Tag: Bailey

Sharp Reset

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[WP] Putting together a party for the next dungeon used to be difficult. However, forming adventuring groups was revolutionized by the "Delver" app. Just keep swiping until you find your party’s best fit. from WritingPrompts

“Your performance in your first few games was…,” Dana Sharp paused mid-pace to look at the group of five girls. Bailey, Jenny, Dirge, Dread, and Britt were seated in Dana Sharp’s office. Each one looked sullen from Dana’s lecture so far. She circled them while informing them about her decision to cancel the Pineapple Cup, and start from the beginning again. Dana searched her mind for the most gentle word she could. “…lacking. It wasn’t the only reason for my decision to scrap the first tournament; but, it was on the list of reasons. It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s not even a negative.” Dana Sharp walked to her desk and sat behind it.

“Between us in this room, I know you could have improved enough as a team during the tournament to win. However, from a business perspective, there was an opportunity here to exploit. The representatives of Earth: Pineapple respect the fact that my company is willing to take a loss to accommodate a family emergency.” Ms. Sharp took a moment to nod at Bailey. She sat in the center of the group. Her chestnut ponytail was currently covered by her green hoodie; she pulled it up early into the lecture.

“How’s your dad doing, Bailey?” Ms. Sharp asked.

“Better,” Bailey gave the woman a firm nod. “Thank you, Ms. Sharp.”

“I get to buy you girls more time to practice, and it leaves a positive impression on my clients. This was my decision, girls.” The girls all seemed to relax when they realized Ms. Sharp wasn’t angry at them.

“Here’s what we’re going to do going forward. Jenny…,” Dana nodded at a girl with black spiky hair to Bailey’s right. “…you’re still the captain. Bailey’s father is still recovering, and I want her to be able to miss a day of practice if she needs to. Along those lines, we still need a sixth team member. The trouble is, you’ve become a team already. The window to assign you a sixth member myself has already closed.”

“Again, this is a great opportunity to learn something. Sharp Development acquired a dungeon finder app on one of our Earths called ‘Delver’. We’ve scaled it up to the AlterNet and rebranded it as ‘DRBY’. Dana Sharp waved a casual, dismissive hand at the girls.

“It’s on your nodes now, try it out and find a sixth member you all agree on. And you’re able to share the app with other players to make it easier to find practice games. Get as much training in as you can before the tournament restarts,” Dana Sharp said.

“When is it?” Bailey asked.

“You’ll know with plenty of time. When I decide,” Ms. Sharp replied.

Teambuilding

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“Penalty: Friendly Fire. Luchadoras, Torque,” the scoreboard announced in a deep male voice. All other skaters kept moving forward on the dirt road. Rook and Gremlin, two of the magi-knights, skated around Jenny as she stood up and dusted herself off.

“You okay, Jen?”  Dread asked over voice chat, but Dirge interrupted before Jenny could respond.

“What the hell was that??” Dirge yelled, obviously at Torque.

“Sorry, I-” Torque began to apologize, but Bailey interrupted her.

“Focus on the match. Jenny’s fine. Torque, get to the bench and wait out your penalty. We’ll deal with ‘why’ later,” Bailey settled the situation for them. The fire in Torque’s hair went out as she walked off the track towards the bench. As she sat down Bailey added one last reprimand.

“Ms. Sharp expects us to act like a team. If it happens again you’re out. Clear?” Bailey asked. On the track, Jenny was up and skating again. Rook and Gremlin were close to completing their second lap ahead of Jenny.

“Won’t happen again,” Torque replied.

“When you’re back in work with Dirge to keep their paladin busy. She’s easy to handle early on but if she gets too many laps she’ll be unstoppable.” Rook completed her second lap and proved Bailey’s point. A swarm of nanos formed a golden shield on the paladin’s left arm.

Gremlin, the short metal girl crossed the starting line next. Instead of continuing forward, she skated off the track to her team’s bench to tag in their sixth member. An athletic girl with green hair stepped on the track behind the starting line, then crossed it. A long, flowing, black leather coat formed around her.

“LongArm. Cardmage,” the scoreboard announced her name and class when she joined the match. Eight green floating octahedrons collected behind her in a single file line as she skated. She laughed as one of the octahedrons behind her exploded in a shower of green sparks.

“Zone: Camelot,” the scoreboard announced. A thin white line extended from the starting line around the track to connect with itself. It ran down the middle of the track dividing the dirt road in two. The inner half of the track transformed to dark grey stone. The cairns along the inside were replaced with stone battlements three feet high. The skaters on each team drifted into their team’s zone as they skated. Jenny, Dirge, Dread, and Bailey moved to the outside to skate in the fairy graveyard. Rook, Infernal, Thumper, Grace, and LongArm skated in Camelot. An eighth green octahedron coalesced behind LongArm as she skated. Then it burst into sparks again.

“Magi-Knights Card: Bounty. Target: Luchadoras, Dirge,” the scoreboard announced LongArm’s play.

“No way! How’d she play another card?” Dirge complained to her team. She slowed down to let Dread catch up to her. At the starting line, a swarm of nanos rose from the track and formed armored knight atop a white armored horse. It immediately charged forward.

“#21 La Mano,” Jenny replied. “Her Unique ability lets her bring one of her cards into play in addition to her starting draw. She can play it any time.

“How do we stop it?” Dread asked. She reached Dirge and matched her pace with the curly haired girl.

“Torque. New plan. Once you’re in go for the cardmage. Dirge can worry about herself and Dread will stall the paladin.” Bailey gave them new orders.

“Good luck,” Dread waved at Dirge and sped up again to catch up to the Paladin. Dread completed her second lap and a full-grown golden tiger formed next to her. She pointed at the paladin and the tiger ran forward toward the heavily armored woman.

Infernal, the red-skinned demon, completed his second lap at the same time as Dirge. He raised a flaming hand in the air.

“Blazing Rain,” the scoreboard announced. Molten drops of lava began falling over the entire length of the track, but the spell only damaged the Luchadoras.

“Ow,ow,ow,ow,” Dirge complained as the burning rain pelted her skin.

“Dirge!” Dread yelled into voice chat.

“What?”

“It’s RAINING,” she said.

“OH!”

“Unique #05: El Paraguas. Shield Variant,” the scoreboard announced the moment of Dirge’s realization. Clear bubbles formed around her teammates to protect them from the fiery rain.

“Thanks!” she chirped.

“Torque, get ready,” Jenny said as she approached the starting line. “I’ll take your penalty so you can take out their cardmage. I need a few more laps until I’m useful, but we need her out now.”

“Bailey?” Torque seemed unsure.

“Do it,” Bailey said.

“Thanks!” Torque jumped up ready for action. Jenny crossed the line and skated off the track to the bench. Torque stepped on the track behind the starting line and , it. Her twin afro-puffs ignited again. She aimed a finger gun at the green-haired girl wearing a black trench coat.

“Star Shot,” the scoreboard said. A small, bright orange spark shot from Torque’s finger when she squeezed an imaginary trigger.

“Team Bulwark,” Rook’s shield disintegrated into gold nanos that swarmed around LongArm. She started to move faster without it and managed to keep ahead of Dread’s tiger. The swarm condensed into a golden shield behind the girl to protect her. Torque’s shot bounced off harmlessly and the shield disintegrated again.

“Nice bait!” Bailey encouraged Torque.

“I know, right?” she replied. Her voice carried a full smile. The rest of the girls laughed.

“Flame Snipe. Target: Magi-Knights, LongArm.” Torque positioned her arms as if she were looking down the sight on an invisible rifle. She pulled the trigger and a fireball shot from her extended hand. On her head, the flame of one of her afro-puffs died out.

The fireball flew straight at LongArm and slammed into her back. The impact caused enough of an explosion to shove LongArm forward off balance. She tumbled forward on the dark stone ground. The mounted knight dissipated into nanos and disappeared.

“Point: Luchadoras,” the scoreboard announced. Then it followed up with another play. “Holy Aura.”

Thumper, the young boy in a white and red robe, flew over the starting line to start his third lap. A rainbow unicorn horn sprouted from the top of his forehead. All the Magi-Knights on the track began to glow with golden light.

“We might be in trouble,” Bailey told the team.

Las Luchadoras 5: Luchadoras vs. Magi-Knights

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“This spectacle is for you,” Dana Sharp smiled at the array of cameras pointed at her. 16 in total, but 15 of them protruded from small black holes in the air. The black-haired woman sat in the owner’s box at the stadium in an elegant white leather high-back chair in. Her business suit matched the same bright shade of the seat; yet, her rigid, upright posture kept her from blending in with the upholstery. “I can’t think of a better way to welcome you to the multi-verse than by showing you what we have to offer your Earth. This roller derby match is a limited demonstration of the things each of you will be able to do in the AlterNet. I know I’m excited to get started,” Dana said. She glanced at her assistant, Melody, and received a nod to indicate everyone else was ready. “It’s a great honor for me to introduce one of your very own to start the match. I’m sure he’s a household name by now. The man who braved a black hole and found a universe on the other side, Bill Williams!” Dana clapped long enough for the live feed to switch to Bill standing down at the track, then she stopped. She dropped her hands to her lap and focused her attention on the large display in the room. The crowd’s cheering bothered Dana and she gestured at Melody to lower the volume.

A rugged looking uniformed man with a greying military cut stood next to the wide, smooth white track. He raised a pistol in the air and glanced at the first two people on the track. One was a young Asian girl with short, spiky black hair and the other was a dark-skinned woman in her early 20s. She sported coppery dreadlocks and bright yellow eyes. The pair, Jenny and Rook, nodded at Bill. He fired up into the air, then the two leaped forward. They skated as fast as they could, each focused on completing their first lap.

After they left their marks another pair stepped onto the track to take their place. A girl with a pair of afro-puffs on her head stepped into Jenny’s starting spot.

“Torque,” a deep male voice said. The announcement came from a black scoreboard floating in the center of the mile-long circular track. The scoreboard also displayed her name under the team name: Las Luchadoras.

“Infernal,” the scoreboard announced the name of an older man with a leathery face. His name appeared on the scoreboard under the team name: The Magi-Knights. He stepped into Rook’s spot. 20 seconds after the starting gun, the scoreboard buzzed. Torque and Infernal raced forward.

“Dirge.” The scoreboard announced the name of a girl with raven curls that took Torque’s place.

“Gremlin.” A girl with pink pigtails sprouting out the sides of her head stepped into Infernal’s place. The buzzer sounded for Dirge and Gremlin to start and they skated forward. Both girls seemed in less of a hurry than first two pairs.

“Dread.” A tall girl with short, spiky white hair stepped into Dirge’s spot. She looked at the young boy that hopped onto Gremlin’s spot. He looked to be about nine-years-old and still carried around more than his fair share of baby fat.

“Thumper,” the scoreboard announced his name.

“Good luck,” she said.

“Thanks! You too!” he smiled at her with full, chubby cheeks. The buzzer sounded and they skated forward at leisurely pace.

“Bailey.” A girl with a long brown pony-tail stepped into Dread’s spot.

“Grace.” A stern looking woman with shoulder-length blond hair stepped into Thumper’s spot. Bailey scanned the track to see how her team was doing. Jenny led by a decent margin. The interval between Dread and Bailey’s start lasted 45 seconds instead of 20.  Jenny passed the halfway mark before the last buzzer sounded for Bailey and Grace. Once all the skaters began their lap a female voice spoke to the stadium.

“For this match, we’re using standard Derby rules. However, the system is flexible enough to create your own rules in private games,” Melody said. She took over commentary to allow Ms. Sharp the chance to focus on watching her team’s debut game. “The competitors need to complete a lap before they can access their class skills. The goal is to knock everyone on the opposing team out of the game; and, that’s done by knocking each member down twice.” She said. On the track, Jenny was about to cross the starting line with Rook close behind her. “Here we go folks, things are about to get exciting,” Melody said. Jenny completed her first lap.

As she skated over the thin, white starting line her outfit changed completely. She began the match wearing blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt; she skated on black and blue roller-blades. Her clothes became a single piece white body suit. A red logo that resembled an open pair of scissors took up most of her back. The numbers “00” showed in black letters in the ‘V’ space left by the handle. A white mask with red trim covered her face and most of her head, but the spikes atop her skull were still visible. Her black hair now glowed with bright blue light. Her skates also changed to white, with a line of red wheels under them.

“Programmer.” The scoreboard announced Jenny’s class. Seconds later Rook crossed the starting line.

“Paladin.” The scoreboard said. Golden plate armor and a horned helmet formed around Rook. She slowed due to the weight of the armor and moved to the outer edges of the track to stay out of the way.

“Wizard.” Jenny glanced back at the announcement. Infernal crossed the starting line before Torque. A red flowing robe appeared around the thin man. His skin darkened to a blood red color and a pair of obsidian horns grew out of the top of his skull.

“Elementalist.” Torque crossed the line a few seconds after Infernal. Her costume matched Jenny’s, except the number ’35’ appeared between the scissor handles. Her mask also left her hair visible; her two afro-puffs burst into flames.

“Bard.” Half a minute later Dirge skated over the starting line. The number on the back of her white outfit read “14”.

“Blacksmith.” Gremlin’s skin and hair hardened into a shiny chrome-like metal when she crossed the line. She looked like an animated metal statue.

“Beastmaster.” The number on Dread’s back read “42”. Unlike the other girls, her white mask covered her face and hair like a balaclava.

“Healer.” A white and red robe formed around the boy. Then he jumped into the air and sprouted white feathery wings. He flew forward instead of skating.

“Knight.” The scoreboard announced almost a minute later. A suit of chainmail armor, with no helmet, coalesced around the stern woman.

“Cardmage.” Bailey was the last one to complete her lap. Her white bodysuit matched the rest of her team, but she did not wear a mask. The number on her back read ’06’. Eight green, floating octahedrons formed a single file line behind Bailey.

“Check in,” she said. Now that the whole team crossed the line they could communicate over private voice chat.

“Good to go,” Jenny replied.

“Present!” Dirge said.

“I’m here,” Torque responded.

“Check,” Dread checked in.

“Great. Let’s get started,” Bailey replied to the group. One of the green octahedrons behind her burst into green sparkles.

“Zone: Fairy Graveyard,” the scoreboard announced her play. The smooth white track transformed into a dirt path. Black grass sprouted along the sides of the track, and small cairns lined the outer edge. Torque noticed Infernal raise a hand in the air. It ignited with a bright orange flame that consumed his hand.

“Meteor Strike,” the scoreboard said. The flame around Infernal’s hand dissipated into black smoke, and Torque’s eyes went wide. She aimed a finger-gun at Jenny on the track as fast as she could and squeezed the imaginary trigger.

“Star Shot.” A small orange spark flew from Torque’s fingertip and struck the wheels on one of Jenny’s skates. The hit tripped her and her momentum tumbled her for several feet before she stopped flat on her back.

“Penalty: Friendly Fire. Luchadoras, Torque,” the voice boomed.

Fluttering Leaves

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“Dread, how accurate is your roar?” Bailey, the team captain, asked.

“Any leaf on a tree,” Dread smiled at Bailey and hope she would demand proof.

“Show me,” she said. A green, hovering octahedron appeared behind Bailey. “Log in.” Dread held her node up and said her password.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” she screamed at the flat, clear rectangle in her hand until it glowed with purple light. She inserted it into a dock on her belt buckle, then a bright flash of light enveloped her body. After the light faded, Dread stood tall in her AlterNet outfit.

Black leather pants, and a black leather jacket with a purple and gold yin-yang sparkling on her back. A tiger in the gold section stalked the shark that was sneaking up behind it in the purple section. A golden skull decorated the front of her pitch black motorcycle helmet. Bailey nodded, and the octahedron exploded in a shower of green sparks.

“Zone: Fairy Forest,” a floating scoreboard announced from the center of the track. The smooth white track transformed into a grey cobblestone path. Grass and Trees sprouted out and upward along the sides of the track, but still within the boundaries. Bailey pointed at a tall, thick oak tree oak tree that grew next to the starting line.

“Torque, pick a leaf,” she said over her shoulder.

Torque skated forward and aimed at the tree with her hand using a ‘finger-gun’ gesture.

“Star Shot,” the scoreboard announced Torque’s move when she squeezed the ‘trigger’ of her finger. A tiny orange spark flew from Torque’s finger into the tree. Dread looked up and saw a single leaf with a star burned through the center of it; the edges of the design smoldered.

[Do it better! -Dirge] Dread chuckled when she felt Dirge’s Whisper in her ear.

[Going to. -Dread] She replied. Dread turned to face the tree head-on. Bailey made a point of staying next to the tree while Dirge, Jenny, and Torque took several steps back. Dread stared at the smoking leaf, inhaled deeply, then yelled at the tree.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The leaves jumped off their branches and scattered through the air. The force of her scream caused a mini-whirlwind against the track boundaries. The leaves that went out of bounds disappeared, while a large portion of the rest landed on Bailey. She stared at Dread while brushing leaves off her shoulders.

“Accurate must mean something different in your universe,” Bailey said. Dread pointed at the, now crooked, tree. Bailey looked up. The marked leaf was the only one left on the barren tree. “Huh. Nevermind, you’re great.”

[Yeah you are! -Jny] Jenny sent a Whisper. Dread’s only reply was a thumbs up gesture to the girl with black spiky hair.

“Okay. New plan. Let’s work on basics. Jenny, teach Dread how to use macros, all that yelling is gonna get old really fast. Dirge, you can do black portals, right?” Dirge mimicked Dread and replied to Bailey with a thumbs up gesture.

“Great, pair off with Torque and teach her how. So far she can only do nano-assisted portals,” Bailey said. She held up the three nodes she grabbed from Jenny earlier, “I’m going to go look at these. That’s all you’re working on for practice today; you have the field until sundown. We’ll keep in touch during the week to discuss strategy. I expect all of you to practice between now and next week’s game.” Bailey nodded at the four girls then turned to walk away.

“That’s it? That’s your idea of practice?” Dirge asked. Bailey stopped and turned to face her.

“You guys missed a solid chunk by going to see Ms. Sharp. I stayed behind and worked with Torque. Now I have to leave, and it’s your turn to stay behind,” Bailey said. She looked at the rest of the girls. “Everyone on this team has enough autonomy to act like adults. If you don’t like how I run the team then show me you can do it better.” The girls remained quiet. Bailey nodded and turned around to leave.

“What’re macros?” Dread asked Jenny when Bailey was far enough away. Jenny turned to look at the derby track. Once Bailey left it reverted back to a smooth white surface.

“We’ll take this end, and you and Torque take that end,” Jenny said to Dirge. “It’ll be kind of crowded, but we can make it work.”

“Too crowded. Dirge, take Torque to our track,” Dread said. Dirge nodded, then made a gesture with her hand in the air. A black portal opened next to Dirge and she invited Torque to step through. Once they both went through the portal disappeared.

“You guys have your own track?” Jenny asked. Dread nodded.

“Pretty much,” Dread replied.

“Awesome, okay. Now we have a ton more room.” Jenny reached into her pocket and pulled out several nodes. She sorted through them while talking to Dread. “Macros are system shortcuts that let you use your abilities faster and easier,” she chuckled. “I guess Bailey doesn’t want you screaming all the time.” Jenny found the node she was looking for and shoved the rest back into her pocket. “Once you’ve got macros set up you can use your scream just by speaking certain words.”

“What words?” Dread asked. Jenny shrugged.

“Any you want. Personally, I like to use the ability name. It’s easier that way. For your roar, it’d be Tiger’s Roar.” Dread nodded and smiled at the shorter girl.

“I like it.”

“Great,” I’ve got just the thing to practice with. She threw the node onto the track, then a swarm of golden nanos appeared and began flying around it. The cyclone of nanos coalesced into a tall, imposing, pale woman with bright red hair. The woman looked at Dread and smiled.

“Flutter!” Dread jumped in front of Jenny and yelled over her shoulder. “RUN!”

Team Benefits

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Sunday Free Write [Link to post.]

“Congratulations girls, you’re a team,” Melody said. Ms. Sharp’s dark-haired assistant approached the five girls carrying a white briefcase. She handed the case to Bailey, then she turned to Jenny. “Ms. Sharp would like to meet with you Monday afternoon,” she said, then she looked up to the rest. “Everyone else, be here early next Saturday. That’s it for today.” Melody nodded at Bailey, then walked away.

“Before we break, I’ve got to give you these,” Bailey said. She cocked her head and hefted the briefcase to get the girls to follow her. She walked to the edge of the stage then rested the broadside of the briefcase on it. She opened it, reached in, then turned around. She held five thin, translucent-purple glass bangles.

“Sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Bailey said to the girl with a pair of black afro-puffs atop her head.

“Torque,” she said. Bailey nodded then handed her a bracelet. She handed the rest out, one to each girl, before slipping her wrist into the last one.

[Party: Test. -Bailey]  Dread felt the Whisper tickle her ear drum.

[Party: Check. -Dread] She replied.

[Party: HI! -Dirge]

[Party: I’m here. -Torque]

[Party: Hey. -Jny] Once all the girls checked in Bailey seemed satisfied.

“Keep these on you at all times. We can Whisper to each other even if we’re not in the AlterNet, and no matter what universe we’re in. Be here at 6:30 Saturday morning,” she lifted her hand up to show off the bangle. “These also work as a timer to keep you sync’d up to this Earth. That’s it for today, you’re free to go.” Bailey turned to gather the white briefcase.

“Hey, you guys hungry?” Jenny asked the group.

“Yes,” Dread was the first to answer.

“Starving.” Dirge added.

“I could eat,” Torque said.

“Pizza? My treat. Actually, my parents run a pizza shop. So, I guess it’s their treat,” Jenny corrected herself.

“Please,” Dread said. Dirge and Torque agreed to the invite, but Bailey was walking away.

“You’re invited too, Bailey!” Jenny half-shouted at the girl. She shook her head and kept walking away.

[Party: No thanks. Busy. -Bailey] She replied in a Whisper without turning around.

“Rude,” Dirge commented under her breath, but Dread elbowed her in the side to quiet her.

“C’mon, follow me for pizza,” Jenny smiled at the three girls left and headed off the field. Jenny led them to the downtown area, only a few blocks away from the derby stadium.

“Hey,” Jenny said. The group walked in silence for the first leg of the trip until she broke the silence. She looked at Dread.

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” then she smiled at Dirge. “You too.” Both girls smiled at her.

“What’d I miss?” Torque asked.

“I’m a Zero. Everyone else was trying to give me a hard time about it, but they,” she gestured at Dirge and Dread, “didn’t.”

“Oh! You’re the Zero. Sorry, I don’t hate Zeroes, I just wanted to give the right answer,” she apologized. Jenny nodded.

“We’re cool,” she said. Jenny turned a corner, and the girls followed. Moments after turning, a high pitched shriek filled the air.

“OHMYGOD!!” Dirge squealed. Jenny and Torque turned to see what happened. Dirge jumped in place clapping her hands, and Dread wore a giant smile.

“What’s going on?” Jenny asked. Dread pointed at a building behind Jenny. She turned and found a red brick Chinese restaurant with a red neon sign that read: “Donna Chang’s”.

“What about it?” Jenny asked.

“It’s the best Chinese food ever. Let’s go there!” Dirge said. Jenny shook her head.

“Can’t. No money, but pizza’s free,” she said. Dread hooked Jenny’s arm in her hand and pulled her towards Donna Chang’s.

“It’ll be free too,” Dirge said.

“Uhh. me too?” Torque asked. She was not sure if they were only offering to cover Jenny’s meal, but Dirge nodded.

“Totally. C’mon!”

The girls reached the entrance and pushed the heavy glass door inward. A tinny bell over the door announced them as customers. A short, elderly Asian woman walked out of the kitchen and smiled at Dirge.

“Threnody!” she walked straight to the shirt girl and gave her a hug. Then the woman smiled at Dread and nodded. “Dread. It’s good to see you girls again.”

“This is Jenny,” Dirge pointed at the girl with black spikey hair. “And that’s Torque. We’re gonna hang out here a lot, okay?”  The woman smiled and nodded her head.

“Of course, your friends are always welcome here,” she said. “Sit,” she gestured at a large red booth with a wooden table in the center of it. “Order when ready,” Mrs. Chang said, then she left the girls alone.

“Free pizza and free Chinese food? This is the best team ever,” Torque joked. The girls giggled. Torque and Jenny each grabbed a menu to browse, but Jenny noticed Dirge and Dread did not grab theirs.

“Hey this place hasn’t been here very long, and I’ve never seen you two. How are you regulars here?” She asked.

“Mrs. Chang is a Unique and she takes her restaurant with her whenever she goes to a new universe,” Dread explained.

“Oh wow, I never thought of that,” Jenny said.  After browsing their menus for a few minutes Torque and Jenny let Dirge know they were ready to order.

“You guys want to see something cool?” Dirge asked. They nodded. Dirge leaned in toward the center of the table and waved them closer as if she was going to reveal a secret. Jenny and Torque leaned in and turned their heads slightly to listen.

“Takeru.” Dirge said. Her whisper was nearly inaudible to them.

“Yes, Ms. Threnody?” a deep voice sounded from behind her. Torque and Jenny jumped in their seats at the sudden sound. They looked up to see a large, tall man in a cook’s outfit. Various dragon tattoos in different colors decorated both of his arms.

“Sesame chicken for me, and orange beef for Dread,” she said. Then Dirge gestured at Jenny and Torque for their orders.

“Broccoli Beef,” Torque said.

“Sweet & Sour chicken,” Jenny ordered. The burly man nodded.

“Yes, Ms. Threnody.” Takeru nodded and walked away.

“Is he a Unique too?” Torque asked. Dirge shook her head.

“No, he’s just a dragon.”

Las Luchadoras 3

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“When I was nine my parents ran a small restaurant,” Dana Sharp said. She stood at an elegant dark wood podium on a stage made from the same wood. The stage sat in the center of a high school football stadium that was filled to capacity. 14 cameras poked out of 14 individual small, black portals in front of the stage. Each camera broadcasted the event to a different Earth. A 15th camera sat on the field to broadcast locally. “Nothing fancy, just pizza. One night a group of Uniques, Celestials, came through and treated my parents like garbage. My father did his best to prepare delicious food for them, while my mother did her best to meet their needs.” Dana shook her head. “It wasn’t enough.” Dana paused to take a breath and her hand moved up to wipe something out of her eye.

“I don’t know if there was anything special about that group, or if it happened to be the final straw… After we closed up that night my mother cried in the kitchen while my father gave me a piece of advice that I’ll never forget. ‘We’re Zeroes,’ he said. ‘There’s a billion other versions of you out there. We’ll never be as special as Uniques.  But,’ he said to me,” Dana brought a hand up to her chest. ” ‘I want you to try and be the best YOU.’ ” She let her hand fall.

“I vowed that no matter how many more of me were out there, THIS Dana Sharp was going to be the best one. Every bit as good as any Unique out there.” Cheering applause flowed through the stadium. She lifted her arms to bask in the applause.

“Today I run a major corporation, Sharp Development, across 15 universes. My AlterNet is accessible from over a thousand universes. Today, Uniques work for me.” Dana paused for applause and looked at the side of the stage. A group of five girls stood huddled together waiting for the right signal.

“But it’s not about Zeroes or Uniques being better than each other, it’s about being equals. Starting today Sharp Development will be sponsoring a roller derby team. Our goal is to help foster teamwork and cooperation between Zeroes and Uniques, for the good of everyone! Let’s start the introductions, shall we?” After the applause died out Dana waved at the group of girls. The first girl to climb on the stage wore blue jeans and a green t-shirt. Her long, chestnut pony-tail bobbed as she crossed the stage to stand next to Ms. Sharp.

“Bailey Martin,” Dana introduced her. Bailey bowed for the crowd and stood back. “Bailey is Unique #06, La Sirena. In the AlterNet she’s a human cardmage with a mermaid soul, give her a hand!” The audience cheered. A dark-skinned girl climbed on the stage next. She wore red high-top shoes and a red skirt with a black t-shirt. Two small, black afro puffs sat on her head, one on each side. Dana introduced her as she crossed the stage.

“Britt Matthews, known in the AlterNet as Torque. Britt is Unique #35, La Estrella. Her character, Torque, is a human elementalist, with the soul of a fire elemental,” Dana said. Britt gave a casual wave at the crowd and stood next to Bailey. A girl with black ringlet curls wearing a black and orange gothic lolita skirt climbed on stage next.

“Threnody Ingram, Dirge in the AlterNet. Threnody is Unique #14, La Muerte. Dirge is a fairy bard with a unicorn soul.” Dirge clapped excitedly to herself and eagerly waved at the crowd until Bailey stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She fell back and stood next to Torque. Then, a tall girl wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt climbed on stage. Her hair pointed upward in white short spikes.

“Dread Hansen. Dread is Unique #42, La Calavera. In the AlterNet, she’s a mermaid beastmaster with a tiger’s soul.” Dread was already standing next to Dirge by the time Ms. Sharp finished her introduction. She did not bother to acknowledge the crowd at all.

“And finally…,” Dana said. A girl with black hair that matched Dread’s hairstyle climbed on the stage. She wore blue jeans and a purple t-shirt.

“Jenny Minami. In the AlterNet, she’s a human programmer with a cyber soul. Out of the AlterNet, she’s a Zero like me. Like all of you.” Applause roared through the audience.

“Not only is this Zero good enough to be on a team full of Uniques, she’s good enough to lead them. Jenny will be the team captain. This hard-working young lady embodies everything we at Sharp Development are working for.” Jenny stood next to Dread, but Dana looked over her shoulder to wave the girl forward.

“This press conference was to introduce the team, but there is one more thing,” Dana said. She reached into the pocket of her white suit and pulled out a thin purple bracelet. She handed the bracelet to Jenny, then addressed the audience again.

“I mentioned earlier that the AlterNet can be accessed from over a thousand Earths, but I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels. Sharp Development has been hard at work on the next AlterNet expansion, and I’d like to give you all a peek at the fruits of our labor.” She turned her head and winked at Jenny. The girl nodded and put the bracelet on. Then she pulled her node out of her jean pocket.

“I made the AlterNet an even playing field for Uniques and Zeroes, but that’s just the beginning. I envision a future where Uniques and Zeroes are on an even playing field everywhere. Even where there’s no AlterNet access. Like this Earth for example,” Dana said. She stepped to the side to let the cameras focus on Jenny.  The girl held her transparent node high in the air. She looked straight at the camera, smiled, and said her login password.

“Jenny Rocks!” Violet light glowed from her node and everyone in the stadium gasped. Jenny inserted the node into the purple bracelet on her wrist and a purple flash of light consumed the stage. When it cleared Jenny was logged into the AlterNet. Her spiky black hair glowed with blue light. She wore a blue and gold body-suit with black fingerless gloves.

“Soon you’ll be able to access your AlterNet character from anywhere. Zeroes and Uniques on equal terms, everywhere.” A standing ovation resounded through the stadium.

Las Luchadoras 2

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Jenny skated along the middle of the cobblestone path in a crouched position. She knew she was approaching the finish line so stood and leaned back to slow down. The bright blue glow faded from her hair leaving black spikes. She turned her body and came to a full stop an inch from the finish line.

“The Zero’s giving up!” The black and green naga yelled. Laughter erupted from the crowd of Uniques. Jenny recognized the croaky voice that pointed her ordinariness, but she ignored it. She focused on the two-inch white stripe that cut through the width of the cobblestone path. She’d done this before, but she knew Ms. Sharp was watching; Jenny needed to impress her.

“‘Betcha she’s not!” another girl yelled. It was a voice Jenny did not recognize and she wondered who it belonged to. She glanced at the crowd and noticed the girl with orange eyes smiling at her. She stood next to Dread, the tall girl with white spiky hair. Jenny realized they both stood up for her and thought they might be friends.

[You’re not, right? -Dirge] Purple glowing text appeared on the lower left corner of Jenny’s vision. She did not like the tickling sensation of Whispers in her ears and chose to route them to her eyes instead.

[No way! Watch this. -Jny] She Whispered a reply then gave Dirge and Dread a thumbs up gesture. Dread smiled.

“I told you!” Dirge yelled at the crowd. Their laughter died down and Jenny realized everyone was staring at her.

“Awesome,” she thought. This was her chance to show Ms. Sharp what she could do. “Bailey!” Jenny whipped her head around to find her opponent. The girl stood on the other side of the track with her green hood down and an impatient look on her face. She uncrossed her arms and gestured them forward in a “move it along” motion. “Yep, you just lost,” Jenny giggled to herself. She appreciated the sportsmanship, but it did not mean she wasn’t going to take advantage of it.

Jenny stared down at finish line again then raised her left hand to move it over the line. After her hand crossed over the line she twisted it clockwise 90 degrees. Then she extended and contracted her fingers in different combinations until her hand emitted a soft blue light. A mass of bright, blue nanos gathered around her hand on the other side of the starting line. The glowing dots resembled a swarm of tiny blue fireflies. Jenny felt she collected enough then rotated her hand counter-clockwise. She changed the tempo of her gestures and the nanos flew towards her, but they could not cross the line backward. The swarm flattened like a sheet of paper against an invisible wall, the boundary of the starting line. The nanos formed a blue rectangle large enough for Jenny to walk through like a door.

Jenny pushed her left hand forward and smiled to herself when she heard a gasp from somewhere in the crowd. Her hand hovered in the air as if disconnected from her body.  She turned as she stepped across the line as if she were slipping her body into a coat that someone held for her. She moved through the blue rectangle and emerged on the other side as a disembodied head with floating hands. She faced the crowd then spun in place on her skates to show them her genius. As she twirled, her blue body-suit appeared and disappeared each time her invisible coat caught the wind.

[What did you do??? -Dirge] Jenny smiled herself when she saw the Whisper. Dirge seemed to be friendly and Jenny hoped they would both make the team.

[Hard to explain. -Jny] Jenny replied, but she did not want Dirge to feel blown off.

[Tell you after I win. -Jny] She added.

[Deal! -Dirge]

Jenny turned her attention back to the match. She skated forward again and scanned the track for her opponent. Bailey moved fast around the track with a look of annoyed determination on her face. Jenny decided she did not want to be close to the starting line when Bailey crossed it. She crouched low to increase her speed but skated on the outside lane of the track to keep an eye on Bailey. She thought her new friend might get a kick out of what was about to happen.

[Watch Bailey. -Jny] She sent Dirge a Whisper.

Jenny watched for the moment Bailey completed her second lap. The girl in green skated over the line at full speed, but she immediately slowed to a stop. Bailey looked at the starting line, then at Jenny. Jenny visibly shrugged, then giggled to herself and kept skating.

The sound of a buzzer made Jenny jump. She did not know what it meant, so she stopped and looked around. Ms. Sharp had stepped down from the stage and was walking towards the starting line. Ms. Sharp’s assistant followed close behind her, and she waved Jenny over. Jenny felt a knot tighten in her stomach, but she sighed and skated back to the start. By the time she arrived Bailey, Ms. Sharp, and Ms. Sharp’s assistant stood on the track. The rest of the Unique applicants, including Dirge, Dread, and the naga stood around them in a large circle.

“How did you block Bailey’s card draw?” Ms. Sharp asked Jenny.

“She can’t draw until I finish my first lap,” she explained. Jenny hoped that it sounded less like cheating if she explained it that way. She tugged at her invisible coat. “I haven’t yet.” The crowd didn’t seem to think so.

“CHEATER!” The naga croaked. Jenny hoped the naga did not make the team. Other members of the crowd started to boo, but Ms. Sharp held a hand up. Everyone went quiet.

“What are you?” The pale woman asked Jenny.

“Craftsman, programmer. Swarm Queen spec.”

“Human?” Jenny nodded.

“What soul are you using?”

“Cyber,” Jenny replied. Ms. Sharp stared at Jenny for a couple of seconds, then she nodded.

“Okay, you’re in,” She said. Jenny heard Dirge cheering over the boos from the rest of the crowd.

“I can join the try-outs?” Jenny asked. She was eager to show up the naga. Ms. Sharp shook her head.

“No. You’re on the team.” She turned to walk away, but her assistant made it clear to everyone.

“Three slots left. Line up with Bailey,” she said.

“SHE’S A CHEATER!” the naga yelled again. “Why does she get to be on the team?”

“If you think she cheated, then YOU don’t know how to play the game,” Bailey said. “You’re out.” The naga hissed at Bailey.

“FINE. But if I’m out, I’m taking her with me.” The black and green naga turned towards Jenny and rushed at her. Green light gathered in the snake’s hands. Jenny recognized it as a very painful monk skill that would hit eight times. Even if she had time to block the first, she could not keep up with all eight impacts. The green glowing fist flew towards Jenny’s face. She flinched and blocked with her hands, but the first hit never connected. She peeked through her hands and saw bulky, sea-green tentacles blocking every hit. The naga yelled at Bailey again.

“WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING A CHEATING ZERO?!” she raged.

“She’s on my team. You’re not,” Bailey said flatly. “And I already told you, she didn’t cheat. You can’t cheat in the AlterNet. If she did it, then it can be done. Leave or I’ll make you leave.” The naga stood tall and crossed her arms.

“You can’t make all of us leave,” she said. Most of the other Uniques there for try-outs gathered behind the snake. Before Bailey could reply Dread stepped in front of the naga and stared the snake-girl down. Dirge moved to stand next to Jenny and Bailey.

“We can,” Dread said.

“She’s a Calavera!” Dirge yelled. “She’ll stomp all of you.” Jenny noticed the naga shrank back a bit. She watched the crowd disperse until the naga and another girl were the only ones left. She was a dark-skinned girl with her hair made up in a pair of large black puffs on her head.

“Where’s everyone going? Am I that late?” the new girl asked.

“Hey, do you care if there’s a Zero on the team?” Bailey asked the girl. The girl’s eyes rolled upward while she thought about the question.

“Ummmm… ” Finally she shrugged at Bailey. “Kind of?”

“I’m going to ask you again. Give me a different answer,” Bailey said. “Do you care if there’s a Zero on the team?”

“YES!” the girl yelled.

“No.” Bailey corrected her.

“NO!” she repeated.

“Great, you’re on the team.” Bailey looked at the naga. “Why are you still here? Roster’s full.”

Las Luchadoras 1

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Jenny shook her hands and kicked her feet to ease her nerves. The spiky-haired girl paced back and forth on the dewy grass whiles she stared through a chain link fence. She counted ten candidates, then eyeballed the rest of the group. 30 people showed up for the try-outs, more or less. A woman with short hair as black as Jenny’s stood on a wooden platform in front of the crowd holding a microphone.

“Thank you all for coming out today,” the woman started her speech. Jenny took a deep breath and walked through the gate to blend in at the back of the crowd. She found a spot behind a tall girl in a red shirt with short hair spiked upward like her own, but white instead of black. “Quite a few of you showed up, so we’ll be moving fast. Although before we get started, Ms. Sharp would like to say a few words,” the woman stepped aside to make room at the mic for a taller, pale woman dressed in all white.

“I have four slots available. I hope you’re ready to impress me,” Ms. Sharp said. She gave a curt nod, then walked to a seat on the stage. The first woman spoke into the microphone again.

“Please log in and join Bailey’s raid group,” the woman pointed to someone Jenny could not see at the front of the crowd. An arm shot up in the air and a girl with long brown hair, the owner of the arm, hopped on to the stage. “Bailey is team captain, and the reason we only have four slots,” the woman explained. Jenny ignored the introduction in her rush to log in. Once she logged in to the AlterNet she could pass for a Unique. Jenny pulled a node out of her pocket while the woman continued giving instructions. She almost docked it, but paused when she realized no one else logged in yet. She decided she did not want to draw any attention to herself by being the first one to log in. “The first phase of try-outs will be follow-the-leader. Once we get you down to a manageable number we’ll move on to proper games.” 

A flash of red light happened somewhere in the crowd. Someone logged in first. It signaled everyone else and brilliant colored flashes ran through the crowd. She smiled, about to say her password, when a commotion from the stage drew her attention. A black and green naga in leather armor slithered its way up on the wooden platform and pointed out at the crowd. Directly at the white-haired girl in front of Jenny.

“Uniques only, right? Can we toss that Zero out?” the naga asked. A murmur of confusion ran through the crowd as everyone tried to see who the naga pointed at. A short girl with black flowing curls next to the girl in front of Jenny turned backward. Jenny stared into the girls orange eyes as confidently as she could, and the girl gave her a friendly smile then turned back around. The dark haired woman looked out over the crowd, but asked the naga for clarification.

“Who?”

“Behind that Calavera in the red shirt,” the naga said. Jenny noticed the girl in front of her straighten her back to stand taller. The woman stared at the tall white-haired girl. 

“Hi, what’s your name?” She asked through the microphone. 

“Dread.” Jenny heard the girl’s response. 

“Dread, could you step aside please?” she asked through the microphone. Dread hesitated long enough that Jenny felt obligated to out herself. She threw her arms in the air behind the girl and began waving them around.

“I’m right here!” she yelled, and stepped out from behind Dread. The candidates around her, except Dread and the girl with the orange eyes, all took a step away to isolate her. Jenny looked toward the stage in time to see Ms. Sharp standing from her seat to approach the microphone.

“Why are you here, Zero?” Ms. Sharp asked.

“Because I’m good enough,” Jenny replied, full of confidence. The naga leaned towards the microphone to address Jenny.

“Go home, Zero. You’re embarrassing yourself,” the naga said. Jenny did not move. She stared at the naga defiantly until Ms. Sharp interrupted. 

“Do you have a problem with Zeroes?” she asked. The naga looked at her, and the green scales around her eyes seemed to brighten up as her eyes widened. 

“Nonono, not at all. Sorry, Ms. Sharp.” the naga protested with her hands as she inched backward on her tail. Ms. Sharp turned her attention back to Jenny.

“You think you’re good enough to keep up with Uniques?” she asked. Jenny nodded.

“I know I am.”

“Let’s find out,” Ms. Sharp said. “Get on the track. Right now,” she added. Ms. Sharp looked to the side of the stage. “Bailey? Try her out,” Bailey nodded and walked to the back of the stage to get onto the track. Once Bailey stepped onto the Derby track Ms. Sharp walked back to her seat, turned it to face the track, and waited. The first woman spoke into the microphone again.

“Knock-down contest. Three to win,” she announced the rules. Jenny nodded and held her node up in the air.”Jenny Rocks.” She said her password to log in. Immediately the small clear rectangle began to glow with purple light. She docked the node into a slot in the back of her hand. The instant her node made contact with the dock a swarm of nanos surrounder her in a bright flash of purple light. They wrapped around Jenny and formed a light blue body suit embellished with golden lines at each of her joints. Her black spiky hair began to glow blue. The crowd parted to clear Jenny’s path to the track. She walked through, meeting the eyes of as many of them as she could, but every face she saw glared at her with contempt. She walked around the stage to the track; a smooth white surface ten feet wide. It extended in both directions to form a giant circle two miles long. As her foot left the grass and crossed onto the track nanos formed wheels under shoes in a straight line. Her right foot landed on wheels and she pushed herself forward, stepping on wheels under her left foot by the time they were needed. Bailey seemed to be ready and waiting, she wore a forest green hoodie and black cloth pants. When Jenny was close enough a translucent rectangle appeared and hovered in front of her.

“Challenge from Bailey: Knock-down Derby. Standard Rules.” The menu displayed the game request for Jenny. She touched one side of the slate to accept the challenge, then the menu disappeared. Jenny offered Bailey a hand to say hi, but Bailey stared through her.

“Ready?” Bailey asked. Jenny pulled her hand back and nodded. A swarm of nanos gathered in the center of the circular track to form a large black scoreboard with Jenny and Bailey’s names on it. It counted down from three, then sounded a buzzer to mark the start of the match. Bailey bolted forward the moment the buzzer started, but Jenny did not start moving until the end of the seconds long buzzer. 

Jenny made a show of pushing her legs hard to keep up, but in reality she wanted to watch Bailey finish a lap first to learn more about her. Standard Derby rules required players to complete a lap before they could access their class abilities. Jenny pretended to get winded and she let the gap between them widen even further. She heard laughter coming from the crowd, but she grinned to herself. Their jeers would give Bailey a false sense of security. Jenny skated on the glassy white track, keeping her focus on Bailey the entire time. As Jenny neared the halfway mark Bailey approached the starting line. The crowd began booing the moment Bailey crossed the starting line. Eight green glowing octahedrons formed a single file line behind Bailey once she started her second lap. They hovered in the air and followed her like ducklings.

“A Cardmage? This’ll be easy,” Jenny smiled to herself. She picked up speed to complete her lap, but Bailey played her first card. One of the octahedrons disintegrated into nanos and disappeared.

“Zone: Fairy Forest,” the scoreboard announced Bailey’s play in a deep male voice. The smooth white surface of the track transformed around Jenny. The floor darkened and transformed into a bumpy cobblestone path. Trees and lush green grass shot out of the track along the edges. Jenny smiled to herself as she approached the starting line, she knew exactly how she was going to win.