Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 13: No Collateral Damages

I loved the way Siegfried's eyes showed his concern for me.

"I can't accept it. Besides, Agape would know, right?"

Agape was a fearsome woman, but she had hurt my pride assuming I was worthless. I was willing to take on the challenge; however, I was not only hoping to pass her test but also to do it defiantly. She had undermined my talents and called me stupid and unimaginative.

I could not live with that. I needed to prove my worth like the fact that I needed oxygen to breathe.

"She doesn't need to know," he added, trying to change my mind. "She had monitored the mission this afternoon, but she never uses the alternative network she built to protect our hacked chips for nosey purposes. Today was an exception. She doesn't control or spy on any of us. She's not like the clone government. She respects our intimacy."

"I don't feel like playing games with her."

"A wise course of action. But if you change your mind, I want you to look for me. You can find me every late morning, afternoon, and evening training in Dawn's roller hockey field. In fact, I should be there now." He made a funny face while checking his watch.

Dawn's roller hockey field was an abandoned yard that had been recently covered in cement. The local roller hockey team used it to train daily before the matches took place in the Sports Palace, located in the Shell neighbourhood.

The Sports Palace was an indoor roller hockey arena, but nothing fancy. At least it had all the legal markings on the floor, stands for the audience and locker rooms, in contrast to Dawn's hockey field. Or the Dam's one. Ours was a vaguely rectangular dirt field, and nothing more.

"You play roller hockey?" I asked in desbelief, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm the newest recruit of the local team," he answered a bit too cocky for my taste. "I've only been here in Dawn a few weeks. I love hockey."

Traditional humans like us couldn't afford many things in life in terms of paid entertainment, so we spent much of our free time socialising, like organising the Thalis' roller hockey tournament, in which eight teams (one per neighbourhood) fought to win a trophy of little monetary value but a great sentimental one. It was one of the few aspects of our lives that wasn't controlled by the clone government.

"I'm new around here. That's why I had got lost before. I had taken smaller streets because I didn't want to call attention."

"Your bike calls the attention pretty much, though," I commented with a tell-tale smile.

"I know. Thanks for noticing," he replied with satisfaction.

I decided that I preferred that proud but friendly Siegfried to his colder and deadlier self from a few minutes ago. I could forgive his pride for as long as he saw me as a colleague or a friend, and not as a piece of meat like Uriel or the other guys.

"Boasting of such a bike doesn't fit with your advice. You're not precisely discreet when you ride it either."

"I can live with that," he boasted some more.

"You're way too proud, Siegfried," I replied not accusing him in earnest, and he noticed it. He smirked. "Wait. We never get players from outside Thalis. That means that you're good – really good."

His smile broadened. He was enjoying me petting his ego.

"Wait a second," I said while my jaw fell in amazement. "I know who you are! You're Dam's hockey star. The new player they got this season. It's you."

"You recognise me... now?" he asked feeling surprised.

"Well, I haven't got the chance to watch any match this season yet. So, I haven't seen you play. But everybody's got their mouths full talking about you. My brother, he... he envied your talent," I said before I could even think. "He wouldn't stop talking about you."