to get the jitters. There’s really no need to be nervous.”
I blinked. Logically, he was right. But that didn’t preclude the sudden butterflies. “I mean, should I bring something? Are we ready for this?”
He shrugged his characteristic low-key shrug. “Just dress nice. They’re old school and family dinner is a formal affair.”
“Uh… oh. Okay.”
I guess time would tell if we would be convincing or not. If we failed this initial interview, they’d call us in for follow-ups that would probably be harder to answer.
I blinked. Until then, I had a lot of studying up to do in the next two weeks. And tomorrow night’s Meet the Parents event would be my initiation.
My baptism by fire.
Chapter 5
Lucas
“So which is it going to be, a flight simulator or a first-person shooter?” Hammer raised the paper coffee cup to his lips, took a sip, then set it down.
I stared across the table from him, and up from my currently blank paper, which was supposed to hold the notes from our brainstorming ideas. Except that in here, so far, it had hardly started sprinkling with no storm whatsoever imminent on the horizon. And no ideas for the game that would make me the first director of Draco’s shiny new virtual reality division.
I flicked the pen in my hand and sat back in my chair. The surrounding workstations in the Den were all empty. It was just him and me at the scrum table (so we called it) and a pen and blank sheet of notebook paper between us. “It’s true that both formats are ideal for the virtual reality interface format.” I answered neutrally. Neither of those ideas excited me, even if they did make sense.
Hammer nodded. “Well, I can give you advice on both. I have combat training as well as being a pilot.”
“Exactly the reasons I asked for your help on this. I really appreciate it, man.” I threw a glance at him and shifted in my chair. “But I’m looking for an idea that will blow them away. Something different and unique.”
“—And doable.” He nodded. “You definitely have to pitch something that will be possible to produce. Adam Drake is a genius when it comes to programming and games. If you go to him pitching something pie in the sky, he’s going to recognize that immediately.”
I rubbed the sudden tension knotting the back of my neck and glared at the ceiling. “I know… that’s what’s got me drawing a blank.”
“Well there’s Battle Royale, which is the most famous of the VR first-person shooters. We could try some twist on it. Maybe more players at a time, or a scenario mode or—”
I scribbled down those suggestions and then dropped the pen so it rolled across the notebook.
Hammer frowned. “Do you wanna do this another time? You seem distracted.”
I returned my gaze to him, straightening from my previous dejection. “Nah, man. That’s okay. Thanks so much for coming in to help.”
He smiled crookedly. “I’m a big fan of video games, especially Draco products. I had the time. And I had to admit to hoping to see some more of the place.”
I stood. “I can do that. In fact a walk around might help get the blood circulating and the ideas flowing.”
So once again, I was escorting an astronaut through the corridors of the Draco campus. Only today, I had him to myself so I could pick his brains, for whatever good that would do.
“I hear you just got married. Congratulations,” he said.
I raised my brows in surprise. It seemed weird, hearing it from someone I barely knew. Even weirder than hearing it from my closest friends. I wasn’t sure why. It hardly seemed real to me at all—mostly because it wasn’t. And I’d never mentally prepared myself for having to go through all this painfully awkward playacting about it.
“Uh yeah, thanks. So here’s the ideas room.” I led him past a room that had no windows open to the outside world besides the small one in the door. I couldn’t let him inside. During business hours the room was used for groups to work in. But when unoccupied, the doors were open for any employee to post notes or write on the walls with productive ideas for games or for running a better company. Once a month the ideas were printed up, collated and presented to the officers in summary form. From there I had no idea what they did with them. Probably round-filed.