Can’t let her fall. Can’t let her fall.
Finn repeated the words like a mantra as she struggled to hold on.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a large black hand swoop down and grab the girl by her bicep, pulling her from Finn’s hold. Carrow flew into the air with a surprised shriek, her yellow curls trailing behind her, and Finn watched in shock as the Solidarian pulled her onto his back with minimal effort. Not missing a beat, Carrow wrapped her arms tightly around the giant’s neck and held on for dear life.
A hush had fallen over the crowd sometime during their struggle.
“Uh . . . uh . . . two minutes left.” The announcer stumbled over his words.
A low rumble shook the ground and Finn heard Bedlam’s primal roar as he threw his body at the holds. Ignoring the rest of them, the enraged hybrid scaled the wall in record time, taking only four swift jumps before he plummeted over the other side.
“Follow me,” the Solidarian instructed in a low rumble.
Ignoring her surprise at hearing the man’s voice for the first time, Finn rushed to follow closely behind. They made their way up with increasing speed, mimicking the Solidarian as he easily traversed the wall by lunging and jumping to find blue holds for the rest of them to grab. The other competitors stared down at them with wide eyes from their perch on top of the wall.
Supersonic pointed and yelled, “Do you see what I’m seeing?”
“I see four dead half-breeds, that’s what I see,” Rock sneered. He shot Finn one last hard glare before he, Viper, and Supersonic descended the other side of the wall.
Finn and her companions made it to the top shortly after and heaved themselves over. The sound of buzzing electricity filled the air mere seconds later. Finn’s heart pounded in her chest and sweat soaked her burgundy pants and shirt. The Solidarian barely seemed winded as he gently put Carrow down next to Finn. AJ flopped to his knees at their side, trying to catch his breath.
“That was close,” he huffed.
Finn’s eyes slowly scanned the Dome around her where the entirety of the Reliance crowd in attendance remained uncharacteristically quiet.
The announcer coughed slightly before breaking the tense silence.
“Well, that was certainly an unusual display. I’m sure our next challenge will prove to be much more violent.”
Scattered applause followed his pronouncement.
Finn and the others used the attached ropes to make their way down the Wall of Death. When their feet touched ground, she found Rock, Viper, and Gray Matter at the entrance to the third challenge.
Supersonic had already sprinted her way across the wobbly concrete pedestals and was in the process of pulling down on one of the four levers leading to freedom. She savored the moment, yelling in triumph and raising her hands over her head to incite the crowd.
Bedlam had already moved to the edge of the Dome to resume his double-fisted attack on the structure. With every violent, silent thud, the energy of the audience elevated as they gasped and thrilled at the controlled danger.
By the time she turned her attention back to the final obstacle, Gray Matter was almost halfway across, and Viper and Rock had jumped to their first pedestals.
“What’s the plan?” AJ asked.
Finn studied the boiling, bubbling water simmering a few inches below the scattered pedestals. The structures floated above, secured by chains and moving slightly with the flow of water.
“Don’t die,” she told the boy.
“Works for me. Do we need to worry about him?” AJ motioned with his head toward the Solidarian.
The big hybrid met her stare for a moment before grunting and diving for the nearest pedestal. Once he’d landed and found his footing, his bald head turned toward Carrow and he extended his arms.
“Jump,” he told her gruffly.
The child looked up at Finn as if waiting for permission.
The concrete pedestals were less than twelve inches wide, making it difficult to accommodate more than one. But Carrow was small for her age, and the Solidarian seemed confident she would make it.
Finn’s mind swam. Did she trust him? He’d certainly shocked the hell out of her when he saved Carrow on the wall. If he had an insidious ulterior motive for aiding their trio, she was struggling to come up with what it might be.
Was it possible that the most brutal hybrid on the field wasn’t as heartless as he’d been made out to be?
Either way, they were losing time for every second Finn hesitated. She made a split-second decision and nodded to the girl.
“It’s okay. Do as he says.”
Carrow turned and made a clumsy dive toward the first pedestal. The Solidarian caught her easily under the armpits and held her steady. Finn nudged AJ and they both took a deep breath.
In unison, they took a running leap to land on side-by-side pedestals a few feet away from the Solidarian and Carrow. The structure shook and wavered beneath Finn’s weight and she fell to her knees in an effort to balance herself. She turned to find AJ had landed in much the same position. Steam hissed from the water below, causing sweat to drip from the boy’s pale forehead in a steady stream.
The Solidarian jumped to the next pedestal, helping Carrow along once he’d gained his balance. Finn and AJ followed, struggling to jump the gaps from their stationary positions.
She was so focused on maintaining her balance and avoiding the scalding watery grave below, she didn’t notice Rock staring at her from the next pedestal over.
When she finally found her footing enough to make the next jump, the hybrid’s angry voice carried over to her.
“You’re messing everything up! The Reliance wants a show, not this hand-holding peace rally you and your stupid friends have conjured up.”
She caught Viper’s wicked smile out of the corner of her eye and found her waving a webbed hand cheekily just as Rock leapt from his pedestal to Finn’s.
The impact of Rock on the platform jostled them both and Finn fell to her back with her head hanging precariously over the water as the pedestal bobbed to the left then the right under their weight. Rock found his footing and immediately straddled her with his large body, throwing punches at her face and chest.
She rolled from side to side, desperately dodging each hit as she did. His fists were hard as stone, making each punch punishingly effective and Finn winced as each one slammed into the pedestal with a sickening crack.
“Finn!” AJ yelled. “Leave her alone, you bastard!”
She rolled her hips to the side, struggling to gain leverage and dislodge the angry hybrid. A crushing right hook clipped the side of her head and Finn saw stars. Had it fully connected, she would’ve been killed.
The apex of the Dome spun above her, and her body went slack from the force of the blow. She barely heard the rush of the crowd or AJ and Carrow’s screams over the high-pitched ringing in her ears.
Still straddling her, Rock brought his fists together over his head and yelled in triumph, soaking up the audience’s frenzy for violence. Finn fought to remain conscious.
She only had a small window of opportunity to escape. Unfortunately, she was having difficulty getting her leaden limbs to cooperate.
She’d been hit before—more times that she could count—but never by someone with diamond-hard fists like Rock’s. The glancing blow had knocked her on her ass and rendered her stupid.
She also thought she’d been hit so hard she might be hallucinating. Through her bleary vision it almost looked like the cheering hybrid’s head was smoking.
Finn squinted through the blood dripping from her forehead to get a better look, her eyes widening as she realized Rock’s blue hair was indeed on fire. As if feeling the weight of her dumbfounded stare, he glared down at her.
“What are you looking at?”
The flames continued to grow, the scent of smoke and burning hair filling her nostrils.
Rock sniffed the air, confusion furrowing his brows as he looked for the sou
rce of the smell.
Viper cupped her blue, scaled hands and yelled from her pedestal, “Rock, you’re on fire!”
“What are you talking about?” he called back.
Finally, the dots seemed to connect, and Rock’s eyes shot heavenward as he patted and swatted at the flames on his head.
“She said, you’re on fire, dumbass.”
The Solidarian’s deep rumble sounded next to Finn’s right ear. She managed to turn enough to see him standing chest-deep in the boiling-hot water. His right hand was still suspended in the air and pointed at Rock. The dark skin of his palm was smoking.
Judging from his calm demeanor, the deathly hot water of the moat didn’t seem to be having any effect on him whatsoever.
His eyes, red and gleaming, tightened as he locked eyes with Rock.
The Solidarian grabbed the half-Kreetian by the arm and pulled him off of Finn. Rock’s smoldering body went careening as the Solidarian threw his weight easily in the opposite direction. The hybrid’s upper half landed on a nearby pedestal with an “oomph” as his legs splashed helplessly in the scalding water below.
Rock screamed in agony while he desperately struggled to pull his body up onto the tilted pedestal. His pants had been burned off from the kneecaps down and the skin of his legs was covered in angry red blisters.
“Viper! Help me!” he cried as his body rolled in anguish onto the pedestal’s surface.
The poisonous princess merely shrugged her shoulders and turned away from him, jumping down from the last pedestal to the ground below. Without a backward glance, she sauntered to one of the remaining levers and made a hasty exit. Gray Matter followed closely behind, leaving two final levers available for them to make their escape.
Finn felt a warm hand wrap around her bicep.
“Can you walk?” the Solidarian asked gruffly.
“That depends,” she told him. “Is it just me or is this pedestal spinning?”
She thought she heard an answering chuckle but couldn’t be sure. The Solidarian lifted her into his arms, carefully holding her above the water as he sloshed his way to the other side. There, AJ was in the process of helping Carrow jump from the last pedestal to the earth below.
The Solidarian’s hand brushed Finn’s as he readjusted her in his arms. She felt the telltale buzzing in her ears as images began to overtake her. In her weakened state and without her anchor scent to bind her to the present, Finn’s mind careened into darkness.
Uh-oh.
She is standing next to an adolescent boy with inky black skin. He is staring at the ground intently, and his body is strung tight with tension as he bends over something she can’t see.
Finn moves closer to his side to find his hands clenched in fists and fully engulfed in blue flames. The bodies of an older man and a young pregnant woman lie on the ground in front of him. Their vacant eyes stare skyward and blood pours from wounds in their chests and stomachs, causing Finn to stumble back in horror.
It takes a moment before she hears the screaming. As the images around her become clearer, she realizes they are surrounded by thick, black smoke and desperate screams . . . tortured screams. Everything within her line of sight is ablaze, including the soldiers’ barracks nearly thirty feet away.
The screaming is coming from within.
Finn coughs and swats at the smoke as another scream of agony joins the rest.
She turns to see the boy throw his head back and pound his chest. Hot tears stream down his face and shine within his red eyes.
Finn snapped back into awareness as the Solidarian placed her feet on the ground next to Carrow and climbed up beside her. Steam wafted off of his strong body and the remnants of his burnt jumpsuit hung loosely from his large frame. The intimidating man was a far cry from the boy she’d glimpsed in her vision.
Finn’s head pounded, but the Dome had blessedly stopped spinning and she found she was able to stand without much trouble.
“Are you okay, Finn?”
She found AJ watching her with worried eyes and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Thanks to him,” she said, pointing at the Solidarian. “What do you say we get out of here?”
“Rock already got through and pulled one of the levers. There’s only one left.”
Rock managed to get through with his legs burned like that?
A barely perceptible shiver stole through Finn at the thought. She could only imagine the kind of determination—or anger—that had fueled him to accomplish such a feat.
It was safe to say she wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again.
The Solidarian interrupted her dark thoughts as he stated, “We can all use the last exit. It has never been done, but there are no rules against it.”
Finn looked around her small group of allies and smiled.
“What do you say we get out of here?”
AJ and Carrow returned her smile while the Solidarian remained characteristically stoic. They made their way to the lever and Finn let out a sigh of relief.
A low, guttural howl stopped the breath in her lungs and stalled her hand above the lever. Bedlam was still on the outskirts of the Dome, tearing up dirt and pounding on the projection.
She couldn’t leave him behind.
Finn grasped the final lever and pulled down, turning to the others as an exit tunnel opened before them.
“Go! I’m right behind you!”
She watched as the Solidarian, AJ, and Carrow dove through the tunnel’s opening to safety. Turning back around, Finn desperately yelled over to Bedlam.
“Come on, Bedlam! Over here!”
The enraged hybrid paid her no attention as he moved toward the final obstacle to tear up: the pedestals; he bellowed in pain as the water burned his red skin.
The half-Khaleerian was so lost to his rage, she doubted if he even heard her.
The door behind her let loose a groan as it slowly began to close.
“Please!” she screamed. “Come with us!”
She could have sworn the big beast’s eyes flickered with awareness as he met hers. Before she could capitalize on the moment, however, strong arms wrapped around Finn’s waist and dragged her into the tunnel.
She screamed frantically as she watched the laser guns affixed to the interior of the Dome turn and take aim at Bedlam.
“No!”
The door closed on Bedlam’s pained cries as the guns fired.
THIRTY-THREE
Hot tears streamed down Finn’s face and her chest rose and fell with heavy sobs. Something akin to compassion sparked in the Solidarian’s eyes as he released her, but he said nothing.
Carrow wrapped her little arms around Finn’s waist and squeezed. As soon as the doors fully closed, gas began to seep from the vents, coiling around their group like a snake.
Rather than fight to stay conscious, an overwhelmed Finn embraced the impending darkness.
When she next awoke, they had all been returned to their cells and their restraints had been replaced. The blood had been washed from Finn’s face and her left eye and temple had begun to swell. The wound felt hot to the touch and Finn winced every time she turned her head too quickly.
A low moan sounded across the way and she caught sight of Rock’s long body lying flat on the floor of his cell. His wires had been reattached and a fresh jumpsuit covered the burns and blisters on his legs.
“I’m going to kill you,” he hissed to Finn. “As soon as we get out of here again, you’re mine.”
Before Finn could react to the threat, AJ blindly slammed his shoulder against the glass separating his cell from Rock’s.
“You touch her and I’ll kill you!”
Unimpressed, Rock groaned once again as the vibe cannon sent another ultralow frequency shooting through his body.
“Rock is right,” Viper added. They had dressed her again in the latex suit. “Brain-Dead and her little kiddies are walking expiration dates. The Reliance wants a show and if you don’t give it to them, you’ll be dead
either way. I can make it quick for you.” She murmured to Finn, “One touch would hurt a lot less than letting Rock get his hands on you again.”
Finn wasn’t so sure she agreed.
“I’m sorry,” Supersonic interrupted, “but are we just going to ignore the giant fire-breathing dragon in the room? The Solidarian actually helped them, and don’t get me started on the badass haircut he gave Rock.”
Rock turned to glower at Supersonic, revealing a singed bald spot on the back of his head. Watching them interact so casually caused something to shift in Finn’s brain, the dim flame of despair igniting and searing a trail of rage straight to her chest.
“Bedlam is dead!” she cried, punching the glass with her fist. “Do any of you even care? He died for nothing. Nothing! So the Reliance could get their kicks, and you’re all more than happy to give it to them. We should be helping each other get out of here. Instead you’re acting like a bunch of Reliance dogs, sitting and playing fetch whenever master says so.”
“Somebody better hose her down, she’s having a fit,” Viper called out cheerfully.
“Can it, Petri Dish,” AJ growled.
“Look,” Supersonic said softly, “we’re not saying we like it.” She paused to glance over at Viper and Rock before correcting herself. “Okay, I’m not saying I like it, but we call it the Imminent Death Club for a reason. It’s just the way things are. And I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of allergic to dying.”
“Then stop worrying about killing each other and listen to me,” Finn snapped against the glass. “Look around you. The Reliance has us in these cages because they’re scared. But instead of using that fear, you’re playing right into their hands. You’re afraid of what they’ll do to you if you don’t play their sick games? If you’d cool it with the bloodlust for two seconds, you’d see that.”
“That’s easy to say after your first day in the Dome,” Viper countered, examining a latex-covered hand. “Impassioned speeches are nice, but they only go so far. You think you’re the first person to spout off about working together?” She scoffed and shook her head. “It never lasts. Eventually, you’ll wind up just like the rest of us. Ask the Solidarian. He’s seen it for the last fifteen cycles. He probably helped you today because seeing that glint of hope in your eyes is almost as entertaining as its going to be when the Dome squashes it out.”
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