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articles:fugazi_by_krzysztof_chris_arkuszewski [2013/12/05 12:56] – created Spiritarticles:fugazi_by_krzysztof_chris_arkuszewski [2013/12/05 14:22] (current) – spelling Spirit
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 I was still shaking after the game. My helmet was sweaty like a virgin's body after her first time. I must have been twitching in the harness, because my back hurt like hell. I felt like I was about to vomit. I barely held a bottle of Grolsch in my bony hand. The kid hasn't even unclasped the harness, he was rocking about like a clock's pendulum, grinning a mocking grin. He had his reasons. On muny04, I was without a chance. He was spamming rockets like mad. I felt like a housefly in molasses trying to dodge. Didn't take long: 100-32. On ds5 - by the way, what idiot named it "Dog fields" - I did a bit better. He was jumping like an ape on the tiles sunken in lava. That's where I got him most of the times. He wasn't as confident in open areas... but that didn't help. 100-56 this time. Betox - if you understand me well, I didn't go on top once. Not once! Zero. I may as well have been a toddler, he would have beaten me just as easily. I've never seen somebody play like that, and I've seen a lot. When we put him in the arcade, he finished the next two games in the top five. That's decent, especially because I saw from the start that he was high on proheptazine. Knee deep in it. I was still shaking after the game. My helmet was sweaty like a virgin's body after her first time. I must have been twitching in the harness, because my back hurt like hell. I felt like I was about to vomit. I barely held a bottle of Grolsch in my bony hand. The kid hasn't even unclasped the harness, he was rocking about like a clock's pendulum, grinning a mocking grin. He had his reasons. On muny04, I was without a chance. He was spamming rockets like mad. I felt like a housefly in molasses trying to dodge. Didn't take long: 100-32. On ds5 - by the way, what idiot named it "Dog fields" - I did a bit better. He was jumping like an ape on the tiles sunken in lava. That's where I got him most of the times. He wasn't as confident in open areas... but that didn't help. 100-56 this time. Betox - if you understand me well, I didn't go on top once. Not once! Zero. I may as well have been a toddler, he would have beaten me just as easily. I've never seen somebody play like that, and I've seen a lot. When we put him in the arcade, he finished the next two games in the top five. That's decent, especially because I saw from the start that he was high on proheptazine. Knee deep in it.
  
-"If you agree, we sign a paper and within 24 hours, you're playing on the best training servers in the country. With the best boths. With the ability to simulate the best opponents. Oh, and," I searched my pockets, "two grand, to start. You in?"+"If you agree, we sign a paper and within 24 hours, you're playing on the best training servers in the country. With the best booths. With the ability to simulate the best opponents. Oh, and," I searched my pockets, "two grand, to start. You in?"
  
 He bounced from the cabinet and reached for the money. He bounced from the cabinet and reached for the money.
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 ===== Three weeks later ===== ===== Three weeks later =====
-He got the best hardware and the best programs. He trained 10-12 hours daily, and the results exceeded my expectations by far. He hasn't lost a match with an amateur for a week. I bribed an IPS admin and gave him a full training cycle with their team. They're from the country's top five, after all. And? Magnus kicked their asses so hard, that the guy gave me my money back. "He's too good, they'll find out and fire me," he said. Seriously. The backbench from Multitech squad were shot like ducks. Eventually, their trainer - my good friend - told me to fuck off, since I was "destroying his boys' morale". That was enough, to make me feel like the owner of a golden duck. I sent his demos to all more important clubs. Put up an ad in the official League bulletin. Despite the dead season (you know, sufmer break) offers started coming in instantly. But why bother, if nobody was feeling too generous. I invested way too much in the kid, to sell him for pennies. I waited... and then that guy came. A short guy with a ratty face, and a brown, shabby briefcase. He represented a company that I've never heard of. He said, they've got a third league team advertising their stuff. That business is going bad, and they decided to invest in their own team. Bullshit as usual. They needed a fighter, and my kid popped up on their radar. I'll admit it, I wanted to blow off the guy. Magnus was way too good to begin in some shit, third league team. I told the man to leave, and on my doormat, he stuffed a leaflet in my hand, asking me to reconsider. I took a look, and reconsidered. Instantly. Never before in my life have I seen so many zeros in an offer for a player. And there was a two in the front. Jesus! I could buy half a team of any company for this price. I was too blinded with money to notice that the deal seemed off. Way off. I got the money the same night. Half of it in cash, half in unregistered bio-RAM. Magnus drove away with "Ratty", and I began planning the biggest shopping of my life. There's nothing that gets me off as much as spending money. I quickly forgot everything. Too quickly. Especially since I've never seen any sort of proof that Magnus is, actually, playing in the League.+He got the best hardware and the best programs. He trained 10-12 hours daily, and the results exceeded my expectations by far. He hasn't lost a match with an amateur for a week. I bribed an IPS admin and gave him a full training cycle with their team. They're from the country's top five, after all. And? Magnus kicked their asses so hard, that the guy gave me my money back. "He's too good, they'll find out and fire me," he said. Seriously. The backbench from Multitech squad were shot like ducks. Eventually, their trainer - my good friend - told me to fuck off, since I was "destroying his boys' morale". That was enough, to make me feel like the owner of a golden duck. I sent his demos to all more important clubs. Put up an ad in the official League bulletin. Despite the dead season (you know, summer break) offers started coming in instantly. But why bother, if nobody was feeling too generous. I invested way too much in the kid, to sell him for pennies. I waited... and then that guy came. A short guy with a ratty face, and a brown, shabby briefcase. He represented a company that I've never heard of. He said, they've got a third league team advertising their stuff. That business is going bad, and they decided to invest in their own team. Bullshit as usual. They needed a fighter, and my kid popped up on their radar. I'll admit it, I wanted to blow off the guy. Magnus was way too good to begin in some shit, third league team. I told the man to leave, and on my doormat, he stuffed a leaflet in my hand, asking me to reconsider. I took a look, and reconsidered. Instantly. Never before in my life have I seen so many zeros in an offer for a player. And there was a two in the front. Jesus! I could buy half a team of any company for this price. I was too blinded with money to notice that the deal seemed off. Way off. I got the money the same night. Half of it in cash, half in unregistered bio-RAM. Magnus drove away with "Ratty", and I began planning the biggest shopping of my life. There's nothing that gets me off as much as spending money. I quickly forgot everything. Too quickly. Especially since I've never seen any sort of proof that Magnus is, actually, playing in the League.
  
  
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 The building seemed to be an old, abandoned warehouse. The air was heavy with the smell of washing powder and some disinfectant. Apparently, this used to be a wholesale store. A circle of floodlights lit up the middle of the room. Four NEC consoles stood there, models from last month, if I were to guess. Somewhat similar to IBM's Vikings, but more solid and in nice colors, stylized after last year's classic model TravelStar. Suspended OSA helmets drawing directly to the retinas, active Nintendo suits, chromed railings, and harness from genuine leather. In short, very good hardware, on a global level. The server machine was an old, long-serving Genesis, but if I had as many enhancements as it did, I could have flown straight into space. Strings of optical fibre slithered from the case and ran towards the darkness of the room. From the dark, I could hear quiet conversations and the clinking of glass. "My audience," I thought. The building seemed to be an old, abandoned warehouse. The air was heavy with the smell of washing powder and some disinfectant. Apparently, this used to be a wholesale store. A circle of floodlights lit up the middle of the room. Four NEC consoles stood there, models from last month, if I were to guess. Somewhat similar to IBM's Vikings, but more solid and in nice colors, stylized after last year's classic model TravelStar. Suspended OSA helmets drawing directly to the retinas, active Nintendo suits, chromed railings, and harness from genuine leather. In short, very good hardware, on a global level. The server machine was an old, long-serving Genesis, but if I had as many enhancements as it did, I could have flown straight into space. Strings of optical fibre slithered from the case and ran towards the darkness of the room. From the dark, I could hear quiet conversations and the clinking of glass. "My audience," I thought.
  
-We passed the consoles, ignoring the technicians fiddling with them. They were all wearing balaclavas - full anonimity. One of the bouncers pushed me towards the ajar door with the butt of a rifle.+We passed the consoles, ignoring the technicians fiddling with them. They were all wearing balaclavas - full anonymity. One of the bouncers pushed me towards the ajar door with the butt of a rifle.
  
 "Careful there. Your boss wants me in top form." "Careful there. Your boss wants me in top form."
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 It was getting hotter with every step. Suddenly, the path ended with an abyss. Lava! A massive lava lake, several meters beneath. Straight ahead, above the ocean of heat, held by an invisible force was a teleporter. The heat was repelling me from this way, but a sound from behind resolved any doubts. He found me quickly. Too quickly. His weapon sent a burst of steel stings to my back. My body painfully twitched. This is what death looks like! With the rest of my powers, I bounced for the mad jump. The portal accepted my tortured body with coldness and indifference - sent me to a huge hall. Straight ahead, an elevator filled to the brim with medkits. It was getting hotter with every step. Suddenly, the path ended with an abyss. Lava! A massive lava lake, several meters beneath. Straight ahead, above the ocean of heat, held by an invisible force was a teleporter. The heat was repelling me from this way, but a sound from behind resolved any doubts. He found me quickly. Too quickly. His weapon sent a burst of steel stings to my back. My body painfully twitched. This is what death looks like! With the rest of my powers, I bounced for the mad jump. The portal accepted my tortured body with coldness and indifference - sent me to a huge hall. Straight ahead, an elevator filled to the brim with medkits.
  
-Healed, I went upward. The teleporter crackled below. I had the man. Black! All black. Like the devil! He glanced around nervously and ran towards the nearest medkit. I sent two grenades after him. He responded with a rocket. The shockwave threw me onto the wall, which was enough to make me lose sight of him. I carefully slided downward. He could be hiding in any dark corner. And he did. Jumped out of the shadows as soon as I was on the bottom. The lightning missed me by a hair's length. In response, two of my grenades exploded. But he was already in the corner opposite. He camped in the dark, disgustingly. I fired a long burst of nails. He yelped. Got the bastard! Followed him when he ran towards the nearest door. I had the upper hand now. We both jumped over Blue's corpse in the run. It was just me and him, at this point. He was slowing down the chase with rockets, but I fired the nailgun relentlessly. He zigzagged, spun pirouettes. If he's running, he's got to be very weak. My confidence almost killed me.'+Healed, I went upward. The teleporter crackled below. I had the man. Black! All black. Like the devil! He glanced around nervously and ran towards the nearest medkit. I sent two grenades after him. He responded with a rocket. The shockwave threw me onto the wall, which was enough to make me lose sight of him. I carefully slided downward. He could be hiding in any dark corner. And he did. Jumped out of the shadows as soon as I was on the bottom. The lightning missed me by a hair's length. In response, two of my grenades exploded. But he was already in the corner opposite. He camped in the dark, disgustingly. I fired a long burst of nails. He yelped. Got the bastard! Followed him when he ran towards the nearest door. I had the upper hand now. We both jumped over Blue's corpse in the run. It was just me and him, at this point. He was slowing down the chase with rockets, but I fired the nailgun relentlessly. He zigzagged, spun pirouettes. If he's running, he's got to be very weak. My confidence almost killed me.
  
 A rocket hit me in the chest, and the terrible pain brought me to my knees. The counter fired with red. Critical level. He had me on a plate, now! I waited for the final shot. It didn't come. Black disappeared in the mess of corridors. A rocket hit me in the chest, and the terrible pain brought me to my knees. The counter fired with red. Critical level. He had me on a plate, now! I waited for the final shot. It didn't come. Black disappeared in the mess of corridors.