Kenny had been researching all afternoon—philosophy, cognitive science—putting the pieces together. Now he met with Charlie and Vanhi upstairs, in a corner of the library that was the closest thing they could find to a dead spot, no computers nearby, no students with phones, a gap in security cameras. Not even a loudspeaker, which Charlie knew from doing announcements in his student council days could be switched into listening mode. They left their phones in their backpacks on a table downstairs, hoping the Game would assume they were studying quietly. They looked terrible, every one of them.
“We have to get out,” Kenny said. “You, me, Vanhi.”
Charlie looked between them. “Now you want to get out?”
“Yes,” Vanhi said. “Why aren’t you happy? This is what you wanted.”
“It was. It is. But … the Game just saved Alex.”
“Yeah, right after it drove him to it.”
“That was Tim and Kurt.”
“No, it was the Game playing Tim and Kurt. Trace it all the way back.”
“I’m not sure quitting—”
“Give me a break,” Kenny jumped in. “Two days ago you said—”
“I know what I said,” Charlie snapped.
“But now you have a restaurant and an inside track to Harvard,” Vanhi said bitterly.
“That’s not it.”
“The hell it isn’t,” Vanhi said. “Trust me, I’ve been right where you are. I get it.”
“Look, you tried to pull us back,” Kenny said. “Now it’s our turn.”
“It’s not that simple,” Charlie said. “Getting out is worse than staying in.”
He told them about Scott Parker, his warning: the only way out was taking a life.
“What if there was another way?” Vanhi asked.
“There isn’t. He said—”
“That’s because he’s a computer guy. You need a philosopher,” Vanhi said. “It was Kenny’s idea.”
“What idea?”
“First you have to promise you’re with us. If it finds out, we’re done.”
Charlie knew they were right to want to quit. But they were right about something else, too. The restaurant did matter. His dad was happier than he’d been in ages.… And now that Harvard was actually possible again, why shouldn’t Charlie want that?
“All this time, you’ve been telling me to want things again. And now I do.”
“Think about the restaurant, Charlie,” Vanhi said. “Some guy didn’t just decide to give it away to your dad all of a sudden. Someone suffered for that good luck. Did he deserve it?”
“Maybe he did. We deserved what we got.”
“I tried to find Eddie,” Kenny told him. “Trust me, Charlie, you can’t live with this. I thought I could. It’s not who I am. It’s not you, either.”
“We’ve all done things we regret. It’s time to stop,” Vanhi said.
“What have you done?” Charlie asked.
She couldn’t bear to say it. She would fix it first, make it right. Then she’d tell him. Maybe then he’d forgive her. They heard a student walk by, talking on his phone, on the other side of a row of books. They fell silent until he was gone.
“Charlie,” Kenny said, “we can’t do this without you. I have the idea, but Vanhi can’t code it fast enough alone.”
“Please,” Vanhi said. “I’m already toast. Infinite Blaxx. It’s the only way for me.”
Charlie stared at her. “Really?”
She nodded. He’d never before seen Vanhi look scared. She told him.
Fuck, he thought. Everything was so good, for once.
“Fine,” he said. “On one condition. It’s all of us together. No more secrets.”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
“That means Peter, too. And Alex, if we can find him.”
Vanhi shook her head. “No way. We can’t trust Peter.”
“That’s my price. We started losing the second we let the Game divide us.”
“Charlie,” Kenny said, “I know how you feel about Peter. But you have a blind spot here.”
“No. No more jealousy. No more division. One for all, all for one.”
Vanhi folded her arms. They faced each other; they were in a stalemate.
“He’s a better coder than any of us.”
They seemed uncertain, wavering.
“Look, this is about faith,” Charlie said. “You said it yourself: We’ve all done things we regret. There has to be a second chance for all of us.”
The three Vindicators stared at each other.
“One for all…,” Kenny began.
“Oh, shut up,” Vanhi snapped. “Goddamnit.”
Charlie grinned. “So what are we doing?”
Kenny took a breath. He looked around, to make sure no one was passing by.
“I think I know how to hack God.”