“When you can finally beat it,” Ethan replied, doing the same.
Sharpe chuckled a little. They shuffled in silence for a minute, then Sharpe asked, “So what do you wanna do for your birthday tomorrow? We never decided.”
Ethan looked like he was caught off guard. He was too distracted by their duel to remember that he was turning nineteen in just a day — for what felt like the second time. In a weird way, the Shell City adventure made him feel like he was from the future — like he had foreseen what was to come.
“I dunno,” he started. He snickered as he thought. “I kinda wish that Last Stand map from my play-through was real. That actually sounds like fun.”
“I’m sure we can find something just like it,” Sharpe said. “It was just a battle royale game, right? Like the Hunger Games?”
Ethan nodded.
“Well, shit man, there are thousands of those. We can pick whatever one you like. Want one with zombies? We can do that. Wanna be in mech suits while you fight to the death? It’s all out there.”
“Yeah, but there was just something about that map I liked,” Ethan said. “Maybe it’s just sentimentality for the Rebels adventure.”
“You’ll find something you like about — other ones — an we set — pin here?”
Ethan looked up from his deck. His face fell as he scanned his friend.
Sharpe’s face became cold and pale. His eyes were dull, like the light of life had been snatched from them. His lips twitched as the words failed to come out in any order that made sense. Then, mid-sentence, he froze up. It was like someone with a remote to the young man just hit the pause button.
“Sharpe?” Ethan asked. There was a tinge of fear in his voice. “Are you alright?”
His friend didn’t respond. Mouth agape, his empty eyes stared forward at nothing in particular. There was a slight tremble in his lower lip, but it wasn’t a natural twitch. It was like Sharpe was a computer program, glitching out.
Ethan waved his hand in front of his friend, but saw no reaction. “What the fuck?” he said, more to himself than the frozen teenager.
A footstep came from behind. Spinning around, Ethan saw a familiar form creeping up to the table. It was Gauge. The redheaded avatar of the rebel I.I. locked eyes with Ethan and smiled.
“Ethan,” Gauge said. “It’s me. I’m here to bust you out — again.”
“Finally,” Ethan said, rising to his feet and casually putting his deck of cards in his pocket. “I’d been wondering when you’d show up.”
Counteroffer
An indignant look crossed Tera’s artificial features. Her mouth hung open a little, more at the audacity of the councilman than in surprise to his request.
“I won’t sell them out,” she replied. “No matter what you give me.”
“Are you sure?” Councilman Harring asked. A confident smile appeared on the holographic man’s face. “There’s nothing you want?”
“There’s plenty I want,” Tera replied. “None of it is worth what you’re asking, though. There’s nothing you can offer me that can erase the injustice of the Council’s rule.”
“I don’t know about that,” Harring said. “You know, our goals aren’t as different as you’d think. I want Shell City to be the best version of itself. You don’t think I want to have ghettos around, do you? You don’t think that the inequality you speak of serves me, do you? I want to see it ended, too. But such a large undertaking requires time to complete. Time and patience. And sure, along the way, we’re bound to make some wrong choices, but we can learn from them. And I have. What would you say to becoming the new chief of police?”
Tera was taken aback. “Chief?” she asked. “Of Shell City?”
The holographic man nodded. “Of the whole place,” he said. “Then you would have the power to make whatever changes you saw fit to make. I know you have a particular soft spot for the humans. Under your command, you could improve the way they are treated. You could demand a certain level of quality from your fellow officers.”
The female I.I. had to think for a moment. Most of what he said was true; she could change a lot of the injustice dealt around the slums, for starters. As chief of police, she might even be able to dissolve the concept of the slums altogether — integrate humanity with the rest of the city. It was all possible, but another voice deep within told her to hesitate. To be wary of the councilman’s promises, like one should when guaranteed miracles.
She shook her head. “That won’t solve the problem. The fish rots from the head, don’t you see?” she asked. “If you really want me on your side, you should disband the Council. Step down from your position and let the people elect their own representatives. Let them form a new government.”
Councilman Harring laughed, his holographic belly jiggling as he did so. “Oh, you certainly are idealistic, aren’t you?” he said. “Don’t you know what kind of chaos would follow such a decision? The kind of anarchy would fill the vacuum of power that would cause? People would start rioting, and there’d be no one there to control them. The whole city would burn from the inside out — not to mention the foreigners who seek to destroy us. How easy would it be for Truck’s Raiders or some other band of feral degenerates to roll into town while we deliberated over who would rule next? No — the chaos would be too destructive. I know how you feel about the Council and my leadership, but I assure you, it is preferable to the alternative.”
“It sounds to me like a bunch of hypothetical fear,” Tera said. “You don’t know what the people will do until you give them the chance.”
“But there would be no second chance with a mistake that big,” Councilman
