Rise

by May Sage

  Lena tried to force a smile as she shook it.

  “Well done on your win today.”

  That sounded along the line of something like I feel like eating your entrails.

  “Thanks. Good luck on the race.”

  “Oh,” Barbie replied, flashing her teeth. “Believe me, I don’t need luck.”

  Fourteen

  Note

  Calden

  He had told himself over and over again that the results didn’t matter, but the information just didn’t want to take root in his mind.

  Of course it mattered. If she lost now, they were on for a long, relentless fight which would more than likely end in a civil war, all in the name of love.

  Calden was standing, too unsettled to bring himself to take his seat in the highest tribunes, right in front of the arrival lines.

  He couldn’t see her – or any other candidates – from where he stood; they were two kilometers away, and the entire gap had been filled with as many traps as they could have packed in.

  There were ponds, trees with roots sticking out, Calden would have bet that some of the wasteland before him was actually quicksand, and he did not want Lena anywhere near the yellow bushes. That was going to itch like nothing she’d felt before.

  Right now, his eyes were fixed on the largest of the twelve screens fitted above the pit, displaying the starting line he couldn’t see.

  Right beyond the line, there were ten workstation set up; the winners of the first trials were all sat down, eyes closed, mentally answering each question they were faced with.

  The second Trial might not be relevant as to whom actually won, but it was a crucial, integral part of the Klint politics. Firstly, the winners would get a head start during the race, but it wasn't just that.

  This Trial had been designed to determine the fate of the losers. The most dominants will be considered as threats or valuable allies and as such, the Empress might choose to welcome them amongst her inner circle later on.

  Lena needed to be first again; maybe second. Even if she didn’t win the rest, it was essential to assert herself here.

  “First in position,” a robotic voice announced, “Tarja Alfe Lhen Uchn Estra of Magneo.”

  Oh, great. Talue. He watched her bow victoriously as some of the spectators clapped enthusiastically, as though she’d already won.

  “My condolences, cousin. You won’t last long if you need to share a bed with a viper on a regular basis.”

  “There’s only one female whose bed I intend to share, as you should know.”

  Jaycn didn’t even look surprised.

  “You intend to go against the law?”

  He needn’t reply to that; the question was entirely rhetorical.

  “You can’t hope to get away with that, Calden. The Ancients won’t allow it.”

  “Watch me.”

  Second, they called a brunette he had never seen before; they said she came from Gunivan, which explained it.

  That planet was so far off the radar, he didn’t think anyone had bothered visiting it in centuries. It was pretty, and useless – no resources could be exported from it, which meant it was poor – yet its inhabitants had been adamant about carrying on living there.

  This female couldn’t win. Gunivans were narrow-minded; she was only here to give an advantage to her people. She’d be an inadequate Empress to the rest of the galaxy.

  Next, it was Lena’s turn. Third. He could work with third.

  Calden released a breath he hadn’t consciously been holding and finally sat down.

  “By the way, where is Alek? I thought he was riding with you.”

  Calden frowned. He’d left early that morning, and Alek had still been asleep, so he’d ordered his guard to bring him later on.

  “He should be on a lower level. I didn’t want him here; there’s too many eyes on us right now.”

  But Jaycn’s words were still strange to his ears.

  “Why would you believe I took him?”

  “The note you left in his room said you would.”

  Calden hadn’t believed it possible, but he forgot all about the Trials, turning away from the pit, away from the screen.

  “What note?”

  Lena

  I said I didn’t want to come up ahead!

  And you are third, so your wish has been granted.

  Lena rolled her eyes. She would have preferred a place in the last tiers. There was already too much attention on her, after her performance in the first Trial; now, she’d run ahead, unable to see what others were up to behind her back.

  This is not going to be a race, Chip, is it?

  Sure, it will. It may be more similar to chariot racing in a roman arena than a little run, though.

  Chip knew just how to cheer her up.

  They called all other names, and the seven females took their respective places next to her. A glance right had her raise a surprised eyebrow. One of the twins had come forth, but the other was in last. Celma was fifth, and the four wannabe Barbies filled the gap.

  When all had been assigned to their line, the voice which had dictated their fate all day yet again demanded their attention.

  “At your marks. The race starts in one minute.”

  Lena sat down on the cold pavement and watched their uneven track.

  Sand, long grass, water, trees. She wasn’t naïve as to believe that everything was as straightforward either. There would be traps.

  More than likely.

  “Talue of Magneo, on your mark. Set. Go.”

  Barbie was off, under the acclamation of the crowd, but not as quickly as one might have believed.

  “Adna of Gunivan, on your mark. Set. Go.”

  More clapping, and the brunette was on her way.

  It was her turn then. The program said her name, her station, and ordered her to start running.

  The crowd did cheer for her, for a little while. Then, silence. Everyone seemed confused, but Lena stayed firmly planted where she was, crouched beyond the starting line.

  “Lulan of Vereni, on your mark. Set. Go.”

  The first twin was on her way, followed by Celma; and then, it all started.

  Three of the blondes moved as one, ganging up on the twin, first. Lena winced. Shit. The girl could defend herself, but there was no hope against all those attackers.

  Another mini Barbie – the fastest one – made a bee-line for Talue, and together, they focused on the brunette.

  All the candidates had been called now; the second twin was rushing towards her sister, trying to help. Celma seemed confused, unwilling to run too fast – she knew being ahead meant signing up for a serious beating.

  Well, Chip. It seems we have a choice to make.

  A life could often be defined by a few decisions. Until then, Lena had had two. Thirteen years ago, she’d decided not to join the Dissenters. Eight years ago, she’d decided to bear Alek.

  She was at one of those points right now.

  In one hand, she could make a bee-line for the finishing line. Those females were no threat, she knew she could take them. They also were more tired than she was, by now. She really had a chance at becoming everything she wanted to be.

  Her eyes took in Lulan and Adna. They were in no shape to carry on now, and the blonde army was redirecting their attention to Celma and the second twin.

  Ok, enough of that. Rising from her crouch, Lena breathed in and out, eyes closed.

  Then, she stepped over the line.

  Fifteen

  The beginning

  Calden

  He was trapped in a nightmare.

  “His guards?”

  “Silent. None of them can be tracked right now. We have to assume they’ve been subdued or compromised.”

  He tried, and tried to reach his microchip again; he might not be able to get a location, but at least, he could check if his vital signs were operational.

  All in vain. There was nothing.

  “Someone turned it off. Co
usin, the timing couldn’t be more eloquent. It’s one of them.”

  He was gesturing towards the pit, redirecting Calden’s attention back on the race.

  It had started.

  What the fuck.

  Lena was sitting down leisurely, although her name had been called.

  “What is she…”

  Hell.

  The women were vicious. Three of them ganged up on one, and two went for another; they used their fists and feet, drawing blood, breaking bones.

  Less than three minutes into the game, and two women were black and blue.

  What had he sent Lena into?

  “There is no point running around until the end of this. When one of them wins, we’ll get her to interrogate the others…”

  Calden laughed out loud, without an iota of humor.

  “Yes, brilliant plan. Except – I don’t know – for the fact that Talue has orchestrated a massacre. She knew she’d win. She’s got Alek. Get guards to search her ships, her house, and every box she’s purchased over the last month.”

  Jaycn had a hand on his microchip, giving the orders to his troops, when Lena finally got up and stepped over the line.

  Shit. She really didn’t need to be there. She’d been wise to stay out of it until now. Wishing he could reach out and pull her out of the pit, he willed her to be careful. He really couldn’t watch her get hurt, not right now.

  Then, something happened, making him wonder whether he was in an actual nightmare.

  He had no other explanation as to how Lena, one minute running towards a bunch of murderous females who were beating the crap out of two identical defenseless girls, was suddenly covered in a glowing golden exoskelton.

  It wasn’t the kind of bulky, heavyweight affair their soldiers wore during battle, but a slim suite following the lines of her clothing. Her speed quadrupled; in seconds, she was standing between the two girls and their attackers.

  The entire dome was silent again; they’d all seen her by now – every camera was pointed to where she stood.

  A small, round shield appeared on her left forearm, and with one shove, she pushed the three females over twenty steps back.

  “They’re going to pick us off separately,” she said to the girls behind her back, using Klinton as though she’d spoken it her entire life.

  She hadn’t. She hadn’t ever said a word in any language save for English; Calden had had to get the organizer to translate everything for her sole benefit.

  “Stand with me. Let’s get rid of them, then we can have a fair race.”

  Calden, like everyone else around him, was on his feet, eyes wide open in shock.

  It wasn’t technically impossible. The most recent microchips had a nano-technology designing system included, but it was used for simple things; a key, a ring – Jaycn had managed a grappling hook under pressure.

  No one had ever designed an advanced piece of technology.

  The twins looked at each other and nodded. One of them was heavily wounded, but she managed to get on her feet all the same. They each took one of Lena’s flanks, facing the blondes.

  They were three against three, now, and the cowards did not like these odds.

  “Forward. These girls aren’t worth the effort.”

  Lena ran quicker than the twins, but both followed as fast as they could, getting to Celma, who was admittedly defending herself admirably.

  “Sorry,” Jaycn said on Calden’s left. “I would have told you, if everything you did didn’t somehow end up public knowledge. Lena has got what humans call an eidetic memory. Everything she sees, hears, smells is firmly branded in her mind. That, coupled with her active imagination and her intense focus enables her to create anything that can be conceived with nanocytes in the blink of an eye.”

  Ok, there was no way Calden had the creativity necessary to imagine something so mind-blowingly logical.

  “It’s actually rather common, in humans. There are hundreds, if not thousands of them who could potentially do that. Well, if they’d managed to live in symbiosis with their microchip like Lena does, anyway.”

  Calden was going to find the energy to be pissed at Jaycn for hiding that from him at some point, but right now, he was too enrapt, his eyes following his mate as she yet again stood between one of her enemies and the next.

  Celma could hardly believe her eyes; nor could Calden. She might have seen what Lena was able to do, but she’d probably thought she’d let her rot – her reward for acting like an entitled bitch.

  Lena didn’t even have to speak; just like that, Celma had her back, too.

  Talue was furious, and looked murderous, but her followers had wised up; they stood aside.

  “You cheating coward! Come and stand against me if you dare.”

  That was rich coming from someone who had attacked other females two or three against one, but hey, who was he to judge.

  Naturally, and to his endless exasperation, Lena took the bait. The exoskeleton retracted from her body, and she dumped the shield.

  She was so going to get spanked for that.

  “How’s that, Barbie?” she teased, smilingly.

  Right now, she had the exact same expression as the child he’d seen in her video. She was tired, a bit out of breath, sure; but also, elated.

  This was her, who she really was, the reason behind the sarcasm and the effortless casual confidence.

  She was confident because she knew she could win. Her exoskeleton hadn’t been cheating; they all had their microchip. She was just ten thousand times better than them at controlling it.

  Right now, she truly believed she didn’t need it so, for the first time since he’d met her, all those years ago, Calden did what he should have done from the beginning.

  He trusted her judgment.

  His heart had stopped thumping in his chest, he wasn’t pacing around the imperial tribunes, or shaking anymore.

  He sat back, relaxed, and took a drink.

  In about five minutes, the threat would be eliminated. Then, he’d go get his mate. Together, they’d track down their son and make everyone who stood against them pay.

  Part Two

  Rage

  Preface

  Alek

  It was cold down here; cold, dark, and it smelt, too. Alek didn’t like it.

  Worse yet, he was alone. Not literally, there was an unconscious guard in the room, but alone in his mind. The little voice that had spoken to him every day, as far as he could remember, was gone.

  His microchip. His power.

  Alek had never been as frightened, as distraught as he was right now.

  However, he was the son of Calden and Lena Smith, so he closed his eyes, breathed in and out until he’d calmed down.

  When they opened, they were alive with amusement. He’d just realized one thing.

  His parents were going to find him – soon, too. When they did, those who’d done this to him would pay for it.

  He was almost sorry for them.

  Sixteen

  Found

  Tania

  She woke up with a huge smile on her face. Sometime overnight, she’d turned eighteen.

  Finally.

  Tania jumped to her feet, grabbed the brown folder from the kitchen top, and ran all the way to the town hall. Her application had been filled in months ago, and she’d already signed it, marking today’s date. She had known that even if the worse happened, even if she had the flu or two broken legs, she would have made it.

  Handing it in, she felt like an army of butterflies was partying in her stomach. The receptionist glared at her, everyone else showed contempt, but Tania was used to their disapproval: half of her life, she’d been the daughter of the town’s drunken skank, the other half, the orphan who lived on charity.

  Now, she was neither. From today onward, if she was approved in the program, of course – many girls were rejected – she would be a Klint breeder.

  Tania didn’t care what people said. She never had a family, she
’d never felt valued, and the Klint offered both.

  They’d accepted about ninety percent of applicants in the past, now, the stats were around one in three, max; but the odds were in her favor. Since they’d announced what they were looking for, she’d done her best to fit the description. She was healthy, she exercised regularly, and she had done pretty well in school, until she’d graduated a month ago.

  She had to believe they would choose her; she just had to.

  “We need to take a blood sample.”

  Tania frowned; she’d read everything she could get her hands on about the process and normally, they didn’t need a blood sample until the breeder was accepted.

  “Why?”

  “New procedure,” the administrator shrugged. “As of this morning, actually.”

  Oh well, it didn’t matter anyway. It was just a little bit of blood. What could possibly be relevant about her blood?

  Calden

  Someday, he’d look back to this day and just laugh about it all. It was as though the universe had decided that it might as well deliver a century worth of tension as quickly as possible.

  The Emperor was watching the Trials, his eyes firmly on his mate, who was fighting for her place in his world – fighting for him – when his microchip thought necessary to immediately inform him of yet another life-altering event.

  Sir, we have found the individual you’ve been searching for.

  That got his attention: he had ordered every available system to scan for his son, who’d more than likely been kidnapped.

  Alek?

  He didn’t dare ask whether the boy was still alive.

  Negative. I am referring to Tania Webber.