Dragon Ops Read online

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Marianne Mancusi Beach

  Cover art copyright © 2020 by Owen Richardson. Dragon icon © V_Craftmen/Shutterstock.com. Cover design by Tyler Nevins. Cover © 2020 Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Originally published in hardcover by Disney • Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Publishing Group, in May 2020

  First Edition: May 2020

  Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Mancusi, Mari, author.

  Title: Dragon Ops / by Mari Mancusi.

  Description: First edition. Los Angeles ; New York : Disney-Hyperion, 2020.

  Summary: Twelve-year-old Ian is thrilled to beta test the mixed-reality version of his favorite game, but unless he, his sister, Lilli, and their cousin Derek defeat the dragon, it will be game over.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019007728 • ISBN 9781368040907 (hardcover)

  Subjects: CYAC: Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. Virtual reality—Fiction. Video games—Fiction. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. Cousins—Fiction. Dragons—Fiction. Amusement parks—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.M312178 Dr 2020 • DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019007728

  ISBNs: 978-1-368-04090-7 (hardcover), 978-1-368-04434-9 (ebook)

  E3-20200411-JV-NF-ORI

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Welcome to Dragon Ops!

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  To the Jordan Family: Allison, Robert, Ian, and Lillian. Thank you for all the epic adventures over the years, both virtual and in real life. Can’t wait for our next Disney Dare!

  The dragon was bigger than I remembered.

  That was my first thought as we crept through the dark temple, entering the beast’s inner lair. Atreus lay sleeping on a massive hoard of gold and jewels, his thick, scaly tail coiled around his body like a snake’s. He was so large, in fact, he barely fit into the cramped space, and I wondered wildly how he could possibly be comfortable all squashed up like that. A totally ridiculous thought, I know.

  But I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. Too busy freaking out with fear.

  I shot my sister a questioning look, wondering if she noticed the change, too. Had Atreus really grown bigger since we’d seen him last? Were his scales redder now—more blood-like—or was it just a trick of the light? His wings seemed longer, his tail thicker, his talons sharper.

  As if evil had gotten an upgrade.

  Suddenly, what seemed a totally doable plan down at the bottom of the mountain now seemed a craziness of epic proportion. What had we been thinking? We were just two kids—total noobs. And yet, here we were, hoping to take down the biggest, baddest dragon in all the land by ourselves.

  This was so not going to end well.

  Atreus stirred, rousing from his slumber. We dove behind a crumbling stone column, desperate to stay out of sight. My heart thudded madly in my chest as his eyes slid open, twin golden crescents shimmering in the darkness. A burst of steam shot from his snout as he yawned lazily, showing off a dark pit of razor-sharp teeth. Sweat dripped down my back. How could we ever hope to defeat such a creature?

  But we had no choice. Everything came down to this.

  I squeezed my hands into fists, trying to wake my inner hero. To remind myself that here, in this world, I was not Ian Rivera, twelve-year-old gamer geek from Austin, Texas, and real-life total wimp. Here, I was Lord Wildhammer, premier knight of the realm. Lord Wildhammer wouldn’t be scared of some dumb old dragon. Lord Wildhammer would be chomping at the bit to slice its ugly head off and save the world.

  Lord Wildhammer, it would seem, was a major idiot.

  Atreus’s eyes began to rove the chamber, and the walls seemed to close in on us, tighter and tighter with his every glance. When he reached our hiding spot, he stopped, his head cocked and his ears pricked.

  I froze. Could he see us? Could he sense, somehow, that we were here? My heart beat so hard in my chest I was half convinced it would break a rib. What were we going to do? How were we going to survive this?

  My sister reached out, squeezing my hand hard.

  “Remember, it’s only a game,” she whispered.

  But the thought wasn’t as comforting as it should have been as my eyes fell to the dragon’s belly, glowing a deep, dark red as it warmed with deadly fire.

  Because this might be a game.

  But one wrong move and it would be game over.

  This time forever.

  Welcome to Dragon Ops!

  Dragon Ops is a new kind of theme park, set on a secluded island deep in the South Pacific. Unlike regular theme parks where you simply ride rides and watch shows, at Dragon Ops we want you to become part of the adventure!

  Just slip on your AR goggles, zip up your SensSuit™ and step through our front gates—and into another world. Become a charac
ter in our story and leave real life’s worries far behind. Based on the best-selling computer game Fields of Fantasy, Dragon Ops is a fully immersive gaming experience allowing visitors to fight deadly creatures, solve tricky puzzles, and take on epic quests. Level up and earn valuable treasure that can be exchanged for exciting prizes to take home.

  And if you’re really good, you might just get a chance to face off against the island’s biggest, baddest creature of them all: the dragon Atreus. (Coming soon…)

  Welcome to Dragon Ops.

  Just like real life… but a lot more fun!

  One Day Earlier

  “I can’t believe we’re stuck here for an entire week.”

  My cousin Derek paced the deck of the old ferry, his steps unsteady as the boat bobbed and swayed under his feet. He stopped at the railing, staring out over the choppy waters of Buccaneer Bay, a scowl creasing his slightly sunburned face. I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen the guy crack a smile since his ninth birthday, when he threw a fake turd in Grandma’s swimming pool, then sat back to watch the other kids run out screaming.

  Too cool for school, my mother always said. Though in Derek’s case it seemed like he was too cool for pretty much anything.

  “Do you even know what a big deal this is?” I shot back. “How long the waiting list is going to be once this place finally opens up? And we get to see it first—before anyone else!”

  “Congratulations, Ian. You’ll be king of the geeks now for sure.”

  Ugh. Why did I bother? I rolled my eyes and plopped down onto a nearby bench, my legs still jiggering with excitement. He could say what he wanted. I was not going to let him ruin what was sure to be the best week ever in my twelve years on this planet. A full week at Dragon Ops—the world’s very first mixed-reality theme park—months before it opened to the public.

  When they’d first announced plans to build the park, I’d completely freaked out. After all, no one loved the Fields of Fantasy video game—which the experience was based on—more than me. So when I heard there was going to be a mixed-reality version? Where, instead of sitting in front of a computer screen armed with a mouse, you’d actually get to walk around, wielding a sword and doing quests in real life? I seriously couldn’t think of anything cooler. And if that made me king of the geeks, I’d wear the crown with pride.

  “Hey, kids! We’re almost there!”

  I whirled around to see Uncle Jack—aka my complete and utter hero—step out onto the front deck of the ferry. Uncle Jack was my mom’s younger brother and an amazing computer programmer just like her. He’d worked on all these super-secret gaming projects all over the world and was now consulting for the company that made Fields of Fantasy. Which, in my opinion, had to be the best job in the universe.

  When I grew up? I wanted to be just like Uncle Jack.

  When I first heard he was working for the new game, I’d imagined he might be able to score us some free tickets at some point down the road. I never dreamed he’d suggest to Mom that we should come with him on a last-minute trip to the park before it even opened. The company wanted him to debug a few issues, and Derek’s mom was away on a business trip to China, meaning Uncle Jack had to take Derek with him. He figured Lilli and I could come along and keep Derek company while he worked.

  Normally I would rather gnaw off my own arm like a wild animal escaping a trap than be stuck spending an entire week entertaining Derek the Drag. But this was Dragon Ops we were talking about here. Babysitting Derek seemed a small price to pay for such a life level-up.

  I watched now as Uncle Jack strolled to the front of the boat, leaned against the white-painted bow, and pointed across the bay. “There she is,” he announced, his voice rich with pride.

  “There what is?” grumped Derek, his eyes narrowing as they followed his father’s finger. “There’s nothing out there but some deserted island with a beat-up old dock. I thought this was supposed to be a theme park. Where are the roller coasters?”

  Uncle Jack snorted, then flashed me a meaningful grin. He knew I understood, even if his own son didn’t.

  “No roller coasters,” he said. “But trust me, you’re in for a much bigger thrill.”

  He beckoned me forward, toward the front of the boat. I took a cautious step in his direction, keeping my distance from the rail. I knew the boat was safe, obviously. But I still wasn’t interested in getting too close to the edge. Let’s just say it was a long way down. And… well, I wasn’t the biggest fan of water. Not since back when I was six years old and Derek jokingly pushed me into Grandma’s swimming pool, not knowing I couldn’t swim. I’d never forget that horrible feeling of water shooting up my nose and down my throat—choking me as I struggled to claw my way back to the surface. Only to find Derek laughing his butt off when I finally did.

  Grandma fished me out pretty quick after that. And Derek got grounded for a month. Also, Mom forced me to start swimming lessons the very next day. So it wasn’t like I couldn’t swim now if I needed to.

  I just usually made sure I didn’t need to.

  But then Uncle Jack pulled out three pairs of game goggles from his bag, and I completely pushed away my fear. Dashing forward, I reached out to grab one, almost knocking over my sister in the process. Lilli was stepping out from the bathroom, looking more than a little green. The ferry, not to mention the choppy waters from the recent storm, clearly did not agree with her.

  “Watch where you’re going!” she snapped. “Unless you want to get puked on.”

  “Sorry,” I said, giving her an apologetic look. I knew Lilli wasn’t exactly thrilled to be here, either—though for a very different reason. While she used to be a total Fields of Fantasy superfan like me—and possibly a better player, even (not that I’d ever admit that to her)—she’d recently sworn off games entirely after her dumb online boyfriend, Logan, dumped her for some other girl.

  After that, she’d become a total tech hater. No cell phone. No tablets. She only used the family computer when absolutely necessary for homework, and if she wanted the number to the local Chinese takeout she’d look it up in an actual phone book instead of googling it. (I didn’t even know they made phone books anymore—until she called up the phone company and had one delivered.)

  “Are these safe?” Lilli demanded, squinting at the goggles suspiciously. “What kind of electromagnetic radiation do they give off? I so do not need to come down with brain cancer the month before I start high school.”

  I sighed, exasperated. Lilli hadn’t wanted to come here at all; she claimed she had homework or something and was way too busy. Which was totally ridiculous. I mean, who has homework over spring break? But Mom wasn’t going to let me go without her, and so I’d begged and pleaded and begged again until I finally wore her down.

  Finally, she’d given in. But, she insisted, that didn’t mean she was going to have any fun.

  “They’re perfectly safe,” Uncle Jack assured her, patting her on the shoulder before moving on to me. As he pressed the precious glasses into my hands, he gave me a sly wink. I winked back, knowing exactly what he was thinking. I was the only one who understood this—who knew how epic it was going to be.

  With trembling fingers, I slipped the goggles over my eyes and plugged the attached earbuds into my ears. My vision blurred and, for a moment, I couldn’t see a thing. Then, it all came blazing into focus…

  … and I entered another world.

  “Whoa!” I whispered. “No way!”

  I’d tried virtual-reality games before. Even a really high-tech one at this fantasy convention I’d dragged my parents to a few years back. It had been cool, but jerky. With muddy colors and blocky textures. Not exactly realistic.

  But this! This was on another level entirely.

  I looked around, trying to keep my jaw off the floor. We were still on a boat, of course. But it was no longer some boring old ferry. Instead, the goggles had transformed it into an old-fashioned pirate ship, complete with billowy white
sails, rotting floorboards, and creaky masts. It had the same layout of the original boat, but skinned with something so much cooler, as if a new layer of paint had been added over real life.

  I turned to the island itself. The once-deserted stretch of beach was now crawling with creatures straight out of the Fields of Fantasy video game. With shimmering sand dragons slithering across the shoreline and deep-blue sea serpents diving in and out of the water like dolphins. A few mini wyverns flew overhead, swooping into the water to snap up rainbow-colored piranhas just like they did in the regular game. I once spent hours trying to shoot one down as part of a quest chain so I could use the piranha teeth to upgrade my weapon. I wondered if there was a similar quest here. It had been kind of a pain, but the spiked mace I scored in the end was epic.

  I shook my head, trying to take it all in. The world was so well rendered, so high-resolution, it looked completely real. So real it felt almost unreal.

  It was then that I noticed the people. There had to be half a dozen of them wandering the beach. Some were fighting off sand dragons. Others were fishing. One was trying to lasso a random unicorn, while another was leading a donkey with an oversize pack on its back over to a small tent.

  “I thought you said this place wasn’t open yet,” I said.

  “It’s not,” Uncle Jack replied. He looked strange and slightly blurry through the goggles, as if he wasn’t really there. And his voice sounded odd somehow. Like an octave lower and slower than it should have been. “It doesn’t open for another three months at least.”

  “Then who are those people on the beach? Beta testers?”

  Of course. They had to have beta testers: professional gamers who combed the world, searching for bugs before the game officially launched. After all, you didn’t want to have actual users experiencing too many glitches or your game would be bad-mouthed up and down the internet and die a miserable death before it had a chance to take off.

  “Not beta testers,” Uncle Jack corrected me. “NPCs.”

  I stared at him in shock, not sure I heard him right at first. NPCs? As in nonplayer characters? Computer-programmed people? But they looked so real…