by Kate Moretti
The alarm beeped. High and piercing—the most annoying sound in history. Sleepiness clung to Jane’s head, but she couldn’t laze around. Vieve was counting on her.
Jane banged the touchscreen on the wall to make the alarm shut up. The shades over the wide window at the back of the room automatically lifted, revealing the glowing surface of Yemico, the planet Kozen Float orbited. Stars twinkled against the infinite blackness surrounding the blue-green globe.
She sat up then yelped at what she saw.
There was a guy in her bedroom. Zared, her boyfriend, was sitting at her desk with his long legs stretched out before him. He swiped her slate—a small, portable computer with a touchscreen. A smirk curved his lips. He looked as handsome as ever, with his black hair falling over his dark, mesmerizing eyes. His blue T-shirt made his tanned skin glow and clung appealingly to his toned body while revealing his muscular arms.
But it didn’t matter how good he looked—she hadn’t invited him! “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Oh, hey, you’re awake.” Zared flashed her a devilish grin and approached, still holding her slate. He glanced at it and chuckled. “Your code’s a mess.”
“Shut up.” Jane stood, not caring that she was in her pajamas, or that her hair was a poofed-out mess of dark brown tangles. “How’d you get in here?”
“With a universal access card.” He shrugged. “All the student supervisors have them.”
“But what gives the right to barge in while I’m sleeping?” She was near enough to slap him and seriously considered doing so.
“Because you’re mine, babe.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
She pushed him back. “That’s not a reason!”
He sighed and tilted his head down, looking up at her with something of a pout. “I wanted to see you, okay? You’ve been so busy, I feel like you dumped me for your code.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “You’re hot when you’re mad.”
Jane lifted an eyebrow. “A hot mess maybe.”
“I mean it, sweetness. You always look like a princess to me.” He flashed her that grin once more, and he looked so rakishly handsome, she found she couldn’t stay mad at him. Besides, he was right—she had been neglecting him.
He kissed her again, and this time, she didn’t stop him. She wasn’t sure how much she actually liked making out with him—seemed like an awful lot of spit-swapping while her mind grew bored—but she was his girlfriend, and this was what people in relationships did. And he was so ridiculously good-looking, she didn’t exactly mind, either.
He’d been the only guy at her school she hadn’t thought she could get if she wanted. Every girl wanted to date the President’s son. Rich, handsome, charming—what wasn’t to like? She’d always been among the pretty ones, with her big eyes and shapely lips, and had plenty of admirers, but Zared Ramos, she’d believed, was out of everyone’s league, including hers. She would’ve bet her slate on him strutting into the school’s winter dance with a holodrama star on his arm. So when he’d asked her, she’d had to say yes, even though she found him a bit of a jerk sometimes. Declining would have been like winning a lottery and refusing the prize.
Zared finally freed her lips from his and threw her a half-smile. “So how’s the entry coming?” He held up her slate. “Looks like you’re in some trouble. Don’t worry, though. No one’s expecting you to win.”
“Excuse me?” Jane cocked her head. “Thought you were supposed to be rooting for me.”
“Just trying to take the pressure off, babe. You don’t wanna be some nerdy programmer anyway.”
She narrowed her eyes. Everyone wanted his or her school to win—why wouldn’t Zared? He’d picked her because he believed in her, hadn’t he? “Why’d you choose me, then?”
“Because you can out-code anyone in Cyber Club and look smoking hot while you’re at it.” He kissed her forehead, but both the gesture and his words rang false. “All right, I’ll leave you to your program.” He tossed the slate to her and turned to leave.
She rushed to block him. “You’re lying.”
“Why would you say that?” He angled his head. “You are smoking hot.”
“I mean about why you picked me for the A-Comp. Don’t try to charm your way out of this one, Zared. I want the truth.”
“What? I’m not allowed to think you’re the best? Stop acting crazy.” He tried to maneuver around her, but she blocked him again.
“The truth!” She glared, certain that he was hiding something. And she wasn’t about to let him get away with calling her crazy.
Zared huffed. “Fine. Doesn’t matter at this point anyway.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“The A-Comp’s not the Academy’s thing.” He shrugged. “We’re not a tech school. Whoever interns with Marcus Streger, it doesn’t affect our reputation. East, on the other hand, is all about this cyber crap. George Blumenthal would do anything to win, especially considering who his dad is. Even throw another competition.”
Jane suddenly recalled all the times Zared had complained about how much pressure he was under to win Model IC—a contest simulating the debates that took place at the Interstellar Confederation’s headquarters. The victor would intern in the office of the actual IC’s Chairman. Zared’s goal was to be President, like his dad, someday, and his future career hinged on his political abilities, so he wanted to win bad.
Jane realized what was going on. George, student president and contestant from East Olara Secondary School, had agreed to throw Model IC if Zared would make sure the Central Academy of Kydera Major—her school—lost the A-Comp.
Which meant Zared hadn’t chosen her because he thought she could win but because he was sure she wouldn’t.
Rage flared in her chest. “You thought I was too stupid for this.”
“C’mon, sweetness.” Zared reached toward her face. “That’s not—”
She smacked his hand away. “It’s true, isn’t it? Is that why you were in here? To wreck my code? Make sure I wasn’t cooking up anything good and ruining your little deal?” She gritted her teeth. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Of course not!” He widened his eyes with mock innocence. “George asked me to pick you because you’re the only girl in Cyber Club, and—”
“Oh, so that makes me the worst?”
He rolled his eyes. “You wanna be a musician, right? What do you care about cyberengineering? Stop being so dramatic.”
“Dramatic? You just confessed to cheating!”
“It’s not cheating, really. I only—”
“Get out.” She couldn’t take any more of his crap. Stepping away from him, she pointed emphatically at the door. “Now. And if I ever find you here uninvited again, I’ll report you.”
He snorted. “Like that’ll stick.” As he opened the door and stepped out, he grumbled, “Crazy bitch.”
Furious, she smashed the button to close the door, and it slid shut abruptly, clipping the back of Zared’s head. The cursing that followed gave her a mild sense of satisfaction.
Ugh, I hate him. She thought about following him and dumping him on the spot, right there in the middle of the hallway for everyone to see. But she couldn’t. He may have been a jerk—and a cheater, apparently—but he was still Zared Ramos, the most desirable eighteen-year-old in the Kyderan system. And her dad would be so disappointed if she squandered her opportunity to claim him, since she’d never do better.
Part of her wondered if she should apologize so he wouldn’t break up with her, but every inch of her mind balked at the idea. Screw him! Just to piss him off, I’m gonna win this thing.
Jane clenched her fist around her slate and marched toward her desk, aiming to dive back into her code and see whether Zared had screwed it up. Even if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t come
out until she’d made it work already. If she had to, she would spend all day untangling nested “if” statements and taming her functions, never mind what the rest of the world was up to.
Then she remembered why she’d been so anxious to get up that morning. Vieve! I promised to help her! What was more, Zared had given her the answer she needed. She’d just been too angry to see it at first.
George Blumenthal must’ve set Vieve up. If he’s desperate enough to throw another big competition just to win the A-Comp, he’d definitely sabotage someone.
Her blood boiled. Vieve could go to jail because George wanted a gold-star internship on his résumé. Well, he wasn’t going to get away with it.
Jane changed out of her nightclothes, throwing on the first outfit she spotted, and then folded her slate from its usual rectangle into a smaller triangular form. She stuck in the pocket of her purple skirt. After slipping into her shoes, she stormed out of her room.
George’s dorm lay at the other end of the smooth gray corridor. She marched up to it and punched the touchscreen to request entry. When he didn’t answer, she banged the door with her fists.
“Dude, chill!” George, audible only through the intercom, sounded irritated.
“Open up!” Jane kicked the door.
It slid open, revealing George’s irritated face. She’d always thought his upturned nose and narrow green eyes gave him a haughty look, as if he were always looking down at her. Which he kind of was, since he was almost a foot taller than she was. His dark brows were low and his short brown locks unkempt.
He glared. “What’s your problem?”
“You’re a dirty cheater!” she exclaimed.
He snickered. “Didn’t know you were pals with my girlfriend, but we agreed that what happens on Kozen Float stays on Kozen Float.”
“Ew! That’s not what I meant!” She made a face at the idea of anyone dating the scumbag. “Zared told me about your little deal. I—”
“Shut up!” He looked down the corridor, alarmed.
“So you admit it then? You—”
“Get outta here.” He pressed a button inside, and the door started to slide shut.
The instant she saw the movement, Jane leaped forward, jumping inside before it could close. It slammed behind her. “You’re not getting rid of me so easily.”
George gave her a look of disbelief. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Having a bad morning, so don’t try me, or—”
“Or what?” He rolled his eyes. “All right, you got me. Zared said he’d pick—”
“I know about that! What about Vieve Hua?”
“That freak should never have been allowed to enter this competition.” George scowled. “Yeah, I called the authorities on her entry. And, yeah, I deleted it so she couldn’t prove anything. Now will you leave?”
Jane clenched her fists. “I’m reporting you.”
“Who’s gonna believe you?”
Too angry to retort, she spun toward the door.
“Hey!” George called.
She turned to him. “What?”
“Glad Zared picked his girl.” He winked with a nasty grin.
Something within her snapped. Her balled-up fist shot into his shoulder, sending him staggering back. Her tongue itched with a rant about how utterly stupid he was to think that being a girl made you less of a coder. But she’d wasted enough time with the clown and couldn’t stand the sight of his ugly face anymore.
So she marched out without another word. She started toward the elevator then thought better of it. An accusation from her father would stick more than one from her would. That was why Vieve had come to her in the first place, after all. Dad probably knew the people who owned the A-Comp.
She returned to her room. After unfolding her slate and snapping it flat, she found her father’s contact info.
Her video call was answered but not by Victor Colt. The person who appeared instead looked like a twenty-two-year-old version of him, except with dark hair sweeping his forehead instead of cropped grayish-brown locks.
“Jane?”
“Hey, Devin,” she said. “Where’s Dad?”
“Corporate retreat.” Her moody big brother never said much.
“I need to talk to him. Now.”
Devin shook his head. “He’s unreachable. At one of those week-long closed-door sessions, where he and the other masters of the galaxy decide everyone’s fates.”
Her stomach sank. She was all too familiar with those kinds of summits. Even President Ramos couldn’t get a hold of Dad now.
“Crap.” She considered asking Devin for help, but without Dad, he’d have no more luck than she would. Guess I’m on my own.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll figure it out.”
“He’ll be done in three days, but after that, he’s heading to the Iothe system for a week. He’s booked for back-to-back meetings with some pretty important people, so it’ll be tough to get his attention.”
“What, are you his secretary now?” She gave him a joking smirk. “And you used to be such a rebel.”
He glanced away, and a pained look clouded his dark eyes. “Yeah, I remember.”
Though she didn’t understand why her brother seemed eternally anguished, her heart ached for him. He’d always been tormented by unseen demons, but their mother’s death a year ago had really broken him. She would have given anything to see a smile—a real smile—from the person she loved most in the universe.
“Hey,” she said. “I love you, bro. No matter what—you know that, right?”
His expression warmed. “Love you, too, Pony.”
She grimaced at the childhood nickname then changed the subject. “So, my A-Comp presentation is in a few days. I know that between business school and working for Dad, you literally have no time, but… come see me if you can, will ya?”
“I’ll do my best.”
I miss you. After saying a brief goodbye, she hung up.
Her pulse rushed with impatience; she wanted Vieve Hua cleared and George Blumenthal brought to justice immediately. Since her high-status boyfriend was in cahoots with the culprit and her influential dad was completely out of reach, she’d have to take matters into her own hands.
No problem. She left her room and strode toward the elevator. I can still throw around Dad’s weight. The judge doesn’t know I haven’t talked to him.
By the time she reached the float’s second level, where Dean Reyes’s office was, she had a whole speech planned out in her head. But as she raised her hand to request entry, the door to the office slid open. And Zared was the one exiting.
“Thank you for your time, Dean Reyes.” He gave the judge a friendly wave as he stepped out.
“Always a pleasure, Zared.” Reyes, a middle-aged woman with short black hair, returned his smile.
Jane was too startled to do anything but watch as the door closed behind Zared.
He threw her a smug look. “Hey, baby. Come to talk about Vieve Hua? Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
Jane scowled. “What did you say to her?”
“Jane, I’m a student supervisor.” He lifted his chin and spoke with mock formality. “It’s my duty to investigate any wrongdoing by A-Comp contestants. I simply turned in a key piece of evidence proving Vieve’s guilt: her slate. Did you know she’s been hanging around online cybercriminal forums, where they discuss illegal technologies—like AIs?”
She gritted her teeth. “You planted that. Or George did.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Now, now, babe. I know you’re worried about your best friend, and it’s making you act a little crazy. George told me about how you went nuts on him. So I warned Reyes about you—and how you’d do anything to help your sister in coding.
Even lie to an official and falsely accuse a fellow contestant.”
“You lying scumbag!”
“Sorry, sweetness.” Eyes glinting with self-satisfaction, he put his hand on her face. “I’ll see you tonight?”
She backed away. “I hate you.”
“You’ll get over it.” He walked away. Actually, strutted was more accurate.
She was too busy seething to pursue.
“Jane!” Vieve rounded the corner in front of her, approaching.
“Hey, Vieve.” Jane gave a limp wave.
Vieve looked after Zared’s retreating form and raised her one eyebrow. “Why’re you with that guy? You don’t even like him.”
“I know, right?” Jane made a face. Then she sighed. “I couldn’t reach my dad, and, as you saw, Zared’s being a jerk. So my connections didn’t pan out. But you’ve still got me, and I don’t give up so easily.” She reached for the touchscreen, aiming to talk to Reyes anyway.
“Don’t.” Vieve grabbed Jane’s wrist. “I heard what he said. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”
The touch of metal fingers against her skin was slightly unnerving, but Jane pushed that thought away. “Don’t worry about it.”
She started to say that she’d make Reyes listen, but stopped when she recalled that “President’s son” held more sway than “bank tycoon’s daughter.”
Enough talk, then. She looked Vieve straight in the eyes—organic and mechanical. “We need to prove your innocence.”
Vieve released Jane’s wrist. “‘We’?”
“Yeah. This has gotten kinda personal for me.” She walked away from the judge’s door, thinking. “This whole thing blew up because your entry got erased, right? That means someone hacked the judge’s computer. And hackers always leave digital footprints. Reyes will probably get some cybersecurity team to look into it, but I’m not betting on that doing us any good when George Blumenthal’s dad owns half the programmers in Kydera.” She put her hands on her hips. “So you know what we’ve gotta do?”
