“You don’t need to.” Jessie dumped the snow in her hand and stomped past Thunde. “Come on. I thought you said we needed to find a shelter.”
***
Thunde watched Jessie stride away and kick flurries of snow as she went. Why was she so angry? He should be the one furious at her. She’d questioned his loyalty to the Elders. And worse still, she’d questioned the Elders themselves. She’d put his entire belief system under scrutiny. But now she was angry, and she didn’t think he believed in her.
But he did, more than he’d ever believed in anyone. Jessie was smart and resourceful, and she’d be able to access a comms post and get a message out. But it was too dangerous. It wasn’t worth the risk to her life. If the Fraken caught her doing that, they’d kill her.
Jessie must know he was loyal and true to his Elders. She had to be mistaken as to what she’d seen when she broke into their systems. The fact she’d done it at all amazed him.
Thunde sucked in air as realization struck him. That was it. He had voiced his concerns in the wrong way. In his determination to keep Jessie safe, he’d made her feel inadequate. She’d been trying to tell him something important, but he’d dismissed it, turned away from her, and made her feel bad about herself.
“Jessie, wait.” Thunde strode along behind her. “You have to understand; our ways are different. You must have people above you who you respect and who give you instructions. You wouldn’t disobey them.”
“It’s not important now,” said Jessie. “Let’s keep moving.”
“It’s important to me,” said Thunde. “My whole life, I’ve been told that what the Elders believe is the true way. They have honed and refined my race for many cycles. They have made me what I am. I would be nothing without them.”
Jessie spun on her heel and pressed a hand to Thunde’s chest. “You would be everything without the Elders. You are your own person. You don’t have to follow commands and orders blindly to make yourself important. You’re strong and clever and incredible with a weapon. You’ve done that for yourself, through hard work and dedication. Just because you’ve had a few genes inserted at the right time and some tiny tweaks done, it doesn’t mean your Elders made you and you’re beholden to them. There’s nothing wrong with questioning orders if you don’t think they’re right. And you can’t tell me that taking part in these games is right.” Jessie huffed out a long breath. “You can’t enjoy this.”
Thunde placed his own hand over Jessie’s and held it against his chest. “To begin with, I didn’t think much about these games. I hate the Fraken because of what they did to my brother, but I thought the games were an opportunity to hone my skills, dispatch a few irritating enemies, and ensure the Elders were content. But they’ve changed over time. The Fraken want bigger games, bigger bets, and bigger wins. And, I have questioned why I’m here. It doesn’t feel right.”
“And it never should,” said Jessie. “I understand your race is revered across this galaxy as protectors, but when that’s subverted, used for entertainment, and giving the Fraken an opportunity to get rid of enemies or individuals who have angered them, then you are just their slaves. And I know you would hate that.”
“I do hate that,” muttered Thunde. “But it’s all I know. These are my orders.”
“Then learn something else,” said Jessie.
“If you come with me, maybe you can teach me a new way of doing things.”
Jessie shrugged. “Maybe that isn’t such a good idea. I’m so fragile, I might not last a week.”
“Don’t say that,” said Thunde. “I want you to see the stars. And I want you to meet my warrior brothers. I know they’ll love you.”
Jessie looked at the ground. “We need to focus on this mission. The sooner we get out of here, the better. There’s no point in making plans until then. We could be dead by the end of the day, so all this talk about visiting your planet, or Earth, or going space traveling, is pointless.”
“It’s not pointless,” said Thunde, his heart racing as he saw the disappointment etched on Jessie’s face. “It gives us hope. It gives us something to fight for. I want to fight for you.”
Jessie looked up at him, her eyes shining. “I’m too tired to keep fighting. I don’t even know what I’m fighting for anymore. Once I’m out of here, what then? I’m on the run, barely any e-credits to my name, and no home or job. I’ll probably end up on one of those space stations, selling myself to anyone who will have me for a free meal and a bed for the night. Is that really anything to fight for?”
Thunde growled and stepped closer to Jessie. “That will never happen. I will always make sure you have a safe place.”
Jessie chewed on her bottom lip. “You won’t want me when we get out of here.”
Thunde stilled as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slowly and his grip tightened on Jessie’s hand. “The Fraken are here.”
“Where are they?” whispered Jessie.
“On the other side of these trees,” said Thunde. “And they’re guarding a comms post.”
Chapter 21
Jessie squinted through the gloom, trying to see the Fraken, hoping Thunde was mistaken. “Are you sure?”
Thunde crouched down until his mouth was level with her ear. “Positive. There’s only one I can see, but they travel in packs. Keep a lookout for more.”
Jessie’s anger and frustration towards Thunde faded as they focused on the Fraken. It was replaced by fear.
“Watch yourself. I know this Fraken. He’s spiteful.”
“How do you know him?” whispered Jessie.
“From the Fraken base where we have our warrior training arena. We nicknamed him Whiplash because of his ability to snap his enemy’s spine with his lightning stick.”
“Sounds charming.”
“Like all Fraken.”
“Is the comms post active?”
Thunde stared at the post. “It is.”
“Then now’s our chance.” Jessie turned to Thunde and grabbed his arm. “We can get through to Axen.”
“The second we step out from behind these trees, the Fraken will attack. We only have a few weapons left, and we’re both injured.”
“But you said we need an active comms post to get the message through.”
“We need more than that,” whispered Thunde. “We need the code. The code that’s still missing from my head.”
“Or, we need some time.” Jessie clenched her fists and met Thunde’s gaze. “If I can get to that comms post and have a look at it, I’m sure I can get something through. Where does the message need to go?”
“Quadrant Nebula Five,” said Thunde. “But it’s too risky.”
“I’m taking that risk,” said Jessie.
“Not if I stop you.”
“You won’t.” Jessie tightened her grip on Thunde’s arm. “This could be the only opportunity we get. The Fraken are closing in on us, and as you said, we’re both hurt, and we have barely any weapons left. If we don’t act now, that will be it for us. We might as well walk out with our hands in the air and let them kill us.”
“Maybe that would work,” said Thunde.
“You mean give ourselves up?”
“Give myself up,” said Thunde. “The Fraken will enjoy parading a warrior before the audience, handing out justice as a way to keep others in line.”
“Don’t you dare,” said Jessie. “Don’t even think about sacrificing yourself. It will solve nothing. Once you give yourself up to the Fraken, they’d come hunting for me.”
“Not if I made them give their word they'd leave you alone.”
“Do the Fraken ever keep to their word?” Jessie’s insides trembled at the thought of watching Thunde give himself up. They would kill him without hesitation.
Thunde growled under his breath. “They are not known for it.”
“You see, going out there and trying to make a bargain with them is pointless. Let me try my way.”
“You’re not going out there on your ow
n.”
“I never said I wanted to do this alone.” Jessie glanced towards the comms post. “You cause a distraction, draw the Fraken away. That will give me time to check out the panel as you disable the guard and let me get to work.”
“It’s too—”
Jessie pressed a kiss on Thunde's lips, ending his argument. “I know it’s risky. But this is the best shot we’ve got. Now, go disguise yourself as a tree and make some noise on the other side of the clearing.”
Thunde glowered at her before pulling her in for a swift, rough kiss. “Keep yourself safe. But before you go out there, give me time to scout the area. We need to know how many Fraken we’re dealing with.”
Jessie rested her forehead against Thunde’s. “I won’t move until the Fraken by the comms post has gone. We can’t wait for too long, though, and I’ll need time to get my head around the Fraken tech.”
“I’ll keep them away from you.” Thunde stepped back and pressed his hand against Jessie’s chest. She copied his gesture, her fingers laying over his broad chest muscles and feeling his steady heartbeat.
“Stay safe, my little human. And believe me, I do want you. That will never change.” As Thunde backed away, his skin tone shifted to a mixture of muddy brown and dark green, and he vanished from sight.
Jessie smiled to herself as Thunde's words spun through her head. She turned towards the comms post and saw the Fraken still standing there, half leaning on the lightning stick in his hand. She jumped at the sound of twigs breaking and ducked. She expected to see a Fraken stalking towards her, but there was no one there.
Letting out a shaky breath, she returned her attention to the comms post. She’d studied the schematics of Fraken technology on numerous occasions. She loved figuring out how things worked, and alien technology was no exception. Fraken used a technology similar to wetware computing, using biological patterns and design to create fast, responsive, and self-learning technology.
Jessie scanned the surroundings, and seeing no other Fraken, she crept closer to the comms post until she’d reached the edge of the trees. If she went any farther, she risked being spotted. From this distance, she could see the side panel. That was where she needed to be. If she could get that open and access it, she could transmit a message to the quadrant Axen was in. She had to hope he was listening for their message.
A shout of alarm rang out through the trees, and the Fraken by the comms post swung around, his lightning stick in both hands. She watched as he took several steps away from the post and then waited.
“Go on, go see what’s happening to your friends,” Jessie muttered under her breath. “See what my warrior is doing to them.”
She grinned to herself. Thunde wasn’t hers, but she would like him to be. She knew he was trying to keep her out of danger by preventing her from doing this, but if they were going to have a future together, she’d have to work on his stubbornness. Jessie had never felt more alive than during this game, and she didn’t want that feeling to end once they left.
The blast of a lightning stick discharging sounded some distance away. Jessie ducked, her eyes still fixed on the Fraken. He hurried to the edge of the clearing and took a couple of steps inside the trees. She saw him raise his hand to his head as if listening for something through the comms device embedded behind the auditory meatus hole of his ear.
Whatever the message was, it worked, and he moved farther away from the comms post with a determined stride.
Taking another swift look around, Jessie dashed to the comms post. She knelt and yanked off the access panel. There were a dozen marked keys inside and a small port for uploading additional data.
“I can do this. This isn’t difficult.” She swiped her hand across her forehead, checked over her shoulder, and began to press the keys. The color on top of the comms post shifted from red to orange. Jessie paused and waited to see what would happen next, but no alarms went off, so she carried on. The quadrant coordinates were locked in, but she was uncertain what message to send. What would Thunde say? Did he have a specific series of words that would make sense to Axen and ensure he came for them? She had no idea. All she could do was keep it simple and hope that was enough.
Thunde and Jessie ready for departure at agreed meeting point. She wondered if it was sensible to put their names in, but if she made the message too elusive, Axen might read it and dismiss it. She had to be sure he knew it was from them.
Her fingers sped across the keys as she activated a message encryption. It was crude but was the best she could do in such a short space of time. Jessie hit two more keys and pressed the send button. The light on the comms post died, and Jessie’s eyes widened. It looked like the power had been disconnected, but had the message gone through?
“No!” Jessie jumped up and stared at the front of the comms post. There was nothing. She ran her hands over the post, her heart racing and her mouth growing dry. Maybe she’d triggered an off switch, or it had an auto-disconnect system if used by an unauthorized person. Wetware technology was sophisticated and could have detected she wasn’t a Fraken.
Jessie ran her tongue over her teeth. “Please have gone through.” Her fingers gripped the side of the comms post, and she kicked it several times. Abruptly, the lights returned, and Jessie let out a sob of relief. She dropped to her knees again and checked the side panel. A green light was showing the message had been sent. She replaced the access panel with shaky hands and turned to flee into the trees.
As she did so, talons slashed her side. Jessie cried out and grabbed her flesh, feeling blood rush through her fingers as fresh wounds opened. She’d been too slow. The Fraken had caught her.
***
Thunde barely glanced at the two dead Fraken by his feet. He was hunting for the third Fraken, Whiplash, who had been observing the fight from a distance, but not engaging. Thunde had expected him to use his lightning stick, but all he’d done was watch. Now, he was gone, and Thunde’s senses screamed with worry, not for himself, but for Jessie. If Whiplash had returned to the comms post before Jessie had finished, she would be in trouble.
Thunde grabbed one of the lightning sticks the Fraken used and raced through the trees towards the comms post.
Maybe Jessie hadn’t yet moved from the safety of the trees and was still waiting for him to return and let her know it was safe. But he knew her better than that. She would have gone to work as soon as she could, clinging to the hope that she’d be able to get a message through.
Thunde slowed as he reached the place the comms post had been. It had already slid into the ground, and he had no way of checking if Jessie had sent any message. He stomped a foot on the ground but then froze. There was blood, freshly fallen, and human. And it wasn’t just a few drops.
The air felt as if it had been punched out of Thunde as he sped to the last place he’d seen Jessie. Maybe she managed to get away from the Fraken who injured her. She could be injured but safe. He plunged into the trees, his focus on finding her.
When he got to their last location, she wasn’t there. He closed his eyes for a second, his hands in fists as he took a long, steady breath. The Fraken had her. They must have discovered her sending the message on the comms post.
He tracked back to the blood on the ground. This was Jessie’s; it had to be. He wiped his fingers through the blood and raised them to his nose, inhaling deeply. He would find her. Thunde wanted her back. She was more than an exotic interest. He cared for her, and he would not rest until she was safely back in his arms.
Swinging the lightning stick in his hand, he charged through the forest.
Chapter 22
Jessie’s whole body ached, and cold seeped through her flesh, chilling her bones. She kept her eyes closed, despite having woken several minutes ago. She could feel straps around her wrists and ankles and was laying on something cool and hard.
She kept her breathing as calm and shallow as possible, despite the image of the Fraken who discovered her tampering with the comms post jumping t
o the front of her thoughts. Her head ached from where he’d struck her with a lightning stick.
Jessie’s chest tightened as she heard footsteps growing closer.
“Is it awake yet?” asked a low, raspy male voice.
“Not yet,” replied another male voice.
“Get it awake. We need to see what information it has.”
Jessie couldn’t help but cringe as the footsteps drew nearer, before stopping by her side.
“Sneaky little human,” said the first male, his breath brushing past Jessie’s ear. “She’s awake.”
Sharp talons tapped the side of Jessie’s cheek, and she blinked her eyes open and stared up into a bright light. A dark green scaled Fraken towered over her. He was smaller than the warrior Fraken who’d attacked her and wore no body armor.
“Time to reveal your secrets,” said the Fraken.
“I have nothing to tell you,” said Jessie, her voice coming out croaky.
“She’s all yours,” said the Fraken as he glanced over his shoulder.
The Fraken Jessie knew as Whiplash stepped into view. He leaned over Jessie and inhaled, his yellow gaze traveling over her body, taking his time to inspect her. “What were you doing by the comms post?”
Jessie swallowed the ball of terror sticking in her throat. “Nothing.”
Whiplash hissed at her, and his pointed tongue slid out from between his teeth. “I can taste lies. Try again.”
“Looking to see what it was,” said Jessie. “I thought it might be a way out of the game.”
“There is no way out of this game,” said Whiplash. “Well, there is one way; your death is a way out.”
Glancing to her right, Jessie’s mouth dried as she saw a table laid out with a variety of surgical implements. She returned her gaze to Whiplash and saw him smirk.
“We have ways of getting information from you if you are not cooperative,” said Whiplash. “Better for you if you tell us what you’re doing. Ultimately, we will get what we want. You just have to decide if you wish your death to be quick and painless or slow and pain-filled. It makes no difference to me.”
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