The plasma grenade sailed past David's visor, its eerie blue glow illuminating the ancient stone structures for a split second before detonating behind him. The explosion kicked up dust and debris, sending vibrations through the floor and walls. He didn't flinch. Couldn't afford to.

"When I'm down and out, there's always someone to judge me!" David bellowed, his voice reverberating through his helmet's speakers. The words seemed to energize him as he sprinted forward, assault rifle chattering.

Two more armored figures rounded the corner of a massive, temple-like structure ahead, their own weapons blazing. Bullets pinged off David's energy shields, creating a strobing effect that would've been disorienting if he weren't so hyper-focused.

"That's why I'm ending up a session with a shout!" he sang, voice rising above the cacophony of gunfire. His assault rifle clicked empty, but that didn't slow him down. In one fluid motion, he slung the weapon and lunged forward.

The closer enemy barely had time to register surprise before David's armored fist connected with their faceplate. The satisfying crunch of shattering material was followed by a burst of red mist. As the first opponent crumpled, David spun, using the momentum to deliver a devastating roundhouse kick to the second.

"Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did!"

The second enemy flew backwards, slamming into an ancient pillar with enough force to crack the stone. David didn't wait to see if they'd get up. He was already moving, scooping up a fallen shotgun as he charged deeper into the ruins.

A ping on his motion tracker had him diving behind a low wall just as a sniper round whizzed past, leaving a glowing trail in the air where his head had been a millisecond before.

"Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid!"

David pumped the shotgun, the satisfying ka-chunk music to his ears. He peeked around the corner, spotting the sniper perched atop a distant spire. Cursing under his breath, he abandoned the shotgun and dashed for better cover, zigzagging to avoid the sniper's follow-up shots.

"I'm still standing after all this time!"

The distant roar of an engine caught David's attention. A heavily armored vehicle crested a nearby hill, its massive cannon swiveling in his direction. David's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. The vehicle was a powerhouse, but it had one critical weakness – its exposed rear.

"Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind!"

David sprinted towards a nearby gravity lift, timing his jump perfectly. The alien technology catapulted him high into the air, giving him a bird's eye view of the battlefield. As he reached the apex of his jump, he spotted his target – a rocket launcher, lying abandoned on a raised platform.

David focused as he began to fall. With practiced precision, he angled his descent towards the platform. His armored boots slammed into the metal surface with a resounding clang, and in one smooth motion, he scooped up the rocket launcher.

The vehicle was bearing down on his position now, its massive cannon swiveling towards him with deadly precision. David tensed, his fingers tightening on the rocket launcher's trigger.

The tank fired.

"I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

David leapt sideways just as the shell impacted the platform. The explosion rocked the entire structure, the shockwave catapulting him through the air. Using the momentum from the blast, David twisted mid-flight, bringing the rocket launcher to bear.

Time seemed to slow. He could see the tank's exposed rear, a perfect target. As gravity began to reassert its hold, David squeezed the trigger.

The rocket streaked across the battlefield, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. It impacted the vehicle's rear armor with a thunderous explosion, flipping the multi-ton war machine end over end. The vehicle's occupants were sent flying, their armored bodies ragdolling through the air.

David hit the ground rolling, the scenery spiraling around him as he sprang to his feet. A savage grin spread across his face as he fought the urge to laugh.

That was one hell of a shot.

Tossing the expended launcher away, David began sprinting for the central structure dominating the terrain.

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A red blip on his motion tracker was all the warning he needed of an approaching enemy. David whirled, fists raised, just as another armored figure rounded the corner. They collided in a tangle of limbs and armor, trading blows that would have pulverized unaugmented bones.

"Once I never could hope to win!"

David managed to get the upper hand, pinning his opponent beneath him. He raised his fist for a final, devastating blow, but a familiar beep beep beep caught his attention. His opponent had primed a plasma grenade.

With lightning-fast reflexes, David grabbed his attacker's wrist and forced it upward. The grenade detached, arcing high into the air. In the same motion, David rolled off his opponent, using them as a springboard to launch himself away.

The plasma grenade detonated in midair, its blue-white explosion temporarily turning night into day. David's former opponent wasn't so lucky, caught in the blast radius and disintegrated in a shower of particles.

"You starting down the road leaving me again!"

As the dust settled, David found himself in a familiar part of the battlefield – a natural chokepoint where many of the arena's paths converged. It was a dangerous place to be, but also ripe with opportunity.

He crouched behind a fallen pillar, taking stock of his inventory. Two frag grenades and a nearly-spent assault rifle. Not ideal, but he could work with it.

The sound of approaching footsteps had David tensed, ready to spring into action. One set... no, two... three? A grin spread across his face beneath his helmet.

Perfect.

As the first enemy rounded the corner, David lobbed a frag grenade. It bounced once, twice, and then exploded just as the second and third opponents came into view. The blast caught all three, shredding their shields and sending them stumbling backwards.

David was on them in an instant, assault rifle blazing. The first two went down in a hail of bullets, their armor no match for the point-blank barrage. The third managed to return fire, scoring a few hits that further depleted David's shields.

But David was relentless. As his assault rifle clicked empty, he closed the distance, driving his shoulder into his opponent's midsection. They crashed into a nearby wall, the impact momentarily stunning them both.

David recovered first. He grabbed his last frag grenade, primed it, and with a move that would make any drill sergeant proud (and possibly horrified), shoved it into a gap in his opponent's armor.

"The threats you made were meant to cut me down!"

David dove away, the explosion behind him punctuating his words. He rolled to his feet, scooping up a fallen energy sword in the process. The weapon roared to life in his hands, its blue-white blade casting an ethereal glow across the ancient stonework.

"And if our love was just a circus, you'd be a clown by now!"

A ping on his motion tracker – multiple hostiles converging on his position. David's grip tightened on the energy sword as he turned to face the new threat. Three, no, four armored figures were charging towards him, weapons raised.

Time seemed to slow again as David assessed the situation. In one smooth motion, he hurled the energy sword like a massive, plasma-edged boomerang. It spun through the air, decapitating the first two opponents before embedding itself in the chest of the third.

"You know I'm still standing better than I ever did!"

The fourth attacker, apparently deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, turned to flee. But David was already moving. He leapt, using fallen debris as impromptu stepping stones to gain height. At the apex of his jump, he pushed off a pillar, twisting in midair to land directly in front of his fleeing opponent.

"Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid!"

The enemy skidded to a halt, clearly shocked by David's impossible maneuver. That moment of hesitation was all David needed. He lashed out with a devastating uppercut that sent his opponent flying, their limp form describing a graceful arc before disappearing over the edge of the map.

David stood there for a moment, chest heaving, surrounded by the carnage he'd wrought. The battlefield was eerily quiet now, save for the distant sounds of combat and the low hum of alien technology.

"I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

And then his world exploded in a cacophony of screeching static and impossible noise.

David yelped, nearly toppling backward out of his chair. His heart raced as he fumbled for his phone, which was emitting an ungodly tone that made his teeth itch. The screen was locked, displaying an ominous "EMERGENCY ALERT" message. On his monitor, the post-match scoreboard showed his absolutely dominating performance. 25 kills, 0 deaths. Not too shabby.

But David barely registered his victory. His eyes were glued to his phone as the alert's text began to scroll:

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

OFFICIAL SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER

ISSUED BY: National Emergency Management Agency

DATE: 8/12/24

TIME: 11:13 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO ALL CITIZENS:

URGENT: SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER DUE TO MAJOR CELESTIAL EVENT

David's brow furrowed as he continued reading, the adrenaline from his gaming session giving way to a creeping sense of unease.

What the hell?

He glanced back at his monitor, where his armored avatar stood triumphantly amid the carnage of the multiplayer arena. For a moment, he wished he really was an unstoppable super-soldier. It would probably make whatever was coming a lot easier to deal with.

With a sigh, David unlocked his phone. He had some calls to make.