Chain Gang All Stars

While Staxxx tells Thurwar about Sunset, the market is still in chaos. Police have started using tear gas. A footnote explains that this is a substance forbidden outside of war by international law but legal to be used on civilians in the US. Police also tase people; in another footnote, readers learn that although tasers can cause death, these devices are regularly used for civilian crowd control. Most people leave, and then the Links are led away too.

The novel flashes back. After killing all of Sing-Attica-Sing except Hendrix Young, Simon J. Craft goes to the tent that belonged to Bells and Razor. Young asks Simon if he knows where they are, and Simon replies that this is hell. When asked his name, Simon calls himself “a son-of-a-bitch rapist motherfucker” (293), which is what Officer Lawrence used to call him while Influencing him. When prompted again, Simon says his real name but can’t remember that the “J” stands for “Jeremiah.” Young offers that it can stand for “Jungle” since Simon is wild.

Simon and Young fight their first doubles match. Young gives Simon simple instructions: Never kill Young, but kill anyone else. Simon understands this despite his erratic behavior and inability to notice things like the fact that Young has only one arm. They are favored to lose but end up killing the opposing team, the Boulder Brothers.

When Young mentions the Influencer device, Simon panics, terrified that Young has the ability to Influence him if Simon doesn’t follow Young’s directions. Over time, the two men build rapport. Although Young is sad that Simon killed his friends, Young sees that Simon is a lost soul who needs guidance, so he shows him grace.

Later, during a melee, Young and Simon kill everyone on the Largesse State Pen Chain instead of just one person like the rules require. Simon then becomes known as unkillable. The two men spend a year alone on the Sing-Attica-Sing Chain. No one tells them why, but readers learn that it is because of a lawsuit claiming that Simon is mentally ill and so did not have the legal right to sign up for CAPE. Until the case is settled, no new Links are allowed to join Simon’s Chain (but he’s still allowed to battle for the CAPE program).

In the present, after the farmers market protest, the members of A-Hamm are put into police cars. They separate Thurwar from Staxxx, seemingly as punishment, and put her in a car with Bad Water instead. Bad Water joined CAPE because he is innocent and was tired of prison. Thurwar tells him she joined because she “was in a lot of pain” (300).

In her hotel room, Thurwar watches clips of the opponents she will soon face in the doubles match with Staxxx, studying them to identify weaknesses. Thurwar recalls her prison roommate Patty, who, like Sunset, encouraged Thurwar to love and forgive herself as a way toward redemption. After Thurwar was Influenced in prison, Patty took care of her.

Thurwar reads through her fan mail, which she usually doesn’t do. A lot of it consists of useless or upsetting things like unsolicited sexual content like pictures of genitalia (including some from Wil), homophobic rants, death threats, and random criticisms. One message is probably from Mari, wishing Thurwar well. Since Thurwar knows that her online activity is monitored, she doesn’t react to the message.

She purchases a new, better weapon and meal plan—both for Rico.

Thurwar presents Rico with his new blade. The Links train for battle. Randy Mac will be facing Raven Ways, so everyone expects him to lose and die. Therefore, they are extra nice to him in his final days.

Unbeknownst to Kai, Mari has purchased a front-row ticket to Thurwar and Staxxx’s doubles match so she can protest more. She thinks the protest will be even more powerful if it’s on the actual BattleGround.

Thurwar has kept her hurt knee a secret from others—she’s not sure even the GameMasters have noticed. However, she notifies Staxxx about the injury before their doubles match. They’ll be facing Hendrix “Scorpion Singer” Young and Simon “Unkillable Jungle” Craft, who now views Young as “the good angel” (319).

Randy Mac is killed by Raven Ways. While Staxxx and Thurwar do pre-fight interviews with Micky Wright, Mari wanders onto the field with a protest sign that reads “WHERE LIFE IS PRECIOUS” (322).

When Mari walked through security, she just had a blank sign and a marker, so the guards didn’t take it away from her. She then went to her seat, where the people nearby chatted her up about who they were rooting for and whose lives they’d placed bets on. When she finished making the sign, she climbed over the plexiglass wall and onto the field. Her sign reads “WHERE LIFE IS PRECIOUS” on one side and “LIFE IS PRECIOUS” on the other (326). A cop Influences Mari.

Like it does to others, the Influencer makes Mari wish she were dead so that the impossible pain would be over. She feels she would literally do anything to get it to stop. Finally, it does end, and she’s carried off the field.

Thurwar tries to forget Mari so she can focus on beating Scorpion Singer and Craft.

Micky makes a joke about Mari, but when nobody laughs, he switches the topic to how epic this doubles match is. This does get the positive reaction he was hoping for. He then releases the fighters from their locked positions.

Young instructs Craft to attack Staxxx while he attacks Thurwar. However, since Young wishes he could speak to Thurwar instead, he goes for Staxxx alongside Craft. As the men rush Staxxx, Thurwar comes from behind. She throws her hammer into Young’s head, killing him. As Craft cradles Young’s body, Staxxx kills him.

Micky Wright is disappointed that Thurwar and Staxxx won the fight because this means they’ll now have to fight each other, which he still believes is unpleasant. He’s been given a script to announce this new rule, but he is not excited to do so. After seeing Tracy’s speeches, Micky has grown horrified with what he’s become.

After the combat, the CAPE program immediately switches from Season 32 to 33—there is no off-season period. As per the script, Micky pretends like he’s just learning about the new rule now. As he explains it, the audience is silent. The fact that they don’t cheer gives Micky hope that maybe American society isn’t beyond fixing.

Since they lost Randy Mac, Jerry lets the A-Hamm Links talk instead of setting them to silent as they travel toward their next location. They fondly repeat Randy’s catchphrase, “suck my dick, America” (338). Instead of sitting next to Thurwar like she normally does, Staxxx sits in Randy’s old empty spot, across from Thurwar. Thurwar reflects that fights begin as soon as they’re announced—people start studying each other and preparing. She realizes that she’s already imagined fighting Staxxx multiple times while giving her training advice. Still, it’s different now that it’s actually happening. After years of Staxxx being Thurwar’s reason to keep living, Thurwar is not sure she can kill her.

Jerry drops A-Hamm off at a campsite near a canyon. There’s a BlackOut night, so cameras stop recording. Staxxx asks who the others think will win to lighten the mood, adding that if the GameMasters make her kill Thurwar, she’ll spend her remaining days trying to destroy them. The same goes for Thurwar—if Thurwar wins, Staxxx knows she’ll work to dismantle the system, possibly with the help of Tracy or others.

On TV, Tracy, Mari, and others continue speaking out against CAPE while the match between Thurwar and Staxxx is about to start.

Staxxx, now a Colossal, shares a poem before marching into battle to the death against the love of her life.

For once, Thurwar and Staxxx are alone on the field before their fight—Micky Wright and other announcers are absent. Thurwar tells the audience she forgives them. They cheer, and then both women get locked into starting position.

The match starts. Staxxx and Thurwar run toward each other, embrace, and say that they love each other. They fight. Thurwar kills Staxxx, leaving the audience in stunned silence.