Smoke and Fire

“Everything

is fine--”- Various.

“You don’t get it do you; he doesn’t intend to

follow through with your strategies!!!! If we hesitate for even a second; the

world will burn, and I can guarantee that!!” Monica yelled in a fit of rage to

the living room television, as she spoke to the fourteen hidden figures projected

on the monitor.

“Remember the role you have to play in all of this

Monica!” The ‘Mist General’ Surberkin remarked, expressing both honour and

authority in his thick aged tone, “The ‘General of Anarchy’ must be both calm

and logical in thought, playing on their decisiveness to win every bout. You of

all people knows what happens when a person in power lets their decisions be

guided by frivolous emotions!!” He stated proudly as his blood lusted energy

began to leak out to the point it could be perceived through the screen.

“But--!” Monica attempted to speak up in her defense.

“It’s foolish!!!!” Surberkin interjected vexingly,

“The assault can be carried out as planned; but per the ‘Grand General’s’

request, you are at no point in time allowed to actively participate in the

operations.” He stated calmly once more as his bloodlust died down and his

energy dissipated.

“That’s bullshit!!!!” Monica taunted aggressively as

her rage broke the left corner off the glass table in front of her – forcing

each attendee to have a slight backward recoil. “Since when have any of you

ever gone along with my husband’s whims without any form of opposition!!!” She

yelled as she rose to her feet and began pacing to try and regain her

composure. Right to left until the action became unnerving for those in

observation.

“It’s nothing personal love!” The ‘Empty Space

General’ Breonna Valerie remarked in a reassuring tone, “It’s just that the

matter at hand requires the utmost stealth and precision; and I’m afraid that’s

no something you are capable of doing in your current mental state,” she continued,

“Sending you in would result in an unnecessary amount of destruction being

encored by both the planet and the people. Hence why, all Galactic level

threats and higher are forbidden from participating. Us included. Cause at no

point in time will the ends ever justify the means if the loss of life reaches

such a magnitude!!” She stated as the horn of the ‘Voco Technical High-school’

bus could be heard in the background.

“Tsk! Like you’re one to talk!” Monica mumbled under

her breath as she rolled her eyes and fell back into her seat. “Sigh!! You

don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this,” She stated calmly as she

stared at the ceiling and crossed her legs on the table, “It’s my fault we’re

in this situation to begin with! If I had been there when he defected then

maybe they could have all lived to see this day; and watch their children grow

up with smiles on their faces!” She mumbled softly. “I need to avenge them!” She

stated with conviction in her voice as she sat up in a formal position, placing

her elbows on the table, interlocking her fingers, and placing her chin on them

as she stared at the screen intently.

“You need to stop blaming yourself for the death of

your team; it’s pointless!!!!” Surberkin yelled out, grabbing Monica’s

attention. “If you hadn’t gone to defuse the situation with the ‘Void Goddess

Shizua’; the flames of the ‘Demon God War’ would have been rekindled; and even

if they did get to live, I doubt they would have been satisfied with the lives

you chose to discard for them!” He said once more in a tone of conviction, as

Monica got a sense of reassurance.

“General with all due respect; we simply cannot afford

to risk putting you on the front lines of this skirmish!!” The ‘1st Opps Captain’ Gama asserted in an interjection – as his deceptive-like voice

cut through the silence.

"I agree with 1st!! If the Intel we

acquired is to be believed as accurate, then the target is on a whole different

level from what you experienced prior; and until we can verify this

information; I believe it’d be irresponsible to send in our strongest hitters;

especially after specifying the levels of restraint they must exercise!!” The

‘9th Opps Captain’ Hickory added on in a logical manner – making his

deep but outlandish claims almost irrefutable.

“Even so 9th; what you’re suggesting is

using the lower level units as fodder to scale the opponent’s strength more

accurately for the sake of the mission. It’s admirable; but regardless, that

would never fly; especially under the ‘God Slayer’s’ rule!! No life in this

organization is to be treated as a tool for the whims of their superiors; a law

we must all abide by! Or have you already forgotten!!!” Breonna asserted

vexingly as she clenched her jaw and tried to suppress her furious disapproval.

“I agree it’s not worth the loss in our man power

and force for the long term; hence it’d be more optimal to separate the

squadrons into two strike teams; made up primarily of our most elite forces,

‘Division Red’ excluded. With our best Captains serving as pseudo Generals to enact

the plans as to per your requests!” Gama stated as he practically assessed the

new complexities their situation.

“Tsk!!! These are the lives of our comrades and

subordinates we’re risking! And all you bustards seem to care about is that we

might be a few men short for work the next morning!! It’s utterly

repulsive!!!!” The ‘11th Opps Captain’ Veronica spoke up ferociously

before Breonna could interject. “Sigh! However; I can’t say I disagree with

your strategy as divide and conquer tends to be the most effective gameplay

technique. But only if the ‘Captains’ and their ‘Vices’ would be the only ones

risking death!!!” She said in her mellow yet refined voice, as her silhouette

could be seen thinking – while her right arm stroked the lower half of her chin

and she stared off to the side.

“Game analogies aside, who do you suggest head up

each squadron; seeing as the leaders have to be the most practical and capable

of all of us; emotions cannot be allowed to be a factor in their decision

making!” The ‘2nd Opps Captain’ Argana stated bluntly with

child-like embrace, as she obviously had an objection in mind.

“That last comment was aimed at me wasn’t it?!!” The

‘5th Opps Captain’ Dimitri said objectively as they could clearly

tell he was glaring daggers over the screen. ”Well no need to spare my

feelings; I have no intention of competing for the position with any of you

what so ever!!” He said in a more matured demeanour, as he projected utter

tranquillity.

“On the contrary 5th; I’ve decided that

you’re the one who’s gonna be overseeing the entire operation!! You must be

ready to formulate viable strategies that will ensure as little loses as

possible on gunpoint; and I’m sure it goes without saying, but rejecting this

position might not be in the best interests of your foreseeable future!” Monica

said as she conveyed both authority and humour.

“But--!!” Dimitri uttered in an attempt to object.

“Hence if there are no more grievances that need to

be aired, you are all dismissed!!” Monica stated bluntly as she cut Dimitri

off.

“Actually General I have a foolish suggestion I hope

you could indulge; may you please exclude 2nd from actively

participating and assign her to aid 5th?!!” Gama stated respectfully

as the other Captains and Generals agreed.

“No way, you need me there!!!” Argana yelled

explosively as she opposed the unified sentiment.

“Granted your strength is impressive and your skill

set is far more outreaching than the rest of us; heck I would even go as far as

calling you the strongest Captain by a landslide!” Gama stated optimistically

as he praised her accomplishments.

“Then what’s the problem!!?” Argana remarked aggressively

as she audibly gritted her teeth.

“You’re far too young!!” Veronica remarked as all

the attention focused on her. “If you were fourteen that wouldn’t be an issue

as you’d technically have some form of say on your escapades; but a twelve year

old little girl has no place on the bloody battlefield that’s going to take

place tonight; especially after we had to jump through hoops and roses just to

get her parents to consent to letting their little baby be a killing tool. We

are all prepared to die today with no regrets; but don’t put the burden on your

parents for thinking they mis-raised you!!” She said, as her sentiment left the

room shaken.

“Additionally, it had already been decided that all

Galaxy level threats and higher were to be excluded; meaning you never had a

chance to begin with!” Hickory added on in a concluding tone.

“Then it’s decided!!” Monica stated with a final

say, “Now excluding 12th, the rest of you are dismissed; as he will

be taking direct supervision from me on another matter!”

“Understood General!!!” The ‘12th Opps

Captain’ Marcus exclaimed expressing his extreme uneasiness.

“Try not to act so tense!” Veronica exclaimed with a

chuckle of reassurance as the meeting came to an end and they all signed off in

order. From the Generals, to the 1st through 11th Captains.

With all other hindrances out of the way, Monica’s tone shifted to take on a more

nihilistic outlook. “I take it that your silence means you understand your

assignment!?” She stated assertively as she picked up the tablet on her table

and swiped through it.

“Yes mam; it’s just that, It feels like a betrayal

of trust,” Marcus said in a conflicted-ish sounding tone, “I understand that

our current predicament might call for some divisive tactics, but are you sure

it’d be wise to implore this decision now?!” He asked bluntly as he prepared

for ridicule.

“Indeed I do. Our current enemy is extremely

calculating and crafty; hence I do not believe their sudden reappearance is

simply a coincidence!! Furthermore, noting the fact that they haven’t implored

any measures to conceal their movements whatsoever; leads me to the conclusion

that they wanted us to take notice and make a move, drawing us away from their

true objective!!” Monica stated with insightful deliberation, valour and

confidence, “Even so, it would have been unwise to bring this up during our

joint briefing!! I take it that they’ve studied our reactionary patterns and

have formulated counter strategies; meaning any striations we made to our

routine would act as the red flag they needed to pull back in time. So we can’t

afford to waste this opportunity!!” She said, without the slightest hint of

doubt in her reasoning.

“So it’s a matter of playing our cards close to the

vest and out manoeuvring them!” Marcus stated, understanding the nature of the

situation as we panned over to his current location – firmly between a concrete

wall and some large iron terraces that he rested his back upon, as he attended

the debriefing via his smart phone and headsets. He had bowl cut green hair and

was dressed in: a long black trench coat with a black turtle neck sweater,

black low rise pants, and black sneakers with a white trim, and to top it off,

he wore a black cap, a skull head backpack and a severed handcuff on his left

arm.

“Exactly!! Play it safe, and keep your guard up;

failure is not an option!” Monica said as she cut the call.

“Right!!” Marcus said determinedly as he stepped out

into the open crowd and looked up, noting a blinding colour altering LED sign

that read ‘Paradise Row: R3K St.12A1’. “Maybe I’ll check out the Skate Arena!”

He mumbled to himself as he pulled out a skate board from his bag and rode it

through the ‘Eastern Desert Region’ gate.

:

:

:

:

:

“I don’t get why entrance through the ‘South-East’

gate’s always gotta be a pain!” Gerard said, cross armed and impatiently

tapping his foot on the tarmac as he, Damien, Rosetta, Dean and Stacy waited

for Conner and Luke to get through the check-in booth.

“It’s closest to the capital so what did you expect;

I mean of course they gotta make sure everybody’s legit!!” Stacy remarked as

she stared through the massive crowd to a sleek blue hexagon that seemed to

tower over everything.

“Something’s caught your eye?” Dean asked as he

noticed Stacy zoning off.

“Nah; I was thinking about checking out the plaza

but it’s cool!!” Stacy responded as she crossed her arms behind her head and

turned to face them.

“I don’t mind going with you if you really want

to!!” Rosetta stated ecstatically as she rushed to wrap herself around Stacy’s

right arm.

“Whoa; let’s hold off a bit here, I said it’s

fine!!!” Stacy said nervously, as she tried to get Rosetta to let go.

“Don’t fret; we all planned to split up anyway so go

for it!!” Gerard said encouragingly as he pushed them off into the crowd that

flowed along ‘R3K St. 12B1’.

“Let’s go!! I promise we’ll check out the

‘Destruction Derby’ afterward too, I wanna see some bones break!!!” Rosetta

said enthusiastically as she waved off and the two began to vanish in the

crowd.

“Oh; don’t forget, it’s at 5’O clock!!!!!” Damien

yelled out to the now unseen duo.

“Yo!!!!! Sorry we’re late!!” Luke yelled out to the

group with his left arm raised as he and Conner approached them from the booth,

“This numbskull over here got carried away with the ‘Vehicle Expo’ and

blabbered on with the officers until I couldn’t take it anymore!!!” He said as

he dropped his arm to chest height and pointed to Conner with his thumb while

he playfully closed his left eyes.

“But I scored us primo tickets!!!” Conner said

enthusiastically as the twinkle in his eyes was impossible to ignore.

“Whatever!!” Luke replied with a roll of his eyes as

he flicked his jacket around himself and wore it as a coat – proceeding to

place his arms on his waist thereafter.

“Sigh!! Stop trying to act cool and go already!!!”

Damien said with a cringe on his face as he pointed west of the tower and face

palmed with his right hand.

“Well if it’s like that then!!” Luke said

pessimistically as he grabbed one ticket from Conner and walked off, forcing

him to trail after him.

“SO 5 right?!!!!” Conner yelled through the crowd as

he and Luke quickly walked out of range.

“Yeah!!! You better turn up!!!” Damien yelled back

as he got a satisfied grin on his face.

“Hey; so why do you keep reminding everybody?!” Dean

asked as the confusion dawned on him.

“Bet?!!” Gerard said, equally confused.

  With an

abrupt turn, the fire in Damien’s eyes burnt bright as he pointed to an

overhead billboard with an arrow pointing north-west down ‘Zuke Row St 10A’ that

read ‘The 69th Skate Arena Presents The Annual Deadman’s Row

Tournament – proudly brought to you by: Venom MC and Mag-tech’. “It’s cause

they’re finally gonna see me win that thing!!!!” He said as he smirked with

both enthusiasm and child-like wonder.

“Of course it’s something crazy like that!!” Dean

remarked as he and Gerard face palmed from the shame they felt from making a

big deal about it.

“Hunh?! But wait; I thought you were banned for a

decade last year cause of what you and he did?!!!” Gerard asked expecting

Damien’s enthusiasm to decline.

“Actually!!! Apparently the incident helped drum up

so much publicity in the ‘Elemental Community’ that they asked us to come back

as judges!! But that didn’t vibe with me so they put me down as a participant

instead!” Damien stated, pretending not to be overjoyed as he shrugged his

shoulders.

“Right!! Of course they did!” Gerard remarked as a

nervous grin formed and a sweat line dropped from his brow. “That reminds me;

how long’s it been since he wrecked something; you think he’s gonna pull up?!”

He asked, as he stared off in the direction of the arena, hoping to catch a

glimpse of the airborne action from there.

“Regardless it’s pretty much settled; I’m gonna win

that thing and rub it in your faces!!” Dean yelled out as he pulled a fishboard

from his bag and pushed off – jetting off as Damien and Gerard followed suite.

“So you’re in it too hunh!!!” Damien said to Gerard

as the three pushed on through the crowd. Doing tricks on the rails, staircases

and benches as they evaded collisions with shops, booths, pedestrians and

vehicle, and raced for first on sight.

“Coming up hard!!!” Dean yelled out in the lead as

they approached the ‘Arena Trade Centre’ and a tarp holding up some ‘Skatewear’

collapsed behind him – creating an obstacle field that made passage almost

impossible.

“Cleared!!!!” Gerard shouted as he manoeuvred underneath

the tarp and goods before they could fall and injure him.

“That’s nothing!!” Damien yelled in the far back as

he leaned forward to streamline himself. A sudden burst raptured through the

street as the area around him slowed to an almost complete halt and he zoomed

passed all the obstacles and pedestrians in his path. With his targets fixed on

the falling debris from the tarp.

  Before

anyone around him could register what had happened, Damien was already

airborne. The wind blew strongly, aggressively knocking out his bun as he

looked back to see the trail he had left behind. The damage to the street,

although not all that extensive, was still noteworthy, as the posthole he had

created from his abrupt pivot and twist into a backflip caused the tar mark to

give out under him. Inadvertently creating a resultant force that launched him forward

through the falling debris at a speed far greater than he had originally

intended. But never the less he still stuck with it, as he used his newly

acquired trajectory to catapult himself into first place. With his forceful

landing and chipping of the street ahead of them forcing Dean and Gerard to

slowdown – inevitably leading to Damien crossing the arena gate first and

winning the race. “Looks like I win!!” He said cockily with a child-ish grin as

he popped his board up and gripped it in his flexed right elbow. Taking all the

time he could to gloat about his victory.

“No way; that was cheating man!!” Gerard objected as

he rolled his head to the side and paced back in frustration. “Let’s run it

again!! No tricks; no traps!!!” He stated as he stared at Dean with contempt.

“Is this the part where I yell bloody murder or?!!”

Damien asked as a sharp sting cut through his chest and caused him to partially

loose his vision for a few moments.

“Just accept it man; we lost fair and square!!!”

Dean remarked as he placed his right hand on Gerard’s left shoulder and playfully

rocked him from side to side – though the look on his face entailed something

was bothering him.

“Tsk!!!” Gerard scoffed as he shrugged Dean’s arm

off and stared to the side, holding a hundred metre stare as he gripped the

deck his board in hand – as his eyes fixed firmly on the emptied out swimming

pool where a crowd had gathered.

“So you’ve sensed it too hunh?!! I figured as much!”

Damien stated pessimistically in his usual disinterested tone, as he reached

behind his head to retie his ban – seeing as the blowing wind was making it a

nuisance.

“How much you wanna bet he’s already in a beef?!!” Dean

said enthusiastically as a nostalgic smile strew across his face.

“Be careful; I think he heard you!!” Damien stated

as he took three long strides back and a figure came shooting from the pool on

a board and crashed in front of him – kicking up a large dust cloud on impact.

“Leave it to the most reckless Captain in ‘Opps’

history to suck at stealth!!” Dean coughed as he tried not to inhale the dust

and smoke that filled the small area.

“Nice to see you’re as cynical as ever kid!!” Marcus

replied sarcastically as he smiled at Dean.

“Thanks; I try y’know!” Dean remarked

enthusiastically as he ignored the sarcasm. “And don’t call me kid; I’m only

like six-months younger than your decrepit butt!!” He stated with notable

dismay.

“Whatever; you fun sized guys always have issues!”

Marcus stated to tic him off as he greeted Gerard with a fist bump. “So what’s

up Luscious?!!” He said as he approached Damien and attempted to tower over

him.

“Sigh! Not worth the trouble!! Sigh!” Damien said as

he blatantly ignored Marcus and walked over to the signup desk to register for

the competition before the clock ran out.

“What’s his deal?!” Marcus asked as he stood stunned

with confusion.

“Wait; don’t tell me you--?!!!!” Dean asked with a

genuinely fearful expression of shock and disbelief. “Sigh!! You had a good run

my guy!!” He said supportively as he wrapped his right arm around Marcus’s neck

and patted his chest with his left, “Anyway; we gotta register so; see you in

the competition!!!” He stated while pointing over his shoulder with his left thumb

to the desk as he and Gerard took off in its direction – leaving Marcus even

more baffled.

  After what

felt like an eternal wait, it was finally time for the preliminaries to get

started. With a roster of over Five Hundred competitors, the qualifiers had to

be intense, as each round set the stakes higher and higher – from head to head

skating in an electrified gyro chamber to evasive action on a death trap course

where the use of abilities was considered taboo, the competitors were put

through it all. As each round eliminated hordes of them, the third was what

really took the cake out of the five rounds, eliminating a total Three Hundred

and Forty racers in one go and drumming up a large crowd to show for it.

  Though the

competitive implications of the sport weren’t the only crowd pulling feats to

grace the event, as the multitude of skills, tricks and ingenuity displayed

were nothing short of impressive. Competitors pushed themselves to the edge, as

they grinded on the boards of those who got shot out to keep themselves in the

game, jumped incredible distances over projectile spike pits and used the

airborne ones to control their trajectory and force, landed tricks like hitting

a ‘Twelve Metre high Backflip’ while spinning their boards on their knee and

using their free legs to kick back the ball in ‘Swing set Mid-air Ramp

Volleyball’, which was a sub-round of the third in which a gigantic metallic

bowl was rocket propelled into the air and competitors were split into two

teams by an omnidirectional net that flowed with the majority, with the goal

for each player to score as many points as they could to place in the top ten

to proceed.

  As expected,

Dean and Gerard didn’t last long, with Gerard being cut out in the third round,

and Dean losing by a hair in the fifth. Despite that though, Damien and Marcus

held out strongly through the intense atmosphere – finishing first and second

throughout most of the challenges, as even though it was a group competition,

it was clear that the crowd’s attentions were focused on the two. Especially so

when it was announced that the finals would be a four way race to the finish in

which Damien, Marcus, and two other competitors would be participating in,

giving them thirty minutes to rest and recuperate as the organisers switched out

commentators and prepared the final course.

“Don’t we need to wave the red flag on you?!!”

Damien said comically as he approached Marcus and the three people around him,

and the two had a low-five handshake, “Y’know; since the Opps Division are

never allowed to have fun…” He whispered as he leaned passed his ear with a

smirk and let go of the handshake with a finger snap.

“C’mon; you gotta keep that part quiet man!!!”

Marcus responded as he playfully struck Damien’s back with his slow moving

forearm, to his group’s surprise over their close acquaintanceship, “And

besides; being a ‘Captain’ lets me do what I want, like recruit a certain hot

headed menace.” He said quite suggestively as he slowly stepped away.

“So you admit your job’s no fun!!” Damien said in a

mumbled and sincere tone with his eyes sunken in, as he reached his right arm

back and pinched Marcus’s right shoulder strongly with his thumb and index

finger – letting his skateboard fall to the ground and bounce a few times

before settling.

“I take it from your reaction that you’re still

firmly against joining us next month!!” Marcus said with a tilt of his head to

the sky as he stopped dead in his tracks to no response. “Y’know it took me a

year to become a ‘Captain’; and even then I was second only to 2nd, who

did it in six weeks--!”

“What’s your point?!” Damien interjected in an even

more serious tone as his eyes sunk further in to the point where the top half

of his face was completely in engulfed darkness.

“Sigh!! My rumbling aside, my point is simple. Two

people from average backgrounds managed to hold the records for quickest

ascensions to ‘Captain’ in any division’s history; but what if the oldest son

of the two strongest ‘Generals’ and the third of ‘The Seven you know what’s’

was to give it a try; even more so when you consider he’s the holder of the

‘Fastest Completion Record Worldwide’ for the ‘Hell Run’ challenge!” Marcus

said as he dropped his head and turned around to face Damien’s back, with a

smile as he caught his arm, “Plus; we both know you could kill most of the

‘Vice Captains’ if you just stopped holding back!” He mumbled as he unhinged

Damien’s fingers by squeezing his wrists and chuckled, as he found what

appeared to be miniature tendrils made of refined flame that had stretched

throughout the circulatory system of his entire right arm without him noticing.

“I didn’t come here to force you to join; so the plan b was just overkill!” He

said as Damien released the flame and pulled his arm back.

“Don’t assume you could hold me long enough to even

try!!!” Damien laughed as he rubbed his wrist and turned around to face him, “But

yeah the whole assassination and recon thing ain’t really for me; plus what’s

the point in giving something your all if nepotism is just gonna be the

deciding factor in whether you get noticed or not!!” He stated with a sense of

superiority and disappointment.

“So how long are you gonna tell yourself that?!!”

Marcus asked as he reached his arms behind his head and interlocked his

fingers, staring at him with a look of concern as his tone conveyed amusement.

“As long as I have to for me to believe it; cause

all those details aside, I don’t think I could ever stomach the feeling of

taking the life of a complete stranger simply because a higher up deemed them a

necessary evil. The entire concept is disgusting!!!” Damien said as he made an

over exaggerated puking motion which caused the two to fall into body shaking

laughter. “And besides, it’s not like I got the majority of my strength out of

my own volition; necessity fuels progress y’know!!” He snickered with a hollow

grin as they both realised the gravitas of his statement and froze with

concern. “Well that got depressing quick!” He said as he tried to lift the mood

– which led them both into a deep chuckle.

“Work aside; I hope you’re ready to loose Wade!!!”

Marcus said with a determined expression and a stance that showed he was at

ease, by letting his skateboard fall to the ground and popping it up with the

deck facing him, as he sat on the edge and passed his hands through his hair.

“Sigh! It’s always something extra with you Smoke!”

Damien said with an exited grin as he picked his skateboard off the ground with

his left hand and walked passed him. With the two fist bumping with their right

hands as he slowly walked passed.

  Unbeknownst

to the two however, their interaction was being closely watched by the people

in the stands. Namely Dean, Luke, Gerard and Conner, as Stacy and Rosetta

arrived to take their seats.

“What’d we miss?!!” Stacy asked as she scooted over

Luke and Dean to seat on the edge of the terrace and lean her shoulder on the

rail.

“Oh nothing; just our resident death machine having

a bro-mance with his long-time BFF!!” Dean stated with a scowl and roll of his

eyes as he placed his right elbow on his thigh and rested his head in his palm –

with a lean forward to signify his boredom.

“Nah I doubt it!!” Luke said as he reached into the

shopping bag he had on his lap and began to pass around the drinks and snacks

he and Conner had brought.

“My money’s on what happened last year!!!” Gerard

chuckled heavily as he received a drink and a packet of potato chips.

“It can only be trash talk between those two!” Stacy

stated calmly as she rested on her right arm and leaned ever so slightly more

onto the edge of the terrace rail – unknowingly fading off as Dean tried to

give her the drink and box of biscuits Luke had handed him to pass over.

“Oh; do I detect a hint of jealousy from little miss

heartless over there?!!!” Rosetta said with a chuckle, bringing the group to a

burst of laughter as the comment caught Stacy off guard and caused her to jerk

back with a sudden blush of disbelief.

“Tsk!!! Gross!!” Stacy scoffed as she tried to clear

her expression by looking around – finally relaxing as her gaze firmly fixed on

one of the people on the announcer’s table that was positioned in the middle of

the arena on a hover platform, switching to malice as she looked closer at the

young lady and froze.

  The lady in

question was a thin and curvy woman with an hourglass figure who appeared to be

somewhere in her late teens to early twenties. She wore: thin metallic framed

glasses with overly exaggerated circular lenses, a long grey baggy vest that

was tucked into her tight blue mid-thigh high shorts with the tag ‘Venoms and

Vices’ plastered across its chest

region, a pair to of pink high-top trainers with the same tag stretched across

them, and white mid-shin sports socks that had two black horizontal rings at

their neck. With her blond tipped long pink hair tightened into a bun as it helped

draw attention away from the bangs that slightly obscured her large light brown

irises. A considerable crowd gathered around her as she was tasked with serving

as both announcer and commentator for the final match, a job that all seemed to

be confident she would excel at.

  After the

waiting time seemed to crawl by and the crowds had been directed to return to

their seats, it was finally time for the finals to be underway.

“Listen I know the waits been atrocious folks but it’s

finally time for the main even; an all-out duel amongst our finalist to decide

who’ll finally conquer the newly refurbished ‘Sky God Course’!!!! The aim of

this event is your pretty standard capture the flag. All you gotta do is

collect all your designated colour flags and make it to the top of the double

helix and simply take your leap of faith into a perfect dismount!!!!” The

announcer exclaimed as the crowd gasped with anticipation, as the massive and

elaborate horizontal course fabricated itself from thin kinetic streaks that

randomly appeared in the aerospace above the ‘Skate Arena’.

The course was

based on an upward incline with a double helix structure and a variety of

disconnects, gaps and obstacles that if mistimed would lead to certain death,

with the seven flags placed randomly about the most dangerous areas of the thirty

kilometre high course.

  It was

divided into three sections, with the last being the final jump. The first was

a collection of jumps and incomplete hazards and falls that required

competitors to par core across as they captured two flags and made their way onto

the second – a luck of the draw type of race with a multitude of detachable

roads and paths that constantly switched positions and directions, with the

flags being located only at the beginning and end of the section. As the last

topped it off by being a vertical double helix lined with flame jets, pitfalls,

omnidirectional arrow firing motion detectors, swinging rock gauntlets that

slammed together on irregular intervals, pressure cannons that shot pressurised

gas to get you airborne, and a magnet that reduced the velocity of all objects

that passed it, making it the section that could make or break a near perfect

lead. And all in all, the crowd was exited. As the perpetual danger and

possibilities of death and destruction falling upon everybody involved was more

than they could resist.

  The crowd’s

roars echoed violently throughout the arena as they awaited the announcer’s

insightful commands. “Listen up kiddo’s; cause momma’s only gonna say this

once!!!!!!! The rules for this event are a pretty simple anything goes kind of

spiel!!!” She said as she playfully closed her left eye, tilted her head to the

side, stuck her tongue out of the left corner of her mouth, and shrugged her

shoulder, “Which means; all the sneaky, underhanded, deliberate, and otherwise

abominable tricks and plays you have stocked up are hereby legal!!!!!!!!” She

yelled as the crowd burst into an even louder frenzy for the chaos. “So cheat,

steal, lie, deceive, injure, and abuse your opponent at will; we don’t give a

rat’s *** as long as it’s a good show!!!!” She yelled to the crowds cheerful

approval, as in there excitement some of the audience members began to blow

their trumpets and set off lightshows with their abilities.

“However!!!!!” The announcer yelled, cutting through

the roars and bringing the crowd to a halt as they awaited the catch, “Due to

some public health concerns about the multiple safety violations we may or may

not have committed when building this monstrosity, we are required by law to have

at least one first aid box!!!” She said as the crowd shrugged and murmured with

disapproval. “I know right; that’s what I said!!!” The announcer said

humorously as she regained the crowd’s approval and led them into a fit of

laughter. “So for any cowards planning to wuss-out of losing a couple of limbs

and not so vital organs this fine evening; please keep in mind that the nearest

safety kits can be located in the western parking lot at the top flow of the ‘Ghost

Tower’, approximately 75 kilometres north-east of here!!” She said to a silent

audience. “And for the rest of you God fearing sons of heathens; you can join

me at the fiery gates of the abyss after we make history tonight!!!! So who’s

with me?!!!” She yelled as she triggered her biggest crowd reaction thus far,

and the pyrotechnical team released the fireworks and special effects, along

with a gigantic hologram projection of the announcer’s upper half that she used

to commentate over the event.

“So the course is pretty simple if I do say so

myself; cause all you gotta do is survive; as if we don’t all do that already!!”

She said with a sarcastic scoff as she pointed with her thumb over her shoulder

to the multiple death traps that pledged the course, “So without further ado; I

give you your victims; I mean contestants!!!” The announcer’s hologram smiled

nervously as the crowd chuckled from the comment. “Anyway, starting off with

the two new comers to the scene; we have the ‘Man in a full Red Jumpsuit’

Bloodstorm and the suspicious looking fellow in a yellow tracksuit who refuses

to be referred to as anything other than ‘W’!!! Cocky I know!!” She laughed as

the crowd joined in with the hilarity. “Now unknowns aside, this is what you

truly came here for; the fated rematch between ‘The Son of Sanity! Marcus

Smoke!!!!!!” She yelled as the crowd cheered with excitement, “And his long term

rival, the legend of the swollen era, the man who conquered madness itself and

proved he could be worthy of being a member of ’The Black Croissant Moons’!!

It’s the ‘Son of Nightmares’ himself, Damien freaking Wade!!!!” She yelled as

the audiometer used to track crowd excitement exploded from the sudden outburst

of cheer.

  With an

enthusiastic thumbs up to the referee from the commentator’s table, the

instruction was clear. As the four racers got to their starting positions, with

the order from left to right being Marcus, Bloodstorm, Damien, and W, the

tensions in the crowd rose to a new peak, as no one could predict how it would

go. But they could be sure of one thing, it was certainly going to be a history

making event.

“3!!!!!” The crowd cheered as they counted down the

time till take off with the referee.

“2!!!!!”

“1!!!!!!”

“GO!!!!!!!!!!!”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***