Page 55 (1/2)

Then I focus on Brennar and colitch myself into his place, I’d better make sure I can do it on my first try What will happen today, if the Phoenix Riders don’t win the gaers his plans?

The announcers are introducing the players now I strip down Brennar’s data, then ets going, I say to Asher He’s not activated yet

I’ll be watching, he replies I’ll warn you if I see anything

I take a deep breath and look back down at the scene Each of the players stands at the edge of their bridge, looking down at the water below the at one another No one can reach the other--everyone is separated by a good fifty feet of space in the central gap I can see Asher’s lipseach of the Riders their instructions My attention shifts to the enor the inside of the circular steel wall Red lights start to flash at the top of each door What’s kept inside? And where is Zero? My skin prickles in real life knowing that Zero is watching this ga it in the saht!" the announcer shouts The invisible audience lets out a thunderous cheer

At the sa all across the world It cohts at the top of each of the ten steel doors The players whirl around Ha her bridge I bringover the bridges The doors shudder in unison, then begin to pull up, the sound grating with their weight Ha back at the other Riders The Androes, too, and as the doors rise farther, I get a glis Circular chroher, a barrel-like chest, each one different in design, with powerful arlass lining the aze travels up Tento be boarded

The waters in the lake and out in the open ocean churn furiously now, turning choppier as a stor I double-tap on the area oftoward his mech The world zoo on as he approaches the steel door He begins to clie over, Ha on its head She searches for the entrance, finds it, pries so froht up, bathing thesound starts--like soine--and rises to a fever pitch Heras fluidly as if Hae trembles from each step

Asher reaches his mech second As he enters the robot, his Artifact also vanishes from view I let out a breath in disappoint that if I want to usepower-up to steal her Artifact, I’ll have to first get her out of the mech Shahira hops into her robot a breath behind Asher, and then Franco, the Andromedans’ Architect, follows suit I look down at Brennar He’s almost there, but there’s no question that he’s slower than the others, having been yanked into the final tournament with no time at all to train Even so--he wasn’t chosen as a wild card for nothing He reaches the top of his lowing bright blue

I bring up a grid over Brennar and hisblock of code over , I ether, and I could be exposed to the entire audience Zero would know instantly where I a And once I’m in as an actual player, I’ll have to ht ahen he’s no longer able to control his avatar He’ll alert the security, and they will pause the ga to strike!" the announcer exclaims, and my attention whirlsdown the bridge toward the central gap As she reaches the end of the bridge, her ives a s extend fronificent display She launches into the air with a single swoop As she goes, she grabs a speed power-up, and in a burst of tee where Asher’s e shakes from her impact, and the sound reverberates across the virtual space

I type faster I have to get into this ga up a lattice-like iet to his h them, I can see the outline of Brennar inside Ready, I mouth to myself

Then I type a co outside of his ht

The world rushes around me, and when I open my eyes, I am inside the cockpit of the mech More important, I’m inside of Brennar’s body, with complete control over his avatar