Gladiator: A Rough Sci-Fi Romance

by Piper Stone

  All the government leaders I’d learned to respect were hiding secrets. I still had difficulty believing what I’d found. The various scathing details seemed like a bad dream that I couldn’t wake up from. I took another long pull on the bottle of beer before placing my weapon on the desk, finally hitting the space bar. As with all the men under my command, we’d brought with us advanced technologies, including the ability to add secure components to Earth’s computer and communication systems. My system couldn’t be hacked.

  At least I hoped.

  As I sat down, tugging the jump drive from my pocket, I flipped it over several times before inserting it into the laptop. Then I lifted my bottle, muttering under my breath.

  “Here’s to saving the planet.”

  There was no indication that anything was wrong, the forceful rumble of thunder masking the noise.

  Then the scales on my arms stood on end a split second before blinding pain flashed through me, the effect shutting down my muscular system. Strangled, I clutched at my neck, gasping for air. I’d been drugged. There were only a few seconds left before the catastrophic effects would take over, paralyzing me.

  The bastards had come for me.

  They weren’t going to take me that easily. Somehow, I managed to grab my weapon, merely knocking it off as I fell to the floor. The assailant approached, kicking the blast laser from my reach.

  I heard the hard thudding of boots just before several men swept into the room. Within seconds, the computer was smashed. Everything seemed to be playing out in slow motion as several figures crowded around me. What the hell were they saying? There wasn’t a system in my body that wasn’t compromised. I tried to claw my way forward, but it was no use.

  “I suggest you reserve your energy, Lieutenant Scumbag Alien.”

  The voice was one I would never forget, one of the men serving alongside me in the compound that I thought I could trust, General Simon Barker. I’d admired his leadership, his honor and integrity. I’d spent hours learning about Earth from this man alone.

  As he crouched down, tilting his head, he exhaled, shoving a bright light into my eyes. “Well, Xander. You’ve been a busy boy. What a shame you couldn’t remain on our side. You see, we are doing very good work here. Soon, Earth will know that we’re not ready just yet to succumb to a group of slimy aliens, although we have to pretend, providing warm bodies as well as information. We have to make everything perfect, but our plan is brilliant. Amazing. Our beautiful world is going to change. Sadly, you aren’t going to be a part of it. What a shame neither you nor your soldiers will be able to return to your planet.”

  “Fuck... you...” I managed.

  I could tell by the glassiness in his eyes that he was pissed.

  “We could have done this together, you and I. Then you had to try and save the world. Guess what? This planet isn’t necessarily worth saving. You leave me no choice. You’ll make fine material for the game, although I’d prefer you languishing in one of our prisons for the rest of your life. You wanted a taste of real life on Earth and you’re going to get it.” He shook his head before pocketing my gun. “Get him the fuck out of here. Make certain you chain his alien ass to the wall. This fucker will try to get away and that can’t happen.”

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” I struggled, rolling and twisting, trying desperately to find my weapon. I managed to open my eyes and the glaring light was just like the one from before. Fuck, no! This wasn’t going to happen. Get your shit together. Even the angry voice inside my head was barely enough to keep me from losing it. I struggled to breathe, to make sense of the damp surroundings.

  “Whoa. Xander. Wake up!”

  I felt warm hands on my arms. Shit.

  The voice didn’t make any sense. Female. What. The. Fuck? Growling, I managed to wrap my hand around the blade, scrambling until I was on my feet. Everything was fuzzy, my vision clouded but the fuckers weren’t going to take me alive. The second I noticed a shadow, I lunged forward, my hand managing to wrap around the bitch’s throat.

  “No! Xander. Stop...”

  Her agonizing screams echoed in my ears. I squeezed my hand, ready to snap her neck.

  “No... dream...” she struggled, coughing and wheezing.

  “What the fuck are you gonna do? Kill me because I know?” I shoved the jagged blade of the knife against the asshole’s neck, prepared to slice arteries.

  “It’s... Kata... rina.”

  I took a series of deep breaths, blinking several times until I began to focus. Very slowly a realization settled in. I jerked back, stumbling over several rocks. The damn Zatans. The wretched planet. I wiped my mouth, scanning the perimeter as my mind began to move back into the present.

  Or straight into hell.

  I remembered every detail of the dream. I also remembered certain details about what I’d found. They weren’t merely working for the Zatan aliens, there was more. So many people had just disappeared, including Bobby, the guard. The bastards had decided to clean house, getting rid of needless personnel.

  She slid to the barren floor, crumpling over, the wretched coughing continuing.

  “What? Oh, fuck. Katarina.” I dropped to the ground, taking her into my arms. What the hell had I done? “I’m sorry. Jesus.”

  She pushed hard, slapping her palms against my chest. “No. Why...” Finally, she lifted her head, searching my eyes. “What the hell happened?”

  “A dream. That’s all.” I tipped my head back, hissing. I hadn’t experienced the nightmare in months and certainly not in that level of detail. I ran one hand through my hair as I glanced around the cave. I had to fucking get control of this. There had to be a reason I was being dragged about into the nightmare. “Did I hurt you?”

  Katarina shook her head before glancing at the weapon. “You were experiencing whatever happened in your dream. A vision?”

  I eased back, folding my arms over my legs. “Just a memory.” I’d either blocked out General Barker’s nasty comments or the memories had been beaten from me after my incarceration. What was occurring the lab was top secret. How far reaching were the tentacles of the corrupt group of human leaders? I certainly wasn’t going to find anything out being on this godforsaken planet.

  “Talk to me, Xander. Is there something important that you remembered? Are we in immediate danger? Is there a way off this freaking planet?” Her chest rose and fell in exasperation as she tossed out the hard questions.

  I wasn’t ready to provide any details. Not until I knew exactly what we were dealing with.

  “Don’t you dare shut me out, Xander.”

  “I don’t remember anything that’s going to help us out of here, little human.” I rubbed my neck, anxious to get the fuck off this rock. The damn wind was still howling, but there was something else. Several ferocious growls. “Cut the damn light or we’re not going to make it out of here.” I held the knife firmly in my grip, angry that I’d fallen into the trap of my mind.

  I’d purposely tried to keep her in the dark about the absolute truth, but she was going to keep on digging until she found out. Just like I’d done, finally getting myself arrested.

  A human I’d considered a friend had betrayed me, hunting me down and cutting through the security system to my house. How the fuck had he managed? I knew the answer. He’d been working with the damn Zatan beasts for months, maybe longer. I’d already realized they had a significantly higher technology level than originally thought, enabling them to move past the Earth’s military top-level clearances. Unfortunately, they were also capable of hijacking our various systems with ease. What triggered my last actions had been realizing that the very group of men I was working for didn’t seem to give a shit our entire systems could be compromised. In fact, they seemed to welcome the idea.

  All the information I’d gathered, including proof that there were aliens prepared to enslave a portion of humans had been destroyed. What had happened to the reporter I’d been scheduled to talk to I could only imagine. The same damn
reporter that Katarina had mentioned. Another freaking coincidence. I held my breath, trying to sort out various details.

  She cut the light but within seconds, my eyes became accustomed to the darkness. I’d had plenty of practice being kept in a three by three underground box for months. Being a prisoner of war hadn’t bothered me nearly as much as the way the human government had chained me to a wall, the frequent beatings a reminder that I was public enemy number one.

  Shadows seemed to be hiding everywhere, ready to rip out our very souls. I took a deep breath, attempting to remind myself that this planet had an entirely different set of dangers.

  “Jesus. You know exactly what’s going on here. Don’t you? You lied to me before. Didn’t you?” Katarina accused, her voice shaking.

  I flexed and clenched my hand, the only exercise I’d been able to do while serving my time on Earth. I almost snorted with laughter. The filthy Zatan cell I’d recently been freed from seemed like paradise in comparison.

  “Tell me!” she demanded, her voice shaking.

  “The story isn’t pretty, sunshine. Not sure you can handle it,” I finally offered.

  “I can handle just about anything. I asked you to stop calling me little human or sunshine. I have a goddamn name, you asshole. Prick. Degenerate. Jerk.”

  I had to chuckle hearing her nasty words, reminding myself that according to Dakar she was something special. Maybe I could barter her for my place on a trip back to Cryton.

  “You want to know the ugly truth, Kat-a-rina?” I asked, exaggerating her name.

  I heard her scattered breathing, could still feel her vibe of utter terror. “Yeah. I... I do.”

  “We’re in deep shit here.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  “Yeah? Well, what do you know? You were kidnapped by a bunch of vile creatures from another planet. That much you’re just beginning to understand. What you don’t get is that your own people allowed these monsters to take anyone they wanted at any time. Your own government looked away, pretending the shit wasn’t happening.” I certainly hadn’t intended on spouting off the information this way. I hissed, furious with myself.

  “What?” she whispered. “That just can’t be true. Why would you say something like that? I mean allowing criminals to be taken as part of deal might be one thing, but innocent people?”

  “Listen to yourself. Is it fair that the Zatans are judge and jury for any member of the human species?”

  She exhaled. “No. You’re right. How do you know this? Did you find that out during your advisory mission to Earth?”

  “Yes. I told you there were discrepancies in the shit I was being told and commanded to do. I started watching, listening, and gathering information. I learned that a few corrupt members of various governments on your planet already had deals with the Zatans.”

  “Then why have representatives of your planet bother coming to provide information, even beefing up our security systems in case of an attack from another species?”

  Sighing, I could tell how much the details bothered her. “It is my belief that the leaders who asked for our help had no idea what this secretive group had been planning all along. I also believe that they’d been planning on taking over for some time, eliminating their enemies. Likely using the Zatans as assassins.”

  “Jesus. Another deal.”

  “Try several, including giving them their choice of women. Give the Zatans the people they need to rebuild their city and repopulate their planet then maybe Earth wouldn’t be exterminated.” Other bits of information were starting to form. While certain aspects were only assumptions, I had a damn good feeling I was right.

  To her credit, she didn’t whimper or burst into tears. When she spoke, her defiance was as strong as ever.

  “No way. You’re lying, you sick fuck.”

  I chuckled under my breath, reaching for the duffle bag holding the limited food supply. I yanked out one of the Zatans’ food bars, my entire system disgusted with the thought. I hungered for a thick, juicy rare steak and a bottle of red wine, a true luxury that I’d learned to love on Earth. “One thing you’re going to learn about me is that I don’t lie.”

  She remained quiet, her mouth twisting, no doubt trying to absorb what she’d heard.

  “The American government is really responsible for this? They did this to their own people?”

  I looked into her eyes, her chiseled jaw clenched from tension and rage. “Only a corrupt portion but not just the Americans. What I found appeared to be a worldwide decision. An abomination of humanity. They sold out in order to keep Earth safe. Imagine if that got out on the various news shows.” I laughed bitterly. Telling her had been a necessity. At least I had to tell myself that. She needed to realize that the planet she longed to return to wasn’t the fairy tale situation she hoped for.

  “This is crazy. How didn’t you know the Zatans were already on Earth?”

  “They were always good at staying in the background, cloaking their devices. There was no evidence when my ship arrived they were even in the solar system. I also assure you that we would not have accepted the request for help had we known. Our leader is a wise man, hundreds of years old. He worked with leaders of your government for weeks before agreeing. For two years, there was no indication. Then I was the one who noticed subtle hints, documents found. Even some of my own soldiers didn’t believe me at first.”

  “O-kay. So, you were one of the good guys, an alien race who doesn’t want to destroy Earth. Why did they make a deal?” she finally asked.

  “If I were to venture a guess, I’d say to line their pockets and remain in favor with the Zatans. Power and greed are evidently universal influences, no matter the species.” I chomped on the cardboard-like substance, barely able to swallow the nasty crap. I longed for one of my mother’s meals, now a distant memory.

  “Every powerful planet likely has weaknesses. I would think a man of your... stature knows that all too well.”

  The girl had a point. The Zatans weren’t unlike any other civilization. They had needs and wants. Their proclivities I honestly didn’t give a fuck about. “Yes, they do.”

  “Like the games.”

  “The king is only passing time, making certain his people are entertained. In case you haven’t noticed, this planet is pure shit.”

  “Okay, why this planet?”

  “Perhaps the resources or the proximity to the prime planets.” I had wondered that more times than I could count. “Perhaps safety for the king.”

  “There isn’t a Zatan army stationed here. Right?” she asked, crowding closer.

  “Not that I’ve seen. From the limited information I’ve learned, this is an outpost, a location to protect their great king and nothing more. There are other facilities located on the planet where they send some of the prisoners to work.”

  “Then they have to be digging for resources.”

  “Maybe. However, I assure you that they have enough weaponry here to annihilate any enemy attempting to overthrow the Zatan government, including the Crytons.” I knew there was more to the story, but the king was indeed being protected against his enemies. I also suspected from his own people. I’d heard enough chatter to support the thoughts.

  Still, the question remained. Why? I refused to buy the situation had only to do with repopulating their world with hybrid babies.

  “How the hell would you know that?” Her demands continued.

  I shook my head, longing to thrust my cock deep inside once again. “I’ve spent enough time here. You learn who you can trust, at least with information.”

  “Trust. There is no one to trust, especially not some slimy alien.” She looked at me, half smiling. “I meant no disrespect. You look very human in so many ways.”

  “A trait that hasn’t boded well with the king. Just be mindful of your behavior. They’re watching.” I knew enough about their technology not to put anything past them.

  “That’s bullshit and you
know it. Hey, assholes! If you’re watching, do you see my middle finger pointed straight at you?”

  Within two seconds, I had her on the floor on her back, my weight no doubt crushing. Her exclamations were cut short, the wind knocked out of her. While I had no way of knowing whether we were being watched, I suspected at minimum there were Zatan scouts. I wasn’t going to allow the sassy human female to decrease our chances for survival.

  “Ugh!” Her moan only fueled my fire, the kind of animalistic desire that would never be far from my mind.

  I lowered my head until our lips were only centimeters apart. “I suggest you be a good little girl.”

  She struggled even under my massive body, grinding against me. The electricity shooting between us was palpable, my hunger becoming insatiable. How could one little human do this to me?

  And now, for God’s sake?

  “Get off me!” she hissed. “You don’t rule me.”

  “You’re going to learn to obey me, sunshine. Pushing our luck isn’t in our best interests. Not one more word out of you.”

  “Or what? If you’re such a powerful warrior, what the hell are you going to do?”

  I was very human in appearance, but I had attributes that she would fear. The woman had no idea the kind of beast I was inside, had no concept of the danger we were in. The frustration within me matched the burning desire. I captured her mouth once again, forcing my tongue past her pretty pink lips, drinking in her very essence.

  Wiggling, she beat her hands against my arms, as if she had the ability to do any damage. I dominated her tongue, shifting my hips back and forth. I wanted her to know exactly what I could do to her. She finally clenched my shirt, no longer fighting but doing everything she could to arch her back.

  The passion between us exploded, unleashing the beast from deep within.

  Even in the darkness, a number of stars floated in front of my eyes. I wanted to shove my cock into every hole, forcing her to submit. At that moment, I realized I was the same kind of barbarian I’d labeled the damn aliens.