The year is 3019. Ever since the wars ended and humanity had to reset itself, people were at a loss. Life was hard, there was little hope. So, the AI's came up with a solution, or maybe it was more of an addiction. Either way, it gave people something on which they could focus. The AI's, invented The Game. Now...The Game, is all that matters.
Fortunes are made and lost on players, who exist for one reason only...to win at all costs. Augmented, within the rules, they race, riding energy waves. It's a brutal and deadly game, which is shown on gigantic screens twenty-four hours a day. The day-time hours are filled with new players and reruns. The nights are for more experienced players and the weekends, are for the stars. People watch, as their favorite player fights to survive and win.
Men and women compete against each other. And for the past year, two players have dominated The Game. Blue is a male this time and Red is female. They are evenly matched, since brute strength doesn't assure a win. Agility, balance, intelligence, and focus, are what's important.
Players live in Hives, which are large buildings with single rooms. Each player has a room that contains a bed, chair and a table. Most of the building houses the finest medical facilities in the world, and a massive gym that would have been unrecognizable two hundred years ago.
Players live The Game. There is no other life for them. Their physical condition and their concentration is all that keeps them alive. Their gear is a molded carapace. The material is flexible enough to move, but strong enough to keep them alive in some circumstances.
Players work their way up from the bottom, fighting for each win, until, if they are lucky, they reach the top. There are no friendships among players, emotions can interfere with focus and while they may see each other coming or going, they do not know each other. Players are numbered, not named. Once a player reaches the top, all their needs, which are very few, are met, so they can concentrate completely on their game.
In The Game, players ride energy waves. Red is hot, blue is cold, either one can cut a player in half, if they fall. The waves are forced into tubes, where a player can ride the sides or the bottom. Their opponent is coming from the opposite direction. It's possible to fall between the waves, onto the dead zone. Dead Zones are narrow solid colored lines. Players don't fight. The Game is about speed and agility, Players start at each end of the long tube and the first one out, wins. Win two out of three Games with the same opponent, and you move up in the ranks. The current champions have been racing each other for twelve months, going back and forth in wins and losses. They have broken every record there is and people love them.
But don't be misled. The Game is not as straight forward as it sounds. Once in the tube, anything can appear, mountains, tiny black holes, Drop Zones, and wind. Wind can start at anytime and if you aren't ready for it, your life is over. The players literally, have to be prepared for anything.
This is not for public knowledge, but Red and Blue have raced against each other enough to know each other's moves. Some even think they are beginning to care for each other. If this is true, and can be proven, both players will be disqualified immediately. But you didn't hear it from me.
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