Star Runners (4 page)

Scorpion destroys KillRGurl19, LASER.
Scorpion destroys DooNutKing, LASER.

Austin locked a fighter and fired a missile at long range. A fighter flashed in a fiery death. Got him.

Rock destroys Patriot900, MISSILE.

Austin's Trident soared into the middle of the chaos. The two remaining fighters twirled and spun around him. He veered his fighter left, then right, trying to get a clean shot at any of the enemies. He balanced his shields as a stray bolt sizzled into his rear engines. The lights on the control board flickered, but remained solid.

Scorpion destroys BykerBoy2008, LASER.

He swallowed.
I'm the only one left. Just me and Scorpion.

He brought the Trident around in a long, sweeping loop, trying to increase the distance from Scorpion. He still had two missiles and activated them. If he could keep this guy off him for a few seconds, he could fire two blind shots and might get lucky.

But Scorpion stayed close. He fired at Austin until his energy banks must have emptied. Austin's rear shields dropped to nothing. He clinched his teeth and sent his remaining power to the rear shields. At the same time, he changed course and sent the fighter into a deep dive. Animated sparks shot from his dashboard as Scorpion landed two more shots with the lasers.

Austin again changed course, but this time placed what power remained back into his engines and set for full reverse. The star field stopped spinning. He brought the nose of the craft straight up. Scorpion's Trident overshot him by the length of half a fighter and Austin squeezed the trigger twice.

Fire and light filled the screen with a blinding light. His shields disintegrated and the warning bells fired. The "eject" warning sounded and flashed. The control board went dark and his ship spun. He had no shield power, engines, or weapons. The explosion of his missiles destroyed most of his ship, but he still remained spinning into oblivion. He only had to wait for Scorpion to fly back and strafe him.

He sighed. He had given it his best shot.

Wait, that's strange.

No other fighter showed up on the sensors.

His jaw dropped.

The stars stopped spinning and the session results appeared on the screen.

He won the match. Scorpion’s name appeared at the number two spot in the dogfight.

He wasn't sure how, but he defeated the invincible Scorpion. His overall statistics showed him at number three on the top ten, but Scorpion now had one defeat next to his call sign.

Austin logged out. A base orbiting a moon loomed in the distance as he stared at the screen he had seen a thousand times before.

A loud beep filled his headset. He glanced at the bottom of the
Star Runners
screen. Someone sent him a message.

Rock,
Nice job out there. Next time, I won't be caught sleeping.
Look forward to a rematch.
Scorpion

Austin grinned. A few seconds later, his inbox filled with other messages from other pilots. News of his victory over Scorpion spread. Most of the messages consisted of congratulations while others wanted to know how he had done it. One even accused him of cheating with a special code.

He didn't know how to explain the luck.

After Austin shut down his computer and crawled into bed, he gazed at the ceiling for hours.

Tiny pebbles grinded between his clinched teeth while he flipped a sunflower seed with his tongue. The salty taste blended with the dirt of the baseball field. A hot breeze rushed in from the outfield like a furnace. Heat seared from the cloudless blue sky. Many in the small crowd remarked on the beautiful weather. Austin scoffed at the comments.
I wonder how they would like wearing this equipment.
His blue shirt dripped with sweat, making it a full shade darker than his teammates. He drained the water bottle three times since the game started.

Austin sighed and surveyed the stands. Two men sat behind home plate, one with a radar gun and the other a notepad. As the opposing pitcher warmed up, the men jotted notes in silence. Scouts attended games all the time and had probably traveled to see his teammate Mark Davis in the final game of his high school career.

At the beginning of the season, Austin hoped to shine on the field and attract attention to grab a scholarship. Coach Lucas Hearn told him after every game to practice the skills and learn the game. Austin gave the team everything. He arrived early to practice. He stayed late. He hit the batting cages. He did calisthenics at home. If he found a ride home, he'd stay at the school gym after classes. He woke early, ran through the neighborhood, and ate high protein breakfasts when all he really wanted was a donut.

The workouts paid off and he dropped fifteen pounds during the season. He believed Coach Hearn and knew the scholarship was his route to college.

Despite his efforts, the scouts never called. The Blue Devils fought hard to end up with a .500 record and a solid third place in the region standings. The team failed to make the playoffs. Regardless of the outcome of this game against the Cardinals, the season ended today.

Austin squinted. Kadyn waved back at him from behind the scouts. He tipped his cap to his only “fan” at the game. She laughed. Even though Mom tried to get a more permanent job than the part time medical assisting gig, she couldn't find anything with better hours. She missed most of his games, always working the late afternoon shift at a local doc-in-the-box. Kadyn came to all the games, though, cheering and whooping from the stands.

He stared at his black leather batting gloves. The threads at the finger split and the palms wore through on his right hand, but he wouldn’t get rid of the glove Dad gave him in the last season.

"Stone! You're on deck!" Hearn yelled from the end of the dugout.

Austin grabbed his bat and stepped out into the intense heat. He glanced at the scoreboard displaying two outs. Coach Hearn pinch hit with the junior Jordan Frank who itched to play this final game. Austin took a few practice swings.

The ball cracked against Jordan's bat and looped in between the shortstop and third baseman. The small crowd clapped, but the Blue Devils still trailed by six in the final inning.

"Austin!"

He turned to his coach.

"Be patient and keep this season alive. Wait for your pitch!"

Austin nodded. His stomach ascended into his throat. His pulse increased. Kicking dirt around and holding up his hand for the umpire, Austin settled in to the box. He spit out the final remnants of a sunflower seed and stared down the pitcher who towered on the mound. With massive biceps and broad shoulders, the pitcher looked like a linebacker for his school. He glared with colorless eyes from behind his glove as he waited for a signal from the catcher. Austin swayed in the box and readied his bat.

The pitcher wound up and released the ball
. Sizzle-POP
.

The ball soared by him. Strike one.

Austin stepped back from the box and took a deep breath.

"Come on, Austin! Bring me home!" Jordan called from first base.

When he stepped back into the box, Austin knew the next pitch would be a curve.

Sizzle-POP.

Austin swung and missed. He cursed under his breath.

"Time!" Coach Hearn yelled.

Austin went to the dugout. Coach Hearn placed his thick hands on Austin's shoulders.

"You okay?"

Austin looked at the pitcher. "Yes, sir."

"Hey, look at me. Not him. Just have fun out there, son, okay? Take a deep breath and hit the ball."

Austin nodded and turned back to the box. He glanced at the stands. The scouts put away their notebooks and the radar gun. The scout on the left crossed his arms over his chest while the other worked on his cell phone. Behind them, Kadyn brought her hands to her face as if she waited for a bomb to go off. He looked away. His heart pulsed in his ears.

He stood in the box and prepared for the pitch.

The muscular pitcher wound up with a grin and released the ball.

Austin swung hard, pouring the frustration of the season and scouts ignoring him, all the pain of losing Dad and his best friend, into the swing. The bat met the ball perfectly right on the sweet spot and lifted from his view.

He didn't stay in the box to admire it. He remembered Dad’s advice before every game, "Run like wolves are after you!"

Austin sprinted down the first base line. He glanced up when he crossed first base. The ball dropped from the sky and landed far enough to be a homerun, but fell foul. His shoulders slumped as he walked back to the plate.

"Just a loud strike, Bryan!" the opposing coach yelled.

Austin sighed and readied for the next pitch.

"Come on, Austin. Straighten that puppy out!"

"Do it again, Austin!"

"Let's go, Austin. Outta here!"

The pitcher stared at his catcher, his brow wrinkled. The ball left the pitcher's hand.

The ball sank down toward the dirt. Austin started his swing too early. He tried to pull back, but he already committed. He couldn't stop. The ball sailed below his bat into the powdery red dirt.

"Strike three!"

The opposing catcher tagged Austin out to make sure the game ended. Remaining at home plate, Austin stood in the sea of Cardinals celebrating their victory.

*****

Austin tossed his empty water bottle and glove into his bag. He hadn't heard a word of the coach's speech. Someone mentioned a season party, but he didn't listen. He struck out to end the season, so he spent most of the coach's speech studying the cracked concrete floor of the dugout.

He slung his bat over his shoulder.

"Austin, can we talk before you leave?"

Austin sighed. "Yes, coach."

Coach Hearn nodded at the other players as they filed out of the dugout before he turned back to Austin. "You had a heck of a year, son. I've never had a player work so hard."

Austin stared at his feet.

Coach Hearn cleared his throat. "I know this has been hard."

"Did any college contact you?" Austin whispered.

"Son, that's not important. You worked hard and I know that you could walk on and try out at any college you choose. Others coaches will see what I see. If they don't, you have them call me."

Austin rubbed his eyes. It sounds good, he thought, but the only college he could afford would be the local community college. And that school didn't have a baseball team. The only way he could walk on a team would be to attend the college, but it didn't look like that was going to be happening.

He wanted to say this to Coach Hearn, wanted to tell him the situation.

"Thanks, coach. Thanks for everything."

His voice broke with the last word and Austin hurried out of the dugout. Wiping at his face, he jogged out into the parking lot. Kadyn stood leaning against her car. She wore a Blue Devils baseball hat and allowed a crooked smile. She crossed her arms over a white T-shirt. Austin shook his head as he walked closer. In the fading light of day, Kadyn looked beautiful.

"Hey you," she said.

Austin gazed to the right.

Kadyn touched his arm. "You wanna go home?"

Austin nodded and they got into the car.

They rode in silence. Austin leaned back and watched the neighborhoods pass. When they turned onto Austin's street, he cleared his throat.

"So, uh, you hear back from the art school?"

Kadyn smiled and shrugged. "Not sure, yet. I have to check the mail at home."

Austin looked at her. She pressed her lips together. "Liar."

She smacked his knee. "How do you always know?"

The tension left his chest. "Just do. So you got in?"

She nodded. "I got in."

"I'm happy for you. Your dreams are coming true."

Her smile vanished. "Everything will work out. I promise it will."

He shook his head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"I don't need that," he snapped. "The coach tried to do the same thing."

Kadyn stopped the car at a stop sign and looked at him. "What are you talking about? What did the coach say?"

Austin stared out the window and brought his hand to his mouth. "I'm not getting a scholarship. I'll be lucky if I can go anywhere."

"I thought coach said scouts would come looking for a catcher."

"Not this catcher." Austin gestured forward. "Let's just go. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I'm just not in a very good mood."

Kadyn paused for a long moment. She touched his knee and drove the car to Austin's house. When they pulled into his driveway, Austin looked at her. He opened his mouth, but the words died before he said anything. He nodded.

"See you Monday?” she asked.

"Yep." He hesitated. "Thanks."

The outside heat after the car's air conditioning shocked him. The air stuck to his shirt and he fought back a shiver.

Mom stood at the front door, a stack of mail in her hands. She flipped through the envelopes as if looking for something. As he approached, she pushed open the door.

"Hi honey. How was the game?"

He shrugged. "Fine." He eyed the mail. "Anything good?"

"Bills."

"Of course it is."

Their eyes met. "Are you alright?"

"Tough day."

She murmured and slipped off his hat. "You're drenched. Come in and take a shower. We'll have dinner in a little bit."

The cool air in the house surrounded his sweaty body. He tossed his baseball bag on the floor and walked to the bathroom.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it today," Mom called from the kitchen.

"You didn't miss anything."

The shower started off as cold as possible before he warmed it to relax his muscles. Afterwards, he slipped on shorts and an old, ragged T-shirt before he collapsed in front of the computer. Perhaps a few sessions before dinner would get his mind off the game. He shook his head. The image of his bat missing the final pitch flashed in his mind.

He smiled when the
Star Runners
game screen opened. He waited while the computer made the connection. The speakers pinged, announcing he received a request from Josh for a live video chat.

"Wow," he said.

Josh had been gone the entire spring. He called several times and wrote emails the first two weeks. The early correspondence centered on Josh missing Atlanta and how he wanted to know what happened at school. Austin placated his friend, but didn't really care to gossip about the dating scene or the latest word on the cheerleading squad. In February, however, the phone calls stopped. Josh's emails became less frequent and more cryptic. When Austin asked how things went at the Lobera School of Excellence, Josh wrote, "Been busy" or "These college courses are hard." He never went into detail about the school or what classes he took.

Josh’s status displayed he awaited acknowledgment of the video chat.

Austin slipped on his headset and turned up the volume. He opened the chat room provided on the
Star Runners
server and a rectangular video screen loaded. The grainy image shifted and popped, revealing a small book shelf in the background and a half empty cola bottle in front of the screen. A dozen books and papers littered the bookshelf. The dim lighting obscured the book titles and the writing on the papers. An air conditioner hummed in his earphones.

Austin cleared his throat. "Uh, hello?"

"Hang on!"

Austin's head shot back at the sound. His heart thumped in his chest like it tried to escape.

A figure settled into a chair in front of the screen. "Sorry, man, I was finishing up some things and hoped you would eventually log in tonight."

Austin's jaw dropped. The person on the computer screen looked familiar, but older. A leaner, tougher looking Josh with cropped hair stared at him. Josh smiled, his eyes filled with a cold steel.

"Uh, yeah," Austin said.

"Sorry it's been so long, man. Things here have been interesting."

Austin nodded. "So you like it then? I was beginning to wonder."

Josh shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. I was calling to see how the game went?"

He blinked. "Game?"