by Terry Schott
I have a boyfriend, and he's everything I could have hoped for. Maybe I'm not supposed to call him my boyfriend yet. And he's helped me blow through the ceiling in SHEPHERDS. This ansible has abilities I never dreamed about. I bet I've passed Sam up. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out his baby sister knows more and has more power!
"Yeah," Logan smiled, "and I've had an incredible time with you too, Dawn." He sat forward and whispered softly. "Listen, some things are about to change, kinda. You might feel angry at first, but if you can fight that urge and think about things from a clear-headed point of view, I know we'll both laugh about this later."
That doesn't sound good. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You're gonna find out in a minute or two." The look in his eyes was almost apologetic. "Just do yourself a favour and don't freak out, okay?"
"I'll try–" Before she could ask why she might be expected to freak out, a tall man in a black trench coat similar to Logan's stopped at their table and slapped Logan on the back.
"Well, you did it!" the man said, gripping Logan's neck and pushing him back and forth playfully. He sat down, snatched a French fry from Logan's plate, and winked at Dawn.
She frowned at Logan, and then looked back at the newcomer. He looked to be in his late twenties with medium-length wavy blond hair. His brown eyes sparkled with a leader's confidence. His strong, angular features resembled Logan's. In fact, if she had to make a guess... "This guy related to you?" she asked Logan.
The man laughed and nodded. "Yes, this loser is my older brother. Dawn, I'd like to introduce you to Vector."
"Vector?" Odd name.
Vector grinned at her expression. "Yeah, I get that a lot." He extended his hand and they shook. "It's good to meet you. My parents have always been gamers, so they chose an unusual title for their little bundle of joy."
"It's a good name," Dawn said.
"There are certainly worse," Vector shrugged. He looked at Logan and his eyes danced with excitement. "A whole city in less than three days. Unbelievable, little bro! I'm sure you can imagine how happy the old man is about this."
Logan nodded. "I'm doubt he's happy enough to actually admit it . He only seems to get excited when things go poorly."
"Ah, that's not true, and you know it," Vector said. "Do you think we can hold it?"
"Absolutely," Logan said. "What would be the point in taking it if we couldn't?"
"What are you two talking about?" Dawn had a hunch, and she didn't like it.
"She doesn't know?" Vector asked.
"Dawn," Logan said. "This is where I want you to do your best to stay calm."
"Oh man, she doesn't know!" Vector started to laugh. A dark, heavy pit formed in Dawn's stomach.
"I can't bring up any targets in the area because you've done something to them," she said.
"Oh, this is priceless." Vector grabbed his brother's glass and took a drink, his eyes watching first Logan's, then Dawn's.
"It's only temporary, Dawn," Logan said.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
"We," Logan corrected her.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do it alone, Dawn. I needed your help to accomplish this. We did it together."
Tears of embarrassment welled up as her imagination filled with worst-case scenarios. "What did you fool me into doing, Logan?"
"I'm sorry."
Oh no. I've made a horrible mistake trusting him. What kind of a mess have I created? "Sorry for what?"
"We've taken the city away from you. It belongs to us now."
Dawn's mouth went dry and a chill ran up her spine. Watching Vector's smile—hearing him laugh at the naive girl they had so easily fooled into helping them destroy something important–she wanted to stand up and punch Logan in the face as hard as she could. Dawn considered the best martial arts strike for driving nasal cartilage and bone up into Logan's brain. The rage was close to boiling over.
Stop it. Stay calm. There is no advantage in losing control.
She forced herself to sit quietly, her face a blank as she considered possibilities and options. They were talking, but she couldn't hear them.
I am in danger, and I don't have long to decide on a plan.
What would Daddy do?
Minutes dragged on.
Okay. I have a plan. I hope it works. It's the best I can do on short notice.
Someone was speaking to her. "What?" she asked.
"Welcome back, stranger," Vector said. The smile that had once seemed warm and sincere now radiated arrogance. "I was saying that we are going to want you to stay as our guest for a few more days while we get all the loose ends tied up." Vector glanced at his brother. "Logan has rented one of the penthouse suites in the downtown hotel district; we've spared no expense in setting up luxury accommodations for you."
"It's the least you could do," she snorted. "I've just helped you become multimillionaires overnight."
The brothers burst out laughing. Logan was the first to regain his composure, and he nudged his brother in the ribs with a serious look.
"What's so funny?" Dawn asked.
"Our Family has controlled billions of dollars for generations," Vector said. "This has been a nice little grab, but the money wasn't our goal."
"What was?"
The table was silent.
"Listen," Logan said. "I know you're probably mad right now. This doesn't have to be the end of the world. Come with us and stay as our guest."
"Prisoner, you mean."
Logan ignored the interruption. "When things cool down, we'll send you back to your dad. It shouldn't take more than a few days."
"How can I believe a word you say?" Despite her best effort, Dawn's voice wavered.
"From our conversations over the last few days, it's obvious that you know very little about your father," Logan said. "If you knew even a tiny bit about his professional career, you would believe me."
Dawn frowned. "Why? What do you know about my father that I don't?"
Vector chuckled and stood up. "We don't want to spoil it for you, Dawn. So let's just say this: your dad is a family man to his core. If you take a baby cub away from its mother, what can you expect?"
"A bloody mess," Dawn said.
"That's right," Vector nodded. "Here's what I can tell you about your dad. An enraged bear would seem like a fluffy rabbit compared to your father's wrath."
Dawn raised her eyebrows as both brothers nodded in agreement.
***
Josh sat on the front porch while Sam stood in the driveway and watched Harry load up his car. As Harry opened the driver's side door, he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You're in charge until I get back," he said.
"You okay, Dad?" Sam asked with concern. The look on his father's face was calm yet detached. Sam found it unsettling.
Harry smiled. "Of course I'm okay. The odds are good that your sister had a little too much fun on her first trip and made a few mistakes. I'm certain she's doing her best to fix things as we speak, and is laying low until she can get it all back on track."
"Okay..."
"I'll be back in a couple days. Until then, keep Josh handy in case anyone comes looking to attack us at home."
"I will."
"Good." Harry hugged his son, then called out toward the porch. "Josh, keep an eye on things."
"Always do."
The two men exchanged a long, silent, nearly telepathic look, and then Harry got into his car. He smiled and waved as he pulled out of the driveway.
Once he turned the corner, his pleasant demeanour again gave way to the cold look of a killer.
18
"Can we stop on the way to the hotel and eat?"
Vector was driving, with Logan and Dawn in back. Vector shook his head slightly. "There will be room service when we get there," Logan said. "Professional chefs and world class cuisine."
"I'd like one more meal with other human beings before I get thrown into my
fancy prison for god knows how long," Dawn said.
"Maybe it's not such a bad idea–" Logan said.
"We're not stopping," Vector's tone ended the discussion.
"How long until we get there?" Dawn asked.
"Not long," Vector said.
"That's not a number."
"It's close enough," Vector chuckled.
"Not if I'm gonna puke," Dawn turned to face Logan with a grim expression.
"Go ahead," Vector said.
"Okay," Dawn felt the bile rise in her throat as a wave of dizziness started turning her insides. Her skin began to turn a pale gray.
"Um, Bro?" Logan pushed his body away from Dawn into the far corner of the back seat. " She really looks like she's gonna hurl."
Vector pulled into an empty parking spot on the side of the street, threw the car in park, and turned around to get a better look. "Ah, yeah, she doesn't look too good, does she?"
Dawn took shallow breaths, doing her best not to vomit.
Vector looked at her for a second longer, then reached for the lock button. The locks opened with a loud clunk. "Fine. Get her to the curb for a second so she can get a breath of fresh air or puke, whichever—"
Faster than Logan could react, Dawn pushed the door open and leaped out onto the sidewalk.
"Hey!" both men shouted at once. Vector scrambled to open his door. Logan lunged for her, but missed.
Dawn hit the ground running. She scanned her surroundings, identified the largest crowd nearby, and sprinted toward it as if her life depended on it.
"Logan! You better catch her!"
"I will!"
Dawn smiled and sped up, sickness forgotten. She reached the crowd and started yelling, "Fire! There's a fire in the car right beside us! It's going to blow up, oh god! It's gonna blow up!"
The crowd started to panic by the time she was halfway into their midst. She stole a quick glance backwards and saw Logan trying to swim through the chaos.
"Don't run away, Dawn!" Logan shouted. "Things will get worse for everybody if you run away!"
Dawn ducked down and turned sharply to the left, pushing people gently out of the way. She exited the crowd beside an intersection and remained bent down near the ground until she turned the corner. With one more burst of speed, she sprinted across the street and hid in the shadows of a pawn shop behind two large, imposing-looking men. They glanced at her curiously and then went back to smoking and talking.
She stayed behind them and gasped for breath. After a long minute, her breathing steadied.
"No one's coming this way, girl."
Dawn looked up. The smaller man was looking down at her while the bigger one scanned the crowd. "I think you got away," he said, with a wink and a smile.
She nodded and smiled back as she stood up, careful to stay concealed.
"In a minute, I'll go inside and you can sneak in ahead of me," the man said. "There's a door in the side of this store that you can use to go under the building and out the back. Don't worry, no one will harm you inside."
"Thanks, I appreciate the help."
"Sure, no problem," the man said. "We help out a Thorn whenever we get the chance to."
"How did you know I'm a Thorn?" Dawn asked.
The shorter man gestured at his comrade with his head. "Tony never forgets a face. Saw you around town once or twice with your dad."
"Oh. Well, I'll be sure to tell him you helped me out when I see him."
The man looked uneasy. "Who? Your dad? No, I think it would be a bigger favour if you didn't mention us. I don't want to be on that guy's radar, thank you very much."
The man opened the door, showed her to the hidden door, accepted one more thanks from her, and left her in the dimly lit tunnel. After a few moments, she scanned the street for signs of pursuit. Seeing none, she merged with the flow of pedestrian traffic.
As she made her way toward the downtown area, Dawn couldn't help but wonder. Who is my father, and why are so many people afraid of him?
19
"Hey, Kerstin, how's it going?"
Kerstin and Sarah-Marie sat at a booth in the mall. Both looked up as Sam approached their table.
"Things are going well, Sam. You remember my friend Sarah-Marie, right?"
"Of course I do." Sam said, smiling as he sat down beside Kerstin. He checked for eavesdroppers, then went on: "I'm glad you're both here. Today's visit is Game-related."
Both girls leaned forward. "What's up?" Kerstin asked.
"Any hostile players holding targets in your territory?" Sam asked.
"Not really," Kerstin shrugged. It happened occasionally every few weeks, but a quick text to Dawn summoned a higher-level player to help shear the odd target back. Kerstin knew the drill, and had spent the last few weeks training her new people to follow the same procedure.
"Okay, good," Sam said. He looked at Sarah-Marie and smiled. "Sorry, Sarah-Marie, but I have to go over a couple things that you shouldn't know about yet at your level."
Sarah-Marie nodded and stood up. "No problem. I can't wait until I can be included in those types of meetings. I'll finish my rounds and see ya later, Ker."
"Thanks, hun." Kerstin smiled and waved, waiting until her friend had left before turning back to face Sam.
"We are expecting an attack," Sam said.
"An attack?" Kerstin smiled. "You make it sound serious."
"How much money you making a week now?" Sam asked.
"Right around two thousand a week," Kerstin replied.
"If this attack comes, you'll be making somewhere in the neighbourhood of between zero and zero."
"Oh." Her smile disappeared.
"Yeah, that bad. We have a lot of players who will be very unhappy if things go sour. I want you to keep a sharp eye out for anything strange, no matter how small it might seem. You and the other lieutenants have been playing long enough to know what those signs are. I want to hear about any little hiccup or glitch right away, sound reasonable?"
"Absolutely," Kerstin said. "Anything specific?"
"Not that I know of."
"That will make it more difficult."
"We get paid enough for this to be like a real job sometimes. This is one of those times." Sam paused and then leaned in closer. "We lost an entire city the other day."
Kerstin winced. "What? How is that even possible? Did it happen quickly or slow? Are you trying to get it back?"
"Yeah, we should be able to get it back in a few days. Someone is making a serious play for our entire piece of the game. This city is our home base. Part of its protection is players like you staying alert and on the ball. I'm counting on you, Kerstin. I know you won't let me down."
Kerstin sat up straighter. "You can absolutely count on me, Sam," she said.
"I knew it. Remember, any little glitch. Time could be of the essence." Sam stood up to leave.
"Where's Dawn?" Kerstin asked. "I thought I was supposed to deal with her directly now?"
Sam paused. "Dawn is in the other city helping us get it back," he said. "Until she returns, you report to me again."
"Sounds good. Hey, you seen Kenny around lately?"
Sam froze. "No, why?"
Kerstin shrugged. "Just wondering. I haven't seen him since yesterday, and he always makes a point of reporting in face to face. That kid is an awesome player; wish I could recruit another twenty just like him."
"You think something's wrong?" Sam asked.
"No," Kerstin said. "If I thought something was wrong, I would have said something. We just had a talk about that, remember?"
"Yeah."
"It's not a big deal. All of his targets are held. I usually hear from him by now, and was just wondering if you'd seen him around."
"If you don't see him today, then please let me know," Sam said.
"I will."
***
"Hello."
"Hey."
"Who is this?"
"A Thorn. One that you don't talk to very often."
"That doesn't narrow things down..."
"You've taken my daughter. That help you put a name to my voice?"
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line.
"You're not authorized to call me, Harry. There is a chain of command, especially when it comes to communication between our Families."
"Take it up with my superiors."
"You can be certain that I will."
"Good. While you're at it, tell them that it was your side who decided to start a war."
"I can assure you, Harry, we've done no such thing."
"You have my daughter."
There was another brief pause. "I am working to correct that mistake."
"I don't believe you."
"That's why you're not allowed to contact your elders, Harry. Now hang up and call the proper channels. I can assure you that everything will return to normal very soon."
"I hope so. I'm on my way to City Three to collect my daughter. When I get there, I want her safe and sound, and I want the city back. Immediately."
The voice sighed. "Okay, Harry, that will be enough. Hang up the phone and deal with this the correct way."
"I have one of yours."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Tranton's kid. Kenny. I have him. He's safe, and I'll return him that way once I get my daughter back. That better happen soon, do you understand me?"
The man said nothing.
"I'm not playing."
"We're all playing, Harry. Just relax and don't do anything crazy. Your daughter is fine."
"You took her. You started this."
"It was a mistake," the voice assured him. "We will fix this."
"That's what I expect."
"You've made mistakes too, Harry. This phone call was one of them."
"We'll see about that."
The voice chuckled mirthlessly. "Yes, Harry, we will." The phone disconnected with a distinct click.
20
"Hey. Kyle!"
Kyle looked behind him, but saw no one. He turned back to read his book.
"Kyle." Same voice. He looked again. "Yeah. Over here."
Kyle glanced over his shoulder and spotted a hand waving from the shadows of a nearby building. He got up to walk toward her. "Dawn? What are you doing over there in the shadows?"
