“But, Dad, listen, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“OK, shoot, Mac, but make it quick. The guys in line are starting to grumble.” He smiled when he said it, but she knew he was serious. There were other soldiers waiting, and other families. They couldn’t selfishly monopolize the video feed.
“OK. So, remember that weird test I told you about a few weeks ago?”
“The standardized thing that didn’t count for anything?” he asked. “The one with all the funny questions?”
“That’s the one,” she confirmed. Mackenzie and her father had spent their entire chat that week laughing as she regaled him with examples of the test questions. “Well, even though it didn’t count toward anything in school, it turns out that it did matter for something after all.”
“Oh, yeah?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her news.
“Yeah. I got a letter in the mail on Thursday. I didn’t even tell Mom yet ’cause I wanted to tell you first.” She paused to gauge his reaction to that, but he was smiling at her fondly.
“That’s OK, Mac. You can keep things to tell me first. What did the letter say?”
“It’s an invitation to this special school for the summer. Here, wait—I’ll read it.
Dear Miss Gray,
It is our pleasure to inform you that your recent performance on the nationally administered Intuition Assessment Battery places you at the 99.9th percentile of all students tested throughout the country. In recognition of this outstanding achievement, you have been selected to attend the inaugural summer program of the Institute for the Cultivation of Intuitive Cognition, under the supervision of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
“Homeland Security, Dad! Isn’t that amazing? I mean, it’s just studying education theory or something, but it’s still pretty awesome, right? It says I’d be serving my country, and it says it won’t cost us anything either. There’s a full scholarship, including food and housing and tuition and even travel. It’s totally free because I did so well on the test. That’s crazy, right? But it’s in Wyoming, and it starts in just two weeks. I know it’s short notice…” Her voice trailed off as she waited for her father’s reaction.
“Mac, that’s tremendous! The 99.9th percentile, and out of the whole country! I’m so proud of you!” He took a moment to beam at her from the other side of the world before voicing his concerns. He was proud of her, she could tell. But Mackenzie also knew he had seen more than his share of bad situations, and his first instinct as her father was to keep her safe.
“But, Mac,” he finally said, “what do you really know about this program? Are we sure it’s legit? I’m not trying to cast doubt on a good thing here, but—”
“It’s for real, Dad,” she said quickly, interrupting him. They both knew their time would be up soon. “I asked Cappy to run it through channels before I told you. He said it checks out, but I made him promise not to tell Mom until tomorrow. He said if I got this letter, it’s a super big deal, and they really need me. So I can go, right?” Cappy was their nickname for Captain Paul Gillespie, their current next door neighbor. He had made a point of checking in with the family while Mackenzie’s dad was away on tour.
“Well… listen, I want to check it out here, too, OK? I don’t want you heading off to another state until I’ve seen for myself that it’s the real thing, especially with the invitation coming out of the blue, and it being a government program I’ve never heard of. But if it is what it says it is, of course you have my blessing.
“But I really have to go now, Mac. Be sure to tell your mother about it tonight so she knows, and tell her I’m looking into it. You said we have a couple weeks, right?”
“Yeah. It says they’ll make the travel arrangements, but I’m supposed to let them know by a week from tomorrow at the latest.”
“OK. Give me until next week then. I’ll let you know on Sunday if everything looks good.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I love you, Mac. Tell your mom and your sisters again for me, too. I miss all my girls.”
“We miss you too, Dad. Love you. Be smart.” She would have felt stupid telling him to be safe when he was downrange. He couldn’t always be completely safe. That was the nature of the job. But he could always be smart.
“I promise, Mac. You, too, OK? Always.”
“Always,” she agreed, and with that, the feed ended. Mackenzie touched her fingers to her lips and then pressed them to the monitor, sending her father the kiss she hadn’t had time for before the screen went dark. She continued to sit at the desk, staring at the blank monitor for another prolonged moment before finally getting up and turning toward the door, bracing herself to brave the long gray hallway one more time.
7
Rush
“No! You don’t understand! You can’t do this to me!” Rush glared at his father, sitting to Rush’s right, at the head of the family dinner table.
“Do this to you? What are you talking about? I’m proud of you, Ashton. This is a tremendous opportunity.”
“Seriously? Of all the things to be proud of me for, you choose this? This? Now??? What about the invitational? I can’t go to Wyoming!”
“Really, Ashton, I thought you’d be happy. It’s a prestigious program. You’ll be able to write your own ticket to any college in the country after this summer. And technically it’s with the Department of Homeland Security. Isn’t that what you like to do on those games of yours? Play the hero? Now you’ll get to serve your country in a way that actually matters.”
“Dad, it’s not just playing. I’ve told you that so many times! I have the chance of a lifetime with HRT Alpha. I’m in the top twenty in the world! Out of over four million people! Do you realize what that means? My seat at the competition is a lock. And a spot on the team is a real job. Making real money, like you always say I should! Did you read even one of the articles I sent you?”
Rush had emailed his father countless articles on professional gaming: how it was gaining recognition as a sport, how the top players enjoyed not just national but international recognition, how matches were now televised by the likes of ESPN, and how the best of the best could command salaries that ran into the millions.
“Honestly, Ashton, a job playing video games is hardly a solid career path. Look at Ben, here. He’s going to be a college senior next year, and he already has a summer internship lined up, with a guaranteed job when he graduates. That’s a career path. Not this… this…” James Hunt struggled for the phrase he was looking for, waving his knife around as though he might be able to skewer the word out of mid-air. “This fantasy world you insist on living in.”
Ben looked across the table at Rush apologetically, but he didn’t say a word.