ARENA 11-PaneMall

[etcircenses]

It’s pre-dawn when the Tributes are roused from their beds and sent to their tubes. Those who’d been imprisoned for the past few weeks had their heads covered before transport to the staging area, and there’s an air of confusion surrounding just about everything that’s happening until the stylists and managers arrive on the scene and try to calm everyone down. The reunions may be happy, but they're sadly very temporary.

The first clue that something strange is happening comes from their clothing: figure skating costumes with bright colors and sequins and ice skates strapped to their feet. Some may even find it difficult to stand with the blades on their feet, but as they're placed into the arena, all becomes clear. The mall skating rink seems quiet and quaint, especially after weeks of uncertainty and stress. Too bad the peace and quiet can’t last.

20

19

18...

Above the ice rink (which houses all 100+ Tributes) there are floors with shops looking over them. Large, bright fluorescent lights dot the multi-storied ceiling and create a warm, nostalgic glow to the place. Benign music is piped in from various hidden speakers to compliment the intended mood of fun and commerce.

17

16

15…

The countdown continues and the Tributes, some of whom haven’t seen each other in weeks, stare at one another helplessly. That is, until one of them boldly decides to speak.

"We're expected to fight here today," Steve's voice suddenly cuts through the tension in the room. It commands attention without demanding it, a conviction of truth in his tone.

14

13

12...


"To turn on each other through fear and self preservation. And we could give them what they want. A bloodbath," here he pauses longer, lets the reality of his statements sink in. Let people realize what he's saying, that this is a choice.

"Or we can choose not to fight. To instead work together," an option so many seem not to even realize they have. "No one here has to die by our hands today," he knows his speaking won't be without consequence, but he does want to believe he'll be the only one to pay for this.

"This is a risk. One many of you are hesitant to trust, let alone take. But everything we do here is a risk to ourselves and those around us," nothing in the arena comes without putting your life on the line.

"I, for one, am willing to take this risk, to choose not to fight," Steve looks around the room, making eye contact with a few people as he does. He's not telling anyone what to do, this is for them to decides for themselves; their freedom of choice.

But he's got faith in the his fellow tributes. "And I've got a feeling I'm not alone.”

… 3

2

1…

After the countdown ends, there’s a moment of utter still and silence. Then...

BOOOOOOOOOOOM

The room seems to erupt with noise and concussive force. The explosions are so violent that the muzak is paused in its tracks and shakes some of the Tributes off of their pedestals, and after the ice fog and smoke clears, it becomes apparent that fifteen of the Tribute pedestals and exploded there on the ice rink. Fifteen corpses lie mangled on the bloody ice: Deanna Winchester, Danny Fenton, Fili, Kili, Kain Highwind, Perry Kelvin, Julian Bashir, Clint Barton, Karkat Vantas, Sirius Black, Rahm Kota, Cinderella, Bunnymund, Robin, Rock Lee, and Rokk Krin.

The center of the ice rink remains completely intact and stocked with a few dozen keys of varying shapes and sizes. This is the Cornucopia and the Gamemakers are compelling the Tributes to skate for it.

The gong rings out, and the countdown's voice announces “The Arena is now open.” The Games have begun.

Comments

[yourmove]

"It's me. This way." He observes the way Dr. Norton hardly looks comfortable in in the ice skates, reaches down, and neatly snaps off the blades. "Be careful you don't cut yourself."

He passes the blades back to Norton before he reaches down and easily lifts him. Alex's own ice skates don't last too long under his weight, the blades crunching as he flattens them underneath the graphene armor. It only takes a few moments to get to the edge of the rink, Alex setting Norton down with surprising gentleness.

"Remember to throw those away," Alex says. "Littering isn't tolerated."

[biomechatronic]

It's hardly the skates as much as the black graphene, and, oh yes, the hand on his arm that are making him uncomfortable. "But there are others that could be injured, Alex." He tries to look toward the other fallen pedestals, but Alex is hardly easy to see through.

And he can put Dennett down wherever he wants: the good doctor doesn't have to stay there. Especially not after looking down at the skates in his hands. "Littering? Are you serious?" What are they going to do--kill him?

[yourmove]

"Of course." It's impossible to make direct eye contact with Alex's visor down, the black glass blank. "Don't worry about what the others are doing. I'll pacify the criminal elements."

He doesn't expect much, if any, trouble from Dr. Norton. He remembers talking to him about the chassis and while they had only been a few weeks ago, Alex can't feel that personal connection he'd felt, can't recall the sinking feeling in a stomach he didn't have. The worry and the dread are gone. The only relevance those memories have is they paint a picture of a man whose biggest crime was probably jaywalking. Dr. Norton is the least of his worries. That said, he does believe that the doctor should find somewhere safe, preferably fortified, and stay there until Alex has done his job.

[biomechatronic]

Yes, and Dennett has forgotten just how uncanny that blank visor is. He could have lived without the reminder.

"Alex. You're already injured. I should look at that." Because, yes, Alex has such a long history of listening to Dennett's advice. "The 'criminal element' is just trying to stay alive!"

[yourmove]

"Superficial injuries." He brushes it aside. No impact whatsoever on his life support, just cosmetic damage he knows for certain they can fix after this. They rebuilt his face after the car bomb - this should be easy in comparison. "That line of thinking excuses it, doctor. Crime won't be tolerated no matter the circumstances."

He reaches out again to take Norton's arm, this time by the elbow, and he's ready to frog-march him into one of the stores at this point if he doesn't show some concern for his own self-preservation.

"Let's go."

[biomechatronic]

Dennett feels bad that he hasn't been able to acquire all the materials he needs to do a proper job of looking Alex over. The last thing he wants is for Alex to die again. Not on his watch.

"I'm not excusing anything. I'm just saying, they're just trying to stay alive." By...killing others. It sounds ridiculous and Dennett knows it, the blades twisting nervously in his hands.

"Go? Go where? Alex, we can't leave these people. Well, I can't. Some of them might be hurt. And you heard that...brawny fellow speak." Saying kind of what Dennett had tried to say at the last Arena, with more macho and confidence.

[yourmove]

"Steve Rogers," Alex has no problems supplying the name. "He has the right to free speech."

In other words, Alex doesn't see the issue here. It's not Tributes like Rogers that he's concerned about. Its everyone else who thinks that an Arena is still fair game to commit crimes like theft and assault and arson and murder. His hand tightens around Dr. Norton's elbow in a warning.

"I'll come back and assist those I can. I can't do it if I'm covering you."

[biomechatronic]

"Not according to what I've been told." Oh, does Dennett sound a little cranky? He's tired of being told he's going to get his tongue cut out every time he opens his mouth.

"Alex. I don't need you to--you should go protect other people. I'll be fine." Well, probably not, but he can't keep Alex here. He's a liability who would only hold Alex back. "Did you see Clara?"

[yourmove]

Alex pauses to pull up video logs of those few seconds before the Arena started, before the explosions. He counts over a hundred Tributes, faces, names. Scores. Clara is among them, looking on edge and tense.

"Yes. I'll go back for her once you're safe. She's not high priority, doctor. Not like you are." Clara isn't affiliated with OmniCorp, nor was she able to keep him functioning that last Arena. Looking at it like that, Dr. Norton is the clear choice if he had to pick between them.

[biomechatronic]

"Alex!" He really should learn by now that his success record of Alex listening to him is zero, but he keeps trying. "Clara's your--" Then again, Alex probably knows that. It's in some official record somewhere, he's sure.

"I'm safe. I'll be safe. You need to go after her. It's far more dangerous back there." Can he shove Alex in the right direction? He's going to try.

[yourmove]

"I will, as I said earlier. Come on."

He starts to drag Norton by the crook of his elbow away from the Cornucopia, the ice rink stained with pools of blood. It's gentle but firm and with that graphene grip OmniCorp gave him, there's no escaping it.

"I advise you to stay hidden. Please resist the urge to 'borrow' food or clothes you see around you," Alex says as he picks out a store and heads for that one. A break room might be a good place to stash the doctor while he looks for Clara. Assists the general public in reducing crime while he's at it. "The staff might not be here, but you're accountable for reimbursing any purchases."

[biomechatronic]

Dennett is hardly a hardened criminal, so tugging ineffectally at his sleeve as Alex drags him along is his definition of 'resisting arrest'.

"Alex. I can't stay dressed like this. I look...ridiculous!" Because he's caught sight of a clothing store and that purple unitard is riding up in some REALLY unpleasant places.

[yourmove]

"But you're still decent." Alex is entirely unsympathetic. While he can see the unitard clinging to some areas that make his HUD suggest Norton should find a long shirt to cover up, he still doesn't condone theft.

Even for a good cause.

[biomechatronic]

"I'm not naked, no, Alex. But this is a little...flimsy." He's going to try to appeal to Alex's sense of protection. Look, Alex, this surely couldn't stop a knife. It could probably not even stop a dirty look.

[yourmove]

That approach, however, did seem to work and only because Norton was labeled as a Red Asset - Alex wouldn't have reconsidered if it had been someone else. Civilians weren't supposed to be needing armor.

"That's true," Alex concedes the point. He files this away to bill to his own account - as he's a cyborg now, there's no point in things like saving for retirement. He'll be happy to cover any costs Dr. Norton racks up as a Red Asset. "Take what you feel will be a better fit. I do ask that you keep the price tags so I can collect them later."

It fit neatly into Alex's compressed, orderly worldview these days. This wasn't theft, therefore he could accept it.

[biomechatronic]

Really this was going to end one of two ways for Dennett: living or dead. And Dennett knew which side the hard money was sitting on. After that, a little clothing theft from a mall their captors had ruined seemed inconsequential.

Then again, maybe that was a slippery slope--overlook petty crime, and soon you're overlooking major things. Agree to manipulate Alex's responses in combat...well, they both knew where that went.

He was not good at slippery slopes. But what mattered here was Alex finding his wife. Alex might not feel for her, but she felt for him, and that was more important for Dennett to push him toward than his own safety.

This is what a nerd's courage looks like: sending the heavily armored machine to protect someone else. He gulps, nodding. "I will. I promise. Now please. You wouldn't want someone to assault Clara while you were arguing this with me." At least Dennett didn't. If he thought shoving Alex in the right direction would help, he'd try.

And thread end?

[yourmove]

It's one of the few instances where the old Alex peeps through. The corners of his mouth soften slightly. "No, that wouldn't be preferable. I'll check in on you later tonight. It's critical you supply me with those tags."

He finally wheels around, as neatly as Norton built him, and heads back to the Cornucopia. It's a breach of protocol that might seem reasonable to anyone else, but it's gaping to Alex. He'll review this incident later and deem it unacceptable. Not to be repeated and clearly a sign that Dr. Norton needs to work out the rest of the kinks.

For now, though, he trusts the doctor to do the smart thing and hide. Get decent, if he wishes.

OK!

[biomechatronic]

If he's around to be checked in with, that is. But Dennett doesn't want to mention that his first arena...well, he's already outlasted his first arena's time record. He knows it's not because he's getting any damn better at this.

But what can he say? "I will." Or I'll make up a plausible excuse how I lost them. "Good luck," he says, to the retreating back, before turning to look around the mall, trying to find--what did they call it in those old war movies? Concealment. That was it.