by Erin Rickman
I grunted. “I am relieved that we get to stay, but we just got out of experiments and trials.”
A-jax shrugged. “The settlement is the settlement, I can assure you that the trails will be nothing of the sort that you experienced previously. They have requested myself to conduct such test—The High Court has the impression that I comprehend the most about your kind.” If A-jax could have felt smug, then he would have—this was a win-win for everyone.
I let out an amused snort. “You thought Mr Feista was a dear friend of mine.”
“Blaire, I am fully cognisant of the object that is recognised as the human car. You acknowledge what a hover car is, but can you distinguish between the several designs?” He raised an eyebrow in questioning. He already knew the answer; he just wanted to prove a point.
“Well, no, but—”
“Then it was an honest mistake. I do not know the names of such ‘brands’, as you say. Do not mock me.”
Although I took a lot of humour from the situation, A-jax did not. I had come to learn that he was almost emotionless, apart from some fundamental feelings—similar to what you would find in a dog. It seemed this wasn’t uncommon in his species; many of them only had a basic range of emotions. It had been on rare occasions I met an exohuman that I would actually consider to be happy.
I laughed. “Alright, fine, I’ll do it, but only if you are the one to conduct it.”
He nodded. “You have my word.”
I trusted him; he had never given me a reason not too. Although his motives were often self-preserving, our end goal lined up. After all, he had been through the same experiences as us, if not worse, so he somewhat understood my concerns. A-jax had helped us settle here. More often than not, he would be the one to educate us, train us and ensure we did not offend anyone in a culture that was wildly different to our own.
I looked at him and held up my hand. “High five!”
He stared at my hand. “What is this?”
I grunted and proceeded to explain that a high five was the action of two people clapping their hands together, a celebratory form of success, and it felt even better if you had proven someone right.
“Such a simplistic and efficient way to signify success with the added bonus of making one’s enemies feel small—I approve.” A-jax slapped his hand to mine.
I let out a laugh. “Yeah, sure.”
We started walking towards the training centre where we were due to meet Kenji and Atlas. I agreed that A-jax could inform them of the news as it was ‘his case’, though secretly I think he was just as relieved as I was. Although there were a lot of cultural differences, he took great pleasure (if you can call it that) in reminding us how ridiculous our culture was compared to his. Of course, we all disagreed with him, but he always had a smart comment to shut us down. Atlas and I had come to the agreement that he was the real-life Spock, but much more handsome. Spock was known for being logical and unemotional.
I watched as the boys came out the doors to the training centre, their clothes stuck to their bodies and the sweat gleaning on their face. Atlas went to kiss me as a greeting, but the smell radiating from him had me pushing him away.
“Shower first,” I said, hand on his chest to distance him.
“Join me?”
I let out a snort while Kenji groaned. “I’m surprised he’s restrained this long, you sharing a room and all.”
As much as I wanted to tear Atlas clothes off, between our busy training schedules and my up and down grieving there has not been a right time. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to—because I really did—I just couldn’t find it in me to experience joy while Van Wick was still out there.
“Are you getting any closer to putting the devil in a hole in the ground?” I asked.
Atlas nodded. “Today, I spent time with a berserker. Also known as werebears. Side note, don’t call them that, it offends them. It was pretty awesome.”
“And I learnt how to enforce grass growth; the aim is to cause strangulation,” Kenji clarified.
“Brilliant,” I snorted. “If we can get Van Wick into a forest with you two, we may stand a small chance.”
Atlas laughed and threw his arm over my shoulder. The four of us set off on a walk to collect Maze. While we walked, A-jax explained the good news, and the boys agreed to complete the trials. It felt like, for the moment, things were looking up, and we almost had a sense of normality. However, around here, I doubted normality would last long. If things were going well, then wasn't it always too good to be true?
Character Illustrations
Images illustrated by Kay Mayhew.
Find her on instagram at: @the_misfitz_designs
The RAMBA Chronicles: The Eternal Experimental Effects Series
Unexpected Conspiracy
When Blaire was pushed to pursue work after achieving her degree in Immunology, she unlocked a whole new world. The Ishka Virus proved to be hard to crack and the research she conducted alongside Dr Van Wick, Atlas, Kenji and Hector put them all at risk. It's one thing to find a cure, but it's another to discover the DNA of the virus was out of this... realm. This book sees the group of young adults discover a whole new way of life, with a hint of love, drama and the unexpected.
Unexpected Universe
A-jax mentors the group to find their feet in the Land of Accomplishment, as Blaire, Maze, Kenji and Atlas train to become an elite team of combatants. As their power develops, so does their perception around the new universe they have settled in. Though, not everyone is adapting to the new Realm, and with classification day looming, the fear of separation is overwhelming - are they typix, exohuman or something more? This book sees the young adults navigate through the six new realms, with a hint of friendship, vengeance and the unexpected.
Unexpected Dominion
While attempting to avoid detection by RAMBA, Blaire's moral-compass leads to an unfortunate bargain. Now, Blaire, Maze, A-jax, Atlas, Hector and Keyum must fight for Kenji's freedom and the liberation of the realms’ magical inhabitants. Meanwhile, darkness flows through Kaffan’s world—will Blaire get sucked into the Eminence’s wrongdoing or will she fight against the secrets she discovers? This book sees the young adults fight for what's right with a hint of power, fear and the unexpected.