Arena Mode (36 page)

When someone wins the lottery, they stand there with a ridiculous oversized novelty check and say the same tired crap that
every
winner says: ‘I’m the same person I was yesterday,’ and ‘all this money won’t change me.’

“Come
on
–
for most people, it’s the one time in their life that they’ll have the attention of a national audience. It’s their chance to say something brutally honest, like, ‘I have a message for my boss: you’re a backstabbing dick, and I hope you drown in a pool of your own vomit.’ But you
never
hear that. It’s always talk about charity and family and how everything will stay
exactly
the same now that they have zillions of dollars. Most of them claim they won’t even quit their nine-to-fives.

“You wanna know what’ll change for
me
? It’s funny ... I wish I had something epic to tell you. If I make it out of surgery, my days won’t be much different than they were before; reading comics, watching movies, hanging out with my friends. Lame, right?

“I can tell you something that I
wanted
to change, though – even before I left The Arena that day. I wanted to forget. I wondered if there was a way, somehow, that surgeons could slice the horrible things I’d seen and done
days won’t be much different. Re I even had to ask...catch up with her in the streets?u maring in theaze
out of my brain, and get rid of them along with my tumor.

“But I realized that if I lost those memories, I’d also lose that feeling of urgency. Knowing I could die at any moment felt ... not
good –
that’s the wrong word for it. But it
was
good to feel alive, and know that every choice I made actually meant something.

“In The Arena, you’re living in the present. There’s no time to waste thinking about your inbox and celebrity gossip and buying crap from a virtual mall that you don’t need. When a lightning bolt is coming at you or someone’s swinging a sword in your face, all of the things that
really
matter become very clear, very quickly. And the trivialities that we distract ourselves with suddenly become a hell of a lot more trivial.

“So if one thing changed for me after winning Arena Mode, it wasn’t the prize at the end – it was coming out of The Arena and realizing that the prize didn’t matter. It’s time that matters, and what you do with it.

“Oh, and the other thing that changed: I now believe in lucky jewelry. But if you see a girl with pink hair on your way out of here, please don’t tell her I said that.

-
Matthew Moxon
(New York Chronicle Simulcast, July 2041)

Some have called him a symbol.
Others, a god. But Sergei Taktarov was something far simpler – he was you.

“Like many of you watching, he spent his life in poverty, awaiting the opportunity to better his position. What he learned, sadly, was the truth: that day would never come. Most workers realize this at some point in their lives, while they toil in a thankless job, every year working more hours for less pay. They are discouraged, they are frustrated and they are powerless to fight against the corruption they face.

“What they do not realize is that they are powerless only because they are alone. Because of one man – my brother – those days are over.

“If you are angered by a government crushing you beneath debt, and taxes and preferential treatment for the wealthy, I have one thing to ask of you: join me.

“The Red Army stands for the rights of the many, not the desires of the privileged few.

“We are legion, and our numbers will only continue to grow. The new revolution will not only sweep through Russia and Europe, but it will consume America as well, and anywhere else that inequality is causing our world to decay. We will prevail.

“I have one, final message for a particular American. If you believe in a god, pray to him now, Matthew Moxon. Ask him to take your life while your tumor is being removed, allowing you a quiet and peaceful death. Because when the Red Army finds you, they will not offer you the same mercy.

- Valeriya Taktarov
(iTube Video, uploaded July 27, 2041)

Character Profiles (spoiler alert)

Warning.

No, seriously, this is a
real
warning. It’s not like one of those meaningless signs that says ‘wear a hardhat’, or ‘don’t combine alcohol with this medication’ – this is for realsies.

There is a possibility of being slightly spoiled – just the teensiest bit – if you read these profiles, or even see the artwork. Not a lot, but if you’re one of those people who hates to see the trailer before a movie comes out, then you might want to wait until:

a) you’ve already read the entire book, or

b) the character you want to check out has already made their appearance

I’ve done my due diligence, and the spoiler alert siren has been activated.

Carry on.

Mox
Matthew Moxon
 

Gender:
Male
Nationality:
American
Born:
April 13, 2012
Age:
29 (as of July, 2041)
Hometown:
Buffalo, NY
Height:
5’11” (180 cm)
Weight:
185 lbs. (84 kg)
Build:
Average
Hair:
Brown, short
Eyes:
Blue

Powers and Abilities

Super-genius level intelligence

Moxon's IQ is among the highest in the world (most recently tested with a score of 220.) He also possesses a photographic memory, and can perform advanced mathematical calculations in his head.

By the age of 24 he could calculate cube roots faster than a calculator, and recall pi up to 23,800 decimal places.

See Mox’s full profile at www.arenamode.com/wiki

Art by Derek Laufman
dereklaufman.deviantart.com
Twitter @laufman

Brynja
Brynja Guðmundsdóttir
 

Gender:
Female
Nationality:
Icelandic
Born:
Unknown
Age:
Appears early 20s
Hometown:
Reykjavík, Iceland
Height:
Abstract
Weight:
Abstract
Build:
Slim
      
Hair:
Appears blue
Eyes:
Appear blue

Powers and Abilities

Phasing

Brynja has the ability to ‘phase’ or ‘ghost’, becoming completely intangible. She can pass directly through any object (except for electrical fields) and remains visible when doing so.

See Brynja’s full profile at www.arenamode.com/wiki

Art by Natasha Allegri

natazilla.tumblr.com

Twitter @natazilla