Thunde

by Arcadia Shield

  Thunde

  Vortex Alien Warriors, Volume 3

  Arcadia Shield

  Published by Arcadia Shield, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  THUNDE

  First edition. May 26, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Arcadia Shield.

  Written by Arcadia Shield.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 1

  Jessie Keenan watched as the light inched across the cell ceiling, sliding in through the narrow holes that served as windows. It gave her an idea of the time of day, and it was as close as she was going to get to natural daylight. It had been three weeks since she’d been thrown into this Fraken cell alongside her cellmates. Three weeks of feeling terrified, not knowing what the Fraken would do the next time they opened the door.

  She shifted onto her right side, resting her cheek against one hand. A few feet away from her lay Grace Connelly. She was her only remaining cellmate. There had been others, but they’d been killed or taken into the Fraken games. And even though Jessie had never watched a game, she knew the outcome would not be good for those women.

  “How did you sleep?” Grace opened her dark brown eyes and looked at Jessie.

  “My mattress is a little too firm.” Jessie smiled over at her.

  “Don’t worry, the gourmet breakfast they serve here will make up for that.” Grace eased herself onto her elbows and looked around the cell. “It’s just the two of us now.”

  Even though Grace was only three years younger than Jessie, she had a quiet confidence about her that made her appear older. It could be her medical training or her inability to get stressed out whatever situation she was in.

  Jessie liked to study people and had seen Grace helping when things became tense between the Fraken and other cellmates. She liked that about Grace and hoped she wasn’t next to go into the Fraken games. But if it wasn’t Grace taken, then it would be her. Jessie wasn’t sure what was worse, finally being forced into a game and killed or being left alone in this cold, barren cell as her final friend was dragged to her death.

  “Maybe they’ll send us into a game together,” said Jessie. “I heard the Fraken do that sometimes, put two prey in against a warrior.”

  “We would be an intimidating match if we went up against a Vorten.” Grace sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She exposed a skinny midriff, evidence of the lack of food provided.

  Jessie nodded. They were both dressed identically in dirty trousers and loose fitting black shirts. Grace had a few dried blood splashes on her clothes, where she’d treated the injuries the women sustained after the starship they were on, the Capella, had been attacked by the Fraken and they’d been taken.

  Grace rested her head back on the wall, her calm gaze on Jessie. “Tell me another story from your archive. Something to give us both hope.”

  Jessie smiled at her. Grace asked for a story every day, a nugget of information Jessie had stored in her brain from her time working in the archives on Earth. “I can’t think of anything else that might help us get out.” They’d spent days talking through possible ways of escaping the cell.

  “Okay, not about our current situation,” said Grace. “But I’ve never been in an archive. Where I used to work, at the Matlab Center in Old San Francisco, we had online archives detailing previous medical treatments and cures for ailments. But it would have been useful to get my hands on the actual research notes and papers of some of the pioneers of the medicines and techniques we use today. I like seeing the source data to make sure no one messed up the findings along the way.”

  “There’s nothing like actually touching the work of some great inventor or writer.”

  “What did you enjoy preserving the most?”

  “Old fiction books,” said Jessie. “People haven’t given up on books completely, even now everything’s digitized and you can read what you want on your handheld comm or through your head chip.”

  Grace frowned. “I know the head chips are popular, but it worries me they can be hacked and people will discover what you’re reading or looking into.”

  “That’s why I never got one,” said Jessie. “I want to see and read things privately, just for myself. Besides, I occasionally delve into an old romance novel. I definitely don’t want anyone to find out I do that.”

  Grace chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of romance.”

  “Do you have anyone back on Earth?” asked Jessie.

  Grace shook her head. “I was married. But he died in the last war. What about you?”

  “There’s no one,” said Jessie. “Well, there was someone once, but it didn’t work out. And my work keeps me busy, or rather, it did.”

  “Me too,” said Grace.

  “No one since your husband?”

  “Never had time to go looking,” said Grace. “The war kept me occupied, and the men who did return from it were shells of their former selves. I saw one too many cases of severe post-traumatic stress disorder to know I wouldn’t be able to handle such a broken man. I need someone who’ll look after me; otherwise, I’m never off the clock.”

  “They had a center for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress close to the archive,” said Jessie. “I went there a few times to collect oral histories from the patients. Some of their stories still haunt me.”

  “So they should,” said Grace. “If people aren’t affected by the horrors that happened in the last war, then there must be something wrong with them.”

  “One man I interviewed became so distressed that he smashed his head into the wall until he passed out.” Jessie shuddered at the memory. “When we began talking, he'd seemed so... ordinary.”

  “PTSD has a number of triggers,” said Grace. “Your conversation should have been better monitored, and you should have been told his full history. That way, you could have avoided causing him distress. And you, as well.”

  “I didn’t go back after that,” said Jessie. “I didn’t want to do those soldiers harm. They’d already been through so much trauma, and I felt selfish, collecting their histories for the archive. It seemed so trivial.”

  “It’s not trivial,” said Grace. “It’s crucial we record how far we let things go before we realized we almost lost everything.”

  “We aren’t ever going to get back there,” said Jessie, her heart curling in on itself at that thought.

  “It’s a long shot us getting home,” said Grace. “But someone has to beat the Fraken games, eventually. Melody was determined it was going to be her.”

  Jessie smiled as a memory of Melody Marlin flitted through her head. “She never gave up trying to find a way out for us all.”

  “Melody’s the girl you need by your side when you want to escape.”

  “Do you really think she got out?” Hope fluttered through Jessie’s chest.

  “Honestly, not a chance,” said Grace. “She carried so much anger with her. And I lost count of the number of times the Fraken stunne
d her with a cudgel. It was as if she was looking for someone to fight a battle with, prove herself worthy. She dropped a few hints that her life on Earth hadn’t been easy, so maybe that’s where she got her fighting spirit from. But she’ll have been fortunate to have made it into the game at all. The Fraken who took her most likely killed her before she got started.”

  “Don’t say that,” said Jessie. “I like to think of Melody and Eloise safe somewhere outside the games. That one of them, somehow, found an escape route and kept it open for all of us. Then, when it’s our turn in the game, we escape, as well, and start a new life together.”

  “That’s a lovely idea.” Grace raised a hand to her mouth and coughed harshly. “I wish it was true.”

  “My mom always told me, if you wanted something hard enough, you just had to keep it fixed in your mind, and it would come true.”

  “So, did your family live in an enormous house, have all the food and e-credits they needed, and be free from the threat of war?”

  Jessie chewed on a broken thumbnail. “No, but we had each other. And we loved each other dearly. I’m pretty sure that’s all Mom wanted.”

  “Your mom sounds like a sweet lady,” said Grace.

  “She was,” said Jessie.

  Grace was quiet for a moment. “She didn’t make it through the war?”

  “I guess she didn’t wish hard enough,” said Jessie. “She was living in a shelter with a dozen other families when there was a direct air strike. Everyone was killed.”

  Grace closed her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Sorry to hear that.”

  “We’ve all lost loved ones,” said Jessie as she blinked her eyes against the tears that threatened. “But I feel her death the most. Dad died years ago, and it was just the two of us after that. She always looked out for me, even when things were crazy busy at home.”

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  “Four,” said Jessie. “Drew, Travis, Oscar, and May. They were drafted into fighting the last war.”

  “Did any survive?”

  “They could all be alive,” said Jessie. “But they could also all be dead or anywhere. I lost track of them because they moved around so much. The last thing I heard was about eighteen months ago, just a short comms message sent from my brother, Drew.”

  “I hope they’re all fine,” said Grace. “Don’t go giving up on them just yet.”

  “The Fraken have lots of prisoners,” said Jessie. “For all I know, my family could be in the cell next to this one.”

  “You’d know if they were.” Grace reached over and gently touched Jessie’s hand.

  “I hope I would,” said Jessie. “I was close to all of them when we were growing up. I was the youngest, so they babied me. But I don’t think any of them understood why I was so interested in archiving old things, rather than picking up a weapon and killing our enemies.”

  “It’s an important job,” said Grace. “Knowledge is power. You never know; we might even learn from our mistakes.”

  “It’s not as important as your job,” said Jessie.

  “Anyone can learn to patch up injuries,” said Grace.

  “I’ve seen you at work,” said Jessie. “You’ve got good medical knowledge. You know your stuff.”

  Grace shrugged. “I know my way around the human body. In fact, I was learning a few things about alien physiology before I was taken.”

  “Anything useful we can use against the Fraken?”

  “Sadly, I didn’t get as far as Fraken physiology,” said Grace. “From what I’ve seen of their scaly bodies, they’d be hard to injure with a blade. You’d have to aim well and hit hard to break through their scales.”

  “And beware the molded body armor, as well,” said Jessie. “That looks impenetrable.”

  “You’d have to go for the eyes,” said Grace, as she made a stabbing movement in the air. “Might be worth a swift kick between the legs, as well. As we’ve both seen, they don’t always wear their body armor, and they like to let everything hang loose in the breeze. They’d react the same way as human men when you kicked them between the legs.”

  Jessie grinned. “But then you’d have to get close to those vicious talons and teeth.”

  “That’s true,” said Grace. “Maybe I can hold one down while you give it a kick in the balls.”

  “We can try that technique in the game.”

  “It won’t be the Fraken hunting us, though,” said Grace.

  “No, we’ll be up against a Vorten.” A sick resignation washed over Jessie. She wouldn’t stand a chance against a Vorten warrior. They came from an ancestry similar to Vikings on Earth. The Vorten were famed for being protectors across this galaxy and many more. They were used by the Fraken as warriors in their games. To her knowledge, no Vorten had ever lost a game.

  “Well, whoever you’re up against, just make sure you find the tallest tree to climb or the biggest hole to burrow into and hide,” said Grace. “You can’t beat them with your fists.”

  Jessie clenched her hands. Even she wasn’t impressed by her tiny fists. “Is that what you’re going to do?”

  “What else can we do?” asked Grace.

  “The Fraken will make us fight,” said Jessie. “That’s what the audience will be betting upon. How hard we fight and how long we live.”

  “And how we die,” said Grace.

  Jessie swallowed. “Yes, that’s always of interest to the gaming audience.”

  “Okay, let’s just imagine, for a second, we both get out of these games. What would be the first thing you’d do?” Grace’s dark eyes shone as she smiled at Jessie.

  Jessie closed her eyes. “Smell a book.”

  Grace gave a startled sounding laugh. “You’d do what?”

  Jessie looked at Grace. “Honestly, it’s the most amazing smell in the world.”

  “Old paper smells good?” Grace gave her a quizzical look. “Has it got some kind of substance on it that gets you high? Do mold spores gather on certain books, and they give you a sense of euphoria. Is that how it works?”

  Jessie laughed. “There are no drugs involved. You simply flip the pages of a book and inhale its musty smell. There’s nothing like it.”

  “So, you’d rather smell a book than eat an enormous slab of cake? Or get drunk and dance on the table in your best dress and heels? Or even find the most gorgeous man you can and have the ride of your life?”

  “I’m still going with my book.”

  “I’ve never held a book, so I must be missing out on something if it beats cake, dancing, and having a hot guy between your legs.”

  “I promise you, there’s nothing quite like it,” said Jessie. “I’ll show you when we get out of here. I have my own private library. It’s nothing huge, only a few dozen books, but I’ve been collecting them over the years. They’re my prized possessions.”

  “Books are expensive,” said Grace. “Where’d you get the e-credits to buy books?”

  Jessie inspected her dirt encrusted fingernails. “Now and again, a duplicate of a book would arrive in the central archive. Since we already had one paper copy, and it was stored in the electronic archive, I took the spares home for safekeeping.”

  “You stole them!” Grace grinned at her. “I never had you pegged as a thief.”

  “No, it’s not like that,” said Jessie. “If those books got out on the open market, someone with far too many e-credits and not enough sense would steal them. I’ve heard horrible stories about people getting their hands on books and pulling them apart. They think there’s some secret message on the pages and want to find it. Or even worse, they rip the pages out and give them individually to different people. How is a book ever going to make sense if it’s not in one place? Books need to be preserved, and I’m rescuing them by taking them home with me.”

  “I’m sure the courts in your local council would believe that story.” Grace smiled at her. “But don’t worry; your dark secret is safe with me. And I’d love to see your books i
f we get out of here.”

  “Yes, there’s just the hurdle of a couple of Fraken games to get over, and then we can sit in front of my stove, eating toast and some of my homemade preserves, while I show you the books.”

  “Sounds heavenly,” said Grace. “I’ll check my diary and see when’s good for me.”

  The smile on Jessie’s face faded as the sickeningly familiar sound of Fraken footsteps approached the door. She shot to her feet and grabbed hold of Grace’s arm.

  As Grace stood, another cough racked through her body.

  “You should ask the Fraken for some medication for that cough,” said Jessie.

  “I’m sure they’d give it to me,” said Grace, with a shake of her head. “Just like they were happy to give us extra water the last time we asked. They won’t waste medication on someone they’re going to send to their death.”

  Jessie gave her friend a worried look. Grace’s cough had grown worse over the last few days, and Jessie was sure she’d seen blood on Grace’s hand after a nasty coughing episode.

  “Door’s opening,” muttered Grace.

  The cell door slid open, and a tall, green scaled Fraken stood in front of them. He wore the black body armor that most of the Fraken guards wore and in his right hand carried a lightning stick. It was an effective weapon, and the Fraken were always quick to use it on prisoners who misbehaved.

  “Backs against the wall.” The Fraken stepped into the room and pointed the lightning stick at Jessie and Grace.

  Jessie stepped backwards, keeping one hand gripped firmly in Grace’s until they reached the cell wall. She knew what was coming and licked her lips as she forced herself to stop shaking.

  “Move apart,” ordered the Fraken.

  Reluctantly, Jessie dropped her hold on Grace’s hand and stepped away.

  “We need a new player,” said the Fraken. “Who’s going to volunteer?”

  Jessie glanced at Grace and noticed how pale her skin was. She was suffering, even though she denied it. There was no way she’d survive in the game. She raised a hand. “I’ll do it.”

  Grace turned towards her. “Jessie, no!”