by Anna Hackett
“On the other side of this wall is a drainage tunnel that leads straight to the labyrinth,” Ryan said.
“That’s a pretty solid wall we have to get through,” Raiden said.
Magnus pulled out a device and stepped forward. He pressed it against the stone. “Tell me when the security system is down.”
Zhim’s comp beeped and he nodded. “Go.”
The small device started moving, crawling around in a perfect oval, burning a two-foot-tall hole through the stone. A second later, it finished a loop and the stone disintegrated in a puff of dust.
“Drak,” Raiden murmured.
“We have thirty seconds before I need to close this up,” Zhim said. “Go. Go.”
Corsair shouldered through first. The rest all filed through the hole, dropping down into the damp drainage tunnel. Zhim reset the security, and then followed. He jumped into the tunnel behind the others, his boots splashing in the dirty water. Ahead, he watched Corsair and Magnus remove a grate that led into the labyrinth.
Zhim moved up close to Ryan, and together, they entered Gabriez’s domain.
“Don’t trust your eyes,” he warned. “She distorts everything. You can never trust that what you see is real.”
“Send me the woman’s location.” Magnus pushed up his sleeve to reveal a small screen strapped to his metal wrist.
“Sending now,” Zhim answered.
Galen and Magnus took the lead, Corsair and the gladiators falling into position behind them. Zhim stayed one step behind Ryan as they moved deeper into the tunnels. He had a small map on his comp screen that showed Neve’s location. They had a lot of labyrinth to cover to reach her.
Bright lights strobed through darkness. From nearby, a scream echoed off the stone walls. Zhim tensed. He hated that Ryan was down here in this horrible place. She’d already suffered at Zaabha. She deserved to never be trapped in a dark place, ever again.
They turned another corner and kept moving. Suddenly, Galen and Magnus stopped, both men stiffening.
Everyone on the team froze.
Zhim looked around, and then his chest hitched. The walls shimmered, and bright light speared into his eyes.
He no longer saw the dark walls of the labyrinth, instead he was on the barren, dusty streets of Skora. He felt the gnaw of hunger in his belly, and the sting of healing cuts and bruises on his arms.
He was a teenager again. Alone and afraid.
A sound cut through his nightmare. A woman’s strangled cry. He turned his head, and a small woman stumbled into him. A woman with dark eyes, dark hair, and pale skin.
Ryan.
He shook off the hallucination and grabbed her. “Ryan. It’s not real.”
“Thraxians.” Her voice was dripping with fear.
“And I see Skora. It’s not real.”
He looked around, and one-by-one, the gladiators flickered into view. Raiden’s jaw was clenched tight, Thorin’s hands were squeezed into fists, and Harper was quickly shaking her head, her face pale. Zhim didn’t stop to wonder what horrors they were seeing. He reached out and gripped Galen’s arm.
“Galen, we have to keep moving.”
The imperator turned his head. His single, icy-blue eye was filled with dark horrors, before the man clamped his teeth together and nodded. “Stay close. We have to keep each other from getting confused.”
Zhim threaded his fingers through Ryan’s. They slowly moved down a wide tunnel, and beyond the influence of the device that had trapped them in their nightmares.
“I thought Catalyst’s tech was bad.” Raiden blew out a breath. “He was an amateur compared to this.”
“I see life signs showing ahead in the tunnels,” Magnus murmured. “We need to be careful.”
All of a sudden, a giant, horned alien charged out of a tunnel in front of them. Gray skin covered its body, and huge, black horns swept back from its head, falling halfway down its back. It opened a fang-filled mouth, and let out a primal growl.
Galen drew his sword off his back, then moved lightning fast. He sprang forward, and, with a few swings of his sword, he cut the creature down, not even breaking a sweat.
Zhim had heard that Galen had been unstoppable in the arena in the early days of his arrival on Kor Magna. He’d made a fortune on the sand in order to set up his own House. Clearly, he hadn’t let those skills or reflexes go dull.
The tunnel ended at a metal door.
“Neve is on the other side,” Zhim said.
“It’s locked,” Galen said.
“Let me.” Ryan moved closer, linking her comp to the door controls. Tumblers whirred for a moment, and the door slid open.
This new part of the labyrinth was covered in mirrored surfaces. Zhim saw their reflections looking back at them, distorted and somehow strange. He moved along the tunnel, cursing Gabriez and her insatiable need to play games.
The sound of fighting echoed ahead.
They came out of the tunnel into a large, open space. Zhim spotted a lean, hooded figure fighting against a giant creature. The insect-like alien was the size of a transport, with a powerful body, and eight skittering legs.
“Neve,” Ryan breathed.
Zhim’s gaze zeroed in on the hooded figure. As the fighter ducked the swing of the insect’s leg, the ragged hood fell back, uncovering dark hair and a face too angular to be called beautiful.
Neve jumped and swung the staff she carried. She twirled, leaping, and broke the alien’s leg with a sharp hit. The creature screeched, and suddenly its body flickered, going momentarily invisible.
The woman kept fighting, even when she couldn’t see her opponent. She was relentless.
Corsair charged across the space. The alien blinked back into view, and the gladiators rushed to help.
Another blink and the creature went invisible. Neve swiveled, and the monster slammed into her, sending her flying backward.
“Neve!” Corsair yelled.
Zhim’s comp pinged. He cursed. “Gabriez is working to get the cameras back up.” He tapped frantically. He couldn’t let her find out they were here.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Galen, Magnus, and the others circle the alien. Corsair snatched Neve into his arms, and got her to safety. The creature made a terrible sound, spinning around in circles, trying to find an escape. The gladiators attacked. The creature bucked and screeched, but the gladiators brought it down with powerful hacks and stabs. It collapsed in a pile of legs and hard carapace.
Zhim turned his head, and spotted Corsair, crouched with Neve in his arms. The woman’s head had fallen back over the man’s arm. She was unconscious. When Zhim saw her face, he winced. She was heavily bruised and battered, from surviving days in the labyrinth.
“Zhim, there’s a heavily-reinforced door ahead,” Ryan said. “It leads right out of the labyrinth. I’m working to hack it now.” A tight smile. “Could do with some help.”
“My pleasure.” He lifted his comp and got to work. They worked together in sync, each anticipating the other’s steps, as they raced through the system to get the door open.
“Galen, there’s a way out over there.” Zhim pointed to the door.
The imperator nodded, and they all moved to the heavy metal door.
“How is she?” Ryan asked, her concerned gaze on Neve.
Corsair hitched her up closer to his chest. “Alive.”
“Got the door unlocked,” Zhim said. The metal panel started to slide open.
His comp beeped. Drak. He scanned the text on his screen. Gabriez’s security had found them and were working to stop them.
The door started to close again.
“Zhim,” Galen growled.
“Working on it. Gabriez is onto us.”
“Zhim, there’s a control panel over there.” Ryan pointed across the other side of the space.
“Good spotting.” He hurried over. “With a direct link, I can shut her out.”
“We can shut her out.”
Zhim fought back a smil
e. Even in this horrible place, he felt good. He’d never, ever wanted to be part of a team. But suddenly, with Ryan, he wanted it all.
When they got out of here, he was going to convince her to be his. Permanently.
He interfaced with the control panel, and seconds later, the door opened again. “Go! Everybody through. I don’t know how long I can hold it.”
He rapidly tapped his screen, fighting to keep Gabriez from shutting the door. He watched Corsair duck through with Neve, then the gladiators following, one by one, Galen waving them through.
Zhim looked at the screen, and his gut clenched. Drak. If he unplugged his comp, the door would close.
Someone had to stay here, plugged in, to keep it open.
A riot of emotions hit him, but as he looked at Ryan, he dragged in a breath. Keeping her safe was the most important thing. “Ryan, go. I’ll be right behind you.”
She nodded and sprinted across the space. So beautiful and smart and sexy.
Warmth and rightness filled him. He wanted her to live. He wanted her to write more lists and have more experiences. He wanted her happy and smiling.
She squeezed through the door, Galen behind her. She paused and looked back at Zhim. “Come on!”
“Be happy, Ryan.”
“What?” She frowned.
“Go live that life you deserve.”
Shock skidded over her face. “No! No. You get over here now.”
Zhim unplugged his comp, and the door started to close.
“No.” Ryan lunged forward, but a strong arm wrapped around her.
Zhim met Galen’s icy gaze. As the imperator pulled Ryan back through the door, Zhim nodded. She’d be protected and safe.
“Zhim, no!” Ryan was struggling.
The door clicked shut.
He dropped his head, pain slashing through him. He knew that the imperator and Ryan’s friends would be there for her. There was a shimmer in the air around him, and he lifted his head.
“Zhim, I see you finally came to play with me.” Gabriez’s voice echoed smugly around him.
And just like that, he was back on Skora. Around him were the dirty streets that he’d thought he’d left in his past.
A gang of teenaged kids rushed out of a side alley. Big thugs. They spotted him and pointed, hungry looks on their faces.
Old fear made his mouth dry.
“We want that comp, street rat,” one of the boys yelled.
“And you’re so pretty.” A big man came out of another alleyway. He had an ugly, greedy look on his face, his gaze running lustfully over Zhim’s body.
The man reached him before the gang did, and Zhim swung out. His elbow smacked into the man’s face, and Zhim followed that with a hard punch to the sandsucker’s gut.
He wasn’t a scared kid anymore.
He was Zhim, premier information merchant on Carthago. Wealthy, smart, and knowledgeable. Lover of Ryan from Earth. He’d also spent some time training with some of the best fighters in the arena.
He was no longer easy prey.
The mob of kids descended on him. He reminded himself they weren’t real and started fighting. He took a punch to his jaw and swung around with a front kick. Then, he felt something slam into his lower back. A fiery burn of a blade. He tasted blood in his mouth, but kept fighting.
He might not ever leave this labyrinth, but Ryan was safe, and he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Ryan banged her fists against the closed door. “No! Zhim.”
“The door’s locked.” Magnus had one palm pressed against a control panel beside the door.
“Corsair, get Neve out of here.” Galen nodded to the tunnel behind them. “Thorin, Raiden, Harper, go with him.”
The caravan master nodded, and with Neve in his arms, he ducked into the tunnel. Harper and Raiden flanked him, disappearing into the darkness, Thorin pulling up the rear.
Ryan was shivering. Panic and fear, worse than anything she’d felt, shuddered through her. Damn Zhim. Damn him for deciding to be a fucking hero!
“Please.” She turned to Galen, a plea in her gaze. Who knew what the hell Zhim was suffering in that damn labyrinth? If Gabriez got her hands on him… “We can’t leave him there.”
“Ryan—”
“No, he’ll be reliving the private hell of his childhood. Did you know that he grew up on Skora?”
Galen sucked in a breath. “Skora?”
She nodded. “He hides his feelings and his goodness under the arrogance.” Her voice hitched. “We have to get him out.”
“We aren’t going to leave him.” Galen gripped her shoulder and looked at Magnus.
Ryan glanced at the blank, emotionless face of the cyborg. She wondered if he ever felt anything.
“I’m going to interface with the controls.” Magnus stripped off his coat, baring his arms—one covered in tanned skin and the other made entirely of silver metal. “I’ll need your help to hack it.”
She nodded, and watched him press a finger to the panel. He started touching the built-in screen on his forearm. She lifted her own comp and plugged in.
“Dammit, Gabriez’s security is all over this.” Her gut clenched. “They’re doing everything they can to keep us out.” She tapped some more. “I can’t get in!”
“Let me help.” Magnus’ eye started to glow.
Ryan controlled her gasp. She looked down at his muscled forearm and saw that his veins were lighting up in the same bright, electric blue as his eye.
Code flowed over her screen. She sucked in a breath. He was charging through the security system, tossing out bugs and worms faster than she could process. She swiped her screen and followed him in. He was like the first wave of soldiers in a battle, plowing through the enemy.
As Magnus made a mess and kept Gabriez’s security busy, Ryan hurried to isolate the door controls. Come on. God, how long had Zhim been stuck in there?
She tapped again and saw what she needed. Her heart hammered in her throat. “Got it!” The door started to slide open. She pushed through the gap.
“Ryan, wait—” Galen bit out.
She ignored him, turning sideways and shimmying through the narrow space.
The room was empty. She stumbled to a halt, a bright light spearing into her eyes.
Then she spotted Zhim. He was on his knees in the center of the space. He wasn’t moving, just staring ahead blankly.
“No.” She dropped down beside him, touching his cheek. “Zhim?”
His eyes were completely blank. The blue-green colors were dull, his face slack.
She stroked his cheek. “Don’t be gone. Fight it.”
In the next moment, Magnus and Galen flanked her. Galen pressed a finger to Zhim’s neck. “His pulse is steady.”
Ryan knew he was still alive—it was his mind that she was worried about.
“Zhim, I have more things to check off my list. I need you. I want you.” She went up on her knees and pressed her lips to his. They remained motionless beneath hers, and her chest went tight. “Damn you. You come back now. You’ve driven me crazy, challenged me, made me fall for you.”
Nothing.
She thumped her hand against his chest. “You can’t show me a glimpse of the life I want and then take it away, info-boy.”
As she stared at his blank face, a tear slid down her cheek. Zhim had made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt before. She loved him.
Oh, God, she loved him.
“If you don’t come back to me, I’m going to access your system and delete all your data.”
No response.
“Everything. Then I’ll broadcast all your good deeds online—”
“Only thing…I care about…is that you stay with me.”
At the hoarse words, her head snapped up. She saw dazed, nebula-blue eyes looking back at her. She made a strangled sound, and wrapped her arms around him. Then she was kissing him, and this time, he kissed her back.
“I see I have fresh blood for my labyrinth.”
Gabriez’s sibilant voice echoed around the space.
Magnus and Galen raised their weapons. Galen’s was a gladiator’s sword that glowed faintly, with alien script etched onto the blade. Magnus’ wicked blade was a long, modern design, with a sharp, jagged edge.
Gabriez slithered into view, watching them with her slitted eyes and edgy smile.
The alien’s body started to shapeshift, staying in the same form, but getting larger and larger. She was holding a sword in each of her hands.
Ryan tightened her arms on Zhim. They’d never make it out the door in time, and Zhim was too weak to fight.
Magnus and Galen looked at each other. A faint smile lifted Galen’s lips and Magnus nodded. The two imperators launched forward at the information lord.
Galen went in low and Magnus high. Their swords crashed against Gabriez’s. She hissed, spinning. Her tail whipped around, and slammed into Magnus. The cyborg was thrust into the wall, denting it. Rock and rubble tumbled around him as he fell.
With a whirl, Galen rushed in to strike Gabriez. He pushed her backward, his blade hitting against both her swords. Ryan gaped. He was so good.
But as she watched, Gabriez grew two more arms. Dammit, the woman could turn into whatever the hell she wanted.
“We need to help them.” Ryan wedged her shoulder under Zhim’s arm, and helped him to his feet. He was unsteady, leaning heavily against her. “We need to hack the system again and see what we can do.”
Zhim nodded slowly, and together they limped over to the wall. She lifted her comp and plugged in.
“There must be something we can do,” she muttered.
She heard a pained grunt. Gabriez’s tail had slammed into Galen. He went down on a knee, skidding across the floor. Magnus leaped over him, sword lifted above his head. He landed on the alien’s tail and slammed his sword down. Gabriez screamed, her tail swishing from side to side. The cyborg went flying.
Galen pushed to his feet, wavered for a second, then raised his sword again. He charged back into the fray.
Ryan scanned her screen. “We need something…anything. How do we stop her?”
“There.” Zhim reached over and tapped the screen.
She saw what he meant. “That’ll work.”
“Galen, Magnus, get back!” Zhim yelled.