by Zara Starr
“Let me go,” Tanya demanded. “I can give you money, more money than you can imagine.”
The mantis didn’t respond to what she was saying. Instead, it threw clothes at her. It said something else and then disappeared through the door again, slamming it shut. Tanya flinched as she heard the locks slip back into place.
She sighed, looking at the clothing that had been thrown at her. She lifted it, studying it.
It was barely something that constituted clothing. It looked more like a bathing suit, or lingerie, or something. It would show an awful lot of skin.
Why the hell was she here? She was starting to think that it had nothing to do with her money. But if it wasn’t for that, then what? Tanya was pretty sure that she had nothing else to offer. Money had always been the thing that attracted people to her – business people and ordinary people alike.
There was absolutely no way she could dress in that outfit.
But when she thought about the mantis monster and the clicking sounds, she lifted her hand to her head again. She didn’t touch the wound on her temple, but she knew it was there. She knew that they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.
Her mind started working, the wheels turning in terms of survival. If she was injured, she wouldn’t be able to escape. And she had to get out of there. She had to do what she was told so that she could stay fit and strong. Healthy.
Of course, Tanya had no idea how she was going to escape, but she was a hands-on type of person. She would figure out a way. In the back of her mind, she had always known a day like this would come. She was always prepared to be kidnapped for her money.
Now that she wasn’t sure it was about her money anymore, it didn’t change things. She had to look after herself. She had to survive.
Tanya put on the skimpy outfit and ran her hands over her body. She was in good shape – she ran every morning and she had a slim, lean build. She wished there was a mirror in the room so that she could see what she looked like.
She shook her head at herself for being so ridiculous. She was putting on skimpy clothing for some kind of monster. Surely, what she looked like shouldn’t have mattered.
Tanya was worried about how sexy the clothing was. What did that mean for her? What would be expected of her?
Not long after, the mantis-like monster returned. When the creature pushed the door open, a new wave of terror washed over Tanya. The monster came closer to her and she backed away. It spoke to her in that foreign language again, reaching for her with a sickly, outstretched arm. It wrapped thin fingers around her forearm and yanked her forward, toward the door.
She was supposed to go with it.
Go where?
Outside the room, she was led through long corridors of the same raw concrete, with nothing but sodium lights to light the way. She tried to fight the monster. She had no idea where she was or how to get out, but if she could just get free, she could run.
Despite the monster’s thin, reedy fingers, its grip was like a manacle around her arm. No matter how hard Tanya fought and tugged, the creature dragged her forward as if she was calmly walking along. It didn’t pay any attention to her attempts to get out of its grip.
At the end of a long corridor – possibly the third or fourth corridor they had turned down – there was suddenly a door. It was an opening in the wall more than anything else. The monster shoved her into it and Tanya realized she was in a pod-like structure. She reached toward one of the walls, wanting to touch it. It didn’t look like concrete, rather something wooden.
The floor beneath her feet started trembling, and the pod flew up into the air. Tanya fell to her knees, losing her balance. She cried out as the pod moved steadily forward and upward, transporting her to… She had no idea where.
It didn’t take very long before the pod came to a standstill. This time, it was in front of a large door that looked very futuristic. The metal was shiny and there were dials across the top with figures Tanya didn’t understand.
The door slid open with a hiss and a guard – another mantis-like creature with armor across its chest – reached into the pod and yanked Tanya out with the same reedy-but-strong hands. Tanya stumbled over her own feet and struggled to keep her balance.
When she regained her balance and straightened up, she looked around. The guard had backed off, but it was keeping its bug-like eyes on her – watching her every move. She shuddered. These creatures looked like they wanted to eat her or something.
In her skimpy outfit, Tanya felt a lot more vulnerable around them than before. It was a little harder to envision herself beating them up when she wore what was essentially lingerie. Tanya had gone to a lot of self-defense classes, but in those classes, she had always worn her training gear and sneakers.
Now, the whole idea of practicing self-defense against these strange monsters, who were clearly much stronger than she was, seemed laughable.
The area she had been taken to was a narrow stage that wrapped along a curved wall. A glass barrier on one side overlooked a large arena, with a seated crowd looking down at a ring.
All the bodies filling the seats were that of aliens – creatures of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Tanya’s eyes widened as she took it all in. It was like something from a movie. But this wasn’t a movie – it was real. And none of it made sense.
Tanya looked over her shoulder at the guard, but the creature kept its distance. It was still watching her, but it seemed as though Tanya could move around freely as long as she remained in the stage area. If she didn’t try to escape. She imagined that it wouldn’t go down very well if she tried to make a break for it now. She would have to wait for a chance.
She moved toward the glass barrier to see what was going down in the ring below. Everyone had their eyes glued to something and a presenter – Tanya couldn’t see where he was – was talking excitedly. It wasn’t in a language that Tanya understood. There was nothing that Tanya understood anymore.
Again, she wondered – where the hell was she?
Below, in the ring, two creatures were fighting. One looked like a spider of some kind, only with fewer eyes and fewer legs. The other creature was almost human, except for its blue skin. She had a feeling it was a lot bigger than any human she had ever seen. Whenever one of the creatures hurt the other, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Horrified, Tanya watched in silence. It was terrible. She wanted to look away. At the same time, she didn’t want to miss a thing. It was almost like knowing you were about to witness a terrible accident. You knew you had to look away, that what you were about to see would scar you for life. And somehow, you couldn’t stop staring.
Next to her on the stage, Tanya noticed that there were other women too. They were all different kinds of aliens – blue skin, green scales, one of the creatures was so dark it seemed to absorb all the light. After a moment, Tanya realized that they were all female.
All of them wore the same kind of skimpy outfit that she did, although she didn’t think some of them had much that they needed to cover. Of course, she didn’t know what constituted modesty when your body looked like… well… that.
Slowly, Tanya's situation was starting to dawn on her. It was almost as if she had been moving through her surroundings in a daze, doing what was demanded of her, but imagining she would snap out of it and wake up. This wasn’t a dream, was it? This was real. And she was in trouble.
She was dressed in questionable clothes and she was surrounded by other females who all seemed to be guarded by creatures that wouldn’t let them leave.
And below raged a fight that seems like it was to the death.
A new wave of fear washed over Tanya.
She tried to breathe evenly – in through her nose, out through her mouth. Tanya knew she had to stay calm. If she had a panic attack now, no matter what happened next, she wouldn’t be able to fend for herself. Now was the time that she had to stand strong.
Tanya forced herself to focus on the creatures down below. Not the warriors – that only made her feel s
ick to his stomach. But the monsters in the crowd. She had to take this as a sightseeing tour or something. If she could convince herself – even if it was just momentarily – that this was some kind of interesting sightseeing for work, she could calm down enough to think logically about her situation.
Tanya studied the creatures down below. She was surprised at the variety. So many different kinds, all of them coexisting. She wondered how they didn’t attack each other.
Maybe she had the skewed version of what aliens were. After all, she had only seen them in movies, where they had been depicted as mindless monsters.
This place didn’t seem like that. It seemed loaded with technology. Even though the guards were scary looking and the other creatures she had seen seemed to belong in a sci-fi movie, they all seemed relatively advanced.
Tanya felt eyes on her and searched the crowd, trying to find out who was watching her.
Toward the front of the arena, in a row next to the ring, her eyes fell on a strange-looking mantis. It had the same appearance as the creatures that had collected her from her room, but its coloring was different. Where the rest of the mantis monsters had been greenish or brownish, this one was red with a strange bluish hue to it, almost changing color as it turned in the light of the arena.
And it was watching Tanya intently.
She shivered and turned her eyes away. She wanted to cover up. She wanted to wear something that didn’t show so much skin.
She wanted to go home.
She felt the panic rise in her gut again and focused on the fight below. She couldn’t have a panic attack. Not now. Now wasn’t the time. Surrounded by more creatures than she could take, on a stage with only one exit, was not the place.
Chapter Three
Mal
Mal stood in the pit where running water gushed out of a sleek shower head mounted against the wall. The tiles beneath his feet were smooth, running down toward the drain opening. Hidden lights lit up the place almost clinically and the towels were all monochrome – black, white, or gray. There were a few showerheads in a row, but Mal was the only gladiator cleaning himself.
He watched as his blood swirled and washed down the drain, the bright red diluted by the water. The bright blood was in stark contrast to the white tiles. There was black blood in there too. But that wasn’t his. It had belonged to the Hucan he had just killed.
The fight had been a good one. Mal had judged his opponent correctly and as a result, he had won. Even though he had been distracted by the female up on the stage.
Mal shook his head and tutted at himself. It was poor form of him to get distracted by any of the prizes up on the stage. He should have paid closer attention to the fight.
He squirted soap from a dispenser into his hand and massaged it into his hair, creating suds. While he scrapped, he thought.
If the Hucan had been smart, it would have taken advantage of the time that Mal’s attention had been up on the stage. Lucky for Mal, the creature had been too stupid to know what to do.
Mal knew that kind of stupidity wasn’t going to happen all the time. If he was stupid like that again, he could very well lose his life.
But that female had been more attractive, more mesmerizing, than anything Mal had seen before.
Mal tried to conjure the image of her in his mind again. He hadn’t had a lot of time to commit the sight of her to memory. But he would not forget easily. If he saw her again, he would recognize her immediately. With her dark hair hanging in curls over her shoulders. And her body, live and lean, almost the body of a fighter. But still, not quite. There was a soft edge to her, beautiful.
The door to the washing area slid open with a hiss and Esimin walked in. The Saithin was a little shorter than most and he walked with a slight limp. Not that he had been in any battles of his own. His exoskeleton was a dark brown – an old, faded color. As far as Saithin was concerned, Esimin looked a little worn and neglected.
But his eyes were sharp, focusing on Mal where he stood, rinsing the soap out of his black hair.
Mal frowned, turned off the water and reached for a towel. He bound it around his waist, covering up. His Master didn’t care about his nudity, but Mal considered it a sign of respect. He did not like his Master – Esimin had often tried to hurt him. Even if it had never worked.
“You did well out there today,” Esimin said. “I am pleased.”
Mal nodded. As long as his Master was happy, everything would go well.
“Are you satisfied with the prize you have won?” Mal asked.
Esimin nodded. A clicking sound emitted from his mouth when he opened it before he spoke. All the Saithin sounded the same, and Mal had always thought the sound was irritating.
“It is a prize that will do. Of course, it is not the grand prize, but all in good time.”
“I will endeavor to win it for you,” Mal said, hammering his chest with his fist.
Esimin shook his head. “You have won my last prize.”
Mal frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“I just sold you.”
Mal shook his head, trying to figure out what Esimin was saying. Sold? He had gotten rid of Mal. Mal had done everything in his power to please his Master. As was expected, he had fought hard, he had barely lost any battles. What had he done wrong?
Mal stepped back, shock flowing over him. The metal implants on his back scarped against the tiles behind him.
“Was it something I did wrong?” Mal asked, even though he knew he wasn’t supposed to. “Did I disappoint you in some way?”
Esimin shook his head and the clicking sound intensified. “Not at all. You fetched me a handsome price. I am very pleased.”
Mal shook his head. It was difficult to understand. Slaves were usually sold off when they were no longer worth their Master’s time. Or their money. Slaves were usually sold off when they were a disappointment. He did not understand how his Master could be pleased and get rid of him at the same time. Of course, Esimin cared more for money than anything else.
If the price for Mal had been high enough, he supposed it made sense.
“May I ask who you sold me to?” Mal asked. Again, it was not an obligation for his Master to answer his question, but the news had been so unexpected… Mal was still reeling. He forgot his place.
Esimin stared blankly at Mal, possibly surprised at Mal’s ordinariness for asking.
“Slinin will be your new Master,” Esimin said. “It would do you good to remember your place with your new Master. I don’t want to be contacted and asked to reverse the transaction because you are not what he expected. You have one more opportunity to do me proud.”
Mal nodded absently. His mind was working overtime. Slinin… He had heard that name before. Countless times.
But not as a gladiator slave Master. Slinin was known as an investor, a big name in the business world. He was one of the richest Saithin in the capital city.
“Well, that is it for me then,” Esimin said. He turned around and walked away, leaving Mal alone in the washing area. That was it. That was the only goodbye Mal was going to get from the man who had owned him for over a decade.
When Mal had been very young, he had been sold into slavery to start training as a gladiator. He had only trained a few short years before Esimin had bought him. The Saithin Master had said that he saw a lot of potential in Mal and that with a bit of work and a lot of experience, Mal could become a great fighter.
His Master had been right, Mal was one of the best gladiator fighters out there.
Which was why it was such a surprise that he had been sold. Of course, that would explain why Esimin had fetched such a high price for Mal. Because after all his work – his wins, his experience – Mal was a good fighter and so he was worth a lot. What would his new Master be like? Would he be kind? Would he be easy to please? Slinin’s fame in the business world didn’t tell Mal anything about the kind of Master he would be.
Mal had just had enough time t
o put on the clothes that had been provided for him – sweatpants and a tank top. He was rubbing his hair dry with a towel when the washroom door hissed open again.
The Saithin walked through, upright and proud, and there was no guessing who he was. As if the color didn’t already give it away.
Slinin was colored a deep red, with dark blue accents that seemed to shift with the light as he moved. He was a larger Saithin and his very presence was intimidating.
So, this was the new Master.
“Esimin tells me that you are a good fighter,” Slinin said.
Mal nodded.
“I do what I can in the battles. I always give my all. I will never lose because I did not try my hardest.”
“And yet you allowed yourself to be distracted today,” Slinin said.
Mal searched for an answer.
“Don’t worry,” Slinin said without waiting for Mal to speak. “I have watched many of your fights and I know what I have paid for. Besides, the grand prize distracted you, and that is not impossible to understand. I believe you are just the gladiator who will win it for me. A human, she is called. Quite exquisite.”
A human. Mal had never heard of the race. Of course, it made sense that she was the grand prize. The race must have been newly discovered. Perhaps offered for the first time in this tournament.
It was no wonder she was the grand prize. A female so attractive, so spectacular… What else would she have been? No one had won her yet. She was still, as it were, free.
Then again, none of the females that were taken by the Saithin were free. But she might survive for a while longer.
“I expect you to win that grand prize,” Slinin said, his hand clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth in the washing room. Even though he was much shorter than Mal’s seven feet, as all the Saithin were, his manor made Mal feel as though they were the same size.
It took a lot of confidence to bring across that sensation. It gave Mal a sense of reverence for Slinin. Of course, as they work together and Mal learned what kind of Master he was, he was sure his image of the Saithin would change.