In Beta

by Prescott Harvey

  He reached Jay, and Jay began to sputter. “They took the disk and—”

  “I know,” Hal spat, pushing Jay aside and heading straight for Jeremy.

  John S

  The window to Tutorial was unlocked, as Jay had said it would be. Stevie slowly pushed it open and wriggled into the classroom. Her heart was pounding; breaking into a classroom went against every fiber of her being. What would Ms. Rotchkey say if she walked in right now? But she wouldn’t, Stevie tried to tell herself. No one would ever know.

  She moved past the desks, past the chalkboard, fumbling in the dark. It was horrible being there at night, with the lights off and no teacher. In the far, far distance, she could still make out the thump of music from the gym, but it now blended with the crickets in the pines. She pulled The Build from where she’d tucked it in her bra, then tiptoed over to the computer, laid it on the desk, and clicked on the monitor. Immediately, bright blue light filled the room and she turned away, waiting for her eyes to adjust. If anyone came up the trail, would they see the light through the window? And what if Hal were watching? Stevie breathed in, fighting the urge to run.

  Wait for Hal to come. That was the plan. Don’t make any changes till he’s in the game.

  She pushed the disk into its drive until it clicked into place.

  The light on her screen flickered, and Stevie startled. If Hal found her there, he could delete her, like he’d done with Todd. She quickly scanned the portable, half-expecting to see the outline of Hal in a corner. But no one was there. Her hand trembling, she double-clicked on the disk’s icon and booted up The Build. The screen centered on the interior gym. She saw red lights flickering, and the tiny pixelated forms of students as they danced in undulating loops. She clicked around, reading names, working her way through the crowd. Scott, Chrissy, Hector, Ana, Hal.

  Hal!

  His avatar was moving toward the gym doors, thinly outlined in a frame of golden pixels. She clicked on him. A small window of stats popped up.

  strength: 100. speed: 100. hit points: 100. intelligence: 100.

  She double-clicked on Hal, and a little window popped up: access denied.

  She gave a low whistle and pulled her walkie-talkie off her dress, switching it on with a small beep.

  “Jay, do you copy?”

  Seconds ticked by. No response.

  “Jay . . . I got a visual. Can you confirm?”

  They had tested their walkies in the car ride over. Why weren’t they working now? Were the cement C-Court walls too thick? She scrolled, looking for Jay in the gym.

  The ramp outside the portable creaked. Stevie sat up, eyes wide.

  There it was again—another creak. Someone was heading up the ramp.

  As quietly as she could, Stevie scrolled out of the gym, across C-Court, into the darkness outside, and then up to Tutorial. She zoomed in on the little portable where her avatar sat in front of the monitor. Outside in the dark, a stocky avatar was creeping toward the Tutorial door. She clicked on it.

  It was John S.

  Stevie gasped. Somehow, the Johns knew. She leaned and peered at his stats.

  strength: 10. speed: 10. hit points: 10. intelligence: 10.

  The door handle jiggled, and she froze, unsure what to do. She clicked off the monitor, pushed her way back from the computer, and tiptoed to the window, clicking its latches shut. Now she was locked in. Try though he might, John S couldn’t get her. She held her breath in the darkness. Listening. The door handle jiggled again. Then there was silence.

  She was about to return to the computer, when she heard keys jangling. She froze; her blood ran cold. She heard a key scratch into the lock. Stevie began to hyperventilate. The doorknob turned again, and this time the door swung open. John S stepped into the room.

  Crasher

  Jay couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Looking at Hal was like looking in a mirror. All Hal’s weight and wrinkles had melted away: he was the spitting image of Jay. Jay was so busy taking in his own face, he barely noticed that Hal was pushing past him, hissing.

  “I told you this would happen.”

  Jay had a moment to ponder what Hal meant, and then Hal was gone. The music had stopped, so the only sound was hard soles clacking on the gym floor and the hissing of smoke machines. The six Johns who had slipped into the gym stood looking from Jay to Hal, then over to Jeremy, expectant. All the students were slowly backing away, creating a ring around the Jays and the Johns. A gym door flew open and Mr. Amrine strode in, spotting the circle, and stopped to stare at Hal and Jay.

  Hal turned to the stunned onlookers. He motioned to Jay.

  “Your prom king thinks he’s pretty funny, doesn’t he? Likes jokes.”

  Nobody spoke.

  Then Jeremy muttered to John H and John B, “Go up to the classroom with John S. Make sure they don’t try anything else.”

  Jeremy stepped forward and grabbed Hal’s shoulder.

  “There’s been way too much Jay Banksman lately.”

  Hal grabbed Jeremy’s fingers and twisted them back in a sickening crunch. Jeremy screamed and stumbled, holding his hand. The Johns stepped away, fearful.

  Coach Amrine strode forward. “Hey!”

  Hal grabbed the coach’s arm and flipped him on his back. Seeing a teacher taken out was the final straw. The prom-goers screamed and pushed backward, rushing to get away.

  Hal snarled at Jay, “You wanna do this, or should I?”

  Mr. Amrine lay on the floor, sucking wind. Jeremy had his back against the wall, holding his hand and grimacing. Kids were now trampling to escape. They pushed up against the gym doors, pounding on them and screaming. Jay saw other teachers fighting the crowd to make their way to Mr. Amrine. It was all happening so fast, he didn’t know what to do. He saw no sign of Colin or Liz. And where the hell was Stevie?

  Drag & Scroll

  Stevie watched John S search the darkness before coming to rest on her dull outline. She watched his hand reach out and flick on the lights. She cringed at the bright overhead lights. John S’s face, which had always been ugly, beamed maliciously in neon light.

  “Well, well. Thought we’d find someone up here.”

  Stevie studied John S’s face. He was one of the shorter Johns, with freckles and mean, squinty eyes. Like Jay, his muscles were greatly enlarged, his face more chiseled than she’d ever seen it. But with Jay, these changes had looked somewhat natural. Somehow, on this John, they looked grotesque, as if too big for his body. He stepped forward and held out his hand.

  “I’ll need you to give me your disk.”

  Stevie stood frozen. So the Johns knew everything.

  “And every other copy you might have.”

  Stevie lunged for the computer, clicked on the monitor and grabbed the mouse. She heard John’s footsteps rush forward, heard him plow through desks. Onscreen, she saw his avatar right behind hers. She double-clicked, knowing it was too late, expecting his hands to grab her at any moment.

  But they didn’t. She opened her eyes. Onscreen, John remained frozen where he was.

  She turned around. John S was actually floating in midair, grunting and writhing, lashing out with his fists, trying to reach her.

  “Put me down!”

  She stood and watched him for a moment in awe, then turned back to the computer and dragged his figure back. She heard his voice moving farther away. She turned to see him hovering over Todd’s old desk. With one hand, she zigzagged his floating body back and forth, and he swung his fists as if to strike whatever invisible strings were holding him up in the air. It dawned on Stevie that as long as she had him selected, he couldn’t move.

  Stevie grinned. “Enjoy the walk back.”

  A look of confusion clouded John’s stupid face. With his avatar still selected, she scrolled out of Tutorial. Immediately, John vanished. She scrolled and scrolled, o
ut into the woods, to the very edge of the Bickleton map, then double-clicked. She watched as John’s tiny avatar dropped, pulled itself up, and spun around in a circle, examining the forest.

  Her heart pounding, Stevie scrolled back to the gym.

  Students were scattered around the edges. Hal stood by the doors, a speech bubble hovering over his mouth. She tried to click on him, and a red window popped up: access denied. She grabbed her walkie.

  “Jay?”

  Remote

  Jay leaned over and helped Mr. Amrine off the floor. One of his eyes was bright red, as if the capillaries had burst. He looked between Jay and Hal.

  “What the hell’s happening?”

  Jay shook his head. He heard a faint noise from the walkie-talkie in his pocket and ignored it.

  Students were screaming now, begging to be let out. The DJ was hiding behind his booth, his turntables abandoned. Prom-goers and chaperones huddled in dark corners. Tables were overturned, and Jeremy limped backward through them, cradling his hand. Hal strode calmly toward him and grabbed his tuxedo lapel. Jay noticed the remote was hanging from his right hand.

  “Jay, come here,” Hal said calmly. Jay obeyed. The crowd was no longer staring at his naked body. Hal put an arm on Jay’s shoulder.

  “We’re gonna do this together, okay?”

  Jay nodded.

  Hal took another step toward Jeremy. “Take off your clothes.”

  Jeremy winced, nodded, and began unbuttoning his jacket. Jay’s gaze searched the crowd, desperate for some sign of what to do. Colin stood on the edge of the students, mouth hanging open. Liz stood by his side, her glance moving uncertainly from Jay, to Hal, to Jeremy.

  Jeremy was pulling off his buttoned shirt now, his face in agony over his broken hand. Hal watched him hungrily. Deep pain seemed to be working its way out from his insides. He stepped forward and grabbed the shirtless Jeremy by his throat and lifted him up with his left hand, holding his remote like a club in the other.

  “Everyone,” he barked at the gym. “I want you to watch very closely. This is what happens to bullies in Bickleton.”

  He squeezed Jeremy’s neck and his face turned purple. His eyes bulged and he squirmed in Hal’s grasp, fighting for his life. He looked inhuman. The crowd of students turned away, sensing what was about to come. Jay stepped forward.

  “I thought you said I got to do it?”

  Hal turned, and Jay found himself inches away from his own face. Hal’s face looked furious, and for a moment, Jay thought he might strike him. But then Hal nodded calmly.

  “You’re right. This isn’t about me anymore. Here.”

  He placed Jeremy down, and the high school senior fell to all fours, gasping for air.

  “Can you, uh, bump my strength a little more? I’ve got something I want to try.”

  Hal nodded and spun his remote into both hands. He pointed it at Jay and clicked some buttons with rapid speed. Jay felt his muscles enlarge even more. He stepped over Jeremy and held his fist over Jeremy’s head.

  “Jay!” Mr. Amrine held out a hand. He looked terrified. “Don’t do this.”

  Hal held out a finger, and Mr. Amrine fell into silence. Jay looked down into Jeremy’s eyes.

  “Jeremy, you’re a real piece a shit.”

  He glanced at Hal, who nodded approvingly. On the perimeter of the gym, the entire school watched in silence.

  “But it’s not your fault you’re programmed that way.”

  Jay leapt forward and ripped the remote from Hal’s hand. Hal stared at Jay, uncomprehending. Jay took several steps back. Without taking his eyes off Hal, he grabbed the walkie-talkie from his pocket.

  “Do it now.”

  Hal took a step toward Jay, and Jay wound up and hurled the black remote. It vanished in midair. Hal shuddered, red-faced, veins bulging.

  “What have you done?!” he screamed.

  “You lied!” Jay shouted back.

  “Don’t you dare feel sorry for her,” Hal snarled.

  “You’re going to kill her.”

  “No!” Hal stamped a foot and shook the gym floor. “Just her body.”

  “That’s crazy!”

  Hal licked his lips. “She won’t even notice when it happens. Neither will you. How beautiful is that? Immortality. Not that she deserves it. But I didn’t do it for her.”

  Hal stared into Jay’s eyes, and for a second, Jay saw something else in his face. It reminded Jay of the look he’d sometimes caught in his father’s eyes.

  Then, from behind the gym doors came the sound of footsteps. The doors clanged, and Jay heard Sheriff Jenkins’s voice shouting from the other side. Immediately, kids began to scream.

  “Help!”

  “We’re in here!”

  Hal ignored them, continuing.

  “You don’t ever have to look death in the face. You don’t know what it’s like to have your body slowly taken from you. I won’t always be here to look after you. One day soon, you’ll see what it is I’ve done for you.”

  “Let her go,” Jay pleaded.

  Hal threw his head back and laughed. There was a click of the gym doors unlocking. They flew open and Sheriff Jenkins strode into the room, followed by teachers.

  “You think I’m so stupid, I’d let myself be trapped in my own program?”

  Hal turned and ran, bowling over Sheriff Jenkins. Jay swore and pulled up his walkie-talkie.

  “Stevie. He’s on the move. I need you to track him.”

  Aftermath

  Jay elbowed his way through the students rushing the doors, trying to keep eyes on Hal. The gym was in utter chaos. Students scrambled, teachers shouted. The bay lights flickered back on, revealing a wasteland of overturned tables, smashed cups, and trampled streamers.

  Jay saw Mr. Amrine help Jeremy up. Jeremy cradled a broken hand in his wife beater and pants, the color drained from his face. There was an angry red ring around his neck.

  “Stevie?!” Jay screamed into his walkie-talkie as he fought a tide of bodies that pushed at the door. “Do you copy?”

  “I see him,” came her small voice. “He’s crossing the parking lot. Looks like he’s heading down Simmons Road.”

  Jay cursed. There was no way he could catch him. Through the bodies of kids in front of him, he could see the red lights of the sheriff’s car flashing across C-Court. The walkie-talkie buzzed again.

  “He’s heading into the trees. Looks like he’s searching for something in a tree.”

  “Stevie, you’ve got to get Liz out.”

  A voice came from right behind him. “Help me out, Elmer.”

  Jay spun around to see Mr. Amrine. He was regarding Jay warily, keeping his distance. Jay looked over his shoulder to see Elmer closing in on the other side, cornering him. He felt a moment of pity as he balled his hand into a fist.

  “Sorry, nothing personal.”

  And with that, he turned and hurled himself at Elmer, expecting to bowl him over. To his surprise, he hit Elmer’s fat body and bounced back, landing on the gym floor. He looked up, stunned, as Elmer stood over him, then down at his naked frame. His muscles had vanished, shrank down to normal. He was his old self. Skinny, frail, and weak. His mind felt foggy. He tried to roll back through his memories, but it was like lugging through a foggy marsh. It took him a moment to realize Hal must had taken away his powers.

  Elmer lifted Jay up with one hand, staring at him, incredulous.

  “He did this?”

  Mr. Amrine nodded. “I dunno. He had an e-evil twin or something.” He tossed Jay his rumpled tuxedo, disgusted. “Put some clothes on.”

  “Hey, over here!” The two adults turned to see Liz approaching.

  “Take me, too.”

  Sheriff Jenkins exchanged a glance with Coach Amrine.

  Liz continued. “I started this, a lo
ng time ago. I can explain.”

  The sheriff resignedly grabbed Liz and led the two of them out through the kids in C-Court, into the cold night air. The rain was now a muted drizzle, and Jay’s tuxedo froze to his skin. His teeth began to chatter.

  An ambulance clattered over C-Court’s speed bump and parked in front of the gym doors. Elmer unlocked his car and shoved Jay and Liz into the back seat.

  “What are you doing?” he hissed at Liz. “You should be up with Stevie.”

  Liz looked out her window. Students were pouring out of the school. Now that the danger had passed, some of them laughed. Headlights flickered on and trucks rumbled to life. Jay watched Lacey Graves and Buster Alcott splash across a puddle. Another boy ran over, gesturing, and the three of them nodded eagerly. Windows rolled down. The faces of seniors were nodding and pointing. Trucks began to leave the parking lot. Jay watched in disbelief. They were heading to the after-party.

  “They still don’t realize what’s happening.”

  He settled into his plastic seat. Compared to the night air, the back seat of the patrol car felt warm and dry. The mixture of cold air and adrenaline had him clenching and unclenching his muscles. Liz watched a flock of girls bustle past. A few peered in the windows as they ran. Jay craned his neck to see if he could see Tutorial, but the dark clump of trees blocked his view. He stretched himself out, hoping against hope that Stevie had found a way to get Liz out. His wet jacket squeaked against the plastic seat. He glanced over at Liz and saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I just, uh . . . there’s a lot I’m going to miss.”

  “You’re not dead yet.”

  “How do you know? How do you know he hasn’t . . . done it? I’m not going to notice when it happens.”

  Jay realized she was right. He realized with a chill that she might already be dead. There would be no way to know. But he couldn’t let himself think that; he couldn’t give up just yet. He changed the subject.