it worked. She’s still connected to the world, to some of the sensations, but I didn’t want her to feel pain. And can you blame me? You did the same thing when you gave Ryo extra lives. Rules are rules, but not when they apply to our children’s safety.”
I could blame him. “You were the one who damaged the code?”
Ms. Takagi shook her head. “He doesn’t have the skill for that. Who’d you use?”
He adjusted his glasses. “Abrams.”
Ms. Takagi paled. “I fired Abrams for incompetence. And you let him play with my source code?”
“I had to. You never told the players you were sending shock waves into their brains. You inadequately warned them of the dangers involved.”
“It wasn’t dangerous until you broke it. Seven children are dead.”
“My daughter could be next, and whose fault is that?”
“Yours! You messed up my code, and your daughter—”
“She doesn’t know what she’s done. She’d never hurt anyone in real life. She doesn’t realize it’s more than a game now.”
“Someone needs to tell her,” I said.
Ms. Takagi let out a sharp breath. “Grigfen314 already has. She didn’t believe him. I hope Ryo can convince her, but…”
Mr. Carrington pressed his hand against his forehead. “This was not what I intended. No one said anything about anyone being killed.”
My arms shook. Doing nothing was torture. I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit here and watch Grig die. He was too dang adorable to die without me telling him so.
And I was the only one who could get into the game. I was the only one who could reach McKenna.
They had to let me try.
I let go of Grig’s hand. “Let me go back in.”
They faced me.
“No,” Ms. Takagi said.
“I can make her listen. I’ll give her a message from her dad like I did with that sultan of three moons thing for Ryo. You can think of something she will believe is from you and I’ll tell her to put her weapons down.”
Ms. Takagi bit her thumb then shook her head. “The code is too corrupted. If you go back in there, we won’t be able to pull you out again.”
“Then leave me in.”
Mr. Carrington lowered his hands. “It could work, Nao.”
“You don’t talk to me.” Then Ms. Takagi stilled, considering. “No. I won’t risk another life. I can’t. It would damage the code and accelerate the corruption.”
I could do this. But if she was right, then it meant risking my life, everyone’s lives, to do it.
I knew better. My life mattered and I always would fight to save my own life.
But I was the one who people always helped. I was the one with the need. And now there was something I could do. Something only I could do.
I wanted to save Grig. I wanted to be the one to save all of them.
“I can do this. I can convince her to stop. They’ll get the armor and win the game and I’ll be freed with the rest of them.”
Ms. Takagi clenched her eyes closed. “I promised your mother you’d be safe.”
Oh, my mom would be so pissed if I did this. But I’d deal with that argument with Grig at my side. “Even if it means I could save your son?”
Ms. Takagi’s jaw pulsed. She studied her son from a distance. “Even then.” She swallowed. “I can’t allow you into the game. That’s final. They are on their own.”
I dropped my hands.
“Excuse me.” She fled out of the players’ hall, her hand covering her mouth.
Mr. Carrington sniffed and studied me.
I couldn’t give up. Maybe he would help me break in. He’d already changed the whole game.
“I’m sorry for your friend,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry for what I put in motion.”
I rolled my chair closer. “Then you need to help me fix it.”
29
MCKENNA
Purple and pink columns skimmed over the ocean like a skipping rock. “Wow,” I said under my breath, “they sure travel quickly.”
My nervous stomach churned with stage fright. Dagney Tomlinson and Ryo Takagi-Vinton. Ryo was a main character of the whole game, so surely his skills were maxed out, and Dagney’s ranking was in the top three. Plus they’d been working together, so they’d have the advantage of having a teammate.
I’d use Grigfen’s death as a distraction and take them out.
It was a solid plan. Otherwise they’d team up against me, and the one thing I would not accept was to die a pathetic death. No tripping over the edge, no being crushed by a statue. No. If