EMCEE (O.S.)

To lead us for the U.S. National anthem, please welcome . . . Jack Michaelson!!! . . . Let us all stand.

Everyone in the coliseum stands. Some with their right hands over their left chest, some confused over what hand over what breast, ignorantly, Chris and Sean put their hand over Pamela and Tisha’s breast. Both girls immediately slap the aliens’ hands. The anthem starts — at the end people applause then sit down. The Emcee appears at mid-court to announce the starting five for both teams. The aliens look around in wonder what the rituals are for. All else is settled, and finally the game is about to begin.

MONTAGE:

Toss is won by the Makers, hustled by Bets; no defense, a Maker goes for a slam tailed by one bet; misses, mad scramble for the ball; top of keyhole, a Bet lying on the floor gets the ball; passes blindly to the back with both hands; ball descends towards middle of shaded area; a Bet leaps high to meet the ball mid-air; catches the ball from his back with an outstretched right arm and on his descent lays-up the ball right on top of the ring! SPECTACULAR SHOT! People in the coliseum go wild for such a rare shot. Sean apes the move while seated, nips the forehead of the person behind him and accidentally elbows Tisha’s head. Neither of them minds. The game proceeds with intensity until the dying seconds when both teams were still tied at 98-all. An in-bound for the Bets just 15 seconds to go is intercepted by a Maker with 12 to go; Dribbles around the perimeter, and with 3 seconds to go, fires a three pointer. The ball skims the ring, bounces on the board then around again on the ring before finally slowly dropping in.

As they troop to the outside of the coliseum, they still don’t understand why Earth people invented such kind of competition that causes some players to almost go at each other.

SA-1 (Scot):

I still don’t get it. What satisfaction do they get from a competition that almost causes them to fight?

MA-1 (Sean):

Maybe that is because of their emotions that are uncontrolled unlike ours!

MA-2 (Chris):

Are we not losing sight of our objective? . . . I mean . . . should they not be learning from us and not us learning from them?

Dan, Pamela and Tisha are more than ten paces ahead of the three nearing the crowded exit gates. Dan is still getting to be more familiar with the two girls.