Virtual Sabotage Read online

  Table of Contents

  EARLY PRAISE

  ALSO BY JULIE HYZY

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT PAGE

  DEDICATION

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  FIFTY-FOUR

  FIFTY-FIVE

  FIFTY-SIX

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  FIFTY-NINE

  SIXTY

  SIXTY-ONE

  SIXTY-TWO

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO FROM CALEXIA PRESS

  Early Praise for Virtual Sabotage

  “Strap in and go for a ride with Virtual Sabotage, a thrilling change of pace for Julie Hyzy. She takes us on a mind-bending trip into a world where villains set the rules, and heroes can’t believe what they know to be true. Fascinating, fun, and deeply satisfying.”

  —Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling

  author of Judgment

  ◊

  “Virtual Sabotage blurs the borders between man and machine, sounding a warning about the safety of social media. Think Michael Crichton with a cyberpunk twist. Breakneck pacing, seamless prose, and authentic research—Julie Hyzy is definitely the voice to heed in high-tech thrillers.”

  —K.J. Howe, bestselling author of Skyjack

  Also by Julie Hyzy

  Playing with Matches

  Artistic License

  Made for Murder (short stories)

  THE ALEX ST. JAMES MYSTERY SERIES

  Deadly Blessings

  Deadly Interest

  Dead Ringer (with Michael A. Black)

  THE WHITE HOUSE CHEF SERIES

  State of the Onion

  Hail to the Chef

  Eggsecutive Orders

  Buffalo West Wing

  Affairs of Steak

  Fonduing Fathers

  Home of the Braised

  All the President’s Menus

  Foreign Éclairs

  THE MANOR HOUSE SERIES

  Grace Under Pressure

  Grace Interrupted

  Grace Among Thieves

  Grace Takes Off

  Grace Against the Clock

  Grace Cries Uncle

  Grace Sees Red

  Grace to the Finish

  VIRTUAL

  SABOTAGE

  ◊

  Julie Hyzy

  CALEXIA PRESS

  Calexia Press LLC

  525 W. Monroe St., Suite 2360

  Chicago, IL 60661

  www.calexiapress.com

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  © 2018 by Ten Twelve Enterprises Inc.

  All rights reserved

  Thank you for buying an authorized edition of the book and for complying with the US Copyright Act of 1976 by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it (other than for review purposes) without written permission.

  Print ISBN: 978-0-9835067-3-7

  Ebook ISBN 978-0-9835067-4-4

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018937723

  Book design by Prideaux Press

  Cover design by Bookfly Design

  Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data

  (Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

  Names: Hyzy, Julie A.

  Title: Virtual sabotage / Julie Hyzy.

  Description: Chicago, IL : Calexia Press, [2018]

  Identifiers: ISBN 9780983506737 | ISBN 9780983506744 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Virtual reality--Fiction. | Brainwashing--Fiction. | Conspiracies--Fiction. | LCGFT: Thrillers (Fiction)

  Classification: LCC PS3608.Y98 V57 2018 (print) |

  LCC PS3608.Y98 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6--dc23

  In memory of Ray Bradbury,

  whose short story “The Veldt” planted the seed

  for this tale in my brain.

  ONE

  For Immediate Release

  Much like the rapid evolution of cell phones, from the handheld mobile “bricks” that few could afford in the 1980s to the slim, pocket-size computer smartphones most consumers carry today, the past several years have seen the rise of virtual reality (VR) as it morphed from simple cardboard headgear displaying 3-D visuals to sleek, discreet implanted devices providing fully immersive, near-tangible adventures.

  Behemoth company Virtu-Tech, with proprietary technology that taps directly into a participant’s brain, has infinitely expanded users’ VR experience. Always offering free upgrades—like their much-anticipated 6.0 model—Virtu-Tech provides the widest, most fulfilling opportunities to consumers at a price nearly everyone can afford.

  Although all virtual encounters are perfectly safe, the human mind can be fooled into believing that the simulated experience is real. Because there may be danger to the participant if the delicate balance between reality and perception is breached, Virtu-Tech has taken the extraordinary step of employing envoys to rescue users who have been pulled in too deep. Celia Newell, president and CEO of Virtu-Tech, calls them “lifeguards for the brain.”

  In this twenty-first-century world of cheap mass-produced trinkets, experiences have become more highly prized than material goods. Virtu-Tech adventures offer options for exploration, learning, living, and testing one’s limits while adrenaline pumps, rushing participants to new highs. All while remaining perfectly safe.

  It’s no wonder with its groundbreaking technology, Virtu-Tech has surpassed all others to become the number one choice of entertainment in the world.

  TWO

  Kenna Ward yanked her ponytail tight. She hated when hair stuck to her sweaty face during rescues, and this one promised to be her most difficult yet. Pacing the floor here at AdventureSome, outside the door to capsule number five, she waited for Stewart to give her the all clear.

  She drew a long breath and pushed it out slowly: a vain attempt to steady the rolling gyrations in her stomach.

  “What the hell is Charlie doing in there, anyway?” she asked.

  Studying the capsule’s control panel, Stewart didn’t look up. “I don’t know, Kenna. I was as surprised as you.”r />
  She rubbed her eyes, still filmy from the deep sleep she’d been in when she’d gotten the call. “Stewart?” she asked. “Who’s in there with him?”

  “No idea, but it doesn’t matter right now, does it?” he replied. “Just get in there and get them out.” He expelled a breath. “Okay, we’re ready.”

  She took her position inside the safety capsule as Stewart stepped forward to place a chain around her neck. “Can’t forget this,” he said.

  Her signal medallion. She hoped to God that Charlie had remembered to wear one, too.

  Kenna flexed her jaw as Stewart inserted sound dimmers into her ears, then adjusted a dark shield over her eyes. He snaked the shield’s command microphone around the curve of her ear, allowing its delicate receiver to follow the line of her cheek.

  She hated going in without complete information. Charlie knew better than to enter a scenario without leaving a trail—but he’d left no plan, no lead. An unauthorized incursion. “He’s going to have a lot of explaining to do,” she said.

  As she spoke, Stewart probed the hard bone area behind her right ear. A half second later, his fingers found her implant. She felt the tiny, familiar pressure as he inserted the component that would connect her mind to Charlie’s reality.

  There was a faint click, then the link’s accompanying tingle as VR accessed her brain. She winced.

  “Let this be the worst of it,” she whispered.

  She settled her mind, breathed in, and felt the familiar wave rush up to meet her.

  “Sight,” she said.

  As always, the moment hovered. A breathless instant of absolute nothingness.

  Blackness shot from deep to pale gray, then froze. Kenna muttered impatiently as the operating system’s logo, an infinity symbol with the words “Virtu” and “Tech” on each side, shimmered into view. The warning came next: the soothing female VR voice relaying the ominous reminder that Kenna was about to enter a scenario at her own risk. The voice faded with an admonishment to play responsibly. As the logo dissolved, visions behind it moved with rippling grace, gently solidifying into three-dimensional silhouettes.

  “Come on,” Kenna said.

  With tentative virtual steps, she urged the program to move faster. “Sound,” she said. “Smell. Taste.” She raised her right hand. “Touch.”

  Flat images acquired depth; noises grew more distinct. Familiar dizziness engulfed as her synapses struggled to transform these sparkling clouds into recognizable shapes.

  Charlie was here. And she would find him. But even that knowledge wasn’t enough to quell the trepidation in her heart.

  Stepping into another person’s virtual reality uninvited was always risky. But that’s what envoys did when things went wrong.

  Like smoke in a vacuum, the fog disappeared. Sudden brightness sharpened Charlie’s world into crystal clarity.

  She blinked. She was in.

  THREE

  The moment Kenna was settled, Stewart stepped away from her capsule and returned to the instrument panel against the wall. He tugged on his headset and patched into the adjacent room. “Tech support?” He waited half a beat. “Vanessa?”

  Static distorted Vanessa’s voice—she was probably fitting her own headset on as she spoke. “I’m here.”

  “Status?”

  “Hold on. The medics just arrived.” Noise filtered through to Stewart—delayed, discordant scuffles coming from both the corridor and through his earphones. “They’re interfacing now.” Her voice cracked. “My god, Stewart, what was Charlie thinking, going in cold with no one running tech?”

  “He should have known better.” Stewart ran his fingers along his brow. His gaze flicked over to the capsule where Kenna moved slowly, exploring the world around her. He’d left the access door open to keep an eye on her. Like a mime, she moved silently in the opaque tube. The setup allowed freedom of movement while the smooth-walled boundary provided security. Stewart drew in a breath.

  “Who’s the client in there with Charlie?” Vanessa asked.

  “Don’t know. But Kenna will get them out,” he said. “She has to.”

  Over the interoffice connection, Stewart heard the medics in Vanessa’s room issue crisp commands. He hoped that was a good sign. Knowing Vanessa had control of the other chamber, the one housing Charlie’s and the client’s physical forms, gave him a measure of peace. Yet, this situation was so out of the ordinary and so fraught with peril, he wished he could be in two places at once. As much as he wanted to see for himself, there was no way he’d leave Kenna alone. Not after so much had gone wrong tonight.

  “Charlie preset the program,” Vanessa said in a tight voice. “Why didn’t the backup safety protocols kick in?”

  “I’m checking.” Stewart worked the console, issuing a voice command: “Fail-safe status, report.”

  The computer answered his inquiry with an audible, “One moment please,” and on-screen appeared a tiny infinity symbol with a blue streak racing along its never-ending path.

  Stewart used that moment to chance another look at Kenna. She was petite but powerful, from the determined thrust of her chin to the tension in her shoulders. When she went into VR, she was the master. He’d never encountered an envoy with better intuition or improvisational skills.

  Stewart rubbed his hand against his late-night beard stubble. He would have said the same thing about Charlie. Until today.

  Still watching Kenna while he waited for the system report, Stewart spoke again into his headset. “What’s the status on the client?”

  “Unknown at the moment. Medics are too busy to talk.” Vanessa’s voice rose. “What were they doing here, anyway? If the auto alarm hadn’t tripped, we wouldn’t have found them for hours.”

  Before Stewart could answer, a harsh alert pulled his attention back to his fail-safe inquiry. “This can’t be,” he said. “Someone turned off the damn safety program.” Fingers flying, he input the code sequence to reengage the system.

  “Charlie wouldn’t have done that.” Vanessa’s voice wavered. “Would he?”

  The wall console buzzed: an error message.

  Stewart frowned. Must have fat-fingered. “He had the capability. But he knows better.” Taking a breath, he inputted the code a second time—carefully—then hit “enter.”

  Again, the computer buzzed its refusal to comply.

  His fingers raced over the keyboard. “This can’t be happening.”

  “What’s wrong?” Vanessa asked.

  Stewart stepped back, scanning the set of controls as though looking for a physical way in. Sweat trickled from his hairline into his eyes. He blinked it away. “Nessa,” he said, pulling his microphone close. “Quick. Reestablish the fail-safe from your station. Use your override code.”

  “But what’s—”

  “Just do it!”

  Through the headset, Stewart heard the familiar melodic beeps as she worked at her control panel. During the long pause waiting for acknowledgment, Vanessa’s breaths came short and fast.

  The error message sounded as loud as if it had buzzed inside Stewart’s brain.

  “That’s it,” he said. “Let’s get Kenna out before we try this again.”

  “She’ll be furious if we initiate an extraction,” Vanessa said. “You know how long those take.” A second later, she shouted, “Oh, God!”

  “What?”

  Vanessa swore again.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Stand by.”

  Stewart stretched his lips back and forth, pulling at his neck muscles, trying to work out the tension. He listened. The medics’ calm directives, at first mumbled in the background, had gotten progressively louder, more urgent.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Stewart asked.

  Vanessa didn’t answer. Instead, she cried out, “What can I do? What do you
need?”

  A male voice answered, “Backup. Get us backup.”

  Stewart turned at a loud whump to his right. Kenna’s body arched against the capsule’s wall; head up, she let out a long guttural cry.

  “Vanessa!” he shouted. “What’s happening?”

  FOUR

  Kenna shoved the hanging leaves out of her way as she crept forward. Heat and humidity made it impossible for her to take five steps without having to wipe sweat from her face.

  “Charlie?” Storming through overgrowth heavy with the smell of damp moss, Kenna called out her partner’s name. Leaves the size of panthers blocked her view of everything but the lichen-covered ground. Warm sunlight glowed through the greenery to her left. She moved toward it, slamming more foliage out of her way.

  “Charlie?”

  She swiped again at her face. Although Kenna knew that the imminent perils of the situation were all products of virtual reality, she also knew the danger to Charlie and his client was real. There was only so much perceived stress a human mind could assimilate without lapsing into mortal absorption. Her job was to prevent that, at all costs.

  Kenna clenched her teeth. In the old days, renegades moonlighted in these kind of clandestine gigs, but Charlie faced huge fines—even termination—if he got caught on an unauthorized jaunt. There was no reason he should have been here tonight. She hadn’t even known he was gone until Stewart called. She’d been sound asleep, oblivious to the fact that Charlie had even left their bed.

  Whatever the reason, it had better be good.

  A second later, she blinked. Last night, Charlie had made an offhand comment about finally getting answers. They’d been discussing his concerns about Virtu-Tech’s corporate management—a topic he’d brought up several times in recent weeks. Whenever Kenna had pressed him for details, he’d hedged. Last night, however, when he’d brought up the subject again, he told her he’d soon have solid facts to share. He’d seemed enthusiastic, upbeat.

  Could this unexplained incursion be related? That would make sense. Stewart’s reputation for dealing swiftly and forcefully with potential problems was well-known. If Charlie suspected negligence or misconduct among the corporate higher-ups, he wouldn’t risk alerting Stewart until he had solid proof.