Even though he was alone in the game, he knew the Fraken watched closely. Thunde was popular with the audience because of his size and strength. They liked to see a mighty warrior bring down and dispatch their prey, but not without a bit of fun first.
For Thunde, the killing was not about fun. It was about following orders. He’d never disobeyed direct orders. There were some he’d questioned, particularly when they had anything to do with the Fraken, but he was loyal to his Elders and loyal to Axen.
But now, Axen was free and on the run. Thunde had had many conversations with Axen about the problems with the games, and what they’d like to do to the Fraken. But he’d been surprised when he’d heard Axen had escaped and taken his prey with him.
And now he had a way out, too. The micro-screen Bladen had given him contained a code. Thunde had to gain access to a Fraken comms post, key in the code, and Axen would come and get him and the prey out of the game. It wasn't much information to go on, but he trusted Axen.
And Axen had told him to watch out for the humans and that they might surprise him. Well, he would watch out. He wasn’t going to be beaten by a human. He prided himself on winning every game within a complete cycle of the sun. He didn’t like to drag a game out any longer than necessary, despite the Fraken protesting about him not giving the audience a good enough show. But he didn’t care what the audience thought about him. He had a job to do, and he did it well. If the Fraken had any problems, they could take it up with him. He’d be happy to set them right about how he operated.
A low growl rumbled through Thunde as his collar activated and a jolt of pain ran through him. He raised his blade into the air and shook it. The Fraken clearly wanted to see action and quickly. They’d have to wait. He played this game on his own terms. They could shock him as much as they liked, but until he was ready, until his prey was in his sights, he wouldn’t be hurrying.
Thunde never understood the appeal of the games. He rarely watched them when the Fraken broadcast them in the warriors’ room. He wasn’t adverse to violence, but only when it served a purpose. And what glory was there to be had in taking down prey so vulnerable? There was no joy in slaughtering for the sake of it. Although, the Fraken thought otherwise.
That wasn’t the Vorten way, though. They were known for leading with their weapons and fists, but that didn’t mean they weren’t prepared to negotiate and consider other options. His Elders were famed for their intellect.
Thunde lowered his blade and cocked his head to one side. He could hear something, a low tuneful melody drifting in the breeze. Was someone singing in this game? He moved forward to investigate the sound.
Chapter 4
The light was fading around Jessie as she settled against the rocky wall. She had plenty of water and had discovered a variety of berries growing in the game. She’d tasted a few and realized some were safe to eat but wanted to keep them for another day. She needed as many resources as possible to ensure she didn’t grow weak too quickly.
There was even a small fire. Jessie used an old technique she’d learned, rubbing two sticks together over a pile of dried leaves. It had taken several tries, but the first spark from the friction had driven her on, and the welcoming glow from the flame gave Jessie comfort. It also helped her see into the increasing gloom, see what was coming for her.
Jessie hummed as she crushed a handful of medicinal herbs she’d gathered and added them to the water heating over the fire. With berries for a snack, a ration pack meal, and her herbal tea, this almost felt luxurious, especially when compared to the Fraken cell. She didn’t miss the cell, although she missed Grace and those who’d been lost to the games. The cells had been constantly noisy, alive with the screams of pain and terror from other prisoners. It had made Jessie exhausted and fearful to hear such agony.
Every day, the Fraken had dragged more prisoners into the cells. They couldn’t all be used in the games, but Jessie knew the Fraken used humans and other aliens in their slavery activities. And, she’d heard a distressing rumor the Fraken were experimenting on other aliens, exploring their biology to discover weaknesses. She was glad she hadn’t been a part of those experiments, although being in this game also wasn’t a good option.
Jessie looked around the terraformed environment and found it surprisingly peaceful. The Fraken hadn’t bothered to add sound effects to this game, and there was no birdlife in the trees. She liked the peace. Working in the archive, she often went undisturbed for days, only surfacing to eat or respond to queries from the Econ-Link when other colleagues needed something.
The quiet of the game suited her, and she found her fear lessening. If this was to be her final day alive, it had been a good one. She’d explored, found food, and not been disturbed. When the alien hunting her did find her, she’d feel at peace.
Jessie hadn’t always enjoyed a quiet life. Life at home with her family had been chaotic. Her father, Professor Demetri Keenan, had been a celebrated space scientist, one of the first humans to board an alien spacecraft and return with useful technology. And, to begin with, Jessie had liked the attention her family received. They were given access to better food, more e-credits, and invitations to dine with council members.
But with that came the relentless interest of everybody else. Their home had been broken into on several occasions, and the family had even received kidnapping threats. After that, Jessie had started looking over her shoulder when she walked alone, worried someone might take advantage of her family’s status.
Interest had faded after her father had been killed in an ill-planned space flight, and the e-credits dried up, forcing Jessie and her mom into a smaller apartment. But when the bombs started falling, none of that seemed important. The most important thing was survival.
Jessie smiled as she realized she was humming. She’d always loved music, loved to dance, providing no one was watching. But it had been a long time since she’d felt safe enough, and happy enough, to dance or sing. But here she was, only hours from death, and she was relaxed. She accepted her fate, and it really wasn’t so bad.
She heard the sound of quiet footsteps, and her breath caught in her throat. It had to be the warrior hunting her. But, still, she didn’t mind. He was here to do a job. He didn’t hold any malice against her. And she’d ask him to make her death quick. If he had a shred of decency about him, he would do that. He would help her have a good death.
Jessie leaned over to check the water temperature and then removed the container from the fire. “Would you like some tea?”
***
Thunde moved out from behind the tree he’d been standing by, his skin still tinted a mixture of brown and green to camouflage himself from his prey. He’d watched the tiny human female for several minutes as she made food, heated water, and sang to herself. What did she have to sing about? Maybe she’d gone insane, lost her mind when she came into the game. He’d seen it happen before with other prey. They knew what was coming for them, and their minds fell apart.
“Did you just offer me a drink?”
“There’s enough for two.” The woman turned her dark brown gaze towards him. “I know where to find water, so there’s plenty to go around.”
Thunde shook his head as the woman held aloft the water. She had a birdlike bone structure, with high cheekbones and tiny brown blotches dotting across a small nose. And, although he noticed her jaw trembling, she met his gaze fearlessly. Axen was right; these humans were different.
“You don’t mind if I do?” Jessie pointed to the drink. “I know you have a job to carry out, but I spent ages gathering these herbs, and I’ve got berries to flavor the water, too. It would be nice to have one final drink before I go.”
Thunde looked down at the blade he’d drawn and then shoved it back in its harness. “I can wait.”
Jessie nodded. “What’s your name?”
“Thunde.”
“I’m Jessie Keenan.”
Thunde looked away, his brow wrinkled in surprise. He didn’t wish to know the name
of his prey. But he recalled what Axen had said; this woman was to live until he got them out.
Jessie stirred the herbs in the water. “You’re one of the elite squad, aren’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“You must have served a long time.”
“I have.” Thunde realized his fists were clenched, and he relaxed his hands. It wouldn’t do to scare the woman too badly. It was important he gain her trust enough so she’d come with him and agree to do whatever it was Axen wanted them to do.
“Do you find your role in the game an enjoyable one?” Jessie's large eyes flashed towards him and settled on his face.
Thunde shifted his feet. Jessie’s gaze was intense, and he found himself wishing she’d stop studying him. “I follow my orders.”
“Do you enjoy those orders?”
Thunde growled and saw Jessie flinch. He forced himself to relax. “I’m loyal to Vorten and my Elders. That is my purpose.”
Jessie nodded and took a sip of her drink. “It’s important to have a purpose and mission in life. We need to find something we take pride in doing.”
“You have a purpose on Earth?” Thunde found himself drawn to the tiny female. He couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t running away in terror, but he was glad she wasn’t.
“I’m a researcher,” said Jessie. “I catalogue and archive old things.”
“Such as?”
“My main interest is books,” said Jessie.
“You catalogue reading devices?”
“No, although we have a number of those in our archive. Many years ago, humans used to read books produced on paper. We would print out copies and sell them. I always had a love for fiction.”
Thunde snorted, the idea sounded ridiculous. “What did you use to create these paper books?”
“Mainly trees,” said Jessie, “sometimes recycled pulp. It was one of the reasons we stopped making them, though; we ran out of trees.”
“You cut down something as valuable as a tree to make this book?” Thunde shook his head. This was a prime example of how primitive humans were.
Jessie gave him a small smile. “It must sound crazy to you. I understand Vortens have no books.”
“We have information resources,” said Thunde. “But nothing like you’re talking about. It’s a wasteful use of resources.”
“It was.” Jessie shrugged. “But we have a tendency to put leisure before common sense.”
Thunde rested his hands on his weapons harness and saw Jessie flinch again. “You have nothing to worry about for now.”
Jessie placed her drink down. “The Fraken want to see some sport before this is over?”
“They do,” said Thunde, glancing into the sky where the audience viewing drones would be hovering. “But I’m not one for giving the Fraken what they want.”
“You’re good at what you do, though,” said Jessie. “I’ve seen some of the old score cards for your kills on the comms channel. You never take more than two days to complete a game.”
Thunde raised his eyebrows, impressed by Jessie’s knowledge. “You know a lot about me.”
“I absorb information easily,” said Jessie. “I’m like a sponge.”
Thunde frowned. “Well, absorb this information. We need to move somewhere we won’t be monitored.”
Jessie opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She snapped her jaw shut and stared at him.
A trickle of amusement ran through Thunde. “It’s not safe here.”
“I don’t think anywhere is safe in this game,” said Jessie. “What do you have in mind?”
“You need to gather your things and then run,” said Thunde.
Jessie shifted on the ground and licked her lips. “Where? And why?”
“Because we really are in a game, and you are my prey.” Thunde took a menacing step towards Jessie, trying to provoke her into fleeing and make their interaction look authentic to the audience.
“So, why don’t you end the game now?” Jessie grabbed her bag and water and clutched them to her chest.
Why wasn’t she running? “Because, as you said, the Fraken want some sport. And we need to figure out how best to do that. They want to see something impressive. And at the moment, I imagine they’re bemused watching me stand in front of you and do nothing.”
“Not as bemused as I am.” Jessie climbed to her feet and flung her bag over her shoulder. “You said run? In any particular direction?”
Thunde gave a sharp nod. “To your right are some evergreen trees. Get under them and wait.”
Jessie took a couple of steps and then stopped. “For what?”
“For me,” said Thunde.
“I should get away from you, not wait for you to hunt me in the trees.”
“I will chase after you,” said Thunde, leaning closer to Jessie and lowering his voice. “But I will not kill you when I find you. There is something you need to know, something the audience must not discover.”
Jessie blinked at Thunde. “I just run?”
Thunde pulled a blade from his belt and swung it at her. “I suggest you do it quickly.”
Jessie bolted away from him, slipping on the ground as she did so.
Thunde took several fast steps after her and then slowed. He reined in his hunting instincts as he watched Jessie flee, relieved she had stopped questioning him. They needed to get somewhere safe, somewhere out of the Frakens’ view, where he could tell her what he was planning. He didn’t know if she’d believe him, but he wanted to reassure her she would come to no harm. The rest, they would have to make up as they went along.
Chapter 5
Fear kicked in as Jessie fled from Thunde, and her ears rang as adrenaline flooded her system. She couldn’t make sense of his words. She understood why he might not want to kill her straight away, but the way he looked at her hadn’t been like a predator about to kill his prey. She was sure she’d seen concern in his eyes. But when he’d drawn his blade, all reason had vanished, and Jessie hadn’t been able to stop her panic taking over.
Thunde was a true Vorten warrior and had muscles upon muscles to prove it. She’d never seen anyone so big in real life. His broad, flat nose was typical of the Vorten, and his grey eyes had been focused and alert, not missing anything. He was bred to be a warrior, a killer. Was he really going to keep her safe when they were under the trees? Perhaps he’d set a trap to prevent her from getting out.
She slowed as she entered the forest area, her gaze darting around, looking for signs of trouble.
Jessie didn’t think Vorten used traps to catch their prey, but there must be logic to what he was doing, a reason he wanted this to be a part of his game. Maybe the Fraken insisted things happen differently because the audience was getting bored. There could be Fraken beasts in the trees, and Thunde had simply driven her towards them.
Jessie swallowed her fear and ducked through the foliage until she found a space big enough to stand in. Should she wait? Should she trust this warrior? She looked around but couldn’t see any signs of a trick or the dreaded Fraken beasts. Maybe Thunde only wanted to talk. She shook her head. That made no sense. She knew enough about the games to know predator and prey didn’t sit down for a cozy conversation before the slaughter began.
She dug a hand into her bag and pulled out the white berries she’d discovered earlier. They had a strong sedative effect on anyone who ate them, and that gave her a chance, a tiny advantage over Thunde. She would listen to what he had to say, but she would also give herself the opportunity to get away if she needed to. Jessie pulled out the rest of the water she carried and crushed the white berries before dribbling the juice into the water. She didn’t know how much she’d need to bring a Vorten to his knees, but these would at least make him woozy, slow him down enough so she could escape if this was a trap.
Jessie held the container in her shaking hand and waited.
***
Thunde kept his blade out as he walked towards the trees. He kept his stride long,
making it seem as if he had a purpose. And he did, but it wasn’t the one the Fraken assumed it would be.
All he needed to do was tell Jessie to put on a good show until they got out. An unfamiliar sense of hope fluttered through Thunde’s stomach. He took pride in following orders and trusted Axen with his life, but this was the strangest thing he’d ever asked of him. Make believe he was going to kill someone, but actually keep them safe. And then what? Using the micro-screen, Bladen had told him to be at a specific comms point with the code, but nothing after that.
He reached the trees and pushed through. The gloom enveloped him, but his eyesight was enhanced, and he could already hear Jessie shifting around among the trees.
Now he was out of sight of the Fraken and their audience, he placed his blade back in its sheath and slowed his pace. “You have nothing to fear,” he said, his voice sounding rough to his ears. He cleared his throat. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
He pushed through some more trees and stopped. Jessie stood in front of him. She appeared relaxed as she leaned against a tree, a water container in her hand.
“Sorry to say I do fear you, and I think you are going to hurt me,” said Jessie. “It’s what you’re famous for.”
Thunde growled low in his chest but stopped himself when he saw the color drain from Jessie’s face. “You need to trust me.”
Jessie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I will, not just yet.”
He repressed another growl. “Then listen to me carefully. The games are changing, and we’re going to help do that.”
Jessie stood up straight, her intelligent gaze on him. “How are we going to do that?”
“I can’t tell you exactly how, only that I’ve been given orders to keep you safe.”
Jessie’s dark eyes narrowed. “Is this some sort of test?”
“No test,” said Thunde, although he had wondered that himself. Could this be a test of Vorten loyalty? Was Axen seeing how far he could push his warriors? Thunde gave a discreet shake of his head. He wouldn’t do that. Axen was always straight with him, with all of the warriors.
Thunde Page 4
