20,000 Nerds Under the Sea (3 page)

“THIS . . . IS REBOOTCON,” A VOICE THUNDERED THROUGH
hidden speakers that lined the long, tunnellike hallway that led to the main floor.

“Why is it so dark in this place?” asked Corinne.

Fake fog began to ooze across the floor, and the tunnel began to widen. The group kept walking through the bluish haze.

Roaarrr!

A giant shark swooped down from the ceiling, its jaws opened wide. The beast had huge, sinister eyes and
was headed straight toward Neil.

“Flying sharks! It's finally happening!” screamed Biggs, tucking his head and arms inside his XXL Beed Industries T-shirt.

“Relax, weirdo, it's just a hologram,” said Trevor.

Neil looked at the shark and saw that Trevor was actually right—it was a hologram, and an incredibly lifelike one at that. As the shark swam away, the same voice boomed again.

“Be the first to play the never-before-seen Captain Jolly's Shark Hunt. Only at RebootCon.”

Cool, a brand-new game.

They finally entered the convention center, a genuine gaming paradise, full of everything Neil had dreamed of. The maze of booths contained game prototypes and lots of free swag—from coffee cups to sunglasses. Crazed convention-goers ran from one booth to the next, arms full of goodies.

“Dudes, there's a game about tying knots for speed,” said Dale. “This is the best day of my life.”

“And, my heavens, a game about saddle oiling!” Riley cried.

Practically all the games were new, with a few using
some of the latest motion-capture technology. One offered the most realistic sled-riding simulation, while others re-created ancient battles.

“Hey! How'd you guys get in?” said Harris. Neil looked around but couldn't see his friend.

“Harris!” Neil said, a little surprised. “Harris?”

“Down here,” said his voice. He was sitting on the floor, repairing his game's console. It was a retro stand-up arcade game, like the one Neil had played at the pizza parlor. A few kids in Feather Duster 3 outfits were manning the booth. Neil glanced up to see he was in front of booth 330.

“I'm glad you guys made it in,” said Harris, half his attention still on his malfunctioning game.

“Us too,” replied Trevor.

“This place is pretty cool, right? My employees said that Reboot might come into the building—I can't believe it,” said Harris. “Pretty risky move. He's wanted by, like, five different countries for not taking down his website.”

Neil could hear the eagerness in Harris's voice. International gaming fugitives could turn even Harris into a fanboy.

“Hey, JP, mind taking a look at this with me?” asked
Harris. “I could use any help I can get. I'm getting error messages I've never even encountered before.”

As JP and the others crowded around Harris and his ostrich arcade game, Neil's, Sam's, and Biggs's attention was drawn to the back of the room.

Along the wall was a big stage with a huge screen in the shape of a hundred-foot shark. In front, black curtains covered two bulky objects the size of bulldozers.

“RebootCon! Are you ready?” announced a voice through the speakers.

“What is that game?” asked Neil in a trance. “What's going on?”

“Oh, that? Another world premiere,” said one of Harris's assistants. She wore the same Beed Industries T-shirt as Neil but also sported an ostrich-beak nose. “Captain Jolly's Shark Hunt. It's from a new designer; nobody really knows anything about it. Looks pretty cutting-edge, though.”

“Sharks, really?” Neil questioned. “I mean, they're cool—I just need something faster.”

“Oh, it's plenty fast. So powerful it takes three people to control it.”

“Oh, whoa, three people? That sounds intense.”

“It's supposed to be the best game here.”

Neil looked toward the stage and began pushing through the crowd. The new game pulled him like a magnet. He had to play it. Lately, Neil had been desperate for a new game. He had been breaking all his high scores, whether it was controlling jets, ostriches, or spacecraft. Not from a cheat code, but from Neil being too good, apparently. It was as if the games were letting him know he needed a new challenge.

“And looks like you'll be playing second, ManofNeil,” said Sam, edging a few steps ahead of Neil. She happened to be a big fan of sharks. Neil went faster, breaking into a run—his first exercise since last week's gym class.

“And I call dibs on third!” said Biggs, his frame bobbing with long strides.

The trio dodged a small army of ax-wielding goblins before arriving at the huge shark-shaped screen. They watched a girl in a shark costume grab hold of the black curtains hiding the two giant objects.

“People of RebootCon. I'm Miss Jolly Rogers the Third. And behold, Captain Jolly's Shark Hunt,” announced the girl. The stage and convention center went dark as she pulled back the curtains.

The spotlights revealed two monstrous shark heads. Each had room for three players to stand in its open jaws and view the screen through the foot-long teeth.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “I'm your host, referee, and commentator, here to take you all on the hunt.”

She wore a headset microphone, and her long hair was a dark crimson that framed her slender face. It was dotted with tiny freckles, making her skin look like sunburned porcelain.

In a foam shark costume, she walked the stage confidently, giving the crowd a big smile. She strutted like a runway model.

“Who dares to brave the sting of defeat for a chance at fame?”

Neil stepped closer to the stage.

“We dare!” shouted Biggs, waving his hands. “We will dare that sting!”

“Well then, step right up!” answered Jolly.

“Wait, but how do you play?” asked Neil.

“Who knows!” said Biggs.

He took the stage with a giant leap, while Neil and Sam took the stairs. They met up in one of the fake shark heads. It was incredibly lifelike, and Neil had to touch its skin to make sure it wasn't actually slimy and wet.

“Is this supposed to be a megalodon?” asked Sam. She studied the fake teeth intensely.

“Indeed,” said Jolly. “The fiercest, most gigantic prehistoric shark that ever existed. The most powerful sea creature there ever was.”

“Even compared to those mythical squids?” said Biggs.

“Biggs, if the megalodon were still alive today, every single creature would be in trouble,” said Sam. “It probably would've evolved, grown legs, and eaten all of us. These sharks had hundreds of giant teeth, each up to seven inches long!”

“Be warned, Beed family,” continued Jolly. “This will not be easy.”

“We're definitely not a family!” corrected Sam.

“Well, you're all snazzy dressers, that's for sure,” the host said. “And, facing off in the megalodon jaws across from you, your opponents.”

Jolly welcomed three young ladies dressed as mermaids who would pilot the other shark.

“Now—battle stations, everyone!”

Neil, Biggs, and Sam shuffled to the three control podiums. Neil was in the center, with Sam to his right.

“Before we get started, enter your names from Reboot's site to pull up your profiles,” said Jolly. “We want to keep any records set here today.”

Neil looked out to the crowd that had formed. So many people were watching, and he tried to forget the fiasco that had happened with his drone.

“My, my,” said Jolly as Neil, Biggs, and Sam tapped in their screen names. Their high scores for games hosted on Reboot Robiskie's server popped up. “You lot are very impressive. Take your positions.”

The lights on the stage dimmed as a countdown from twenty seconds began. Neil clasped his hands together to stretch his fingers.

16 . . . 15 . . . 14 . . .

“I call next game,” shouted Trevor. “I'll show you all how it's done.”

“This match is a timed event, and winners will receive a free copy of the game as well as a lifetime supply of Rogers ketchup, the main sponsor of Captain Jolly's Shark Hunt!” said Jolly, raising her hands to drum up applause. She had the endless energy of an infomercial salesperson. “Throughout the level, there are gold coins in a pirate shipwreck. Steer your shark
to collect the gold. The team that collects the most coins and deposits them back at their team treasure chest wins.”

9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . .

Neil surveyed the game. The level was a rocky underwater scene, with glimmering coins buried in groves of seaweed and coral cliffs.

“And one more thing,” said Jolly. She pushed a button on her tiny control console, and two massive holograms of the sharks appeared over the audience. The sharks swam in place with realistic fin movements as gold coins twirled overhead. It was like the stage, and the entire convention center, was one huge video game.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1

In a flurry of bubbles, Neil's shark quickly began to cruise through the level. Biggs was in charge of the tail fin, which controlled the speed. Using a motion-sensing control, Biggs waved his arms to help their shark accelerate.

“Prepare to watch the most graceful tail wagging you've ever seen,” said Biggs.

Sam was in charge of biting, diving, and surfacing, and Neil steered. After logging countless flight hours
together, both real and in virtual reality, the three worked well as a team.

Their hologram shark swam through the game's level, chomping down gold coins. Neil steered them back toward the team's treasure chest to deposit their haul. Sam had the shark dive low, skimming just above the outstretched hands of convention attendees.

“Thirty seconds left!” said Jolly, turning to the audience. “Let's see if the Beeds can pull it off! Cheer them on, RebootCon!”

Neil glanced backward to see more and more gamers crowding around to watch. He and his friends, in the span of twenty minutes, had become the most exciting part of RebootCon.

Neil saw the rest of his crew in front of the stage, screaming as if he and their friends were headlining a sold-out rock concert.

“I see you've got some fellow family members cheering you on from the crowd,” said Jolly. “Wow, quite a few. Well, aren't you lucky.”

As Neil steered toward a coin just past a pillar of coral, a huge set of jaws chomped at him from above.

“Whoa!” Neil yelled.

“No fair—they have to go for the coins,” said Biggs.

“I don't recall that being in the rules,” said Jolly. “Fifteen seconds left!”

The crowd pushed up against the stage, frenzied for the final few seconds. The mermaids were playing dirty, but Neil had made quick work of gathering most of the gold. Only five gold coins remained on the level.

“Let's go, Neil,” said Sam. “Show all these gamers how to do it!”

Sam and Neil steered the shark down through strands of seaweed and schools of yellow fish, speeding toward each spinning piece of pirate treasure. They effortlessly collected the final coins, dodging the ferocious bites from the mermaids' shark.

“Winners!” shouted Jolly as hologram ocean confetti burst out over the energetic crowd. Neil watched his shark opponent sink, its glowing red eyes disappearing into murky blue-green water.

Jolly quickly ushered the mermaids offstage, careful not to step on their tails.

“Well, well, the Beed family stays alive,” said Jolly. “Who will be next?”

Hands raised in all corners of the convention center.

“Me! Me!” screamed Trevor. The host cupped a hand to her ear, egging the crowd on. With a devilish smile she walked to the other side of the stage.

Jolly pointed to a clawed hand in the crowd, and Neil watched three gargoyles take the set of jaws across from him. Once again, on Jolly's mark, the ancient sharks were back at it, twirling through the ocean and over thousands of people. Neil was soon trying tricky maneuvers to gain speed while cruising underwater valleys. He was getting the hang of steering, and Biggs was working up a sweat flinging his body to speed them along.

Round after round passed with Neil, Sam, and Biggs as victors. The gargoyles were quickly defeated and were followed by knights. The knights fought hard but then gave way to the vampires, who sucked.

Neil and his friends battled through six more groups of costumed convention-goers, honing their skills with each match. The talkative Jolly went quiet during their matches.

Suddenly, in the middle of a match against a feisty trio of frost giants, the game paused.

Neil's controls stopped working, and he looked back to see a bunch of security guards surrounding his
friends. A guard climbed onto the stage and whispered something into Jolly's ear.

“Hey, no pushing!” yelled Waffles from below the stage.

“Well, this may mean a disqualification,” Jolly said, shaking her head. “Apparently, some of our players snuck into the conference.”

“ManofNeil, run!” yelled Jason 2. “Save those precious gaming hands of yours!”