第3章

At 4:00 a.m., the League convened an emergency review session.

Nightfall had already submitted the surgical certificate for their starting support. As long as I regained free agent status before noon, I could be added to the emergency roster.

The only thing standing in the way was my Radiance contract.

Nightfall's legal team pulled up the breach clause.

"If you leave on your own, you'd owe an eight-figure buyout."

"Unless Radiance issues an immediate termination first."

"They will."

At 8:00 a.m., Radiance's team bus pulled out of the training house on schedule.

No one contacted me.

At 8:10 a.m., Tessa posted a photo of herself in the front row of the starting lineup bus.

My noise-canceling headset hung around her neck. The caption implied I'd overslept and held up the whole team.

Ten minutes later, "Chloe Harper Missing on Finals Day" began trending.

Radiance didn't issue a correction. Derek even added a line during an on-bus interview.

"When a veteran player gets taken care of for too long, showing up late now and then is expected."

At 9:00 a.m., Walsh finally called.

"Chloe, the organization is willing to give you one more chance."

A fully executed document appeared in my inbox moments later. The subject line read "Mutual Termination and Voluntary Surrender of Starting Position."

The document required me to acknowledge declining competitive performance, voluntarily withdraw from the Finals roster, and forfeit all prize money and commercial revenue shares.

In exchange, Radiance would not pursue liability for my departure or the damaged equipment.

"Sign by 11:00 a.m., or the organization will bench you for a full year."

"No need to wait."

I opened the electronic signature page.

Five minutes later, my signature and fingerprint scan were submitted.

The organization had already signed the document. The moment I added my signature, the contract was terminated.

I added one line: "Termination effective. Hope you enjoy getting crushed today."

Walsh paused for a long moment before speaking.

"That document was just Derek's bluff!"

"And I signed it."

"Don't throw your career away over a fit of temper!"

"You're the ones who sent it."

I hung up.

At 9:20 a.m., the League confirmed my free agent status.

At 10:00 a.m., I passed the competitive fitness test, then moved on to the conflict of interest review.

My two personal strategy notebooks were sealed in evidence bags. I wouldn't get them back until after the Finals.

The examiner reminded me that I was prohibited from sharing any of Radiance's unpublished training data with Nightfall.

"Understood."

"But you were Radiance's shot-caller for seven years. You must know their habits inside out."

"Habits aren't trade secrets."

I looked at the Radiance badge on the table.

"They're weaknesses that haven't been fixed in seven years."

At 11:50 a.m., the League approved the emergency roster and issued me a new black-and-gold account key.

The registered tag was still TIME. The team affiliation now read Nightfall.

Nathan handed me a silver-and-black jersey. The cuffs had built-in wrist support, and the fit was perfect.

"When did you have this made?"

"Three days ago."

"You were that sure I'd come?"

"I wasn't. That's why I had one made in every size."

I took the jersey. He held out his hand.

"Welcome to Nightfall, Captain."

On the Radiance bus, Walsh had just broken the news to Derek.

Derek crushed his coffee can but still refused to believe it.

"She left Radiance. Where else could she possibly go?"

"Nightfall filed an emergency free agent request."

Derek fell silent for a moment, then convinced himself I'd only be riding the bench.

What he didn't know was that Nightfall had spent the last three months studying the shot-calling system I'd published.

I didn't need to teach them how to play. I only needed to fill in twelve situational callouts.

On the way to the arena, I finished the final version of the battle plan.

Nathan tapped Derek's profile picture on the screen.

"Who do we target first?"

I drew a red circle next to the picture.

"We take down Radiance's brightest star first."