Violet prowled back and forth across the room like Lonso and I were fresh meat and she just hadn’t decided which one of us to kill and eat yet.
“Cameron’s probably just springing some new feature on you,” she insisted. “You know how he is.”
I’d been in regular communication with SparkleCo’s marketing team in preparation for the release party tonight, but Cameron had never been on any calls or email threads, so I didn’t actually know how Cameron was. But Violet had a point. At the end of the day, Cameron was capable of a stunt like making the Dauphine appear to be self-aware. By any measure, he’d already accomplished an extraordinary feat of engineering: weaving all the fundamental techniques for breaking down and learning power morphemes into an elaborate and engaging spellcasting system for a monstrously popular game, all for the apparently singular purpose of producing someone like me.
For all I knew, his entire development team might have mastered power morphemes by now, just by playtesting the game. His marketing team might promote the game with power morphemes at video game conventions and EDM festivals. His HR people might sling power morphemes at job fairs to lure talent away from making racing games where you shoot pedestrians. Cameron might have the entire workforce of a massively successful, privately held game corporation trained to deliver power morphemes en masse, the same way Lonso had developed Gorvod’s Frenzy.
Lonso said, “Cameron’s always slammed in the months before a release. The likelihood that he’d have time to implement a custom-tailored quest just for Isobel is vanishingly small.”
“But it’s super weird for Maddy to claim she was sent by the Dauphine,” I said. “It makes no sense unless you’ve been spying on my game sessions—which Cameron could easily do in god mode.”
“Doesn’t have to be Cameron,” Lonso countered. “I’m told you can buy cheat codes for nearly any game in existence on the darknet.”
Oh Lonso, it’s so cute how you occasionally read Wired magazine.
“Can’t we just ask him?” I said.
“We should reach out to him regardless,” Olivia said. “He needs to see that video.”
That sparked an argument among the three of them about whether Cameron actually did need to see that video, given that Maddy bringing up the Dauphine meant she might actually be connected to Cameron somehow. As their attention drifted away from me into an ouroboros of high-strung bickering, I casually snagged Lonso’s tablet from the end table. It wasn’t password protected—his minions probably respected his belongings in a way that I just didn’t feel was necessary at the moment. Easy enough to install the Sparkle Dungeon mobile app and log in with my account. The mobile app was really only good for social crap, which was perfect. I wanted to see if Chad from the support team had provided any new information in our open chat window.
Although Chad wasn’t online right now, he had indeed left me a message:
OK the official word from the QA team is that they’re testing backward compatibility between the new game and the old games, to see if they can run the new versions of the characters on the old servers. So that explains why you’re seeing the Dauphine out of her typical context. I’ve been authorized to put $100 in your account as a bug bounty, so thanks for reporting the issue! Sorry I wasn’t more helpful and please don’t give me a thumbs-down rating.
Yeah, the QA team’s story was clearly bullshit. Then I noticed I had a new message in my in-box.
The header claimed it was from “the Sparkle King.” In the game, that was Cameron’s reserved title. The time stamp on the message was from yesterday, around 6 p.m., well before Maddy and I crossed paths. The subject line was “This might interest you.”
I looked up at Violet and Lonso to make sure they were still ignoring me. They certainly were; they were probably just delighted that the drunk in the corner had finally stopped going off about everything.
I opened the message. It was promotional—a coupon code for Sparkle Dungeon 5.
I was not above saving that code for later.
They did try to conference Cameron in, but he didn’t respond.
“Olivia, you need to analyze the video of Maddy,” Violet said. “At minimum, we need to understand why she can amplify and transmit power morphemes. If you happen to learn the actual sequence she used to disappear from her cell, that would also be delightful.”
Olivia’s hesitation was palpable.
“Olivia, enough!” Violet almost shouted. “This idea that we should only study the hundred and eight is just an elaborate superstition. Maybe Alexander only received a hundred and eight because that’s all his brain could handle at the time.”
“Using these synthetics outside the context of a strict experimental protocol is like children playing with explosives,” Olivia replied. “Maddy might be getting away with it now, but it could blow up in her face at any moment.”
“Then set up a strict experimental protocol and get to work! We can’t afford to be surprised like we were today over and over again until we’re backed into a corner.”
“Fine,” Olivia finally said curtly. “Don’t expect miracles, though. As a reminder, the lab’s star computational linguist is no longer employed by Jenning & Reece.” She disconnected from the call.
Violet turned to me and said, “I’m sorry you had to see that, Isobel. I know she’s your mentor. But she needs to wake up. Obviously none of this would be happening if Alexander were alive, but he’s not, and we’re in trouble, and it’s time for Olivia to step up.” To Lonso, she said, “Please keep Isobel alive until tomorrow. She may be flying back to Sacramento with me.”
And then she was gone, leaving me alone with Lonso once again.
“You should stay on campus,” he said. “Jordon has a guest room. I’m sure she’d be thrilled to have you stay with her.”
“I want to go home,” I said.
“I can send someone to collect items you might need from your home,” he said, “but I can’t protect you once you leave here.”
“You can’t protect me regardless,” I said. “Maddy can potentially appear as easily as she disappeared—we have no idea. If she decides to come after me again, I’d rather be out living my life than hiding in Jordon’s guest room. Besides, I have a work thing tonight.”
“Cameron’s release party?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been looking forward to this party since my first day at Jenning & Reece. No chance on God’s rapidly decaying Earth am I missing it.”
“I’m sure Olivia would release you from work under the circumstances.”
“Fuck no,” I said, “you don’t get it. In the face of almost supernatural adversity, you can’t just give up on the things you love.”
“I suppose you wouldn’t be the Queen of Sparkle Dungeon if you lacked commitment.”
“Can you do me one favor though? Can you email Cameron or text him or something to let him know what happened here today? So that if I actually run into him, I don’t have to personally convince him of every last thing?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” he finally said. “Whatever you think of the rest of us, Isobel, trust Cameron. Now let me ask Phyllis and Max to drive you home.”
“Thank you.”
“And I’ll expect them to stay by your side until tomorrow.”
“What!”
“Violet issued clear instructions to keep you alive. Phyllis and Max have seen Maddy in action. They’ll be better prepared than anyone else to face her if she reappears. Besides,” he said, as a grin developed on his face, “Jordon believes you’re a Wild Scion. And if that’s true, you deserve your own Watchful Eyes.”
“What do you believe, Lonso? I mean, seriously, what do you truly believe about all of this, this whole—enterprise of yours?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment, as though I was a famous reporter capturing his response for posterity.
“The scions of Silicon Valley,” he said, “control every aspect of what our culture believes. They’re epic wizards of the information age, collecting personal data like sorcerers hoarding magic scrolls. Your opinions and beliefs, your deepest desires, were curated for you by these malevolent savants and their algorithmic daemons, all in service of their depraved egos and thirst for wealth.”
I nodded, in full agreement so far.
“I operate at a deeper level. Instead of data as my medium, I manipulate perception to my advantage.”
I said, “So you just shot at that kid with your ‘perception’?”
“My sequence of power morphemes convinced everyone in the room that I had a weapon,” he replied. “With that much perception suddenly available, the weapon perceived itself into existence.”
Please.
Just—please now.
He said boldly, “The scions of Silicon Valley may very well control what we believe, at least for the time being. But I am a technocrat of how we believe, Isobel.”
“How do you believe, Lonso?” I said, baiting him just a little.
A fleeting, grim smile crossed his face, and then he said, “These days—extremely carefully.”
On the drive across town, conversation was sparse. At one point, Phyllis said, “So you’re the Queen of Sparkle Dungeon. Funny, practically everyone I know wants to kill you.” She hastily added, “In the game I mean.”
“I’ll be sure to worry about that approximately never,” I said. We didn’t talk after that.
The drive gave me time to ruminate. One question was nagging me: how did the Dauphine know to send Maddy to the fundraiser?
Then I remembered, I’d told the Dauphine that I had a fundraiser to plan and a release party to coordinate. If the Dauphine was truly sentient as I suspected, she might have a way to convey information to Maddy. Maddy might’ve been able to deduce that the combination of fundraiser and release party likely meant Violet and Cameron, which could lead her to Jenning & Reece. If Maddy still had hooks in Jenning & Reece somewhere—on their network, or with people she trusted inside—she could’ve maybe determined I managed the accounts for both Violet and Cameron. She could’ve even learned that I’d been recruited to Jenning & Reece in the first place because I was the Queen of Sparkle Dungeon. I had no idea what OPSEC measures Jenning & Reece implemented after Maddy took off.
So Maddy could show up at the party tonight. I was expected there at 6 p.m., but I could get Devin to cover for me, so I could arrive fashionably late along with a stream of other party guests. I’d have a big advantage: tonight’s event was a costume party, where the guests were encouraged to come dressed as their favorite characters from the Sparkle Dungeon series. My costume was the perfect opportunity to hide myself in plain sight, and hopefully spot Maddy before she spotted me.
And then what?
I had the entire day to devise actual combat sequences. Improvising was all well and good, but I knew I’d gotten lucky against Maddy last night. Maybe the ones I devised today wouldn’t be as potent as hers, but I bet I could surprise her all the same. I would also have Phyllis and Max watching my back, which provided a separate measure of reassurance.
And if I was sufficiently convincing, I might even get Cameron Kelly on my side.