Gamer Army by Trent Reedy

Author:Trent Reedy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Inside, the yellow line visible only on their HUDs turned to the right and led them through a large open hallway, the walls of which were adorned with displays of old battle armor and weapons. Around another corner to the right and they passed through a door into a great stone chapel.

“You picking up any more security sensors?” Flyer spoke in a whisper, even though they were all still locked into internal comms. The place inspired that kind of respect. With round white stone columns rising up into arches beneath a dome and only a few lights illuminating the simple chapel, the place felt like it might sound with ancient echoes of hymns or like the ghost of an armored knight might step out from between the columns.

“We’re clear,” Engineer said. The yellow guide line led to the corner on the left side at the other end of the chapel. “Secret elevator is right up here.”

“Let’s drop the invisibility,” said Rogan. “If they see us opening and closing elevator doors, it will look weirder if they see nobody there than for it to be three guys who work in the base.”

The three gamers reverted to their former digital disguises and stepped over the red velvet rope that cordoned off the chapel. “Getting into the elevator might be tricky,” Engineer said out loud in Corporal Carson’s voice. “Judging by infrared scans, it’s hidden behind this stone wall, thinner and lighter than the rest of the wall, but still not something we can easily get through.”

“Who’re you lot, then?” A thick Cockney accent cut the quiet from behind them, echoing menacingly off the walls. The three gamers spun to face a tall, thin man with the beginnings of a beard and a private security contractor uniform, gripping the handle of his holstered gun. “Nobody’s s’posed to be in here a’ this hour.”

“We work down below,” Rogan said in his disguised voice.

Engineer switched to internal comms. “It’s a secret base. He might not know about it.”

“Wha? Down in the dungeons? Come off it, mate. You lot are in big trouble.” He reached for the radio clipped to his belt.

Rogan charged the guard, wound up, and cracked his fist hard into the man’s jaw. The guard’s head spun to the side, followed by his body. Red blood splattered the white wall, and the man collapsed to the worn stone floor.

Engineer and Flyer looked at him, their digi-disguised faces impassive but their arms open in surprise. All three of them could easily see the guard’s life signs readout, but the abrupt brutality of Ranger’s attack had surprised the other two.

“What?” Rogan said. “Weapons don’t work while our PNCs are on. Couldn’t let him call for help.”

“We should hide him,” Flyer said. “Maybe behind one of the armor displays?”

“No time for that,” said Rogan. “Who knows when this guy is due to check in. We do this mission fast and get out of here before he’s missed.”

In any other normal video game, they would have just taken the guy out, and his body would disappear after they’d walked out of range.

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