Earth Force I

By Robert C. Adams

Jason and Kai, two friends from college, are both competitors in the World Championships for Earth Force, a mech-fighter game created by billionaire tycoon, Howard Hunt.

Hunt has secretly been building real battlesuits, based on the technology of a warlike alien race, the Valorians, and using the Earth Force game to find gamers with the right aptitudes and skills to become potential pilots for his machines.

When the Valorians show up on Earth with hostile intentions, Hunt recruits the top Earth Force gamers to defend the planet from certain destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aquila Media
• Release date: Jan 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301980642

Robert C. Adams

Robert C. Adams lives in Spokane, WA. He both an avid reader and an independent writer of science fiction and fantasy.

Book preview

EARTH FORCE I

by

ROBERT C. ADAMS

COPYRIGHT

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and events

contained herein are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Other than historical characters, any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons,

living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2012 by Aquila Media

All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright

Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means,

or stored in a database or retrieval system, without

express permission of the publisher.

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of Aquila Media, Inc.

Smashwords Edition: January 2013

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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CHAPTER ONE

A faint bluish glow emanated from the holographic display, illuminating the long fingers of a hand that reached into the myriad of stars and planets and deftly rearranged their orientation with the merest flick of a finger. In a blur, images of star systems flashed forward coming to rest on a handful of planets grouped around a yellow sun. The third planet, deep blue with patches of land, slowly rotated at the center of the display as a long pale finger reached out and gently touched the center of its image.

Symbols appeared around the projected image of the small blue planet, each of them representing coordinates and possible commands. One symbol began to pulse slowly and the same finger touched it. The blue glow shifted to brilliant white. The hand moved away from the images and the holographic display dissipated from view as a deep hum of energy began to course through the metallic structure of the ship. The stars on the view screen started to move, increasing to a blur as the craft gained momentum, approaching jump speed. A streak of space and stars streamed in every direction as the ship reached critical velocity and jumped toward its destination.

Earth.

A large, dark shape appeared in the night sky, blotting out the stars overhead and silently disrupting signals from nearby satellites. On the blue planet below, emergency systems of countless governments were quietly activated, sending out priority calls and alarms through secure lines, alerting the leaders while the common people, for the most part, remained unaware.

*****

Jason glanced at the readings on the three dimensional holographic display. All systems ready, weapons active, power at full. The retinal scan complete and his identity confirmed as 'Jason Lyons: Pilot, Call sign: Maverick4040', he squeezed the throttle, commencing launch, catapulting his heavily armed mechanized fighter toward the chaotic warzone below.

Rockets arced through the sky, raining destruction down on the desert landscape. Heavy tracer rounds cut across the battlefield, chasing other mechanized fighters as they battled one another in the field. Jason activated the mech fighter's multiple jets and extended its wings, angling his descent toward a heavy tank that was relentlessly lobbing munitions at a mech unit, the heads-up-display marked as a friendly. Jason pulled the heavy caliber hand cannon from its side mount and blasted several shots at the tank. The heavy rounds slammed into the thick armor, knocking the tank from its target.

Jason's fighter landed hard on the ground, impacting the earth around it. The tank swiveled its cannon directly at him, readying for another assault. The heavy explosive shell launched from the barrel as Jason as he leapt toward the tank. The shot passed under him, exploding into a mound of dirt as Jason grabbed the heavy barrel of the cannon with the free hand of his fighter and wrenched it upward. The heavy screech of metal bending and pulling apart cut through the rhythmic pounding of the battlefield. Jason leapt backwards, away from the tank as the next round exploded inside the tank.

Clear of the explosion, Jason quickly dodged to the side as a volley of heavy-caliber gunfire strafed the ground from a squadron of fighter jets swooping in from above. He spun and shot several rounds at them with the massive gun held in his mech's right hand. The jet fighters scattered, veering off in different directions, but one got clipped by Jason's shots and went into a spin, spiraling out of the sky and leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

Warning sensors flashed and Jason instinctively pivoted and flared his own jet engines, sending his fighter hurtling across the terrain. He killed the power to his jets, dropping to the ground and skidding to a stop the spun around to see a mechanized battle unit similar to his own racing toward him with a large glowing blade raised overhead.

Jason slammed the gun back into its clips on the side of the battle unit then pulled his own energy blade from its mount behind the left shoulder. The blade crackled with energy as the couplings in the palm of the unit's hand made contact with the massive blade and he swung it around just in time to block the other fighter's attack. He nudged the power on his jets up a notch, pushing hard as the weight of his opponent leaned down heavily upon him. The structural sensors in his fighter began to sound alarms as the heavy steel groaned and flexed under the strain. Jason pushed harder, increasing the throttle to his propulsion system, forcing the other fighter's blade up just high enough that he was able to sidestep out from under it.

The enemy fighter tripped forward and Jason swung his blade around, smashing it into the headpiece of the unit as it crashed to the ground. His sensors listed another confirmed kill and he was just about to go looking for new targets when there was a knock at the door.

Hey buddy, said Jason's friend Kai as he opened the door and walked into the room. Kai lived just down the hall in the college dormitory and he and Jason were good friends. They had been pals since the beginning of the semester when they had discovered they were both video game fanatics, especially when it came to Earth Force.

Jason shut down the game and the holographic images of the desert landscape and pitched battles of mechanized fighters flickered and faded from view. In their place was Jason's dorm room with its Spartan comforts of a single bed, a reading chair, a small desk and a bookshelf. Other than his schoolbooks and a few posters tacked to the wall, the only other item of note was the large video screen and the game system attached to it.

Nice timing, pal, Jason said with a hint of sarcasm as he pulled off his 3d projection glasses and started unstrapping the game control gloves from his wrists. I was just in the middle of a mission. You wouldn't be trying to mess with my stats or something?

Me? Do such a thing? Kai asked with mock innocence. Never!

Yeah right, Jason said, then put out his fist. Kai met his with own. What's up?

You weren't using the new holograph system, were you?

Yep, Jason said. Sure was.

It's pretty cool, huh?

It's awesome, like you're actually there.

Aren't you supposed to avoid stuff like that though, with your eye and all?

Jason could feel Kai staring at his right eye that was a slightly different color than it was supposed to be. It was an experimental replacement, one of the newest advancements in prosthetic science and the only reason he had gotten one was that his mother had invented it specifically for him. It was still early in the testing phase and Kai was right, he wasn't supposed to interface it with holographic technology.

The neural interface between his artificial eye and the optical receptors still needed adjustment and the doctors, including his own mother, were concerned there might be feedback issues if he exposed himself to certain optical technologies. They had warned him specifically against high-speed, three-dimensional optical tech like the game system he was using. Of course, Jason had thrown caution to the wind and used the birthday money he had received a month ago to pick up the system. Other than a few visual glitches here and there, he had not experienced any problems with his eye and the game system was awesome.

Kai had the same set-up, minus the eye, and Jason was not about to be outdone by his friend and gamer rival. They had both managed to make it onto the shortlist for the upcoming tournament, which would decide who were the top players in the world and who would be declared members of Earth Force: Team One. Winning the tournament would mean a professional gaming sponsorship by the game's creator, the world-famous high-tech industrialist, Howard Hunt.

Jason and Kai both agreed that being professional gamers would be a really cool job and, even the runner-up prize of being game testers on the next version of Earth Force would be pretty awesome as well. Determined to win, they had both put most of their spare time in between classes and their various other extra-curricular activities into the game, playing countless practice matches against one another and improving their skills, all the while maintaining a healthy sense of competition.

Jason shrugged. Whatever. The eye works fine and the new system rules. I'm amazed there's practically no lag with the 3D optics.

I know. I thought for sure it'd be slow, but I think it might even be faster than the regular system.

Yeah, figured I'd get a bit of play in before class, get some more practice in the new environment and up my stats a bit.

Oh yeah? How'd you do?

Ninety-nine percent, Jason said, pleased with his latest score.

Huh. I hit a hundred in mine. Kai smiled at him.

Yeah, right.

You don't believe me?

Maybe, Jason said, but he was skeptical and he was tempted to log back in and check Kai's stats.

Okay, I got ninety-eight, Kai admitted.

Ha! Still, ninety-eight is pretty good.

Yeah, I got clipped by one of those annoying fighter planes.

I hate those guys. They always show up right when you’re in the middle of blasting something way more interesting.

I would have had a hundred percent if it weren't for that.

Sure. I wouldn't worry about it. Anything above ninety-six pretty much gets you into the tournament. In the meantime, try growing some eyes in the back of your head. There's going to be a lot of cherry-pickers and back-stabbers at the games.

Hey, you want to see something really cool?

Sure.

Kai pulled out a memory stick from his pocket and walked over to Jason's game console.

Whoa, Kai. What are you doing?

What?

Come on man, it's a brand new system. And it's working perfectly. The last thing Jason wanted was to have to do a full system wipe because of some corrupted files or a virus. He was hoping to get in at least a couple more practice rounds before the tournament.

Relax, Kai said. It's just a couple scripts I hacked together. Nothing to worry about.

You're positive they're one hundred percent clean?

Kai turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

My files are always clean.

Okay, fine, Jason relented. Kai was meticulous when it came to programming and data security. If he could trust anyone not to screw up his system, it would be him. Even so, Jason was still a little uneasy. It messes up, you're in for it.

Kai flipped on the video monitor, turned on the game console. Once the system had powered up, he plugged the drive into it, picked up the wireless keyboard sitting next to it and opened a couple folders on the drive. He selected a few files and dragged them into the developer subfolder in the Earth Force files that had been saved in the game system's memory. Kai changed a few settings then opened a test-version of the Earth Force game.

Oh crap, Kai said with a tense look on his face.

What? Jason dashed forward, as though his presence at the keyboard might make some kind of different. What's wrong?

Kai burst into laughter. Nothing's wrong. Just messing with your head.

You're a douche, Jason said, knuckle punching his friend in the arm.

You're a douche! Kai yelled, rubbing his arm.

Real creative. Jason shook his head.

Whatever. Check this out.

Kai moved the virtual mechanized fighter around on the screen and Jason immediately noticed how different the interface was from the one that came standard with the game. Kai started a basic offline battle practice session and piloted the mech around the environment as slow-moving enemy tanks, fighter planes and mechs began to attack from different directions.

See how these guys are coming in from all angles, Kai said as he pivoted the mech while targeting the different enemies. Normally, you'd have to turn and target them. For hand-to-hand that's still true, but watch this.

Kai held one of the buttons on the controller and moved one of the control sticks. Jason was surprised to see the entire view circle around three hundred and sixty degrees. The auto-targeting system grabbed each of the oncoming enemies as well and Kai used the standard-issue hand cannon to shoot at each of them as they passed across the view screen.

Eyes in the back of my head, Kai said with a smile. And that's just a taste of what I've been cooking up. I've got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve.

Where'd you get the patch?

Where'd I get it? Duh, I wrote it.

What? You hacked the game core? How did you do that?

Shhhh. Kai put his finger to his lips. It's a secret.

No, really, Jason said. That's supposed to be impossible. Lots of people have tried, but no one has been able to hack EF's game core.

No one else, maybe. Kai logged out of the game, deleted the files and shut down the system. You're a pretty smart guy, Jason. I bet you would be almost as smart as me if you ever came to programming class. Are you coming today?

I suppose I’d better. My mom already found out I skipped Wilson's lecture last week. She wasn't too happy about it.

Dude, it totally sucks that your mom’s a professor.

Tell me about it, Jason said. It's no better than being in high school. No one else has to worry about parent teacher interviews.

Yeah, well we'd better get going or we'll be late.

Kai pocketed his stick drive and headed for the door while Jason grabbed his backpack and followed him out.

CHAPTER TWO

Deep underground, in a secret facility known to only a select few, Howard Hunt leaned over the shoulder of his chief scientist, Dr. Victoria Greer. Both their faces were illuminated by the glow of a computer screen, the only other light in the dark control center coming from the various computer systems in sleep mode. Despite the suggestive cut of her top and the subtle yet enticing hint of lavender from her caramel colored hair, Hunt's attention was oblivious to the obvious attractiveness of the woman who was effectively his right hand in almost everything in his life. Instead, he was fixated on the computer screen, watching as Victoria scrolled through a list of statistics.

Who played that last session? Hunt asked. Victoria pulled up the player profiles.

The pilot goes by the name Maverick4040. She clicked a few links on the screen. His real name is Jason Lyons. College sophomore, triple major; Physics, Computer Science and Astronomy, with a minor in Philosophy.

Ambitious fellow. Hunt scratched the reddish-blonde stubble on his chin. Maverick, huh? That's funny. How are his grades?

"Let's see. He has a 3.2 average. Bs mostly, with a C in Math, an A in Classical Literature and another in Metaphysics.

That’s interesting. It fits with some of our theories.

Would you like me to pull up his confidential records?

Yes. Send them to my secure account with the others. It looks like I have some reading to do before these kids show up at the tournament tomorrow.

Yes sir. You do.

Hunt turned to leave, then paused a moment and looked at the woman who was probably the most trusted person in his company. He trusted Victoria more than anyone, but there were still so many things he still could not share with her, things about which he had been sworn to secrecy, things he probably should have told her anyway, if he really trusted her. And now, with the arrival of the alien ship in Earth space, that trust was going to be tested.

Victoria.

Yes, Mr. Hunt?

Any movement from our ‘friends’?

Victoria pulled up the video feeds from several of the satellites Hunt Industries had in nearby orbit, the few that had not been disrupted by the powerful energy fields emanating from the alien ship that had arrived the previous night. The screens showed an enormous, black, spaceship, holding its position, stationary above the Earth, just outside the gravitational pull of the planet revolving below.

Nothing yet. It's just sitting there, apparently waiting for something. We have also lost three probes in Sector A-37.

That's interesting, Hunt commented, squinting from behind his thin-glasses. Launch several more from the lunar satellite on the same trajectory as the three that disappeared and set them to transmit a constant signal.

But that will completely deplete their power in less than a week.

It doesn't matter. If I'm correct, losing a few probes will be worth it.

Bur sir, Victoria insisted. Each one of those probes costs a million dollars.

So?

You asked me to remind you of our...of the company's financial situation.

That's true, Hunt said with a nod. But we have already paid for those probes and it isn't like we could sell them if we needed to. Right?

True... Victoria did not sound convinced.

The reminder of the financial situation his company was in had been irritating Hunt and it unintentionally filtered into his voice. Just send the probes, Dr. Greer.

Of course, sir, she said.

What about the tournament tomorrow? Is everything ready?

As ready as we'll ever be, Victoria told him, thinking about the countless details she still had to check into, to make sure things would run smoothly.

With everything riding on the tournament, the arrival of the alien ship had created a lot of uncertainty. As inconceivable as such an event might have been a few days ago, it was a new reality, one that could disrupt everything they had worked toward and bring Hunt Industries crashing down around them. Hunt had bet everything on this project. Victoria could tell her boss was feeling the pressure of it, but she wondered if she might be even more worried than he was. She would certainly feel better once the doors opened without any incidents, particularly any involving the mysterious ship that was parked in orbit.

Hunt appreciated how dedicated Victoria was to her job and he could tell that Victoria was under a lot of pressure. However much he relied on her and while he was just as anxious for things to go well at the tournament tomorrow, Hunt Industries was ultimately his responsibility. Hunt wondered if he should say something encouraging. He took a deep breath and steadied his nerves.

Good work, he said, then shook his head. Great work, Victoria. You're doing a fantastic job. For some reason it sounded awkward. She turned to him with an expression that was equal parts confusion and amusement.

Victoria knew Hunt was not the sort of person to acknowledge such things. It was not because he was uncaring, but rather that he was often too preoccupied with his own thoughts to remember the people around him. That aspect of his personality had taken some getting used to when Victoria had come to work for the company.

Outwardly, to the public and in his business dealings, Hunt was charming and charismatic. That was the man Victoria had thought she would be working for, but she quickly discovered that privately, he was very different. For the first little while she was even half-convinced Hunt might actually hate her and but she had quickly learned that he was just like a lot of geniuses; a bit awkward, occasionally abrasive and even seemingly cold at times. It was not intentional, just incidental to his intellect.

Victoria had eventually come to take it as a compliment that he was comfortable enough around her not to worry about pleasantries but she was still pleased when he would make the effort. At the same time, it was a rare enough occurrence that she found it a little strange.

Thank you sir, she said. Are you feeling okay?

Hunt coughed uncomfortably.

Fine, fine, he said. I have a meeting in Washington. Please alert the flight staff and let know I'm on my way up.

Right away, Mr. Hunt. The crew has the rest of your itinerary and there are several changes of clothes for tomorrow. I'll see you at the tournament.

Very good, said Hunt and headed toward the high-speed elevator that would whisk him up to the surface.

Victoria pressed a button on her handheld, speed dialing the aircrew that was standing by in the hangar up, far above the underground facility. Hunt entered the elevator and punched a button. A moment later, the doors closed and he was gone. Victoria pulled up the relay link to a satellite Hunt had placed on the far the moon and punched in the access codes.

*****

In the near dark, lit only by the stars and hidden from view from the Earth, a satellite bearing the logo of one of Hunt's subsidiary companies called Advanced Propulsion, powered up. A door slid open and the satellite's launching system sent three small devices hurtling into space. The probes began broadcasting data on a frequency known only to a very few people, all of whom worked for Hunt. The signals were broken up into bits, the intermittent transmissions emulating random cosmic noise that would appear nonsensical to anyone or anything that might be listening. Hopefully, whatever information they sent back would answer some questions.

*****

It was early morning, but the convention center was already packed when Jason and Kai pushed their way through the gathering crowd, there to either play in or watch the World Championship matches in the Earth Force gamer competitions. Rumors had spread across the net the night before that the game's creator, Howard Hunt himself, would be officiating the final match. The few remaining tickets had been snatched up and some people had even managed to sell extra tickets they had for twenty times the original price, to those who hoped to catch a glimpse of the elusive and ultra-secretive Mr. Hunt.

Jason and Kai arrived at a registration area where a line of young gamers has already formed at a long table with numerous check-in attendants who were busily confirming IDs and assigning numbers to the registered competitors. In the line, standing just in front of the two boys, was a girl with reddish hair and a light speckling of freckles across her face. Next to her was a younger boy who looked as though he might be from somewhere in the Middle East. Oddly, the boy was not dressed like most of the other people at the convention center but instead wore a suit and tie, which made him look sort of like a miniature businessman. Kai gave Jason a nudge with his elbow and nodded at the girl as they settled into the line.

Is this the registration line? Kai asked the girl. She turned and looked at him, then she pointed up ahead to a large banner with the word 'REGISTRATION' printed in big bold letters.

That is what the sign says, she told him, revealing her British accent.

Oh, right, Kai said, inwardly kicking himself for asking such a dumb question. He could tell Jason was trying not to laugh.

You're a quick one, aren't you? quipped the girl.

Jason extended his hand to her, rescuing Kai. Hi, I'm Jason. And this is Kai.

I'm Jessie...Jessica, and this is Ali, she replied, gesturing to the boy who was with her.

Ali nodded his head. You're both gamers? he asked. Jason thought his accent sounded like Ali was from India, but he was not sure. Kai glanced at Ali for a moment but quickly turned his attention back to Jessie.

No, we just like standing in line at game conventions, he joked, but his attempt at humor was a complete failure and his smile started to fade. After an awkward moment, Jessie smiled at him.

Right. You any good? she asked. Kai's face brightened again.

Am I any good? He turned to his friend. Jason, am I any good?

He's pretty good, Jason confirmed.

Pretty good? Kai I'm awesome.

Modest too, Jason teased.

Whatever, Kai said, with mock disgust. I'm just stating a fact.

Okay, you're awesome, Jason said. You happy now?

Very. Kai folded his arms with a self-satisfied grin on his face. Jason shook his head and laughed. Awesome.

Jessie looked suspiciously at Kai for a moment, then at Jason, as though somehow trying to discern whether they had any skills or not. She wondered whether she had met them in the online world at some point and figured she probably had if they were both actually in the correct line. Still, not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, at least not outwardly, she gave them a tired roll of her eyes looked away.

Awesome? I guess we’ll just have to see if you're telling the truth, she said.

I would think that everyone in this line is likely to be fairly skilled. It is a pleasure to meet you both, Ali said, smiling at both Kai and Jason.

Check in was moving more quickly now and the line moved steadily forward as a number of gamers successfully registered, received their welcome information and were sent off to find their assigned game consoles. As Jason, Kai and their new acquaintances neared the front, they could see that some commotion had erupted at the registration desk.

A heavyset kid with unkempt hair, carrying several plastic shopping bags filled with various items was arguing with one of the registration clerks.

What? the kid yelled in a loud and unruly voice. How come I'm not on the list? This is ridiculous!

Come on man, there are a lot of people waiting, said a Japanese kid behind him, who was dressed in what looked like some kind of racing outfit.

Shut up, Maru, the heavy kid said, his round face turning a deeper shade of red.

My name is Maro, not Maru.

What's the difference?

He turned away from the Japanese kid named Maro and leaned over the desk, trying to look at the data tablet the registration clerk was using.

You're not on the list, Mr. Allen, said the clerk.

Check again. Chet Allen, Gangsta47, he said, getting more agitated. This is ridiculous. I'm the top scorer in the world. Look for it! G A N G S T A 4 7!

Chet dug into one of his plastic bags and pulled out a half eaten bag of pork rinds. He shoved a few of them in his mouth and crunched them loudly while he waited for the clerk to look for his call sign. Behind the desk, a large monitor that had previously displayed the Earth Force game logo switched over to a screen that showed the top online score rankings for the game. The call sign, Gangsta47 was shown as number two, right below Maverick4040. Chet saw the list and pointed at it.

See! There. That's me. Okay, so I'm the second highest. Number two.

The Japanese kid named Maro laughed. That sounds about right, he said to no one in particular. Chet heard him though and he turned around.

Shut up, Maru, before I clobber you, he threatened. Maro just shrugged and made his way down the registration table to where another clerk had become available.

The clerk in front of Chet, pulled up some files on his data tablet, then he sighed and cleared his throat.

"I am sorry, Mr. Allen, it says here that your online entry fee has not been paid.

What! What fee?

You had to enroll in the competition, the Clerk told him. If you didn’t pay the fee, you won’t be on the list.

What! Can I pay it now? How much is it?

Twenty dollars.

Chet dumped his bags on the floor and started digging around in his pockets, pulling loose change along with various bits of lint and scattering them on the table along with a few crumpled dollar bills. He furiously organized the coins and counted out his money but it came out to less than five dollars.

That's all I got, he said, looking hopefully at the clerk.

I'm sorry, but those are the rules. There's an ATM near the entrance...

That's all I got, Chet repeated, and his voice cracked a little. Can you make an exception? I don't have any more money.

Jason, along with a number of the other gamers waiting in line had heard the exchange and he was about to dig into his own pockets to see if he had a few dollars to spare when Ali beat him to it. His leather-soled shoes clicked softly on the marble floor as he strode forward from the line and pulled out a neatly folded wad of bills from his suit jacket pocket. He peeled off a twenty and handed it to the clerk.

A worthy opponent, he said, nodding his head at the kid named Chet. I look forward to battling you this day, Gangsta47.

Uh, hey, thanks, Chet stammered, realizing that Ali had just paid his fee. You didn’t have to do that, you know.

No, I did not. But I did it anyway.

Look, I'll pay you back. Here, take what I've got. Chet began to scrape his coins and his few dollars off the desk. Ali shook his head and smiled.

No. That will not be necessary. Someday, if you see a person who is stuck and needs help, be it some money from your pocket or something else you can do to help them back onto their path, then you owe this favor to that person. I believe it is called paying it forward, yes?

Yeah, I guess, Chet said, a little sheepish, but genuinely grateful.

Then best of luck to you. Ali smiled and headed toward a spot that had opened up further down the table next to the clerk where Jessie was already sorting out her registration as well. Chet shoved his money back in his pocket and continued with his registration.

Jason was up next and Kai moved to the next spot at the table where another clerk had become available. While they were registering, Jessie wandered back over with her competitor pass and her welcome bag in her hand. She walked up between them.

Hey, Ali and I are going to go explore a bit. It was nice meeting you.

Jason was in the middle of talking with the clerk but he smiled at Jessie, letting Kai take the lead. He could tell his friend was interested in the girl, and it was the best thing a good wingman could do, to hang back and let his pal take the shot.

You too, Kai said, warmly. Maybe we can catch up later. Jessie smiled. Ali approached and nodded at Jason and Kai then he and Jessie walked toward the entrance to the main part of the convention center, heading for the special entrance to the competitors' area.

Just inside the gate, Dr. Victoria Greer stood greeting the arriving competitors, wishing them luck in the upcoming games. Victoria felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Hunt smiling at her from behind his rimless glasses. He had worn the suit she had selected for him, but had decided to forgo the tie, leaving the top button of his shirt open, giving him a look that was at once respectable and easy-going, if not casual. The two contestants Victoria had been greeting stood with their mouths open, gaping at Hunt, who smiled at them as well.

And who do we have here? Hunt asked. Jessica Channer, but your friends call you Jess or Jessie. He shook hands with the girl, who recovered from her gawking and smiled. I'm Howard Hunt. Welcome to Earth Force One.

Nice to meet you, Mr Hunt, Jessie said. Hunt turned to the fellow with her.

Nice suit, young man, Hunt commented. Armani, if I'm not mistaken.

Yes, you're correct, Ali replied, shaking Hunt's hand.

I've met your father, Hunt told him. He was surprised to see the boy frown a little at that comment.

I am here of my own accord, Ali replied, his tone a little brusque for a brief moment, but the smile quickly returned to his face. But I am not surprised you would know him, given the many business interests in which you are involved, Mr. Hunt.

I do have a hard time keeping track of it all sometimes, Hunt joked. Enjoy the competition. I'm sure you'll both do very well.

Thank you, Mr. Hunt, Jessie said, then she and Ali continued on into the competitors' area. Victoria gave Hunt a slightly disapproving look.

I was wondering when you were going to make it, she commented.

It's still early, Hunt protested. Plus, I'm a busy guy, which you already know since you're the one who organizes my schedule.

I try to organize your schedule, Victoria said. Are you using the new glasses?

Yeah, they're great, Hunt said, pulling the glasses away from his face for a moment. As the lenses moved away from his eyeball, the light projected on them became visible. He slid the frames back onto the bridge of his nose and the visual projections recalibrated, adjusting for the change in position from where they had been a few moments before.

The glasses, which looked like any other pair of glasses, were linked to a neural implant that allowed him to call up information from a data link and then project the information graphically. The technology had been developed by one of his partner companies in the medical field and they were currently working with several university researchers Hunt had funded, to develop a version that would not require glasses, interfacing directly with the optic nerve or possibly bypassing it altogether. It was a very exciting development that had a multitude of possible applications.

Coincidentally, or perhaps serendipitously, one of the test subjects for that particular technology was also one of the top ranked contestants at the games. Hunt's visual data-feed confirmed it as the facial recognition software automatically identified a young man who was walking toward him, accompanied by another contestant in whom he was also interested for similar reasons.

Jason Lyons, Hunt said, and Kai Chen. Welcome to the tournament, gentlemen.

You're Howard Hunt, Kai said with obvious surprise. Cool!

Thanks, Hunt said with a laugh.

Very nice to meet you Mr. Hunt, Jason said, extending his hand. Hunt shook the young man's hand and was immediately impressed with his confidence. He noticed the slight difference in color between Jason's eyes and sent a signal for his optical program to focus on the one he already knew to be artificial, something that had been detailed in the files Victoria had sent him earlier. The software conducted the equivalent of a retinal scan, looking for anomalies, and came back with nothing other than the young man's identity as confirmed. Clearly the prosthetic eye was a highly advanced design and perfectly matched to his secure retinal record. Hunt made a mental note to make a few inquiries about it later.

My people tell me you're one of our top gamers, Hunt said, realizing he had been staring.

I do my best, Jason replied with an easy smile and a modest shrug. Hunt nodded thoughtfully.

Your profile says you've upgraded to the new holographic console as well. Any problems? Do you like it?

It's great. I think it might even be faster than the video version.

Ha! Hunt was impressed. "You noticed. It is slightly faster.