by Ryan Tang
Matthew fell back then suddenly faked a half-turn forward. This time, Emile didn't fall for either his feints.
Alex smiled.
Her best friend was still working on her piloting skills, but she was naturally talented and fearless. She was improving quickly. She'd seen Matthew use that exact move on Alex just moments earlier - a slight jiggle left followed by a smooth step back to the right. She wasn't going to be tricked by a repeat.
"Good."
There was a smile in Matthew's voice as he noted her improvement, but of course, he had another trick in his back pocket.
He took a long step forward, so long that his machine looked like it was about to slip.
Emile fell back, edging to the very edge of the line. A large circle marked the area around the flag, which the defending team could not enter.
It looked like he was going to try and go for a slide tackle in between her legs. He'd stolen the flag with that move two rounds ago, kicking the ball out of the circle and bouncing it off the wall back to his hand.
Emile crouched to catch him.
Then his black machine pushed off the ground using its hands.
Alex's eyes widened.
"Shit!"
A Hands Paragon's arms were just as strong as its legs. He flipped through the air, catapulting himself high over Emile and into the circle.
His machine somersaulted through the air. A massive hand scooped down. It looked like the same gesture bears made when they scooped salmon from rivers. There were no animals on the space colonies, but Alex had seen the pictures before.
The flag was a tiny little magnetic ball about three times the size of a basketball. It could only attach to a precise point on the Hands Paragon's hand. The purpose of capture the flag wasn't just to train teamwork in a combat-like situation. It was also to train precision. The Mad Nobles were fanatics about accuracy, and for a good reason. The enormous Paragons were often said to have the strength of a thousand people, but that meant their pilots' mistakes were also amplified a thousandfold. Even with the Hands Paragon's assistant programming, the pilots had to be extremely careful that every movement was the one they intended. They had to stay calm at all times. An accident in a Paragon could easily lead to disaster.
Alex and the other pilots knew the risks.
Their training was carefully regulated. They fought deep inside an underground bunker built beneath the abandoned Block 12. The crowd watched from behind layers and layers of protective glass. Their machines were armored and padded.
Ideally, Alex would only have her friends compete in the simulator, but there was nothing like the real thing, nothing like actually piloting a Paragon.
Alex shifted her machine down to all fours to try and maximize her speed as Matthew prepared to throw.
Three different pilots stood Matthew's side of the court. Because of Matthew's unearthly skills, their team was able to keep three in the back and one on the attack. Leanne, Miles, and Arthur faced off against Margaret on the front.
Margaret was a decent pilot, but it was almost impossible to break past three enemies with a single unit. Matthew had kept Alex's team on the defensive for the last few rounds.
Matthew's machine tumbled to the ground. The veteran pilot tucked himself into a ball and rolled down to the back of the bunker. When he'd cleared enough distance from Emile's pursuing machine, he threw the flag across the court in a single smooth motion. His teammates each raised a hand into the air, keeping the massive rubber gloves perfectly still as they darted around in preconstructed patterns.
A flare of jealousy pierced Alex's concentration. It was virtually impossible to throw a tiny ball accurately into an equally small hole a full mile away. Only Matthew could do it. Everyone else had to run it back.
Alex moved toward the enemy team, her eyes carefully tracking the ball as it spun through the air. In previous rounds, Alex had simply noted where the ball was going and tackled the receiver.
But now Matthew's team had developed a new plan. Matthew told them beforehand exactly where he was going to throw it. Their new job was to be in a position to catch it.
The curveball spun and twisted through the air, obfuscating its destination until the very last moment.
She'd have to learn how to control her machine like that.
But for now, all she could think about was winning.
A few seconds later and then she saw it.
"Arthur! It's going to be Arthur!"
Margaret was already in motion, but Matthew's teammates knew what was going to happen too.
Leanne elegantly stepped forward for the screen.
Her ivory machine ducked low to the ground. Over their last couple of games, both teams had devised new techniques in terms of screaming and blocking. Their teamwork, coordination, and control over their Paragons had blossomed as they developed increasingly intricate strategies.
A low screen was one of the easiest ways to knock the sturdy Hands Paragons off-balance. A hard smack to the knees usually brought the thin machines down long enough for your teammates to make the perfect unimpeded catch.
Margaret cursed as she smashed into the floor, but she managed to catch herself on her hands before it was too late. For one ludicrous moment, it looked like she was doing a handstand. Then she charged forward with only the slightest hesitation, using her hands like they were feet. The sight of the enormous machine moving so comically brought a smile to Alex's face.
A flash of pride surged through her stomach. They were all improving so quickly. Once again, she pushed the emotion to the side. She had to focus.
Miles moved in to screen her at the knees, but Alex took to the skies using the same deep jump Matthew employed to push himself past her.
Miles hadn't been expecting an aerial assault. His Paragon wavered. She noticed him struggling with the controls. By the time he righted himself, it was just a bit too late.
She and Arthur met each other in the middle of the air.
There was a tremendous crash.
The sound of Eternium hitting against each other was said to be the most beautiful sound ever heard. The music of great Paragon duelists smashing their weapons against each other was a deadly opera that accompanied the fiercest duels of Old Earth.
The sound of two Hands Paragons crashing into each other was just a jarring thud.
Both machines went spinning to the ground.
The tiny ball floated between them.
Arthur reached out, but Alex hastily shoved him aside.
She swung her machine's gigantic hand wide.
Her fingers tightened around the controls.
Every move had to be perfect. Otherwise, she'd fumble the catch.
She saw how the ball spun through the air. It was slightly downward to the left.
She twisted her hand to match it, bringing her palm forward and squinting to judge the angle.
Leanne had innovated both the curveballs and Matthew's preset throws. Matthew didn't just tell his teammates where he was going to throw the ball. He told them the precise spin and had them pre-input the results on their Paragon's computer. If Alex's team intercepted it, they had to judge the ball's rotation on the fly, almost like hacking a passcode.
The strategy was Leanne to a hilt. She was growing by leaps and bounds as a pilot, and she'd even shone the beginnings of being able to manipulate Eternium, something else nobody on the colony had managed so far. But her best attribute was her mastery of tactics.
It seemed like she noticed and exploited everything.
Every little advantage.
Every slight adjustment.
Every possible eventuality.
Alex lived for moments like these, moments where the whole world hung in the balance. She knew how to find just the right move that she needed to emerge victorious.
But Leanne swamped that ability out by bombarding her with thousands of little details.
Did she need to go a little more left?
How far should she stre
tch her arm?
Should she be redirecting her palm?
Alex had missed the catch twice before by failing to account for every factor. But this time, she saw it.
It seemed like the ball was slowing down by so much that she could see the spin on it.
She was there.
No.
Not yet.
Just a little more.
She shifted her hand just a half-degree further, an almost imperceptible adjustment that made all the difference in the world.
Thunk.
The catch was good.
She fell to the floor, yelping in triumph.
The interception meant the round ended in a tie.
She took a deep breath and popped open her cockpit.
Arthur winced a little as he climbed out of his.
"Arthur, are you alright?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, yeah."
The covered machines could still lead to some hard and painful hits.
"Man. I did not expect you to do that."
He turned to Miles.
"Come on man! Where was the protection?"
The two friends laughed together. They were the best out of the new recruits Alex had found for the colony's developing defense squad, but they were still a far cry from being battle-ready.
"You got us good this time."
Alex shook her head.
She hadn't gotten them at all.
Her team hadn't scored a point for the last eight rounds. The other team had won 3. They'd tied in 5.
"Anyone need a break?"
There was a universal chorus of nos. Everyone knew how important this was. Once the colony's defense force was ready, they'd open the Gate and welcome everyone to the wonderful world they were building on Plenty.
"Alright. Let's line up again."
On Alex's side stood Jared, Emile, and Margaret, who'd recently taken up this position after spending so much time rebuilding the colony with the Hands Paragons. They usually used Duncan, who had a special machine he piloted with his feet. But today, Jared's childhood friend was busy at work trying to upload information from the Hands Paragons onto the piloting simulator.
Matthew, Leanne, Arthur, and Miles stood on the other side. Matthew was by far the best pilot of their group, with Leanne a distant second. At the moment, Arthur and Miles were better known for their enthusiasm than their still developing skills.
Leanne quickly took charge of her team's organization for the next round. The tall and fierce-eyed woman was a natural leader, the kind of person people liked to follow. When she talked, people listened.
Alex gathered her teammates around her.
"We need a new strategy."
After several failed attempts, they'd begun emulating Matthew's strategy – one in the front and three in the back. At first, they used Alex as their attacker. She wasn't as good as Matthew at movement and throwing, but she was a close facsimile. The problem was they had no chance of guarding Matthew with Alex on the attack, and his ability to throw full-court meant that she couldn't compete with him in scoring.
After two straight points, they sent Margaret to the front with Alex in the back marking Matthew. That had led to a brief string of ties, but they'd given up all offensive power.
Alex laughed when she saw the next possibility.
"Let's all go."
"What?"
"We'll go as four. Spread out wide and run. We'll just try to make it a race. If Matthew goes for the throw, we'll have four people playing defense on his side. If he runs it back, we'll be going at the same pace as him. We're using the same machine. It's not like he can run faster than us."
Emile chuckled.
"That's not a bad idea."
Jared sighed. Alex could tell he didn't like it. It seemed too much like a gimmick. But to her surprise, he agreed.
"Don't think we have much of a choice."
Their team spread out, then charged.
Leanne cackled.
"I knew they would try something like that! I knew it! Didn't I tell you guys?"
Nico didn't even see what her counter-plan was, and he was already cheering.
"My mom's the smartest! My mom's the smartest!"
But it was too late to back down now. Alex's team continued sprinting forward.
Leanne's team gathered her up and threw her high into the air.
The librarian cursed and furiously backtracked. With the strength of her whole team behind her, Leanne would reach the flag long before Alex. She couldn't believe Leanne had already devised such a perfect countermeasure.
There was only one thing to do.
Alex jumped to grab her.
Leanne's team had put everything into this throw.
If Alex stopped it here, her teammates would win.
Leanne twisted mid-air to avoid her hand.
Alex grabbed onto her thruster instead.
The librarian's eyes widened.
Shit.
Leanne's machine jerked then veered hard toward the ground. Alex's Paragon fell with it.
There was a thundering crash as the two machines hit the floor hard.
She could hear Nico shouting.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
Alex was thrown hard into the front of her cockpit.
She moaned in pain.
She closed her eyes and concentrated to see if she was alright. The adrenaline was rushing through her. Sometimes it could dull the sense of injury. She'd read about it before.
Her heart thudded in her chest.
Her stomach was tight with tension.
Her head was pounding ferociously.
But it was just excitement.
Everything else seemed fine.
The screen of her Paragon was badly cracked. It fizzled for a moment before fading to black.
Alex pressed at the latch, then urgently climbed out of her cockpit to check on Leanne.
Nico was still screaming.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
Leanne stumbled uneasily out of her machine.
She smiled and waved at her son.
"I'm okay."
She stepped back down to the floor, shaking her head to clear off the shock of her fall.
"I'm okay."
Then a curtain of scarlet blood fell from her head.
"Oh. My blood. My blood."
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted.
____
Someone was playing piano in the hallway of the hospital. The waiting room was empty, but the pianist didn't notice. Her head bowed deeply as she played the cheerful melody. It reminded Alex of flowers in full bloom and fruits ripening on trees. There was a bouncing and energetic feel to the song, and the pianist bobbed up and down a little bit as she played.
The receptionist at the desk was tense and nervous. His eyes were wide, and he relentlessly chewed his fingernails. Since the end of Stock's reign, there had been relatively few injuries and, as a result, relatively few guests. The blow to Leanne's head might have been the worst thing to happen so far.
Matthew had brought Leanne and Nico to the hospital as fast as he could, streaking through the skies a few minutes before them.
Alex and the rest of their group had just landed in her machine. They stormed inside, pelting the receptionist with questions.
"Is she alright?"
"Is she going to be okay?"
"What happened? Do we know what it is?"
He looked up and laughed nervously.
"Yeah. Yeah. She's going to be fine. She just hit her head on the way out. The Doctor said it's just a concussion. She just needs to rest."
He stood up and showed them around the desk.
"If you want, you can take a look inside."
He smiled a shy smile Alex recognized. He was trying to make them feel better about what happened. She'd done that same awkward smile many times before, when her students came to her with their problems.
It helped, but only a bit.
Sh
e should have been more careful. She shouldn't have made such a reckless move.
"She's fine. She's really fine. We just had her lie down for a bit. She's totally fine."
Alex released a long breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as they walked inside.
"Isn't the music cool, by the way? We found the piano lying around Stock's home. So much better than the instruments she was using before. Don't even know why he had it. I don't think he knew how to play or anything."
He started bobbling his head in tune with the happy music, a gentle smile on his face.
"This is Old Earth quality stuff."
Alex barely heard him.
The image of her grabbing Leanne's thruster echoed in her mind.
She still had a long way to go. She thought once again of the mantra she'd learned as a girl, the one that even the reckless and capricious Mad Nobles had known. The Paragons had the strength of a thousand people, and their pilot's mistakes were also amplified by a thousandfold.
Emile put a comforting hand behind her.
"It wasn't your fault. Live training is too risky, though. We need to stick most combat stuff to the simulator and find a more peaceful way to train precision on the machines."
"Yeah."
The Mad Nobles had trained in the most dangerous ways imaginable. They played capture the flag with no armor and live ammunition. Although strikes to the cockpit were prohibited, accidents still happened regularly despite the Nobles' finely-honed precision. But in their culture, a death in training was just as glorious as a death in battle. Needless to say, Plenty didn't feel the same way.
They entered the ward and found Leanne resting on the bed. Her eyes still looked vaguely out of focus, but otherwise, she seemed fairly healthy.
She smiled when she saw them. Nico was crouched protectively to the side of her. Matthew had already left.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah!"
The tall woman shook her head.
"That was quite the fast reaction. I had a feeling you might try to make a mad dash for it. We had that plan in our pocket the whole game. Still surprised you managed to stop me!"
Alex didn't want to talk about it.
Leanne laughed.
"It's nobody's fault, by the way. I know you guys are blaming yourselves."
She turned to Alex and imitated her voice.