included the Defenders.

  Tad waited impatiently as the Everchat app stalled on a spinning icon. Duh, the network was down. The handshake failure prevented him from entering his profile and contact list. He could use Christian's workstation to call, but his boss was already plugging away at it. Abbie was at his side, chiming in with helpful strategies.