Shadows

by Terry Schott

  Players—Shepherds—didn't stay in one place too long while farming targets. The best way for new players to earn was to level up, which required them to move around their play field and shear where feasible. Multiple income streams opened up as one's level increased, but newbies had to move around to acquire many targets. The game rewarded them even for unsuccessful attempts, meaning that no trip or try was a waste of time.

  Soon the two boys stood up and left the diner. Dawn and Sam waited for a few moments, then both pulled out their ansibles and brought up the game screen.

  "You're gonna have to help me out here, bro," Dawn said. "Before the ansible I could see if someone attacked a target, but now I can do more. Right?"

  "You sure can," Sam said. He turned his ansible around so Dawn could see. "Press this icon and it will bring up a set of new commands for you to play with."

  Dawn spent a few seconds navigating the new features. She whistled softly. "Wow, I can tell who it was that tried to shear our targets."

  "Sneaky, huh?"

  "This whole game is sneaky. The higher we level up, the more information we have access to. I bet we know more about others than the National Security Sect does."

  "The NSS? Likely," Sam admitted, "but we're just playing a game. It's not like any of the info we have or share could affect a person in real life. Tell me what info you can see on the two little Shepherds that just left us."

  Dawn scrolled through the reports. "They aren't ours," she said. "As a matter of fact, they aren't even from our city." She frowned in confusion. "Wait a minute, this doesn't make any sense at all."

  "What doesn't?" Sam hadn't bothered to look at his ansible.

  "The stats say they come from Wallaceton."

  "That's a clever way for you to bring up the topic again."

  Dawn shook her head. "I'm not making it up." She turned her ansible around so her brother could see. "Maybe my phone isn't working right, because it also says that they successfully sheared the diner."

  Sam frowned and leaned forward to examine her screen, then tapped a series of commands into his own. "Well, I'll be. Mine is saying the same thing."

  "That's not good," Dawn said. "This is our home base. We've protected this location to the best of our abilities, which means it should be locked down tight. It's not possible for two newbie kids to stroll in and shear us like we're a level one location with no anti-shear points invested to protect the place."

  "Two kids from Wallaceton..."

  "Yeah," Dawn shook her head. "What's up with that?"

  "Sheared when we shouldn't have been," Sam said, "by kids from a town that doesn't even allow SHEPHERDS to be played." He put his ansible away and grinned. "Looks like we have some new excitement being added to the game, Sis."

  Dawn stood up and grabbed her coat. "We'd better tell Dad."

  "Texting him now." Sam stood as well. "I'll let Josh know so he can meet with us too. Something big might be on the rise."

  3

  Dawn and Sam opened the back doors to their dad's car and got in. "Sup, Josh?" Dawn asked, addressing the passenger seat's occupant.

  Josh turned his head and grinned at Dawn. He was twenty-eight, with a buzz cut and a thin frame draped in a skateboarder t-shirt and blue jeans. "Grats on the promotion, Dawn," he said. "It will make things a lot easier now that we can speak more freely around you." Dawn nodded. She had never known him to be talkative, whether by his choice or perhaps because their dad talked enough for both of them.

  Josh looked at Sam. "How'd it go with Kerstin?"

  "Good," Sam said. "She did an excellent job selecting her first recruits. I gave them the talk and their eyes lit up. Kerstin should be training her own operatives within the next couple days."

  Josh nodded. "Keep an eye on things to make sure it all goes properly, and take your sister on your next few talks. Now that she wields an ansible, recruiting is part of her job description."

  "Sounds good," Sam said.

  "Okay, I'm tired from talking so much," Josh smirked. "Take over, Harry."

  Their dad shook his head as he glanced over his shoulder before changing lanes. "Thought you'd never shut up," he said. "Who wants to tell me why we're all together driving right now? This isn't how I pictured your first ansible day, Kitten."

  "The diner just got sheared," Dawn said.

  Her dad looked at her with interest through the rear view mirror. "Really? That's unexpected."

  Josh snorted. "You were able to get it back?" Harry asked.

  "Yes," Dawn said, "but it wasn't easy. Whoever took it had a significant amount of anti-shearing skill points." She paused for a moment. "The kids that sheared the diner were from Wallaceton."

  "That's not possible." Harry looked at Josh, who nodded before pulling out his ansible to begin tapping commands into it.

  "We saw them," Sam said. "Couple of teenagers that neither of us recognized. They must have been fourteen or fifteen, but good team players. One spotted while the other sheared. We have the diner locked down as tight as we can, but they managed to cut through and take it. It's a message, right?"

  "It's a lot of kb and digibucks," Josh said. "The diner is a windfall for those who know what to look for. That's why we hold on to it full time."

  The diner was an Easter egg, a rare location that rewarded the player who possessed it with extra game points. Dawn had stumbled onto the location last year, and their group had made retaining it a top priority ever since.

  "Yes, we all know about the rewards," Dawn said, "but two kids walk in from a town that we all know doesn't play SHEPHERDS. Then they take one of our highly protected sites with apparently no effort. That's a message to us from someone, isn't it?"

  Josh shrugged and her father answered. "It could be, but it might also be nothing. Josh, can you confirm the players were from Wallaceton?"

  "That's where they live," Josh said. "I can't tell you if they are playing the game there, or if they got recruited by a friend in our city and they bus in to play here. That sounds more realistic than a squad working out of Wallaceton."

  "Why?" Dawn asked. "I mean, I've been asking all of you about that town for a long time and no one answers me. Now that I'm at your level, do I get to know why none of us are allowed to go play in Wallaceton, and why no one there plays SHEPHERDS?"

  The car was silent for a moment, and then Sam spoke up. "I have no clue, Sis. If Dad or Josh knows why, they haven't told me, but I'm guessing they have no idea either."

  Her dad shook his head. "Look, there's no need to discuss this. The city we live in is earning all of us a very comfortable living. We've been able to recruit and set up the surrounding cities within a three-hundred-kilometre radius. I am too busy to worry about what is or is not going on in some tiny town that happens to be our inactive neighbour. Now that the two of you both possess ansibles, we can finally get to work on some of our larger goals and blow the lid off this game. Let's not get sidetracked."

  "What do we do if more kids from Wallaceton come sniffing around to shear our stuff?" Dawn asked.

  "I doubt that will happen. If it does, then we deal with it. We own this city, and all the cities in a big radius around us. Occasionally, interesting events happen, but that's part of the game. I would be more worried if they didn't occur. Those kids might have gotten a lot of points for shearing us, but we got double the points for snagging the diner back. We have the firepower and the skilled group at our disposal to protect our interests." He pulled over. "Now go out and have some fun, you two. And don't forget, it's just a game."

  Sam and Dawn got out. "You're right, Daddy, thanks," said she. "See you at home. Love you."

  "I love you guys too," he said.

  After they had resumed driving, Josh spoke. "Think it's a problem?"

  "No," Harry said, without conviction.

  4

  "App loaded onto your phone?" Kerstin asked.

  "Loaded and ready to go," Sarah-Marie said. She'd been dubious when her best friend had suggested
that she come meet with Sam, but could hardly resist the idea of being paid to play a video game. Over the past few months, Sarah-Marie had felt her friend becoming distant and elusive. Now she understood why, and was happy that they would be hanging out again.

  "Good," Kerstin said, smiling. "I'm going to show you the game basics as we walk around the mall. This location will be on your daily route from now on. I pulled some strings to get the mall for you. There are a lot of targets close together here which will help you level up and make money quicker."

  Sarah-Marie grinned. "Thanks, Ker, you spoil me."

  "Take care of friends and family first, right?" Kerstin leaned over to look at Sarah-Marie's screen. "Okay, now you see the little icon of the fist gripping the phone? Tap that to open the shearing commands."

  Sarah-Marie scanned the icons on the game screen. One was the silhouette of a person, the character info screen where a player could view their personal information: level, kilobytes earned, digital dollars, targets held, skill levels, etc. There were a few other icons, which Kerstin explained would unlock as Sarah-Marie levelled up. She tapped the fist icon and opened the shearing map. A map overview appeared to reveal real streets and locations within their proximity. A small round marker indicated Sarah-Marie's current location, and a light blue circle surrounding her mark displayed her radius of effect. Inside the radius were perhaps a dozen small blue triangles.

  Kerstin stood behind her. "Okay, let's take a look. Each day you will find the map of the mall and the rest of your area like it is now. These triangles are targets. They will most often be grey-coloured, which means that no one holds them and they are free for the taking—shearing, as we call it."

  "Even if I shear them today, they'll be free tomorrow?"

  "Yes. Read what it says beneath the target."

  "There's a number 1 in the triangle. It also says there is a defence cost of 7,000 kb per day and a reward of 7$ per hour."

  "Exactly," Kerstin nodded. "Once you shear this level 1 target, it becomes yours. You immediately earn 5,000 kb, and you start earning seven digital bucks, or digibucks as we call them, every hour while you possess it. Twenty-four hours after you acquire it, the system will deduct 7,000 kb from your account. If someone attacks the target before that, the system will also take 7,000 kb from your account in order to pay for defending it from the attack."

  "Defending it prevents the other player from taking it from me?" Sarah-Marie guessed.

  "Not necessarily," Kerstin grinned. "If you have skill points in defence and the attacker is close to your level, then you stand a good chance of retaining the target. But, if you are weak compared to the attacker, then they will shear you and gain it for themselves. Each time one of your locations is attacked, regardless of your success in defending it, the system charges you 7,000 kb to defend."

  "So if I shear this target and defend it successfully five times it will cost me 35,000 kb?"

  "Yes, exactly. The system will also charge you an additional 7,000 kb twenty-four hours after you acquire it. If you have the digital funds, then you keep the target under your control."

  "Sounds expensive." Sarah-Marie said.

  "Data gain and loss is one of the key foundations of SHEPHERDS," Kerstin said. "That's why you have to shear targets constantly."

  "It's also why the entire mall seems to be free for the taking, and why I will have to come back each day to shear the targets here?"

  "Yes! Each target has different charges and reward payouts, depending on its level. Coming back each day is the only way you will be able to keep them, for the most part. If you don't have enough kb then you lose the target, and the key is to build digicash. That means you will always acquire more targets than you can hold on to. You will need to come back daily to regain the targets."

  "So how do I gain kb?"

  "I'll show you. Click on the level one target and select the 'shear' option."

  Sarah-Marie tapped the button. An empty rectangular bar appeared on the bottom of the screen. It slowly began to fill in, moving left to right until it passed a vertical line a quarter of the distance from the left side of the rectangle. Then a message popped up.

  "It's asking if I want to own the target," Sarah-Marie said.

  "Perfect," Kerstin nodded. "What does it say on the top right-hand side?"

  Sarah-Marie read the words out loud. "I've just earned 2,000 kilobytes and 200 digibucks."

  "Yes, very good. Now try to shear the next target beside it. That one is a higher level."

  Sarah-Marie frowned as the bar failed to travel to the line and a different message popped up. "Darn, I didn't shear that one."

  "It's okay, you're level one and the target was level four. That would have been a pretty lucky shear if you had pulled it off. Did you see that you still get experience, money, and kb even though you failed?"

  "Yes, but it would have been more if I'd succeeded, right?"

  "It would," Kerstin pulled out her own phone and opened the game, taking a moment to shear the target that Sarah-Marie had just failed to acquire, "Don't worry, you still gain experience and level up even if your shear attempts fail."

  "That target just turned blue as if I own it, even though I failed."

  "I picked it up. Since we are part of the same group, it appears very similar to the one you own. Check the name out on top, though, and you will see that it's mine."

  "Ahh, yes, I see what you mean. Can I shear it from you?"

  Kerstin shook her head. "Once you make an attempt, you can not try again on the same target for twenty-four hours. Plus, if a group member owns a target, you can't try and hack it."

  "That's too bad," Sarah-Marie said. "It seems like the name of the game is holding as many targets as possible. Wouldn't I earn more rewards and therefore make more real money by hacking teammates?"

  "This is where it gets a bit complex," Kerstin said, "I don't really want to make it too confusing for you yet, so here's the short version: don't hack teammates. We all make more money by working together to hold vast amounts of targets. When you are part of a team, your own holdings are paid out in real cash based on the total volume of your entire group."

  "How big is my group?" Sarah-Marie asked.

  "Me and the other six that I just recruited," Kerstin said. "If you get to a high enough level, then you will be invited to join a larger group."

  "So the higher I level, and the more free targets that I shear, the bigger my paycheque in real money?"

  "Yes," Kerstin said.

  "Great, I think I understand it. I come out each day and do the rounds of the areas that you have assigned. I shear all the free targets, also hacking red targets that other non-team members have snuck in to get, and leave my teammates' targets alone. That's it?"

  Kerstin nodded. "That's it. When you get the hang of that, and level high enough, then I'll add more to your workload."

  Sarah-Marie laughed. "Workload? We're playing a freaking game and getting paid for it!"

  "It won't be much pay at first," Kerstin said. "I already told you that."

  "I know. But I think I can put in the time and minimal effort to click buttons on my phone for a few weeks or months in order to get the chance to make some serious money."

  Kerstin smiled and patted her friend on the back. "I know you can, girl."

  5

  "You're Samson Thorn, right?"

  Sam smiled warmly at the older man standing beside his table. He had brought Dawn out to the most expensive restaurant in town to celebrate her promotion. Most patrons were older, in expensive suits and fancy dresses. In a nod to the presumptive dress standards, Sam and Dawn were wearing something nicer than their usual jeans.

  "Yes, I am," Sam said. "I'm sorry, but if we've met before I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't remember."

  The man was in his late forties and dressed in a tailored suit. "No, no, we've never met before," he said. "My name is Jason Rantlin. You went to school with my son, Jacob, and I've heard him mention you
before. You're quite the success story in the local business world, and I wanted to come over and introduce myself."

  Sam stood and shook hands with the older gentleman. "Of course, I remember Jacob, he was a great guy in school."

  Dawn bit the inside of her cheek to avoid snickering out loud. Jacob Rantlin had been a royal pain in the butt, a bully to everyone. Sam and a couple friends had taught him a memorable lesson in grade eleven; her brother had no patience for bullies.

  "What's Jacob up to these days?" Sam asked, feigning credible interest.

  "He's just a kid, still." Jason paused, then laughed. "I guess you are too, and look what you're accomplishing. Still, not everyone can become a wealthy and successful businessman at such a young age, can they?"

  "Actually, yes, they can," Sam smiled.

  Jason frowned, "Well, yes, I guess that is true. Anyways, Jacob will be done with high school this year and then he's off to my alma mater. After that, he plans to follow in my footsteps and go to law school. He has a bright future ahead of him, we are all certain of it."

  Sam pursed his lips and nodded tersely. "That's great. Tell him when he passes the bar to look me up. I can always use another good lawyer on my staff."

  "That won't be for a few years still."

  "Oh, I know," said Sam, sitting back down and picking up his fork, "but I'm certain that my business will be even more successful than it is now. Until then, while Jacob goes the traditional route, I will keep cashing my cheques and making the hundreds of thousands that I'm pulling in...without a degree."

  Jason Rantlin stood for a silent moment, maintaining a glacial smile. "Great to meet you," he said, his tone making it a lie. "Best of luck in your business."

  Sam nodded and took a bite of his steak, winking at Dawn as the older man walked away. "I see where his son got his charm," he said.

  "Ducks make baby ducks," said Dawn, quoting one of their father's favourite expressions.