Spark(11)

Spark smiled wryly at the thought. Everyone assumed being a star must be wonderful, but she was grateful for any bit of normalcy she could find in her crazy life.






 
    Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure,   Magic
    
 


 

CHAPTER FOUR


Clutching his large soda—his second of the morning—Aran showed his badge to the convention center guard in the booth.
“Aran Cole,” he said. “Early appointment with VirtuMax.”
He hoped Spark hadn’t forgotten to put him on the list.
Apparently she hadn’t, because the guard nodded and buzzed him into the eerily quiet convention center. Eight hours ago, the place had been humming with late-night energy and side parties. He and Bix, by virtue of their badges and official volunteer T-shirts, had been able to attend a fair number of gatherings.
At some point during the evening a woman dressed as a robo-enforcer, and her friend, a scantily clad warrior princess with a tongue as sharp as her blade, had hooked up with them. They’d danced to old-school club music; heavy, bone-shaking beats that made the masked and be-sparkled creatures on the temporary dance floor seem as though they were all one big creature. A huge organism, with each fan comprising an individual cell.
Aran had tried a cup of weirdly-glowing blue punch, and hadn’t even finished it. He wasn’t much of a drinker, plus he wanted to be sharp the next morning. Bix got a little wilder, and Aran had to talk him out of going home with the robo-enforcer. As it was, they’d barely made the last train to Bix’s neighborhood. Aran had given him a boost through his bedroom window, then crawled into his own nest in the lightless back garage.
Now, Aran felt himself waking up as he walked between the still booths, making for the section marked off by VirtuMax. That part of the Expo Hall was anything but sleepy, as the techs got ready for the big demo day. They’d cordoned off spaces for lines to snake back and forth, in preparation for the huge influx of eager gamers. Aran couldn’t help feeling smug about his personal invite. Sure, he knew Spark was just being gracious—he was too smart to read anything into it, which was maybe why she’d invited him in the first place—but it still felt good.
He spotted Spark’s bright hair immediately, and veered over to where she was talking with one of the techs, a woman with a serious expression in her brown eyes.
“I agree, fifteen systems aren’t enough,” Spark was saying. “But it’s all we get. I don’t have that much pull with the company, as you know.” She turned to Aran with a smile. “Hi! Glad you made it. Aran, this is Vonda, our lead on the floor today. Vonda, if you have a system ready to go, I’ve got you a tester.”
Vonda nodded. “Over here.”
“Thanks,” Aran said.
He was torn between wanting to talk to Spark and diving into the FullD. Spark’s smile deepened.
“Go ahead. You can tell me what you think after you play.”
“I’ll do that,” Aran said.
He followed Vonda to where a gleaming FullD system sat, humming softly under the bright lights. She handed him a helmet and gloves.
“You know your way around an interface?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Aran slipped on the gloves and flexed his fingers. The fit was good, and the LEDs shone like tiny bits of rainbow. He slid into the chair and pulled the helmet on. Geared up and ready to go.
“Right then,” Vonda said. “Give a yell if you get stuck.”
He lifted one hand in acknowledgement, then turned his attention to the visor screen. The letter F, made of golden flame, took up most of his vision. With the flick of his index finger, Aran activated the game.
Moody, mysterious music played through the helmet. Words appeared, glowing and golden across the black background.
WELCOME TO FEYLAND
A VirtuMax Production
Version 1.1
A shiver of excitement ran down Aran’s spine. There was nothing like the thrill of entering a new game for the first time. He hoped Feyland would live up to its hype and pull him into the supposedly brilliant simulation of a fantastical world—and that the holes and cheats wouldn’t be too obvious. Half of the fun of running new content was the game, sure, but the other half was trying to get behind the interface, game the game as it were.
Words scrolled across the screen.
FEYLAND: A wondrous place where adventure awaits. Alone, or with other bold adventurers, seek out glory and riches, or pledge yourself in service to the greater good. This fabled land needs your skills and prowess to avert the dark shadows of the Neverwhere. Do you have the strength to prevail, or will you fail, as so many champions have before? Prove yourself in the epic game of Feyland!