Arena by Logan Jacobs

Author:Logan Jacobs [Jacobs, Logan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-07T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Artemis’ gorgeous eyes were the last thing I saw before my molecules were turned to light, sucked up into the tube, and beamed to only God knows where. I had a brief millisecond memory of rushing down a quantum tunnel, swirled amid atomic soup, then extruded like neutrino toothpaste.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a gorgeous white sand beach as I stared out into a vast, turquoise blue ocean. The waves sparkled like a thousand diamonds as the light breeze kicked up white tops. I looked around and saw a tropical coastline stretched out behind me, a dense, thick jungle wall of foliage and vines stood beyond the dunes about a hundred yards away. A dormant volcano rose out of the dark, emerald green jungle like an abandoned sentinel, covered in lush tropical flowers that flourished in the rich, black volcanic soil.

A warm, humid, tropical breeze blew the scent of coconut, mango, and jasmine across my face. The sun hung in the center of the sky like a light bulb casting a soft, warm, photo-friendly light across the horizon. I took a deep breath of the fragrant air, closed my eyes, and let the sunshine warm my face as my mind took the moment to fantasize what Artemis would look like in a barely-there string bikini, the water dripping from her skin while she jogged up the beach.

“Man, Havak, this isn’t so bad after all,” I said out loud to myself as I enjoyed the moment of peace and quiet.

“Hello, Marc Havak!” a loud voice boomed from out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time. “Welcome to today’s Flash Trial, Paradise Run.”

I opened my eyes and saw a huge alien face, probably a hundred feet tall, floating in the sky above the ocean. It was male and decidedly of human descent, but with feline features and covered in tortoiseshell tabby fur.

“My name is Chi-Cheshire, and I’m your ever faithful host and master of ceremonies for the Crucible of Carnage!” the cat yelled as if this were a game show. “This Flash Trial is easy. All you have to do is go to the volcano, retrieve an info disk, and place it through the slot in that kiosk over there.”

A big arrow appeared next to Chi-Cheshire's face pointing down and to my right. Sure enough, there was a white kiosk, blinking with futuristic alien lights, with a small disk size slot in the top like a DVD return from the bygone days of Blockbuster.

“Be brave, Champion,” Chi-Cheshire said, his feline voice purred the words in a low hum. “Remember, your planet depends on you.”

His face flickered and disappeared. Nothing was left in his wake but cloudless azure sky.

“Well,” I said with a bit of an arrogant smirk, “that doesn’t seem too hard.”

That’s when I heard the loud, distinct sound of high-pitched, two-stroke motorbike engines coming from my left. I looked in the direction the sound came from, but an outcropping of volcanic rock obscured the view as the beach curved off around the bend of the island.

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