There was something so oddly comforting about that soft blue glow. It really was a soothing balm. Who could have guessed that after a long arduous day at work, the sound of that grey box warming up would do more for his stress tightened muscles than the most overpaid masseuse in Bangkok? Lassiter shifted his shoulders, basking in the play of colors emanating from his television. The controller in his hand was as familiar and comfortable as his own weapon- and just as stimulating. As the opening sequence of the game started flashing across the screen, the detective felt his heart rate pick up. It was thrilling really, and he laughed to himself in anticipation of imminent carnage. Now he was at the login screen. Scrolling through the short selection box, he located IrishSniper007. Grinning, he waited for the next portion of the game to load. Then, after just a few seconds, he was at the lobby. Slowly, other names began adding themselves to the list on the right side of the screen. Monkeydancer7, backdoorbaddee, nekidpedestrian… who thought up names like that anyhow?
Then he sat up suddenly as another name… a recognizable name, filled one of the slots, quickly followed by a guest; secretsquirrel and midnightMcool. Carlton tightened his jaw. He hated these guys! Every now and then, they were on the game, and inevitably managed to follow him from map to map. They must have added him to their friend list, and now he was stuck with them for the evening. And it wasn't like they were bad players- on the contrary! As team-members, they guaranteed a win every time. No, what made Lassiter grind his teeth together was that, now and then, they seemed to get bored, and would start hunting "him"- whether they were on his team or not. They never damaged him enough for a 'betrayal' kill, which would have given him the opportunity to kick them out of the game. Instead, they just wore down his stats enough that another player would inevitably pick him off. It was infuriating! Tightening his fists around his controller, Carlton hunched his shoulders. Well he wasn't a quitter! He'd deal with these guys just like any common criminal he ever slapped in cuffs. Tonight, he swore, he'd get his revenge!
In another part of town, Shawn and Gus sat in their office, the plasma lit up before them. Shawn grabbed a handful of Goldfish as the map loaded for their game. Gus took a quick sip of orange soda. "You think Lassiter will ever catch on that it's us he's playing against?"
Shawn chewed, spitting crumbs as he responded. "Not a chance."
A/N: For non-gamers, they're playing Halo 3 Woohoo!