The Music Masters: Audio Supremacy

"Yeah, that'll definitely hinder me a bit in the long run." Seth said as he followed Billy back to the 5 Records building. In less than five minutes, they were back inside, and subjected once again to another boring elevator ride.

Minutes later, Seth and Billy were back in the suite, and everything seemed as dead as a graveyard. The lights in the main lounge were off, and there wasn't the slightest hint of noise save for the small sound of someone snoring. Seth could only guess it was Martin as he quietly motioned Billy towards one of the few rooms that still had its door ajar.

Once they were inside, Seth closed the door behind him and sighed in relief. He was glad to know that he hadn't woken up that nutjob Trey.

Taking a look at his new room, he could see that it was quite bare save for a dresser, a desk, and a double bed that seemed just a bit too big. A stereo was on the desk, and Seth could see a large range of CD's next to it. He could only wonder if these rooms were soundproof at all.

Then his eyes spotted Billy, who was sitting on his bed and looking around just like he was. He found his eyes wandering when the thought of girl being on his bed ran through his mind again and again. And it wasn't Kim, so that makes things quite a bit different. As if to relieve the tension, Seth spouted out some quick words.

"Well, I guess this is an okay room. Kind of a lack of stuff though. But at least the bed looks comfortable."
 
Billy sat down on the bed and looked around. It was a pretty blank room, but it had the more necessary things. After all, they wouldn't be staying for so long. For a while, she sat wondering what CDs sat next to the stereo. Were they randomly selected, or did they do their research in each contestant to find out what music they liked?

She looked up when Seth spoke. "Well, we'll have to make do with what they gave us," she replied, "And as long as the bed is comfortable, I'm fine." Billy smiled at him. "Anyway, what is there to do now? I'm not tired, so I can stay awake for another while."
 
"Gee." Seth said as he looked at the CD's arrayed on his desk. There was nothing of noteworthy interest, at least concerning a lot his music taste. "Not much music for me. I guess Zero Beat didn't do a good job with their research. So that means there really is nothing to do."

"Great. Just great." Seth commented as he sat in the bed next to Billy. Reaching for his blue Gibson guitar, he smiled a little bit before his voice became louder.

"One, two, three, four!"

He began to play a powerful opening chord, from a song he figured someone like Billy might recognize. Of course, Seth wasn't much of a singer, so he didn't really go very far with his playing. Once he stopped, he looked up at Billy, searching for some sort of response.

"I always stop there, mostly because I can't sing. That was always one of my favorite songs when I was a kid. I still have the original LP back in my room, along with the tape and the CD."
 
Billy smiled as he sang, tapping her foot to the beat. "Ah, the Ramones. That was always one of my favorite songs though, I don't have any CDs or records." She frowned a little, but smiled again after a moment. "I did put one on order though, but I won't find out if it's been delivered until I get home."

"Anyway, you're not so bad at singing. Better than me, that's for sure," she told him, patting his shoulder.
 
"Yeah, maybe not the worst in the world." Seth replied as he leaned back against the wall, a pillow propped behind him. His Mohawk just barely touched the wall above his head.

"At least, Kim thinks I'm not the worst." Seth said with a laugh. He looked to his side, and made an effort to give Billy a big smile. Seth hoped, that when his little sister finally did grow up, that she could be as pretty and as nice as this girl. He entertained the thought in his head, until his better half brought him back to reality.

What the hell was he doing? He couldn't forget she was the competition. Any of this talking could just be an attempt to weaken or mislead him before their match.

He had to be careful. Or was he really just being paranoid? Only one way to find out.

"So your boyfriend doesn't exist. Well, if you ask me, you're probably better off without one. Not that you couldn't get one or anything. I mean, I guess you're good-looking and all. But I wouldn't really know."

Seth seemed to choke on his words for a moment, before clearing his throat and regaining his composure.

"I mean, I'm just kind of a loner by nature. But I've always had the personality to withstand that. There are some people who just can't take it." Seth exclaimed with noticeable confidence in his voice.

What else was there to talk about anyway, he thought. Still, did this have anything to do with his paranoia, or was he just saying whatever came to his mind?
 
Billy was slightly stunned at his words. "Look," she began quietly, "I've never really been a loner, but I'm also not the type to just jump every guy that comes my way." She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "I haven't met any guys I really like before." She turned to him for a moment, a half smile on her face. "You think I'm good looking?" she asked, her voice teasing and cheeky.

"Anyway, let's not forget the competition is tomorrow," Billy said, suddenly a little nervous. "Think we've stayed up to late?" she asked, standing up.
 
"Oh, well, of course. Audio Supremacy is the first and last thing on my mind!" Seth stated in a very confident tone of voice. He then proceeded to pick up his Gibson guitar and headed for the door, turning back towards Billy before he put his hand on the doorknob.

"You can have this room. I figure there's not much of a difference between them, so I'll just find another."

Putting his hand on the doorknob, Seth slid through door, peering at Billy as he held back on closing it completely. A competitive glint appeared in his eyes, and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"Tomorrow's going to be interesting, Billy. It's going to be interesting for all of us."

Seth began to close the door, but not before a few last words escaped his lips.

"And hey, who knows, maybe when this all over, I'll take you out to dinner or a movie. We'll just have to wait and see."

And with that, Seth closed the door. He leaned on it for a few moments, listening to the ambiance in the lounge caused by the faint sounds of cars blaring their horns down in the street far below. Then he reached for the closest doorknob, and luckily, it was another room that had yet to be inhabited.

Putting his guitar down, throwing his pants off, turning off the light, and putting his hair gel aside for the morning, Seth looked up at the dark ceiling with a big smile on his face after he dropped right onto the double bed.

"Yes, Billy is officially hot." he said out loud. There was no use in denying it, but what bugged him was that he'd only known this girl for a day and yet he was already attracted to her. Perhaps it had really been that long since his last girlfriend.

"Maybe this will pass..." Seth mumbled, before letting out a deep yawn. His muscles began to relax. He was starting to feel like he was sleeping on a cloud...
 
A surprised "oh" escaped her lips when Seth got up, saying she could have the bed. "If you say so," she said.

"I can't wait," she said when Seth mentioned it would be an interesting day. Billy's face turned slightly red. "I'd like that. Dinner and a movie," she said as he left.

She sighed and shook her head, sitting back down. She pulled a small compact mirror from her pocket and opened it. "Hey you," she said to her reflection. "You're here for one thing and one thing only, so stop blushing." This only made her turn redder, she had officially gone crazy. Talking to herself, what the heck.

Billy shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts. She began stripping off her clothes, leaving only her undergarments as she slipped under the covers. She heaved a loud yawn and finally settled into the comfortable bed. Billy closed her eyes slowly, the events of the day running through her mind until finally she drifted off to sleep.
 
"'Ey! Anybody in der?"

The voice woke Seth up in an instant. His dream had been so pleasant. Something to do with Billy. Of course, Seth could vaguely remember that Billy was playing his guitar. She just wasn't wearing anything else besides his guitar. And in said dream, he was practically salivating as he waited for her to stop playing and just take his guitar off already...

But, such dreams could not last forever. Seth's entire upper body shot up like a spring, his Mohawk already a mess from rolling around the previous night. Rubbing his wearing eyes, Seth swung his legs over the side of his bed before reaching for his pants. The morning sun was streaming brightly through his window as the knocking continued. He grumbled through his morning fatigue.

"Hold on, hold on! I'm getting up!" Seth yelled as he reached for his hair gel. Like a pro, he began to spike it up, and in less than a minute, his hair was straight up again like the Mohawk it was supposed to be. Finally, Seth opened the door, revealing someone new.

The boy standing in his doorway had a large grin on his face, which was partially obscured by long dreadlocks. His shirt was an array of colorful oranges, greens and reds, and his pants were long and baggy. The boy was also wearing a long apron, and Seth's nose almost immediately caught a powerful scent emanating from outside his room and beyond.

"Morning, friend! You hungry at all? I got some good stuff cookin' out here." the boy said, and he moved out of the way so that Seth could see what he was doing out past the lounge. Eagerly, Seth made his way to the kitchenette, and the smell of something being fried caught his nose almost immediately. He began to salivate as he took a seat, wondering why this guy was even offering him food in the first place.

"I guess I missed you when you came last night." Seth said as his eyes watched the food cooking. He saw banana peels nearby, and could smell the scent of oil. It looked like the guy was frying bananas for breakfast. The thought made Seth salivate even more, as that sounded so delicious.

"Well, I'm Seth. Nice to meet you..."

The boy came over and gave Seth a hard yet friendly pat on the shoulder. "Call me Malik. Is my name after all!"

"Okay, cool." Seth replied with a smile. Then, as Malik went back to continue cooking, a thought suddenly came to Seth's head.

"Hey, Malik. It might be wise to let those others wake themselves up." Seth told him with caution as he cooked.

"Some of them might be...disagreeable at this time in the morning." he continued, his thoughts specifically focusing on Trey. The last thing he needed was for this new guy, who seemed pretty nice, to have his head ripped off before the competition even started.

After all, today was indeed the big day.
 
Billy was woken up by a delicious scent flowing into her room. 'Yoohoo, Billy, come eat me,' it seemed to call. Billy bolted upright in her bed, looking around the room. "Aha," she said, spotting the clothes she had lain out for today.

She quickly dressed and, while hastily putting on her pants, she lost her balance and fell backwards with a loud thud. "Ow," she muttered, pulling her pants up the rest of the way. Finally, she left the room, leaving her short hair unkempt. She had no time to comb it, she had to get to the food before the others.

When she heard Seth's voice her first thought wasn't 'my food!' it was 'Seth's awake!' Billy growled at herself and shook her head. "Hey!" she called, walking into the kitchenette. She noticed the new boy immediately. "Oh hello, did you get here while we were asleep?" she asked, though her mind was on the food he was making. Billy turned and nodded to Seth, smiling, "Good morning."

"Anyway," she turned back to the boy, "My name is Billy."
 
"Nice to see you awake, darlin', and nice to meet ya too. Call me Malik." the cook replied as he flipped crunchy fried bananas off the pan and onto a few plates. He left some aside, while setting some out in front of Billy and Seth. As quickly as he had set them out, Malik began to cut up some more fresh bananas, knowing that others would be waking up soon enough.

"Morning to you too, Billy." Seth said to her, before he plunged his fork into the first piece of fried banana and chomped down. It crunched in his mouth with flavors he could scarcely recognize. Seth smiled with euphoria as he slowly enjoyed the taste. When he finally swallowed the piece of delectable fruit, he cleared his throat and addressed the cook.

"Just where are you from, Malik? This stuff can't be anything American. It's too flavorful and unique." he practically chuckled, and Malik laughed in response as doused oil onto the pan.

"I come from Kingston. Glad to know you are enjoying de taste."

"Yeah man, it's really great. Thanks." Seth told him before chowing down some more and entering another bout of euphoria. Then his eyes turned towards Billy. A snide smile formed on his face as he spoke to her between bites.

"Any good dreams last night? I think I had one, but there's nothing about it I can really remember, unfortunately..." Seth asked her as he lied right through his teeth.
 
"It's delicious, I don't usually eat bananas, but I'm making an exception for these," Billy said, smiling. She ate the bananas slowly, savouring the taste and texture.

Billy turned to Seth, smiling cheekily. "I wouldn't tell you about any dreams I had," she said. "Either way, I didn't have one." Though, she was more or less lying. She was sure she had had a dream, but, like Seth, she couldn't remember it. Billy turned away, going back to eating the bananas on her plate. "Anyway, I'm glad I got to these before the others, aside from you Seth. Then again, something as good as this might put them in a good mood."
 
"Yeah, maybe for some." Seth commented as he continued eating. His thoughts began to deviate as he looked up at the clock. It showed 10:07, and that meant that in just one short hour, the first match of Audio Supremacy would begin. But up to that point, that was all Seth knew. Audio Supremacy was a closed event, spectated by only the richest or the luckiest of Music Masters. Barely anyone knew what the matches actually consisted of, and even less people knew the actual rules. So for him, it was about to be the biggest gamble of his life. He could only hope that he'd made the right choice by agreeing to come in the first place.

"11:00 is descending on us." Seth said to both Billy and Malik as he continued to stare up at the clock. "Soon, it's all going to begin."

The next forty-five minutes seemed to pass quickly, at least for Seth. He avoided the television in the lounge, for the moment Trey finally woke up, all he did was take a large carton of milk from the fridge, before he proceeded to watch television, alone and in silence. With that option no longer available, Seth just waited around with his guitar, talking to Malik here and there as Martin, Selena, and the quiet girl from the other night came out of their rooms.

"I can't eat this." Selena complained as she pushed her fried bananas away. Martin gleefully took her serving and began to gulp it down. He felt more and more satisfied with each bite, as his stomach had been growling madly for food the moment he had woken up.

"Good. Cause I totally will!" he said out loud as he finished the last bite on her plate. The silent, rude girl from earlier didn't say anything as she passed both Martin and Selena. Like Trey, she found something from the fridge, namely a few oranges. She proceeded to stuff them into her hoodie pockets before going back to her room and forcefully shutting the door behind her.

"Sounds like some people woke up on the wrong side of the bed. They need to look where they sleep next time." Martin said as he patted his stomach, finally satisfied and full.

"Too bad more people don't listen to that kind of advice, Mart." Seth remarked, before glancing back at Billy. He made a quick strum on his guitar as he realized how much time had passed.

"We've got less than ten minutes till somebody will probably come for us. And the first match could involve any of us. Nervous, Billy? Shaking in those tight jeans of yours?" Seth teased, though it was only after a few seconds that he realized maybe he was teasing her a little too much and in a way that might be a little too obvious.
 
Billy had silently observed the others as they came out. She had no intentions of talking to any of them, except Martin of course. She smiled as he gobbled down Selena's share of bananas. "You should eat something," Billy told her, "You wouldn't want to be famished during the match." Billy feigned fatigue as she put a hand on her forehead.

She stood up, walking back to her room. She turned to Seth when he teased her. "No, I'm not nervous. Are you?" Billy replied, smirking at him. She winked at him, "So, I see you noticed my tight jeans, eh?"
 
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm perfectly fine." Selena told Billy in an indignant tone of voice, before she got up and went to the fridge in an attempt to find something she'd be willing to eat.

Minutes later, Seth was starting to think he was saying stuff without thinking it through first.

"Eh, I'm just stating facts." Seth replied through a nervous laugh. He felt like hitting himself, despite the fact that he'd observed nothing more than the truth. Laying back in his seat and strumming on his guitar again in an attempt to quell the tension, Seth didn't know if he should say something else to Billy or just let her get on with her business.

It seemed as if every time Seth said something, he made it all the more obvious that he was flirting with her. And that was never his intention. He was trying his best to tease her like he often did with Kim, but instead he was saying cheesy stuff and making it pretty obvious that he found her attractive. So from Seth's point of view, it seemed like asking for trouble to keep talking to her like this.

But despite his own internal warnings, he continued to talk to her anyway. "You're just like a lot of girls I've met. Thinking they look good in their tight jeans and their spiky hair. But it's nothing new, really. It's all just a passing fad from corporate music. I would know, after all. I stick to the classics."

Seth nodded with his Mohawk triumphantly, just as Martin was peering over the couch at Seth. Martin's voice surprised him quite a bit.

"You got a crush on Billy? Oooooo! Seth and Billy sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a ba-"

Martin never got to finish as Seth took him by the back of his head and stuffed his face into the chair's back cushion in an effort to shut him up. And not surprisingly, it worked

"He's talking nonsense. Don't worry." Seth reassured Billy. "You just remind me of my little sis. That's all."
 
Billy smiled as he spoke, looking down and closing her eyes, simply listening to his words. She crossed her arms. "That may be so, but I like this style. So even after the fad passes, I'll stay like this." She looked up at him, a mischevious glint in her eyes. "And besides, I don't 'think' I look good, I know I look good," she joked.

By now, Billy's heart had began to beat uncontrollably. Which is... Well... What it did most of the time. But it was beating faster with each passing word, whenever Seth's mouth moved, as a matter of fact. She shook her head when Martin began singing and Seth shoved his face into the chair.

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment," she said, laughing. "Anyway, I know Marty's joking..." As she said the words, her tone began getting more serious, her eyes lost the shine suddenly. Billy blushed a little and turned away, coughing nervously. "I think I'll listen to some music before they come get us," she said, heading back to her room quickly.
 
The minutes felt endless to Seth as he looked up at the clock. The others, even Martin, seemed to silent all around him. Trey had finished drinking from his milk carton, Malik was cleaning up from his cooking, and Selena lounged on one of the couches as she too waited with impatience apparent on her face. The silent girl was nowhere to be found, and Seth knew Billy was in her room.

Then, the room began to shake. Seth held onto his guitar as the rumbling focused from the edges of the lounge to the center. In an area where no one seemed to be standing, luckily, green light began to spark. Like a flowing torrent of energy, this light came up like a pillar and shined brilliantly throughout the lounge. Seth was ready to shield his eyes, when all of a sudden, the light vanished.

What stood in his place was what they had all been waiting for. A member of Zero Beat, namely a Second Beat.

"Billy! You might want to come see this!" Seth called out to her as he and the rest of the people in the room turned their attention to the man now standing in the center of the lounge.

He was clad in a long silver trench coat, complete with the trademark "ZB" emblem that was present on all standard Zero Beat uniforms. The Second Beat, who sported a long beard and had what looked like the numbers "0134" embedded in his palm, looked towards the group around him with ominous eyes.

"I will need Trey Webster and Malik Lenarres. The first round of Audio Supremacy is about to begin." he stated in a grave tone of voice. Malik put aside his apron as he heard his name called. Trey simply tipped his hat before standing up from the couch. All this time, music emanated from the Second Beat's large headphones, though it hardly helped anyone relax.

Trey and Malik both approached, and the man motioned for them to stand on either side of him. While Malik remained serious, Trey just continued to sport a toothy grin. Seth could barely stand it.

Slowly, the Second Beat put both his hands on the foreheads of Malik and Trey. He then addressed the others in the same ominous voice as before.

"For the rest of you, you may continue to relax. You will have a view of the match on the television, once the competitors arrive. I suggest you all take care to view it. It is at the beginning that the rules of this first round will be stated, and they will not be repeated."

When his mouth closed, so did the Second Beat's eyes. As he watched pulsing green energy begin to envelop Malik, the Second Beat, and Trey, Seth could only wonder where the rest of the competitors where. After all, there were only seven of them including himself. But more enamored with the display of power before him, Seth decided to let such a question slip by for now.

It only took seconds for the green energy to fade, and with it, the familiar song of relaxation faded as well. Malik, Trey, and the Second Beat were gone, and presumably, they'd be arriving for the first round of Audio Supremacy soon enough. Seth was left relatively stunned for a moment, before turning to Billy, whom he saw standing beside him.

"Woah. Well, the first round's coming right up then. And I'm not in it..."

Seth's eye went straight for the flat screen television on the wall. "Somebody. Turn that on right now! We can't miss even a second of this!"
 
Billy had watched with a shocked expression. The ZB man had appeared and disappeared in a green light, which was totally awesome. "Think all ZB workers can do that?" she asked, no one in particular, with a laughing-tone. However, everyone else looked serious, so Billy toned her mood down a little.

She looked at Seth as he spoke. "Gives you more time to prepare, right? And we get to see their techniques," she told him. Though, she herself had wanted to be in the first round. Mainly to just get it over with, but also because she was so nervous she felt she would explode if she didn't go soon.

Billy was about to go turn the TV on, but Martin got ahead of her. She walked over to the couch and sat down, watching intently.
 
Static has been on the television for almost four minutes. Seth, Billy, Martin, Selena and even the silent girl were watching, waiting for something, anything to come out on the screen. Then, the static began to dissipate as sound reverberated throughout speakers set up in the entire suite.

"Music Masters! The time has arrived! After a long ten years, welcome back to...AUDIO SUPREMACY!!!" said the loud voice of an electronic announcer, who was nowhere to be seen once something actually appeared on the television in the middle of the room.

Seth looked on in awe at the sight on the screen. Cameras seemed to be recording above what looked like a gigantic, underground stadium of some sort. He could see hundreds of people in the bleachers, and what was even more amazing was that the stadium shined like platinum. The cameras switched viewpoints constantly, soon focusing on Trey before they moved to Malik.

"We're going to be having an exciting first round today, namely one known as Onslaught!"

As the announcer went on, Seth could see that the competitors, who were on opposite sides of the gigantic stadium, looked like they were having their headphones being linked into some sort of strange, computer-like device. The announcer seemed ready to explain the whole fiasco just as Seth felt like he was going to ask a question out loud.

"Those watching should know that any rounds in the Onslaught call for a single song that cannot be changed during the round. If your song effect runs out during the round, our uplink will automatically restart it, but it will also make sure you don't go ahead and try to cheat. You have been warned."

As personnel finished fitting Trey and Malik, the announcer continued in his booming and overly enthusiastic voice. "So let's do a quick overview of the rules for Onslaught. As those watching can see. there are two hoops, one at the end of each side of the Platinum Bowl. It's up to each Music Master to score three goals in their opponent's hoop with the indestructible ball that will soon appear in the middle of the Platinum Bowl. However, there is a catch! They must do it with their own hands, and nothing more. Which means that psionics, telekinesis, Sentinels, and even a simple gust of wind will not count as a goal if a Music Master decides to use such a thing. So, choose your song effect wisely! Let me also make a note that there is a strict no kill rule in all rounds involving Onslaught. Offenders will be dealt with harshly, so once again, you've been warned."

Seconds after the announcer finished speaking, Selena crossed her arms and spat venom at the prospect of this round and the rules. "What is this? A basketball game? Ridiculous! I didn't come here to play silly games."

"But the whole tournament is a silly game, right, Seth?" Martin chimed in. There was serious expression on Seth's face though, as he watched the two competitors ready themselves. There were only minutes till the round began, and Seth couldn't help but feel nervous, mostly for Malik.

"I don't think so, Mart. Let's just hope Malik does a good job and kicks Trey's ass. That nutjob deserves it."
 
Billy turned for a moment to look at Selena. She had been watching intently and now her glare shot daggers at the other girl. "If you think it's silly, go ahead and leave, no one's stopping you," Billy said, in a harsher tone than she had intended. She shook her head, trying to take the sting out of her words. "Anyway, just shush up and watch."

She turned back to the TV. "I sure hope Malik does a good job too."
 
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