Bladen

by Arcadia Shield

  The Fraken leaned towards her and inhaled deeply. He pulled his head back, and his tongue slid out. “I smell illness on you. You will not survive long in this game.”

  “Isn’t that the idea?” asked Grace.

  “You must provide our audience with entertainment before you die.”

  “Since you know I’m sick, you could always treat me and make sure I’m at a good fighting weight when I go up against the predator. I'd be more entertaining if I were healthy.”

  “A pointless endeavor,” said the Fraken.

  Grace gritted her teeth. She knew there was medication that would remove her fever and the infection in her lungs. All she needed was a few pills, the kind she gave out when she worked in battlefield hospitals on Earth.

  “Perhaps we should replace you with more suitable prey.” The Fraken’s gaze ran over her thin figure. “We must not disappoint our audience this time around.”

  Grace focused her attention on the Fraken as she finished tying her boots. “Why have they been disappointed?”

  The Fraken hissed. “Some of our warriors have not been behaving as they should.”

  This was interesting. Could those warriors have met any of the women she’d been in the cell with? “What did they do?”

  “They disobeyed orders,” said the Fraken. “And you are coming close to doing that if you continue to question me.”

  Grace ran her tongue over her cracked lips. If those warriors had had anything to do with Jessie, Melody, or Eloise, there was a possibility that one or more of them was still alive. A sensation Grace hadn’t felt for a long time spun through her. It felt like hope or maybe opportunity. She squashed the feeling quickly. It wasn’t possible her friends survived. No one survived the games, and humans had no special skills to help keep themselves alive. And Grace was aware of the predator they’d have been up against, the Vorten, and they always won their games.

  “Let’s move,” said the Fraken. “I have e-credits on this game that you'll be dead when you first encounter a challenge. I win on most of my bets.”

  Grace shrugged. “I’d appreciate a heads-up when that first encounter will be and what I’ll be facing. I want to get my game face on.”

  The Fraken tilted his head to one side. “Why are you not scared?”

  Grace considered the question. Because this was the end for her, and the game would be better than spending any more time in a cold, lonely cell. And it would bring an end to the pain she felt every day when she woke and realized everybody she loved was dead.

  “Because this is my time,” she finally said. “I’m not scared, because I’m ready for this.”

  A deep hissing laughed grated out of the Fraken, and he prodded her with his lightning stick. “You have been broken. It happens sometimes, when prey are too weak to stand up for themselves. You have not even entered the game, and it is already over for you. We have beaten you.”

  Bitterness traced through Grace, but then she shrugged again. He was right; she was broken. The Fraken had beaten the fight out of her, and she welcomed what was next. She welcomed her death.

  The Fraken nudged her with his lightning stick again. “Follow me.”

  Grace turned and trudged behind the Fraken. They walked along plain grey corridors, and she spotted several more cells, from where muttered groans and curses slid.

  She should feel pity for these individuals. They were trapped as much as she was. But Grace barely felt anything, for herself or anyone else.

  The Fraken stopped by a grey metallic door and thrust a kit bag at Grace. “Basic provisions. Not that you need them.”

  Grace pulled the kit bag over her shoulder and stared blankly at the door.

  The Fraken gave a grunt and slid his hand over the access panel and the door opened.

  In front of Grace were sand and rocks, lots of rocks. A warm wind drifted towards her as she inhaled deeply, welcoming the heat after feeling so cold for such a long time.

  “Get in there.” The Fraken shoved her roughly on the shoulder, and Grace staggered forward into the game.

  The Fraken chuckled as he saw her struggling to stay upright. “You are pathetic. You’re too embarrassing to even be considered prey. We should have fed you to the beasts. I would ask that your death is a glorious one, but you will even fail at that.”

  As the door slid closed behind Grace, she dropped to her knees and began to laugh. He was right; she was worthless. The Fraken had destroyed everything, and now she was left with nothing but death.

  She tipped back her head, and a howl of tortured laughter slid from her lips.

  ***

  Bladen followed the two Fraken, keeping his arms loose and fighting the urge to clench his fists. They could goad him as much as they wanted to, but he was not going to rise to their challenge. He knew what he needed to do; get in the game, get the prey to safety, and get them both out of there.

  But the Fraken knew that was his plan or knew he would attempt an escape just like the other Vortens. This game was a test for him, as much as it was the prey he would be tracking. The Fraken would watch his every move, and the second he showed any sign of going against their orders, that would be it.

  Bladen needed to be convincing when he met his prey, ensure she ran from him and that he chased her. The Fraken would be on the lookout for any mistakes, and Bladen wasn’t going to be the warrior who ruined things for Axen and the rest of the squad. He wanted to be back with his squad. But to do that, he needed to get out alive and keep the Fraken guessing for as long as possible.

  The shorter Fraken turned and sneered at Bladen. “Do you want to know what really happened to the warriors who went in before you?”

  Bladen’s brows lowered and his shoulders hunched. “I know what happened. I watch the games.”

  The Fraken smirked. “I can show you their bodies. You should know by now; the games do not show the absolute truth to the audience.”

  Bladen bit his tongue. He was being lied to.

  “If you fail us in this game, that’ll be the end of the Vorten.”

  Bladen’s head whipped up. “What do you mean?”

  “We have had our doubts for some time about our relationship with you,” said the Fraken. “This disobedience within the games only confirms our suspicions and makes us look elsewhere for the muscle we require. And there is plenty of that to be had among the stars.”

  Bladen snorted quietly. “That will hardly mean our end.”

  “It will be when we withdraw our vaccine,” said the Fraken.

  Bladen gritted his teeth. The vaccine the Fraken was talking about helped a number of Vorten who had become sick after investigating new planets. The Vorten immune system had a weakness they had not been able to eliminate, and the Fraken provided a vaccine that helped with the symptoms.

  “Nothing to say about that?”

  “We will find another supplier for the vaccine,” said Bladen, “or manufacture it ourselves.”

  “Unlikely,” said the Fraken. “You Vorten are not known for your intellect when it comes to medical advances.”

  Bladen shoved the Fraken between the shoulder blades. “We do not need you.”

  The Fraken turned around, and his companion followed him, both pointing their lightning sticks at Bladen. “You need us more than you realize. This game is not only a test for you; it’s a test for your entire race. Fail us in this game, and you all fail. You will be the reason we are no longer supporting the Vorten.”

  Bladen pinched his lips together and glared at the Fraken. They couldn’t be serious. This single game wouldn’t determine the relationship between the Fraken and the Vorten.

  “Ready to start your game? Or do you need some time to think about what you’re going to do?” asked the taller Fraken.

  “I know what my orders are,” said Bladen. He couldn’t trust a word that slid from the Frakens' scaly mouths. They would do and say anything to ensure success in their games. He trusted Axen to do the right thing, not just by him, but for
all Vorten.

  “Make sure you follow them,” said the Fraken. “We do not wish to come in and discipline you as we have previous warriors. Their ends were not pleasant.”

  “I’m sure you felt that deeply,” snarled Bladen.

  “We enjoy a good fight,” said the shorter Fraken. “And that is something you are good at providing. Our audience enjoys seeing bloodshed; whether it comes from the predator or the prey, they get what they want ultimately.”

  Bladen shoved past the Fraken and stalked ahead of them. He’d almost reached the door into the game, when a sharp shock from the collar around his neck slowed his pace. That was a more powerful shock than usual. The Fraken used the collars to keep warriors under control and summon them to comms posts when they needed to communicate with them during a game.

  He turned on his heel and glared at the Fraken.

  “Just a small reminder of who is in charge here,” said the shorter Fraken. “Your collar has been set to maximum. And that setting now has the power to kill you if we desire it. Watch your step in the game, or we will use it on you.”

  Bladen looked away, ignoring the stinging pain of his flesh. The Fraken were going to make things difficult for him, but he already knew that. He gestured towards the door. “Are you going to let me in?”

  The taller Fraken stepped forward and waved his hand across the access panel, causing the door to slide open.

  Bladen peered through the door and saw a bright glitter of sand in front of him. The air that hit him was uncomfortably warm, and he was glad of the adaptive clothing he wore that helped keep him cool in conditions such as this.

  The Fraken next to him gestured towards the sand. “Watch your step out there; you’ve got a particularly crazy prey on your hands. And they’re always unpredictable.”

  Bladen turned and narrowed his eyes at the Fraken. “What kind of prey? I assumed I was tracking a human.”

  “She’s human, but this one’s lost her mind. Maybe we kept her in the cell for too long. Or it could have been the way we treated her. Some prey are too vulnerable for their own good. And some break easily. She won’t be hard to catch. She could barely walk when she stumbled through these doors. Just watch out when she turns full-on crazy.”

  Bladen ignored the Fraken as he stepped across the threshold into the game. He waited until he heard the door slide shut and let out a long, deep exhalation. Being so close to Fraken always made his skin crawl.

  As he examined the game arena, all Bladen could see were sand dunes and clusters of sand scoured rocks and boulders. There didn’t look to be much shelter, and the sun that beat down on his head promised this game would be a tough one.

  Bladen didn’t mind the heat; his genetic modifications ensured he wouldn’t overheat. But what worried him were the comments from the Fraken. What had they done to this prey to break her so badly? The Fraken mistreated any individual they considered to be less than them. If this particular prey was the human Bladen expected to meet, he hoped she wasn’t beyond saving.

  Bladen shouldered his kit bag and moved farther into the game, mentally marking out landmarks, so he’d be able to retrace his steps if he needed to.

  He had his mission to focus on; find the prey, make sure she was okay, keep her safe, and get them out of the game.

  Broken or not, he would help her.

  Chapter 3

  Grace had stopped laughing when her throat began to hurt and a bout of coughing subsumed her. She had slumped on the scorching sand for an hour, not caring about the heat beating down on her. What forced her to her feet was the sound of the game bell ringing. It happened whenever a predator entered the game, acting as a warning to the prey that they needed to hide, because they were being hunted.

  She’d been tempted just to lay there and let the predator find her and finish the game easily. But something drove her to her feet. It might have been a tiny remnant of hope, a belief there was a way out of the game, and a way to return to safety and find her friends. Whatever it was, Grace was now walking, the sun beating on her head as it slowly sank across the game, and the sand scratching her skin as it was stirred in the breeze.

  She pulled one of the containers of water out of the bag she’d been given and downed it in one go. She was supposed to keep the rations for as long as possible, but this game wouldn’t last long, so she might as well not go thirsty.

  Grace walked through the game without paying attention to the landmarks. She had no care where she was going or who she might meet. But it felt good to use her limbs again and feel the muscles aching and straining as she stabilized herself on the shifting sand. It had been a long time since she’d had a chance to exercise or felt the urge to move. And she used to enjoy running when she was on Earth. If she got nothing else out of this game, at least she’d been able to use her body again.

  She liked keeping active. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed working as a medic. You never knew from one day to the next where you’d be stationed or the things you’d find or how hard you’d have to work. The job kept her hands busy and her mind engaged, not giving her a chance to dwell on her own loss or sink into the self-pity that was always lurking in the back of her mind.

  She swiped sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and squinted at the sun. Although it was lowering, the heat was almost unbearable, and there was little shade to be had. The strange angled rock formations that dotted the sand would provide some respite as the day wore on, but for now, Grace would have to accept she’d get more than a light suntan.

  The game was eerily quiet, and there were no sounds of animals or birdlife. And the screams and cries of pain Grace had become used to were absent. It sounded too quiet to her, as if the game were holding its breath and waiting to see what would happen next. She looked into the sky and saw two small, black dots hovering in the air. They’d be the drones sent in to watch the game and transmit images back to the audience and the Fraken.

  Grace raised a hand and waved at one of the drones, letting a chuckle slip from her lips as she did so. What must they think of her? Could they see how weak she was? How many bets had been placed on her collapsing from heatstroke before the predator got to her? If she was watching this game, that’s the bet she’d place.

  How did the other women who went into the games before her handle this? Grace shook her head as she continued walking across the sand. It didn’t matter now what sort of game they’d been in. They would all be dead, and soon, so would she. All she could hope for was that their end had been swift and so would hers.

  Grace rounded a pile of boulders and spotted a small patch of shade. She licked her dry lips and hurried towards it, slumping onto the already cooling sand. It felt glorious to be out of the heat. She pulled out the rest of the water and all the ration packs in her bag. She tore off the top of the first ration pack, dipped her fingers inside, and tasted it. It was better than a nutrition pill, but there wasn’t much flavor to it. Even so, Grace continued eating. She was going to enjoy her last meal.

  The ration packs reminded her of her time on the battlefields. Earth ration packs were standard fare, easy to transport and cheap to make. They were handed out to staff and patients alike, a cheap nutritional source of fuel when they were working hard.

  Grace finished her ration pack, drank some water, and then began on the next one. No point in saving the food; she might as well be full and content one last time. Her stomach protested as the food hit it, but she carried on and ignored the nagging voice in her head, telling her she was eating the meal of a condemned woman.

  ***

  Bladen scrubbed his jaw as he continued to mark out key areas in the game landscape. The worry he felt about the prey had not left him, and he’d spotted a number of drones following him. It was unusual to see this many so early in a game, and it showed the Fraken did not trust a single move he made.

  As Bladen walked along, he gathered large rocks in his hand. Without hesitating, he twisted on one heel and launched a rock into the a
ir, smashing the nearest drone out of the sky.

  He gave a satisfied grunt as the drone smashed to the ground and pieces scattered everywhere. It wouldn’t stop the Fraken watching him, but it felt good to get one over on them, even though he would pay for it.

  He aimed another rock, but the remaining drones scattered in different directions. Trust the Fraken to run from a fight.

  Bladen paused by a large pile of boulders. There were several wind-carved holes in the boulders, which would serve as shelter when he found the prey. They would be able to sleep in the holes and keep the boulders at their back for protection.

  He hoped he’d find the prey soon. If Axen’s information was correct, it would be a female human, Grace Connelly. Axen had only been able to send a brief message about who would be in the game, the information gleaned from his mate, Eloise Harper. Grace sounded like someone who was calm and methodical, with decent medical knowledge, which meant she was smart. And Bladen loved smart women. She didn’t sound anything like the crazy mess the Fraken talked about.

  He was cautiously excited about the changes being planned. Axen had confided in him about what he wanted to do to the Fraken games and the Fraken, themselves. The games were to end and the Fraken tyranny dismantled. It wouldn't be an easy thing to achieve and warfare was likely, but Bladen was ready for that. He’d been ready to spoil the cruelty of the Fraken for some time.

  He loathed being a part of these games and hated adding to the high body count he already had from his many cycles of being a warrior. A death count that sometimes shook him from his sleep and made him question what he was doing. He had gone along with the games because it was the Elder’s orders to do so. But Bladen had always been suspicious of the Frakens’ motives, no more than now.

  Tilting his head to one side, he slowed; he could hear laughter. Bladen scrubbed his forehead and looked around. Why would someone find this game amusing?

  As he tuned into the location of the sound, he realized it was faint and some way off. He altered his course and went in search of whoever was laughing.