The biometric scanning app chimed to confirm his identity and prompted him for one more signature on the tablet. Zack signed the final box with a flourish and tossed the tablet onto a nearby pile of dirty laundry.

Paperwork dealt with, Zack dropped a bomb big enough to obliterate the drones and hyperjumped away from the quadrant before the weapon detonated. That would take care of the drones, but he needed to find the outpost that had sent them and get revenge for the damage they had caused. Should he get his revenge alone or wait for his team to come online and back him up? Either he was slipping or the Armada had finally figured out a way to make their drones more effective. In either case, he needed to figure it out before the qualifying round of the tournament in a few hours. Some backup and input from his teammates might be—

“What the hell?”

One after the other, his screens turned off. The incessant hum of the CPU fan died. It looked as if the power had been cut, but none of the other electronics in the room had been affected. What had happened? Zack tossed his game controller onto the couch and knelt—with some effort—to stare at the external power supply beneath the table. It flickered at him, the green lights glowing as cheerfully as always.

So the power was still on. What was the problem then? This setup was new and state of the art. It shouldn’t die like that. Zack pressed the power button on his computer a few times, but nothing happened. He wheezed with the effort of bending over as he checked everything a second time, hoping he had missed something obvious.

“I’ll be taking that…” Phil extracted the tablet from the laundry and walked over to his briefcase. He slipped the tablet inside with a satisfied smile.

The smile slipped when Phil picked up the leather case and noticed the slice of pizza stuck to it. Face twisting in disgust, he peeled off the dried pizza and cleaned the leather with a handkerchief. Then he stood and watched Zack poke and prod at computer wires under his desk.

A second later, Zack jerked upward, banging his head on the table and clutching the injury. As he rubbed the sore spot, pink hearts flooded his vision on the OptiGlasses. Before Zack could react, text scrolled across the lenses.

DaEvo installing…

…

DaEvo installed.

DaEvo initiating connections with smart household.

Authorization confirmed.

Assessing DaEvo user…

…

Initiating user protocols.

The text faded away, and Zack blinked. “What the hell is DaEvo?”

“Dating Evolution. Alpha version 1.1. It’s what you agreed to alpha test for us,” Philip said, his smile growing truly wolfish. “I told you to review what you signed. Now, I’ve got to get going.”

“What? No. I didn’t agree to anything…” Zack scrolled through the menu of his OptiGlasses to delete whatever weird app Phil had installed, but all of his icons were covered with pink heart-shaped locks and wouldn't open. “Phil, what is happening?”

But Phil was already halfway out the door. The older man had a bounce to his steps that he had not had before, while Zack leaned against the wall and tried to regain his equilibrium.

“Phil! Why is my computer dead? What did you do?”

“Zack Moore User Protocols Initiated. Electronic use limited until minimum attributes and quest reached.”

The computerized voice came through the bone conduction headphones built into Zack’s OptiGlasses, so only he heard them. It was velvety soft, a voice that caressed and calmed. Not that Zack was feeling particularly calm at the moment.

“What is happening?” Zack whirled toward Phil.

The older man held the door open just a bit and peeked through. “Right, have fun. Let us know how it works out!”

“How what works out? What does it mean that my electronics use is limited?”

Zack dove for the door, but Phil was too fast. The trustee slammed it shut, and the automatic locks for the smart house system clicked into place. Zack pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He cursed out his trustee as he pressed the code into the keypad. The numbers flashed as he entered the door code, but the bolts remained firmly in place.

“Phil! Phil, what are you doing? Why won’t this open? Phil!”

DaEvo initiating… Please wait… Thank you for helping to make DaEvo a success…

Zack ignored the scrolling text and used his eye path to select the menu on his OptiGlasses. The video calling apps were blocked out with pink hearts and wouldn’t open, but the basic calling app was still available. He opened it and groaned. All his contacts were blocked except for Phil. He dialed the number and tried to force the door open while the phone rang.

“Hello. Phil speaking—”

“Phil, I’m locked in—”

“Thanks for calling, but I’m not available right now. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you when I can.”

Zack gritted his teeth and kicked the door. “What the hell, Phil? You work for me! Did you forget that? My trust pays your salary! Pick up this phone right now, or you’re fired!”

An email notification flashed on the OptiGlasses screen. From Phil. Zack opened it with a quick flick of his eyes.

It was a section of the documents he had signed, a few lines highlighted.

I, Zack Moore, do hereby agree not to hold Philip MacComack liable for any consequences of the Alpha Test of the Dating Evolution App and hereby relinquish control over my electronic key to the App.

The line below the highlighted text contained Zack’s signature and his biometric print.

Zack swore and kicked the door again. Pain shot up his leg, and another line of text scrolled across his glasses. In addition to agreeing to alpha test Dating Evolution, Zack had signed documents to extend Phil’s contract and give him a raise.

A substantial raise.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It wasn’t as if Zack couldn’t afford to pay Phil’s raise. Or that the man didn’t deserve it. Phil had stood between Zack and his odious board for years and made sure Zack had a comfortable life. Unfortunately, Zack and Phil sometimes disagreed about what that comfortable life should look like. So Zack liked yanking Phil’s chain, making the trustee’s life as miserable as Phil made his, with his endless prattling about responsibility and making Zack sign things.

It looked as though Phil had finally had enough.

Zack tried the door one more time, then turned his attention to his gaming setup. Being locked in was annoying, but it wasn’t as if he really needed to go outside. Food could be delivered through the mail slot if necessary. He probably had enough leftover pizza scattered around the apartment to last through a few tournament rounds.

But none of that would do him any good if he couldn’t access Star Fury, and the first round of the tournament was a few hours away.

Zack checked all his messaging apps again, just in case, but they were still blocked out. He could call or email Phil, but the app had hijacked every other form of communication with the outside world.

Zack narrowed his eyes and glared at the cheerful pink heart icon that now filled the corner of his OptiGlasses. He gritted his teeth and opened the app. Time to see exactly what he was dealing with.

Cheesy music and a stream of pink hearts accompanied the opening of the app. The words “Dating Evolution” scrolled across his vision in an ornate font.

Then the fancy graphics gave way to basic text, and the hearts and music disappeared. Apparently, the alpha version was still pretty rough. Maybe that was for the best. Zack would rather snap his OptiGlasses in half than see everything through pink heart filters.

User protocols initiated. Sending first quest. Please accept and complete!

Minimum Hygiene Levels not Met

Please take a shower and change into a clean pair of clothes.

Reward: Access to external environment

As the words scrolled past his glasses, Zack groaned. “What did you do to me, Phil?”