Flag Race Read online

  The tanks took aim, coordinating a massive attack against Ace.

  An explosion was heard. An unimaginable pain came over every inch of the boy’s body, which disappeared in that tremendous blast. His mother couldn’t refrain from screaming. Antônio had to hold her down to keep her from running over to the boy’s bedroom to hug him. He explained to her over and over that the slightest stimulus from real life could hamper his connection.

  “Nobody survives Warfear!” cried Blazkowicz, laughing. His tanks started moving their cannons, looking for the remaining players.

  Ace felt himself about to be disconnected. He didn’t know how much stability he still had, but it was almost at zero for sure. Like in a fever dream, reality and the virtual world were being mixed up all around him. He could feel his bed against his back once more and hear his parents’ concerned voices in their nearby bedroom. At the same time, though, he still felt his arm firmly holding the game’s final remaining flag. His mind was at war with itself trying to decide in which world it would remain. His head was pounding at the quickened rhythm of his heart. In his delirium, he began hearing voices.

  “You can do it, Pedro!” he heard Rodrigo say.

  “Remember what we talked about! You can’t give up!” cried Marcelo.

  He opened his eyes. Saw his bedroom ceiling.

  He closed them again and opened them one more time. Again, the same damned white ceiling.

  Blazkowicz laughed louder while the remainder of his team was starting to come back. That match was over.

  Pedro took a deep breath, keeping in mind that same sensation, of firmly holding the red flag in his hands. He closed his eyes again.

  The tanks’ cannons were taking aim, pointed at their targets. It was only a matter of settling the exact angle for them to fire again. The singed trio of Kerah, Asuka, and Dante tried to head near Mary, who still enjoyed some protection behind the blue base.

  Focusing all his willpower, Pedro opened his eyes, realizing he was once again in the court. He heard the click that announced the cannons were now in position.

  “No!” he cried. Blazkowicz stood there, mouth agape.

  Ace needed all his strength to get up. With every step, his whole body shook. With a tremendous effort, he finally arrived at the pedestal. With his trembling, weakened limbs, he tried in vain to place the flag on where it belonged.

  “Bastard! You were supposed to have been logged out already!” Blazkowicz drew a sniper rifle and pointed it at Ace. On the boy’s back the red laser dot showed it’d be a dead accurate shot. “I’m gonna end your whole team with a single attack!”

  A draconian roar pierced the air. Blazkowicz missed his shot, hitting Ace with a close shave that made him stumble.

  “What?” The G.I. opened his eyes wide, as he recalled Sigurd wasn’t disintegrated yet. The dragon was slowly recovering.

  “Enough, Thiago!” the creature’s voice boomed. “I’ve put up with a lot from you, but that’s enough for now!”

  “You...?”

  “It’s about time... you learn...” said Ace, under his straining breath, as he got up and started heading for the pedestal again, “that you must stop... pestering... Luiz!”

  “Huh? Did you bring the whole scum of the classroom for this championship or what?” Blazkowicz scorned him.

  The dragon lunged against his foe, forcing him to leap further away. Then, with his powerful breath, the great lizard froze every single one of Blazkowicz’s tanks.

  Slowly, trembling, Ace was getting closer to the pedestal. Seforth and Lilith had already rematerialized and were coming toward the blue base.

  Sigurd resumed his attack. Blazkowicz despaired to see that no matter what defenses he created, the dragon was wrecking them all in mere seconds.

  “It’s not possible!” he cried, when the bunker that sheltered him was torn down. “How can such a useless creature like you still keep so much stability?”

  “You spent year after year fueling my desire to tear you apart! Now it’s time!” And as soon as he finished talking, Sigurd took a mouthful of Blazkowicz and swallowed him whole, immediately disintegrating his foe.

  “Three to zero! Three to zero!” the sportscaster cried out, ecstatic, while the whole court was taken over by bluish hues and the scoreboard announced the winners. “Dante’s Chaos turns the game around and becomes champion! At only 15% combined stability, Dante’s Chaos wins the championship!”

  Ace smiled, supporting himself on the flag he’d just placed at the pedestal. He could barely believe what was happening. Marta and Antônio were hugging tight when they saw their son’s victory on the Internet.

  The uproar of joy from the audience all around the court was deafening. Sigurd soon returned to his original shape and got together with the rest of his team, who gathered all around Ace. Everybody jumped and screamed for joy, despite their stinging pains and the weariness they felt. Mary helped Ace off the flag, then gave him a long, loving kiss that cheered him back up and made him forget his wounds.

  Without the head of their team, all the other Warfear members, who’d already rematerialized, came to congratulate them. They all agreed Dante’s Chaos had been the better player and that it was a well-deserved victory.

  They soon drew back, though, because in a few moments the play-by-play announcer was already down at the court, followed by gorgeous women who brought boxes containing the release codes for the winners’ prizes.

  “My dearest friends, I give you my sincerest congratulations! What a huge match we saw today! It was certainly the most exciting final I’ve ever seen!

  “Dante!” the announcer went on, calling him. “You’re the head of the team that bears your name! What was the strategy you used to win? Were the last few moments unexpected or was it all part of your game plan?”

  “Our plan was to give our best!” answered the Runner, with a smile on his face. “I have the best team of all time. We don’t need plans! We were simply doing what we like to do!”

  “Ace!” The announcer was running up to interview him. “You were responsible for the final move! How do you feel?”

  Ace smiled. He knew he was on camera. He knew the viewers were seeing the crumples on his armor, and how singed he was and all the wounds in his body. He ached at almost every single part of his body that he could conceive, but his sheer happiness anesthetized him.

  “I feel great!” Further feelings of exaltation were spreading around the viewers and his friends, who were gathered around him. Marta and Antônio were crying for joy as they sat in front of their computer.

  “And what do you intend to do with the reward money? And what about your locus?”

  Ace’s voice took on a more serious tone before he answered.

  “I’m gonna help my brothers, Rodrigo and Marcelo. They’re six years old and they have a severe disease that’s getting worse every day. Only a new procedure can save their lives... It won’t be enough, not even one fourth of the money they need, but it’s a chance to get them out of it. I’m going to try and find a way, using my locus, to get the money and hope they can hold on until we have enough...”

  The announcer nodded in agreement. He turned around to a spot in the air which worked as a camera.

  “See what an amazing gesture of love, dear viewers! It’s not every day we get to see such an act of kindness... But then it’s not every day we get to see a match like this one!” He went on with his commentary for those watching both in and online, as he praised the winning team’s qualities and went over the replays.

  “Ace?” Dante called him, gesturing for the women who had the release codes to wait a minute. When the boy was near enough, he went on, “I don’t know yet what is it I’m gonna do with my locus, but as far as the money goes”—he cracked a slight smile—“that money’s going to you. You need it more than I do.”

  “No, Dante!” Ace protested. “That’s your money! I can’t take that! I wouldn’t even have my share if you and Kerah hadn’t invited me into t
he team!”

  “Ace, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t have any chance of recovery, but your brothers do. I don’t know if you’ve checked my info, but I’m just a sick old French man. I’m ninety-four years old and I can barely get out of bed. My days are numbered, and I don’t have anybody who deserves this money.

  “My wife,” he went on, “the joy of my life, is gone. It’s been a long time already, and we never had any children. We did all we could to save her, but her cancer was way too advanced. I know how awful it is to lose someone you love. If your brothers have the slightest chance of recovery, then that’s a chance in which I’d be glad to invest my money.”

  “But I—”

  “Ace, you know I won’t keep my share either, right?” Mary said. “I could never go on with my life as usual knowing your brothers are in need of that!”

  “My share is yours too, my noble friend!” said Sigurd.

  “And so is mine!” cried Asuka, in her excitement. “Unless you think I’m not your friend! That’d be a tremendous discourtesy!”

  “If using what we earned with the championship to save lives isn’t a great way to spend our money, I don’t know what is,” Kerah remarked. “You can count on me, Ace.”

  “Guys!” the boy intervened. “I can’t take it! It’s all great, but I—”

  The women carrying the boxes were all heading in Ace’s direction.

  “Did any of you come to play for money?” asked Dante. Everybody denied it, shaking their heads. “I came to have fun, and I had all that and more, for sure! Mr. Announcer, all our team’s prize money is going to help out the brothers of our good old pal, Ace.”

  The announcer stopped what he was doing and ran up to them to see it. Soon the codes were being transferred to Ace’s Neurolink, who stood there watching, incredulous.

  “You can’t do that!” Blazkowicz was back. He had his team members behind, who followed him silently, in resignation. “This game isn’t over yet! He must have cheated! I saw his stability reaching zero in the scoreboard! He should have been logged out! I’ll find a way to prove this! My dad is going to prove this! You’ll see it’s not over yet!”

  “It surely isn’t.” A group of men and women dressed in black suits and sunglasses drew closer, coming out of the blue base. “Blazkowicz, you’re under arrest for body theft.” The boy’s Neurolink at once lit up with a red glow, indicating no sort of disconnection or locus change was authorized.

  “What!?”

  “Agents in the physical world are heading to your access location immediately. Your Neurolink will remain locked until the day of your trial date, when your sentence will be announced.”

  “You think this is going to end like this?” the G.I. rebelled. “No way! My dad is the one who calls the shots in this crap! When he finds out what you’re doing, he’s going to—” The agents had him trapped inside a floating bubble and started going away, taking him with them.

  A message came to Ace and his friends:

  Now we’ve won for real! I also recorded everything that went on in that dark locus, Ace. My parents helped me report it all to the police. Now that I’m no longer part of the team, there’s no problem, right?

  Congratulations for your victory.

  All the best,

  Bobby.

  Chapter 23

  Seated in the waiting room, Pedro and his parents anxiously waited for the doctors to announce how his brothers’ procedure had gone. It was almost Saturday noon, and their experimental treatment had started hours ago. Their parents spent the night congratulating their son and thanking him several times over for what he’d achieved. They had no words to properly show how proud they were. As soon as they contacted the hospital, they authorized the procedure.

  At last the door opened, pushed by the gurney that brought Marcelo. The whole family got up at once, rushing to his side. The boy was still unconscious, but not under intubation anymore. The doctor pushing the gurney turned to them.

  “The procedure was successful, but it may take a while for them to recover. Each one of the faulty proteins in their bodies was replaced by new ones, but it might take days until they react properly.”

  Rodrigo came next, in the same condition. Everyone followed the gurney up to the point where they still could follow it, at the entrance to the ICU, to which the little boys would return. Though they knew they were well and were aware of how important it was they didn’t need mechanical ventilation to breathe anymore, Pedro and his parents couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. For some reason, in their minds they expected to see them come out of the procedure happy, active, strong, and talkative.

  The ICU doors were almost closing down, leaving the family out, when they heard a familiar voice.

  “Mom?”

  Pedro looked at himself in the mirror. He left his modesty aside and realized how good he looked in that suit. He fixed his tie again, so it’d be perfectly centralized. His dad, in the car, was honking the horn, urging him to come down. He took a deep breath and got ready. The biggest challenge of his life had been conquered the previous night, but he still felt a shiver down his spine to imagine himself dancing with Letícia at the prom tonight.

  The seniors had spared no expense for the party. The great mansion, where graduations often took place, was magnificent. The lawns around it were perfectly mowed. Light cannons illuminated the clear sky of that hot summer night, and wherever one gazed they’d find the decorations looking flawless.

  Pedro said goodbye to his dad at the staircase. He asked him to send a kiss to his mother and brothers, who were quickly recovering with each passing hour. He then climbed up the steps that led to the main hall.

  As soon as he came in, he heard his name being called from the middle of the crowd.

  “Pedro! Hey, man!” Daniel came running to him, avoiding the sea of other students. He was well-groomed, and the air of joy about him made him look even more striking. He wasn’t alone. “You did receive the congratulations message I sent you, right? I’m so happy to know your brothers are OK!”

  “Sure I did! Thanks, man!” Pedro remarked, smiling. Then he turned to his friend’s company. “How are you, Amanda?”

  The girl gave him a timid smile, something Pedro had never seen before from her. She looked ravishing in a light-green dress that contrasted with her light skin. Her delicate arms were wrapping around the arm Daniel offered her.

  “You look very nice together!” Pedro remarked sincerely. The girl’s arrogance was gone. She’d been transformed by the way Daniel treated her. He, on his turn, seemed to be more confident, in control of himself, his voice sounding more stable, and even his acne seemed to have given him a break.

  The couple simply answered with a smile. Pedro could read his friend’s thoughts with his look: “I told you she was my girl.” The proof for that would come a few years down the road, on his wedding day, when Daniel would marry the renown physicist Amanda was to become.

  “Have you heard of Luiz?” the blond kid asked. Pedro laughed.

  “If he’d said before that he preferred staying online to coming to the prom, now that he’s got the Neuralnet, I’m sure he’s really not coming! But I don’t think that means he won’t be dancing too...”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, it’s just a hunch. You can ask him some other time. Now, guys, did you see Letícia?”

  “She’s just arrived!” Amanda answered. “She must be near the stage.”

  Pedro thanked her and headed to the appointed place. The hall was huge, and so was the amount of students there, given that every high school grade was gathered there. Pedro needed to open up some room as he walked through the swarming students.

  Then he finally saw her. Everything around him lost focus, and only Letícia stood out in the crowd. Her gorgeous, waving, red dress switched back and forth between several reddish hues as she walked. Her beautiful exposed shoulders and back were caressed by the slight motions of her loosened hair. She was slowly tu
rning around, until his eyes met her lovely green eyes, getting her to smile.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Champion!” said the boy, coming near his girlfriend.

  “Good evening, Mr. Champion!” She smiled back. They wrapped around each other’s arms and exchanged one long kiss.

  They enjoyed that prom as much as they could, allowing themselves to get carried away by the joy of victory, by the recovery of Marcelo and Rodrigo, and by the mere fact that they were together. Future smiled at them with plenty of wonderful opportunities.

  After a while, through much dancing and kissing, they realized it was time. Letícia ran, pulling Pedro by the hand out of the hall, toward the lawn at the back of the mansion.

  “Are you sure nobody saw us coming out?” Pedro asked.

  “And what if they did? It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong!” she laughed.

  They ran up a couple more feet ahead under that clear sky, brimming with stars, until they came to a bench a certain ways far from the party noise. They sat down. Letícia snuggled her head on Pedro’s shoulder, while he allowed his head to rest over hers.

  They got inline.

  “We were getting worried already!” Dante said as he saw them enter the locus Asuka had created, “Now we can really get the party started! We all got even happier when we saw your message saying your brothers were getting better, Ace! You have no idea how important it was for me to know this!” Ace smiled.

  Even though they already knew much of what could be done on the Neuralnet, they were still impressed by what they saw around them. Asuka had made a little bit of everything with her locus. A split sky hung above: half day, half night. On the sunny half, there was a vast beach, a large water park, a floating castle in the clouds, friendly sea serpents jumping from side to side, endless rainbows...