Page 97 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

97

Last Gasp

A nubis

As soon as he steps out of his hover, I recognize the male. I’ve only seen him once, but he made a stark impression.

I met him a handful of days ago when he walked into my barracks at the geneslave farm. We were all ordered to stand with our palms behind our heads, exactly three feet behind the bars of our cage doors.

Commander Pleer, wearing the same black uniform with crimson epaulets he’s wearing now, strutted up and down the rows inspecting us. He may not have even been aware he was doing it, but after every three strides, he snapped his shockstick against his tall black boots. His sneering expression has haunted my dreams since then.

I memorized everything about that moment, as a geneslave is taught to do. I know his scent, which now, as it was then, is full of anger laced with condescension.

He strode up to my cell, looked me up and down as if he were about to purchase a piece of livestock, then pointed at me with his shockstick and said, “This one.”

I don’t know why he chose me, but the guards zapped my slave collar so hard, the next thing I knew I woke up in that crowded room on the Crown Nebula.

“Cameras off!” he commands, and all the drones’ red eyes immediately blink off. “You were supposed to die. It shouldn’t have been that hard. I thought the audience would root for your death and we could magnanimously supply it. You were one of our most animalistic products—the perfect choice.

“Then I had Zedd saddle you with the female most likely to drag you down. I even bet against you in the pool.” His mouth pulls into a sneer as if he just tasted expired meat.

Sadie’s fingers tighten around my hand. I know she’s trying to lend me support, but Pleer didn’t come all this way to congratulate me. The more I can distance myself from Sadie, the safer she’ll be.

I ease away from her, but she sticks to me, not comprehending my subtleties.

“I need to kill you. On camera, even if it’s not broadcast galaxy-wide. Your fellow products need to see your death. I warned them they would be punished if they didn’t follow instructions. I want them to see just how excruciating I can make their suffering.”

My head tips back in surprise. “I never disobeyed an order in my life.” Well, that’s not true. But after enough punishments, I learned early in childhood to comply.

Pleer shakes his head as if he’s talking to an idiot. “It doesn’t matter if you followed instructions or not, 1213. It’s all about optics. You were an object lesson, that’s all.

“It didn’t matter who I picked, it mattered that I decided you were to receive punishment, and it was properly meted out. It doesn’t matter that you’re one of the biggest, strongest, and best soldiers. You belong to the Federation. You’re a product, nothing more, and are expendable at our discretion. The products won a few battles in Federation wars and a few were realizing their real power and worth. I need to remind them who is in charge.

“Now run. I’ve brought two fellow products to chase you, track you down, and put an end to you. We’ll record it and play it in the genefarm barracks as an incentive.” He points in the direction of a nearby woods with his shockstick and says, “Go!”

Before taking off, I squeeze Sadie’s hand and say, “I love you.”

I barely get a look at the two geneslaves tasked with my death. They must come from a different farm, definitely a different barracks, because they don’t look familiar. They’re as big as me and, of course, enhanced.

Right this moment, I imagine Pleer’s hand is on their controllers, turning up the concentration of whatever was in that ampule Sadie discovered under my skin. They’re receiving additional enhancements in the form of speed and the drive to kill. For the first time in my life, I’ll be fighting without extra chemicals coursing through my body. I’ll be fighting on my own merits.

That’s fine. I have my own motivation. I need to get back to Sadie. Not only do I want to be with her, I need to protect her. Who knows what punishments they have in store for her next?

Taking huge, leaping strides, I run to the treeline, then climb a tree and use the vines to swing farther from my pursuers.

I’ve been on the run practically nonstop for four full days. The males close on my heels are fresh. As it has been throughout this competition, the odds are stacked against me. I have one thing they don’t have, though—motivation.

They’re fighting because they were told to, because they’ll be punished if they don’t succeed. I’m fighting to be with my Sadie. I’ll find a way to evade them, then find a way to come back to her.

“Give up!” one of the males calls to me.

I’m swinging through the umber and orange leaves high in the tree canopy. Birds squawk and fly away as I crash through their territory. If the geneslaves behind me don’t have good enough eyesight to follow my movements, they can pinpoint my location by sound alone.

“We’ll kill you swiftly,” the second male says. “A mercy.”

“Fuckers,” I whisper, then shake that thought out of my head. It’s not their fault, I think as I race from limb to limb, then vine to vine. If our places were reversed, I would be just as set upon my mission. It’s what we’ve been taught since we drew our first breath: obey, follow directions. Do not think for yourself or the punishment will be swift and severe.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few days, life has no meaning if your thoughts can’t be your own.

“You don’t want to do this,” I call to them, knowing they’ll pick up my weakness. My words aren’t as forceful as theirs because I’m panting. The exertions of the last few days and the change in my body chemistry have caught up with me. “We have a common enemy. Our owners, our handlers, our guards. Haven’t you resented them your entire life? You heard Pleer, he chose to kill me for no reason. You might be next.”

That’s all the breath I have to waste on this fool’s errand. These males have been brainwashed their entire lives, just like I was, to believe what the guards told them. My beautiful Sadie has shown me the truth. These two haven’t had enough time on their own to discover their truth. They’ll never listen to my pleas.

Digging deep into myself, trying to find my hidden store of energy, I climb down from the treetops and run on land, dodging between trees and trying to stay one step ahead of them. It was a poor choice because they can follow my footsteps by sound alone as I step on old, crunchy fallen leaves.

I’m at the edge of the forest, moving into the open plains in the dwindling daylight when they catch up with me.

“Stop, 1213,” one of them says. He’s only a few feet behind me. I’m surprised they haven’t killed me already.

“Armed drones are on their way. Do you want to fight us? Die an honorable death in hand-to-hand combat? You only have moments before the Commander’s drones cut you down.”

I turn, slowly raising my arms. I’m trapped. As much as I want to live, want to return to Sadie, want to share a life with her even if it’s on this forsaken planet, grief courses through me as I realize that won’t be my fate.

If my choice is to die honorably at the hand of another geneslave, or be lasered by a drone, I’ll take what these two offer.

They look nothing like me, nor each other. The guards used to tease us that the scientists took a bunch of sperm, threw it in a test tube with an egg, and saw what grew. Although I taught myself enough through my wanderings on the Intergalactic Database to realize it was more complicated, that’s what it amounted to.

One of these males has skin the perfect camouflage for a dappled forest floor like this one. He has a third eye in his forehead. I focus on the compassion in those three eyes. He doesn’t want to do this any more than I do. His eyes flick to one of the unarmed drones that have been following us since we left Pleer. This is being recorded. This male has to follow his orders or he’ll be killed.

The other male is purple and furred. Unlike me, his pelt is barely there, more suede than fur. It’s clear the species he was spliced with differed from my own.

“I’ll make it quick,” he offers as he steps forward. One of his ears flicks nervously, although his hands are steady.

“I forgive you,” I tell them. They’re following orders and they’ve caught me fairly. “I won’t fight you. My defeat is inevitable with both of you fighting and all the resources of the Federation at Pleer’s disposal. I have no desire to hurt either of you. If you see my female, tell her I love her.”

At my declaration, they look at each other with surprise and regret.

The male with three eyes, the bigger of the two, moves behind me and holds my hands behind my back in a firm but not painful grip. I don’t blame them for not trusting my words. I wouldn’t either. The furred male places his hands around my neck and squeezes.