The Chase

by Bradley Caffee

  “Aaaa!” Walker shrieked as her feet lost their grip on a hold. Jaden, seeing a chance to gain some ground, doubled his efforts. Recovering, Walker finished her climb and turned to help Stone-zee. One section over, Creed and Stone were nearing the top of their rope. Jaden ran along the fourth platform intending to climb the same rope. Willis could see the two Black Team members talking, and Stone was shaking her head.

  “He’s gaining on us. Take care of him.” Creed thrust a finger in Jaden’s direction.

  “I can’t do it.” Tears streamed down Stone’s face.

  “We had a plan,” he whispered. He grabbed her arm, twisting her to meet his face. “You pretend to slip and be sure your foot connects with him. He falls. We win. Your brother stays.”

  “No, Creed. I won’t.”

  Jaden was beginning to climb the rope.

  “Then, say goodbye to your brother.” Releasing her arm, he didn’t even look back as he climbed up to the platform.

  “Please, Mario.” She stretched her hand to grab the edge of the platform.

  “I told you,” he muttered, suddenly calm, “don’t call me Mario.” With that, his foot moved imperceptibly to the left and came down with crushing force on her fingers.

  Casey screamed as her fingers of her right hand instinctively pulled away from the edge of the platform. Willis watched in horror as her left hand failed to maintain a tight grip on the rope and her body nearly free fell.

  “Casey!” Zeke shouted as he ran across the fifth platform, which he’d reached.

  Though it was a few feet, it seemed like an eternity as Casey slipped down the rope. Finally, her hand likely burned from the friction, she let go above Jaden, who was already reaching for her.

  Jez’s nails pierced the skin of Willis’s arm as she grabbed him. The pain startled him and broke his gaze. Returning his attention, he gasped as he saw that Jaden had miraculously grabbed Casey’s arm, dragging his own hand down the length of the rope. Their joint momentum carried them downward with Jaden’s grip barely keeping them from plummeting five stories to the ground.

  For an instant, the room was frozen, with Zeke’s footfalls running to the rope and Jaden’s strained grunting as he held on the only sounds. With a thud, the two crashed to the platform at the base of the rope, and Casey twisted, slipping over the edge. Willis could hear Jaden’s cry under Casey’s shriek as he tightened his grip to keep both of them from being carried over the edge.

  A second later, they stopped. Casey’s feet dangled freely in the air as Jaden, twisted awkwardly, held on to both her and the rope. The doors behind Willis opened as two officers raced in only to stare helplessly upward. They could never intervene in time.

  Willis allowed himself to exhale as Jaden slowly pulled her up to the platform, but his attention was drawn to the sound of Creed’s voice above.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Creed snarled, crouching over the edge of the platform.

  “Casey! Casey!” Zeke screamed as he slid into place next to Creed.

  “Creed, did you—” Walker pointed at Stone. Zeke shot a glance at her.

  “Silence, subordinate.” Creed slapped his teammate. “Come on, let’s move before he recovers.”

  “What?” Zeke searched their faces for answers.

  “Nothing.” He turned to resume climbing. Zeke alternated between glancing at his sister and at Creed.

  “Nothing? Nothing?” Zeke fumed, shoving Creed into the wall with both hands. Creed pushed off the wall and turned to him. He straightened up to show his full size to Zeke. Walker stepped back stiffly, nearly immobile in shock.

  “I don’t think you want to go there, Stone-zee,” Creed growled.

  “I’ll go anywhere if it’s between you and my sister.”

  Zeke’s fists tightened as he glared at Creed. Creed looked at Zeke’s hands and chuckled. “Right. Like you could ever match me.” Creed’s fist came with blinding speed toward Zeke’s jaw, but he was ready for it. Stepping to the side, Zeke pressed himself against the column allowing the strike to fly harmlessly by.

  Creed had committed his whole body to the punch. Without Zeke to stop his momentum, his body twisted toward the open air and then spun around to face Zeke. His hands flailed and grabbed at Zeke’s sleeve, catching it with one hand and tearing it at the seam, which held enough to catch his weight.

  “Mario,” Zeke said stoically. Creed’s face contorted in anger at the use of his first name but shifted to fear as the sleeve began to tear. “You’re never going to touch my sister again.” Zeke lifted his arm, shifting the angle so Creed’s body weight pulled directly at the seam of the uniform. The sleeve tore free with ease.

  Creed stared at the piece of cloth in his hand as he tumbled backward.

  Screams from Jez and Walker filled Willis’s ears as Creed toppled head over feet in the air. Seconds later, Willis closed his eyes, sickened by the crunch of Creed’s body slamming into the floor.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Several moments passed before he dared to look. He didn’t allow his gaze to linger long on Creed’s lifeless mess. Turning his gaze upward, he could see Casey clinging to Jaden, who was doing his best to comfort the sobbing girl while tending to his bleeding hand. Walker slid down the wall to a seated position, her feet dangling over the edge of the platform. Zeke was making his way down the rope to reach his sister.

  “Did that happen?” Toad was the first to break the silence.

  “I’m going to be sick.” Jez grimaced.

  Willis scanned the column. He found Dex first—he was on his hands and knees peering pale-faced over the edge of a platform staring at Creed’s mangled form. He appeared fixed to his spot. Amber, seemingly oblivious to the events, was still climbing toward the summit. Perryn was hurriedly making her way to Jaden and Casey. Even from the floor, Willis could see her tears.

  Schwipp! Doors behind Willis opened revealing Chief Administrator Blacc and a team of officers and doctors. The doctors raced over to Creed. Blacc stopped feet away from Willis and scanned the room, his hands on his hips. A shake of a doctor’s head confirmed that Creed was dead.

  “What a glorious, God-forsaken mess we have,” Blacc muttered to himself. “Officers, I want that snot of a boy in custody the second his feet hit the floor. I want to review the footage before I decide what to do with him.” He pointed at Zeke.

  “Chief Administrator, I saw what happened,” Willis blurted.

  “We will tell you what you saw, Red Leader!” Blacc’s nostrils flared. “You may be this year’s hope for the Alliance, but Creed was our best bet for repeating next year. Now years of training and preparation is wasted in a heap over there. Even recoding can’t save a dead man. Of all the things I’ve seen in my time serving our Alliance, this is the most disgusting display possible.”

  Willis couldn’t help but feel sickened that Blacc acted concerned about the dishonor brought to the Alliance when a young man lay dead yards away, even if it that man was Creed.

  Tone.

  “At least someone remembered why we’re here.” Blacc tapped the side of his head looking up at Amber who had reached the top. “Guess you’ll be facing your blue buddies in the final after all.”

  Willis looked up at Perryn. She was busy examining Jaden’s hand. Her face was streaked with tears. Jaden appeared exhausted and rested his head on the wall behind him. Casey sobbed in Zeke’s arms, who gently brushed her hair with his hand.

  “He can’t hurt you anymore, Sis.” Zeke’s soft assurances carried through the silent room.

  Willis turned to his team. Jez stared at Creed’s body. Her lips trembled, in anger or sadness, he couldn’t tell. Kane stood and stared straight ahead. Toad gazed at his own shifting feet.

  Willis turned to leave without a word. His team followed silently.

  A week passed before the teams were permitted to practice on the track again. The administrators had shut down the sphere to investigate the death. Zeke hadn’t been seen since the day of the rac
e, and Willis assumed they’d shipped him off to another alliance. Casey spent most days in her quarters. When she did emerge, her eyes were bloodshot and her face full of worry.

  “Track opens tomorrow, team. We’ve got to refocus. This is the final run,” Willis waved to gather the team. Jez sat in her usual place next to him. Kane sat opposite him with Toad to his left.

  “We’re racing the blueys.” Toad chuckled. “What’s there to prepare for?”

  “We have to be ready. They aren’t going to come wanting to lose.”

  “What about you?” Jez snapped suddenly. Her lips pulled tight, and she stared forward instead of at Willis.

  “What do you mean?” Willis shot back.

  “Are you looking to lose?” Her head bobbled with the mocking words.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You promised me you’d stay away from Jaden.” She pounded the arms of the chair, finally turning to him.

  “And?”

  “Will, bad things happen around him. Remember what happened to Creed.”

  “Creed was psychotic. He died trying to kill Jaden.” Willis was livid. He rose from his chair. He couldn’t believe her callousness. For a moment, he had a mind to throw her off the team.

  She rose to meet him and pointed at her head. “Exactly, he got in Creed’s head. Made him crazy.”

  “Crazier,” Toad corrected.

  “Shut up, Toad.” Jez shook a fist, looking down at him.

  Toad withered under her gaze.

  She turned to Willis. “All I’m saying is how do we know he isn’t in your head?”

  “What?” Willis scowled and took a step backward.

  “Will, you haven’t been yourself since he arrived on this station. Until he came, you were focused. You wanted to win. Now—” She hesitated to finish her sentence.

  “What?”

  “You seem focused on—other things.”

  “Let me make one thing clear, Jez.” He tried unsuccessfully not to sound angry. “I have every intention of going to the Chase. I plan to win the finals next week.”

  Jez sat back in her chair, her arms folded. She shook her head. “I hate Jaden. I wish he’d fallen too.”

  Willis stared at Jez. How could she hate someone that much?

  “That’s sick, Jez. As if Creed dying wasn’t enough, you’re wishing for more death. Don’t you realize that he would have fallen if Casey pulled him over? So you want three people dead?”

  “I don’t care. That’s my point. You care too much—about them. He made you care. You should care about me—about us—about winning. Nothing else.”

  “Not that it’s going to happen but losing isn’t the end of the world.” Willis spoke calmly trying to diffuse Jez’s fury.

  She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes glaring into his. “I will not lose.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. Standing up, she stormed out of the common room.

  “I have to say,” Toad snickered, brushing his red hair to one side with his hand, “team meetings have been way more interesting since the newbie came.”

  Willis ignored Toad’s remark. He stared at the corridor entrance that had swallowed Jez. He realized that he didn’t trust her. She’d do anything to win.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sheila sat at the desk in Blacc’s office. Once again, she found herself staring at the greasy little man she knew to be the Administrative Liaison to the Coalition Chairman’s Office. He sat examining her face for several minutes without saying a word. The silence was killing her, but she had no intention of talking about anything he didn’t bring up himself.

  “Ms. Kemp.” He sighed. “Do you know why I’m here?”

  “You got exiled here too?” She laughed and smiled at her own smart remark. It wasn’t wise to provoke him, but she couldn’t help it.

  “There is no need for that tone. Being on this station is a great privilege, not exile, as you call it. I’ve often longed to have the joy of seeing our racers up close, and you’ve had the honor for months.”

  “So you’re here for pleasure, not business,” she scoffed. She folded her arms and looked away from him, annoyed. Out the corner of her eye, she could see him lean forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the desk.

  “Hardly. I wish I could be here under more positive circumstances.”

  “Something bad happen to you?” She still refused to turn in his direction.

  “Not exactly. Let’s say Chairman DeGraaf saw your latest article.”

  He slid a copy of the paper across the table. She didn’t need to glance at it to know the headline. At the top of the page were the words, Tragedy Visits the Alliance Runners. She hadn’t been able to keep quiet about Creed’s death.

  “You told me to ‘report on the young racers,’” she quoted.

  “I believe I also told you to show us all the ‘greatness of the Alliance.’”

  The liaison picked up the paper, clearing his throat. His eyes momentarily met hers over the edge of the paper as if to communicate he couldn’t believe he was about to dignify her words with his own voice.

  He read. “‘Mario Creed, the imposing 19-year old Western Alliance racer, fell in a tragic accident during an exercise aboard the orbiting training center last week. While authorities are investigating the nature of the tragedy, the remaining runners struggle to find meaning in the highly anticipated final elimination run next week, the race that will determine who represents the Alliance in this year’s Chase. The loss of Mario Creed, a potential favorite in next year’s Chase, strikes a severe blow at the Western Alliance’s dominance and inevitably casts a shadow over the whole training program. Time will tell what long-term effects this will have on the Alliance’s chances in this and future Chase events.’”

  He stopped reading, allowing the paper to float silently to the table. His stare filled the room for several moments of uncomfortable silence.

  Finally, Sheila could take it no longer. “And?” she said exasperated. She looked him in the eye to stand by her work.

  “The last thing the citizens of the Alliance need is worry that their chances in the Chase are lessened.” He barked the words, standing from his chair to lean over the desk. “Ms. Kemp, the perfection we enjoy in the Western Alliance is a delicate balance. The chairman has long been happy that we support the Chase. Our voice speaks loudly in the Coalition, even when other lesser alliances want to challenge the system.”

  “So there are alliances who dislike the Chase?” She gave him her best ‘gotcha’ look.

  “There are alliances whose opinions are irrelevant as long as the strongest remain in full support. None more than ours, Ms. Kemp.”

  She hated how he attempted to belittle her by repeating her name so often. She wanted to vomit every time he spoke it.

  “Our people need to believe, Ms. Kemp.” He returned to his seat. “They need to continually believe they’re part of the greatest piece of that balance, that every choice they make has a profound impact on preserving the glory that we all enjoy in the Coalition. To cast doubt on that glory causes people to question.”

  “What is so bad about questioning?” She arched a brow.

  “People are not responsible enough to question.” He slammed his hands down on the desk. “Those of us who are informed know how to interpret and carry out the Law. It is the role of the uninformed masses to follow.”

  Sheila slumped into her chair. “Sounds like control.”

  “It is order. And your little stunts are calling that order into question.” He leaned forward in his chair, his face red, and whispered, his voice menacing. “You’re going to issue a complete retraction of your story.”

  “Really? And why would I do that?” She smiled.

  The liaison reclined slowly and breathed a long breath. His lips curled, baring his teeth as he spoke. “Because the order to cease funding your sister’s hospital has already been sent.”

  Her eyes grew large as she digested what he had said. She saw the corner
s of his mouth turn upward. He had her, and he knew it. She hated him for that.

  He frowned and tried to appear pitiful. “It’d be a real shame if I forgot to make a call for them to ignore that order.”

  “When do you want the retraction?” Her chin quivered as she examined the floor. She despised herself for giving in, but she couldn’t see harm come to her sister.

  “You can give it to me personally when I leave in an hour.” He held a hand toward the door, dismissing her. “Thank you for serving this great Alliance.”

  She got up to leave.

  “Oh, and Ms. Kemp?’

  “Yes?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have time in my schedule to return to this wonderful space station, so make sure I won’t have to retract another funding order, all right? I’m afraid it wouldn’t happen in time.”

  She nodded. The message was clear. She could not take any more chances.

  “Sheila?” came the weak voice over the computer speaker.

  “It’s me, Audrey.” Sheila’s voice caught as she spoke her sister’s name.

  “I can’t believe you’re calling me. I heard you were on the station reporting on the racers there. Didn’t I always tell you that you’d have a glamorous reporting job one day?”

  “Yeah.” Sheila laughed for the camera, while her insides ached from sorrow. “Somehow you always knew I’d be a journalist.”

  “So why is my famous sister calling me from outer space?” Audrey chuckled, unable to laugh without coughing.

  “I had to know you were okay, Sis.” Sheila remembered the retraction she’d handed to the Liaison. If he kept his word, the funding order would be rescinded within the hour. Tears welled in her eyes as she considered what would have happened if she hadn’t obeyed.