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CHAPTER 6
THROUGH THE FLOOR
1
Michael had heard of the club. Everybody inside the VirtNet had heard of the Black and
Blue. But he’d never met anyone who’d actually been there, because it was impossible to
get into—unless you were extremely rich, famous, or high up on the criminal chain. Or,
of course, a politician, which would make you all of the above.
Michael and his friends were none of those, and to make matters worse, they were
teenagers. Their coding skills were advanced enough that they could make themselves
look older, and they could conjure up fake ID docs quicker than Helga could make
waes. But everyone tried to fool the Black and Blue, and the club was far too good at
seeing through the trickery.
Michael, Bryson, and Sarah stood across the street from the entrance, gawking at the
people waiting in line. Michael gured more money had been spent on their jewelry
and designer clothing than most people made in a year. Lifeblood was the one place in
the VirtNet where not just anyone could look however they wanted. To have fancy
things, you had to be rich enough to afford fancy things in the real world or know how
to schmooze, irt, or con your way into getting what you desired. Or be really good at
coding and hacking.
“What’s the plan?” Bryson asked. “I can barely sneak my way into Jackie Suede’s
Shake-Your-Booty Bar, much less the Black and Blue.”
Michael was racking his brain. “This Ronika person can’t live in there twenty-four
hours a day. What if we just wait for her to come out and then follow her home?”
Sarah responded with something like a groan. “Sounds slightly creepy—not to
mention we don’t know what she looks like. Plus, you’re forgetting this isn’t the real
world. That could very well be the only place she ever goes in the Sleep—she may Sink
and Lift directly to a Portal in the back room for all we know. Especially if she’s as
famous as Cutter made her out to be. And I doubt she’s a Tangent, being in that kind of
position. Managerial types are always human.”
Bryson let out an exaggerated sigh. “If only I could have ve minutes with her. She’d
be so bamboozled by the charm, we’d have our info before she knew what hit her.”
“Um, no comment on that one,” Michael said.
Sarah really groaned this time. “How did I become friends with you two, again?”
Michael quickly moved on. “Listen, I hate to say it, but we’ve only got one choice.”
Bryson and Sarah gave him a puzzled look, but he knew very well that they were
thinking the same thing. Doing something blatantly illegal is always the last resort.
With a mischievous smile, he said, “We have to cut our way in.”