Doubt Read Online Free PDF Page B

to her. What an insult to her programming expertise. She wasn’t the top gamer in Truth Seekers for nothing.
    She drummed her peach -colored manicured nails on the armrest of her office chair.
    Instead of working, she was entertaining herself by playing the Truth Seekers ’ alternate reality game. The fun part was doing it with no one noticing. It wasn’t hard to do, since she was the newest kid on the block. Her cubicle was the size of a postage stamp stuck way back in the dungeons of the office, far away into the corner next to the archive cabinets. The nearest cubicle to her was ten feet away, so she had all the privacy she needed to play her games. Out of all the games she played, Truth Seekers was the most breathless and demanding, just like the programmer genius who developed it. And like in any game, she wanted the top prize, so she had no doubt that Harry was hers to attain.
    The game ’s private message box bounced in the corner of the monitor demanding her attention.
    Joanna ’s eyes sparked with excitement.
    Zero: Onyx, let’s meet at the coffee shop across the street in ten minutes. Mist hacked into the database and found some information that might help both Graphix and you find out what happened in the disappearance of your family members. You can work to decode all the encrypted data. But we can talk more when we see each other.
    Without hesitation, Joanna logged out of her computer, grabbed her purse and ran out the back door. She ran across the street, the spiked heels of her black boots tapping the cement. She could see Harry sitting by the window table of the coffee shop. Finally, here was her chance to work alone with Harry on a real Truth Seekers’ mission.
    Harry Doubt, the icon of alternate reality game creators was a private guy. Gamers could only play by his personal invitation. Joanna, who had been playing obsessively on Truth Seekers every night, took the job at Global Nation at the GN University campus in New York City when Harry sent out the following message via the Truth Seekers’ private message system:
    “ Looking for a real Truth Seekers’ mission? Only inviting 5 of the top gamers here. You’ll get to work closely with me on missions which are yet to be disclosed.”
    Joanna didn ’t think twice. She was twenty-four years old and had just graduated from the Emery College’s Game Art and Design Program in San José, California. She was itching to do something fun. She bought a one-way ticket to New York City.
    Harry had made sure all the hiring paperwork was taken care of. He even found an apartment for her to live in and paid one year of the lease up front. She was so thrilled to be one of the few gamers to have the opportunity to meet the famous Harry Doubt that she had heard so much about in the discussion forums.
    His father , Aaron Doub, professor of theoretical physics at Global Nation University of New York, was pretty famous too. He was intelligent and entertaining without even trying to be. People paid big dollars to watch him guest speak at conferences. He introduced himself as a “futurist” and a “mad scientist.” His quirky habits were his signature. He continually pushed his black, horn-rimmed glasses up on the bridge of his beak-like nose, and waved his hands around excitedly, explaining a breakthrough in something unheard of, like worm holes. He wore a T-shirt that said, “I’m from 2025.” His presentations were captured on thousands of YouTube videos, which Truth Seekers shared on discussion forums. Too bad he died so suddenly. Harry must have been so devastated to lose such an ingenious father.
    After working for eight months at GN, Joanna barely saw the twenty-two-year-old genius. The only time Harry spoke to her directly was when he wanted to ask her something about a GN work-related matter. It was always Cristal who met with Harry to brainstorm ideas after work. Sometimes Gabriel, codename Graphix , Harry’s buddy and one of the top Truth Seekers,