Off Planet

by Aileen Erin

  The map showed a large room that spanned two levels, plus a few smaller rooms. I wasn’t sure what equipment SpaceTech had in their gym or if my body could even take a workout, but I wouldn’t know either until I went there. After lying in bed for a day, I had to at least move my body a little bit.

  The idea of eating more food from the mess didn’t sound appealing, but I was going to have to get over that. I’d been spoiled by my mother’s cooking at the diner. A sharp pang hit my chest as I thought of my home that would never be home again. I might never have a meal cooked by her or feel one of her long, tight hugs.

  My eyes started to burn, and I ached for my mother and Roan and my warehouse and that stupid shitty apartment in Albuquerque. I even missed the diner. The ache grew into pain, and my heart literally hurt. I stopped walking in the hallway, not caring if someone was watching and closed my eyes. Declan said he’d protect them and I had to believe that he was doing at least that much. I wasn’t going to get through this if I let myself get homesick. I was stronger than this.

  I shoved all the worry for my mother and Roan way down inside of me until I could breathe again. When this was over, I would see them both again. For now, I needed food.

  I went by the mess on my way to the gym. It was technically open all day, but when I got to the food tables, I couldn’t help but gag. From the look of things, the food out there was only refreshed during mealtimes. I could barely stomach it when the food was fresh. The old slop that filled the metal pans stank worse than the food I’d pulled from the garbage when we were living on the streets in California.

  I snagged a tube of water and a hunk of stale, crumbly bread and avoided the leftover watery eggs that no one in their right mind would ever touch. A few guys were talking at the tables, but no one that I recognized, so I ate as I walked to the gym.

  A few wrong turns later, I finally found what I was looking for. The door to the gym was open. I expected it to smell sweaty and rank, especially with how hot it was, and it was a bit rank. But not as bad as some gyms I’d been to.

  I spotted Ahiga and Santiago sparring in a ring off to one side. A bunch of guys were leaning on the ropes, yelling. Judging from Ahiga’s easy breathing, he had to have been going easy on Santiago. It looked to me like they were working out instead of actually sparring.

  Punching bags and speed bags took up the area around the ring. Stairs along the back wall went to a balcony area. Rows of cardio equipment overlooked the ring. A few vidscreens were mounted to the pylons around the room.

  A loud slam came from somewhere beyond the cardio equipment, rattling the speed bags hanging from the ceiling. Muffled trash talking filled the gym. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I knew the tone well enough and figured someone tried to lift a weight that was a little too heavy for them.

  A few guys caught me standing at the entrance and puffed up their chests. I almost laughed, but I wasn’t sure if they’d take that as encouragement. I was here for a workout, and that was it.

  I looked for Audrey’s red hair, but she wasn’t here. In fact, there were no other women in the gym as far as I could see, but maybe they were upstairs.

  I wove through the bags hanging from the ceiling and took the stairs two at a time. The first row of treadmills was occupied, so I went to the second row.

  The treadmill was fancier than anything I’d seen before, which didn’t seem very SpaceTech-like, but I figured there were enough people here that had a physical requirement to their job for them to spend the money. Healthy employees meant better productivity.

  I punched a few buttons—not really sure what any of them did—and hit start.

  My muscles protested as I started walking. It’d been forever since I’d worked out, especially counting the time I spent in cryo. I’d never gone this long without exercise before, but I knew it didn’t take long to lose endurance. I knew I should take it easy, but then I hit the button to speed it up to a jog.

  And then I hit it again to move into a run.

  And then I hit it again.

  And again.

  I lost track of time. I felt at home pushing myself to move past my limits. The small aches from unused muscles smoothed away. Seeing how far and how fast I could go was a game I’d played all the time. I wished I’d had some music to listen to, but I didn’t. So, instead, I listened to the air in my lungs, and let the sounds of the gym fall away. I closed my eyes.

  The sound of the air rushing through my lungs started to remind me of the push and pull of the waves on a sandy shore, even though I’d only seen them on vidscreens and recently in my dreams.

  I started to picture the ocean. Clear turquoise water. Golden sand. Two suns in the sky, one an orange-pink color, the other a bright white. And I could almost see someone walking toward me.

  I breathed out long and slow.

  “Amihanna!” Lorne’s mirth-filled voice was all I could hear. “What’s that mess of sand you’ve got there?”

  I couldn’t stop the grin. “It’s my beautiful castle.”

  “Beautiful castle?” Lorne’s laughter filled my mind, warming me from the inside. “I think I got here just in time. It looks like a melted whale.”

  I picked up a handful of sand and tossed it at him.

  He held up a hand. “Hey! Not my fault you’re terrible at this.”

  “I’m a kid. You’re supposed to help me.”

  Lorne bonked my nose with a finger. “I was supposed to come get you for dinner, but I guess I can help you first. Let’s see if we can fix this mess.”

  I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. I could still feel the treadmill under my feet, but ever since cryo, my mind kept coming back to this same dream. Which made me wonder if it was a dream or something else.

  I never got to see how it ended. There was always—

  The treadmill slowed suddenly, and I opened my eyes, grabbing the rails around me to keep from tripping.

  “What the—”

  “Hey, girl.” Santiago was grinning as he leaned on the rails of my treadmill. “I was wondering—”

  “No. You don’t want to hurt yourself by having any kind of complicated thoughts.”

  A snort came from the other side of me, and I turned to find Ahiga two treadmills down, running a fast and steady pace.

  “Ignore that giant oaf,” Santiago said, drawing my attention back to him. “I thought—since you must be feeling better and all—if you want to head downstairs. Try some moves out on me.”

  I stood there for a second, trying to figure out what the hell Santiago was doing hitting on me, especially with such a lame pick-up line, before he pointed down. To the sparring square.

  Right. That kind of trying some moves. I gave him my best are-you-sure-about-this look. “Seven times not enough?”

  He rubbed a hand along his cheek. “It’s been a few years. Maybe I’ve gotten better.”

  “Maybe have I, too.”

  He flashed me a bright grin. “Shit. Now I’m rethinking this whole thing.”

  “Well, you offered.” Now that I was warmed up, I knew I’d enjoy kicking his ass again. “You can’t back out now.”

  “Sweet. You done with that?” He motioned to the treadmill.

  “I guess I am now.”

  Ahiga cleared his throat, and I turned to him.

  He’d turned off his treadmill and was watching me. “You sure this is a good idea?”

  “Probably not, but I’m going out there tomorrow, and the thought of dying without letting myself go for at least a second…”

  I couldn’t think that way, but martial arts had been my release for so long. It was one of the few things I retained from my early childhood. No matter how bad things got, my mom always found a gym or a secluded section of a park or an abandoned warehouse for me to practice in. And when Jorge had set me up with the warehouse, it was literally the best gift I’d ever been given. For eight years, the only time I’d truly been happy was when I was in that nasty old warehouse. Getting some of
that back was just what I needed.

  “I have to have something to live for when I’m out there or I won’t last.”

  “And fighting is what you live for?”

  “Yes.” Moving my body like that, it was as essential as air to me. My mother said my father was the same way.

  I wanted to sigh at the confusion that flashed across Ahiga’s face, but I knew that look too well. I’d seen the same look from so many people in my life. It should’ve been my red flag with Haden. He tried to understand why fighting was important to me, but a couple weeks into our relationship, he’d started to resent the fact that I’d choose to spend time at the warehouse rather than hang out with him. Maybe the fact that I was a girl made it hard for him to understand. I should’ve been playing damsel and waiting for some guy to save me, but that wasn’t how my brain worked.

  I was a di Aetes. I didn’t want or need anyone to save me. I would save myself.

  The tattoos on Ahiga’s face wrinkled as he gave me a grin. “I met someone else like you once before. I think you two were cut from the same cloth.” He crossed his arms. “I think I’ll enjoy seeing you let loose.”

  I smiled, but I couldn’t feel it. “I can’t let loose. Not here.” I longed for a time and place when I could have a chance to really learn and push myself. To find a partner that could push me to grow. But that wasn’t here. That wasn’t today. That wasn’t Santiago.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I stepped down from the treadmill and stretched my arms.

  Ahiga walked over and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Come on. Santiago is already down there warming up.”

  I walked to the front of the balcony and leaned over the railing to see him below stretching, getting ready for our fight.

  “Don’t you chicken out on me!” he yelled up.

  I shook my head at his taunt. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Without overthinking it, I ran toward the stairs. When I hit the edge of the first one, I jumped and tucked my body. I twisted halfway down, spotting my landing. My feet hit the floor, and I breathed a full breath for the first time since Declan had shown up in my apartment.

  No. Longer.

  I’d been hiding and afraid my whole life, but the worst had already happened. SpaceTech had found me. They had complete control over my life and were using me in their game against the Aunare. So how much hiding did I really have to do?

  I wasn’t about to go around spilling my guts, but maybe Ahiga was right. Maybe I could let loose just a little bit.

  I smiled—a real smile—as I approached the ring. There were maybe four or five guys who’d been working downstairs that were now quietly watching me approach Santiago. I looked behind me to see Ahiga coming down the stairs. A few guys were leaning over the railing watching.

  Ahiga gave me a wide-eyed look that said what was that, and I shrugged.

  Maybe my acrobatic trick was a little showy—okay, a lot showy—but it’d been fun.

  “You’re freaking me out with that smile,” Santiago said. “And what the hell was that move? You took the entire staircase in one go?”

  I kicked off my shoes and shoved my doubled-up socks into them. I hoped my feet would hold up while I sparred. The skin was a little thin, but they’d held up fine while I was running. So I figured this should be okay. “My version of a warm-up.” I slid between the ropes. “You ready?”

  Santiago was wearing a pair of loose work-out shorts and no shoes or shirt. His matador tattoo made me laugh as he bounced from foot to foot, his hands in fists. “I’m not going to let you push my face into the mat an eighth time.”

  “I don’t think it’s a matter of letting me do it.” I closed my eyes, letting air fill my lungs. This moment, right before sparring, is when I felt the most whole. To me, sparring was fun. Invigorating. The essence of life.

  I opened my eyes. “Okay.” I gave him a little bow, and he mimicked the move.

  I came up and waited.

  Santiago started circling, so I started circling, too.

  “Come on. Make a move,” someone shouted from outside the ring.

  I shook my head. “No. I never make the first move. Not unless I have to.”

  “Why not?” another voice called out.

  “Because it will be the last move, and I don’t want it to end that quickly.”

  That got people laughing and trash talking—asking Santiago if he was going to let a girl take him down, telling me I was all talk, booing and hollering for us to start the fight already. It was a huge improvement from the silence.

  I could tell the moment Santiago decided to make his move. His arm tensed and he rose up on the ball of his left foot. A look of determination crossed his face. His ever-present smile gone.

  Game on.

  He punched, and I moved to the left. He moved again, and I moved. Every time he lashed out, I dodged. Until it looked a bit like we were dancing.

  I hadn’t raised my arms yet. No need to block. Santiago was telegraphing his moves clearly before he made them, so I didn’t need to do anything but mirror him to avoid getting hit.

  It took a few minutes, but he started laughing. The smile was back, and he paused, putting his fists on his hips. “What the hell is this?”

  I shrugged. “You tell me. You’re the one giving away all your moves. Whatever you’ve been doing the last few years, you’ve gotten worse. It’s really pathetic.”

  “Then you show me how it’s done.”

  Someone whistled, and I glanced around. The crowd had grown. Someone must’ve gone to find the rest of the workers and miners. I didn’t see any other SpaceTech people, aside from Ahiga, but Audrey and Tyler were in a back corner.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Hell, yes. That’s why I asked you in here.”

  This time I brought my hands up. “It’ll be done in three moves, but you’re killing all my fun.”

  Santiago had time to give me a half-laugh before I kicked his legs out from under him, grabbed his wrist as he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and wrenched it behind his back. When his face hit the ground, I was on him. My knee sunk into the small of his back. My grip on his arm had him at my mercy. “That’s eight times I’ve beat you.” I eased up on him. “Want to go for nine?”

  “Shit.” His voice was muffled by the mat. “I didn’t even see you move.”

  I grinned. “I know.” I’d moved fast. Not as fast as I could move, but fast enough to take him down without a real fight.

  As soon as I stood up, Santiago flipped onto his back and groaned. “That was embarrassing.”

  “Don’t feel bad.” I gave him a little nudge with my foot. “I’ve been practicing.”

  “With who? I’m good. I can hold up against Ahiga, and no one else here can.”

  I shrugged. “Roan.”

  “Bullshit with Roan.” Santiago groaned again as he sat up. “No way Roan is that good.”

  “He’s gotten better.” I’d trained him to be my sparring partner. It’d taken me years to get Roan to the point where he could keep up with me, but he couldn’t push me. He wasn’t Aunare. “Fighting with you was more like running drills than pushing myself, but there aren’t many people willing to really try sparring with me.” I held my hand out and helped him to his feet.

  “How’d you do it?” Santiago looked me up and down. “I mean—you didn’t even sweat. You didn’t even really move much.”

  He might’ve thought he’d been practicing, but his teacher had been total crap. “You give away everything you’re going to do.”

  “No.” He rubbed the top of his head. “I do?”

  I nodded.

  “I didn’t see him telegraphing shit,” someone yelled behind me. “His fighting was legit.”

  I slipped into teaching mode. I liked it almost as much as I loved sparring. “We’re going to try this again.”

  “We are?” Santiago said, sounding worried.

  I raised a brow at him. “Who’s chicken now?”

 
He rubbed the top of his head again. “Okay. Fine. Shit. I guess we’re doing this then.”

  I almost laughed at his nerves. All the cockiness had drained from the man. “This time, watch closely as he tries to hit me,” I said to the crowd. “Watch his shoulder. His feet. Where does he put his weight? What muscles are tensing? You have to pay attention to every part of your opponent, even when you’re just sparring. Otherwise, when you’re in a real fight, you won’t be ready. That’s what training and practice are all about.” I waved Santiago forward. “Try something.”

  I saw him tense his thigh and I jumped. I was in the air before his foot rose from the ground, easily avoiding the kick. I turned around, not sure who had asked the question. “Did you see his thigh? He tensed it. You have to trust your gut and your eyes. Your focus has to be on the fight and—”

  I felt the vibrations in the mat behind me and the shift in the air and sidestepped.

  Santiago plowed right by me and into the ropes.

  “And you should never turn your back on an opponent.” I shook my head at him. “Weak sauce, cheap move, dude.”

  Santiago let out a surprised laugh. “Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, you couldn’t see me coming.”

  “No. But I felt the mat move with your heavy footfalls. You have to use all of your senses in a fight. Sight. Sound. Feeling—gut and physical. And smells.” I sniffed the air. “You need a shower, Santiago.”

  That one got me a few laughs.

  “You’ve gotten better.” Santiago nudged me with his elbow.

  I wasn’t sure if that was true, but I hadn’t gotten any worse since I’d last fought him. “I can train you if you want. Jorge had me teaching classes for the last few years.”

  “And me?” I heard Audrey’s voice yell above the chatter and the room quieted. “Will you train me?”

  “And me?” Another woman’s voice called out. “I… I’ve never fought before, but I’d like to feel…”

  I found a blonde standing on the other side of Tyler from Audrey. “Safe? You want to feel safe. Because being here with SpaceTech, you don’t feel safe?”