Once Roger was gone, JJ gestured for everyone to gather around. “All right, team, listen up. Oliver and I scoped out the arena yesterday, and we managed to get a good lay of the land.”
“Wait a minute,” Boomer said, shooting JJ an incredulous look. “The two of you checked this place out ahead of time just so you could beat Alec at a game of laser tag?”
“Damn straight we did. There’s a L on my record I need to make up for, so you better get your head in the game. I’m not losing again,” JJ told him. “Now, back to the matter at hand. This arena is two stories. Most people stick to the ground floor since it’s larger, but they don’t realize how difficult it is to capture the flag from there. Like Roger said, you have to be within ten feet of a base to shoot it, but there’s no cover surrounding it, so basically you’re a sitting duck. However, thanks to my and Oliver’s groundwork, we know of a better option. There are balconies overlooking each base, so we can shoot the flag from above and make a clean getaway.”
Oliver eyed the countdown and rolled two fingers at JJ. “Hurry up. We only have thirty seconds.”
“Okay, okay. Here’s the plan. My good buddy Groot”—JJ patted a scowling Boomer on the shoulder—“will guard our base. We don’t want him running around since his height makes him an easy target. Oliver and I will take the second floor and attempt to capture the flag. The rest of you will patrol the first floor and keep Team Evil occupied.”
Under normal circumstances, I’d be annoyed if a stranger was bossing me around, but I had to admire how dedicated JJ and Oliver were to winning this game. So insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but to them, nothing seemed more important. I could vibe with that.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” I said, shrugging.
Xander beamed at me, almost as if he’d been afraid of what I’d think of his friends. From what I’d gathered, they were weird and intense and immature, but I didn’t mind. Better to keep life interesting.
“Then let’s do this,” JJ said, sticking his hand out. Oliver put his on top of JJ’s, followed quickly by the rest of the group. “Blue Team on three. One, two—”
“Hold on,” Boomer said, cutting him off. “You of all people can come up with a better team name than that.”
JJ paused and then nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. How does Team Deadeye sound? Or maybe the Laser Legends? That has a nice ring to it.”
Scoffing, Oliver crossed his arms. “You’re joking, right?”
“Okay, not my best material. What do you think of the Power Bolts?”
“I’m thinking our team name will have literally zero effect on whether we win or lose,” Xander pointed out.
“Oh, I know!” JJ said, ignoring him. “We can be the Master Blasters!”
“I’m partial to Oliver’s Super Awesome Sharp Shooters,” Oliver said.
Boomer rolled his eyes. “That’s kind of a mouthful, don’t you think?”
“How about the LED-linquents?” I suggested.
Everyone went silent in consideration.
The countdown buzzer rang.
Grinning, JJ gestured at the door as it swung open to reveal the arena. “Looks like the gods have spoken. LED-linquents it is. Let’s go kick some ass.”
Oliver and JJ plunged inside with a battle cry. I exchanged a toothy grin with Xander before chasing after them, my blaster raised and ready to shoot. We were immediately transported into a postapocalyptic city, standing in what appeared to be a bombed-out building. Black lights illuminated an array of blue graffiti covering the walls, and an electronic song blared from the arena’s sound system.
This might actually be fun, I thought as my pulse picked up.
“Which way should we go?” Xander called over the music.
“You take left,” I said, pointing in the direction his friends had disappeared. “I’ll go right.” Without waiting for his response, I stepped out of our base and into the street.
A labyrinth of broken buildings lay spread out before me. Presumably, the red team’s base was positioned on the opposite side of the room, which meant there was six thousand square feet of space for me to cover. I needed to find a hiding spot that had the widest field of view without leaving myself open to ambush. Bringing my pendant to my lips, I kissed the purple crystal for good luck and took off in what I hoped was the right direction.
After several minutes of jogging the twisting roads without encountering any foe, I nearly ran headfirst into Sofia. Before she could see me, I ducked behind a barrel of toxic waste and waited until she disappeared around the corner. When I stood up, I heard a quick burst of laser blasts. My gun vibrated and flashed in my hands before going dark.
“Dammit,” I cursed when I realized I’d already lost a life.
Someone chuckled. “Hey, Indie.”
I looked up and smiled. “Alec, hi!” There hadn’t been an opportunity to say hello in the lobby, so I stepped forward with the intention of pulling him into a hug, but then my blaster lit back up, and I hesitated.
