“Why?”
“Because I’m about to break protocol.”
“That is a terrible idea,” Frag and the Computer said at almost the same time. Before they could convince him, Josh held down the button. Not the one to kneel, the one to throw.
The green fuel canister sailed through the air. Jax realized too late what was happening. He fired the harpoon, but Josh was ready. He rolled, dodging the projectile and picking up one of the Sentence Slasher’s discarded energy swords in the process, in a button combo even Josh was proud of.
The Objector tried to trigger its repulser shield, but its back was still glowing, and nothing happened. It was still out of commission thanks to the special move. In a last-ditch attempt it tried to dodge, but the short stumpy legs did not provide the required propulsion, and instead it turned. The fuel canister struck it on the glowing spot, and detonated in a green mushroom cloud that propelled the Objector forward, almost toppling it in the process.
The crowd was unsure what to do. On the one hand they were thrilled that the fight was continuing, on the other everything they were seeing was so unprecedented it was unclear if it would even be permitted. Seconds weren’t permitted to fight, and yet here they were.
Someone, somewhere, decided the excitement outweighed the risk, and they started to cheer, convincing those around them to do the same. Soon the entire arena was erupting in enthusiasm. This was a once in a lifetime trial, or at least it may prove to be for Josh.
His picture appeared on the huge viewer, the terrible, grainy security camera image. Josh made a mental note to have a better picture taken, possibly just before he was ejected into space by his Teacher.
“Your Teacher is attempting to contact you,” the Ship’s Computer informed him dryly.
“Take a message,” Josh said. He still had his work cut out. He charged at the Objector, testing out a theory. It tried to use its repulser shield, but it barely functioned. A flickering blue wall emanated and then fizzled out after barely nudging his Ticket Buster backwards. Now it was a fair fight. He had a sword, and speed on his side, and the Objector had a high-powered harpoon gun and a chainsaw that would end Josh’s mech in a matter of seconds. What Josh would give for a blaster right now. He could sit back and strafe, peppering the Objector with projectiles until he ran out of bullets. Without it, he would have to get close to do any damage, and that meant getting within range of the revving chainsaw.
The Objector itself was not thrilled at this scenario. Josh could almost hear the screams of rage from the Galactic Corp lawyer booth. Green flames still licked at the huge mech’s back, and the harpoon gun tracked Josh as he darted around the arena. Jax didn’t try to move and fire; he was quite content to stay where he was. Josh had to come to him, and they both knew it.
A thumping at the door momentarily distracted Josh and his mech almost got struck by the harpoon. Only a last-second jump saved him, and the Ticket Buster narrowly missed the now-taut harpoon line.
“Let me in!” screamed the familiar voice of his Teacher. Frag moved for the door and Josh yelled, “Don’t you dare open that!”
Shift’s voice was next, a little softer. “Josh, could you open the door?”
His wrist buzzed with a new task, but he blocked them all out. Now wasn’t the time for distractions. He was back in the game, fighting a boss twice his size, his puny sword ready to win the day against all the odds.
He dashed at the Objector, a move it hadn’t been expecting. As the chainsaw moved to intercept, Josh double-jumped, sailing over certain defeat and slashing with his energy sword. A small gash appeared in the Objector’s hull, but it wasn’t enough. Winning like this would take too long, time he didn’t have. It wouldn’t be long before they were through that door, and then his controller would be ripped from his hands. He had to do a lot of damage, and he had to do it now.
Josh flipped the energy sword up onto the mech’s back and dashed back over to the hopper. He took a moment to stand next to a healing canister, but it only took a second for the purple stream to stop. As soon as he neared the fuel cell it started to refill him, and he let it, keeping a careful eye on the Objector. It was far away enough that he’d have time to dodge the harpoon if he needed to, and based on the lack of spears flying his way Jax had made the same determination. He was content to wait for Josh. After all, a level 1 Ticket Buster was no threat to a level 4 Objector.
Once his booster fuel was full he pushed the half-empty canister aside and picked up the last full green one. Frag said, “Don’t do that, you’re in enough trouble already.”
“I agree with Frag’s assessment. This is a considerable waste of resources, for the chance of nominal gain,” the Ship’s Computer added. “Even if you somehow win, the Galactic Corp could afford to lose hundreds of thousands of battles such as this one without suffering financial ruin. If you lose, the additional cost will only hurt High Command.”
“I need you both to shut up now. I’m trying to concentrate,” Josh said, moving back into range of the harpoon. He waited for it to fire, but it didn’t.
“Why isn’t he attacking?” Frag asked.
“He’s waiting for me to get closer, to reduce the time I get to react. It’s a smart move, but he doesn’t know I can do this.”
Josh started to strafe around the Objector, orbiting it like an angry satellite, keeping the canister aimed at it the entire time. Jax tried to turn to keep aim, but couldn’t turn fast enough. Eventually he stopped and fired the harpoon, hoping to catch the Ticket Buster, but he missed. Josh grinned, until he realized that the harpoon hadn’t been meant for him. It was intended as a clothesline, to catch him on his next lap. He double-jumped over it at the last second and took the opportunity while sailing above the Objector to toss the final booster fuel cell in a makeshift bombing run. It hit its intended target, blasting the chainsaw arm apart and leaving it barely hanging on.
The Objector was now completely defenceless, with no repulser shield and no close-quarters weapon. The only remaining threat was the harpoon, and that would require Jax to hit a fast-moving target, which hadn’t happened yet. Aiming was hard enough even with your enemy standing still, and Josh certainly wasn’t planning on doing that any time soon.
He ran in, sword raised, and focused all of his attacks on the left leg. The Objector kicked and stomped, trying to boot him away, but Josh dodged and continued the onslaught.
The Ship’s Computer said, “Security is attempting to open the door. I anticipate it will only be a few seconds until they are successful.”
“That’s all I need!” Josh said. After three more hits a large chunk of the left leg’s armour fell away, revealing a spindly chassis underneath. It didn’t take long for that to crumble under a flurry of energy sword swipes, and the Objector toppled to the ground. Jax even had the nerve to twist at the last moment, in the hopes of catching the diminutive Ticket Buster on the way down.
“Timber!” yelled Josh, dashing out of the way. The Objector landed, kicking up a huge plume of dust, and the crowd exploded in excitement. They were really showing what professional supporters were capable of.
Josh navigated his Ticket Buster over the Objector’s head, and jammed his energy sword through it. Then he added a couple of quick crouches for good measure. Frag said, “What are you doing?”
“Time-honoured tradition. It’s called tea-bagging. I’ll tell you about it one day.”
The door finally burst open, and the Teacher was the first one through it, scurrying across the floor with alarming speed. He pulled right up in front of Josh, towering over him. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”
Josh maintained eye contact with as many of the Teacher’s eyes as he could. “Yeah, it’s called winning. You should try it some time.”
One of the arms raised as if to strike him, before Shift said, “Stand down, Teacher.”
“But…”
“Now!” It was the loudest Josh had ever heard her speak. It was particularly amusing due to her being half
his size, but the Teacher slowly backed away.
Shift took his place, but her gaze was far from friendly. “You were told not to fight. I was very clear. I even sent you a task.”
“You also said there was no way we could win. Guess you were wrong about that one too.” He tried grinning, but it didn’t have a noticeable effect on her mood.
Frag made a sound resembling a gasp. Shift glanced at him and said, “Leave.”
He left the room so quickly Josh was surprised he didn’t leave a smoke outline, like a cartoon.
A commotion outside drew their attention, and suddenly Jax was in the room. As soon as he saw the controller in Josh’s hand he said, “I knew it! I told them that was a mech controller. No-one believed me.” He lunged for the pad in Josh’s hand, and Josh had to quickly hold it behind his back.
“What appears to be the problem here?” Shift said, maintaining a calm tone. She stepped between Josh and Jax.
“Stay out of it, this does not concern you,” Jax said, trying to push her aside.
The moment he touched Shift, the room was filled with High Command guards, their spears trained on Jax. She brushed her shoulder. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I am Shift, an envoy to the Blurgon High Command.”
Jax looked down at the row of spears pointing at him and took a step back. “Calm down. I was unaware of your position.” He reached into his bag and the guards twitched, but he pulled out a data pad. He pointed it at Shift and said, “As an envoy of the Blurgon High Command, are you authorized to speak on their behalf?”
“I am,” Shift said.
“In that case, can you confirm that the device your Second is holding was used to control the mech during this fight?” Jax pointed the data pad at Josh.
Shift glanced around and then said, “I won’t answer your questions without a lawyer present.”
“But you have a lawyer present.” Jax looked at Josh again and added, “Isn’t it true that you have disguised a fully qualified lawyer as a Second Chair in an attempt to trick the Galactic Corp into losing this fight?”
“What? No, that is preposterous. Josh is a trainee lawyer and has not yet completed the bar exam.”
Jax pushed harder. “You are absolutely certain of that?”
“Yes, that fact I am willing to go on record with.”
“I see, so you gave your trainee lawyer an unauthorized Mech Controller then, so you could hide it down here in the dungeon, where no-one is looking. I shall be demanding the verdict of mistrial.”
Shift smiled. “On what basis? There is no law against using an unauthorized Mech Controller, provided it is operated by an organic being and not an A.I. What Josh did was perfectly legal.”
“I see. So you do admit that the device in his hand was used to control the mech?”
“What of it? As I said, it is not illegal.”
“Perhaps not this time, but what about before?” he said with a smirk.
“Before?” Shift said, confused.
Jax flicked something on his data pad and the image on the viewer was replaced with security camera footage, but this time from the Galactic Corp station. It clearly showed Josh using the game controller while Poke pretended to pilot the mech.
Shift stuttered, words failing her. She turned to look at Josh. “Is this footage accurate?”
“It looks worse than it is…” he said, eyeing the doorway.
Shift turned to Jax. “Does the Galactic Corp wish to pursue this case of illegal mech use?”
“I believe a more thorough investigation is in order before we make that determination,” Jax said with a smirk.
“Understood. Guards. Arrest him,” Shift said. With a snap the High Command guards spun around, facing their weapons at Josh and blocking the only way out of the room.
“What is going on?” Josh said, staring at Shift.
“You have broken the one rule that no company can ignore, and now you must face the consequences.”
***
Gargle stared at the racks upon racks of leg coverings. He had no idea such a selection was available. He felt completely overwhelmed. There were long ones, short ones, blue ones, grey ones, and everything in between. The Mum was ricocheting around him, grabbing all manner of items. She sized him up and then thrust some blue leg coverings at him. “You should try these on.”
Gargle did as requested, removing his current tracksuit bottoms in the process. The Mum stared, a look of shock on her face, and then she said, “Are ye still pissed? Use the changing room, ye daft git.”
She ushered him into a confined space with a wall made of material that could be opened or closed with a quick flourish. There was a large reflective device taking up most of the opposite wall, and Gargle was forced to stare at his current shell for longer than was comfortable.
He quickly changed into the blue trousers. He had to admit, they certainly looked better than whatever it was he was currently wearing, although that was a low bar. They were well fitted and a nice material. He pulled back the curtain and Caitlin nodded. “Big improvement. Just need to find something to go with them. Are ye into shirts or t-shirts these days?”
“T-shirts?” he asked as a question.
Caitlin said, “Alright, give me a second and I will find ye one.”
She returned moments later with a patterned t-shirt with a small picture on it. Gargle pointed at the picture and said, “What’s this?”
“That’s the brand logo. Honestly, has yer father really never taken ye proper clothes shopping? That certainly explains yer outfit choices.” She winked and shoved him back into the changing room.
Gargle tried the t-shirt on. It was functional, and served the purpose of covering the upper portion of his shell. He opened the curtain and said, “This is fine.”
“Nonsense, it’s too loose around the shoulders. Ye don’t want the girls thinking ye are wearing hand-me-downs. Give me a moment.” Off she bustled again.
Something scratched at Gargle. He found the source of the irritation, a small white label. When he looked at it he noticed that these blue trousers cost two hundred and fifty pounds, which sounded like a lot. He checked another pair on a nearby rack that were almost identical, and were only eighty pounds. When the Mum returned, he was busy trying to wriggle into the other pair. She said, “What are ye doing?”
“These ones cost less.”
“Of course they do, they aren’t branded. Put the other pair back on.”
“But they cost three times more?” he said, trying to understand.
“That isn’t important. We are going for a certain look here. People notice this stuff. We don’t want anyone to think you’re poor.”
Now he was really confused. “If someone notices that I am wearing cheaper trousers, it would make them assume I have less money?”
“Stop talking and try this on,” she said, handing him a new t-shirt. “And put the other jeans back on.”
Gargle did as requested and regarded himself in the mirror. It was certainly an improvement over his previous outfit, but it still didn’t feel right. These clothes cost a lot of money, and he wasn’t sure why. The Mum apparently disagreed. “Wow, much better! Now ye look the part. Come on, let’s get those, my treat. Ye can just leave them on.”
There was much jostling at the counter, and tags had to be removed from hard-to-reach places. Once all was said and done the cashier grinned and said, “Excellent choices. That will be £374 please.”
“This seems like a less than optimal use of money,” Gargle said.
“Ye sound just like yer father. Stop worrying so much, it will all be worth it. Besides, we are going to go win it all back now anyway.”
“Win it back?” he said. Today certainly wasn’t going at all like he had expected.
“Absolutely. Next stop is the casino!”
Level 15: The House Always Wins
Josh squirmed uncomfortably in his cell. There was no ‘bed’, only a rock-hard floor, which at least meant it was more comf
ortable to sleep on. He’d already lost track of how long he had been in here, but it felt like a long time. Several hours at least.
Shift had disappeared the moment he had been locked up, either reassigned, or stuck in a debrief. He could only imagine the type of grilling she was getting. It was clear that things had not exactly gone to plan, for either of them. They had taken the Ship’s Computer too, likely for good this time. He just hoped they didn’t take this out on her. Even Frag had vanished, no doubt glad not to be caught up in this whole mess. He would probably go back to hiding from his life, coasting along at the bottom of the leaderboard.
The initial shock of the situation was starting to wear off, and now panic was starting to settle in. He’d made a mistake. He should have listened and done as he was told.
Even the thought made him shake his head. He hadn’t made a mistake. What he had done was shake things up. Teacher and the High Command had gone into that trial expecting to lose it, because everything they knew told them that they should. That was why everyone was so upset with him, because he was forcing them to reevaluate their worldview. Eventually they would see that as a good thing.
Not that it did anything to help him at this precise moment. He was stranded here, so far from home, with nobody to call for help. They had provided no indication of how long the process might take; he could be stranded here for days or weeks, or worse. Suddenly his exams and mundane job at the Mega Burger didn’t seem so bad after all.
His stomach rumbled. He couldn’t remember the last real meal he’d eaten, at least one that was food he recognized. He was so hungry he’d even eat a Mega Egger.
There was an intercom on the wall of his cell, with a red button. There were symbols above it that were presumably instructions, but he couldn’t read them. He tried his bracelet, but it no longer did anything. He held down the button and yelled into the mic, but nobody answered.
Josh slumped back to the ground. This was it. Reality had finally caught up to him; his chickens had come home to roost. He smiled, imagining Shift as she asked him what chickens had to do with anything. If he could just talk to her, maybe he could make her understand.
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