The Great Game

If you’re new to the Great Game, please have a quick look at the blurb to your left, where you’ll find a short catch-up introduction.

“Shut up,” said the tall one. “Come with us, and do exactly what we say.”

I nodded carefully, and moved my arms away from my sides. One of them plucked my gun from me quickly, and tucked it into her belt.

The tall guy grimaced. “OK, listen up lieutenant. Maybe you’re all fine and dandy. But until someone tells me that officially, you’re looking a lot like a candidate for Infection right about now. Say a word — just one — and we’ll shoot. Make any quick, jerky moves, and we’ll shoot. Get any closer to any of us than this, and we’ll shoot. Fiddle around with any gadgets, and we’ll shoot. Nod once if you understand this.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t quite prevent myself from rolling my eyes a little.

“We’ll see,” said the tall guy. “Now, we’re going to get you down from here and into somewhere nice and secure, and pass you up the chain so that you’re someone else’s problem. We’ll move out carefully, two of us down the ladder first, then you, then the rest of us. Don’t slip up.”

I nodded again. A call indicator started flashing in the corner of my HUD. I ignored it.

We started shuffling along the barricade, back towards the ladder. A low rumbling started, deep enough to make the soles of my feet tingle. Something about the acoustics made it hard to tell where it was coming from. The officers glanced at each other unhappily, and then at me. I scowled at them, and shrugged exagerratedly. The air felt greasy, and for a moment, I thought I could see flecks of shimmering blue across my vision.

A vast word tore across my consciousness. Thick and cold and foul, it pummelled me, slipping from my mind even as it unfolded. The world seemed to shimmer with its passing, and for an instant I was sure that it was ripping holes in my stomach.

There was a sigh, and the officers around me dropped like broken puppets, their faces wiped clean of expression.

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