Alice in Borderland: New York

An Unexpected Development (3): Six of Diamonds (3)

"Fuck me." Teddy said, exasperated. He'd chosen that card just the round before! God was being cruel today. But however cruel he was being to Teddy...it didn't compare to what was in store for Xavier.

"No!" Xavier yelled. "Please! Spare me!" he begged, but the speakers were deaf to his pleas. "None of the remaining players earn any money, as player Teddy incorrectly guessed the card suit would be Clubs, and player Jake incorrectly guessed the card would be the Ace of Spades." Xavier fell silent, looking at his screen as the speakers began to talk again.
"Round 31. Minimum value: 350$.
As a player has less than the required minimum amount, they will now receive a GAME OVER."

There was silence for a few seconds, and Xavier eventually, cautiously, spoke. "It...it won't be that bad, right? Surely they wouldn't...actually k...ki-" Suddenly, he was cut off by the ground underneath his chair opening. Xavier's eyes went wide, but he barely had time to scream before he was dropped into a large vat of a clear, colorless liquid. Judging from the hissing noise as he fell in and the massive amount of steam that suddenly rose up as the floor closed again...it wasn't water.

"Players, please make your selections." The voice droned almost cheerfully. As if the man hadn't been dropped into acid right in front of him. Teddy was stunned, and he couldn't think straight. Now...it was just him and Jake. In desperation, he chose the Queen of Clubs as his card and stared at his screen, trying not to think of Xavier or Teineji. Suddenly, Jake spoke. "Man...that's fucked up."he said softly. It was the first time he'd talked to Teddy properly since Round 2. "Y...yeah." Teddy said. They were both silent for a while, before Jake spoke again. "I'm...sorry for what I did to Teineji. But he was insulting me and being a dick. And...I was a little jealous. Jealous of how he got so much money that even now, he would be surviving with no issue." "The correct card was the Ten of Spades. None of the remaining players earn any money, as Jake chose to bet on the card being the Ace of Spades, and player Teddy chose to bet on the suit being Clubs." The speaker said, interrupting them. "Round 32. Minimum amount: $370."

Jake sighed. "Please...please let the Ace of Spades appear this turn..." he started praying. "Why are you so attached to that card?" Teddy couldn't help but ask. "You could choose anything else, anything that gave you a better advantage, but you always pick the Ace of Spades, and bet on the card specifically." Jake, whose hand was hovering over the button, glanced at Teddy for a few moments before dropping his hand and answering. "It's because of my gang. Before I appeared...wherever the hell this is, I was the leader of a gang called the BAM. Short for Black Ace Mob. Our...sign, I guess, was an Ace of Spades symbol. All the high ranking members had one tattooed on them." Jake shrugged. "I guess it's just a way for me to hold on to what's familiar."

Jake turned back and selected his choice, leaving Teddy deep in thought. Choosing the card that you had the largest personal attachment to, instead of simply the most logical decision...

Try as he might, Teddy had never really been good with understanding people's emotions. He'd learned that a while ago. Every time he'd tried to help someone...all he'd done was push them farther away. Eventually, he'd given up trying. Now, here he was, with someone who thought by emotion, and had a seemingly unshakable faith that they would get lucky eventually; in a sense, he was Teddy's polar opposite. Teddy kept thinking, and eventually selected the Ace of Clubs. For the gamble, he chose the suit Clubs again.

"Round complete. This turn's card: the Seven of Clubs. Player Teddy, who correctly guessed the suit would be Clubs, receives 100x4, or 400$."

Teddy was relieved, as he'd been running out of money, but then looked at Jake and remembered; Jake had picked the Ace of Spades.

"Player Jake receives no money, as he incorrectly guessed the card would be the Ace of Spades." The speakers soon confirmed. Jake's eyes widened. "I...I only have $390..." he said in horror. Teddy instantly realized what this meant. Jake was always going to pick the Ace of Spades, no matter what. But now...there was only one round of safety for Jake left. He wouldn't have enough money to match the minimum.

If it didn't show up next round...
Jake was dead.