Free Interlude- Brandon by Terry Schott

kid their age, with the athletic build that everyone in the game facility developed. His hair was such a dark black that it gave off an almost bluish sheen in the light. His eyes were dark blue, and he walked with an easy, confident grace. Brandon held out his hand as Easton approached, and Kay silently placed her tablet in his palm.
    “Hi, Brandon,” Easton said. “Thanks for seeing me.”
    Brandon stood up and the two boys shook hands. “Hello, Easton. Let me introduce you to everyone.”
    Brandon made the introductions and the others politely nodded to Easton, quietly listening and sizing him up. They would let Brandon do the interview; any member of the Hand could interrupt and ask a question at any time. After the candidate left, they would all discuss the interview and express their opinions, and if Brandon liked the applicant, they would take a vote. The vote would have to be unanimous for the candidate to be accepted. 
    “I have to admit,” Easton said. “You seem older than five, Brandon. Not many five-year-olds in my Centre would be leading a group like this in the games.”
    Brandon smiled. “I get that a lot. We’re all wondering why you want to join us. You’re a year older than we are, and none of the other kids applying for this spot are. It makes more sense for you to get into a group your own age or even older. We’ve been watching videos of you in the games, and you’re very good. Your rank in the individual games is high, too; a team should’ve snapped you up. What’s wrong with you?”
    Easton laughed and nodded his head. “You’re right, I have a good rank, and others have asked me to join them. I always thought the best way to succeed was to do it on my own. I’ve spent all my time building a high solo rank.”
    “So what changed?” Alan asked. 
    “Someone suggested that I should consider trying out for your group.”
    “Really?” Kay asked.
    “Yeah,” Easton nodded. “So I thought about it, and asked around, and watched you guys play. I think you’re going to do something big, and I want to be part of it. I can bring a lot to your team if you let me.”
    A half hour stretched into an hour. The average interview had taken only a few minutes, but the members of the Hand all seemed to hit it off with Easton. Finally, time was up because they had to go to class. Brandon ended the meeting by thanking Easton for his time and telling him they would be in touch by the end of the day to let him know what they’d decided.
    After Easton left, Brandon looked around to gauge their reactions, and he saw that they were all smiling.
    “Well,” he said, “he is definitely worth a vote. Who wants him to join us?”
    Everyone’s hand shot up and they all laughed and nodded.
    “There it is, then,” Brandon nodded. “It looks like we have a full Hand. Now we can really get dow n to playing some games . ”

 
    Chapter 18
     
    “How did Cooper do in the simulation?” the General asked.
    “He did extremely well, General,” Thorn said. An assortment of graphs and charts were displayed on the main viewer. The General scrutinized the data for the next few minutes while Thorn waited patiently.
    “Yes, I see what you mean,” the General said. “Although it doesn’t look like he actually did anything productive.”
    “Entering the virtual reality matrix is similar to being born. The purpose of the first few sessions is to calibrate the system to his brain functions. Once the preliminary work is complete, you can expect more significant data. His results are above the normal scale.”
    The General nodded curtly. “It’s your show, Mr. Thorn; I defer to your expertise in these matters. When does he go in again?”
    “He’s scheduled for another session tomorrow,” Thorn said.
    “Where do we stand with the Gamers?”
    “I’m building a baseline with Cooper, and then the rest of his Hand. Once I have that all set up, we will begin to set benchmark readings for the students. I expect