by Darrell Pitt
‘You won’t need your helmets down here.’ He pointed up. ‘We’ll send some people back to fix the roof later.’
I peered upwards. Some of the gas was entering, but not a lot. We cautiously removed our helmets. The air was bad, but breathable. Besides, if this man and other people were living down here, it must have been safe.
‘We love having visitors,’ he said.
Smiling, he reached out and touched our faces. My eyes closed. Somewhere, in the distance, I could hear him laughing. The next thing I knew, I was lying on a bunk in a concrete-lined room. Ebony lay across from me. Our contamination suits were gone. I had no idea what had happened.
‘Ebony.’ I shook her awake. ‘Are you okay?’
She gazed about sleepily. ‘What happened? That man—’
‘He must be a mod. He knocked us out.’
‘You’re correct, my young friend.’ A slot had opened up in the door leading to the room and a pair of eyes peered in. ‘I would like to speak to you.’
‘Who are you?’ I demanded, angrily jumping to my feet. ‘Where is the man who was with us?’
‘Your father? He is quite safe.’
I did not correct him.
The stranger continued. ‘My name is Jensen. I am going to enter,’ he said. ‘If you attempt to harm me, there will be repercussions for your father and yourselves. Can we agree to speak like civilized people without the use of violence?’
I felt like pointing out to him violence had already been used against us by knocking us out, and imprisoning us against our will, but I nodded curtly, telling him to come in.
‘Good,’ Jensen said. He was a tall black man, thin with deep recessed eyes. ‘Now we can speak in a reasonable manner.’
‘What do you want?’ I asked. ‘Where’s my...father?’
‘I’m sure you have a million questions, but believe me when I tell you he is safe.’
‘Fine,’ I said uncertainly. ‘We want to see him. Now.’
‘That’s not immediately possible,’ he said. ‘There are a few things you must be made aware of first. Then we can discuss terms.’
Terms. I didn’t like the sound of that.
‘I manage the games. Come with me,’ he said. ‘Let me show you our home.’
Games. I didn’t like that word, either.
We followed Jensen down a dark passage lined with locked doors. The end opened up and artificial light flooded in. We entered a wide corridor that led to an underground stadium. Hundreds of seats filled the stands. Crowds were filing in. A show was about to begin.
‘What is this?’ Ebony asked.
Jensen smiled. ‘This facility was owned by the Agency in the old days. James Price had a plan to make genetically modified animals fight to the death. It was abandoned years ago when the ecosystem above become uninhabitable.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s a good life down here. We have nuclear power. Water. Hydroponic farms.’ His smile faded. ‘But there is never quite enough food. To keep people’s minds off starvation, we give them entertainment.
‘The city is divided into four quarters: Easterners, Westerners, Northerners and Southerners. Each quarter has several chemically enhanced humans, one of which is chosen each week to compete in the games.’
‘The games?’
‘It is a fight,’ he explained. ‘It keeps the people entertained.’
‘We just want to get out of here,’ I said.
‘And you shall. You may have your freedom once you have competed.’
‘And if we don’t want to compete?’ I asked.
‘No-one is forcing you to do anything, but it is important that the stakes are high.’ He pointed to the stadium’s other end where cages perched on top of columns. A person was in each cage. One of them looked familiar. ‘High enough to make it interesting,’ he said, ‘for everyone.’
‘That’s—’
‘Your father. Yes, my boy. He will be killed. The losing team, incidentally, does not receive rations for a week. You will be fighting for the Easterners. They are very hungry right now as their champion was killed last week.’
I gazed up at the cage. Even at this distance I could see the cage was surrounded by glass. A gadget on the top looked like it would release gas into it. I was fast. I could probably be across the stadium in seconds, but I wouldn’t be fast enough to save him. Old Axel had proven to be a pain in the ass, but I couldn’t let him die.
‘You father told us about your powers,’ Jensen said. ‘You have a good chance of winning.’
I didn’t care about playing their stupid game. I just wanted to escape this crazy place. ‘I’ll fight,’ I said. ‘And then we’re leaving.’
‘Good.’ Jensen smiled. ‘And remember, my boy, you must fight according to the rules.’
‘Which means?’
‘It is a fight to the death. Only one of you will leave this stadium alive.’
Chapter Thirty-Three
The siren rang out loud and clear. To me it sounded like the wail of a dying creature as it echoed down the tunnel to where I sat with Ebony. We had been waiting in the preparation room for almost three hours. A guard stood nearby. He nodded to me.
It’s time.
I had caught glimpses of two other enhanced humans fighting as we waited. Both had super strength. Soon after, the fight ended and we saw a man being dragged across the stadium to an exit.
There was clearly a difference between enhanced humans and mods. We still looked human, but these people had mutated into something very different. Jensen had explained to us that their powers only lasted a short time. This way the competitors were just as much in the dark about their powers as the audience.
‘Stay where I can see you,’ I said. ‘And be ready for anything.’
Ebony nodded. ‘After everything we’ve been through,’ she said, ‘I’m permanently ready for anything.’
I stepped into the stadium. The crowd went crazy. I would have felt like a hero if this whole situation had not been so sick and evil. When I looked closer at the audience, I didn’t see the crowd you’d normally find at a football game. These people were malnourished. Starving. This whole society was on the verge of collapse and these games were merely a diversionary tactic to keep them distracted.
‘Welcome to the final round of the Sixteenth Games for the year!’ a voice boomed from the loud speakers. ‘We have a special surprise today as a true mod joins the Easterners.’
The crowd cheered. I could feel hundreds of eyes on me. Strangers down here were a rarity, modified ones more so.
‘Today we have a battle of the giants as,’ the announcer paused dramatically, ‘Easterner versus Westerner!’
The crescendo from the crowd rose even higher in pitch. I was in the midst of the Easterner stands. I could understand their desire for me to win; it meant they could eat for the first time in a week. High up in a podium, I spotted a man speaking into a microphone, obviously the master of ceremonies.
On the other side of the arena, a thin man with gray hair appeared. He bowed to his ecstatic followers, but I could feel him watching me the whole time.
Jensen appeared at my side. ‘Good luck, my boy,’ he said. ‘Your opponent’s name is Crenshaw. I’m not sure what they’ve pumped into him. It’s some new concoction they’ve devised.’ He squeezed my arm and nodded to the nearest stand of spectators. ‘They are very hungry. Fight well.’
Nodding, I looked across at Crenshaw. I was supposed to kill this man. A complete stranger. There had to be a way out of this—but what?
‘Let the games begin!’
I took a single step forward. In that time the stranger had crossed the stadium in a blur and slammed a fist into my chin. My vision blurred as I hit the ground.
Super speed, I thought. He has super speed. I urged myself upwards. Fly. Fly!
I got into the air. It wasn’t easy and I wasn’t graceful. Almost unconscious from the single blow, I veered dangerously towards the crowds. People ducked in their seats as I almost slammed into the
m. Rubbing my chin, I tried to clear my head. That one punch had almost finished me.
Crenshaw was darting about the stadium. I focused on robbing him of oxygen, but he was so fast I couldn’t focus on him.
But these people didn’t know the extent of my powers. Creating a wall of wind, I slammed it into the arena, hoping to corner him. This time I saw him stumble. The audience screamed and booed. I tried pinning Crenshaw down, but missed him.
He picked up a handful of sand. I saw the whir of an arm and then it was in my eyes. I was twenty feet off the ground and blinded. No sooner had this registered than something slammed into my stomach. I instinctively flew higher as a series of punches smashed into me.
Somehow Crenshaw had made it off the ground. Maybe his powers included flight as well—I had no idea—but I couldn’t take this much longer. I created a shield close to my body and pushed Crenshaw away. He fell.
Slowly backing away to the end of the stadium where Old Axel was imprisoned, I was careful to keep my attention on Crenshaw. Forming a tornado of air, I sucked up a mass of sand.
I made it look like I was about to use it as a weapon against the running man. This would take some precision. Making a second flat plane of air, I fired it at Old Axel’s cell, destroying the contraption holding the poisonous gas. I released the tornado of air in all directions, blinding most of the audience with sand.
Pulling Old Axel free, we flew over the stadium. Jensen had tried tackling Ebony, but he was no match for her. I saw a solid steel shackles appear around his ankles.
I lifted Ebony up.
‘What are you doing?’ Old Axel gasped.
‘What I should have done in the first place.’
I built up a blast of air and fired it straight into the ceiling. A huge crack appeared. People screamed and began scrambling from their seats. Building up another blast, I smashed it into the ceiling. This time a huge circular gash appeared. I had started a panic in the stands, but I was beyond caring.
I wanted out. And now. I built up another blast and this time the ceiling shattered completely. Beyond lay the endless storm. Gas began to pour into the underground world as I zoomed upwards. I formed a bubble of air around us.
‘Hold your breathes,’ I yelled.
An instant later we were in the storm, the screaming wind tearing at us. I flew higher, watching the sun, a brown circle of light, grow brighter with each passing second.
Just a little further, I thought. Just a bit more.
The terrible yellow cloud cleared and we flew into crystal clean air. I whooped and laughed. Ebony cried out and waved her arms about. Even Old Axel looked momentarily relieved. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from souring the moment.
‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ he said. ‘The skies are probably still full of Agency ships.’
‘Good,’ I told him. ‘I’m counting on it.’
Chapter Thirty-Four
I was sick of running. I was sick of hiding. I wanted to be back in my own time. I wanted to be away from this twisted future.
But first we needed a ship. My eyes scanned the horizon, making out a tiny dot.
‘Hold on,’ I said. ‘I’ve got to be fast if this is going to work.’
I had done everything Old Axel’s way. I had followed his rules. Taken his advice. I had hidden when I wanted to fight. Well, no more. Now I was doing it my way. I sped across the sky, catching up to the ship in seconds. Veering under it, I kept pace for a few seconds.
‘Oxygen!’ I yelled at Ebony.
She appeared momentarily confused, but nodded. A second later I brought us up in front of the craft and plastered us against the window.
‘Now!’ I yelled.
She evaporated the glass and then we were inside the control cabin with the two pilots. They were taken completely by surprise. Possibly they had been trying to track my path when we dropped in their laps. I knocked them out, dumping them into a rear cell.
Ebony reformed the glass as Old Axel took control of the ship.
‘That was amazing,’ he said.
‘Thanks.’
‘Insane, but amazing. It was stupid to risk your life like that.’
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Like we were already in a safe place.’
Ebony gave me a friendly punch to the arm. ‘Well,’ she laughed. ‘I thought you were amazing.’
I winced. ‘Sorry, that’s—’
‘Oops. The fight. Forgot about that.’
I wished I could. Now that I had a moment to relax, I realized I was in a world of pain. Easing myself into the navigator’s seat, Ebony fetched painkillers from the first aid kit. I swallowed a few while I assessed where I hurt the most. It was hard to pick. My jaw felt terrible. A couple of my ribs were cracked.
‘I feel awful,’ I groaned.
‘Relax for a while,’ Old Axel said. ‘I might have some good news for you.’
‘Good. I need some.’
‘I’m signaling to the other Agency ships that we’re having problems with our engines and we’re returning to base.’ He smiled at us. ‘We’re going home in style.’
‘Thanks to me,’ I said.
‘Thanks to all of us,’ he replied.
I fell back, exhausted. The last few days had been insane. After this I was taking a holiday. I would lie down on a beach and not move for a week. I closed my eyes. When I opened them again I heard Old Axel talking.
‘Wassat?’ I said.
‘I’m getting a signal on a secure channel,’ he said. ‘Encrypted.’
‘From the Agency?’ I sat up.
‘No. It’s a branch of the resistance.’
‘How is that possible?’ I asked. ‘No-one even knows we have this ship.’
‘It’s being sent on a channel used by an East coast group,’ Old Axel explained. ‘They’re sending a set of coordinates.’
‘What are you going to do?’
Old Axel glared at the console. ‘We’ll go,’ he said, his jaw hardening. ‘We don’t really have a choice.’
‘Why not?’
He didn’t answer. Ebony and I exchanged a glance. There was something he wasn’t telling us. Within minutes we were zooming over a mist filled town west of Washington. After landing us in an alley near a statue of some founding father, Old Axel retrieved some contamination suits from the back lockers.
‘Who was sending that signal?’ Ebony asked.
Old Axel swallowed. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘But you have a pretty good idea.’
‘I know who’s used it in the past.’
‘Who?’
He refused to answer. Leaving the ship, we found ourselves in a fog enshrouded street in a typical town in middle America. A tall building with a tower lay across the road from us. The streets were quiet though. The gas was as poisonous here as the mid-west.
We climbed the steps, Old Axel pushed the doors open and entered a town hall with paintings of various civic leaders lining the walls. Surprisingly, the interior was in pretty good condition with most of the old woodwork intact. We continued on to the council chambers. Some sort of high tech plastic lay across the doors, creating an airlock. We pushed through.
‘Axel!’ Brodie screamed.
She jumped up from a seat near the lectern. Chad followed close behind and we found ourselves in a group hug. There had been times over the last few days that I thought I’d never see my friends again. It was like coming home. Old Axel crossed to some people in the corner. I ignored them for the moment as we exchanged stories.
We had brought each other up to date when I sensed something was wrong. Chad looked worried while Brodie kept glancing over my shoulder. Finally I turned to take a closer look.
Four people stood there. My mouth dropped open as I recognized the older versions of Brodie and Chad. This was getting weirder and weirder. A red-headed girl stood with them and Old Axel. The girl was eyeing our group as the adults engaged in some sort of heated discussion. She was young like us.
I had never
seen her before, but she was familiar.
Why?
Something was wrong here. Horribly wrong. I felt it in the pit of my stomach. It was like playing a game of chess and knowing I was a move away from checkmate.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘Who’s that girl?’
‘I think they’re catching up on lost time,’ Brodie said, airily. ‘They haven’t seen each other for years.’
She was deliberately ignoring my question.
‘And the girl?’
Neither of them spoke.
‘Who’s the girl?’ I asked again.
‘She’s their daughter,’ Chad said, his face reddening. ‘Their future daughter.’
Their future daughter? He was speaking some kind of foreign language. It didn’t make any sense. I muttered something incomprehensible and then it clicked in my mind and I understood. Their future daughter. Now I looked at the girl again and I knew why she was familiar.
Brodie was speaking, but I couldn’t hear her. Their future daughter. She was Chad and Brodie’s future daughter. Now all the pieces were falling into place. This was what Old Axel didn’t want to tell me.
...contaminate the time line, causing irreparable damage to the space/time continuum...
My relationship with Brodie wasn’t going to last.
...take revenge upon those who have wronged us...
She was destined to fall in love with Chad.
...you think you can trust everyone...
But my friends would betray me.
‘—one of those weird time line things,’ Brodie was saying. ‘It doesn’t mean anything.’
I had missed most of what she’d said. ‘Your future daughter. Wow. That must have been a surprise.’ I managed to keep my voice under control. Almost. A tiny look of relief crossed Chad’s face, but I wasn’t fooling Brodie. She knew me too well.
‘Please,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s nothing, I promise.’
Sure it was nothing. To them. But they weren’t the ones who’d been betrayed.
I was.
‘Why would it mean anything to you?’ I asked, my voice rising. ‘My best friend and my girlfriend end up together, so what does that make me?’
