Max Arena Read online

  Joe studied his friend’s face for a few moments in silence. He had known Abdullah for only a couple of years, but in that very short space of time they had become as close as brothers. They were each other’s closest confidantes and had partnered on several occasions to influence diplomatic relations on the world stage, mostly with success, but not always. Today, Abdullah’s demeanour seemed outwardly normal, but underneath the composed exterior, Joe could sense a growing struggle. Abdullah was beginning to falter.

  Joe looked back to the window. ‘I am not so foolish to say that everything will be alright if we keep our chins up,’ he said, ‘and I am not going to encourage you to hold tight to Kris’ inspiration from last week. Nor will I state the obvious in that you and I are the two best placed and most capable people of holding this fragmenting world together.’

  Abdullah nodded, silently, his hands laid one on top of the other in his lap, his crisp, white robe draping the couch around him. Joe continued.

  ‘The United Nations are splitting apart,’ Joe added. ‘Much of Africa is already in turmoil and the European Union is on the brink of imploding. The nightmare scenario grows and all the while, President Bartholomew continues to distance the United States further away from everyone else, threatening to launch a nuclear tirade at any nation that even suggests to challenge their superpower status. It is madness and on top of that I am convinced Lester is plotting to usurp Max away from us. I trust his Chief of Staff as much as I trust any criminal with an open bank vault in front of him.’

  ‘Charles Ingot the Third,’ Abdullah said simply and nothing else, still looking down at his hands.

  ‘Yes, Charles Ingot the Third. I sincerely hope Charles Ingot the First and Second were more respectable gentlemen? Anyway, as I said, you and I are in the unenviable position of attempting to hold all of this together, assuring everyone that Max is the right and only candidate to enter the arena and that we can protect him until then. Did I tell you that Komarov, the Russian Premier called this morning and tried to convince me he had a more capable candidate? Some Cossack spawned, special forces soldier that he claimed had beaten two brown bears with his bare hands. I do enjoy his stories.’

  ‘It is not enough, Joe,’ Abdullah finally said. Joe turned his attention back to Abdullah and found him looking intently back at him. Abdullah continued. ‘Our words are no longer enough. The world is tumbling into the abyss. Our collegiate of world leaders are slowly losing control of their own people and we need to count ourselves in that lot. My own kingdom experienced its first food riot yesterday and here in Australia, the migration from the regional centres to the capital cities has accelerated resulting in escalating violence and unrest. We are fast approaching the verge, my friend and traditional diplomacy will not win the day. The majority of the United Nations distrusts you and I, claiming this alien invasion to be a conspiracy and our presentation and harbouring of the apparent world’s saviour is a ploy to gain ascendency over all others. Our friends are now few and seldom heard in our defence. We need something new. Something radical, otherwise our demise will quicken and Macktidas will be denied his revenge on Max due to our inward destruction and whilst I have not yet given up hope, I am failing to see a path to stability. You are my greatest and most reliable friend in all matters, Joseph, but I am becoming afraid that not even you and I together can maintain the peace and there is no other to turn to. My friend, the path before us is darkening and the sun is fast fading from sight.’

  Joe looked across the room at nothing in particular as the gravity of Abdullah’s words dragged at his conscience. ‘I have a cabinet meeting tomorrow,’ Joe began, ‘where I will advocate we abandon all regional emergency services to refocus them on the larger population centres to maintain law and order. Triage is what any good field doctor would call it. Prioritisation is what any good project manager would call it, but I don’t call it either. I call it abandonment. Plain and simple and we could well be committing many to death. I don’t believe any who voted either for or against me ever imagined I would have control of life or death over them.’ He paused, the sound of the rain spattering on the windows a dull backdrop. ‘I agree with you,’ Joe continued as he turned back to Abdullah. ‘Our words have failed and now the only actions left are to minimise the carnage until doom descends on us like an angel of death. I too am struggling to find the light.’

  Abdullah remained silent. They had both shared their thoughts and were in full alignment. Nothing more needed to be said. The silence now existed for each of them to search their minds for hope.

  Joe rose to his feet and crossed to the window. The rain soaked pane prevented a clear view through to the outside, but he was not really seeing as he stood at the portal. Joe’s mind had turned inward. How do you convince the entire world to stand up to a threat unprecedented and supremely deadly? How do you combat fear on every front imaginable and how, above all else, could Joe keep his own hope intact? Then his eyes caught a glimpse of something outside, something unlooked for, but when Joe saw it, he suddenly felt it, just like he had felt it every time before and in that instant, Joe had the answer.

  ‘Abdullah, come to the window,’ Joe said.

  Looking up, Abdullah found his friend peering intently through the glass and out into the weather.

  ‘Come and tell me what you can see through this window,’ Joe pushed.

  Abdullah keenly noted the abrupt change in Joe’s tone of voice. The previous melancholy had been replaced by something decidedly more appealing. Optimism. He rose and crossed to stand beside Joe, directing his own gaze out through the streaky glass.

  At first Abdullah saw only the drab gloom of a rainy, winter’s day, but he knew this was not what had piqued Joe’s interest. He then looked through the rain and saw figures outside. People out in the weather. A flash of orange instantly betrayed Max’s presence on the western lawn and then Abdullah saw another figure moving along side Max. Kris. They were training and by the looks of it, training just as hard as on any beautiful, sunny day. The rain was not slowing them down.

  Abdullah smiled and then realised he and Joe were sharing the same feeling. Not optimism, but something more primal. Hope, just like he always felt when he watched Max train. The man was an inspiration and today, Max was solidifying that truth. Max’s dedication to the arena was relentless. He never stopped and even on a day like today and only four days after being beaten and bruised while visiting Kris’ parents, here he was, driving himself to be better and more prepared to try and save the world. There also, right beside him and just as committed was Kris, sharing Max’s pain and dedication in equal shares. Abdullah unconsciously rubbed his forearm.

  ‘Those are goose bumps you’re feeling aren’t they?’ Joe asked.

  Abdullah turned and looked Joe in the eye, immediately noting the gleam. ‘Yes, they are,’ he said, his own eyes dilating.

  Joe nodded, a spreading smile adorning his face. ‘I think it’s time we gave the whole world goose bumps,’ he added.

  An equally broad smile broke out on Abdullah’s face and together the two of them turned back to the window to watch Max and Kris continue to slog their way through the mud and rain.

  5:30pm, 21st July (the next day). Team Max

  Elsa spread the grated cheese over the two almost complete pizzas and then shuffled across the bench to the sink to wash her hands. With her back turned, Max slipped past Elsa and reached out towards the nearest pizza. Without turning to look, Elsa shot out her own hand and sharply slapped her husband on the wrist. Max recoiled and frowned at her.

  ‘Come on?’ he pleaded. ‘You can’t leave food lying around on the bench and expect me not to eat it? Especially after what Kris just made me do. I’m hungry.’

  ‘You’re not getting any now,’ Elsa said as she turned on the tap, ‘and if you keep back chatting me, you won’t be getting any later when they’re cooked.’

  ‘Wow. Cranky. Maybe you should do some training with Kris too? Get your stress levels down.’
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br />   Elsa’s eyebrows knitted as she washed her hands. ‘Hmm, that’s not a bad idea. Since this alien thing started up, you’ve been hogging Kris all to yourself. I haven’t had a session for almost a month. Maybe I will hit her up?’

  ‘Might as well. Other than flogging me around, I don’t think she’s got much else to do. Might be good for both of you?’

  ‘I’m just over here, you know?’ Kris called out from the adjoining living room, where she sat on the couch reading from her iPad, ‘and a girls’ only session sounds like a great idea, Elsa. Let’s lock it in for tomorrow!’

  ‘Cool!’ Elsa called back. ‘That’s a date!’

  Elsa then turned around and just in time found Max reaching again for the unguarded pizzas. Another slap rang out in the kitchen.

  ‘Unlucky,’ Elsa said. ‘Now get out of here before I get Kris to make you do both your sessions tomorrow on one leg.’

  Max scoffed. ‘Hmph. Too late. Did that today.’

  ‘How about one arm tied behind your back too then, smarty pants? Now go on, get,’ Elsa ordered as she shooed Max away from the bench and out into the living room.

  Just then, Joe and Abdullah walked into the kitchen.

  ‘Look out,’ Max said, eyeing the pair off. ‘Management’s in the room.’

  ‘As you were,’ Joe said, holding both hands up. ‘Just an informal delegation.’

  ‘May we discuss something with you, please?’ Abdullah asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Elsa replied. ‘I was just keeping my thieving husband away from the kids’ dinner. What’s going on?’

  Joe stepped across to the sliding glass doors leading from the living room out to the patio and ducked his head out. ‘Peter, could you come in here, please?’

  A few seconds later, Peter entered from outside and slid the doors closed behind himself. Kris walked over from the couch to stand at one end of the bench, while Joe and Abdullah positioned themselves on the living room side of the bench. Max and Elsa stood side by side opposite them on the kitchen side, while Peter leaned against a wall on the edge of the gathering.

  ‘Thank you for your time,’ Abdullah began. ‘Joseph and I have a proposition for you all.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound informal,’ Max said.

  ‘Diplomacy one oh one,’ Joe replied. ‘Gain trust first and then escalate.’

  Max nodded, but stayed silent.

  Abdullah continued. ‘As you are aware, societies the world over are beginning to decay into chaos. Some places more rapidly than others and some more deeply than others. The world is approaching the precipice of self-destruction and it is only one month into a six month lead up to the arena. At this rate, we will destroy ourselves long before Macktidas and his alien forces potentially sweep onto the world. Something must be done and the usual diplomacy is failing. Joseph and I have tried in vain to hold the international community together, but distrust and fear are tearing old alliances apart and reigniting old prejudices. If a unifying solution is not identified soon, very soon, then wars will erupt and our doom will be sealed.’

  ‘You’ve got a plan haven’t you?’ Elsa asked. ‘You and Joe have always got a plan.’

  Abdullah smiled and dipped his head. ‘Of sorts. The idea is Joseph’s and the implementation is mine. I will let Joseph divulge the details and I will assist where I can.’

  All heads and eyes turned to the Prime Minister.

  ‘The idea itself is simple,’ Joe began, ‘but it’s Abdullah’s finances and resources that will make it work, if you all align behind it.’ Silence encouraged Joe to go on. ‘Essentially, the world is ensconced in uncertainty. A threat has come from a vague enemy that promises oblivion, however, that threat has disappeared again and left us all in the throes of fear and for many of us, not really sure that we believe the threat to be real. So, we have started to turn our fear of the unknown onto ourselves and each other, letting that fear feed off itself, so it becomes self perpetuating. We are in a downward spiral and we need to break the momentum and there is only one way to do that.’

  Joe paused again.

  ‘Okay, I’ll ask,’ Kris said. ‘How do we break the momentum?’

  ‘Hope,’ Joe said. ‘We give the world hope. We have no visibility or confirmation of our enemy. Macktidas has made his threat and disappeared, but we have done the same with our hope. We have hidden it. Macktidas named it and then we hid it because we needed to protect it, safeguard it and make sure it was ready for the arena at the due time.’

  ‘When you say “it”, you mean Max don’t you?’ Kris asked.

  ‘More or less,’ Joe replied, his enthusiasm notching up. ‘Max is our symbol and our instrument of hope that Macktidas can be defeated, but personally I think all of you here in this room are the heart of our hope. It is all of you that will get Max into that arena and ensure he fights like the champion we all know him to be.’

  ‘So what would you like us to do?’ Elsa asked. ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘As I said, Max is our symbol and so, it’s time to reveal our symbol. It’s time for the world to see what their champion is capable of and for everyone to start grasping the hope we all so desperately need in the face of this unknown enemy, but before we can reveal Max, all of you need to agree to the plan because this is not just about Max. It’s about all of you. You are a team. Showcasing Max without any of your support will doom the venture to failure. You are all important to each other and to the whole. If any one of you chooses not to embrace this venture, it will fail.’

  ‘What exactly did you have in mind?’ Kris asked. ‘How do we reveal Max?’

  ‘Public relations. We’re going to market him like any movie star or sporting hero, except to the extreme. We’re going to take Max to the world with the biggest song and dance marketing campaign history has ever seen. Every living human on the planet will see Max’s face, hear Max’s voice and watch Max train. Then as they say, seeing is believing and with that collective and shared belief in Max’s capability, the world’s hope will naturally grow and order will hopefully be restored.’

  The group fell silent as eyes and attentions turned inward. Kris spoke first.

  ‘What sort of marketing are you thinking of?’ she asked. ‘TV? Facebook?’

  ‘Everything,’ Joe replied. ‘Full coverage across all forms of media, both traditional and contemporary. This is potentially the end of the world we’re talking about, so this campaign is all or nothing. We need the world to see Max everywhere they look. We need the world to have him front of mind all the time. We need everyone to think they know him, who he is and what he will do for them and by that I mean lay down his life to save theirs’. The world needs a saviour and in this day and age, any good saviour lives and breathes mass media. It’s the only way to touch the whole world at the same time, every second of every day right up until the arena.’

  ‘Sounds a bit distracting,’ Kris continued. ‘If you’re going to plaster Max all over every media outlet on the planet, that takes time. He needs to train and nothing can get in the way of that or else everything we’re trying to do here is for nothing.’

  ‘I agree with you, Kris,’ Joe said, ‘and our intentions are aligned against your concerns. We will not allow anything to disrupt or impede your training. In fact, the focus on the training is the key to this plan. What we are hoping to do is to take your training sessions to the world.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘The campaign builds through phases. Phase one is we introduce Max through inviting the world’s news media onto the estate, under highly restricted terms of course. Once here, they can broadcast and record much of what they see, but with the focus squared on your training sessions. The only indulgence is a couple of brief interviews with each of you. The world needs to see and know Max, intimately. We need to showcase his extraordinary abilities, but at the same time make him human, so people can relate to him as just another person with a family and support group behind him. The only difference is, this family man is g
oing to save all of us.’

  Kris nodded, then asked, ‘What’s phase two?’

  ‘We take his training public,’ Joe replied. ‘We set up training sessions in local venues. Sporting grounds. Community halls. Maybe even schools, but the venues would be local to the estate to reduce the logistical challenge. Of course the security would be tight, but the key is we let the public in to see Max up close and personal as he goes through his paces with you, Kris. By doing this, we let the crowd mentality notch itself up to the next level. As I said, seeing is believing and I am quite sure that anyone who sees Max do his stuff in the flesh will quickly become believers. This will require some added showmanship in your training sessions of course, but not much. Personally, I think Max sells himself. We just need to let him loose.’

  Kris frowned. ‘Don’t underestimate how much effort a show like that takes,’ she said. ‘It’s that sort of distraction I’m worried about. Next you’ll want to sell t-shirts and caps with Max’s face on them.’

  Joe looked sideways at Abdullah. Kris spotted the glance and jumped on it.

  ‘You’re joking aren’t you?’ she shot back. ‘You’re not thinking of...’

  ‘It is a possibility,’ Joe added. ‘Like I said, people need to see Max everywhere and if that means merchandising, so be it. We’d be crazy not to.’

  Kris rolled her eyes and asked, ‘Is there a phase three?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Joe answered, ‘but it will depend heavily on the state of play at the time. If the campaign is working and the social fabric is beginning to mend as global support for Max grows, then maybe we do something extra, but if the world is continuing to slide downwards, we will likely have to retract ourselves and hide out for the duration. There are too many variables to consider before planning too far in advance.’

  Abdullah picked up the thread. ‘So, there are the fundamentals for the plan and some details to consider. The concept is valid and both Joseph and I believe it has an excellent chance of success, but as Joe indicated, it needs all of you to support it or else it will fail. We do not expect any decisions to be made now and would rather you pondered our proposal overnight, but if you have any initial thoughts for us or the group, please can you voice them now?’