THE LAST GAMES: PROJECT PANDORA

CHAPTER II: T H E P R O G R A M

I guess it's not my day today... And I don't say that in a joking matter. My consciousness is slowly returning to my body. Kai is thrashing me back and fourth, then he sees my eyes open - and he stops. I can see him blink back tears from his eyes. He thought I was dead.
I slowly look around. We are surrounded by broken, shattered buildings. My eyes follow the smoke of a skyscraper up to the bright orange sky. The sun is slowly setting behind the broken landscape. How long was I out? I see the giant metal caucus of a War Wyvern littering the ground... Along with the body's of those who sacrificed their lives to help. I try to stand. Black dots blur my vision. I lean against a shattered wall to help me.
"How-?" I start, but give up. My voice is raspy and I can barely talk. Everyone is back-to-back, which is strange. Reds, Blues and Greens. Wow, that's new. I rub my eyes, nope, I'm still seeing the same... Maybe I'm in worse shape than I thought. Everyone looks terrified - but from what? The Green's cabins has been razed, and so have most the people. Only three Greens left standing. But that cant be it. I look at their faces and I see pure terror. I see Edens' body, lifeless across the floor. Then a holographic screen appears on the surface of a building in front of us. A mans deep voice echoes across the land.
"KAI! YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRAM, SO NOW WE'RE GONNA PLAY A LITTLE GAME!"

Everyone turns to Kai. For a moment there is silence. I can feel panic wash over everyone, but it is replaced with curiosity almost as soon as it has appeared. What is "The Program"? Then the voice booms again.
"YOU ARE ALL GOING TO EITHER FIGHT TO THE DEATH, OR DIE ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER." Why? Because Kai knows about something they - whoever is on this giant screen - don't want him to? He needs some anger management if you as me. I look up at the massive face hovering over us. It is an oldish man. He looks about in his sixties. A long grey beard slopes down his neck to the collar of his shirt, complete with grey bushy eyebrows and messy hair. Stern wrinkles trail throughout his face, with a murmurous look in his eyes. He begins to lift his mouth to talk, when the most unexpected thing happened. Winter Eclipse, a girl from the Blues - but the way everyone is acting, I'm not sure colours matter anymore - steps forward, picks up a small sharp stone, and throws it at the hologram. The screen shatters into a million pieces, and just as the image turns static, an evil, diabolical smile spreads across his face.
A shiver is sent down my spine. I am terrified. And not because this isn't how I would like to spend my Saturday. I look to Winter. She has dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. I shake my head. Then a massive roar arises from the hills. I see long, metal body snake upward, through the barren rocky landscape.
"Umm...", I stutter. Then another breaks through, and then two more. "Well?" I ask "I was out when you defeated that thing" I look to Kai, who is gaping at the sight of four colossal beasts.
"Umm, aim for the heads, if you can shoot it in the mouth-" an earthquake shutters through the city as another one breaks free. "Never mind, RUN!" Now, with all courage thrown out the window, we run.

I stop behind a building. My heart is pounding and I can't run anymore. How many of us are left? Forty? I don't know anymore. But there are, right now, three things I still do not understand. First, what is "The Program"? Second, I still don't know what that wink was about, and third, how did all three teams forget their differences and band together in an instant?
Kai, Winter, and a couple of other guys are with me. The rest are still running, or trying to hold this position. I see Luke get flipped into the air and thrown on the ground over the building we are behind.
"Well, this is it." Kai says "you guys run, I'll hold them of. Three. Two.-"
"No, wait! what are you doing!?" Winter says
"saving you - one!" He yells. He runs out, drops to one knee, and gets a clear shot on one, one eye closed as his aiming. Everything seems to be in slow motion, his finger slowly pulling towards the trigger of a long, sleek gun. He shoots. The bullet sailing through the air. It goes strait into the metal beasts throat.
For a second, silence. I think it's dead, and it is, only not how I expected. Suddenly it's engulfed in flame, blasting out wards. The explosion kills him. With tears in my eyes, reluctantly, we run once more.