Warcross

Through internal monologue, Emika reveals that she first tried to maneuver the Dark World of the internet at 16, trying to get a bounty for a street gang boss to pay off her deceased father’s gambling debts. She got the bounty but accidentally compromised her identity, necessitating an overhaul of her equipment and a hiatus from online activity. Emika calls Hideo to post him on her suspicions of Ren. Hideo tells her he had nothing to do with Asher’s choice of her for the Phoenix Riders: “You’re quite the commodity” (167). He supplies an improved security key to get around Ren’s shields. Together they see that Ren’s encrypted email has a message tagged for March 20, “1300PD,” which refers to a meeting at one o’clock in the afternoon in the Pirates’ Den in the Dark World. Emika intends to be there.

Emika tells Hideo to call her by her first name instead of Ms. Chen. Hideo asks her about her criminal record. Emika tells him regarding Annie, “They were going to arrest her. So I turned myself in” (171). After the call, Emika realizes she inadvertently did not stop her running hack of those she gets close to or talks with, and she views a Memory of Hideo’s in which he violently completes a punching bag workout with a trainer. Then he and the trainer spar, and Emika notices the fury in his face and eyes. Now she knows why his knuckles appear bruised.

Training continues day after day. The process exhausts Emika; it is difficult for her to keep up as a newcomer. Hammie, Roshan, and Asher have patience with her, but Ren is more outspoken: “She shouldn’t have been in the draft” (176). Asher calls for a day off to rest and allow Ren to have a call with his studio. Hammie offers help to Emika. Emika is swimming in her private pool when Hideo messages. She responds with a request for a chat by hologram. Hideo affirms that he believes in her skills. Emika asks for moral support and Hideo responds, “I’m checking in because I miss hearing from you” (179). Later, Emika dreams about Hideo kissing her.

Emika hacks into the Dark World, the “sprawling, encrypted, anonymous underground would of virtual reality that had sprung up right under the Warcross platform” (181). She intends to spy on Ren’s meeting at the Pirate Den, a virtual pirate ship where “Darkcross” games take place—illegal betting on Warcross matches played by Dark World teams. Emika notes assassination offers listed on screens inside the Pirate’s Den. Ren arrives on time. The screens change to show a Darkcross match between the Obsidian Kings and the Hite Sharks. Emika places a low wager, and notes that Ren places an equally low wager. The teams begin to compete in a match that includes moves that would be illegal in a Henka Games-sponsored match, but gangsters sponsor Darkcross teams; rules are not important to them. The total amount of notes bet on each team appears for all to see. A lean, dark figure arrives wearing a helmet that hides the face, and Emika decides this is Zero: “some sixth sense of certainty” (186) tells her so.

Emika can read no information at all on Zero. She inadvertently moves to get out of his way, and from his reaction, she decides that no one can see him except for her; now she’s afraid Zero is on to her. A security proxy figure, a girl with white eyes, comes to Zero so that any attempt to learn information about Zero will end up with “data that leads to nothing” (188). Zero begins to attend to his business in the Pirate Den: He places bets of curious, small figures on both opposing teams, then waits for individual gamblers in the Den to copy the bets. Emika wonders if the bets like 34.05 and 118.25 represent longitude and latitude: “Why, exactly, is Zero assigning a bunch of locations to others? What is he planning?” (190). Just as Emika tries to log out of the Dark World, Zero stares directly at her. 

Emika discovers that the strange betting amounts directly match the coordinates for cities around the world like Shanghai and Los Angeles. The team encourages her to join their Mario Kart game, but she declines, telling Ren she has an appointment for licensing her skateboard and telling the others she needs some air. Asher tells her, “Last time you get to skip out on your team. Got it?” (194). Once out of the house, Emika goes in a car Hideo sent for her; she requested to meet with him to reveal what she learned about Zero and the city coordinates. When she arrives, Hideo asks if she has eaten yet, and Emika wonders if he is asking her on a date. 

Hideo takes Emika to a restaurant at the top of a skyscraper with an impressive view of the city. He owns the restaurant and reserves the whole place for himself once a month. They order Italian food and Emika tells Hideo about Zero’s activities in the Pirate’s Den, including the list of cities. Hideo recognizes the list of cities as “where the largest dome events happen for the championships” (199). Emika and Hideo plan for Emika to hack into any encrypted communication between Zero and Ren during the first game in Tokyo. Hideo gives Emika a “snare,” a virtual shield eliminator which will break through Ren’s security when Emika touches his wrist during play. Talk turns to Emika’s father and mother; she tells Hideo that studying his success helped ease the hurt of losing her father. She asks about Hideo’s bruised knuckles, but he does not reveal why he works out so aggressively. When Emika looks for constellations, Hideo shows a virtual overlay of the whole nighttime sky, telling her it was one of the first pieces of “augmented reality” he created. Emika wonders if they are about to kiss when a bodyguard tells Hideo he has a call. Hideo tells her he must go but asks to see her again for “Just [her] company” (204). Emika suggests they get together after the first game.