One Year

The year is 2421. It has been one hundred years since the great war. It has taken this long for civilization to rebuild itself. The Event started small and scattered, but was growing in popularity. War being a distant memory and illegal now, the Event gave a new focus for the world. This would mark the twenty fifth year of the official opening. There was always something strange and electric in the air about this time of year. The anticipation is overwhelming and emotions run high.The tension is tangible. So thick you could cut it with a knife. They lineup around the block and pack the stadiums in hopes of catching a glimpse. They save up all year and drop every last dime to take part in this frenzied event. The gossip builds in the months leading up to the event, everyone has their favourites, but who will come out on top. The one spot on the planet where everyone was neutral, no laws could be broken. Only one goal, win.

Albert went every year from day one, he was a true fanatic. He knew all the stats about every famous player. The tragedies, the triumphs and how they were finally eliminated. That was the one side that no one talked about, what happens to the eliminated players. He got to be part of the clean up crew for a few years and saw it all up close. He felt he had ultimate bragging rights for all that he saw and knew. There were many talk shows where he had been on as a special guest. He was always asked who he thought would be the next champion. His predictions were like gold. Betting, merchandise and where to sit in which arena all hung on his words. The world watched and waited. This would be the first year that the event was being televised live around the world. Albert got the chance to sit in the head stadium and help with the broadcast. His dream come true. He could hardly sleep the week leading up to the opening ceremonies. He was going to help with interviewing the top players both before and after each match. To see his favourites up close and personal was more than he could have ever hoped for. Far better than watching someone on a screen or following a dot in a massive stadium.

He showed up extra early on the first day. He had all his questions prepared and memorized. He had spent days practicing in front of a mirror to make sure he got it right. When he arrived at the gate, a security guard met him and gave him his all exclusive VIP pass for the event. He was also chipped and tattooed to ensure his safety. He uploaded the map of the event to his glasses, giving him a complete list of all the participants. The security guard informed him that he was his personal escort for the entirety of the event. He found out he even had his own accommodations. It kept getting better and better. He checked in to his suite that was setup with all the latest tech. A full hollow deck with 3D full motion surround, top of the line replicator and even a full mesh wetware helmet. He had complete access to any player, he could rewatch any match in the global data base. It was a little overwhelming and he didn't know where to begin. First he had to get himself read and dressed. His officials uniform hung in the closet, he pulled it out and laid it on the bed. He had only ever seen one before, never touched one. It was far fancier than his clean up crew uniform. It had everything. It included a total body-temperature-regulation system; integrated nutrition packs to last for the duration of the event; an osmosis waste disposal unit; and a self-sanitation cycle. Once he put it on, he would be set.

There was a knock at the door. Very odd. He answered the door and met a petite younger lady with dazzling blue eyes. Her presence threw him off and he fumbled with his words. "Umm, yes. How may I help you? You could have called my glasses instead of coming all the way down here. I am almost ready, if you could give me five more minutes."

She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "Hello. My name is Anika. I have the suite next to yours. Is this your first time?"

He grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake. He couldn't get rid of his stupid grin.

"Hello. My name is Albert. Aside from cleanup crew, yes, this is my first time. Nice to meet you Anika. I still have to get dressed. Did you need something?" He finally let go of her hand and wiped his palm on his thigh and continued, "Sorry about that. I'm a little nervous, I guess."

She smiled and her whole face lit up as she replied, "Great, it's not just me. We could be nervous together. I have seen you on screens before. I am a bit of a fan. The way you analise each match always gives me a new view point I never saw before. The certainty you have with your words, magical."

She played with her long blue hair as she spoke. Albert found it difficult to focus on her words being so distracted by her appearance. He never met anyone like her before, he could stare at her all day. At her subtle cough Albert snapped back to reality. "Excuse me, did you say "together"? I was never told there would be two of us. I thought it was only me."

She paused and stopped playing with her hair, then looked at the ground. "Oops, my bad. I wasn't supposed to know. You weren't supposed to know. I found out when I cracked the encryption on the network. If they don't want people looking they should fix that. Again, my bad. Please don't tell anyone."

Her reaction took Albert by surprise, she was much more than a pretty face. He was curious and had to know more about his new acquaintance. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. You know me but I know nothing about you. Why are you here?"

She looked up and he could see her cheeks were a little flushed. Her face lit up again and her smile returned. She had trouble making eye contact and fiddled with her hands behind her back. She shifted back and forth between her feet. "Nobody has ever taken an interest in me. I see patterns, if something is out of place it sticks out and I can't ignore it. Over the years I have found many inconsistencies in the rules.

Some players have used these for an unfair advantage. I kinda have a reputation. You know the incident of 2410, well that was me."

She started playing with her hair again and glanced at Albert trying to stand still. Albert took a step back and his eyes widened. "That was you! You are "The Axe"!! I can't believe it!"

Anika's smile turned into a frown. "Shhh! Not so loud. Nobody knows who I am, I would like to keep it that way."

Albert tried to calmed himself and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. I am a huge fan. I can't believe I am talking to you. Wait until I let everyone know I met "The Axe".

Anika crossed her arms and gave Albert a stern look. "You can't tell anyone, even if you did they wouldn't believe you. I am supposed to be a coded algorithm, not a person. Even the best AI doesn't see what I do. Do you know what it's like running hundreds of calculations in your head and then someone asks you to explain it. It's like I'm talking to the wall."

Albert's expression became somber and he placed his hand on his chest and gave a small nod. "I apologize. Again your secret is safe with me. It has been such a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to working with you."

Anika smiled again and winked. "Okie, glad we cleared that up. I am going to get on my monkey suit. See you in ten. We can walk up to the booth together, this is going to be so much fun. Bye for now."

Albert watched her walk down to her suite. She turned and gave a wave as she went in. The day keeps getting better and better, he thought to himself. He couldn't have been more wrong.