Free The Lag (The Game Master: Book #1) by Alex Bobl Page A

"Did you see what kind of Storm it was? It's not at all like the stuff I've seen on YouTube."
    "It was unusual, yes. Visually at least. But if it happened, it means that the game still works. What do you mean by serious problems? Had the game shut down, we'd have exited it automatically. But that's not the case. It's exiting that's the problem. Actually," he snapped his fingers, "I've only just realized it. This shouldn't be happening! Portals can't just shut down. It's never happened before."
    "Aha, so you can't wrap your melon around it, Mr. Smart Programmer, can you?"
    "He's the one with the melon," Attila pointed at the grummer's skull. "Mine is called a head. But you're right, I can't wrap it around all this. This is surreal. As in, impossible."
    "So do you think the Storm could have damaged the portals?"
    He gave it some thought. "Dunno. I can't tell."
    "You're not a programmer, you're a noob."
    Attila shrugged. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Yanna did too.
    "I can't think straight," she admitted. "It must be the Storm. I need a break. I've been in the game for the last twenty-four hours. Right. Clear off now. Go sit on the floor."
    "Why?"
    "Move to the floor, I say. Don't make me lose it. This is my bed. Can't you see it's not big enough for two?"
    He rose. The girl peeled off her boots and stretched out on the bed. He sat on the floor with his back to the wall. After a while, he tried to lie down. He turned this way and that, trying to find a comfortable position. "What if I have a blanket?"
    "What if you don't," she mumbled. "Mind putting the light out? There's a snuffer on the lamp. I need some sleep."
    Attila rose, snuffed out the lamp and lay back down again. Then he removed the bag from his belt and shoved it under his head. The floor was cold against his back. There was no way he could fall asleep.
    The bed rustled. A blanket dropped onto his head.
    "Thanks," Attila wrapped it around himself and closed his eyes. His head felt like a whirlpool of murky jelly. Whatever had happened to the portals? What if this one was simply out of order? Could the other ones be working still? Why had he and the girl thought they were all down?
    No, it didn't make sense. He didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions. Besides, he could always use the emergency logout if he really wanted to. It wasn't difficult: when you logged in in full immersion, there was a pop-up window that explained to you how you could do it. But if he did so, the girl would probably lay her hands on both the Eye and the Triton's Fork. No, that wasn't an option. He would get some sleep and then he'd check other portals. By then, the admins might have already fixed the chat and the bank system.
    He fell asleep without noticing it. And when he awoke, it took him some time to work out where he was. For a moment he thought he was still within the crumpled car, Mom bleeding to death by his side.
    With a yelp Attila sat up, bashing his elbow on the wall. The pain sobered him.
    "Baby's scared? Baby had a bad dream?" the girl scoffed. Her voice was sleepy.
    This bodylicious bitch! He sprang to his feet, bundled up the blanket and threw it over her head. "Wakey wakey, Big Ears!"
    She pulled the blanket off her head and jumped up, clenching her fist. "You do that again and you're toast!"
    He chuckled. "What's wrong with you? No need to be so aggressive. So how do we get out, back via Magneto? Is it going to take us back inside the oven, do you know? Do we need to climb the chimney again?"
    Yanna pulled on her boots, not bothering to answer. She walked over to the shelf and began putting her weapons back on.
    "Listen," Attila went on. "You've got an awful lot of gear here. Can I borrow me a knife? You can add it to the bill if you want."
    "Oh right," she perked up. "The Storm should be over by now. The bank should be working. You can transfer the money now. A hunting knife you can buy, why not. It'll be ten gold."
    He couldn't believe it. "You don't want