Second Chances

CHAPTER 1
LET’S TANGO

You can get much further in life with a kind word and a club than a kind word alone.

“You ready?” asked Nat through the com-link.

Dax smiled and flexed his fingers, “Just let me at ‘em.”

Alhannah and Wendell sat next to the gnome programmer at the computer console as they listened to the announcers countdown.

“2…1…” boomed the voice—and the buzzer echoed throughout the arena. The trench exploded with movement. Four of the five S.L.A.G.s sprinted towards the center structure. The fifth, Nosedive, jumped straight into the air—spreading its wings wide as booster jets belched out flame and smoke, propelling it upward.

“Great,” complained Dax, “another flyer.”

“Just ignore him for now,” counseled Nat, “Cryo’s working on cracking the database.” He looked over at Alhannah, “We’ve learned a few things from last time.”

“Doesn’t matter,” grunted Dax, the giant, heavy duty machine mimicking the pumping action of his own legs, like locomotive pistons. “There’s only one pilot I want here…”

Alhannah put on her head mic, “Don’t get cocky, Dax, we’re here to win this—so you can’t pick and choose. Darcy’s also tougher than you might think. Even at close range, he’s dangerous.”

“Noted.” The mic crackled, then, “Besides, it looks like I have another problem to deal with first.”

The fans were cheering at the giant, hot pink S.L.A.G. known as The Girl Next Door, who yanked a huge two-handed axe from a shoulder strap as she sprinted. Using the other arm, she shot four small canisters from a wrist cannon into the air. The projectiles whizzed and tumbled towards Nosedive, as the S.L.A.G. arched overhead.

They exploded in a mini-cluster—sparks spraying over the arena.

“He’s hit!” Wendell pointed at the monitor, “Nosedive is going down!”

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