BECOMING SUPRA

Chapter 11.1

RAË

I entered the Lab, plugged in my kit and I settled in front of the screen. I logged on to Twitch, wanting to practice on live-stream with auto-feedback - the closest I would get to playing in a stadium with a live audience.

I unlocked the characters and skins and chose a female guise with a sharp hairdo and a t-shirt that said #iameverywoman. My avatar was called: KalashniKov. Players started gathering at the pregame lobby, one ... two ... four ... eight .... While waiting for the numbers to climb, I did a few target practice rounds. It was a multiplayer game with a solitary winner. We were there to shoot and kill.

With my controller I clicked on "ready-up". Immediately I was jettisoned into the air, landing in the arena of war.

I hit the ground running.

My kill counter read: zero.

I hid behind a bunker while I found my bearings.

I ran out towards the barracks, a player targeted me and missed. I returned the volley and shot back to back, three of them in the head, in quick succession they fell to the ground dead.

BlackRaven slain by KalashniKov,

SlaybyDay slain by KalashniKov,

BionicBullet slain by KalashniKov flashed on the screen.

My kill feed read: 3.

I chased and shot two more, they died on the spot.

Kill feed: 5

I situated the loot crate and made a dash for it.

On the corner of the screen, I could see a continuous stream of words, some cheers but mostly jeers, 'you shoot like a chick', 'go back to the kitchen'.

I clicked on the controller in a series of shots, two more players collapsed dead.

Kill Feed: 7

I loaded on ammo and armor plates.

DevilofDemascus was on my heel yelling, "Yo, make babies with me. That's all yo good for." He aimed and shot, the bullet hit me, but with my armor plates in place I was up and running again.

I reached the barn, then ran up a floor. BlackMamba and TINman were behind a sand wall, I shot both of them dead.

I ran into a bunker. "Die, bitch, die," shouted HaRAmi. Bullets whizzed back and forth. He fired. "You slut! You whore!"

I ran across a patch of trees then made a dash for the mansion. HaRAmi and I were the only players left.

"I'm going to rape you, rape you till you are dead," he screamed.

I leapt up the stairs, entered a room and ran towards the widow. A volley of bullets came at me.

I flew out, flicked 90 degrees and pulled the trigger.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A three bullets zoomed out of my automatic, one to each eye, the last to his crotch.

HaRAmi slain by KalashniKov.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt, a Sun Tzu truism I adhered to when playing.

WINNER: KalashniKov!

Some viewers applauded but a lot were still heckling.

I logged off Twitch, collected my kit and went back to my dorm.

Day 94 of live streaming practice, done.