Explorer X Alpha (14 page)

“Oh, I am not a winner all the time, but if you choose me for your team, I will do my best,” Aadi replied while he looked at Neema and smiled just to irk Eirena off even more. The truth was, her jealousy was flattering him and tickling his sense of humor.

“Ooh!” Eirena growled as she followed behind Jacob and a starry eyed Raiko.

They came to the videogame room, which was called Virtual Reality World. There was a huge clear door on which holograms flashed by of the featured games of the day. Aadi glanced quickly at them as he held the door open for Neema.

When they got inside the room, they had to register at the desk that had a silver base and a blue neon light around the trim. Around the room were private rooms with glass walls and doors that allowed visitors to see other gamers playing. The players didn't see anything around them in real life because they could only see the virtual world that sprung up around them for the games. Aadi loved the Virtual Reality games because they were not as intense as their camp training simulations, but came pretty close. When they played these kinds of games, it felt like they were really right
there
in the action.

 

 

“Hello, Jacob. I believe Mitchell already reserved your spot for today. It's your favorite virtual pod, and the game is already loaded,” Aadi heard as he spied Jacob talking to the Counselor behind the desk. Then, his glance slid to an angry Eirena.

“Well, let's go meet the rest of the team,” Jacob said. He waved to them to follow. They walked to the virtual pod at the end of the hall, and Jacob put his fingerprint on the keypad at the door to let them in.

“Hey, Mitchell, Phillip, and Kyle! I've invited Aadi, Eirena, and Raiko to play with us today,” Jacob said as he pointed to his team. Jacob pointed to Mitchell, who was a tall, olive-skinned boy with dark brown hair, then to Phillip, a chunky blond haired kid with spiked hair. Kyle was a slim kid with frizzy, curly black hair.

“We have to split the teams into four, so I'll take Eirena, Phillip, and Mitchell. Neema, you can have Kyle, Aadi, and Raiko,” Jacob said, turning to Neema.

“I really don't want Rah-inky on my team, but Aadi asked for her,” Neema said while she smiled innocently up at Jacob as though she didn't purposefully mess up Raiko's name.

“That's fine, Neema. Okay, you all know about the game, but I'll just go over it again because we play it a little differently than most kids. Speed and Fire is a racing game over changing terrain, with a twist. Since there are eight of us, there will be two teams that make three trades. Each team has a lead racer, and that racer is carrying a globe that starts out frozen solid and progresses to burning hot fire that melts your vehicle if you don't pass it on in time. Then, it turns to totally combustible if you fail to turn it over to the next racer. After the lead racer passes the object on to racer number two, the lead racer has to try to stop any of the other team's drivers from hitting, crashing, or forcing the next racer off the speed path. The object gets cold again with it's passing to each racer; however, each time it is passed, the racer has less time to reach the next point before the ball explodes. Also, if you get thrown off your racer, you can control it with your fingers. Whatever you do, don't fall down or lose your ride. That's automatic departure from the game. Got it?” asked Jacob. He looked from face to face, and they all nodded or said “Yep”.”.

“Okay, then. Everyone pick your vehicle of choice. Aadi, use this motor-quad next to me. I will be your lead,” said Neema, who appeared to be more eager than the others to begin playing. They all walked over to the motor-quad race vehicles and got in. Jacob punched in the sequences for the racers they wanted, and everyone was set to start. The motor-quads where shaped like a motorcycle but had four wheels, turbo boost power, and the ability to make large jumps and go underwater. They were all-terrain vehicles on which only two people could fit at a time.

“Ra-ninie, there is a spot next to Kyle,” Neema said, and pointed to the quad on the farthest side of the row of quads. Mitchell was seated next to Aadi. He glanced at Aadi and rolled his eyes in Neema's direction. Aadi smiled at Mitchell, holding in a laugh, then winked at Eirena.

“Hey, Eirena, why don't you take the quad next to me, and I'll show you how the controls work before we tag in?” Aadi overheard Jacob say to Eirena. He noticed that she kept her eyes on him as Neema squeezed his arm before she sat next to him quite eagerly.

“Hmph!” Eirena said under her breath.

“What's wrong? You don't like the way I tricked out your quad?” Jacob asked and reached out and touched Eirena's arm. She glanced over at Raiko. Raiko stared daggers at her. Eirena returned Raiko's look with a shrug. Aadi observed them watchfully and wondered how this would play out in the game.

“No. I was just wondering, what was the name of your team member that got sick?” Eirena asked, ever mindful of her mission. Then she let Jacob take over the creation of her quad characteristics.

“Oh, his name was Trevor. I think he is still on the ship somewhere, but I don't know for sure. He was my roommate with Mitchell, and I must say it was upsetting to go into the room and see his empty bed. About two days after he fell ill, they came in and took his bed out,” Jacob said, then finished the design of her quad.

“So, how did you all know he was sick?” Eirena asked and placed her hand on his. Jacob's smile started to dropped, and Aadi tuned into the conversation out of curiosity.
Maybe even a bit of jealousy,
he admitted to himself.

“Well, I was the first one to see him. I really don't know how to explain it, but he started vomiting, and he got these bumps all over his face first, and then it spread to his body. The bumps were transparent and seemed to have things like bugs or something moving in them. At first, I tried to help him, and then I called Mitchell over as he had just come in the room. Mitchell really freaked out, and then security came. They said he would be fine and that they would send him home in a medic cruiser when he recovered. The next thing I knew, they were taking his bed out,” Jacob said.

“I am sorry you went through that. Heck, I am sorry I bought it up. Do you suppose others got sick like Trevor?” Eirena asked. Jacob shook his head and put his smile back on his face.

“I guess other kids did. It wasn't very many, I don't think, because we still have the same number of teams we started out with when we began camp,” Jacob said. He patted the top of Eirena's hand with his other hand and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She quickly pulled her hand away from his and put her tags on. Aadi smiled at her obvious discomfort with Jacob's touch. Then he glanced at Raiko and noticed a teardrop as she quickly turned away.

“Okay, everyone, let's put the tags on and get started,” said Neema.

Aadi looked at Eirena and smiled at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, then turned forward in her motor-quad.

“All teams ready to go virtual? Let's begin,” said the voice from the speakers.

 

 

They were thrown into complete darkness. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were looking out at a race track that spanned through a purple and blue starlit sky. The track was lit up on each side with a shooting white light going in the direction of the finish line about a hundred or so miles away. It spanned over the horizon down to a purple sand dessert over a cliff and to the other side of a mountain. It was midday in this barren raceway, so everyone had on his or her lights, making the dim day appear a bit eerie. Aadi looked to the side of him at Jacob, who threw him a fist. Then he looked at Mitchell with his black and gold helmet that had cross bones on it, and Phillip with a silver helmet with a streak of fire that lit up on the side.

They revved up their engines, and Mitchell looked at her and said, “Phillip always goes first. Then you, Jacob, and I will save us all by racing the final track. Got it? Oh… and if you lose this for us, there will be skin to pay!” Mitchell said to Eirena with a look of distaste.

Phillip revved up his engine, looked at Eirena with a laugh of excitement, and said, “Watch me show you how it's done, pretty lady,” and the gunshot went off to signal the beginning of the game.

Phillip and Kyle took off. The cold white sphere was hanging on the back of their quad. They were traveling on the winding lit track that fell off into a void sky. Eirena crotched up in her seat, ready to protect Phillip from any advances the other team would try to make to take him out. Aadi watched as Eirena glanced over at Jacob, who had his hand up to the hold signal, then back to Phillip and Kyle.

Phillip enjoyed the chase of the race. He laughed as he took the lead in the first run. Kyle was close on his heels and slid to the left of Phillip as he prepared to speed forward to take the lead. Phillip's smile turned into rage as he moved his quad within a hair's length of Kyle's and punched Kyle with such force that Kyle was pushed sideways off the quad. Kyle took the hit with a shake of his head, and his expression was calm as he swung his slender frame back on the quad. Phillip had left him in the dust, but Kyle sped up, weaving side to side until he came up behind Phillip. Kyle steadily stood on the foot pedals of the quad and reached into his side pocket to take out fire-crackle palm-sized fireballs. He heaved a ball at Phillip, only for Phillip to laugh as he dodged it.

Jacob, Eirena, and Mitchell were close on the heels of the race with Phillip and Kyle, and Neema's team was close behind them. Neema sped up into the small space between Eirena and Jacob to push her quad into overdrive and steadily close the gap between her and Kyle. She came close to Kyle, grabbed some of his fire-crackle balls while balancing herself on her quad, and they both went after Phillip. They gained on Phillip so quickly that Phillip stopped laughing and fought to push his quad into maximum speed. Neema threw a ball at him from the right, and Kyle attached him from the left. He was still in the lead, but the damage made to his quad slowed him down. The sphere went from white ice to an orange ball as Eirena pushed her quad past Jacob.

“Get up to the transfer spot! Now! Don't worry about Phillip… he can handle Neema!” Jacob yelled, and Eirena pushed her quad to its limit. She passed on the left of Kyle, but he never noticed her since he vigorously attacked Phillip, who had barely held onto his lead.

Eirena didn't look back as she got to a position where she could retrieve the sphere from Phillip.

“Hurry, Phillip! It's turning combustible! Give it to me now!” Eirena said as the sphere started to melt the back of Phillip's quad. He was only a half mile away, but he had Neema and Kyle on him hard. Aadi held back so that he would be ready to take his place if things got bad.

Phillip's eyes looked determined, and he pushed his quad the final mile. Eirena started her quad, and Phillip was now alongside her. He turned to her and said, “Now I will have my revenge! Ha! Take that!” he said, and he punched in a sequence that blasted fire behind him and burned the front of Kyle's quad. Eirena keyed in the sequence to release the robot arms from her quad to grab the sphere. The robot arms secured the sphere to the back of her quad, and she took off. Phillip's quad revitalized to its original form, and he raced behind Eirena to protect her from the other team's attacks.

Neema turned away from the flames and yelled at Kyle, “Give it to me, Kyle!” Kyle slipped down the cover of his helmet to full-face mode and barely made it to Neema just in the knick of time before his sphere exploded.

Aadi and Raiko gained on her. Phillip swerved side to side and tried to hold them a safe distance away. Neema hit the back of Eirena's quad with force and then swung a rope with a hook on it to pull Eirena's quad to a jerky stop. Eirena was thrown back, and a grunt escaped her lips. Aadi pulled up to Eirena with concern, not wanting her to get hurt, as he heard Neema yell.

“Oh, no, loser. You are not going to win my game!” Neema said and came up beside Eirena. Neema jumped on Eirena's quad and punched Eirena in the face. Eirena's head snapped to the side. Eirena grabbed Neema's face and pulled it down to her knee. Aadi slowed his pursuit as his Raiko glared at him, reminding him to stay with his team. He backed off and decided to let Eirena defend herself.

“Uh!” Neema said as her head banged against her helmet and Eirena's knee. Neema punched Eirena in the stomach. The force of it made Eirena fall back onto the edge of her seat. Eirena kicked Neema in the chest. Neema fell on the handles, only to lose control of her vehicle. Aadi quickly went to assist her and then took off after Eirena.

 

 

Eirena raced quickly across the terrain. Her sphere was turning from white to a soft orange in color, indicating that time was ticking away.

Eirena sped across the clear sky. She punched her quad into turbo speed and prepared to come to the smooth portion of the track. She came to a tricky jump from the skies of this virtual world to the unforgiving ground below, but she jumped and landed with a bounce.

“Uh uh!” she grunted. She looked around for Jacob to make the handoff. Then, in a burst of fire, Jacob flew past her, and she pushed her quad to catch up. They met at some distance from the others, and his quad robotic arms came out to retrieve the sphere.

“I got it! Cover me and attack Aadi!” yelled Jacob, and he took off over the hard-packed ground.

Aadi watched as Eirena turned her quad in his direction. He gained fast on Jacob, and Eirena was right behind him.

Mitchell pulled up beside Eirena and said, “Use these. No mercy. Remember, you are on our team now!” He rode past her, and she pushed her engine into overdrive and gained on Aadi.

She yelled, “Aadi… heads up!” and threw the fire nails with precision. One nail of fire hit the sphere and caused it to go instantly pale orange. The other hit Aadi's seat, burning off the back half. The final nail slipped, missing the handlebar, and hitting Aadi's s left arm.