Station 2-14: Chapter Three
Voss takes Ley to see an old friend
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Chapter Three: Voss
Voss sits at his usual table in the corner by himself sipping his drink and drumming his fingers on the table. There’s no game today, no Champion waiting in the centre. No patrons to fool. That play is over. Ever since he glimpsed the eight bands his mind started reeling, pulling together how he was going to use that power to his advantage. But it all came down to the same solution Ley had come to. She had to enter those games. With power like hers, she could win without lifting a finger. And with prize money like that, even split amongst two, he’d be living like a King.
He was going to get her into those games and she was going to win.
It was that simple.
He hadn’t been this sure of something for years.
Not since the last time he trained someone for the Games. He was a kid then and it was the first time they had been played in the Station. He didn’t understand how they worked. Didn’t understand how people worked.
But now he knows better.
He knew exactly how to win those games and all he needed was that kid to come walking back to his table. There was no way she wasn’t going to enter those games. He recognised the look in her eyes.
Desperation.
She wouldn’t have lied to play at his little game if she had any other options. Not with that power. She wasn’t afraid of losing, she was afraid of not being allowed to join. She was probably dying or something. Or doing it to save someone she loved - something pathetic. Or worse: she wanted the money for some new toy that kids needed these days. No, he thought, not that one. Maybe when she scampered away from the pub but not after he saw her today.
There was something else to that desperation.
That look.
Rage.
He barely glances at the door as she storms in. He doesn’t want her to know that he’s the same. That the money she stole was his lifeline. He calls for another drink as she scans the room looking for him.
His drink arrives as she does and he makes a big show of only having eyes for his glass.
‘Take me to her,’ she snaps.
‘Oh,’ he says, as if just noticing her. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’
’I need to get into those games. I need to win.’
‘Well, you know what I need.’ She slams her entrance fee down the table.
‘Take me to Pangere,’ she says and Voss weasels the money out of her grip with a devilish smile.
‘With pleasure.’
Voss leads Ley through the crowd inside the multi-story nightclub of Section 8. Everyone seems to be drunk or drugged as they weave their way through the crowd towards the back. Voss loves every step. He could lose himself in this crowd, happy in the touch of hands tracing limbs but Ley trails behind him, on edge.
‘Where is she?’ she shouts, trying to be heard above the music.
‘We have to see a friend first,’ he says. Ley grabs his arm.
’You said you'd take me to Pangere.’
‘It's a process. Trust me.’ Voss tries to move but she has him fixed in place using her mind. Frustrated, he points to the elevator at the back wall. ‘We’re going down to the basement. We see this friend, we go to Pangere. 2 steps! Easy.’ He watches her eyes dart from his face to the elevator and back.
‘Who’s the friend?’
‘Come on - you’ll spoil the surprise.’ Ley arches a brow and Voss’ arms snap to his sides, unable to move. ‘Alright, alright! It’s Tessa Kellar.’
‘The Tessa Kellar?’
‘Yes,’ he says, struggling against her invisible grip. ‘Now, let me go.’ His arms loosen at his sides as she releases him and he readjusts his jacket like a dog shaking off water.
‘You can’t just go around moving people like that,’ he says. ‘You need to learn how to communicate, kid.’
‘Likewise,’ she smirks. Voss rolls his eyes and continues his way through the crowd, almost regretting that they ever met. But then he spies a familiar face watching them through the crowd. Reminding him of the debt that he owed. No matter how much he tried, there was no getting lost in the Station. They would find him and force him to pay. He needed to find Tessa and get Ley her win.
The elevator doors open and the music becomes a symphony of screams. A hoard of men surround a ring where a fight is in full swing. The fence surrounding the ring protects the fighters from the crowd but their shouts and jeers still clash with the thuds of hands striking flesh. Voss slips the bouncer some money with practice ease. He can feel Ley growing more tense, as if the air around her is at attention. He puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder,
‘Come on,’ he says and guides her into some free seats in the stands. As they squeeze into place amongst the crowd, Voss points to the woman in the ring. ‘Behold, the Tessa Kellar.’
Tessa is in the centre of the ring, fighting her opponent with practiced ease. She’s strong and quick on her feet, dodging the barrage of attacks that the man sends her way but slowly he gains on her. Pushing her into the corner as he continue to attack.
‘That's Tessa?’ Says Ley with dissapointment.
‘Yep, the one and only.’ She falters on her feet, barely missing an incoming punch from her opponent. ‘Don't worry though, she always does this. She pretends to lose, makes them think they're going to win and then she fights back.’
Her opponent punches her clean off her feet sending Tessa flying to the ground.
‘Are you sure about that?’
Her opponent goes to do his final strike, kneeling down so he can get can nice and close. Voss is suddenly unsure that she’s going to fight back. He’s never seen her lose and here she was giving up.
The man raises his fist ready to end the match and Voss lets out a high-pitched whistle that cuts through the noise around them.
Her opponent’s fist stops in mid-air like an order, inches from her face. Tessa focuses on the fist, holding it still using her mind.
The crowd jerks into silence - you’re not allowed to use TK in these fights.
Tessa searches for Voss in the crowd but he can’t wait:
‘Do something you twat!’ He shouts.
Tessa finds him, a smile twitching into place as her opponent struggles to move. The crowd turns ugly, shouting abuse onto the ring because of her use of TK. Before they can break through the fence she lets the man go and his fist slams into her face, ending the match.
Tessa nurses her face with ice in the makeshift locker room of the basement. Even at this distance they can hear the muffled shouts of her audience waiting for her to return. Voss paces back and forth, trying to understand what he saw. He would have sworn on his life that she couldn’t lose. That she was a champion like no other but what he was looking at now was a woman defeated.
‘You could have got me killed,’ says Tessa.
‘Me? Did you miss what just happened out there? You were getting yourself killed.’ She shrugs.
‘People come to watch me lose,’ she says. ‘I play around at the beginning, make it look like I think I'm going to win and then they 'overpower' me and I lose.’
‘So they pay to beat you up.’
‘Same thing.’ For the first time in his life, he was silenced. He wanted to take her out of there, away from the noise so he could shake some sense into her. She was Tessa Kellar - the Tessa Kellar. But before he has a chance, she notices Ley standing in the corner behind him. ‘Who's the kid?’ Ley stands up tall and Voss has to remind himself of why they came.
‘My name is — ‘ Voss quickly steps in front of her, blocking her from Tessa.
‘It’s okay, I’ve got this,’ he says over his shoulder to Ley. The last thing he needs is Ley scaring Tessa away before he’s had a chance to convince her to help. He turns back to Tessa with a bright smile. ‘Her name is Ley.’
‘So, what - now you're hiring children?’ Voss forces a laugh.
‘No, no. We're going to train her to compete in the Games for Avery Pangere.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Look —’ Tessa slams her locker shut,
‘No,’ she snaps.
‘Just hear me out. I said to the kid — to Ley — that I would take her to see Avery Pangere so she can compete in the Games but we both know that without you that's not going to happen.’
‘You mean that stupid competition that ruined my life. And even now, fifteen years later, is still ruining my life.’
‘Yep.’
‘The thing that I vowed to never enter again and that I would never go near any of those people again, including Pangere.’
‘That's the one!’
‘No, thanks.’
‘Oh, come on,’ he groans. ‘It was yearss ago - besides, Ley really needs your help! And if you don't train her, Avery won't sponsor her and then she won't compete at all.’
‘Please,’ says Ley. ‘I really need your help.’
‘See?’
‘What's in it for you?’
‘It's a good deed,’ he says but Tessa glares at him, waiting for the truth. ‘I swear!’
‘Oh piss off, Voss.’
‘Come on, T, her mum is dying or something.’
‘She's sick.’
‘Right, and her dad's probably dead.’ He spins to Ley. ‘Is he dead?’
‘I don't know, I've never met him.’
‘See? She's a shoe-in!’
‘No deal,’ says Tessa before she turns to Ley. ‘Sorry — Voss is an asshole. I can't have anything to do with those Games.’
The words have barely left her mouth before Ley becomes overwhelmed by her anger. The lockers that line the walls start to rattle, waiting to burst. Voss seems to be the only one who notices it, or the only one who seems to care.
‘But he said that you would,’ snaps Ley. ‘I need to fight, I can win. I need to win.’
‘No one wins. It's a waste of money and a waste of time.’ The lockers are shaking now, doors flying open as Ley drags Tessa to the centre of the room. Then she slams the lockers shut with a bang.
Voss can't believe his luck, there’s no way that she can refuse now. You can’t deny her talent. But Tessa isn’t impressed by it. When she speaks her voice each word sharp as a knife.
‘Don't ever move me like that again - got it?’
‘I have to compete in these games,’ says Ley. Tessa studies her and Voss can’t help but wonder what it is she’s trying to understand. Ley was clearly powerful, clearly a winner ready to play - why couldn’t she see that?
‘Show me your arms.’ Ley proudly shows her the four bands covering one arm before dramatically revealing the second arm with four more. Voss nearly laughs - the kid‘s a showman. But Tessa barely reacts, looking at the bands as if it’s the most common thing in the world.
‘That's eight,’ says Voss. Tessa gently takes her arms and examines them, rubbing the bands to see if they’re fake under the UV light of Ley's bracelets.
‘You know why they split them like that?’ She asks.
‘No,’ says Ley as Tessa lets go.
‘Because no one believes that anybody can have more power than four. There's a limit to what we can do. You can potentially have infinite ability but nobody's seen it. But they still brand you that way, just in case.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘I'm saying, you show these like this is all you need to win. Like you're special. But you're not... Go home before you hurt yourself.’ Tessa goes to leave and Ley starts to simmer in her rage.
‘I know who you are, you know,’ she starts and Tessa stops at the door. ‘Just because you couldn't win doesn't mean that I can't.’
‘We don’t need to talk about that —‘ Starts Voss, stepping between them but Ley pushes him aside.
‘You competed in the first Games, right?’ She says. Tessa refuses to turn to face them so Ley creeps closer, ready to strike. ‘Got all the way to the finals and then you lost. Just because you’re a loser doesn’t mean I will be. I'm going to win. I have to win.’
‘Voss,’ says Tessa. ‘Make sure she gets home safe.’ She pushes through the doors and returns to the wall of sound waiting for her.
Scraps of strategies race through Voss’ mind as he tries to think of some other way to make this work but all of them hinge on the woman who just walked away.
’Well,’ he says. ‘That didn't go exactly as I planned.’
‘I don't care, you said that you'd take me to Pangere.’
‘Kid, she's not going to do jack shit without Tessa. I can guarantee you that.’
‘Why? She’s just some loser who lost a billion years ago.’
‘Now you’re just being stupid.’
‘But what's so great about her - why do we need her to see Pangere?’
‘I don't know what it is. You can’t convince Pangere to do anything but Tessa could — it’s borderline obsession. Tessa was the first person who entered the Games. Maybe it’s because she made Pangere’s precious games popular? Or maybe she just has a soft spot for firsts — I don’t know. But Tessa is the only way in and no means no, so I guess we’re the losers… Come on, I’ll take you home.’ Ley shrugs him off and turns to him with that same look of desperation in her eyes.
‘No, I paid you to take me to Pangere. So do it.’
