Celebrity in Death

you here.”
    “I didn’t know you were home.” She walked over, looked down at him. “Did you buy everything already?”
    “Everything worth having—today. Did you catch all the bad guys?”
    “Made my quota. I thought I’d sweat out some theories, suppositions, and probabilities, then shower before scooping up another load of bad guys.”
    “Good plan. Nice to see you.” He clicked the weights on their safety, sat up, and reached for his water bottle. “After a run?”
    “Initially.”
    “I wouldn’t mind one. Where are you going?”
    “Hadn’t decided.”
    “I’ve got a new VR program, and two can play.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not after sex sweat.”
    He tipped back the water, eyes amused. He’d tied his hair back, and his skin gleamed.
    He could probably change her mind on the sweaty activity, she decided.
    “Strange, isn’t it, how often your mind leaps straight to sex?”
    “Maybe because you’re always nailing me.”
    “Maybe. But for now.” He pushed off the bench, walked to a built-in cabinet for the VR gear. “It’s more than a run. There are various obstacles, choices in directions, all of which have their own consequences or rewards. Different scenarios. We have urban, rural, suburban, seemingly deserted landscapes of myriad types. Night, day, a combination. Whatever you like, basically.”
    “Is it a game or a workout?”
    “It’s both. Why not have fun at it? Where would you like to go?”
    She started to pick an urban background—it’s what she knew. But if it was a game, too, that meant competition.
    “Let’s go rural.”
    “You surprise me.”
    “We’ll both be off our turf. Mix up day and night.”
    He passed her a set of goggles, began to program. “The goal is to reach the destination that will be shown on the map in the insert at the bottom of your play screen. If you fail to navigate an obstacle or you’reinjured, you lose points and distance. Clear one, gain them. Clear so many, you’re rewarded with something useful.”
    “How many times have you played this?”
    “A few, but not the scenario I’m putting on. We’ll start even on this. Thirty minutes do you?”
    “Yeah, that should do it.” Eve fit on the goggles, studied the landscape that surrounded her, checked the insert, and saw the snaking, winding paths, intersections, blocks, and the pulsing light that indicated the goal.
    Thick woods, dim light, a rough track and a lot of undergrowth. The sort of place strange animals wandered. Animals with teeth.
    She’d be more comfortable running through a dark warehouse full of homicidal chemi-heads.
    Which was exactly why she’d gone against type. She’d work harder.
    “Watch for pulses on the map, they’ll indicate obstacles or some element of trouble. Ready?”
    “Okay.”
    The roar of wind came up, whipped the trees as the scene came to life around her. She heard crashing—branches falling, and a kind of whoosh and pound that might have been a waterfall.
    But what did she know?
    Eve started off at a warm-up jog, chose the left fork on the track. Another, bigger crash, and a tree fell across the path only a few feet ahead of her. She vaulted over it, racked up a few points. Increased her pace.
    She veered right, heard a rumbling, echoing growl, and decided to backtrack. She’d just take the longer route.
    She ran flat out now, finding her rhythm, muscles warming.
    She saw the narrow, swaying bridge ahead—rope and open planks—with some gaps—over a wide chasm. A river, the color of mud, roared and churned below. She rushed the bridge, leaping over gaps, nearly crashed through when wood cracked under her feet.
    Then the whole business began to vibrate. She thought,
Oh shit,
as frayed rope snapped, and the planks behind her tumbled down to splash into the swirling river.
    She sprang up, snagged dangling rope and propelled herself forward. The surge of wind, speed, struck her, as exhilarating as it was terrifying. She landed hard—a jolt from ankles to knees—on a narrow ledge.
    To the right, the ledge widened and stacked into rough stone steps. On which stood a howling pack of wolves. Even as she considered her options they began to slink forward.
    She stopped, considering, and started climbing, dragging herself up the cliff face.
    Sweaty, straining, she reached the top.
    Reward,
the screen flashed.
You now have a knife.
    She patted her hip, felt the sheath.
    Frosty.
    Panting a bit, she ran left, away from the wolves. Just as