by Matt Doyle
"Yes," I growl, shifting the focus of my anger. "This is all her fault. Oh Lana De La Cruz, you are going to regret ever bloody qualifying."
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT: AN INTERVIEW WITH DORIAN DJORKIEV II
“… Job this is,” pants Gaz Davis as he runs through the backstage. His handheld camera remains down as he moves, leaving the shot to blur as his feet hit the ground over and over. “Where are you?” he asks no one in particular as he stops and turns, then sets off down another corridor yelling “Hey! Hey, wait!” as he brings the camera up to show Dorian Djorkiev II coming to a slow stop up ahead. “Dorian, I’m Gaz Davis…”
“I know who you are,” Dorian cuts in, his throat sounding dry. “What do you want?”
“After what happened out in the Battle Zone, I mean, no one has any clue why you did what you did, so …”
Again Dorian talks over Gaz, his voice angry now as he says, “No one? You want to know who knows why I did this? Try my Grandmother. She did this, she made me feel like this, her and my idiot Father.” Dorian slams his fist against the nearby wall, his eyes wild and body shaking with anger as he continues, his voice wavering between shouting and subdued spite. “I hope you were both paying close attention to that because I want you to understand what you’ve done to me, I want you to see what you’ve created. I did everything you wanted, but it was never good enough, was it? It was never enough for you.”
Dorian throws his head back and screams, then snaps back to the camera to continue his rant. “I grew up with all of this around me. The Family Legacy. You couldn’t be in that house without …” his voice trails off and he looks to the side, tears welling up in his eyes. “I wanted it,” he says, wiping his eyes with both hands, “I wanted it! I wanted to be part of it, I wanted to be everything that came with it. I wanted you to be proud of me.”
For a moment Dorian just stares straight at the camera, breathing heavily as he tries to calm himself. Slowly, his eyes glaze over, seeming to sink back into their eyeshadow smeared sockets. When he begins to speak again, his voice is quiet and sad. “I did everything you wanted. I played the game every chance I got. And I got better, I did. You know, I spent hours studying the classic matches and looking for ways the loser could have done things differently. I built what I thought was the perfect deck and I took it to you and you knew it wasn’t, didn’t you Dad? You knew it wasn’t because you knew better than me, but you still took me on, you still played me and I lost. That was the first time you ever agreed to play me and after you won, you said that was the first real lesson.”
Dorian smiles and absently scratches his hair. “I never did figure out what the other lessons were meant to be, not really. You just kept beating me and beating me and beating me and every time you’d tell me what I did wrong, remind me how far I had to go until I could be the son you wanted. Do you remember Dad? Do you remember that day that I screwed up so badly that you actually hit me? I remember. I remember realising I’d lost long before it happened. I remember going to pieces mid-match and you getting so angry with me. You were livid.
“I remember running to Granny and telling her what you did too. Did she ever tell you that? Yeah, she probably did. And what about you Gran? Do you remember what you told me while I was there balling my eyes out in front of you? You told me that your Father treated you exactly the same way and that you treated my Dad the same way too.” Suddenly, the anger returns to Dorian’s voice as he yells at the camera, “You told a scared child that it was fine for his Father to beat him for not being good enough! You told a scared child that that was how you got strong! That is the Djorkiev Family Legacy! Well congratulations, because it worked, didn’t it? You got what you wanted, I got better and better, and you can take all the credit you want for that because I really don’t care. I don’t want the Family Legacy any more. I don’t.
“Two things. There were two things that I loved and respected growing up. Family and Spark Forming. You took both of those things and you ruined them for me. That’s what this about. That’s why I did what I did. I am going to take every ounce of respect our family has built in this sport, and I am going to destroy it, because that’s all the two of you care about. You used me to keep up the pretence of this family being something special, but I am a puppet no more. Enjoy the fall.”
As Dorian starts to walk away, Gaz turns the camera back to himself. He shakes his head and looks over towards the departing competitor, clearly unable to think of a suitable response. After a moment, he switches the camera off.
LANA DE LA CRUZ - 15:55
Damn you Finn, you’ve thrown me now.
I really didn’t expect to see him out of the changing room, much less find out that he actually went and spoke to Forrester. I’d love to say that it was probably worth the risk but given the outcome, I’m beginning to think there’s another fault or two in his programming. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m not a genius, but it is beginning to look like I’m not as far ahead with the project as I thought. Now that Forrester knows Finn plus one want to speak with him, he’ll be on guard. Hinting that we knew about Carnival too, that’s just going to shut him down even more.
So what next, we just wait for him to turn up at the hotel room? OK, so if the profiling is right, he probably will show because he’s generally quite ballsy and he won’t want to let us think we’ve got him on the back foot. If he doesn’t turn up, there aren’t really many ways he can get out without being seen either so we could set some cameras set up to keep tabs on him. Assuming he does turn up though, Finn is pretty good with reading when people are lying or holding something back, so we should be able to get a pretty good picture of how he’s likely to behave, which will make tomorrow easier regardless of whether he beats Finn tonight.
Huh. Maybe it really was worth the risk. Damn my programming is good. For thinking of it before me though Finn, I hope you do lose tonight, then get to watch Hong Chan come through tomorrow. Although, that does mean that my work is inferior to real humans, which would mean that I’m back to being behind with the project again.
“Ah, who cares,” I accidentally say out loud. “I’m a genius whichever way you look at it.”
“A genius,” comes the gruff reply from just outside to door, “wouldn’t forget her bloody deck.”
“Whoops,” I say sweetly as I turn to face the advancing Connor Ford.
“Pah,” he snorts. “Don’t bother trying to play innocent with me girly. In my day, players were professionals, not half-arsed, barely dressed morons that couldn’t remember the most basic part of their kit.”
“Hey,” I reply, taken aback. “Alright, so I screwed up. It happens. And for the record, I didn’t choose to wear this stuff and even if I had, I look fucking sexy. You just look like a pensioner in a bath house. Oh, and as for calling me a moron, I have an IQ of …”
He cuts me off with a loud, mocking laugh then growls, “Do you really think that’s going to save you out there? You don’t need intelligence to play this game, you need instinct. But then, what would I know? I’m just a pensioner in a bath house, aren’t I? I tell you this, Lana De La Cruz, you can go out there and shake whatever you want at those bastards in the stands for all the good it will do you. You can fill your no doubt impressive brain with as many strategies as you want, plan for every eventuality you can think of, and it won’t help you one bit. The moment I step through that curtain, I am the bloody king, and you will bow before me.”
I’m about to fire off a fantastic series of highly witty comebacks, but the flashing lights and alarm above the door to the entrance ramp cut me off. I guess that means it’s time for me to make my entrance. Saved by the bell Mr Ford. Try to not to break a hip, eh.
“What’s the matter, runt? Planning to be late for your entrance as well as the match are you?” he says, his voice taking on an incredibly mocking tone.
Being the mature person that I am, I stick my tongue out at him and strut off through the door.
Way to flex that massiv
e IQ Lana. I am so taking this out on Finn later.
ROUND ONE: LANA DE LA CRUZ VS CONNOR FORD - 16:00
With many of them having already taken to the web to vent their frustrations about the last match, the lowering of the lights is met with a mixed reaction from the fans. Even so, the Big Screen perseveres and flashes up ‘KIERIAKI QUALIFIER’ as though nothing had happened.
Song: Ritmo (Single Edit)
Band: Escalofrio
Genre: Latin Dance Music
The popular party anthem quickly pulls the fans out of their funk and kicks starts a round of rhythmic clapping while the Big Screen switches to a silhouetted shot of a lady dancing. Next, multiple spotlights load up in quick succession, all aimed at the entrance curtain. Behind the thin sheet, the crowd can now see the silhouette shaking in time with the music.
The first chorus begins and the ends of the entranceway explode with light as the coloured pyros cue up the words ‘LANA DE LA CRUZ’ on the Big Screen. At the same time, the entrance curtain falls away and Lana herself struts out into the spotlights, shaking her hips to the beat as she encourages the crowd to continue their clapping. In return for their support, she launches into a series of spins and dance steps designed to show off both her show gear and her body.
With the cheers building, Lana starts to make her way out towards her Competitor Area, turning briefly halfway down the entrance ramp so that she can blow a kiss back towards the curtain and yell “You hear that Connor?” before resuming her showboating for the fans. By the time she has made it to the left hand side of the Battle Zone, it is quite clear that no other competitor has had quite so many camera flashes aimed their way as yet.
The spotlight cuts out and the fans are cast back into darkness. For a full thirty seconds, the silence is broken only by the intermittent calls of ‘Connor Ford’ and ‘Jariah’. Finally, the Big Screen kicks into life, first intermittently flashing a plain white light then fading to a plain black backdrop with the words ‘EARTH QUALIFIER’ in a bold white font.
Song: Rise of the Waves
Band: The Emblem Orchestral Troupe
Genre: Classical
First comes the drums, pounding a steady beat as a spotlight hits the centre of the Battle Zone. The brass section comes next, quickly followed by the bass and baritone choral chanting. As the music builds, the spotlight moves slowly across the field, up the ramp and onto the entranceway, stopping just in front of the curtain. The strings arrive next, dragging the tempo up as the Big Screen fades out. The music continues to build, the film score styled refrain creating the feel of a fantasy hero returning home after a long a bloody battle, until it finally reaches a crescendo and a single name fades into view on the Big Screen: ‘CONNOR FORD’.
With that, Connor Ford steps out into the spotlight, the crowd roaring in approval as they give him the loudest reaction of the tournament thus far. Arms crossed across his chest, the returning legend simply stands in the spotlight and lets the mix of cheers and cries of ‘Welcome Back’ drown out the PA. The name on the Big Screen cuts and the fans are given instead a close up of Connor’s near arrogant smirk as he looks down towards his opponent’s Competitor Area. Calmly, and without losing the smile from his face he asks, “And do you hear that De La Cruz?”
Briefly, the TV cameras switch to a shot of the aforementioned Lana, showing that she lip read his question just fine and is now stood in a state of annoyance. Rather than linger on his opponent, the shot soon switches back to Connor Ford back at the entranceway as he surveys the adoring crowd. He looks around with an approving nod, then throws his arms out majestically, cueing the pyros either side of the curtain. Having kept the fans from seeing him compete for long enough, he finally makes his way to the Competitor Area at the right of the Battle Zone, accompanied throughout his journey by both the spotlight and the cheers of the fans.
With both players now in place, the arena lights and Connection Teams make their appearance. The split screen shot soon joins them, focusing on the two competitors as they fix their eyes on each other.
“Ya get the feeling that there’s some bad blood there, don’t’cha?”
“You know what Sam, I was just thinking the same thing. Connor Ford always did know how to rile someone up though.”
“That he did,” Sam laughs. “Ya think he can still go?”
“I think the fans do.”
“It’s interesting, ‘cause he qualified stronger than anyone else here this year other than maybe Slade Fury. Being out here in front of all the lights an’ the fans though, that’s a very different thing to the small hall events.”
“So are you saying that you think he’ll crash and burn?”
“Nah, not really. The thing is Dirk, he has this in his blood. He was one of the originals an’ this is gonna be like comin’ home for him.”
“I hope so, because these fans need something to pick themselves up after that last match.”
“Yeah, this one definitely needs to be somethin’ special. Actually, it’s kinda linked in to the last one too when ya think about it. Lana there took the qualification spot in Dorian’s home Colony. Ya gotta wonder what woulda happened if the two o’ them had faced off in Kieriaki.”
“That also meant that Fahrn Starchaser was the only Offlander here this year. That’s one of the things that the Civil Rights movement wants changed, isn’t it? As it is, Offlanders can only enter their own qualifier, but Colonists can enter any qualifier they want, including the Offland one.”
“There’s two views on that. One is that years like this could mean that there isn’t a true representation of players in the tournament. I mean, say Fahrn fails to make the final tomorrow, then a Colonists wins the Offland qualifier again next year. That would mean no Offlanders at all in 2917”
“You mean 2918, right?”
“Yeah,” Sam laughs, “sorry. That would mean no Offlanders in the tournament in 2918. Anyway, the other popular view is that if the Offland players are any good, they’ll qualify no matter who enters their qualifier.”
“And what do you think Sam? Is the current system fair?”
“Ah, I kinda agree with the second view but I do think that something needs to change. It is kinda one rule for one an’ another for the other. I think that what it comes down to is that Offlanders belong here as much as anyone, so why disadvantage them, y'know? It’s like, if we can say that they should be good enough qualify against Colonists, then why not say Colonists should be good enough to qualify against them too. That’d be my solution.”
“Absolutely agree with you there Sam. Well, it looks like the Connection Teams are done, so let’s head down to the Battle Zone.”
With Lana and Connor now alone in their Competitor Areas, the crowd are beginning to buzz. ‘Kieriaki Qualifier Lana De La Cruz,” demands the electronic voice-over, “Please initialise your deck.” Lana does as she is told and hits the initialisation key on her Sky Control System, sending her Data Wick into hiding behind a cloud of smoke. With a high pitched screech, it re-emerges in its new form.
He soars,
Ears back, eyes facing the world before him,
As he glides on wings as strong as any wind.
He rolls in the air,
His whiskers rippling,
Static sparkling along to their tips,
While his tail whips from side to side as though moving with the current of a stream.
The Sky Otter screams and roars.
The Ashen is thunder and lightning both,
And his storm will consume any who stand before him.
“Earth Qualifier Connor Ford, please initialise your deck.”
Connor Ford nods and hits the initialisation key, his deck shuffling the same as Lana’s. Out in the Battle Zone, his Data Wick becomes consumed by a flurry of snow and wind. Subsiding as suddenly as it began, a silhouetted figure steps slowly out of the cold storm.
The icy winds encircle her, but still she stands, calm, as though untouched by the blade-like scrap
es of each gust.
In response her armour, simple in design and as silver in colour as the long, straight hair flowing half way down her back, seeks to prove itself worthy by refusing to utter even a single rattle. Instead, it clings tight and unmoving to shoulder, body and thigh, glimmering elegantly while the deep blue cloth hanging beneath the faulds flutters gently.
Her fur, thick, and white as freshly fallen snow, lengthens suddenly at the forearms and calves, almost consuming the open, black rosettes that shrink and close as they travel downward, ending as small spots on her fingers and toes.
The winds die down and her ears twitch, their small, rounded frame searching for signs of her prey as her tail, furred as long as the almost-gloves-and-boots, swishes once, twice, then hangs just above ground level, unable to match her height.
She tenses her body and releases.
There is power buried beneath her form,
Power to scar.
Power to kill.
Then.
The smile.
Her short, whiskered muzzle contorts, and the light catches each and every point,
Yet none shine so bright as her four canines, long, sharp and terrible.
Her grey eyes hold no fear, for,
Jariah has walked this blood stained path before,
And now, her eyes betray that she lusts to walk the path once more.
“No surprises there with Jariah coming out for Connor.”
“Nope, he always was a Static Form - Adaptive Deck guy. He has a Burst style Data Fragment lined up too, an’ if the past is anything to go by, that’ll be a Blood Lust card.”
“It’s set at the far end of the screen, is that about right for Blood Lust?”
