Max Arena (23 page)

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, 21
^st
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.’

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.’