by T. S. Ryder
His grip on his sword tightened as Taskus Draw's elevator descended, hovering just below the creatures' cages. The faint shimmer in the air around him indicated he was shielded against the creatures. Probably in case some spat poison or got free.
"Welcome, gladiators!" Taskus Draw cried, grinning. "The annual freedom games have begun!"
We can tell, get on with it!
"For this task, your new mates have been put in the arena. Each of these creatures you see above me has been fitted with a collar that will draw them to the pillar your mate is attached to. It will be up to you to find your mate before the creature assigned to her does! Once you find her, you will be permitted to rush her from the arena as soon as she is free. Be aware, though, because if another gladiator's mate is killed, he is allowed to steal yours! So keep sharp and don't turn your back!"
Gylden's heart jumped to his throat. This was even worse than Bianca having to fight for herself. She was helpless against the creature assigned to her post–if he was too slow, she might die. And if the others were too slow, he might have to kill them to keep her.
If they survived this, he was definitely going to seduce her.
"You may begin," Taskus Draw shouted, and the cages above them opened.
The energy field dropped, and Gylden rushed in. Some of the other gladiators stopped to fight the creatures that faced them, but not the T'shav. If they were being drawn to certain posts in the arena, they wouldn’t have any interest in the gladiators around them. And as he dodged the creatures as they ran around, snarling and howling, he was proved right. Not one of them gave him a second glance.
A scream sounded from his right. His head turned to the sound against his will; a woman was jerking at the end of her rope, frothing at the mouth, a tree scorpion's stinger driving deep into her chest.
Gylden turned from the doomed woman and continued his search to Bianca. He found her quickly after that. She had turned herself on the rope so she faced the pillar. Her legs were wrapped firmly around it as she inched her way upwards. There was some sort of spiky crown on her head, and she took this off and began to saw at the rope that held her in place.
And a jungle cat wearing a collar the same color as the post she was tied to was galloping towards her.
Gylden shouted, throwing himself before the creature. He swung his sword at it, and it dodged the blow. A paw came up and swiped at his back, its claws skidding across his armor. He stumbled. The cat yowled, turning back towards Bianca. Rage flooded Gylden's system. He jumped forward again, swinging his sword at the cat's neck.
A reverberating jolt ran up his arms as his sword impacted the collar. The cat flinched and turned on him. The collar dropped off, split in half. Gylden stabbed at the animal. It batted his sword out of his hand and shook its head. A pitiful meow rose from its throat as it began moving in circles.
Gylden jumped to where his sword was and rushed back. He skewered the animal. It hissed and spat, but seemed utterly confused as to where he was.
On the cat's other side, Bianca dropped to the sand. She rolled a few times before she came to a stop right beside the cat as it collapsed. A deep, rattling breath rolled from its throat and it went still. Her eyes widened, but she still pushed herself to her feet and reached for the collar.
The T'shav climbed over the dead cat and seized her by the waist.
"The collars," she said. "The collars show them where to go. If they break they don't know what to do."
"That's nice," Gylden grunted. He threw her over his shoulder.
"What are you doing? We have to help the others," Bianca cried.
Gylden ignored her as he ran towards the arena exits.
"Break the collars!" Bianca squirmed to his shoulders. "Break the collars and they'll stop trying to kill you! Break the collars!"
Gylden glanced up as he ran. Taskus Draw was watching them, his eyes narrowed. The T'shav's heart plummeted even as he rushed his paired mate into the safe zone. A glance back showed him that the other gladiators were doing as Bianca had said. Instead of trying to kill the creatures outright, they were breaking the collars. And as the collars dropped off, the creatures became complacent, rigid, no longer trying to kill the women. With one action, Bianca had changed the game.
The T'shav's arms tightened around Bianca.
May her soul's star protect her, he thought. She had just ruined Taskus Draw's show–what was he going to do to her in revenge? Can I protect her? Do I dare try?
Chapter Four – Bianca
She should have known what was coming would not be pleasant when all the drones around her died.
It hadn't been long after Gylden got her out of the arena that they had been called to Taskus Draw's office. As soon as they stepped in, Taskus rose his wrist and pressed a few gems on the chunky gold bracelet he was wearing. The large sapphire in the center flashed green, and the drones all fell to the ground, their lights going out.
The network host calmly walked around his desk without saying a word–and struck her hard across the cheek.
Bianca cried out. The force turned her head, and as she stumbled back from Taskus Draw, her eyes met Gylden's. There was a concern in his expression, but he didn't move to defend her. For some reason, Bianca was a little hurt by that. Maybe because she had spent every second as she was being dressed (or rather, undressed) for the arena wishing she had slept with him. Drones or not, it would have been a mind-blowing experience and something to hold onto as she was prepared to die in the most sexualized, humiliating clothes possible.
Taskus Draw loomed over her. "Thanks to your little game, there were only five deaths. Five!"
"Only?" Bianca repeated. "How can you be so callous? This isn't entertainment, it's utterly barbaric and you should be shot for murder!"
The Suesue's purple-pink skin took on an odd mauve color. This time Bianca saw the hand before it came at her. She couldn't stop herself from flinching away from the blow. Taskus Draw grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her closer. Pain ripped through her scalp and tears filled her eyes, but Bianca ground her teeth together. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.
Besides, it wasn't as bad when it was coming from someone who didn't pretend that he cared about her.
"I have a network to run here. Everything we do is perfectly legal. We have permits upon permits, and every person here is either a condemned criminal or a legal slave. Even you."
Bianca's blood boiled. "I was stolen by pirates—"
"You never went through the United Species to get your citizenship. You are my property, to do with as I please. And if you ever jeopardize my ratings again, I will find a way for you to make it up."
A ball of dread sunk into Bianca's stomach at that. She had no idea what Taskus Draw might do to her to boost his ratings, but she didn't want to find out.
"Do you understand me?" the network host asked.
Bianca nodded silently. She didn’t dare say a word, not when the Suesue was staring down at her with that gleam in his eye. If he was willing to kill dozens of people in every one of these sick 'games', then he would have no problem mutilating, torturing, or otherwise humiliating her on a public network just to get the real creeps to tune in.
Taskus Draw nodded, apparently satisfied with her submission. He stalked around his desk again and sat. Behind Bianca, Gylden stirred. She started to turn to look at him, but the Suesue cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him.
"I want to make sure that you know exactly what the stakes are here," Taskus Draw said. "Our preliminary feedback puts you as likable. People think you're beautiful. Many of our viewers have put in requests to see you naked again. Perhaps I will take away all of your clothes. What do you think about that?"
Bianca felt all the blood drain from her face. She scrambled back, running straight into Gylden. His arms wrapped around her, holding her fast. At first she struggled, wanting to free herself from his grip, but soon let herself sink into his strength. Whether h
e was holding her in place so that he wouldn't get punished with her, or if he was trying to comfort her was irrelevant. He was strong, he was there, and she needed him.
"No… naked too much and it would lose its appeal."
Bianca sagged in relief.
"Besides which, there are always prudes who boycott the network if things get too graphic. However, a whipping seems like it's in order," Taskus Draw said.
"Are you sure?" Gylden's voice was even. "You said that her popularity is based on her beauty. If she is whipped, it'll mark her. Viewers might take offense to that."
Taskus Draw's eyes narrowed. "You have another suggestion?"
"Yes. You saw how she was so concerned with the others in the arena. I believe that pain put on others because of her actions will hurt her more than pain put on her. Give me the whipping."
Bianca gasped. She twisted to stare up at Gylden's face. His eyes flickered down to her briefly. She couldn’t guess what was going on in his mind.
"Why would you do that?"
"I want my viewership to increase. The public loves a good romance," Gylden continued. "She is meant to be my mate, isn't she?"
Taskus Draw steepled his fingers. He stared at Gylden for a long time before he nodded, a sly smile crossing his face. "Yes. Yes, they do. Very well. You will take her whipping for her. Now get your mate out of my sight before I decide to make it worse for her."
***
Bianca flinched as Gylden did. She had been forced to stand by and watch Gylden be whipped. Every lash had made her heart clench, and by the end of his punishment, she had been sobbing. The T'shav had leaned on her all the way back to his barracks, and once they were inside, he directed her to his medical kit.
"The bloodstore first," Gylden directed. "I've lost a lot of blood."
"Right."
Bianca pulled out the slight tube and injected it into Gylden's veins. It would restore the lost blood. Next, she began to put on the fleshseal, to bind the wounds and prevent further blood loss. A quick antibac injection would clean the wounds from the inside out.
The drones were buzzing around them again. Even though Bianca longed to ask why he would take her punishment for her like that, if it was really just for the viewers or if he had another reason, she couldn't trust anything that he said when they were being spied on like this. Her lip trembled and she bit down hard on it.
This wasn't how she was going to live the rest of her life. She wasn't going to be a slave looking over her shoulder. Even if she survived the arena–if Taskus Draw decided that her popularity with the viewers outweighed his personal dislike of her for taking back to him–every aspect of her life would be on display.
Gylden could win their freedom, but she knew what that meant. The T'shav would be a trainer. Still bound to this constant cycle of death, just not facing the blade himself anymore. His life, and consequently hers, would still be live streamed constantly. That wasn't life. That was reality TV taken to its most extreme, and she knew she couldn't live like that. She had to find a way out of this. A way to escape.
Did she dare try to bring Gylden with her?
"Do you remember your life before you came to the arena?" she asked.
She finished laying the fleshseal over the last of his wounds and gave him the antibac before she found a cloth and began to wash up the blood. It was only then that she realized that her own hands were stained red. She had been too concentrated on her task before. Her stomach roiled, but she pushed it aside.
"Well? Do you remember anything?"
"Not enough to count. I remember my mother telling me about Starmates."
"Starmates?"
Gylden grunted. "Something about souls being born in the same star. It was long ago, I don't really remember exactly what it was. True love, I suppose is the simplest way of putting it. I just remember my mother's face when she told me. She was so happy. Almost glowing. I always wanted that. I didn't think I would find it."
Bianca's heart skipped a beat at the soft, sensual tone he used. As if he was telling her that she was his Starmate. But that had to be for the cameras, didn't it? There was no way he could actually be in love with someone he just met. This was a story for their unseen audience. She wasn't his 'one true love'.
"That should do it," she said, her voice unintentionally brusque. She threw the bloody cloth into the laundry corner, then went to wash her hands. "Do you have a regenerator?"
"Not for my personal use. I was told I will have two days to heal with regular visits to the regenerator before I have to fight again." He sat up and smiled at her. "Well worth it, not to see you in pain."
"I don't know about that," Bianca muttered. "I should have been whipped, not you. I'm sorry. I wish that…"
She trailed off as a drone pushed right into her face, blocking her eye contact with Gylden. She turned her back on him and shook her head. "I'm just sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this."
"It's worth it, for you. Now come to bed, Bianca. I might be out of the fights for right now, but I still want to work on your swordsmanship tomorrow. I won't have you getting killed in the arena." He patted the bed next to him.
Bianca stiffly joined him. She had almost slept on the floor the previous night to stop herself from giving into sexual desire, but had ultimately decided that getting no sleep while sharing a bed with a stranger–whether because she was fighting her desire or because she had given into it–was better than getting no sleep laying on the floor. He had kept his back to her then, but now he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her snug against him.
He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She moved closer, her tense muscles relaxing. It was going to take at least two days for her to get all the components for her EMP generator. She had the circuit from the holoscreen, but she still needed a switch, some sandpaper and to dig out something she could use as a capacitor.
Maybe she could… No. No, she couldn't get any deeper into this life she was sharing with Gylden. They had barely met.
She couldn't risk her life for his. It was harsh but true. There wasn't even any telling if he wanted to leave this. A tear leaked from Bianca's eyes, and she squeezed them shut, hiding her face from the probe that hovered inches above her.
Chapter Five – Gylden
Over the next few days, Gylden felt something shift in Bianca. It was hard to put his finger on exactly what was happening. She grew stiffer in his arms every night, and during the day she spoke less and less with him. It was almost like she was trying to distance herself from him.
Not that the first twenty-four hours that they had been together was really enough for him to understand who she was. But he had hoped that she would relax around him, not become warier. She just tinkered with the various pieces of technology in his room, often ruining them while claiming she was trying to fix them.
He knew it shouldn’t make this much of a difference to him. It wasn't like there was anything between them. And even if there was, it wasn't substantial. Sooner or later she was going to die in the arena–because one thing was certain. He might be willing to take her punishments like being whipped, spare her some pain, but he was not dying for her. Besides, if he was killed protecting her, she'd just be killed soon after, anyway.
Or worse, given to one of the other gladiators who had already lost their mates. Well, some of them might not be so bad, but three women had been killed by the gladiator himself when they fought against him in their private rooms–two others had taken their own lives, probably for the same reason.
If I knew what exactly how much popularity Bianca had, I'd know how to use it better.
He had considered giving the public what they wanted with her. She was a beautiful woman, and he couldn’t deny that he ached to see her naked form himself. But he knew she would never go for it, and undressing her against her will left him feeling sick to his stomach, dirty, and ashamed.
No. He couldn't even bring himself to ask her to bare herself to
him, let alone anything else. For some reason, it was important to him that her last few days alive be as pleasant as he could make them.
If only he knew of a way to make sure she survived… but there was no way to do that, and he had to resign himself to the fact that he was going to lose her. Just like he lost everybody in the arena.
***
Bianca slipping out of his grasp was what woke him.
At first, he didn't think much of it. She was often restless at night. But then he realized that the constant, familiar buzz of noise that the drones made was gone. Worse yet, there was no light streaming in through his lids. His quarters were constantly lit, to give viewers the best shots of him.
His eyes snapped open as the door to his room opened. Gylden bolted upright. It was pitch black. What had happened? A power outage? But how could that kill the drones? Bianca's footsteps were disappearing down the hallway. A feeling of dread rose up in him.
She was trying to escape. Anybody who tried to get away was always killed. He dashed after her, heart in his throat. The only chance she had was if he got her back to his room and found an excuse for the dead drones–how had she managed to deactivate them?
The lights were all out in the corridor as well. An eerie feeling prickled the back of Gylden's neck. He hadn't been in utter and complete darkness since he was a little boy. But the sound of scuffling footsteps was coming from his left, and he followed them as quietly as he could. A faint light bobbed up and down the corridor. Bianca?
He hurried after her. Soon the blue glow of a crackling energy field, which separated the gladiators from the rest of the Rayne Five Network, was visible ahead. It bathed Bianca's form. Gylden saw her raise a small device, aiming it towards the energy field.
What was she doing? He ran forward. Bianca jumped and turned, but before she could do anything, he was on her. His hand clasped over her wrist. She dropped her device, eyes widening, and he pulled her in against him.
"What do you think you are doing?" he hissed. "This place is set up to stop gladiators from escaping. If you try to step past those gates, you'll be killed by the guards. Not to mention the drones will show Taskus Draw exactly where you are as soon as they come back online."
