December 9, 1999
Ben Song had just witnessed it.
He had seen man argue with a woman and then just smack her in the face.
The leaper leaves the bar and walks to the man. Peter Baker also does so, having seen the smack.
"Get out of my bar and don't come back," says the manager.
"Whop's gonna make me?' asks the man. "You and this retard?'
"Yes," answers Ben, looking straight at the man's eyes.
Other servers and other staff members, in their referee outfits, encircle the man.
He then silently walks out the front door, just a second before one of the bouncers arrive at the scene.
"All right everyone!" calls out Baker. "Back to work."
Ben looks at the young woman who was just smacked. "Are you all right?" the leaper asks.
"It's okay," she says. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have talked back to him."
Something occurs in Ben's mind. He walks to the office, looking at the old-style office equipment. He notices a rectangular container, and then notices what is inside.
"Wow," the leaper says. "Floppy disks."
"What's up, Jimmy?" asks Baker, sitting on the leather office chair.
"I'm wondering if we should go the police," says Ben.
"For what?"
"What if he comes back?"
"Listen, Jimmy," says the manager. "I've known his type both when I was in high school and in the Navy. He's a coward, only willing to hurt people smaller and weaker. You've seen the look on his face when we all surrounded him. Sal didn't even need to flex his muscles. He's not bothering us again. Now get back behind the bar. We have hungry, thirsty customers."
"I hope you're right."
The half-time show ends, and then the seconds half begins at the 50-yard line, with Steve McNair passing the ball, and then a tackle around the 30-yard line.
The game continues, with almost all of the patrons at Blue Balls still paying at least partial attention to the game, wondering who will make the first score.
And then it happens. The Raiders and the Titans are right at the goal line. There is 8:57 left in the third quarter. There is a play, and it ends with a tackle at 8:53. A referee, wearing the stereotypical referee shirt with vertical black and white stripes.
They raise their arms.
The Tennessee Titans had scored a touchdown! Most of the patrons widen their eyes and open their mouths wordlessly. Not surprisingly, the Titans score another point with a kick of the football.
Many minutes later, when the timer is at 2:36, the whole place erupts in cheers and sounds of beer bottles and draft glasses clinking, when the Raiders score a touchdown. The following kick ties them with the Titans, 7-7. The spirits of the crowd rise.
Ben smiles. He wonders how much of this is due to Jimmy.
And the game enters its last quarter, with the Raiders and the Titans still tied 7-7. The crowd is anxious, wondering if the Raiders can pull off a victory.
Ben is worried about more than just a football game being played in Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee.
The excitement diminishes over the fourth quarter as the Titans score two touchdown. The crowd makes muted cheers when the Raiders score another touchdown when, with 3:59 left at the fourth quarter, Rickey Dudley catches a ball while in the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the Raiders! The fans pretty much feel a sense of hope, as there are just under four minutes for the Raiders to score another touchdown and kick, they could at least force the game into overtime.
It is not to be. The Raiders lose their chance to tie the game. Eddie George of the Titans embraces Rickey Dudley.
And it is official.
Titans 21, Raiders 14.
"I so totally did not look up the game in advance," says Addison. "The Rams do win the Super Bowl."
Ben walks up to a microphone behind the bar connecting a loudspeaker.
"I know, I know," he announces. "Most of us are disappointed. Let's congratulate the Titans on their win, and let's remember we all had a good time."
Most of the patrons cheer each other, clinking their glasses and beer bottles.
And then the audio is switched back to music.
They say, 2000-00, party over
Oops, out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999
Yeah, yeah
"Let's party like it's 1999, because it is," says Lucy. "And will be for three more weeks!"
Ben has the pleasure of closing up after the bar closes. He goes through a checklist to do everything, including putting utensils and plates away, as well as wiping the surfaces and mopping the floor.
He sees an arcade racing game among a row of arcade cabinets in the back. It is some sort of racing game, with ancient 16-bit graphics. He notes that the top three positions on the scoreboard have the initials JIM.
He then walks over to this machine consisting of the basketball basket. Feeding a quarter, basketballs are released and he begins throwing the ball through the hoop and the red light-emitting diode score counter rises.
Addison walks up the leaper. "I looked at the kitchen," she says. "I still can't find what caused the fire."
"It might not have been an accident," replies the leaper.
He finishes up, clocking up and then locking the doors with a key from Jimmy's keychain. He then goes back up to Jimmy's loft. Not feeling sleepy, he drinks some Corona beer and plays Resident Evil 2.
oooooooo
December 10, 1999
Addison Augustine is projected into Blue Balls, just three floors below Jimmy La Motta's loft. The place is empty and the lonely light comes from outside. Even though it is the same place, it feels different when it is empty. The observer looks around, noticing the Christmas decorations atop the regular sports-themed decorations. The floor has a black-and-white checkered pattern, she first notices.
She goes to the kitchen and takes a look at the oven. Even another yet another inspection, there does not seem to be any obvious sign that the oven would cause the explosion.
She glances at a wall clock. It is 9:00 A.M., only fifteen minutes before the explosion.
Ben had told her about that incident yesterday, when that man had been kicked out, suspecting he would break in and start the fire in retaliation.
She then hears the unmistakeable click of a door unlocking. Running outside, she sees someone in a hooded sweatshirt just entering through the rear door.
That someone is clearly not a man.
Pressing buttons on the handlink,. She projects herself back into the loft. She looks and sees Ben lying on the couch, reading a Sailor Moon manga.
"you gotta get down there!" exclaims the observer. "Someone's there. Hurry!"
"Right," replies the leaper. He quickly dons sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and grabs Jimmy's keys. Putting shoes on, he races outside. Glancing for less than a second at the freight elevator, he instead sprints towards the stairwell.
Addison is projected back inside Blue Balls. She runs toward the kitchen, looking at the woman who is walking to the oven. Opening the door, she then turns the valve.
The observer could hear a faint hiss.
"Ian, do facial recognition on this woman!" Addison calls out.
Ben bursts into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?" he yells.
"I know you," she says.
"Her name's Cassie Wint!" exclaims Addison. "She owns the place, inherited from her dad back in '97."
""It's you, Cassie," says Ben, placing his hands in front of him. . "I know what you're about to do. Your dad created this place. Why destroy it."
"I only make $4,000.00 a year from this place, after all the costs and stuff. You make much more here than I do!"
"So find someone to buy it from you."
"State Farm will pay enough for me to make a new life, and a trip to Mazatlan."
Ben gazes into Cassie's brown eyes. "I won't let you do this," he says.
And then it happens.
Cassie swings something up.
Ben starts to raise his hand.
And a sack filled with ball bearings strikes the leaper right in the head!
Ben feels very fuzzy.
And the Cassie slams him head first into the stainless steel door of the industrial refrigerator-freezer!
"Ben!" Addison calls out. She strikes out at Cassie, but her fists simply go through the holographic projection.
She then looks down on Ben; the eyeglasses had fallen and skidded a few feet away.
"Ben!" calls out the observer.
There is no response.
Cassie then takes some cooking oil and pours it on the unconscious leaper.
"You were a nice guy, Jimmy," she says. "I can't let you leave."
She then takes out some sort of cylindrical device and twists a winding key.
Addison knows that is the device that will ignite the explosion.
She looks at the clock on the wall; it is 9:13 A.M.
And unseen by Cassie, but seen by Addison, a blue glow surrounds Ben.
"You're leaping?" she exclaims. "You can't le-"