CHAPTER 5: DIE HARD
"Holy shit that was a close match!" Desiree clinked her beer with Johnson and Avalon, it spilled over the glasses and onto the bar counter, making their hands glisten under the glowing lights. "You! There you are!" Desiree shouted as Norton walked into the room, she got up and ran to hug him. After she was finished, she kissed him long and hard on the cheek. "Okay, okay." Avalon walked over to separate them. "Bartender, give this man all the water he can drink!" Desiree shouted and slammed her empty beer onto the counter top. The bartender filled Norton a glass of water. "Make that a vodka.. Fill it to the top." The bartender poured him his drink. "You're drinking?" Avalon smiled. "I gotta go celebrate." Norton smiled back, and took a sip from his glass.
"You're not gonna stay and watch the other matches? Harlin vs Slain on Vertebrae. OSC and Visse on Diesel. A Deathmatch with Entropy and Evolution in two hours.." Desiree looked at the screen in awe. "I know already." Norton smirked. "I have to meet someone.." He continued. "I'm right here." Avalon laughed. "He meant his old lady, Avalon.." Johnson puffed on his cigar, and took a shot of whiskey. "Well good for you.." Desiree smugly raised her glass to Norton. "Didn't think you had it in you." She continued. Norton fake laughed then noticed Avalon still staring at him. "I-" He looked at her ashamed as he set his half finished glass on the counter top, then left the room.
"Ladies and gentleman tonight's matches are going to be special.. Because this is the unveiling of our new map Gateway, and because we know how much you all love seeing blood and suffering.. We're setting the kill limit for the nights Deathmatches to fifty!" The crowd cheered over the personality. "That's right people we said fifty kills! The only way to stop the pain is to-"
Desiree listened to the faint echoing outside the glass. "Holy shit. Aren't we playing a Deathmatch right now?" She asked. "Let's just get in there and kick some ass people. On me!" Johnson ran into the Teleporter, Desiree shortly followed. Norton looked at Avalon as she adjusted her helmet and shoulder pieces. "About last night." He finally spoke. "Save it.." She ran into the Teleporter Pad.
Norton spawned on top of a skyscraper, and went for the Shock Rifle. As he walked toward the north side of the roof. Blain flew out of the Portal and began firing his Link Gun at Norton, he dodged to his right and slid across the floor. Blain jumped down from the platform and Norton shot him with a Shock beam. Blain continued firing and so did Norton. But because Blain was blasted back by the beams, his shots missed Norton entirely, Norton fired once more and Blain's corpse flew through the air and into the giant fan.
("Come on baby you can do it!" The crowds cheering blocked out Sarah's words, as she screamed.)
"Shit.. Where the fuck am I?" Norton held his badly burnt leg as he looked for Health. He jumped onto the platform where Blain came from and seen the Portal, it was to a Jungle type area, he could see insects flying through it, so he entered too. Once inside, he saw Johnson's dead body laying in the Swampy green water, which had now turned a dark red. He then seen Kregore fly through the air and fire a rocket toward him. Norton jumped into the water where Johnson was laying and ran for the cave. Wraith was waiting inside the shadows of the cave as Norton entered, he fired two grenades which exploded Norton upon impact.
"Take it!" Wraith said as Norton spawned, he walked on top of a snowy warehouse, he grabbed a Sniper Rifle. "What the hell am I going to kill with this?" He entered the warehouse and threw his Sniper Rifle to the side and picked up a Flak Cannon instead. He quietly exited the building as he heard movement coming from beyond the large crates, as it got closer he fired.
A boot was the first thing to be seen coming from the crate, the rest of the body appeared and it turned out to be Desiree. "What the fuck! Watch where you're firing that thing!" Desiree stuck to the side of the crate. "I thought you were the other team.. Sorry. I don't know this map." He lowered his gun. "Neither do I.. We should stick together." They looked at all angles. "No arguments there." They walked to the back of the warehouse. "You see that?" She pointed at the Portal. "They're all inside there, in the Jungle area, using Jump Boots to move quickly from one spot to another. We should head through.." They entered the Portal and Cathode jumped from twenty feet away, firing Shock beams toward them. Norton fired his Flak Cannon which torn the Liandri robot to shreds. Wraith fired his Link Gun at Desiree and Norton, then jumped up onto the path and fired the Rail-beam from the Link gun at Desiree. Her flesh had fell from her body as she screamed in agony, and she turned to a skeleton and crashed into the swamp. Norton tried to fire at Wraith but was exploded by one of Kregore's rockets.
"Damn it where are you guys?" Desiree shouted over the comm. "Everyone meet in the Jungle!" She continued. "Roger that." Mihr said. "Already here.." Norton picked up the Rocket Launcher when he noticed Avalon enter trough the Portal. "Avalon, up here." She looked at Norton and jumped into the water and ran toward the cave. "Damn it.. Not the cave.."
("They do know there are other areas right?" The personality joked. The crowd laughed.)
"What the fuck was that all about?" Desiree asked as she took her helmet off. "We were this close to winning that!" She threw it at the wall. "Don't blame me, I had the most kills." Avalon undid her knee pads. "Alright, we all know what's going on here." Johnson took his cigar out of his mouth. "You two better settle this bullshit by tomorrow, or you better get used to losing.." He and Desiree walked away. Norton looked to Avalon, who immediately looked away. "I know I should've told you." He walked closer to her. "What's there to tell?" She took her helmet off. "Oh, wait.. Maybe that you had a girlfriend?" She pushed her helmet into his chest and walked for the door.
He went to his suite, but Sarah wasn't sitting on the couch watching the Tournament. "Sarah you here?" He walked toward the second bedroom hallway. "Norton? I thought you would be in the bar.." She answered from the bathroom, then shortly after, stepped out in a towel. "No. Didn't feel like it." He walked to the bed and laid on his back, she laid beside him. "I think I'm gonna quit the Tournament.." He sat up to say. "What? Why?" She let go, stood up and threw her arms out. "Look at this place!" She pointed to the windows. "You can't quit now.." She threw her towel off and wrapped her arms and legs around Norton and kissed him. "Do it for me.."
He looked for Avalon at the bar but she wasn't there, so he went to ask the receptionist who managed the suites. "Where's Avalon staying.." He asked, she stared at her screen pretending he didn't exist. When she finally managed to look over, she glared at Norton as she was thinking. "Avalon.." She chewed her bubblegum. "Sorry. We don't have any rooms for just Avalon." She blew a bubble and popped it. "Know a last name?" She continued chewing and Norton turned his head to see Avalon walking towards the elevators. He glanced back at the receptionist who smiled at him, as if to say. "Fuck you." Norton ran to the elevators. "Avalon wait." She stopped before stepping inside. "What is it?" She turned around. "I'm sorry." Norton quickly said. "That's it? You're sorry?" She turned back around and pressed the screen. "I know I should've told you, but we're a team now." She laughed slightly. "We have to work together if-" "No we're not.." She walked into the elevator. "I'm switching teams tomorrow." Norton got into the elevator before it could close. "What? How?" He asked. "They let me back on. It was you, they didn't want." She smirked as the floors lit up, Norton looked to his left in disbelief. "So they're switching you. Great. Who're they giving us?" The elevator doors opened up and she stepped out. "Cathode." She said innocently and walked away, Norton stood in shock, as the elevator doors closed again.