"And now we welcome Frankie on the stage!"
Crowd claps steadily, nervously anticipating a reveal of Microsoft's latest killer franchise, hoping to make a dent into COD's dominance over the casual FPS market.
Frankie enters left, controller in hand
Crowd drops silent, you could cut the nervous excitement and tension with a knife. A pin drops, a small man trips on some cable.
Frankie opens his mouth, ready for his great reveal...
The enormous screen behind him flickers live. The dominant title screen of Halo 4 appears. Familiar monk choir echoes around the hall. A woman begins to clap, and is quickly silenced and ushered outside.
"And now ladies and gentlemen of E3, i'm here to reveal so far unreleased footage of Halo 4. Its what you've all been waiting for. This is bigger than the campaign. Bigger than the multiplayer. Bigger than forge. Bigger than jetpacks."
The crowd is fit to burst. A man faints. The tubes of the internet strain under the enormous pressure of millions of excited Halo fans, palpable with excitement.
Frankie clicks a few buttons, menu screens pop up, he selects matchmaking.
An audible exclamation of shock erupts from the theatre. The screen displays something so exciting, so incredible that all other games are forgotten in an instant.
A small number '1' sits quietly next to his Gamertag. Resting in its resplendence.
"It goes to 50."
Frankie puts down the controller and walks out of the auditorium, leaving the single image burning a permanent image into the retinas of all those who are present.
The world turns. Nobody moves.
