DAY 13: The Apartment Arms Race

Saturday afternoon was Battledfield day; no negotations, Josh said.  Joe's coursework was going to wait until Josh's squadron totally pwoned Joe's crew; which was usually a 3 hour process.  Joe was uncharacteristically coopeartive this weekend, and complied.
And so it was that Joe set aside his theoretical calculus and cybernetics, and grabbed a controller.  He caught sight of Josh's Red Sox cap.  "How about you let me wear Red today?"  Josh responded with a quick swipe, planting it on his own head.

An hour later, Team Red had Team Blue down 19-15, when Joe decided to take a bathroom break.  Josh didn't see Joe's controller leave with him.  He was too busy riding shotgun in the Jeep, shoving grenades into people's faces.  "Take us to the roof!" Josh shouted.  Grid1ron423 drove up the stairs, while Josh kept a steady bead on Red Team's flagbearer.  He pulled out the SRAW, took aim, and...
BWHAM! The jeep was a mushroom cloud.  "What was that?!?" GridIron wailed.
"Focus!  We're coming back!" Josh barked.  They emerged, and Josh began scanning his arsenal, looking for the right weapon.  He saw his Shorty 12G, one of his favorites.  "J-Lo," he purred.  As GridIron ran ahead, Josh made his selection.  It promptly materialized in his hands, and fired a round straight into GridIron's back.  "What the hell?" GridIron squawked.
Josh, meanwhile, was watching his weapons selection scroll faster than his eyes could keep up.  "I've been hacked!"  He started trying to push every button he could-
"Whatev!  You're telling me you ain't pushing the buttons?"
"Seriously!, Joe, look-"  Josh looked at Joe's empty chair.  Josh looked down at his own fingers; they were pushing the buttons... but not the buttons he wanted.  He watched his fingers select his bank account and check the balance.  He tried to drop the controller, but his hands refused.  The rest of Blue team, meanwhile, were building distance.
"Joe!"  Josh awkwardly got off the couch, controller still between his hands.
"Joe!"  Josh looked in all directions, rage building.
"JOE!"  Josh roared at the bathroom door.  "Stop it! Turn it off!"

On the other side of the door, Joe gleefully stared at the tablet that provided a view of Josh's predicament, while he mashed his controller buttons.  "Dude, just take off your hat!"


inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Mind Melds Made Real"