by Isaac Hooke
As soon as Shaw and the prisoners were carried inside, the crowd erupted in a fervor of chittering that was nearly overwhelming. Shaw was forced to lower the volume in her helmet.
“They weren’t bringing us here so that Rade could watch us die,” TJ said. “But so the aliens could.”
“It’s some kind of bug arena,” Bender said.
Shaw was carried to a series of pillar pairs located in the middle of the cavern. She was forced against one of the pairs, and another gatorbeetle secured her arms and legs to each pillar with that vomited slime; when it was done, she stood in place, glued to the pillars, spreadeagled. The other prisoners were similarly bound to the pillars beside her, a spectacle for the pleasure of the crowd.
Using the overhead map to orient herself, she found Rade up there in the stands of rock. He stood beside Harlequin, Ms. Bounty, and Tantalus. All save Tantalus were wearing jumpsuits, though Harlequin and Ms. Bounty had removed their helmets. The black box containing Surus hung from Harlequin’s chest harness.
The uproarious chittering finally stopped. Shaw realized that Harlequin had raised his arms.
When he spoke, it was in the language of the aliens, and his chitters echoed throughout the cavern. The gatorbeetles cheered in response.
“This slime isn’t as thick as what they bound me with previously,” Shaw said. “I think if I pull at it, I can get free.”
“My binds are the same,” Tahoe said.
“And mine,” Manic added.
“It must be the same for all us.” Shaw yanked hard at the viscous substance, and very slowly freed her right glove.
A roar of approval went up from the crowd and she thought at first they were cheering her on. But then Tahoe spoke.
“I think they want us to free ourselves,” Tahoe said. “Look at what just came in.”
She glanced toward the entrance and saw several white larvae crawling into the arena. They reminded her a little bit of caterpillars in the way that they advanced by forming a tall crook in their backs, and then bringing their hind legs forward before extending their front sections and repeating the process. Yes, caterpillars, except these varied from the size of her arm to that of her body. A few were even bigger.
“They want us to fight larvae with our bare hands?” Manic said. He had pulled both arms free.
“Apparently so,” Shaw said. Her left glove slid from the viscid substance, and then she focused on freeing her right leg. She wrapped both arms underneath her thigh and pulled. Because of the way the slime was wrapped around her assembly, she couldn’t simply remove her boot to do it. And even if she could, she wasn’t keen on depressurizing her suit.
Finally she yanked the foot free and moved on to the second boot. In moments she had released that one as well, and she joined the other Argonauts who had gathered to face the incoming larvae.
Harlequin’s voice came over the comm. “These are the young queens of the Conquered. Kill as many as you can. If you can. This is a great honor we bestow upon you here, whether you realize it or not. By culling these larvae, you identify the strongest among them, one of which will serve as leader of the nest. She will also serve as the host for my Queen.”
“What if we kill them all?” Bender asked.
“Good luck,” Harlequin replied.
Shaw assumed a position near the center of the Argonauts. She counted roughly sixty of the different-sized larvae heading toward them. “This is like old times, huh boys? Facing down a bunch of slugs with nothing but our fists and ours wits.”
“Sure,” Lui said. “Though I don’t think we’ve ever done something like this wearing jumpsuits alone.”
“First time for everything,” Shaw said, assuming a sparring stance.
The larvae reached them. The one directly in front of Shaw reared up on its hind legs and threw its upper body toward her chest, attempting to wrap its long mandibles around her waist. She intercepted those mandibles with her gloves and began pulling outward, eventually ripping them clean apart. The larva dropped and squealed in its death throes, its body convulsing to and fro.
In the meantime, a smaller larva had latched onto Shaw’s boot, again clasping by the mandibles. She stepped on it, grinding her boot and smearing its body across the stone.
She was vaguely aware of her brothers fighting other larvae beside her as a larger worm bore down. It towered over her, its upper body swooping down as those mandibles spread wide to engulf her. She dove to one side, and the head swerved to follow her, but missed, plowing into the stone instead.
The crowd went wild.
Shaw scrambled to her feet. Another small larva had clasped onto her wrist. She distractedly wrapped her glove around it and pulled, ripping the body in half.
The larger larva was plunging its maw down upon her again. This time Shaw ran forward, diving as the pincers attempted to intercept her. She rolled underneath the arch formed by the larva’s body, and grabbed onto its underside as the head lifted from the stone.
The larva was obviously having trouble because of Shaw’s weight, and it swung its head to the left and right, trying to shake it off. Those mandibles bit at the empty air, attempting to find her.
“Got your back, baby!” Bender came rushing in. He leaped, hitting the larva in the side, but all he succeeded in doing was knocking Shaw off of the thing.
“Damn it, Bender!” Shaw said as the pair tumbled to the stone.
The enraged larva swung its torso down upon both of them, attempting to crush them with its body. Shaw rolled aside just in time. Bender wasn’t so lucky, and he grunted as the thing smashed into his chest.
The upper body lifted, bending to position those mandibles for the killing blow against Bender. He seemed too stunned to move away.
Shaw started to stand, but one of the larger, dog-sized larvae smashed into her thigh, pinning her to the ground.
She kicked at it with her free leg, and finally smashed in its face and it released her.
She got up to help Bender, but saw that Tahoe had plowed into the creature already and driven it away from Bender. The big larva had wrapped its body around Tahoe’s jumpsuit like a constrictor, and was squeezing the life out of him. Those mandibles came chomping down toward his head.
“Tahoe!” Shaw leaped toward him.
But Bender was there first: the man leaped onto the larva’s upper body, throwing the head off balance so that the mandibles missed Tahoe and smashed into the cave floor. The larva shook Bender free and then dove repeatedly at him with its head while the body continued to squeeze Tahoe. Bender kept leaping away.
“Bender, get on its back!” Shaw said. “Keep the head weighed down!”
Bender avoided the latest downward blow and then wrapped his arms and legs around the upper body. The larva lifted its head drunkenly under the weight. Bender was basically standing on the outer edges of the mandibles with his boots, preventing them from opening all the way.
Shaw came in and also leaped onto the head. Unable to take their combined weight, the upper body crashed to the floor. The mandibles struck the stone, splaying, and the lower body uncoiled, releasing Tahoe.
The tail repositioned, and wrapped around Shaw and Bender. Before they realized what was happening, the two were bound fast by the coiled body.
Tahoe scrambled to his feet and calmly approached the head, which Shaw and Bender still held to the floor with their weight. Tahoe knelt and shoved his fist into the esophagus. No doubt firing the surgical laser in his glove.
The larva squealed in pain, and the tail uncoiled from their legs, whipping about frantically. Black blood began to drip from around Tahoe’s buried glove. The larva continued thrashing about for several moments, then collapsed, pulling Shaw and Bender down with it. Tahoe removed his hand, and with it came a big stream of that blood.
The crowd howled in outrage.
Beside them, Manic, TJ and Lui had taken down another of the big ones in a similar manner, judging from the blood oozing from between its mandibles an
d onto the stone. Meanwhile Fret and Unit A were each dealing with smaller larvae the size of human bodies.
The eight of them made short work of the remaining larvae, and when there were only two or three left, several of the warrior caste hurried into the arena.
Shaw and the others retreated, raising their arms in surrender. The warriors placed themselves between the team and the larvae, and then two of them escorted the young from the field of battle, leaving the others behind to prevent Shaw and the others from following. On the stone floor around them remained the bodies of the dead and dying larvae.
“Well done,” came the voice of Ms. Bounty. “Thank you for culling the queens. These latter few will fight to the death on their own to choose the ultimate victor. But now it’s time for you to face your final foe.”
Ms. Bounty made her way down an aisle in the stands until she reached the arena floor. Over her shoulders were slung both a normal laser rifle and a stun rifle, and at her belt a blaster was holstered. Rade walked beside her, fully suited, laser rifle in hand.
Together the pair approached the team, who had spread into a half circle to await their approach.
“Rade, what did they do to you?” Tahoe asked.
Rade didn’t respond.
“Maybe he can’t hear you,” Manic said.
“He can hear me,” Tahoe said. “But he refuses to answer.”
Manic stepped forward. “Rade—”
“Stay back!” Rade said, pointing his rifle at Manic.
“Whoa whoa whoa.” Manic retreated, palms up. “I’m staying back. Back.”
Rade and Ms. Bounty halted twenty meters in front of the half-circle formed by the team. Ms. Bounty turned toward the gatorbeetles that had lingered nearby and chittered something. The warriors retreated, assuming a guard position near the entrance to the arena.
“Would the female please come forward,” Ms. Bounty said.
Shaw glanced at her companions, then advanced.
When she was five meters away, Ms. Bounty said: “That’s close enough.” She glanced at Rade. “Abandon your rifle to the stone at your feet.”
Rade complied. He stood up, staring blankly at Shaw. There was no recognition in his eyes.
“The existence of this female offends me,” Ms. Bounty said. “She feels like a rival queen. Pet, with your bare hands, I want you to kill her.”
nineteen
Rade stepped forward eagerly. He fully intended to kill the woman whose existence had dared offend his Queen.
“Rade...” the woman said, stepping backward, her palms held outward.
“You would be wise to defend yourself, female,” Ms. Bounty said. “My pet will not show you mercy.” She aimed her laser rifle at the others. “As for the rest of you, don’t dare intervene, or I’ll mow them both down.”
Rade swung at the woman, who ducked to the side. He swung again, two more quick punches, but again she quickly moved away.
“Rade, it’s me!” she said. “Shaw!”
Shaw. Why was that name familiar? He knew her once, he thought.
Well, it didn’t matter. Rade wanted only to please his Queen in that moment.
It was time to kill the woman.
He took a running leap at her and she dodged to the side, vaulting onto one of the pillars that resided in the center of the arena, and somehow landing a kick to the back of his helmet in the process. He stumbled forward.
Another solid blow struck him squarely in the lower back and he toppled entirely.
The woman was on top of him, pressing him into the ground.
Something about the whole battle seemed strangely familiar. He had the impression he had fought the woman at some point before. They must truly be enemies. It was good that he would end her existence for his Queen.
Rade twisted in place, throwing up his hips at the same time, and freed himself from the pinning maneuver. He mounted her in turn and smashed her faceplate repeatedly with his gloves. Cracks spidered across the surface. She tried to redirect his fists, but his blows were too powerful. His anger, too deep.
“Rade, stop!” A voice came over the comm. “You’re killing her!”
Rade did not stop. He kept punching repeatedly until he had broken clean through the glass. Fresh cuts appeared on the woman’s face. He tried to gouge out her eyes with his thumbs but she caught his wrists and pulled them aside. He attempted the maneuver again, pressing into her tightly squeezed eyelids.
But once more she managed to shove his arms aside.
Rade reached inside the inner area of her helmet and found the release latch. Then he tore her helmet away.
He wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze. She batted at his arms but he had a much firmer grip—she couldn’t move him. Yes, this would work much better.
“Rade,” the woman said. Mouthed, really, since she couldn’t have much air. “I love you.”
Rade paused. She has always won your heart.
Rade squeezed tighter, feeling the anger welling stronger than ever inside him. How dare he feel doubt about killing someone who had offended his Queen?
“Shut the fuck up, bitch,” Rade said.
Her face turned blue in the dim light of the arena, and her lips made an odd sucking motion. Her eyes began to bulge.
And then she died.
Rade released her and stared into the lifeless face. A tear trickled down from one of her lifeless eyes.
Rade felt something then. Something deep inside himself. A pain like nothing he had ever experienced before. It wasn’t a physical pain, but something emotional. Something terrible. A dark angst, welling up inside him, filling him with a wild terror. It felt as if he had done something extremely wrong. Like he had killed a part of himself.
What have I done?
He stared at her dead body.
WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE!
Rade collapsed onto her chest.
No no no no no.
But then she coughed violently, coming back to life.
He had released her just in time. He’d choked her into unconsciousness, but not long enough to kill her.
He felt an immense relief, as if the entire woes of the world had lifted. A sense of incredible happiness suffused him, to the point that he felt lightheaded. He shed tears of joy. He laughed.
“What are you doing, Pet?” the Queen said. “Kill her.”
Rade froze. “I—”
“YOU what?” the Queen said. “Kill her.”
Rade looked at the woman. “Shaw. Your name is Shaw.”
“Yes,” Shaw said, smiling despite the blood that rimmed her lips. “Shaw.”
She Has Always Won.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” the Queen said. “Kill her. Show me your dedication.”
Rade stood up. He looked at the Queen. “Please, my Queen.”
“Aww,” the Queen said. “I understand. It’s too difficult for you, my love. I’ll do this one for you, but then you must promise me you will handle the rest.”
“Yes,” Rade said eagerly. “Yes. Thank you, my Queen.”
She came forward and lowered the laser rifle from her shoulder. The Queen aimed the weapon at Shaw’s broken faceplate. “Goodbye, competition.”
Rade’s hands swung forward with immense force, redirecting the muzzle as she squeezed the trigger. Then he released the weapon, took a step back, and planted a kick squarely in the side of the jumpsuit. It was the most powerful kick Rade had ever unleashed in a suit before and she went flying several meters away. She landed sprawling.
“You’re going to regret that,” Ms. Bounty said, standing almost immediately.
“I don’t think so,” Rade said. He indicated the other weapon he had torn free before he kicked Ms. Bounty: her stun rifle. He fired.
The muted electrolaser struck the suit head-on and sparks of electricity flowed up and down the surface. Her body convulsed for a few seconds and then collapsed.
Rade dropped down on one knee and aimed up at the stand
s toward Harlequin. Just as he acquired the Artificial in his targeting reticle, Harlequin dropped from view. Rade aimed the weapon slightly to the right instead and fired the electrolaser at Tantalus, who was aiming his own rifle down at Rade. The electricity hit, and while Tantalus didn’t have a Phant in him, the blow would still disable the Artificial for several moments.
The crowd was roaring in outrage. The warrior gatorbeetles at the entrance were rushing to intercept the Argonauts. More were streaming down into the arena behind them.
Rade helped Shaw to her feet.
“Tahoe, get Ms. Bounty’s other rifle,” Rade said. “Bender, take her blaster. Fret, grab Ms. Bounty.”
“But she still has a Phant in her!” Fret complained.
“I know.” Rade swung his rifle toward Ms. Bounty and stunned her again for good measure.
Bender took her blaster shortly thereafter, and Tahoe scooped up her rifle. Fret meanwhile hauled her over one shoulder.
“To the arena exit!” Rade shouted.
Rade dashed forward. With the help of the targeting AI, he aimed the stun rifle at one of the incoming gatorbeetles and fired. No effect. Tahoe meanwhile shot one of the aliens in the esophagus and downed it. Bender felled another.
But more and more gatorbeetles were swarming down from the stands to intercept them. It soon became obvious they weren’t going to make it. The exit was completely blocked off.
Gatorbeetles were coming in from all sides. Tahoe and Bender were firing madly, sometimes hitting an alien between the mandibles and terminating it, sometimes missing. The gatorbeetles were frothing at the mouths, eager to devour their prey.
Rade and the others were forced to cease their flight, and they backed into a tight defensive circle.
“It was nice fighting with you all,” Fret said.
“You as well,” Manic replied.
“Don’t give up yet, bitches!” Bender said. “Find a way to fight!”
“Easy for you to say,” Manic replied. “You have a rifle.”
Rade aimed once more up at the stands, and saw that Harlequin had come out into the open again. Rade centered his crosshairs over the Artificial, and realized Harlequin was bringing his own rifle down to bear on him as well.
