Mardock Scramble

being manipulated?

–That’s a judgment call for you to make, after you’ve honed your own decision-making faculties. All I can say is that this is the path that you’ve chosen in order to try and solve your case.

–But I don’t think I can win on my own!

–You won’t have to. One of our chief tasks is to be here to support you. And it’s your free will, your choice, that determines exactly how, and if, you want to use us. Whether you want to use the plan that we suggest.

–Are you trying to influence me right now? Manipulate me into acting the way you want me to?

–Yes, I am. I want you to use me. To let me prove my usefulness.

Oeufcoque answered without a moment’s hesitation. He continued, –I’m a Living Unit. A tool.

Balot’s eyes narrowed.

–My pride is not that different from the sort of pride that old man had. I can define my own sense of self-worth—my usefulness—only in terms of how my actions affect other people. I may have my own values, but I need to constantly put them to the test, to see if they have any value in relation to other people, the real world.

–But I do want to use you. Because…because you make me feel like I could do things for myself, even without you.

As far as Balot was concerned, this was the ultimate usefulness that Oeufcoque could provide for her. Oeufcoque never tried to dominate people in body or in mind. He always did his utmost to treat them as equals.

–I want to use you properly. I never want to betray you again.

–Thanks, Balot.

Oeufcoque’s words rose once more in her hand.

–Looks like I’ve ended up with a good partner.

04

The dealer finished shuffling and the Doctor placed the red marker into the cards.

–I’m going to display a running point tally.

Oeufcoque’s instructions couldn’t have been more decisive.

–We’re ramping the plan up to the next stage. We need to let the Doctor know.

Balot placed her chips down and casually tapped the table with her fingertips.

The Doctor picked up on this immediately. As would anyone steeped in his current adopted persona of the aging playboy.

“Can’t wait for the next set of cards, eh?”

–Yes, Uncle. It’s starting to get really interesting. I’m going to try super hard from now on.

The Doctor’s expression was that of a man thoroughly intoxicated by his surroundings. You had to look very closely indeed to notice that his eyes were still steely and clear.

“That’s quite a statement, young lady! Your uncle’s most proud of you.”

The Doctor’s act was as convincing as ever—the indulgent uncle watching benevolently over his promising young charge.

Everyone could now see that Balot was concentrating terribly hard on the game. As if she were trying her damnedest to win. Nothing unusual about that, of course. Most people who sat down at this table felt the same way. The only difference was that most people weren’t working toward a plan that would help them win with absolute certainty. Even Balot didn’t understand the full implications of what it meant to have such a plan in place.

The players had all placed their chips on the table, and just as the hand was about to commence, a whole new set of figures floated up on Balot’s hand.

–Do you know how to read this point system?

Balot sensed that her whole left hand was now wrapped in a list of numbers. The current point tally and the breakdown of the cards. Each point total had a corresponding minimum and maximum bet.

–No problem. I can work it out.

Balot absorbed the data in the table deftly. Basically, the higher the point tally the more chips you bet on a particular hand, and the lower the points the less you bet. A rudimentary card-counting system called the ace-five count.

The principles were that the ace was the most advantageous card for the player, and the 5 was the best card for the house. The other cards were also ranked, in varying degrees, according to how advantageous they were for either the player or the house. So, whenever an ace was drawn, you subtracted two points, and whenever a 5 was drawn you added two points. Any card between 2 and 6 (other than 5) gave you one point. The 7, 8, and 9 were neutral. Any card worth ten meant you subtracted a point. And so you came up with an overall point tally. Every time the tally moved past a certain milestone, you changed the amount you bet on a single hand. Ten points and above, between five and ten points, fewer than five, between zero and minus five, lower than minus five; each point tally was allocated a different betting increment.

This rudimentary card-counting system was entirely compatible with the playing system they already had in place; the bankroll management system on Balot’s right hand would now also serve to keep track of their profits and losses according to the new card-counting system. Whereas previously they had been more or less reliant on luck in order to win, now they were going to be able to take the game to the casino.

Balot placed three hundred dollars on the table.

Right at that moment, taking into consideration all the cards that were on the table, the point tally was plus two.

The cards in front of Balot were 8 and 6, bringing her total to fourteen.

The dealer’s upcard was 9. The correct tactic, according to the grid, was to hit.

The lady had sixteen but fought on, resolute, with a hit. She drew a 2, bringing her total to eighteen.

The point tally on Balot’s hand shifted as an extra point was added—the total was now plus three.

The Doctor drew a 4 on thirteen, taking his total to seventeen. The point tally changed to plus four.

Balot hit, drew a 6, and was now at twenty. Stay, obviously. Point tally: plus five.

The dealer flipped over his hidden card. A 9. The point tally remained unchanged.

The dealer’s total was eighteen—Balot and the lady were the winners this hand.

The cards on the table were moved to the discard pile, and Balot picked up her chips. Now the point tally became meaningful. Plus five. In accordance with the new tally, Balot increased her bet from three hundred to six hundred dollars.

Balot’s cards were 6 and 7, total thirteen. The lady and the

Doctor both had small cards, 6 or less. The dealer’s upcard was 6.

The woman and the Doctor both drew steadily until they bust. Balot played in accordance with the tactical grid on her hand and stayed. The dealer revealed a 2, then drew another card in accordance with the rules, a 4. He drew again, a 5 this time, bringing his total to seventeen.

Balot had lost. The player had been at the disadvantage in this hand due to the run of small cards. At this point, Balot had to grin and bear it, in hope of a better future. For the point tally had now increased to plus eight. Patience was, in this instance, a virtue that was going to reap its reward before too long.

Balot put forward another six hundred dollars’ worth of chips as her stake for her next hand, just as the point tally demanded. She was waiting for her opportunity. Suddenly she realized that the dealer was looking at her. Without a moment’s hesitation, the Doctor chimed in with his two cents’ worth.

“That’s right, good, good. Where’s the fun in betting in drips and drabs all the time?”

Balot raised her head a little and leaned to one side.

–You were the one who said that this was a game of