Free The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014 by Larry Niven, Nancy Kress, Mercedes Lackey, Ken Liu, Brad R. Torgersen, C. L. Moore, Tina Gower Page B

steel-muscled, bronzed hero like his virtual self … except … it was now rea l !
    He spun and looked at the ratty couch where his pencil-necked geek real-world body always rested. It was gone! The virtual reality helmet lay empty. Oscar’s body was still on the other couch.
    A sudden sheepish look came to his face.
    “What?” Bill asked, dropping into a chair and grabbing a parts catalog to fan his face.
    “I gotta pee,” Marcus said. “That never happened down in the computer.”
    Bill weakly waved toward their small, filthy restroom.
    In a couple of minutes, a bemused look on his face, Marcus returned.
    “Everything big?” Bill said, guessing.
    “Yeah,” Marcus said, grinning. “ Yeah ! ” Then he held up his hands. “We need to discuss everything and make a plan of action. I’m recalling Oscar.”
    He went over and seated himself in front of the server, his large fingers flying nimbly over the keys.
    “Still got my computer skills,” he said with a smile.
    The smile faded as nothing happened.
    “Something’s wrong, Bill. I can’t contact Oscar! That’s bad! Better go in and rescue—”
    “That won’t be necessary,” said an oily voice.
    Marcus jumped to his feet and turned to see Al and two of his goons standing there. All three had large automatic pistols leveled at Bill and him. Al stepped forward and rammed the barrel of his weapon against Bill’s ear. “Who’s Conan the Barbarian over there? I didn’t authorize you to hire anyone new. Where’s that little wimp you used to have?”
    Bill looked at Marcus. “Ah … he’s gone.”
    “Well. Musclehead there isn’t much smarter. Almost got him earlier, but he ran like a little girl. Not sure how, but he got out before the computer slagged itself.”
    “You’re a lousy coder,” Marcus said, which to him was about the worst insult you could hurl at someone.
    “Haven’t got time for you now. Get over there against the wall, flat on the floor.”
    Marcus complied, but he wasn’t through talking. “Where’s Oscar?”
    “He and your little girlfriend Gwen are my virtual prisoners.”
    “Gwen?”
    “Yeah, Gwen—I swiped Bill’s code one day. Got it to work well enough to put her in the machine—most popular of my porn rentals, being interactive and all.” He took the gun from Bill’s ear long enough to wave it at Marcus. “ You ruined that, getting all lovey-dovey with her. Now she wants out. But she ain’t getting out!”
    Marcus slapped his head with one hand. It hurt. “Encrypt sensitive software, stupid,” he said in a disgusted mutter.
    Al sneered. “So I’m taking Bill here. He’s going to improve his code for me and I’m going to rule spam and porn all over the Internet.” The gangster pointed at the server. “Bring that.”
    Marcus saw Bill, wide-eyed, shake his head. He didn’t want Al to know that Marcus was really the one who had written the virtual insertion code. It was his idea, but only Marcus could make that idea work.
    One of the goons put away his gun, went over, and turned the two gnarled knobs to the screws holding the server in the rack. He pulled it out, removed the cords, and stuck it under his arm.
    Al pulled Bill out of his chair and pushed him over to the other goon, who grabbed his collar.
    “You, on the floor there—you’re fired, Conan. No severance or back pay. Consider yourself lucky to be alive.”
    Then they all left, slamming the front door resoundingly.
    Marcus got up, the joy he’d felt in his new body now overwhelmed by despair and fear for his friends. He looked at Oscar’s body and the virtual reality helmet on it. Somewhere Gwen’s body was laying the same way.
    He slammed a massive fist into his hand. Al was now in control of his only three friends in the world.
    Marcus gently put a blanket over Oscar’s body, then stooped and grabbed a few items out of his tool box on the floor. He left quickly, locking the shop and jogging toward his nearby apartment. His server had a