The ball also has an autonomously controlled safety feature that prevents it from spiraling out of control and smashing into the inner rim of the habitat. This autonomy also allows for a random change of direction every now and again, just to mix things up. If, during a game, the ball is simply floating in free space, it may suddenly fly off in a new direction, sending the players scrambling to alter their flight vector to chase it down—usually to the whoops and cheers of the spectators.
To add a little more danger to the sport, as if it wasn’t dangerous enough, a series of one-hundred-meter-tall poles telescope up from the floor of the habitat, spaced one hundred meters apart. These are semi-flexible and padded, so that being side-swiped by the top of one of these would not result in anything more damaging than some bruising. However, any player who has the misfortune to hit one would almost certainly be sent into an uncontrolled tumble. This is the greatest fear of any player—to be spinning around with no idea of up or down or direction of travel. A tumble can also occur when two players impact in a tussle to get hold of the ball. In fact, it is a strategy adopted by all players to destabilize and disorient their opponent.
But there was one important rule that had to be introduced early on in the game’s development, and that was the quid pro quo rule. This meant that if a player was incapacitated for some reason, and needed to retire from the field, then a player from the opposing team also had to retire. This rule was introduced to prevent teams trying to eliminate each other by simply sending their opponents crashing to the ground or forcing them to hit one of the poles. Such a game would have an unacceptably high fatality count, with the winner literally being the last person standing—or floating, in this case. Yet it was still a dangerous game, and fatal injuries were not uncommon.
Today was ZeroDay—the day of the final match of the tournament, when the two top teams would fight it out for the grand prize. A cash amount that would allow every player on the winning team to never have to worry about money again. Everything in Neo City came to a standstill on ZeroDay. Everybody who could stopped work, and a carnival atmosphere took over the entire habitat— with buildings and streets festooned with team colors as the build-up to the final reached fever pitch.
All citizens were expected to join in the festivities, and that even included Fredrick VanHeilding, much to his annoyance. It wasn’t that he disliked the game or the carnival atmosphere—it was because he would have to show his face at a party organized by the governor of Neo City, Lui Wei, a high-ranking member of the ruling Xiang Zu family.
After beating a hasty retreat from the failed attempt at taking control of New World One, VanHeilding limped away and sought sanctuary at Neo City. This made him beholden to Lui Wei and the Xiang Zu family—and Fredrick did not like being beholden to anyone. By attending the party, he would be allowing Lui Wei an opportunity to belittle him, by making him acutely aware of his family’s reliance on the support and generosity of Xiang Zu Corporation.
A sleek, private gyro gracefully touched down inside the VanHeilding compound in Neo City—a sizable chunk of real estate that the family had managed to carve out for themselves over many decades of involvement in the asteroid city-state. The gyro was a small, airborne craft of simple design, a cabin suspended beneath four sets of counter-rotating blades, one at each corner. Dispatched courtesy of Lui Wei, it arrived to pick up Fredrick and his entourage and bring them to the game. This would be one of the last flights of the day, before all aerial activity was suspended for the duration of the event.
The side door of the gyro swung up to reveal a luxurious interior. Two Xiang Zu operatives, dressed in the understated elegance of the very rich, hopped out. One scanned the area while the other escorted Fredrick into the private cabin along with Sebastian VanHeilding, a distant cousin of Fredrick’s—a midranking member of the family. The third member of Fredrick’s entourage, a trusted bodyguard and node-runner who went by the name of César, also took up a seat in the gyro. The door closed with a hiss and the sleek machine powered up its quad rotors.
As the craft rose into the Neo City sky, beginning its short journey to Lui Wei’s residence, Fredrick gazed out the window at the crowds gathered in the streets down below. Everywhere he looked was thronged with ordinary people in full party mode: drinking, singing, dancing, and generally having a good time.
“Looks like one heck of a party going on down there,” said Sebastian, also gazing down at the revelers through a window on the opposite side of the cabin.
“Yes, their one day of joy in an otherwise mundane and turgid existence.” He said this as if speaking to himself.
“You almost sound like you feel sorry for them.” Sebastian turned his head away from the window.
Fredrick frowned. “Perhaps I do. Perhaps I feel sorry for their ignorance, their pursuit of the baser pleasures. That which gratifies the body rather than the mind.”
This response seemed to silence Sebastian, since he did not reply and instead returned to gazing out the window at the crowd below.
The gyro slowed and came to a hover over the landing pad in the sprawling Lui Wei compound. It rotated gently and descended to a soft touchdown on one of the upper decks. The compound occupied a central position within Neo City and was built over several different levels, perfect as a ringside seat for the ZeroBall final.
Fredrick and Sebastian exited the craft and were ushered down a broad stairway onto a wide lido deck, populated with a generous scattering of the rich and beautiful of Neo City. Some gathered around the bars and tables, others draped themselves decoratively across sofas and recliners. All were abuzz with an excited anticipation of the forthcoming game.
But their path continued through this privileged throng of Neo City citizens and down a few short steps to a roped-off VIP deck—the prime location in all of Neo City to watch the day’s events unfold. The VanHeildings were shown to their seats, each an oversized circular sofa. They settled in, and refreshments were brought.
Fredrick cast a glance around at the other VIPs assembled here; most were members of the seven most powerful families in the solar system. He nodded polite greetings to those he knew.
“We have arrived in a nest of vipers,” Fredrick whispered over to Sebastian, who was busy adjusting his ample frame into a comfortable position on the sofa.
“Good view, though.” He glanced up at the game area above, then back at the party on the upper deck. “No sign of our esteemed host yet.”
Before Fredrick could answer, a blast of triumphant music reverberated around the game area, and with it all eyes turned to look up at them. Fredrick glanced back to see Lui Wei entering along with several others. Some were clearly bodyguards, and others merely fashion accessories. He strolled past the rows of sofas to the edge of the deck and waved to the thongs of people below. A loud cheer could be heard echoing around the habitat. After a moment or two of soaking up the adulation, Lui Wei turned away from the edge and made himself comfortable in the central seat, just an arm’s reach away from Fredrick.
“Glad you could make it, Fredrick.” He said this without turning his head. He was still waving and smiling at the crowd.
“How could I miss the final of the most renowned tournament in the entire solar system?”
“You flatter us. Our game is but a humble trial of zero-gravity skill.”
Before Fredrick could reply, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd as players began entering the game area high above. They flew in from both ends of the of the giant habitat, five players on each side, waving to the crowd as they flew by. From Fredrick’s perspective, and all those who watched from around the rim of the habitat, the players seemed to spin slowly as they progressed toward each other. But in reality they were stationary; it was the habitat that spun around the players. Fredrick found himself a little awed by this phenomenon of physics, despite his overall disinterest in the game.
The players were dressed in slick, skintight bodysuits designed to afford minimal opportunity for an opp
onent to grab on to them. Small gas thrusters were strapped to each forearm, allowing them to maneuver in free space. But gas reserves were restricted, requiring the player to be efficient and frugal in their use. One team wore all yellow, the other all green. They slowed to a floating stop, taking up positions prior to commencement of the game. A palpable wave of excitement rippled throughout the crowd, and all eyes again turned to Lui Wei. He stood up, walked to the edge, and raised a hand in the air. The crowd settled down to a murmur. High overhead, a shiny metallic sphere zoomed to a point in space equidistant from the two teams, then stopped and hovered there, motionless.
Lui Wei took a moment to survey the crowd, allowing the thrill of anticipation to build, his arm raised high above his head. “Let the game…begin.” He shouted the last word, bringing his hand down in one swift movement at the same time. The crowd roared their approval as a player from each team broke off and made a beeline for the sphere. Wei sat down again and settled in.
Despite his natural cynicism, Fredrick VanHeilding found himself enthralled by the game as it progressed. It was physics as ballet, Newtonian mechanics as entertainment. He barely noticed the twenty minutes of play pass by before the first-quarter horn blew. Both teams had so far failed to score.
The noise from the crowd began to settle down as they took the opportunity to discuss the game so far and stock up on vitals prior to recommencement of battle. Lui Wei leaned over toward Fredrick. “Enjoying our humble sport?”
“I must admit, I find it quite captivating.”
“Ahh…but they’re only getting warmed up. Wait until the last quarter when they become more desperate.” He cocked an eye over at Sebastian. “And what brings you to our asteroid city?”
“I’ve heard so much about this famous game of ZeroBall, and I was in the neighborhood, so to speak. So I decided on a whim to come and see it for myself.” Sebastian’s demeanor was jovial. He was clearly enjoying the game.
“In the neighborhood? How fortunate.” Lui Wei glanced at Fredrick with a skeptical look, then back at Sebastian. “That’s a very fine ship you have,” he continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite like it.”
Sebastian shifted in his seat, clearly proud that Lui Wei had noticed the splendor of his vessel. “It’s the very latest from the Cerellian Engineering Shipyards, designed to my own specification, and the fastest in the system.”
“Then you must meet our chief ship designer. I imagine you two would have much to talk about. He’ll be at the grand gala at the end of the tournament. You are coming, aren’t you?”
“Eh…I’m afraid not. We’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“Ah…that’s unfortunate.” Wei remained silent for a moment, preferring to adjust the placement of his drink on the small table beside him.
He turned to Fredrick and leaned in close. “I heard a rumor,” he finally said, his voice low and serious. “A rumor that your wayward daughter and her entourage have left the relative safety of New World One, bound for Mars, I believe.” He turned and gave Fredrick a considered look. “Interesting development, don’t you think? A person might get tempted, thinking of them out there…all alone and isolated.”
So there it is, thought Fredrick. This is what’s bothering him. “I’ve heard that rumor too, and maybe that’s what they want a person to believe…that they’re all alone, ready to be picked off.”
“Ahh…you are the wily one, Fredrick. Always thinking of plots within plots.”
They stopped talking, since the second quarter was about to begin. It opened with a bang. Yellow were quicker off the mark and snagged the sphere first. A few deft passes later and the first score of the game was chalked up—the yellow fans roared their approval. Green was now under pressure, and so came out swinging. They were first to the sphere this time, and getting more aggressive. A deft turn and a well-timed kick by a green player sent one of the opposing team tumbling uncontrollably into the path of a rotating pole. The crowd held their breath, then let out a collective sigh as the player managed to correct course, missing the oncoming pole by a whisker.
Again, Fredrick became enthralled by this gear shift in the game, so much so that he almost put all thoughts of Wei’s inquisition out of his mind.
But as the second-quarter horn sounded, Wei continued, “As you know, Neo City will be at its closest point to New World One in less than three months.” He gave Fredrick another of his considered looks. “It wouldn’t be good to get distracted from our ultimate mission.”
By now, Fredrick was getting a little annoyed at the subtext of this conversation. Was Lui Wei really so emboldened as to presume to question VanHeilding family business? True, the Xiang Zu clan had invested heavily in the success of the first mission, and had also facilitated the rebuild of the two VanHeilding ships. But this did not give him the authority, in Fredrick’s mind, to dictate what he should or should not do.
“Agreed,” Fredrick finally replied with clenched teeth.
But Lui Wei persisted. “If the Perception has indeed departed for Mars, then surely that is one less thing to concern ourselves with?”
Fredrick carefully considered his response. On the one hand, he did not want to open up a fissure between the two families. But on the other, he did not like being lectured by this arrogant fop.
“These are family matters.” He gave a nonchalant, dismissive gesture. “No need for you to concern yourself with them.”
“But of course. Please forgive my intrusion.” Wei gave an apologetic smile. “I’m merely saying that it is never good to get sidestepped into adventures whose objectives many would consider a distraction.”
Fredrick remain silent, and seriously considered getting up and leaving the game. But that was probably not a good idea. So he simply ignored Lui Wei’s taunts. Fortunately, the third quarter of the game was about to begin.
It opened with the score still even at five points each. But the lure of the prize money must have been on the players’ minds during recess, since both teams found yet another gear. Straight out of the gate, the play was faster and even more aggressive this time around.
Within the first minute of play commencing, a green player had been forced into the path of an oncoming pole and looked to be knocked unconscious with the impact. She bounced off in an uncontrolled tumble, heading toward the inner rim. The crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of a fatal smash, but the player managed to come to, regain control, and made her way back to the play area. There was a hint of disappointment from the crowd at being denied this drama.
Yet, the player had clearly been injured and seemed to have difficulty getting oriented. Yellow’s blood was now up, and in the intervening moment had managed to score another point, putting them in the lead. But green were not giving up just yet, and a battle royale played out for the remaining quarter. Nevertheless, it ended 6-5 to yellow.
This only added to Fredrick’s irritation as both he and Sebastian, at Lui Wei’s request, had taken a flutter on the game, picking green to win. Whereas he, of course, had chosen yellow.
“Looks like your team is struggling, Fredrick.”
“It’s not over yet,” he snapped back.
“True, there’s still plenty to fight for.” He paused for a beat, then leaned in closer to Fredrick and lowered his voice. “Concerning our earlier conversation, it would be remiss of me if I did not inform you that some of the lesser families invested in our…endeavor are a getting a little anxious.”
Fredrick replied with a quick wave of his hand as if swatting a fly. “But we both know they are fools. I for one see nothing but success in securing New World One. To my mind it is inevitable.”
“My own sentiments exactly,” said Lui Wei. “And it would seem that your estranged family think likewise by beating a hasty exit before they are trapped.” Wei considered his next words for a moment. “But what’s concerning the other families is why you failed the first time, considering that the QI on Ceres was destroyed.”
Fredrick
returned a glare. “I’m not in the mood right now to explain what happened all over again.”
“No, of course not. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.” Wei paused for a beat. “But I’ve been hearing some…wild stories, rumors of a ghost in the machine. Utter nonsense, I imagine, but they do persist.”
“It’s complete drivel. I can’t imagine where you heard that,” Fredrick returned.
“Oh, people talk. Especially in bars and clubs. Your node-runners are still only human—they like to socialize just like everyone else. They drink, they let their hair down, they talk.”
“Well, it’s absurd.”
“I’m sure it is. But what’s intriguing is that the name Luca has been mentioned, more than once. And spoken of in hushed, reverent tones—so I’ve been told. This is your granddaughter, I believe. What do you make of that?”
After the failure to capture New World One, Fredrick had kept quiet about the power that Luca wielded. For one, would anyone really believe that a single person could undermine the combined processing power of a well-trained cohort of node-runners? Fredrick gave another dismissive gesture. “Excuses, excuses. They simply overplayed their hand taking out the QI and left themselves with insufficient resources to finish the job. That’s not going to happen again.”
But Fredrick’s final worlds were drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the players took their positions for the final quarter of the game.
The final chapter in this aerial battle opened with a frenzied rush for the sphere, with several players from both sides making a dash for possession. Their combined efforts resulted in a ruck of bodies spinning and tumbling as each player fought for control. This seemed to please the crowd to no end, as they cheered and hooted their approval.
Exodus: Sci-Fi Thriller (The Belt Book 5) Page 4
