I nodded. “I think I’ve found the solution to our problems.”
I could see him battling with the need to berate, the need to tell me all the reasons why leaving this ship had been a bad idea. But I was here, and I was fine, and I had a solution.
He took a deep breath. “Go on.”
I bit back a smile. I did love the logical side of Tide. Vex would have bawled me out, then crushed me to his chest just to reassure himself I was still there.
I tugged the crumpled poster from my pocket and handed it to him. “There’s a gauntlet. That’s the prize. If we win, we’re out of here.”
He studied the poster. “It says there are qualifying rounds.”
So, he wasn’t dismissing the idea. Good. “Last round is today. I’m going.”
His head whipped up, and he studied me through narrowed eyes. “Xavier told me you had skill. That you fought like a demon in the arena on Vesper. You saved my life on Limera … I understand why you’d want to do this, but it’s too dangerous. We have no idea what alternate species you’ll be fighting.”
“I can handle myself, Tide. I can take a beating.”
“And so can I. I’ll do this.”
“Your training isn’t dirty enough.”
His mouth lifted in a sadistic smile. “Oh, I can get dirty if need be.”
“Fine, then we both apply. Two chances of winning.” I offered him a close-lipped smile.
He massaged his temples. “Vex and Xavier would give us four shots at a win, but we can’t risk their jobs just in case …”
In case we all lose. “It has to be the two of us.”
“You have a contact, I assume.” He held up the paper. “I doubt you could read this yourself.”
I smiled. “Yes. I’m meeting him in an hour.” I held out the board. “The deal is, I fix the board and he’ll take us to the location of the gauntlet in the Cogs.”
Tide took the board and turned it over. “I can fix this. It’ll take a few minutes.” He looked past me toward the door. “We should make Lore comfortable before we leave.”
The idea of leaving Lore alone didn’t appeal, but his fever had broken, and the wound already looked much better.
“Vex and Xavier will probably get back before we do. We need to leave them a note.”
Tide sighed. “Do it.”
I left him to wrap up his ministrations in the engine room and headed to the main chamber we shared.
At least the pen and paper would finally come in useful.
* * *
Making the journey through the hub with Tide was almost pleasant, as if we were out for a sightseeing stroll. I’d donned the same garb as the day before, and Tide was wearing a brown hooded cloak. Not that it mattered so much for him. We’d spotted several Athions already. Their blue skin was a dead giveaway. The port was home to all sorts. Leathery-skinned humanoid beings, tall, slender, pale bipedal creatures. Short, squat, dwarf-like androgynous species. My brain struggled to keep up with them all.
Tide steered me with a hand at the small of my back, which was ironic, considering I was the one leading the way.
I swerved past a four-legged creature with a tail and a long neck wearing a hat. “You’re going to need to educate me on all the species at some point.”
Tide chuckled. “That one is a Zykoo; they’re friendly, peace-loving creatures who love to explore the stars. Extremely advanced technology; in fact, they trade with Athion on a regular basis.”
“And the dwarf creatures?”
“Dwarf?”
“The short ones we just passed.”
“Kamari. Short-tempered and aggressive. Steer clear.”
I cut down the alley where I’d followed Vartin and then jumped the chain-link fence into the network of streets beyond.
Tide let out a low whistle.
“Keep up, Athion boy.” I broke into a jog, visualizing the route I’d taken the last time to get me to the walkway I’d vaulted over. It was above me this time, and there was Vartin, leaning up against a post studying his nails. He looked up as we approached and then took a step back.
“No deal,” he said. “No deal for two.”
Tide held up the hoverboard. “Not even for an upgrade on your board?”
Vartin looked from Tide to the board. “Upgrade?”
Tide grinned and then broke into another language, guttural and harsh. Vartin’s body relaxed, and then he was nodding. Tide held the board out, and Vartin took it eagerly.
“We’re good,” Tide said to me.
“Deal on,” Vartin said. “Follow me.”
He set off through the winding streets, and we followed. The buildings clustered closer the deeper we went, and the streets grew narrower. The air grew smoggy and gray.
“The Cogs is up ahead,” Vartin said. “Watch where you step.” He hopped onto his board and whizzed off.
Shit, he was fast. “Wait up.” I sped up with Tide at my side.
The ground began to clang. Metal under our boots. Grilled walkways crisscrossed above us. The buildings were moving. They were built from huge metal interconnecting cogs. It was like stepping into the inner workings of a clock.
And we weren’t the only ones navigating it. Figures milled around us, in and out of the buildings; some even skittered up and across the walkways, as nimble as spiders.
Vartin whizzed back to touch base. “Almost there.” He flew off, swerving to the left.
The ground sloped downward, and the world grew gloomy.
“Over here!” Vartin called out.
I spotted him hovering outside a door built into a tall, slender building that seemed to reach up to the stars. Farther to our left was an arch where two huge creatures stood guard while a thin stream of bodies made their way in. Another entrance?
Vartin hopped off his board and banged a fist on the door.
He called out in his language again.
I looked up at Tide. “What’s he saying?”
“Asking them to open up, he has customers for Braker.”
The door swung open, and Vartin babbled a moment longer before ushering us inside.
A feminine, dark-skinned creature stepped back to admit us. Her pupils were vertical like a cat’s, but her eyes were round, wide, and lashless.
Vartin herded us past her and up a flight of stairs. “Registration above. Fight below. Not much time.”
Shit, this was happening fast. The stairs were metal-grilled and shook as we climbed them to the floor above. A narrow walkway greeted us, and then an arch opened out into a small reception area. A blob sat on a stool before a large halo screen. An actual gray blob with two blinking eyes and a slash of a mouth.
It studied us for a long beat and then turned its attention to Vartin.
They stared at each other for a long second, then Vartin nodded.
“You wish to register?” The words echoed around us.
Shit, who’d said that? I glanced about.
Tide gripped my hand. “It’s okay.”
A wheezing sound filled the air. Vartin was laughing at me.
I glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“Bilon speaking,” Vartin said. He pointed at the blob. “He project voice.”
“Yes, we wish to register,” Tide said to the blob.
The blob shuddered, and then slender gray projections extended out of its skin and began tapping away at the halo screen.
“Numbers 148 and 149.” He finished tapping, and an alcove in the wall opened up. “Suit up. The fight begins in twenty minutes.”
Tide led the way into the alcove. Suits hung on pegs, bodysuits made of some kind of stretchy material that had weird silver pads all over it.
“Sensor pads,” Vartin said. “Hit pads to score points. Highest points win.”
Well, that made sense, but it also meant there was no way to hide what I was. Human and female.
I turned to Vartin. “Who attends these fights?”
His eyes narrowed. “You hiding?”
>
Tide stepped forward. “Would it matter if we were?”
Vartin smiled slowly. “If you hide, you come to the right place. Braker don’t like officials. No officials. Ever. This is Braker’s world, and he has own rules. Even enforcers not mess with him.”
Okay, that made me feel better.
Vartin turned his back on us. “Dress, and I take you down.”
I grabbed a suit off the peg and began to strip. I was down to my underwear when I noticed Tide had stopped moving. He was staring at me, his silver gaze running over my bare flesh.
He turned his back quickly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. My fault. I’m used to not thinking about my nakedness. We changed communally and showered communally on Vesper.”
“And the Trads locked up with you … they never …”
Marlon, Anton, and Killion came to mind. My protectors. My friends. My throat tightened. “I had friends. And I had my fists. They soon learned to leave me alone.”
Tide was silent for a long beat. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to save them.”
Maybe he was now. But back then he hadn’t cared. Back then, it had been all about getting me. I’d been the mission, and the casualties hadn’t mattered. I swallowed the bitter thought.
Things were different now. Tide was different.
I tugged on the suit. “I’m done. Can you zip me?”
I offered my back to him and waited. His knuckles grazed my skin through the fabric as he pulled the zipper up.
“My turn,” he said, his voice husky.
I faced him to find him stripped down to his briefs. It was the first time I’d seen him like this, exposed and almost naked. He had the swimmer’s build, the broad shoulders, and the tapered waist. And his aqua skin was covered in intricate swirls of black, inky tattoos. They covered his side and then spread over his pectorals. My fingers ached to touch them, to run over them and explore each beautiful line.
He stayed like that for a moment longer, allowing me to take him in before pulling on the suit.
I exhaled sharply, not realizing I’d been holding my breath.
Tide’s lips curved in half a smile. “Nice to see I can stun you into silence too.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You’re hot.”
He arched a brow in question.
“It means I find you very attractive.”
He bridged the gap between us. “Well, I’ll have to make sure I don’t get beaten to a pulp then.”
I reached around him and grasped the zipper, bringing our bodies into contact, my breasts pressed to his chest. He sucked in a breath as I slowly, achingly pulled the zipper up.
I raised my chin so our lips were a mere inch apart. “Just remember to fight dirty.”
His eyes darkened. “Do you like it dirty?”
I drew my bottom lip into my mouth and then slowly released it. “When this is all over, you can find out just how dirty I like it.”
He sucked in a breath, and then his hand was at the nape of my neck, and his mouth was slanting over mine. I pushed up on tiptoes, reveling in the pulse of hardness pressed to my abdomen. I opened for him, pushing my tongue into his mouth to tangle with his while rubbing against him. He broke the kiss with a frustrated growl.
And then he looked down between us. “I’m going to need a moment.”
I pushed up and sucked on his bottom lip, grazing it with my teeth before backing out of the room.
“Maybe when we get back to the ship, I can give you a hand.”
“Not fair, Rogue. Not fair.”
6
Marick
Conrad Hummer’s face looms large on the holoscreen. The head of acquisitions does not look happy. He looks like he wants to reach through the screen and rip my head off.
Lights are still blinking all over the ship as systems come back online. We took a huge hit from the Athion ship and barely escaped intact. Comms to base have just come online, much to my disconcertion. I could have done with more time to compose myself.
“You failed us, Marick,” Conrad says. “You know what that means.”
Panic is a vise around my lungs. I’m not the kind of man to plead, but this is my life on the line.
I don’t bother to hide the desperation in my voice. “Please, wait. Give me one more chance. The ship tracked the shuttle’s general trajectory before they shielded. With the systems back online, we’ve run calculations. There’s only one place they could have gone.”
Conrad’s eyes narrow. “I’m listening …”
“Corona Nexus, the spaceport. It’s the perfect place for them to refuel or switch craft.”
“But it’s been two weeks. What makes you think they’re still there?”
It’s a gut feeling. A knowledge burning in the back of my brain. Or maybe it’s just desperate hope. But these reasons won’t pacify Conrad.
I stand taller. “They would have needed to scrap the shuttle and buy a ship. Even if they have completed their transactions, there will be a trail, and I will find it. All I need is a ship ID code. I can trace them.”
“It sounds like a long shot to me.”
Shit. I need this. I need to finish this. To make her pay for everything she’s done to me. “I’m not the only one looking for them. We picked up chatter from the Athion ship. The Athions with her were tasked to bring her in, and they’ve abandoned their mission. The Athion government has issued warrants on the snitches and also on Rogue.”
He rubs his chin in thought. “You intend to shadow them to get to your target?” He sounds almost impressed.
“Yes, sir. We had them,” I remind him. “If not for the arrival of the Athion ship, we would have Rogue right now. I will not fail you again.”
I see the moment that he makes his decision. It’s a shift in his expression, a relaxing of the muscles in his face, and my shoulders almost slump in relief, but I hold firm, waiting for the words.
“One more chance, Marick,” he said. “If you fail, you die.”
7
The suits fit like a second skin, and believe me, that didn’t leave much to the imagination. To give Vartin credit, he didn’t even bat an eyelid at seeing me without my camo gear. Either he didn’t have eyelids, or he had no clue what I was. That I was rare.
The pits were sublevel. A huge cavern that dropped three floors down the center with balconies housing food stops and bars cluttered with creatures enjoying what was on offer.
The actual pits were on the lowest floor, allowing the patrons to look down into them to view the fights. They were lined up and separated by railed-off walkways. Long-limbed, pale-skinned alternate species stood on these walkways wearing earpieces and carrying holotabs. They were monitoring the fights. Digital boards hung high above the pits, showcasing numbers. The fighters’ stats, no doubt.
Holoscreens hung in the air, broadcasting the fights from different angles. Blood sprayed and bones crunched in high definition. The crowd roared, and bookies wove through the excited viewers collecting bets and handing out slips.
It was a tight setup. How much money did this Braker make? The bars and food halls themselves must rake it in, not to mention the bets. The bookies probably worked for him. In light of that, the fat 50,000 credits seemed paltry, and a ship, heck, he could have stolen that being a pirate and all.
“Where’s Braker?” Tide asked Vartin.
Vartin jerked his head upward to an amber rectangle in the wall. Silhouetted against the light was the broad figure of a man. A man standing in a room above it all, watching the show.
“Braker don’t come down here,” Vartin said. “But if you win, if you picked, you get to meet him.” He led us along a walkway left clear for people navigating the levels above the pit, and up a flight of steps to the back wall where a long booth was set up. “Check in here.”
We approached a tiny man standing on a chair; his hands were swiping the holoscreen like crazy. He looked up briefly as we came to stand in front of him and then shoved two
silver discs at us. He touched the side of his throat.
They were translator chips, similar to the one Vartin had. I took one of the discs and held it to my skin. There was a pinch, and then it held. Tide did the same.
“Numbers?” the tiny man barked.
“148 and 149,” Tide said.
He inputted the data. “148, pit five. 149, pit four. Ten minutes to start.”
This was it.
Vartin ushered us away toward a platform hovering above the pits. “You take this down. You fight.”
We stepped onto the platform, and it immediately began to drop. I grabbed hold of the rail, my stomach sinking as the levels rushed by. We hit the ground floor and the coppery scent of blood, mixed with the stench of body odor and the growl and grunt of exertion, filled the air.
The lift was on the other side of the line of pits and bordered by high chain link fencing. It cut us off from the patrons eager to look down into the inescapable holes in the ground. A lift, like the one we’d taken, hovered high above each pit, probably only lowered to drop the fighters in and pull them out.
Eyes turned to us as we walked down the aisle toward the pit. They dismissed Tide but remained on me. There was no hiding I was human. Not in this outfit and I hadn’t seen a single human on this port. Our species hadn’t gotten so far in its explorations yet. I had to hope that Vartin was right and that officials didn’t make it this far.
One of the pale-skinned creatures ran up to us.
“148 with me.” Her voice was musical and lilting, and her attention was on Tide.
“I’m 148.” I stepped forward.
She frowned and looked at her holoboard, then back up at me. “There must be a mistake.”
She tapped and swiped the screen, then looked up over our heads. I followed her gaze to the rectangular window of light, where the figure was still silhouetted.
The pale creature’s head bobbed, and then she nodded. “Come.”
With a final look at Tide, I followed her.
She led me to the platform. “You can choose to leave,” she said. “There is no obligation to fight.”
Survivor: Survivor’s Heart book 3: Planet Athion Page 3