The light in Freeman’s room was fading. His connection ended too soon, and he wanted to eliminate the guardian of that microcosm. It disappointed him that he didn’t get to use the exploit that transferred a victim’s life force into his. The exploit was a zero-day, meaning it had not yet been discovered by the developers and patched. He was saving it for a special occasion and had been preparing to use it when his connection ended. The battery on his antenna was low and needed to be recharged; Freeman pulled the battery out and inserted it into the charger. He hoped to meet the Magi again. She was a worthy opponent, and he looked forward draining her life force, which would render her to a level one “noob” in an instant. Just as he was shutting down the computer, his idiot parents arrived home.

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“You missed a great day at the beach,” Robert said. “We saw some turtles.”

“Turtles! That’s so cool—not!” Freeman said. His father picked up on his condescending tone and walked away.

“Don’t be so hard on him, sweetheart,” Susan said to Robert as he left.

“Dad’s on my case all the time now,” Freeman grumbled. “I have better things to do than go to the beach.”

“Your father works hard, and this is a good opportunity for him, and us.”

“What’s wrong with our internet connection? Doesn’t he know I need it for school?” Freeman asked.

“Yes, he knows. The cable guy is coming over tomorrow. You should be able to access it when you get home from school.”

“Great,” Freeman mumbled as he returned to his room.