Page 76 of Mongrels United
Grady cried out her delight, bouncing up onto her knees on the bed. The full arena also screamed their approval or disappointment.
Even Nash smiled…and that was the icing on a perfect moment she would remember forever.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The hysteria over the Mongrels United making the play-offs spread across the entire ship.Everyonewas talking about it. Everyone was laughing and looking lighter and happier than Grady had ever seen, when moving around the ship.
Grady had stopped at her apartment in the Equiline on her way to the bridge, to see Kailash. She had thought she would have to wake him, but he was sitting on the stool at the kitchenette counter when she stepped in, his head in his hands. His eyes were deeply bloodshot, and she could smell the liquor rolling off him with every move he made, even from by the door.
“You celebrated, I see.” Grady tried to make her tone chiding, but she was too close to laughing to pull it off.
Kailash waved a hand with a feeble movement. “Shhh…! Please!”
Grady did laugh then. She printed him an analgesic, dry toast, a whole pitcher of coffee and the biggest jug of water the printer could manage, put them all in front of him and kissed his temple. “You clever tankball team captain, you,” she murmured. “You’re in thefinals!”
Kailash grinned. “I know!”
They both laughed together, with sheer delight. Until Kailash winced and gripped the edge of the counter to offset the spinning of his head.
Grady hugged him from behind. “I have to go to work. But I just wanted to say how proud I am of you and the team. I thought I would throw up, in the last few seconds of the overtime period.”
“So did I,” Kailash admitted.
“Good thing you play in the heavy zone, huh?”
He rolled his eyes.
Grady waved goodbye and hurried to the Esquiline platform to catch the train to the Bridge end of the ship. The people on the train were smiling, too. And talking to each other. She could see at least one couple dissecting the game, their hands moving excitedly as they described the most exciting play sequences.
And at least three more people were watching the game on replay on their pads.
And when she reached the office, Siran called Grady directly into his office, where he asked her to gather numbers from the game—how many people had attended the live game. How many had watched the live feed. How many were watching replays. The role of the captain in the tankball season, through the history of the ship.
“Luus willlovedigging this data up,” Grady told Siran. She paused. “You liked the game, then?”
Siran tried to shift his expression to casual indifference. “It was interesting.”
Liar, she thought to herself, and hid her smile. “Were you pleased with the outcome?”
Siran shot her a direct glare. “You mean, was I cheering for the Mongrels?” He gave an exasperated sigh. “I might have been somewhat pleased they won.”
Grady did let herself smile, then.
“Your father had the rights of it,” Siran added. “The Mongrels represent no one and everyone. They’re the only team a captain of this century can cheer for with any safety.”
“But that’s not why you were pleased they won,” Grady said wisely.
Siran sighed. “Damn it, no. Iwantedthem to win. They’re the epitome of underdogs. All I could think was how fitting it would be if they won against these professional teams with bags of money and political backers…” He pointed at her. “Yes, you said all that, the first time around. I didn’t understand it properly until last night, sitting there watching everyone go wild with each play. It’s infectious. And it’s…” He scratched the back of his head, looking for words.
Grady thought of the light, convivial air in the train. “It’s uniting underdogs everywhere.”
“And everyone thinks they’re an underdog, these days,” Siran added softly. He met Grady’s gaze. It was a moment of perfect understanding. The tankball games could very well be an agent of change, the thing Grady had been looking for, all along.
“Are you going to the finals, Captain?” Grady asked.
“I think…yes, I should be there.”
Grady went back to work, happiness welling from deep inside. But it wasn’t just the game that had provoked the bubbling font. She had been feeling this glowing, warm kernel for days, now. The game had simply bought it to the fore.
