"Right!" Michael said, his voice full of a new, "Boss-like" confidence. He was pacing the "War Room," and this time, he wasn't the 'Kid Genius.' He was... the Boss.

"Gaffer, you... are right," Michael beamed. "We... need... The Ghost. He's our... kind of... broken. We... are signing... him."

"Good," Arthur rasped, a smirk on his face.

"Dad!" Michael turned to Steve, who was already on the phone, probably yelling at the Rolex people.

"WHAT?!" Steve boomed.

"I'm... busy! I'm... negotiating! They... think... 'Champions'... deserve... gold! I... agree!"

"Dad, we need $6 million!" Michael said. "Gaffer... also... needs... a goalkeeper! A new... monster... for the Championship!"

"A GOALKEEPER?!" Steve roared, his "Partner" eyes... gleaming. "I LOVE IT! 'Sammy'... is good! But... he's [CA 72]! He's... a boy! We... need... a MAN! A GIANT! A WALL! Michael... go... to your... magic... box! Find... me... a WALL!"

"I'm on it!" Michael laughed.

This... was fun.

Michael... his Dad... his Gaffer... all together.

They were planning. They were laughing. They... were building.

Steve... was pacing. He... was alive. He... was back.

"We... are going... to CRUSH... this league, Arthur!" Steve boomed, his face... red... with joy. "We... are NOT... messing... around! We... are going... straight... UP! We... are... UNSTOPPABLE!"

"We... are Barnsley," Arthur smirked.

"WE... ARE... DYNAMITE!" Steve roared. He... clapped... his hands. "Right! Michael... son...

"...pass... me... the...

"...the...

"...wa..."

...

...

...

The booming... stopped.

Michael... looked up. He... was grinning.

"The... what, Dad?"

Steve Sterling... was... standing... in the middle... of the "War Room."

He... was not... booming.

His... face... which had been red... with joy...

...was... suddenly... white.

A... pale,... ash-gray... white.

His... eyes... which had been blazing...

...were... wide.

Confused.

Terrified.

"Dad...?" Michael's... grin... vanished.

"Steve...?" Arthur rasped, his own... smirk... gone.

"It's...

"...it's... hot... in here..." Steve... whispered.

His... hand...

...went... slowly...

...to his... chest.

"Dad...?" Michael... stood up.

"It's...

"...it's... spongy..." Steve gasped, his eyes... rolling.

And...

...he... fell.

Like... a tree.

THUD!

The... sound... of his... $5,000-suit-wearing... body... hitting... the new... floor...

...was the... loudest... sound... Michael... had ever... heard.

...

...

...

Silence.

The... "War Room"... was frozen.

Michael... couldn't... breathe.

Arthur... his cane... clattered... to the... floor.

He... was... staring.

He... was... white... as a sheet.

"DAAAAAAD!"

Michael... screamed.

He... flew... across the room... skidding... on his knees.

"Dad! Dad! WAKE UP! IT'S... IT'S NOT... FUNNY!"

His dad... wasn't... moving.

"ARTHUR!" Michael shrieked, his voice... a sound... he'd never... heard... before.

"ARTHUR... DO... SOMETHING!"

Arthur... was frozen. He... couldn't... move.

"CALL...!" Michael screamed,... sobbing...

"CALL... NINE... NINE... NINE!"

ShutterstockTime... stopped.

The next... hour... was a blur.

A siren.

Red... and... blue... lights... flashing... on the perfect, un-spongy... turf.

Men... running.

A... stretcher.

Michael... in his car. Chasing... the ambulance. His hands... shaking... so hard... he... couldn't... steer.

He... ran... into the hospital.

The... smell. Sterile. Clean. Awful.

"My... dad! Steve Sterling! He... he fell!"

"Sir... please... wait... in the waiting... room..."

Michael... paced.

Back... and forth. Back... and forth.

He... called... Jessica.

She... was there... in five... minutes.

"What... happened?!" she gasped, her face... white.

"I... I don't... know!" Michael... cried.

"We... we... we were laughing! He... was... booming! And... he... he just... fell!"

Thirty... minutes... later.

His Mom. Catherine. She... flew... in, her face... a mask... of pure, white, terror.

"WHERE... IS HE?! WHERE... IS... MY... HUSBAND?!"

"They... they won't... tell us... anything, Mom!" Jessica sobbed.

The... three... of them. The Sterling... family... re-united...

...huddled... together...

...on a horrible, plastic,... waiting-room... bench.

Michael... was... panicking.

The System!

His hands... shaking... he... activated... his... System.

...SCAN! SCAN! DAD! SCAN!

[SYSTEM: 'SCANNING...']

[TARGET: 'STEVE STERLING']

[STATUS: 'CRITICAL']

[...SCANNING... FAILED... TARGET... OBSCURED...]

"NO!" Michael whispered, slamming... his fist... against... his... leg. "NO! SCAN! WORK! DAMN YOU!"

"Michael... what... are you doing?" Jessica cried.

"I... I'm..."

"Mr... Sterling...?"

A doctor.

A... kind,... old... man,... his face... gray... with... tiredness.

The three... of them... shot... up.

"Is... is he... okay?!" Catherine gasped.

"He... he is... isn't he?!" Michael pleaded.

The... doctor... just... looked... at them. He... took... a deep... breath. He... let it... out.

"Mr. Sterling... your... husband... your... father..."

"...he... suffered... a massive... aortic... aneurysm... rupture."

...

...

...

Michael... didn't... understand. "A... what?"

"His... heart," the doctor said, softly. "It... it tore. We... did... everything... we... could. We... stopped... the bleeding. But... the... damage... it's... too... extensive."

"What... what... are you... sayING?!" Jessica shrieked, her voice... cracking.

The... doctor...

...looked... at them...

...with eyes...

...of pure, deep, unbearable... pity.

"We... moved... him... to a private... room."

"He... is comfortable."

"But...

"...I'm... so... sorry."

...

...

...

"He... won't... make it... through... the... night."

...

...

...

"You...

"...you... have... maybe...

"...twenty-four... hours."

...

...

...

Catherine... Sterling... just... fainted.

Jessica... just... laughed. A high-pitched, terrifying, insane... shriek-laugh. "That's... not... funny! He... he's NOT... allowed! We... we have... a GOALKEEPER... TO... BUY!"

Michael... just... stared.

His [System]... brain... whirring.

No. No. No. He... looked... at the doctor. His... voice... was... cold. Dead.

"No," Michael said.

"I'm... so sorry, son..." the doctor whispered.

"NO!" Michael shouted, his voice... cracking. "That's... NOT... TRUE! That's... ILLOGICAL! We... have... money!"

The... doctor... blinked.

"Son... what?"

"THE... MONEY!" Michael shrieked, his eyes... wild. "THE... $6 MILLION! IS... THAT... NOT... ENOUGH?! WE... HAVE... MORE! WE... HAVE... THE ROLEX... MONEY! WHAT... IS... THE... PRICE... TO... FIX... HIM?!"

"Michael..." Jessica sobbed. "It's... not... a transfer..."

"SHUT UP, JESS!" Michael roared. He... grabbed... the doctor's... coat. "FIX... HIM! I... ORDER... YOU... TO... FIX... HIM!"

"I... can't..." the doctor... whispered,... tears... in his... own... eyes.

"You... can... see him... now..."

Michael... just... froze.

He... let go. He... walked. A... zombie.

He... pushed... open... the door.

Room 303.

His... dad. He... was in... the bed. He... was... small. So... small.

He... was pale. There... were tubes. But... his eyes... were open. They... were angry.

"Dad...?" Michael whispered, his knees... buckling.

"Michael... son," Steve rasped. His booming... voice... was... a ghost.

"The... doctor..." Steve gasped. "...he... told... me..."

"He's lying, Dad!" Michael sobbed. "He's... stupid! We're... getting... a new... doctor!"

"Michael..." Steve... gasped,... a... tiny... angry... laugh.

"...this... doctor..."

"...he's... boring..."

"...he... said... 'twenty-four... hours'..."

"...Michael..."

He... looked... at his... son.

His [CA 99]... 'Shark'... eyes...

...were... dimming.

But... they... were still... furious.

"...TWENTY-FOUR... HOURS...?" he whispered,... a... roar... of... defiance.

"...THAT...

"...IS...

"...UN... ACCEPTABLE!"

He... glared... at the heart... monitor.

"THIS... 'dying'... thing..."

"...it's boring, Michael..."

"...it's... inefficient..."

"...I... HATE... IT..."

He... looked... at Michael.

"Son..." he gasped, his hand... shaking... as he... reached... out.

"...you...

"...you... fix... this..."

"...this... is worse... than Man... City..."

"...we... can't... lose... this... one..."

"...fix... it,... Michael..."

"...fix..."

And... his... eyes...

...closed.

The... monitor...

...screamed.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP...

Michael... just... stared.

No.

No.

No.

"...DAD?!"

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