AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eight
Drew watched Roddy’s segment with intense interest, amazed at the dexterity the other man had developed with the drumsticks.
He was impressed. Not just by the accomplishments of Jenna and her team, but also by his sister. He’d known in a general way what she did for a living, but he’d never seen her actively doing it. Ava had the air of a seasoned professional who knew what she wanted and how to get it, and she was effortlessly authoritative. Her crew snapped to it because they wanted to please her.
He could never let her know this, however. His bratty and annoying little sister was already insufferable and nearly impossible to manage. No need to fan the flames.
He got out of their way while they were setting up for the next segment. At the far end of the crowded, busy room, a skinny adolescent boy with two prosthetic arms sat on one of the couches. His black hair was buzzed off, and he was wearing an oversize Angel Ascending T-shirt. Two women flanked him on either side who had to be his mother and grandmother. The women looked like older and younger versions of each other, both short and slight and with long hair pulled back, the mom’s into a braid, the grandma’s into a bun. The mom’s hair was black, the grandma’s snow white.
Drew nodded politely at them as he addressed the kid. “You’re Michael, right?” He gestured at the T-shirt. “You like Angel Ascending?”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. Cool game.”
“Did you see the movie?”
“It was awesome,” he said. “Lars Feehan is the bomb.”
They were discussing the game they both played, though Michael had made it several levels beyond Drew, despite his prosthetic arms. Jenna appeared beside them and waited, smiling at Michael’s enthusiasm.
“You gotta watch the YouTube gamer videos for clues if you want to make progress,” Michael instructed him. “That was how I learned about the ancient scroll and the dimensional portal. Oh, hey, Jenna.”
“Hey, Michael.” She gave Michael’s mother and grandmother a smile. “Hi, Joyce. Hello, Mrs. Wu. Michael, how are the flexibility adjustments working out for you? Is the writing and typing going better?”
“Not enough of the writing and typing is going at all, in my opinion.” Joyce cast a stern eye at her son. “All he practices is gaming.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Not true, Mom. It’s going fine. So far so good.”
“Let’s go take a look,” Jenna said, beckoning.
Drew followed them all back to the spotlighted zone where the cameramen were waiting, hanging back to stay out of the way, but watching in fascination as Jenna and her team did the sequence of preparations on Michael’s stumps; adjusting the sensor map sleeve and then snapping on the arms, which were black and chrome-colored.
“Those arms are badass,” Drew commented.
Michael shot him a grin. “Yeah. I’m, like, the Terminator.”
“Okay, Michael,” Jenna said. “Flex...clench...thumb to each fingertip...very good. I can see you’ve been working hard. Let’s test the sensory pads. Close your eyes.”
Michael squeezed his eyes shut. “Ready.”
Jenna touched his prosthetic hands lightly in a random pattern with her fingertip, and Michael announced each touch. “Right forefinger. Left pinky. Left wrist. Right heel of the hand. Right middle finger. Left ring finger. Right ring finger. Right wrist. Left heel.”
“Excellent,” Jenna said. “So much better than the last time, which was already impressive.”
“Come try the gaming console,” Jenna said. “We got it all set up for you.”
Michael settled himself in the chair in front of the monitor, the cameramen shifting unobtrusively into place around him, and woke the screen with a stroke on a touchpad with his prosthetic finger and logged into his account. He grinned over his shoulder at his mother. “I can feel the pad now, Mom! I can tell that it’s kinda sticky and soft.”
“That’s great, baby,” Joyce told him.
“I’m going to try to make it through a new portal this time,” Michael said to Drew as he picked up the console. “I saved this moment for your video. ’Cause it’s, like, dramatic.”
“Very generous of you,” Ava said.
Michael shot her a mischievous grin over his shoulder as he positioned his mechanical fingers carefully over the buttons. “I know,” he said. “Here goes. Wish me luck.”
They waited through the logo and opening scenes of Angel Ascending. Then Michael’s avatar appeared and began to run, bounding like a gazelle across the landscape pictured on the screen, right toward a cliff.
“Okay, here we go,” Michael said under his breath. “Full power...and jump.”
