They were eager and waiting, like trembling thoroughbreds waiting to see the gates open before them. “First course,” Abe Braun announced. “Chicken Parmigiana. Just your every-day average breaded chicken served with tomato sauce, cheese, and spaghetti. Make the best one, and you’ll stay in the competition—that is, if the other players don’t sabotage you first! Spaghetti, set…Your shopping time begins… now!” The fool. He had condemned his players so glibly. He thought he was clever. Well, he would know soon enough. Abe Braun would not be proud for long. He would face reality and he would cringe away from it. He would beg for mercy. But there was no mercy here, not for his kind. The players squabbled. They would do anything to win. They did not care what they had to do to their fellow players, as long as they would win. There was no dignity between these thieves. He didn’t care what they did to each other.
