Rebirth (Game of the Gods Book 1)

by L. Fergus

  “So, what about you?”

  “My story is nothing as exciting as yours. I joined the diplomatic corps after primary school. I showed great promise and was drafted into the aggressive negotiation track…”

  “Aggressive negotiation?” Case smiled. “Those were the code words my grandmother used for ‘send in the Shadow Fleet and bomb them back to the Stone Age.’”

  “We were taught to use weapons, but our minds were the greater weapon.”

  Case mimicked choking someone, causing Kita to laugh.

  “She’s enacting a scene from a movie. The bad guy chokes a man using his mind,” said Kita.

  “Nothing as direct as that. But, the mind is a powerful force.”

  Kita looked at Case. They each held out a hand. Kita grew a fireball and Case an ice ball. Hali held out her hand and a ball of lightning formed.

  “Ours come from implants,” said Case. “What of yours?”

  “Biological. One in ten thousand Aurori is born with an innate ability powerful enough to cause harm. Some control fire, water, matter, electricity—there are ten different abilities we can be born with.”

  “Beats a nanite injection.”

  Hali pointed at Kita. “Hers are different from yours. Hers are like mine. They start immediately. Yours take a heartbeat to start.”

  Case looked at Kita.

  Kita shrugged. “I wish I knew how mine worked.”

  “They’re biological,” said Snowy, coming into the room, leading the others.

  Kita smiled. “Good to know.”

  “Are you feeling better, kitten?”

  “Much. Amazing how thirty-six hours of sleep can make you feel.”

  “Glad to hear it. You have no excuse to be bitchy. It’s good you’re here. The Grand Panel has about run out of pleasantries after two days. They’re ready to move on to humanity.”

  Kita huffed. “Humans. Snowy, there are now five known Angels.”

  “Oh, really? Did you figure out how to grow wings?”

  “Wings don’t make an Angel. I do.”

  “Well, she won’t be the first nonhuman Angel.”

  Kita shook her head. “Not Hali, Case and Jess.”

  “Me?” said Rabbit.

  “You’ve got what it takes. So does Case.”

  “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be here,” said Snowy. “Any particular reason you chose now, kitten?”

  “Why wait?”

  “Yes, why wait. Welcome to the most exclusive girls’ club in the galaxy, girls,” Snowy said with all due respect. “Kitten, I’ve put together a reference guide that covers humanity the best I know it. We should review it.”

  “Ah, we have minutes, not hours, pretty kitty.”

  “And what do you suggest we do? Your knowledge of humanity is hardly up to date.”

  “Find me Raph and get him here,” Kita said to her Diamock escort. “Talk about what you want, but what I want to talk about has nothing to do with facts and figures, just psychology. And you know I’ve got plenty of experience there.”

  “Lieutenant Raph is at the Tet-Sec labs, Captain. I don’t think we can get him here in time due to traffic,” said the lieutenant in charge of Kita’s escort.

  “Tell him to get here. I want him here in case we need tech help.”

  Kita called Raph to see how much of the Tet computer system he understood.

  “It’s not much different than the Diamock systems. I think the Diamocks based their systems on the Tet system,” said Raph.

  “How comfortable with it are you?”

  “It’s more complex, but not much.”

  “Can I connect to you and you patch me into the networks of the arena?”

  “Most systems. I haven’t tried to hack the secure servers and platforms.”

  “Just the projectors, lights, stuff like that.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. I should have it done by the time I get there. Patching you in shouldn’t take more than a minute.”

  “I’ll be onstage by the time you get here. We’ll have to do it remotely.”

  “You make it sound like it’s hard.”

  “Good, that’s what I want to hear. See you when you get here.” Kita turned her attention to Snowy. “Pretty kitty, can I talk to you alone?”

  Snowy’s whiskers twitched. “Sure.”

  They moved to a vacant corner.

  “What’s wrong, Kitten?” said Snowy.

  “I spoke to Kami earlier.”

  Snowy frowned.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. It seems everyone’s playing this game concerning me conservatively. I don’t mind. I do need you tell me everything you can about the other Angels. I understand if you don’t want to give me descriptions or names, but I need to know everything else.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  “I need to know what Angels are capable of.”

  Snowy nodded and started down the long list.

  Kita and her group filed onto the floor of the arena. Short stools sat behind a low counter for them. The Grand Panel sat behind a long bench up on a stage. The stands were filled with thousands of people. Onyx sat in the front row with a reserved seat for Raph.

  Kita didn’t take her stool, choosing to remain standing. The others followed her lead.

  Kita tapped the microphone. It was off. “I’m ready when you are!” Kita yelled at the Grand Panel. Hali rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “If you’re ready, Angel Kita, we are ready to start this interview,” said Cotton. “I am Princess Cotton, emissary for the Verisom. With me are emissaries Grand Marshal Tetarax for the Diamocks, Lord Falix from Zentos, Grand Ambassador Hali C’Zar Ah’tem for Aurora, and King Lear from Djinn—”

  “Glad to meet you,” said Kita. “I am Vicereine Kita, Minister Snowy, Princess Casey Bush, and Captain Jessica Rabbit. We’re here to answer any questions you have on the humans, to the best of our ability. You have to understand none of us are experts on humans. We talk from our own experiences.”

  “We understand that, Vicereine. But, you know more than we know, and anything you can offer will be beneficial to us all,” said Cotton.

  Holograms powered on and showed Kita throughout the arena. Her smile grew as she tried to seem friendly for the crowd.

  “Before we begin, Emissaries,” said Cotton, “I would like to revisit our discussion on the inclusion of the Angels as a minor race here on the Tet. I do not believe they belong. They have no homeworld or even home, they are currently under the protection of the Diamocks, and two individuals, which share no common biological link, make up a race.”

  “Four of us,” Kita yelled, holding up four fingers. “Two more joined our ranks this afternoon.” She pointed to Case and Rabbit.

  “I must agree,” said Hali. “They consider themselves a club, not a species.”

  “Then your position has changed, Great Ambassador?” said Grand Marshal Tetarax.

  “From the firsthand experiences I’ve gained with them today, it has.”

  “You don’t get to say what or who we are,” said Kita. “Biology means nothing. It is but one more tool to work with.”

  “Then you admit you’re still a human?” said Cotton with a sly grin. “Emissaries, I discovered this footage aboard the Diamock ship Mauler while I was aboard. I believe it proves my point.”

  The clip played showing Kita growing her wings back on the landing pad above Angelica. The crowd gasped, and a loud murmur followed.

  “This does shine a new light. Maybe we were too hasty,” said Lord Falix. “They still are under their trial period.”

  “They’re nothing more than intergalactic refugees,” said Cotton.

  “We did not come looking for your protection or your handouts!” said Rabbit.

  “You forced your way onto our ship,” said Case. “You’re nothing more than pirates.”

  “You’d be dead if we hadn’t found you,” said Cotton.

  “Better dead than living here having to look at you,
” said Rabbit.

  “Quiet, please—” Hali called.

  “An Angel is not her outward appearance,” said Kita. “An Angel is what she is in her mind and her heart. I will take that over any race any day. If you decide to throw us out, so be it, but don’t come to us when you need help unless you’re on your knees.”

  “Are you threatening us?” said King Lear.

  “Hardly,” Kita scoffed. “I don’t make threats, I make demands.”

  “Threatening the Grand Panel comes with great consequences,” said Cotton.

  “I’m sure it does,” said Case. “Like all politicians, you’ll do anything to save your asses and protect your positions, regardless of who suffers for it.” She waved her arm at the crowd.

  “Silence, all of you,” said Grand Marshal Tetarax. “You will not make a mockery of this political body. Your fate will be decided at a time of our choosing, and you will respect our laws and institutions.”

  Kita half listened to the Djinn lecture her about honor and respect and didn’t flinch when he threatened to take away Mauler. Raph was led in. She nodded to him after he was seated. He sent her the request to connect and together they worked their way into the arena’s multimedia network.

  “Excuse me, Grand Marshal,” said Kita. “I would argue with you on the importance of honor because I believe honor is for the weak. It is an idea developed by the losers to justify their losing. Anyone who claims to be honorable tells me they do not want to win. You are obviously a person who does not wish to win.”

  The crowd erupted. “Quiet, please,” called Hali.

  Kita seized the moment once it was quiet. “And thank you, Princess. I was afraid I had more than one giant rodent crawling around my ship.”

  “Kita!” said Snowy while Rabbit and Case did their best not to giggle.

  “When I go into battle I want to win at any cost.” Kita pointed to one of the holographic displays. The complete video of Kita’s fight with Galina and Sheppard played. She stopped it when she died. “I’m willing to win at any cost, Marshal, even if it means dying.” The video skipped to when Tina brought Kita back and gave her wings. Kita let the fight play out, showing her and Rabbit’s capabilities.

  “As you see, Marshal, sometimes you have to die to grow stronger. Those who attacked me were my friends. Imagine what I’m like if you’re my enemy.” Kita paused to let her statement sink in. “But that’s not where I gained my wings. Before then, I was cutting them off so I looked human. I gained my wings fighting this.” A ten-foot tall demon appeared. “To free her.” An image of Snowy chained to the floor and ceiling appeared. “This is me.” Kita appeared beaten and broken on the floor. Kita played the video showing her being healed and transforming into an Angel. She let the video play out to show her defeating the demon and freeing Snowy.

  “All this proves is that you die a lot,” said Cotton.

  “And how many times have you risen from the grave, Princess? As you can see, alien creatures,” Kita looked at the Grand Panel with contempt, “Angels are not an organic race. We are a synthetic one. Designed to take the form we came from to be the best we can be. Angels are not just humans. We include other races and even AIs. We chose to keep this form because it symbolizes who we are. In human mythology, Angels are the heralds and messengers of the gods or the gods themselves. We’re creatures who are powerful and beautiful, and the beauty is not skin deep.”

  The holograms displayed the familiar double helix of human DNA. “This is what human DNA looks like.” More strains of DNA appeared. “These are the strands for Diamock, Verisom, Aurora, Djinn, and Zentos. They all look pretty much the same. The details are different, like the number of genes and chromosomes, but it’s all pretty much the same.” A new strain appeared. It was a quadruple helix. The other DNA strains disappeared. “This is Angel DNA. It holds sixteen times the information. That’s the power of engineering versus evolution. Someone might ask how we can support that structure of DNA.” Next to the Angel DNA strain appeared an atom. “This is boron, the building blocks that make up Angels. We’re not carbon-based like you. It gives us advantages you can only dream of. Angels are not just another race, and the only race close to us is the Graniites, who are constructed, not born. The only reason we chose not to be gods is we don’t wish to be gods.”

  Kita stepped back and burst into flame. She held out her hands and created a giant ball of water and a ball of fire. Case frosted over. Rabbit’s armor closed around her and her weapons deployed.

  “Aurorian,” Kita said to Hali, “you say one in ten thousand has an ability to control. A single Angel can control many. And you,” Kita pointed at the Grand Marshal, “are a fool. A dozen fully formed Angels can fend off an army of humans, while you will be crushed by them.” Kita looked at Cotton. “Nice try, love. I’ll see you later.”

  Kita tossed the ball of water at the Grand Panel. She hurled the ball of fire after it. The pair collided and exploded in a loud bang and spray of steam.

  Kita deployed her heat shield as guards fired. A gravelly roar erupted from Onyx. She thumped her chest and charged a group of guards firing at Kita. She flattened the group and charged a second.

  “Jess,” Kita called over the comm. “Grab Snowy and Case and head to the roof. I’m going to get Raph and Onyx.”

  Kita charged forward, ignoring the bullets that struck her through her shield. She snagged Raph from his seat. Kita grabbed a rocky fold in Onyx’s back and took off for the roof.

  Onyx roared at Kita to be let go. Kita ignored her. Five feet from the ceiling, they phased, appearing above the arena. Kita set Onyx and Raph down.

  “Jess, hold here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To go settle a score.”

  Inside the arena, Kita burst into flame and circled just above the crowd’s head. Ignoring the panic, she went after her target. Cotton, surrounded by her herd of males, was trying to get to an exit.

  Kita picked Cotton up and climbed over the crowd. She spotted her second target. She rolled over and dove. She flared her wings and grabbed Hali around the waist. With both women in her arms, she flew to the roof and phased.

  Kita appeared above Jess and the others, dodging a swat from Onyx. “Check your target!” said Kita as she set Cotton and Hali down. “I’ve got a big enough headache.” She glared at Cotton.

  “Oh, what? You’d have done the same.”

  Kita frowned. “And you got me.”

  “I think it’s Kita’s win. She’s the one who sent forty thousand people into a panic,” said Case.

  “This is not a game. People are being injured and maybe killed!” said Hali.

  “That’s on her, not me.” Kita pointed to Cotton.

  “It’s on you. You scared them.”

  “That’s what happens when you corner an animal. It gets scared and lashes out. I am not about to let us end up as a state prisoner, a bargaining chip with the humans, or worse, a lab rat to be pulled apart.” Kita fluffed her feathers and stormed away.

  “Kitten, wait,” said Snowy, but Kita ignored her.

  “I’ll go talk to her,” said Cotton.

  “You don’t go near her,” Rabbit snarled as she flew in front of Cotton.

  “She threw down the gauntlet. It’s her mess, Jess, if she’s going to be a woman and face her mistake, let her,” said Case.

  Rabbit flew out of the way. “I hope she dumps your ass,” she hissed as Cotton walked by her.

  “Kita,” said Cotton. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Kita turned around, tears running down her face. “I can’t fail them or you. Not like I did the others.”

  “Kita, what are you talking about?”

  “The other Angels. They’re all dead because of me. I was weak, and they died.” Kita made her scars visible and pointed to the three large circular ones. “A Machine did this to me. Its tentacles were tipped with an alien material that kept me from healing. While I lay dying,
Galina killed them. I could have stopped her. I should have told her. I…I…”

  “Kita, those are choices made a long time ago. You’re…” Cotton paused for a moment, “…right for wanting to protect us. I don’t know how you did it on your homeworld, but scaring forty thousand people and their collective leaders into a panic is not the correct way to do it. I’d never let anything happen to you or them. You are their leader, but we are all a team. I will do my part.”

  A dozen Tet-Sec float cars converged on the group. Kita burst into a flame again, but Cotton put a hand Kita’s shoulder.

  “You let me handle them. This is not a problem you can solve with fire.” A challenging roar from Onyx caused her to roll her big eyes. “You and your disciples.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  “We all need help at some point. You’ve helped me.”

  “You mean to laugh at me?”

  “I thought you’d like the challenge, and you rose to it. How did you bribe the arena staff so fast?”

  “I didn’t. I had Raph hack in and take it over.”

  “Brilliant, pretty bird. You beat me again. Now it is my turn, let me convince Tet-Sec you haven’t taken me hostage, and persuade them not to take you to jail.” Cotton smiled. “Go stand with the others and look innocent.”

  Kita sighed. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Cotton laughed as she pushed Kita away. Grudgingly, Kita glided back over to the others.

  “Are we going to squish them?” said Onyx.

  “No. We just stand here and let Cotton do what she does best.”

  Rabbit groaned. “We’re so dead.”

  Kita sat in the darkened atrium of Verisom Manor. She watched as the sky of the petal started its transition between night and day. Odd how many creatures still rely on a night and day cycle. Of course, few other creatures saw equally well in the light and dark.

  The door opened, and Cotton entered wearing a brightly colored sarong. It stood in stark contrast to Kita’s solid black bodysuit.

  “Good morning, love,” said Kita. “I didn’t wake you when I left, did I?” She had cuddled the Verisom until she fell asleep and then snuck out to read and work with her computer.