Chapter 11
01
Ashley didn’t even ask what she intended to do for the next game. Neither did he collect the cards in
When Balot eventually finished wiping the tears from her face and looked up, there was Ashley,
Those on the floor watched in stunned silence as Balot reached for the box and took a golden chip, one
one, the whole crowd seemed about to faint. Balot checked for the last OctoberCorp emblem—the final
other three.
chips that you’re seeking?” Ashley said as he placed the box—now deprived of a third of its golden luster
Balot casually slipped the chips into her glove—as if they were unimportant—and answered him.
walk, in a manner of speaking.
–I think so.
It wasn’t Balot’s fault, though—indeed, his sudden change of demeanor was nothing to do with her and
knew immediately who was haranguing him so—not so much from the voice, but from the words
If the vicious words of recrimination were anything to go by, this was indeed a cursed man, the man
Balot watched Ashley as he winced and then cringed under the vicious barrage of recriminations and
–The owner of the casino, perhaps?
stepped right on top of a charged mine to boot. I am sorry about this—I would have liked to present a
“It’s a bit too late for that, Ashley. You’ve long since fallen for this girl,” Bell Wing pointed out,
before somewhere.
everything back fromyou and finish you off, apparently. Otherwise it’s the flamethrower.”
“Pink slip. His dismissal papers,” Bell Wing explained. Ashley bowed to confirmthis—just so.
me to find a way to beat you. It might be a different story if we had another ten rounds or so, of course, but
kind of defeat the whole object, wouldn’t it? Hmm, what to do…”
Balot felt the information on the third chip being sucked out from within her glove as she spoke.
In turn, Bell Wing was no less surprised. The two dealers looked at each other in silence for a while,
When the silence was eventually broken it was in the formof a roaring laugh fromAshley.
bank here?” Ashley’s fine-whiskered face was now creased in laughter, as if he’d just been subjected to a
Balot nodded, and Ashley looked up to the heavens. “In other words, you’ve already found what
Well, you know what? I may be here as the yojimbo, but my job is to protect the casino—I’m not a
his chances too highly.”
Ashley looked back at Balot, then placed his massive hand over his equally massive chest. “I’ll be
dignified and polite, in such contrast to his raucous laughter of a minute ago that Balot wondered whether
–Thank you.
≡
–That dealer—he’s a lot like you, Oeufcoque, you know.
–In many ways. He just is, kind of. He has his strict side but also a gentle streak. And he’s a
–Just your type, then.
Oeufcoque didn’t reply right away. He left a short pause—signifying that he was somewhat
–I’m not aware of any such symptoms, no.
–Sorry about that.
abruptly up on her hand, as if Oeufcoque was spitting the words out in spite of himself.
me away.
She patted her gloves gently as if to reassure him that this was indeed the truth. She stroked him like a
It dawned on Bell Wing that Balot was up to something. “Are you speaking to someone, young lady?”
Balot just nodded, truthfully.
“Your guardian angel, no doubt.”
She needed to compose herself, to prepare for the man who would soon be arriving here.
This was a battle fought over the right—the privilege—of starting everything anew.
“They’re coming,” Bell Wing whispered.
was the man Balot had been expecting all along. The other she didn’t recognize. Ashley’s demeanor
condemned prisoners toward their place of execution.
–It’s Cleanwill John October. One of the leading directors of OctoberCorp. He’s Shell’s direct
The man that Oeufcoque was describing was also a giant. Not just big or fat. This was something else;
faces, but this certainly wasn’t the case here. The man wore a black sneer that seemed to look down on all
Balot, in turn, found his expression so repulsive that she struggled to think of a reason why she shouldn’t
The moment they arrived, Ashley stood stock-still and did his best to blend into the background like
The lump of meat fromOctoberCorp glowered at Balot with pure disdain.
spinning it around casually as if it were a one-dollar coin. A coin that had the OctoberCorp emblem
This seemed to have the desired effect—if she couldn’t shoot the two men dead in their tracks, this
Shell’s and John’s faces went blue simultaneously. They both seemed equally fit to burst, likely to
flaring, and Balot wondered how much more it might take before they spontaneously combusted.
“Get the chips back from this girl. Fail and you’ll meet the same fate as the coin being spun round and
Shell’s face went blank—he was like a hit man who had been ordered on a suicide mission—and he
His Chameleon Sunglasses glinted muddy blue.
Shell’s posture straightened the instant he took his position at the table. It was as if his whole body had
This man was now standing before Balot because he had to. He was prepared for the inevitable. He
Shell took off his rings. His seven rings, each one adorned with a Blue Diamond. Those repulsive
destined for ring number eight, but here she was now, watching with a blank face as the rings were placed
Back when Balot was with Shell, it used to be her job—one of her jobs—to look after those rings
tears.
He started shuffling—a shuffle familiar to Balot, one that she remembered from long ago. She
ago, but it seemed like many lifetimes past. Now Balot could see that Shell’s movements might have been
he was nowhere near as skilled with the cards as Ashley, for example.
prepared. Balot reached out for the transparent red marker and took it in her hands before Shell had the
Balot’s eyes met Shell’s for the first time since that night in the AirCar.
His eyes were filled with a deep, deep anger—and at the root of this was an overwhelming fear that
Balot felt the dregs of an old memory dredged up from the murky past: the memory of Shell lecturing
as soon as they came—but not before she had said themout loud.
respect me. Because I have all the money and love that anyone could ever want.
–Just do as I say, and everything will be all right.
Shell—and the cards—to indicate she was ready.
At the very least he seemed to recognize that the words that Balot had just spoken were quotations,
made long-forgotten promises, and now he was being held to account.
That handful of movements told Balot everything she needed to know about just how much control
She waited for Shell to finish placing the cards in the card shoe, toying with the four million-dollar
–I’m not the impatient sort, my dear. I like to take mytime.
It wasn’t one of the golden chips. Rather, it was an ordinary hundred-thousand-dollar chip. Shell had
–Let me peel your layers off one by one, mylittle one.
verbatim words that Shell had said to her, once upon a time. The others around the table were listening
“You filthy gutter-born whore…” Shell muttered, touching the card shoe as if in some sort of warped
The Doctor and Ashley scowled when they heard his words. Only Balot and Bell Wing remained
Shell flicked the cards out of the card shoe. Violently, recklessly, like a hotheaded teen rebel quick to
Balot dodged the blade in a deft movement, then crushed all resistance with a single blow.
Shell continued dealing, trying to appear unconcerned.
alluring.
seemed like he was about to break his own jaw.
Balot took those hate-filled eyes off Shell for a moment and refocused on her cards. She was deciding
part, that moment before the customer told you just how he was going to enjoy you. Just as Balot had
Her eyes snapped back up toward Shell, and she called out her move.
Then, when Shell showed no sign of understanding, Balot rephrased her instructions.
A fat vein started visibly throbbing in Shell’s temple. He struggled to suppress his fury as he flipped
foul, abject mood meant that he physically couldn’t move any faster.
≡
The Doctor knew already, of course, as it was none other than the Doctor who had hatched the plan in
The only ones who remained oblivious to the end were the man fromOctoberCorp and Shell.
was being played—or, if it was, he soon suppressed those errant suspicions. The only thing that Shell
hold on to fromamid his shame and disgrace.
the cards seemed to be going his way.
shell. If you do end up getting some along the way, be sure to return them immediately once you’ve
of timing. So that the plan would achieve its maximumeffect.
The melee of figures at the bottomof her left armshowed her what she needed to do. Balot hit.
her recklessness had paid off. In particular to the man from OctoberCorp, standing behind Shell and the
Balot glanced up at himbefore calling out her intention to stay.
relentless. As if he wouldn’t permit Shell to lose a single hand, let alone the game. An impossible
Shell turned over his hidden card. An ace. Shell had won, by the narrowest of margins.
expression.
ultimate winning streak, and yet she was somehow suppressing it. Leaving the door open to Shell. Cutting
She was planning something. He could smell it. Even in his present state, Shell was still Shell, and he
But it was already too late. The race had already begun: a drag race, where speed was everything and
actually a chicken run straight to hell, and yet he couldn’t slam on the brakes or he would lose, and lose
Balot’s hundred-thousand-dollar chips had run out. Before long she had also exhausted her supply of
steadily, one after another, like a chain smoker his cigarettes.
Let me help you with that, they would have been thinking, most probably. They would have taken the
It was only common sense, after all—winning streaks didn’t last forever.
their luck had run out, for not knowing when to quit while they were ahead.
chips were crumbling away like an asphalt road under a jackhammer. An unstoppable force—and one that
The whole floor seemed to feel this way.
bang. How would the regulars who haunted this place react toward those who had just wandered onto
interlopers to steal their newly acquired riches. Others might try and team up with them, use them to win
no doubt. Either way, they were a veritable hornets’ nest, ready to sink their opportunistic stingers into
The best way to subdue the angry hornets was to smoke them out and put them to sleep. To do this,
the gutter, to watch its gold contents irretrievably washed away by the effluvia—well, then she’d be of no
everything, they’d see her as jinxed and avoid her like the plague.
She had to bring verisimilitude to their little act. More importantly, she had a bad debt she needed to
The upcard was 5. Balot had a queen and 2.
Waiting for the dealer to bust.
distribution of the cards, helped by information fed in from his earphone and the watchlike device on his
All that was left for him to do was entrust everything to luck and flip his hidden card. His face hoped,
The card was a king. He then went on to draw another card—queen. Total twenty-five. Bust.
black.
She snapped one of the golden chips into place on the table. The sound was like a judge’s gavel when
The air was icy with tension. Balot said and did nothing, waiting silently for her next card.
opponent to whomBalot had nothing to say.
dealt, his fingers withdrew one of the cards and dealt the one just below it, out of turn, so that he received
Ashley and Bell Wing saw right through the clumsy maneuver, as did Balot.
–Stay, Balot called immediately.
The card was a 4. Total fifteen. He went on to draw a 7. The ace in his hand was now worth only one,
Then he drew a 9. He had reached his total of twenty-one. Shell had won.
–Never doubt. It’s the road to ruin.
–The recipient of love shouldn’t have any doubts. No need to trouble yourself with questions.
Shell collected the golden chip with hands that couldn’t quite stop quavering, then took in the cards for
Shell understood all too well what had just happened. The way the cards had been dealt was ace, king,
In other words, before his switch the cards had been arranged king, ace, 4, jack, 7, 9.
ace and jack of spades: a payout of 11 to 1. Her million-dollar stake at that level of payout would have
Then it hit Shell; he had worked it all out. Where exactly Balot had inserted the red marker: right
based her own play around that.
his hand, quite literally. He felt a deep malaise welling up inside himself. He was on the verge of
John, on the other hand, was delighted to see the golden chip return to its box, welcoming it home like
chip represented his own dirty money.
existence. If, as a result of the transfer of large amounts of cash—a large payout, for example—they came
more than the actual cash that John and Shell both stood to lose.
She threw around more of the ten-thousand-dollar chips for the next few rounds, waiting for her next
mind.
Commonwealth. A funeral, a wake, but a festive occasion. The aborigines had great respect for Mother
The reason she’d ended up watching such a program was simple: she had misheard the announcer and
Abortion, abortionist, abortive—Balot was only half paying attention to the television when she
was about a completely different topic.
had conjured up. That was how she’d learned about aborigines. Where was she when she saw that
room.
flyer or poster, and the man in the office—reception, really—would then send out the girl that most
stretches of tense boredom. The girls would do what they could to alleviate this with magazines,
Occasionally, though, these other thoughts would still seep through. Much in the same way that Balot
The aborigines in the program didn’t just revere death—they also feared it. The reporter explained
to the animals being offered up to nature—she knew what it meant to be a sacrificial lamb. And she knew
It the city, people feared one another. Society was divided into those with power and those without,
interaction that served up scapegoats—sacrificial victims, a necessary and inevitable function to keep
Stories of sadistic men who could only get their kicks by torturing people, or religious nutjobs who
selected the right girls—or boys—to fulfill their fantasies to the letter, choosing their costumes and the
physically been taking machetes to the throats of their livestock, but they were doing the equivalent to the
The Date Club that Balot worked at was one of the better brothels—one of the safer ones, anyway.
In other words, they’d covered their backs against charges of violating the protection of minors law.
to reason that these were the most dangerous of all.
to be pimped out by her father on a regular basis. She’d already been with nearly a hundred johns by the
watering holes her father frequented. Then one day her father found himself in deep trouble with one of
profession that her father had taught her so well. As if that was her way of showing her filial love and
At the club the girls swapped gruesome stories of how girls who plied their wares from street corners
a horror novel. How one of her friends ended up wasting away in the hospital, her bones shattered, her
Apparently the dead girl used to refer to herself occasionally as a bomb. A ticking time bomb. Her
and had been slowly dying from it for many years, working the streets all the while. Then the dying girl
fromschool.
bombs that she had spread, hoping they would explode in a fiery blast inside the men to whom she had
Then there were the girls who worked in groups to ensnare the big earners.
handing over increasing amounts of money under the threat of public disclosure. The gangs often ended up
themselves from the backlash from the disgruntled blackmailee. The girl who told Balot this story was
realizing that she had made a mistake. Men do understand on some level that women feel pain too, she
them. Pain couldn’t fight gravity and always flowed downhill toward lower ground, finding the path of
Well, at least nothing like that ever happens here. This was the platitude so often used as the moral
girls, who had grown so used to their jobs, said so. It became a mantra, an inoculation; so long as you
just the unknowable future that could be dangerous—sometimes danger came in the form of shadows from
There were teenage outcasts from society, man-boys with no place in the world and at their wits’ end,
government officials who walked past children’s playgrounds at the same fixed time every day, hoping to
who had focused all his attention on one girl, and when the object of his affection failed to show any
forcibly marry her, at which point he was promptly apprehended by the police.
unspeakably cruel atrocities to over ten different children before she was caught and the alarm raised.
thought that was what love was. Such was the reality of how her own parents had treated her.
the open, appearing in the media, proud and unashamed of their otherness, and were recognized as
But then there were the other aliens—the ones who didn’t go out of their way to call themselves
normal. They had no more humanity in them than a giant shredding machine: flick their switches in the
their own flesh and blood.
motivations were really quite straightforward. The only thing that was at all complicated was the process
Sunny side up—the good life: no worries, no boredom, no contradictions.
from the Welfare Institute, ask a rapist why he repeatedly committed the most horrendous of atrocities,
On the program Balot had watched about the aborigines, they didn’t actually show the moment the
As is always the case on live television, they showed you up to the moment the machete was held high
engulfed in flame, the part where the blade ended the animal’s life being excised in order to preserve the
Or was it to say to the viewer You see this sort of thing every day anyway, so why should we bother
It was no more than what the viewers did—and had done to them—on a regular basis, after all.
It was to know the hand that brought the machete down. To understand the truth about the scene cut
The thingAshley needed to know most of all was whether he still had the will to carry on living, even
If the whole world took to arms against each other, brandishing their machetes, would he be able to
There came a point in all people’s lives when their fundamental belief, their trust in the basic decency
able to pick up the pieces.
made of.
fate and fortune, then Balot would be the one to challenge her destiny—by working out for herself which
≡
His eyes were wavering between two points: Balot’s face and the third million-dollar chip, which had
–Never doubt. No need to trouble yourself with questions.
him. Just like Shell once did to her. Shell didn’t understand what any of her charade meant, exactly. But he
“Are you saying that I somehow took advantage of you? Used you? For what, exactly? This is crazy!
Balot tapped the table to show her impatience for her next card.
that he was innocent, let him believe that he was innocent—for now. All Balot knew was that she had to
The upcard was a king. Balot’s cards were 5 and 6.
Shell just shook his head and turned his card over.
“I… I just wanted to help you. I gave you what you wanted. I even had a proper citizen’s ID made for
This was Shell’s last-gasp effort at explaining his actions. It was his lawyers who had come up with
explanation. Balot’s very existence was a thorn in his side; she was like the one viewer who burst out
everything!
There was only one possible answer. Silence her. That was the reason Shell kept a permanent roster
Shell yearned for drama, romance, to fill the gaping hole that was left in him when he obliterated his
whole sordid process seembeautiful. And he had chosen Balot for this role.
meaning in his life—to fight in the hands of someone who needed to use him.
warts and all. A rider who could use himproperly and at the same time appreciate himas more than just a
To Shell, on the other hand, Balot was no more than a sacrificial lamb to be offered up on the altar of
The last of the four million-dollar chips was finally released to return home to the other side of the
The golden chip was retrieved and slammed shut into its holding box just as the red marker appeared.
Balot rose fromher seat and handed her one remaining chip—a ten-thousand-dollar piece—over to the
The Doctor rolled the chip around in the palm of his hand thoughtfully, as if he’d fallen foul of the
A solitary ten-thousand-dollar chip. At one point they’d managed to swell their seed money of two
The Doctor did the only thing that anyone with an ounce of adventure in them could do. “I wonder if
Ashley smiled. “Well, since you’ve come this far…” He glanced at Shell’s face to get the house’s
instead of the feared nuclear meltdown, he was now radiating electricity.
respectfully, and the Doctor clutched the chip tight in his hands for all on the floor to see.
“I wonder if I might be permitted to walk you to the casino entrance?” asked Ashley. Bell Wing stood
Balot accepted their offer wordlessly and graciously. The Doctor, too, gave his tacit consent.
“Do you have any concerns about finding your way home?” Ashley asked. Shall I show you another
“Thanks for the offer, but we had all that double-checked before we arrived.” The Doctor confirmed
Ashley shrugged his shoulders, impressed as ever with the thoroughness of the Doctor’s preparations.
Eventually the four of them stopped in front of the somewhat surreal intersection between the casino
Balot looked straight into Bell Wing’s face. Her eyes asked whether they would ever be able to meet
“I’ll still be a croupier and I’ll carry on spinning the wheel. Not here, but some other casino. That’s
–Thank you. And goodbye.
“Goodbye,” said Bell Wing.
–Just wait a minute!
sudden appearance of a fin right in front of his face.
He sped down the highway, one hand on the wheel, the other holding Shell’s voice to his ear.
planning?”
“Better?”
“I need their location. Set someone on their tail, and I’ll take care of the rest.” Boiled’s voice was as
–Please. Boiled. Make them disappear. Make everything disappear. I want my flashbacks gone.
Boiled cut the call. With the same hand he activated the FrontView Screen. Normally it wouldn’t come
displaying a map of the casino and its environs and Boiled’s current location.
A red line extended fromthe casino to display a predicted route. A blue line extended from the marker
parallel with it thereafter.
Boiled’s attention turned not to the screen nor even the highway beyond it, but up to the skies.
windshield.
“Curiosity—that’s right. I wanted to use you, to see what it would be like…”
suppress the confusion rising up inside him.
his face.
thunderous laugh. There was no trace of humor in his voice, no sign of the milk of human kindness
The windows trembled. The roaring laughter continued. Real thunder, now, and lightning could be
Boiled continued to laugh, the primeval sound echoing into the night. “Oeufcoque! I wanted to use you!
And unstoppable. “That’s my usefulness! That’s right, that’s my usefulness! To get back what I’ve
own usefulness!”
“Let’s go home.” Oeufcoque spoke fromBalot’s right hand after she’d put the gloves back on.
any strong sense of victory. All she felt was a shaky sense of relief.
the car was covered by the roof that had automatically emerged fromthe rear side.
her hand to say she hadn’t.
“We don’t touch the whites or the shells. Just the yolk,” the Doctor said, inserting the key into the
The car drove off. Balot closed her eyes and tuned in to her surroundings.
The Doctor had prepared a triple-layered smokescreen to throw any potential tails firmly off their
The third was the complimentary passes to the hotel suites. The tickets they’d won when Balot hit her
separate elevators, Balot saying she would head straight to the room to rest, her elevator heading up, and
heading down.
make the display lights move, but when the elevators “arrived” at their respective floors, what really
Balot emerged together to head straight for the car park.
proven so elusive, the Doctor didn’t intend to be tracked down easily.
taking a direct route to the official rendezvous point with the Humpty.
over, and whenever she touched the source of the irritation her skin would flake off in silver flecks. It was
“Hey, do you need to take it easy? You can put the seat back and rest if you need to, you know.” The
Balot didn’t even answer. She just did as he suggested. She lay down, closed her eyes, and felt the
“Danger! Something’s coming, I can smell it!” Oeufcoque yelled suddenly. Balot snapped her seat belt
Her seat still in its reclining position, she sat bolt upright and tuned in to the car’s surroundings.
red car sped through the rain at well over a hundred kilometers an hour. They had already entered the
Then, amid the storm, a single car cut in violently just behind them.
Doctor’s view of the feeder lane had been blocked by the high-rise buildings to the side of the road, and
its tail.
sudden burst of acceleration threw her all the way back. She slammed into the seat, then turned to look out
She could see the car, a mere ten meters behind them. She could almost see the aura of intent
“Is it Boiled?” the Doctor shouted. Neither Balot nor Oeufcoque answered. Their silence said it all.
tearing down the road.
“Looks like we’re going to have to fight himoff. Balot—” Oeufcoque said calmly.
Balot turned to look at the Doctor, surprised at his vehemence. The Doctor stared back at her—and
it turn out to be his last.
But he was interrupted by a crash. Like one of the rear passenger doors had been kicked in, hard. One
highway.
old gun. We’ll be able to hold it for a while.”
The problemwas that Boiled’s gun was not any old gun. It was practically a portable artillery cannon.
causing the whole car to swerve. The gunfire stopped for a moment.
meters apart. Boiled was the only one inside the car behind them. Suddenly, Boiled’s car veered to the
He had finished reloading. Balot sensed Boiled’s car lining up next to theirs, Boiled taking aim with
Right at that moment the convertible swerved sharply to the left.
“Balot!” It was the Doctor shouting. He was the one in the driver’s seat, but he understood
–Just duck down. We’ll be okay. Just keep your bodylow.
The steering wheel was spinning every which way right in front of the Doctor’s eyes. Only for a
engaged.
completely, one grazed the edge of the car roof, and one smashed into the taillight.
windshield. Balot used this to measure the distance between the two cars, like a boxer’s jabs to probe
Boiled went to reload his gun, and as he did so Balot unleashed the true potential of the convertible’s
The tires, gears, and shaft were now all set to one single-minded purpose: speed.
toward the outskirts of the city at a speed of over two hundred kilometers an hour. Balot felt her
pushed on past its limit, and Balot seemed to moan along in sympathy.
theirs.
aim was to take advantage of the moment when the pressure became too much—once Balot lost
The Doctor realized this. As did Oeufcoque, who said, “Balot, use me!”
Balot hesitated. This was her hand—the hand that had once abused Oeufcoque so. Was she now
Balot’s eyes met with the deep red in Oeufcoque’s.
Just like when she first took Oeufcoque in her hands, all that while ago. Oeufcoque turned with a squelch.
“Don’t, Balot! You’re too—” The Doctor’s words were dissipated by a sharp gust of wind. The car
blades.
three hundred kilometers an hour. She was in control. She grasped the two cars. Their strengths and their
The direction the two cars were heading in. Her movements. Boiled’s movements. She sensed everything
Balot’s eyes became bloodshot, and she noticed her skin pressing in tightly on her internal organs. She
was her heart, which kept on beating away, telling her what she needed to do.
and wrapped her finger around the trigger. Amid the torrential downpour she thought she heard herself
She fired. The bullets flowed out of the gun in quick succession, meeting Boiled’s salvo in midair.
the third was enough to deflect the path of the oncoming bullet. The fourth went straight for Boiled’s face,
The sixth and final bullet found its target—Boiled’s car.
steering wheel just where she had wanted—on the spot to release the airbag. In an instant, Boiled’s face
seat.
shooting arm. He pushed his gun into the gap so that the muzzle pointed into the airbag, and fired. It
Wind and rain and shards of glass came flying into the car, and all were reflected harmlessly off the
On the other side of the newly created space was Balot.
Boiled screamed a wordless screamand fired again.
bullets in his vicinity—including his own.
Like the red convertible, Boiled’s car was also supposed to have been utterly bulletproof. But Balot
She fired repeatedly at the hood, hitting the same spot again and again, and this eventually opened up a
and ripped the cambelt to shreds.
A gap opened up between the cars. Balot and Boiled both looked for an opportunity to fire, but too
could no longer keep up.
though, it became clear that their duel had come to a close, at least for now.
highway.
–The steering…
in the driver’s seat, she collapsed across the rear passenger seat.
All Balot heard was a ringing noise. Her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably, her lungs panted—rapid and
“Shit, why does this girl always have to try so hard ! Can’t she just take it easy once in a while?” the
live? To survive?”
moon had decided to come down with the rain.
Not so much in prayer—more to demand of the heavens that it keep its side of the bargain, now that he
≡
engine, and when its noise had died down he could hear the sound of the rainfall even more keenly.
Suddenly the rington