Zena- Commander

by Edward Lake

  Ada came over and knelt in front of me. “Breathe, Zena. Calm yourself and breathe.”

  I touched my chest and slowly breathed out. I tried to say something, but I couldn’t talk. It was as if my body had gone into shock.

  Ada placed one hand on my chest and the other on my back. “That’s it, breathe. Calm down and breathe.” It was nice to see Ada show her softer side. Deep down, I believed she could be so much more than a warrior for Master. I hoped she could find a new path before reaching a point she could never come back from.

  Up ahead, past the cold, misty air, I squinted my eyes and saw Sadie lying on a flat surface, surrounded by glass and machinery. I moved forward, my eyes tearing up. When I got to her, I covered my mouth and wept.

  Her body was as frozen as Cato, her skin as pale as snow. Her hair was withered and frosty. But I could still see a shred of life in her—a bit of hope that made me think she was going to be okay.

  I touched the glass and saw my breath as I cried. “Sadie? Can you hear me in there? It’s me…Zena.” I knew that she couldn’t hear me. But talking to her was helping me cope. I’ll pray for you. I’ll ask God to watch over you. I closed my eyes and kissed the glass. Dear Lord, bring Sadie back to me. Please, God, bring her back.

  “Are you praying?” Ada ambled to me and stared for a moment. She let out a depressed sigh and paced around Sadie and me. “God isn’t real, Zena. It was a lie created to control the lesser beings of the galaxy.”

  I ignored her rubbish and focused harder on Sadie. Even behind the glass, she looked so beautiful. I wanted to touch her skin once more, so that I could feel her soul—just as I did on Sodus. Yet no matter how hard I tried to block out Ada’s rambling, I could still hear her in the background.

  “You are more powerful than you know, Zena. Believing in a lie makes you weak.”

  I turned my head and glared at her. “You can stop your preaching.” I gradually looked back to Sadie. “I wasn’t praying.”

  She came to me and grumbled. “Look, I know that letting go of all that you’ve ever known won’t be easy. I had to do it, when I joined the Rebel Army. Master taught me the truth, and it changed my life for the better.” She reached out and kindly set her hand on my back. “There are no make-believe spirits. No myths about blessings and grace.”

  I moved away from her and wrapped my arms around my chest. “I told you, I wasn’t praying.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me. I can see that you’re still a believer in the so-called Holy Spirit. I hope you learn the truth as I did. You deserve better than what you’ve been taught.”

  I put a hand up and held it out to her. “Ada, please stop. I know you mean well, and…I do appreciate you for bringing me here. But I’d like to be left alone with her.”

  She glanced at Sadie, then looked back at me, her face tense. I saw envy in her eyes. Perhaps she didn’t like seeing me with Sadie because it reminded her of Evetta, her lost lover.

  “Sure. Whatever.” She hesitated at first, then finally, she spun around and went back to the ramp. She left the ship, and left me wondering why she had looked at me that way.

  I went back to Sadie and touched the glass that separated us. I stood there and daydreamed about what could be. I thought about what she told me on Sodus, right before her father caught us kissing. She told me there was a chance we could be together after the war.

  I pictured us snuggled in a cozy bed, naked, enjoying the warmth of body heat as we lay wrapped around each other. I imagined the feeling of her smooth skin, and that sweet fragrance in her hair.

  I brushed away some light frost that had spread across the glass. “When you wake up, I’ll take you dancing again. Maybe this time, we won’t have to run from lasers and Serpents.” Tears welled in my eyes and quickly froze as they leaked down my face. I lowered myself and kissed the glass. “I’ll pray that you wake soon. Goodbye, Sadie.”

  When I returned to the camp, Jax found me and ordered me to follow him. He led me to a rusted metal bench by the wall. “Have a seat, Zena.”

  The bench squeaked once we sat down. Jax reached into his pocket and yanked out a handful of what appeared to be tiny, dried food. “Hungry?”

  Whatever it was looked weird, like it didn’t come from Cato. But I was starved.

  Jax tossed a few into his mouth and chewed them down. “Take some. They’re good.”

  I figured the food was safe if he was eating it. I shrugged and held my hand out. He dumped a few into my palm. I checked the food again before tossing it into my mouth. I quickly chewed the greenish-brown leaves and swallowed them. Surprisingly, they didn’t taste too bad. “Hmm, what is this stuff?”

  Jax was already on his second handful. He had so much food in his mouth, it was hard to understand him as he talked. “Pem-peh.”

  “Pem what?”

  He chuckled. “It’s a plant from Mercilus. Our Serpent friends introduced us to them.”

  I nodded. “Interesting. Can I have some more?”

  “Of course.” He scooped a bigger handful from his pocket and gave it to me.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw him staring at me as I ate. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He grinned. “I want to see if you’re ready, Zena.”

  “Ready for what? The fight?”

  “Yeah, the fight.”

  I turned my head and looked into his eyes. “I thought I had more time to prepare?”

  “So did I.” He tossed more plants into his mouth, mumbling as he talked. “There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it.”

  My hands began to shake, and I was terrified he was going to tell me something had happened to my family.

  Jax stood up and paced in front of me. “The GGC wants you to fight now. As in right now.”

  I stood up and glared at him. “I can’t fight right now. I’m not ready! My life is on the line. I need to be prepared for this.”

  Jax crossed his arms and turned his back to me. “You’ve got to control your emotions. We’ve got one chance to get the money we need from the GGC.” He exhaled and turned back around. “All you have to do is win.”

  “If you want me to win, then I need to train for the fight!” My eyes watered. I gulped and looked down. “Look, there has to be a way you can stall them.”

  He huffed and put his arms down. “Unfortunately, our time has run out. Your fight is set to begin on the North Star in a few hours. So we have to leave now.”

  I looked up, my heart clenching. “A few hours?”

  “Yes.” Jax smiled and tapped my arm. “Trust me, by the time we get to the North Star, you’ll be ready. Those dried-up plants I gave you were a gift.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “Those plants will give you strength, Zena. Overwhelming strength that you will use to defeat your unlucky opponent.”

  Right then, I thought of Evander. “You used that P-whatever plant to beat Evander.”

  “Yes. I did.”

  I wanted to beat him down to the ground, just as he did to my friend. But I had to stay focused. For my family. For Evander and Taft. For Sadie. If everything went as planned, and if Jax kept his word, I would finally have a chance to save my family. “What if the GGC members find out I cheated?”

  “They won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because you and I are the only two people who know about it.” He beamed and reached into his pocket. He took out more dried-up plants and ate them. He reached out to me, several pem-pehs in his hand. “Have some more.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Zena, don’t be a fool.” He lowered his hand. “Take them.”

  Day by day, it felt like I was losing my soul. I wasn’t a true rebel. I could never call God a lie as they did. Yet here I was, dancing to their tune, playing their games.

  All my life, I knew who I was. I knew what my purpose was. I had my family. I had my responsibility to look after Declan whe
n he fought. I had the responsibility of looking after Lydia and Turk. I had Grandma Petra watching over me and the rest of the family.

  I closed my eyes for a moment and heard my father’s voice. “Zena, can you hear me? I’m still here, daughter. Now and forever, I’ll always be with you.” My mother once told me that our spirits never die. She said we find ways to live forever through the ones we leave behind. Our children. Our lovers. Even the people we influence.

  I hoped she was right. I needed her now. I needed my father. I needed their voices in my head, telling me everything would be okay. If the plant Jax gave me did boost my strength, I doubted it could help my mind, too. I was lost, and now, I would have to return to the North Star and kill a man.

  9

  Zena

  Over and over, in my head, I reminded myself why I was doing this. I had to save my family. No matter the odds. No matter the humiliation I would feel, fighting for the same organization that killed my father. I would do anything to save my loved ones. For now, this was my only chance.

  Clear as day, I saw the pain in my father’s eyes, and the scars he had gotten from all the lashings the Holy Army troops had given him. I heard the cries of my mother, and the awful cough she had when she became ill and died slowly. I remembered how afraid I was when they took Declan to his first fight. Thank God he won and came back. I don’t know what would have happened to us if we lost him to the death fights, too.

  I had always wished I could take my brother’s place and fight for him. Year after year, I had to watch him suffer and bleed. That was why I didn’t want him anywhere near this war. He had done enough fighting. He had shed enough blood. The time had come for me to bleed for him. I was ready for whatever the GGC had planned. Ready for war!

  Jax found me and had me follow him over to Evander and Taft. He knelt alongside Evander’s cot and tapped him on his arm. “We’ll be leaving shortly for Zena’s fight. Will you be ready?”

  Evander opened his swollen eyes a little wider and barely gave him a nod. “Yes.”

  Jax patted his arm again. “Good.” He stood up and glanced around at the three of us. “The North Star is crawling with Holy Army ships and soldiers. But don’t worry, our Serpent allies will be keeping them busy. Even so, we will have to be extra careful. This is a secret death match, and if the GGC gets caught working with us, it could put our entire operation at risk.”

  Taft stepped closer to him. “Wait a minute. The four of us are going to the North Star alone?”

  “Five of us,” Ada said from behind me.

  I turned around and looked her over. “I figured you would stay behind and direct the troops.”

  “No. Ada is coming with us.” Jax pushed past me and Taft, Ada following. “We’re leaving now. Gather your things and meet us at the door.”

  Evander slowly sat up, holding his side. “This is insane. You’re not ready for this fight.”

  I set my hands on my hips. “Maybe. Maybe not. Jax gave me something that might help.”

  “What?” Taft asked, and crossed his arms, staring at me.

  “A plant from Mercilus called pem-peh. Jax eats the plant, too.” I turned my head and stared at Evander. “That’s how he was able to beat you down so easily.”

  He grimaced, and his eyes became intense and red. “That cursed fiend…I knew something wasn’t right.”

  It was such a shame to see Evander like this. I hoped we would find a way to swipe a few pem-peh plants from Jax. “Perhaps we can find where they’re keeping the plants and steal some. Maybe then you can ask him for a rematch and prove you’re the better fighter.”

  All over my body, I felt pressure and heat. My armpits became sweaty and my fingers and toes tingled. I imagined the pem-peh was doing something to my body. Jax seemed overly confident when he told me the pem-peh would assure me victory. I was eager to see for myself. “Come on. Let’s move out.”

  Together, the three of us gathered our things and marched to the entryway. Jax and Ada were there waiting for us. After everyone got dressed in bulky clothing, they led us outside and to a ship.

  Evander was moving stiffly, pushing himself to do simple things. When I saw him struggling to walk, I went to him and let him lean on me. I helped him to a seat near the cockpit and set his gun on the floor. Once I sat down, we all put our seatbelts on.

  “You’re a warrior, Evander,” Jax said as he operated the control panel. “I didn’t want to beat you down, but you challenged me, so I had to put you in your place.”

  “I would still like to know how you beat me so easily.”

  Jax laughed. “Oh, don’t you worry. You’ll find out soon enough. Right, Zena?”

  I sat down next to Evander. “Sure. Whatever you say, Jax.”

  The three of us glanced at each other, then turned our heads and watched Jax and Ada.

  When the ship finally warmed up, Taft exhaled and leaned back. “You know, I never thought I would make it back to the North Star. Especially not this soon.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? All my years of slavery are coming back to me. The lashings. The sleepless nights, rolling around on the ground, starving in that cold cell.” I smiled. “But the pain made the good times feel better. Funny how that works.”

  In my head, I saw flashes of me and Declan when we were children. I saw the smile I once had when I was a little girl. Then I thought of Saros and the soldiers. When I finally learned what I was—and who they really were—my face turned into the frowning shell it was now.

  “Relax your bodies,” Jax said as the ship took off.

  Slowly, the ship rose higher and higher. Everyone quickly put their seatbelts on. Within a few minutes, we blasted away into the sky. Jax pressed down on the throttle, and the ship launched into space.

  Out the window, I saw the magnificent darkness where all the stars dwelled. My eyes opened wide as the battle ship zoomed. It was like being a child again, only this time, the dream was real. The breathtaking views had me speechless. It felt like staring into the eyes of a beautiful woman, unable to tell her how I felt.

  “We will ascend into interstellar speed in three, two…” Jax pressed a button on the control panel that sparked a buzzing sound all around us.

  Seconds later, we arrived in another realm of the galaxy. Once we were traveling at a safe speed, I undid my seatbelt and stood up. I walked to the front view window and gazed at the majestic view. I shuddered when I looked down and saw a dark, dry planet. My home, the North Star.

  I wondered if my old friend Kyra and her mother were safe. I quietly prayed for them in my head as I checked the eerie landscape. Wherever you are, stay strong. I pray that God watches over you. I pray that we meet again someday.

  “Listen up, former captain and former slaves,” Jax said. “Our friends from the GGC would like to meet Zena before the fight. So put on your happy faces.”

  Evander stood up and dragged his injured body to the cockpit. He bent his head down and checked Jax, then Ada. “How are you able to get this close to the North Star without being detected on their radar?”

  “Our spy has breached the holys’ security system,” Ada said.

  “Again?”

  She glanced at him, grinning wickedly. “Yes.”

  “We’ve already won, Evander,” Jax added. “This fight, and the money we’ll get from it, is just a part of the celebration.” He entered the North Star and landed far from any civilization.

  In the distance, a massive, lavish ship stalked me with its big oval lights, like a snarling beast, ready to pounce at any moment.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. If we get caught by the Holy Army, they’ll swarm us and blast us into smithereens.”

  Jax waved his hand at me. “Relax, Zena. I told you, our Serpent allies will be here shortly to attack the North Star. That will keep the holys busy.” He flashed a playful grin. “You see, I think of everything.”

  My family wasn’t on the North Star, but Kyra and her mother wer
e—and all the innocent slaves from districts one through seven.

  “People will die, Jax! Can’t we do the fight on another planet?”

  He stood up and glared at me, his eyes piercing. “Do you want to save your family or not! We had a deal!”

  His booming voice hit me like a rock, and my eyes shifted all around. I looked down and exhaled. I was out of options and out of time.

  “Okay. Let’s proceed.”

  After a brief, unnerving silence, Jax and Ada led us out of the ship. Taft and I helped Evander walk across the dusty, barren field. Jax and Ada separated from us, yapping as they walked. Arrogant fools. My life was on the line. Yet it seemed the only thing they cared about was getting the money from the GGC.

  Wheezing, Evander spat out a glob of mucus. “They know something we don’t.” He peeked at me, still wheezing. “Look, Zena, if Jax gave you some new information, me and Taft need to know. The three of us are in this together, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think I would keep anything from you or Taft?” I huffed and shook my head. “I figured you had more faith in me. Guess I was wrong.” Evander rarely surprised me. Ever since I met him, I sensed he had a great perspective on the galaxy and who he could trust. But ever since we swore our allegiance to Master, he appeared to be flummoxed by his new reality—unable to figure out his next move.

  I was perplexed, too. I believe all three of us were. But seeing Evander like this was disturbing. I looked up to him, kind of the way I looked up to Declan. He gave me hope when he told me about his plan to free me from slavery. I never imagined anyone from Sodus could show such kindness.

  “I’m sorry, Zena.”

  I leaned forward and calmly stared into his eyes. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

  When we reached the big, fancy ship, I noticed the ramp was already opened. At the top of the passageway, two men waved us onward.

  “Welcome, Jax and Ada. So glad we could put this together.”