TWO MINUTES BREAK, THE announcement said.

Carter was pissed as they floated, catching their breath. He looked at Joel as he snarled, “We shouldn’t ever have formed into teams.”.

“Oh?” Molson laughed, “I thought that was your idea, Carter.”

“It was webfoot’s idea.”

Angelo said, “Well the kid was right. There’s no other way to play that without each bout going on pretty much forever.”

“Yeah,” Hacker said, “By the end of it everyone would get so damned tired, it would be more or less dumb luck who was going to win.”

“Not for me it wouldn’t,” Carter’s head shook. “I’d beat all of you.”

Molson’s chin lifted. “Maybe we’ll get to find that out.”

Angelo clapped Joel on the shoulder. “You did well, considering you’re easily the smallest here.”

Joel smiled. “I’m a good three inches taller than you are, Angelo.”

Angelo gave Joel’s shoulder a persuasive squeeze. “But I weight about half as much as you again.” He looked in his sys, “And it’s all muscle.”

“Nah,” Joel grinned, “There has to be at least a little bit of brain in there.”

“Do you know why we’re here?” Angelo asked him.

Joel shook his head.

“Well, I’ll catch you up on the rumors and wild guesses. Then you can tell me what you think.”

“What are you two girls gossiping about?” Carter appeared behind them and slung his arms over both of their shoulders, demonstrating his considerable size while he attempted to dominate them. Joel lifted Carter’s wrist to remove it. Carter held tight. “When we’re in a team,” he squeezed his arm Joel’s neck, “Remember I’m the captain and you’re playing for me,” and he pulled tighter. Playful, but it clearly was meant as a warning.

Joel looked in Carter’s face. If he wanted to provoke a confrontation, Joel would appear to be the weakest member of the group to pick on. He’d also handed him the team that took the first and the last win. Carter was not a strategic thinker. And, though it was an uncomfortable thought, if he was a cowardly enough bully to pick on Joel, even when they had been teammates, he was very likely to be cruel and sadistic.

He might try to make Joel suffer in front of the others in an attempt to frighten them. That was all a few steps out into speculation, but Joel knew it was likely. He was confident enough to be sure that he couldn’t afford to take his eyes off Carter. Not for a second. Somebody so dumb and so full of spite could blindside him at any time. If he did, Joel knew that it would be savage.

“Don’t you know why you’re here, flipper-boy? All of these guys,” he waved his arm in a sweep, “They’re all here to push me on. To make my triumph the best it can be. You?” He leered, “You’re here to make up the numbers.” His face loomed near, “You’re an early casualty, flipper boy.” His lips stretched a wide grin. “You’re krill. A tiny little fish for us sharks to feed on.”

“Okay, Carter,” Molson said, “It’s getting old now.”

“Oh,” Carter rounded on him, “You want to make something of it, big boy?”

He moved to put his nose in Molson’s face. “You got the hots for frog-boy, or are you just trying to get yourself some time in the spotlight?”

Angelo said, “This is a contest, Carter. Whoever brought us here is probably watching. All the time.”

“Good.” Carter snarled in Molson’s face. “They’ll see that I’m the big noise here.”

Joel’s view was flooded with a wash of bright blue light. The others looked around. The floor fell away as the tiled arena morphed into a deep tank. Below was a drop into darkness, and no way to judge how deep it went.

The air thickened as it began to spin. Hacker twisted to turn in the air. The back of his shoulder loomed into Joel’s face. Joel twisted away. The walls rotated in the opposite direction, counter clockwise. The lit alcoves spun away fast.

As he writhed to get himself away from Hacker’s back, Joel saw the niche with the blue trophy whirl toward him. He reached for the trophy and the wind was knocked out of his chest by the rounded knuckle of Carter’s shoulder. Carter grinned as he reached past Joel’s face to snatch the trophy. He yanked the glowing prize from its nook and shoved Joel back.

Shards of light dropped from above. Long colored rods fell fast, like a thick, glowing rain. One struck the blue trophy and Carter’s wrist bent back. The prize was smashed out of his hand. Molson dove and reached for the loose prize. Carter lunged and brought the side of his fist down on Molson’s back. Turning in the almost liquid air, his arm stretched out for the blue cup.

Angelo came from behind and pulled it from him. Joel commed to everyone except for Carter. “This can only work as a team game. If Carter is determined to play solo, then there’s one very small team. The smart play is for the rest of us to make one big team.”

Joel watched Angelo’s head make a discrete nod. Molson did the same, then Hacker. Joel looked at Ben. His face was still like stone. Eventually he made one slow nod.

Carter drifted by the spinning wall, waiting for the slot with the red prize. He looked around as Joel and the others surrounded him. When the red trophy came near, Ben dropped on Carter’s back. Hacker grabbed his left arm. His eyes widened as Joel and Molson took his legs.

Angelo plucked the trophy from his hand, snapped the blue cup into the niche and and quickly passed the red one to Ben. Carter’s face screwed into a snarl. He stretched after Ben. Ben had already thrown the blue cup out, into the thick swirl of air. It hung there until Joel reached it.

Carter’s arms and legs thrashed. He broke free and dove after Joel. Joel had just time to duck, turn and reach to pop out the blue trophy and snick the red one into place. He tossed the blue cup over Carter’s head to Angelo’s waiting catch.

Carter spun, thrashing to dodge the falling rods. He lunged at Angelo. Hacker and Molson grabbed him by the waist and hauled him back. Ben blocked him and Angelo grinned as he waited calmly by the spinning wall. When the prize rotated to him, he swapped the blue trophy for the red. He stretched his eyebrows, looking at Carter as he tossed the red cup in a slow for Molson to catch.

Molson handed the next point to Hacker. By then Carter was wild, flipping around and chasing in every direction. Whenever he went for the trophy that was still on the wall, at least two of the others blocked tackled or held him. Hacker threw next the point after that to Joel.

Now they all had a score each. All except for Carter. By the time Joel was able to pass to Ben, Carter’s face was red and his eyes were wide. He could see where it was going. The team didn’t care who took the next point. Somebody would win, everyone else would be tied and Carter was the back marker.

Krill, Joel thought.

For the next point, Molson, Ben, Angelo, Hacker and Joel threw the cup between themselves, over and over. Ben was holding it when Carter made a fast dive at him, turning like a fish to avoid the rods. Ben shrugged as he popped the trophy home.

The spining walls slowed and flashing lights began to strobe. Angelo lifted his hands and spread his grin around the players. Carter didn’t have a smile to return. As his eyes found Joel he shoved Angelo. Angelo was thrust into the paths of two falling rods of light. They struck him, one on the shoulder, the other on the back of the neck. He dropped down and vanished in the darkness of the chasm below.

Immediately, normal gravity returned, the light turned back to white and the walls vanished. The five remaining players were stood in the room where they had started. Angelo was not among them.

The bot announcement said, ‘Ben Huggert wins tournament credit for that game. Carter Dane has a demerit and loses that game. Carter Dane would have been eliminated, but due to the loss of intern Angleo Varofakis, Carter Dane remains in the process by default.’

Joel felt an emptiness inside.