Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry Page A

conditions.
    “You’re fond of games,” said Hu, coming at her out of left field.
    She gave him a full second’s appraisal, then nodded. “Sure. Video games, mostly. Some RPG stuff and simulations.”
    “I’m going to shock and possibly offend you,” said Hu.
    She said nothing.
    “According to your debit card purchase history, you’re a frequent flyer at GameStop and other stores. Are you angry that I know this?”
    “I’m not pleased,” she said, “but not surprised. I’ll bet you know all sorts of things about me.”
    She smiled when she said that, and Hu’s pulse jumped a gear. Was that a flirty smile? There was definitely some kind of challenge there. He kept his composure intact, however.
    “Thorough background checks are necessary for reasons you’ll discover shortly.”
    “Oh, I have no doubt.” She paused, then prompted, “Games—?”
    “Right. Games.”
    “What about them?”
    “That’s what I want you to tell me,” said Hu. “What’s your interest?”
    “Amusement?”
    “Please.”
    She shrugged. “The real answer is kind of boring.”
    “Try me.”
    “I like to solve problems,” she said. “The tougher the challenge, the more fun it is.”
    “You bought the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. How’d you do on the Water Temple level?”
    “Is that a serious question?”
    “Yes. Did you beat it?”
    “When I was like … ten?”
    “You survived the jet ski level of Battletoads?”
    “Sure.”
    “What was your best time?”
    “It’s not about best time. It’s about remembering where you died in previous tries. I only played it six times, and beat it on the seventh try. I didn’t have a stopwatch running.”
    “Have you done a speedrun?” he asked, referring to one his own favorite aspects of gaming, which was a play-through of a whole video game or a selected part of it, with the intent of completing it as fast as possible. Although Hu didn’t compete with other gamers except a kid named Jerome Williams—known familiarly as Bug—recently hired by Mr. Church. They were neck-and-neck at speedruns of most games.
    “Sure. Everyone does a speedrun once in a while.”
    “Did you do one of Battletoads?”
    “No,” she said. “Haven’t played it since I beat it.”
    “Why?”
    “I beat it, and then beat it again,” said Bliss. “What would be the point?”
    “To beat your best time…?”
    Hu smiled. “What about Halo: Combat Evolved, the Library level? To beat your best time…”
    Bliss snorted. “Overrated. I beat that on my second try. I expected more.”
    “Super Mario Sunshine, the—”
    “Corona Mountain level,” she finished for him.
    “How fast did you beat that level?”
    She considered. “It’s not about how fast, okay? Only gamer newbies or people who don’t game care about time. It’s about how. For Super Mario Sunshine, you can only get to Corona Mountain by clearing the seventh episode of all other areas. But the real challenge is the boat controls. You have to propel a boat by facing backwards and turning on the spray nozzle, then navigate through a section of platforms with either retracting spikes or fire. But you have to figure out how to use the Hover Nozzle.”
    Hu tried another. “What about level forty of Dead Island?”
    “Not really a fan of zombie games.”
    “But you play them.”
    She gave him another of those coquettish smiles. “I play everything.”
    “Did you beat level forty?”
    “Yes. On my third try.”
    “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for NES? The underwater bomb disarm section?”
    “Set the Way-Back Machine, but sure. When I was eight, I think.”
    “You’re making me feel old.”
    Another smile. “You’re not too ancient.”
    “What’s the hardest game you’ve ever played?”
    She had to think about that. “None of them are what I’d call skull-crackers. If I had to put one up at the top, maybe Super Ghosts and Goblins. I underestimated it because it was harder than I’d heard.”
    “But