No one moves. None of my fellow competitors prepared to fight one another. But that’s when the ground begins to rumble. I wobble on my platform, trying to keep my footing, but the shaking is too great. We begin to stumble from our discs, landing on the desert ground.

The second we do, the desert sand suddenly sifts away through a million pinprick holes in the ground. As it disappears, it reveals a huge metal framework on the floor, like a lattice. Then, out of each gap, a red laser beam bursts out, making a crisscross pattern above my head. The arena has been transformed in a matter of seconds from a barren desert into a strange, futuristic stadium. The crowd goes wild, delighted by what is unfolding before their eyes.

I crouch down, certain that the laser beams mean danger. I know that the electricity in the laser beams won’t be strong enough to kill us because that would make the game a huge disappointment. But they’re certainly designed to hurt and I don’t want to risk touching any of them. I have no idea what they’re for when I suddenly see a bright red light coming from one end of the stadium. I look over and see that a huge doorway has been illuminated. It’s the exit. They’re trying to tempt us toward it. But I’m not about to play their game. It’s like a magician, always trying to get you to look in a certain place so they can distract you from the real trick. I won’t fall for it. That exit is probably fake anyway. They just want to see my desperation.

Two of the kids race for the exit. The second they do, the laser beams begin moving, chasing them across the desert ground. They scream in pain and collapse to the floor, writhing around as though shocked by electricity.

The crowd is momentarily entertained by the sight, but they quickly grow frustrated at the lack of fighting. As though in response, the laser beams begin to move, rotating so that we have no choice but to move. They’re forcing us together. I duck and weave through them, like I’m dancing a horrible dance. I step and leap, crouch and spin, trying to get out of the path of the moving laser beams. I’m hit and the pain is excruciating, like barbed wire all over my body. At last the crowd begins to cheer, pleased to see some suffering for their entertainment. But I know this isn’t it. There is more to come. This is just the beginning. This is like the warm-up act, trying to pump up the crowd for the main show.