Analog Science Fiction And Fact - June 2014 (14 page)

"Victory!"

The Giants' offense trotted onto the field and huddled up. Markus led his squad onto the field. He swatted Kat's shoulder on the way out. "We cool?"

"It ain't no thing." The smile behind her face-plate was forced. Damn.

"Cover two, deep, high-g," Coach said in his earpiece.

"Got it," Markus said. He put his people into position to defend a pass play.

Gravity increased at the snap, but it wasn't even enough to stiffen the plastiform at his knees. The Giants' coach must have tried to dial the gee down. Pass play.

And here came Hardwick across the middle. Short throw, no real deflection at near normal-g, caught for a three-yard gain. Markus drilled his shoulder into the receiver's chest and felt both plastiform shells stiffen simultaneously.

"I'll be hitting like that all day," he said.

Hardwick waved the ball in his face and grinned behind his faceplate. "Try to keep up, old man." He trotted back to the huddle, and Markus stared heat at his back.

A couple of high-g running plays netted the Giants a first down. Markus sucked oxy-mix through his rebreather and watched his blood O
₂
levels rise. "They're going to take a shot," he said into his mic.

"Nah. They're gonna run it down our throat until we stop them," Coach said in his ear. "Pull the safeties up into the box."

"But—"

"Do it."

He waved the safeties up and set for the snap. Gravity went light, really light, and his head swam. He saw the wide receivers taking bounding strides downf ield. "Cover them deep," he shouted to his corners.

"I'm on Hardwick's ass," Kat said.

"Stay on his outside shoulder," Markus told her.

"But the ball's gonna break inside at low-g."

The ball was already in the air, sailing in a high arc over Markus's head. Taking its time. "Damn it, just trust me."

Kat moved like a gazelle, bounding along with Hardwick. At the last moment, she bounced toward the sideline. Hardwick turned outward to make the catch, but Kat was right there to break it up. Incomplete.

Markus braced for the return of normal-g. He patted Kat's ass as she trotted past him. "Nice play."

She gave him a thumbs-up.

Hardwick brushed against him on his way back to the huddle, jamming his shoulder into him hard enough to momentarily stiffen his plastiform. "Your bitch is dead if she tangles with me again."

Markus felt heat. "You wanna say that to my face?" Hardwick didn't react, and Markus's blood boiled. He charged the retreating receiver and batted his helmet. "You got something to say?"

A whistle blew and a yellow flag dropped to the ground.

"Personal foul, unnecessary roughness. Number 53, defense. Fifteen yard penalty. First down."

Damn it.

Coach yelled in his ear. "What the hell are you doing, Greene?"

"Sorry Coach."

"You need to sit out for a play or two until you cool down."

"But Coach—"

"Sideline. Now."

Markus swore and trotted to the sideline.

"Take a seat and cool off."

"Come on, Coach. He threatened Kat."

"You a rookie or something? Guys talk shit. Deal with it."

The crowd roared. Markus's head snapped to the field. "They're eating us alive. Come on!"

"Then get your head out of your ass and keep your focus."

Markus nodded. "I'm cool."

Coach called in his next play and punched in his gravity setting. "I'll put you back in after this play."

Markus looked to the field once more. Looked like another low-g long pass. Hardwick bounced down the sideline and Kat stayed with him, stride for stride. Then, unexpectedly, she took a tumble, falling to the field in slow motion. The stadium shook with a deafening blast of cheers as Hardwick broke free and the ball fell feather-light into his hands. The safety moved to intercept, eating five yards with each bound, but it was too late. Hardwick crossed the goal line and the crowd noise rose to the threshold of pain.

Markus turned his attention back to Kat and saw her sitting up holding her knee. "Get the med guys out there!" He ran to her without waiting to see if Coach had heard him.

He could see the pain in Kat's eyes. "It's bad," she said, grimacing. "Think I tore something."

"What happened? Your plastiform malf?"

She shook her head. "He did it. You were right about him."

"Who, Hardwick?"

"Yeah. A sudden shear force twisted my leg just as it hit the ground." The team doctor prodded at her knee and she winced. "Don't know how he does it, but the bastard is playing with the GEM forces. You were right."

He squeezed her shoulder. "He's a dead man."

"Just keep your cool. The Wild Kat wants a win."

"You got it." He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"Now get off the field and let them wheel me out of here." She gave him a mischievous grin, but he could see pain in her eyes.

The med staff wheeled her away. He watched with his hands balled into fists. The offense took the field, and Markus paced the sideline with angry strides.

"Welcome to the Halftime Report. Did you expect it to be this lopsided, Johnny?"

"If you ask me, they're lucky to go into half-time with only a 17–3 deficit. Coach Kaminski needs to make some big defensive adjustments in the second half if they're going to have any chance to win this game."

"Right, Johnny, especially with their best corner, Wild Kat Johnson, out with a torn ACL. The rest of the defense is going to have to step up."

"I don't see it happening, not with the Giants' Hardwick tearing up the secondary. I say the Giants win this one and advance to the Championship Game."

—The Halftime Report with Johnny and Ted

The locker room was quiet, the silence of a team without hope. Markus sat on the bench, chin on his fists, brooding. If only Kat hadn't been hurt...

His explosion in the film room lingered in his mind, along with Kat's sad, forced grin at his not-really apology. If only she had believed him.

But she had. She broke outside when he'd told her to. She wasn't the one who had lost faith.
I've been a real ass.

She deserved better than she got. He'd put her on Hardwick's radar, but failed to see the whole picture. Hardwick had the last laugh af
No.I'm not letting that bastard win.

He stood and pounded his fist against his locker. "Yo, listen up."

"The hell, man?"

Markus raised his voice. "I never thought I'd see this team turn into a bunch of losers. Sitting around waiting for them to hand your asses to you in the second half? Not me."

"You miss the news?" the strong safety said. "Kat tore her ACL. Hardwick's gonna trample us."

Markus got into her face. "Hardwick's a cheat. He hurt Kat on purpose. You gonna let him get away with that?"

One of the linemen stood. "How the hell'd he do that?"

"I don't know. Some kind of miniature GEM generator or something. Sheared her knee with a microburst."

"Son of a bitch."

Most of his teammates were on their feet now, murmuring. Markus saw intensity in their eyes. "We going to let them get away with hurting Kat?"

"Hell no!"

"Then let's get out there and tear them a new one!"

His teammates charged out of the locker room, shouting. Markus followed.

"Wait up, Greene," Coach said from behind.

"What's up, Coach?"

"I appreciate you firing up the defense and all. Lord knows they needed it. But you can't just accuse a guy of cheating like that."

"But he is cheating. He manipulated the GEM forces, cut Kat's knee out beneath her."

"You have proof?"

"He was with the Fischer girl back in college—"

"Get off that conspiracy theory shit." Coach's eyes burned with intensity. "Get your head in the game and keep it there."

Markus glared at Coach for a long moment. "I'm right about this." He turned abruptly and trotted out to the field.

The offense got the ball first and started the half with a long scoring drive. "Now that's what I'm talking about," Markus said. "We're back in this game! Now let's do our part." He trotted onto the field with his defense.

"Will 'backer goes on a zone blitz, roll safety coverage over Hardwick."

"Right, Coach."
He doesn't trust a backup cornerback one-on-one with Hardwick.
"Gee setting?"

"I'll go heavy, but count on them to bring it way down. They'll want to test Kat's backup deep."

Markus's weight decreased at the snap, and he dropped back to cover the middle of the field. He glanced left and saw Hardwick, as expected, bounding downfield. "McFee, stay on his outside shoulder."

"Huh?"

Hardwick was going to eat him alive. No time to think. Act. Markus scanned the backfield and saw his Will linebacker barreling toward the quarterback. He overshot, and the QB stepped up, scrambling, looking to set for the throw.

Markus charged forward, shooting into the line like a bullet. Too late. The QB planted his feet and heaved deep.

Markus planted both feet and launched himself, converting his momentum into a tremendous leap in the low gee. He threw his arms up and felt the sting of the ball deflecting off his fingertips. He heard the crowd roar, then fall silent as the ball drifted to the ground.

Coach's voice shouted in his ear. "What the hell are you doing out there, Greene?"

"Making a play."

"You left the middle wide open. If the QB had seen the slot receiver, she'd have gone for six."

"His eyes were glued to Hardwick all the way."

"Damn it, just stay in position."

Next play was a short pass over the middle.
Uh-uh, you ain't catching me away from home.
Markus drilled the tight end. Incomplete.

Screen pass, defensed by the strong safety. Seven yard gain, fourth down. Punt.

By the end of the third quarter, down by three, Markus had the defensive rhythm down. Sandwiching Hardwick between McFee and the strong safety took him out of the game.

He can't cheat the deflection force if the QB can't throw the ball his way.

The offense scored the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Giants changed strategy. Hardwick on intermediate routes across the middle.

Right in Markus's turf.

First time Markus got caught looking into the backfield. They dialed up the gee a few points and he bit on the run. Hardwick got behind him and turned upfield with the ball. The free safety saved Markus's ass with a nice open field tackle.

"Gotta watch those ACL injuries," Hardwick said with a vicious grin. "Could be a career en-der."

Markus spit out his rebreather and turned, fists balled. "You looking to get popped?" He took a step after him.

Let it go.

He purposefully turned his head to the sidelines, breathing hard. "What's the call, Coach?"

"Cover one over Hardwick's side, but watch the crossing route. They like to dial the gee up on those, so I'm going to drop it a bit."

"Got it."

Gee stayed steady at the snap. Hardwick broke from McFee and cut across Markus's zone. The QB's head swiveled his way and the ball came out. Markus closed the gap, barreling full-tilt toward Hardwick.

Minimal deflection, stay steady.

Head lowered, braced for impact. Thump. His entire upper plastiform carapace stiffened. Hardwick collapsed on his back and the ball sailed overhead. Boos rained down from the crowd.

Yellow flag.

Damn.

"Pass interference, number 53, defense. Spot of the foul, first down."

Hardwick popped to his feet and grinned at him. "Maybe you need to twist a knee, too."

Rage burned Markus's face. "You're going down."

"Nah, on second thought, you're too much fun to play with."

Markus raised his fist, but McFee grabbed his arm from behind. An official stepped in the middle of it.

Coach's voice could have blistered his ear. "What the hell was that, Greene?"

"Guy needed his face rubbed in the turf. Still does."

"Get your head out of your ass or I'll sit you down."

"He was jawing about Kat."

"Two more like that and they'll be in field goal position. Now calm the hell down and do your job. Cover two, light, Mike blitz."

Markus swiveled his head to the sideline, incredulous. "You want me to blitz? You can't be serious."

"Do your job, Greene."

"You'll leave Hardwick wide open in the middle."

"Do your job."

Markus made the call and gravity went light. He launched himself up and forward, timing it so he landed right behind the left tackle. The tackles pulled a stunt on these blitz packages, and Markus shot the gap between them.

With low-gee, he made sure he came in high in case the QB lobbed the ball up.
If he gets the ball to Hardwick, he's gone.

The QB pulled the ball down and sidestepped Markus, but then he had to deal with the defensive end barreling toward him. Markus landed light as a feather and twisted. His left foot absorbed a lot of his momentum before the plastiform at his ankle stiffened. But the twist launched him again, right at the QB's back. He jammed his shoulder into his back and took him down.

Markus popped to his feet, arms raised. The defensive end batted him on the helmet. "That's how you do it!"

Coach's voice sounded in his ear. "Now do you trust me?"

Markus deflated just a bit. "Sorry, Coach."

"Now let's close it out. "Cover two, light. You got Hardwick if he crosses the middle."

"Thanks, Coach."

Gee went up, slightly. Hardwick cut in front of Markus. No appreciable deflection, and he made the catch easily. Markus swore and dragged him down. Third and five coming up.

"Too easy," Hardwick said.

"That was your last one."

Hardwick sneered. "Get near me and you'll be on injured reserve before you know what hit you."

Rage rose again, but the voice in his headset stopped him cold. "It ain't no thing," Kat said.

Markus's head swung to the sidelines. Kat stood on crutches next to Coach, a wide grin on her face. "Good to hear your voice," Markus said.