“Let the contest begin!” the deep automated voice announced once more.
The two combatants closed to within 10 feet and circled one another for several seconds. One frightened and wary, the other relaxed, and in his element. Laurina gripped the katana’s handle firmly and held the blade out in front of her as she had been taught years ago. The armored gladiator before her stepped sideways, patiently waiting. She was close enough to feel each step that he took tremble the ground, while his brilliant armor creaked loudly in her ears, setting her nerves on edge. As the tension mounted, sweat began to appear on the young Brit’s brow. Soon it became more pronounced and began to slowly trickle down her cheeks. One particular bead of sweat traveled far enough to hover over her left eyelid. As soon as she blinked her eye to clear it, her opponent attacked. For such a huge presence, Praetor was faster than the redhead had thought, and he was upon her almost instantly. She didn’t even have time to react before his huge ax sliced its way toward her.
Wasting no time, Laurina abandoned her stance, and dove to her right, just as the large ax blade cleaved the air where her head would have been. Rolling up to a sitting position to the Praetor’s left, she swung the katana at her opponent’s leg as hard as she could. Clang! The Giant warrior grunted, not from pain, but from surprise because she actually got a sword stroke in on him. The masses sent up a rousing cheer at the contact and roared their approval.
Keep moving.
Unfortunately for her, Praetor, rather than recovering his balance to attack anew after missing his opponent, allowed his momentum to completely turn his body around in the same direction, for a second stroke. Too late to avoid him this time, she brought up the golden katana in a futile attempt to parry his ax, while at the same time leaning backward. Sparks flew as the two blades collided, and the crowd roared as the force of the blow knocked the Brit hard to the dusty floor, striking her head against the ground. Her eyes went wide with fear as she watched the blade pass over her face, missing her nose by a hair. The heavy blow also knocked the katana from her grasp and sent it flying through the air, where it landed near the Arena wall thirty feet away.
As Laurina tried to shake the cobwebs away after the shock of the heavy blow, Praetor stood over her and laughed; a deep booming sound like an idling semi truck.
“Well done, woman. You’ve managed to avoid my Double Strike and hit me back as well. I salute you. As a reward, I will allow you a moment to make peace with whatever Power you believe in before you die.”
Laurina lay helpless in the dirt in front of the giant warrior, while the crowds cheered him on. Her head was still swirling and she could feel a deep bruise developing in her lower back. She was staring Death in the face and was almost ready to blink.
I can’t do this. He’s too big, too fast and too powerful. I swung with all my might and couldn’t even put a dent in the blighter’s armor. How am I supposed to beat him? Hell, how am I supposed to survive this?
Chapter 3
The stark metallic sound of a bolt being thrown back split the silence of the small room. The heavy door yawned open and Sinza and Galicia watched as four black-robed guards strode into the room with guns drawn. Thankfully, Captain Mert was not with them. Not taking any chances with the troublesome women, the men of the now doubled guard formed a cordon on both sides of the entrance, raised their weapons directly toward them and waited. Once they were stationed, one of them called out toward the corridor.
“Alright wench. Do yer job!”
An irritating squeaking noise filled the hallway, steadily increasing in volume. Finally, an old woman limped into the room, wheeling an ancient cart filled with a variety of items in front of her. She was gnarled and bent like a petrified tree, covered in a long grey robe that dragged along the floor like a dust mop. She stopped the cart in the middle of the floor, hefted the large soft-sided package that lay on top, and walked over to a nearby table to set it there. Once she opened the parcel, the savory aroma of food wafted into the small room. The gnarled woman reached in and lifted out a tureen filled with some type of stew, resting it on the table’s center. She then pulled out fruit and cheese, along with a loaf of dark bread, and what looked to be a thermos of some warm liquid. Going back to the cart, she retrieved cups, bowls and plastic utensils, and neatly arranged them on the table. Satisfied, she removed the now empty package, placed it back on the cart, turned about and wheeled out of the room. Galicia grimaced as the wheels of the cart continued their high-pitched protest until the old woman was a significant distance down the hall.
“Blimey! Sounds like someone‘s having at a nest full of mice,” she whispered to Sinza.
One of the guards stepped forward to address them, leveling his weapon in a menacing manner. “By order of the Mistress, you are being offered the traditional warrior’s last meal,” he said gruffly. “You are also given the privilege of watching the preliminary matches on screen. Eat hearty, for soon you also will fight in the Arena for her amusement.”
A crooked grin split the man’s face.
“May you die well!”
Finished, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flat device and pressed a button on it. A section of the wall next to the dining table became transparent and then brightened as images of gladiatorial combat came into focus on the makeshift screen.
A large ebony man was shown in slow motion movement, bashing in the head of his unfortunate opponent with a large silver maul.
“This must be the Warrior Channel,” Sinza quipped.
Satisfied that he had done his duty, the lead guard backed out of the room, followed by the rest of the men. Once again the heavy door closed and the large bolts clanged into place.
The Commando and the Londoner sat at the table and began to eat while talking in hushed tones. Every so often they would pause and glance at the makeshift television. This time it showed a very short woman striking savage blows against a huge man with a long red tongue.
“Sinza, before I do anything, I need to recharge my visor. Otherwise, we are up the proverbial creek.”
“How much power do you have left? Enough to blast open that door?”
“Yes, but not much more than that,” Galicia sighed. “Plus there are the guards to consider as well.”
Sinza spooned a mouthful of stew, chewing thoughtfully. It was actually quite good. “In order to conserve CCE, you’ll need to be able to take them all out in one fell swoop. Then we'll find their maintenance area, give you a chance to recharge, and make our way outta this hellhole.”
“I gather if I concentrate hard enough, I should be able to accomplish that, but then my Visor would be almost drained,” Galicia replied talking around her own spoonful of stew. “I’ll be left with only enough CCE for a defensive strategy or two. After that, I’ll have to rely on my wits,”
“You can do it, Gal,” Sinza encouraged. “I know I can count on you.”
The volume on the screen seemed to increase a bit, as a rotund announcer appeared in front of the crowd next to a nearly naked red-haired woman.
“…from parts unknown, Lau-reeeee-nah!” the announcer cried, as the camera pulled in for a close-up of the woman.
Galicia’s soup spoon clattered loudly as it landed the table before rolling off onto the floor.
“OH MY GOD!” she exclaimed, as the blood drained from her face.
Sinza seeing the horrified expression of her companion reached an arm across the table and grabbed her shoulder.
“Hey, Gal! Gal! What’s wrong?”
Galicia pointed a shaky finger toward the wall monitor.
“That’s my s-s-s-ister Laurina in the Arena! My sister! How in the bloody blue blazes did she get here?”
Sinza stared first at the blonde, then at the monitor in disbelief. “Your sister? This just can’t be…unless…” she trailed off.
“Unless what?” the Londoner replied.
The raven-haired woman thought for a moment and then frowned.
“Keren.”<
br />
“No!"
“He’s the only one who could have transported her here,” Sinza replied soberly.
“Bloody hell! She must’ve come looking for me and ran into him,” said Galicia in anguish. “She has no idea what she’s done!”
A myriad of emotions slammed into the young Brit’s mind in an instant. Surprise, elation, misery, love, guilt, fear, anger, and a host of others struck her as soundly as if she had been hit with a cricket bat. It was too much for her to take all at once. Her vision went dark and the blood roared in her ears like a passing freight train. Galicia blanched and began to shake, as if she were shivering naked in the cold, before finally slumping out of her chair toward the floor.
SMACK!
Sinza slapped her soundly on the cheek. The world regained its focus, and the freight train sound faded into oblivion, replaced by a fiery pain on the side of her face.
“Get a hold of yourself right now, soldier!” the commando bellowed to the blonde. “You can sleep on your own time! We’ve got work to do!”
Seeing Galicia start to focus like one who had awakened from a deep sleep, her tone softened.
“Gal, you said before that you needed me. Well dammit, I need you too.”
“Sorry, Sinz. I kinda lost it there for a sec. Ow!” She rubbed her cheek ruefully. “You didn’t have to hit me so bloody hard.”
Sinza smiled apologetically.
“Well, better me than the edge of the table or the floor. Anyway, we gotta keep our wits about us, and figure out what the hell to do now.”
Tears leaked out from the corners of Galicia’s eyes.
“We can’t leave my sister here Sinz. We just can’t,” she pleaded. “We’ve got to take her with us!”
Her companion lapsed into thought. This was definitely an unexpected complication. The odds were bad enough for the two of them trying to escape. Adding a third would decrease their chances further. Still, this woman was Gal’s sister after all. And she was right, they couldn’t leave her.
Sinza made a decision.
“Change of plan,” she began. “You will execute your part as we discussed earlier, but instead of going with you, I will remain here to misdirect your whereabouts, and fight in the Arena if need be, until you find a way to blow the power to this complex. I’ll figure out a way to get to your sister. Once the power goes, home in on my signal patch, and meet up with us.”
Though the two women had been searched thoroughly for weapons, their captors completely missed the skin toned patch that had been hidden within the folds of their left ears.
“What if they do make you fight again, Sinz? What will you do?” Galicia asked concerned.
Something on the monitor caught Sinza’s eye and she glanced at the screen. Suddenly, she abruptly stood up from the table, walked over and embraced the blonde tightly, strategically turning her away from the television.
“You know I can take care of myself, Gal,” she said flashing a big grin. “I’ll be alright. You just worry about yourself ok?”
Once again, tears formed in the Londoner’s eyes before she hastily brushed them away.
“Thanks, Sinz. I’ll not forget this!”
“You just take care of your business so we can get outta here. That’s thanks enough! Now get going. We’re going to have to work quickly!”
Galicia gave her friend one last hug, before making her way over to the door. As she donned her visor and prepared herself, an idea popped into her head. Concentrating deeply, she envisioned what she needed to do, and then tapped a long sequence into her invisible keyboard. A flash of white light appeared in front of her, followed by a blue gelatinous substance that emerged from the ether. Thinking about saving her sister, she became even more intent on what she had to do, and as she did, both manifestations became even brighter. Reaching out to the door, Galicia pounded hard on it to attract the attention of the guards.
Outside the door, the black-robed men of the guard detail were engaged in an animated discussion about the upcoming Flash Gate Championship series, when they heard the pounding. Becoming alert, two of them moved in front of the door, while the other two took up positions directly behind as they had been trained. Suddenly there was a large blinding flash of white light and the heavy door was violently blown from its hinges, striking the two men in front, driving them into the two behind, and slamming the four of them hard into the stone wall. At the same time, the gelatinous blue field covered them all, muffling the sound of the concussion. All four men were stunned into unconsciousness; the front two being struck in the head by the careening door, and the other two striking their heads against the wall. As the blinding light dissipated, the viscous blue energy gently lowered the men to the floor of the hallway, carefully setting them underneath the heavy door. Then with an audible pop, all evidence of power disappeared abruptly. Galicia fell to her knees in the now empty doorway, breathing heavily, but with a large smile on her face.
“I did it!” she panted. “Had to cut it off a might quick, but I did it.”
“Good job Gal! Sinza encouraged. “Now get going. The sooner you get your Visor charged up, the sooner we can all get outta here!”
“Righty-o!” the blonde replied confidently. Regaining her feet, she scanned the hall in both directions. Seeing no one, she waved at Sinza and moved off.
Sinza wasn’t paying attention, however. She was too busy watching what was taking place on the monitor. She was glad that she had the foresight to maneuver Galicia away from looking at the action on the screen. Had she seen the monstrous creature that her sister was facing in the Arena, and what he was doing to her, she probably would have lost her nerve.
The raven-haired commando sighed heavily. From the way the battle on the screen was going, she doubted that the woman would live long enough to be rescued.
Chapter 4
Laurina was startled by the screeching sound of Praetor’s armor as he raised his ax and prepared to strike. Quickly she rolled into a crouch, balancing on the balls of her feet. As the black blade sliced down, she dove toward the behemoth’s armored legs. This unorthodox maneuver caught Praetor by surprise, causing him to hesitate in his stroke for a split second. That gave Laurina barely enough time to clear the falling blade, as he buried it deep into both the sandy floor and the Plascrete below. With his timing thrown off while expecting to make contact with the woman’s flesh, Praetor found himself slightly off balance. Passing between his legs, the young Brit braced her hands against the floor. Taking a deep breath, she reared back with her legs, making contact with his backside and gave him a mule kick with all of her might. This sent the huge warrior lurching forward, and his momentum caused him to trip over the buried ax. Praetor grunted deeply as he tried to catch himself, but try as he might, he could not recover his balance. Creaking and grinding forward, the giant warrior fell heavily to the ground with a crash that sounded like a dropped pallet of broken machinery.
Seeing the champion gladiator go down in a heap shocked the crowd, who had never witnessed such a thing occur to him. Their voices exploded into the air as they applauded the woman’s efforts. Some burst into laughter as they watched the monitors replay the scene of the helpless warrior tripping along trying to catch his balance before he fell. Others clapped their hands and stomped their feet chanting, “Red! Red! Red!”
Laurina didn’t hear them.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, as she breathed heavily from her exertions, resting prone on the sand for a moment before dragging herself to her feet. She was tired, disheveled and dusty. Her body ached from several cuts and lacerations she had received on her arms and legs from rubbing against sharp portions of her opponent’s armor. None of it mattered at that moment, however. She was looking at something that gave her a faint glimmer of hope. As Praetor braced his arms on the ground to get up, Laurina saw that the areas just below his armpits were not armored, leaving it vulnerable.
Scanning the battle floor, she caught sight of the golden katana lying n
ear the metal retaining wall, thirty feet past her downed opponent. Without pausing to think, she made a break for it, running as fast as her boots would allow.
Meanwhile, Praetor was furious!
He was the champion; the best of all of the warriors who had ever competed in the entire history of the Arena. He was without equal, suffering nothing worse than having a bit of horsehair cut from his helmet from a lucky sword stroke. That opponent paid with his life. He was used to the cheers and adoration of the masses. And yet here, in his house, they are laughing at him. Laughing! All because of this puny woman. She would die a spectacular death. He would make sure of that. But first, he would make her suffer in payment for his humiliation.
Hearing the crunch of footfalls behind him, Praetor could tell that the woman was attempting to run past, probably to get her sword. He was prepared for that. Feigning difficulty getting to his feet, he stayed where he was, half lying in a prone position, waiting for the woman to run past. As she neared, he lunged forward, swinging his massive metal arm in a sweeping motion. The blow caught Laurina by surprise, striking her solidly at thigh level, scooping her off her feet. The blow was so powerful that it hurled her end over end twice, before she landed roughly, sliding in the dirt on her stomach, which caused the spectators to groan at the impact. Slowly regaining his feet, Praetor watched with grim satisfaction as his quarry lay stunned on the Arena floor. Abandoning his ax, he made his way toward her slowly and deliberately, allowing the sound of his approach to strike fear into her heart.
The force of the blow knocked the wind out of her, and Laurina fought desperately against losing consciousness. Acid from her stomach burned her throat from the impact, and she coughed and sputtered as she spat out a mouthful of dry sand and bile. Feeling as if she had been beaten with rods, the Londoner winced at the massive brush burn on her torso, and her breath came in heaving sobs from the pain. Hearing the heavy footfalls of Praetor approaching, she desperately willed herself to get to get to her feet, but her strength was nearly gone.
Hawks Effect_Dangerous Reunion Page 3
