by J. N. Chaney
16
I took a minute to study the area immediately around us. There was no other life. The only sound came from the waves in front of us and distant chirps from the alien birds resembling blue sparrows.
We all took a moment to gather our thoughts.
“Is that—is that blood?” Tom asked.
“Looks like it,” Doctor Allbright muttered.
I traded glances with Stacy. Her brow was knit in a line of worry.
“We should have brought more guns,” I said.
“We should have brought a militarized unit,” Stacy said, checking her blaster.
“We’re almost to the ship,” Elon reassured everyone. “ Just one more night. There are people there that need us.”
Yeah, one more night to the ship, but we’re about to find the section that broke off from the Orion holding the prison cell block, I thought to myself.
We pressed on as the suns began to descend until we reached the ocean and the mound of metal rising from the water like some ancient monument long forgotten. It kind of reminded me of some sort of interpretive art. I hated that stuff.
The ocean itself was brighter than the bluest water I could ever remember seeing. The waves glistened like magic in the sun. For the first time, I thought the view was beautiful. Maybe Lou was onto something. Maybe we had seen so much bad here, we needed to take a minute to see the good as well.
Alien birds winged through the sky. Here and there, sea life leaped and played in the water.
This section of the Orion was actually three or four levels of the ship that had broken apart and splashed down just inside the ocean’s borders. It stood there like a massive metal housing unit reaching from the water’s cold embrace.
“What’s that?” Tom asked.
“It’s a section of the Orion that broke off on descent,” Elon answered.
“We should search it,” Mark added. “There could be supplies we need, maybe even survivors on board.”
“I’ll go,” I said understanding what we were really looking for. “No need for everyone to possibly get hurt on there if it’s unstable.”
“Stacy and I will join you,” Elon said, already doling out instructions. “The rest of our force will take up a defensive position on the shore.
No one argued. I had a sneaking suspicion that if Hannah, Mark, or even Boss Creed really knew why we were searching the ship, they’d insist on coming as well.
We traveled up the beach, my boots sinking in the soft sand. A half kilometer to our right, the tree line of the jungle coaxed us in as if it were trying to apologize for its screaming during the night.
“We have a few hours before the suns set,” Stacy said as we drew up parallel with the metal hulk of the Orion. “Why doesn’t everyone who’s staying behind set up a camp on the beach. We’ll search this section of the Orion today. Tomorrow, we’ll make the last push for the escape ship. It should just be a few more kilometers to the north. Just inside of the jungle border.”
Everyone went to work setting up camp, while Stacy, Elon, and I prepared to enter the water and wade to the broken Orion.
Mutt came with me, looking at me and then the water and back again as if to say, “Really? You’re going in there?”
“I know,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t believe it either.”
We waded into the warm, clear water as one, Stacy on my right and Elon on my left. We all kept on our boots and pants. Once we reached the Orion, we’d need the protection against exposed edges and the metal surfaces.
Stacy and Elon kept their weapons out and ready.
My eyes scanned the water in front of me for any sign of alien sea life. I half expected for some kind of hydra or kraken to grab us and pull us under. It seemed that the planet wanted to kill us and this would make sense. Lucky for us, we made it to the Orion undisturbed.
The only thing I saw was a school of silvery fish, each the size of my palm, lazily flailing through the water. If they took notice of us at all, they didn’t show it.
“It’s almost beautiful,” Stacy said, looking out over the water. “Like those pictures you see of tropical beaches, clear water, and white sand.”
“Big fan of the ocean?” I asked.
“I guess so,” Stacy answered. “I’ve never seen it in real life. I mean, I’ve never seen Earth’s ocean.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. I never thought about the possibility of someone growing up never seeing an ocean before.
“There, we can ascend there,” Elon interrupted our conversation, pointing around the side of the Orion facing us.
We were looking at the exterior of the curved section of the Orion now. Just around the left corner, the familiar levels of the ship opened up. If the main section of what was left of the Orion back on dry ground looked like a cracked egg, this portion looked like a small section of the eggshell.
I said “small,” but in reality, it was still the size of half of a sports stadium. It was just relatively small for us compared to being in the actual ship when it was whole and now having half of it back on the planet.
Dark smoky edges and soot painted a section of the exterior as we turned the corner. The water was waist level on us now as it lapped higher and higher.
“It looks like there was a fire on board,” Stacy said, pointing to the dark smoke stains on the metal. “I don’t know if we’re going to find any survivors.”
Memories of Maksim and what he was capable of touched at my mind.
“Either way, be ready,” I said.
“I agree.” Elon gripped his blaster even tighter. “We know what Maksim can do. If he is still alive, he’s capable of anything.”
We turned the left corner of the exterior hull, climbing onto the first of three levels of the cell block section of the Orion. There were four intact levels total, but the first one was mostly submerged in ocean water.
I pulled myself up, feeling the weight of the added water that soaked my clothes. I gave a grunt but made it up despite carrying the extra water weight.
I reached behind me and offered a hand to Elon and Stacy. A few seconds later, we were all dripping wet on board the ruined Orion. There wasn’t much to see. To our left, the level fell away to the ocean. In front of us, the level continued on in a slight curve as it followed the shape of the ship.
Just like the exterior of the ship, the level was darkened with smoke stains and scorch marks. I couldn’t even tell what the level we were on had been before.
Elon looked down at his data pad. “We’re in a storage level now. The prisoner cell block should be one more level above us.”
I was going to suggest we look around for supplies since this was the storage level and all, but there was nothing here. Everything had either been destroyed in the fire or fell off into the water and was carried away.
“One more level up, then,” Stacy said, heading to the edge of the Orion and climbing up.
I followed behind, and Elon brought up the rear.
We were now two stories above the water. The level we were on already looked different from the open floor plan of the storage level below us. This one had cells set into the wall to our right.
Three meters to our left, the level fell away to the ocean once more.
The cells were also burned. The idea that the prisoners were burned alive invaded my thoughts. That would have been a hell of a way to go. Although, when I remembered that Maksim was trying to kill one hundred thousand people on board the Orion, I didn’t feel so bad anymore.
“Maksim was in cell zero, zero, two, and the Warlord thug who tried to kill Ricky when we first began our journey was held in cell zero, zero, one,” Elon informed us. He consulted his data pad one more time then looked up with a nod. “Let’s get some answers.”
I traveled down the line of cells to my right. There were only nine altogether. I guess whoever designed the Orion didn’t imagine more than nine people could get into much trouble in a planned six-week trip. Boy were they wr
ong.
All the cells were fashioned the same way, a small square room with a metal door and square peephole.
I looked into the flamed-out cells as we passed. All the doors were closed. From cells nine to three, we saw the same thing: empty rooms ravaged by fire.
I held my breath, looking into cell number zero, zero, two where Maksim would have been. Whether it was right or wrong, I hoped to god I saw a blackened corpse lying on the ground. The alternative was sure to cost more than a few lives.
Part of me already knew what I would find. Maksim was a survivor like I was. Maybe we were more alike than I wanted to admit. I looked into his cell. It was empty.
Stacy reached for the darkened metal knob and swung it open. The barrier that was trusted to keep the monster inside came open as easily as unscrewing a lid from a loosened can.
We all stared into the empty cell. There was nothing there besides the blackened soot that fire brought. How he managed to get out was a mystery to me, but apparently not Elon.
“I should have thought about this before,” Elon said under his breath. “The cells have a safety feature that if a fire is detected in the prison block, the doors are opened so they don’t burn alive.”
“Because we couldn’t have that,” I said.
“So, he’s out there,” Stacy answered back. “It was him you saw, Dean.”
“Arun is already taking every precaution,” Elon reassured us. “As soon as Dean brought back the news that Maksim might still be out there, we treated the situation like he was. This is only confirmation.”
“Should we see what’s behind door number one?” Stacy asked.
I nodded, going over to the next door. I was already mentally preparing myself for the next engagement with Maksim. It was as inevitable as a number one contender getting his championship match.
The next cell, unlike the first, held a dead body. The familiar form of the Warlord whose name I didn’t know lay on the ground of his burned-out room. His body was charred and blackened from the flames, which was strange if his door was set to open when Maksim’s did.
“Something’s wrong,” I said, trying to put my finger on what it was. Something itched at the back of my brain.
“What is it?” Elon asked.
“Well, let’s take a look at what happened here,” Stacy said, reaching for the door.
“No!” I screamed, trying to stop Stacy from opening the door at all.
It was too late.
Stacy opened the prison door in front of us. We heard a light click.
“Oh shi—”
BOOM!
The last thing I remembered was being thrown into the air, the warm embrace of the water, and then my wife’s face.
17
“So, Jonny told me Mr. Dell paid you a visit. He wanted you to throw the fight.” Natalie came into the restroom area with concern in her eyes. “Jonny wants me to talk you into obeying.”
I turned from gazing in the mirror to looking at the woman my heart beat for. I was finding her more and more attractive as the years passed. I loved her now more than when I married her if that was possible.
She wore a black dress with high heels and a simple necklace with a bronze medallion around her slender neck. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
“And what do you think?” I asked her.
“I think Jonny doesn’t know me very well if he thinks I’m going to take anyone’s side besides my husband’s,” Natalie answered. She took a step forward, closing the distance between us. “You’ve worked your entire life to get to this point. I’ve seen the literal blood and sweat you’ve poured into this. You’re not going to throw this fight. I’m not going to let you.”
I stood there admiring her for her strength. Natalie wasn’t petite or skinny by any means. She was only two inches shorter than I was and worked out with me a few times every week. Despite this, in that moment as she stared at me with the intensity of a Valkyrie, I wanted to protect her.
Whether she actually needed protecting or not was a different question. At that moment in time, every fiber in my body told me money, the belt, and the title all came second to the woman I loved and the woman who carried our child.
“It could be dangerous,” I told her. “I don’t know what Mr. Dell will do. Jonny thinks things could get violent.”
“Then we run together, we go to the Civil Authority, we do whatever needs to be done, but we don’t stand down from bullies. Not us,” Natalie said. “Never us.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” She raised her right eyebrow. I loved how she did that when I was in trouble.
“I basically said the same thing to Jonny,” I said, taking her into my arms. “I’m going to win tonight. I’m going to win for us, for our future, and for our child. We’ll figure out what comes next together.”
I pressed my lips against hers, losing all thought to the ecstasy the act brought. I released her faster than I would have liked. Her eyes were still closed when I took a step away.
“Keep kissing me like that, Mr. Slade, and we’re going to have another baby before you know it,” Natalie teased, opening her eyes.
“Ten minutes,” Jonny said, reentering the bathroom. “You able to talk some sense into him, Nat?”
“You chose the wrong woman for the job, Jonny,” Natalie said, looking at him with determined eyes. “I know you’re only looking out for us, and I love you for that, but tonight’s Dean’s night.”
“You want me to beg, is that it?” Jonny asked. “Don’t do this, Dean. Go down. Take a dive and live to fight another day.”
The crowd in the Coliseum erupted above us as the entrance music for my opponent blared out loud and clear.
“We got to get going,” I said, placing another kiss on Natalie’s soft lips before I prepared my mind for the violence to come. “Let’s do this.”
Jonny opened his mouth again, but I was already past him. The other trainers in the room who had no idea what Mr. Dell said were ready to go. They clapped me on the back, shouting words of encouragement. We walked from the locker room to the coliseum above.
The reigning champion was Jason “The Judge” Anspoc. He had a good reputation amongst fighters as a hard worker and a stand-up guy. Right now, he was walking out to some old school rock and roll.
I bounced up and down on my toes, blocking out every other idea in my mind besides the acts of savagery and brutality. Jason could have been a saint, but in the ring, we were enemies. That was all there was to it.
My trainers walked with me in a tight circle. The Coliseum security encompassed all of us in another layer of protection should the fans get unruly. Or even if they didn’t get unruly but excited to the point they wanted to reach out and touch me.
It was strange, the type of electricity a fight like this held. I could hear the fans roaring with anticipation as I ascended the steps to the floor level of the arena. The rock music died away, and my own came on.
I was also a fan of the old classics. AC/DC’s song TNT came on, blaring over the loudspeakers. The lights in the arena went out. I stood at the mouth of the Coliseum, about to enter the main floor. It was so loud now. Between the music and the screaming fans, I could barely hear myself think.
Flames erupted from the center of the pit. That was the cue to start our walk to the ring. My heart was pounding like a war drum as I made my way through the crowd, accompanied by my trainers and security staff. The lights in the Coliseum went on, revealing a packed stadium of yelling fans. I couldn’t pick out what they were saying outside of a few shouts like “Steel Hands! Steel Hands!”
We maneuvered through the crowd to the pit that wasn’t much more than a sand floor with a square cage on four ends. Jason was already in the ring. An announcer was holding a voice amplifier to his throat preparing to introduce us.
A referee dressed in yellow and blue stood ready to begin.
I wasn’t wearing anything besides my shorts. They were a simple design of black and re
d. I never understood why gladiators wore robes or clothes to the ring, only to disrobe right before they entered the pit. I came ready for a fight. I was always ready to fight. There was only one thing in my head at the moment: go.
I entered the pit with last-minute instructions from my coaches. I ignored Jonny’s stare, but I still heard his last words when my feet traveled from the cement floor to the sandy fighting floor.
“Don’t do it,” Jonny warned again. “Dean, please don’t do it.”
I ignored him, already staring my opponent down.
“In the far corner,” the announcer started in his golden voice, “your champion with a record of sixteen knockouts, ten submissions, and one loss, the master of disaster, the killer incarnate, Jason ‘Theeeee Juuuuudge’ Anspooooc!”
Screams ripped through the air. Cheers came in waves. All of it took a second seat to the focus I felt. I was generally a pretty happy guy, but in the pit, I was something else. The driving force that lived inside me was called upon to see me through to the end. I imagined it as a beast within. I chose when to let the beast out of his cage. That hour was here.
“The challenger in the near corner with an impressive record of twenty-seven recorded knockouts and zero losses is the Dean of Mean, the one who carries death in his hands, Dean ‘Steeeeeeel Hands’ Sllllllllllade!”
The crowd erupted again. It didn’t take much to get them going.
Again, I blocked it out of my mind. The announcer left the ring, giving me a nod in parting.
The referee looked over at Jason, who nodded before looking at me. I also gave him a jerk of my head. My eyes never left Jason.
The referee lifted his right hand into the air before dropping it dramatically. A bell rang, signaling the beginning of the fight.
I could barely hear the announcers from their booth. The fight would be broadcast on every major network.
I jogged to the middle of the pit. I bounced side-to-side, ready to move in any direction at a moment’s notice.
“Let’s make it look good,” Jason said as he met me in the middle of the pit.