To Kill Gods or Die Trying

Essej Boa

"This year, we will compete, and we will win!" Coach Hope bellows.

This guy is a bit much.

It's my first week at MIT, and the main reason I'm here is to earn the red and gray letterman jacket, headphones, and mouse. Like the other four guys and five gals who made it past varsity tryouts, I'm here to start my career, and like Coach Hope, I'm here to compete and win. Just not with roid rage...

All of us are here because we won top rankings in public events, therefore we will compete in a variety of games. This year's varsity game will be the tactical first-person shooter Six Shot Seven. All of us play and all of us are ranked.

Coach passes out the roster of names, usernames, rank, global ranks, and positions to all of us.

At the top of the list, I read: Essej Boa, Dgraider, Diamond, #18, Captain.

Next is me: Ben Even, Believen, Platinum III, #79, Co-Captain.

"Wait... WHOA!" I yelp in surprise. So does another teammate. I look around for the source to spot a slender Asian guy looking straight at me. He points at me with a face full of shock. My eyes widen even more. Could it actually be him?

During the summer, I played a few good matches against some "Dagrader" guy. We did a 1 v 1 later because we were the best players around and knew no one as equally matched. He won by a few points, but it was a really tight match. We made a full squad with two of his friends and two of my friends, and together we beat 16 teams to win first place in the annual global ladder tournament.

"Dgraider?" I ask.

His eyes widen. "Believen?" he asks. We begin yelling and dapping and cheering.

"No way bro! You're him!" "Holy shit, I don't believe it!" "You better Believen it!"

We laugh hysterically for a while until the room falls silent. "Are you done?" Coach Hope asks.

We nod like giddy kids.

"JV, our first scrimmage will be Initial Acceleration against BSU in two weeks. Then it's Puzzle Quest with UTA. Varsity, our first match of 6S7 will be against OBC, the next weekend after JV beats UTA. Practice is weekdays, at 5 pm. Bring your A-game or get the hell out. You will not spend nights gaming. You will be sleeping. You will maintain a B average or 3.0 GPA in your academics otherwise, you will be in spectator mode until you get your grades up. Even if you have a 2.99 and my favorite, tough love, get the hell out. Most of all, you will do everything as a team. That means all you so-called lone wolf players can get the hell out. Any questions, comments, concerns? No? OK then, get the hell out. Grab a syllabus on your way out! "

I turn to Dgraider and stick my hand out. "I'm Ben Even." "Essej Boa." He clasps it and shakes firmly.