by Abella Ward
"By popular demand, we are sending in paramedics to see if the human can be saved," Taskus Draw said from somewhere above him, but Gylden didn't listen.
Blood pounded in his ears, adrenaline coursing through him. When he saw four Rlabeks in green uniforms jog out onto the sand, his terror-filled brain didn't see paramedics. He only saw more threats. He howled as he jumped back to his feet, charging at them with his sword at the ready.
There was a shout, and one of the paramedics pointed a gun at him. A bolt shot from it, striking him square in the chest. Pain blossomed from the impact zone. An electric current swept through him from head to toe. Bright flashes of white and black splashed across his vision. He fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming with pain. When the agony stopped, he collapsed, breathing heavily. Through hooded eyes, he saw the Rlabeks put Bianca onto a stretcher.
They were going to take care of her. Patch her up. Save her. His body sagged into the sand in relief. They could save her. They had to save her.
"And here is our hero, driven to the point of exhaustion from pain and worry."
Taskus Draw's shadow fell over his face. It took all of Gylden's strength at that moment not to pick up his sword and drive it into the network host's body. Who was he to preside over such death? For all his talk of viewer votes, the truth was that Taskus held the guillotine over all their necks.
Gylden drew in a deep breath and forced himself to get to his feet. He would be expected to stand and talk when all he wanted was to run after Bianca. Hold her hand and reassure her that it was all going to be okay.
"Can you tell me what you're feeling right now?" Taskus asked him.
A drone flew directly into his face, the beam of light narrowing onto his eyes. A dramatic close-up. The sight of his own black eyes was reflected back to him from all around the area. Gylden stared back at his eyes and saw the truth in them.
"Horror."
He turned and looked at the dead bodies of his fellow gladiators. Taskus liked to emphasize how many of the fighters were condemned prisoners, but how many of these fellows had been? How many were like him, raised from childhood to kill or be killed? How many like Bianca, stolen and thrown into this mix without a prayer?
"I am horrified that this is allowed to happen. That the United Species has not stepped in and ended the barbaric practice of forcing sentient beings to kill each other. And I am horrified that there are billions of depraved people who think that my life exists only for their entertainment. I am horrified that I have been here since I was a child and all of you are allowed to sit in your cozy homes without the slightest bit of guilt despite the fact that you are all murderers." Gylden nodded, satisfied with what he had said, and strode towards the exit. He had to be with Bianca.
And if she dies, so does every single person who failed her. Starting with Taskus Draw.
Chapter Eight – Bianca
The cameras were never going to turn off.
Bianca didn't even have the option of closing her eyes and pretending she was somewhere else. With the blood pumping from her body, the paramedics had injected some sort of paralytic into her. She couldn't move, not even breathe on her own. That was the job of a machine she was hooked up into.
Surgeons worked around her, describing what they were seeing and doing. Several injections of bloodstore were used. Fleshseal wasn’t going to be enough to save her life, so intense regeneration was used on her throat.
Bianca could feel what was happening, but she felt distanced – like the memory of a dream. There was pain, but not so much that she could actually be bothered with it. More pressing was the fear. She didn't know how much of what the surgeons were saying was real and how was much for show.
The regeneration of her throat was happening too slowly. The machine was in need of repairs. If they didn’t start on her arm soon, she might lose it. The blade had cut through bones and tendons. There were no other regeneration units available. There was just a flap of skin holding her shoulder together. She was bleeding out still. The fleshseal wasn't stopping up the detached limb like it should.
"Her throat is healed now," one of the surgeons said. "Get the regenerator on her shoulder."
"It's not fully healed. She'll scar if I move now."
I'd rather have a scar on my throat than lose my arm! she wanted to scream, but couldn't even blink. A nurse dropped some sort of liquid in them and closed her eyes before opening them again.
And those stupid camera drones were still all over the place, relaying everything to billions of strangers.
"There," said the head surgeon. "All healed up. Now let's take a look at that arm… oh. Oh, dear."
There was a sound like scissors snipping through a fish fillet, and Bianca saw her arm lifted up, out of the way. Her body didn't respond, but her mind whirled. Everything blacked out for a moment, unable to process what she was seeing. Even the voices of the surgeons faded away. She was able to think of Gylden and nothing but Gylden.
The rawness in his eyes when he stopped her escape attempt… She should never have almost left him behind. She should have invited him to go with her from the start. But he had found her, stopped her, and they had shared something together that she had never shared with anybody else. Of course she'd had sex before, but Gylden made love to her. And no matter what happened, nobody could take that away from her.
The surgeon's voice pierced through the black in her mind. "Well, look at that. She's pregnant."
Everything rushed back into focus. She could see the surgeons above her, holding a scanner in their hands. Pregnant? Were they serious?
"It won't survive her injuries."
No! Bianca fought against her paralysis to no avail. It didn't matter that she had just learned she was pregnant and that she could only be three standard weeks along – less than that in Earth time – she couldn't lose her baby!
"It must be the T'shav's child," another surgeon said. "They're a hardy species. It might survive."
The blackness overtook her again.
***
There was an elephant sitting on her chest. It was hard to breathe. Her eyelids weighed a ton. A desert had taken up residence in her throat.
Bianca's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was back in Gylden's room, cool air brushing against her skin, her T'shav's arms around her. She moaned as pricklings of pain shot up and down her arm. It felt like she had been lying on it for a few hours and was just coming back from the bloodless numbing such an action would create.
"Bianca?" Gylden propped himself onto his elbow and gazed down at her.
She opened her mouth to say his name, but at that moment she remembered what she had heard just before she blacked out the second time. "I'm pregnant."
"I know." Gylden gently kissed her. "I watched the surgery."
"Am I still pregnant?"
He nodded. "The baby survived."
Bianca sagged in relief, her eyes closing again. Their baby survived. A baby she hadn't even known about. How could she be so attached already? But if it hadn't survived… She didn't know how she would have been able to handle it.
Gylden stroked her hair. "I was so worried about you."
"I'm okay. I'm a little thirsty."
The gladiator slid out of bed and retrieved a glass of water for her. He helped Bianca sit, and she reached for the glass with her injured arm. It was amazing how, now that the pins and needles had disappeared, it was just the same as always. These alien technologies were amazing – to be able to reattach a limb so well. Would she even have a scar? She wore an elbow-length shirt, so she couldn't see.
"I'm sorry," Gylden said, his voice thick as she inspected it.
"Sorry? For what? You saved my life."
The T'shav looked away. A drone flew into his face. "If I had been quicker, you wouldn't have lost it."
"Lost…"
Bianca looked back at her arm. Her hand trembled as she pulled up her sleeve. Just beyond her elbow, the smooth, pale skin melted into a bluish ma
terial that was a sort-of skin. It was transparent, showing the whirling mechanics inside. An access door went from shoulder to halfway down her bicep.
"It doesn't matter." She pulled her sleeve back down, though her stomach churned. "You saved my life, and it doesn't feel like I have a new arm at all. And I can wiggle my fingers still. It doesn't matter."
Gylden glanced at her. "If I—"
"I'm alive. You're alive. Our baby is alive." She gulped. Their baby. "What are we going to do now? I can't go back into the arena — the baby…"
The T'shav wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her in tight. When a drone zoomed into her face, she turned and buried her face into Gylden's shoulder. He stroked her hair in smooth, even strokes, relaxing her.
"We will have to rely on the mercy of our viewers. Taskus Draw put up a poll to see how many think that I have done enough to earn my freedom and take you with me. But when you were hurt… I lost my head. I said things I shouldn't have. I overstepped my place. I accused them of terrible things."
"What sort of things?"
"It doesn't matter. None of it's true." He kissed her again. "Try to rest. You're still recovering. We'll learn our fate tomorrow."
Bianca nodded silently. She shuddered at the thought of returning to the arena, but the choice was out of her hands – for now. She hadn't lost the baby.
She had lost her arm. Her bionic arm felt the same as her flesh and blood one had. But it wasn't the same. Her stomach churned until she realized that it was bionic. It was full of delightful bits and pieces of technology. Stuff that she could use if she and Gylden decided to escape again.
***
The next day, Gylden changed into a loose-fitting robe to face Taskus Draw and the public's vote. Bianca admired his naked body for a moment before a drone circled him. She turned away. It was so normal for him that he didn't blink an eye at this invasion of privacy.
She herself wrapped a blanket around herself as she put on a crop top shirt and a pair of booty shorts that did nothing to hide her problematic areas. But curvy women like her were beautiful out here the way supermodels were beautiful on Earth, so it didn't make much of a difference. Once again, she was reminded that they couldn't stay living like this, that they had to find some way to get away. She had plans. The bionic arm gave her everything she needed to make another EMP generator. Then they could get out of the barracks and to the docks. She was a fairly good pilot. The biggest issue was convincing Gylden that they could make it. But with the generator and his strength and sword, of course they could make it…
At the moment, though, they had to face the public vote to see if they would be sent back into the arena again.
Soon, they were standing before Taskus Draw, whose face was so smug that Bianca's heart sank. The viewers must have voted for them to go back in. It was the only reason he could be looking so pleased. Why did he hate her so much? Just because of the fact that she figured out to break the collars off the creatures the first time they went into the arena? Or was it something else? Did he think that Gylden winning his freedom would hurt the ratings?
"The public has spoken," the alien drawled, tapping his fingers together. "Gylden. Bianca. You have both survived thus far in the arena against all the odds. But you have both also insulted the viewers. First by acting as though their desires to see you come together was something shameful."
Which it is. Bianca fought to keep her expression neutral. We're real people, not fictional characters.
"And then by insinuating that they are murderers."
Bianca looked at Gylden. He bowed his head as though ashamed. So that was what he had been talking about last night… And again, it was the truth.
Taskus Draw let the silence drag on for far too long. "Despite this, they have decided to show mercy. Your freedom has been granted, Gylden. You are now a trainer, and your mate will join you in this task."
Relief poured over Bianca. She actually laughed, she was so relieved. She hugged Gylden. He hugged her back tightly and kissed her hard. And for that moment, Bianca couldn’t care less if they were being watched. She kissed him back, pressing her body firmly against his. They were so caught up in their celebrations that it wasn't until Taskus Draw cleared his throat that either looked back at him.
Bianca saw the expression on his face and her heart stopped.
"However, there were quite a number of call-ins and complaints. It appears that the majority of our viewers don't want to see your figure ruined, Bianca. And as such, your pregnancy will be terminated immed—"
"No." Gylden pushed Bianca behind him. "You are not touching her and you are not killing our child."
Taskus Draw's eyes glittered. "Considering the mercy that the viewers have shown you—"
Gylden didn't let him finish. His blade flashed as he drew it. Taskus Draw stepped back, eyes widening. But he wasn't quick enough to stop Gylden from stabbing him through the heart.
Chapter Nine – Gylden
Gylden was filled with an intense feeling of satisfaction as Taskus Draw's expression went from fear to pain to anger to terror. When the Suesue fell to his knees, Gylden smiled and withdrew his blade. The fulfillment of all these years of longing to run Taskus Draw through left him feeling almost giddy, even as alarms started wailing.
The doors burst open. Gylden turned fluidly. He grasped Bianca's arm and pushed her behind himself. Guards poured in armed with blasters, electrical sticks, and cudgels. The T'shav grinned as he leaped into the midst of them, slicing at the nearest once. The guard's uniform seemed to ripple as his blade came down; it thickened on impact, protecting the guard from the traluthian blade.
Nanite armor. Gylden's smile slipped from his face. His sword was useless against such a defense.
The guard he had tried to cut punched him in the face. Gylden stumbled back, letting his sword fall. Another guard punched him in the kidneys and he dropped to a knee, groaning in pain. His heart hammered. Their blows didn't hurt too much. He just had to wait for the right moment to take them down. But how could he do that?
Nanites could only survive one bolt from a blaster. Gylden kicked out the feet of the nearest guard and rolled over him, narrowly avoiding the electric sticks from the other guards. They were all concentrated on him, ignoring Bianca as she crouched behind Taskus Draw's desk. Good. It was easier for him this way, not worrying about her getting hurt.
Gylden grabbed the guard's blaster, easily flicking it from stun to kill. He put a double blast into the man's chest before turning. The others aimed their guns at him, but as they let off their rounds, he rolled again. One of the blasts hit another guard, making him stumble back. Gylden leaped to his feet, firing rapidly.
A shower of small, black dots burst off the guards' bodies. Gylden could see the nanites left scrambling to cover the exposed area, but even as the guards moved in as one, he dropped the blaster and struck out with fists and feet. It was easy to twist a knife from one of them. The thinned nanite armor was no protection against the sharp blade.
Within seconds it was over. Gylden stared down at the bodies, a savage grin on his face.
"My life doesn't belong to you anymore!" he shouted as a drone flew into his face. "My life is mine!"
Bianca peeked out from behind the desk. Her face was bloodless, but she pressed her lips together in determination. She scrambled out from behind the desk and dropped to her knees beside Taskus Draw. Gylden's brows rose to his short hairline as she started patting the fallen host's body.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for his security keys," she said. "I don't have time to build another EMP generator, but if we have his keys…"
Taskus Draw coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. Gylden snatched up his sword and stalked over. He put the blade against the host's throat but hesitated. He wasn't even sure why he hesitated. Despite wanting to see the man dead and his own conscious saying he couldn't leave him suffering in spite of his evils, Gylden couldn't kill him. Not like this.
"I wonder how many viewers are tuning in to see if you live or die," the T'shav said, his voice perfectly even. "I wonder if we should have a public vote on whether I could cut off your head or not. Or perhaps it would be better for my fellow gladiators to vote."
Bianca gave a cry of triumph as she pulled Taskus Draw's bracelet off. She pressed a few of the rubies embedded in the gold, and the large sapphire glowed with a green light.
"This is it. It'll let us get anywhere, if I'm correct." She jumped to her feet and grabbed Gylden's hand. "We have to go now. More guards will be on their way."
Gylden nodded. She tugged on him, and he turned his back on the dying host. Bianca led him through the corridors, always holding his hand. They ran into guards a few times, but they were simple to deal with. A strange feeling beat against Gylden's chest as they ran. This was escape. This was freedom.
When they got to the docking yard, Gylden almost stopped. Just beyond the ships was a wide expanse of utter darkness. He'd never seen that sort of deep dark before. He'd been kept in the center of the ship when he was brought here and he had lived in the constant light of the filming drones ever since. He shuddered as he considered just how dark and empty space was.
"Hurry," Bianca urged, running for the nearest ship. "We have to leave now!"
Gylden followed her onto the ship. His stomach twisted itself into knots as Bianca jumped into the pilot's chair. She worked quickly, her hands flying over the controls, and soon they were off. Ships followed them from the station, but with a few adjustments to their course, Bianca had them taking off into the deep of space before any could lock onto their position.
Both sat absolutely still for a long time before Gylden stirred. "Is that it? Are we free?"
"Almost." Bianca pointed at the drones still hovering over their heads.
Gylden grunted and raised the blaster he still held. Five quick blasts and the drones burst into thousands of pieces, the charred ruins falling to the floor. It felt good. Really, really good. He grinned and turned to Bianca. Her hands were shaking, her eyes wide, but she smiled back at him.
