Page 9 of Tides of Discovery
“Sounds like quitter talk to me,” he called over his shoulder. He returned with two open beers and handed one to me.
We settled onto the couch, and as I grabbed a slice, Jack’s expression turned more serious.
“Before we eat, I should tell you something.” He set down his beer. “The monitoring software I installed detected a probe of your internet firewall today.”
The slice of pizza suddenly felt heavy. “What do you mean?”
Jack’s jaw tightened. “The firewall held. They didn’t get through. But whoever it was, they were looking around—at you and at any connections to your system. They probed my security monitoring software.”
A cold ripple ran through me, like a draft through an open window. I set down the pizza, suddenly not hungry. “Why were they looking at your security monitoring software?”
Jack’s lips flattened into a thin line. “Probably to test it. We’re dealing with someone serious, Coop. This wasn’t some kid messing around.”
My stomach dropped. If they were probing Jack’s security software, that meant they were studying the very systems meant to protect me. It was like watching someone case your house, testing the locks, learning your defenses.
I forced myself to pick up my pizza again, though it might as well have been cardboard. I needed to appear calm, even if my mind was racing through worst-case scenarios. Could they trace the software to Jack? Was he at risk because of me?
Jack nudged my knee with his. “Come on. Let’s eat. We’ve got ogres to slay tonight.”
I nodded and took a bite of pizza, but it stuck in my throat like sawdust. Even the familiar tang of tomato sauce and the crunch of green peppers couldn’t distract me from my churning stomach as I forced myself to swallow.
Jack loaded up the new game—a fantasy adventure with stunning graphics.
“You look wilted, like you’ve been steaming milk for twenty-four hours straight.” He passed me a controller. “Aside from the hacker, everything okay?”
I took a pull of my beer before answering. “Ryan’s birthday dinner.” I didn’t need to elaborate.
“Ah,” he said, understanding immediately. “Well, if you change your mind about going to the dinner?—”
“I won’t,” I interrupted. “I promised Ryan, and Lily’s expecting me to be there.” I shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “It’s one dinner. I’m a big boy. I can handle some passive-aggressive commentary on my ‘lifestyle choices’ for a couple of hours.”
Jack nudged my shoulder with his. “I know you can. But the offer to be your human shield stands.”
A wave of gratitude washed over me. Jack had always been like this: steady and supportive without making a big deal about it. “Thanks,” I said simply, and hoped he understood how much I meant it.
He held my gaze for a moment, and something flickered in his blue eyes that I couldn’t quite read. Dammit. He was my bestfriend—I’d known him for sixteen years. So why did he confuse me so much?
Before I could think it through, he turned his attention back to the screen. “All right, time to save the world. Try to keep up, McKay.”
The game was immersive and challenging, requiring us to coordinate our movements to overcome increasingly difficult obstacles. Jack was naturally better at it than I was, but he never made me feel inadequate when I failed to execute a particular move or got our characters killed.
“Left! Go left!” Jack shouted as his thumbs flew over the controller. On the screen, ogres swarmed toward our characters. “Use your shield! Hit the shield button!”
“I’m trying!” I jabbed frantically at the controller, mixing up the buttons.
“It’s the square—no, not that one!” Jack groaned as the ogres overwhelmed my character and the screen flashed red. He threw himself back against the sofa cushion. “And we were so close to the treasure.”
“Sorry.” I winced. “I’m better at pulling espresso shots than fighting virtual monsters.”
Jack laughed, his head tipping back. I smiled at the sound. Jack’s laugh had always been infectious—full-bodied and genuine, as if joy were bubbling up from some inexhaustible source inside him.
“Let’s try again.” He restarted the level. “This time, just stay behind me and use your healing powers when I signal. Leave the ogre-slaying to the professionals.”
“Yes, sir.” I mock-saluted. “Supporting role it is.”
We fell into a rhythm then, Jack leading the charge while I maintained our health and occasionally contributed to the battle when the enemies were sparse enough for me to handle. Itworked surprisingly well—his aggressive style balanced by my more cautious approach.
“We make a good team,” Jack said as we finally cleared the level. “Like in college, remember? You kept me from failing biology, and I kept you from becoming a complete workaholic.”
