Ready Player None

Chapter 2.3 - Wyett "She Blinded Me With Science"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I shouted to no one in particular.

I had first place in the bag. Devyus and Zergazerg were out of the picture, the Chinese guild was locked out of the reward level; in fact, everyone was locked out of the reward level except me. And somehow I still lost.

"Are you absolutely freaking kidding me??" I repeated, in case no one in particular hadn't heard me the first time.

It was probably to my advantage that I was the only person in the building, as I don't think my current tantrum would reflect well upon the cultured, sophisticated air I normally maintained. As far as anyone else would know, the stunningly expensive, razor-edge technology sim pod I used to access the games from my office had pushed itself off the open balcony and down into the office waiting area below.

The sound of the pod's destruction helped immensely. Someone would undoubtedly fix it, or replace it, or whatever those types of people did when something broke. The more important thing was that I could think again, although the only topic I could bring to mind at the moment involved HER.

SHE stole my victory. SHE took my reward. The '1st' that belonged to me was next to HER name on the tournament list, leaving me with a worthless and insulting '2nd' that by all rights should belong to someone else. To anyone else. Not HER, though. She didn't deserve even that.

I couldn't bear to check my message-list; in fact, I deleted everything without looking. If some supposedly-dying community sent a supposedly-important missive on this particular night, they were screwed. I wasn't going to page through the taunts and jeering laughter that undoubtedly overflowed there.

She stuck out her tongue!!!