Chapter Three: Number Ten for the Bottom Club

Baptiste threw an old number-ten shirt over Lin's face. “You start next week. Arrive late and you're finished.” In the dressing room, Lin's registration band lit. Match data began uploading to the league server. He pressed the memory wafer against the band and quietly entered Étoile's data relay. A coordinate fragment appeared beside an encrypted list. There were eleven lines. The first read LEÓN VEGA, status DEPLOYED. The second named a Premier League goalkeeper, status CULTIVATING. The final line carried no name, only a designation: ELEVENTH SHADOW—HOST MATCH COMPLETE. Emma's voice came from the doorway. “That isn't the league interface.” Lin snapped the tablet shut.