I felt the shock wave a split second after I heard the detonation and instinctively dropped to the floor of my hideout with my arms wrapped over my head. In the distance, I could hear the sound of rending metal as several trailer stacks began to collapse, ripping free of their scaffolding and crashing against one another like massive dominoes. These horrific sounds continued for what seemed like a very long time. Then it was silent again.

I eventually overcame my paralysis and opened the rear door of the van. In a nightmare-like daze, I made my way to the outskirts of the junk pile, and from there, I could see a giant pillar of smoke and flames rising from the opposite end of the stacks.

I followed the stream of people already running in that direction, along the northern perimeter of the stacks. The stack containing my aunt's trailer had collapsed into a fiery, smoking ruin, along with all of the stacks adjacent to it. There was nothing there now but a massive pile of twisted, flaming metal.

I kept my distance, but a large crowd of people had already gathered up ahead of me, standing as close to the blaze as they dared. No one bothered trying to enter the wreckage to look for survivors. It was obvious there weren't going to be any.

An ancient propane tank attached to one of the crushed trailers detonated in a small explosion, causing the crowd to scatter and dive for cover. Several more tanks detonated in rapid succession. After that, the onlookers moved much farther back and kept their distance.

The residents who lived in the nearby stacks knew that if the fire spread, they were in big trouble. So a lot of people were already scrambling to fight the blaze, using garden hoses, buckets, empty Big Gulp cups, and whatever else they could find. Before long, the flames were contained and the fire began to die out.

As I watched in silence, I could already hear the people around me murmuring, saying that it was probably another meth-lab accident, or that some idiot must have been trying to build a homemade bomb. Just as Sorrento had predicted.

That thought snapped me out of my daze. What was I thinking? The Sixers had just tried to kill me. They probably still had agents lurking here in the stacks, checking to make sure I was dead. And like a total idiot I was standing right out in the open.

I faded away from the crowd and hurried back to my hideout, being careful not to run, constantly glancing over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed. Once I was back inside the van, I slammed and locked the door, then curled into a quivering ball in the corner. I stayed like that for a long time.

Eventually, the shock began to wear off, and the reality of what had just happened started to sink in. My aunt Alice and her boyfriend Rick were dead, along with everyone who had lived in our trailer, and in the trailers below and around it. Including sweet old Mrs. Gilmore. And if I had been at home, I would be dead now too.

I was jacked up on adrenaline, unsure of what to do next, overcome by a paralyzing mixture of fear and rage. I thought about logging into the OASIS to call the police, but then considered how they would react when I told them my story. They'd think I was a raving nut job. And if I called the media, they'd react the same way. There was no way anyone would believe my story. Not unless I revealed that I was Parzival, and maybe not even then. I didn't have a shred of proof against Sorrento and the Sixers. All traces of the bomb they'd planted were probably melting into slag right now.

Revealing my identity to the world so that I could accuse one of the world's most powerful corporations of blackmail and murder didn't seem like the smartest move. No one would believe me. I could barely believe it myself. IOI had actually tried to kill me. To prevent me from winning a videogame contest. It was insane.

I seemed to be safe in my hideout for the moment, but I knew I couldn't stay in the stacks much longer. When the Sixers found out I was still alive, they would come back here looking for me. I needed to get the hell out of Dodge. But I couldn't do that until I had some money, and my first endorsement checks wouldn't be deposited for another day or two. I would just have to lie low until then. But right now, I needed to talk to Aech, to warn him that he was next on the Sixers' hit list.

I was also desperate to see a friendly face.

I grabbed my OASIS console and powered it on, then pulled on my visor and gloves. As I logged in, my avatar reappeared on Ludus, on the hilltop where I'd been sitting prior to my chat-room session with Sorrento. The moment my audio kicked in, I heard the earsplitting roar of engines coming from somewhere directly overheard. I stepped out from under the tree and looked up. I saw a squadron of Sixer gunships flying in formation, zooming south at low altitude, their sensors scanning the surface as they went.

I was about to duck back under the tree, out of sight, when I remembered that all of Ludus was a no-PvP zone. The Sixers couldn't harm me here. Even so, my nerves were still on edge. I continued to scan the sky and quickly spotted two more Sixer gunship squadrons off near the eastern horizon. A moment later, several more squadrons dropped in from orbit to the north and west. It looked like an alien invasion.

An icon flashed on my display, informing me that I had a new text message from Aech: Where the hell are you? Call me ASAFP!

I tapped his name on my contact list, and he answered on the first ring. His avatar's face appeared in my vidfeed window. He was wearing a grim expression.

"Did you hear the news?" he asked.

"What news?"

"The Sixers are on Ludus. Thousands of them. More arriving every minute. They're searching the planet, looking for the tomb."

"Yeah. I'm on Ludus right now. Sixer gunships everywhere."

Aech scowled. "When I find I-r0k, I'm going to kill him. Slowly. Then, when he creates a new avatar, I'm going to hunt him down and kill him again. If that moron had kept his mouth shut, the Sixers never would have thought to look here."

"Yeah. His forum posts were what tipped them off. Sorrento said so himself."

"Sorrento? As in Nolan Sorrento?"

I told him everything that had happened in the past few hours.

"They blew up your house?"

"Actually, it was a trailer," I said. "In a trailer park. They killed a lot of people here, Aech. It's probably already on the newsfeeds." I took a deep breath. "I'm freaking out. I'm scared."

"I don't blame you," he said. "Thank God you weren't home when it happened...."

I nodded. "I almost never log in from home. Luckily, the Sixers didn't know that."

"What about your family?"

"It was my aunt's place. She's dead, I think. We ... we weren't very close." This was a huge understatement, of course. My aunt Alice had never shown me much kindness, but she still hadn't deserved to die. But most of the wrenching guilt I now felt had to do with Mrs. Gilmore, and the knowledge that my actions had gotten her killed. She was one of the sweetest people I'd ever known.

I realized that I was sobbing. I muted my audio so Aech wouldn't hear, then took several deep breaths until I got myself under control again.

"I can't believe this!" Aech growled. "Those evil pricks. They're gonna pay, Z. Count on it. We will make them pay for this."

I couldn't see how, but I didn't argue. I knew he was just trying to make me feel better.

"Where are you right now?" Aech asked. "Do you need help? Like, a place to stay or something? I can wire you some money if you need it."

"No, I'm OK," I said. "But thanks, man. I really appreciate the offer."

"De nada, amigo."

"Listen, did the Sixers send you the same e-mail they sent me?"

"Yeah. Thousands of them. But I decided it was best to ignore them."

I frowned. "I wish I'd been smart enough to do that."

"Dude, you had no way of knowing they were gonna try and kill you! Besides, they already had your home address. If you'd ignored their e-mails, they probably would have set off that bomb anyway."

"Listen, Aech ... Sorrento said that your school records contained a fake home address, and that they don't know where to find you. But he might have been lying. You should leave home. Go somewhere safe. As soon as possible."

"Don't worry about me, Z. I stay mobile. Those bastards will never find me."

"If you say so," I replied, wondering what exactly he meant. "But I need to warn Art3mis, too. And Daito and Shoto, if I can reach them. The Sixers are probably doing everything they can to learn their identities too."

"That gives me an idea," he said. "We should invite all three of them to meet us in the Basement later tonight. Say around midnight? A private chat-room session. Just the five of us."

My mood brightened at the prospect of seeing Art3mis again. "Do you think they'll all agree to come?"

"Yeah, if we let them know their lives depend on it." He smirked. "And we're going to have the world's top five gunters together in one chat room. Who's gonna sit that out?"

I sent Art3mis a short message, asking her to meet us in Aech's private chat room at midnight. She replied just a few minutes later, promising to be there. Aech told me he'd managed to reach Daito and Shoto, and they had both also agreed to attend. The meeting was set.

I didn't feel like being alone, so I logged into the Basement about an hour early. Aech was already there, surfing the newsfeeds on the ancient RCA television. Without saying a word, he got up and gave me a hug. Even though I couldn't actually feel it, I found it surprisingly comforting. Then we both sat down and watched the news coverage together while we waited for the others to arrive.

Every channel was airing OASIS footage showing the hordes of Sixer spacecraft and troops that were currently arriving on Ludus. It was easy for everyone to guess why they were there, and so now every gunter in the simulation was also headed for Ludus. Transport terminals all over the planet were jammed with incoming avatars.

"So much for keeping the tomb's location a secret," I said, shaking my head.

"It was bound to leak out eventually," Aech said, shutting off the TV. "I just didn't think it would happen this fast."

We both heard an entrance alert chime as Art3mis materialized at the top of the staircase. She was wearing the same outfit she'd had on the night we met. She waved to me as she descended the steps. I waved back, then made introductions.

"Aech, meet Art3mis. Art3mis, this is my best friend, Aech."

"Pleasure to meet you," Art3mis said, extending her right hand.

Aech shook it. "Likewise." He flashed his Cheshire grin. "Thanks for coming."

"Are you kidding? How could I miss it? The very first meeting of the High Five."

"The High Five?" I said.

"Yeah," Aech said. "That's what they're calling us on all of the message boards now. We hold the top five high-score slots on the Scoreboard. So we're the High Five."

"Right," I said. "At least for the time being."

Art3mis grinned at that, then turned and began to wander around the Basement, admiring the '80s decor. "Aech, this is, by far, the coolest chat room I've ever seen."

"Thank you." He bowed his head. "Kind of you to say."

She stopped to browse through the shelf of role-playing game supplements. "You've re-created Morrow's basement perfectly. Every last detail. I want to live here."

"You've got a permanent spot on the guest list. Log in and hang out anytime."

"Really?" she said, clearly delighted. "Thank you! I will. You're the man, Aech."

"Yes," he said, smiling. "It's true. I am."

They really seemed to be hitting it off, and it was making me crazy jealous. I didn't want Art3mis to like Aech, or vice versa. I wanted her all to myself.

Daito and Shoto logged in a moment later, appearing simultaneously at the top of the basement staircase. Daito was the taller of the two, and appeared to be in his late teens. Shoto was a foot shorter and looked much younger. Maybe about thirteen. Both avatars looked Japanese, and they bore a striking resemblance to one another, like snapshots of the same young man taken five years apart. They wore matching suits of traditional samurai armor, and each had both a short wakizashi and a longer katana strapped to his belt.

"Greetings," the taller samurai said. "I am Daito. And this is my little brother, Shoto. Thank you for the invitation. We are honored to meet all three of you."

They bowed in unison. Aech and Art3mis returned the bow, and I quickly followed suit. As we each introduced ourselves, Daito and Shoto bowed to us once again, and once again we each returned the gesture.

"All right," Aech said, once all the bowing had ended. "Let's get this party started. I'm sure you've all seen the news. The Sixers are swarming all over Ludus. Thousands of them. They're conducting a systematic search of the entire surface of the planet. Even if they don't know exactly what they're looking for, it still won't be long before they find the entrance to the tomb-"

"Actually," Art3mis interrupted, "they already found it. Over thirty minutes ago."

We all turned to look at her.

"That hasn't been reported on the newsfeeds yet," Daito said. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Afraid so. When I heard about the Sixers this morning, I decided to hide an uplink camera in some trees near the tomb entrance, to keep an eye on the area." She opened a vidfeed window in the air in front of her and spun it around so the rest of us could see. It showed a wide shot of the flat-topped hill and the clearing around it, looking down from a spot in one of the trees high above. From this angle, it was easy to see that the large black stones on top of the hill were arranged to look like a human skull. We could also see that the entire area was crawling with Sixers, and more seemed to be arriving every second.

But the most disturbing thing we saw on the vidfeed was the large transparent dome of energy that now covered the entire hill.

"Son of a bitch," Aech said. "Is that what I think it is?"

Art3mis nodded. "A force field. The Sixers installed it just after the first of them arrived. So ..."

"So from here on out," Daito said, "any gunter who finds the tomb won't be able to get inside. Not unless they can somehow get through that force field."

"Actually, they've put up two force fields," Art3mis said. "A small field with a larger field over it. They lower them in sequence, whenever they want to let more Sixers enter the tomb. Like an air lock." She pointed to the window. "Watch. They're doing it now."

A squadron of Sixers marched down the loading ramp of a gunship parked nearby. They were all lugging equipment containers. As they approached the outer force field, it vanished, revealing a smaller domed field inside the first. As soon as the squadron reached the wall of the inner force field, the outer field reappeared. A second later, the inner force field was dropped, allowing the Sixers to enter the tomb.

There was a long silence while we all contemplated this new development.

"I suppose it could be worse," Aech said finally. "If the tomb were in a PvP zone, those assholes would already have laser cannons and robot sentries mounted everywhere, to vaporize anyone who approached the area."

He was right. Since Ludus was a safe zone, the Sixers couldn't harm gunters who approached the tomb. But there was nothing to stop them from erecting a force field to keep them out. So that was exactly what they'd done.

"The Sixers have obviously been planning for this moment for some time now," Art3mis said, closing her vidfeed window.

"They won't be able to keep everyone out for very long," Aech said. "When the clans find out about this, it'll be all-out war. There will be thousands of gunters attacking that force field with everything they've got. RPGs. Fireballs. Cluster bombs. Nukes. It's gonna get ugly. They'll turn that forest into a wasteland."

"Yeah, but in the meantime, Sixer avatars will be farming the Copper Key and then filing their avatars through the First Gate, one after another, in a freakin' conga line."

"But how can they do this?" Shoto asked, his young voice brimming with rage. He looked to his brother. "It's not fair. They're not playing fair."

"They don't have to. There are no laws in the OASIS, little brother," Daito said. "The Sixers can do whatever they please. They won't stop until someone stops them."

"The Sixers have no honor," Shoto said, scowling.

"You guys don't know the half of it," Aech said. "That's why Parzival and I asked you all here." He turned to me. "Z, do you want to tell them what happened?"

I nodded and turned to the others. First, I told them about the e-mail I'd received from IOI. They'd all received the same invitation, but had wisely ignored it. Then I related the details of my chat-room session with Sorrento, doing my best not to leave anything out. Finally, I told them how our conversation had ended-with a bomb detonating at my home address. By the time I'd finished, their avatars all wore looks of stunned disbelief.

"Jesus," Art3mis whispered. "No joke? They tried to kill you?"

"Yeah. They would have succeeded, too, if I'd been at home. I was just lucky."

"Now you all know how far the Sixers are willing to go to stop us from beating them to the egg," Aech said. "If they're able to locate any one of us, we're dead meat."

I nodded. "So you should all take precautions to protect yourselves and your identities," I said. "If you haven't already."

They all nodded. There was another long silence.

"There's still one thing I don't understand," Art3mis said a moment later. "How did the Sixers know to look for the tomb on Ludus? Did someone tip them off?" She glanced around at each of us, but there was no hint of accusation in her voice.

"They must have seen the rumors about Parzival and Aech that were posted on all of the gunter message boards," Shoto said. "That's how we knew to look there."