D. MacHale - The Quillan Games

When I reached the center, I slammed all three flags into the circle. A loud horn sounded and the lights of the arena came on. The strobe lights stopped flashing, the music ended. The whizzing sound of the spinning broken blades stopped, and the Tock rocks retracted back into the ceiling. Finally, the steel cage that had trapped me in this little circle of hell sank back into the floor. It was over. I lay there exhausted, the winner. Or maybe I should say, the survivor. My cheek was on the ground, right next to a big chunk of shattered blade that was stuck into the floor. I was beat, though I think it was more about coming down from the adrenaline rush than about being tired from the physical exertion. I couldn’t even feel the bruises. That would come once I calmed down. I got up on my elbow and looked around to see blade splinters everywhere, along with one of the Tock rocks that had been severed from its rope.

The scoreboard flashed with red letters saying: winner- challenger red! I liked the idea that a few daring people had bet on me and they’d be able to have food for a while. At least that would give some meaning to this whole idiotic event. The other challengers were okay, though Challenger White had a gash on his arm and was bleeding. I assumed that came from a flying chunk of blade. The guy stood up, and for the first time he looked at me. I expected to get the cold, hard stare of an injured enemy who was looking forward to a rematch. That’s not what I got. Instead the guy nodded. It was a slight gesture, but I felt the acknowledgment that we were both in the same tough situation. Looking at the other two as they walked away, I saw them give me the same nod. Up until then I’d thought of them as nameless enemies whose job it was to beat me, which by the rules of that game meant they were supposed to kill me. I didn’t think of them as anything more human that robot dados. What I realized at that moment was that we were all challengers, and all in the same boat. They probably didn’t want to be fighting any more than I did.

The first person who came to me, I was surprised to see, was Nevva Winter. She ran into the circle and knelt down in front of me.

‘Are you all right?” she asked, sounding concerned yet relieved.

“Sure,” I said. “You still owe me.”

“Yes, I do,” she said. “But I knew you’d win.”

“You did?” I asked. “How’s that?”

Nevva Winter took a quick look to see that LaBerge and Veego weren’t paying attention to us. The two were in some kind of heated discussion about… who cares. She reached up to her chest and put her hand between the buttons of her shirt.

“Because I expected nothing less…” She pulled out a dark beaded necklace that hung around her neck, hidden by the shirt. Dangling from it was a ring. “From the lead Traveler.” It was a Traveler ring.

(CONTINUED)

Things were happening a little too fast. I hadn’t even caught my breath after having nearly been sliced into sushi, when Nevva Winter revealed to me that she had a Traveler ring. Seeing it gave me such a jolt, I think my brain momentarily froze. What was the deal? Had she taken it from Challenger Yellow after he died in the Tato match? I figured she must have, because how else would she have gotten it? Unless maybe it was her own ring, and she was the Traveler’s acolyte. Or could it be that Challenger Yellow was an acolyte, and Nevva Winter was the Traveler from Quillan? Or maybe it was none of the above. Remember what I wrote before about how great I was at handling myself under pressure? Forget it. I was stunned into a semicoma.

Luckily, Nevva Winter was cooler than I was. She looked over her shoulder to see that Veego and LaBerge were headed our way. “Meet me later, in the octagon,” she whispered.

“The what?” I asked in confusion. I must have sounded like an idiot, because at that moment, I was an idiot.

“Congratulations!” LaBerge said. “No other challenger in the history of Tock was able to figure out how to beat the game so quickly. And believe me, dozens have tried. We’ve lost many a challenger to the blades. Bravo!”

He tried to help me to my feet, but I yanked my arm away. Veego joined us and stood looking at me with her arms folded, appraising me with that superior little smirk.

“What?” I asked angrily. “Wasn’t I good enough for you?”

“Oh, no,” she said. “I am quite impressed. Apparently you have had some training. We don’t often get challengers with that much… experience.”

“Gee, wow,” I said sarcastically. “My day is complete.”

Veego kept her eyes on me but spoke to Nevva. “Miss Winter, please inform the trustees that I intend to meet their increased profit demands this quad. And be sure to thank them for bringing such a talented challenger to our attention. Challenger Red is going to become a valuable member of the Blok family.”

Blok. There was that name again.

“Thank you, Veego,” Nevva said politely. “I’m sure the trustees will be very pleased to hear of your enthusiasm.” She held out the stack of pages that she’d brought in earlier and said, “Now, if you would be so kind as to initial these pages I’ll file them with the-“

“Don’t push it,” Veego snapped harshly. “Unless you’d like to try your luck at a game of Tock yourself.”

Nevva stiffened, cleared her throat, and pulled the papers back. “Thank you, no, ” she said formally. “I’ll report back to the trustees right away.”

“You do that,” Veego said as if she couldn’t care less.

“Thank you for your time, and for the, uh, demonstration,” Nevva Winter added.

“The pleasure was all ours!” LaBerge chirped.

Nevva Winter looked at me and said, “Congratulations, Challenger Red. I will be following your career with great interest.” She looked directly at me and opened her eyes a touch wider. It was a subtle signal that acknowledged that we would talk later. She pulled the pile of papers in tight and strode quickly for the exit. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to go with her, no matter where she was going. Any place would have been better than the castle. I was at the mercy of two sadistic psychopaths who got their kicks from making up games where people died. I needed somebody on my side. I needed help.

“Are you done torturing me?” I asked Veego, trying to sound as tired as I felt. “If I’ve got to play another one of your stupid games, you might as well just kill me now.”

“We would do no such thing! Not now!” Veego said cheerily. At least it sounded like she was being cheery. I couldn’t tell with her. “Your value has just increased dramatically. Another few matches like that and you will be ready to compete in the Grand X!”

“What exactly is a Grand X?” I asked. I didn’t care anymore if I didn’t sound like I came from that territory. I was too burned out to care about anything except lying down and getting some rest.

Veego and LaBerge gave each other a surprised look. I guess pretty much everybody knew about the Grand X. Everybody but me, that is.

“You’re tired,” LaBerge said. “Let Fourteen take you to your room.”

“No!” I snapped. “I’m not sleeping in that clown room again.”

“You don’t have to,” Veego said. “As we told you, the challengers are treated like royalty during their stay with us. Now that you’ve proven your value, you will be put in much more suitable accommodations.”

“I like the clown room!” LaBerge said, sounding hurt.

“Then you sleep in it,” I said. I saw that Fourteen was standing at the entrance to the arena. I walked away from Veego and LaBerge without saying another word and went right up to the dado. “Are you sure you’re Fourteen?” I asked. “You wouldn’t really be Thirteen and trying to mess with me, would you?”