He peeked from behind his rock. An explosion blew through the opening in the hull, taking out Chico. Tex came leaping out after it with a green orb in his hands. He hit the ground, rolled, and managed to keep his hat on.
“Stick to cover!” yelled Alvin.
Zuck fired again, catching the top of his head.
Damn it.
When Alvin rematerialized he saw Tex run behind a gray boulder.
Noura was on the field laying down covering fire.
Rita jumped down through the hull breach.
Chico ran around the right side of the ship at the far end of the field.
Alvin dashed down the hill to join them.
Tex ran from his hiding place in the rock field and entered the open just past Zuck.
“Sheee-it!” he yelled as Zuck put him down with a shot to the back. He flopped to the ground and the glowing orb rolled from his grasp.
Zuck charged for it in a zigzag pattern to evade the incoming shots.
Damn, he’s fast.
Alvin rushed toward the orb and popped the pin on a grenade. Zuck came straight at him and fired before diving to the ground to scoop up the relic. Alvin’s body fell and the blast from his grenade sent Zuck back to respawn.
Alvin rematerialized on the hill across the battlefield. The relic had dematerialized. It would reappear inside the ship in moments.
Bet that pissed him off.
He saw an explosion at the entrance to the ship. Noura bounded into the smoky doorway.
Tex ran down the field behind her. Rita and Chico were down momentarily.
A tone sounded.
“In hand,” said Noura on team chat.
She rushed back out of the same doorway. Tex leaped over her on his jet boots, scattering shots inside the ship.
Alvin charged across the field. He saw Chico coming out of the torn hull and sent a shot right into his head.
Noura ran back with the orb. She was halfway home.
Alvin looked back at the doorway. Tex held it for a moment longer before being mowed down by a barrage of shots. Zuck and Rita came through.
Alvin aimed up on Zuck and missed. The shot landed on Rita, knocking her back. He fired again and sent her to respawn. He fired again at Zuck, but he couldn’t hit him.
Then he heard Noura say, “What is it you say in Texas, old man? Touchdown?”
She wasn’t at the green circle yet.
Don’t get cocky.
Alvin was littered with shots as Zuck ran up on him. He felt pinpricks all over his body as his vision went black. When he rematerialized, Zuck was rushing away with the orb. He’d taken Noura down.
Alvin was too far to give chase. He fired from the hilltop.
Zuck passed the orb to Rita before turning and shooting back at him. Noura and then Tex respawned in the chaos. They dodged around Zuck’s shots until a booming tone echoed across the field signaling the relic’s return.
Rita had just won the match.
Alvin dropped his rifle to his side. Zuck shot him in the head as the game ended.
How the hell am I gonna beat him?
Seventeen
Alvin heard the whine of motors as the pod door opened beside him. His nostrils caught Katy’s sweet scent as she entered the pod.
“Fuck, Al,” she said.
He felt the chair rise. Then her hands were working at the straps across his torso. Sweat flowed down his forehead and temples.
“You okay?” she said.
He opened his eyelids. Her blue eyes were looking right back at him. Her smile looked pained. He felt a throbbing in his head and grimaced.
“Was I at least entertaining?” he said.
“They loved it, Al.”
He relaxed back into the chair and she undid the straps on his wrists and ankles.
“Why did the rules change?” Alvin asked.
“Oona paid off Xi-Michaels. She bet big on Zuck before the predictive analysis was revealed. She has a real dislike for you.”
“So you turned on overclocking?”
She looked uncomfortable. “I had to.”
“I’m not sure I can beat him,” he said.
“You can’t, Al. There’s more . . . they’re going to gang up on you. Oona bought them all off, even that Arab lady,” said Katy.
“Not a surprise. The level of duplicitous . . .” He trailed off to silence.
“Al, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I got to play again. For months I’ve had something to look forward to.”
“But you’d win for sure if they’d only play fair,” she said.
“Call it karma. Besides, I already won. I have you.”
She smiled softly. “You have thirty minutes before you need to be back in the seat.”
“I think I’ll rest here. Maybe something will come to me.”
He reached down and picked up a can of Refuel he’d brought in to the pod. He swigged it and closed his eyes.
“Okay, then, I’ve got to disembark the others,” she said sadly.
She stepped out and closed the door.
Think, Baylor, think.
He replayed the match in his mind, pondering the players and the map. He walked through the downed starship in his thoughts, examining the corners, looking for an advantage. When he heard the pod door again, Katy had returned and he had found the answer.
He opened his eyes and checked the time.
Three minutes to go.
“I’ve got an idea. I need you to load me a copy of Zuck’s avatar,” said Alvin.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“Become Zuck,” he said.
She cocked her head and smiled. She seemed almost proud.
“Here.” She fiddled at the controls in her Opti-Comp.
He received Zuck’s avatar and loaded it up.
She began reaffixing his restraints. He looked past the floating character model in his eye to see her looking worried.
“This will even the score. If they want to gang up on me, they have to find me,” he said with a wink.
“I always fall for the cocky ones,” she said shaking her head.
She affixed the final torso strap, kissed him, then lowered the chair back.
“Either way we’ll have a great dinner tonight,” he said.
She stepped backward out of the pod and blew him a kiss. “Kick some ass.”
The door slid shut.
He finalized his new avatar and waited for the pod to connect to his mind.
He felt calm. That’s what pressure brought him—peace of mind. Two Zucks would sow confusion. If he could gather everyone together, he could break their alliance.
“Contestants, prepare for synaptic redirection.”
Alvin closed his eyes and felt his head start to buzz. When he opened them, he was lying on his back in the coffin. He stepped out onto an empty dais. Each player entered the final match alone. The crowd roared and then a hush started to fall.
He scanned their faces and saw looks of shock. Oona stood up and shouted angrily, fist in the air.
Alvin looked down at his skinny arms—Zuck’s arms. He smiled at her.
Seated near Oona was Anton Vance. The writer slapped his knee in laughter.
Alvin walked to the wall and grabbed a pulse rifle, the model Zuck preferred. He exited through the lit doorway and waited in the small room while the countdown began in his display. His vision went black.
A haze of particles appeared. They grew structured and formed the same gray plateau. He looked around. The crashed ship sat in the distance. He’d spawned exactly where he had during the team game. Large letters suddenly dropped from the sky and crashed to the ground in front of him. They spelled out “Last Man Standing.” A tone sounded and the match began.
Alvin jumped down off the perch and ran around back of the rock face to hide. His display showed warning messages indicating the time benchmarks for payouts on the match. Should he finish in under thirteen seconds, he would make somebo
dy rich. After thirteen seconds, he would make someone else rich. He didn’t give a shit what the data analytics had forecasted. He needed to be patient if he wanted to win.
In the distance, he saw Chico run toward the ship and then from the other side came Tex. The two saw each other, but they didn’t fire.
They’re definitely working together.
Alvin scurried low around the rock face to take a look from its left side. He saw Rita move slowly from one boulder to another and thought of picking her off.
Not yet. I need everyone to shoot Zuck at once.
It looked clear now. He took off running toward the ship. A tone blared across the field. Thirteen seconds had elapsed.
He saw spectator chatter in his display. Some razzed him, others complained about lost wagers. He ignored the distraction and continued on to the vessel’s side where it was torn open. He lay down flat, just below the gouge in the hull, and peered over the edge. The players were checking the rooms together and they were using open chat.
“All clear,” said Chico. “We should hold position and wait for him to move out there.”
“I’m not sitting in here. It’s too dangerous in one spot,” said Zuck.
Might have to surprise him.
Alvin slid away from the opening and ran down to the aft exit of the craft. Seconds passed and no one came.
He must’ve gone through the other side.
Alvin entered the ship and walked calmly across the deck. Tex saw him first.
“I thought it was too dangerous in one spot,” he said. He looked at Alvin, but what he saw was Zuck.
Alvin shrugged his shoulders and kept on walking.
“Coward,” grumbled Tex.
Alvin moved toward the corridor where the mirrored crystal spire jutted through. He exchanged glances with Noura’s male avatar while continuing to keep his cool.
Thanks for the idea, lady.
He hopped over the crumpled deck, past the torn hull, and stopped in the corner. He turned around, his back against the mirrored crystal. He could see easily down both hallways now. It was a minute and a half into the match.
A flurry of censored chatter continued to appear at the bottom of his display. Given the amount of garbled characters being censored by the system, it was clear the crowd had something to say about his avatar. He ignored the chatroom and stood, silent and still, as he watched the players pace the ship like ants mapping their territory. None of the others ventured outside. They looked edgy.
C’mon, Zuck. Get back here.
Finally someone cracked.
“Zuck, maybe you should go back out there,” said Rita.
Shit.
Alvin felt his heart jump. He turned calmly to look at her and said nothing.
She glared at him.
It had been an easy enough effort loading Zuck’s skin, but mimicking his voice required more time than he had to work with.
Plan’s about to change.
“I said, maybe you should go back out there. He’s obviously not in here,” said Rita.
Alvin waved her off with his hand and she furrowed her brow.
The others looked at him. His heart beat faster. He waited for them to gather.
Two hundred million, Baylor.
Rita walked closer. Chico followed behind her. They stopped opposite him just before the caved-in floor.
“Zuck!” she yelled. “Go outside.”
“I am outside!” shouted Zuck over open chat.
One minute and forty-seven seconds had elapsed.
Rita froze and Chico’s smile fell away as Alvin fired his rifle. She absorbed the blast and knocked Chico into the crevasse. They fell in a tangled mess. Alvin sent another shot into Chico’s metal-toothed grimace. His face disintegrated.
Tex came running. He fired and Alvin rolled away while lobbing a grenade. The cowboy ran into the explosive and was obliterated by the blast.
Alvin scrambled to his feet as Noura wounded him in the hip. He crumpled, but returned fire. She went down.
Where’s Zuck?
Alvin placed his back against the mirrored crystal.
Which side is he coming from?
A clank rang out ahead.
Before Alvin could act, Zuck bounded over Tex’s body and up to the edge of the crumpled floor. He stood in the wafts of smoke opposite Alvin, his eyes roving side to side, but he didn’t fire.
He doesn’t see me. He thinks I’m his reflection.
Suddenly, Zuck turned to aim out the hull breach and off into the distance. It broke the illusion. He did a double take, his eyes pinging back and forth from Alvin to the outside.
Now.
Alvin squeezed the trigger and dropped to one knee. At two minutes into the match, Zuck yelled, “Bay—” as he was hit square in the chest. He fired back on his way down, shattering the crystal. Alvin stood up amid the raining shards and shot him in the forehead. Zuck’s body went still.
A tone sounded. “Alvin Baylor lives!” said the announcer.
Fuck yeah, I do.
Eighteen
“Took you long enough,” said Alvin. He was bound up in the pod chair with a pleased grin.
“There’s drama out there,” said Katy.
She leaned in to him with a finger across her lips and motioned toward the open pod door with a tilt of her head. A group was speaking just outside.
“Who made you a fool? Quantum analysis was available to everyone before the match. Are you telling me you don’t trust Mr. Zuck’s data?” said Xi-Michaels.
“You predicted thirteen seconds. Something was wrong with the analysis,” bellowed Oona.
“Actually, Ms. Oona, it was 12.8 seconds, measured from Mr. Baylor’s first shot. So no need to question the accuracy, merely the interpretation,” said Chow.
“Oh, hot damn,” said Vance.
Alvin winked at Katy.
She planted a kiss on his cheek and hugged him hard.
“I can’t believe you just pulled that off,” she whispered.
“Where’s our winner?” sounded Xi-Michaels’s voice from outside.
Katy finished unfastening him and they exited. He followed her out with his arm at the small of her back.
Xi-Michaels was at the center of the pods, surrounded by Oona and the other players. The defeated eyed him solemnly.
“Ah, Mr. Baylor, you do not disappoint!” exclaimed Xi-Michaels.
He raced forward on his wheels with Chow, Oona and Vance walking swiftly behind him. The players stayed put.
Vance examined Alvin and Katy’s embrace curiously. She shook Alvin’s arm off.
“So you got a prize for me?” asked Alvin.
“Yes, Mr. Baylor. A new chain will be added to your wallet,” said Xi-Michaels. “You were very impressive. Alteris must be proud to employ a man of such talent.”
“I wouldn’t say proud. I’m a necessary evil. So how much did you two make?” asked Alvin.
Chow looked perturbed. Vance laughed.
Xi-Michaels answered, “It would be unethical to bet on my own tournament. What kind of a man do you take me for?”
“The smart kind,” said Alvin.
Xi-Michaels’s smile froze.
“That sonofabitch cheated! He’s a fucking cheat!” shouted a muffled voice. Alvin recognized Zuck, still inside his pod.
They all turned to look across the dais.
“Is that a sore loser I hear?” said Alvin.
Oona glared at him.
“I’ll get him,” said Katy. “He’s still cooling down.”
She walked away quickly to Zuck’s pod.
Oona stepped forward and pointed a finger in Alvin’s chest. “You are a dirty player.”
“I took your advice about cunning,” he said.
Vance waved his finger through the air like a stylus. He was taking notes in his Opti-Comp.
“Settle down, everyone,” said Xi-Michaels.
Chow looked uncomfortable.
“So where’d you get the scan?”
asked Vance.
“No comment,” said Alvin.
Zuck came tumbling out of his pod and crashed to the floor with his ass in the air. Katy stepped through after him.
“Take it easy. Overclocking has you out of whack,” she said.
He got back up on shaky legs, sneered at her, and walked straight into the next pod.
“Your funeral,” said Katy.
Vance turned on his heel and went for the drama. Everyone followed. Alvin joined them at Katy’s side.
Zuck sat on the ground, leaning back against the pod wall. His shoulders were hunched and hanging, and his head turned rapidly on his neck.
“How you feeling, Rick? That was a long time to overclock,” said Alvin.
“You cheated!” shouted Zuck. He tried to stand, then buckled and threw up in his lap.
“Ooh boy,” said Vance. He looked excited as he stepped away from the bile.
“Mr. Zuck, please rest for your safety. We have medical personnel on the way,” said Chow.
Zuck lifted his head as the expulsion ceased. He looked angry and exhausted. “He’s a cheater, always was.”
Xi-Michaels clapped his gloved hands. “Now now, Mr. Zuck, Baylor did nothing illegal during the match.”
Alvin’s smile grew broader.
I’m free.
He looked around the pod floor and spied Noura with her black niqab in place. She was standing at the edge of the stage watching the drama. She nodded at him before her manservant escorted her away. The crinkle around her eyes told Alvin she was smiling.
I’m fucking free.
“There are no rules about borrowed avatars,” said Chow.
“Yeah and it’s not as if he conspired with everyone to beat you,” said Katy.
The group looked at her curiously. Vance’s eyebrow raised.
“Thankfully for all of us, nothing like that happened,” said Xi-Michaels.
“Really?” said Vance.
“Yo, I woulda wrecked house if we played a fighter match,” interjected Chico.
“No doubt, Mr. Perez,” said Vance. “Anything to say about these allegations?”
“No,” said Chico.
“Ms. Takata?”
Rita gave a sheepish look that made her elongated eye shadow contract. “I gave it my best,” she said.
Oona glowered at her.
Alvin Baylor Lives! Page 12