Countdown

good look at them last time, too. They have receivers on them. I'd be willing to bet that our implants are connected to the cameras somehow. And the cameras are connected to the game's network at Ellis Enterprises.'

I pulled him closer so I could whisper into his ear, 'Why can't we just run?'

He tensed. 'They'd know.'

'So there's no way of getting away?' I was saying it so softly. If there were cameras hidden in the room I didn't want them to hear me.

'Not with those damn cameras around.'

'Rogan,' I whispered, quieter, 'I need to tell you something. It's important.'

'What?'

'You said that you didn't understand why Gareth would abandon you like that. Well, I know why.'

'Why?' There was strain in the quiet word. 'Tell me.'

Just as I was opening my mouth to tell him the truth, words that would probably change his life, a loud alarm sounded, and the room we were in split down the very center, right through the middle of the bed. As if the entire thing were on wheels the room parted, and Rogan stared at me with shock as he moved farther away.

The roof rolled back, and instead of stucco it showed the cloudy skies overhead.

I realized with a sinking feeling-a feeling I'd gotten used to having on a regular basis in this game-that the motel room we'd been in was actually a set. All fake. All created to be the background for our 'emotional pillow-talk scene.' There must have been microphones all over the place. Hidden cameras. They'd probably been hoping for another explicit love scene, but instead when I was about to reveal Gareth's little secret they put an end to it again.

Why the hell was Gareth so intent on Rogan not knowing the truth? Would it really make any difference?

My side of the bed moved away from Rogan until we were stretching our ninety-foot rule to the limit. Any farther and I was going to bolt off the bed and start running toward him. The memory of the red stain on the roof where Mac's head should have been haunted me. I didn't want to die that way. Not after everything we'd been through.

'Kira!' Rogan called, and he jumped up from the half bed. Another step took him off the makeshift set and onto the pavement of yet another abandoned street. He looked around at the surroundings quickly before focusing again on me.

'Welcome back to The Countdown! Kira and Rogan are all rested up for this, the final level: Level Six.'

Three silver ball cameras zoomed into view, bobbing and moving along the street. They got to Rogan first and circled him like a nest of wasps as he glared at them.

'Rogan Ellis never thought he 'd be one of the privileged few to reach the last level of The Countdown. Some of our original subscribers will recall that Rogan himself is the creator of this game, although it has improved a thousandfold since then in quality and excitement. If Rogan had any say in the matter, the game would no longer be available to entertain you, our glorious subscribers! Just before his incarceration for rape and nine counts of murder, he attempted to pull the plug on this show, but luckily he was stopped before any irreparable damage was done.

'Such is the case with Rogan. He is a selfish man. As a bloodthirsty hedonist, he cares only for his own pleasures, and it doesn't matter to him who might get hurt. In an early poll amongst our subscribers, Rogan received a 3 percent approval rating. This is as low as any contestant in the history of the game. It is obvious to anyone watching that despite his handsome appearance, a cold heart lurks beneath his chest. There is no humanity or possibility of redemption within this poor excuse of a man.'

I wasn't close enough to see the expression on Rogan's face, but I was betting that it wasn't a happy one. This was what he'd been subjected to for all these years? This uncensored verbal hatred toward him? That must have destroyed something inside of him. All I wanted to do was take that pain away from him. I felt a small sense of pride knowing that I knew the real Rogan. That he was innocent. That he wasn't selfish or bloodthirsty. That he was wonderful in every single way.

And that was about the moment that I realized I'd fallen completely in love with him.

'Dammit,' I said under my breath. 'Not a good time for realizations like these, Kira.'

That would explain why my heart twisted with every hurtful thing that was said about him. Why I felt his pain and all I wanted to do was hold him and tell him that it was all going to be okay.

I didn't even have to be using my flex to feel empathy for him. I felt for him because I was in love with him.

Tears stung at the corners of my eyes and I shook my head. So inconvenient. Especially now. Especially here.

The cameras left Rogan's side and swarmed toward me instead. They spun around my head and I could see myself reflected in their black, shiny lenses.

'Kira Jordan has been a very popular player on The Countdown. It goes to show that despite her fragile exterior a female competitor is not necessarily going to be outplayed by her male counterparts. Kira has earned a 74 percent approval rating, a rating that has improved with every successive level.

'A thief, a sultry vixen, and a woman who can lure men to their deaths, as evidenced in Level Five … this is a true Countdown competitor to be admired. Footage of her reward-level bubble bath, among many other memorable X-rated moments, is available in the archive section of our subscriber feeds for you to enjoy over and over again.

'Kira, do you have anything you want to say to the subscribers who have enthusiastically supported you in the game so far?'

One camera came down to eye level. I could see myself reflected from my waist to the top of my head.

'Absolutely.' I forced a smile to my lips. 'I just wanted to let you know that every one of you subscribers disgusts me. Why do you sad, pathetic sacks of shit keep watching this? They're forcing us to play. We have no choice. You want to see people killed? You're sick! All of you are sick!' I spat at the camera. There was a long pause.

'We are very sorry,' the announcer piped up. 'We lost our feed for a moment. We strive to bring you the best of entertainment, but we are slaves to our cameras, I'm afraid.' He chuckled. 'Kira wanted you all to know that she appreciates your support and that she's thrilled to have been able to bring you hours of entertainment. She would love to thank you all personally if she could, but there simply isn't enough time. Not if we want to get on with the show! '

I tried to calm myself. It made me furious to know that the subscribers, however many of them there were, were sitting back watching in their mind's eye as Rogan and I fought for our lives.

I wondered what they'd think if they knew their implant-provided brain waves were Gareth's version of a power lunch.

It was like something out of a nightmare.

'Everything has led to this final level,' the announcer said. 'Kira and Rogan have forged a partnership, found common ground, learned to work together, and given in to their carnal desires. Never has there been a better team on The Countdown and we are thrilled to have been able to present them to you.

'They have worked together, helping each other when the other was down, for without one's partner, one is nothing in The Countdown.

'That is, until Level Six.'

The cameras separated. One stayed in front of me, another went to Rogan, and the third hovered between us.

'Underneath both sides of the bed, there is a gun. Kira and Rogan, please retrieve your guns now.'

I looked over at Rogan but didn't make a move to get up yet. What was left of the sheets was still tangled around my legs.

I studied the camera closest to me.

'Please retrieve the gun, Kira.'