by Anna Adler
“The owner asked me to bring this pet down to the dressing room,” Holly explained, trying to sound natural. “But damn, I forgot my card doesn’t work here. My usual turf is by the arena.”
“I watch pet wrestling all the time, but I haven’t seen this one before,” one of the women said, looking Chase up and down. “Is he new?”
“I think so,” Holly said.
“Let me look up the name of the owner,” the second guard said and prepared to enter data into her wristband.
Holly’s mind went blank. Who in the world can I name?
“Mistress Halina Danek,” Chase said, cutting her thoughts short.
All three women turned to look at him. Holly flashed him a warning look. “You’re not supposed to speak without being asked.”
“Sorry,” Chase said, bowing his head. “I’m a bad pet. My Mistress wants me to train in wrestling to improve my manners.”
“Halina Danek is…was…the head pet trainer at Interstellar Pet Training,” said the second guard, studying her wristband. Her eyebrows shot up as she said the words. Then she frowned. “She was disgracefully discharged less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“My fault,” Chase said, hanging his head. “I was a bad pet.”
The first guard melted with sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”
“And you are…” The second guard eyed Chase while entering commands on her wristband. Holly knew the woman was accessing the pet surveillance records. The microchip in Chase’s neck allowed the guards to locate and identify him. “You’re an unnamed human-Lizardian hybrid. You’re still in training, property of the IPT, but currently under Ms. Danek’s supervision.”
“That’s right,” Chase said, keeping his gaze politely fixed to the floor.
“And Ms. Danek is waiting for you below?” the guard asked.
“She better be,” Holly said, shifting her weight. “I have to get back to my post!”
“All right, go on through,” the first guard said and swiped her keycard over the keypad. It flashed green and the door opened.
“You’ll make a good wrestler,” the second guard said to Chase, smiling seductively. “You look so big and strong.” She stroked Chase’s scaly arm.
Holly was stung by jealousy. Chase was hers and she didn’t want anyone else’s hands on him. “We have to go,” she said, more sharply than she intended.
She let out the breath she had been holding as the door closed behind them and they strode down the hallway. “Nicely played,” she murmured to Chase, who walked behind her.
“You too,” he replied, a grin in his voice.
“A camera,” she warned him. “Don’t look up.”
Holly knew they couldn’t avoid the cameras. Their best hope was to blend in.
“We have to get to the top floor. The elevator requires a keycard which we don’t have, so we have to take the stairs.”
“Right behind you.”
They slipped into the stairwell and climbed up to the top floor. Holly was panting and her legs burned by the time they got there. She noticed Chase didn’t show any signs of exertion. Damn, the man is fit. She peeked out of the stairwell, and, seeing no one, she slipped out. She heard Chase follow. The top floor was fancy, with arched windows, marble pillars and enormous potted plants framing the hallway. Holly tiptoed along the hallway until it turned right. She flattened herself to the wall and peeked around the corner. She pulled back sharply.
“Shit! A restrainer bot.”
The bots were usually in their loading stations inside the walls. They emerged only when called. This one was standing in the middle of the hallway, which could only mean it had orders to guard the area. Holly cursed silently.
“What do we do?” Chase asked in a whisper.
“I don’t know.”
An elevator somewhere to the left made a ping. Holly’s heart jumped and she motioned Chase to follow. She wanted to return to the stairwell to hide, but she noticed one of the doors along the hallway was unlocked. She entered a dark office with Chase behind her. The room was luxuriously furnished and the windows gave a view of the brightly lit main arena several stories below.
“What do we do about the bot?” Chase asked.
“I’m not sure. It’s been ordered not to let anyone pass.”
“So you have to order it out of the way. Can’t you use that?” He pointed at her wristband.
Holly shook her head. “These things are DNA-coded. I can wear this wristband to look like a guard, but I can’t enter commands. It only takes commands executed by the correct guard’s hand.”
“Damn. We should have taken his hand with us.”
Holly gave him a hard stare.
Chase put his hands up. “I’m kidding.”
“I don’t have the authority to move that bot.”
“Then do it the old-fashioned way,” Chase said.
“What do you mean?”
“Throw something at it. It’ll come and investigate, right?”
“Yes. It might.”
“Good. Lure it into this room. We’ll lock it in.”
“Okay.”
“As long as we don’t try to attack it, it shouldn’t raise an alarm, right?”
“Correct. They’re not very intelligent. If that bot gets stuck, it’ll call someone to release it so it can return to its post. We just have to move fast before someone comes over from the guard room.”
Holly glanced around. Grabbing a random data pad off a shelf, she let go of Chase’s leash and slipped outside. Chase followed her soundlessly. She glanced back and saw him flatten himself behind a pillar.
“Be ready to close the door,” she whispered.
Chase’s hand appeared from behind the column to give her the thumbs up. Holly sneaked close to the corner, her heart thumping loudly against her ribs. She peeked around the corner. The bot stood in the middle of the hallway. She aimed and flung the data pad at it, hitting it in the chest with a clunk. The bot stirred, its eyeless head turning in Holly’s direction. Holly backed away quickly. She heard the heavy thump of the bot’s feet as it came toward her, so she turned and fled into the office, leaving the door wide open behind her. She hid behind the doorway then grabbed a small potted plant and flung it to the other end of the room where it shattered with a crash. The bot entered the room. Holly, squatting with her back against the wall, would be trapped if the bot noticed her. She wouldn’t be able to escape it.
The bot scanned the room for an agonizing second then strode past her toward the broken pot. Holly spun around and threw herself out the door. She landed on the floor and heard the whirr of joints as the robot turned to catch her, but then the door slammed closed. Holly scrambled up and saw Chase leaning his shoulder to the door.
“Lock it!”
Holly hit the control panel and the door locked with a snap.
She exhaled. “Good. Let’s go!”
They jogged down the hallway. Holly heard the thumps as the bot tried to open the door and failed. They were almost at the Champion’s Suite when she heard a male voice from up ahead. “I don’t know,” he was saying to someone, “I’m gonna go check it out.”
“Hide,” she whispered at Chase.
Holly dove behind a marble pillar and saw Chase do the same behind a pillar to her left. She flattened herself against the polished stone surface and held her breath. The guard’s footsteps approached.
“Looks like it’s stuck in office room 4,” a voice said over the radio.
“That’s weird,” the guard replied. “We better have a look around.”
“Roger that.”
Holly sidled along the pillar as the guard passed by, keeping herself out of sight. The man didn’t notice them. As soon as he turned the corner, Holly waved at Chase and they continued in search of Avalanche.
Finally, they arrived at a large, engraved door with a golden sign identifying it as the Champion’s Suite. Holly tried the door. Locked. She again tried her stolen key card, but the pane
l flashed a red light at her.
“Damn it. Stealing this keycard was a total waste of effort.”
“A guard’s coming this way,” Chase murmured. “I hear his footsteps.”
Holly cursed in her mind then straightened her ill-fitting jacket. They were out of options. She rapped on the door with her knuckles. A long moment passed, but then she heard footsteps coming to the door. High heels, by the sound of it.
“A woman,” Chase muttered.
“Yeah,” Holly whispered, glancing anxiously to her right. The patrolling guard’s footsteps were almost upon them, too. “I’ll handle her. You close the door.”
Chase grunted in agreement.
As soon as the door opened, Holly forced her way in, shoulder first. The finely dressed, brown-haired woman inside gasped and jumped back. Holly shoved her against the wall and clamped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. Chase slipped in behind her and closed the door softly.
“I don’t see anyone,” he reported behind her shoulder. “I’ll check the other rooms.”
Holly nodded. “Go.”
The woman got over her shock and began to struggle. She screamed against Holly’s palm and tried to bite her. Holly dragged her away from the door so that the guard passing by wouldn’t hear.
Chase returned in swift, silent strides. “I didn’t find any guards or staff. We have privacy.”
“Okay,” Holly replied, her voice strained as she was trying to keep her vicious opponent under control. “This must be Ms. Reed then. Did you see Avalanche?”
“I saw a big cage in the living room back there. I think he’s in there.”
“Good. Go talk to him.”
Ms. Reed, hearing her words, turned into a furious wildcat. She kicked and struggled so hard Holly nearly lost her grip. Holly realized what she must have assumed—that they were here to hurt her pet.
“Everything’s fine, Ms. Reed,” Holly said, gripping the woman tight. “We’re not here to hurt anyone. We just need to talk to you. It’s important.”
Ms. Reed yanked away with such force that she fell down and Holly landed on top of her. They grappled viciously before Holly managed to restrain the woman again.
“Settle down,” she hissed in the woman’s ear.
“Do you need help?” Chase asked.
Ms. Reed elbowed her in the ribs, causing her to wince in pain, but she didn’t loosen her grip. “No, I’m fine. I’ll talk to her. You go talk to Avalanche. Hurry.”
“Got it.”
Chapter 21
The muffled sounds of the grappling women diminished as Chase walked into the splendidly furnished living room area in the back of the suite. A large cage took up half the space. The damn cage was as big as an apartment, and it was furnished like one, with big couches and entertainment stations, tables with trays full of food, training mats and weights in one corner, and a huge ass four-poster bed in another. Avalanche was stretched out on the bed, arms folded behind his head, his eyes closed. Chase recognized him from the billboards all over the city. Thick, platinum white shoulder-length hair. He wore black pants and an expensive-looking sleeveless shirt, so well-fitting it must have been tailored.
Chase sauntered closer. He wasn’t sure what he should say. He wasn’t exactly great at talking, but he had to win this guy over. His Mistress depended on him.
“Hey there,” he said.
A few seconds passed, but then Avalanche lifted his head. The huge, red-eyed Crasnian stared at him. The humanoid alien unfolded his arms and pushed himself to a sitting position.
“I’m Chase,” Chase said. “I need to talk to you.”
Avalanche let out a growl. “What the fuck? I’m taking a nap here. Fuck off.”
Well, he talks. That’s a plus.
“Sorry, I can’t fuck off.”
“Mistress!” Avalanche bellowed, staring past Chase.
Shit.
“Your Mistress is busy with my Mistress,” he said. “Sorry.”
Avalanche ignored him. “Mistress, there’s some asshole in my quarters! I want to snap his neck.”
“She’s not going to come. Just talk to me for a minute, all right? Then I’ll leave you alone.”
Avalanche scoffed and shook his head. He rolled out of bed and sauntered over to the table with food and drinks laid out on it. Chase was used to being a head taller than most people, but Avalanche was even bigger.
That fucking tower of a man makes me nervous.
Avalanche poured himself a drink and faced Chase. “You’re a pet,” the Crasnian said. “You’ve got a collar on and I’d say you have Lizardian blood. How the fuck did you get into my quarters?”
“We broke in.”
“We?”
“Me and my Mistress. We want to talk to you.”
Avalanche’s blood red eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth. “What did you do to my Mistress?”
“She’s all right. She’s not hurt.”
Avalanche flung the glass into a wall, smashing it into pieces. He strode to the bars, wearing a murderous expression. “What did you do? She fucking better be all right. If you so much as put a wrinkle on her clothing, I’m going to gut you, you bastard. I’m going to tear your guts out and eat them, you hear me?”
Chase’s insides felt icy. He knew the Crasnian meant every word, and he wondered if their plan had gone down the toilet the moment Holly grabbed Ms. Reed. On top of considerable discomfort, she definitely had wrinkles in her clothing now. He couldn’t blame Avalanche for his fury. He knew in the marrow of his bones that he would react the same if someone threatened Holly.
“Your Mistress is fine,” Chase said. I hope. “My mistress is keeping her company. They’re just…talking.” Well, Holly is, at any rate. Ms. Reed might be gagged.
“You’re lucky you’ve got these bars standing between us,” Avalanche snarled. “If I was out of the cage, you’d be dead meat already. I’d paint the walls red.”
Chase lifted his hands. “Look, I know what you mean. I’d do the same to you if you hurt my Mistress. But no one’s hurt here, so will you hear me out? We can beat each other into pulp later, if you want.”
Avalanche pointed a menacing finger at him. “She’s not hurt, you say?”
“No. Fuck, the last thing we want is to piss you off. I need you to do me a favor.”
“A favor? You asshole…are asking me…for a favor?”
“It’s kind of in your best interest, too.”
Avalanche scowled at him, his temper rising again. “Best interest? Something’s going to happen to my Mistress if I don’t obey, you mean?”
“No.”
“I’ll snap your spine like a twig!”
Chase blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, no one’s going to hurt anybody. Calm the fuck down. I just came here to talk.”
Avalanche paced his cage, fuming.
“I swear no one’s going to hurt your Mistress,” Chase said. “I’m not here to blackmail you.”
Holly wouldn’t want that.
Finally, Avalanche threw himself into a massive armchair facing the bars. He grabbed a fresh glass—he had several—poured himself another drink and chucked it down his throat.
“Fine,” he said, dangling the empty glass from his fingers. “Sit your ass down and say what you came to say. I want to see my Mistress afterward.”
Chase sat down in an armchair facing the cage. He ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t have a clue how to do this, but at least he and Avalanche could talk. In fact, Avalanche seemed to communicate like a normal person, which Chase found strange. He didn’t behave at all like an oppressed pet.
“Say, uh…you seem pretty lively and talkative.”
“So what? Didn’t you just say you came here to talk?”
“Yeah. But I was just wondering…I talked to another pet before, but he didn’t want to talk to me. Not a single word. He didn’t even look at me.”
Avalanche gave a grunt of understanding. “Broken. No use talking to the
broken ones.”
“Why are they like that?”
“They’ve been conditioned. Back at the pet training centers, you know. They’ve been taught to communicate only with their human owner, or with the human owner’s permission. If they don’t have permission, they don’t talk. Simple as that.”
Curious. Holly didn’t teach me to be silent. She liked me talking.
“So I deduce you’re not broken.”
Avalanche put the empty glass on the table and folded his arms behind his head. “Hell, I liked my training.”
Chase lifted an eyebrow. “You did?”
“Yeah. My will was aligned with the will of the trainers, so no one needed to break me. Hence, I came through with my sanity intact. But that’s why you’re a talker too, isn’t it? You’re one of us sick fucks who digs this shit.”
Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”
“I know how to keep my mouth shut when necessary. Play the good pet. It’s easy when you know the rules. And my Mistress likes me as I am, so I have no cause to complain.”
“But what about freedom? Wouldn’t you like to be free?”
“I’m happy as I am. What? Are you telling me that you want to leave Silenia?”
“I’d like to have the freedom to come and go, yeah. And I’d rather not have a death sentence hanging over my head. Wouldn’t you?”
Avalanche shrugged. “The whole universe is fucked up one way or another. Maybe you were born in a happy world full of peaceful people, but I sure as hell wasn’t. My parents sold me to slavers. I was just a kid back then, I don’t even know how old. But I was a strong kid, so good for work. I was mining asteroids for as long as I can remember. Dangerous job in the black of space, with nothing to look forward to but more shit work during the next day cycle. No women, no hope of ever even seeing one, let alone touching. A cold, black, empty hell, that’s what my life was.”
Chase nodded his head in acknowledgment. The man’s history didn’t differ much from his own, even though clearly Avalanche had been dealt even worse cards than Chase. He let Avalanche continue, uninterrupted.