by Haidji
Cassandra did not stop at Alessandra’s this evening after work, so she arrived a little bit earlier in the condominium, saw Luca walking around, and made him a signal that meant that she was waiting for him in the washroom.
She crossed paths with candidate 3507, who was again on the phone inside the washroom. He went out, too fast for a candidate on drugs, as she entered. It was the male washroom. He did not ask her what she was doing there, just ran out, as would he have seen a ghost. She looked in the mirror, was she maybe too pale? Good that she had always some makeup available. So she made some more color in her face.
Luca entered the washroom; after a kiss and an embrace, Cassandra asked him for his bracelet, and told him her idea.
She gave him her own bracelet, which he put on his wrist, for him not to be without; and she put Luca’s bracelet on her own wrist.
Once in the kitchen, working, she dropped the still cold meat sauce she took out of the fridge, by mistake over Maria, another kitchen workers, arm, wrist, bracelet and hand. Maria, so far as she knew, was vegetarian, she could support seeing others cooking meat, but to touch it herself, was too much for her. She worked in the kitchen because she really needed the money to keep her own vegetarian restaurant going, together with her sister.
Maria was almost fainting, not because of the sauce that wasn’t even warm, but because of touching the meat without gloves. There were just some drops over her bracelet. Cassandra had taken care where she dropped the sauce.
Cassandra apologized, and offered to clean the bracelet for her.
Pretending to clean the bracelet, while Maria was recovering from her shock, being held by other kitchen workers, Cassandra took Luca’s bracelet off her wrist, put it under hot water, put Maria’s bracelet on her own wrist, and gave Maria Luca’s clean and now (due to hot water) deactivated bracelet.
As Cassandra brought the trays to the candidates, she gave Luca his new bracelet, which was Maria’s one, and took her own one back.
Already hidden in the washroom was the bag with John’s clothes, a little bit too tight for Luca’s taste, but he could wear them. There was a paper with her address, her handwritten GPS coordinates, and a key.
Luca left the Stadium together with some of the workers. Nobody noticed him. He walked around a little bit and stopped at the small supermarket next to Cassandra’s place, to ask where exactly the apartment was and to buy ingredients for fresh pasta.
Amazing globalization: around the corner is where you need to go to find everything and if not, someone delivers it to your home. He found everything he needed to make a real Italian dish. The supermarket couple smiled, it was the first time that a guy had asked for Cassandra’s place. They looked at him from bottom to top and approved him. Italian? Some passion is good for her.
Relieved to be out of the Game, he enjoyed the peace in her apartment and started to cook dinner. Cooking was like meditation for him. No TV, no CDs, only the sound of wine falling inside his glass, the sound of food being made in the kitchen, and the usual street noise with the background sounds of birds in the park on the other side of the road, and a beautiful woman coming home soon…who needs more?
Finished with her work, Maria wanted to go out of the Condominium. She was explaining to the guard that she needed to clean the bracelet, and the water was probably too hot; it wasn’t her fault if their technology wasn’t prepared for something so simple like hot water.
She had a family waiting and couldn’t lose time waiting for a new bracelet or the result of a DNA test to prove who she is. Or did he think that someone would copy her beautiful old woman figure and paste it onto another body, to work in a kitchen like a slave? He couldn’t even recognize her from the day before…?
They should create something better next time…idiots! Something waterproof, for kitchen workers.
The guard was tired and it was getting late. He knew Maria from the other days. She should just go. He would give her a new bracelet on the next day; but now, Maria, just go. After a day working on the Condominium entrance, protecting all from the paparazzi, or fans trying to break in…he was tired. He didn’t need more drama in his life.
AHG left the condominium early that morning, well before light, so he could try to return as early as possible. It was not supposed to be known that he could leave, or return. He would have a coffee with Marcel, and a meeting with his lead defense counsel in the Big Oil case. The meeting was to discuss any remaining details for the trial, which was fast approaching.
They met at a Starbucks, the only place open early enough that served good coffee. Or his preferred place anyway.
To his surprise, his journalist friend was late, but a girl was there to speak to him. She came to his table after asking one employee where he was. Marcel had told her to ask for ‘Tony’, the name on his cardboard coffee cup.
Diana introduced herself. She was many things, but she wasn’t shy. She came to visit her brother Marcel for a few days. From Asia. Tony, or better, Anthony, a/k/a AHG, did not know that Marcel had a sister, but due to her beauty, he could understand why Marcel kept her hidden, protected and a secret from him. In the public view, he was a married man and Marcel was a kind of conservative, Anthony was conservative too, in a certain kind of way, he never really cheated on his wife, even when he knew about her personal trainer. He was always too deeply involved with his work.
Marcel would come in about 10 minutes, she said. They spoke about the business world in Asia. Anthony was impressed about her knowledge and practical view of things.
She wasn’t only beautiful, she was intelligent too. Dangerously intelligent.
And these 10 minutes, were enough to make Anthony fall in love with Diana, with her short modern black hair and black eyes.
But most of all, he fell in love with her mind. He asked her to drink a coffee with him on another day. She accepted.
As Marcel finally arrived, Diana left. Anthony’s lawyer arrived too. So they couldn’t speak about the game. And Anthony couldn’t ask about Diana, but she had given him her phone number. Feeling like a teenager, he tried to concentrate in his business meeting with his lawyer.
Over their first coffee, his lead counsel explained that he almost didn’t make the flight back in time for their meeting. He had just returned from Europe, where he had represented some clients in a negotiation about stolen art works. And while Anthony needed a coffee to put Diana out of the first thought in his mind, his lead counsel needed a coffee first, too, to go from oil colors of Matisse, Renoir and Monet, to another kind of oil, into Big Oil, changing hues, inside the shadows of law.
And Marcel, he didn’t really need a coffee, but drank one anyway.
The meeting was successful; even with the dirty oil colors from Big Oil, they could clear some points and prepare the next steps.
As Anthony came back to the condominium, it was already after lunchtime. He came in time to take part in the dance lessons for a new choreography, more frenetic than the last one.
Anthony liked the sound of the song. It was like himself, trying to not fall in love with the Diana; his heart was freaking out while his mind was trying to be concentrated in the Big Oil case. It was good to freak out for a while.
All of them would be part of the choreography, with or without the singers, but they needed to learn all the parts, as would the singer’s group be with them; it was part of the group spirit.
Chapter 23
Step 2 - Day 3
Cassandra was late again; did she lose her sense for responsibility? John was upset, but Tim was there to help him now, Cassandra brought him and Tim a coffee from Starbucks, maybe it was the reason to be late, I forgive you Cassandra…you look so amazing today, as would you be the happiest woman in the world.’
And yes, Cassandra was happy. She had homemade pasta the night before. And all she said was:
‘It's such a shame that we can’t see the stars when the sun is in the sky…last night was a starry night.’
‘Starry nigh
t, Cassandra? Do you have fever? In this city we don’t have stars in the sky, they are all on TV!! In the sky we have only clouds and pollution. And lights…and flights. Helicopters… Ok, maybe one or another star…but starry night? You’re really a city girl Cassandra, that sees a couple of stars between clouds and calls it…Starry night! One day you should travel to the desert or to the mountains…and see what a real starry sky is….’
Cassandra smiled. She didn’t need to go to the desert to see stars, or put the TV on; it was a starry night. With or without lights, pollution, flights, or clouds in the sky.
For her it was a starry night.
The day started with Life in a Wire performing a new song.
The Hostess, beautiful as always, announced the group. And welcomed the public to the third day of the second step of the Game. Five Jumps, and the first group were on the platform, together with Life in a Wire.
Mike, Gabe, Nathaly and David started to perform. The song started with a slow movement…increasing second after second. The candidates were dancing on the edge of the platform, synchronized with the beat of the song. At first slow…then very fast, trembling and shaking, as would their bodies be a physical representation of an over accelerated heart beat.
Suicide Freak
We came here for a party
They promised us a dance
Unforgettable they said
Let’s leave it all to chance
So music now let’s play
We’ll all kick ass, ok
‘Cause things are not so bleak
Now we’re all a Suicide Freak
About the Freak, they said
All black cool, from toe to head
Remember keep your rhythm
As all is getting dead
My life
Your death
All is just one breath
Your life
My death
All is just one breath
Our life
Our death
All is just one breath
Party on and die
Die and party on
Party die and party on
Says the Freak
As the song was ending, resonating everywhere, the platform went down and came up again with the first group, 128 candidates, and Life in a Wire. It was the 640 candidates day.
AHG was in this group. He had asked to be in the first group. To be back at the condominium early, hoping to escape for a coffee with Diana before dinnertime.
It was a frenetic choreography, starting slow with the candidates dancing to the song, the crowd standing up to dance with it. Even for the beautiful Hostess, it was difficult to keep her foot quiet on the platform, while the performance raged on.
The sound was loud and the Stadium itself seemed to be trembling with the song. Outside, persons were dancing in the street.
The Hostess spoke, walking over the platform, beautiful like always, and still moving with the beat of the song:
‘And now, after this amazing song from Life in a Wire, we can all calm down and be ready to jump…the counter will start at 50...count with me, I count with you, to support the candidates because here, and now…
Live from the Night Stadium, especially for you, the counter already started and I welcome you to
SUICIDE GAME!
The new game
The new mania
8000 candidates at the beginning,
Many have already been dropped from the game
Only one will survive
Only one can win!
Live from the Night Stadium
Nothing compares to what you'll see here
Nothing compares to what you'll watch
You have already chosen your candidate,
You have Made your bet
To be part of a
New and unexpected game
Now it’s time to let all be in the laps of the gods
And when the bell rings…it is time to jump for your life!’
She spoke as would she be the counter’s voice.
The counter was showing its numbers on all screens inside and outside the Stadium, inside people’s homes, and in their hands on mobile phones, or other devices.
‘10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1!
And the jump bell rang out loudly
JUMP!’
They jumped, some candidates still shaking, as would they still be dancing the freak song, while they jumped off the platform.
AHG survived, of course. And went back to the condominium, in time to met Diana.
The second, third and fourth groups of the day also danced before jumping, accompanied only by the beat of the song.
Life in a Wire came back to the platform stage to sing again, with the fifth group.
Mike, Gabe, Nathaly and David performed their song live and the models exchanged their blue dresses for Suicide Game kits, to dance with them. They all fell down over the platform as the song ended, to the applause of the crowd.
The Hostess, walking between the models on the floor, in her beautiful Elen Danielle Femme Fatale dress, announced the end of this day. The lights went off and the platform went down.
From the 640 candidates who jumped in this day, only 208 Suicide Freaks were alive at the end of the day.
The public was pleased with the new choreography. It was a new hit, for sure. Even after sundown, people were dancing in the streets around the Stadium, or inside their own living rooms.
Chapter 24
The council was searching for candidate 5508 and couldn’t find him. He wasn’t among the dead or the survivors, but had simply disappeared. Can it be that someone had stolen his body?
Black went to the Stadium ground to speak to Demir, who was there speaking to his workers.
Black shook Demir’s hand and asked him, ‘have you seen candidate…5508? Somewhere among the dead ones…maybe? Have you seen candidate…5508?’
Demir said, ‘No, I have not seen candidate 5508. I counted them all exactly, and 5508 has not been among the dropped candidates of the game. Maybe he fell too deep and is under the Stadium’s gray sand. Sometimes they fall, as would the Stadium ground become iron after catching them, and it is not easy to take them out the sand. But I will look for him.’
‘You will look for…him’, said Black.
The other council members also asked around, but nobody could find or had seen the candidate 5508. They voted about it and accepted the version that he should be already buried under the Stadium’s grey sand.
The actual 2252, who was the candidate Luca took the bracelet from and gave his own bracelet to, got an injection, because of the loud scream in the game—maybe the drug wasn’t strong enough for him. While Luca, the real 2252, now with no number or bracelet at all, was at Cassandra’s apartment, looking at the park outside.
Looking through the window into the park, he was thinking about his life, and almost death.
His decision to die brought him love and a new life.
He was happy that around the corner was the small supermarket in which he could find all he needed to make an Italian dish. But to stay at home doing nothing was something he couldn’t support.
Out of the game, out of his own country, he stopped at the supermarket and found Lavazza and Segafredo; it made him smile; thinking about love, past and new life, he wasn’t angry anymore.
He wanted to start this new life. But he couldn’t just hang around all day.
Luca decided to write.
While Cassandra was working in the Game, he started to write. Inspired by his own life and experiences in the condominium, he started to write a book.
‘The Backstage’.
Alphabot brought the second round of coffee to the meeting room. And Black said for the second time:
‘No coffee, no water…thanks.’
The Gravedigger was still creating problems. The Stadium wasn’t his cemetery; he couldn’t just make what he wanted to do.
Things were getting out of
hand, out control, screamed Red. Out of control!
The Purple council member suggested calling a friend of his, the Geek. Maybe he could come immediately. After 30 minutes and six more cups of coffee delivered by Alphabot, the Geek entered the room.
His name was Louis Rousseau, but everyone he worked with knew him as ‘the Geek’.
Purple had gone himself to speak to Louis, who was out of jail again; he used to spend a half day or night there sometimes, between one or another deal.
Louis Rousseau, the Geek, had a new task.
A rush order from the Council. Delivered to him personally, in a secret meeting place, by Purple. Because of the importance and the urgency, he negotiated a stiff fee. He didn’t need the money. Nobody would ever know he was already a millionaire several times over, at least. He was a real IT badass, but hardly anyone knew it. He liked it that way, being an IT wolf in a geek sheep’s clothing.
These days, he worked only for the thrill of it. Keeping him sharp and hard. Inventing new mountains to climb. This was his motivation. But to his customers, who were mostly uncool, greedy opportunists, he would only offer his masterpieces dearly.
This new assignment was challenging, even for him; it was the only reason he accepted it. The hardware would be pretty simple, but the software would be very tricky. Purple had explained the Council’s needs.
They wanted a system to control the candidates’ wires, so they could reliably control who would die in their jumps in the Game.
The system needed to be secure from physical or electronic tampering of any kind; could only be accessed and controlled by specific persons designated by the Council; and, most important of all, the system would need to be totally immune to hackers.
