by Tania Hutley
“Ten seconds until the speech starts.” The voice comes from the band of one of Director Morelle’s red-uniformed guards. He’s been stationed with me to guide me through the opening ceremony, whatever that’s supposed to be, but he’s just making me more nervous.
He touches his band. “Acknowledge.” Then he nods at me. “Ready?”
I flick my tail in response.
The room has two doors, one behind me, and one in front that opens onto the arena. But the doors are solid and there’s no window. I have no idea whether the arena’s going to look like it did in the vReal game. What if it’s completely different?
The guard says, “When it’s your turn, walk a little way into the arena. You’ll see the spotlight you have to stand in. Stop there and wait until the contest starts.”
I turn to him in sudden panic. “How will I know when it starts?”
“You’ll know.”
The roar of the huge crowd dies suddenly and an eerie silence takes its place. The silence makes the fur on my neck rise. The entire world holds its breath.
Out booms a single voice, a man’s deep, practiced voice that echoes in the sudden quiet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here! The evening we’ve all been waiting for, the event of the century! Here to open the Morelle Corporation’s Skin Hunter contest is someone who needs no introduction. It’s the woman herself, head of the Morelle Corporation. The one. The only. Director Morrrrrrelle!”
“Good evening, citizens of Triton.” It’s Director Morelle’s voice.
The guard moves to stand by the door, ready to open it. Any minute now I’ll have to go out there.
“Welcome, everyone, to the Morelle Corporation’s Skin Hunter contest.” The director pauses for the cheers to die down. “And a special welcome to the esteemed ambassador from Deiterra.” She pauses, but there’s only a scattering of applause for the ambassador. He’s probably here to watch Sentin compete while he decides how offensive the Skins are. What happens if he thinks they breach the treaty? Could he force the President to ban them?
Too bad if he does. When I win, I’ll stay in my Leopard Skin permanently, no matter what anyone says. The President will have to kill me to get me out of it.
“The Morelle Corporation has always looked to the future and asked how we can make dreams into reality. As early as mid last century, my grandfather was working on nano-chip technology. He was a pioneer. A genius and a dreamer. Today his technology is used in every home. Every business. Every school and hospital.”
Judging by what I can hear, the crowd’s drinking up her speech. She pauses to let them go crazy.
“Edward Morelle passed his dreams to me, and I swore I wouldn’t let him down. I started work to merge your telephone, computer, and holo screen into a thin, indestructible wrist band. A simple band you could wear, that would become an essential tool for communication, entertainment, business, security. Everything you need to make your life easier. A band impossible to steal. A band now so important to our everyday life that it holds our very identity.”
More cheers. I swallow the sick feeling in my throat. How long is the director going to speak for?
“I swore we would never stop innovating. That my grandfather’s company would not simply see the future, we would be the future. Since then the Morelle Corporation has brought you the gamenode and the mind-pad. We’ve brought you nano-tech and the vReal. We’ve helped to develop new surgical techniques and limb regrowth technology.”
The guard frowns as I start pacing back and forth in front of the door, swishing my tail nervously from side to side.
“Many years ago, we at the Morelle Corporation had a truly revolutionary idea. What if we pushed the transmitter technology we were concepting for the mind-pad even further? What if we could use it, not to control applications, but to connect your brain with another body? And what if we designed that body to be stronger, faster, better than the original?
“Ladies and gentlemen, the contest you’re about to witness is the culmination of that dream. You will see five prototype Skins perform physical feats far beyond the capability of any human body. You’ll see those Skins fight, sustain injuries, even die. Yet the humans controlling them will remain completely unhurt. They’re competing for the ultimate prize. Five million credits.”
Another roar which quickly dies down. I imagine the director holding her hands up to conduct the crowd like an orchestra.
“And the winner of the Skin Hunter contest will become the proud owner of their Skin. The very first Triton citizen to own one!”
This time the noise is like thunder.
“It’s my privilege to unveil these first prototype Skins to you here today. The first Skin I’ll introduce uses a small amount of human DNA combined with the DNA from a wolverine, bear, and wolf. We call it the devil bear. I give you... Brugan!”
I thought they were loud before, but now the whole waiting room shakes. It sounds like thousands of feet stomping above my head. Like the ceiling’s about to cave in. Even the guard’s eyes flick upward. The noise goes on and I imagine Brugan walking out into the arena. I bet he’s flexing his muscles and showing off. Yeah, I can picture it.
The crowd chant his name over and over. “Brugan. Brugan. Brugan.”
“And now for the next Skin.” Director Morelle’s voice again, cutting through the chants and silencing them instantly. The guard lifts his hand to the door and nods at me. My heart jumps. Me next? This is it. Finally, this is my chance to win all I could ever want, for me and everyone I love. If I can stay alive, the next few hours will change everything forever.
“Presenting the Clouded Leopard. Here she is... Rayne!”
The door opens. “Go,” hisses the guard.
I walk out into a bright glare, through a wall of noise so thick it’s like a physical barrier. A light shines on me, hot and blinding, making my sharp leopard vision blur. A spotlight. I stop, blinking upward. There’s too much to look at, it’s sensory overload. There are so many people here, the rows of faces go up forever.
A deafening chant starts up. “Rayne. Rayne. Rayne.”
So many people, I can’t believe it. I shift anxiously from paw to paw. What do they expect me to do, wave back? It’s not as if I can.
“And now, presenting the Reptile Skin. I give you... Sentin!”
Through all the lights and noise and the blur of the endless crowd, my eyes adjust. In front of me is the tower I’ll be racing up. I should be concentrating on the tower, but I can’t believe how many people are here. The arena is layered with tiers and tiers of seats, and every tier looks crowded. The people shout, clap, and stomp their feet. They’re chanting Sentin’s name.
With an effort, I force my gaze to the tower. It’s like the vReal version, only in real life it seems far more intimidating.
Close to the top of the tower are some huge air blimps. Spectator craft, I guess. Probably filled with rich people who want to get the best view. The sides of the blimps are covered with screens. Advertising? No, the screens are showing the Wasp Skin in close-up view as Aza leaps into the arena, wings outstretched and arms high. She must have just been announced. How the hell did I miss it?
Focus. I have to focus. Don’t get distracted. Don’t mess this up.
Through the dancing spotlights, I squint at the tower. It’s not exactly like in the game. The struts are further apart and the gaps wider. What else will be different?
Did Director Morelle just announce Max? The crowd’s chanting his name, so she must have. The noise bounces off the sides of the arena like rolling thunder.
Now the giant screens show all five of us. There I am, staring upward, tail twitching.
Is Cale watching? Even if he’s not here, he must be in front of a holo. Where’s a camera? I turn until I find one pointing at me, and stare into the lens, ears flicking back and forth in a private signal just for him. I want him to know I’m thinking about him.
I wish I could send messages to Ma and Wil
liam and Tori as well. Even if there were a way, they’d never believe I’m the leopard. But they’ll find out if I win. When I win.
The crowd’s gone quiet. Director Morelle’s image appears on all the screens, her perfect face smiling her cold smile.
“I have a new dream. I want everyone to be able to wear a Skin. Imagine a world where you never have to fear any injury. Where you can experience a whole new level of freedom, without physical limitations. The Morelle Corporation is ready to open our first Skin store in New Triton. As soon as President Trask gives his approval, I’ll make the dream a reality!”
Like the President’s going to be able to stop it after this. If he were here right now, the crowd would tear him to pieces.
“Skins aren’t a new form of entertainment, they’re a whole new way of living. Skins aren’t just progress. They’re evolution!”
I’ve heard her say that before. The first time, I thought she was crazy. Now I don’t know what to think. The noise in the arena is already deafening, but Director Morelle raises her arms, turning it up even more. She pauses, arms held high, eyes shining. Her lips are stretched into a wide, triumphant smile. She has total control of her audience. When she drops her arms, the roar snips off like she cut it.
“Let the contest begin. Are you ready to make history, contestants?”
My heart’s thundering louder than the crowd can yell. It’s time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The starter gun goes off. I race toward the tower and leap to the first ledge, gripping my claws into the metal. The platforms are further apart than in the vReal but I’m so hyped I could jump ten times the distance.
The others are hidden by the massive structure, but I’m alert for anything, even the smallest metal insect. My leopard senses are sharper than they’ve ever been, scanning for movement, totally focused on the tower. Next level. Adrenalin’s fizzing through me, helping me leap faster than I ever have. I feel strong enough to bound all the way to the top.
Except that’s wrong. I need to slow down, let Aza get to the Kraken first. Don’t mess up Cale’s plan.
Forcing myself to stop, I whip my head around, searching for danger. The crowd’s cheering buffets my ears. Do they think I’m stopping so they can admire my Skin?
My leopard heart beats faster than my human one, and right now it’s galloping. Every muscle screams to keep running. But I wait, frozen, scanning the tower. Where are the others? I can’t see or sense them. No chance of hearing them over the crowd.
Metal bugs crawl toward me. I pinpoint each one, able at a glance to tell where they are and how fast they’re moving. Other hazards go into my mental map. Chain on level five. A metal wheel rolling on level eight. A burst of fire on level nine. My route’s planned out in an instant. My leopard senses have always been incredible, but this is a whole new experience.
All I want is to take off again, but I force myself to wait. A metal spider hurls itself at me, jaws gaping. I crush it under one paw then swipe a centipede away. Three more long breaths and I’m off again. I can’t believe how easily I’m racing up the tower, how strong I feel. Like I could power straight through the Kraken.
There’s Sentin. His shimmering scales catch the light before he disappears behind a girder, just above and to one side of me. Good. If he’s ahead of me, Aza should be too.
Keep moving. Jump, run. I know what to do. Cale and I practiced on the never-wall for so many hours, I’m sure-footed even on the steepest beams.
The metal bugs stalking the platforms get bigger as I climb, and I’m going too fast to check where they are before I leap. I land on one, a nightmare creature like a praying mantis, as big as a dog. Its jagged metal jaws snap onto my leg. Howling with pain, I struggle to wrench myself loose, and when I jump away, I leave clumps of fur in its jaws.
My leg throbs. Shake it off, I’ve got to keep going. The bugs are as big as I am now, but there aren’t so many of them. And when I sneak a quick look down, I’m higher than I’ve ever been. When’s the Kraken going to—?
The tower shakes and I almost lose my grip. I dig my claws in, hanging on. Bolts drop past my head. A scorpion creature tries to stab me as it jolts off the platform and falls. When I crane my neck up, the rocking of all the tower’s platforms makes me dizzy.
Is the tower collapsing? If it does, I’m dead.
Metal strikes against metal so hard that the noise reverberates through my body. It’s the huge beam just above me, dropping, about to fall. Panic surges though me, kicking my heart and muscles into full alert. But there’s nowhere to jump to. Nothing I can do to stop from being crushed.
Only the beam doesn’t fall. It uncurls.
I gape at it, trying to understand what I’m seeing. It’s a metal tentacle. The Kraken isn’t appearing out of the tower. The Kraken is the tower. Piece by piece the metal pieces making up this part of the tower are forming themselves into a monster. Why didn’t Cale tell me it’d be so huge? Maybe I picked the wrong side of the tower? Forget slipping past, it’s too big for that.
Not all the tower has transformed into writhing tentacles. Some struts and beams and posts still hold up the upper levels, but it’s hard to tell which bits aren’t part of the Kraken. If I jump on a platform will it suddenly transform?
A tentacle swings toward me. I leap for my life, scrambling for a higher platform. No matter what, I’ve got to keep going.
The metal under my paws transforms, becomes a writhing tentacle. It bucks even harder beneath me as my claws dig in. Can it feel pain?
Sinking my fangs in as deeply as I can, I crush it in my jaws. At the same time, I bury my claws and twist. The metal tears apart with an awful screeching sound. The tentacle bucks harder, whipping from side to side, trying to shake me off.
A roar thunders from above, so loud it almost blasts me loose. The monster’s voice? Wincing, I hunch my shoulders. If only I could cover my ears. The sound is a blade stabbing through my head. All I can do is shut my eyes and hang on until it dies away.
When I can move again, I leap from the tentacle, heading upward, toward the middle of the tower. Wherever that roar came from, that’s where I’m going. If the monster has a voice, maybe that’s the place where it’s vulnerable.
As I leap higher, metal crashes around me. I dodge bolts and rivets that whistle past. A heavy iron pipe smashes into a beam beside me and the next one hits my flank. It hurts, but I’ve got to keep going. I’m moving on instinct. My human brain withdraws as I let the leopard’s skillful paws take over.
The higher I climb, the worse the shaking gets. There are more tentacles, more obstacles to dodge. Am I getting to the heart of the monster? The creature bellows again, but this time I scramble through the blast, ears pinned back as I haul myself forward.
From far above, I catch a flash of shimmering scales. Sentin. How did he get way up there? He’s snaking up a vertical strut on the outside of the structure, and must be past the worst of the chaos. Which means he followed Cale’s plan a lot better than I did. I didn’t stick closely enough to the edge, and got caught in the thick of it.
There’s no way I can catch Sentin now. But Cale said once we’re past the Kraken, the tower will throw metal monsters at us to slow us down. Hopefully Sentin will bear the brunt of it.
When I start to climb again, there’s a blur of red and black not far ahead. It’s Aza, battling one of the tentacles with the stingers in her palms. She dodges and strikes in the same movement, so fast it’s hard to follow. She’s been hurt, there’s a gash in one black armored leg, but she’s not letting it slow her down. She tears into the metal, rips the end of the tentacle off, and sends it flying.
I leap, miss the next platform, and have to scramble. She turns and sees me. Her wasp helmet’s filled with light, glowing from inside. She launches herself at me, hands outstretched, stingers aimed at my head. When I leap away, one of her stingers catches my back. My thick fur turns the killing blow into a scratch.
I spin as I jump, turning in mi
dair to protect myself as she strikes again. The side of my paw thuds against her shoulder, throwing her off balance. She falls hard onto the metal beam, tumbling backwards.
I land heavily too, but recover fast. While she’s still skidding backwards, trying to get her balance, I’m already springing away, ducking a swinging tentacle to grab hold of a sloping ramp. I scramble my back legs onto it, leap onto a horizontal beam, then spin around, searching for her. A thick pipe tumbles from above, catches her shoulder. She staggers, recovers. But she clutches her arm with her other hand. She’s hurt.
We face each other in the chaos, metal clanging and falling around us, the struts shaking under us. I’m panting, my heart racing so fast I can’t keep still. I’ve been moving defensively, trying to get away when I should be attacking.
She crouches, steadying herself on the ramp, helmet glowing as she stares me down. If she hurts me, it’ll be for real. But by the way she’s crouched, about to spring, she’s going to try to kill me anyway. Winning’s everything to her. It means more than my life.
She leaps, stingers outstretched.
Dodging away, I throw myself out of reach, twisting and rebounding. She lunges again, but I’ve learned the advantage four paws give me. I spring off a vertical wall, twist sideways and land behind her. She spins. Too late. My teeth snap shut on her black armor and I let the momentum carry us both forward. She falls and I drag her, my fangs tearing into her thigh. Screaming, she stabs her stinger into my face. Pain jolts through me like an electric current, but my jaws are clamped tight. Leaping forward, I use my momentum to fling her across the metal structure. Her head slams into a beam. The black helmet splits and blood leaks from the back of her neck.
She stays down, clutching her head. At the sight of her blood, my stomach convulses. I did that to her. But if I hadn’t, she might have killed me. Besides, her real body should be okay. I’m counting on it.
