Mardock Scramble полностью

–What about lowball poker, then? When the weakest hand is the winner?

“Well, sure, but even then, the aim is still to win the chips…”

–But it’s so boring right now!

“Well, then, if you insist, why don’t we go for something like a high-low split? First to either reach the target or get rid of all their chips wins? If you manage to beat me I’ll buy you whatever you want on the way home.”

–You’re on, Uncle! I’m going to thrash you!

The conversation had taken such a strange turn that the dealer had to struggle to keep up. But at least one thing was clear.

“We’ve got a pair of easy marks here, sir. Sitting ducks,” the dealer whispered into his earpiece in a voice that was inaudible to Balot and the Doctor—or rather, would have been inaudible if not for Balot’s powers. Balot understood that she and the Doctor were angels, the answer to all the dealer’s prayers, for he would be able to get what he wanted from them—his marks. Balot felt the last twinges of pity for this man disappear. If he saw her as no more than a pigeon to be plucked, she’d deliver the same back to him, with interest.

–Well played.

Oeufcoque’s words floated up on her hand, and she squeezed back at them as she placed her chips for the next hand. The Doctor placed his chips too. The dealer never did get around to setting that house maximum; he was trapped in a quagmire of his own making.

–This dealer already has one foot in the grave as far as this casino is concerned.

Oeufcoque was providing a commentary now.

–Not only that, it’s the foot in the grave bearing his weight at the moment. This dealer is no longer acting like an employee should. He’s taking this personally. He’s forgotten all his responsibilities and duties as an employee.

Indeed, the man in front of Balot, Marlowe John Fever, now had eyes for one thing and one thing only: to bring down Balot and the Doctor, even if it took all the chips in the casino to do it.

–Right, we’re going to divide our strategy into three parts.

Oeufcoque had the measure of the dealer now and dictated a new course of play. The bankroll was divided into three piles. The tactical grid on Balot’s left hand split into three distinct tables, each showing their own sets of figures.

–We’ll make tactical adjustments on a hand-by-hand basis.

The idea was to divide Balot’s chips into three piles and to treat each pile as if it belonged to a different player. The first would be the sacrificial victim to pave the way for the other two. The second would perform a supporting task, gradually building up something of a bankroll. The third was there to deal the knockout blow when the time was just right.

Balot also had to signal the Doctor’s moves too, so there were four lines of tactics in play at any given time.

Balot had her hands full. It was true that her newly expanded bankroll gave her some breathing space, but the sort of tactics she was now attempting were far beyond the reach of a normal human being. It was only because Oeufcoque was with her that she’d be able to perform the sort of complex calculations that were needed to pull it off—all without the dealer being able to see through her plan.

The game progressed, Balot winning steadily all the while. Just as they entered the final stages Oeufcoque gave another instruction.

–Time to give the dealer a bit of a jolt, I think. We can’t have him get too coolheaded.

For this was indeed what had been happening as the game had started to calm down again.

–What should I do?

The answer to Balot’s question was a tough one to swallow.

–You really think I should say something like that?

–I do. The time is ripe.

Having received her orders, Balot gauged her timing, and when the moment was right she tapped the Doctor’s arm.

“What is it?”

Balot left the slightest of pauses before unleashing the words that cut like a knife:

–I want to play at another table.

The Doctor’s mouth flew open. But if he was surprised, the dealer looked as if he’d seen a ghost—no, as if his whole world were about to collapse around him. This girl, this girl who knew nothing, was rejecting her own table? When she was on such a winning streak?