Sphairistike
? 1987 T.J. Knowles Rancho Santa Fe, CA
The year is 2014. Los Angeles. Technology rules. The information highway of the 1990s is fully paved and functioning beautifully.
While global in scope, the United States economy retains its own identity. Language barriers have been removed and implementation of a national identity card program has all but eliminated currency, paper documents and illegal aliens.
The violence of the past two decades has given way to a relatively violence-free society where private ownership of weapons is illegal. The security and identity chips implanted under the skin of each citizen provide instant identification and police recognition of any perpetrator. Runaway and kidnapped children are more easily tracked, as are the solar-powered conveyances owned and operated primarily by the Elites. The Tengonadas and the Elites comprise 95% of the population.
The Elites, accounting for 4% of the population, are techno-aware, highly educated and mobile.
The Tengonadas are relatively uneducated, reacting to changes made in their environment by the Elites. Because there is little interpersonal activity, race has become irrelevant as a social issue. While highly regulated, the Tengonadas are kept reasonably content through a program of "bread and circuses" which occupies their time with escapist activity. There is no work for them to do, for any manual labor required is furnished by robots or criminals serving time.
There is actually very little work for anyone to do. Megamergers have eliminated all but the largest and smallest companies, which are predominantly service and information operations. Virtually all correspondence and interaction takes place in the home office, or Cube. Travel is limited by the Resources Bureau, and vacations are available on demand through the government agency, Allsense. Allsense provides total sensory transport to any vacation destination in the world, as well as fantasy spots in other worlds. Allsense locations are conveniently located and restricted to use by Tengonadas. The average vacation lasts 15 minutes. Elites have personalized Allsense rooms in their homes with more elaborate vacations and sensory-stimulating alternatives.
Huge office buildings have been converted to multi-layered condominiums. Entire townships may occupy a single building. Because of the services and protection provided by the "Town," an individual might not venture outside of the building for months on end. Indeed, any danger remaining in this society can be found in the Seesport Run.
The Seesport Run is a large arena enclosed by a clear dome made of plass, an indestructible substance developed through genetic engineering. All sporting events take place within the Seesport. Elites view all Seesport activities from the comfort of their Cubes, while the Tengonadas flock to this one diversion in person via mass transit vehicles and subways.
Because violence has been all but eliminated from daily life, and, since the unfortunate incineration of New York City by international terrorists in 1997 curtailed travel, all sports activities in California occur locally and within the confines of the Seesport Run. Other megacities, such as Atlanta and Denver, are watching the development and success of the Los Angeles Seesport Run (LASR) and seeking to obtain franchises.
The basic human need for violence and destruction has long been accepted, scientifically defined and documented. By restricting violence to sports (a natural evolution from the 90's) the masses are provided an outlet for their negative tendencies.
Spheristike is the game of the day. In the 20th century it was called tennis.
(Camera slowly pans down from above. The voices of the sportscasters setting up the match can be heard. The excitement is obvious in the crowd noise. Anticipation of the upcoming match is building).
Anncr: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Los Angeles Seesport Run. Today's match features challenger Mario Jones and defending champion, Latuga Chen. Players ready? Play!
Two opponents face each each other across a net. They are both wielding sophisticated rackets, complete with automatic extenders. Both are wearing lightweight flak jackets and helmets resembling fighter pilots gear from the 90's. From ankle to mid-thigh runs a lightweight, clear mesh made of plass. The day’s sponsor, Nuke, provides their shoes.
They are completing their warm-ups, including serves, volleys, ground-to-ground strokes and mortar shots (lobs). They are ready. The umpire sits in his elevated chair, a plass mini-dome surrounding him.
Mario has won the racket spin and has elected to serve. Latuga Chen selects the side he wishes to defend. The crowd falls silent and Mario tosses the bright yellow orb into the air. His racket swings down and snaps up in perfect synchronization with his body. At the instant of impact, a small detonator in the orb arms and is set for 40 seconds.
Mario returns the wicked serve and the game is on. The crowd watches in intense silence. The large digital timer located mid court ticks off the seconds. Back and forth the players rally, totally focused on the orb, the opponent's location and their goal of ensuring that the orb lands near or passes by the opponent at the end of the forty seconds when the deadly blast will occur.
Both are tremendous athletes. Both are gladiators in the arena, playing for glory and eventual promotion to the ranks of the Elites.
At twenty four seconds, Mario nets a forehand and the crowd groans. The orb drops below the net into a reinforced sump. The Tengonadas hear the muffled explosion and cheer.
Love-15.
Strategy is paramount as the two Spheristikers rip shot after shot at each other, tossing up mortars, firing ground to ground strokes and dropdead volleys. The below-ground sumps around the court gather in all premature orbs, and the two players continue. Any hint of purposefully lost points to avoid destruction would result in banishment and possible prison time. But these players are among the best of the Spheristikers, and neither would consider such cowardice.
The points are long and fierce. At 40-15 + 34 (seconds) Latuga Chen floats a mortar high over the net. At 40-15 +39 Mario Jones leaps high to take the orb in the air and smash the overhead back at Chen. The explosion rocks both players and the blood from Mario's left leg flows freely onto the court. The superabsorbent Tampon Sport surface soaks up the dark black blood, and somehow, Mario continues. The first game goes to Latuga Chen.
The players switch sides and stop to towel off and take a drink. The court trainer attends to Mario's wounds and then both players are up and moving. The crowd cheers for the two combatants and the sportscasters analyze the match.
Game two begins and the players continue to demonstrate unbelievable shotmaking. Points are exchanged as winning shots fly past the opponent. At 30-40, just as Latuga is about to hit a scorching backhand down the line, a small window in the dome opens and the crowd is exposed to a Random Death Shot. Latuga sees the portal and instantly adjusts his sights and the angle of his racket, sending the orb up and through the tiny opening and into the lap of a hapless spectator. The orb explodes, sending body parts everywhere and freeing up nine shock-resistant seats. The surviving crowd screeches in relief and appreciation of an excellent shot while the Seesport staff quickly cleans up the mess.
The spectators are active participants now, and are totally engrossed in the game. Mario Jones and Latuga Chen intensify the level of play, and both are now badly scarred and bloodied. Finally, Jones executes a deft dropdead volley, forcing Chen to scramble to the net. Jones' timing is perfect, and as Chen dives forward valiantly to retrieve the orb, time runs out. The orb explodes almost on top of him, and the crowd is on its feet cheering wildly even before the water jets can be turned on to cleanse the interior surface of the plass dome, now colorfully decorated with various parts of Latuga Chen.
Mario Jones receives his trophy at mid-court, and his total points accumulated are flashed on the scoreboard. He is only 240 points from earning Elite status and putting his Spheristike career and the Tengonadas far behind him.
This, then,is the brass ring, the ultimate goal in life. To become an Elite, and to live the good life.
In the privacy of his luxurious Cube, high above the town, Marsellus Kripp watches the Seesport activities through his Spectoculors.The device, laser-focused onto the retinas of his eyes, project the three dimensional moving images in maximum clarity. The color is amazing, and the Ultimate Sound sensors provide the courtside sound and the quality of experience that Elites have come to expect from an Allsense company product. The Ocujet that runs down the side of his nose helps to deliver the total sensation of "being there" by releasing a miniscule amount of the chemical Nostalgiac near his nostrils. In this case, Marcellus detects the summer smells of the grass court and local flowers and shrubbery.
Marcellus's Cube is advanced in design, having been ergonomically computer-tailored to his personality, intellect and physical profile. Since the Spectoculors also function as a Visiphone,computer monitor and Ultimate Sound Device (USD), Marcellus has little need for bulky electronics in his Cube. He can communicate via the microtransmitter and receiver built into the "Specs."
A tiny tracking camera follows his every move, controlled by his personalized eyeblink and eyeball movement commands. When a call comes in from the "Outside," Marcellus may choose to be seen by the Visiphone caller or simply heard.
The Cube is command-controlled through the "Specs"worn by Marcellus. His security codes and passwords link him to all external purchasing and communicating activities. All Cube activities are dependent upon the Elite's Spectocular functions. The Cube owner, or" Cu-B," needs no keyboard, since he can issue all commands through Specs or by verbal command. The computer, named after the Cu-B, transfers vocal commands into digital information and transmits in multiple formats.
But Marcellus is more interested in the crowd than in the match. With a simple eye blink command, the camera in Marcellus's Cube pans the screaming Tengonadas......