The Chase

by Bradley Caffee

  “When that perception is challenged”—she waved a hand in the air—"the answer is easy. They recode you. Recoding allows the doctors to mess with memory. They can take things out. They can plant suggestions. They can tell you how to perceive your surroundings. Keeping this knowledge secret would be easy, even with someone like me aboard who knows the truth. There’s one problem.”

  “What is that?” Willis was listening intently.

  “You.”

  “Me?”

  “You are the best racer in the world. You never lose. You’re never recoded. Recoding is meant to improve your ability to race, but the genetic breakdown is unavoidable. Those with high recoding numbers are prone to emotional instability, lessening their reliability as a racer.”

  Sheila waited until he nodded. She took a deep breath.

  “Willis, you’re the long-awaited hope of the Alliance. Your win has been expected for years. The Alliance has no desire to recode you, not even one more time. Any stage of the recoding can begin the breakdown.”

  “And now I know.” Willis completed the line of reasoning.

  “Now you know. I’ve told you.” She paused. “If Blacc suspects you know, the Alliance both loves you and hates you. And we’re both in danger.”

  “If it was so dangerous, why tell me? If everyone but the trainees know, there isn’t much story here for the media. Why are you telling me this?”

  Sheila studied his eyes for a long time as if trying to read his soul. Her lips parted slowly as she breathed the words. “My father was rehabilitated, many years ago. As a girl, I watched them take him away, and for a long time believed he would eventually be released. I never saw him again. I noticed right away when I got to the station what they’re doing, but I’ve stayed quiet to protect you all. You seeing the woman changed everything. She’s living my father’s fate. She deserves that I speak the truth.”

  Willis’s chest ached with the familiar pang that comes with thoughts of lost family. In a strange way, he connected to Sheila in that moment. “I’m sorry,” was all he could say. “About your father, I mean.”

  “You have to be careful, Willis. No more asking around. No more talking to other racers. You have to pretend that you’ve given up the idea of figuring this out. Blacc knows you saw her and will be watching for any sign that you’re causing trouble.”

  “They can’t randomly recode me. Everyone would wonder why.”

  “It’s not hard to create an excuse, Willis. Accidents happen.”

  “Accidents? Sure, but—”

  “Yes, accidents like the collision on the track between Jez and Lacey. Accidents like the Gold Team being moved to the outside lane of the track at the last minute creating that scenario. Accidents like,” she hesitated and looked at the floor as her final words struggled to pass her lips, “like the protective walls mysteriously lowering on that section of the track.”

  It took a second for Willis to understand what she was saying. His eyes widened in fear as it dawned on him. She was referring to Jez.

  Willis returned to his quarters instead of going to the mess hall for dinner. His appetite was gone, anyway. He sat on the edge of his bed processing what Sheila had told him.

  Could it be true? Would the Alliance engineer an “accident” because Lacey had seen something?

  His mind wandered to Jez. Sheila had confirmed his thoughts before he left her office. Willis knew Jez was capable of being nasty, but would she risk committing murder for the Alliance? Even that was beyond her. What could the Alliance possibly have on her to make her want to do that?

  He didn’t feel like being around his teammates and had feigned a stomachache. With luck, they would assume his illness was the reason for his poor performance on the track.

  Willis pushed the panel on the wall and removed the sleepwear inside. Picking up his uniform from that day, he placed it inside where his sleepwear had been. Examining the red and black mass of cloth, he carefully grabbed the sleeve and tugged at the seam. A slight tear, almost imperceptible, appeared in the armpit of the shirt.

  He had to know if the woman had been real—if all that Sheila said had been real. He turned out the light and went to bed, expecting that sleep would be unlikely that night.

  Morning. Willis sat on the edge of his bed examining the fresh, clean uniform. The stitches under the arm, obviously done by hand, stared back at him. Suddenly, the uniform felt heavy in his hands, and his fake stomachache from the night before became real.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Willis?” Jez spoke in a hushed tone.

  Willis realized that he’d stopped in the middle of a sentence as he coached the team. He had called a meeting in the common room first thing that morning. No more speeches about winning for the Alliance. No more being inspired to be the best. Willis had a new reason to win. The idea that the doctors might take his memory, even a memory of a nameless woman, disturbed him and filled him with an urgency to win.

  The team had immediately taken to the fresh seriousness he brought to the meeting. Jez had spent much of the morning smiling after seeing his focus. If only she knew why. He didn’t want to think about the fury of anger she would unleash if she learned the encounter with the woman still haunted him.

  All of that was on hold for the moment, though, as most had paused their discussion to listen to the commotion on the other side of the space.

  “One second, Jez,” Willis responded.

  “Ignore him,” she pleaded.

  Nearby, Creed was growling through his teeth at Stone. Stone-zee had failed to buckle the strap on his training helmet, causing it to slip when he fell during a training run. The resulting injury had landed Stone-zee in recoding, costing the Black Team the remainder of the week of training without him. He’d grabbed Stone the instant she entered the common room, his frustration causing him to forget there were others present. Walker sat there with a cold expression, watching.

  “I’m done with that undisciplined little brother of yours,” Creed spat at Stone.

  “Creed, please. I’ll work extra with him to catch him up after he returns. Please don’t trade him to another team.” Stone pleaded with him through her tears.

  “You think any of the other teams want a loser like him?” Creed shot back. “The Alliance will be forced to trade him to another alliance. Heck, they might have to give him away.”

  “Please, no!” Stone’s knees buckled. She reached out to grab Creed, but his sharp look made her hesitate. He grabbed her wrist and forced her down into her chair.

  Anger burned inside of Willis. Creed’s threat disgusted him. It was a new level of cruel, even for Creed. He would have no problem replacing Stone-zee’s spot from another team on the station. At the very least, any member of Green Team would happily abandon the role of being recoded so often. Getting cut from a team never sat well with the administrators, who generally responded by bringing up a runner from the junior training centers rather than rehabilitate the problem runner. Stone-zee would likely be traded to another alliance for one of their racers, and that would mean a permanent change in his citizenship. He could never return home to the Western Alliance—or to Stone.

  “Don’t get involved,” Jez whispered. She’d placed her hand on his forearm. The touch sent shivers up his spine. He still wasn’t sure she had done what Sheila had suggested, but the notion bothered him. “Creed would find any reason to hurt you. Elimination races are coming up, and we need you. I need you.”

  Jez was right. The final elimination runs were right around the corner, the races that would decide the team headed to the Chase. He couldn’t afford injury as recoding would be the way to speed recovery and minimize training time loss. The doctors could not be allowed to change his memories.

  He peeked over at Blue Team, who had been having their own meeting in the other corner where he’d first noticed Perryn holding her armband. She appeared nervous as she tried to keep her team’s attention. Normally, Jaden did much of the coaching, but he wasn’t e
ven watching Perryn. His eyes were firmly fixed on Creed, and his anger wasn’t hard to spot.

  “Don’t worry, Jez.” Willis squeezed her hand on his forearm before pulling away. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Her sigh of relief was immediate. Willis turned slightly away from Creed and explained their strategy for the track that week. Kane’s huge size was causing a problem with a small space he needed to squeeze through. Willis explained the solution that he’d rehearsed, but a portion of his attention remained across the room.

  He could see the forearm muscles in Jaden’s arms tensing and relaxing, as if he were talking himself into and out of intervening. Perryn had given up on him and was trying to explain something to Amber.

  “Jaden, no! Don’t.” Willis heard the hushed whispers of the Blue Team as Jaden stood. Willis could see their fear as he walked toward Creed.

  Don’t do it, Jaden. He’d love to hurt you. Everyone had gone silent.

  “What seems to be the problem?” Jaden kept his voice calm.

  Creed paused, running his tongue along his lower lip as if to contemplate which part of Jaden to take a bite out of first.

  “Out of my face, bluey,” Creed snapped.

  “Oh, no worries, Mario. I wanted to talk to Casey anyway.”

  Creed flinched. Willis wasn’t sure if Jaden meant it to disrespect him, but he was sure that’s how Creed took it.

  “She’s busy,” Creed straightened in front of Jaden, his size dwarfing Jaden’s frame. Tears continued to stream down Stone’s face, but Willis could see she was holding her breath. He did the same, not wanting to rip the delicate tension in the air.

  Jaden frowned. “Oh, come on. She’s got to have a minute.”

  “Like I said”—Creed spoke slowly through clenched teeth—“she’s occupied. We have some team business to take care of.”

  “Team business.” Jaden let out a hard breath. He shook his head.

  “And no concern of yours. Go away.”

  Walk away, Jaden. Walk away. You made your point. You interrupted him. That might be enough, Willis pled silently.

  “Team business,” Jaden repeated, quietly looking down. “I don’t think so.”

  He turned to Stone.

  “Casey, you don’t have to listen to this guy—”

  “What are you doing?” Creed screeched.

  “—He’s full of it anyway. Walk away from him when he’s like this.”

  “Back off!” Creed shouted as he grabbed Jaden’s shoulder. Jaden straightened and delivered a dagger look at Creed. Reaching up, he removed Creed’s hand from his shoulder.

  “Casey, why don’t we take a walk to Chief Administrator Blacc’s office.” Jaden spoke calmly, extending a hand to her. Stone glanced at Creed, who continued to seethe, and slowly took Jaden’s hand. She stood, her knees shaking. The room was so still, the flames in Creed’s eyes could almost be heard. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “That’s it!” Creed exploded. Stepping forward, he grabbed their wrists, yanking them apart. With his left hand, he pushed Jaden. His right hand grabbed Stone’s face like it was a ball. She cried out.

  For a half a second, Creed glared into her fearful eyes peeking out between his huge fingers. With a great shove, he launched Stone backward. Her momentum carried her over the chair she’d been in, toppling her over. Moving swiftly, Creed grabbed her arms, and practically lifting her, threw her into the wall. Her head smacked hard enough that Willis, who’d stood up, could hear it clearly.

  Before Willis could move, Jaden composed himself and threw his body at Creed’s midsection. The two fell to the floor, Creed striking his head on the corner of a table. It was all the advantage Jaden needed as he rained down blows upon Creed.

  “You stay away from her!” Jaden shouted.

  Creed swung at Jaden, connecting with his jaw and hurling him backward. Willis finally found his feet and moved with speed he normally reserved for the track. Jaden reached for a chair. As he raised it above his head, Willis stepped between the two racers with arms extended.

  “Jaden, calm down.” Willis braced himself for a blow.

  A long moment hung thickly in the air, Jaden’s heaving breaths the remaining sound. Willis watched a tear escape the corner of Jaden’s eye as he cautiously lowered the chair. Movement caught Willis’s attention, and he turned to see Perryn move toward Stone who had begun to stir.

  “That’s right, pretty boy. Step up in time to be the hero.” Creed stood. His black uniform glistened where blood from his mouth and nose had soaked it. Willis shot him a glance that reminded him he was outnumbered.

  “Perryn, she’s going to need a doctor.” Willis nodded toward Stone. She was whimpering, hiding her face in Perryn’s arms.

  “I’m not sure she can move yet.” Perryn shot him a glance. “Better to bring the doctors to her.”

  “All trainees will remain where they are until further instructed,” came the mechanical announcement over the speakers.

  Willis smirked, and he made sure Creed saw it. Creed was going to get his. The administrators must have been watching the altercation on the cameras and would see Creed’s actions as a clear violation of station rules. Creed’s shuffling feet told Willis he must have come to the same conclusion.

  Not a minute later, the doors to the common room slid open to reveal Chief Administrator Blacc, two uniformed Alliance officers, and several doctors. Blacc stormed toward Willis and the rest of the group.

  “What in the name of all that is stupid is going on here?” Blacc shouted.

  Willis parted his lips to say something but shut them quickly under Blacc’s heated glare.The question wasn’t waiting for an answer.

  “Black leader,” Blacc said, “how is it that you and yet another teammate find yourselves injured?”

  “Just a disagreement, Chief Administrator.” Creed lowered his gaze like a dog before its master. The doctors were prying Stone from Perryn’s arms and placing her on a wheeled stretcher.

  “Disagreement? Disagreements use words. Disagreements do not land half your team in the infirmary.”

  “Yes, Chief Administrator.” Creed’s voice shook a little.

  “The Alliance is shamed by this disgraceful display. We can’t have it repeated. And so, as a consequence—”

  “Chief Administrator, please.” Fear appeared in Creed’s eyes. Extending a hand, he took a half-step forward.

  “Silence, Black Leader.” Blacc glared at Creed, his frenzied gaze halting Creed’s steps.

  Creed retreated. “Yes, Chief Administrator.”

  “As much as your actions are disgraceful here today, it is the opinion of the administrators that you were operating within the allowances of a team leader until provoked by a challenge to your authority.”

  Willis stood stunned. That couldn’t be. Creed attacked first.

  “Blue team trainee,” Blacc turned to Jaden, “you are hereby under arrest and will spend the remainder of the month isolated to your quarters. You’re to have no contact with any trainee aside from team leaders.”

  “No!” Perryn shouted as the officers moved to flank Jaden, tears appearing in her eyes. “He was trying to defend her.”

  “Blue Leader, you would do well to hold your tongue,” Blacc snapped. “Your team member deliberately involved himself in a private team matter with intent to create an opportunity to injure members of that team. Any further outburst from you and your visitation privileges will be revoked. Good luck preparing for the next race while having no contact with your team member at all.”

  “Chief Administrator, is there any way—” Willis started.

  “No there isn’t, Red Leader. You will silence yourself as well unless you want your team to feel the pain of training without a team member.”

  “You’re right, Chief Administrator,” Jez stated calmly, suddenly at Willis’s side. “Our team has no wish to associate ourselves with these kinds of actions.”

  Blacc smiled and winked at Willis. “You can thank your
little teammate, here.”

  Willis shot a look at Jez.

  “She warned us this newbie was causing friction between team members. If we hadn’t been watching him, you might have gotten more involved than you did before we stopped it. You wouldn’t want to get injured, would you? It would be a shame to be—recoded.”

  Sheila’s warning about ‘accidents’ shot through Willis. Jez’s fingers suddenly felt like icy claws on his arm.

  The officers stowed their batons and grabbed Jaden’s arms. He stared at Willis trying to communicate as they spun him around to walk out. Perryn was crying. Creed was smiling to himself. Jez squeezed Willis’s arm.

  Willis hadn’t missed Blacc’s raised eyebrow on the word ‘recoded’—a clear warning. They were watching him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was a crushing blow for Blue Team. Rumors spread that Perryn, Amber, and Dex fell apart in practice without Jaden. With the elimination races next month, Willis figured the administrators had decided it was time for the teams to resume their traditional places in the pecking order.

  Willis sat in the mess hall, picking at his food. He couldn’t help but stare over at the blue table where Amber and Dex ate in silence. Jaden was still confined to quarters. But where was Perryn?

  Creed and Walker sat in equal silence not interacting with Stone-zee who sat next to them. In fact, they pretended like he wasn’t there. After Stone had been sent to recoding for her injury, Blacc had frozen all team rosters. No changes could be made. Creed had made a grand speech to Stone-zee about the benefits of team discipline, citing his sister as an example. He’d meant it to shame Zeke, but it served to infuriate him. Willis couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Zeke’s mind.

  The silence in the mess hall had sucked away his appetite, so Willis elected to leave. Nodding at his team and reminding them of their meeting later that morning, he pushed away from the table as the mess hall doors opened. The entire room was staring behind Willis. Turning around, he saw Stone, returning from recoding. She walked awkwardly, still getting used to her new feet. Her hand raised to her mouth and tears filled her eyes.