Free Gamers' Rebellion by George Ivanoff

Tark.
    ‘We need to send you back into the Game, of course,’ said Josie. ‘This time, with a purpose.’
    ‘Greats!’
    ‘Not straight away,’ assured Josie. ‘Go get some food and rest first.’
    ***

    Tark was back at the trestle table with Devon, staring at another bowl of mush.
    ‘I mixed some orange juice in this time,’ said Devon.
    ‘You’re a real … Ya is a real chef.’
    Devon smirked.
    ‘Wot?’
    ‘It’s not a natural way of speaking,’ said Devon. ‘Probably felt fine inside the Game, but now that you’ve got a real mouth and tongue that hasn’t been programmed, it sounds like it’s actually difficult for you to keep talking like that.’
    Tark scowled and shoved a spoonful of mush into his mouth.
    ‘It’s kind of silly to keep talking like that if you’ve got to concentrate on it.’
    ‘Got any ice-cream?’ asked Tark.
    ‘I wish.’
    Tark dropped the spoon back into the mush.
    ‘So what’s with Josie?’
    ‘She’s our leader,’ answered Devon. ‘Our boss. She got us all together. Got us organised. Found this place.’
    ‘Yeah, but what’s her angle? Why’s she doing all this?’
    ‘Her brother,’ said Devon. ‘She and her brother used to live in an orphanage. Then the Designers showed up, wanting kids. They did these tests, getting them all to play games. And they chose some of the kids. Took them. Josie’s little brother Alex was one of them. And he –’
    ‘Never came back!’
    Tark and Devon turned to see Josie standing in the doorway.
    ‘The official story was that he ran away,’ continued Josie. ‘I know that’s not true. The Designers took him. And they did something to him. And I want to know what.’ She walked over to the table. ‘He wasn’t the only one they took.’ She pulled a chair out and sat down. ‘Mel and I are pretty good with computers. So we started to do some snooping. Other orphanages had lost kids. And then there were the homeless kids who disappeared. And the runaways who were never found. Of course, the police don’t care about them.’
    ‘And you think the Designers have all these kids?’ asked Tark.
    ‘Yes. But the more we’ve investigated, the stranger things have become. When we hacked into the Design Institute computer system –’
    ‘You broke into the Game?’ Tark interrupted.
    ‘No,’ said Josie. ‘That’s a separate system. A biological system. I mean their regular computer network. When I hacked into that, someone at the Design Institute caught me. But they didn’t turn me in. Instead, they helped me. Gave me info. Gave me tech info. Even sent some equipment. I mean, it’s old equipment. Real old. Like it was destined for recycling or something. But we use it. That’s how we’ve been able to make the nanos to get you into the Game.’
    ‘So what’s the big deal about getting me into the Game again?’ asked Tark.
    ‘Something is going on in there,’ said Devon.
    ‘There is a sealed off section,’ explained Josie. ‘A hidden environment. Even our informer doesn’t know what’s going on in there. But he thinks it’s something bad. And it’s connected to the missing kids.’
    ‘What makes you think I can do anything?’
    ‘I’m not sure that you can,’ admitted Josie. ‘But we’d really like you to try. Especially now that they have Mel.’ She looked at Tark with a defiant stare. ‘It may be too late for Alex. But I won’t let them keep Mel. I will get her back.’
    Tark nodded slowly. ‘Does it have to be the eyeball?’
    ‘Sorry.’ Josie shrugged.

17: Children

    ‘Is Tark all right?’ asked Robert, as Zyra opened her eyes.
    ‘Yes,’ Zyra answered, rubbing her face and sitting up. ‘He got out.’
    She blinked. The left eye was a bit teary and felt sensitive.
    ‘What was he doing in there?’ asked Robert. ‘And how did he get in?’
    ‘The rebels put him in there,’ said Zyra, rubbing at her eye. ‘I’m not sure why.’
    ‘He had time-limited nanobots and a communications link to