Play of Shadows

2.10: What am I?

The group quieted, five pairs of eyes turning to Frances.

"What? It's not?" Frances asked.

"You've got layers, muscle-man," Danny said.

"Yes, thank you, Danny," Michael said, clearing his throat. "I misspoke. If you could give us a minute? We have something to discuss."

Danny's smile grew even more sunny. "Ready to talk about the glitch, then? Aubrey, San, you owe me five each."

The girl with the bleached hair and the gangly boy – or rather, Aubrey and San – rolled their eyes almost in unison.

"We never took the bet," Aubrey said.

"What," Frances asked.

"Has there been a misunderstanding?" Michael tried.

"Oh, don't bother. He already told us," Aubrey said, jerking a thumb at the man with the cane.

"What," Frances repeated, with more definite intention this time around.

"A moment. Please," Michael said.

The kids grumbled but withdrew, Danny throwing a put-upon, "Yeah, yeah, we'll keep it to ourselves, don't worry," over his shoulder in parting. Frances watched them shuffle through the sand toward the others. Once they were a good distance away, he turned on Svetlan.

The man raised a hand. "If I may explain," he said.

"You better," Frances ground out.

"It is dangerous for players to know about their situation," Michael reminded quietly.

"I am aware, Mr. Thornton. But we are not dealing with ordinary players. Surely, you have noticed?" Svetlan said.

Michael and Frances exchanged a glance.

"They are rather young," Michael began hesitantly.

"They're too young for VR. VELES will be held responsible after all of this is through," Frances interrupted; he was going to make sure of it. "What's that got to do with the mission?"

"They are not players. They're VELES employees," Svetlan said.

"How do you know that?" Michael asked after a pause.

"I asked," Svetlan said simply.

"And they just, what? Showed their badges?" Frances asked.

"They demanded a bonus for working through a glitched instance in a mixed-user player base," Svetlan said.

There was another pause, then Frances blurted, "Why the hell did they take you for a VELES rep?"

"Because I told them that I was," Svetlan said.

Frances's temples throbbed, a stress-induced headache looming. "So, the kids were testing the instance. Then, the others?"

Svetlan shrugged. "Actual players. In a manner of speaking."

"What's wrong with the rest of them?" Frances asked.

"They're not VELES' usual clientele," Michael said thoughtfully; a tactful way of pointing out that none of the players present seemed like they could afford to squander a few thousands for an hour in a VELES VR pod. "None of them seem to know each other, which is unusual for group instances. The breadth of variety in identity markers is also uncommon outside of...

"A randomized trial?"

"I believe we are in a true test instance," Svetlan agreed.

The sky shifted. The shadow that lay across the valley stretched its wings, growing larger and more imposing.