by Jade White
Would Ryker survive? She wanted him to, and yet she also wanted him dead. The experiments they had done to him before the games were just the tip of the iceberg. Previous winners had died, under the pretense of enjoying their new found fame and wealth, when they were dragged to the facility again and poked and opened and subjected to mental torture.
It was something that even the researchers didn’t speak of. The government was the absolute rule, and Alexia was merely part of that rule, the lowest of these humans to grace the facility. She would remain that way unless, by some miracle, she could escape this pristine hell-hole.
*
Ryker had woken up mere seconds ago, blinded by the sunlight that had filtered through the canopy of leaves above him. He was alone, gladly. He breathed heavily, and then felt that pang of discomfort. He looked down to see his chest discolored, his left chest particularly mottled looking; a mixture of purple and red. Ryker sighed, knowing this would render him nearly useless.
Shift, a voice inside his head told him. Shift.
He looked around, startled. It was all in his head, wasn’t it? There were no speakers out here, just cameras… But it was her voice. It was that girl’s voice in the facility. She had told him not to shift back then. Why was she telling him…? He stopped. It’s all in your head; it’s all in your head. He was making things up to comfort himself, and strangely enough, hearing her voice calmed him down.
He breathed in slowly this time, his mind concentrated on her face, her eyes. He could still see her clearly. Those soulful eyes that had told him thousands of stories without saying a word, that somber face that had seen hell like he had. She was imprisoned, and there was a part of him that wanted to break her out of that facility, if only he could, and take her with him.
Why was she in his thoughts at a time like this? Was this what people did to survive? Think of anything else to distract them from the present? He had to stand, he thought. He had to find food and a safer place to convalesce. He felt heat emanate from his hand, and the holographic screen appeared. Someone had died, first thing in the morning.
X007, werewolf. A boy this time, probably around sixteen years old. He had this library-geek look on his face, someone who would never survive the games. What did they do to the bodies after, anyway? He had never seen anyone take the bodies. Were they left to rot here? Without proper graves?
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to stand. Move, Ryker, move. He clutched his chest, feeling the broken rib move against his skin, and he had to catch his breath as he did. Damn it, he cursed. How could he run with this lingering pain? There was no telling what the architects would think of next -- there could be a flood again, there could be drought, or there could be meteors raining from the sky.
There could be… he heard something and froze in place.
In front of him was another werebeing.
*
Ryker leaned against a tree, readying himself for another fight. The one across from him was a boy with ginger hair and a lanky frame. The boy stopped, shaky and wary of him.
“You’re hurt,” the ginger-haired boy said.
“No kidding,” Ryker rasped. “If you’re here for a fight-“
“No, I’m not. In fact, I ran away from one. You’re the werebear.”
Everyone recognizes me now? Ryker thought. So, everyone’s seen my profile and I haven’t seen theirs? How was that for unfair? “And you’re-?” Ryker asked him.
“Werefox. I think I was born with the red hair, destined to become a werefox. I’m X003,” he said, taking another step forward.
Ryker found himself chuckling. Of all the things to do in the middle of a brutal game, he was laughing, and boy -- did it hurt. “Who did you run away from?”
“Some werewolf, X012. He was a born murderer; I escaped because he was about to kill 100another,” Three shuddered.
Screens appeared above their wrists, signaling another werebeing down.
Ryker closed his eyes briefly. It was Five. Five, whom he had met so briefly, whom he had advised to steer clear of certain places… he felt a pang of anger for someone he had barely known. It was expected for them all to die, except one.
“You knew him?” Three asked.
Ryker nodded. “On the first day.”
Three looked at Ryker. “Dude, you’re purple,” he commented, taking another step forward.
“You’re not gonna kill me now, are you?” Ryker asked matter-of-factly.
“It’s tempting, that would be one more down,” Three said, slumping on the ground across from Ryker.
Ryker breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. “That wouldn’t be a challenge. You won’t be giving viewers some prime time action.”
“Screw their show. I only wanted to be with my family. They’re dead now. I didn’t want to be a part of it. Some unlucky lottery. There’ll be none of us left soon enough,” Three said bitterly, not caring if everyone heard it. If he was going to die soon, might as well make the most out of dissing the government, right?
“Why don’t you shift to heal faster?” Three asked after a few moments of silence.
“It’s painful,” Ryker said.
“When is it not painful? You just get used to it to survive. You know, strike fear into their hearts and into the hearts of everyone watching us. Plus, you’re a werebear; your kind is, like, legend.”
Maybe I’m the last one… Ryker thought. “It doesn’t change the fact that we’re here. So, where have you been in this place?”
“I got to the top of a hill,” Three said. “This place is big, like Alaska wilderness big.”
“Any other animals?”
“Aside from prey? Nope. I know there are booby traps somewhere. Like the floods last night… I was hiding in a tree, a good thirty feet above ground. Then I saw X009 dead on the screen.”
Ryker nodded. At least X009 was dead. Nine had murder in his eyes, too.
“You should shift,” Three told him. “It’ll help you.”
“It’ll help you, too,” Ryker told him, resting his head on the tree behind him. “I’m guessing you want me to shift and protect you.”
“Not just me. There’s a few of us who can’t win this thing. You’re one of those who can and will,” Three told him, closing his eyes. “Besides, we’d prefer to be under the shadow of you than that weretiger…”
Weretiger? Ryker looked surprised.
“You didn’t know?” Three said. “That weretiger’s a cannibal. He’s part of those tests, tests that have gone on since he was a little boy. Four told me he was enhanced.”
Enhanced. So, it was possible. Had this weretiger’s genetics been suppressed until the facility took over, forcing them to surface? It was clear that this was no free-for-all battle. They were pitted against each other, and the last two standing were considered the alpha male or female. Again, it was a reminder that their situation was unfair.
“So, he’s bigger?” Ryker asked.
“Bigger than most weretigers, and I haven’t seen many. They’re like you, pretty rare. Just not as rare as you are,” Three said. “Listen, how about we form a temporary alliance? The others have done it.”
“And then we kill each other off when there’s only the two of us left?”
“At least there’s hesitation in the kill. And maybe mercy,” Three said with good-natured humor.
“We’ll see where it goes; I won’t make promises,” Ryker told him.
“Of course you won’t. There can be only one winner, after all. We can choose to kill ourselves if need be. I just don’t think it would be something my family would have wanted to see. They’re the normal ones. What about you?”
“I have no family,” Ryker quickly replied.
“Should we build a fire?” Three asked him, sensing Ryker’s discomfort. The sun had begun to set, and Ryker realized he had awoken late in the afternoon, with no meals or water.
“No, just shift,” Ryker told him. “Best we avoid any other werebeings for now.”
“You hungry? I’ll find food for you,” Three said.
“No, just get some for yourself,” Ryker told him, seeing rain clouds overhead. At least there was going to be some water soon.
Three looked hesitant to leave him. “There might be a flood.”
“Then I’ll shout for help,” Ryker told him deprecatingly. “Now, go.”
Ryker felt the pain reverberate all throughout his body. At least the bleeding had stopped, but a broken rib was still a broken rib. Rain began to fall from the skies mere minutes after Three left to forage. He opened his mouth and felt the taste of sweet rain water, clean and cold. The air began to grow cold as quickly as the rain fell.
Ryker’s breath fogged up, and he had only begun to stand up when Three came back hurriedly, startling them both.
“Sorry,” Three said, “it’s rain, and you know…it might flood again. So, shelter?”
Ryker nodded. “A little help here?”
“Oh, right,” Three said. He helped Ryker lean against him, despite the fact that he was a good five inches shorter than Ryker. “So, higher ground? Or some cave?”
“A cave in higher ground,” Ryker said, shaking from the pain and a growing fever, and that was when he knew the infection had begun. “Then we can make a fire inside, a small one…”
“Right,” Three said.
Together, they began their long and arduous walk, a temporary truce to help them both survive until the next day.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Edith was busy reading through reports when she saw Dr. Wallace come in, along with two generals and a rather sizable military escort. There was also someone else in the middle of it all. It was Magnus Caledon II, the president’s eldest son.
“Sir,” Edith nodded, standing up.
“I’d like to see A129,” Dr. Wallace began.
“I didn’t receive any authorization on this,” Edith said. “What’s the contingent for? A129 is nothing more than a harmless human being-”
The military escorts began sweeping the room of listening devices. They found two, which horrified Dr. Delaney. She had never been given complete privacy and was thankful she hadn’t said anything against the government or against those who were fervently working for them.
“This is under direct orders, Dr. Delaney,” General Laxly said.
“A129 is not under your jurisdiction,” Edith said.
“She is under the government’s,” Dr. Wallace said, giving room for Magnus II to move in closer to Dr. Delaney.
“Dr. Wallace, the generals and I, stay. The rest of you, out,” Magnus II spoke.
His voice was deep and dangerous, unlike his father’s, which was quiet and commanding. He spoke with a distinct upper accent, the kind you only heard from royalty and politicians, and perhaps classic actors and actresses. He was a younger-looking version of the president, sans the graying hair, and his eyes were aloof. He had a scar on his upper eyebrow that made him look more menacing than he intended to be, and his uniform gleamed with military lapels and pins, as befitting the son of the president.
“Dr. Delaney, I presume?” Magnus II began, taking another step closer to her.
Edith Delaney held her breath. She had heard how this Caledon son was like. He was cold and ruthless, just like his father. She had only seen him on televised broadcasts, never in person in all her years of working for the facility. She had deemed they were an independent body, despite the fact that the facility she worked in had joint ties with the military.
“Sir,” she breathed. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“We want the test subject A129 destroyed,” Dr. Wallace began.
“Destroyed?” Edith repeated, unable to believe what she was hearing. “She’s been instrumental in every breakthrough we’ve had for the super soldier project!”
“We’ve decided to move on to something far more significant -- the cloning of the remaining werebeings,” General Laxly said.
Edith Delaney looked at Magnus II. She was waiting for him to say something, but he said nothing. “Your significant priorities have failed in the last twenty years,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Come now, she is but a test subject,” the other man, General Parker, reasoned.
Dr. Wallace smiled. “She has grown to care for A129.”
Edith saw a flicker of emotion in Magnus’ eyes.
“No. You are not doing anything to her. You might as well send her to some mental facility so she can live out the rest of her days-“
“And betray us?” General Parker began.
“Make her forget. We have medications for that; we have-” Edith was cut off by Dr. Wallace.
“I understand that she dreams? I’ve read her brain waves. She remembers certain things she thinks are just nightmares, repressed emotions while inside the facility. We wouldn’t want that,” Dr. Wallace told her.
“There’s been an order for this, duly signed and noted by everyone involved. At the end of the games, we pull the plug on this project. We will, of course, preserve tissue samples and blood samples for the remainder of the testing, perhaps her reproductive parts, in the event we’ll need it for cloning. She’s been sterile since-“
“No!” her voice rose. “You’re talking about killing someone who’s been nothing but obedient to our tests. She’s accepted this without reasoning. This facility should keep her and take care of her until the end of her days-“
“Dr. Delaney, with all due respect, she’s a twenty million dollar per year venture, and it’s something we’d like to transfer to militia. Your tests, despite the fact that there have been breakthroughs, have done minimal impact on the super soldiers, except for the use of her blood. We can clone this blood, so she can be put to rest,” General Laxly told her.
Put to rest? These men were animals! These men were the lowest of the low. She saw Magnus II’s face, and he remained stoic, never saying anything else aside from his greeting earlier. It was as if he was enjoying her discomfort.
“Gentlemen, if you please, I’d like a private word with Dr. Delaney. There are certain issues I wish she sees clearly,” Magnus II finally said.
The men quickly stepped out, and Magnus II motioned for Edith to sit on a chair.
She felt her heart pound, knowing that whatever he was going to say would affect not just Alexia’s life but everyone else’s in the facility as well.
General Laxly couldn’t hear a thing from outside, and neither could General Parker. Dr. Wallace was calmly reading through some files on his phone. Magnus II spoke in baritone, but they could hardly hear him talking inside Edith’s messy office. The conversation was over in five minutes, and Magnus opened the door to let them back in.
“I’ve spoken with Dr. Delaney, and I will inform the others to extend the project for another six months after the games, so we can harvest enough of her genetic samples. Budget won’t be an issue, of course; the rest of the year’s been funded for A129, am I correct?”
The generals nodded.
“It’s settled then,” Magnus announced, looking back at Edith.
The three men who had waited looked at the doctor. Her face was ashen, and her lower lip trembled.
Dr. Wallace smiled congenially at her. It was nothing personal, really. Just work. Soon, A129 would be a distant memory, another failed testing subject, useful only when dead.
*
It had been five days since the start of the games, and Ryker had met another werebeing, another one who wanted to be under his wing, his protection -- all because he was a werebear. She was slightly older than Three, but barely sixteen herself, looking smaller than most at her 5’2” stature and cropped blonde hair. Six was a werewolf, who looked relieved seeing Three and him walk into the part of the glade.
There were only four of them left, there was X003, X006, X013, and him, X014. It was strange they called each other by number, but in a way, it comforted them that they weren’t that intimate to begin with.
Six (a small werewolf) counte
d how many were left, actually memorizing the participants who were left and those who had left the world.
“There were only three of us who were female, and I’m the last one left. I hope you don’t eat me or anything,” she had joked nervously the moment they had met.
Ryker hadn’t shifted yet, much to the consternation of the watchers, the government, and the architects of the game. They were growing impatient for the action they wanted from the werebear, since it was rumored X014 was one. All this, without the knowledge of the werebeings in the arena. They were blind to every decision the government made, as was intended.
“I think we’ve staked out enough of the place for today,” Ryker announced, sitting down. His rib had begun to heal, and the open wound on his arm had begun to close as well. His chest was still heavily bruised, but it didn’t matter now. What was important was that he was healing enough to fend off whichever sadistic werebeings were left, away from Three and Six.
Despite the fact that any of them might die anytime soon, his new companions proved to be team players, taking turns to hunt for their meals, and even taking turns to care for Ryker when he needed it. They had asked him to shift, for fear that the remaining, more violent werebeings would suddenly attack, but Ryker wouldn’t hear of it.
“We’re resting again?” Six looked at him with concern.
“I’m fine. We just need to gather our strength for tomorrow,” Ryker told them calmly.
He felt tired, but even he wouldn’t want to admit it to himself. How long could he hold it off? What was X013 like? If he was a werefox, he’d probably let either Three or Six finish X013 off. Then the two remaining competitors could kill him instead. He was sure Three would be gentlemanly enough to let Six win…
Ryker sat against a boulder, under the heat of the sun. They were on top of another hill, surrounded by thin trees, giving them just enough shade; however, Ryker chose to sit where there was no shade at all. He saw Six doze off, tired from the trek, and Three was on his way to slumber land as well. He couldn’t very well sleep now.