The Intuitives(55)

“Excellent,” Ammu acknowledged.

“Everybody ready?”

A chorus of agreement echoed back to him from around the room.

“OK. Here we go!”

Rush started the game, and they were transported to two different spawn points on the map, Rush on one side and everyone else on the other. The game began flashing its countdown: 10… 9… 8…

“The point of the game is to restore power to a city block by fixing three generators.”

3… 2… 1… The game flashed ‘Go!’ on the screen, and Rush ran toward the closest building.

“See? This is a generator. Each team usually fixes the one in their own territory first, and then there’s another one in the middle. You can’t win until you fix all three.” Rush stood at the first generator for a moment, and soon it lit up and glowed on the screen.

“When I take one of theirs, it will look on my screen like I fixed it—like I’m the good guy. But on theirs, it will look like I broke it—like I’m the bad guy. That way each team gets to play the good guys, and it makes the enemy team look like terrorists.

Ammu raised his eyebrows at this, but he made no comment.

“I’m not going to talk much since I only have bots on my team. So yell if you have any questions. The others can talk through their headsets, but for me there’s no point.”

“Of course,” Ammu acknowledged.

Rush sprinted down a back alley. He figured the others would all be waiting for him in the center building, so he flanked around it instead, sneaking up on the one that the others had already taken. He found Sketch, Disco, and Gears guarding it, and he grinned. That was better strategy than he had been expecting, which only made for a better demonstration of his skills. Mentally, he reevaluated the team. Sam and Mac would try to take the center building together. As soon as he was done here, he would circle back for them.

He took Sketch out with a leaping headshot; the kid had been playing more than the others, which made him the biggest threat. As soon as the kill registered, Rush flipped around toward Gears and dropped to the ground, letting her bullets fly harmlessly over his head as he took her out with a quick burst to her center mass. He rolled left before Disco could adjust, jumped up and over a pile of sandbags, landed on Disco’s back and stabbed him to death.

He ran to the generator and turned it on.

One to go.

? ? ?

“That was horrible,” Gears said, laughing.

“Sorry.” Disco sighed into his headset.

“No, I mean me!”

“Nah, don’t feel bad,” Sketch chimed in, “Rush is really good. I doubt any of us can kill him.”

“I can kill him,” Mac said.

“Good luck,” Sketch said. “’Cause he’s coming your way.”

Their screens flashed a message. The north generator has been damaged. Rush had activated the generator in their base. But right afterward, the screen flashed again. The central generator has been repaired.

“Nice!” Sketch shouted to Sam and Mac.

“Good job!” Gears added.

“Don’t get excited yet. There wasn’t anybody here. We just turned it on.”

Sam’s words were cut off by the sound of gunfire, followed by another screen flash. Rush has killed Mac, and then, Rush has killed Sam.

“See?” Sketch giggled.

Gears has killed Bot 4. Gears has killed Bot 1.

“It’s not over yet,” Mac said, her voice tight with concentration.

“Nope!” Gears shouted. The south generator has been repaired, flashed just before the words, The central generator has been damaged. “I got this one back just in time, but it’s not going to last. I need backup.”

“I’m comin’!” Sketch shouted.

“On it!” Mac confirmed.

“Wait!” Sam shouted to Mac, who had been about to run around a corner ahead of her.

“I have to get to—” Mac started to reply, but then Rush killed Mac popped up on the screen. “Damn, he was waiting for me.”

“Thus, my suggestion to wait,” Sam replied. “Stay where you spawn. Let’s take the north generator back together.”

“OK,” Mac agreed, somewhat grudgingly. “But hurry. If we don’t get something else back soon, he’s going to win.”

“We have a minute. Trust me,” Sam replied. She ran up on Mac’s position, and they entered the north building together.

Mac has killed Bot 2. Sam has killed Bot 3.

The north generator has been repaired.

“Yes!” Sketch shouted.

Rush has killed Sketch.

“No!” he shouted, and everyone laughed, even Sketch.

Rush has killed Gears. Rush has killed Disco. The south generator has been damaged.

“He’s coming here next,” Mac said.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed.

“I think we should go back south, but I don’t know if we have time.”

“Yeah, we do,” Sam said. Mac had to admit, she sounded pretty confident about it.

“OK,” Mac agreed. “Follow my lead. We’re taking the back route.”

“Fine, but not yet,” Sam said.

“What?”

“Wait for it…”