Gamers' Rebellion Read Free

dish and a glass slide, also moved off. The older boy continued to stare at Tark.
    ‘Tara, set up the last scan,’ the boy ordered.
    ‘And Len, go get the boss.’
    The younger boy raced off.
    The older boy moved around to the head of the table. He put his hands on either side of Tark’s head and straightened it so that Tark was looking up towards the ceiling – except that his view of the ceiling was blocked by some sort of machine. A machine that was descending towards him.
    Tark tried to move, to jump up from the table and run off, but all he managed to do was twitch his arms and legs.
    ‘Okay,’ said the boy. ‘Do it!’
    A bright white light flashed from within the machine, blinding Tark.

6: Administrators

    Robbie led Zyra into another sterile white room. This one had a white table with three people seated behind it. The woman in the centre wore a dark blue suit, her peach- coloured lipstick matching the colour of her tie. Her dyed black hair was short and spiky. The woman to her left also wore a blue suit, but of a lighter shade, with her hair and makeup mimicking that of the other woman. The man wore a white lab coat, with a pale blue jumpsuit beneath. All three were intently studying computer tablets, their fingers brushing the surfaces and scrolling through information.
    Robbie pointed to a lone white chair positioned a metre in front of the table.
    Zyra raised an eyebrow but remained where she was.
    ‘Sit,’ said the woman in the centre, indicating the chair, her attention never leaving her tablet.
    The other woman stifled a yawn.
    Zyra cleared her throat loudly before striding forward to sit purposefully in the chair, her feet placed firmly on the floor in front of her – ready to leap up at a moment’s notice. It was only once she was in the chair that she realised it was quite low, forcing her to look up towards the people behind the desk. From her position, Zyra saw that the desk was quite high, the people behind it seated on stools, their feet well off the floor.
    Robbie positioned himself behind her right shoulder.
    The woman in the centre continued working on her computer tablet, fingers tapping away. The other two now placed their tablets on the table and stared at Zyra, eyes not betraying any emotion. They both looked rather tired.
    ‘Where’s Tark?’ asked Zyra, deciding to jump in and start the conversation. ‘I want to see him.’
    The woman in the centre held up a single finger as an indication for Zyra to stop talking.
    Zyra huffed and crossed her arms.
    The woman placed the tablet flat onto the surface of the table and looked down at Zyra. She pursed her peachy lips.
    ‘We are the Administrators,’ she announced as if expecting a standing ovation. Her voice was loud and precise. ‘I am the Chief Administrator.’
    The woman to her left spoke next, her manner and inflection a carbon copy of her superior. ‘I am Second Administrator Dorien.’
    The man, by contrast, spoke softly and slowly, although his eyes never lost their hard edge. ‘And I am Third Administrator and Designer-in-training, Welbourne.’
    Zyra noted that he appeared a lot younger than the other administrators. They were, Zyra guessed, somewhere in their thirties or forties, while he couldn’t be more than twenty-five.
    There was silence as the three of them continued to look at Zyra with inscrutable gazes.
    Zyra tightened her arms in front of herself. ‘Well, my name –’
    The Chief Administrator cut her off with another raised finger. ‘We are well aware of who you are,’ she said. ‘The question is – what is to be done with you?’
    Administrator Welbourne shifted his gaze from Zyra to Robbie. ‘The scans indicate that the clone body is functioning correctly. You, robot, have interacted with her directly. Report.’
    Zyra couldn’t help noticing the way he said the word robot , as if it were some kind of insult.
    ‘Zyra appears to be adapting well to her new body,’ said Robbie, glancing briefly at