“You’re correct,” Lourde said. “And as long as he remains only missing, the council can’t take any action. Hopefully.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Kenix informed him. “From what I’ve heard, the council has slowly allowed information to leak out to the populace about what they propose for Earth. Excitement is growing and my sources tell me the anticipation might be even greater than for the tournament here.”
“Of course it is, the bloodthirsty savages,” I snapped. Then I remembered the three men in the room were Roamyn. “Present company excluded.”
Ayres’ grin showed strain. “It’s okay. You’re right.”
“They want to begin the Earth games as soon as the one here is over,” Lissa said.
“Will they even play the game here now if Baynarius is missing?” Lourde pondered aloud.
“I think they may take advantage of the situation and view Baynar’s disappearance as capitulation. He’s not here to put a stop to it,” Ayres said.
Vaguely, in the back of my mind, I wondered what would become of Lara and Cade? Would he send her home to Earth if she were to face such challenges? I hoped not. “Why don’t we take the Akkadian ships and land them at strategic places on Earth? Places where they can’t be covered up. We can generate enough attention and when all the cameras are on us we’ll inform the world of the danger. We can prepare then and even strike back. We may not win but at least it’ll give us a fighting chance,” I suggested.
“It’ll ignite mass panic, even if they do take you seriously,” Lourde informed me. “Most Humans have lived in denial for years about life on other planets.”
“I’m afraid I agree with him,” Ayres said.
This was so frustrating! Humans were sitting ducks waiting to face mass execution for the entertainment of an alien planet and we could do nothing. If only we were less appealing to Calixtus.
“Your device transported two people,” Kenix said to Lourde. “Maybe we could use it to evacuate as many people as possible.
Lourde ran a hand over his face. “It’d take time, and materials to create so many coins—we’d need far more than one. Plus there’d be the problem of where to move everyone. We’d have to supply food and shelter. The coin can only move people and thankfully their clothing, but it won’t move beds and blankets, or tents, or gardens…” His voice trailed off listing the futility of such an undertaking.
“So we can’t warn them, we can’t move them, we can’t save them,” I said. Unless… “What if we could give them a champion?”
Lissa snorted. “Yeah, where’s the Avengers when you need them?”
Instead of upbraiding her I gave her words consideration. “They’re not real. But we are.”
“What are you getting at?” Ayres cocked an eyebrow and stared at me speculatively.
“With Lourde’s brilliant mind I’m sure he can find a way to hack into prime newscasts and warn them. Then, we can fly to Earth and try and prevent the attack. With Lourde’s devices and our stockpile of arms I’m sure we can make an impression.”
“It’s a suicide mission,” Lissa informed me.
I drilled her with a glare. “You have a lot to make up for. If you’re still too chicken shit to stand up and do what’s right, then stay here.”
She sputtered a bit but closed her mouth and fixed her eyes on the ground.
Lourde moved toward the table loaded with high-tech devices and began to fiddle around. “It won’t take much to hack into Earth’s satellites and connect with their media servers. We can implement a live feed that will broadcast all over Earth simultaneously.” He nodded at Ayres and me. “You two, figure out what you want to say. Make it believable. It won’t take Calixtus long to figure out what we’re doing and shut us down. I’ll try to prevent it but they might track the signal right to us. Then it’s game on.”
Ayres grabbed the duffle bags stashed around the room and tossed them into the middle of the floor. “Pack everything we’re not using. We’ll pile it into two ships. After the broadcast we’ll head directly to Earth. I’ll pack up the arms.”
“Wait,” I said, as Ayres went to leave. “We have more ships. Why not use all of them?”
“At most we could man three with Kenix, Lourde and myself piloting. I think it may be best to stay together. Dividing us could lead to too many problems.”
“And I think more would be better,” I contradicted him. “It’ll take a while for Calixtus to send ships to Earth. We’ll be on the ground preparing for them well before they arrive. If anything, we may need the ships we bring to save as many people as possible.” I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Ayres ran an agitated hand over his shaved head. “I see your point. But we still only have three pilots.”
“There’s another one circling Taleon aboard the Lariton right now.”
I could tell he understood my meaning almost immediately. “No. Too risky. We don’t know where his loyalties lie.”
“I think I got a pretty good feel for him. I trust him. Besides, you know him as well. What kind of man did you take him for?”
“An honorable one. But it’s been a while since I’ve….”
“I think Amanda’s right,” Kenix interrupted. “If we can get another warrior on our side it could make a difference.”
“How much time we got?” Ayres asked Lourde.
“Not long. Just make it quick,” he replied, keeping his eyes on his task. “Kenix, I need you to keep fishing for a signal while I set these two up.”
“I can go in alone,” I assured them. “That leaves Ayres free to pack up and make sure the ships are ready.”
Ayres shook his head. “No way. I can’t send you in there defenseless.”
His overprotection of me was becoming tiresome. “I’ll be fine. I handled Baynar on my own.”
He pondered me for a moment before he sighed. “Fine. But I’ll be watching you closely. Any signs of distress and I’ll be there.”
I smiled and gave him a quick kiss. “I know you will.” I lay down on the table and let Lourde prepare me.
Ayres busied Kenix and Lissa with packing up the bags while I zoned out and began to drift. Vaguely I could hear Lourde directing me.
“I’m only sinking you half-way, Amanda, which will allow you more control. We’re not as concerned with discovery at this point, so it won’t be a complete transference with Lara. You’ll retain your individuality, but you must wrestle her for control. She’ll fight you.
She could try. But knowing what was at stake, I wasn’t about to let her win.
Chapter 21
Everything was cold metal. And bars.
I became aware I was curled up on the floor in a thick rough blanket that scratched at my skin. The floor was clean and bare and looked to be made of concrete. The imposing steel door of the cell sported a barred window in the top of it. I was naked beneath the blanket.
Talk about freaking déjà vu.
I scrambled up and looked out the window into the cell block beyond my door. In the back of my mind I could hear Lara’s voice but I ignored it. This may be her body, but I’d taken complete control. We had work to do. I began to pace, which I found helped me to focus.
If I recalled my time in this ship before the games, a cyborg dude should be arriving—if he hadn’t already—to ascertain I was still a virgin. Then I’d be taken to stand before the council and display my goods. The only thing was that Baynar wouldn’t be there to approve or disapprove my participation in the game.
Before I had time to speculate the implications of this turn of events, the trod of heavy steps in the corridor gained my attention. Not sure of who or what to expect, or even if they were coming for me, I backed against the far wall and pulled the blanket secure around my shoulders.
As luck would have it, someone began fiddling with the lock to my cell. A moment later the door swung open and Cade stepped in. “Good, you’re up,” he said in way of greeting. “Sorry about the accommodations, but it’s re
gulation. We were supposed to appear before council shortly but they’ve asked for a delay. I have the feeling something’s going on, but I’m not privy to that information—not since I’ve become a contender.”
So I guess I’d already passed the V test. “Cade,” I said, trying to stop his barrage of words and gain his attention.
He walked over to me and took me into his arms. It felt more like a comforting gesture than a sexual one. “I know. I’m sorry. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
I braced my hands against his chest, still keeping the blanket in my grip. “Cade! You need to listen to me. This is important and I don’t have a lot of time.”
He moved back and stared into my eyes from his great height. Shit, he was almost as tall as Ayres, almost as solidly built. Close up, those scars on his face made him appear deadly. Please, let him be on our side.
I cleared my throat and began. “I know what the delay is.”
He smiled tightly. “How could you possibly…”
“Baynar’s dead,” I interrupted.
He jerked his head to one side as though I’d slapped him. “What? How is that possible, and how would you even know? And why do you sound strange? Your voice, it’s different somehow.”
I took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer that he’d believe me. And if he did, that he wouldn’t kill me. “My name is Amanda. I know this is Lara’s body, but I’ve taken possession of her mind. This isn’t the first time.”
When he simply stared at me, I continued.
“Over the last little while I’ve been popping into her head, and with the help of some friends of mine, taking control of her body as well.”
His eyes narrowed, but he remained silent.
“You may know them. Ayres, and Lourde. Kenix has been helping us too.” Seeing he was about to jump in, I rushed on. “Lourde devised a way to hack into Lara’s tracker and link us. I have one too. Ayres links onto my tracker and through me, he’s able to take control of Lara’s body—well, her arms and legs.” I clutched the blanket with one hand and held up the other in an attempt to stop him from cutting me off. “You’ve seen Lara fight, that first night in the city, when she had a nightmare. You rushed in to help her and she let you have it. You can thank Ayres for that.”
“You expect me to thank him? Or you? What the hell is going on?”
“You believe me then?” That was easier than I thought.
“No. Shit. Maybe. You’re talking about people you can’t possibly know. And knowing Lourde, this sounds like the kind of weird shit he’d try.” Now it was his turn to hold up a hand to stop me. “But what I want to know is why? Why go through all the trouble?”
“To kill Baynar.”
His eyes narrowed more but his expression didn’t change, giving me hope that he wasn’t so opposed to my revelation. “To what end? Revenge?”
“Yes, but not only revenge. You know Earth will never be safe while he lives. Unfortunately, it now appears that just the opposite is true.”
He shook his head. “This is unbelievable. Where is Lara now? Is she still in there?” He tapped the side of my—Lara’s—head.
“Yes, she’s here, I can hear her. She’s fine. What I need to know is, will you help us?”
He stared at me with disgust. “Help you with what? You say Baynar’s dead. You’ve achieved your goal. And seeing that Lara is still locked up in this cell, I assume you did it without implicated her in the deed—which no doubt was your plan?”
I felt Lara’s cheeks heat up with my guilty blush. “I admit, we didn’t quite plan it through.”
“I guess not. Not if you were willing to allow her to take the blame for it.”
Boy, he was pissed. I took that as a good sign. If he cared for Lara, perhaps he’d think twice about eradicating her planet? “I’m sorry, okay? If it means anything to you, I’ve grown quite attached to her myself. I’ve been questioning the outcome of our plan and what it would mean for her. But in the end, it turned out that I was the one who killed him. Not intentionally, but I’m responsible nonetheless. Lara is innocent.”
“When did this supposed assassination take place, and where?” He snapped back into soldier mode.
“Lourde invented a device—a personal transporter. It works by way of a coin, with two pieces that pop out. He used it to escape, but lost one of the coins in the process. Baynar happened to find and activate that coin while I was holding the other piece, bringing me right to him, aboard this ship, less than an hour ago. We fought, and just as he leaped at me, Lourde activated the other piece of the coin and brought me back. Baynar came with me. He’d managed to impale himself on his dagger and was dead when he arrived.”
“Arrived where?”
“Taleon.”
Cade ran a weary hand over his head. “Damn it. He was the only one preventing…”
“The extermination planned for Earth,” I finished for him. “So you know about the so-called games as well?”
“Yes, I know. How do you know about it?”
“Ayres and I played the game last year. We played against the couple that won—Oro and Lissa. Lissa was on Earth and Oro traveled there to warn her. While there, Oro recognized Kenix, who has been staying in the same town as Lissa.” I could see the doubt creep into his face. “It’s a small town—a very small town. Graneden. I have a cottage there that Kenix has been staying at. Lissa said she felt she owed it to me to go there, considering how she and Oro cheated to win the game. Anyway, Oro told Kenix what was going down and Kenix and Lissa traveled to Teleon to warn us. Oro returned to Calixtus to see what else he could discover. As much as I despise Oro, I appreciate the fact he doesn’t want any part of what they plan for Earth.”
I let him digest this information before I continued. “Anyway, now that Baynar’s dead, we’re afraid the members of his council in favor of this plan will take advantage of his disappearance and go ahead with their scheme.”
“So they don’t know he’s dead.”
“No. His body is on Taleon with us. Right now Lourde is hacking into Earth’s satellites and we’re preparing to go live over the airways with a warning. Then we’re equipped to travel there and help them get ready for whatever Calixus plans to throw at us. We’ve taken possession of some Akkadian ships and will fly them to Earth. We only have three pilots and we’re hoping you’ll agree to be a fourth.” So there. I’d revealed everything. If I’d thrown the lot of us under the bus, so be it.
“No.”
“What do you mean no? Are you on their side? Do you want to see humans destroyed all in the name of entertainment?” I tried to calm down, fearful Ayres would link in to protect me.
There wasn’t time for that to happen. In the next instant Lara’s voice grew stronger and stronger as my control over her became weaker and weaker.
And then I was surrounded in blackness.
Chapter 22
“Is he with us, or against us?” Ayres asked as I sat up and sipped at the canteen of water he passed to me.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I got through to him though, and made him believe I wasn’t Lara. He listened to me, and showed no sign he was opposed to Baynar’s death, or that he sided with those bastard councilors.”
“Will he come to Taleon and man one of the ships?” Lourde asked.
“I asked him to help us. I believe he’s on our side, but he told me no.”
Ayres stood back while Lourde moved the instruments away from me and helped me to stand. I shook out my arms and legs, still feeling jittery from being in Lara’s head.
“No? Did he give an explanation?” Ayres demanded.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask him, or to give him our location,” I said accusingly.
“You were freaking out,” Ayres gestured toward the monitors.
“I needed more time,” I said.
Lourde drew our attention to the equipment on the table. “Hopefully it will be enough and he’ll come around. Right now, we’re ready for your transmissio
n. We need to get started as soon as possible, before they detect the signal and trace it back to us.”
He didn’t have to tell me who ‘they’ were. I sighed loudly. “All right. Let’s go.”
Lourde fiddled with his hand-held monitor and pointed it at us. I saw that he’d rigged it up to the other equipment. “This will act as a Seer. They’ll not only hear you, but they’ll have a visual as well.”
But would it be enough? Enough to make the entire world realize they’d soon be under attack from alien forces? I supposed if seeing us on television weren’t enough, they’d soon see us in person, spaceships and all. That should convince them, if they didn’t panic and shoot us out of the sky first.
There was some static on the screen but then I saw Ayres and I in the viewer. We were live. I tried to remember the alerts I’d seen on the Emergency Broadcast System back at Lindove. All the residents would jump around like scared monkeys while the staff tried to hear the announcement. Good times.
“Please excuse this interruption,” I began.
“This transmission is not originated from Planet Earth. We have taken control of your airwaves to alert your planet of an imminent attack,” Ayres said bluntly.
“Please take this seriously,” I begged. “This is not a joke. The human race is at risk.”
“Myself and others of a similar mind are prepared to aid you at this time. Expect our arrival shortly after this transmission,” he continued.
More static appeared on the monitor and suddenly the screen went black. “What happened?” I asked.
“We’ve been cut-off,” Lourde informed us.
“Damn it. Did they see any of it?”
He shook the monitor and tried to regain the signal. “I think so. I hope so.”
“You’re not sure?” I demanded.
Lourde stared at me warily. “The only thing I am sure of is that ‘they’ saw it, and are no doubt on their way here to silence us.”
“How long do we have?” Ayres asked.
“Not long if they come right from the ship,” Lourde informed him.
Ayres grabbed hold of my hand. “We need to leave. Now.”
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