Play Testers Wanted: Pt. 21
The Road to Sanctuary:
We put the top down and left the Numenor compound; before too long, we were on the highway. I remember hearing the story of how bad traffic was before the AI took over the burden and kept things nice and smooth. Few cars now did not possess an AI link allowing for autopilot. It maintained traffic control, removed most accidents, and kept the flow of vehicles so that while your car might slow down, it was nowhere near the past jams. Our route took us from California to Nevada and eventually to Oklahoma City. We took a break, rented a room at a nice hotel, and stretched our legs.
I did not expect to be recognized and have people flock to get my autograph. Akira let it go for a bit, but she urged me to return to the hotel when the crowd grew too large for her to handle. Instead, I embraced my fans and searched for an impromptu location to hold a Q&A session. I contacted a nearby high school with a football field for help. When I mentioned my name, they bent over backward to assist me. When I arrived at the location, people filled the seats, and the fans had also taken over the sideline. Surfer tapped into the audio equipment, using my smartwatch to utilize the loudspeakers.
"Thanks for coming," I began. The crowd cheered, hooted, and whistled. "I know this is off the cuff, but it is only fair to give back to you, the fans, for supporting me since I joined the Numenor playtesters. Thank you from the bottom of my hearts." They roared their approval. "I want this to go smoothly and not get out of hand. I will choose one person from each section to ask questions and then from these good folks on the field. If this gets rowdy or chaotic, I will have to end this. Is that okay with everyone?" The response was a resounding yes. "Okay, let us begin." I let Surfer randomly select people from each group to stand and pose their query.
"Are you single?" The first question from the first fan got everyone laughing.
"Yes. Next question."
"Are you as good with a sword out of the game as in?"
"I'd like to think so, yeah."
"Can you show us some moves?"
"I saw that one coming a mile off, here. One of your fans wanted this autographed," Akira said as she whispered in my ear and handed me the bokken, or wooden practice sword. "Go on, impress them."
"Looks like the Q&A just became a show and tell. Alright," I replied. The fans cheered as I accepted the bokken and adjusted my grip. "Form One to start with."
It was surprisingly easy to slip into that state of mind. The sword felt good in my hand, and the field fell silent as I worked through the first series of moves. When I finished, I could see they wanted more. I stripped off my shirt since I had started sweating and began form two. By the time I ended form seven, they were cheering. One of the teachers from the high school stepped onto the field and offered me a towel and a bottle of water. I thanked her, and she planted a quick peck on my cheek. I dried off and placed the towel over my shoulders.
"Who is your favorite villain?" A girl asked as the questions began again.
"Ooh, that is difficult," I replied. "If I had to choose someone to cross swords with, it would be either Darth Bane or Exar Kun."
"There are talks about the Olympics allowing lightsaber dueling this year. Have you been tapped to represent the US?"
"No. The style the committee wants is more like traditional fencing than what you see in the movies or games. I am not knocking them, but I prefer free-form combat to simply scoring with quick lunges. Next."
My words had an impact though I didn't know it then. The backlash from twenty million fans worldwide made the Olympic committee rethink the event. Since it was too close to change the rules and did not want to upset the fans, they canceled the demo. I took the heat from fans and would-be Olympians alike. Later I pleaded for the agency to rethink its decision and posted an apology online, hoping it would change their minds. After answering questions, I returned to our hotel room with Akira after an hour.
"Well, that was interesting," Akira giggled. "Who knew they'd have such a knee-jerk reaction?"
"I hadn't finished answering questions, and boom, they lose their collective shit. Welcome to the information age."
"I'm just glad they reversed it," Akira said. "A certain someone would have been hurt if they hadn't."
"Yeah, I know," I replied. There was a knock at the door, and Akira leaped to her feet and drew her weapon. "Nervous much?"
"All those people and outdoors, I guess I am paranoid," Akira said as she approached the door. "Who is it?"
"Room service, compliments of the management," the man said.
"Well, isn't that nice," I said as Akira unlocked and opened the door.
The hulking figure burst into the room, and the door slammed into Akira, knocking her back and off-balance. He was six feet five and heavily muscled. Despite his bulk, the assassin moved with great agility. Luckily I still had the bokken the fan had given me. I shoulder rolled and came up with the weapon in my hand. I blocked the expertly aimed knife thrust and responded with a palm strike to my opponent's nose. Cartilage shattered under the assault, but it barely slowed him down. He produced a second knife, and I went on the defensive. The blades whistled as they cut through the air and only instinct and long hours of training saved me before Akira recovered and joined the conflict. She switched to her dagger since firing her pistol would have killed the assailant and me. The assassin rolled away and put a wall at his back to avoid a fight on two fronts. Akira and I staggered our attacks to try and throw him off his game, but this guy was professional and well-trained. While I landed a few solid strikes and Akira left shallow cuts, his speed and accuracy were undiminished.
"Goddamn it," the voice cursed from the open door. "I told you to wait for me."
Akira spun to face the second assassin. The first had been tall and stocky, but this guy was only six feet and thin and wiry. If anything, he was faster than his partner. Akira's decades of training saved her from a quick end and turned the tables. I faced the brute, and he abandoned his knives for grappling. If he got his hands around my neck, it was over. I didn't doubt he could easily crush my windpipe. My new strategy was to use my speed, but the area didn't lend me much maneuvering room. The confines favored my opponent. I managed to land a solid strike on his chest and discovered a new problem.
"Fuck, that hurt," I cursed as my fist struck something hard beneath his skin. "This fucker has got some sort of subdermal armor."
"Go for joints or his eyes," Akira suggested as she managed to cut the second assassin along his right arm. I was too busy to see him switch the knife to his left hand and continue undiminished.
"They warned us that you were highly trained," the first assassin laughed. "Pity the others won't get a chance to test you. Your life ends here and now."
Surfer silently informed me that the assassin was not protecting his abdomen and relied on his armor to shield it.
'If you can produce enough force, you can drive that same armor against his ribs and crush his heart.'
'Allow me,' Left offered. 'I will tell you when I am ready.'
