Awaking once more inside the glowing purple stasis light that enveloped him, John gazed out across the arena, eyes watering from the sudden burst of floodlights.

  Though it was nighttime in the stadium, you wouldn’t have known it. For one, being on a spaceship meant there was no natural light anyway and secondly, the stadium was so full of people that a new standing section had been erected just behind the barrier that surrounded the playing field to fit them all in.

  Aliens must be night workers, no wonder they’re so violent.

  Welcome back folks! The Jovial Announcer proclaimed to raucous screaming and cheers. Would you look at this turn out? There are fans from all over system-controlled space here tonight. In fact, as of just a moment ago, we reached 85 billion viewers galaxy wide, making this the most watched event of the season so far!

  More cheering followed and the voice waited a moment before continuing. John had the sudden urge to pull up his interface and check out his own views, but he couldn’t. The stasis light wouldn’t allow it.

  Still, assuming the view counter updated in real time, he had more people watching him than he’d even known existed. The number was so abstract that it barely made a difference to his nerves. How could he be nervous when he was being watched by more people than the human mind can even comprehend? Ten times more people were watching this than lived on planet Earth prior to the invasion. That was simply mind boggling.

  If this isn’t the pinnacle of galaxy-wide entertainment then I don’t know what is. Who would have thought that we’d have an all-human final, folks? I know I certainly didn’t! Humans, a species barely more evolved than a sylak, knocking out every single one of our avatars. What an upset, what a tragedy, what incredible television!

  Cheering erupted from the stands once more, drowning out the announcer who John imagined was sitting back in his chair with a satisfied smile. He had no idea who, or what, the owner of the voice was, but he wasn’t a fan.

  Are you ready to see our two humans battle it out for the grand prize? He asked to torrents of ear-splitting screams.

  John had always wondered why crowds responded to every question with a whoop. He and Anne had attended a few concerts in their time and it was always the same: “How are you doing tonight?” “Woo”, “are you ready for another song?” “Woo”, “I’m going to sleep with your daughter after the show,” “woo!”.

  What a load of crap, John thought as he waited for the cheers to die down.

  Wow, what a response, folks. But before we start the match, I just want to say that it has been my sincere pleasure to announce this tournament for you all. My name is A.J. and this has been the best tournament of the solar year. I am truly humbled to have been selected to announce this magnificent piece of entertainment history, along with being the sole announcer for Battle Royale Earth. What an honour it is.

  He has a name? John thought, well, he has initials… not really a name. I wonder if they stand for Announcer, Jovial?

  Alrighty folks, without further ado, let’s get on with the show. In this corner, weighting in at 182 pounds and dressing like a children’s old west party entertainer, it’s… John Doe!

  182? I must have lost weight. I guess the apocalypse is the perfect time to get back into shape.

  Cheers and boos erupted in equal measure from around the stands. John tried to spot who was for and against him but there were too many people to draw any real conclusions.

  And in this corner, weighing in at… actually it’s rude to talk about a lady’s weight so I’ll skip that part, it’s the child burning crowd favourite, the murdering matriarch, the blonde bombshell who has been touted the most likely to win this season’s Battle Royale, it’s… Joanna99!

  The cheers she got were deafening. Boos crept through the barrier of sound but there were far fewer than John had received.

  Did he just say she’s the favourite to win Battle Royale? Oh hell no, that’s my title bitch!

  In just a moment we’ll unleash these ruffians, A.J. said, quieting the crowd as they listened with bated breath. But first, there’s a few new additions to this final. The first being an early round Environmental Factor.

  As he spoke trees began sprouting from the ground, as if the growth cycle was being watched in fast forward, great oaks, jungle vines and alien flora shot up all around the playing field.

  Within seconds John’s view of Joanna’s stasis tube was obstructed. Even the crowd had been hidden from his view as he found himself in the middle of a dense jungle.

  The first portion of the final round will be played inside a bonafide Earthen jungle… A.J. let those words hang in the air as the audience murmured excitedly.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Looking at the alien flora on the ground and the mixture of jungle trees and oaks from the other side of the world, he doubted the authenticity of that claim.

  The second Environmental Factor will commence when there is only one minute remaining on the timer. I can’t wait to see how this game of cat and mouse plays out folks. Oh, we’ve also released some monsters into the jungle to add a little… spice. Good luck contestants, we’re routing for you.

  Three!

  The crowd began to join in and though he could no longer see them, their booming voices shook his light tube.

  Two!

  One!

  Go!

  With widened eyes, John felt his body return to him. His movements no longer impeded by the bright purple light which vanished behind him.

  Searching around for a vantage point or some part of the topography which might give him an advantage, John pulled his twin revolvers from his card deck and gripped them tightly.

  His foe could be lurking behind every tree, hiding behind any plant. John’s chest felt tight as his racing heart thumped against the inside of his chest cavity.

  I guess even emotional dampening skills like my Trauma Response and Greif Counselling can’t mitigate the body’s natural response to fear. How I love me that adrenaline, he thought as he took his first step into the thick jungle.

  It made sense to John that he should move away from his starting position as soon as possible. Joanna had surely seen the direction he’d been in before the trees shot up and it was also a small clearing. There was no cover and staying in the starting location would have been idiotic.

  Why would anyone hand their opponent and advantage like that?

  Then again, maybe I can use that to my advantage. Joanna is sure to come waltzing straight towards my starting point.

  Creeping through the dense canopy and trying not to make any noise, John was constantly startled by rustling bushes and the occasional squark. Apart from that, it was deathly silent.

  A.J. had mentioned that there would be monsters in the jungle and John was hoping to avoid them. If he had to use his guns to defend himself then Joanna would know exactly where he was.

  The playing field wasn’t big enough to hide the sound of gunshots. Thankfully, John had a few tricks up his sleeve from his days in basic. An idea had begun to form, but he needed a moment to make some preparations.

  Looking around wearily, he decided he was in the clear. Dropping a single revolver back into his deck, he bent down and scraped up some mud from the floor.

  There was only a thin coating covering the ground, under that was the familiar glass panels which showed a breathtaking view of Earth. He didn’t need much though.

  John began smothering the mud across his face, hands and any other part of him that could catch the light and shine. He then set about distorting his shape with broken tree branches, foliage, more mud and basically anything he could find that would help break up the human body’s shape.

  Human eyes are naturally drawn to shapes which resemble the body, particularly in natural settings as they do not belong there and the subconscious notices that.

  Therefore, camouflaging oneself is often more about distorting that human shape, than it is about blending in through colour changes.

  John fondly remembered camouflaging himself during basic. Part of him wished he could go back to those simpler times, though he never thought he’d be using those skills to kill a woman in an alien death game.

  Now we wait, he thought, narrowing his eyes seriously.

  ***

  Joanna strolled boldly through the jungle.

  She had considered trying to sneak around but she wanted to win and this was a timed battle. Besides, she had fire on her side. The predator does not pussyfoot around the prey.

  A few small, toothy creatures jumped out at her, but they were no match for her flames. Their little squeals were barely even satisfying. She was hunting bigger prey.

  The excitement of facing off one on one with Doe was heart pounding. It was a shame she would have to kill him so soon; she’d been hoping to make him her nemesis for the rest of the game. She felt an odd connection to the man. He could be useful. He was like a loaded gun and she felt like all she would have to do was pull the trigger and she could fire him. He could have been so very useful in her revenge plan. It was a real shame she wouldn’t get to find out.

  Barnabus had already suggested that she try not to kill him during clashes because it made for good TV and, as she’d suspected, viewers were everything in Battle Royale.

  However, he’d changed his mind when he discovered that John was in the tournament with her. Barnabus had said that killing her nemesis early on in the game, and in a tournament no less, would solidify her superiority among the other human competitors.

  Besides, she needed another card and he was in the way.

  It was a shame, but she had to do what she had to do, right? Barnabus had insisted that the ratings she’d gain from winning this tournament would far outweigh any potential viewer increase she’d get from keeping John alive as a returning villain on Battle Royale, and he hadn’t steered her wrong so far. That was the beauty of a mutually beneficial relationship.

  She didn’t need to trust him, she only needed to trust in his desire to reach whatever goal he was using her to get. Things are simpler that way, people will always do what’s in their best interest.

  Keeping John around as a villain for her to clash with would have been good TV though.

  Or was she the villain? She could never quite remember. She didn’t feel like a villain, though her actions served to contradict that. Then again, she supposed no one ever really felt like a villain did they?

  All she wanted was revenge.

  She’d hoped to use John to help her get it. But If he was going to get in the way, then he would have to die. It was simple. It didn’t matter that she kinda liked him, it didn’t matter that he might be useful later, all that mattered was winning in the here and now. So that is what she was going to do.

  Finally, she thought as she stepped into the clearing where John had likely started. That’s odd, shouldn’t we have run into each other by now?

  SNAP.

  Turning lightly on her feet, she heard the sound of a twig snapping. The noise broke her from her reverie and she smiled, hoping it would be John Doe. She’d been walking dazedly through the jungle for a while and she was ready for a fight.

  SNAP.

  Without hesitation she fired off a fireball in the direction of the noise, something squeaked and a bush caught fire.

  Must have been a rat or something, she thought dismissively, turning back around.

  CRACK.

  Burning pain lit up her shoulder as she was knocked from her feet. Her head span and warm rivulets of blood ran down her chest.

  “Fuck!” She shouted, “he’s better than I gave him credit for.”