Chapter 78 of 99 · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles

Chapter 78 — Damien's announcement; under a thousand

Book: A Parade of Horribles · Part: Horrible One · Previous: Chapter 77 — Miriam at the piano; Pony · Next: Chapter 79 — 715 deals; Britney in Carl's mind; the Nothing in quotes · Floor: Floor 10 — Don't Come in Last · Series: the series

Opening

» System Message: The Outreach Guild is now available in Hungry Eyes.

Summary

The Outreach Guild opens in Hungry Eyes. A timed sticky pops off Dwight's vine; 'Fuck you,' he whispers, waking bewildered. Dr. Metcalf: 'That’s what happens when you keep winning. You get upgrades that make it so you can’t lose […] I agree with the unicorn. Fuck you.' Florin: no NPC team was given a mandatory gate — that is why so many died; Elle: it is pushing the fence-sitters into the guild. Imani thinks under a thousand are left; Carl reckons that from 5,500, with two hundred gone to the Cabaret, more than 80% are gone with a race to go. A new male, human-sounding voice comes on the system — Pontiff: Damien, always around whoever runs the season, behind the scenes; Zev is not answering. Damien: the Outreach Guilds close when the heat starts; deals are 'completely safe' and 'very much encouraged'; former crawlers not deemed terrorists receive centre-system citizenship after indentureship; the showrunners do not endorse the 'so-called Pineapple Cabaret exploit'. For survivors: garages and contents transfer to the eleventh, hired NPCs too if aboard; on arrival, ninety minutes to build a themed parade float from garage and safe room. 'Take a deal. You will not survive this next heat. There are a lot of those bugs in that building.' 'That guy is a little bitch.' Zev is fine, on lockdown — Cascadia 'accidentally' overdosed, the AI intervened, and 'a goddess nobody has heard of appeared inside the submerged wings'; a surface satellite HQ is in control. Imani: 'Did you place the explosives? […] your Tower of Power plan might work' — a vertical line through the building. Deal-takers upgrade their vehicles then let Thief-class engineers strip them, Imani spearheading with Tiatha, Rosetta and Tipid — 'That alien had been correct to target her'. The maths: the system fills every heat with at least one crawler team; unless over 66% of remaining teams are NPCs, deals only reshuffle the crawlers. Osvaldo is right that deals grow more dangerous — stasis you might never wake from — 'But was it more dangerous than staying?' 'You’ve done enough, Imani.' 'Oh, fuck off, Carl.' 'If we’re going to lose, I want to go down fighting.' Final upgrade: the rockets to Golden — 'Can launch the truck into orbit if you let it.'

Characters

Carl — 'You’ve done enough, Imani'; the Tower of Power placed; Golden rockets.
Princess Donut — 'Everybody is cheating.'
Pontiff — 'That guy is a little bitch.'
Nester — 'I can’t believe we made it through.'
Dwight and Lucienne (Team Sparkles) — 'Fuck you,' waking bewildered.
Florin — No NPC team had a mandatory gate.
Elle McGibbons — The fence-sitters jump.
Imani — 'If we’re going to lose, I want to go down fighting.'
Damien — A new voice: deals safe and encouraged; the Cabaret disavowed; a parade float in ninety minutes; 'Take a deal.'
Zev — On lockdown; a goddess in the submerged wings.
Cascadia — Zev: Cascadia 'accidentally' took too much of her medicine.
Hedy — 'What’s your pleasure?'
Mordecai — Unfarewelled, a relief.
Louis and Firas — Indenture his only road.
Chris — Stays if Imani stays.

Locations

The garage and the cul-de-sac — The crowded garage.
Hungry Eyes Village — The Outreach Guild opens.

Motifs

The crawler count — Under a thousand of 5,500; 80% gone.
The deal — Citizenship for non-terrorists; stasis you might not wake from.
The Syndicate — Damien, always around whoever runs the season.
The Pineapple Cabaret — 'Unauthorized areas of the World Dungeon infrastructure.'
Carl's family — 'Look for the helpers'; Imani and Katia the bedrock.
The Parade of Horribles — Garages and hired NPCs transfer.
Explosives — A vertical line through the building.