“Leo, you just won the Astafar Unlimited World Championship for the tenth year in a row. What are you going to do now?” the reporter was one of those plastic blonde women that appealed to most men.

“I’m going to Disney World, of course,” I said. Then I remembered that the advertising contract said I was supposed to smile, so I did.

The crowd laughed, and a dozen other reporters screamed their questions simultaneously while they pushed their microphones into my face.

“Hey, all you crazy kids, the Champ has had his fill of questions, and we’ve got a bunch of parties that we have to attend. Give him a break!” My manager grabbed onto my arm and then plowed through the ranks of reporters as if he was one of those ice breaking ships in Antarctica.

The crowd groaned with disappointment, and a few of the reporters still tried to ask me questions as I passed, but Sal gave them the “tough old Jew look” as he called it, and they retreated as if he’d set off an area of effect blast.

“Look Champ, we’ve got a lot of shit to do tonight. I know you want to stay and chat with your fans, but you will never guess who I was schmoozing with in the VIP box.” Sal finished pulling me out of the long stadium tunnel, and we were suddenly in the open parking lot. There were thousands of people crowded around a barricade of security in riot gear, and they tried to reach through the wall of armor to make a grab for me.

“Leeee Ohhhh!” they screamed along with hundreds of camera flashes.

“Who?” I yelled over the crowd as I leaned into the short, balding man.

“Guess Champ!” He gave me a charming smirk and then nodded to one of the bodyguards who held the limo door open.

My two bodyguards were ex-Navy SEAL, and they were both almost the size of Calic. They were good men and had been part of my entourage for the last eight years. It wasn’t as if I felt that I really needed any protection, but I did get plenty of death threats from stalkers, and the CIA had once met with Sal and I to tell us that they suspected that a few governments were more than a little interested in making sure my string of victories didn’t continue.

“Ahh! I can’t wait. The President!” Sal did a little dance in the limo seat as the two of my bodyguards entered the limo to sit next to us.

“Oh, Arensto? He had spoken to me before the match started,” I gave him a wink and a smile.

“No, no, no Champ. Not the president of Astafar Unlimited, the President. Of the United States.” He made an expression that reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from that old Alice in Wonderland cartoon.

“Whoa, he was here?” I asked as the limo started to move. I saw the crowd break free from the wall of guards and begin to chase my car. My two bodyguards; their names were actually Chester “Chip” Smith, and Daniel “Dale” Steward; tensed slightly in their seats as the crowd got within a few dozen feet of the bumper, but then my driver sped away, and they both relaxed.

“Yeah, it was kind of hush-hush, but Arensto, President Efron, and I were talking all about your next career moves.”

“What career? There is no one left to fight,” I sighed and glanced out the window. I’d grown up on the streets of the Bronx, but I hadn’t been back in almost eleven years. It felt weird to be here, especially in this fancy limo.

“There will be a new challenger next year, but probably not Jin. I don’t think that kid has the stones to battle you again.”

“Where are Jax and Garf?” I asked. We had passed one of the diners that the three of us used to eat at when we were broke high school kids. The place was named Tony’s Spot, and it served a mishmash of pizza, hot dogs, Greek food, and Asian noodles.

“They are already at the party. Oh, here is your phone and wallet,” Sal said as he reached into his jacket pocket and passed me my personal items.

I glanced at my phone and sighed. Over six hundred text messages, and two hundred missed calls. I didn’t recognize any of the numbers, and I reasoned that it was time to get a new cell phone number.

“Which party?” I asked as I stared out the window. We passed one of the playgrounds that Jax, Garf, and I used to play basketball in. For a while, the three of us were sure we were going to be pro ballers, but then we had started playing VR games, and the combination of the physical activity, teamwork, and fantasy world had pulled us in and never let go.

“It’s one that Katney is hosting. The tabloids went crazy last month when they photographed you two together. That helped me raise the price of the Nike promotional ad spot. I’m thinking that this will fuel the fires a bit more.”

“If you say so,” I said again with a sigh. In a few minutes, we would be out of my borough. I guessed we were heading to lower Manhattan because the driver was heading out of the east side of the Bronx to cut into Brooklyn.

“Hey Champ, what’s wrong? I thought you liked Katney? She’s the hottest singer alive right now. You two together is like Cleopatra and Caesar.”

“She’s fine, I guess. I don’t even know her, Sal. We had dinner that one time, then we met at the airport last month randomly.”

I didn’t want to tell Sal that the beautiful girl had bored me to tears during our dinner, and I hadn’t returned her calls since. When we happened to run across each other at the Los Angeles airport last month, we had done a quick photo session with the crowd, and she had told me that she was a bit upset at me for brushing her off.

“So what else is wrong, Champ? How can I help ya? You look down, you should be happy. Ten years in a row. Your name is up there on the wall with all the sports greats. It is etched in stone and filled with gold, my man.”

“I dunno Sal, I’m just... I’m just bored. I know it is stupid.” I looked out the window and saw the apartment tower that I used to live in with my parents.

“You aren’t stupid, Leo; no one can play like you. You’ve got it all, the strategic mind and world class fitness. Everyone wants to be you--”

“Hey, tell the driver to stop,” I interrupted.

“Wait, what? No, Champ, we have a bunch of appearances to make. I’ve got this party, and then two more we need to go to after.”

The Jewish man leaned forward in his seat and waved frantically as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Text me the address. I’ll call a car and meet you there. I just want to go for a walk in my old stomping grounds,” I said as the limo slowed and pulled next to a curb.

“No, Champ. Everyone is going to be expecting you. We’ve got all the A listers there man! You are going to leave me hanging!” Sal looked pretty upset, and I felt bad for a few seconds. He’d been my business partner since I won my first tournament. The man had secured my love and trust after he broke into my training room, told me that he was ‘the toughest, fastest talking, best video game playing manager-Jew this side of the pond’, and challenged me to a duel in Astafar Unlimited. I’d kicked his ass, of course, but he did much better than I expected.

“I won’t be that late. Stall them for like an hour. Tell Garf and Jax to cover for me.” I opened the door, and Sal sighed. Maybe he knew me well enough to understand that I needed to be alone for a bit.

“Want us to come too, Champ?” Dale asked as I stepped out of the car.

“No, I’ve got my hoodie, no one will recognize me here,” I said as I raised the cowl of my sweater.

“Champ, you just won the World Championships. You could walk down the street in rural Patagonia, and they would know who you are.” Dale shook his head with a sour look.

“Yeah, but they aren’t going to expect me walking around outside of Yankee Stadium after they saw me drive away. Look, I’ll be okay Dale. I’ll just go visit my old house, few other places, then I’ll call a car. Be at the party in half an hour. If you are with me, I’ll definitely stick out.” I closed the door before Dale could respond, and then I knocked on the roof of the limo.

The car didn’t move at first, but once I started walking it continued to roll down the street away from me.

Then I was alone.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled the device from my pocket. Sal had texted me the address, along with a long message begging me not to take too long. I tapped on the screen a quick reply back, and then put it back in my pocket. The time was close to ten at night, but I knew that Tony’s Spot was an all night hole in the wall kind of diner. Or at least, it was some dozen years ago.

I walked past a man and woman chatting about my recent battle, but the couple didn’t even spare me a glance, and I realized that I had been holding my breath. I let it out with a chuckle, and then rounded the street corner to face the apartment building that I had once lived in. The place looked as it had before, with an ancient looking brick surface, broken fence, and half the light bulbs out of the lamps on the building. I recalled the building had been made in the 1970’s, and it didn’t look as if it had gotten any sort of facelift in the last eighty years.

I continued on my walk and came to the playground where Garf, Jax, and I had spent most of our pre-teen years. The courts were empty, cracked, and three of the four court lamps weren’t working. Perhaps the scene should have upset me, but I hadn’t spent more than a few minutes thinking about basketball since I’d quit it cold turkey to play Astafar Unlimited.

I continued my walk on the streets of my hometown. There were some loud party noises emerging from the buildings lining the street, and I guessed that people were celebrating the USA hat trick of wins over the rest of the world. First, our All-Star team had beaten the other nations in the Dungeon Run event. It was a timed effort that required a party of adventurers to clear an unseen area the quickest. We had bested the other nations by a good three minutes, and some of the teams believed that we had cheated.

Then we had beaten the other nations in our team arena challenge. This event was multiple rounds and carried through a different types of deathmatch, capture the flag or assault modes. Garf, Jax, and I had dominated again, but it was almost expected after our performance in the Dungeon Run.

I let my mind wander to the duel I had just fought, and I lost track of time. My feet stopped on their own, and I looked around in surprise. I was standing in front of Tony’s Spot, and the scent of freshly baked pizza seeped out of the cracks under the glass door. My last meal had been this morning, and my stomach growled with frustration.

I kept my head down when I stepped into the tiny red and white themed diner. There was no one else in the place, but I didn’t want to freak out the single waitress standing behind the cash register.

“You have to order and pay before you sit down. There is a sign right there.” The girl pointed to a piece of paper that was laminated and taped to the wall by the door.

“Oh, okay,” I said as I stepped to the cash register.

“You have to take your hoodie off for the cameras. We keep getting robbed.”

“I’ve got a really bad cold,” I lied, “Here is my cash. Can I have a personal pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pizza? Ahh, two dirty dogs, and one of Tony’s tofu ramen bowls.” I opened my wallet when I talked and handed the girl a crisp hundred dollar bill.

“Take out or eat in?” she asked as she keyed the register.

“Eat in. I’ll sit in the corner if you don’t mind. Hey, keep the change.”

“You sure?” She raised an eyebrow. She was kind of cute, but looked like she still wasn’t old enough to drink.

“Yeah. Oh, can you get me some water, and maybe a coffee?”

“You got it.” Her previous look of annoyance was now replaced with a smile.

I walked to one of the small booths in the corner and sat with my back to the wall. The waitress soon set down a cup of coffee and a plastic cup filled with ice water.

“Been super slow because of the match. Did you watch it?” she asked.

“Yeah. Had a pretty good seat, actually.” I continued to stare down at the red-painted table so that the girl couldn’t see me.

“Wow, I heard tickets were going for a few large. Even in the nosebleed sections. Probably worth it. Leo is amazing. Did you get a good look at him?”

“Not really, sorry,” I said.

“Ahh too bad. Don’t say sorry to me. If I’d have been there, I probably would have ripped off my clothes and tried to rape him. He’s so fucking hot.”

“Ramen up!” a voice sounded in the back of the restaurant, and the girl turned her head.

“Let me go grab your noodles,” she said, and I watched her walk to the far counter.

The waitress set the bowl on my table and then moved back to her position behind the register. There were still no TVs in the diner, and I was kind of glad. I imagined that every news station would be playing my interviews, and I just wanted to be somewhere away from the game.

Away from my life.

I was stupid to be feeling this way. I had accomplished everything I ever dreamed about. Of course, I had worked hard to get here, harder than anyone else alive, but I had always been fueled by my thought of the next challenge. I had wanted to be the world champion. I had wanted to be the grand champion. I had wanted to win for ten years in a row. I had everything I wished for, but now I didn’t know what I would do with myself.

The battles weren’t even hard anymore.

Sure I’d done my work. I hadn’t slacked off in my training. I’d maintained my disciplined regimen and had listened to my coaches. I did everything I needed to do to ensure that I would win my tenth time.

What now? Eleven wins? Fifteen? Twenty? Thirty?

Did it even matter anymore? I had more money than I could ever spend, and I’d fulfilled all my dreams.

I wasn’t even thirty yet. Was the next step to start a family? Should I get married? Have kids?

Should I just retire?

“Anyone sitting here?” A woman’s voice tore me from my reverie.

“Excuse me?” I hadn’t even taken a bite of my ramen yet. I was still staring at the steaming bowl, and I could see the shape of perfect legs wrapped in business suit slacks.

“Anyone sitting here? Can I join you?” she asked again.

“Uhh, there are other tables.” I gestured to the empty diner and my eyes slowly climbed up her long legs, to her perfectly shaped hips, narrow waist, and rounded chest. She was wearing a gray pinstripe suit that probably cost more than the diner's month rent.

“Yes, but I want to sit with you, Leo,” the woman said as she slid into the booth opposite me. Her movement was graceful and catlike.

“I was looking to be alone.”

“Why is that? I imagine the world thinks you are partying at the moment with your blonde singer girlfriend,” the woman snickered.

“I’ve got your hot dogs and pizza,” the waitress said as she set the food down on the table. “Are you ordering anything? You have to order at the register.”

“I’ll have what he is having,” the woman in the suit said. She handed the waitress a hundred. “And you can keep the change also, just give us some privacy.”

“Damn, lucky night for me,” the girl said as she snatched the bill and shuffled back to the other side of the diner.

The food looked like it was made mostly of grease, and my mouth watered at its fattening scent. My diet consisted of lean proteins, green salads, and starchy carbs. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed a pizza or a hot dog. It was probably three years ago. I didn’t want to be rude to this woman and eat before her meal came, but I was ravenous.

And she was also sitting down uninvited.

“Ten years in a row. Quite an accomplishment,” she said as I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite. It tasted better than I imagined, but I felt like some sort of jail inmate eating all hunched over my food.

“I don’t know how you found me here; do you want an autograph or something? As I said before, I really just want to be left alone.” I crammed the rest of the slice of pizza into my mouth and relished its greasy-cheesy-meaty flavor.

“Oh, I know what you want. I believe that you might not actually know what you want.”

“Listen, lady, you aren’t the first woman to throw herself at me. I can appreciate your boldness, but I--”

“Here is your coffee, your water, and your ramen. Pizza and dirty dogs will be up soon,” the waitress interrupted my words when she set down the items on the table.

“Thank you,” the strange woman said, and the waitress walked away.

“I’m not trying to throw myself at you, Leo,” the woman whispered so that the waitress wouldn’t hear.

“Seems like you are to me.” I grabbed another slice of pizza and crammed it into my mouth with two large bites.

“No, I’d like to offer you a job,” she said.

“No thanks. I’ve already got a job. Too many actually,” I said around the mouthful of food. This was just like I was at an afterparty. I’d be trying to eat and relax while women offered me their bodies, and men offered me business opportunities.

“Too many?” the strange woman asked as I grabbed my penultimate slice of pizza.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me. I’m not as dumb as I look, although you haven’t looked at me yet.” The woman chuckled a little, and her comment actually made me lean my face upward so that I glance at her from under my hoodie.

I had seen plenty of beautiful women and expected all of the afterparties tonight to be filled with them. In my younger days, I had enjoyed their attention and had probably partaken of their affections too voraciously. But now I was hardly impressed with a woman’s beauty. Every single woman I encountered now was beautiful, and it tended to make them all seem average.

Yet this woman was strikingly gorgeous.

I had already guessed that her body was well proportioned from glancing at her legs and waist, so I wasn’t surprised when the rest of her shape was revealed to me. She had the long, lean, athletic proportions of a dancer, and her tight business suit accented the fullness of her perfectly shaped breasts through her coat. The woman’s skin was a creamy mocha color, and her neck extended elegantly from her shoulders to meet her jawline. Her thick black hair framed a well-proportioned diamond shaped face, and I found my eyes drawn up her features until our eyes met. They were a strange violet color, but she didn’t seem like the type to indulge in all the crazy body modifications that my parent’s generation had. I guessed the woman was wearing contacts or the shitty fluorescent light in the diner was playing tricks on me.

You could have put a pair of feather wings on this girl, and she probably would have been a greeter at the pearly gates.

Then she smiled at me, and I wondered if some leathery wings, horns, and a tail would have been a better fit.

“You like what you see?” Her wicked grin did actually make my pulse quicken, and there was no hiding the fierce intelligence behind her strange amethyst eyes.

“You know you are good looking, and I know you are arrogant,” I said as I matched her smirk.

“Ha!” she let out a short laugh. “And you were telling me about your too many jobs.”

“Parties, TV interviews, magazine interviews, and photo shoots. They actually want me to make an appearance at Disney World this time, my manager wants me to go to this island to schmooze with some dignitaries and their families, and I have to train for the next championship.”

“Sounds exhausting,” she agreed and nodded her head in sympathy.

“I don’t want to be rude, but I really would enjoy some alone time. I don’t get much of it.” I reached for the last piece of pizza, and then ducked my head under my hood when the waitress set the beautiful woman’s food on the table.

“This looks delicious. I heard a rumor that you don’t even eat carbs.”

She picked up one of her hot dogs, leaned over her plate so that she wouldn’t get any of the onions on her suit, and took a bite. I realized that I was staring at her lips, and I forced myself to look at my own food. The waitress had retreated to her spot behind the register again. I wondered if I should just ditch the food, and leave this strange woman.

“Ummmm, this is wonderful.” Her moan was a bit distracting, and I picked up my own dirty dog to occupy myself.

It wasn’t just that she was beautiful; there was something else about her that I found attractive. She’d only been speaking with me for a minute, but she had this fierce power that radiated from her, and those eyes were distracting.

“It’s good,” I agreed after I took a bite.

“You used to eat here when you were growing up.”

“Is that a question, or a statement?”

“Maybe both?” I glanced up to see her playful smirk. Yes. She was dangerous.

“You seem to know a lot about me,” I said.

“Doesn’t everyone? But I am probably the only one who knows you are here.”

“How did you know I was here?” I asked with some actual interest.

“We have a game we are developing,” she changed the subject, and I tried to quiet my anger.

“I’ve heard this over forty times. You think it is going to be great, but you want me to endorse it, play test it, support it, put my name on it. No. Not interested. You can leave now.” I wasn’t going to let this woman force me to walk out of here without finishing my meal.

“But this is going to be great. This game is like nothing the world has seen.”

“I’ve heard that every time a developer pitches me. Go tell your boss that you tried, and compliment him on hiring you to make the pitch. You are my type, but I’m not interested in playing anything but Astafar Unlimited.”

“Awww, I’m your type? I was worried that my womanly powers would have no effect on you. They say you live like a monk,” she pouted and then took another bite of her onion covered hot dog.

“At first I thought you were smart, but the longer you sit here, the more you change my mind. Please leave,” I said.

“Have you ever heard of Arnacript?” she asked while she chewed.

“No,” I sighed. “Damn it, you win. I’ve beaten the best in the world, but I thought I could just sit here and enjoy my meal while you tried to sell me on your game company. I admit defeat, and now I will give you the table.” I set the second half of my hot dog down and stood halfway.

“We do Alzheimer’s treatment,” she said, and I stopped as if someone had used a stun effect on me.

“We’ve had a sixty-percent reversal rate. Would you like to hear more?” One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose, and her lips twisted again into a smirk.

“Sixty percent?” I whispered the question, and I felt my heart hammer into my chest.

“The treatment is somewhat experimental, but it involves the game we are designing,” she continued.

“I’ve never heard of Arnacript, and I know about all the different firms that are working on curing Alzheimer's,” I said.

“We are taking a new approach. It is a combination of pharmaceuticals mixed with full sensory virtual reality immersion.” She gestured back to the table with her right hand and then picked up a slice of pizza with her left.

I sat back in the booth.

“But everyone would be talking about this. No one has a cure. How can you be--”

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she interrupted me with a raised hand. “It wouldn’t be prudent to go public now, but I take it that this topic interests you?” Her full lips smiled to reveal perfectly set teeth.

“You know this topic interests me. Don’t be coy.” I sighed and tried to relax. My nerves were electric, and I had to force my hands to stop shaking on the table.

Sixty percent.

It had been almost six years since my parents had remembered me.

They were in a home. The best care center in the country and I spent most of my wealth on either treating them or donating to companies that were focused on a cure. I visited them every month, but each meeting had become more painful, and the last few had been even more difficult because they couldn’t even remember each other.

They were only in their fifties.

“Why don’t you come visit our facilities? I’ll show you what our current treatment is doing; you can talk to some of the patients, and maybe play a quick game? We are using a new immersion station that you will really enjoy.”

“Let’s say that I am suspicious. Companies have tried all sorts of tactics to get me to come and visit them. They would figure that as soon as they got me on their property, or in a room, they could try to finagle some sort of sponsorship deal.”

“Oh, I know Leo. That is why I came to see you myself. I figured that it would be better if I made the presentation, instead of some lackey.” She wore her smile well, and it made me wonder about the layers of the woman’s intellect. She was definitely charming.

“I’m supposed to be impressed by you? I don’t know who you are. Listen, I’m sorry. I am really busy. Why don’t you reach out to me through my manager once your team publishes their results? I have a team of doctors and scientists that I work with, and I’d like for them to speak with you before I get involved.” A part of me wanted to agree to visit her facility, but I’d been burned too many times in the past, and I guessed that this was another setup.

“Well, that is unfortunate. Perhaps you will change your mind in the next few days. We are upstate, and I can have a jet bring you in a few minutes. We even have some luxury living facilities, and several wonderful chefs, in case you wanted to spend a few nights on holiday. We will take care of everything.” She looked around the diner and smiled again. “Here is my contact info.” The beautiful woman pulled a rectangular piece of paper from inside of her jacket and held it out to me from across the table.

Our fingers made contact when I took the card, and her skin felt as nice as I thought it would. I put the thick piece of paper in my pocket without looking at it, and I could tell that my action annoyed her.

“Thanks. Now if you please. I’d prefer to be alone,” I put my head back down, and then grabbed my ramen fork.

“Of course. I hope to hear from you soon,” she whispered as she stood from the booth.

“Just get your research published and reach out to my manager. I’m sure you know his name and have his number,” I said before I slurped some of the noodles from the still-too-fucking-hot broth.

The woman turned to walk away, and I couldn’t help but gaze at her tight butt and dancer’s legs. That suit did look really great on her, and I wasn’t used to women wearing that type of clothing around me. The diner door opened, and I heard a strange whirring sound from the street.

“Whoa!” the waitress screamed and pointed at the door.

I looked up and almost shouted with the girl.

A jet pod had landed right in front of the restaurant.

They were starting to be a bit more common, but I still hadn’t seen one up close. I knew that the President flew around in one when he needed to get somewhere fast, but the sleek flying vehicles cost more than I made in a year, and the plane was still out of reach for most of the wealthy. This one was white, like the thick robe I wore before my match, and I saw the side hatch of the thing spread open as if it was turning into a bird wing.

The woman extended a long leg into the floating plane, and then she slid her perfect ass into the seat. The parts of the wing closed like an old SLR camera shutter, and then the jet lifted into the sky as easily as I would stand from the booth.

Then it was gone.

“Holy shit! Did you see that?” the waitress yelled to me, even though it was obvious that I had seen the jet pod.

“Yeah.” I tried to sound calm as I spoke, but the scene was impressive. Talk about leaving in style.

I realized that my fingers were digging into my pocket, and they fished the card out before I could actually think about what I was doing.

Zarra S. Zerne

President

Arnacript, INC.

The cardstock was thick, and I noticed that there was a magenta colored layer of paper sandwiched in between the white. Her name, title, and the company were all in a nice black font, but the address and phone number underneath were etched in the odd magenta hue. The address pointed to a street named after the company in Albany, New York.

“Who was that woman?” the waitress asked, but then her mouth hung open as she seemed to see me for the first time.

“I’m going to go,” I said with a sigh.

I grabbed the last hot dog off of my plate, slid out of the booth and began to walk toward the door.

“Wait, wait, are you--”

“Have a good night.” I winked to the waitress, and then pushed my way through the door.

I still had Zarra’s card squeezed between my fingertips, and I used the same hand to dig my phone out of my pocket while I finished off my hot dog. A few presses on the device summoned a car to take me to Sal’s party, and I felt a little pang of joy when I thought about handing the card to Sal. My manager was a wizard at getting information. I knew that my clever business partner would be able to get me a ridiculously detailed report of Ms. Zerne’s history, her company, and her ‘cure’ for the disease that had taken my parents from me. Sal had done this before with some of the weird stalkers, and I figured that I would know the grade Zarra had got in her high school freshman math class before we left the Big Apple in a few days.

Sometimes, it did pay to be the world champion.