Malika stepped from the smoke. She had the hostage—a shifty-looking POW in a green hat. But she didn’t run. She used the hostage as a human shield, absorbing a spray of bullets from Ziggy, who had finally found his power-up and was rushing in like a berserker.
Malika, screaming into her headset, pulled the hostage aboard. The screen flashed: metal slug esports event
The screen split. Both teams spawned at opposite ends of a sinking battleship. The crowd roared. Malika stepped from the smoke
The explosion didn’t destroy the mech, but it flipped it onto its side. Vulnerable. She used the hostage as a human shield,
“Now!” Hiro shouted.
The coliseum erupted. Confetti cannons fired green and white. Malika tore off her headset and pulled Hiro out of his chair, hugging him so hard his ribs creaked. Double-K slammed his fist on his desk, then laughed—a genuine, respect-filled laugh. He walked over and offered a handshake.