Stryker rolls his eyes, but stays on his side.
We reach the top of the large hump and we go over, hanging in limbo while the rest of the chain comes over the hill.
“Arms up!” Locke says, grabbing my arm and raising it.
“This is a dissatisfying rollercoaster,” Svetlana says, holding onto my shoulder tightly with her legs. “In Russia, we had the Serpent Dragon, a monstrous beast of a coaster that would make you think you’re dying.” She raises her tibial spines in the air. “But this will have to do.”
I follow her lead and hold my breath, my heart beating frantically in my chest as we look down the metal and wood track. It all stills for a second, frozen, and then we rush down the hill at a speed I’ve never traveled before. I scream, at first in fear and then in excitement when we round the corner and start twisting around. Locke shouts with me, our laughter and screams melding with everyone else’s in the car behind us. Even Svetlana screams as she clings to my shoulder for dear life, holding on so she doesn’t fly off. It’s over so quickly as we roll to a stop at the start again, it’s almost disappointing.
“Wanna go again?” Locke asks excitedly.
I grin. “Yeah. Let’s go again.”
I lose count of how many times we ride the Cyclone. But by the time we get off and go find some food, I feel lighter than I have since I came in this place.
“Dox is going to love this safehouse,” I tell Locke. “I can’t wait to bring her here.”
For the first time, I see something flicker in his eyes. Worry. Pity. I don’t know which. But I choose to ignore it. She’ll be coming in. I know she will.
CHAPTER61
VESPER
“The gates will open tomorrow,” Cipher says. “They will be marked with yellow on your interface maps while open. There will be a crowd in New Babel, mostly those trying to take advantage of fresh players. It is best you be prepared for the chaos of it.”
“Noted,” I tell him as we walk around the boardwalk looking for Stevie so we can head into the safehouse.
We find him at the end of the boardwalk, out over the water, hovering next to a man I don’t recognize. The man is dressed in one of those fancy pinstripe suits, just like many in the Gilded District are, but he somehow looks more expensive. Golden jewelry decorates his body, cufflinks, a necklace, a watch, and rings. He turns as we approach, his eyes lighting up as NPCs tend to do.
“Hello, old sports!” he says excitedly. “Fancy a side quest, do ya?”
“No,” Havoc says.
I raise my brow, curious. We haven’t accepted any side quests yet. Maybe we can use them for grinding. “What’s the side quest?”
The man rushes toward me and takes my hand, dragging me toward the water. “Lovely, lovely. My name is Jay Gatsby and I have the side quest of all side quests for you if you choose to accept.” He releases my hand and stretches his arms out toward the dark water in a strange way. I could swear he starts to tremble as I follow his outstretched arms over the river. I see nothing there but a single green light, far on the other side of the rushing river. “See that light just there?”
“The green one?” I ask.
“Yes, precisely.” Gatsby turns to me. “Your quest, if you choose to accept, is to bring it to me.”
“The light?” I clarify.
Gatsby nods. “It’s so hard to make her understand. I’ve gotten all these things for her.” He shakes his head. “I knew that when I kissed this girl, I would be forever wed to her.”
I frown. “Is it a light or a woman?”
“Your quest, if you choose to accept, is to bring that green light to me,” Gatsby repeats, clearly shutting down any further questioning. “You reward will be great.”
“We shouldn’t accept if you want to be at the Harrow Gate,” Havoc points out. “These quests have time limits, and if you fail, you lose XP.”
“What’s the time limit?” I ask Gatsby.
“You have until the sun rises in three days.”
“That means we can do it after we get Dox,” I say, looking at Havoc. “Isn’t that okay?”
“It’s a bad idea,” he grumbles. “But I’ve heard the loot can be good for this quest.”
