Mock Expedition
As soon as the buzzer sounded, the scattered hatches and trapdoors around the Chasm opened, and basketball-sized robots swarmed out of them. They were insect-like in model, with a metal thorax and abdomen, advanced tracking technology in their "eyes" and antennae for show. Most terrifyingly however, were the blasters strapped to either side of their body.
Striders. 5 points each.
The objective was to destroy the robots for points, and the Diver with the most points at the end of the time limit won the match. It was more complicated than that at the professional level, but this was a Mock Expedition, and as a Showdiver, Oren was more concerned about the spectacle than anything else.
He rocket-boosted through the air, faster than either of his competitors. Spotting a line of striders coming toward him, he swiftly dodged their fire, flying a corkscrew around to the back of the grouping. Stopping his momentum for a moment to turn, he burst through the line, trident-first. Sparks flew and the lights in the robots dimmed as the metal debris fell to the floor. He shook off any remaining circuitry in a flashy spin of his weapon.
Six Striders down. +30 points.
It wasn't bad for a first move, garnering the praise of the kids watching. He scanned the crowd for a moment, giving a small salute. What he didn't see was a tall black man in a blue blazer standing in a back corner of the viewing room, watching the match with a smile on his face.
Oren kept flying, skewering strider after strider, racking up points quickly. The holographic scoreboard displayed on all four viewing windows showed the growing point gap between him and his competitor-coworkers. Mary, who had just gotten done slicing a strider in half chimed in on her radio.
"Oren, this is supposed to be a show, remember. You can't just blow us out the water, the kids have to see some drama."
"You're kidding right? They are loving this." He retorted. He then threw his trident downward at another strider, pinning it to a rock bridge. Disengaging his thrusters, he free fell, grabbing another robot on the way down and impaling it on the trident's handle, engaging his thrust again just before hitting the ground.
The crowd went absolutely wild. Chaperons struggled to keep the children in their seats as they jumped up in surprise and awe at the display of power and technique.
The man in the blue blazer made his way to a security door, exiting into a gray stairwell. The man was extremely well put together, and rested his back on a wall facing the door he'd just come through. He exuded confidence like an aura even though nobody was there to observe him. He pulled out a phone from the inside of his jacket.
Though many people preferred to use mini holographic communicators, mobile phones had recently made a comeback. It had been a reaction to the lack of physical contact when operating a holographic projection. The slogan for the new line of Arlo Corporation smart phones was "Feel the Difference." Besides, all new smart phones came with holographic capability and cross-device compatibility anyway.
The man's phone was the latest model of phone, and though he could've made the call with the holographic video chat, he decided that audio was just fine. He dialed a number, and after a single ring, the person on the other end picked up.
"Good afternoon Emil. Have you any news on our prospect?" The voice on the other end of the call was a little gruff, and carried the weight of many years in its tone.
"Good afternoon to you as well Sir. I'm calling to report that the dossier on the kid you gave me was spot on. He's a prodigy, a real showman too. He's only 18 so if we get him in now, I can see him being a fan favorite. Maybe he'll even take a Spectrum Diver spot in some years if he'd good enough." Emil's voice was smooth, and had the characteristic charm of a salesman.
"That's what I'm hoping for. Arlo Corporation is going to need a new heavy-hitter if we want to capitalize on JourneyMan Tech's soon-to-be vacancy."
"You think Alex Azul is ready to hang up her Darcy?"
"Not yet, but I'd like to be prepared for when she does. Right now I think the woman has her eyes set on the Spectrum Tournament, and then the Grand Tourney. Look, I know this kid has potential. Talk him up, get him to the camp and we'll move from there."
"Will do, sir."
The man put his phone back in his pocket, and then headed back through the security door. By the time he had gotten back to the corner of the viewing room, five minutes were left on the clock. Nothing substantial had changed about the score, Oren was still ahead by many points. Emil looked around the room. On all sides of the square, the audience was enraptured. He knew that kids were easily impressed, but it was surprising that the match had managed to keep their attention considering only striders were at play. As he watched Oren twirl and weave through the insectoid robots however, he understood exactly why his job title was "Showdiver." That kid could put on a good show. If Emil didn't know the inner workings of Chasm Diving, he'd think it was staged. But Oren was just that good. Frankly, he put his two coworkers, Herman and Mary, to utter shame.
When three minutes were left on the clock, the striders stopped coming through the hatches. Oren turned to the audience, pretending to be a little confused, when another metallic whirr could be heard from an unseen area of the Chasm. Then, seemingly without warning, three robots appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They were humanoid in shape, but with the same membrane-wings as the striders. They each carried a long bo-staff, and spun them around as they flew, presumably to block blaster fire.
Wraiths. 10 points each.
Herman was the closest to the robots when they emerged. Oren figured Herman would have trouble with them. No matter how many times he told the man that his blaster wasn't going to be effective, Herman insisted that it was his best weapon. Oren knew that the AI in these robots were programmed to be less intelligent than those in an actual NADL expedition, but he still felt for his coworker when one of the wraiths locked onto him, blocking his blaster fire with its staff.
Another of the wraiths made its way toward Mary. The difference in range between Mary's short sword and the wraith's staff was daunting, but the woman seemed to hold her own just fine.
The third wraith briskly flew over to Oren, staff spinning wildly as it made its charge. When it came too close, Oren boosted to the side, and spun his trident around, hitting the wraith on its back. The robot quickly retaliated with a flurry of strikes. Each hit bounced off of the trident. Oren blocked to one side. Then another. The two exchanged blows, perfectly parrying each other. Oren didn't have to keep up with this charade. Truthfully, the AI of the robot left way too many openings in its combat to truly throw him for a loop. But Oren was a showman at heart, and defeating the wraith so unceremoniously went against his nature. When a couple more blows had been exchanged, Oren threw his feet forward, using his foot thrusters to shift himself back a couple feet. When the wraith came swinging its staff once again, Oren caught the weapon in between the forks of his trident. In a swift motion, he swung his trident to the right, pulling the wraith, still holding onto the staff, with it. The wraith slammed into a rock pillar, dropping the staff. While it was trying to recover, Oren threw his trident directly into the wraiths abdomen, pinning it to the pillar. He then flew an orbit around the pillar, arms outstretched grandly. When he made a full circle, he grabbed his trident, and with the momentum of the orbit, ripped it fully through the side of the wraith, ripping it in half.
He thought for a moment that the display of force may have been a little much for kids to watch, but as the children's cheers could be heard, and seen, he knew that he had done quite well.
The timer buzzed, signifying the end of the match. A robotic announcer gave the results. Oren was in first place, followed by Mary, then Herman, who looked ashamed as the wraith he'd been fighting had powered down, defeated by time rather than Herman's blaster.
Oren turned to thank the kids for watching, and to follow their chaperons as they exited the viewing room.
When all the kids had made their exit, the three divers made their way to the bottom of the Chasm, where a hidden door led to the locker rooms. Looking back at all the robot parts and small bits of rubble, Oren felt bad for the janitors and maintenance staff.
Anytime Oren was assigned to do a show, they knew they had their work cut out for them.