Bee-boop! Aria clicked the fob a second time looking for lights.

  “Over there,” Marko said, pointing to an alley across the street.

  We crossed the street and stood by the vehicle. I didn’t recognize the make, but Marko whistled.

  “That’s a Bentley,” he said. “I call shotgun.”

  I rolled my eyes but didn’t object. He wasn’t much taller than me but would appreciate having more legroom. Aria was nearly my height, but she was driving so it didn’t matter. We piled into the car and I took a moment to appreciate how nice it was. The seats were soft leather, and the door panels were made of real wood. Aria found something interesting when she looked around.

  “Oh, nice,” she said, reaching into the center console. “I haven’t gotten to play with one of these.”

  She pulled out a device that was the same size but about twice the thickness of my iPhone and poked at the screen. The thing made an angry chirp.

  “Shit,” she said, putting it back. “It’s locked.”

  Marko grabbed the device as she pressed a button to start the car. Loud, frenetic metal filled the air, and Aria slapped the power for the sound system, turning it off. She put the car in drive and roared out into traffic, going much faster than I felt was necessary. Marko ignored her driving and continued examining the device.

  “We’ll get Tolun to unlock it for us when we get back,” he said. “These are expensive and it might be useful to have one.”

  He passed it back to me and I inspected the device.

  BlackBerry Onyx

  If you have this, you probably stole it. Magifone. This device is locked.

  “Is that what it looks like?” I said, handing it back to Marko.

  He took it and dropped the thing back in the console.

  “I think so,” he said. “From what I’ve seen, magifones are pretty similar to smartphones. I haven’t used one, so we’ll have to see what it can do.”

  We drove in silence for several minutes, Aria weaving in and out of traffic. Someone honked a horn and she responded by having vines tangle the driver, who nearly hit another car. Aria snickered.

  “Is that a good idea?” I said, looking back at the stopped traffic. “Won’t it draw attention?”

  “The NPCs don’t notice shit,” Aria said. “And they forget twice as fast. Marko could chew off an old woman’s leg in broad daylight, and they’d scream and run, then forget and calm down after a minute or two.”

  “You shouldn’t call them NPCs,” Marko said. “We have no idea what their story is or where they came from. You might want to stop calling the fane ‘elves’ too. One of them is going to stab you.”

  “Fuck ‘em,” Aria said, turning down a different street in a squeal of tires. “Bunch of assholes. I’m calling it like I see it. The people here act like NPCs, despawn like NPCs, and drop loot like NPCs. You rather I call them mobs?”

  “This is not a game,” Marko said, patiently. “It might have the trappings of a game, but it isn’t. I just think we should be cautious until we figure everything out.”

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  Aria responded with a snort.

  “I agree with [Marko]. Caution first!”

  Jasper’s voice startled all of us and caused Aria to swerve slightly. The AI had appeared in the backseat with me and was grinning happily.

  “Love of god,” Marko said. “Warn us first or something.”

  “I’m here to help!” Jasper said. “You should form a party! All party members share vitals and map information with other party members. Parties also come with a chat function to facilitate communication. Check the interface for more functionality. Parties are lit! Would you like to form a party?”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” I said, refusing to acknowledge its use of ‘lit’.

  “Great!” Jasper said, a thumbs up drifting upward. “You need to be in each other’s contacts. [Marko] and [Aria] are all set, but [Victor] still needs to initiate a handshake with each of you.”

  Marko reached a hand into the back and I shook it. Aria had to reach back awkwardly with her left hand, but it didn’t seem to matter. Their names appeared in my chat window.

  System Message: You have added [Marko Kontos] to your contacts.

  System Message: You have added [Aria Brate] to your contacts.

  “Good job!” Jasper said. “Now use your contacts list to invite others into the party.”

  Silence. Nothing happened.

  “Anyone can do it!” the AI said.

  More nothing. Continual nothing. The nothingness persisted, creating a void formed by awkwardness and shame.

  “I guess I’ll invite,” Marko said, finally.

  A new window appeared in my vision.

  [Marko Kontos] has invited you to join a party!

  [Marko Kontos] has invited [Aria Brate] to join a party!

  Join: Y/N

  I clicked yes and circular portraits of Marko and Aria appeared in the upper left of my vision, complete with mini Health and Matrix bars. My mini-map flashed and I saw their dots now had a gold border around the purple.

  “Good job!” Jasper said. “You’re ready to go! Remember, you only have [02:35:19] left before the orientation phase ends.”

  “Is that important?” I said. “Is there something we need to do? Should we get ready for something?”

  “I am unable to answer.”

  Groans filled the car.

  “Useless little shit,” Aria said.

  “Slow down,” Marko said. “The marker is over that house. The English Tudor.”

  Aria slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. She switched off the headlights and put the car in park. The quest marker indicated a large house with stone and half-timber walls and a brown gable. It was surrounded by trees, bushes, and a short stone wall. Lights shone from every window and the exterior was also lit. A pair of guards walked past the driveway, smoking cigarettes, guns hanging from slings. I stared at the place, frowning. It looked familiar.

  “Is that?” Aria said and shook her head. “Is that the house from the motherfucking Godfather?”

  She’d nailed it. It was the house from The Godfather. What the shit? I put the thought aside and checked my mini-map.

  “You’ve seen The Godfather?” Marko said.

  “Of course I’ve seen it,” she said. “I was a bartender, not a barbarian.”

  “The guards’ dots are red,” I said, looking at the house on my mini-map, now helpfully labeled as Nova Sector Control Point.

  “So they are,” Marko said. “I guess we won’t be talking our way in.”

  “Why is the map calling this place a control point?” I said.

  “No clue,” Aria said. “You think they’re home?”

  “It’s getting late,” Marko said. “The Novas are probably home.”

  I glanced at the car’s clock. It was nearly a quarter to ten. Aria saw the time and scoffed.

  “Late for you maybe, old man,” she said. “I’d still be at work.”

  “Do we have a plan?” I said.

  “Kill them and take their shit?” Aria said, shrugging.

  “I was thinking of something a little more organized.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Marko said.

  I considered it. With the lights and guards, it seemed unlikely we’d be able to sneak up to the house. We might take down a few guards quietly, but it was inevitable that one of them would get a shot off. That, in turn, would alert everyone on the block.

  “What can you guys do?” I said. “What abilities do you have? Any useful skills?”

  “I can see in the dark,” Marko said. “Bite through anything and I heal quickly. My wererat form is stronger and faster, and I can give people one-word commands that might be followed, depending on complexity.”

  “I’m tough, heal fast, and can call grapevines to root one target at a time,” Aria said. “When I get hurt, I summon maenads that kick the shit out of my enemies. They can’t take much damage, though.”

  That last ability was interesting.

  “Was that what you did at the club?” I said. “How hurt do you need to be?”

  “Yeah,” Aria said. “It activated when I got shot. The more I bleed, the more maenads I summon.”

  Very interesting. I had an idea.

  “I have a plan,” I said.