Artificial Selection

REC [O]

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"Hello viewers, and welcome back to the Darwin Dome, where only the greatest survive! Tonight is our finale, and the Viewing Gala is about to start. In case you forgot, that's where the lucky few of you get to see me- and the contestants-live! Let's look at our lottery winners here- dressed in their finest. Fashion and fascism go hand in hand here, and we love it! But I know you're not here for the fancy clothes. You're here for carnage! I'll pass you to the Dome now. Remember, I'm Maxion Miller, and this is Darwin in Action!"

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Maxion breathed a sigh of relief as the camera light turned red. His part of this show was over. He adjusted his brown suit jacket while waiting for the cameraman to cue him to leave. Honestly, he didn't know why he had to wait. The show was live. What was he supposed to do, refilm? He chuckled to himself at this thought. No, that would be stupid. I can't just restart the contestants for a do-over. Their deaths are permanent.

"Sir, you are good to go! Head over to the Gala now. I think they have some catering from this fancy place that sells eggs of platypus or something. " said Jeff. He was Maxion's favorite to film with. Jeff was just so different from everyone here. Nothing ever phased him.

"Thanks, Jeff! I'll grab one and tell you if it tastes edible." Maxion replied. Jeff chuckled.

"It never does, but it looks nice on a plate, right? Have fun!" he hollered as Maxion left the filming room. Opening the door, Maxion was hit with a blast of bitter wind as he strode across the street to the Gala. He waved to the paparazzi as they snapped pictures of the latest music star. He couldn't be bothered to remember anyone's name. It didn't matter.

Inside the Gala, people crowded around the gilded tables and made small talk as they watched the large screen in the center of the room. No one noticed as he squeezed through the dresses and hats to the food table, where the platypus eggs sat untouched. Jeff was right. They did look nice on a plate.

He moved behind the table, leaned against the wall, and scoped out the room. No one he could be bothered to talk to. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl with long brown braids wearing a grey dress shoving someone behind a wall. The first fight of the night, Maxion figured. At events like this, people always fought. However, something inside of him said this wasn't a fight. Maybe it was the boredom speaking, but he decided to investigate. Slowly, he slid down the wall towards the corner where the girl was now furiously whispering.

"You are going to blow this whole operation, Wilder. Either get it together or go back to the car. We only have one chance to shut this down. One chance!"

Maxion heard who he assumed was the unfortunate Wilder push the girl back from them.

"Nima, listen. It's too late. The show ended years ago. This is all recorded. I don't know who's in that Dome, but it's not Samirah. If we let them out... it could kill us all." Suddenly, their voices fell quiet. Maxion strained to hear them.

Before he could react, Nima had yanked him behind the corner and pressed a dagger to his throat. The shiny silver of her blade reflected his half-blended foundation. Maxion knew he had missed something when he was getting ready this morning.

"You. I know you. You run this show. Is Samirah in there? Is she in the Dome? Tell me, or you will die." she whispered, venom in her voice.

"I've never met the contestants of any of the seasons. I have no idea who this Samirah person is, nor do I care. I want to know this: Is it recorded?" Maxion said calmly.

"You're the one about to die here. You should care. And you do know. Tell me. " Nima responded, her gaze steady.

"Nima, I think he's telling the truth. Everything we've uncovered so far proves he is just a face. Slit his throat so we can hide the body and get out of here." Wilder chimed in. The boy spoke of such harsh things for one with such an ill-fitting jacket, Maxion thought. But he neglected to say this out loud.

"I promise, I have no idea about any of the things you're talking about. I was never allowed to meet the contestants due to the highly dangerous nature of the game. Interferring would distrub the balance." Maxion answered, pressing his back closer to the wall. Someone would turn around and see him being threatened, he knew it. He just had to stall for time.

"Nima, come on. This pawn isn't worth it. You said it yourself, we have one chance. If you really want to open the dome, we have to do it now." the boy pleaded, stepping towards the hallway.

Nima paused, clearly thinking. Maxion held his breath, waiting for her decision.

"You're right, he isn't worth it. But he's coming with us. I want him to see what he blindly supports." Nima said, lowering the dagger from his throat. She grabbed Maxion's arm and signaled to Wilder. He grabbed Maxion's other arm, threw a blindfold over his head, and they proceeded to drag him down the dark hallway leading deeper into the Gala building.

REC [O]

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"Can you believe that Social Darwinism was once taught in history books as an outdated belief? I can't! But it's true! Before the Scare, we believed that everyone was born equal with inalienable rights. Ha! No wonder we were falling apart. Thanks to the wise leadership of our Council, we now celebrate the power of natural selection with the Darwin Dome, where we can witness it in action just as nature intended! Some people are just better then others. No doubt about it! Thanks for tuning in, and remember I'm Maxion Miller, and this is Darwin in Action!"

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Thinking through everything that had ever lead him to this point, Maxion could see why Nima had thought he knew something. His character was pompous and knowledgable, but the real Maxion was not. He just read what was on the teleprompter. He also knew that Maxion Miller would have been prepared for this. The host was always ready when things went wrong. Not like this, though. Crime was supposed to be a thing of the past. How come two poorly dressed teenagers could sneak into the Gala, and abduct him in broad daylight? Did no one notice his absence?

Maxion then realized something. He was never at the Gala for more then an hour. The guests probably assumed he had left already. He groaned. His own aloofness had sealed his fate. He was going to die in this very long and dark tunnel because he hated conversation.

Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by the removal of his blindfold and light flooded his senses. The hallway had taken him into a studio with multiple cameras and outdated technology. In the back of the room, a console with small buttons and switches beeped ominsouly.

"Nima, you did it. It's real, it exists!" Wilder exclaimed as he moved Maxion to a abandoned desk. Maxion slowly sat as the boy pulled out rope from his jacket and tied him to the back of a chair.

"It's not finished yet. We still have to figure out which button opens Door 3B. And none of this is labeled." she murmured as she walked to the console, running her figures along the edge of one of the switches. "How long do we have before the show ends?" Nima asked Maxion as she stared at the mass array of lights before her.

"I'm not telling you anything. What's your goal here? Why are you doing this?" Maxion said, fidgeting with the rope as Wilder pulled the knot tighter.

"You'll see when I expose the Darwin Dome, and this entire country, for the crap it feed us everyday." She replied as she dug around in a stack of files near the console. She pulled out a book and started flipping through, humming a song as she did. Maxion was pissed. She was ignoring him, and she was about to cost him his life. The Council would blame this whole scandal if she succeeded on him. That is, if Nima was right about this being faked.

"I found it." she said as her hand hesitated over a small purple button near the bottom of the console. Then her face ignited with rage as she pressed the button. He heard a loud noise, then screaming as the floor collapsed beneath him and he fell to the ground, hitting his head on the cold tile. As he lost consciousness, Maxion knew he had lost to his competition. He was no longer fit enough to survive in this world that was disintegrating before his very eyes. A chuckle escaped his lips as he saw the stupidity of his life. He was being destroyed by the very thing he believed in. What a fitting end. Then he closed his eyes, and listened to the alarms blare and his own voice echo over the speakers.

REC [O]

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"I know we always feel bummed when an Extinction happens, but we all know that it is eventable. Life and society is a cycle. Adaptions and mutations change the fitness of species everyday. One day you're the best, and the next, you're losing the race for survival. But just think! You were born to be outdated, outpaced, outcast. And that's why we have Darwin in Action. To show you, no matter what, there are always losers. Remember, I'm Maxion Miller, and this is Darwin in Action.

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