Lako Barin hurries over to the two of them. “Harv, good to see you again. Great performance you put on in the Killerbowl.”

“If you think that was good, wait ‘til you see me in the next one.” No modesty in Harv Matision.

The Times society photographer lines up a shot of the two talking. Senator Barin, sensing the photographer’s presence, turns his strong profile to the camera. The photographer catches it, as Senator Barin pays him to. He also catches Koko Hofsteder with her mouth open, and Senator Cy Abelman looking disgusted in the background. A minor retouch in his darkroom takes Koko completely out of the picture, and puts a distinctly drunken leer of envy on Abelman’s face.

The shot runs on page twelve in the morning edition.

4

KILLERBOWL XXI, THE GAME

Saturday, January 1, 2011, 12:00 Midnight

T.K. kicks off, a booming shot traveling straight down Myrtle almost to Irving. He has Pfleg, Frazier, Minick, Brye and Clausen lined up to his left, Dedemus, DeGeller, Michalski, Healy and Howe to his right. Since Myrtle is quite narrow, they’re less than an arm’s length apart. Rauscher is pressed up against a bank around the corner and out of the way on Anderson. D’Armato is on the top floor of an office building on Mt. Vernon.

The Minutemen’s deep receiver takes the kick, jogs right onto Irving, and cuts into an apartment house.

T.K. dodges his blocker and turns down Garden, the street one over west from Irving. From his scouting endeavors of the days before, T.K. remembers that the apartment house the ball carrier went into has entrances on both streets. Sure enough, no sooner does T.K. reach the Garden Street entrance than the ball carrier comes charging out.

Instinctively, T.K. unfurls his bola and heaves it. It wraps tightly around the ball carrier’s legs, sending him sprawling to the pavement.

The referee blows his whistle into his amplifier. Through his transmitter, he conveys to the other referees the fact that the play has ended.

Led by the referees, the members of both teams make their way to Garden Street.

T.K. takes a quick survey. On the kickoff, DeGeller suffered some bleeder bites, Healy twisted an ankle. Both are able to keep playing. All told, the Prospectors came out of the kickoff in very good shape. So did the opposition. The Minutemen line up thirteen strong as well.

On the first play of the game, Matision throws a short swing pass to his end out in the flat.

With a traditional flying tackle, Michalski stops it for a short gain.

The next play is a keeper. Matision swings left and charges hard up Revere. T.K. and Frazier gang tackle him. Howe and Clausen pile on before the whistle blows. Everybody swings a knife. Matision gets up unmarked and laughing.