Lottery
Chapter 24
By Mark J. Silva Jr
Samantha stepped into the medical center with Mark in her arms and a nurse stepped right over to her,
“This way, Ms. Bradly. Dr. Glove is expecting Mark,” the nurse said as she led Sam down a small hallway into a private room.
In the room Sam placed Mark on the exam table. The whole time since she had picked Mark off the floor, he had been mumbling the same thing over and over again: 'She was going to kill me.'
Sam had tried to calm him on the way to the medical center but Mark was in shock.
Tina and Penny entered behind Mark and started following Sam down the hallway when a nurse stopped them.
“You are Penny,” she stated.
Penny snarled and tried to go around the nurse but Tina stopped her, “Sorry, Penny is a little high strung, how can I help you?”
The nurse smiled and said, “I understand. Penny I need you to come with me, Dr. Jerkens is on her way to check you over. While we wait, I can start bonding your cuts closed.”
Penny started to walk towards Mark's room and Tina stopped her once more, “I will go check on Mark, you need medical attention, Penny.”
Penny's lip curled up, and it was obvious she was not going to listen, but then they heard the door to Mark's room slide open. Sam stepped out and walked right over to Penny.
“You do as the nurses tell you,” Sam ordered.
Penny stopped, whined a little, then said, “Of course, Mistress.”
Sam touched Penny's muzzle and made her look up into her eyes.
“You did a great job! Now it's time to get you fixed up and looking pretty again for Mark. He will need you, soon enough,”
Penny smiled and turned back to the nurse, who then led her over to another room.
“Well, physically, he's okay. In fact, he's right on target both in weight and height, for the procedure,” Dr. Glove said as she finished checking Mark over. “It's a few days early, but he's now through the change fully. Ms. Bradly, I think a good night's rest, natural rest that is, and Mark should recover from the shock of what happened earlier today. Now, Mark…"
Mark looked at Dr. Glove.
“No more partying with the ladies,” she said with a chuckle.
Mark's eyes went wide, “She was going to kill me.”
“No, Mark, she wasn't. She threatened to, but Penny and Tina took care of her,”
Dr. Jerkens stepped into the waiting room and found Penny pacing back and forth like a caged wolf.
“Hello, Penny,” Penny paused, and looked over at the doctor.
“Penny, can you come over here and lie down? I need to run a few scans and make sure you haven’t damaged yourself,” Dr. Jerkens said as she tapped in a few commands to the overhead scanner.
Penny looked at the open door and started to head out but Tina stepped in her path, “You heard Ms. Bradly. You need to get checked out.”
Penny moved back and reluctantly headed over to the medical exam table. With the nurses help, she laid down on it.
Dr. Jerkens knew Penny's medical records. It was her job to care for all the pets aboard the cruiser. It didn't matter if the pet was a puppyboy sex toy or a walking wolfgirl killing machine. It was her job to take care of them. But even knowing Penny's medical records, it was really impressive to view Penny's enhanced composite skeleton and enhanced musculature in her monitor.
The scan showed a few minor fractures that would heal without any help, and a few stressed and bruised muscles.
“So I hear you went through a door?”
“She said she would hurt Mark,” Penny said.
“I see, but those doors are two inch thick hardwood, how did you manage to break though?”
Tina smirked as Penny grew a big smile and said, “I distracted the woman while Tina scored up the door with her claws, but Tina broke a few claws.”
Dr. Jerkens turned and walked over to Tina. From her point of view you could see the tips of seven claws. Taking Tina's paws in her hand, she pressed at the joint and the bio-zirconium dioxide (ceramic) enhanced claws extended showing three broken claws and a few fractured ones.
“Do they hurt?”
“No, Doctor,” Tina answered.
Dr. Jerkens walked back over to the counter and pulled up Tina's medical file, scanned it quickly and frowned. Those claws were something her owner had designed. The record warned of their dangerous sharpness, but nothing was said as to what could or should be done about damaged ones.
“Tina, Does Mark have a way to fix your claws?” Dr. Jerkens asked as she walked back over to Penny.
“Nothing is needed Doctor. They will heal on their own in a few days,” answered Tina.
“Very good then, now Penny, I want you to rest for tonight and avoid going though doors the hard way.”
* * * * *
“Hey, you!” some girl yelled down the corridor the next morning causing Mark to jump.
Turning around, he faced the girl who ran down the corridor towards him.
“Hey, do you play BorderWars?”
BorderWars was the same war games that Lily and her friends had gotten Mark to play in before. While you can play as a single player the real challenges was team work.
“Yes, I play with friends back home,” answered Mark shyly.
“I'm Tabby, I play as a Ranger. What is your specialty?”
“Extended range Leopoid MAC sniper,”
Tabby whistled, “Thats a major piece of hardware and a hard one to control.”
“Yes, it is, but I am really good at it. I do not do well, though, in close range or hand to hand,” Mark added.
“Well, ya… you're what, twelve?” Tabby asked.
“I'm ni… umm, thirteen,” Mark corrected.
“Cool! Hey we are challenging some others on Deck 'D', you want to come and join us?” Tabby asked.
An hour later Mark sat back in an overstuffed chair in Tabby and her mom's cabin. Penny lay at his feet and Tina was covering Mark up with a warm blanket as he placed the new Holoband on. A moment later he was standing in his safe room and Lisa greeted him with a hug.
“How are you doing, Mark?” Lisa asked.
Mark walked over to a blank wall and swiped his hand along it, the wall opened and a room about the size of a large walk in closet appeared.
“I guess I'm okay. It's still hard to adjust to looking up at my own pets.”
Mark grabbed a camo uniform and carried it to the bed, then walking back into the closet where he grabbed a Colt two millimeter coil gun. This weapon fired a steel 'BB'-like round at hypersonic speeds and each magazine held sixty four rounds. Mark grabbed three spare mags and went and added the gun and magazines to the pile on then bed, then he went in and picked up two large black cases off the floor of the closet and carried them to the bed also.
“Lisa, is Lily available?” Mark asked.
“She is, Mark,” Lisa said just as Lily appeared and smiled at Mark.
“I didn't expect to see you once I heard your Holoband was broken,” Lily said as she walked over and around Mark checking him out.
Mark gave Lily an odd look, “I was forced to buy a cheap set on the cruiser, But your not using a Holoband.”
Lily smiled, “You caught me, I got my wetware last week.”
“Nice! Lily can I borrow your active matrix shield?”
Lily raised an eyebrow, “You found someone else to play BorderWars.”
Twenty minutes later Mark stepped into the BorderWars team gathering area and placed down his two large cases. Tabby and her two friends walked over to Mark.
“Your kidding, right Tabby? He's what, ten?” Jen said.
“Thirteen,” Mark corrected.
“Tabby the Slatter team is going to cream us. This boy can't play, you know the rules: 'No males allowed in direct combat,'” Lindy added.
Tabby smiled as she said, “I know the rules! Mark's a sniper. No direct combat”
“Oh, you found a sniper,” said one of four girls who just walked into the area.
“Yes, I did,” answered Tabby as she walked over and shook hands with the Slatter team leader.
“Well then, let's do a weapons check,” Stacy said.
Tabby's team lined up, and laid out their weapons on the grounds as the Slatter team did the same.
Mark laid out his coilgun and the extra magazines that went with it, then he placed down the two large cases. Mark then stepped back as Tabby and Stacy started checking out weapons.
A weapons check was done so everyone knew what was on the field and to make sure no one was using hacked or illegal game play weapons. Mark waited until both Tabby and Stacy got to his layout. Stacy, for the first time, realized Mark was a boy.
“Hey, he can't play,” Stacy said.
“Yes, he can. Mark is a sniper and not a direct combatant,” Tabby said as she eyed the two cases. “Is this the Leopoid MAC?”
“Your shitting! A fucking Leopoid MAC?” Stacy yelled.
Tammy knelt down and unlatched the first case, laying inside in pieces was the Leopoid MAC. All the players gathered and stared at the Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.
The Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon was considered a SpecFor (special forces warfare) weapon in BorderWars and could only be gained by finding the Diamond Warlocker that only appeared once a year, and then for only ten minutes. The weapon was a 'no transfer' item. Mark could never give it away, and no one could steal it.
The Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon fired a thirty millimeter depleted uranium armor-piercing round at just about half the speed of light.
Stacy looked at Mark, “Hey kid, you wanna change sides?”
Mark crossed his arms, “I'm no kid, besides you have a full roster.”
Stacy walked up to Mark and looked down into his eyes, “I'm twenty if your really thirteen, how about you prove it that your old enough to play BorderWars,”
Mark smiled and didn't answer.
“I said for you to prove it,” Stacy repeated.
Yet Mark was silent.
Stacy suddenly vanished from the gathering area.
“She will be right back,” Mark said with a smile.
* * * * *
Stacy blinked her eyes and couldn't believe where she was.
“I understand you insisted on Mark proving his age,” Lily said.
Stacy looked over at the girl, “And who the hell are you?”
“I'm Mark's owner, What I am going to tell you is private. All you are allowed to tell the others, is that he old enough, understand?” Lily said as she sat down on a bench.
“What's so secret about his damned age?”
“Mark was born in forty-seven eighty-one and was in stasis for twenty-four years. So that makes him nineteen. But, I decided that since he is disabled, and will always act like a thirteen year old boy, that he should look the part for the rest of his natural life,” Lisa said as she flashed a few files for Stacy to read.
Stacy's eyes widened. Mark was the same male that was sitting at the Captain's table three weeks ago. But now he was in a thirteen year old body.
“So why doesn't he just tell us that?” Stacy asked.
Lily smiled and laughed a little. “First off, would you have believed him? Second, no one he is playing with knows or cares about his age. They only want to play a round of BorderWars and hope for a chance at some weapons and prizes.”
* * * * *
Stacy reappeared and looked at Mark, “I just met his owner, Lily. Mark is old enough to play. Okay ladies, five minute to your rally points!”
As team Slatter moved away, Mark grabbed up his weapons and cases.
“Tammy, I'm heading directly for my hide, it will take me about ten minutes to get there.”
“Okay, Mark, you watch your back! Jen, Lindy, let's head for the rally point.”
* * * * *
It took more like fifteen minutes for Mark to get to one of his favorite hides in the map. The building wasn't the tallest, nor did it have the best view. But lying in the attic Mark was about six feet from the window and completely hidden by the building roof from spy bots and prying eyes.
Mark lay flat and adjusted his range finder and the activated the shield. The shield would hide his heat signature and if another sniper did get his number would protect him from a kill shot. The shield's weakness was another player could walk right through it and grab him. It did nothing to protect him from close range hand to hand fights. It only protected him from high speed projectiles and heat seeking weapons.
“I don't know, Stacy. We are going to be exposed for thirty seconds for each shot. That's a lot of time and a sniper will know where the shot came from,” Julie said as she looked at the Excalber Anti-tank pulse gun.
“I know, but like I said earlier he has to be in one of those two towers. They are the best spots to cover all of the game map,” Stacy said as she doubled check her settings.
The first and tallest of the two towers exploded and Mark saw the flash of the weapon. Mark adjusted his aim and watched as two heads popped up.
Lindy also had seen the heads pop up and started to take aim when suddenly one of the heads exploded and the girl holding the anti-tank gun dropped like a rag doll. The other girl paused in shock, and moments later her head vanished also.
Three hours later Mark was getting tired, the afternoon sun was at its highest and the attic was getting very hot. And since he took out two targets the other two girls where playing it safe and were moving very, very carefully.
The issue was that if the game wasn't over in five hours Tina was going to remove his Holoband no matter what was going on.
The air shifted and before Mark could react he was yanked back and someone punched him squarely in the face.
When Mark next opened his eyes he found himself tied up to a chair and a red-headed girl staring back at him.
“Well, well, the little boy wakes.”
“Whoopie do da, you caught me,” Mark said.
Rachel punched Mark once more in the face, “Oh, you think your funny little boy. How about I just beat the fuck out of you here and now?”
Mark spat a trickle of blood out of his mouth, “You wouldn't dare, you'd be banned for life, for breaking the rules.”
Four more punches and then Rachel gave Mark a round house kick, knocking him and the chair over.
Even though this was a Virtual Reality game and Mark was safety sitting in Tabby's room, the pain was very, very real.
Rachel kicked Mark once more while he was down and then the whole world dissolved away. Mark found himself still tied to the chair on the floor but Rachel was now being held by two referees. A third came up behind Mark and the ropes dissolved off of him, “Are you okay?” she asked.
Susan helped Mark up to his feet, “I think so,” he replied.
“Okay then, game volition Rachel Donner. Life ban, and all assists are transferred to Mark Howland,”
“Hey! He killed Stacy and Julie!” Rachel yelled in protest.
“That's what snipers do! You, young lady, know the rules full well! Capture and kill, no assaults on males,” Susan said.
“Excuse me, madam,” Mark said softly.
Susan turned and looking back at Mark said, “Is there a problem?”
“Madam referees, I'd really like it if you could maybe forgive her? She was just upset over losing a good friend of hers.”
Susan looked at her sister referees and they each nodded a silent answer. They were only young teens, and emotions ran hot in the young ladies.
“Rachel Donner, count this as your lucky day. You are suspended for forty-eight hours. Half of your kill credits are awarded to Mark Howland.”
“This way, Ms. Bradly. Dr. Glove is expecting Mark,” the nurse said as she led Sam down a small hallway into a private room.
In the room Sam placed Mark on the exam table. The whole time since she had picked Mark off the floor, he had been mumbling the same thing over and over again: 'She was going to kill me.'
Sam had tried to calm him on the way to the medical center but Mark was in shock.
Tina and Penny entered behind Mark and started following Sam down the hallway when a nurse stopped them.
“You are Penny,” she stated.
Penny snarled and tried to go around the nurse but Tina stopped her, “Sorry, Penny is a little high strung, how can I help you?”
The nurse smiled and said, “I understand. Penny I need you to come with me, Dr. Jerkens is on her way to check you over. While we wait, I can start bonding your cuts closed.”
Penny started to walk towards Mark's room and Tina stopped her once more, “I will go check on Mark, you need medical attention, Penny.”
Penny's lip curled up, and it was obvious she was not going to listen, but then they heard the door to Mark's room slide open. Sam stepped out and walked right over to Penny.
“You do as the nurses tell you,” Sam ordered.
Penny stopped, whined a little, then said, “Of course, Mistress.”
Sam touched Penny's muzzle and made her look up into her eyes.
“You did a great job! Now it's time to get you fixed up and looking pretty again for Mark. He will need you, soon enough,”
Penny smiled and turned back to the nurse, who then led her over to another room.
“Well, physically, he's okay. In fact, he's right on target both in weight and height, for the procedure,” Dr. Glove said as she finished checking Mark over. “It's a few days early, but he's now through the change fully. Ms. Bradly, I think a good night's rest, natural rest that is, and Mark should recover from the shock of what happened earlier today. Now, Mark…"
Mark looked at Dr. Glove.
“No more partying with the ladies,” she said with a chuckle.
Mark's eyes went wide, “She was going to kill me.”
“No, Mark, she wasn't. She threatened to, but Penny and Tina took care of her,”
Dr. Jerkens stepped into the waiting room and found Penny pacing back and forth like a caged wolf.
“Hello, Penny,” Penny paused, and looked over at the doctor.
“Penny, can you come over here and lie down? I need to run a few scans and make sure you haven’t damaged yourself,” Dr. Jerkens said as she tapped in a few commands to the overhead scanner.
Penny looked at the open door and started to head out but Tina stepped in her path, “You heard Ms. Bradly. You need to get checked out.”
Penny moved back and reluctantly headed over to the medical exam table. With the nurses help, she laid down on it.
Dr. Jerkens knew Penny's medical records. It was her job to care for all the pets aboard the cruiser. It didn't matter if the pet was a puppyboy sex toy or a walking wolfgirl killing machine. It was her job to take care of them. But even knowing Penny's medical records, it was really impressive to view Penny's enhanced composite skeleton and enhanced musculature in her monitor.
The scan showed a few minor fractures that would heal without any help, and a few stressed and bruised muscles.
“So I hear you went through a door?”
“She said she would hurt Mark,” Penny said.
“I see, but those doors are two inch thick hardwood, how did you manage to break though?”
Tina smirked as Penny grew a big smile and said, “I distracted the woman while Tina scored up the door with her claws, but Tina broke a few claws.”
Dr. Jerkens turned and walked over to Tina. From her point of view you could see the tips of seven claws. Taking Tina's paws in her hand, she pressed at the joint and the bio-zirconium dioxide (ceramic) enhanced claws extended showing three broken claws and a few fractured ones.
“Do they hurt?”
“No, Doctor,” Tina answered.
Dr. Jerkens walked back over to the counter and pulled up Tina's medical file, scanned it quickly and frowned. Those claws were something her owner had designed. The record warned of their dangerous sharpness, but nothing was said as to what could or should be done about damaged ones.
“Tina, Does Mark have a way to fix your claws?” Dr. Jerkens asked as she walked back over to Penny.
“Nothing is needed Doctor. They will heal on their own in a few days,” answered Tina.
“Very good then, now Penny, I want you to rest for tonight and avoid going though doors the hard way.”
* * * * *
“Hey, you!” some girl yelled down the corridor the next morning causing Mark to jump.
Turning around, he faced the girl who ran down the corridor towards him.
“Hey, do you play BorderWars?”
BorderWars was the same war games that Lily and her friends had gotten Mark to play in before. While you can play as a single player the real challenges was team work.
“Yes, I play with friends back home,” answered Mark shyly.
“I'm Tabby, I play as a Ranger. What is your specialty?”
“Extended range Leopoid MAC sniper,”
Tabby whistled, “Thats a major piece of hardware and a hard one to control.”
“Yes, it is, but I am really good at it. I do not do well, though, in close range or hand to hand,” Mark added.
“Well, ya… you're what, twelve?” Tabby asked.
“I'm ni… umm, thirteen,” Mark corrected.
“Cool! Hey we are challenging some others on Deck 'D', you want to come and join us?” Tabby asked.
An hour later Mark sat back in an overstuffed chair in Tabby and her mom's cabin. Penny lay at his feet and Tina was covering Mark up with a warm blanket as he placed the new Holoband on. A moment later he was standing in his safe room and Lisa greeted him with a hug.
“How are you doing, Mark?” Lisa asked.
Mark walked over to a blank wall and swiped his hand along it, the wall opened and a room about the size of a large walk in closet appeared.
“I guess I'm okay. It's still hard to adjust to looking up at my own pets.”
Mark grabbed a camo uniform and carried it to the bed, then walking back into the closet where he grabbed a Colt two millimeter coil gun. This weapon fired a steel 'BB'-like round at hypersonic speeds and each magazine held sixty four rounds. Mark grabbed three spare mags and went and added the gun and magazines to the pile on then bed, then he went in and picked up two large black cases off the floor of the closet and carried them to the bed also.
“Lisa, is Lily available?” Mark asked.
“She is, Mark,” Lisa said just as Lily appeared and smiled at Mark.
“I didn't expect to see you once I heard your Holoband was broken,” Lily said as she walked over and around Mark checking him out.
Mark gave Lily an odd look, “I was forced to buy a cheap set on the cruiser, But your not using a Holoband.”
Lily smiled, “You caught me, I got my wetware last week.”
“Nice! Lily can I borrow your active matrix shield?”
Lily raised an eyebrow, “You found someone else to play BorderWars.”
Twenty minutes later Mark stepped into the BorderWars team gathering area and placed down his two large cases. Tabby and her two friends walked over to Mark.
“Your kidding, right Tabby? He's what, ten?” Jen said.
“Thirteen,” Mark corrected.
“Tabby the Slatter team is going to cream us. This boy can't play, you know the rules: 'No males allowed in direct combat,'” Lindy added.
Tabby smiled as she said, “I know the rules! Mark's a sniper. No direct combat”
“Oh, you found a sniper,” said one of four girls who just walked into the area.
“Yes, I did,” answered Tabby as she walked over and shook hands with the Slatter team leader.
“Well then, let's do a weapons check,” Stacy said.
Tabby's team lined up, and laid out their weapons on the grounds as the Slatter team did the same.
Mark laid out his coilgun and the extra magazines that went with it, then he placed down the two large cases. Mark then stepped back as Tabby and Stacy started checking out weapons.
A weapons check was done so everyone knew what was on the field and to make sure no one was using hacked or illegal game play weapons. Mark waited until both Tabby and Stacy got to his layout. Stacy, for the first time, realized Mark was a boy.
“Hey, he can't play,” Stacy said.
“Yes, he can. Mark is a sniper and not a direct combatant,” Tabby said as she eyed the two cases. “Is this the Leopoid MAC?”
“Your shitting! A fucking Leopoid MAC?” Stacy yelled.
Tammy knelt down and unlatched the first case, laying inside in pieces was the Leopoid MAC. All the players gathered and stared at the Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.
The Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon was considered a SpecFor (special forces warfare) weapon in BorderWars and could only be gained by finding the Diamond Warlocker that only appeared once a year, and then for only ten minutes. The weapon was a 'no transfer' item. Mark could never give it away, and no one could steal it.
The Leopoid Magnetic Accelerator Cannon fired a thirty millimeter depleted uranium armor-piercing round at just about half the speed of light.
Stacy looked at Mark, “Hey kid, you wanna change sides?”
Mark crossed his arms, “I'm no kid, besides you have a full roster.”
Stacy walked up to Mark and looked down into his eyes, “I'm twenty if your really thirteen, how about you prove it that your old enough to play BorderWars,”
Mark smiled and didn't answer.
“I said for you to prove it,” Stacy repeated.
Yet Mark was silent.
Stacy suddenly vanished from the gathering area.
“She will be right back,” Mark said with a smile.
* * * * *
Stacy blinked her eyes and couldn't believe where she was.
“I understand you insisted on Mark proving his age,” Lily said.
Stacy looked over at the girl, “And who the hell are you?”
“I'm Mark's owner, What I am going to tell you is private. All you are allowed to tell the others, is that he old enough, understand?” Lily said as she sat down on a bench.
“What's so secret about his damned age?”
“Mark was born in forty-seven eighty-one and was in stasis for twenty-four years. So that makes him nineteen. But, I decided that since he is disabled, and will always act like a thirteen year old boy, that he should look the part for the rest of his natural life,” Lisa said as she flashed a few files for Stacy to read.
Stacy's eyes widened. Mark was the same male that was sitting at the Captain's table three weeks ago. But now he was in a thirteen year old body.
“So why doesn't he just tell us that?” Stacy asked.
Lily smiled and laughed a little. “First off, would you have believed him? Second, no one he is playing with knows or cares about his age. They only want to play a round of BorderWars and hope for a chance at some weapons and prizes.”
* * * * *
Stacy reappeared and looked at Mark, “I just met his owner, Lily. Mark is old enough to play. Okay ladies, five minute to your rally points!”
As team Slatter moved away, Mark grabbed up his weapons and cases.
“Tammy, I'm heading directly for my hide, it will take me about ten minutes to get there.”
“Okay, Mark, you watch your back! Jen, Lindy, let's head for the rally point.”
* * * * *
It took more like fifteen minutes for Mark to get to one of his favorite hides in the map. The building wasn't the tallest, nor did it have the best view. But lying in the attic Mark was about six feet from the window and completely hidden by the building roof from spy bots and prying eyes.
Mark lay flat and adjusted his range finder and the activated the shield. The shield would hide his heat signature and if another sniper did get his number would protect him from a kill shot. The shield's weakness was another player could walk right through it and grab him. It did nothing to protect him from close range hand to hand fights. It only protected him from high speed projectiles and heat seeking weapons.
“I don't know, Stacy. We are going to be exposed for thirty seconds for each shot. That's a lot of time and a sniper will know where the shot came from,” Julie said as she looked at the Excalber Anti-tank pulse gun.
“I know, but like I said earlier he has to be in one of those two towers. They are the best spots to cover all of the game map,” Stacy said as she doubled check her settings.
The first and tallest of the two towers exploded and Mark saw the flash of the weapon. Mark adjusted his aim and watched as two heads popped up.
Lindy also had seen the heads pop up and started to take aim when suddenly one of the heads exploded and the girl holding the anti-tank gun dropped like a rag doll. The other girl paused in shock, and moments later her head vanished also.
Three hours later Mark was getting tired, the afternoon sun was at its highest and the attic was getting very hot. And since he took out two targets the other two girls where playing it safe and were moving very, very carefully.
The issue was that if the game wasn't over in five hours Tina was going to remove his Holoband no matter what was going on.
The air shifted and before Mark could react he was yanked back and someone punched him squarely in the face.
When Mark next opened his eyes he found himself tied up to a chair and a red-headed girl staring back at him.
“Well, well, the little boy wakes.”
“Whoopie do da, you caught me,” Mark said.
Rachel punched Mark once more in the face, “Oh, you think your funny little boy. How about I just beat the fuck out of you here and now?”
Mark spat a trickle of blood out of his mouth, “You wouldn't dare, you'd be banned for life, for breaking the rules.”
Four more punches and then Rachel gave Mark a round house kick, knocking him and the chair over.
Even though this was a Virtual Reality game and Mark was safety sitting in Tabby's room, the pain was very, very real.
Rachel kicked Mark once more while he was down and then the whole world dissolved away. Mark found himself still tied to the chair on the floor but Rachel was now being held by two referees. A third came up behind Mark and the ropes dissolved off of him, “Are you okay?” she asked.
Susan helped Mark up to his feet, “I think so,” he replied.
“Okay then, game volition Rachel Donner. Life ban, and all assists are transferred to Mark Howland,”
“Hey! He killed Stacy and Julie!” Rachel yelled in protest.
“That's what snipers do! You, young lady, know the rules full well! Capture and kill, no assaults on males,” Susan said.
“Excuse me, madam,” Mark said softly.
Susan turned and looking back at Mark said, “Is there a problem?”
“Madam referees, I'd really like it if you could maybe forgive her? She was just upset over losing a good friend of hers.”
Susan looked at her sister referees and they each nodded a silent answer. They were only young teens, and emotions ran hot in the young ladies.
“Rachel Donner, count this as your lucky day. You are suspended for forty-eight hours. Half of your kill credits are awarded to Mark Howland.”