Date: 2014-08-07 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Fantasy; Young Adult; Fiction; Dystopia; Young Adult Fantasy; Novels
Description: Book one of a new series set in the Game is Life universe... Dawn belongs to a secret group of teenagers who play a cloak and dagger game on their cell phones. Her world is turned upside down when the players' actions begin to affect reality, and not in good ways...

SHADOWS
by

Terry Schott

Shadows
by Terry Schott

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author.

All rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Dedication

Opening an email from someone who has just read and enjoyed one of my books is such a thrill. Thank you to all fans who have taken the time to contact me and let me know how much you have enjoyed my writing. There have been many days when a well-timed email has put new wind in my sails and helped me to write my next sentence, paragraph, and chapter.

Thank you also to Shawn Inmon. Your advice and friendship has significantly improved my life. I have always tried to pay attention to those more successful than me. Shawn, you are one those people, and I thank you for your encouragement and support.

Thank you to Jonathan Kelley for editing this beast of a novel. I appreciate your patience and instruction. I am certain that your advice will help me to become a better writer.

Kerstin Hutchinson, as always, deserves a very special thank you. She is always quick to reply to my silly emails and help me with website issues, graphic design questions and challenges, and any other issue that falls within her expertise. Thank you so much, Kerstin. I am lucky to have you on my team.

Thank you to Carl, Sarah-Marie, Dawn, Zack, and Heather for all of your constant support and assistance. I hope that I do not take advantage of your goodwill and skills. I appreciate them immensely.

Karen. You are there at the beginning of each new book, and patiently endure all of my quirks and ticks until the time that I click the 'publish' button. I truly appreciate all of your help and input, especially the encouragement on my challenging days. As always, I Thank you.

To my hundreds of Facebook fans. Thank you for your daily interaction, support, likes, and shares. A person could not hope for a more positive and supportive group of people from all over the world!

I also want to thank the small voice in my head. The one that has learned to stand up to the other voice that seems to be in each of us. The louder, aggressive, negative voice that tells us we are not enough. That laughs at us as we try to do something better and tells us that we will fail. Thank you to the little voice for standing up in the face of that horrible tyrant. For battling with the bigger foe and banishing it to the corner so that I might create.

Thank you reader. For your patience, and for taking the time to read this story.

I hope you enjoy it.

Grammar and Spelling

I am Canadian. You will find that the spelling and grammar in my books follows Canadian/British format.

You will see words like: colour, honour, gray, and many others that, if you live in the USA, appear to be spelled incorrectly.

They are not.

=D

1

"Something came in the mail for you today."

Dawn looked up from her cell phone with interest. "Any idea what it is?” she asked her father.

"I have an excellent idea of what it is.”

Dawn saw the excitement in his eyes and her face lit up. "Seriously? It's here? Did you open it?"

Her father chuckled. "Of course not, Kitten. This is a very important occasion, and I wouldn't dream of ruining it. Now go sit down and I'll get it."

Dawn nodded and gave him a quick hug before returning to sit at the kitchen table. A shiver of energy coursed through her body. She started to speak, but her dad had already disappeared into the other room. He returned smiling and carrying a small, plain, brown package.

"This is a proud moment, daughter of mine," he handed her the package and sat down on the opposite side of the table. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open the darned thing up already."

Dawn set the package down and placed her hands gently on top of it. A heartbeat later, she grinned and began to tear the wrapping away .

The plain brown paper parted to reveal a box bearing a logo most would not recognize: a greyish-blue symbol Dawn knew well. It was a grey glove holding a small rectangle with a bluish stream dripping downward, representing data.

Dawn ran her hands slowly over the box and lifted the lid to reveal a sleek, black, rectangular phone. The face was made from the clearest glass Dawn had ever seen, with a thin border of shiny black surrounding it. It looked like most of the high-end smartphones on the market, but this one was different.

She reached down and gently lifted the phone, pressing the single button and holding it so that both of them could watch it power up. The screen came to life and shone with a soft golden light, briefly displaying the dripping hand logo, which in turn gave way to the functional icons. The background was black, the icons gold.

"My very own ansible," she whispered. "It looks different than yours."

"It's the newest model. I got mine a few days ago, but I wanted to wait until you had yours."

"How many other people have an ansible in our city?"

Harry grinned. Dawn had always been a curious girl, and these particular questions had been unanswerable until now. He expected several days of grilling as Dawn sought the answers she'd craved for so long. "Counting you, there are now four people in the city who carry an ansible." He grinned. "You, your brother, myself, and Josh. I can also tell you how many ansibles exist in the surrounding cities, if you like?"

Dawn nodded eagerly.

He laughed, "In the six surrounding cities, there thirteen."

"I would have guessed there would be more," Dawn said.

"These are very special phones, my darling."

"I know, but still—"

Harry grew serious. "Listen to me, now. An ansible will allow you to play the game at a whole new level. Every skill you've learned in the past two years is nothing compared to what you can do now. Remember what I told you when we agreed that you were ready for this step."

"I remember, Daddy," Dawn said. "I'm not a little girl. I can handle this."

"You're sixteen, and I know that feels grown up, but you still have a few things to learn, Kitten. Keep me close and use me as much as you can. Use your brother too; he's had his ansible for almost six months and he's found uses for it that I would have never imagined."

Dawn bit her lip at the mention of her older brother. "I wonder why he isn't here to celebrate with me."

Her dad gently squeezed her arm. "That's my fault. He wanted to be here, but something came up that I needed him to take care of." He nodded at her new phone. "Wielding an ansible means there will be times when you miss out. Don't worry, Sam has a big party planned for you later."

"Great! Do I have to pretend to be surprised?"

"No," he chuckled. "Sam said I could tell you. Now, let's go over the basics of the ansible, and then I'll let you go play with it for a bit..."

***

"Is this everyone?" Sam scanned the group before finally resting his gaze on his friend, Kerstin.

Kerstin nodded. "Yeah, this is it. Good turnout, right?"

"Six is a good number," he nodded. "Too many is a pain, and too few is a waste of my time these days." Sam stood and rapped the table lightly. A waiter appeared and closed the door to the private room.

"All right, then, let's get started, shall we?" Sam sat down and placed both hands on the table. "If Kerstin has done her job correctly, then none of you know why you're here. Is that correct?"

The assembled mid-teenagers shrugged their shoulders. Sam continued. "Kerstin has been playing a cool new game called SHEPHERDS. Anyone heard of it?"

No one said a word.

"Good. That means I won't have to kill any of you." He got the obligatory polite laughter. "It's a pretty simple game, but it's an exclusive one. You can only play if a current player invites you to join. Kerstin is an excellent player, and has now reached the level where she can invite friends to join her. She is about to start assembling her own team of operatives."

One of the boys raised his hand to ask a question.

"I have a good script for explaining this," Sam said. "Let me get to the end before asking questions. If there are loose ends to tie up, we can do it then."

The kid lowered his hand.

Sam extended his hand to Kerstin, who passed him her smartphone. "SHEPHERDS is played on your phone. The main activity of the game involves hacking targets." He swiped the screen. A welcome message with the logo of a grey hand holding a cell phone appeared. "We don't call it hacking, though; we use the term 'shearing.' It's kind of a clever take on what hacking is: shearing security systems and programs to manipulate them for different purposes."

Sam tapped a few commands into the phone, then handed it to the girl on his right. "Take a look and pass it around, please. What you're seeing is a real map of the local area with game targets overlaid and identified. Some targets look the same, while others have different icons. Above each one is a number. Each target can be sheared, but the higher the number above it, the tougher it is for you to shear."

Sam waited while everyone looked at the phone. When each teen had nodded, he continued. "Your job as a player is to move around the city and shear as many targets as you can. Shearing a target makes it yours. While you control it, you earn digital dollars and also data in the form of kilobytes, or kb for short. Over time, you will use the kilobytes and digital dollars to buy upgrades and other cool stuff. That's the first part of the game. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them now."

The room remained silent.

"The second part of the game is more fun," Sam continued. "Shearing works both ways. Other players will wander in and attempt to steal your controlled targets from you." He moved the map to another part of the city, then passed the phone around once more. "When you see a blue diamond, it belongs to you or your team. When you see a red diamond, it belongs to someone else and can be sheared by you. Players can steal targets from each other. The reward for shearing a property owned by another player is much greater than the reward for shearing a free target."

Sam took the phone back, turned it off, and handed it to Kerstin. "The targets are stationary. Bus stops, banks, libraries, lawyers' offices, hospitals, taxi stands, schools, coffee shops, gyms; there are a ton of different targets spread throughout the city. They aren't just confined to our city, either. All across the country there are millions of targets to acquire. SHEPHERDS is a very vast game of shear and hold."

"Sounds boring," one kid said.

Sam looked at him. "I guess it could be boring," he agreed. "Not as much action as a shooter or driving game."

"Exactly."

"This game pays, though," Kerstin said.

Sam stroked his eyebrow and nodded. "That's right. This game pays."

"How much?" The kid asked.

"I've been playing for just over three years," Sam said. "The more you play, the more money you make. The year is half over and I've made...just over seventy thousand dollars so far."

The room erupted into excited discussion. Sam exchanged grins with Kerstin. They let the excitement build for a few minutes before Sam  raised his hand for silence.

"I'm not typical," he admitted. "After a couple years, the average player will still be making less than I do now. Most only manage to bring in forty to sixty thousand in a year."

"Holy crap!" one of the girls exclaimed. "My dad works his butt off. He's been at his job for like, fifteen years and that's about what he makes. Are you saying I could make that much playing SHEPHERDS?"

"I'm telling you that the owners of this game pay out millions of dollars each year in prize money. It's all legal, and it's insanely profitable for the players. I don't know how or why they do it, but as long as they keep paying me, I'm gonna keep playing. I would recommend you hop on board and get to work for Kerstin so you can start getting paid as well. What do you all say to that?"

The six kids in the room grinned and nodded. Sam let them stay hyped up for a long time before he finally settled them down.

"Well, it sounds like Kerstin knew what she was doing when she picked the six of you. I can't wait to see how successful you each become once you get SHEPHERDS loaded onto your phones and you begin to play." He stood, shook hands with Kerstin, and walked toward the door. With his hand on the door handle, he turned to complete his presentation.

The ruckus had begun again. It died down.

"There is one rule which no one breaks. Ever. If you do, the money stops, the game disappears from your phone, and... well, it can get pretty bad, so just take my advice and don't break this rule."

The group looked at him expectantly. "You tell no one about the game. Not your parents, not your brothers or sisters, not even your spouse if you're still playing when you get older and become married. If you're not a player–a Shepherd—then you don't know about SHEPHERDS. Am I making this point clear?"

Six heads nodded in unison. The secrecy is the perfect closer, Sam thought. Everyone wants to be part of an exclusive club.

"Perfect. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. Kerstin can handle the rest for now. I will see you all again sometime in the future. If you ever need to get in touch with me, just ask around. My name is Samson Thorn, but you can call me Sam."

2

"A big day in the family, Sis. Congratulations!"

Dawn smiled proudly as her big brother slid into the booth across from her.

"Thanks, Sam, I'm excited to finally be part of the elite crowd."

"Please," he said with a wry smile. "I think you've learned enough by now to understand that being part of the elite crowd just means more work and bigger problems."

"It also means that I have access to more information. There are so many secrets I've been wondering about, and now I can start getting answers."

"To some of them," Sam said. "That's the thing about life, kiddo. As you begin to learn more, you realize that you actually know very little."

"I want to take a shot at Wallaceton."

Sam pretended to look at the menu, but Dawn saw the corner of his mouth tick upwards. "Definitely coffee to drink, but I'm not sure what to eat, how 'bout you?"

"Did you hear me?" asked Dawn.

Sam's eyes flitted from the menu to hers for a brief instant and he nodded. "I heard you."

"Well?"

"Likely just a BLT. We can eat after the movie. You still want to see that movie?"

Dawn frowned. "You're changing the subject."

"Yep."

"We're gonna talk about it, Sam."

Sam sighed and set his menu down. "Yes, Dawn, I know we're gonna talk about it." He pulled out his  ansible. "But before we do, Kerstin is recruiting her first group."

"Did you help her with the first meeting? How'd it go?"

"Thought you wanted to talk about Wallaceton?"

Dawn laughed. "Kerstin first, please."

Sam laughed as the waitress came by to take their orders. When she left, he continued: "Kerstin brought six to the meeting. They look like a good group; she's vetted them properly and my guess is all six will come in."

"That's perfect," Dawn said. "Kerstin is a great player and an excellent leader. I bet she'll have them shearing like pros in no time."

"I agree. Her income will start to seriously climb now."

"So will ours," Dawn said, and Sam winked in agreement. SHEPHERDS was a game of networks. The larger your group, the more money you made. Dawn and Sam had come into the game on the same level, just below their dad. Their team was interconnected, as were their incomes. The entire city was part of their group, and as it grew, so did their network. Success in SHEPHERDS depended on the size of a player's network. "I'll drop by and see how she's doing."

"She will like that," Sam said.

Dawn felt her ansible vibrate in her pocket, the frantic two-pulse burst that announced another shepherd's approach. She rapped her knuckle on the table twice.

"Yeah," Sam said. Both of them stopped talking and watched the front door open.

Two teenage boys walked in and sat down at a booth in the far corner, more in Sam's natural field of vision than Dawn's. One of them looked at the menu while the other pulled out his cell phone and began to tap away.

"Recognize them?" Sam asked.

"No, but they are players." Neither sibling reached for his or her ansible, instead they ate and made small talk while Sam glanced occasionally at the boys. After a few minutes he chuckled.

"'Sup?" Dawn asked.

"The one trying to shear is frowning. He's likely trying to shear the targets around this location and not having much luck."

"Poor little guys," Dawn said. "Everyone in town knows this sector is locked down tightly. Only a really high-level Shepherd could get through our defences on this block, and these two must be newbies."

"They still get credit and kb for trying," Sam shrugged. "No harm done. The other kid is pulling out his phone to give it a shot. They'll likely get up and leave after he fails."

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.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, it makes sense that since the kid is a dipwad, there is a parent with the same traits sniffing around."

"You're hilarious."

"So are you. I was waiting for my baby sister to stand up and defend my honour." Sam raised his pitch to imitate his sister. "My brother is a real businessman! Network marketing is a valid, legal way to make money, so stop belittling him!" He shook his head in mock sadness. "That's the kind of protection I could have used right there, Sis."

Dawn giggled. "He didn't say anything negative to you at all, goofball! Besides, you know if he had attacked you then I would have said exactly that kind of thing to defend you."

Their dad had always been an entrepreneur, although never a very successful one. Over the years many of Harry's businesses had failed, but he had told his children that failing was not bad; quitting was. Harry had lived those values, remaining positive and open to opportunity. By the time both of them were thirteen, they had read some of the classic self-help books and listened to some speakers on the computer. Then, six years ago, Harry had gotten involved with a network marketing opportunity. The timing must have been right, because he had built a very successful business in no time. When Sam had turned eighteen, his dad already had a plan for him. Sam had become a distributor, and in less than six months he was earning ten thousand dollars a month. They had also begun playing SHEPHERDS a few years before that, and it started to pay off around the same time. Money was not difficult for the family to spare, but time was. Harry had said to expect a big party, but a private little celebration dinner meant more to Dawn than any party they could have planned.

"I want to talk a bit about Wallace—"

"Don't start with that tonight, please," Sam said.

"But—"

"No buts. I don't want to talk about Wallaceton tonight. I'm still weirded out that you ask about that place, and suddenly we're running into it everywhere we turn." Sam finished his steak and laid down the utensils. "We have lots of work to do, and none of it involves Wallaceton."

"We shouldn't be talking about this in public."

"I know," he shrugged. "It's a bad habit that comes with acquiring the ansible. These things put out a small distortion field so no one can eavesdrop on what we're saying."

"You mean tech devices like microphones or cameras?" Dawn asked.

"Sure, all those things, but even people can't hear us properly." He looked at the tables closest to them and then back to his sister. "The folks beside us can't quite make out what we're saying. The sound waves get slightly warbled, enough so it doesn't enter any listening device properly, including the human ear."

"Lip readers?"

"Nope," he said. "Light is slightly wobbly too, just enough to mess people up. If a true pro wanted to read our lips they probably could, but that would require aid from tech devices, and then our ansible would chirp to alert us."

"Wow," Dawn said. "That seems pretty high-tech."

"It's the highest tech," Sam admitted. Dad says SHEPHERDS tech is more advanced than government stuff. I guess that's the perk of hiring the best young minds and tech geeks in the world."

"Just to play a game?" There must be more to it, thought Dawn. We get paid a lot to play an online game. That doesn't make sense on so many levels.

"Just to play a game," Sam agreed.

The waiter cleared their plates and they ordered dessert. After the waiter had left, Dawn asked, "So what's on the agenda tomorrow?"

"Meetings," Sam said, "Same as always."

"Sometimes I miss the days when all we had to do was patrol a territory and shear every target in the area," Dawn said.

"They still call us in to shear the tough spots," Sam said. "I'd much rather be calling the shots, like we do now."

"I guess."

"If you want to go back to being a newb, I can suggest it to dad," Sam offered. "Of course, I think he would likely throw you back down to newb pay as well."

Dawn laughed. "No, that's okay. I think I'll tough it out for a while where I am, thanks."

"Let's enjoy the rest of this meal without any more business talk," Sam suggested. "Tomorrow morning we can meet with Dad and make a plan of attack for the rest of the week."

"Deal."

6

Kerstin stood patiently in line and waited to order her morning coffee. She took out her phone and logged into SHEPHERDS to make sure that Rebecca, one of her new operatives, had this location locked down for the day.

A new message marked 'confidential' appeared on her profile page. Kerstin turned her phone off and waited until she got her coffee, then retreated to a quiet corner booth and opened the message.

Congratulations, Shepherd!

You have successfully activated five frontline operatives into your direct team.

This qualifies you for a larger share of the group profits, and unlocks a new feature in your shearing menu.

Your efforts further the cause...

-The Shadow Council

Kerstin looked around, then opened the game and tapped the fist icon to open the shear menu.

"Oh wow," she whispered. There were new targets on her screen, and they were moving.

She watched one small blue triangle labelled 'Dianne Japes.' It looked as if the target were standing at the counter, where Kerstin saw a woman ordering coffee. A few moments later, the woman doctored her coffee and exited the store. When she did, the blue triangle labelled as Dianne Japes also disappeared.

Kerstin looked at another target, matching it up to with an elderly man sitting at a window seat. She tapped the triangle and it came up just like a property targets, displaying kb and digicash rewards per hour for shearing it. She took a deep breath and tapped the 'shear' command. The bar appeared, then a success message two seconds later. With one more touch of her screen, Kerstin completed the operation.

Kerstin smiled. Wow, I can shear actual people! This game keeps just keeps getting better as I level up.

Kerstin spent the next hour drinking her coffee and shearing people as they entered the coffee shop.

7

"Shouldn't I be learning something?" Dawn asked. "I think you've dropped the ball on this whole homeschooling thing, Daddy."

Harry chuckled and looked up from his ansible. "What would like to learn, Kitten?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should spend the morning doing trigonometry 'til my brain hurts, or something like that."

"If that is what you would like to spend the day doing, then  let's go buy a new textbook and get to work."

"I hope you're joking, Sis," Sam took a drink of orange juice and leaned back in the booth of the diner. "You've already graduated from high school earlier than other kids, which frees up a bunch of productive time. A day with trig? Sounds positively horrible."

"I was joking," Dawn said. "Sometimes when it feels like there's going to be a lot of work to do, I pretend that I have to go sit in a classroom all day, and it helps me realize that things could be much worse. I'm happy you homeschooled us, Daddy, and that we blasted through the regular curriculum so quickly."

"And through much that isn't in the curriculum," Harry said. "If you do decide to go to college or university, you'll find that that you're already about two years into most programs."

"You're right," Dawn said. "I think I'll put that off...until I'm old enough to drink."

Sam laughed with her, and Harry shook his head. "Okay, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Isn't Josh coming?" Sam asked.

"Not today," Harry said. "He's meeting with Kerstin to teach her how to use her new skill."

"Nice," Dawn said. "She's shearing moving targets now?"

"Individual people and pets so far," Harry confirmed. "She will need to level up before she can access transportation and security vehicles."

"That's exciting," Sam said. "Her income should go up nicely next month."

"Likely." Harry paused before raising the next issue. "Unfortunately, one of her operatives has squawked already."

"That's happens," Sam didn't sound concerned. "The system will fix that, right?"

"It should, but just in case it doesn't, I want you to take Kerstin and meet with the kid. Apparently he let it slip to his father. Usually that wouldn't be a problem, but the dad is one of those rare individuals that likes to be involved with his kids' games."

"Wow, what a loser parent," Sam deadpanned. Dawn snorted.

Harry grinned. "Normally, I think it's a good thing, but now I have to check this guy out and see if he's someone we want to let into the game."

"Why not just let him play on a guest pass account?" Dawn asked.

"That might be how it turns out," Harry said. A guest pass account allowed a person to play the game at the entry level, unable to earn money or unlock new skills even though the group of 'real' players benefitted from the guest player's shears and holdings. "A quick look at this guy makes me think that we might like him as a full-fledged player. Perhaps we lucked out. I just have to make certain that he doesn't get so excited that he starts telling others about it."

"I never understand why that's an issue," Dawn said. "An average search in the app store doesn't bring SHEPHERDS up. The only way to play is through a personal invite. Even then, the head office runs a check on them first, right?"

"Yes," Harry agreed, "but the fewer searches and inquiries the better. All it takes is one overly curious person to bring the wrong kind of attention to SHEPHERDS, and problems could develop very quickly."

"Exactly how long has this game been online?" Dawn asked, another long-brushed-off question.

"Just under two years," Harry said.

"We've been playing it longer than that."

"We played during beta testing, when it wasn't live. That phase lasted a while. And we don't want everyone playing the game. If SHEPHERDS was well known, it wouldn't take long before everyone wanted in."

"I disagree with that," Sam said. "I'm sure most people would think they wanted in, but I can't see a grandmother getting up every day to go farm her route in hopes of earning a promotion a few months down the line."

"There are grandmothers doing exactly that, Sam," Harry said. "You're right, though; everyone might think they can play this game, but most wouldn't."

"You're going to check out that dad, then?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Harry looked at his ansible and pulled out money to pay the bill. "I want you guys to go tell Kerstin about her problem. Make sure she speaks to her operative so this doesn't happen again." Brother and sister nodded.

"Any alerts to take care of?" Harry asked. There were thousands of players to manage, but leaders had access to software that automated most of it. A situation requiring leadership involvement might only happen once or twice a week.

"I've got nothing," Dawn said. Sam shook his head.

"Okay," Harry said. "We have a few more promotions in the field. Go over your groups and send out congratulatory texts, then get out there and do some shearing. A slow leader day means a great chance to build your personal network."

"Sounds good. Come on, Sis, you can drive with me. I'll show you some of the new shears we get with the ansible."

Dawn stood and kissed Harry on the cheek, and the two of them left to spend their day playing and making money.

8

Sam carried two drinks through the disorderly obstacle course that was the mall food court. At Kerstin's table, he sat down, and they speared their drink lids with straws. Sam took a long pull and scanned the crowd. "What's this guy's name again?" he asked.

"Kenny. I'm really sorry, Sam. I never would have guessed he'd go and shoot off his mouth like this."

"I doubt it's a problem, Ker." Sam crumpled the straw wrapper. "Every once in a while a new kid will get excited and slip up. Sounds like Kenny and his dad share this kind of stuff; I don't know if I could keep a secret this big from my dad."

"Of course you could. If not, you wouldn't be such a leader in the game by now."

"Well, don't worry about it too much. He must be a good friend if you gave him this mall as part of his route. This place is shearing heaven with so many targets clumped into such a compact area."

"This isn't his area," Kerstin said.

Sam's eyes flashed mild annoyance. He shook his head. "Not a good move."

"What?"

"Asking him to meet us here," Sam spread his hands.

"I don't understand."

"You'll understand soon enough. Is this him coming toward us?"

Kerstin looked and nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

"Okay," Sam took another sip. "Introduce me and then watch quietly. Someday you'll likely have to deliver this same type of speech."

She nodded.

"Heya, Kerstin." Kenny plopped down beside her.

"Hey, Kenny. This is Sam from the other day, remember him?"

"I do." The boys shook hands. "Good to see you again, Sam. Is this your sweet territory?"

"Not mine," Sam shook his head. "This is a newbie position. I farm tougher targets at my level."

"Why didn't you give me this spot, Kerstin?" Kenny asked. "I have to walk up and down ten blocks to get this many shearable targets. Takes me hours to do what I could accomplish in less than one here."

"Well, um–" Kerstin stammered. Now I see why Sam said not to invite him here. Not good to show the troops there is easier work being given to someone else.

"Doesn't matter, Kenny," Sam said. "It's looking like you might not be playing SHEPHERDS much longer anyway."

Kenny frowned. "Why you say that, Sam? I'm really enjoying the game, so far. I think I'll do really well at it over time."

"You do, huh? You're already breaking the rules. The most important rule, actually." Sam paused and leaned forward. "You're not supposed to tell anyone outside of the game that you're playing."

Kenny looked first confused, then embarrassed, and then defensive. "What makes you think that I did?" .

"There could be many reasons. When the game loads up for the first time, you have to click 'agree' on the terms of playing, Kenny. Maybe by clicking that, you give the game permission to listen to every single thing you say. Or maybe someone else heard you and reported it for extra points." Sam shrugged. "I suppose it's even possible that we have this conversation with every new recruit to see if they're being honest, because the ones who do tell other people always look guilty."

Kenny stared blankly at the table top.

"It doesn't matter how we know. It just matters that we do. The point is, you can't go around telling people about the game. I was very clear about that. Now I have to decide if this was a one-time mistake, or if you're going to continue making up rules as you go along." He blanked his expression and stared at Kenny.

Kenny stared at Sam defiantly, and then his face softened. He leaned forward to whisper, "I'm sorry, I thought I could keep it a secret. My dad loves to play games with me, and he asked what I was up to on my phone. The first few times, I evaded his questions, but he knows me too well. I felt like I had to tell him about it. I know I shouldn't have said anything, and I promise that I won't tell anyone else. He didn't load up a copy or anything. I won't mention it to him again, and I won't play it around him anymore."

"It's too late for that," Sam said. "Bigger fish are looking at your dad, you, your whole family now. They will decide whether your dad will get invited to play, or if you'll get kicked."

Kenny looked worried. Good. The kid might not be a lost cause after all. "You said you enjoy playing SHEPHERDS...being a Shepherd."

"I do," Kenny nodded.

"What level you up to?"

"Twelve."

"Impressive. You're doing what go-getters do, going and getting it."

Kenny smiled. "Thanks, man. I'll keep at it and wait to hear from you." He stood and hugged Kerstin, then left.

"That went well," Sam raised his cup and chewed on the straw. "Usually I hear whining and excuses when a player messes up. He fessed up and promised not to do it again. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, Kenny is good that way. It's one of the reasons I picked him. I hope he doesn't get booted."

The sound of air over ice declared Sam's drink empty. "I'm beginning to hope the same thing."

9

Kerstin inserted her earbud and tapped it lightly to answer the incoming call. "Hey, Sarah-Marie, what's up?"

"Someone else controls my territory," Sarah-Marie said in panic.

"We went over this," Kerstin said. "You shear everything, then about twenty-two hours later someone else will shear it all away from you. That way our teammates get double kilobytes for shearing controlled targets, and you avoid being charged the expensive data costs when the counter reaches twenty-four hours. Then you go back and do the same thing to them twenty-two hours later. That's the system, remember?"

"Yeah, Kerstin, I remember. Did you happen to send a different player to shear the mall?"

"No."

"Well, someone new has taken all the targets and I can't shear them back."

There was a pause on the line.

"Hello? Ker, you there?"

"Give me a second to think," she snapped.

After a longer pause, Sarah-Marie spoke again. "Listen, I can stay here for a few minutes if you want to get back to me."

Good, because I have no idea what to do. "Yeah, I better call you back. Don't leave 'til we speak again, okay?"

"I can stay here for a half hour, hour tops," Sarah-Marie said.

"No," Kerstin said. It was an order, whether it rubbed Sarah-Marie wrong or not. "You'll stay there until I get back to you. This could be a really big problem, Sarah-Marie, and we need to fix it as soon as we can."

"K," Sarah-Marie said in a clipped voice.

Kerstin wanted to apologize, but didn't. "I'll call as soon as I can. I promise I'm not looking to waste your time."

"I know, Ker." The phone line clicked and went dead.

Kerstin held the button down on her phone to activate its personal assistant. It beeped once to indicate it was listening for her command. "Call Sam," she said.

Sam looked at his phone and then sighed as he put his fork down. "That's Kerstin calling," he said. "Again."

Harry looked up and snapped his fingers. "Wait," he said, pulling out his ansible and tapping at it quickly. "Don't answer that."

Sam complied, and the ringing stopped. Dawn's ansible began to ring. She looked down and frowned. "It says Kerstin is calling me."

"She is, although she dialled Sam," Harry said. "Just answer the call and help her out, Kitten. I'll explain after you hang up."

Dawn nodded and answered the call. "Hey, Kerstin, what's up?"

"Dawn? I'm sorry, I meant to call your brother."

"Don't hang up," Dawn said. "As of now, you call me with any problems." She looked at her dad for verification, and he gave her a smile and thumbs-up.

"Are you sure? I'm running into some pretty confusing stuff here. Wouldn't your brother be able to handle things better?"

"Maybe, but Sam's busy. I can help you. What's up?"

Kerstin explained the problem. Dawn listened attentively, biting at her lip. "Let me repeat that back to make sure I have it right." As she recited the issue aloud, her father's and brother's eyes raised in interest.

"How do I fix this, Dawn?"

"What are you thinking?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we could bring in a higher-level player to help us get control back. Then scope out the mall and see if we can identify any strangers when they return to take it again?"

"What's the handle of the player holding the targets now?" Dawn asked. Each Shepherd chose a game name, also known as a handle.

"Player named 'NoManners,'" Kerstin said.

"Spell it," Dawn opened her notebook and wrote the name down followed by a question mark. Both father and brother shook their heads. "What level is this NoManners?" she asked.

"There's no number," Kerstin said.

"There has to be a number."

"Well, there isn't."

"Only the mall is taken?"

"Yeah," Kerstin confirmed. "I called the rest of my group and no one else is having a problem. Want me to go down and try to shear the targets back?"

"Sure," Dawn said. "Even if you don't succeed, you can still farm some kb and digicash by trying. Head down there now, and I'll meet you in the food court in about fifteen minutes."

"You bringing Sam, too?"

"If I need to." Dawn hung up the phone and looked to her dad.

"When you first get your ansible," he explained, "problems will begin to occur in your territory. It's like a tutorial session. The best way to learn the new technology is to experience it through crisis."

"Makes sense," Dawn said. "That's the way the game works from the beginning levels."

"I wasn't sure where the crisis would come from, but my guess is that Kerstin's new level and your new level occurring at the same time are an excellent opportunity for the game to combine tutorials."

"Dad, you know this game so well."

Harry smiled. "Just experience, Kitten. As you're about to gain shortly."

"I have to handle this on my own then?" Dawn asked.

"Do your best," Harry said. "When you get stuck, then come to us. Sam had some real challenging times when he got his ansible, didn't you, Son?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "Although it looks like Dawn might be in for more fun than I had."

"Why do you say that?" Dawn asked.

"Just a hunch," Sam said. "I can drive you to the mall and hang out with you, I think."

Harry nodded. "Just let her do all she can before you help her."

"Agreed," Sam stood up, and Dawn followed him to the door.

10

Josh strolled into the coffee shop and walked directly to the counter without looking aside. He ordered a coffee, then saw a plump, golden strawberry muffin through the glass and asked for that as well. He paid, stuffed the change into the tip jar, and joined Harry at the booth in the far right back corner. He set his coffee on the table, pulled off a small piece of muffin top and popped it into his mouth, then sat down. After a sip of coffee, Josh made eye contact.

"Let me guess," Harry drawled, "Wallaceton?"

Josh lifted the mug for a sip, giving Harry a sly grin. "Very well hidden, but yes. I wonder, with the combined intelligence and wit at this table, how can the rest of the world hope to compete?"

"Somehow the world is doing just fine against us," Harry said. "Give me the basics."

"Kenny's dad is named Tranton."

"That is one strange name."

Josh shrugged. "It's an alias, so give the guy marks for creativity."

Harry nodded, waited.

"This guy, Tranton, has lived here all his life. Same story with his parents. I had to go back to the grandparents to find anyone living in Wallaceton."

Harry shook his head. "If you have to go back that far, then they aren't from Wallaceton, Josh, they're from here."

Josh broke off another piece of muffin. "The grandfather goes by the name of Archibald Hearthkin."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "That's not funny."

"No, it's not."

Harry turned on his ansible and went to work while Josh focused on his coffee and muffin.

Ten minutes later, Harry slid his phone across the table. Josh looked at it, read the information on the screen, and nodded.

"Looks like we finally have ourselves a game," said Harry, standing up and putting his jacket on.

Josh finished his coffee and stood as well. "About time, if you ask me," he said, following Harry to the front door.

***

"Where's Kerstin?" Sam asked.

"She's supposed to be right here," Dawn was scanning the food court.

"Maybe she had to go to the washroom."

Dawn took out her ansible and started dialling. "Maybe. I'll call and find out where she's at."

"Never mind," Sam said. "Here she comes."

Kerstin didn't look happy. Dawn smiled anyway. "Any luck getting some targets back?" she asked.

"Not a single one," Kerstin said.

"Well, at least you got some points for trying," Sam said.

"No, I didn't get a single point," she said.

"That's not right," Dawn said, looking at Sam with concern.

"That's nothing," Kerstin said. "We have much bigger problems than not getting kb or digicash for attempting to shear targets."

"Like what?" She isn't normally this excitable.

"Sis." Sam was looking at his ansible. "You better take a look at this shear map."

Dawn pulled up the map on her ansible, then frowned. "This can't be right, can it?"

"The mall has one hundred fifty-two targets, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes. And I'm not seeing any," she said.

"Me neither," Kerstin said.

"Nor am I," added Sam.

"NoManners did more than just shear the targets here," Dawn said.

A male voice chuckled from a nearby table. When they looked over, he waved. He was a fit young man with angular features, early twenties, with shoulder-length black hair tied up in a warrior-style ponytail. His icy blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, and a cocky grin displayed perfect white teeth. He wore a black leather trench coat over a form-fitting black t-shirt and baggy black pants. Polished black combat boots rested on the seat across from him in the booth.

"That's right, little Shepherds," he said. "I hacked your targets, then I went ahead and deleted them all."

11

"I thought NoManners would have been more active," Josh said.

Harry nodded agreement. It had been a week since the mall incident. "I don't like calling him NoManners. We need a real name."

"Until we discover his true name, what else can we call him?" Dawn pointed out.

Josh sighed and nodded as he held up his ansible. "This thing has spoiled me. Us."

"It hasn't spoiled us," Sam said. "We worked hard to earn them. I think we've all been very responsible."

"I agree," Harry said. "Ansibles aren't helping us find this guy, though. Any idea why?"

"New technology is my guess," Josh said. "By the time something comes out, it's already outdated and something new exists. This kid has ways to remain anonymous. He's also found a way to shear our targets and make them disappear."

"I'm glad that's all that happened," Harry said. Two days after the incident they discovered that the targets hadn't been deleted, only hidden from the SHEPHERDS game technology. It had taken another day to unscramble whatever had been done, freeing up the targets and allowing Sarah-Marie to go back in and shear them. The affair had been costly.

"Also lucky for us that he didn't keep going," Dawn said. No other sites or targets had disappeared. For whatever reason, so far the mall was the only problem site.

Sam looked blandly at his father, then at Josh. "I know you both thought that kids from Wallaceton shearing our diner wasn't necessarily a message. But is it safe to say that this is?"

Josh laughed, a rare occurrence for him, and Harry smiled. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say this is a message, Sam, and that the diner was too, although only the most clever of us picked up on that one."

Dawn's ansible vibrated silently to indicate an incoming text. She read it quietly and grimaced. "I need to go out for a bit," she announced.

"Where?" Harry asked.

Dawn handed the device to her dad, who read it and frowned. "Absolutely not," he said.

"What?" Josh and Sam were both curious. That ominous tone always meant trouble.

Harry strode to the door, moving like a panther stalking prey, and stopped a few feet from the large front window. "NoManners just sent Dawn a text telling her to get into the car parked out front. Seems he wants to meet one of us."

"No way," Sam and Josh both said in unison, Sam sounding as dangerous as his father, and Josh becoming cold and tense like a viper ready to strike.

"Come on," Dawn said. "This is our chance to learn more about him. At the very least we can learn his real name, or a less annoying name than NoManners."

Harry composed a text on Dawn's ansible, still in his hand, pressed send. "He wants to meet anyone, it will be me. I just told him to come on in so we can have a chat."

Everyone except Harry laughed. "Yeah. I'm sure he'll throw the door open as soon as he gets that and rush in to meet us all," Sam said.

Harry set Dawn's ansible down on a desk and took out his own. "He's already proven that he's clever. He can't believe for one second that I'm sending my baby girl to get into a car with him."

"You have someone on the way?" Josh guessed.

Harry nodded.

"Good," Josh walked over, picked up Dawn's ansible, and returned it to her. "Sit down with me, Dawn, and I'll show you how to trace someone who texts you."

"I should go meet with this guy," she said.

"No," Sam said.

"But—"

"No," Harry said. "This guy is dangerous, Kitten. Until we figure out what's happening, there's no way I'm going to allow you to meet with him in private." Harry smiled crookedly. "Okay, even when I do know more about him, there's no way I'll allow you to meet with him in private."

"When I handed you the text to read, I figured you wouldn't let me go. That's fine. I'm sure we'll get the information some other way." She sat down beside Josh, hiding a smile.

She'd deleted the second text before showing her dad, the one that said to meet NoManners tonight behind the mall.

12

"I didn't think you'd come," he said, from behind her.

Dawn didn't turn around. "I had to meet you again." She heard him approach and her pulse quickened. "I don't think you'll hurt me."

She started as his voice spoke softly in her ear, "A correct guess, but foolish to take such a chance, Dawn." He moved to stand in front of her. His outfit was the same: long black trench coat, black shirt and pants tucked into combat boots. He was as strikingly handsome as she remembered.

"You know my name," she said. "How 'bout you tell me yours?"

He smirked and looked around, running a hand through his long, loose black hair. "Sure, why not. My name is Logan."

Logan, you are very handsome. Too old for me, but very easy on the eyes. "Nice to meet you, Logan. Why did you ask to meet me? And why here?"

Logan smiled and spread his arms. "Years from now, they will look back and say that this is where it all started."

"Where what started?"

"The beginning of the end."

"The end of what?"

Logan looked upwards and took a breath, sighing deeply as his gaze came to rest once more on her. "The end of everything, Dawn," he said. "The end of everything."

Dawn's eyes widened in surprise and her hand flew to her mouth. She paused for a moment, then laughed. "That was pretty cryptic," she said. "If this was a TV show, now would be the best time to cut to a commercial."

"Yeah, I guess it would be. That doesn't make it less true, though."

"How do you play SHEPHERDS?" Dawn asked.

"Same way you do," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone. "Except I don't really play it. Not like you and the rest of the kids do."

"SHEPHERDS is played by more than kids."

"Who? Your father? Josh?" Logan's smile flashed white teeth in the dim light. "Trust me, they are playing a very different game."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter." He walked to the nearby bench and sat down. "I've chosen you, and I hope it doesn't turn out to be a deadly mistake for both of us."

"You move your lips and talk a lot without really saying anything," Dawn observed.

"It's a habit developed over years of practice," he admitted.

"What does that mean?"

"Stop asking so many questions. I don't have much time with you right now. Your dad is trying to track us. I may be able to do some tricky things, but my tech in this city is limited."

Dawn smiled sweetly, her mouth closed. Logan nodded. "Good," he said. "The purpose of tonight's meeting was to see if you would come, and to remove your tracking device."

"What tracking device?" she asked.

He extended his hand. "Let me see your phone."

"Why?"

"You ask too many questions." He snapped his fingers. "Let me see it. Please."

Dawn got out her ansible and handed it over. Logan opened the main screen—and since he doesn't know my password, apparently he can bypass it at will—and started tapping commands. "You shouldn't have come, by the way," he said, without looking at her.

"Why not?"

"Obvious reasons." He swiped the screen to access a different menu, and his fingers flashed so rapidly over the clear quartz surface that Dawn couldn't follow what he was doing. "I'm an unknown and likely dangerous."

"Dark and dangerous? This is all just a computer game, Logan, there's no danger in that, except maybe losing a phone or some data."

Logan finished with Dawn's phone, turning it off and handing it back to her. "It's time to grow up, Dawn," he said. "Soon enough your dad will explain that this is much more than a game. I've unlocked your device. Don't let Josh use it, or he'll know something's up."

"It was locked? The ansible is supposed to give me access to more than any other tech device."

"More questions." Logan shook his head and chuckled. "It's a good thing I chose you."

Dawn wanted to ask what he'd chosen her for, but she clamped her mouth shut.

Logan smiled. "Good, there's hope for you yet. I'll contact you soon and tell you more. Until then, don't tell anyone about our meeting."

"It was nice to meet you, Logan," Dawn said.

"You might change your mind about that before too long. But it was nice to meet you as well, Dawn Thorn."

13

"Has he tried to contact you again?"

Dawn sat at the small table in the kitchen, idly shoving food around her plate. "Who?"

Harry closed the oven door and carried his plate to the table, looking at Sam and rolling his eyes. "You know who. NoManners."

Dawn looked up and glanced first at Sam, then her dad. "No, Daddy, I haven't heard from him again. I guess he got the hint when I didn't get in the car with him. Maybe he's been trying to contact other players?"

Harry and Sam both shook their heads. "He's disappeared off the grid," Harry said. "There have been no further attacks on us, and no more disappearing targets."

"Maybe he moved on," Sam said. "I didn't recognize the guy, and we've spread the word around our territory. If he was here someone would've spotted him."

"You're likely right," Harry agreed. "You ready for your trip to City Three?" he asked.

Dawn took a bite of her mush and smiled. "Yep, all packed and ready to go," she said. The surrounding cities they controlled through SHEPHERDS had real-world names, but the game system referred to them by number. "I'm looking forward to meeting our new leaders and helping them get familiar with their roles."

"Sam, you're off to City Four?" asked his father.

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "You have big plans with both kids out of the house, old man?"

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "It's a good thing I enjoy the game and our work so much, because I don't have any free time to look for other forms of entertainment."

"Take some time," said Dawn. "All work and no play makes for a dull life, Daddy."

"I know," Harry grimaced. "But all we do is play games, Kitten. Maybe in order to rest and relax, I should dust off my résumés and go hunting for a nine-to-five job?"

The three of them laughed. For all the joking about lack of free time , every third month they vacationed together somewhere different in the world. None of them could imagine the drudgery of having to work a traditional occupation.

"We go to Hawaii in five weeks," Harry said.

"Then snowboarding in Switzerland after that," Sam added.

"And then a week in Brazil on the beaches," Dawn said.

"Followed by a victory week in our favourite of the three places," Harry finished.

"I guess until then we'll have to muddle through and play games." Dawn stood up and took her plate to the sink, scraping the remains into the garbage.

"On a serious note," Harry said. "This is your first overnight business trip alone. Please be careful, Kitten, and call in often."

"I will, Daddy," she said. "There's nothing to worry about. I imagine that some adult or another will be close by at all times."

"If I did my job right, then yes, there will be."

"What's the deal with Kenny?" Sam asked. "He get to keep playing, or will he get the boot?"

"That depends on my conversation with his father," Harry said. "I plan on meeting with him tonight or tomorrow. If all goes well, then Kenny gets to keep playing, with a severe warning from Game Central and assurances that if he ever breaks the number one rule again, he will be dropped from SHEPHERDS immediately."

"That's good," Sam said. "I've been keeping a close eye on him. He's a very good player."

"I bet he is," Harry said. "I'm also guessing his old man will be quite talented at playing. He's going to have to agree to join us if Kenny has any hope of staying in."

"Do we want that?" Dawn asked. "I know we try to keep old adult involvement to a minimum, right?"

Harry laughed and shook his head. "That sounds horrible, but you're right. I don't know if he will be up for it or not, but after our meeting things will be decided one way or the other."

Dawn's ansible chirped. She looked at it, smiled, stood up, and hugged both men. "That's my ride. Don't worry about me too much, I'll be fine. Love you both." She grabbed her small carry-on bag and walked to the door.

"Love you too," Harry said. "Call me if you have any problems. I'll see you in two days."

Dawn smiled and walked to the car out front. One of the older players was driving her to the train station, where she would catch a ride to City Three.

Where she would meet up with Logan.

He'd promised to answer more of her questions and show her many new things. Logan had assured her that no one would spot them together on the trip.

He'd better be right, or Dad will be furious.

14

"Tranton Reid?"

Tranton took a sip of coffee and smiled amiably. "Yeah, that's me. You're Harry Thorn, right?"

"You've heard of me?"

Tranton inclined his head. "Everyone's heard of you, Harry."

"I guess so," Harry looked at the empty chair across from Tranton. "Mind if I join you?"

"I'm leaving in a few minutes, but sure, grab a seat."

Harry sat down and took a drink of coffee as he glanced around the room. After a moment , he looked at Tranton. "Your boy Kenny is playing a new video game."

"Really?" Tranton shrugged, as if this were news. "I'm not surprised to hear that; the boy is always playing some new game or another. That seems to be the world we live in these days."

"He told you about this one," Harry said, watching for cues.

"Okay." Tranton took another sip. "Look, Harry, it's nice to meet you, but I have to get to work soon. If you just want to talk about video games, I don't mind, but I'm picking up a vibe like you're the cop and I'm a criminal or something."

"Are you?" Harry asked.

"No, my record is squeaky clean, not that it's any business of yours." Tranton finished his coffee and started to put his jacket on. "I wish I could say this was fun, but you're a little too intense for me."

"I know who you really are."

Tranton hesitated briefly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying," Harry said.

After a significant pause, Tranton met Harry's eyes. "Look, Harry. You come in here and ask to sit down at my table. After knowing me for all of three minutes, you start making cryptic remarks and expect me to know what the hell you're talking about? I'm getting a bit concerned. Am I gonna have to call the police? What did I do to make you suddenly show up and behave so strangely?"

Harry's stare turned flat and cold. "I know you're a Hearthkin. A Hearthkin living in the wrong city, and I want to know why you're here."

Tranton looked puzzled, then laughed. "That's what this is all about?" he asked. "Thank God, I thought it was something serious."

Harry's voice was like an icy blade. "It is serious," he said. "Your Family has no business living here, and you know it."

Tranton smiled, leaned forward to whisper. "Look. My dad wanted nothing to do with our Family. He left Wallaceton when I was just a kid. Changed our name and never looked back."

"What happened that would make your father leave? And why did they let him go? No one just picks up and leaves a Family that powerful. Your grandfather Archibald has very detailed plans for every member of his Family. I find it very hard to believe he would've let your dad go."

"How do you know so much about my Family?" Tranton asked.

"You're joking, right? I did introduce myself properly, I think. I'm a Thorn."

"You certainly appear to be one in my side at the moment," Tranton muttered, "but I don't see what that has to do with my question."

Harry frowned. "You don't know anything about your family heritage, or mine?"

Tranton shook his head. "No, that's what I've been telling you."

Harry looked at Tranton and nodded. "Okay, then, I'll tell you what. You seem like a good guy. Your story matches my research."

"What research? You've been doing research on me?"

Harry ignored the question. "Kenny told you all about the game, SHEPHERDS." Tranton started to shake his head, but Harry held up a hand. "It's good that you deny it; shows me you understand the rules better than your boy does. But I know for a fact he told you, so drop the pretenses."

Tranton raised one eyebrow and became still.

"I'm authorized to make a special offer to you. Would you like to join the group and start playing SHEPHERDS with us? I'm not sure how much Kenny told you, but it's considerably more than your average game."

"There's an opportunity to make money from playing it," Tranton said. "A substantial amount of money."

"That's right."

"Since we're being honest–"

"That's precisely what I intend for us to be," Harry interjected.

"—the opportunity to play and make money is all I've been able to think about since Kenny showed me the game. I'm not getting any younger, and contracting has been good business, but I would prefer to get out of it and make some serious money."

Harry paused one more time, then smiled and extended his hand. "That's what I'm offering you, Tranton."

Tranton smiled. They shook hands.

15

"This seat taken?"

Dawn smiled and looked up from her ansible. Logan grinned down at her, then tossed his trench coat onto the empty seat. His form-fitting black sweater showed off a muscular physique. He caught her staring at him and smiled. "Like what you see?" he asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he sat down opposite her.

"No...well, yes..." she stammered. "It doesn't matter, you're too old for me to be looking at."

"I am?" His eyebrows raised in mock concern. "How old am I?"

I'm blushing. I know it. Traitor face! "Twenty-something?" she guessed.

Logan laughed, a deep, pleasant sound. "Oh wow, that would be horrible!" he exclaimed. "I just turned seventeen a few days ago. I'm gonna pretend you're trying to compliment me in some strange way."

Dawn frowned. "Serious? You're only seventeen?"

"Barely," he said.

"Wow, you do look older than that. And yes, I meant it as a compliment."

"Thanks, I guess," Logan reached over and retrieved his phone from a jacket pocket. "Before we get too cozy, let's see if your dad has anyone in this train car spying on you."

"I already checked," she assured him. "I think I would have detected anyone I knew close by."

Logan snorted as he navigated his phone.

"What? You don't think I can?"

A few seconds passed. He then switched his phone off, nodded, and smiled at her. "I do think you have the know-how. I would bet my life that you don't have the hardware." He reached over and lightly tapped the screen of her phone. "That thing has training wheels on it, Killer. Maybe when it's fully up and running, you'll be able to do all you think you can with it, but that won't be happening any time soon. Your dad will make sure of that."

"You know my dad?"

Logan's eyes sparkled. "I know of your dad."

Dawn waited. "And?" she asked.

"You read a book by turning to the last page?" he asked, avoiding her question.

"No."

"Then don't go asking questions that aren't ready to be answered yet." A clear note of warning came through the playful grin. "I don't even know how you have time to speak to me right now. Shouldn't you be shearing all the targets on this train before you do anything?"

"Not my territory." And you either know that, or ought to.

"Ahh." He tossed his phone on top of his jacket. "I thought you were going to tell me you already sheared the entire train with one or two simple commands on your ansible."

"How do you know it's called an ansible?"

"How do you know my phone isn't one?"

Dawn frowned and leaned forward to get a closer look at it. Logan grabbed his phone and turned it on before handing it to her. She began to look through its programs. "It does seem like mine, but I see some differences."

"Yeah, you'll notice there are way more icons and programs on mine than yours," he said, looking out the window. "That goes to what I said earlier—that your ansible isn't fully accessible to you yet."

"Training wheels."

"Exactly." He held out his hand, and she put the ansible into his palm with a nod of thanks.

"Why would mine be locked up?"

"'Cause you're new, and if you don't learn each of the commands, then you won't be ready for the more advanced stuff."

"Makes sense."

"It sure does." Logan looked around and then jerked his head to indicate a travelling businessman sitting alone a few rows ahead of them. "Let me show you what I mean."

He reached over and picked up his coat, motioning her to sit next to him. She did. Why can't I concentrate? It's because I learned he's my age. Even my dad would let me date someone just a year older. The idea of her father assenting to a date with Logan almost caused her to giggles out loud.

Logan smiled and pulled up the main screen on his ansible, showing her what he was doing. He indicated an unfamiliar icon in the SHEPHERDS game menu and tapped it. The standard map appeared on the screen, displaying targets moving around inside the train.

"Looks like the account shearing application," Dawn said, referring to the menu to which Kerstin had just gained access.

"Yeah, looks like," Logan agreed. He tapped the target that matched the location of the businessman ahead of them, labelled 'Jason Cantwell.' A brand new menu appeared. Dawn looked at the choices presented and raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of point system is given for activating any of these commands?"

Logan grinned. "You'll see. Pick one."

Dawn scanned the list for a moment before choosing. "Sleep," she said.

"Good choice," Logan tapped the selection and another menu appeared. "Now pick again."

Dawn viewed the new choices. "These selections aren't funny."

"No one said it was," Logan said. "Choose."

"Light sleep."

"Once again, good choice. Glad you didn't select 'Deep Sleep (5 hours min),' 'Coma,' or 'Permanent.'"

"Are there more points for picking the more serious ones?"

"No."

"Then why offer them as selections?"

"Watch and learn the answer for yourself," Logan tapped the command and then pointed at the businessman. Less than a minute later, the man yawned and closed his laptop. He leaned against the window and was asleep in seconds.

"Whoa!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Right?" he asked.

"Did you put him to sleep?"

"Light sleep. He'll wake up if anyone nudges him, or in half an hour."

Dawn was stunned. "How is that possible?"

Logan chuckled. "Stick with me, and I'll show you a lot of cool stuff."

She intended to.

16

"How's it going?" Harry asked through the open doorway to his son's room.

Sam sat before a big computer workstation facing twin 26" monitors. "Not bad," he answered, turning to beckon Harry. His father rolled the spare black leather chair in front of the workstation and sat down. Both monitors displayed hundreds of lines of complicated code.

"This is a very impressive program, Son," he said after a moment's review. "You get it working?"

"Thanks. Not yet, I've made a mistake somewhere. It's a tiny one; I've been searching for the past three hours and can't find it."

"Want help?" Harry was a firm believer that his children should always have the chance to accomplish challenges on their own. Sam appeared to have taken that as far as he could.

"Yeah, a little help would be appreciated, Dad."

Harry pointed to a section of code on the first monitor. "This command is missing a comma," he said.

Sam turned his attention to the line Harry was indicating and laughed as he added the missing comma. "That's it, right? Everything else looks fine?"

"Only one way to find out," Harry said.

Sam saved the changes, then ran the program. A realistic sky, with eagles soaring across it, replaced the lines of code.

The two sat and watched the program run, scanning for glitches. "It's excellent," Harry proclaimed.

"Thanks, Dad."

Harry slapped his son lightly on the back. "It's good to see that I passed some useful talents on to you."

"I think you contributed quite a few traits that I find useful, Dad," Sam said. "Programming might not even be a very significant one."

"You never know," Harry shrugged. "Maybe you'll do something with it later on."

"What did you do with it?"

"Paid the bills for years while I worked for different computer companies and helped them design programs."

"Yeah, but you didn't start making real money until you left those jobs."

"Somewhere out there, an army of coders are writing the programs that run SHEPHERDS, which enables us to enjoy a very good lifestyle," Harry said. "At the top of that mountain is some brilliant person who came up with the game and got it running. Likely some coder who is richer than we will ever be."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Trust me, son. Don't abandon this hobby. Thorns have a rich history of success, and computers will likely be your best tool."

"We do?"

"We do, what?"

"Thorns have a rich history of success?" Sam asked. "Every once in a while, you say something like that, as if we're part of some big important family or something. Dawn and I have rarely asked about cousins, or grandparents, or aunts and uncles, but that doesn't mean we haven't wondered."

Harry looked at the computer screen. "I wanted to shield you from that, but it may become impossible."

"Dad, what are you talking about? You're starting to freak me out."

Harry stood and squeezed his son's shoulder. "Don't let it bother you, Sam. Our Family does have a long and rich history, and there are some skeletons in the closet that I would prefer to tell you about instead of having you read about them on the Internet."

"The Internet!" Sam hissed. "Why haven't I searched online for our family name?"

"The same reason most people don't," Harry said. "Because they either fail to think of the possibility, or else they imagine a search will return nothing interesting."

"Well, I'll fix that," Sam reached for his keyboard but Harry stopped him.

"Do me a favour, son? Please wait until I can speak with you and your sister together before you go looking on the net for info about the Thorn Family."

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Harry continued. "You've waited this long. Can't you hold on a few hours longer until your sister comes home? She's been gone for two days now, and Josh will have her back soon."

"Sure, Dad, I can wait a bit longer," Sam said.

"Thank you," Harry smiled and pressed a key on the keyboard. The screen went back to code. "Why don't you show me how you would go about adding some land and a few different birds to your simulation?"

The two sat together for the next half hour, enhancing Sam's program. When they heard the front door open, expecting Dawn, they went downstairs to find out how her trip had gone. They found no Dawn, only Josh sitting alone at the kitchen table with a glass of water and a concerned expression. Harry frowned. "Where's Dawn?"

Josh  shook his head. "No idea. She wasn't on the train."

Harry looked at his phone for missed calls or text messages. There were none. Sam did the same. "She didn't try to contact me," he said.

"You've activated her tracker?" Harry asked Josh.

"Yes, but it's not giving me a location on her."

"What about residual camera searches in City Three? That should have turned up a loc on her. Come on, Josh, you aren't a newb. I expect that when you tell me about a problem you've already figured out a solution."

"This could be a big problem, Harry," Josh shook his head. "If she's still in City Three, and I think she must be, then we're going to have a serious problem finding her."

"That's ridiculous," Harry snapped. "Why would we have trouble finding my daughter in a city that we completely control?"

"Because we don't control it."

"What are you talking about?"

"City Three has gone completely dark, Harry," Josh said. "We don't control a single target there at the moment."

17

City Three: six hours earlier...

"That's weird..." Dawn looked at her ansible with concern.

"What is?" Logan asked, not looking up.

"I'm not seeing any targets nearby."

"Restart the application." Like most software, the game got buggy now and then. A fresh restart usually solved the problem.

"I have," Dawn said, "but it didn't help."

The small bell on the cafe's front door tinkled and Logan looked up from his phone. He straightened and put a hand lightly on Dawn's arm. "We've had a fun few days, right?" he asked.

Dawn looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I've had an amazing time with you, Logan."

That's no exaggeration. My first time in a big city by myself. The SHEPHERDS meetings went well. I got to spend all my free time with Logan. Shopping, nice restaurants, movies, and that goodnight kiss last night...

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?"

"Stop!" she stage-whispered. Kyle froze. "Behind the restaurant, ten minutes," she hissed.

Kyle nodded and returned to his table. Ten minutes later he finished his meal, paid his bill, and left the restaurant to make his way to the back alley.

"Over here," Dawn called softly from beside a dumpster.

Kyle approached her and looked around quickly before joining her in the shadows. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Why all the cloak-and-dagger stuff?"

"You kidding me?" Dawn asked. "You do still play SHEPHERDS, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kyle replied. "It's been down for a bit, though. No targets or shearing taking place. It's going to cost us all some serious bucks in the short term, but once we take the targets back we'll more than make up for the loss."

"Who's telling you that?"

"You know my leader is Tank. He heard it from his boss and passed it down the line to us."

Dawn nodded. Each team operated in small cells. Only the leader had contact with the next group leader higher up the chain. It worked that way up to the upper echelon; everyone knew the leaders at that level, of whom Dawn was one. "Anyone talking about me?"

"Um, yeah. Everyone is more like it," Kyle said. "Your dad is in town, and he is apparently not in a good mood."

"That all you got?"

Kyle smiled and shook his head. The game structure attempted to keep them in small isolated groups, but Kyle heard more than the average player. There were others like Kyle in each territory, and the leaders allowed it; one never knew when a guy with Kyle's people skills and contacts might come in handy. "There's another group making a very serious play for our entire game territory."

"Any idea who they are?"

"Some big rich Family from the other side of the country," Kyle said. "Apparently they own a large piece of the game board on the west coast. I'm hearing that they're no longer content with what they have. They want it all."

"It's just a game," Dawn mumbled, even though she knew it was more than that. There are millions of dollars tied to playing this game. Why have I never bothered to wonder more about that fact? In adult business, adding money to any equation makes the outcome more serious. I've been blinding myself.

"A few kids have been killed."

"What? Killed because of the game?"

"No one is saying that," Kyle looked over his shoulder and lowered his voice. "I hear things from a lot of people, though, Dawn, you know that."

Dawn nodded.

"It looks pretty obvious that the kids dying out there are not just accidents. I think someone is trying to control the players, and if they don't turn on your Family, they end up dead."

"Where's my dad at?"

"He's nowhere and everywhere, like a ghost. I was beginning to think reports of him being here was just a rumour. He's not doing his normal routine where he comes to a hotel and sets up camp. He's popping up all over town and then disappearing just as quickly."

"What about this other family? Have they sent big players here?"

"I don't know," Kyle shook his head and took out his phone. He turned it on and loaded SHEPHERDS, passing it to Dawn. She had left her ansible in Logan's car; it was useless to her for now and she was certain the brothers had put a tracer on it. Looking at Kyle's phone, she saw the game map for the first time since her escape.

The entire city map was coloured in red, each icon indicating that it was held by very high-level opponent. Or opponents, it was impossible to know from the map.

"The targets are all held tight. None of them become available, or even provide sufficient data, and I haven't met anyone who can hack them," Kyle said. "That means there must be some pretty powerful players here, but none of us have been able to spot any."

That made sense to Dawn. The only reliable way to identify a Shepherd was to witness someone suspicious in the area while a target was being stolen. Since no targets were changing hands, it would be difficult to know if any given person were playing the game, or simply using his or her phone.

"The game's not down anymore, but it's controlled by others," she said. "I have to get to my dad."

"I don't know how to help you do that," Kyle admitted. "There doesn't seem to be a way to know where he's going to be next. Why don't you just go meet up with someone safe and wait 'til he shows up?"

"Because I've seen some of the enemy players, and they're looking for me too."

They both thought for a few moments. Finally, Kyle snapped his fingers and smiled. "You tell me where you're hiding out, and I'll tell Tank that I know where you are. Then, when your dad hears, he will come looking for me. I'll tell him where you are and he can come get you."

"I don't know..."

"If you have a better plan, I'm all ears," Kyle said.

Dawn thought about it for another minute and finally shook her head. "Okay," she said, "I'll tell you where I'm staying, but I don't want you to write it down. Memorize it?"

"Of course," Kyle nodded.

21

Logan had spent his youth doing more than playing video games.

By the time his seventeenth birthday arrived, he had mastered many forms of armed and hand-to-hand combat. He had spent weeks learning, by experience, how to survive the harshest environments. Of course, he came from a Family of culture and stature, which had trained him extensively in art, literature, and leadership, as well.

Logan liked to think of himself as a cultured wolf, willing and capable of ripping out someone's throat, but also comfortable  attending a night at the opera with a beautiful woman on his arm. His comprehensive résumé was standard for his class, typical of his Family, where his age made him one of the least genteel. "Your progress is adequate," his father would say. "Keep at it, and in a few more decades, you may be able to travel the world without embarrassing your ancestors."

Tonight, the combat training did him more good than the cultural appreciation. His eyes opened as some unconscious part of him awakened to danger. He moved only his eyelids, which was fortunate. Had he done much more, the razor-thin edge of the blade resting against his throat would have ended his life in a burst of blood.

"Yes," a rough voice whispered softly from above him. "I was certain they'd trained you well enough to remain still upon waking to danger."

Logan's arms and legs were not pinned, but his assailant's weight rested solidly on his chest, limiting his air intake and movement. If his attacker had wanted him dead, it would have already occurred. Thus, the man with the knife was a professional, and deadly.

"I'm gonna stand up now," the voice said. "If you so much as blink loudly, I'll stick this blade in your eye so fast that you'll flop around for seconds before your body realizes it's dead. Whisper yes if you understand."

"Yes," Logan whispered. He'd been woken like this in training, but this could be no drill, not while deep in enemy territory and making a serious move against a formidable foe. This was a countermove, and Logan was certain whose. "Harry Thorn?" he whispered.

The knife came away from his neck and the weight on his chest lifted. A soft thud sounded beside his bed, too soft for an untrained person to hear, and a man's silhouette appeared beside him."Tell me where my daughter is."

"Can I sit up?" Logan asked.

"Slowly."

Logan sat up and observed the man standing an arm's length away: Harry Thorn, a very dangerous and cunning adversary, and a prominent leader in his Family for over thirty years."It's an honour to meet you," Logan said. "I'm sorry it's under such troubling circumstances."

Harry's stare was flat and cold. "Where's my daughter?"

"We were told that your kids have received no special training," Logan said. "That was a lie."

"Obviously," Harry sneered. While he didn't subscribe to the brutal Spartan-style training the rest of his Family favoured, Harry had still made certain that his kids could defend themselves, armed or unarmed. If the Hearthkin boy was being honest, which it sounded like he was... "Does that mean she escaped you?"

Logan's face flushed with embarrassment. "We underestimated her," he admitted with a nod. "If she hadn't, we would have had her back to you already. This operation was never meant to cause bloodshed."

"Yet I hear blood has been shed in my city, anyway," Harry said.

"Not that I know of," Logan said.

Harry's grin looked more like a warning snarl. "Someone has really messed this up. I don't know if it was you and your brother deciding you wanted to make a name for yourselves by trying to take my area, or if it's a sanctioned attack with some bad luck on your part. I'm fairly certain that it's not one of ours trying to gain territory and pinning the blame on your Family." Harry spun the knife lazily in his hand, silver light flashing as it twirled first slow and then fast. "I like things the way they are." He locked eyes with Logan once more. "And I'm willing to forgive and forget all of this, if you return my daughter and retreat back to your little hole on the west coast."

Logan said nothing.

Harry shrugged. "Or not. If you want to keep playing this game, then I'll play. You're too young to remember a war. There has been peace between our two Families for a long time."

"Over sixteen years," Logan said. "I know the history."

"Do you?" Harry asked. "I would have thought they kept that a secret from the young ones."

"There are no baby girls named Desdemona anymore," Logan said, "but we all learn about her. It's important to learn from past mistakes. There is a good lesson in her story, to know what happens when a Hearthkin abandons her Family to love a Thorn."

Harry's smile faltered. He blinked slowly and then allowed it to return. "My daughter. Reunited with me. Immediately."

"We don't have her."

Harry walked to the window and opened it. "Then leave town and she'll feel safe enough to stop hiding," he said.

Logan started to speak, but Harry leapt out the window, gracefully grabbing a rope and sliding to the ground below.

22

"When are we leaving?"

Vector looked up from his phone and gazed blankly at his little brother. "I don't understand your question."

Logan swept his hand broadly to indicate the city. "City Three," he said. When do you plan to leave?"

Vector looked out the nearby window, squinting slightly as the sun caught his eyes. Then he grinned and looked back at his younger brother. "I don't plan to leave."

"That's crazy."

"Why?"

"We can't hold this territory."

"That's what everyone would like to believe, yes."

"It's Thorn territory."

"That's strange," Vector tapped his phone. "When I look at the game map it appears to be controlled by Hearthkins. Are you seeing a different screen than I am?"

"You're playing with me," Logan snorted. "Long before this was called City Three, hundreds of years before SHEPHERDS was invented, this place already belonged to the Thorns. The entire infrastructure: politicians, business owners, families who built this place and keep it going—everyone here is loyal to Thorn leadership."

"How many people living here are even aware of that?" Vector asked.

"The people that matter. The ones who run the city."

"Perhaps it's time for a change of leadership," Vector said. "There are many who would enjoy being promoted to positions of power, and we can assist in that area."

"Oh, wow," Logan said. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Vector stared at his brother and then he shook his head. "No, I'm not. You're right, we don't have the support to try and hold this place. I did raise the idea with the Elder Council before we came, though."

"They shot it down." And I'm not surprised. They're responsible for the welfare and prosperity of the entire Hearthkin Family. There would be too much risk.

"They did give us permission to shake things up, and that's why we're going to make it look like we intend to stay for as long as we can comfortably maintain the charade."

"There are always weak links in a chain," Logan quoted some famous, dead ancestor.

"Exactly," Vector agreed. "I have already turned two influential people."

"Anyone I know?"

"I doubt it," Vector told him the names, and Logan shook his head. "The good news is that once we do leave, and city control is returned to the Thorns, there will be large sections that we can shear occasionally. That should keep them confused about our presence in the city, and also bring us a nice little profit from this territory over time."

"You gave them secondary phones?"

"With high-level accounts tied to our master account, yes," Vector said. "I think we can hold on here for at least a few more days, and I intend to recruit even more willing profit-seekers before we have to leave."

"We don't have more days," Logan said. "Harry Thorn is seething, and he's not going to be patient for much longer."

"You really dropped the ball on that one, Bro," Vector shook his head. "I thought the girl was an easier target."

"It did seem too good to be true."

"A shame she didn't take her ansible with her. We could have tracked her down easily."

"Yeah. The good news about her leaving it behind is that I was able to remove all the spyware I'd installed onto it. Imagine if they had returned it to Game Central and our tampering had shown up. That would have caused a whole new set of problems for us."

"Game Central is a joke," Vector said. "Most of the idiots working there actually believe SHEPHERDS is truly just a game."

"There are some who know the truth," Logan warned.

"I know, but they belong to us."

"Or the Thorns."

"The balance of power between both of our families is maddening," Vector admitted. "If we could tip the scales in our favour and wipe them out...that would put us in the history books forever."

"Yes, problem is that there are thousands of Thorns who feel the same way about tipping the scales against us, brother."

"Games within games," Vector sighed.

"You never answered my question about Dawn. What are we going to do about finding her?"

"Nothing," Vector said. "We would have let her go by now, anyway. The element of surprise is gone. We'll leave soon, and then Dawn will feel safe enough to surface. Our plan was never to start a war, just to see how the defences were."

"As solid as ours are, I would say," Logan said.

"Yes," Vector agreed.

***

"Josh," Sam yelled down from his room, "come take a look at this."

Josh turned off the television and climbed the stairs. He entered Sam's room and saw that both large monitors were filled with lines of a new computer code. Sam stood up to give Josh the chair.

After a few seconds, Josh frowned and looked at Sam, who grinned and nodded. Josh then continued reviewing the lines of code, moving his lips as he read along. His head turned to the second monitor and he began to nod, stopping occasionally to point at a specific line and study it before moving on. When he was finished, he sat back in his seat and exhaled loudly.

"See any flaws?" Sam asked.

"No," Josh said. "Let me read it once more to make sure?"

"Of course," Sam pulled up the second chair and sat down.

When Josh had read the entire sequence a second time, he nodded quietly and looked at Sam. "This is art."

"You think so?" Sam tried not to smile, but failed.

"Absolutely," Josh said as he pulled out his ansible and dialled a number.

"Harry, it's Josh. Can you get close to one of the Hearthkins? Within seventy-five metres should be fine."

Sam imagined his father saying something to the effect that seventy-five metres wasn't what he would consider close. "I know," Josh said, "but it's close enough for what I want you to do."

Josh stood up and motioned for Sam to sit down again. "Sam just created a new program. He's going to send it to you in a few minutes. When you get close enough to a Hearthkin, I want you to open the program and use it to shear them. Yes, a personal target shear. Text us just before you execute the shear, okay?"

Sam could hear his father ask why. Josh grinned and slapped Sam on the back. "Because we want to watch the fun from here when you do it," he said.

23

"Hey, girl, wake up now. We don't need to attract any attention with you calling out and shouting in your sleep."

Dawn opened her eyes and sat up, slowly remembering where she was as she scanned the surroundings. The alley was dark and damp despite the layers of dry cardboard separating her from the concrete. Despite the presence of large trash barrels at either end of the narrow space, there was only a faint garbage smell. She looked to her left and saw an old woman sitting nearby, wrapped in multiple layers of thin shirts and dresses.

"I'm sorry," Dawn said. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

The old woman shook her head, beads from a gaudy yellow hat making a tinkling sound from the gesture. "That's okay, sweetling, we all get tired from time to time. I'm happy to watch over you while you grab a bit of rest." The woman moved closer to Dawn and looked at her with concern. "Shouldn't you be home with your parents right now? This fine alley doesn't seem like the type of place for a young lady such as yourself."

Dawn said nothing, but pulled the hair out of her face and did her best to tuck it behind her ears.

"Mhmm. Well, maybe you'd like to tell me who this Logan fella is, then? You started thrashing around in your sleep and calling his name out like you were being chased by the devil himself."

Dawn blushed and shook her head. She remembered the dream very well, but she wasn't about to talk about it.

"Alright, then, don't say nothing," the old woman leaned against the wall and pushed back the wide brim of her  hat. "I made sure no one bothered you while you slept," she winked and smiled. "Nobody came close enough to take any of your stuff."

"Thanks," Dawn said. She stood up and stretched. "How long did I sleep?"

"Couple hours," the woman said.

"Okay, that's good," she said. "I need to watch the building across the street for the next little bit. Is it okay if I hide in the alley to do that?"

"Of course. What you watching across the street for?"

Dawn hesitated, then answered. "I'm supposed to be staying in an apartment over there. A friend of mine promised to bring my dad to meet me, but I'm not positive I can trust my friend."

"Such a sad world we live in," the old woman shook her head, "when we can't even trust our friends."

"Yeah, it's rough out there," Dawn said.

"You afraid that instead of your daddy, your friend gonna bring someone else?"

"He might. I'm afraid my friend might be working both sides of the fence."

"What makes you think that?"

"He always seems to know a lot of things before everyone else."

"Well, that don't mean nothing, sugar." The old woman waved a hand dismissively. "Maybe he's just better at paying attention than most others, kind of like me. 'Course, I also have the benefit of living out here in an alley."

"Really?" Dawn asked. "I've never heard anyone describe living on the streets as a benefit."

"How many people you talked to that live in the street?" the old woman asked.

Dawn smiled. "Good point. Counting you, just one."

The old lady chuckled and picked up a small rock. "Okay, then. You can hide out here and wait for your friend to come by. I hope he's an honest one, sweetie. Friends are hard to come by; it would be sad to find he isn't what you thought." She leaned forward and cocked her arm, then threw the rock across the alley.

Dawn watched the stone sail through the air and strike a mound of crumpled black garbage bags. Her eyes widened as the mound let out a deep growl and began to move.

"Woman, why are you always throwing stones at me?" came a gruff masculine voice. An old man with long white hair and a scraggly white beard rolled over and sat up. The black garbage bags were his clothing, a makeshift shirt and ragged black plastic pants that rustled as he moved, flashing tanned, wiry calves. On his feet were heavy black combat boots without laces, the tongues flapping free. As he stood up, Dawn first heard and then saw that his hands were encased in strange gloves.

"Are those gloves made out of red pop bottle caps?" she asked.

"Huh?" The old man's perturbed look disappeared as he turned his gaze to Dawn. "Oh, hi there," he said. "I didn't know we had company. You just get here?" He scowled at the old woman. "You didn't tell me we were having company," he said. "I'm glad that you at least woke me when she arrived."

The old woman shook her head and chuckled. "She arrived a while ago, old man. I didn't even see you over there until a few moments ago, although I doubt I'd have woken you earlier if I had known you were here. I find that you're most charming when sleeping."

The old man smiled and bowed theatrically. "That is one of the nicest compliments you have paid me in a long while, my lady. Thank you kindly."

"It wasn't meant to be a compliment," the old woman muttered.

"One of the nicest compliments in a long while!" the old man said with vigour.

"Fine," the old woman shook her head. "If you would be so kind as to assist our young friend."

"Absolutely. What can I do for you?"

"Show her a good hiding spot near the mouth of this alley. I know you have an excellent place over there, although I can never seem to find it."

"That's because it's an invisible space located slightly outside of this reality!" the old man declared.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever it is, can ya take her to it, please?"

"Absolutely. Follow me, girl." The old man started to walk toward the mouth of the alley.

Dawn smiled at the old lady, then hurried to catch up to the old man. A few moments later they were standing in the corner of the alley near the street. The apartment was clearly visible from the spot, but so was Dawn.

"It's around here somewhere," the old man said, searching the area as if what he were looking for should be obvious. After a moment, he snapped his finger and pointed. "There it is!" he exclaimed, taking a couple steps to his right.

Dawn watched as the old man bent down and made the motion of grabbing something, but there was nothing in his hand. Then, looking very much like a professional mime, he made a lifting motion in mid-air as if pulling open the lid to a trunk. Oh, brother. He's senile. She stood still.

"Well, come on." Sweat began to bead on his forehead. "I might make it appear light, but this lid is very heavy, girl."

"It is?"

"Yes," he hissed between clenched teeth. "At least from the outside. Don't worry, once you're inside it's a breeze to open when you're ready to get back out."

Dawn walked over and stood in front of the old man. His hands were shaking, causing the red pop bottle caps to jingle.

"Step in," he said. "And take this lid from me when you're inside."

She decided to play along, and took a step forward. As her foot touched the ground, it continued to move downwards, passing into the ground until it finally met resistance about three feet below the street surface. "What the—?"

The old man ignored her surprise. "Grab the lid," he said.

Dawn reached up and put her hand near the old man's. She closed her fingers together, and felt something solid in her hands.

"Good," he sighed and let go, taking a step backwards and winking at her. "Okay, Dawn. Just sit down in there and lower the lid. You'll disappear from normal view once the lid closes, but don't worry. You'll still be able to breathe and see out."

"What is this?" she asked.

The old man shook his head. "When you're done, just lift the lid and get out. The odds are excellent that you won't come out here in this alley, but that's a normal side effect."

"Where will it take me?"

"Somewhere less than a block away," he shrugged. "No big deal."

"Okay," she nodded, and began to lower the lid. When it felt like it might be halfway down, she stopped to look at the old man once more. "How did you know my name is Dawn?"

"Huh?" The old man shook his head, then smiled. "Oh, I've met your brother a few times. He has a picture of you on his desk."

"You've met Sam? I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned you. No offense, but you're hard to forget."

The old man raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Maybe I haven't met him yet. Or maybe he forgot about me. How old is he right now?"

"Seventeen."

"There ya go, then," the old man slapped his hands together loudly and pointed a finger at her. "Looks like I haven't met him yet. Okay, good luck, kid. I gotta head out."

"Thanks," Dawn said hesitantly. "I hope to see you again."

"You never know." The old man shrugged and walked toward the old woman in the alley.

Dawn closed the invisible door and sat down to watch the apartment across the street, wondering who the old man was and what he'd been talking about.

24

Harry Thorn looked out the window of his twentieth-story apartment and glanced at the hotel on the corner. His gaze scanned the hotel's front door as he spoke into his phone. "The younger brother went in a few hours ago and hasn't come out since," he reported.

"What about the older one?" Josh asked.

"Nope. Vector left this morning and hasn't been back since."

"How strong is your intel on that?"

"It's solid." Harry let the drape fall from his hand and returned to the living room area to sit in a plush leather chair, reaching for a glass of water. "I'm not waiting any longer, Josh. I'll get close to Logan and execute Sam's program. After that, I have to get back to looking for Dawn." He paused to take a sip of water. "Unless you've found her?"

"No, and I'm frustrated. I have no clue where she is, Harry. I'm sorry, but they caught us with our pants down on this one. I can't do anything from where I'm sitting."

"That's fine," Harry said. "I can't do much of anything either, and I'm in the city."

"It would be better if you waited for Vector to return," said Josh.

"Why?"

"I've explained what Sam designed. You know why."

Harry shook his head. "I'll wait fifteen minutes, then I move. It's getting dark soon and I don't want Dawn out there another night."

"We own the city, Harry, I'm sure she's holed up somewhere and is fine."

"We've had no contact. If one of our people had her, they would have called a landline at the very least to let us know."

"Not necessarily. The whole city is caught up in confusion with the sudden loss of territory," Josh reminded him. "Protocol states that the leaders stay off the grid until contacted by superiors."

"I've met with most of the leaders," Harry muttered. "Certainly enough to deal with that provision."

"Not personal contact. You know as well as the others the protocol describes digital communication, which we are unable to initiate."

"Fifteen minutes," Harry repeated. "Then I do this."

"After that?" Josh asked.

"After that, I go see Tank and find out if anyone in his group has heard anything."

***

Kyle strode into the small restaurant and nodded at the waitress. "Where's Tank?" he asked.

"Back office," she said. "He's with someone, though. Doesn't want to be disturbed."

Kyle nodded and continued walking to the back of the restaurant. "Trust me, he'll want to be disturbed for this."

He made his way into the kitchen, smiling at the dishwasher and greeting the line cooks. Kyle rapped twice at the office door and turned the handle, walking in without waiting for a response. "Heya, Tank. Sorry to disturb you, but I have some big news to share."

Tank was behind his desk, with a blond man sitting across from him. Both stopped talking as soon as the door opened. Tank glared at Kyle, much to the visitor's evident amusement.

Tank stood up and closed a large black ledger book on his desk. "Hey! I told Ally that no one was to interrupt me, Kyle. Go wait outside 'til I'm done here."

Kyle raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Okay, boss, okay. Sorry to disturb you. I didn't know you meant me when you gave that order."

The visitor chuckled and stood up. "It's fine, we're done here anyway." He reached across the desk and shook hands with Tank. "Thanks for the information on your entrée counts, Tank. I was starting to think my restaurant was the only one experiencing a little dip in business."

Tank looked confused for a second, then nodded. "Yeah, sure, man. Always glad to help out a fellow small business owner."

The visitor left the room with a parting nod at Kyle.

Tank sat down and looked at Kyle without warmth, then pointed to the chair across from his desk. "Well, sit down. What's so important you had to barge in right away?"

Kyle sat down, leaned back, and started lying. "I heard from some of my contacts in City One. They say there's nothing suspicious going on over there. Our side still controls the game board, but will keep their eyes open for signs of trouble and let us know if anything happens."

Tank stared at him, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "That it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kyle said. "That's good news, right?"

"I guess," Tank said without enthusiasm. "Doesn't put any money in our pockets though, does it? I was expecting better news, since you couldn't wait to share it with me."

Kyle spread his hands. "I'm sorry, Tank. I didn't know you were in a big meeting. In my defence, how many times have you said not to disturb you but didn't mean me?"

Tank nodded. "I do let you get away with too much, don't I?"

Kyle smiled. "It must be my winning personality."

Tank laughed. "Something like that." He relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, I forgive you. Now get out there and help us get back up on the grid. We're bleeding money here."

Kyle stood up and gave a sloppy salute. Tank laughed and returned the gesture. Kyle kept his smile in place until he was out of sight of Tank's restaurant.

What is Vector Hearthkin doing in the city talking to Tank? And who can I trust to get in touch with Harry Thorn for me now?

25

"Hello."

"Hey, Josh, it's Harry." With Harry, the person dialling always identified him or herself upon answering. He refused to rely, or allow associates to rely, on caller ID.

"You in place?" Josh asked.

"Sitting in the hotel lobby right now."

"Good. What's the plan?"

"Logan has seen me, so he knows that I'm in town and likely close by. My ansible says that he's on the top floor of the hotel. I'll take the elevator to the floor just below him, enter the unit beneath his room, and shear him from there."

"Sounds good," Josh said. "Sam is sitting here with me now. I'm putting you on speaker phone."

Harry's first instinct was to ask if the room was secure and shielded, but Josh didn't make mistakes like that.

"Hey, Dad," Sam's voice said over the speaker.

"Heya, Son," Harry smiled. "I'm gonna give it another minute, then head up the elevator."

"Affirmative," Josh said.

"Wait a minute..." A new target appeared on Harry's ansible. He looked at the front door and smiled. "Looks like I won't need to make the elevator trip. Brother number two just walked in through the front door."

"Nice," Sam said.

Harry swiped a finger to access the personal shearing menu and quickly targeted Vector. "Here goes," he muttered as he tapped the command.

No one said a word for the three seconds it took for the 'working' bar to move slowly toward its goal. Most players waited to see if the bar would make it to the line indicating success, but that wasn't a concern with Harry's ansible. There weren't many opponents who could defend against him, especially from stealth attacks made nearby.

"Success," Harry whispered, as his ansible screen emitted a quick pulse of white light.

"Good," Sam said. "Now let's hope this works.."

Harry switched his ansible to camera mode and placed it in his pocket so that Sam and Josh could see Vector. An audible chirp sounded from Vector's pocket–his ansible informing him that he'd been sheared–and he reached in with a frown to turn it on. Vector looked around, trying to spot the culprit. Harry kept still in his hiding place behind a column.

"Here comes the boom," Sam said.

Vector's ansible started to emit a loud alarm, attracting attention and irritation from the people around him. His face flushed and his brows furrowed as he brought the ansible closer to his face.

Harry chuckled and pulled the phone out his pocket, turning the screen around to watch as every red target on the screen began to turn blue. "Poor Vector," Harry said. "He's going to have a hard time explaining to his family why he suddenly decided to use his ansible to return control of the entire city back over to us."

Sam laughed and cheered through Harry's earpiece. "Turn the camera back on him for a second, Dad. I want to see his face again as he tries to stop it."

Harry smiled and pointed the camera at Vector, who was swearing loudly and tapping commands into his ansible. The bell captain gave Vector a chilly stare. Harry edged closer, approaching from behind until he was less than five feet away. This wasn't part of the plan, but he couldn't resist.

"Come on, come on!" Vector said as his fingers flew across the screen. "This can't be happening. Not all at once, and not so quickly."

"Your father must be so disappointed in you boys," Harry said, smiling condescendingly as Vector whirled in surprise to face him. "All you can do is mash buttons and go where he tells you to go." Harry leaned against the nearby column. "My people, on the other hand, write a completely new program to kick your stupid asses out of town and regain control of an entire city in...what do you think that took? Less than a minute is my guess."

Vector glared in fury. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

"Oh well," Harry shrugged and trained his gaze on Vector. "Your father understands genetics well enough. I don't suppose he expects very much from you, given your shallow gene pool."

Vector's lips pursed together with rage, and his hand reached toward the inside of his jacket.

"Oh, yes!" Harry's grin widened. "Make your situation worse by attacking me, runt. The only thing better than regaining massive board space in the game would be sending a Hearthkin home in a body bag."

Vector's eyes flashed angrily, but after a moment, he spun on his heel and stalked toward the elevator.

"In three hours," said Harry to Vector's receding back, "I see any of your group in my city, I'll make sure they leave, and it won't be pleasant, boy."

Vector said nothing as he entered the elevator.

Harry chuckled and walked toward the exit. "Now find Dawn," he said quietly into his ear piece.

"I'm on it," Josh assured him.

26

The small space Dawn occupied was not uncomfortable at first, but did not become more pleasant with time. At first, she'd been worried that people might see her, or even wander into the alley and step on her, but no one had approached the alley. After what felt like an hour, but was probably closer to ten minutes, she spotted Kyle walking up to her building. And where is Dad?

Kyle entered the building. Minutes passed, then he exited and stood out front for a minute, looking around and eventually dialling a number on his phone before starting to walk away. No one appeared to be tailing him.

Dawn raised the invisible lid, pushed upwards, and got out to follow Kyle. She hoisted herself up and out of the small hidden space, looked up to make sure she didn't lose Kyle... and was no longer in the alley.

"Oh, crap, that's right," she moaned out loud. "The old man said I would exit the space in another part of town."

Dawn shook her head and scanned her surroundings. He had also assured her that she wouldn't end up more than a block or two away. On her right was the apartment building that Kyle had just left. She crossed the busy street and hurried to catch up to him.

She turned the corner at a brisk jog, ready to break into a faster run if Kyle was still too far ahead of her. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and a grin on his face. "Well, hey there, Dawn. What took you so long?"

"You knew I was following you?" she asked.

"I knew somebody was following me." He pushed away from the wall and began walking. "Come on, let's hurry and get you to someplace safe."

She jogged forward to join him. "Where's my dad? You were supposed to bring him here."

"Change of plans," he grimaced. "Bit of a problem in the chain of command."

"What kind of problem?"

"Tank is working for the enemy."

"That's crazy," Dawn had known Tank for a long time. He had always been a loyal member of the leadership.

"Crazy but true." Kyle continued to scan the streets as they walked. "I went to tell him about you so he could contact your dad. When I walked into his office, Vector and him were having a friendly little chat."

Dawn stopped walking. "How do you know Vector?"

Kyle kept walking. "I know lots of people. It's the main reason everyone puts up with me and keeps me around. Which, in turn, leads to me knowing more people."

Dawn jogged to catch up. "Did you hear what they were talking about?"

"No," Kyle shook his head. "Vector left as soon as I came in, but him being there means Tank is dirty."

"How do you know so much about all this stuff and I don't?"

"I'm a couple years older. I've been playing games longer. And I've been on the streets since I was a young kid, struggling to find ways to survive. You never had to do that."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I didn't know."

Kyle shrugged. "No big deal. You asked and I answered."

"You must have some family?"

"Not really. Lots of acquaintances. A few friends."

The two walked in silence for a few blocks.

"Where are we going?" Dawn asked.

"I've been asking myself the same question," Kyle admitted. "I don't want to hide you anywhere near Tank's group. I have a feeling it's only Tank and maybe a couple of his lieutenants that are dirty, but I don't want to risk being wrong. I'm walking toward Annie's territory, so I guess that's where we're heading."

A rapid chirping began to sound from Kyle's pocket. "What the heck is that?" he said as he pulled out his phone.

"Those are game alerts," Dawn said.

"Yeah, about a thousand of them all at once. What's up with that?" Kyle opened the game screen on his phone and his frown quickly became a smile. "Well, I don't know what just happened, but it's good news for us."

"What is it?"

Kyle turned his phone toward her. He'd zoomed the playing grid out to show a large area of the city. Everything in enemy-controlled red had changed colour to ally-owned blue. Dawn laughed with relief. "Looks like we have our city back," Kyle said.

"Does that mean it's safe to call my dad to come get me?"

"I think it's worth a try." Kyle handed the phone to her. "Let's grab a coffee over here and give him a call."

27

Vector laughed and raised his glass of wine in salute to Logan, sitting next to him in first class of the commercial jet. "Well, that was fun, little brother. A very profitable operation."

Logan's face did not mirror his brother's. "It wasn't all fun," he growled. "We got lucky. If something had happened to Harry's daughter, we would have started a war. Father would have killed at least one of us for such a mistake, and just my bad luck it would have been me when it should be you."

Vector drained his glass and smacked his lips loudly. "You're being overly dramatic, I think. He's invested too much into us to throw us away. Besides, nothing happened to her, so everything is fine." He reached for a cracker and spread some black caviar onto it. "Harry Thorn is lucky I didn't make a move for him when I had the chance. I'm pretty sure neither of us would be punished for killing him, even if it did start a war."

Logan shook his head and sighed. "Father might be a match for Harry Thorn. Might." He looked out the window, then back at his brother. "You can't best our old man on his worst day. If you had tried to kill Harry, I'd be bringing you home with a new smile cut into your throat."

Vector opened his mouth to disagree, but nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought as I was reaching for a blade. Old fart would have likely stuck me in the eye or some other nasty place." He popped the rest of the cracker into his mouth and poured more wine. "We'll just have to keep training and hope Harry Thorn stays alive long enough for one of us to kill him. How much do you figure we made from holding City Three?"

Logan turned his ansible on. "A little over four million dollars," he announced.

"Not bad," Vector said. "I would have expected a bigger take, but the payoff is definitely worth it."

Logan shook his head. "We should still have control of the city. The way they booted us out is cause for concern. It should have taken them days. They took it all back in minutes. It was like they flipped a switch and sheared them all back at once. The entire city."

"It was worse than that, Logan," Vector said. "My ansible released every single target in the city at the same time while they somehow sheared everything back simultaneously. The millions of kb that we'd earned from owning the targets went to zero. For a second I was afraid that they would somehow take back our digicash too."

"That would have been nasty."

"Yeah, that would have sent us home with no money in our pockets at all."

"So what do you think happened?"

"We were hacked."

"I agree," Logan said. "Someone wrote an aggressive cheat program and uploaded it to the game grid."

"I want to know who it was, and so will Father."

"It must be a nasty piece of coding." Logan finally took a sip from his own wine glass. "I bet Grandfather will get involved."

Vector frowned as he munched another cracker. "You're likely right. Get out your cute smile and hope he focuses most of his energy on making Father squirm."

"Our 'cute faces' stopped working on Grandfather once we became old enough to contribute to the Family."

"Figuring out who we're looking for might help ease the pressure they're likely to put on us," Logan said. "Any guesses?"

"First guess would be Josh," Vector said. "That guy is the Thorn family wizard, right?"

"Yes. It's likely Josh, which is a shame. If it were someone else, some smaller fish, then we might be able to isolate and grab them for a private little chat." Logan didn't bother finishing the thought. Both of them knew Josh was untouchable unless things escalated.

"Then let's assume it's not Josh," Vector offered. "We have our own tech geniuses. Let's put them to work and see if they can find the code on the grid. If they can spot it, then perhaps they'll be able to follow it back and identify the owner."

"If it's someone else, we kill them?"

"Likely," Vector put his empty wine glass down and leaned back in his seat. "Or recruit them. Let's find out who it is and worry about the details once we do."

28

Harry stalked into the coffee shop like a hungry wolf.

As Dawn stood to greet her father, her smile faltered. She hadn't thought he would be angry with her, but the look in his eyes was terrible. As he got closer, Harry's eyes softened as fury gave way to worried relief. "Thank God you're all right," he whispered hoarsely as he pulled her close to him.

Safe in her father's arms, Dawn felt the release of will, determination and pent-up fear that had dominated her thoughts since the whole ordeal had begun. She began to sob uncontrollably.

"It's okay, Kitten." Harry stroked her hair, his eyes welling up with tears. "You're safe now. You're safe."

After a time, Dawn regained her composure and gently pulled away to smile up at her father. She wiped the tears from her face and the two of them joined Kyle at the table.

"Tell me everything," Harry's voice sounded calm and detached.

Dawn nodded and recounted the past few days. Harry interrupted occasionally to ask questions before nodding for her to continue. When she came to the part involving the alley, she did not mention the old man with pop-bottle-cap gloves.

"The brothers will have left the city by now," Harry said.

"By plane," Kyle confirmed. "First class, direct to Los Angeles."

Harry nodded. "Who else knows about Tank?"

"I've told no one," Kyle said.

"You've done well, Kyle. I'll make sure that you're generously rewarded for protecting my daughter."

"That's not necessary, sir," Kyle shrugged. "We look out for each other, right? If you're a member of the team then we take care of you."

Harry took a sip of coffee. "That's the right attitude, son, but trust me, I won't forget this."

Kyle nodded. "Fair enough."

"When can we go home, Daddy?" Dawn asked.

"Today," Harry said.

"Good," Dawn said. "This trip wasn't as fun as I had hoped. There was definitely more excitement than I could have guessed, but boring would have been better."

"Don't worry, Kitten, this isn't the way things normally work. It's not often that a couple of rich brats can enter our territory so easily and cause such trouble." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a car key which he handed to Dawn. "Go out and start the car, please. I'll be right there."

"Okay," Dawn stood and accepted the key. "Thanks again, Kyle. I owe you big time, no matter what you say."

"Call me next time you hit town," Kyle said. "I'll let you buy me a hot dog or something and we can call it even." Dawn laughed and headed for the front door.

Kyle waited for Dawn to exit the coffee shop before speaking. "What happens now?" he asked.

"Tank will need to be handled," Harry said.

"Any way you can leave him in place for awhile? Maybe put a tail or two on him to see how deep this corruption goes?"

"Normally, I would say yes," Harry finished his coffee and shook his head, "but what happened here is a big kick in the face. I need to deliver a clear message in return. There's no way I will allow this attack to go unanswered."

"There's going to be war then?"

"I don't know." Harry reached into his pocket and dug out enough money to cover the bill. "Since SHEPHERDS went live, everyone has been playing fair and by the rules. The Families have stayed in their own territories and avoided messing with the rest. According to the rules, most of what has just transpired falls within the rules of the game. Shearing and attacking territory is fine; it helps to ensure that the strong survive and the weak are eliminated." Harry's eyes became steely. "Trying to kidnap my daughter is not part of the game."

"Technically, it is," Kyle said.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "but that can only escalate the game. I had hoped the other side wouldn't want to open that door, or if they did, it would be with someone else's kids."

"It was a stupid move," Kyle said. "I can watch Tank for you, if you decide it's worth doing."

Harry stood up. "Let me think about it. I want you safe, Kyle. You've been a good asset for us. We need you to remain that way."

"I want more, Harry," Kyle smiled.

"I know. Leave it with me; there will soon be room for loyal team members to grow."

"I've heard some of the older guys talking. Things were more violent and dangerous before the game went live."

"There's a lot of money involved," Harry admitted. "Money and power. Enjoy this time while it lasts, Kyle." He patted the young man on the back and started to walk toward the door. "Things always get violent. It's just a matter of figuring out the timing."

29

"We need to have a family discussion," Harry announced.

Sam groaned as he released his sister from a hug. "Dawn just walked in the door, Dad. Can't we have something to eat and hear the details of her ordeal before we sit down for a new one?"

Dawn chuckled. Family discussions were often longer than they needed to be. Their father was an excellent communicator and storyteller, but a long-winded one. "I would like to have a shower and rest a bit first, Daddy," she said.

"I've put this off for long enough," Harry said, shaking his head. "Living room. Now."

Sam and Dawn sighed and went into the living room.

Harry sat in his customary large brown leather reading chair while the two of them sat on a comfortable leather couch across from him. He took a sip from a water bottle. Dawn stifled a groan, for a water bottle portended a lot of talking on her father's part.

"Don't worry. I think you'll find this interesting." Harry paused, took a deep breath, and then sighed. "It's time that I finally told you about the Thorn Family."

Sam threw Dawn a look, and both sat forward with interest. Their father had always deflected this subject. Neither had pushed the issue; lots of families didn't know much about their extended relatives. Dawn had gone to school with friends who had never met their grandparents or aunts and uncles. After all these years, both had come to assume there was nothing significant to tell. Plus, there was no way to bring the subject up without talking about their mother.

"I'll be talking about your mom, too, if that's okay with the both of you?" he said, as if directly picking the thought out of Dawn's head.

"Dad, it's fine," Sam assured him. "She's been gone a long time now. It would actually be good to hear you talk about her. I think it would be healthy."

Dawn  smiled encouragingly and nodded at her father. Their mother had passed away six years ago, which seemed like so long ago, now.

Harry smiled and nodded. The two of them had been madly in love. Dawn could still remember the joy and happiness they had all felt when her mom had been alive. Her dad had changed when Mom had passed away. He'd done his best to hide it, but his sadness always seemed to be lurking just below the surface.

"The Thorn Family is large and powerful," he began.

"Are you serious?" Sam interrupted. "Then how come we've never heard about any of them? Searches on the Internet barely pull up anything. There's the odd conspiracy theory that mentions a family sounding similar to ours, but those references sound like tinfoil hat stuff."

"Yeah," Harry said. "You won't find much on the Internet, although the stories  are about us. Some stories even we can't seem to make disappear."

"Those stories refer to a family called Thorne, with an 'e' at the end of their name."

"That's right. When I moved away from the Family I dropped the 'e.'"

"So," Sam asked, "the Thorne Family: the mythical, powerful, ultra-rich Family that is said to rule almost every country on the planet from behind the scenes? All the conspiracies and crazy stories that no one can prove, but everyone seems to spread?"

"Correct. That's the Family you were born into."

Sam and Dawn said nothing.

"Let me give you the basics," Harry said. "I assume you will have a lot of questions, and over the next few weeks–maybe months–I'll do my best to answer as many as I can. I'll present the Family history to you as it is given to each child when they reach an appropriate age. I'll include a few extra details, because you're older than the average child when they hear it."

"Okay, that sounds fair," Sam said. Dawn smiled in agreement.

"It's in our Family's nature to ask a lot of questions. And to talk too much." All three of them laughed. "Even so, please try not to interrupt unless I mention something you can't wait to hear about. All right?" Both kids nodded.

"The Thorne Family can trace its roots back to the fourth century, A.D." Harry paused. Both kids looked surprised, but neither said a word. "I won't bore you with centuries of minute details, but the basic theme of our history is this: our Family grew to a position of influence and power without once reaching to grab a crown or ruling position. Instead, our ancestors were content to rule from the shadows, to help elevate others to power and then reap the benefits of the favour gained by our help. There are Thorne children from every generation who become Family historians. My little sister is one of them. I've likely heard more about our long and rich history than the average Thorne, because we were close and she couldn't wait to share her knowledge with me whenever I was around. There are libraries filled from floor to tall ceiling with volume upon volume of books all containing  Thorne Family history."

"I would love to see that," Dawn said.

"I'm sure that you will, someday," Harry said. "To make a long story short–which I know is not my forté–the Thorne Family is very old, extremely rich, and incredibly powerful worldwide."

"Are any Thornes world leaders?" Sam asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, but we do control over ninety percent of them."

"Do we own any banks?" Dawn asked.

"No, but we direct the actions of those who do."

"I think I see a pattern," Sam said.

"I would hope so," Harry said. "It's a pretty simple guiding principle. We stay out of the spotlight and control those on the stage. We rule absolutely, but from the shadows."

"Sounds evil," Sam said, "and so do the rumours and stories about the Thorne Family on the Internet. Are we a bad group of people, Dad?"

"Nothing is that black or white, Son. In every game there is a winner and a loser. The loser thinks the winner is evil, and the winner sees themselves as good. In the grand timeline, the Thorne Family has won considerably more than we have lost. Those who have lost at our expense have come to view us as evil."

"Sounds slippery," Dawn said.

"Our ancestors are no different than any other single person or family," Harry waved a hand. "We all want to prosper and make sure that our children are protected and cared for. We all want the next generation to do better than we did. Our Family was in the right place at the right time in a lot of key moments throughout history, and they prospered while retaining traditional long-term vision and values. It might be difficult for the average person, who spends very little to no time planning for the future, to understand. They don't consider what their lives will be like a decade from now, let alone a century. Life is a game, kids, and it is those who play the long game that triumph over those with less purpose, vision, and discipline."

"That makes sense," Sam said. Dawn nodded agreement. Harry chuckled.

"Of course it does—to you. You are both Thorne children, the product of centuries of breeding and success."

"You make it sound like we're race horses or show dogs," Dawn said.

Harry shrugged. "That's a topic for a different family discussion, but in effect you are. Wolves that breed with puppy dogs make babies that are no longer wolves. Our ancestors understood this and have always been very selective about whom we mix with. Royalty with royalty, success with success."

"Does that mean Mom was from a powerful Family too?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Harry pursed his lips tightly together. "Before we got married, your mom's name was Desdemona Hearthkin."

Dawn's heart skipped a beat and a faint flush appeared on her face. "A Hearthkin?" she said. " We're related to Vector and Logan?"

Harry was too distracted to notice Dawn's unease. "Well, yes. Technically, you are."

"Is that a problem?" Sam looked first at Dawn and then his father, sensing something amiss.

Harry shook his head. "You are both Thorne children. That is your Family above all others."

"I have no problem with that, since the Thorne Family is ancient and powerful," Sam tilted his head as he smiled at his father. "Unless the Hearthkin Family is also powerful and ancient?"

Harry's face turned a deeper shade of red.

"Oh wow, Dad!" Sam laughed. "Did you do something wrong by hooking up with Mom? Is this some kind of Romeo and Juliet thing?"

"Of course not!" Harry snapped, reaching for his water bottle.

"It totally is!" Sam exclaimed. "The Hearthkin boys came here and started shearing our territory, and then  took over all of City Three. They even tried to kidnap Dawn. They are definitely not on our side when it comes to SHEPHERDS, and I would bet my inheritance—which I wasn't aware I might even have until a few minutes ago—that they aren't new adversaries. How long have Thornes and Hearthkins been enemies?"

Harry calmly screwed the lid onto his water bottle and set it down on the floor before nodding. "Okay, fine. You're correct. We have been enemies with the Hearthkins for centuries."

"Yes!" Sam stood up and did a small victory dance. "I knew it! So what did you do? Kidnap her and fall in love? Or maybe she was sent to kill you and couldn't do it once she saw those bright sexy eyes of yours up close, huh?"

Harry gave in, breaking into a grin of youthful mischief. "My Dad, getting into trouble with his own parents over a girl!" said Dawn.

"It's a long story, and I'm sure you're getting tired of me talking, so I won't bore you."

"That's okay, Daddy," Dawn said. "This is the most interesting family discussion we've had in a long time. Please don't hold back."

Harry sighed. "Your mother and I met and we fell in love. My father told me that it was forbidden. Her father said the same thing to her. We ignored them and eloped."

"Did they cut you off?" Sam asked. "Banish you from the Family? Is that why we're all alone out here without ever having met our cousins or aunts or uncles? Do we have a grandmother out there who ought to be baking us cookies, and a grandfather that would take us to baseball games and buy us bicycles for our birthdays?"

"Trust me," Harry growled, "if your grandmother ever offers you a cookie, have someone else taste it first in case it's been poisoned. And if your grandfather ever shows up claiming to have a present for you, the best thing to do is fall down and pretend you're having a seizure."

"They sound delightful," Dawn said, frowning.

"They are..." Harry's frown turned into a grudging smile, "Family. To answer your question, yes, both Families cast us out. At first. A few years after your birth, Dawn, my Family asked me to come back."

"Because of your skills," Dawn guessed.

Harry turned his head slowly and looked at her, panther-like. "What skills would that be?"

"I don't know, but when Vector and Logan tried to keep me as their guest—"

"Hostage," Sam corrected.

"—both of them said that there was no way they would ever hurt me. They said it would be smarter to kill a baby bear in front of its mother than to get you angry, Daddy."

Harry looked at her blankly.

"I am assuming you know how to do some pretty dangerous things, Dad," said Sam.

"Both Families have militant branches," Harry said. "From a very young age, I was groomed to serve in that capacity. To help further Family interests."

"You an assassin, Dad?" Sam asked jokingly.

His father turned his head to meet Sam's eyes. "That's actually a mild word for the kinds of things I can do, son. But yes, I've killed some people in my life."

Sam wasn't smiling anymore. "Mom knew that about you?" Dawn wondered.

"She did. Your mom was in the same line of work for her Family."

"Oh wow," Sam said. "I was just joking earlier. Is that really how you met? Did she try to kill you?"

Harry laughed. "No, we met at a convention."

"Assassins have conventions?" Dawn asked, incredulous.

"No!" Harry laughed, then paused. "Well, they kind of do, but we didn't meet at an assassins' convention. It's boring, trust me."

"Come on," Sam was curious. "What kind of convention was it?"

Harry mumbled something. Both children leaned forward in an attempt to hear him.

"A what?" Dawn asked.

"A comic book convention," Harry said a bit more loudly.

Dawn laughed. Sam shook his head and smiled. "That sounds too ridiculous to be true. You're telling me you and Mom were both assassins who collected comics in your spare time and you met at a comic book convention?"

"We weren't assassins when we met at the comic convention," Harry said. "We were young. You asked where we met, and I told you."

"I'm confused," Dawn said.

"That's because I'm letting you ask me all sorts of questions, and I'm answering them," Harry said.

"Okay, sorry," Sam held up his hand and started to tick facts off on his fingers. "So, to recap. We belong to a powerful Family named Thorne. Mom belonged to the Hearthkin Family." He held up a third finger. "The two Families hate each other?"

Harry shrugged and nodded. "For simplicity's sake, the answer to that is yes. Most of the time."

Sam held up another finger. "You and Mom fell in love, got married, and had us despite both Families not wanting that to happen."

"Correct."

"Got it," Sam said. The corners of his mouth jumped upwards to form a smile. "And reading comics as a kid made you so angry you grew up to become an assassin."

Harry laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, something like that."

Dawn frowned and looked out the window. "This does answer a few questions, but it also raises even more new ones. We might be here for days, and I have a feeling that each answer will just make us more confused."

"It is a lot to process," Harry admitted. "When we are alone, you can ask me anything you want. If one of you learns something from me while the other isn't around, then feel free to bring them up to speed when you see them next. Make certain that you do so only when alone and protected from surveillance."

"Okay, then," Sam slapped his hands together as if washing them, "let's call it a session and eat. Who's hungry for pizza?"

30

"Want a ride?"

Dawn resisted the urge to run. She bent down in order to see the driver of the car more clearly. The sleek black sports car continued to match pace with her, its occupant grinned as they made eye contact.

"You've got some nerve," Dawn said.

Logan laughed. "Why do you say that?"

She stood straight and kept moving. "I thought my dad sent you scurrying back under your rock in Los Angeles."

"No. We completed our objectives, so it was time to leave."

"Sure. Whatever you want to tell yourself, buddy."

"Come on, hop in." He said it in such a friendly, casual way that Dawn stopped to stare at him.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Logan leaned toward her, his elbow resting on the passenger seat as he looked out the window. "I'm not kidding. Why do you sound so surprised? I thought we had a great time with each other the last time we hung out."

Dawn stalked over to the passenger door, leaned in and hissed: "Last time we 'hung out,' you tried to kidnap me, you idiot! I never want to see you again, do you understand? Now get out of here before my dad suddenly appears."

Logan looked hurt. "Okay, I guess I had that coming. I forget that you're new to all this stuff, which is part of your charm." She remained silent, glaring. "Honestly, Dawn, we weren't going to hurt you. Both of us were surprised at how little your dad had shared with you. I can't believe you made it to this age without being drawn in. Your old man really did an excellent job of sheltering you."

Dawn crossed her arms and continued to glare.

"Anyway," he smiled and shook his head, "City Three happened months ago. It's time to bury the hatchet and keep plodding along with the games our forefathers began for us, don't you think?"

"What about..."

Logan waited for Dawn to finish her question, but she did not. "What about what?" he asked.

She leaned in and grabbed the edge of the door frame with both hands. "We kissed, you idiot," she said in a snarled whisper. "I wouldn't have done that if I'd known we were related!"

Logan stared at her for a moment, then laughed. Dawn felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She pushed herself away from the car and started walking.

Logan's car rolled up beside her.

"First of all, it was just a kiss."

Dawn ignored him.

"Secondly," he continued, "if we are related at all, which we may not be, then it would be extremely distant and nothing to worry about."

"How do you know that?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I know all about my Family history, which includes your Family too," he said. "My father didn't shelter us like yours did. Plus, it was just a kiss or two. It's not like we were rolling around in the sheets or planning marriage, although I'm guessing from your reaction that such thoughts had occurred to you. That's cute. I'm flattered."

"Why are you back in my city?" asked Dawn, coldly.

"I feel bad for how things were left between us," Logan said. "I wanted to apologize and see if it might be possible to spend some more time with you."

Dawn stopped walking. "You tricked me into spending time with you. You hacked my ansible—it took me a week to get a new one, by the way. Then you sheared an entire city using my property, which cost my Family millions of dollars in profits!"

"I kidnapped you, too," he smiled innocently.

"You tried to kidnap me," she snapped, "which led to a whole different load of trouble, including my father coming after the both of you and almost starting a war."

"I think both of us can admit that we both learned valuable lessons from that exercise," Logan admitted with a serious nod. "Is that it?"

Dawn opened her mouth, closed it, and nodded curtly.

"There was one more thing," Logan offered. "We did have a grand adventure with some pretty tense moments. I think it's safe to say that the two of us can get into a serious amount of trouble together, wouldn't you agree?"

"You are insane!" She strode to the corner and turned without bothering to see if he was following her.

Logan did not reappear beside her. At first, Dawn was glad to be rid of him, but as she approached the next intersection she frowned, disappointed that he had given up so easily. As she rounded the next corner, she saw that he hadn't. Logan's car was parked beside the curb, with him leaning against the passenger door. Dawn couldn't help but laugh.

"That's more like it," he said. "You have to keep things in perspective, Dawn, especially the most important fact about all of this."

"Which is what?" She stopped a few feet from him, smiling.

"This is all just a game. What we do is just fun."

"It's more than a game. I saw you put someone to sleep on the train with your ansible."

Logan shrugged.

"There's a lot of money involved too," she said. "How can we get paid to play a computer game on our smartphones that pays us millions of dollars just for holding imaginary targets and shearing  non-playing people?"

Logan looked at her and shook his head. "Your dad still hasn't told you that much, has he?"

"About your Family and mine? No."

"What about the rest of it? It doesn't sound  like he's told you anything about SHEPHERDS."

"He's told me lots about SHEPHERDS," Dawn said. "If he hadn't taught me all about it, how do you think I would have advanced to such a high rank and level?"

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, if you think I'm talking about just the game part, then you better head home and ask Harry about the rest of it."

"What do you mean?"

Logan walked around to the driver's side of the car and opened the door. "Go home and tell Harry he'd better tell you about the rest of the game, and he'd better do it now. It's heating up all over the grid, Dawn, and if you aren't prepared, it could get very messy for you."

"That's it? You're just going to ask a few stupid questions, make a few cryptic remarks, and then drive off?"

Logan stared at her and then shook his head. "I'd tell you more, but it's not my place, and you wouldn't believe me anyway. Talk to Harry. I'll find you after, and we can go on another little field trip."

"To where?"

Logan grinned. "Wallaceton."

31

Harry arrived at the coffee shop early, as was his habit. Life had taught him that being early and prepared gave you  advantages. And there are both my kids, also early and presumably prepared, he thought with a smile. That wasn't easy for Sam when he was younger, but it sank in. "Hello, you two," Harry slid into his spot in the booth, where an untouched cup of hot coffee awaited, and thanked them for it.

"How was your morning, Dad?" Sam asked. "Anything exciting?"

Harry  nodded. "The Hearthkin boys are back in town. Have either of you been contacted by them?"

"No," Sam shook his head.

"Yes," Dawn replied, looking at her father over the rim of her coffee cup.

Harry sighed. He'd been lucky with his teenagers so far. Neither of them had gone through the rebellious phase. I'm lucky so far. When that stage does come, I hope I can do a better job than my parents did with me. "Please tell me that you learned your lesson in City Three and were going to mention this to me."

"Absolutely," Dawn smiled. "I'm learning how dangerous this game can be."

"My darling girl, you have no idea how dangerous this game can be. And that is entirely my fault."

"We're young," Sam said. "I'm sure there is still lots of time to learn."

"Maybe," Harry's expression did not look confident, "but I think it's time to step your education up a notch or two."

"I'm too young for University," Dawn said, "and you agreed to let Sam just start his own business."

"I would say that was a good choice, considering I'm making more cash than 90% of the educated population," said Sam in a smug tone.

"The Thorne Family realizes that traditional education primarily trains regular people to be obedient, non-aggressive citizens. Our Family actually helped develop that system. I mean that it's time to teach you more about our Family and the other powerful houses that affect us." Harry took another drink from his coffee cup before finishing his thought. "It's time for you to be introduced to the Long Game, as well as meet more of your Family. It's time that I took you to meet your grandparents."

"Sounds exciting," Sam said.

"It will be interesting, that's for sure," Harry said.

"When will we leave?" Dawn asked. "Will we be flying? Where do they live?"

"We can go now," Harry stood up. "As for flying, there's no need. We can be there by car in less than an hour."

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked. "How can we be so close to people that we haven't met once in our entire lives?"

"In a heavy snowstorm, a person can get so disoriented that they freeze to death only a few feet away from their homes." Harry said. "It doesn't take much distance to separate people, the same as being halfway across the world doesn't stop interaction if you have an Internet connection and a smartphone."

"Where do they live?" Dawn asked.

Understanding registered in Sam's eyes. "They live in Wallaceton, don't they?"

The corner of Harry's mouth turned upwards slightly as he nodded.

***

"Asking questions runs in the Family."

Dawn watched the horizon, her eyes straining to see Wallaceton. "Yeah," she mumbled, to let him know she was listening.

"So bear it in mind," Harry said. "I want the two of you to speak very little when we get separated. It's no one's business what you've been up to or what your life has been like, so please help me out and don't answer any questions."

"When we get separated?" Sam asked. "How do you know that's going to happen?"

Harry kept his eyes on the road. "Trust me, it will happen. I will have to spend some alone time with your grandfather, and the two of you will get snapped up by cousins. You kids are celebrities around here, and they will be excited to get to know the both of you."

"Celebrities? I thought we were exiled from the rest of them?"

"You were," Harry said, "which makes you celebrities. Most exiles over the years have been stricken from the Family records and forgotten. You two are different; you're returning."

"It's because of you, right, Daddy?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, it's because of me. I was too valuable an asset for the Family to lose. If your mother had lived, that might have changed things, but she didn't." After a pause, Harry went on: "Events transpired, we were able to come back, and I've never given them cause to regret their decision." Harry looked at his children in the rear view mirror. "That brings up another good point. Don't listen to what they say about me. Half of it will be lies, and the tricky part is figuring out which those are. It would be best if you just ignore what they tell you, or better yet, tell them you're not interested in hearing any stories about me at all."

"Does that mean you will tell us all the good stories yourself?" Dawn asked. "The true ones?"

Harry chuckled. "No, Kitten, it doesn't mean that."

They rode in silence for the remainder of the trip. A half hour later, a sign on the road announced that they were entering Wallaceton. Dawn felt a thrill of excitement. She was finally getting her chance to enter the mysterious town where no one played SHEPHERDS, and whence no residents ever came to their city. Harry entered the town and slowly cruised down the main street.

"It's a small little town," Sam observed. "Old-fashioned stores on either side of the street. Is that a small single-screen movie theatre over there?"

"Yes," Harry said. "It does feel like we've stepped back in time a decade or so. The population is just under 15,000, so it would never be confused for a bustling modern city."

Dawn watched people walk along the streets. "They dress modern, and I see some of them with cell phones. They don't live that far back in the past. Are all of these people part of our Family?"

Harry laughed softly and shook his head. "Not at all. I've only seen one or two cousins and a great aunt so far. The majority of people are regular folks."

"Are there any big factories or anything here?" Sam asked.

"A few," Harry said, "but most residents work in a specific industry."

"What industry is that?"

"SHEPHERDS."

"What do you mean? I thought no one here plays the game? My ansible shows no targets to shear. This town doesn't even appear on the grid."

"No one here plays." Harry pointed at a large white building with huge industrial cooling units covering the entire roof, but very few small windows or doors. "There are hundreds, maybe thousands of buildings all over town similar to that one. Each one is a server, filled from floor to ceiling with supercomputers. This is where SHEPHERDS originates. The entire game is run from Wallaceton."

"What?" Dawn and Sam exclaimed in unison.

Harry smiled. "That's right, the entire game is designed, developed, implemented, run, and monitored out of this small town. Globally."

"The Thorne Family invented the game?"

Harry didn't answer.

"Dad?" Sam asked.

Harry sighed, "You're gonna find out about this soon enough," he said. "I may as well tell you before anyone else does, not that it's a big deal."

"Tell us what?"

"It was me," Harry said. "I invented the game."

32

Harry chuckled. "So it is actually possible to shush you both? Nice to know." They could only nod dumbly in response.

Harry pulled over to the curb and put the car in park, then turned around in his seat to face them. "The long version is boring, so here's the condensed form. Sam, you were born when I was twenty. Tension between the Families was extremely high. I'm sure that your mother and I getting married didn't help things, but it was bad all over the world. You were only a few years old when your grandfather asked me to come back to work for the Family. Things got better, at least from the Thorne point of view, and the improvements continued for almost a decade. That was just as computers were going mainstream, and I started programming in my spare time."

"Computer programming in your spare time," Sam laughed. "That's what people dedicate their entire lives and working time to now."

"Yes," Harry shrugged, "but in the early days, computers were just toys that most adults did without. Even once computers gained respect for their usefulness as accounting and bookkeeping tools, games were still scoffed at."

"You changed that?" Dawn guessed.

"Not really," Harry said. "At first, for me, games were excellent ways to learn how to code, and that was all. Then, a few years after I had started fiddling around with them, I travelled to the now famous part of the world where all the emerging computer geniuses appeared to be gathering ."

"Did you hang out with any famous names we would recognize?" Dawn asked.

Harry smiled. "All of them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We lived out there for a few years, which I know you both remember."

They nodded.

"Family animosity had become a real problem, and it was leading to more killings than usual. We allowed ourselves to get caught up in a bloody war that threatened to destroy all of us. I came up with an idea to stop it."

"The Game," Sam said.

"SHEPHERDS," Harry nodded. "I designed the concept, and the heads from all Families met. They decided to give it a try, and we all began to work together to build a game that would satisfy our competitive skills while allowing us to earn substantial income."

"How does that happen?" Dawn asked. "How is it possible for us to earn income from playing the game?"

"I'm sure you'll find out all about that during this visit. Let me know if you don't, and I'll tell you."

"Fair enough," Dawn said.

"I assembled a team, and then we spent the next few years building the game framework. It went live and we all got to work, spying and shearing and earning virtual money that was converted to real cash."

"I think you glossed over the last part pretty quickly there, Dad," Sam said.

"That's because I'm certain that your cousins, aunts, and uncles will fill you in during our visit." Harry turned around and put the car in drive. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Which house is it?" Dawn asked.

"None of these," Harry shook his head. "Your grandparents would consider those a step above camping."

Sam laughed. "The smallest house in this neighbourhood is more than four times bigger than ours!"

Harry smiled and nodded. "We are on the outer edge of town. The main Family house is outside town a few minutes. You'll see what I mean when we get there."

The roads turned from paved to dirt. After  a few minutes, a large house appeared in the distance.

"Oh, wow," Dawn said. "They live in a castle."

A great sprawling house, similar to the gigantic manors of English royalty, sat on a raised area of land. Harry turned into a driveway that was blocked by a large wrought-iron gate, complete with a manned guard station off to the side.

A pleasant-looking young man exited the guard station and approached the car. He wore a black military-style outfit with a handgun strapped to his hip, and he approached Harry's window. "Good morning, Mr. Thorne, your parents are expecting you. I'll inform them you are here, and they'll meet you at the front door of the estate."

"Good morning, John," Harry said. "The front door, huh? We don't see that often, I would guess."

"No, sir." John's eyes flicked to the back seat, trying to get a glimpse without being too obvious. "Enjoy your visit, sir," he said, then turned around and walked back to the gate house, waving his hand at the man sitting inside.

The gates opened and Harry drove through. Tall, perfectly manicured trees lined both sides of the long drive, each  mirroring its neighbour in both height and shape. Behind the trees were large fences enclosing lush green fields. Dawn saw horses grazing in the distance. It felt like entering a movie about royalty.

The front area was a big, paved, round driveway, and Harry pulled directly up to the front door where around a dozen people were standing.

Harry stopped the car and put it into park. "Time to meet the Family."

His tone sounded more like one would announce it was time to get a root canal.

33

Kerstin turned the corner, crossed the street, and entered the used bookstore. The door opened with a familiar chime.

"Hi, Kerstin," said a smiling lady behind the cash register. "Come to buy, today, or just read?"

"Maybe a little bit of both, Mrs. Jackson," Kerstin said. "I'm meeting up with Sarah-Marie, is she here yet?"

"She's in the reading room." Mrs. Jackson nodded toward the back of the store. "Been here for about fifteen minutes or so."

"Great, thanks." Kerstin walked toward the back of the narrow store, scanning the twelve-foot-high shelves for interesting new books. A couple caught her attention, and she stopped to pluck them from the shelves.

The reading room was a cozy little place at the back of the store, equipped with comfy chairs and couches. Mrs. Jackson liked the atmosphere that readers brought to a bookstore like hers, so she made it possible for customers to do more than just browse and buy.

Sarah-Marie looked up from her book and nodded. "Good morning. I got here a little early to try and relax."

"Did it work?" Kerstin asked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You stressed out?"

"No, not really," said Sarah-Marie half-heartedly.

"What do you have to be stressed about? Now that you're a Shepherd, money shouldn't be a problem. Don't you have more free time and resources than you ever expected at this age?"

"Yes," Sarah-Marie frowned. "It's just...I don't think I like playing the game anymore."

"What!" Kerstin's control slipped. She laughed aloud.

"It's boring," Sarah-Marie said. "The same thing every day. I get up and go farm the sites, which takes a good chunk of time. It was exciting at first, but it's the same area for me to walk around, and the same targets to shear. Over and over, every single day."

Kerstin walked to the small cappuccino machine, another perk provided by Mrs. Jackson, and started to make herself a drink. "Look. You and I have played lots of other video games, right?"

"Yes."

"Name me one other game where, eventually, the same thing doesn't happen."

"Well..."

Kerstin laughed. "Exactly! You can't, because every game becomes about farming, doing repetitive tasks to either level up or earn game credit so that you can buy cool new items. After a while, the excitement of games fade, but we still keep playing them. How many years did we play Fairy Conquest?"

Sarah-Marie's frown turned into a grudging smile. "You know we both still play Fairy Conquest," she said, "but that's different."

"Yes," Kerstin agreed. "Instead of getting paid real cash, each month we fork over $13.99 to the company so that we can keep playing it."

"Some people make real money from that game."

"Millions of people make money from that game! They gather components and then craft digital items, and then trade the items with other players for real money. Players also earn digital cash and sell it to other players for real money. There are a ton of players who make real money from Fairy Conquest and every other digital game out there. Did you know that there is a money index where rich old businessmen invest real money to buy shares of digital game money?"

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," Kerstin nodded. "They trade the digital cash just like it's real. It makes perfect sense, really, because the paper money we use is no more real than the game currencies. When two people agree that something is of value, then suddenly it is."

"Well, I don't make money playing Fairy Conquest," Sarah-Marie said. "I just play it because it's fun. My avatar can be modified to look really cool."

Kerstin laughed and pointed at her own face and body, "With the money I'm earning from SHEPHERDS, I am dressing this avatar much cooler than I used to."

Sarah-Marie laughed. "We aren't avatars, silly."

"How do you know that? What if, right now, there is some kid playing us, moving us around in a digital simulation and earning points and credits as we get experience?"

"It would be a pretty boring game," Sarah-Marie said thoughtfully, "and whoever is playing me is not doing a very good job!"

Kerstin laughed. "You and I both know of games where people play at having a second life which is much like this one. I don't get it, but millions are paying monthly fees to play."

"Yeah, you're right," Sarah-Marie admitted.

"Life is boring, and as games get more realistic, doesn't it make sense that there will be times when they are also boring?"

"Well, I'm tired of being stuck at this level in SHEPHERDS."

"Ahh." Kerstin nodded, putting on a sympathetic smile.

"Seriously. Take Fairy Conquest, or any other game that we've ever played. They all have a large online community that shares experiences and strategies with each other. If a dungeon or quest line is too difficult to figure out, then I can go read how to do it from hundreds of sites set up by people who have faced the same problems and overcome them. I can't do that with SHEPHERDS, though, because it's such a secret game. There is no useful mention of it on the Internet."

"I see what you're getting at," Kerstin said. "You're tired of being stuck at your level and want to do more, but you have no clue how."

"Yeah, that about sums it up. Like I said, I'm bored."

"Can you do me a favour?"

Sarah-Marie shrugged. "Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Keep playing until we get together again. Give me a day or two so that I can ask around and maybe find what you're looking for. I've been wondering the same things, and it looks like this is going to come up more often as we keep playing."

Sarah-Marie laughed. "Oh, I'll keep playing. The money is too good to stop. I make more money each week than my dad does, and he gets up at five in the morning and doesn't come home until six at night. I get up around eleven, and my rounds are completed by two. I can't quit, but I wanted to share with you how it's not as fun as it was in the beginning."

"I feel you," Kerstin said. "I've had those moments too. Games should be fun, so let me see what I can find out and get back to you."

"Thanks," Sarah-Marie said. "Worth asking questions to see if things can get better, right?"

Kerstin nodded. "Absolutely."

34

"Which one is Grandpa?" Dawn looked at the group of people standing in front of the estate.

"None of them," Harry said. "We will meet your grandparents inside, as befits their station. And don't call them Grandpa and Grandma. It is Grandfather and Grandmother."

"Okay," Dawn shrugged.

Her father turned to look at her until she met the stern eyes. "No, it's not 'okay' accompanied by a shrug. I've taught you both how to respect your elders and speak properly when the occasion calls for it. This is the one occasion that definitely calls for it. There's no sense in starting off on the wrong foot because of a careless comment or poor manners."

"I understand, Daddy." Both straightened up a bit.

Harry looked at them, then nodded approval. His voice softened. "Just be your best-behaved selves. Everything will be fine."

Harry opened the door and walked to the passenger side. He stood and waited for Sam and Dawn to get out, then gave them a reassuring wink before turning to approach the waiting group. A handsome, late-thirtyish man stepped forward as Harry got close. "Welcome home, brother," he said as he embraced Harry.

Dawn turned her head toward Sam and saw his eyebrows raise.

"It's good to be home," Harry said, returning the embrace. To Dawn's eyes, they seemed fond of each other.

The man turned to face them. "Finally we get to meet the two of you! My name is William, and you must be Dawn and Samson. Let me formally welcome the both of you to your ancestral home."

Sam extended his hand, but William laughed and pulled him close. "We don't shake hands with Family!" he said as he gave Sam a quick but affectionate hug. "Your old man likely has you all nervous about meeting us, doesn't he?"

William released Sam and strode toward Dawn to scoop her up in a hug of her own. He was about Harry's height and build. As he released Dawn, he said, "There. You will need to hug about thirty or forty more people, and then you can call it a day."

The group behind him laughed and moved to surround the kids. Each person introduced him or herself, embracing both, then stepping back in favour of the next relative. This is surreal, thought Dawn. For my entire life, I've had no extended family. In a few minutes, I suddenly have hundreds.

When the greetings were complete, William stepped forward again. "Your grandfather has instructed me to bring you to the library. If you'll follow me, please."

William walked toward the main door. Harry, Dawn, and Sam followed.

The front entrance was an immense open area with polished marble floors, forty-foot ceilings, and dozens of beautiful paintings adorning the walls. William stopped and looked at Harry. "He's asked to meet them without you, if that's okay?"

Harry clenched his teeth together, but he smiled and nodded. "Of course. I expected he would want it that way. I'll go find Mother and pay my respects." Harry grinned and patted Sam on the back. "Just be polite, and try to enjoy meeting the old man. Don't ask too many questions, if you can help it," he added with a glance at Dawn.

William laughed. "This Family is used to questions. Don't worry about asking the old man too many, Dawn. I'm sure he will be fine if you do."

Dawn smiled, but remembered her father's orders and nodded slightly as she followed her uncle. . Good girl, thought Harry.

The walk through the immense manor to the library took over fifteen minutes, with William stopping now and then to share a piece of Family history as they would pass a particular painting or tapestry. Each subject was a famous ancestor that had lived long ago and contributed to the Family fortune in extraordinary ways. By the time they arrived in front of the tall, ornate wooden doors of the library, both of them were in awe.

"Sorry for the quick tour. Father didn't want to wait all afternoon to meet you. I wasn't allowed to become a Family historian, but that hasn't stopped me from spending my spare time learning it."

"The tour was wonderful, Uncle," Dawn said. "I would love to take the longer version when time permits."

"Thank you, Niece." William smiled, a genuine and infectious beam. "I should very much enjoy conducting that tour." He put his hand on the iron-wrought handle to the library door and pulled gently. The door swung open with perfect ease despite its thick oak massiveness. "Now let's get this over with, shall we?"

They entered a gigantic hall filled with the rich smells of old paper, leather covers, and dark wood floors and bookshelves that started at the floor and extended all the way to a ceiling fifty feet high. A second level circled the entire room's perimeter, and both floors had old wooden ladders mounted to rails attached to the bookshelves. Large leather chairs and couches were scattered throughout the library, and a few tables had chess and other classic board games set up. As they continued toward the back of the library, they saw an opulent bar making up the entire back wall, with shelves full of bottles of every shape, size, and colour. Tables and lush chairs gave the bar area the appearance of some gentlemen's club from a movie, adjacent to but not quite within the shelving and reading area of the vast library.

A man sat at a table in the very centre of the room. He stood and smiled as they approached. He looked under forty, with short, immaculately groomed hair atop smooth, handsome features. He wore a deep red coat and jet-black pants, the collar of the red jacket nearly reaching his chin and covered with ornate gold patterns. He radiated supreme authority.

Dawn suppressed a frown and looked at William. "Uncle, I thought we were coming here to meet our Grandfather."

"That is why you are here," the man answered in a rich deep voice that sounded soothing yet powerful. "You look confused."

"Sir, you're much too young to be our grandfather. You don't look any older than Uncle William does, and he's likely only thirty-five or so."

"I don't hear a question." The man's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Who are you?" Dawn asked, "and when do we get to meet our grandfather?"

The man chuckled softly, a rumbling sound that seemed to bounce off the nearby walls like the distant thunder of an approaching summer storm. "I am your grandfather, child," he said, "and I am much older than I appear. Now come sit with me." He swept a hand to indicate the seats at his table. "I have been waiting a very long time to meet the both of you."

"Samson and Dawn Thorne," William said. "Allow me to introduce you to Arthur Darrington Thorne. He is the twelfth Thorne of this name, first in line to rule the Thorne Family, and leader of the North American territories." William smiled. "You may address him as 'Grandfather.'"

With a flourish of his right hand, Arthur bowed from the waist, then stood erect and smiled at his grandchildren. "Thank you for the introduction, William. If you would be so kind as to leave us now."

"Absolutely, Father. I will see you all at dinner," he said, over his shoulder. William closed the library doors behind him.

Arthur pointed to a small table close by. "Please join me for a refreshment and some discussion," he said. "I am certain that you have questions for me, and I would like to get to know the both of you. We have a lot of time to make up for."

They sat down and waited patiently while a servant filled their glasses with dark red juice. Sam recognized his sister's body language. She's all but twitching to start asking about everything, thought Sam. And she knows I'll let her go first.

"A toast," Arthur raised his glass. "To Family, and new beginnings."

"To Family, and new beginnings," brother and sister said in unison, clinking glasses together and sipping.

Arthur gazed at each of his grandchildren and chuckled. "You are the brash one, Dawn. Yes, you may ask me another question. I can see how holding your curiosity in eats at you."

She smiled. "Thank you, Grandfather. How is it that you don't look any older than my dad?"

"Good living," he replied. "We understand what most people do not, or have forgotten. Our bodies are simply machines, avatars that house our consciousness and the essence which makes us who we are. If maintained properly, the average person can live to be well over a hundred years old while retaining their vibrance, energy, and mental faculties."

"Then how come people don't?" Sam asked.

"There are many answers to that question; I will give you the simplest." Arthur took another sip from his glass. "Humans are creatures of desire and decadence. The more something is bad for us, the more we seen to gravitate toward it. Unhealthy foods, lack of proper sleep and exercise, and a few other key detrimental maintenance habits, result in the average person treating their bodies so poorly that they age prematurely and wither away before they should."

"Not you, though?"

"Not us," Arthur said. "I know how you were raised, even though I wasn't present to see. No junk foods, or nearly none. Daily exercise, proper nutrition and sleep, adequate mental stimulation. These are the basic keys for living a long, healthy, and enjoyable life."

"You sound like Dad," Dawn said.

Arthur smiled. "And he sounds like me, who sounds like my father, and his father before him. There are many advantages to retaining and passing down wisdom from one generation to the next."

"It's a shame more people don't," Sam said.

Arthur shrugged. "The ones who matter, do, and everyone else does the best they can to survive and be happy."

Sam frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." Arthur waved his hand. "Come now, tell me all about your lives. I am so excited to hear about the both of you."

Sam snorted. "That's surprising to hear. If you were so interested then why haven't we met or heard about you until now? We've been alone with only our mom and dad our entire lives, when the whole time, we could have been part of what Dad says is a huge powerful Family."

Arthur nodded and looked at both of them. "Did you have a terrible time?" he asked. "Being alone with just your mom and dad and no other Family?"

"No," Sam said. "It would have been nice to be part of something bigger, is all."

"Trust me: you have always been part of something bigger, regardless of how few Family members came to your birthday parties. If you harbour any anger or resentment, don't focus it on us. It was your mother and father's idea to shelter you from all of this, and we simply honoured their wishes."

"I'm not angry about it," Sam said. "It's been a question on my mind since I learned about all of you, though. Dawn nodded.

"That's understandable," their grandfather said. "Trust me, once you've spent some time with the Family, you may wish for the peace and quiet back."

"Dad said the same thing," Dawn replied.

Arthur chuckled. "I imagine he did. Now tell me all about your lives. Don't skip the small details. I want to hear everything you can remember."

"You don't seem as frightening as Dad led us to believe you were," Dawn observed.

Arthur laughed. "I'm afraid that comes with the territory of being a rich and powerful Family leader," he said. "In addition to that, I am your father's father; kids always think their dad is an ogre at some point. But I'm your grandfather, and Family is the most important thing to a Thorne. When we leave this room, I will become more stern and imposing, but that's why I wanted to meet you first in private. I am not a horrible man, even though I am forced to play the part of one most of the time. No matter what happens going forward, I hope you can remember that."

Dawn stood up, walked over, and gave her grandfather a warm hug. "Thank you for showing us this side of yourself, Grandfather," she said. "I hope we don't end up hating you later on."

Arthur laughed softly into her ear as he returned her embrace. "You possess incredible maturity for your age, dear girl," he said. "There will be times that you do end up hating me, but I hope you eventually realize that the things I may ask of you are for the good of all of us."

They sat down and Arthur refilled their glasses with juice. "Now tell me all about yourselves, and then I shall tell you all about the rest of your Family."

35

The hour with their grandfather passed very quickly.

Sam and Dawn took turns sharing key moments in their lives. Once they had begun to talk, the information flowed quickly. Their grandfather interrupted only to ask enough questions to amplify and stimulate disclosure. For the majority of the time, Arthur Darrington Thorne merely nodded, smiled, and listened.

A sharp knock at the library door cut Dawn off in mid-anecdote. She looked down at her watch. Ninety minutes had flown by.

The door opened and William poked his head in. "It's been over an hour, Father," he said.

Arthur nodded. "We need more time, William, but thank you for the update. Please come back in." He reached into a small jacket pocket and removed an ornate pocket watch, then pressed a button which caused the lid to flip open. "Forty-five minutes."

William nodded and closed the door. Arthur looked back at Dawn and Sam with an encouraging smile. "Well, you have updated me to the present time. Thank you both for all that you've shared with me. I should like to return the favour by taking a bit more time to tell you as much as I can about your Family."

Dawn and Sam sat forward eagerly. Arthur laughed. "Oops," he said, "With the caveat that forty-five minutes is not nearly sufficient."

"Tease," Dawn said.

Arthur's youthful grin carried a hint of mischief. "The spoken word can be extremely entertaining. What I meant to say is that I would like to help fill in some of the gaps in your story."

"Fill in gaps?" Sam asked.

Arthur stood and raised his arms above his head, stretching gently and then rotating his arms behind his back as he walked behind the bar. He reached under the countertop and opened a small refrigerator, from which he withdrew a dark, dusty bottle and set it on the bar. Its glass was a dark purple, almost black, with ancient-looking runes scrawled along the exterior in raised gold. Arthur produced three clean shot glasses and placed them beside the bottle. "Your father has already introduced you to the Thorne Family, the basics of how old we are, and the other ancient clans that exist and compete with each other for supremacy."

"He's told us about the Thorne and the Hearthkin Families," Dawn confirmed, "but he didn't say much about a battle for supremacy."

"He kind of did," Sam looked at the bottle  with curiosity. "He said that our two Families have been around for centuries, and that we spend most of our time, energy, and resources fighting with each other."

"Playing games," Arthur said.

"It sounds more serious than that," Dawn said.

"Games can be serious. I would argue that most of them are."

"SHEPHERDS is a serious game," Dawn said. "Especially the money involved."

"Yes," Arthur nodded, "Your father's invention has certainly proven to be much more than we expected."

"It's kind of weird to find out that Dad is such a big deal in the Family."

"You will continue to discover, during your stay, that he is a large contributor to the Family fortune, which puts him in good standing with all of us. Did he tell you about any of the other powerful Families?"

"No," Sam said. "How many are there?"

"We will get to that later." Arthur removed the cork from the bottle with a soft popping sound. "What did he tell you about your mother? From listening to your story, it's clear that both of them did an excellent job of appearing normal while they raised you."

"Mom was awesome," Dawn said. "She spent so much time with us, just loving us. When I think of her, and I do a lot, the memories are full of smiles, hugs, encouragement, and fun. She was everything a kid could wish for in a mother."

"She was," Sam agreed, "although it would have been cool if she'd shown off some of her ninja skills once or twice."

"I didn't speak with your mother very often," Arthur said. "By the time I discovered that your father was in love with her, it was too late to prevent it."

"Would you have prevented it?" Dawn asked.

Annoyance flashed briefly across Arthur's face, then fled. "At the time it was occurring, I certainly would have. Now that I have met the two of you, I'm glad that they fell in love."

"Perhaps it's easier to accept what happened because she's dead and no longer a threat to you," Sam said.

Arthur's face was blank as he poured a dark golden liquid from the bottle into each of the shot glasses. By the time he looked up, his pleasant look had returned. He placed the three drinks on a tray and brought them back to the table, setting one down in front of each seat. "Please, children, don't look for reasons to hate me. I am certain that, over time—and despite my best efforts to avoid it—you will end up harbouring considerable ill will toward me without trying." He smiled sadly. "An unfortunate consequence of leading a large Family that has plans which span well beyond our lifetimes and must be executed to the best of all our abilities, regardless of personal feelings at times."

"Uncle William said you were first in line to lead," Dawn said.

"He also said that I lead the North American group," Arthur said, "which is a vast and active part of the world during the last couple centuries."

"I guess it makes sense that you are not a fan of our mother," Dawn looked at the shot glass in front of her, wondering what was in it. "She was an enemy, and almost took one of your best assets out of play."

"Thank you, Dawn," Arthur said. "I'm glad that you're old enough to understand that. Desdemona struck a crippling blow to the Thorne Family when she fell in love with your father. I don't think she did it on purpose; love has no brains or common sense, especially young love. After meeting the both of you, however, I think that perhaps she did us a great favour by loving your dad. The two of you are remarkable children, and you appear to have inherited the best qualities of both Families. I will admit, in complete private candour, that the Hearthkins possess many desirable traits. Your genetic codes both contain many of those attributes. I am intrigued to see how that plays out over time."

"You have plans for us," Sam said.

"This drink in front of you was brewed over six thousand years ago," Arthur said. "Only a few who are born into our Family get the opportunity to touch even a drop of it to their lips. It contains alcohol, but it also possesses much, much more." Arthur raised his shot glass toward them in salute. "This liquid contains powerful magic, and it is offered only to those that we feel will benefit most from drinking it. I have tasted it once, when I was your age. After this second drink, it is unlikely that I shall taste it again in this lifetime. Raise your glasses and drink deeply, my grandchildren. I do, indeed, have plans for you. My spirit assures me that, before your lives have ended a very long time from now, you will do many great things to change this world. May the majority of those great things impact and change this world for the better."

36

The meeting with Arthur Thorne concluded by the time William returned. The facts he divulged to Dawn and Sam surprised and fascinated them.

"I would like to thank you both for this meeting," Arthur said. He stood up and leaned forward to touch both of his grandchildren, who had risen as well. "So much of my life is spent being the beast, the heartless leader who commands everyone with a sharp voice and iron stare. I rarely get the chance to let my guard down with anyone. This has been a rare treat for me."

"Does this mean you won't be as pleasant from now on?" Dawn asked.

"Sometimes I will be less charming," their grandfather said with a half smile.

"That's too bad," Sam said. "You seem like a very nice man."

Arthur laughed. "I am, Samson, but being a nice man has never been in the cards for me."

"Why not?"

"Do you believe in fate?" their grandfather asked.

"I don't know," Sam said. "I like to think that we have choices, and that we can make a difference despite what others may think is preordained."

"That's an admirable thought, but when you have seen as much as I have, you will realize that the average person, when left to their own designs, will ruin things horribly. Being born into a rich and powerful Family has many perks, but it also carries with it many serious and grave responsibilities." Arthur removed the glasses from the table and took them to the bar. "For example, one Family plan was started over seven hundred years ago. It is still on track and moving forward. When the time comes for Family members to do their part to advance this plan, it doesn't matter what their personal feelings are; they must step forward and do what is required for the benefit of all of us. We live like kings and queens, but there is a price for such luxury. When the moment arrives, a Thorne stands up and offers to pay their portion of the price gladly. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," Dawn said. "Are you asking us to pay a price now?"

Arthur's eyes softened. "No," he said. "I am getting to know the both of you and welcoming you formally to the Family. Your father raising you away from the rest of us was part of the price he was asked to pay. Now that you are older, and we see exactly how you have developed, it is time to bring you home and begin the next part of your preparation."

"Well, it was good to see this side of you, Grandfather," Dawn said. "Knowing what lies beneath the terrible tyrant will help make it easier to understand things when you ask us to do our part."

"No, it likely won't." Arthur chuckled. "The odds are very good that you will join many others and hate me for eternity when I ask you to do what must be done."

"Do you know what that will be?" Sam asked.

"Not exactly," Arthur said, "but I have a general idea of which strategies and plans you will fit into."

"What do we do now?" Dawn asked.

"After dinner tonight, I will announce to the Family that both of you will come live with us in order to complete your training."

"Complete?" Dawn asked. "I don't think we've even started any training. None that I can think of, anyway."

Arthur chuckled. "Your father has been training you for your entire lives. We will continue to build on that foundation until we turn you both into masters of your fields. Dawn, your skill set seems to lie in the martial arts, much like your mother. Sam, your skills with computers and business are formidable; I daresay you might be a prodigy unlike any born into our bloodline." Arthur rejoined them at the table. "Both of you will move into Wallaceton immediately, and spend the next two years further developing your skills here."

"What about the Game?" Sam asked. "We've built so much, an entire line of immense influence that needs to be maintained."

"You can do that from here just as well as from the city," Arthur said. "Don't worry. The network that you have built in SHEPHERDS will be maintained. I'm simply going to allow the both of you to work the game in more...depth, moving forward. Computer skills and martial arts are required to advance in levels from now on."

"Is someone finally going to tell us why people are getting paid big dollars to play SHEPHERDS?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Arthur said. "I'll tell you now. When a player shears a target, they are actually hacking into it; downloading all data received by the target's video cameras, phone lines, computer activity, and every other bit of personal information. We then take that data and sell it to governments and businesses."

Sam and Dawn looked at their grandfather as the implications sank in.

Sam spoke. "Are you saying that we are hacking security and private information, and then selling it to other organizations?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"When we shear a person?" Dawn asked.

"Then you are downloading their PIN numbers, bank account information, every personal bit of information they type into their phones, computers, or speak into their phones while they are a target under your control in the game."

"Then entire cities that we control in the game–" Sam began.

"Provide us with every intimate detail of each person's day-to-day life," Arthur finished.

The room was quiet. Neither could believe what they were hearing.

"What do you do with all of that information?" Dawn asked.

"We sort it, and then sell the good stuff to whichever customer will most benefit from it. The majority of the information goes to businesses who pay incredible amounts of money to know who likes their products best, what incentives will most attract customers, and a myriad of other competitive advantages."

"Much information is sold to governments, as well?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"Who use it to manipulate the populations? To root out possible threats and control the masses?"

"There are millions of things that our customers do with the information which we mine for them."

"No one has any privacy," Dawn said.

"Correct."

"This is dangerous," Sam said. "We could get into a lot of trouble for this."

"From who?"

"The very governments that you're selling the information to," Sam said. "They could decide you are too dangerous, and someday try and eliminate the Family."

Arthur laughed. "Don't worry about that happening, my boy," he said. "There is no reason to fear the banks, corporations, governments, or any other organization."

"Why not?" Dawn asked.

"Because," Arthur said with a smile that sent a chill through Dawn's spine, "we own every single one of them."

37

"Wow!" Sarah-Marie's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you just do?"

Kerstin tried to appear nonchalant, but a grin poked through her serious demeanour. "I sheared a moving target."

"A person!" Sarah-Marie heard her voice exulting a bit too loudly, looked around, then leaned toward Kerstin and lowered her voice. "That opens up a whole new group of targets, right?"

"Yeah."

"That means I don't have to walk the mall anymore?"

Kerstin nodded. "That's right. You've started to form your own cell of players, which means that you pick one of them to do it. You no longer have to walk it, just make sure that your new team of five are doing their routes. You're responsible for more than the mall, now. If your people don't do their jobs, then you have to do it in their place."

"Yes, of course, that makes sense," Sarah-Marie said. "So with this new ability to shear people, do I have a daily quota?"

Kerstin nodded. "Yes, you will get a weekly e-mail from game headquarters to let you know how many people you are required to shear. There are different levels to this aspect of SHEPHERDS, same as with the property shearing."

"Anything special or different about shearing people?"

"Not that I have noticed. Just don't try to shear another player."

Sarah-Marie's eyebrow rose. "We can shear other players?"

"Yes," Kerstin frowned, "but don't until I let you know it's okay."

"Why not?"

"I'm not really sure. I haven't attempted it yet, and I've been at this level for weeks now. Dawn told me not to, until we discussed it further."

"What did she say when you talked to her later on?" Sarah-Marie asked.

"We didn't. She was out of the city for a long while. She's back now, but all we've been able to do is text. I can understand her being busy. The higher up a player levels, the more work there seems to be. I miss the days when all I had to do was walk my route. Now I have to train my leaders and make sure the six of you take proper care of the twenty-five that you've brought in. Plus I have to keep on top of my own team of fifty."

"Fifty? Wow. You're doing awesome at growing your group, Kerstin."

"That's just my personal group, which includes you. I'm responsible for over three hundred players at the moment, on some level or another."

"How much money you making?"

Kerstin smiled. "The money does help ease the burden of leadership. My cheque this week was nine hundred dollars."

"That's around fifty thousand a year!" Sarah-Marie exclaimed.

"Shh," Kerstin said. "Quiet down."

"Sorry." Sarah-Marie looked around sheepishly, then she whispered, "I think we should shear a player."

"I don't know. Dawn looked pretty serious when she warned me to wait."

"Don't be so scared. She likely just wanted you to wait until  someone was with you that had the same talent. Now that I can shear people too, let's go find a player and see what the big deal is."

"I guess she didn't forbid me to do it..." Kerstin said.

"Exactly," Sarah-Marie nodded and stood up. "I know where we can find someone, I discovered him months ago by accident. He comes to the mall to shear our targets. He's actually pretty good at nabbing them from us. He comes by every day, just to take a stab at them."

Kerstin knew about the player in question. After his activity had been reported, her team had continued to keep tabs on him.  She nodded. "Okay. Let's give it a try."

***

"There he is. The one with the red hoodie sitting in the booth over by the sub place."

Kerstin glanced casually to her right, her gaze passing over the target. He was paying attention only to his food. "We're in luck," she said. "There is one kid close to him with his own cell out, and a few others just behind him."

"So?"

"I don't know why Dawn warned me not to try this without talking to her." Kerstin pushed her fork around her food. "Maybe we run the risk of being detected by the player we try to shear. That will be hard for him, because, look around: lots of phones out in the open."

"Good thinking," Sarah-Marie pulled her phone out, keeping it low and out of sight. "Okay. Here goes nothing."

Both girls watched the bar creep toward the line that would indicate success. It jumped forwards, but soon began to slow. Just short of the halfway point, it came to a sudden stop. A shrill whistling sound erupted from Red Hoodie's pocket. His head snapped up and whipped first left and then right, his eyes narrowing as he drew his phone.

"Cancel the attempt," Kerstin muttered softly.

"Already have." Sarah-Marie's phone was turned off and back in her pocket. She raised her sandwich to her mouth and took a bite, watching the target in her peripheral vision. Red Hoodie hadn't even glanced in their direction. Instead, he was already up and striding toward a table where a teenager was typing on his phone. He put his hood up.

"Was that you?" Red Hoodie demanded of the boy in the booth.

"What are you talking about?" the boy asked.

Red Hoodie leaned closer and inspected the phone, then straightened and began to walk toward another table, where two girls sat drinking smoothies. "How 'bout you girls?" he snapped. "One of you stupid enough to make a play for me here in the mall?"

"What?" exclaimed one of the girls, a redhead. "Are you high?"

"Leave us alone, creep," said her friend, a brunette.

Before she could say anything else, Red Hoodie grabbed the brunette's cell phone, scanned, then dropped it onto the table with a loud smack. As he reached for the redhead's phone, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It belonged to the first boy Red Hoodie had interrogated.

"They said to leave them alone."

Kerstin and Sarah-Marie watched in horror as Red Hoodie's hand flashed to the first boy's head, twisted it sideways, and slammed it against the table with a dull thunk. The girls screamed as Red Hoodie snatched the second phone from the stunned redhead's grip, looked at the screen, and dropped it beside the other. Red Hoodie then headed for the door, his head rotating from side to side like some evil robot from a science fiction movie searching for prey.

Sarah-Marie and Kerstin did their best to ignore him as he walked past. A few bystanders began to call out for security. A few seconds later, Red Hoodie left the mall.

Sarah-Marie released her breath loudly; neither of them had moved since the episode began. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kerstin stopped her by squeezing her leg.

"Just sit here quietly and finish our lunch," Kerstin said. "Then we'll go out the far doors and get to your place."

"Do you think he's going to be out there looking for us?" Sarah-Marie asked.

"I don't know. I hope not," said Kerstin uneasily.

"We should have waited for Dawn," Sarah-Marie said.

"Ya think?" Kerstin could feel her pulse racing. Her eyes flicked to the booth with the girls and the kid who had come to their defence. He was still on the floor, unconscious by the looks of it.

"I'm not trying that again any time soon."

"Definitely not." Kerstin felt sweat trickling down her brow.

38

Sam and Dawn entered a drawing room with a large table, where their father sat conversing with half a dozen relatives. The conversation ceased as they sat down near him. "How was the visit with your grandfather?" Harry asked.

"It was good," Sam said. "Great, actually."

"Really?" asked an attractive woman sitting across from Harry. "That's something I never thought I'd hear."

The others chuckled and nodded, but Dawn frowned. "It really was," she said.

"I'm glad to hear it," Harry took a sip from his glass, eyes sparkling with interest. "It was definitely a long chat."

"We miss anything?" Dawn asked.

"The chance to meet your grandmother before dinner," Harry said.

A short bark of laughter escaped from the man sitting beside Harry. "That's too bad. If they had a good time with grandfather, imagine the party they missed with her."

Laughter rippled. "I'm sure it would have been fine," Harry said. "Kids, let me introduce you to some of your cousins." Harry called out the names of the adults at the table, who each nodded in turn. "Dinner will be served in just a few minutes. It will be a fairly large gathering in the dining hall tonight." He pointed to two large doors.

"Gathering in the dining hall?" Dawn asked. "I still find it hard to believe that everyone is here just to meet Sam and I."

"You're a clever girl, Dawn," the pretty lady at the table said.

"Everyone is excited to meet you," Harry said, "but you're right. There is something else going on."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Every three months, the Families meet to discuss the status of SHEPHERDS and take care of any outstanding details. After the meetings, there is a dinner. Each Family takes turns hosting, and it's our turn this time."

"The Families?"

"Each of the powerful Families is based in Wallaceton," Harry said. "Four large manors located equal distances apart from each other on the outskirts of town. We are in the north section, the Hearthkins in the south. Two other Families occupy the west and east: the Jarlborns and Goldstones."

"All four powerful Families live in the same town and get together for dinner every three months?" Dawn asked. "Do they hate each other or not?"

"Absolutely," William answered as he arrived at the table and pulled out a chair to join the group. He looked at Harry and shook his head. "Shame on you, Harry, you've taught these pups nothing about the world."

Harry shrugged. "They're quick studies, Brother, don't worry." He turned to face his children. "These are the four most powerful and influential Families, but there are many other smaller families involved on the world stage as well. We do hate each other, for the most part, but the game has managed to bring us together to live in relative peace so that everyone can participate and profit from the endeavour that we invented."

"That you invented," William said to Harry with a smile on his face.

Harry ignored his brother. "Each of the four Families is involved in SHEPHERDS in equal shares, with the smaller families making up the remainder of the mix. In this endeavour, at least, we all prosper or fail as one."

"Why would they agree to such a thing?" Sam asked.

"Because," William chuckled, "we are all greedy little pigs when it comes to money and power, and the game is something that no one wanted to miss out on."

"Did your grandfather tell you the true purpose of SHEPHERDS?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Dawn and Sam said in unison.

"Then you understand the implications of not being part of it," Harry said. "A Family ejected from the game is in danger of losing everything they have worked centuries to build."

"The Families control the world, don't they?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Harry answered, "but that is nothing new. They have controlled society, all major societies, for a long way back. The game is a very clean, efficient way to keep doing what has always been done."

"There are new dangers with the game in play," William said.

"There are always new dangers with anything," Harry said, "but the rewards outweigh the risks."

A familiar voice from behind Dawn interrupted the discussion. "Look, brother, our new friend is here. What a pleasant surprise."

Dawn blinked and slowly turned her head. Vector and Logan Hearthkin walked toward her, a dozen others following behind. Vector approached with his seemingly loose, carefree gait, while Logan looked slightly uncomfortable.

"With the stunt you two pulled recently, I should be annoyed to see you here," William said without standing up. "In your defence, though, I doubt you have the brains to understand why you should be too embarrassed to show your faces. Hearthkin genes are often lacking when it comes to common sense, I suppose, but still."

Vector laughed as he walked past the table, not bothering to turn his head toward William. "Come along, brother," he said. "There is no intelligent life worth speaking to in this area of the room. Let's get closer to civilized creatures. I see Hearthkins over there. Shall we join them?"

Logan looked at Dawn, looking miserable. A smile forced its way onto her lips; he caught it and returned it, then slowed down. As he opened his mouth, Harry rumbled: "Keep walking, Junior." Logan glanced at Harry's eyes, and his grin disappeared. He nodded and walked past the table without saying a word.

William chuckled. "Must you always be so fearsome to them, Harry? This gathering is supposed to be a civil event."

"Me? You're the one that insulted their genetics."

"Oh." William winked at Dawn. "Maybe I didn't help the situation any, but can you blame me? The little bastards tried to kidnap my favourite niece."

"I'm your favourite niece, now?" Dawn asked.

"Absolutely," said William. "You're the niece who has done the least amount to annoy me, which makes you my favourite."

Dawn laughed. "That could all change once I spend a little bit more time with you, Uncle."

"I have no doubt you're right," he said. "I guess we should make the most of this close affection while it lasts."

Harry laughed and stood up. "Come on, it's time for dinner."

On cue, the dining hall's doors swung open. The group stood and made its way toward them.

***

"Anything wrong?" Harry asked as he pushed Dawn's chair in for her. He noticed the look of concern on her face as she listened to her voice messages.

"Maybe," Dawn said. "Kerstin and Sarah-Marie tried to shear another player, and they almost got caught."

"Did it get violent?" Sam asked.

"Not for them, but the player knocked another kid out and harassed a couple of innocent girls." She shared the details of the attempt with them.

Harry shook his head. "They are lucky they didn't succeed. Didn't you tell them not to try shearing players unless you or Sam were present?"

"Yes," Dawn said, "but they got impatient and decided there would be no harm in trying it anyway."

"What did you learn?" Harry asked. He was never upset when the kids made mistakes, provided they did, in fact, learn.

"I had better convey the warning more firmly. I didn't tell Kerstin how dangerous that could sometimes be, and I should have."

"Good," Harry nodded. "Do you need to call her back and make sure she's okay?"

Dawn stood up. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

Dawn exited the room and made a quick call to Kerstin. When she was certain that things were under control, she returned to the dining hall. It was a very large, high-ceilinged room with tapestries on the walls. Dozens of round tables each seated six to eight occupants. At the front of the room was a dais with a long, ornate wooden table that looked like a museum piece. Dawn noticed her grandfather sitting beside a beautiful woman at the head of the main table, joined by other people who looked about the same age. Many of them were having conversations, mostly in formal, polite tones. As Dawn sat back down, she asked her father about the lady beside her grandfather.

"Is that Grandmother?"

Harry followed his daughter's line of sight and nodded. "Yeah, that's her."

"She's beautiful. Are the rest of the people with them also Family leaders?"

"Yes," William answered. "The elders of the bunch. The most powerful of the most powerful."

"Do we just sit here and eat?" Sam asked.

"For now," Harry said. "After dinner there will be some mingling, but not a lot."

"Why do this if we don't interact with the other Families?" Dawn asked.

"To show that we are civilized," Harry said.

"Oh." It was clear from the expression on her face that her father's comment did not answer her question.

"I know, it's silly," William said, "but it's tradition. Maybe when we become wiser and smarter like our elders, we'll see the benefit of it. Until then, just enjoy the delicious food and loving Family company."

The meal lasted for approximately ninety minutes. Occasionally Dawn would look in the direction of Logan's table, as if glancing randomly around the room. A few times, she noticed him doing the same in her direction, with brief smile exchanges. During one of these moments, she heard her father growl. She looked, and found him staring at her with one eyebrow raised.

"What?" she asked innocently.

He looked at her for a moment and then shook his head. "Nothing."

After dessert was served, but before anyone began to eat, a tuxedoed server approached and stood in front of the leader's dais, pausing for a second before clapping his hands loudly.

"May I have your attention, please!" he shouted, reaching into his breast pocket and removing what looked like a pen. He turned to the frowning leaders. Pointing his finger and making a sweeping motion, he clicked the pen and then flicked it repeatedly, as if attempting to spray the elders with ink. "Cut off the head of the snake, and it can do no more harm!" he shouted. "The Game is a farce. Your rule of terror comes to an end now!"

The whole scene, from the time the server approached the dais until he uttered his last word, lasted less than thirty seconds. Five security men tackled the man  and shoved him to the ground face down, wrenching his arms behind his back.

He was subdued in less than a minute.

One minute. Enough time to change everything.

Screams of alarm erupted throughout the great hall. Dawn looked around in confusion. Her father and uncle had already jumped into action. They ran toward the dais, as did other members from the different Families.

"What just happened?" Sam asked as he stood to get a better view.

"I don't know," Dawn replied. Then she saw what the commotion was about.

The leaders at the main table were all slumped forward with their heads on the table.

None of them were moving.

39

Josh arrived at the Thorne estate less than an hour after the incident.

There had been a flurry of confusion, quickly brought under control by the senior Family members who were still standing. Only those sitting at the front table had lost consciousness, and they had all been taken to an on-site medical facility for emergency attention. Dawn and Sam stayed close to their father, who had taken charge of the estate security forces. Most of the guests had left for their respective estates, with only senior lieutenants and bodyguards remaining.

Harry, William, Dawn, and Sam were sitting in a large conference room when Josh walked in.

"That was quick," Harry said.

"You told me to be fast," Josh shrugged. "There are three police cars at the front gate who want to arrest me. I picked them up on the way here."

Harry nodded and looked at his brother. "William, can you take care of that?"

William nodded and took out his cell phone. "Give me five minutes." He walked out of the room and closed the door.

"What have we got?" Josh asked.

Harry gave Josh an account of the dinner events. "We have the perpetrator in an EMF-shielded holding room. He has revealed nothing. Says he will talk only to the person in charge of the Thorne Family."

"That's you, right?" Josh asked.

Harry nodded grimly. "With my parents out of commission for the moment, I'm calling the shots."

"Are they dead?"

"They weren't last time I saw them," Harry said. "Been waiting for you to get here.

William returned to the room and nodded at Harry. "Police have left."

"Thanks," Harry said. "We're going to the infirmary. Come with us."

William nodded . "The lieutenants from the other Families want to know what's going on, and I don't think I can put them off much longer."

"That's fine," Harry said. "They can come with us to the infirmary, but only them."

"They will want to bring backup," William said.

Harry took a breath to argue, but Josh nodded agreement. "There's no way you would go in alone if we were at one of their estates," he said.

Harry closed his eyes and nodded. "I know they think we're responsible for this," he said.

"We are responsible for this," William said. "It's our house, our security breached."

"They can each bring two bodyguards," Harry conceded.

"That should be acceptable." William left the room again.

"It will have to be." Harry walked to the only desk in the room and picked up the phone. He punched in three numbers and waited for an answer. "Are they still alive? Good. We are bringing down the lieutenants from each Family. We'll be there in ten. Please do your best to have some idea as to what happened to them."

Harry hung up the phone and looked at his kids. "This room is safe. I'll return as soon as I can, or send for you when possible." He smiled confidently and gave each of them a quick hug. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"What if they die?" Dawn asked.

Harry frowned. "If they wanted them dead, then they already would be. I think they are trying to keep us off guard and confused."

"Who might 'they' be?" Sam asked.

"That, son, is the million dollar question."

"You look pretty calm, Daddy. Is it always this exciting around here?" Dawn asked.

Harry chuckled as he opened the door. "Things do pop up from time to time," he said.

William returned and nodded to Harry.

"I'll see you both soon," Harry said as he exited, with Josh close on his heels.

***

"You're Kyle, right?"

Kyle looked up from his phone to see a girl standing in front of him. She was likely sixteen, about five feet six, brown-eyed, with shoulder-length brown hair tucked under a blue wool hat. She was wearing a dark brown coat buttoned up halfway. Her hands hung loosely at her sides, French-manicured fingertips pointing straight down.

"Yeah, I'm Kyle." He leaned back and tucked his phone into his jacket pocket. "I don't recognize you, though."

"How's that make you feel?" she asked with a confident smile.

Kyle fought the urge to smile back. It sounded cocky, like something he would say. "It doesn't bother me."

The girl laughed, but didn't sit down. "I'm not from around here, and in a few hours I'll be long gone."

"You here just to visit me?"

She chuckled. "Let's say, yes."

"Who sent you?"

"Friends of yours."

It was Kyle's turn to chuckle. "Friends don't send strangers from out of town to give me messages."

"Of course they do, Kyle. In fact, that's the only way these particular friends give messages."

"No friends of mine would do it this way, lady."

"New friends would," she said, taking a look around.

"Well, I don't like it." Kyle reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. "Tell them I'm not interested."

"Oh, I think you'll be interested. The game board of SHEPHERDS is about to change, and I'm here to offer you an opportunity to stay on the dominant side."

Kyle laughed. "I am on the dominant side." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "You can tell your Hearthkin bosses that I'm not interested in working for them."

The young girl laughed, a musical sound. "Kyle, if you think that I'm here on behalf of the Hearthkin Family, then you are quickly losing touch with the way this game is going." She pulled out a business card. "Hearthkin, Thorne, these are all names that will soon mean nothing in the game. Careful, or soon you'll find yourself sinking to the bottom of the ocean with them."

"What are you talking about?"

She placed the card on the table in front of him with a hand over it, leaned in close and whispered. "There are new players in the game, Kyle. Soon we will control the majority of the continent, and from there we will move to dominate the rest of the world." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood. "Only a few are being invited to play with us. This is a great honour for you. Think about it and let me know if you're with us or not. My number is on the card."

She turned and began to walk away. "Let me know by the end of the week. Join us, Kyle." She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling. "You won't regret it, I promise you that."

40

"That's it?" Sarah-Marie looked up from her phone.

"That's it," Kerstin said. "There's no big difference between shearing people and locations."

"Except people can move out of range."

"Okay, there are some differences. The basic shearing process on your phone is the same, though."

"Fair enough." Sarah-Marie put her phone away and looked around the small bistro. "Nice place. I've never been able to afford to eat here before."

"Higher level, more cash in your pocket," Kerstin said with a smile.

"You haven't given me a route to travel for shearing individuals."

"There are no set routes to walk every day. As long as you shear the target number that they give you in your weekly challenge email, everyone is happy. Theoretically, you could sit in one spot and shear your quota as people walk by."

"Sweet." Walking a route reminded Sarah-Marie of the drudgery of the paper route from her earlier years. "You talk to Dawn or Sam yet?"

"Dawn," Kerstin said. "She said that both of them are out of town with their dad and wouldn't be back for a few days."

"No worries."

"I will make sure we are both there to talk about what went wrong the other day."

Their meals arrived and they began to eat quietly, enjoying the music and ambience. "It's pretty cool that playing a video game on my cell phone allows me to pay for this kind of thing," Sarah-Marie said. "I spend a lot of time, lately, wondering how such a thing is possible."

"We're lucky," Kerstin admitted. "There are a lot of people playing, but those who don't play have no idea it exists. I wish my parents could get a chance to opt in. My mom lost her job last week, and my dad is miserable at his. I took a look at one of his pay stubs, and I make  as much as he does now."

"Wow, that sucks. Maybe you could ask about getting them invited to a recruitment meeting?"

"Already did. They absolutely do not fit the profile for playing SHEPHERDS."

"Well, then, the best you can do is help them out financially when you're making the big bucks like Dawn and Sam."

Kerstin laughed. "There's no way my mom and dad would ever let me help them out financially. They already think I'm dealing drugs."

"To be fair, drug dealers would be making more money. We do very well, but not drug dealer well."

"That's what I told them! They just look at me doubtfully and nod their heads. It would be so much easier if I could just tell them the truth."

It was Sarah-Marie's turn to laugh. "You play a cloak-and-dagger style game, and you want to tell them the truth? There's no point to that. Besides, even if you did tell them how you were earning a paycheque, they would never believe you. I barely believe it myself most times!"

Kerstin nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but her phone vibrated twice and its light flashed quickly. The front door to the bistro opened and two people walked in.

"Uh-oh," Sarah-Marie muttered. "This could be trouble."

Kerstin glanced from her phone to the door and her body tensed. An attractive middle-aged woman in a business suit stood waiting for someone to show her to a table. Standing beside her was Red Hoodie. Kerstin looked at her plate. "Is he looking at us?" she asked, quietly.

"Not really," Sarah-Marie said. "He's looking around, but he didn't stop and stare, at least no more than boys usually do."

Kerstin frowned. Sometimes being pretty wasn't an advantage when you wanted to avoid being noticed, especially around teenage boys.

A waiter approached the newcomers and guided them to a seat on the other side of the restaurant in a corner, out of the girls' vision. "Turn all the sounds and lights off of your phone," Kerstin instructed.

"Already done," Sarah-Marie said, without reaching for her phone.

"Same," Kerstin said. "You have all the security alarms turned off as well?"

Some noises sounded only when being attacked by other players, or if targets were in jeopardy. Players rarely disabled those, and Sarah-Marie's expression as she reached for her phone made clear that she hadn't disabled them.

"Thanks," Sarah-Marie said. "You think he might suspect us?"

"I think he's here for lunch with his mom or aunt or something. It's worth being extra cautious, just in case he is here looking for info and does suspect us."

Sarah-Marie's phone emitted three sudden, short, loud beeps followed by a pause, then a repeat set of three. "What the hell?" she exclaimed.

"Shut it off!" Kerstin hissed.

"I'm trying!"

"Well, try harder!"

Sarah-Marie did, to no avail. Kerstin looked around and mouthed 'sorry' at the other scowling diners. Then she saw Red Hoodie walking toward their table with his phone in his hand and a grim smile on his face.

He stopped beside their table, glanced casually at Sarah-Marie's phone, and then pushed a button on his own. The beeping ceased. Red Hoodie shook his head, grabbed an empty chair from the table behind him, and sat down to look at each of the girls. He was their age. Good-looking, with brown hair and an athletic build, thought Kerstin. He needs a shave, but he's not a mess.

"Do we know each other?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," Kerstin said.

He looked at Sarah-Marie. "I see you in the mall quite a bit."

"Yeah, we go to the mall," she said. "So do lots of kids."

He nodded and reached a hand out to tap her phone. "When one player tries to shear another, the target gets three ping attempts. You know what that is, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Kerstin lied.

"That's a shame," his head swivelled to focus on Kerstin. "I was hoping you didn't. Someone who just got the skill unlocked, I can see them not knowing any better and making an honest mistake. Someone like that wouldn't know about the rules, and it would be easier to forgive them for playing stupidly."

Neither girl spoke. Red Hoodie shrugged. "I'm boring you, since you do know what a ping is. I'll explain it anyways just in case it wasn't covered properly. If I try to hack you, and it doesn't work, then you get three pings. You have a week to initiate them. What you do is get within range of the phone that tried to hack you, and then send out a ping. If that phone is in range, then it responds to the ping with a really loud alert to announce itself. The player can't turn it off, unless they are your level or higher. If they are too high a level, the ping won't even work." He reached forward and grabbed three French fries from Sarah-Marie's plate, munched them. "Pings are only useful if you have a good idea of who tried to shear you, and they are your level or lower." He finished the food in his mouth and smiled. It was not a pleasant expression. "I caught you. If you were guys, we'd go outside and I would make this a physical lesson. You're not, though, so I'll do this the other way."

"Do what?" Kerstin asked.

He grabbed his phone and turned it on. "Teach you a lesson."

"I'm sorry," Sarah-Marie blurted out. "We did just unlock this skill. We shouldn't have tried to shear you. We had no idea what we were doing. To be honest, we still don't! What's the big deal? We figured it was just like taking any other target."

The guy paused and looked at Sarah-Marie in puzzlement. After a moment, he laughed and shook his head. "Oh wow, you're serious, aren't you?"

The girls' blushing faces answered for them.

"I don't know who your sponsors are, ladies, but they are not doing a very good job teaching you if you don't know how a new skill works before you start trying it out for real." He stood up and grabbed the untouched half of Kerstin's sandwich, taking a bite and chewing as he looked down at them. "I'm gonna show you what the big deal is ." He pushed a button on his phone and waited for a couple seconds. The screen on Sarah-Marie's phone flashed quickly a few times, then turned off.

"Turn it on," he nodded at the phone.

Sarah-Marie picked it up and pressed the button to turn it on. Nothing happened. She tried again; still nothing. Next, she flipped it around and removed the back cover. Sometimes pulling the battery out would force a phone to reset.

"Don't bother," said Red Hoodie. "It won't come back on for twenty-four hours."

"What?!" both girls said in unison, as he took another bite of sandwich.

"That's right. When it does come back on, the game won't load for at least an hour, maybe three. That puts you out of the game for over a day."

Sarah-Marie's eyes grew wide. She felt trickles of sweat in the usual places. "That's unacceptable," she said.

"That's what you would have done to me," Red Hoodie snapped, dropping what remained of the sandwich onto the table. He stood up and put the chair back where he had found it, then turned toward the girls and smiled. "There's more to it than that, though. Every target you held when you got hacked was released, and went to me."

"I'm no longer earning," Sarah-Marie blinked rapidly, feeling panic approach.

"Correct. You are no longer earning. When you do come back online, it will take another twenty-four hours before you can attempt to shear anything." He pointed a finger first at Kerstin, then Sarah-Marie. "Attacking other players costs them money. A lot of money. It disrupts your whole team's earnings. Just to keep your group goals on track, everyone else in your team will have to step up and go shear more targets. It's a real mess." He shook his head and frowned, hard-eyed. "Okay, that's all I've got for today's lesson. Have a good lunch. And don't try this with me again. I won't be so nice next time."

Neither of the girls said a word as he started to walk away.

He was halfway to his table when he stopped and turned to look at them. "You know what? I think this is a better punishment than punching you in the face would have been. Maybe I'll start doing this with guys too."

41

Harry, Josh, and William came into the room where Dawn and Sam waited. Harry wore a grim expression.

"That bad?" Dawn asked.

Harry shook his head, but Josh nodded tersely as they all sat down at the large conference table.

"The guy not talk?" Dawn ventured.

"Oh, he talked," Josh said. "He just didn't give us very much information to go on."

"That shouldn't be a surprise," said Sam.

"You've never seen your dad and William interrogate someone, but I have," said Josh. "They get answers. I'm surprised we got so little out of this guy."

Dawn looked at her father and wondered once more just how little she knew about him.

"We did get some useful information," William said. "There were a couple of tidbits that he obviously did not mean to divulge."

"Here's what we know," Harry began, reaching for a notepad and pen from the middle of the table. "There is another group out there with training and access to the game. We don't know who they are, what they call themselves, or how many of them make up their group." He made notes as he spoke.

Dawn wanted to ask a question, but refrained.

"They have an agenda," Harry continued. "With an endgame that seems to involve destroying SHEPHERDS and the flow of information to our clientele."

"And the destruction of the Families." William's face was grim.

Harry snorted. "That tells us they are fools. There's no way they could accomplish that. Hurt us, maybe; wipe out our whole structure, not possible."

"They knew when and where the leaders would all be together," Josh said, "and they were able to slip something into the food and drink."

"Local leaders, and that's because we were all overconfident," William said. "The last time there was an attack on the Families from an outside source, none of us were born yet."

"Is it from an outside source?" Dawn asked.

Harry paused and nodded thoughtfully. "Good question. It's more believable that an insider could get access to our itinerary. Josh, please send a picture across the system and ask all the Families if anyone recognizes our captive."

Josh stood and headed toward the door. "I'm on it. I'll be back in a couple minutes." He opened the door and began to leave, but stopped as he met Vector and Logan.

"We need to speak with Harry," Vector said.

Josh looked at Harry, who nodded. "In you go, then."

The brothers entered the room and sat at the table, Vector's usual arrogance absent. "What's the status of my great-uncle?" he asked.

"Same as all the other leaders who were with him," Harry said. "Unconscious, but alive. There doesn't appear to be any chemical poisoning or trauma to their bodies. Vital signs are stable. To look at them, you would think they were just sleeping." Harry paused. "We have learned that they were bugged."

"Bugged?" Logan asked. "What do you mean?"

"A nanotech bug was slipped into their food. A signal was sent to activate the bug, and it has somehow put them into a coma."

"That's sophisticated."

"It is," Harry said.

"So, it's an inside job," Logan said.

Dawn smiled. Harry grimaced. "We were just considering that possibility when you arrived."

"I smell war," Vector said, leaning back warily.

"Might be a bit early to reach that conclusion," said William.

"Well, you can count on our help to find whoever is responsible," Vector said. "It's lucky that we were here when this happened."

"Yeah, lucky," said Sam. "Or maybe you are the ones responsible."

Vector laughed. "That's too funny. If we were involved, would we be here offering to help?"

"Probably," Harry said, "but it doesn't matter. We will discover who is on our side and who isn't soon enough. I'll accept your offer of help because this threatens us all." Harry nodded reassuringly at his son, "Like I said, Sam, if the Hearthkins are responsible, we will find out and deal with them. I don't think they are, though. They have just as much to lose as the rest of us."

"We can sit here and talk about it until we die of old age, and never uncover a single fact," said William. "Harry, you lead the Family while Father is down. Tell me what to do and I'll get started."

"We need to identify our attacker." Harry stood and walked to the desk. He sat down, opened the bottom right-hand drawer, removed a smartphone and turned it on. "That's our only lead at the moment, so we will chase it until it raises more questions." He began to compose a message on the phone. "I need to know who leads the Families in this area now that the current ones are out of commission. A meeting will be held soon to discuss further strategy. I will need your help in this, William. You are my right hand."

"I thought Josh is your right hand?" William said.

"Josh is my left," Harry answered with a smile. "Living apart from the Family has forced me to become ambidextrous at times."

William laughed. "What about the kids?" he looked at Sam and Dawn.

"Line of succession is not passed down to firstborn children. Sam and Dawn should be in no significant danger. At least, no more than normal. They can return to the city and run SHADOWS from there, keeping an eye out for anything fishy."

"Okay," William said. "Is this a serious mess, brother?"

"Not yet," Harry said, "but it's getting there."

42

"How are we supposed to pretend everything is normal?" Sam surveyed the sparse crowd of people milling past as he sat with Dawn in the food court. "We barely got a chance to spend time with our extended family before chaos broke out. It's not fair."

"I agree," Dawn said. "Let's hope we can help from here. In the meantime, it doesn't do us much good to pout. Now, here comes Kerstin and Sarah-Marie. Put a smile on your face and let's see what's got them so agitated."

The girls sat down, looking miserable. After a moment of silence, Sam spoke. "Well, ladies, what seems to be the problem?"

Kerstin described the events involving Red Hoodie, from the decision to attempt a shear on him to his humiliating retaliation. Sam sighed and looked at Dawn, who looked at Sarah-Marie and shook her head.

Sarah-Marie lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. I had no idea how much trouble we could get into."

"It's not all your fault," Dawn reassured her. "I did a poor job of communicating the dangers, so it's entirely on me."

"And me as well," said Sam, drawing his ansible. "I'm glad that neither of you were physically attacked. Unfortunately, that can and does happen." He looked at them and rapped softly on the table. "This is the stage of the game where things get more serious. With higher stakes, players will defend their earnings more ruthlessly. You can both choose to stay where you are, or even drop down one level and remain in safer waters. Many players choose this option, and there's no shame in it. If you want to think about it, we understand. Also, I apologize for not addressing this issue as soon as you both levelled. We had problems of our own, and because we were dealing with new challenges that come at our current levels, we didn't do a good job for you as sponsors."

"We don't need to think about it," Kerstin shook her head. "We've already discussed it and both agree that there's no way either of us want to back down or stay at the same level. Plus, we're supposed to seek out help as we advance. Dawn was very clear that we were not to try shearing other players until we had a chance to discuss it. It's my fault, and I'll take warnings more seriously in the future."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Kerstin," Sam said. "That is the type of thing a real leader says. I'm proud that you're part of our team."

Kerstin smiled. Sam looked down at his ansible. "Now let's see how much money we've all lost due to our combined errors, shall we?" After a few moments, he frowned. "Something must be wrong with the reporting function. It doesn't look like the group has lost more than a few targets, and our digicash and kb are right where they should be."

"There's no mistake," Sarah-Marie said. "I lost money and data personally, but the rest of the group stepped up and helped make sure the targets were all sheared and the territory didn't suffer."

"Plus I spent extra time shearing around town to make up for the deficit," Kerstin admitted. She understated the reality; she had spent almost every available hour on her phone working the game to maintain the team's  current level.

Sam nodded and smiled. "Outstanding work, ladies. I'm even more impressed now. Sarah-Marie, is your phone up and working yet?"

"Not for another six hours. When it goes live, I'll still have time to get all the day's shearing done."

"That will mean working from midnight until at least 6 a.m.," Dawn observed. Sarah-Marie shrugged, but Dawn shook her head. "I will cover your deficit. It will be my penance for not leading well enough."

"That's not necessary," Sarah-Marie said.

"It is," Dawn said. "I also want to know how much money you lost. We will reimburse you."

"How will I learn if I don't lose money?" Sarah-Marie shook her head. "It's fine, you don't need to do that."

Dawn knew she needed money. "It's not up for discussion. I'll offset the loss."

"Thank you," said Sarah-Marie, sincerely.

The four spoke for a while longer, then left the mall. As Dawn and Sam were walking to Sam's car, a familiar voice spoke up behind them. "Hey guys, know any good places to hang out in town?"

Dawn turned. "Kyle!" She walked over and hugged him. "What are you doing in town? Is everything okay?"

Kyle nodded as they continued toward the car. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to get out of town for a day or two, and I haven't been here in months. How are things with you two? I hear that there's been some excitement lately."

Sam laughed. "There's the understatement of the day. Excitement seems to be flying our way no matter which way we turn."

Kyle hopped into the back seat and sat in the middle. "Yeah, I bet. I'm talking about all the leaders going to sleep before they could finish their desserts."

Sam's hand froze on the ignition key. His eyes darted first to his sister's, and then to the rear view mirror. "How do you know about that? Dad said that only a few key players would have those details."

"Relax," Kyle raised a hand and made a calming motion. "I know more than most people. That's no surprise to either of you."

"You shouldn't know this, Kyle," Dawn said, turning to look at him.

"You're right, I shouldn't. But the fact is that I do." He leaned back and put the middle seatbelt on with an audible click. "Now pull out of the parking lot and turn right. I have some place cool to show you."

Dawn pulled out her ansible, where Kyle couldn't see it, and sent a quick text.

"We aren't going anywhere but home," Sam said.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I have to insist," Kyle's tone was still friendly, but with an edge. "Don't worry, I would never put either of you in danger. I hope Dawn believes that by now."

Dawn turned around to look at Kyle. She turned back to her brother and nodded. "I believe him. Let's go where he wants to take us."

"I don't like this." Sam said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I think you will before we're through," Kyle smiled.

43

"That will be fifty-one dollars and thirty-three cents, please."

The man nodded and held up a plastic card for the grocery store cashier to see. "Credit," he said.

The woman nodded and pressed a button on her register. "Go ahead, sir." She pointed to the card reader mounted on a small ledge between them.

The man inserted his card and followed the steps to complete the transaction. After a moment, the machine made a beeping sound.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the charge was declined."

"That's odd," the man said.

"Is there a different card you would like to try?"

"Yeah, sure. Debit, please." He replaced the credit card and withdrew a different piece of plastic.

"Go ahead."

A few moments later, the machine beeped again. "It was declined as well, sir."

The man did not look pleased. "That's impossible. There's lots of money in my account, I was just at the bank before I came here."

The cashier opened her mouth to reply, then heard a beep from the register behind her. "It declined your card, sir," said another cashier to someone else. More beeps sounded from other cashier stations. "It looks like our system might be down," said the first cashier. "Would you like to use cash?"

The man shook his head. "Who uses cash these days? I guess I'll have to come back another time."

The man left the grocery store and walked across the parking lot to his bank, where the teller spread her hands in apology. "I'm sorry, sir. Our systems are down at the moment. We are unable to process any requests to your account until things come back online."

"They told me the same thing over at the grocery store," the man said. "What am I supposed to do for money?"

"I'm sure your debit and credit card can still be used most everywhere," the teller said. "We think only this plaza is affected."

The man began to reply, but his phone rang. It was his wife. "Hello," he said.

"Did you max out the credit card?" she asked, annoyed.

"No. I'm having trouble using it at the grocery store. Where are you?"

"Across town. Debit card isn't working either."

"Look around," he said. "I have a feeling it isn't only us having trouble."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Yeah, they're saying the system is down. I'll see you at home in a bit."

The line went dead as his wife hung up. He looked at the teller.

She shrugged.

***

"In a few minutes, you're gonna start getting a bunch of texts," Kyle said from the back seat of the car. "A lot of texts. Likely even a flood of calls."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Everybody who's been sheared is about to lose their stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"What I said. Everyone who has been sheared is going to lose their digital possessions. Money, mortgages, credit cards, loans, credit history. It's all gonna disappear."

Dawn looked at Sam, who shook his head. "That doesn't even make sense. How is everyone going to lose all of that?"

"A group of very clever and determined people are about to shear the game."

"That's not possible."

"It is." Kyle leaned back and looked out the window. Before Dawn or Sam could ask another question, their phones began to ring and chirp with incoming text notifications. Soon there were so many that the beeps began to run together into one long humming sound.

"What the..." Dawn looked at her ansible. Names scrolled upward quickly as they appeared on her screen.

"Don't answer any of them," Kyle said.

Sam pulled over to the side of the road and brought the car to an abrupt stop. He turned to face Kyle and held his ansible up so everyone could see it. "What the hell is going on? This is bad, Kyle. This has got to be bad, right?"

"Not yet," Kyle shrugged. "This is just a shot across our bow."

"What?" Dawn asked.

"It's a nautical term," Sam said. "Pirates would fire a cannon ball in front of your ship. It didn't hurt you or the boat, but it let you know they meant business. It was a warning to make you stop and surrender."

Dawn glared at Kyle. "You still with us, Kyle?"

"Yes, of course. Well...I don't know for sure, Dawn, but I think I still am. It's complicated."

"No, it's not," said Sam. " You either work with us, or you work for somebody else. Which is it?"

"They claim to be on your side. On our side."

"If they're shearing all our stuff, then they aren't," said Dawn.

"It will all revert back in a couple hours. That's what they said."

"Most of the population will be without money or credit for the next few hours?" Sam ran a hand through his hair. "That's going to cause a riot."

"It won't last long enough for that to happen," Kyle said. "It's an attention-getter, that's all. We need to keep driving."

Sam raised his voice. "I'm not driving anywhere! Dawn might have trusted you when we left the mall, but I'm tempted to drive straight to Wallaceton and plop you down in front of my dad."

"You can do that after the meeting," Kyle said, unruffled, "but we can't miss the rendezvous. I promise you do not want to miss this."

Sam sat with his arms crossed and glared at Kyle, who caught Dawn's eyes. "Dawn. Please convince him to drive."

Dawn's expression was blank.

Kyle sighed and pulled out his phone. "Fine, it looks like I need to give you some additional motivation. I'm going to show you a picture on my phone. After I do, we are going to drive as fast as we can to get to the rendezvous point. I won't answer any more questions; all you are gonna hear from me is directions."

Dawn pursed her lips to argue. Then Kyle flipped his phone around. When she saw the picture, she forgot what she'd planned to say. "Sam..."

"I see it." Sam turned around, put the car in drive, and pressed the accelerator to the floor.

44

"Bring me up to speed."

Over a dozen men and women sat around the large table, all with varying degrees of resemblance. They were the leaders of the Thorne business, espionage, and military divisions, gathered to recap developments from the past three days since the dining hall attack.

Harry sat at the head of the table, with William on his right and Josh on his left. Harry looked at a pretty, bespectacled middle-aged brunette. "Jane. Update us on the health of the Elders."

Jane nodded, pulled a loose sheet from her notebook, composed herself and began. "There has been no change in their status. All vital signs are normal. We detect no stress to any of their vital organs or systems. Brain scans show activity that is consistent with a light comatose state, with no measurable spikes in cognitive centres." She looked at Harry. "One of our first concerns was that the enemy had introduced technology capable of infiltrating their brains and mining useful information from their thoughts and memories, but there is no evidence of that."

"That we have found," Josh said.

"Yes," Jane nodded. "There is a slight possibility that we are wrong, but if something like that were happening, we would expect to see spikes in brain activity."

"That's a valid expectation," Harry said. "Is there any sign of them waking up on their own? Have we been able to isolate and identify the invasive nanotech?"

"No." Jane's calm expression became frustrated. "We have introduced radioactive isotopes, genetically modified bacteriophages, and every other trick that we have learned over the decades with our own studies in biology and nanotech. We haven't been successful yet."

"Have any other Families?"

"No." All had agreed to keep the leaders together in one hospital, combining the best medical and technical minds from each Family. Such a thing had happened only rarely throughout history, and only in the case of a full-dress offensive against the entire organization.

"Let us know if anything significant develops," Harry said. "Josh will report recent developments regarding the SHEPHERDS division."

Josh stood and walked to the large whiteboard on the wall behind his chair. With a red marker, he began to draw and label circles on the board, each circle representing a city in their game holdings. He wrote the number 1 inside the middle circle, then drew a diagonal line through it. "Less than an hour ago, our primary territory, City One, was hacked."

"Hacked or sheared?" someone asked. There was a difference. Shearing was a legal move made within the rules of the game. It involved shifts in digital cash, target acquisition, and transfer of territory ownership for short periods of time. Hacking involved theft of accounts, real dollars, and identities. Shearing was permitted; hacking was cause for concern, and often led to more serious—and militant—involvement from other Family divisions.

"Hacked," Josh confirmed.

"Players?"

"No," said Josh, shaking his head. "The entire city of civilians has been hacked."

The room became silent as the implications sank in.

"You'd better expand on that," Harry said.

"Not a single occupant of City One can obtain cash, credit, or any other form of purchasing power that requires electronic communication."

"Oh god," said a pair of twins, in unison.

"Have they started to riot?" an older man asked.

"Not yet," Josh said, "but that will happen soon. People are used to brief local glitches in digital banking, but when word gets out that it's city-wide, they'll lose it."

"This has never happened before." Harry paused. "Has it?"

"Never," William said.

"Is it tied to the game?" another woman asked.

"Absolutely," Josh confirmed. "A group has stepped forward to claim responsibility."

"The same group that dropped our elders." Harry looked around the table. "It would seem that there are those out there who have discovered our game, and resent that we are profiting from it. They are determined to bring the entire system to a crashing halt."

"Can they?" a young man asked. "We control the worldwide grid from Wallaceton, right? There are override protocols that enable us to assert full control of anything and everything connected to the grid. That includes private sector, non-game technology. The data we shear, we may sell, but we also keep. That will allow us to take over and control anything electronic if we decide to."

"Yes," Harry said, "but that would require unanimous consent from the top seven Families."

The young man shrugged. "That shouldn't be a problem, considering all that has happened."

"It will blow the lid off the game," William said. "Once we make a move like that, it won't take long for civilians to follow the trail and realize that SHEPHERDS is more than a game."

Harry's ansible chirped, and he glanced down at it. "Oh no," he said. His face began to flush.

"What is it?" William asked.

Harry pushed the ansible toward his brother. William looked down and he swore softly under his breath."City One, we are told, will be restored in less than an hour."

"That text just tell you that?" Josh asked.

"Yes," Harry's expression had changed to that of a man ready to kill.

"What does it  say, exactly?"

"That all will be returned to normal within the hour," Harry said, glaring down at his ansible, "and that someone has taken my kids."

"You look like you know who sent the text," a female cousin said.

Harry's face flushed a deeper shade of angry red as he nodded. "I do."

***

Under Kyle's direction, Sam parked the car in front of a small, tidy house, then switched off the ignition. The three of them got out.

Kyle leaned against the car door and nodded toward the house. "This is as far as I go for now," he said. "Both of you head in."

True to his word, Kyle had refused to answer a single inquiry during the twenty-minute drive. Neither Dawn nor Sam saw any reason to try now. "Come on," Dawn sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

Sam nodded, and the two of them walked toward and up the three grey concrete steps that led to the front door.

"Just walk on in and head into the kitchen." Kyle called out.

Sam opened the door. Dawn entered the foyer, waiting for her brother. The little house's interior and furnishings reflected sophisticated taste and a generous bankroll. They walked ten steps down a small hallway, then saw the kitchen entry on their right. Brother and sister entered the room together.

Dawn gasped in surprise, and Sam let out an exclamation of shock.

After a second that seemed like eternity, Dawn spoke the one word she had never expected to utter aloud again.

"Mom?"Dawn wanted to rush forward and hug her mother, but she couldn't. Sam hadn't moved either.

"You're angry," Desdemona whispered, glassy-eyed, forcing a smile. "I expect that you're both angry."

"Yeah, I think anger is in here somewhere." Sam's voice sounded detached and calm, but his eyes weren't. "I guess it's mostly shock that I feel at the moment. There is some happiness in there too. I know I've wished for this so many times."

"To be abducted and taken to a house in the middle of nowhere, and then find your dead mother standing alive and well in front of you?"

Sam smiled. "Well, not exactly like that. Seeing you alive, though, that was the part I wanted." He moved forward, and Desdemona stepped into his arms. Sam buried his face in her shoulder and wept as a flood of emotions  overwhelmed him. Dawn closed the distance and joined the embrace.

After a few moments they stepped back and rubbed away tears. "There," sniffled Desdemona, "that's the tough part out of the way." She offered her children a box of tissues.

"Thanks," said Dawn, blowing her nose.

"I'm surprised at least one of you didn't leave," Desdemona said.

"Why would we do that?" Sam asked. "And which one of us did you expect to leave?"

Desdemona bit the bottom of her lip and looked up toward the ceiling, failing to blink back the tears. "I don't know how you can forgive me when I can't even forgive myself." She lowered her hands into her face and cried.

Dawn put her hand out, lightly resting it on her mother's shoulder. "I'm sure you had a good reason," she said, softly. "You were a great mom. We know how much you loved us. We've been learning lately that our lives are more complicated than most, and Dad told us a little bit about you as well."

The sobs trailed away and her mother looked up to meet her daughter's gaze.

"You had a good reason," Dawn said. "For leaving us. Right?"

Desdemona closed her eyes. "Yes, I had a good reason. But I'm glad that you are willing to talk to me. I figured your dad would have told you the whole story by now, especially before taking you into Wallaceton." She walked to the kitchen table and sat down. Dawn and Sam joined her. "Who did you meet? Your grandparents?"

Dawn nodded. "We got to meet Grandfather, and Uncle William, plus a few cousins. Things went sour before we could meet with Grandmother, though." Dawn glanced at Sam, who shook his head slightly. She did not continue.

Desdemona caught the exchange and chuckled. "You're well-trained. Harry began that early."

"He tried," Sam said. "I'm certain we would have said less if it had been anyone sitting here but our long-dead mother."

"That's a fair point, but don't worry. I know what occurred during the quarterly dinner. You won't be sharing any information that I don't already have."

"How?" Dawn began to ask.

"I'll tell you in a few minutes. First, you are owed an explanation regarding why I had to leave."Brother and sister nodded.

"Years ago, just before I left, your uncle William met with your dad and I to ask for our help. Of course, we both knew the request came from your grandfather, but there was no reason to force that issue by making him present it in person. We had come to grips with our exile, and both your dad and I had hoped we could live apart from the Family for the rest of our lives. William told us that there was a new threat to the status quo, and they needed our help because we were off the grid in many aspects."

"Everyone believed you were exiled and not talking to the Families?" Sam guessed.

"Exactly. That put is in a very unique position, and your grandfather wanted us to capitalize on it."

"How?"

"For almost as long as the organized Families have existed, there has been one other group in existence as well. They call themselves the Displaced, and they are very dangerous."

"What makes them so dangerous?" Dawn asked.

"They are the sworn enemy of the Families," Desdemona said. "They exist for the sole purpose of destroying the Families' and preventing them from accomplishing their long-term plans."

"They sound like another group with a secret agenda," Sam shrugged. "Just because their plan is different doesn't mean that it's any better or worse than the Families'."

Desdemona chuckled. "You sound just like one of them. Maybe it's because you never grew up under full Family indoctrination. It doesn't matter. The point is that your father and I have known all our lives that the Displaced are a very real, and very dangerous threat to everything good in the world." Desdemona poured them all some tea. "We were asked to infiltrate a new chapter that had just moved into our city. Your father and I made contact and began to go to some early meetings. After a few weeks, they were willing to let us join. When it came time, your father changed his mind. I didn't."

"You went ahead and pretended to join them and Daddy didn't," Dawn said. "Is that when the two of you split up? Is that when you left us?"

"Yes," Desdemona said. "After a few months of attending meetings and events, your father demanded that I discontinue the operation. He had learned things which led him to believe it was too dangerous for us to continue. Rather than agree and quit, I told him that I was going to join. We argued. I left in the middle of the night."

"I don't see why it's such a big deal," Sam said. "Why did you have to leave? Why did Dad tell us that you were dead?"

"Because I didn't pretend to join the Displaced."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"What they said made sense, more sense than anything I had ever been told by my Family." Desdemona looked up and met her children's eyes. "I told your father that I was no longer spying on the Displaced. I told him I was going over to their side. I renounced my Family and completely joined them."

"Dad knew that was what you were planning?"

Desdemona nodded. "Yes. I embraced our enemies' principles and became one of them. In your father's eyes, and the eyes of the Families, I died when I made my decision."

45

"I've discovered who is behind the attack," Josh said, looking across the table at Harry.

"Who?"

"The Displaced."

Harry looked at Josh blankly for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't buy that."

"Why not?"

"It's too aggressive for them."

"They've been aggressive before," William said. He opened the lid of his laptop and began to type commands as he spoke. "Remember the trouble they started seventy-five  years ago?"

"The entire world remembers the trouble they started back then," Harry said. "It's why we have since kept a tighter leash on them."

"You say that as if we are their masters," William chuckled. "We do our best to stay ahead of them by wiping out cells when we get the chance. We don't always get the chance, though, do we? Sometimes they are made stronger by our attempts."

Harry ignored the jibe. "For the past seven decades, they have been disorganized and in hiding."

"Maybe that's what they wanted us to think," Josh offered. "Their stink is all over this attack, Harry. They aren't even trying to conceal it from us."

"What do you mean?"

Josh turned his laptop to face the brothers. "We know their signatures and code words, the calling cards they leave behind when they want to claim responsibility. Their mark is all over the trail I've been following."

Harry's screen beeped to notify him of an incoming email. Harry absently glanced at the message on his screen and clicked it. A video message started playing. The second it began, the table fell silent.

"Hello, Harry," said the screen's smiling image of Desdemona, sitting in what appeared to be a small kitchen. "I'm back in town and I have the children. If you want to see them again, I think you should listen very carefully to what I am about to say..."

***

"We don't have much time left," said Desdemona.

Sam groaned. "Why not? We just got you back, and now you're telling us we have to separate again?"

The three had spent the last two hours laughing, crying, hugging, and talking. Sam and Dawn did most of the talking.

"I'm afraid so," Desdemona said. "This city belongs to your father. He will find you sooner than later, and it wouldn't be good for me to be here when he finally does. I plan to be far away by the time his forces locate you."

"Will we see you again soon?" Dawn asked.

"That's up to you," Desdemona said, smiling, "although I am sure you're both old enough by now to realize that your lives are not entirely your own. There will be more opportunities to meet, but the choices you make will follow you for the remainder of your days."

"We are adults and free to do as we want," Sam said.

"You are. Dawn is not, yet." Their mother stood and walked to the cupboard. She opened the door and retrieved a box of chocolate-covered biscuits that had always been their favourite. She returned to her seat and took a cookie before pushing the box toward her children. "You are about to learn that, no matter how old you become, you are never fully in control of your own life."

"That's depressing," Dawn said.

"It sure is. It's one of the worst lessons life teaches us. "When I was young, I had to do what my parents told me. When I got older, I had to do what the leaders of the Family wanted. I hate being told what to do, yet growing up taught me that there will always be someone, or something, telling you what to do. The best you can do in life is choose who will be giving you the orders." She smiled. "Of course, advancing in the ranks of leadership also minimizes the number of people who can boss you around, but even the supreme leader of an organization is not entirely free to do whatever they want."

"Why did you leave us?" Dawn asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been looming in the background.

Desdemona looked at them sadly. "Leaving the two of you was the price that I had to pay for a chance to make the world better than it is." She reached out and grabbed another cookie. "Being a soldier in the Family would have been a waste of my time and talents. Keeping things the way they were would have led to some happiness, but ultimately it would have ended in pain. For all of us. They are about to train you, am I right?"

Sam and Dawn nodded.

"'Indoctrinate you is more like it," she said. "The good news is that both of you are less fanatical than the rest, because your father was able to keep you separate as long as possible. During your training over the next few years, you would become as dedicated as the others. It is part of the process. You won't be entering the training program, though. They will be too busy from now on to worry about such things."

"Why do you say that?"

Desdemona smiled. "The world is about to change, children. I came here to warn you."

"Change? In what way?"

"The Displaced have been very busy over the past few decades. SHEPHERDS helped us tremendously. We have infiltrated the game in every country where it is played."

"How many countries is that?" Sam asked.

"All of them," Desdemona said. "Every country that has an economy, power grid, and some form of organized government. The Families have spent considerable time, resources, and effort to make certain that the game is everywhere. With it in place, their plan was to finally achieve the ultimate goal of world domination and control."

"Are you serious?" Dawn asked.

"Absolutely. Through the game, they control all information flow. They know everything that is being said, thought, and acted upon by every member of society. If a housewife is a dissident, or the ruler of a country is not as loyal as he claims to be, the game allows the Families to know the truth. They are only a few years away from placing a single world leader in a position of supreme power over everyone else. Of course, the Families will control that leader and the government that is formed, from the shadows."

"We just learned that SHEPHERDS is much more than a game," Dawn said, "but we had no idea it was that much more."

"Only a few at the very top of the world leadership know the stakes that are being played for," Desdemona said. "The Displaced know as well, and we have a plan to prevent them from succeeding."

"How?" asked Dawn, not expecting an answer.

"That's why I'm here tonight," Desdemona said. "To tell you. To warn you. The Families have ruled the world for centuries. They have done a poor job, and it is getting worse under their control. I am about to take that control away from them." She smiled calmly at her children. "The Displaced intend to introduce a virus into the game. SHEPHERDS will collapse, and so will the governments and economies tied to it."

Sam thought for a moment. "But if all economies and governments are connected to it, then that means..."

"Money is about to be worthless," Desdemona said. "Governments are about to lose their power over the people."

"That will cause chaos," said Dawn. "Nearly all money today, in every country, is fiat money. It's worth something because a government says it is, and people believe it. If people lose their reason to believe money is worth anything, that will remove the major influencer of their actions."

Desdemona nodded. "Yes. Modern civilization, as we know it, is about to end."

Dawn and Sam sat in stunned silence for a few moments.

"We are going to have to tell Dad," Dawn said.

Desdemona smiled. "I know. Make sure to also tell him that there is nothing he can do to stop it." She took a sip of tea. "And be sure to give him a kiss for me."

46

"How are you doing?"

Kerstin pulled back the hood of her jacket and looked around nervously. The banks had been offline for two days. So far, everyone had remained peaceful and calm, but people were getting hungry. The threat of violence hung over the city like an approaching storm on a humid summer day. Kerstin's mom had begged her not to go out, but Sarah-Marie had sounded upset on the phone and begged to meet.

"Grocery stores are closed," Sarah-Marie said, "and we didn't have much in the house to eat when this all went down. Mom always likes to go shopping late at night when there are no crowds and the food is all freshly stocked. Things went sour a couple of hours before she went."

"Here." Kerstin looked around to make sure they were alone before handing her friend a bag. "There's quinoa in here. Not very flavourful, but it's healthy. It has most of the protein a body needs and can keep you guys going for a couple weeks. If you have some chicken or beef cubes, throw one into the boiling water before you add the grain. Same ratio of water to grain as with rice; two cups of water and one of quinoa."

Sarah-Marie accepted the bag and smiled. "Thanks so much, Ker. A few days ago we were on top of the world, and now everyone is frightened of starving to death. It's stupid to be stacked together in cities like this."

"We have to stay off of the streets and travel in groups," Kerstin said, echoing the warnings that all forms of media were broadcasting. "At least the water and power are still functioning. If that had all gone offline things would be worse."

"Some variety stores near my house have been broken into and sacked."

"Same with the ones near me," Kerstin nodded grimly. "If things stay like this for much longer, it's going to get bad."

"What do we do if that happens?"

"I don't know. I've spoken with Dawn and Sam. They say things are being 'worked on,' but they aren't giving me any instructions."

"Why would they?" Sarah-Marie asked. "SHEPHERDS is offline. We can't expect them to lead us in a real-life crisis."

"Of course we can. That's exactly what we should expect. Our group is more than just a few kids playing games. We should all band together and help protect each other."

"Do they say that?"

"Yes," Kerstin nodded. "If this escalates, Dawn has assured me that we will all group up."

"What about our families?"

"I assume they will join us," Kerstin said, frowning uncertainly.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. I suspect things will get worse."

Kerstin shook her head. "So much chaos and confusion over money. It's horrible."

"That's the world we live in," Sarah-Marie said. "At least, I hope that's still the world we live in."

"Maybe we should leave the city, before the rest of the population comes to the same conclusion and starts a mass exodus out of here."

Sarah-Marie paused for a moment, then nodded. "Maybe you're right. Any idea where we should go?"

"Not really, how 'bout you?"

Sarah-Marie looked around, then leaned in to whisper. "I have cousins who live outside of the city with a fallout bunker and all sorts of supplies. I know they would let us live with them until this all blows over. How big is your family?"

"My parents, and my brother." Kerstin said. "How many will you bring?"

"Same. Do you think we should just go ahead and get out of here?"

Kerstin considered for a moment, then nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I think we should."

The two girls agreed to go collect their families as quickly as possible and lead them to a landmark near the city's edge. As they were getting ready to go, Kerstin's phone rang.

"It's Dawn," she answered the phone. "Hey, Dawn, what's up?"

"You have to get out of the city," Dawn said on the other end of the line.

"What?" Kerstin took a step backward.

"Get your family, gather up whatever you can as quickly as possible, and head for the north edge of the city."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I have to make more phone calls, Kerstin," Dawn sounded tired. "If you ever needed to trust me with no questions, now is the time."

"Okay." And it's official. I am now scared.

"Call your people and get them out of the city as well. We will all gather together and head for someplace safe."

"Where is it safer?"

"I have a place in mind," Dawn said. "Get to the rendezvous point I text you, and do it quick. Understand?"

"Yes," Kerstin answered.

"Good. I will text you the place for us all to meet. Reply back to let me know that you get it, okay?"

"I will."

"Good, I will see you soon. Be careful, Kerstin." The phone line went dead.

Kerstin hung up the phone and looked at Sarah-Marie, who asked, "What's wrong?"

"Dawn agrees. We all have to get out of the city. Now." Her phone chimed to announce an incoming text. Kerstin looked at it and then showed her friend. "This is where we  need to go. As fast as we can possibly get there."

Sarah-Marie nodded and took off toward her home at a sprint. She called back over her shoulder, "We'll be there in less than an hour. Good luck!"

Kerstin started running toward her own house, trying to figure out how to convince her family to follow her.

47

"I just heard from the kids."

William's head snapped up as his brother strode into the room. "Where are they?"

"In the city," Harry said. "They were dropped off at my house a few moments ago."

"Did they tell you what Des is up to? What she wanted with them?"

"There was no time. I told them to get to the edge of town as quickly as possible. I'm sending vehicles to pick them up. They are bringing as many leaders as they can to get to."

William nodded grimly. "Good idea. Reports are beginning to trickle in. Things are about to escalate."

"How long before that happens?"

William shook his head.

"Best guess, William," Harry said. "That's all I'm asking for."

"Morning," William said. "When it gets light and there is no change in the money situation, people are going to go out and start looking for answers. This is like 470 A.D. all over again."

"Let's hope not." Harry moved to his desk and sat down. "It took, what, six years for things to completely fall apart during that time?"

"Yes," William said, "but it will happen much quicker now. The world is a smaller place today. It won't take years for a ripple to travel around the globe like it did back then. The world is connected."

"Until the power goes out and the grid disappears." Harry typed commands into his computer. "I'm going with the extraction team to get the kids."

"Um, no, you're not."

Harry started to argue, but William stood up and made a chopping motion with his hand. "We can't lose your leadership, Harry. It's about to get crazy out there, and we will be in serious trouble if you end up bleeding to death on the side of the road in a burnt-out car."

"That's not going to happen."

"You're right, it's not." William folded his arms. "Use your head, brother. There are bigger things at stake than you or the kids."

Harry caught himself before exploding, took a deep breath, then sighed and nodded. "I know you're right. I hate this."

"I can go," William said.

Harry thought about it, then nodded. "I would be most grateful."

William smiled. "See? I told you when we were younger that there were perks to being of less value to the Family."

"That's not funny," Harry said, "and it's not true."

William chuckled and walked to the door.

"Bring them back safe, William," Harry said.

"Everything will go smoothly," William assured his older brother. "See you in a few hours."

***

The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon and cast its first rays of light onto the world when William's team arrived at the rendezvous point. "Pull over here," he instructed the driver of the light armoured vehicle that led the small convoy.

As the vehicle came to a stop, William opened the door and jumped out. He scanned the terrain and found what he was looking for: a small area of woods close to the road, less than one hundred feet away. He placed two fingers into his mouth and whistled, loudly.

A moment later, people began to emerge from the woods. William recognized his niece and nephew in the crowd, and walked to meet them. "Good, you made it out," he said.

Dawn rewarded her uncle with a tired smile and nodded. "Am I ever glad to see you," she said, dropping a heavy pack onto the ground and hugging him.

"Any troubles along the way?" William asked Sam.

"No," Sam shook his head. "As we got near the edge of the city, things behind us started to sound bad."

William nodded and looked off into the distance. Large columns of dark smoke rose from various parts of the city. "Those fires just started, looks like. You got out just in time."

Dawn looked worried. "There are a lot of people left behind. What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," William lied. I do, and I wish I didn't, and they don't need to right now. Crowd psychology is a very ugly thing. "How many were you able to bring with you?"

"Ten families," Sam said. "Seventy people in total."

"We can carry that many," William pointed toward the armoured convoy. "Break them up in groups of five or six. If there are families of more than that, let the driver know and he or she will shift troops around to keep families together. Each vehicle can hold fifteen people."

"That will work out fine," Dawn said. "There are no families with us bigger than six people."

"Good. Let's get everyone loaded up and head back to Wallaceton." William looked toward the city again. New pillars of smoke were rising. "I want to get away from here as quickly as possible," he muttered.

48

"The place looks different from the last time we visited," Sam observed as they neared Wallaceton.

Dawn nodded. Small, evenly spaced rods stuck upward from the ground, each three feet high, extending around the perimeter of the town as far as the eye could see. Mounted on the top of each rod was some form of miniature satellite dish. "What are those?" she asked.

"Sensors," William answered without looking. "They surround the town and let us know if anyone gets close from the outside, or attempts to leave from within."

"Sounds high-tech." Sam squinted to try and get a closer look at a nearby sensor.

William laughed. "It is."

"I still can't get over that," Dawn said, shaking her head. "I always suspected that this place was something different, but I never guessed just how much."

They were in the lead vehicle. It slowed to a stop as they approached a small house on the edge of the town. An armed paramilitary greeted William as he lowered the window. "Welcome back, sir. How many  are you bringing in?"

"Seventy new people, Jake," William said. "All top-level gamers from the city plus their families."

Jake's rifle swung backward on its shoulder strap as he pulled out a small tablet. "Can you tell me which players, sir?"

William looked  at Sam and nodded. Sam cleared his throat and repeated the names of the players they had managed to bring with them. Jake recorded the names, then looked up and nodded. "Thank you, sir," He stepped back and gestured them to proceed.

William raised the window and nodded at the driver.

"Where are we going?" Dawn asked.

"We will drop your friends off at some guesthouses. They can stay there as long as needed. After that, we will go see your dad."

Dawn's expression became stony, and Sam snorted. William raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The next hour passed uneventfully. The convoy came to a stop in front of a row of two-storey white houses, with green front lawns and white picket fences. Dawn and Sam helped get each family situated in its own quarters, then gathered all the players together in front of Kerstin's house. William announced that they were ready to get going.

"Stay put until we know what's going on," Dawn told the players.

"Don't call anyone in the city," William said. "Tell no one that you are here. If anyone approaches this town uninvited, it will not end well for them."

"We won't tell anyone," Kerstin assured them. "Thank you so much for bringing us here. We're grateful for the help."

William nodded. "Okay, kids, we should get going now." They did, with William driving and Dawn in the passenger seat. A thick silence filled the vehicle.

After a moment, their uncle broke it. "Don't be mad at your dad."

"You're kidding, right?" Dawn's head was leaned against the glass as she looked out the window. "He told us our mom was dead."

"He had no choice."

"Of course he had a choice," Sam snapped from the back seat.

"So did your mother. Be upset at him, if you must, but while you do, remember that he stayed and did his best to help you live normal and happy lives."

The remainder of the ride passed in silence.

As they pulled up before the mansion, William handed the vehicle off to an attendant and led them up the front stairs. "He's in his office," William said. "I'll take you there."

They followed their uncle down the main hall and into Harry's office, a large room walled with tall bookshelves. Dawn thought it looked like a miniature version of the library where they had spent time with her grandfather. Harry got up from his desk and embraced them, disregarding their stiff body language. "I know you're both angry with me, but I don't care. I'm glad we were able to get you out of the city before things turned miserable."

"Things did start to get miserable," Sam said.

"They're worse now." Harry turned on the television mounted to the wall. An aerial view showed thick dark smoke rising from dozens of points. The helicopter broadcasting the scene was close enough to show people on the streets, a flowing mass of bodies that crashed into the sides of buildings like waves on a beach.

"What are they doing?" Dawn asked.

"Looting," Harry said. "Destroying stores and buildings to get food and water—or other things—for themselves. There are people looting smartphones and TV sets, whether they can use them or not."

The camera zoomed in. A group of people stood in a circle, wildly kicking and punching three people on the ground, arms and legs curled inwards protectively as the blows rained down on them.

"Why are they beating those people?" Dawn raised a hand to her mouth in horror.

"That's what crowds do when they become mad. They band together and destroy everything in sight. If you're not part of the crowd, or you fall away from the group, they attack you like rabid animals."

"How can it be stopped?" Sam asked.

"It can't," William said. "Not now, at least. Once the frenzy and madness takes over, there's nothing anyone can do."

"It's like a force of nature," Harry said. "Similar to a hurricane or tornado. The only thing to do is wait for things to blow over and calm down."

"People are getting hurt," Dawn said. "There are going to be deaths."

"Yes." Her father's face was grim.

Dawn turned so that her back was to the television.

49

"I'm sorry."

Hours had passed since their return. Dawn sat in Harry's office and ignored her father as she continued to stare at the computer screen in front of her.

"I wasn't allowed to tell you that she was alive."

"We know," Sam said.

"You do?"

"Of course," Dawn looked up and met her father's eyes. "We don't know much about how everything works, but from the little we do understand, it's not difficult to imagine why you had to keep it from us. It still hurts, though."

Harry sighed and sat down beside her. "I know, and it hurt me to have to keep the secret."

"There must be a million secrets stored away in your head," Sam said.

"Likely a bit more than a million. I don't know exactly what your mom told you, but I can guess that it was accurate. Your mother was always thorough at debriefing."

"Why did she join them?" asked Dawn, eyes bright. She chose an organization of strangers over her own children!

"I'm sure she had her reasons." Harry rested his hand lightly on Dawn's shoulder.

"Is it her? Causing all of this?"

Harry looked at the mayhem still broadcasting on the TV. "Her group."

"There is so much suffering," Sam said. "Good people that we've known our whole lives. It's terrible. What do the Displaced hope to gain by causing this?"

"It's a warning. They shouldn't be able to completely hack our security systems and cause the money to disappear like this." He held up a sheet of paper. "They say this is to show what they are now capable of. Our city is the only one affected at the moment, and they intend to let the world watch it be destroyed."

"What happens after that?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know."

"Can we stop them?" Sam asked.

"We always do." His voice sounded more weary than reassuring.

Dawn looked at the television screen. Mobs were sacking entire neighbourhoods. She could see expressions on individuals close to the camera focus. "This was supposed to be a computer game, played on our phones, a source of fun and money. This shouldn't be happening."

"It is a game," Harry replied. "Our entire lives are just games. SHEPHERDS was a more civilized way for us to play, but the outcomes were the same as they have been for thousands of years. People's lives are altered. Some prosper, yet the majority fail. The trick, the challenge to this game of life, is being on the winning side." Harry stood and walked to stand beside the TV screen. "What we're seeing now is still tame compared to many of the battles from as little as thirty years ago. Property will be destroyed and lives will be lost, but the death toll will only be in the hundreds, maybe thousands."

Dawn looked at her brother, who shook his head. "That's a cold way to look things," she said.

Harry cocked his head and nodded. "When I was your age, I saw one campaign for dominance take place where over two hundred thousand people died. In less than an hour."

Dawn gave him a skeptical look. "What? That's unbelievable."

"Please, kids, remember all the history lessons that I made you sit through. Then understand that the Families, ours included, have been involved in almost every historical event over the past thousand years. What is happening right now is only a tiny blip on the big picture. A drop of paint on a very large canvas filled with an elaborate painting."

"Oh, okay then. Let's not worry about it." Dawn shrugged, walked to the TV and turned it off. "Let's go grab some ice cream and get on with life."

Harry frowned and turned it back on. "Stop it. I'm not saying this isn't important."

"What are you saying, then?" Sam asked.

"This shouldn't cripple our ability to think," Harry said. "This is a move on the board, like taking a pawn in chess."

"A pawn?" Dawn asked.

"Yes."

"The smallest piece on the board," Sam said.

"True, but it's still important. Left unchecked, a pawn can do a lot of damage. It can even become the most powerful piece on the game board." Harry went back to the table and sat down. "If we don't correct this–put a stop to the advantage that the Displaced appear to have–then we could lose the game."

"Is there any way we can help?" Dawn asked.

Harry's expression turned grim.

"What?" Dawn asked again.

"I think there is something that the both of you can do," Harry said, "and none of us is going to like it."

50

At precisely six minutes before midnight, Harry walked down a dimly lit corridor. A door opened on his right and William emerged to join him. They continued walking until they reached a black iron door at the end of the hall.

Harry reached into his shirt pocket and took out a black card, then held it up against a small computerized panel on the wall. The red light on the panel flashed rapidly, then turned green. A moment later, a heavy thud from within the door signaled the release of an internal locking mechanism. Harry pushed gently on the door, motioning for his brother to enter first as it swung open.

"Thank you, brother," William entered the room and paused to wait for Harry.

The small room's bare walls were painted a dark granite colour. Luxurious black carpeting covered the floor. The room contained no furniture; a large, blue-lit screen was mounted to the front wall.

They advanced five steps and stopped in the centre of the room. As if on cue, the screen flicked to display a man standing in an identical-looking room. He appeared to be in his early sixties, with dark black hair and a slight hint of grey at the temples. Discerning eyes—which Harry and William possessed—could see the fit of a custom-tailored suit on a man in excellent physical condition.

"Hello, Grandfather," Harry said.

The man gazed at Harry with the confidence of an absolute ruler. He, Richard Thorne, head of the clan, wielded more power than any monarch or dictator in history. His eyes moved from Harry to William, pausing to appraise his second grandson before finally returning to look at Harry once more. His baritone seemed to rumble like thunder as he replied: "What new developments do you have for me, boys?"

"City One is lost," Harry began. "We will send salvage teams in once the majority of violence has subsided."

"I am not pleased that this has occurred so close to Wallaceton. From this point forward, you will have to be concerned with defence from vagrants and refugees." Richard waved his hand as if to shoo a fly. "Which could end up being an inconvenient distraction."

"We will set up points along the way which will discourage anyone from approaching us," Harry said.

"Good," Richard nodded. "What of the fallen Elders?"

"There is nothing new to report."

Richard held out his hand. Someone handed him a folder, which he opened and began to read. "We have been attacked in a similar fashion at four other locations around the world."

"Were they successful?" William asked.

"No," Richard looked up and raised one eyebrow at his grandsons. "Your report of the attack was so fast that it enabled the rest of us to be prepared."

Harry suppressed a smile. Coming from Grandfather, that was effusive praise.

"No other cities have been shut down," Richard reported, flipping through the papers. "We need to determine what the next move will be. It appears that this particular stage of the game is being played in your area, gentlemen. I am leaving it up to you. For now."

"Thank you, Grandfather," Harry said. "I have arranged to meet with a representative of the Displaced."

"Need I guess who this meeting will be with?" Richard's eyes narrowed.

"No," Harry's face flushed slightly.

Richard's voice went polar, deadly. "Don't expose this Family to needless danger, Harry. I have been more lenient with you than even I can believe at times, but I will correct that if need be. Are we clear?"

Harry met his grandfather's eyes with his own deadly gaze. "Perfectly clear, Grandfather. Family has always come first."

Harry's grandfather looked at him blankly for a moment before nodding. "Let me know if you learn anything. Good luck."

Harry nodded tersely. The screen went blank.

51

Josh's eyes darted back and forth over the ruined neighbourhood, his glance restricted by the small driver's viewport in the armoured car. "Both of you stay close."

"We're in an armoured machine with wheels," Sam said. "We have nowhere to be except close."

Josh frowned as he swerved to avoid two fallen human forms. "I mean when we get out of the vehicle, smart-mouth. You both know what I mean, so please don't try and be cute. I'm super stressed about this whole expedition."

"Don't worry, Josh," Dawn said. "We will stay close. Dad made it quite clear that we were only to reclaim key equipment from the house, and then get back to Wallaceton."

"He shouldn't have sent the two of you," Josh grumbled, pulling into the driveway of their house. "It doesn't look like anyone has broke into the front, but they could have tried to go in through the back way. I'm gonna go take a look."

Sam leaned forward and handed Josh an assault rifle. Josh checked to make sure the magazine was full, then switched the safety off. "I'll be back in a minute."

"You just finished telling us to stay close, and now you're going to leave us alone while you enter a potentially dangerous situation?" Dawn said.

Josh raised one eyebrow as he considered her words. "Fine. Come with me, but do exactly as I say when we get outside."

"Of course," Dawn opened her door and waited for Josh to exit the vehicle.

They approached the front door cautiously. Sam and Dawn waited behind Josh while he tried the handle, which was locked. "Stay here. I'll check the back," said Josh.

"Are you having a seizure or something?" Dawn asked. "Again you want to abandon us?"

Josh ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a forceful sigh. "I know, I know," he said. "I told you to stay close. I'm not used to having two kids with me in-theatre."

"What theatre?"

"The theatre of operation," Sam told his sister. "That's how soldiers say, 'in the middle of battle.'"

"Ahh, yes, I remember hearing that before."

Sam smirked. "Sure you do."

Dawn prepared a retort, then swallowed it. "Thank you," said Josh, looking directly at her. "Now, come with me, but please stay back at least five or six feet. Your dad will kill me if either of you get hurt."

They spent the next ten minutes creeping around the perimeter of the house, careful not to get in Josh's way as he searched for signs of forced entry. "It looks secure," he said, slipping a key into the patio door's lock. "Let's get this done quickly. I want to be out of town in less than an hour."

Josh opened the door and stepped inside. Dawn and Sam stepped forward to follow him.

WHOOM.

Dawn saw a blinding flash, heard a tremendous roar, and felt a blast of intense heat blowing her backward. A part of her awareness felt pieces of glass and wood striking her, flying back along with her, and landing with and on her.

Something, probably flying debris, hit her on the head. She felt a warm, sticky wetness begin to run down her face. She could not blink her eyes clear of the liquid. The sounds entering her ears were muffled and throbbing, as if she were underwater.

After a moment, Dawn managed to stand up. Something took her arm in a grip that felt confident and firm, and began pulling her. Unable to see, she worked her legs and felt she could walk.

Josh, she thought, as she began to walk in the direction of the pull. There's been an explosion, and Josh is leading us somewhere safe.

Dawn whipped her head around, triggering dizziness, and looked for her brother. He was behind her, also looking like a dazed mess, with a large man assisting him.

Wait a minute, Dawn thought. Where did that man come from?

Sounds began to return, sharp noises piercing the dull ringing in her ears as if at a distance. She turned her head to ask Josh what had happened, but it wasn't Josh guiding her. A large man in a dark suit met her eyes and then turned his head as he continued walking. Dawn tensed her arm to try and pull away, but the man tightened his grip.

"Where are you taking us?" Dawn said, in a voice that sounded incoherent even to her.

The man ignored her and kept walking.

Dawn stopped walking and dropped heavily to the ground, ready to stand and bolt as soon as she felt the man's hand let go. He didn't let go, however; he just grunted in surprise and heaved his arm upwards, almost hard enough to dislocate her shoulder.

The pain helped her to regain more of her senses. She stood up and heaved herself away, but it was too late. The man swung her forward, hard, into the side of a black car parked beside Josh's armoured vehicle. The door opened and strong arms pulled her in.

"Close the door," the man beside her growled. "The brother will go into the other car."

Dawn opened her mouth to scream. Before she could draw enough air, something hard hit her in the stomach. Tears welled up in her eyes as something dark and coarse covered her head. Unseen hands secured it around her neck.

"Let's go," said a feminine voice beside her.

Dawn wanted to thrash and scream, but the adrenaline rush from the attack was fading. Something pinched her in the arm and blackness claimed her.

52

"Quite the view."

Desdemona sat on the top row of the high school bleachers, hunched forward. She looked at Harry and smiled, a beautiful grin that made his heart skip a beat. "You're not talking about me, are you?" Her knees swayed playfully to match the tone of her voice.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "I am, and you know it."

"Come on up here and sit." Desdemona patted the bleacher beside her.

Harry climbed the bleachers and sat down, careful to leave space between them. He looked across the abandoned football field. Miles away, dark columns of smoke extended toward the heavens. The dark gold and orange sunset backdrop made the scene look like an apocalyptic oil painting in a museum.

"Quite the day's work, wouldn't you say?" asked Desdemona, sounding grimly satisfied.

Harry watched the scene in the distance for a moment before answering. "If you're not careful, the entire world will soon look this way."

Desdemona shrugged. "That will be up to you, Harry, not me." She let her leg rest against his.

Time stood still as the two sat together without speaking. Harry relaxed the muscles in his thigh, allowing his leg to rest deeper against hers. "I've missed you," he said softly.

Desdemona giggled, the sound a flirting schoolgirl would make, and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "I've missed you too, Love."

Harry inhaled the familiar and intoxicating scent of her hair. He closed his eyes and stopped, then shook his head and looked back toward the horizon. He had to keep this meeting as businesslike as possible, or be lost. "How do you propose we end this mess?" he asked.

Desdemona knew that tone. "Right to business? Sure, why not?" She looked across the empty football field, raising one hand to indicate the dying city beyond. "That," she pointed, "is our proposal."

"Destroy cities?" Harry shook his head. "The Displaced haven't become that neurotic, have they, Des?"

"We didn't destroy that city," Desdemona frowned in confusion. "We simply showed them the lie."

"You showed them one lie," Harry said.

"Many of them will die. Starvation, violence, a whole bunch of nasty things. The good news is that whatever happens to those people will no longer be as a result of your control over them. For the first time in their lives, they are free. That is the gift that we intend to offer the people of the world."

"Sounds pretty fanatical," Harry said.

Desdemona shrugged. "It's the same old song and dance of the Displaced. The Families sing to a different tune, but theirs sounds just as fanatical when you listen to the words and dance to the music."

"I doubt anyone in that city wants the freedom you're giving them."

"Too bad. They never asked for the servitude that you, we, forced upon their ancestors so long ago."

Harry looked at his wife, mulling that over. Moves and counter moves; that's the game which has been played for centuries. Finally, he smiled.

"Okay, fine," he said. "You've given me time to consider the consequences for not making a deal. Now, what is it that you really want?"

Desdemona grinned and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I really have missed you, Harry. Of course there are demands. In the past they have always been...within reach, but I think this time the Displaced have gone too far."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Desdemona shook her head, "I don't think the Families can ever agree to these." She pulled out a small piece of paper and gave it to Harry, who unfolded it and read the contents. She watched him carefully for a reaction, chuckling as he got to the part she had warned him about.

"You're right," Harry said. "The Families will never agree to this."

"You must take it to them anyway, as you well know."

"I will, but it's a waste of time."

"Show it to your grandfather first."

Something in her tone made Harry pause. "Why?" he asked.

Desdemona shrugged. "I'm not sure, but those were part of the instructions."

Harry stood up and smiled. "Okay, thanks." He started to walk down the bleacher steps. As his foot touched the bottom step, Desdemona spoke.

"That's it?" she asked.

"That's what?"

"You're just going to leave?"

Harry looked at the ground and said nothing.

"The kids are great," Desdemona said, wistfully.

"They really are," Harry stared at a bleacher seat.

"You did an incredible job with them."

"You were there too," He said. "The first ten years of a person's life form the foundation for who they will be for the rest of their lives."

"I thought it was the first seven years?"

"Point is, you were there. They are just as much you, as me."

"Yeah."

Harry looked up at her. Her eyes glittered. "Don't."

"I missed them," she said. "I've missed you."

Harry shook his head and turned away, angry at the traitorous tears forming in his own eyes. "Stop it, Des. We can't do this."

"I would just like a hug. Maybe a kiss."

"No."

"Why not?" she asked in anguish.

"Because," he whispered, "If I hold you, I won't be able to let you go."

"You would have to," she said, her voice as soft and quiet as his. "We have no choice."

"Yes," Harry looked at her through glassy eyes. "We always have a choice. Sometimes we just lack the courage to make the correct one."

She nodded, looking up and wiping away a tear. "I made the wrong choice."

"No. I did."

He walked away.

53

"I've never been so bored in my life," complained Sarah-Marie.

"We wouldn't be bored back in the city," Kerstin said, a bit sadly.

Sarah-Marie shuddered. "I'm worried about all the others who got left behind. Things don't look good on the newscasts."

"It's total chaos."

"I thought they might put us to work here. There has to be something game-related that we can do to help."

"I don't think the game is on anyone's mind right now."

"Not in our city, but from what I understand it's still active everywhere else."

Kerstin glanced over at her. "What could we do to help? I have a few more months' experience than you, but we are both low-level. I don't see the use in playing it anyway."

"We could earn some money," Sarah-Marie said, "to help us buy stuff."

Kerstin shook her head. She's in shock. So am I. Our lives are gone. And while we might be safe right now, I don't see us being allowed to camp out here forever. Sometime soon, we will have to leave and return to our lives. Which no longer exist, so far as we know. "Look, don't panic yet. We've only been here for a couple of days. Dawn and Sam will come by soon. I'm sure they'll have ideas for us. They didn't go to all the trouble of saving our lives just to have us sit here."

"I guess." Sarah-Marie looked doubtful. "We haven't seen them since we got here."

"They're likely busy. They are pretty high up in the organization, right?"

"Yes."

"How are your parents and sisters doing?"

Sarah-Marie laughed. "Not good. This is like the apocalypse for them. Before the rioting started, Dad was at the bank. Apparently my parents were saving for something big, and when they found out all their money was gone, they started to panic." Which Sarah-Marie appeared on the verge of doing. "Oh, god. what if this happens to the whole world? What if the entire economic system collapses?"

Kerstin shook her head. "Don't talk like that. I'm sure something went wrong with the computers and it will be cleared up soon."

"Yeah," Sarah-Marie said. Neither said a word as they both imagined living in a world where money didn't exist.

***

Harry looked up as his brother entered the office.

"Josh is back," William announced.

"You mean, Josh and the kids are back."

William shook his head.

"What happened?"

"He won't say, but he's waiting outside to give you the details."

"Bring him in," Harry stood and walked to the conference table.

Josh's clothes were ripped and charred. His hair was dishevelled. Cuts, bruises and burns covered his hands and arms. His eyes seethed with fury as he sat down beside William and took a deep breath.

"Tell me what happened," Harry said.

"We were ambushed," Josh rasped. "I went by the book, Harry, I swear."

Harry nodded. "I believe you."

"Everything was clear around the perimeter of the house. I opened the back patio door and there was an explosion." He paused. "I was out for less than two minutes. When I came to, the kids were gone."

"Taken," Harry said.

Josh looked at the ground and nodded. "They were right behind me, so they would have been dazed as well. Someone must have been there and grabbed them, very quickly. When I came to, I ran to the front of the house, but I saw no one." Josh looked up at Harry.

Harry reached across the desk to put a hand on Josh's arm. "I know you love those kids like they're your own, Josh. Whoever wanted them planned it well. Don't beat yourself up."

Josh nodded and stood up, steadying himself against the table. "I'll change and gather some people. We'll have them back before morning."

Harry shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "There's no point in going back tonight."

"What are you talking about?" he exclaimed.

"Desdemona has them," Harry said.

Josh shook his head. "This is becoming a bad habit, snatching her own kids out from under our noses."

"Not really," Harry said. "The first time it was an accident."

Josh cocked his head at Harry, recounting events leading up to the attack. After a moment, he leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "You threw the kids out as bait?"

Harry nodded.

"Wow, that's aggressive. Even for you, Harry."

"Yes, but I talked to them beforehand, and they were up for it. We weren't sure how it would happen. Honestly I thought it would involve less TNT, but from what I am hearing, they're safe and sound behind enemy lines."

"Think Desdemona will suspect what they're up to? The kids don't have much experience with this type of game."

"I doubt it," Harry said. "She has to keep her eyes on a lot of spinning plates right now. I think we should be able to slip this past her. It was too good an opportunity to pass up."

"What's the plan?" Josh asked.

Harry smiled. "Let me fill you in."

54

Dawn looked out the hotel penthouse window, taking in the entire post-apocalyptic scene. Abandoned vehicles littered the streets, some with their doors flung wide, and others parked as if nothing were wrong. Black smoke hung in the air like an evil fog. The stink of fire and fear drifted lazily through the streets.

Sam sat on the couch and watched the news on the TV. Neither of them had spoken since they were taken, but they didn't need to.

Harry's plan had been simple. They would appear upset at first, but then be relieved that it was their mother who had arranged to kidnap them, and not someone more dangerous. Next, they were to spend as much time as possible with her, gathering information without appearing to do so. If they were very lucky, they would hear her speaking with other leaders. Harry had warned them to be careful, but he had also admitted that if they did mess things up, the worst that would happen to them would be for their mother to return them to Wallaceton empty-handed.

The door opened. Two guards entered with Desdemona behind them, looking concerned. "I'm sorry about the explosion and the confusion to get you here," she said. "Neither of you are injured, and I hope that you're not too shaken up."

Sam shook his head. "We're both fine, Mom. I hope Josh is okay. He was right in the path of the blast."

Desdemona nodded and came over to give them each a hug. "He was fine. We saw him get up and head back out of the city. We've been setting explosive charges for a long time. This one was just strong enough to knock you all down for a few seconds." She pointed to the dining area. "Are you hungry? Food will be here in a minute."

"Yes," Dawn said. "Dinner would be nice."

"Good." Their mother smiled and sat down on the couch. "Sit down, please. I want to get to the reason behind this visit."

The two sat down, Dawn at one end of the couch and turned to face her mother, and Sam at the chair beside the couch. Desdemona turned to address the guards. "Wait outside, please."

The large men nodded and exited the room.

"Let me get right to it," Desdemona said. "I'm going to tell you what the Displaced are doing, and then offer you a place in our ranks."

Dawn almost laughed. This would be too easy. She nodded solemnly and crossed her legs.

"A century after the Families had joined together, a group of influential individuals learned of their existence and approached them. They wanted to join them and share in their power. The Families were still new in their alliance, and they had accepted new additions over the years. This request was different, as it involved individuals from different bloodlines, and although there was hesitation at first, they were admitted to the fold."

Dawn and Sam nodded.

"For a few decades, the new members seemed to fit in fine. Then something happened that resulted in them being ejected from the group."

"What did they do?" Sam asked.

Desdemona shook her head. "There are different stories, ranging from not following breeding orders to stealing someone else's territory. There is even one story of a war prevented by them, which angered the rest of the Families who stood to profit from it. I don't know for certain, but whatever happened, it was not an amicable split. The group who was exiled fought to remain associated with the Families, using all of their considerable influence with the other leaders. After years of trying to get back in, the patriarch of the exiled party was invited to a meeting of the Family leaders. They publicly executed him and hung his remains throughout different cities around Europe."

"Not good," Dawn said.

"No," Desdemona agreed. "The new patriarch named their group 'The Displaced,' and vowed to destroy the Families and everything that they had built. Ever since, they—we—have been the Families' number one adversary. At times, we have posed serious threats. At other times, we have seemed to vanish entirely."

"How could one small group be such a problem for the combined power of the Families?" Sam wondered.

"The Displaced have always recruited members from the outside," Desdemona explained. "They were too small to stand up to their larger and more powerful enemy, and so over the centuries they have become adept at building their organization from the ranks of the common people. Superior loyalty and performance can earn a person membership into the core, which is as wealthy as any of the traditional Shadow Families. The chance for a commoner to become a wealthy person is a very powerful draw."

"I can imagine," Dawn said. "How did they manage to recruit you?"

Desdemona smiled and tapped her fingers together. "That is an excellent question, sweetie. When you are born and raised within the Families, you are taught that the rest of the world is...less than you are. The average person doesn't matter. They are peasants, servants who do the crap jobs so that we can enjoy the lifestyle we do."

"So you view the majority of the world as slaves?" Sam asked.

"Not slaves. More like farmers: simple folk who don't do much with their lives while they pass the time working, eating, making babies, and dying."

I don't like that, thought Dawn, but I can't really disagree. The average person doesn't really do much more with their lives than what Mom just described.

"Within that population of farmers, however, there are individuals who want more. They want to be more, to do more. Over the centuries, the Displaced have found those people and added them to our group. The result has been very effective."

"Okay, that's who the Displaced are," Sam said. "Why are you with them, and why are they trying to destroy the world?"

"The answer to that question is the same. We aren't trying to destroy the world; we are trying to save it."

Dawn laughed and pointed to the television. "Doesn't look like they are saving people, if you ask me."

"The average person is poor, unhealthy, sad, and lonely," Desdemona said. "Why?"

"They have no money," Dawn answered.

"That's right. 95% of the world's wealth is controlled by less than one hundred people. By now I'm certain you can guess who those people are."

"Family leaders," Sam said.

"Correct. Debt and poor health are tools used to control the masses. Those who run things believe that the best way to get results from your farmers is to keep them hungry and uneducated. To keep them so tired and ragged that all they have time to do is work hard to float with their noses just above the waterline."

"It sounds horrible," Dawn said.

"It is," Desdemona said. "The Displaced want to change that. We want to make the world a better place for people. We believe that happy people can do more, be more, and that the world can be a better place because of it."

"Dad and the Families don't want that too?" Dawn asked.

"No. They don't."

Sam stood up and went to the window. "I'm not sure i believe you, Mom," he said. "This city is destroyed. Ruined not by the Families, but by the Displaced. You will have a hard time convincing me that your group wants to help people when they already seem to have hurt more than the Families have."

Desdemona went to the door, opened it, and pulled a cart full of silver food trays into the room. "I know that's how it looks, Sam. Will you both listen to me for the next couple of hours and let me do my best to show you what I know about both sides? After I am done, if you want to join us, great. If you don't, then I will return you to your dad. What do you say?"

Sam looked at Dawn, who nodded. "Okay," he said. "Let's hear what you have to say."

55

Sam barely registered the dinging sound of the elevator door as it opened onto the ground floor. He passed the guards without stopping for the man who tried to detain him at the front entrance. "Let me pass," he said.

The guard stepped aside and gestured toward the door. "Be my guest," he said. "Was gonna offer you a ride out of town, but I guess you're not interested."

Sam exited the building, looking first left and then right, before turning to walk toward the city limits.

His mother had presented a very convincing argument for the Displaced.  Sam had grudgingly, albeit silently, agreed that if their strategy proved successful, it  might result in a better world for the average person to live in.

What he couldn't believe was his sister's response at the end of the two-hour conversation.

His father's instructions had been clear. Get in and listen. Obtain as much information as they could, and then return to Wallaceton. That's how it should have gone, and how it was going, before his sister had made decided to make a last-minute change.

Sam bent to pick up a stone. He threw it at a nearby window, continuing to walk as it broke. "Not part of the plan, Dawn," he said, kicking a piece of wood in front of him.

He could still see the sadness in his sister's face. "I'm going to stay," she had declared, after her mother had finished.

"What?" Sam had said, thinking it a joke in poor taste. He had started to smile, but the look in her eyes had made clear she was serious.

"I'm staying with Mom."

There had been shouting, mostly by him, followed by Sam storming out of the room and leaving the building. His mind was racing as he tried to understand what had just happened.

His mother had turned her back on her heritage. Now his sister had, too.

Sam sensed a presence behind him. He was careful not to slow down, but things had become quiet. Too quiet.

He removed his phone from his pocket. There was no signal. He quickened his pace to a fast walk, growing uneasy as the blocks passed.

Less than half a kilometre from the city limits, the spot where Josh would be waiting for them, Sam heard a noise behind him and turned.

"Where you going, traitor?" Vector Hearthkin appeared from behind a building, swaggering forward with a long metal pole bouncing against his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Hunting." Vector smiled and nodded at the ruined cityscape behind him. "Taking out the trash when it comes too close to the city limits."

"Have fun, then." Sam turned and began to walk away.

"Not so fast." Vector's tone was menacing.

"I gotta go," Sam said over his shoulder as he kept walking.

He felt a hard thud against his back just below the shoulder, followed by a burning sting like he had never felt in his life. Sam grunted and dropped to one knee. His vision wavered, and he became keenly aware of his pulsing heart. A moment later, he lost his balance and fell heavily forward onto the ground.

Sounds became drawn out and slurry. He heard a crunching sound that got louder as it approached, finally coming to a stop near his face. A new pain flared into his back, and he felt first pressure, then a sharper, screaming pain in the same spot. Something hard wedged itself under his stomach and rolled him over. He saw the leering face of Vector standing over him, holding a black blade with bright red blood dripping from it.

Vector leaned down, wiped his blade on the front of Sam's shirt, and leaned in close to whisper. "I've been waiting to get you alone for a while now, sport," he said. "It took some doing, but I eventually found out who designed the program that hacked the city back into your control when we played that little game a few weeks ago. I promised I would get even with whoever it was, and now it looks like the debt is settled."

Sam tried to speak, but when he took a breath of air he heard a bubbling sound in his chest and felt a deep, throbbing ache.

Vector stood up. "Don't talk. Your lung has collapsed. I probably nicked an artery too. You'll bleed out in less than an hour. I would speed things up for you, but you should think about what you did." Vector started to walk away, then stopped. "The hacking would have only gotten you a beating. I had to kill you because you and your sister plan to join your mom. You can't play for the enemy and remain my friend, Sammy boy. Better luck next life."

Sam's eyes were too heavy to remain open. Waves of pain overwhelmed him. His eyes fluttered as he fell unconscious.

56

"What new developments do you have for me, boys?"

Harry struggled to project calm and control. Any other stance would probably see him replaced in command, and now more than ever, he needed to be the one in charge. "There have been a few, unforeseen setbacks."

Richard Thorne frowned. "What sort of setbacks?"

Harry took a deep breath. "My son is missing."

"How long?"

"Six hours," Harry replied.

Richard's immediate impulse was to reprimand his grandson for not contacting him sooner, but he stopped himself and nodded. Standard protocol was to wait nine hours, Harry contacting him sooner was excellent leadership. "Where was he last seen?"

"The city. The meeting with his mother ended, and he called to request a rendezvous. He never made it to the spot."

Richard sighed, then looked away from the camera, then back. "I don't need to tell you how serious a problem this is, Harry."

"No, sir."

"What about Dawn? Was she taken as well?"

Harry's stomach churned. He bit the inside of his lip and shook his head. "No, she wasn't taken."

"Good," said his grandfather. "Send everyone we have into the city to look for Sam. In the meantime, get Dawn on a plane. I wanted Sam to join us, but Dawn will do just as nicely. The important thing is to split them up so that they can't both be compromised from a single attack."

"That's not going to work either, Grandfather."

Richard's eyes became deadly furious. "She joined her mother, didn't she?"

Harry nodded.

After a long moment of dreadful silence, Richard shook his head and ran a finger across his eyebrow. "All right, then; tell you what I'm inclined to do. You keep running things over there, Harry."

"Yes, sir."

"I know you're looking for Sam with everything you've got," Richard continued. "I will call in every favour and marker owed to the Thorne Family to get assistance in the search. We will find him and bring him back to you in no time."

Harry nodded.

"As for Dawn joining her mother, what's your opinion?"

"If she weren't so new to the Family, I would say she is still with us and has decided to continue getting intel from the inside. She's just recently learned about what it is that we do, however, and also found out that her dead mother is actually alive. She might  have decided that Desdemona's story makes more sense, and has truly joined her and the cause of the Displaced."

His grandfather scowled. "Without Sam, the second scenario will be very dangerous for all of us. Do your best to find out the truth. If she has joined her mother, then we need Dawn neutralized as quickly as possible."

Harry and Richard—and Desdemona—knew the potential locked inside Dawn, even if she did not. "I understand," said Harry.

"I told you nothing good would come of marrying that woman."

"The game is still being played, Grandfather," Harry said.

"Yes, it is," Richard said. "We've been preparing for this phase for decades. Don't lose focus now, Harry. We are at a critical time in history. If we fail now, it could all crumble."

"I know."

"A new dark age would make the last one look like a picnic."

Harry nodded. The screen in front of him went black.

57

"What are you doing?" Sarah-Marie asked from the doorway to Kerstin's bedroom.

Kerstin continued stuffing clothes and supplies into a large olive-green rucksack. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Packing for a little field trip," Sarah-Marie said.

"Bingo."

"I thought we were gonna wait."

Kerstin snorted. "Yeah, we were gonna wait. Until we talked to Sam or Dawn. It's been two weeks since Dawn disappeared, and the buzz around town is that Sam is dead."

"Disappeared also," Sarah-Marie corrected.

Kerstin stopped packing and met Sarah-Marie's eyes. "Have you noticed how they talk about them? When they talk about Dawn, it's like she took off, but when they mention Sam, people have a different look. When I was younger, my Grandma died and it was weeks before they told me, but everyone walked around with a specific look on their faces. It's the same look people have when they talk about Sam."

Sarah-Marie turned her head to look down the hallway, then she entered the room, shut the door, and sat on Kerstin's bed. "So they're both gone," she said. "Someone else will come by and talk to us. They can't just forget about us."

"That's exactly what they've done so far, and I doubt we're a high priority. The world as we know it might be ending. I think they have more important things to deal with."

"Harry Thorn will come by. When he's able."

Kerstin placed the last bit of luggage into the rucksack and zipped it up. "I'm not waiting. If this is it, I'm not going to sit around waiting for it to wash over us as we sit tight in this sleepy little town."

"Are you going into the city?" Sarah-Marie asked, as if it meant suicide.

Kerstin shrugged. "Likely. The news feeds are reporting that most of the survivors have abandoned it. Everyone is heading out to join relatives in cities that are still functioning."

"So far it has only been our city, but what if it starts happening to others? What if this is just the beginning? Do you want to be out on the road when the world collapses?"

"No, but I definitely don't want to be here. I'll get to somewhere that the phones work, then call and figure out where to go."

Sarah-Marie looked at her friend for a long moment, then nodded. "It's strange that we can't make outgoing calls, and that our cell phones can't get any reception."

"It's annoying, but it's not strange. We've been blocked. I can understand why, but I don't think it has to do with us. This isn't where we belong, Sarah-Marie. It's time to go."

"I agree. Are you taking your whole family?"

Kerstin nodded.

"Alright, then, I'll talk to mine and we will join you. If you'll have us?"

Kerstin reached out and took her friend's hand. "Of course you're welcome. We leave tomorrow if you want to come."

Sarah-Marie stood and walked to the door. "We do. Wait for us."

***

William sat in the armoured personnel carrier at the end of the street and watched as Kerstin and the others exited their houses.

"They intend to leave the town, sir," said the driver.

"Yes," William took a bite out of a large red apple as he observed the crowd.

"Let them leave?" the soldier asked.

William looked over at the soldier and nodded before taking another bite; the crisp crunching was the only sound in the vicinity.

The soldier picked up a cell phone from the centre console of the vehicle. "This is Dragon 2. A group of civilians will be leaving the town. Lower the perimeter defences to allow it." There was a brief pause and the soldier spoke once more. "William Thorne is authorizing this. Excellent. Thank you."

The soldier disconnected the phone and leaned over the steering wheel to look down the street. "It's all set, sir."

William nodded, watching the group slowly make their way to the edge of town.

58

Arthur Darrington Thorne opened his eyes slowly.

A moment ago, he had been eating dinner at the head table in the dining hall, the other Family leaders on either side of him. Then he had felt dizzy and slumped forward.

He wasn't sitting at a table now. He was standing in a room, which didn't make sense at all.

"There he is," a voice said from beside him. Arthur turned and saw a young woman in her early twenties with blonde hair and a beautiful, smiling face.

"Who are you?" he asked, "and where am I?"

"I am nobody," the young woman said with a playful toss of her hair. She was dressed in a short dark blue dress that fit her perfect figure well. "And we are inside your brain at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled and reached forward to tap his head lightly. "I mean," she said, "that you are lying unconscious on a table somewhere, and we are having this conversation in your head. I am a pre-programmed message being delivered to you by the nanobots that have invaded your neural system."

"What?" Arthur shook his head again and turned to examine his surroundings more closely. The room looked familiar to him, as if perhaps from his childhood.

"You ate some bad food, Arthur," said the young woman, looking concerned. "Bad water, actually. There were nanobots in it that went to work putting you to sleep and infiltrating your brain. The process is complete, which has allowed me to make contact and bring you here."

"Why?" This must be an attack of some sort, but in what form?

"We are going to train you, along with the rest of the Family leaders you were dining with."

Arthur remained silent.

"This is a unique and exciting opportunity for us," she continued, pulling up a chair and sitting down, indicating a second chair for him to sit in. When he remained standing, she shrugged and continued. "We are going to train you to become capable of hearing our commands, and teach you how to follow them."

"I am guessing that these...commands...will run counter to what I would normally choose on my own?"

She laughed gently. "Arthur, I can guarantee you that many of the commands will not be something you would want to do."

"Then you're wasting your time. If they aren't agreeable, then I won't follow your orders."

"Oh, but I'm certain that you will," said she, sympathetically. "You see, the majority of our time together will involve showing you what happens when you disobey. We anticipate that you will resist some commands, but we will be patient with you through the learning process."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur snapped. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to stand here and listen to empty threats—"

A searing pain enveloped Arthur, making his body scream in agony. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud, jaw locked shut, eyes bulging, and his head feeling as if it might explode.

And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the pain was gone.

Arthur gasped violently, rolling over onto his side as tears filled his eyes.

"There," the young woman said. "Your first lesson: we have the power to make you very uncomfortable. I would guess that you have never before felt such discomfort. Be advised that what you felt is only a small taste of what I can do to you."

Arthur breathed heavily as he turned his head to look at her. "It's okay, Arthur, don't be worried. We can keep you here as long as it takes. Time passes differently in your mind. What will feel like decades here might perhaps take only a few weeks in your real world."

Arthur felt despair wash over him.

"We will teach you obedience," the young woman repeated, "and then we will allow you to wake up and take control of your Family again. We will give the commands, and you will do as instructed."

His desire for defiance conflicted with what he remembered feeling shortly before, and he said nothing.

She reached forward and patted him lightly on the leg. "I know all about you, Arthur. You are a very intelligent man and a quick study. I think we will have you up and ready to get back to work in no time at all." She stood up and walked out the door.

59

"Who was that on the phone?"

Desdemona tossed the cell phone into the truck console. "No one."

"It was Dad, wasn't it?"

Desdemona chuckled. "Yeah."

Dawn would have liked to speak with her father once more before leaving, but there hadn't been time, even if her mother would have allowed it. "I don't understand why you can't tell me where we're going," she said.

"No one gets to know where the main base is when they first join us, sweetie. After your initial training, you will know where we are going, and how to get back there when you need to."

Dawn looked out the window. Everything appeared normal; the smoke and chaos of her home city were hours behind them. "The average person really has no idea what's going on."

"The news stations have ensured that. They've kept a lot under wraps, hoping to prevent mass hysteria. We had hoped that a few threads of video and details would make it through the information web, but they haven't. Perhaps when our mission spreads to other cities, the world will realize what's really happening."

"How long do you think my training will take?" Dawn asked.

"That will depend on where your skills are at. We'll assess those. I know your dad had you working on martial arts, and some other stuff, but I'm guessing that it will be at least a couple of years before you're ready for the field."

"A couple years?" Dawn sounded disappointed. "I'll have missed all of the excitement by then."

Desdemona shook her head. "This isn't an overnight plan. Well, it is from a historical point of view, but it won't be in full swing for at least a few more years. This first strike was meant to throw the Families off, to show what we are capable of. Besides," she grinned, "there's a significant advantage by making your opponent wait to see what move you will make next."

Dawn nodded and looked out the window.

After a few minutes, her mother spoke again. "Are you entirely sure about this? If you want to change your mind, I can turn around and take you back to your father."

Dawn wasn't sure. Her life had flipped upside down in the space of a few weeks. "It's all been a lot to absorb," she admitted, "but yes, I believe you are on the right side. The world isn't working, everyone knows that. Changes are required, and the Displaced are powerful enough to make a difference. I want to help."

Desdemona nodded and looked back toward the road.

"I hope Sam can forgive me for doing this," Dawn said softly.

With tears in her eyes, Desdemona looked at her daughter and placed a hand gently on her head. Harry had called to say that Sam was missing and presumed dead. Two weeks of searching had turned up nothing. Harry had advised against telling Dawn now, and Desdemona had agreed. "I'm sure he's forgiven you already," she said.

Epilogue

"Come on out of the dark and join me, Sam."

Sam stepped into the light of the small fire and extended his arms toward it for warmth. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem. Sit down and visit with me for awhile. The rabbit is almost ready to eat. I'm willing to share."

Sam nodded gratefully and moved to sit in the vacant lawn chair.

"Been out there long?"

"I don't know. It feels like I have, but it's been dark since I started walking, so it must not have been that long."

The old man chuckled and reached to take the rabbit off the spit, his red pop-bottle-cap gloves making a pleasant chiming noise. "You can't go by the sun, my boy. In this place it isn't always up when it should be."

"That makes no sense," Sam said.

"I suppose not."

"Hey," Sam looked closer at the old man. He was dressed in garbage bags. Laceless, polished black army boots covered his feet. "How did you know my name?"

The old man picked the rabbit off the spit and ripped it in half. "Why wouldn't I? We've known each other for a long time." He paused and squinted, leaning close to inspect Sam. "Unless this is the first time we're meeting...yes, that must be it. I've never seen you this young before." The old man grabbed a towel, wiped his hands, and then extended one toward the boy. "Hello, Sam, it's nice to meet you."

Sam clasped the old man's hand. "Hi. I didn't get your name."

The old man shook Sam's hand. "Good, now that's out of the way. Let's eat."

"How can you remember me if this is our first meeting?"

The old man dropped a piece of rabbit onto a plate and handed it to Sam. "Don't worry about that, my boy. Chowtime. You look hungry."

"I am." Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten.

After they were done eating, Sam leaned back and looked up at the stars in the night sky. "There are so many of them."

"Yeah, there are lots of stars here."

"Here? Where are we?"

The old man produced a thermos and poured juice into two cups. "Don't worry, Sam, we'll get to that soon enough. Here, drink this."

Sam took a drink. It was like nothing he'd ever tasted. "It's delicious."

The old man grinned and stood. "Thought you might like it. Ready to get going?"

"Go where?"

"Now that I know this is the first time you've seen me, I know exactly what we're supposed to do." The old man waved his hand and the camp disappeared. "We are going to be spending some quality time together, my boy."

Sam looked at the empty space where the fire and logs had been just a moment ago. "Where are we, mister?"

"Come on," the old man said. He was already thirty feet away, strolling toward a paved road which had appeared from the darkness.

Sam considered trying to learn more, but the old man was walking away, leaving him alone. He jogged to catch up to the old man.

He would find out soon enough where they were going.

<<<<>>>>

To Be Continued...

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Table of Contents

- Shadows by Terry Schott
- Dedication
- Grammar and Spelling
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- Epilogue
- ATTENTION GAME FANS!