Read Online Arena Mode by Blake Northcott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Blake Northcott
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worth of kickboxing lessons.
“I’m coming out,” I shouted. With a few swift taps on the touchpad, I initiated my computer’s kill-switch sequence, erasing the hard drive. There was nowhere to hide my armor, so I slid it under my bed for lack of a better option – as if anyone searching my tiny unit wouldn’t think to flip over a mattress.
As the rapping continued I slipped on my shoes and hoodie, thinking that if I was going to get tossed into a prison cell at least I wouldn’t be in bare feet. After unlatching a number of security bolts I swung open my door, and looked up at the officers.
The one doing the knocking was a broad, dark-skinned man who towered nearly a foot above me. I came face-to-face (so to speak) with the silver name plate on his chest: ‘T. Dziobak.’ He studied my face for a moment before looking back over his shoulder. “This is the guy,” he announced to the other officers. “He’s the one from the video.”
An equally imposing man in a dark blue police uniform stepped forward. “Moxon, I need to tell you something. That shit you pulled uptown this morning,” he said, pointing his finger in my direction, “that was awesome. ” A few of the cops began to smile, and others stared at me with a look that I could only assume was admiration. The officer extended his hand and I nervously shook it. “I ... um ... thanks?”
I wiped the perspiration from my forehead with the back of my sleeve and tried to steady my voice, wondering if this was some kind of a set-up – possibly to get a confession before they had to read me my rights. “So just to be clear, I’m not under arrest?”
“Arrest?” Officer Dziobak said with a hearty laugh. “No, nothing like that. We’d never arrest someone for blowing up trash from the Zone, especially members of the Petrovic family. Those bastards had it coming.” Everyone either chuckled or nodded in agreement. “Believe me, if I had your powers, I would have done a lot more than just blow up their shitty car.”
A female officer asked if she could take a picture with me. She explained that her son had watched my video on repeat all afternoon, and was already asking if he could dress as ‘the armored blue superhero’ for Halloween. I posed with her, as well as several of the others. Two of them asked me to record outgoing messages on their voicemail, shouting, “That’s what happens when someone commits a crime in my town.” Apparently that line was a big hit down at the station, and elicited cheers when they first saw it on the simulcast. I couldn’t wait to rub it in Gavin’s face.
When everyone had met me and thanked me for my service, I asked the obvious question. “I’m assuming you didn’t all come here just for a meet and greet.”
“Believe it or not, these slackers did ,” Dziobak said with a broad smile, pointing his thumb behind him. “But I’m here to escort you upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” I asked, curiously arching an eyebrow. “Officer ...” I squinted at his name tag, afraid to attempt the pronunciation.
He grinned. “I know, it’s a mouthful. You can call me Todd.”
“Officer Todd,” I repeated. “The only thing upstairs is the hover-pad on the roof.”
“Mister Frost sent a ship for you, and until you’re safely in his office, I’m your shadow. Right this way, sir – it’s time to get moving.”
Inside the elevator, the officer slid his gold card into the horizontal slot below the control panel. The all-access key card, possessed by police, fire and emergency medical teams, allowed them to override locks and security systems if they required access to a restricted area. Years ago, the government implemented fingerprint scanning technology to give authorized users the same access, but anyone who’s seen a science fiction movie in the last century knows what a terrible idea that was. If a criminal wanted to gain entry into a building, few of them had moral qualms about slicing off
“I’m coming out,” I shouted. With a few swift taps on the touchpad, I initiated my computer’s kill-switch sequence, erasing the hard drive. There was nowhere to hide my armor, so I slid it under my bed for lack of a better option – as if anyone searching my tiny unit wouldn’t think to flip over a mattress.
As the rapping continued I slipped on my shoes and hoodie, thinking that if I was going to get tossed into a prison cell at least I wouldn’t be in bare feet. After unlatching a number of security bolts I swung open my door, and looked up at the officers.
The one doing the knocking was a broad, dark-skinned man who towered nearly a foot above me. I came face-to-face (so to speak) with the silver name plate on his chest: ‘T. Dziobak.’ He studied my face for a moment before looking back over his shoulder. “This is the guy,” he announced to the other officers. “He’s the one from the video.”
An equally imposing man in a dark blue police uniform stepped forward. “Moxon, I need to tell you something. That shit you pulled uptown this morning,” he said, pointing his finger in my direction, “that was awesome. ” A few of the cops began to smile, and others stared at me with a look that I could only assume was admiration. The officer extended his hand and I nervously shook it. “I ... um ... thanks?”
I wiped the perspiration from my forehead with the back of my sleeve and tried to steady my voice, wondering if this was some kind of a set-up – possibly to get a confession before they had to read me my rights. “So just to be clear, I’m not under arrest?”
“Arrest?” Officer Dziobak said with a hearty laugh. “No, nothing like that. We’d never arrest someone for blowing up trash from the Zone, especially members of the Petrovic family. Those bastards had it coming.” Everyone either chuckled or nodded in agreement. “Believe me, if I had your powers, I would have done a lot more than just blow up their shitty car.”
A female officer asked if she could take a picture with me. She explained that her son had watched my video on repeat all afternoon, and was already asking if he could dress as ‘the armored blue superhero’ for Halloween. I posed with her, as well as several of the others. Two of them asked me to record outgoing messages on their voicemail, shouting, “That’s what happens when someone commits a crime in my town.” Apparently that line was a big hit down at the station, and elicited cheers when they first saw it on the simulcast. I couldn’t wait to rub it in Gavin’s face.
When everyone had met me and thanked me for my service, I asked the obvious question. “I’m assuming you didn’t all come here just for a meet and greet.”
“Believe it or not, these slackers did ,” Dziobak said with a broad smile, pointing his thumb behind him. “But I’m here to escort you upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” I asked, curiously arching an eyebrow. “Officer ...” I squinted at his name tag, afraid to attempt the pronunciation.
He grinned. “I know, it’s a mouthful. You can call me Todd.”
“Officer Todd,” I repeated. “The only thing upstairs is the hover-pad on the roof.”
“Mister Frost sent a ship for you, and until you’re safely in his office, I’m your shadow. Right this way, sir – it’s time to get moving.”
Inside the elevator, the officer slid his gold card into the horizontal slot below the control panel. The all-access key card, possessed by police, fire and emergency medical teams, allowed them to override locks and security systems if they required access to a restricted area. Years ago, the government implemented fingerprint scanning technology to give authorized users the same access, but anyone who’s seen a science fiction movie in the last century knows what a terrible idea that was. If a criminal wanted to gain entry into a building, few of them had moral qualms about slicing off
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