grUeBERfest 2009 ROUND 3 - Laserball (601 hits)
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Submitted by Jack_McCallum (View user info) at 2009-10-22 17:27:24 EDT
Mikhail was scared, scared to death. That was the big joke among the recruited inmates. He stepped out onto the field to the thunder of cheers and stomping feet.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Overview
Developed as part of the Federal and State Penitentiaries Reformation Act of 2022, Laserball is an American Sport with 24 teams in a national league. ALL (American Laserball League®) games are broadcast globally and played in stadiums across the United States.
The field of play is 120 yards long by 60 yards wide. There are two 20 foot wide goal zones at either end of the field. There are six freebie zones, one in each corner of the field and one at mid- field on either side of the playing turf. The turf itself is fireproof Glazfibergrass™. Planted under the turf at center field is the Broadcaster and a laserball deployment mechanism.
--
Mikhail had seen this field before, on TV on the row, and during the many months of orientation. He had seen severed heads rolling, men cut in half and still alive, men running with their guts hanging out, running to save the lives of their families since their own lives were as good as done the moment they set foot on the resilient turf of the field in view of the bloodthirsty crowds here and gathered around television sets and computer monitors.
There were fifteen thousand spectators in the stadium and Mikhail was on the home team. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought of his sister. Julia was twelve.
His father was a bastard and his mother was a whore. Since penalties were distributed by age from oldest to youngest, that meant he had two to spare.
In court the judge said Mikhail's parents had created a monster, and an angel. Mikhail had killed two men who had tried to lure Julia into a van near their home. The jury had decided that any young man who could do such horrific damage to two bodies with just a pipe wrench was a danger to society. Mikhail wasn't dangerous. He was just a good brother. He would do what he had to, to keep his little sister alive.
He looked up and saw his own pale face on the JumboTron.
Frank the Baker slapped him on the arm. "Let's go out in style, number three."
That was easy for Frank to say. They had drawn lots in the locker room under the stadium as armed guards looked on. The towering black man who had abducted, raped and strangled seven children before baking them in an oven in his basement was going to be goalie. He had muscular arms, a big gut, and an easy-going manner. He also had the slightest chance of survival.
Others on the team, including Mikhail, had none.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Players_equipment_and_officials
There are six players to a team. One member of each team is a goalie. There are three referees. The referees wear burn-proof Glazfiber suits and visors. Players wear the standard uniform of shorts, t shirts, sneakers and caps. The goalies wear the standard uniform with the addition of Glazfiber gloves.
--
On Mikhail's cap and t shirt were the logos for the Chicago Whitecaps, depicting a wave of blood with a white crest.
Frank the Baker stood to one side of Mikhail. An Asian woman named Kim was on his other. Mikhail had no idea if Kim was her first name or her last name. She was very tall for an Asian, and she glanced down at him, her eyes wide with fear.
There was another black guy, thin and young. He called himself Razorpizzle.
There was an older white man who had introduced himself as Howard and tried to make small talk while they had been transported here in the back of an SUV. He was reed-thin and soft-spoken. Frank the Baker said that Howard had put a small bomb in a bus filled with nuns on their way to a Catholic hospital. Howard had been protesting the Church's tax-free status.
The sixth man on the team was a teenager named Davy. Stark red acne stood out on his bloodless face. Davy had hacked into his high school's database to find drafts of upcoming tests. He was here now because all schools were Government funded to a degree and a Federal prosecutor had convinced the jury that Davy had led an electronic assault on information owned and protected by the United States Government.
In the locker room they had all put on numbered t shirts, in no particular order.
Pennants above the top tier of the stadium snapped in the strong wind coming off of Lake Michigan.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Team_selections_and_incentives
Players are recruited from the ever-increasing ranks of death row inmates nationwide. Since the adoption of the Loyalist Code has made acts such as hacking government databases, organizing groups of 5 or more in opposition of the government, or refusing to teach one's children the Rules of American Democracy punishable by death, prisons have become overburdened and Laserball licensing fees are helping alleviate this problem.
Only players with families are elected to one of the 24 teams in the league. Since families are automatically culpable of aiding and abetting any felon found guilty of capital crimes by a jury of his or her peers, that family can legally be held at gunpoint (see Leveraging) to persuade the elected convict to take part in this exciting game.
--
The visiting team, the Spokane Skineaters, stepped onto the field to raw curses and catcalls. Like most of Mikhail's home team, even the toughest of these four men and two women appeared terrified.
Frank the Baker grinned as he pulled on his protective gloves. Both teams met in the middle of the field and shook hands as the mid-field referee watched. A black Skineater with a gray-flecked beard said, "I'm gonna eat your asses and win this motherfucker."
"You're gonna die, asshole," Frank the Baker said.
On a signal from the ref Frank and the Skineaters' goalie ran down the field to their goal zones.
The ref blew his whistle and ran to one side, getting clear as a turf-covered panel opened in the ground and a shiny red and white ball popped up into the air. The roar of the crowd was like a thunderstorm sweeping in off of Lake Michigan. The players backed away and watched in silence as the ball bounced twice on the field and then rolled to a stop.
"Let's get this bitch going," the man with the gray-flecked beard shouted. He ran at the ball and brought one foot down in a sweeping kick. There was a flash of blue-white light and then the man was lying on his side shrieking. His right leg ended in a smoking, bloodless stump. His severed foot was nearby.
Mikhail could smell the man's cooked flesh and burned sock.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Players_equipment_and_officials
The laserball is a neoprene and Glazfiber ball with a circumference of 30 inches and a weight of 2.5 pounds. There are 32 panels on each ball; 20 neoprene hexagons and 12 Glazfiber pentagons. Inside each ball is a General Electric Contained Field Generation Coil. When the Broadcaster under the turf sends an initiation signal to the coil, laser beams of lengths from 2 to 48 inches are projected from the ball for 1 to 10 seconds. The beams project from the 12 Glazfiber pentagons, and when the coil is triggered any number of beams can be projected at the same time. The length, duration and number of beams projected are completely random.
Only the goalies and the referees have protection from these lasers. The remaining ten players who begin each game are completely vulnerable to severe burns, amputations, and death.
--
The mid-field ref's whistle chirped loudly.
Every player had an earpiece in one ear that gave them a countdown from thirty seconds. The counter was reset every time they stopped moving across the turf. The countdowns had started before the ref first blew his whistle as the players stood and stared at the injured man. Now the counters were paused.
Overhead, the voice of an announcer came through speakers mounted on high poles. "It looks like we have our first casualty, sports fans! And if the Skineaters' number two man doesn't get up on his, uh, foot, pronto, we'll have a few more casualties off the field, if you know what I mean! We'll see what happens after this short time-out and a message from our friends at Anheuser Busch."
The crowd cheered wildly. A young man and woman with bright smiles ran onto the field. The woman picked up the severed foot with latex-clad hands and dropped it in a bucket with a biohazard symbol on the side. The young man was holding a tank and nozzle and he sprayed down the turf with a quick-drying disinfectant. They waved to the crowd as they ran back to the sidelines.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Game_play
The rules are simple. Within one hour of regulation play, excluding time-outs for team strategizing, field sanitization and half-time, each team must try to score goals by getting the laserball into the goal zone of the opposing team. When three goals are scored by one team, the game is over. When one team has been completely eliminated or mortally incapacitated, the game is over. If a game runs over 1 hour, both teams are eliminated.
--
The ref blew his whistle again, resuming the game.
In his ear Mikhail could hear the countdown. Mikhail took a few hesitant steps toward the laserball and then stared in wonder as the man with the gray-flecked beard struggled to stand on his remaining foot, the crowd cheering him on. Mikhail followed the man's gaze to the JumboTron and saw a very old black woman and a girl who appeared Julia's age. Both of them were crying. They were sitting on a bench against a bare concrete wall. In the foreground were the long barrels of automatic rifles.
A sports reporter stepped forward with a microphone. "Mrs. Kennelly, your son is down but not out, so he and you and your granddaughter are all still in the game. How do you feel?"
The woman hugged the girl and did not reply.
"Come on," Frank the Baker shouted from the goal zone. "Let's move that motherfucking ball!"
The woman named Kim stepped up and gave the ball a good kick toward the Skineaters' goal zone.
The crowed urged her on. When she realized all the other players were still hesitant, she ran to the ball and kicked it again. The picture on the JumboTron was split; on the right was Kim. On the left were a man and three small children on another wooden bench in another concrete room.
The ball rolled to the Skineater's goal zone. The goalie scooped it up in her hands and then dropped it as four beams of bright blue light appeared. The beams were only a few inches long this time and the Skineaters' goalie was unharmed.
The Skineaters' number 5, a bald white guy, picked up the ball and ran about fifty feet before dropping it. The crowd had its hero. They stomped their feet and cheered. Number 5 looked crazed with fear.
No lasers had appeared from the ball.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Game_play
If a player (goalies excepted) is idle for more than 30 seconds of game time, he will be penalized and a family member will be executed. Players have radio-transmitter earpieces in their ears and they are able to follow their status on the scoreboard. When a player runs out of penalties, he is shot by a referee or by sharpshooters deployed throughout the stadium. If a player resets his motion clock with random movements but does not try to move the ball or defend his goal, he may be shot. This action is at the discretion of the referees
--
Mikhail heard the countdown in his ear and looked up at the counter beside his name on the scoreboard. Five seconds left. Time to move. He ran to the ball and kicked it back toward the Skineaters' goal zone with the tip of his shoe. The ball rose in a low arc, four and then eight lasers of various lengths flashing out of it.
The Skineaters' goalie was spooked. She jumped out of the way and rolled across the turf. The ball bounced into her net and the roar of crowd was like the crash of ocean surf.
A buzzer announced that a goal had been scored. There was a sharp cracking sound from the speakers. The goalie turned to the JumboTron just in time to see an elderly woman slumping down a bare concrete wall washed with fresh blood.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Game_play
Only goalies with three or more family members are recruited to play. Each time a goalie lets a ball into his goal net, a family member is executed. If a goalie lets in three goals, he will lose all three family members and his team will pay the price of losing the game.
--
Within thirty seconds the goalie somehow got to her feet and threw the laserball back onto the field. She was crying and her entire body was shaking.
A chant came from the spectators in waves. "Looo-ser killed her fammm-leee!"
The Skineater with one foot hopped toward the ball. From a distance he appeared to be grinning. Mikhail was close enough to see that the man's teeth were drawn back in pain. He gave the ball a feeble kick with his charred stump and fell on his side. The ball rolled a yard.
A stocky Asian Skineater stepped up, grabbed the ball, and raised it over his head to throw it down the field. There was a blue flash, and a single two foot long beam of light cored his skull like an apple. A delicate pink ring of vaporized brains and blood hung over his head like a halo before his legs buckled. He was dead before he hit the turf.
The ref blew his whistle and the players held their positions while the turf was cleared. On the JumboTron a UPS commercial was playing. A man in the familiar brown uniform whistled happily behind the wheel of a truck carrying a shipment of laserballs across scenic countryside.
The ref's whistle tweeted again and play resumed.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Game_play
The laserball is deactivated whenever a referee halts gameplay, and reactivated the moment gameplay resumes.
--
Mikhail sprinted to the ball, with the woman named Kim at his side. A Skineater with bright green eyes and short blonde hair blocked Mikhail with a body slam that knocked the breath out of him. They fell to the turf. The woman was lovely. Her hands clamped down on Mikhail's throat and squeezed.
The woman with green eyes was in the offensive. Since Mikhail was defending himself and essentially motionless he was considered idle. His countdown clock started in his ear.
He thrashed in the Skineater's grip, turning his head from side to side. Even as his pulse began thudding in his ears like throb of an immense machine, he saw that the teenager on his team, the boy named Davy, was standing still and staring up at the JumboTron. As his fingers slid under the Skineater's shirt and dug into her gently rounded belly, Mikhail wondered how long the boy had been idle.
The loudspeakers carried the sound of a shot and Davy screamed. "Mom!"
The black Whitecap called Razorpizzle cursed and ran to the laserball, giving it a kick into the air. A moment before he connected wit the ball blue laser light flared and Razorpizzle was left with a deep charred gap where his genitals had been. He shrieked and took a faltering step. The crevice of blackened flesh cracked open and blood began gushing down his legs.
Mikhail's fingers dug into the green-eyed woman's stomach.
A Latino Skineater who was in the path of the ball raised both hands as lasers appeared. The ball had a slow spin. It lopped off the man's hands and burned through the flesh and bone of one shoulder. The ball came to a rest at his feet.
Both wounded men, Razorpizzle and the elderly Skineater, were in shock. The old man sank to his knees and stared at the ball. Razorpizzle collapsed onto his belly, still shrieking.
The moment Mikhail had been notified he was under consideration for recruitment he had let his fingernails grow long. During the months-long family qualification and orientation he had been filing his nails on a concrete ledge in his cell at the ALL training camp in Arizona.
His fingernails where almost an inch long, sharp and strong. Teeth and nails were the only weapons allowed on the field.
If the green-eyed woman had been physically fit Mikhail would have been as good as dead. Instead of clawing at sweat slickened flat abs, Mikhail was gripping and tearing at the Skineater's soft, plump flesh.
The Skineater felt a razor's edge of pain. Human skin is a resilient thing. The wound was tiny, not much more than a scratch, but the Skineater's grip on Mikhail's throat loosened.
"I'm pregnant," she said. Her voice was a fearful squeak.
Blood rushed in his ears as he drew in a breath. Mikhail could no longer hear his countdown clock, but he could see it on the scoreboard. He saw a 1 become a 0, and then he saw his father on the JumboTron.
The old bastard's mouth was forming unheard curses until a pistol shot blew apart his jaw and shattered his spine.
One down, two to go, Mikhail thought, as he pushed the blonde woman aside and staggered to his feet.
Two shots were heard. Razorpizzle and the elderly Skineater had just lost family members.
Teammates on both sides of the field began yelling at Razorpizzle and the elderly man, telling them to get moving.
The man with the gray-flecked beard was again struggling to stand on his remaining foot. There was a shot and the elderly black woman who was either his mother or grandmother was dead, and the young girl who had been with her was crying hysterically.
Another pair of shots echoed across the stadium. Razorpizzle wasn't moving. He was either dead or unconscious. The old man who had lost his hands lay down on his side and held the laserball to his chest.
People in the stands began singing lines from a golden oldie.
Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give looove a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give looove a bad name
You give looove a bad name
"You're seeing a Laserball signature moment here folks," the announcer said. "When the will is gone an on-field suicide is all too common. What a shame. But the good news is that all hot dogs, corn dogs, burgers and fries are half price at the concession stands for the duration of the game, because the American Laserball League cares about you and wants you to have a good time today!"
The Skineater with one foot stood. His skin was as gray as ash.
The laserball projected another random series of beams and smoking holes appeared in the elderly Skineater's chest and back.
Razorpizzle was lying still.
Two more shots were heard, and the referee blew his whistle.
Mikhail caught his breath while the field was cleared of the dead. Eleven people dead in just a few minutes.
When play resumed the Skineater with the shaved head gave the ball a tremendous kick. The whitecap named Howard turned his back as the spinning ball unleashed four long beams. The lasers seared through his t shirt. The ball bounced off of his back and revealed something shiny underneath.
The Whitecaps' end zone ref blew his whistle.
"Oooh, that infraction is going to be costly, folks," the announcer said. "That's one of the oldest tricks in the book, smuggling reflective material into the locker room and wearing it under the uniform. It looks like that Whitecap is going to step out of the game and say goodbye to his family!"
While the other players held their positions, Howard was led off of the field. On the sidelines his t shirt was pulled off, revealing a thermal blanket of reflective Mylar wrapped around his torso. Howard's family members were shot in quick succession, the crowd chanting One... Two... Three... and then the end zone ref put a pistol to Howard's head and shot him.
The ref blew his whistle again. The ball was uncomfortably close to the Whitecaps' goal zone.
"Kid!" Frank the Baker was calling to Davy. "Get the ball to the freebie zone! Get a free throw on the other goal and get the fucking ball away from here!"
Davy looked at Frank. "No way."
"Do it," Frank said, "Or I'll break your fucking neck!"
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Game_play
Another point of interest in this thrilling game is that there are no penalties for physical violence against players. Players on opposing teams can literally beat each other to death. Tthere are no penalties for acts of violence between players on the same team either, leading to some truly fascinating interpersonal dynamics during gameplay .
--
The man with one foot was hopping toward the ball. Mikhail had no idea how the man was still standing. Kim was running for the ball. The Skineater with the shaved head was right behind her.
"Get that fucking ball out of here," Frank said, "Or you're dead."
Davy took a few steps, bent at the waist as if he was going to be sick, and then stepped up and grabbed the ball. He ran with it to an innocuous metal plate set in one corner of the field. When he stepped onto the plate a blatting siren sounded and the laserball was deactivated. Davy held onto the ball while a ten second countdown was called out by the end zone ref, looking up at a solid metal block suspended in a metal framework over his head.
Kim stopped short. The bald Skineater ran to Davy and began viciously kicking at him, trying to drive the boy away from the freebie zone.
When the ref's count reached ten he blew his whistle. All the players except Davy stopped moving and the mid-field ref led Davy to the center line. Davy threw the ball toward the Skineater's goal. It stopped a few yards in front of the goalie.
The bald man screamed at his goalie to kick the ball, but she did not want to approach it.
The ref's whistle blew and Davy ran to the ball with the bald man on his heels. The other players followed them at a slower pace.
The ball flared with laser light, a quick flash that was gone by the time Davy kicked the ball. The goalie deflected it with one gloved hand. It flashed again as it rolled away. Full of confidence now, Davy scooped up the ball and stepped onto the metal plate of the freebie zone to one side of the Skineaters' goalie.
The ref tooted his whistle and Davy gave his team mates a thumb's up. Then the metal block suspended overhead slammed down on the boy. When the block rose up from the metal plate there was nothing left of Davy but a thick purple-red liquid and ribbons of exploded skin.
Davy's remaining family members were shot.
Play was paused while the freebie zone was hosed down.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Players_equipment_and_officials
In addition to the entertaining challenges posed by the laserball, players also have the option of stepping onto the burnished metal plates of 6 freebie zones. Each freebie zone is a metal plate two feet square. If a player can carry the ball onto a freebie zone and hold it there for ten seconds by referee count, that player gets a free throw on the goal. One in a freebie zone, the laserball is deactivated. Players from the opposing team can try to push or pull a player out of the freebie zone. Above each freebie zone plate is a steel block. When a player steps onto the freebie zone a weight sensor communicates with the Broadcaster under the turf which activates an industrial grade magnetic pile driver (mpd). Like the lasers on the laserball, the thrust of the mpd occurs at completely random times, ramming the steel block down with enough force to flatten an aluminum engine block. If the laserball in play is destroyed, an new laserball is deployed onto mid-field.
--
A new laserball popped up onto the field. The ref tooted his whistle.
The black man with the gray-flecked beard was close to Mikhail, still hopping toward the ball. His fellow Skineater with the shaved head ran by, shoving the black man aside.
The man fell hard.
Kim and the bald man raced for the ball.
Mikhail looked at the scoreboard and saw the fallen Skineater's thirty-second countdown commence. On the JumboTron was a close-up of the young black girl, the man's only remaining family.
Without thinking Mikhail went to the man and helped him up.
Frank the Baker's cry came from the Whitecaps' goal zone. "What the fuck are you doing?"
The ref tooted his whistle and shouted, "Penalty, number three!"
Mikhail looked up at the big screen and saw his mother shot between the eyes. Somewhere off-screen Julia was screaming.
"Sorry," the black man said, pushing Mikhail away. "You're a good man." He fell onto his back a final time. "Sorry, baby-girl," he whispered, as thirty seconds ticked away.
The young black girl was shot in the face. The crowd cheered. The mid-field ref walked up to the Skineater with the gray-flecked beard, drew a pistol, and fired.
When the black man's body was removed and play resumed, the Asian woman named Kim and the bald Skin eater began fighting for the ball, giving it gentle kicks and trying to avoid the random deadly spikes of light that projected from it.
"Get in there, motherfucker," Frank the Baker shouted to Mikhail.
Mikhail was approaching the ball when a blinding flash made him cover his eyes.
He heard Kim and the bald man screaming. The bald man's entire right leg had been severed, and Kim's shorts and shoes were on fire.
The green-eyed woman was now the Skineater's only functional player besides the goalie, and she ran up and gave the ball a kick toward Frank the Baker.
As Kim struggled to kick free of her burning shoes and pull off her burning shorts, raunchy old-fashioned strip-tease music blared from the speakers and men in the crowd chanted, "Take it off!"
The bald man was staring at a jet of blood pumping from the charred mess of his hip.
Mikhail picked up his severed leg and ran with it.
The mid-filed ref's whistle sounded. "Penalty!" He pointed at Kim, who had technically been idle for thirty seconds as she struggled out of her burning clothes.
She screamed at the big screen as she saw her husband shot in the throat, and then somehow found the nerve to run down the field, resuming the game.
The green-eyed woman had the ball very close to the Whitecaps' goal zone. Frank the Baker stepped out and reached for the ball. The woman kicked it away from him and then booted it into the Whitecaps' net. Frank pushed her facedown onto the turf. He planted a foot on her back and pulled a crude knife from one Glazfiber glove. He was able to slash both of her Achilles tendons before the ref's whistle blew.
"Fuck 'em all," Frank shouted, as two of his family members were shot; one for the goal and for an illegal weapon penalty.
The whistle tooted and gameplay resumed. Frank the Baker kicked the ball out of his goal zone.
As he approached the ball Mikhail looked down the field at the bald Skineater who had lost a leg, the leg Mikhail was still carrying. There was nothing in the official rulebook about using body parts on the field. It had just never been done before. As people at home and in the stadium watched, Mikhail began swatting the ball with the severed leg, hoping the bald man lived a little longer. The moment the bald man died, the field would be sanitized and the leg would be taken away.
Lasers lanced out and burned away part of the foot, but Mikhail still had enough of the leg to hit the ball again. He looked back and saw the green-eyed woman grabbing tufts of turf and pulling herself down the field.
Seeing that the ball was in the Skineaters' end zone, Frank the Baker was walking beside the green-eyed woman and laughing at her. "You stupid bitch," he shouted, "Having a good time down there?"
Mikhail closed his eyes a moment and tried to put that out of his mind.
The Skineaters' goalie raised her arms. Her hands were shaking in the glassy green gloves she was wearing.
Mikhail hit the ball into the far side of the net.
The goalie was sobbing, not looking at the JumboTron as another family member was shot.
Kim reached Mikhail and stood beside him. A man in the crowd roared, "Bend over and spread 'em!"
"Fuck you," she shouted back.
The Skineater's goalie kicked the ball over their heads and it rolled to center field.
Frank the Baker froze. The ball was three feet in front of him. He took a step toward it and the green-eyed woman grabbed his ankle, making him stumble to the ground.
The mid-field ref's whistle sounded. The players stopped moving. The bald man was dead. As his family was executed onscreen, his body was taken off the field and one of the youngsters with bright smiles approached Mikhail.
"I'll take that, sir," he said.
Mikhail gave him the severed, charred leg.
When the field was clear Mikhail and Kim began running to the ball. Frank the Baker was struggling with the green-eyed woman. Mikhail could only stare in wonder as the Skineater's goalie raced past them and kicked the ball down the field.
The flashing laserball slowly rolled into the Whitecaps' goal zone and the score was tied two-two. If one more goal was scored on either side the game was over.
Frank the Baker got to his feet and trotted to his own goal zone, the green-eyed woman crawling after him.
The moment Frank tried to throw the ball the Skineater's goalie was in front of him blocking the ball with her protected hands.
Kim outpaced Mikhail and reached their goal zone ahead of him. When Frank finally had a free throw Kim accidentally blocked him.
Holding the ball in front of him Frank shouted, "You fucking stupid bitch!" The ball flashed and he held it in front of Kim. Twelve inches of laser light entered his left eye and her throat. She tottered on her feet.
Frank dropped the ball.
The green-eyed woman must have stopped to catch her breath as she was crawling down the field. She must have lost track of her counter. A ref blew a whistle. Mikhail saw her body jerk and heard the distant crack of a sharpshooter's rifle shot. Her head came apart in tiny wet fragments.
Kim dropped dead on her back.
In the silence that followed someone in the crowd hollered, "Thanks for the show, baby!"
"Fucking right, "Frank the Baker said. The laser had entered his eye and exited his temple. The pain was excruciating, but Frank was dealing with it as best he could.
Kim and the green-eyed woman's families were shot. The announcer was almost breathless as the JumboTron cut back and forth between the field and two bloodstained concrete rooms. The crowd was getting hysterical. They had never seen a game like this one.
When the field was cleared of the dead, Frank and the Skineaters' goalie were standing over the ball right in front of the Whitecaps' goal.
The ref blew his whistle and long beams of blue light flashed out from the laserball.
The Skineaters' goalie put a hand over a charred spot under one breast.
Behind her, Mikhail could see an exit wound on her shoulder. It must have gone through her heart, he thought, or come damned close.
Frank reached for the ball. He swayed and nearly fell over.
The Skineaters' goalie grabbed it. She started walking toward one of the freebie zones, her mouth opening and closing, her stride uneven.
Frank staggered after her, but he was too late. She dropped onto the metal plate of the freebie zone, tucked the ball against her stomach, and curled around it. She turned her head and said to Frank, "Come and get it, asshole." Blood was rushing out of her mouth.
Frank leaned over and reached for the ball. "You ignorant cun—"
The metal block above the freebie zone plate slammed down, pulverizing the Skineaters' goalie and shearing off Frank's head. He fell back, a plume of blood spraying from his neck.
Mikhail looked around as the freebie zone was hosed down. He was the only one left on the field. When a fresh laserball popped up out of the turf, he approached it cautiously. The crowd was cheering for him.
"Well, this game is oh-VER," the announcer said, "But our sole survivor has the privilege," here his voice dropped into a somber tone for a moment, "nay, the duty, to honor his fallen team mates by getting the ball into the opposition's goal... should he chose to do so."
Men in the crowd were throwing small denomination bills onto the field, the cash rolled into small balls. This was already an established tradition in the short history of laserball. A few women threw their undergarments onto the field.
It took three kicks to get the ball into the Skineater's goal zone. A beam of laser light burned a hole clear through the center of Mikhail's left foot.
As the crowd rushed onto the field, Mikhail waited to be reunited with his sister.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/laserball#Overview
Members of the winning team get to serve out life sentences in maximum security facilities with the possibility of parole, and have the opportunity to earn an income for their families through product endorsements or the Federal Laserball Participant Recruiting Program. Survivors on the losing team are held on the field and executed by sharpshooters.
--
As the announcer babbled about the already skyrocketing value of Mikhail's Fleer laserball trading card, Mikhail thought of all the people who had put Julia in jeopardy. He remembered the weight of the pipe wrench as he had swung it into the skulls of the men who tried to hurt his sister.
He would use the money he would earn from endorsements for Wheaties and Nike and McDonald's to get Julia away, some place safe, some place she would never be threatened again.
Then he would go to work. He would get out of prison somehow, some day. He would take care of the people who had put his little sister in harm's way. He would do it methodically. One by one. He would kill a dozen. A hundred. Or more.
And if he was caught... He had a few distant cousins that counted as family. He didn't know them or care about them, but they would serve him well if he ended up back on this field.
User Reviews
Submitted by kittycat87 (user info) at 2009-10-26 02:25:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You were robbed. It doesn't matter what people think and/or if you cheated in the past (all baseless speculation mind), you are still the best writer here.
YOU are the outsider, but THEY are pretenders.
StreetLIFE ser-ennnnader
Never sang on stagessss
Needs no orc-hes-tttttttration
Melody comes..easy
MIDnight - masSSSquerad-errrrrrrrrr-err-er-er
Shoppin' - center heroesssssssss
CHILD of Eisen-howerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
new world - celebratorrr
STREETlife; SERRRRRRRRRRRenader-errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-er-ers
Have such UNder-standingggggg
How the WWWWWWWWWWWWWWORDS are spoken-EN-en-ennn
how to make the - motionnns..
dun-dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun, dun-dun dun DUN dunnnnnNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
STREET-LIFE! SEN-REN-nadersSSSSSSSSSS
Have, no, OBli-GAYYYYYtions............
Hold no GRAND! illuUUUUUUUUUsions- on-on onnnnnnns
need no, stim-u-lation oh, oh.....
MidNIGHT MASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSqueraddddddddddddddddddddddddders er-er errrr
workin' hard for waaaaaaaaaay-ges
Need NO VASSSSSSSSSSSSST arranNNNNNNNNgements
To do their harmon, nizing..........
dun DUN DUN dun dun, dun DUN DUN dun dun - dun dun DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHhhhhh
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2009-10-25 06:55:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Just going through some of these GF'09 stories again for something to read on a sunday morning with my coffee which I've made so strong the spoon nearly stands up by itself in the middle of the mug.
There was some real good stuff to come out of this contest.
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2009-10-24 20:56:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
-2 goddamn typos
+4 because the story was good enough that I didn't have a chance to notice them
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2009-10-24 15:25:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
AshK - Agreed. But I was fried by Thursday and just wanted to get it done.
Ducky and possibly Doodles... I wanted to do something along the lines of Rollerball, Death Race 2000, that cheesy shit from the 70's. Doodles, there is definitely some Running Man in here, and a bit of Long Walk vibe as well. I won't deny the SK influence on what I write.
Glad most of you enjoyed this.
Glad no one gave me shit for the goddamned typos.
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2009-10-24 13:47:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I just read this again Jack...it really was good. It reminded me of so many movies...cube, death race...etc. For all the shit your persona takes on this site (founded or not), you really are a talented writer.
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2009-10-24 12:34:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I didn't love the end. I think you could have gone with a more subtle "i'll get you my pretty and your little dog too" crap, but the rest of this was excellent.
I'm always envious of your imagination.
Submitted by kittycat87 (user info) at 2009-10-24 04:12:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by willartstorg (user info) at 2009-10-23 22:08:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
needs
Submitted by baby (user info) at 2009-10-23 21:15:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
all bubba's crying woke baby up.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Submitted by willartstorg (user info) at 2009-10-23 20:02:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2009-10-23 15:01:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
cheater.
======
Fatass moron comment. Excuse the redundancy.
Submitted by RoadSong (user info) at 2009-10-23 18:25:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by linguafranca (user info) at 2009-10-23 18:05:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2009-10-23 17:17:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2009-10-22 18:01:38 PDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Blackberry (user info) at 2009-10-22 14:49:45 PDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I didn't bother reading this piece of shit, I'm just going to assume it involved finger banging a plethora of stray cats and read-between-the-lines pent up anger towards your mom for birthing a disgusting, translucent ginger, and rate it accordingly.
__________________________________________
If you read it and it doesn't resonate with you, rating it accordingly is fine, but you can tell there's a lot of effort here and to lambaste Jack without even reading it is fucking retarded.
-----
That's because this alter is a worthless cocksucker who thinks it's funny to hide behind a fake name and throw poo...tee hee! So witty!
Submitted by Wildman (user info) at 2009-10-23 17:05:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by GroundHorse (user info) at 2009-10-23 16:27:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I missed a Youtube link here.
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2009-10-23 15:01:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
cheater.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2009-10-23 12:47:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
HOUSTON HOUSTON HOUSTON
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2009-10-23 09:58:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
WTFINRAT!
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2009-10-23 03:52:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2009-10-23 02:56:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Ok, I've just read this in a sober state.
My rating stands.
Good work, Mr McCallum.
Submitted by X54 (user info) at 2009-10-23 01:40:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Ha ha! Sharia American style.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2009-10-22 23:29:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
seems influenced by a king book, still good though
Submitted by rob_berg (user info) at 2009-10-22 21:50:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Is that GOD's asshole?
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2009-10-22 21:29:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by TuTs (user info) at 2009-10-22 21:21:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Jack this was good though! Even though I had to come back and forth four times to read it all.
Submitted by TuTs (user info) at 2009-10-22 21:20:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by paxilliona (user info) at 2009-10-23 06:35:57 WST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2009-10-22 17:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
that's why i-just-don't-bother anymore
*******
I don't know who joedaddy is or what he doesn't bother anymore about, but maybe it has something to do with the silly first review. Joedaddy, are you sayibg you won't bother to post because people leave stupid reviews? I don't understand.
I liked the story, but it could have been shorter.
----------------
Submitted by paxilliona (user info) at 2009-10-22 07:03:07 WST (#)
Ranking: -2
You people don't seem to know the difference between lurid sex and horror. This was OK, but it was porn, not horror. In all, I thought it stunk.
--------------
And how was Jacks entry horror? I really don't think that this stuck to the horror genre anymore than mine did. All in all you are just some fucking idiot, who obviously gets off on being a tard online. Well you achieved what I suppose your aim was, you pissed me off.
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2009-10-22 21:01:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Blackberry (user info) at 2009-10-22 14:49:45 PDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I didn't bother reading this piece of shit, I'm just going to assume it involved finger banging a plethora of stray cats and read-between-the-lines pent up anger towards your mom for birthing a disgusting, translucent ginger, and rate it accordingly.
__________________________________________
If you read it and it doesn't resonate with you, rating it accordingly is fine, but you can tell there's a lot of effort here and to lambaste Jack without even reading it is fucking retarded.
Run-on sentence above.
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:49:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by willartstorg (user info) at 2009-10-23 00:44:37 BST (#)
Ranking: 2
THOSE FUCKING LINKS DON'T FUCKING WORK!!
------------------
They didn't work for me, either, so I'ma +2 this on principal.
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:47:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Also: the only thing that combines gay and sad better than an iPhone is a Blackberry.
Submitted by willartstorg (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:44:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
THOSE FUCKING LINKS DON'T FUCKING WORK!!!
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:39:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
God damn, Jack, this was amazing.
After the contest, I heartily encourage you to actually write the Laserball Wiki article.
Submitted by willartstorg (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:37:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Holy shit. Write a fucking full book next time!
:)
Submitted by Ballare (user info) at 2009-10-22 19:17:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
almost too long, I skimmed the first while but read the end I guess
Submitted by paxilliona (user info) at 2009-10-22 18:35:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2009-10-22 17:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
that's why i-just-don't-bother anymore
*******
I don't know who joedaddy is or what he doesn't bother anymore about, but maybe it has something to do with the silly first review. Joedaddy, are you sayibg you won't bother to post because people leave stupid reviews? I don't understand.
I liked the story, but it could have been shorter.
Submitted by peckerhead (user info) at 2009-10-22 18:33:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Soup's on Now, isn't it bitches. Way to have the guts to try something new -- in a later round.
Best of luck.
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2009-10-22 18:09:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2009-10-22 17:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
that's why i-just-don't-bother anymore
---------
And some silly slag got nasty because i dropped a point (oh noes a +1!!) ain't nothing compared to the first rating on this post
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2009-10-22 17:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
that's why i-just-don't-bother anymore
Submitted by Blackberry (user info) at 2009-10-22 17:49:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I didn't bother reading this piece of shit, I'm just going to assume it involved finger banging a plethora of stray cats and read-between-the-lines pent up anger towards your mom for birthing a disgusting, translucent ginger, and rate it accordingly.