Mind Games Read Online Free

black suit and dark sunglasses smiling grimly.
    â€˜Me?’ asked Zac, as innocently as he could. He had to look like an ordinary games-mad kid, not the super spy he was.
    â€˜Congratulations!’ said the man, in a strange voice. ‘You’ve won a wildcard entry into our Grand Games Battle. The best gamers in the world going head-to-head, live on the big screen.’
    â€˜Er, no thanks. I’d rather just look around the convention,’ said Zac.
    There were hundreds of kids milling around. The hackers were in there somewhere, Zac could feel it. He couldn’t afford to waste time in some stupid games competition.
    â€˜But you’ve been selected by Mind-Lab, the world’s most advanced gaming company. What normal kid would pass up a chance like that?’ asked the man, his eyes narrowing. ‘You are a normal kid , right?’
    â€˜Oh, totally normal,’ said Zac hastily.
    â€˜Well, then. Step this way.’
    The man slapped a red MindLab baseball cap onto Zac’s head and shoved him towards the stage. Two monitors and two game consoles sat waiting for the players. Overhead, a giant screen had been rigged up so everyone at the convention could see who was playing and how they were scoring.
    â€˜You know how to play Flight Night , right?’ said the man. ‘It’s a flight-simulator game.’ Zac shrugged. He had some experience with flight simulators…
    More than most of his opponents, it seemed. One by one, Zac clobbered every challenger. It was easy. Almost too easy, thought Zac.
    Was someone letting him win?
    Pretty soon, Zac found himself in the semi-finals, leading by one point as the siren sounded. He’d made the grand final!
    Zac checked his watch.

    Playing in the grand final would take up even more time. But even worse, the 8-year-old kid he’d been playing in the semis burst into tears.
    â€˜Hey, don’t cry,’ said Zac. ‘There’s always next year.’
    The kid nodded, not convinced. He pulled his blue MindLab baseball cap down lower to hide his tears. The poor kid was a total Flight Night addict, that was obvious.
    Zac gazed up at the big screen above their heads. On the screen, all you could really see of the players was the backs of their heads. Maybe…
    â€˜I’ve got an idea,’ said Zac casually. ‘I’m kind of in a hurry. Could you do me a favour and take my spot in the grand final?’
    The kid’s eyes lit up.
    â€˜You wear my red cap and I’ll wear your blue one. On the big screen, it’ll look like it’s me playing instead of you,’ said Zac.
    Leaving me free to look for the hackers, Zac added silently to himself.

CHAPTER
EIGHT
    Zac leapt off the stage. Straight away, the crowd swallowed him up. He was safe, at least for the moment.
    He thought over everything Leon told him about the mind-controlled games console the hackers left behind.
    It was made by MindLab.
    If Zac found the MindLab display here at the Games Convention, there was a good chance the hackers would be somewhere nearby!
    It wasn’t hard to spot. Over in the corner, an enormous blinking neon sign read, ‘MindLab. Tomorrow’s gaming today.’
    Zac headed over.
    MindLab had set up rows of computers so everyone at the convention could try their games and equipment.
    A thrill rushed through Zac. Every kid at every computer at the MindLab display was wearing a high-tech metal helmet! They were testing the MindLab 3000 console. The hackers must be very close now.
    But where? Zac needed to hang back for a while and watch. But it was already 8.01am. Less than an hour until the firewall was breached!

    The MindLab display was the most popular stand by far. Kid after kid stepped up to try out the new mind-controlled console. That made sense. Who wouldn’t want to try out something so awesome?
    All the same, Zac couldn’t help thinking how rich a company like MindLab must be. But to keep the