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due to your performance thus far, we have teamed you as partners.”
My heart slammed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t sign up for anything like—”
Suddenly, what felt like a bolt of lightning ripped through my brain. White-hot pain tore through me, and I screamed, clamping my hands on either side of my head as I fell to the ground.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rogan do the same.
The pain vanished as quickly as it had come, and I stared around the room, numb and in shock.
“Wh-what—?” I managed.
The voice continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Your implants have been activated and tuned to each other’s frequency. Kindly keep in mind that you are playing as a team and to separate more than ninety feet from your partner will lead to immediate disqualification.”
I scrambled to my feet and stumbled over to brace myself against the cold metal wall.
“I want to know what is happening,” I demanded, my voice hoarse. “I want to be let out of here immediately or I’m calling the police!”
It was an empty threat. The police wouldn’t give a crap what happened to somebody like me. I didn’t even have ID. They’d probably throw me in St. Augustine’s for causing a disturbance.
I was on my own.
Rogan was struggling to get up from the f loor as I moved toward the door and kicked it again, knowing it wouldn’t help but feeling the desperate need to do something—to do anything! “Come on! Come on, you bastards. Let me out of here!”
I saw a f lash of light out of the corner of my eye and turned around slowly. The lights in the room dimmed and a holoscreen appeared out of nowhere, showing an overhead view of the city.
The only time I’d seen anything like it was when I’d snuck in to see an old sci-fi movie at the only theater in the city that was still open. I hadn’t thought technology like this existed in real life. Could it be real?
Obviously it was, because I was looking right at it.
I walked around the screen, trying to see where it was projected from, but there was nothing. I touched it, and the image f lickered and morphed as if I’d dipped my finger into a shallow pool of water. It was partially transparent, and I could see Rogan on the other side.
He looked at me and shook his head. “It begins.”
“What begins? What is this?”
On the map a round, white glow appeared at an intersection that was otherwise unmarked.
“Level one has been completed successfully.” The disembodied voice sounded enthusiastic. There was a creepy singsong quality to the words. “There are six levels to Countdown . Complete them all without suffering disqualification or elimination and you will be considered the winner. Your next challenge is to reach the marker you see on the map by the time the clock runs out. If you are not successful, you will be eliminated. Do not delay. You have thirty minutes to complete this level. Your time starts now.”
The map faded into the image of a ticking clock. Then that also disappeared, leaving me staring directly at Rogan. The lights came up, and a draft of cool air brushed my bare arms.
I turned to see that the door I’d been kicking had slid open. Beyond it was the outdoors. The city. Familiar territory.
“Kira!” Rogan called after me.
But I barely heard him. I was too busy running. THE BEEPING BEGAN WHEN I’D RUN ALMOST A block. It was soft at first but grew steadily in volume and speed with every step I took.
I decided to ignore it for now.
I’d escaped. And the more distance I could put between me and whatever that had been was distance well traveled.
I looked around at the gray street and the gray buildings that reached high into the sky. Not another person to be seen.
Yeah. Welcome to my city.
Twenty-five years ago it had been a thriving and successful place of business—one of the most prosperous cities in the whole country. In fact, the whole world had been on an upswing then. Technology was increasing. The