Games were supposed to be fun, even virtual reality, but this one was anything but. It was real, totally real, and if a player died during the game, they died in reality as well. So far, everyone who had faced the Champion had died, and if his opponents had continued to be sourced from mercenaries, the game might have continued indefinitely. But now, the Champion’s latest challenger was Debi, fifteen years old and not there by choice.

If she died in the game, she would be dead, if anyone tried to stop the game, she would die, if anyone tried to interfere… Well, that rather depended on what form that interference took. Another player entering the game might be enough to swing the balance in favour of Debi’s survival, and Kincaid was a trained mercenary himself, so…

That the Champion was an alien came as no surprise. Who else would be behind something so barbaric? They were forever trying different means of understanding humans, all the better to wipe out everyone on the planet, and this was just one more scientific experiment to them. They didn’t care how many people they killed. A young girl’s life meant nothing to them.

It did to Debi’s mother; that was why Kincaid was here. Suzanne was family, Debi was family. Harrison felt the same way. They took care of their own, and they did whatever they had to. If they took out a few aliens in the process, ruined another of their schemes, that was a bonus.

Despite already having a pounding headache, Harrison linked himself with the game’s Champion, so he could see through the other man’s eyes, for whatever advantage that might give them. It put him inside the game as an observer.

Whatever it took, they would save Debi’s life.


The End