Epilogue
The oddly-shaped asteroid spun slowly through space, the blackness of its surrounding sky broken in one corner by an oversized bright blue, green, and brown sphere that, from a spot on the asteroid, appeared to spin regularly around it. It was, of course, the giant space-rock that was spinning, not the planet Earth. But with its artificial gravity field that always pointed towards one side of the asteroid, the sensation one had when standing on it was of the entire universe spinning. On two sides of its carved-flat, delicately bridged metalo-lithic surface stood gigantic Composite towers, their steep pyramidal flanks lit by blue or red lights according to which team they belonged to. Facing Worlds was considered one of the most beautiful Capture the Flag arenas, a fact which didn't detract the least from its deadliness. Like Phobos Moon, it was surrounded by a bubble of air that was contained by powerful ion shields that would tear a body apart on contact. Those who fell off the asteroid had better translocate back onto it quickly, or be sucked down into quick dismemberment.
¨I tell you folks, is this ever going to be a spectacular CTF final today,¨ assured the pre-match announcer. ¨We're looking at a matchup between this year's favorite, the young and super-talented returning champions the Thunder Crash, and the same team that beat them last month in the Team Deathmatch final, the older, wiser, and more experienced Dark Phalanx. Normally, looking at these two teams, I'd have to predict an easy victory by the Thunder Crash. With the prodigious Malcom at the helm, they really have had no peers this season, and the Dark Phalanx is not a team well-known in the Capture the Flag arena. However, the Dark Phalanx has one of the deepest squads around, even lacking their comrade Farham, who as you know was recently killed by maniac fans while training. What a bummer! They showed in the TDM finals match, too, that their impeccable patience and strategy can overwhelm the flashier Thunder Crash. Well, whoever wins, I'm sure it will be an excellent spectacle for you all to enjoy, and I know I certainly will.
¨OK now, it looks like the Gladiators are being translocated onto the field, and yes, I believe they're asking to start the match with no warmup. What confidence shown by both teams! You can feel the excitement here, folks. Nobody wants to put it off any longer. The team captains and co-captains are shaking hands, an unusual display of sportsmanship, ladies and gentlemen, especially considering the score these two teams have to settle. That's what we all like to see!
¨Now they're starting the countdown. Hold onto your hats! I'll turn this line over to the arena announcer. Good luck, and have fun!¨ The line was silent for a moment, and then the countdown began, the arena announcer's deep exaggerated voice booming across the field of play, the spectator's lounge, and ten billion video monitors:
¨ ATTENTION GLADIATORS. MATCH WILL START IN THIRTY SECONDS.¨
¨TWENTY SECONDS.¨ The crowd in the spectator's lounge began to cheer.
¨TEN SECONDS. NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN. SIX. FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE.¨
The buzzer sounded.
All the combatants spawned.
TEH END. If you actually read this far, you're awesome. Thank you. Tell me what you thought!
Next time I'm writing a short story.